This is one of the most common prawn item you will find in every konkani home :-) It disappears in just minutes..Coarse rice flour known as aalen in konkani is actually used to coat the fish so that it gets crispy.Sooji/rava is a good substitute in case rice flour is not available.
Ingredients - prawns red chilly powder turmeric powder salt oil coarse rice flour or sooji/rava
Method - Wash the prawns well. Marinate them with salt,turmeric and red chilly powder for atleast an hour. Roll them in coarse rice flour or sooji. Heat a non-stick tawa with some oil. Shallow fry the prawns on both sides till crispy. Serve them as a starter or just with meal :-)
This is a nice way to consume oats if you don't like having it with milk like me :).And not to mention it is a very healthy breakfast which is very filling..so go ahead and give this a try.
Ingredients - quaker oats(2 cups) split black lentils/urad dal(1 cup) ginger(1 small piece) green chillies(2-3) salt oil
Method - Wash and soak the urad dal for 4-5 hours or overnite as I did. Soak the oats in water for about 10min before start. Grind together the dal,oats,ginger piece and green chillies. Add water so that the batter should be like normal dosa batter. Add salt and mix. Heat a non-stick tawa.Put some oil on it. Put a laddle-full of batter in the center and spread it in circular motions to get a thin dosa. Add some oil on the sides and over the dosa. Flip on the other side. Keep dosa on the tawa for a longer time(than normal dosa) to get a crispy dosa and also the oats should get cooked well or else it might remain a bit sticky. Serve these wholesome dosas with aloo-masala and chutney :-)
Gooseberry or amla is a very healthy fruit as it is the richest natural source of vitamin C.Consumption of amla prevents many ailments/disorders.. to name a few - dizziness,acidity,common cold. This is one of our favourite pickles with its sour and bitter taste :)
Ingredients - gooseberry/amla(4) oil asafoetida (hing) fenugreek seeds(methi) black pppercorns(kalimirch) mustard seeds salt red chilly powder turmeric powder
Method - Boil 4 medium sized amlas in water. Once they become soft(about 1-2 min) remove them. Remove the seeds from them and chop them fine. Heat about 2 tspn oil in a pan. Add hing,mutard,fenugreek seeds and peppercorns. Remove these from oil and crush to a fine powder in a pestle. To the amlas add salt,red chilly powder and a pinch of turmeric powder. Chilly powder can be varied as per taste. Add these amlas into the above leftover oil. Add in the powder just prepared and mix well. Spicy amla pickle is ready :-) Store it in an airtight container and it stays good in the refrigerator for about 2weeks.
Poha or beaten rice is known as pohe in marathi,phovu in konkani,aval in tamil,avalakki in kannada.Yes this is a breakfast/snack item in almost all over India :)This is vegetable poha recipe..slight variation to the typical kande pohe.Poha is available in 2 varieties - thick and thin.I have used the thin version here and have explained below the careful steps to be taken while using this thin poha:-)
Method - Chop the onion,capsicum,carrot,cauliflower,green chillies finely. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add a pinch of hing,mustard and cumin seeds. Once they splutter add curry leaves. Add the chopped onions,green chillies,peanuts and veggies. Add salt and turmeric powder and cover and cook till the veggies get soft. While the veggies are getting cooked wash the poha lightly once. This is important because as we are using thin poha,if you wash it more it will get mushy and form a lump.If it is thick poha then it can be washed a couple of times. Once the poha is ready(washed) add it to the pan. Add salt and sugar as per taste. Stir the poha lightly taking care not to break it. Cover the pan and turn off the heat. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.Grated coconut can also be added at this time,I did not add. Serve it with sev or it just goes well with a cup of hot tea :-)
A very healthy cake as its made up of dates :-) Very easy recipe and not at all time consuming !
