Masalaaa papad

Who would not have had a masala papad as an accompaniment with soups at Indian restaurants, especially in Bangalore.. its a really famous starter.. Its really very easy to make and i bet it'll be popular evening snack as well, especially in the rains..

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 5 (2 papads each)

Ingredients:

1. Masala papad (store bought) 1 packet
2. Onions finely chopped 3-4
3. Tomatoes 3-4
4. Lemon juice a little
5. Carrots grated (optional) 2
6. Salt
7. Red chilli powder


Method:

1. Roast the papad's in a microwave (at high power for abt 20-25 secs). You can roast them directly on flame as well.
2. Mix the finely chopped onions, tomatoes and grated carrots along with salt and red chilli powder.
3. When ready to be served spread the mix over the papad, add lemon juice and serve.

Potato and cauliflower pulao

Pulao is always made of veggies like beans, carrots, potatoes, peas etc... and the day before i just bought a cauliflower for the 1st time... yes for the 1st time i bought a cauliflower... i had just heard about others cook with it but i personally had never cooked it at home... so me and my hubby thought y not try it... and moreover i had planned for a moonlight dinner (beladingala oota) on sunday when my in laws, brother in law and co sis wud join us for dinner so i had to make something different... So i was just browsing thru the net for some rice based recipes with cauliflower and found one such on Tarla Dalal's website..


Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 7

Ingredients:

1. Cauliflower 1 whole (about 1kg)
2. Potatoes 5-6
3. Onions 3-4
4. Cinnamon stick an inch
5. Clove pods 3-4
6. Oil
7. Ghee
8. Rice 1.5 cups
9. Salt
10. Water
11. Bay leaf 1 leaf
12. Coconut milk/ coconut milk powder
13. Green chillies 6-7
14. Red chiili powder 1/2tsp
15. Turmeric powder 1tsp
16. Garam masala powder, dhania powder, jeera powder, amchur podwer 1tsp each
17. Mustard seeds 1tsp
18. Ginger garlic paste 1tbsp


Method:

1. The most important thing is to wash clean the cauliflowers and put them in boiling water along with some salt and turmeric.. Let them settle for about 15-20 mins. Once done wash them again thoroughly with cold water and keep aside.
2. Heat oil and ghee in a pressure cooker, make seasoning of mustard seeds and add ginger garlic paste, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, clove pods and onions to it, saute well.
3. Add turmeric powder and red chilli powder and mix well.
4. Next add the garam masala, dhania, jeera and amchur powder and mix well.
5. Make a paste of the green chillies and add them as well.
6. Now let it cook till rawness is gone.
7. Now add in the potatoes cut into cubes, then cauliflower and mix them well.
8. Now add the coconut milk/coconut milk powder (use as per directions) and mix well.
9. Add rice, salt along with water and give it a nice slow mix..
10. Cover the lid and cook for 2 whistles.
11. Serve hot with tomato and onion raitha.

Microwave 5 minute brownie

Hogging on some yummy brownies is something i always love.. But the fact that i didnt have a proper oven to bake the perfect one.. But one such foodie social website provided me an idea that i can even bake it in a microwave oven and that too in 5 minutes flat..

Preparation time: 3 minutes
Cooking time: 2 minutes
Serves: 1


Ingredients:
1. Oven proof coffee mug
2. All purpose flour/maida 2 tbsp
3. Sugar 2tbsp
4. Oil/butter 2tbsp
5.Cocoa powder 1 tbsp
6. Water/milk 3tbsp

Method:

1. In the coffee mug first mix the flour, sugar and cocoa powder well.
2. Next add oil/butter, water and mix well.

3. Put it into the oven at high power for 1 min and 40 sec or till its baked..

Enjoy it just like that or with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.. slurrrppp..

Sweet potato parantha

Sweet potatoes are available a lot during sankranthi and after making a dish out of sweet potato there was some leftover for the next day so i decided to stuff it in and make paranthas... My 3 year old just loved the sweet taste of the paranthas and gobbled 2 full paranthas..


Preparation time: 10 minutes (only for mixing the dough)


Ingredients:

1. Sweet potatoes 2-3
2. Green chillies 5-6
3. Fresh grated coconut 1/4 cup
4. Salt to taste
5. Atta (wheat flour) 3 cups
6. Oil
7. Water
8. Mustard seeds 1tsp

Method:

1. Start off by cooking the sweet potatoes (whole) in a pressure cooker. Once cooled peel off the skin and mash them.
2. Make a seasoning of mustard seeds, green chillies and mix in the mashed sweet potatoes and salt along with fresh grated coconut.
3. Make a dough for chapathi.
4. Make balls as usual and stuff the sweet potato mixture to and roll them.
5. Cook on a heated tawa and serve hot.

