Biscuit Ambado (Magalore bajji)

My aunty used to prepare wonderful mangalore bajjis for us during our holidays at grandmom's place. I had a friend over for lunch the other day and she requested some konkani cuisine. So I decided to make this bajji for her.

You will need:

1 cup urad dal
2 tbsp fresh coconut/ frozen coconut
1/4 cup finely chopped ginger
2 green chillies finely chopped
salt to taste

Method:

Soak urad dal in water for about 2 hours and grind it into a paste with as little water as possible.
To this paste add chopped green chillis, coconut, ginger and salt and mix well.
Heat oil in a frying pan. Using a spoon drop small amounts of the flour misture into hot oil. Fry it till it turns golden yellow and drop it on to a tissue paper to soak extra oil.

Biscuit ambado is ready to be relished. It goes well with ginger chutney.

Ginger chutney:

1/2 inch fresh ginger chunk
1/2 tbsp tamarind paste
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup grated coconut
salt to taste

Grind all the incredients in a blender.

Masala Aloo!!!

Last friday, my friends and I went to an Indian restaurant for dinner and we happened to order masala aloo from their menu. It tasted heavenly with roti. I decided to try it for weekend lunch at home. I tried giving my own twist to it and it came out delicious.


You will need:

3 medium sized potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mango powder
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp red chilli flakes
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
salt to taste

Method:

Dice the potatoes into small cubes with the skin intact and keep them aside.

Heat oil in pan. To this add cumin seeds and asafoetida powder. Lower the flame and add coriander powder, cumin powder, mango powder and saute it well. Add the diced potatoes and mix well. Now add turmeric powder, chilli powder, chilli flakes and fennel seeds and saute it well. Add salt to taste and mix well. Sprinkle some water and cover the lid and cook for 10 minutes. Keep sprinkling water to avoid the potatoes from getting burnt. Once the potatoes become tender , remove from the stove and serve hot.

Masala aloo is ready to be relished . It goes well as a side dish with rice and also with roti.!!!

Aloo Gobi!!!

I am sure everyone loves potatoes. This weekend I happened to buy two huge bags of potatoes. I have tried aloo gobi a lot of times but never got the restaurant taste. But this time I tired the recipe from internet and I must say the sauce really tasted like a restaurant one. So I decided to put it in my blog and share the recipe with you all.

You will need:

3 mediun sized potatoes
1 fresh cauliflower
2 medium tomatoes finely chopped
1 medium red onion finely chopped
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/4 cup finely chopped green chillies
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
salt to taste

Method:

Dice the potatoes into small cubes with the skin intact and place them in a bowl immersed in water. Cut the cauliflower into small pieces and keep it aside.

Heat a pot with 3 tbsp olive oil.Once the oil gets hot, add the chopped green chillies and ginger garlic paste and saute it. To this add the finely choped onions and salt and saute it till the oinions turn golden brown. Then add the finely chopped tomoatoes,turmeric and red chilli powder and cook till the tomatoes get tender. To this add coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala powder and mix well. Now add the diced potatoes and cauliflower pieces and mix well. Coat them properly with the masala. Add 1 cup water and close the lid and cook for 15 minutes till the veggies become tender. ( keep checking to avoid overcooking) Garnish with finely chopped cilantro.

Aloo Gobi is ready to be relished . It goes best with chapati or roti!!!

Khara (spicy) Pongal !!!!

This year for Shankranti (January 15 2011) I made til laddus like last year. I happened to be chatting with my best friend Ramya when we discussed about this dish called Pongal. I was also reminded about the spicy pongal that my aunty used to cook. I got the recipe from my friend and though I didn't have a lot of ingredients she had mentioned to add , it came out tasty. So basically, cooking is all about customizing!!!

You will need:

1 cup rice
1 cup moong dal (split green gram)
3 cups water
1 tsp ghee
1 tsp pepper powder( usually they use 1/2 tsp peppercorns)
2 small chopped green chillies
1 tsp chooped ginger
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
a few curry leaves( optional)
salt to taste.

Method:

Add the rice, moong dal and water and pressure cook it and keep aside.