Ingredients - 16 dates(khajur) deseeded and chopped milk - 1.5 cups oil - 1/2 cup powder sugar - 3/4 cup all purpose flour(maida) - 1 cup baking powder - 1 tbspn vanilla essence
Method - Take 16 dates/khajur.Remove the seeds and chop them fine. Heat 1.5 cups of milk and soak the dates in the milk. Take 1 cup maida,mix in 1 tbspn baking powder. Slowly add 1/2 cup oil to the maida and knead the dough. Add 3/4 cup powdered sugar to the milk-dates mix and grind to a fine paste. Now add this date-milk mixture to the maida and mix well. Add few drops of vanilla essence to it and make the batter consistent. Grease the cake pan with oil/ghee and pour the batter in it. Bake for around 20 min and date cake is ready :-)
This is a samosa recipe which contains potato,green peas and cauliflower. Samosa being such a popular evening snack you can have this without worrying as it is home-made :-)
Ingredients - For the stuffing-boiled potatoes,green peas,cauliflower florets. ginger sliced thinly or mashed green chillies masala - cumin seeds,red chilly,cardamom oil turmeric powder salt all purpose flour(maida) oil for deep frying.
Method - To prepare the stuffing - Boil the potatoes and green peas. cut the cauliflower into small florets. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Fry the cauliflower florets(with closed lid) till they are soft.Keep them aside once done. Dry roast the cumin seeds,red chillies and cardamom.Grind these to make a fine powder. This is the masala used. Now add the boiled potatoes and green peas to the pan. Add the cooked florets. Add salt,turmeric powder and the above prepared masala. Cover and cook for about 5 min. The stuffing for the samosa is ready :)
Now to make the samosa - Mix some oil with the all purpose flour/maida. Slowly add water and knead to prepare the dough. The dough should be tight.This is very important.That's why add the water little by little as much as required in preparing the dough. Once the dough is ready make equal balls out of it. The ball should not be too small or too big.I have posted the pictures below.They are in a sequence. With the help of a rolling pin make thin rotis. The rotis should be oval in shape and not circular. Cut the roti in the center to make two equal halves.If not exactly equal there is nothing to worry. Take one half.Stick the adjacent edges of the half together to form a cone. Once a cone is formed add the stuffing inside it. Seal the top of the cone to form a samosa.This actually will be the base of the samosa. Similarly prepare samosas with the rest of the dough. Heat oil in deep-bottom pan.The oil should not be too hot. Keep the flame on medium and fry the samosas. Serve hot with ketchup or chutney :-)
This is Indian style Chicken Chowmein :-) Yes,it is not the typical chowmein which we get in Chinese restaurants.This is our favourite version of chowmein which is full of veggies and the chicken is dry and spicy.So if you have never had this Indianised chowmein then please give it a try and you will realize :-)
Ingredients - boneless chicken (350gm) chowmein veggies - capsicum,beans,carrot turmeric powder green chillies onion (2 medium) ginger (1 medium piece) garlic (3-4 cloves) sauces - tomato,soya,chilly tomato (1 medium) ginger-garlic paste curd/lemon juice salt
Method - First prepare the chicken separately. Chicken preparation - wash the chicken and marinate it with the following for atleast 5-6 hours -salt,turmeric powder,ginger-garlic paste,curd/lemon juice,green chilly paste. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Chop one onion and add it to the pan. Once onion sautes add the chopped tomato to it. Add salt as per taste as salt is already added to the chicken. Now add the marinated chicken pieces and cover and cook. Let it cook for about 15-20 min and it should be done.(Since it is boneless chicken it doesn't take much time) With this the chicken is ready.Keep it aside.
Now chowmein preparation - The technique to cook the chow without getting it sticky is that -first heat water in a pot.Get the water to a boil. Now dip the chow in the boiling water for about 2 mniutes. After 2 min, drain the water and put the chow under cold water.Cold water ensures that the chow will remain free and will not stick. Once the chow is ready keep it aside and start preparing the veggies. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add the chopped onion,ginger,garlic to it. Once it sautes add the chopped green chillies, tomato and salt. Now add all the veggies finely chopped. Add salt, turmeric powder and cover and cook till the veggies get soft. Once the veggies are cooked add the cooked chow to this. Gently toss the chow with the veggies.This should be done carefully so that you don't break the chow. Now add the tomato,soya and chilly sauce and toss again. Cover and cook it for another 5-10 min. Chicken chowmein is ready to serve :-)
Method - Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add the mustard seeds,red chillies(broken) and let them splutter. Remove the seeds of the dates.Chop the tomatoes and dates. Add the tomatoes and dates to the oil and cover the lid. After 2 min add the jaggery and some water. Cook it till it dries.