Brinjal, potato and hithkida avarekalu hulithovve

This my 101st post and it had to be something unique, and after a brief spell of disappearance i want to give you foodies an absolute delight and something not made at all households. My mother in law's special recipe and it definitely is my hubby's as well. And i'm very much sure that most of you will also love it. 

Hithkida avarekalu can be made my soaking avarekalu in water for about 7-8 hours and then removing their skin from the seeds. You can sprout this as well.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1. Hithkida avarekalu 200gms
2. White brinjals 3-4nos
3. Potatoes 2-3nos
4. Toor dal 1 cup
5. Bisi bele bhath powder 3-4tsp
6. Oil 2tsp
7. Mustard seeds 1tsp
8. Salt
9. Tamarind a lemon size
10. Curry leaves a few
11. Water
12. Fresh grated coconut 1/4 cup
13. Dry coconut 1/4 cup


Method:

1. Cook the avarekalu along with potatoes and toor dal in a pressure cooker.
2. Slit the brinjals lengthwise and cook them as well.
3. Once done mix both in a vessel and add 3tsp's of bisi bele bhath powder and salt to taste and cook them till raw smell of the powder is gone.
4. Now squeeze the tamarind pulp and cook for 2-3 minutes.
5. Grind the fresh and dry coconut along with 1tsp of bisi bele bhath powder. Add the grind paste to the gravy.
6. Let it simmer for about 4-5 minutes.
7. Heat oil and make seasoning of mustard seeds and curry leaves.
8. Serve hot with chapathi, dosa or even rice.

Palak avarekalu gravy

Like i mentioned in my earlier post avarekalu becomes a form of staple food in Karnataka households during the months of December to February, various dishes are prepared from the kalu almost on a daily basis.
Here's one of my trials based on my hubby's recommendation after he had eaten something similar in his office cafeteria.

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1. Palak 2 bunches
2. Avarekalu 250gms
3. Onions 3 nos
4. Tomatoes 2 nos
5. Cinnamon stick about an inch
6. Green chillies 7-8
7. Salt
8. Oil 2tsp
9. Jeera seeds 1tsp
10. Garlic 5-6 pieces
11. Fresh cream 1tbsp (optional)

Method:

1. Wash the palak leaves thoroughly and cut them into half.
2. Now cook the palak leaves, onions cut into half, tomatoes cut into halves as well along with cinnamon stick, green chillies and garlic.
3. In the meanwhile, cook the avarekalu with a little salt till tender.
4. Once the palak is cooked, shift them into a big plate and let it cool.
5. Now grind all the ingredients together to a smooth paste.
6. Heat oil in a kadhai and make seasoning of jeera seeds.
7. Add the ground paste and cooked avarekalu and mix well.
8. Add salt and blend well.
9. Garnish with fresh cream (optional) and serve hot with poori/chapathi.

Macaroni and maggi jugalbandi

Well the story behind this dish is actually my hubby was in a mood to eat macaroni, but i had only abt 200gms of it left at home so it was he who suggested i add maggi to it and make something.. 

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves: 3



Ingredients: 

1. About 200-250gms of mtr macaroni
2. 2 cakes of maggi noodles
3. Tomatoes 3-4
4. Onions 2 finely chopped
5. Tomato sauce, chilli sauce
6. Salt
7. Red chilli powder
8. Butter/oil 

Method: 

1. Cook the macaroni as per directions on pack; follow the same for maggi noodles as well. 
2. Heat butter/oil in a kadhai and add onions, saute them until golden brown. 
3. Add red chilli powder, the maggi masala powder and mix well. 
4. Add tomatoes, salt and cook until tomatoes turn tender and mash them well. 
5. Now add the tomato and chilli sauce (You can add sweet and hot sauce as well if u have it)
6. Mix in the cooked macaroni and maggi noodles. Give a nice stir and cover and cook for about 3-4 minutes. 
7. Serve hot..

Avarekalina usli

After a short disappearance I can announce by coming back with this short, quick and yet yummy recipe.
Avarekayi (Flat beans) is very popular in Karnataka and is used in almost all households during the months of December to February. More so during January, during Sankranthi/Pongal.


Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4


Ingredients:

1. Avarekalu 500gms
2. Green chillies 7-8
3. Mustard seeds 1tsp
4. Hing a pinch
5. Oil
6. Salt
7. Fresh grated coconut 1/4 cup


Recipe:

1. Pressure cook the avarekalu upto 2 whistles.
2. Now heat oil in a kadhai and make seasoning of hing, mustard seeds and green chillies.
3. Add the cooked avarekalu and mix well.
4. Add salt. coconut and give it a nice mix.
5. Serve hot with chapathi, rice or just as an evening snack.

Variation: You can also add coarsely ground garlic (omit hing if using garlic).