In a pot heat 1 tsp ghee ( I substituted with olive oil). To this add the cumin seeds ,ginger , turmeric, peppercorns( or pepperpowder ) and curry leaves. Once the peppercorns start to splutter mix the cooked rice/dal mixture into the pot.Add salt to taste. Add 2 cups water and stir well. Heat it for anout 2 to 3 minutes.

Spicy Pongal is ready to be relished!!!!!

There is a sweet version of pongal which I will be trying next year on the auspicious day of Makara Shankranti!!!

Vegetable Saagu!!!

This a very famous South Indian dish served with pooris in most of the restaurants. We have grown up eating poori saagu at my granny's place for breakfast. I decided to make this saagu for my husband birthday (jan 8, 2011) which was a surprise one , had some friends over. Everyone loved it.

You will need:

chopped vegetables like carrots, potatoes, beans, peas ,cauliflower
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
3-4 Curry leaves
1/2 Onion (finely chopped)
a pinch of hing
a pinch of turmeric
Salt to taste

For the masala

1/2 cup grated coconut
1 inch cinnamon stick
3-4 cloves
3-4 Black Peppercorns
small piece of ginger
1/2 chooped onion
3 tsp roasted chana dal
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 small green chilies

Method:

First boil the vegetables and keep aside.( You could pressure cook the vegetables too). Then for the masala, grind all the ingredients to a smooth paste adding water. Heat oil in pot and add mustard, hing, turmeric , curry leaves. To this add finely chopped oinions and saute till it is cooked. Add the masala paste and cook till it starts to boil , Then finally add the vegetables and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes. Add salt to taste. Add water to get the required consistency.

Vegetable saagu is ready to be relished.
It is best eaten with pooris, but can be served with chapatis or rice!!!!

Thai green curry with jasmine rice!!!

Thai food is the only cuisine I love after Indian.Finally I succeeded in making the exact same thai green curry they serve in the restaurant. I used the store baught thai green curry paste to make it.

You will need:

1 cup jasmine rice
1 can coconut milk
2 tbsp thai green curry paste(store baught come in a small bottle)
1 tsp brown sugar
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/4 cup snow peas
1/2 cup brocolli florets
1 cup cubed extra firm tofu.

Method:

Cook the jasmine rice with 1 1/2 cup water in a rice cooker. Keep it aside.

In a pan, heat 1 tsp oil and slightly fry the cubed tofu till they turn golden brown. Keep it aside. Heat 3 cups water in a pan and add the sliced carrots , brocolli and snow peas and oil then for about 5 minutes. Drain the water and keep it aside.

In a pot , add 1 can coconut milk and bring it to boil. To this add the 2 tbsp of thai green curry paste and mix well. Add 1 tsp brown sugar and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. Into this add the fried tofu and the boiled veggies and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes. Add more green curry paste depending on your spice level.

Serve it hot with Jasmine rice!

Thai green curry is ready to be relished!!!!

Spicy Tomato Rice!

Tomato rice was the only dish I could cook well when I came to this country. Every other day it was tomato rice for lunch. I realized after I started getting better at cooking I never made this rice since the year 2007.. I decided to retry it again today and see how it tasted after some years of cooking experience. And yes , it tasted a lot better than what it used to three years back. :)

You will need:

2 cups cooked white rice
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped onions
3 dry red chillies
1 tsp mustard and cumin for tampering
1 tsp chana dal and urad dal
1 chopped green chilli
1 tsp garam masala powder
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp grated ginger
salt to taste

Method:

First cook the rice in rice cooker and keep it aside for it to cool.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pot and add the red chillies and then add mustard and cumin . Allow it to splutter then add the chana dal and urad dal and stir till they turn brownish in colour. To this add chopped ginger, chopped green chilli and chopped onions , salt and cook till the onions get transparent. Now add the chopped tomatoes and cook it till it is half done , then add the garam masala powder and mix well. Finally mix in the cooked rice . Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Spicy tomato rice is ready to be relished!!! It can be eaten as it is or can be eaten with raita or yogurt!