Method - Mix the semolina,milk and curd in a mixing bowl.The milk must not be hot. Mix well and keep it covered for about 2-3 hours. Now add the sugar,ghee,essence and baking powder to the above mix. Beat well so that the batter is smooth.You can add cashew nuts to the batter(optional). Put the batter in the cake pan and bake for about 20 min. Semolina cake is ready :-)
Whenever we go out to a restaurant we always ask if grilled pomfret is available :-) Yes, this is our favourite pomfret dish.So this time we thought of giving this a try and it turned out really awesome !! Henceforth we do not have to depend on the restaurants and can have grilled pomfret at home and that too whenever we wish :-)
Ingredients - pomfrets with slits (2) lemon juice salt red chilly powder curd ginger-garlic paste coriander powder cumin powder methi powder turmeric powder garam masala powder carom seeds(ajwain)
Method - Wash the slitted pomfrets. Mix in a bowl - lemon juice,salt and red chilly powder. Apply this mixture to the pomfrets well(inside the slits) on both sides. Now take a bowl and mix in the following - curd,ginger-garlic paste,dhaniya powder,jeera powder,methi powder,turmeric powder and garam masala powder and salt to taste. Mix this well and then apply to the pomfrets on both sides. Now sprinkle a few ajwain/carom seeds over the pomfrets. Refrigerate the pomfrets for 6-7 hours or overnite.(See pic below) Remove the fish out of the refrigerator approx 1 hour before cooking. Sprinkle some oil on the fish and place it on the higher reck for 10min microwave+grill option. Carefully turn the fish on the other side,sprinkle some oil and grill for 15min. Grilled pomfret is ready to serve with onion and lemon wedges :-)
Dal tadka is one of the very healthy dishes which goes well with phulkas/roti.It is a combination of various dals and hence very rich in protein.
Ingredients - mixed dal - moong,masur,chana,chole,rajma onion (1 big) ginger (1 medium piece) garlic (6-7 cloves) tomato (1 medium) green chillies (5-6) coriander powder tadka masala salt fresh coriander leaves
Method - Incase dal tadka is not available you can mix all the above dals.Soak the dals in water for atleast 5-6 hours or overnite. Pressure cook with a pinch of salt till the dals are soft.(Rajma takes a long time to cook than other dals). Chop the onion,ginger,garlic,tomato and green chillies finely.Do not use ginger-garlic paste. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add the onions,green chillies. After onion sautes a bit, add the ginger and garlic. Add the chopped tomatoes and salt and let it cook(close the lid). After 5-10 min add 1/2tspn of coriander powder. Add the cooked dals and tadka masala(2 tspn). Add water if required and let it cook. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve hot with phulkas :-)
This is one easy one-pot dish which you can rely on specially if you are running out of time. We generally have this pulao on some lazy day when I am not in a mood of preparing a full-fledged meal and this does not require much preparation or time and it is filling too :-)
Ingredients - 1 cup basmati rice cauliflower carrots beans green peas onion (1 medium) ginger-garlic paste spices - cardamoms,bay leaf,cinnamon,pepper corns,cloves green chillies (4-5) turmeric powder(optional) cashew nuts,raisins(kismis) salt oil
Method - Chop all the veggies to small pieces. Chop the onion and green chillies finely. Heat oil in a non-stick pan/kadhai. Add the whole spices - 1 bay leaf,3-4 cardamoms,2-3 cloves,1/2 tspn pepper corns,1 medium stick cinnamon. After a minute add onion,ginger-garlic paste and green chillies. Saute for 2-3 min. Now add all the chopped veggies.You can add the veggies as per your choice.I had cauliflower and beans lying in my pantry which I wanted to finish off.Hence I added only those.But the more the veggies the tastier it is :-) Add salt and close the lid and let the veggies cook for a while(2-3 min). Now add the rice to this and add 2.5 cups of water.Actually we need 2 cups of water as I used 1 cup of rice,but since there are vegetables I added another 1/2 cup. Add salt.Turmeric powder can be added but it is optional. You may check it intermediately and once it is done a nice aroma will fill your kitchen. Vegetable pulao is ready to serve with or without raita :-)Garnish the pulao with roasted cashew nuts and raisins.
