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 :-)