Baigan ka bharta is one of the very easy recipes which goes well with phulkas/roti.The use of egg is optional here and can be avoided.Sometimes there is a different version of baigan bharta in which it is prepared without cooking ie- To the mashed eggplants add salt,chopped onion and green chillies and it tastes yummy:-) Below posted is the cooked version.
Ingredients - eggplant/brinjal/baigan - 3 big onion (1 medium) tomato (1 small) garlic (5-6 cloves) ginger (1 medium piece) green chillies (3-4) turmeric(haldi)powder 1egg (optional) fresh coriander leaves oil
Method - Apply some oil to the eggplants and roast them on the flame.Roast them well by turning repeatedly so that they become soft. Now remove the skin of the eggplants and mash them with your hand. Sprinkle salt on the mashed eggplants. Chop the onion,garlic,ginger,green chillies and tomato finely. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add the onion,chillies,ginger and garlic to it. After onion sautes add the chopped tomato. Incase you are using egg add it now. Add salt,pinch of haldi powder and the mashed eggplants. Let it cook for about 2-3 min and then garnish with fresh coriander leaves. Serve baigan ka bharta with phulkas :-)
Chorchuri is a bengali name for medley of vegetables or mixed veg.This is a very healthy dish as it contains spinach(palak),eggplant(brinjal),raddish and broad beans(ghevda).In a bengali meal chorchuri will be served as a prothom pata.ie-it is the first dish which is served after steamed rice and is had with rice alone.So do give this healthy and easy mix veg a try :-)
Ingredients - chopped spinach (2 cups) eggplant/brinjal (1 medium sized) broad beans pod/sheem/ghevda raddish/mooli (1 small) onion (1 small) tomato (1 small) kalonji/kala jeera/jeera green chillies (2-3) oil salt
Method - Wash the spinach well and chop it. Cube the brinjal,beans(2-3) and raddish(not the leaves) to small pieces. Chop the onion,tomato and green chillies. Heat oil in a kadhai or non-stick pan. When the oil is hot add the jeera or kala jeera/kalonji to it. Add onions and let it saute. Now add all the veggies,tomato and green chillies. Add salt, a pinch of sugar and let it cook in the steam.Close the lid. Check after 10-15 min if raddish becomes soft. There would be no need to add water as spinach leaves out water. Continue cooking till raddish is cooked. Chorchuri is ready to serve.
Kadha or kasai as it is called in konkani.This is a very effective drink for common cold/cough or throat infections as black pepper and ginger are known to be very good natural remedies for common cold/cough.
Ingredients - ginger piece(1 medium) black pepper seeds-kalimirch (4-5) tulsi leaves (5-6) misri/khadi saakar or jaggery (1 tbspn) water
Method - Heat 1 glass of water in a pan. Add the crushed pepper seeds,ginger(mashed) and tulsi leaves and let it come to a boil. After about 5 min, add the misri/khadi saakar or you can add jaggery if you dont have misri. Keep it for another 2 min and switch off the flame. Drink/sip it hot for best results.
Vermicelli/Seviya or shevyacho sheero as it is called in konkani.This is a very easy and filling evening snack.Some people who have a sweet tooth have this for breakfast.This is a nice variation to the typical shevyachi kheer.So if you have never tasted this version of seviya give it a try :-)
Ingredients - Vermicelli/seviya (1cup) ghee sugar freshly grated coconut cardamom(elaichi) powder salt water
Method - Heat water in a pan and add seviya to it.I have used roasted seviya so it is brown in colour. Just as the water comes to a boil,check the seviya so that it does not get overboiled. Drain out the water like the way you do for cooking rice.The water should be drained out completely. Now take the seviya in a bowl. Add 2 tbspn ghee to it. Add 4-5 tbspn of sugar.The sugar quantity can be increased as per your preference. Add a pinch of salt and cardamom(velchi) powder. Sprinkle freshly grated coconut and mix well.Coconut is optional and can be avoided but being a konkani I like it :) Done!Yummy vermicelli sheera is ready to serve.
Cabbage is one of the very healthy vegetables.Here is a simple recipe which can go with roti or rice.
Ingredients - cabbage (1/2 medium sized) onion (1 medium) tomato (1 small) potato (1 small) green chillies (3-4) ginger paste turmeric (haldi) powder sugar salt oil
Method - Wash and chop the cabbage fine.Pressure cook it with little water. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add the ginger paste and chopped onion to the pan. Once the onion sautes,add chopped green chillies and tomato. After 2 min add the chopped potato pieces. Add the boiled cabbage,salt,haldi powder and a pinch of sugar and let it cook in the steam(close the lid). Check after 10-15min if the potato is boiled. Serve with phulkas or as a side dish with steamed rice.
Poppy seeds/khuskhus is known as Posto in bengali.This is a favourite dish in every bengali home.This is a must item without which the lunch/dinner is incomplete :-)The recipe below uses red chillies, but green chillies can be used instead in which case there is a different colour and taste to the posto.Or posto is also had without cooking it- ie- make a paste of posto and chillies,add salt,a drop of mustard oil and chopped onion to it.This is known as Kacha posto.
Ingredients - poppy seeds- posto (1/2 cup) dry red chillies (2-3) onion (1 medium) salt oil water
Method - Grind the posto and red chillies to a fine paste in a mixer.Traditionally sheel-noda is used to make this paste.Check the pic of sheel-noda below. Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add the finely chopped onion to it and let it saute. Now add the posto paste and salt as per taste.Add little water for the paste to cook. Thats it ! pyaz posto is ready to serve with steamed rice :-)
A very basic dal fry recipe which is one of the best combinations with steamed rice/jeera rice.
Ingredients - toor dal (1/2 cup) green chillies (2) tomato(1 small) onion (1 small) turmeric(haldi) powder hing (asafoetida) mustard seeds cumin seeds oil/ghee fresh coriander leaves(1 tspn) salt water
Method - Wash the dal well and keep it soaked for 10-15 min in water. Pressure cook the dal with salt and turmeric powder. Put 1 tspn oil or ghee in a non-stick pan. When the oil is hot add a pinch of hing and 1/2 tspn mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter add the cumin seeds. Now add the chopped green chillies(slit) and onion. Then add the chopped tomato. Let it cook for a min, then add the cooked dal. Add salt if required and cook the dal to the desired consistency by adding water(if required).Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with steamed rice :-)
Sooji ka halwa or ravyacho sheero as it is called in konkani.This sheera can be prepared with or without milk.I have posted the without milk version.This is one of the very quick and easy and healthy snack :-)
Ingrediients - sooji/rava (1 cup) sugar (3/4th cup) ghee (2 tbspn)(best if home-made) water (2 cups) cashew nuts,raisins
Method - Add ghee in a non-stick pan. Roast the sooji on a low flame. Roast the cashew nuts and raisins. Start adding the sugar little by little. Add the water, stirring continuously till the desired consistency. Some people like this sheera for breakfast or just as an evening snack :-)
Prawn masala is known as sungtache tonak in konkani and chingri malai curry in bengali.Sungta/chingri stands for prawns in konkani/bengali respectively.This is one recipe which is common to both konkani and bengali cuisine :-)
Method - Wash the prawns well and marinate it with salt,haldi and chilly powder for atleast 2 hours. Take 1 onion and cut it lengthwise(vertical).Chop the garlic cloves. Put a tspn of oil in a non-stick pan. Put in the onion,garlic and freshly grated coconut.Stir it on a low flame till a nice aroma comes.Keep it aside once done. Now dry roast the spices - coriander,pepper,cinnamon,cloves,cardamom(optional),red chillies. Grind the spices with the onion-garlic-coconut mix to a fine paste. Heat some oil in a non-stick pan. Chop 1 onion finely and add to the pan.Let it saute. Make a paste of ginger-garlic (or can use the ready-made one) and add to the onions. Once the raw smell of ginger-garlic goes add the finely chopped tomato. Add salt and let it cook. After about 2 min, add the chopped potatoes and prawns let it cook. Add the ground coconut-spice mix to the prawns. Cover and cook for about 7-8 min. Add water if the potatoes are not boiled. Once potatoes are done, prawn masala is ready to serve either with roti/pav or steamed rice :-)
