Showing posts with label Coconut. Show all posts

Sautekayi Kosambri | Cucumber Koshambari

Kosambri is a south Indian salad that is a must for any festival or function in Karnataka. I think our ancestors intended for us to eat healthy by mandating a salad amidst all that festival fanfare. It is usually The recipe posted below is of the version I have grown up eating . It was my favorite in the entire habbada oota (festival food) and if there were any leftovers, the whole family knew who could be counted on to finish it :D. These days you get various types of kosambri. There is one with grated carrot that tastes nice and the latest I have seen is with American sweet corn. It is either made with split moong dal or split chana dal. Personally I have always preferred moong dal. So the recipe below is for cucumber and moong dal kosambri....

Sautekayi Kosambri | Cucumber Koshambari

A traditional South Indian salad consisting of lentils and cucumber

Recipe Type: Salad
Cuisine: South Indian
Prep Time: 2 Hours (includes lentil soaking time)
Cook time: 10 minutes
Yield: 3-4 servings

Ingredients:

½ cup Moong dal
1 Cucumber
1-2 Green Chillies
A handful Coriander
1 Tbsp desiccated fresh Coconut
2 tsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
5-6 Curry leaves
1 Tbsp Lime juice
Salt

Method:

Soak the moong dal in water for about 2-3 hours

Drain the water and keep the moong dal aside

Chop the cucumber finely and add to the moong dal

Add lime juice and salt as per taste

Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds to it

After the mustard seeds splutter, add curry leaves and slit green chillies and pour this tempering on the kosambri

Add the desiccated coconut and finely chopped coriander leaves and mix well

Steamed Modaks | Ukadiche Modak | Sihi Kadabu

How to make Ukadiche Modak Recipe at www.oneteaspoonoflife.com

Lord Ganesha's birthday aka Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated with fervor and grandeur in Goa. People take a nice vacation from their hectic lives and move into their ancestral houses for a week usually. The entire family gets together to welcome Ganesha into their house and hearts. You can see colorful idols of Ganesha everywhere you turn. His throne is decorated with flowers and banana leaf. Everyone is dressed in their festive best.

And when everything is at its best, so is the Food. In India, every festival revolves around Food. Ganesh Chaturthi is no exception. While one may not make as many variety of sweets and snacks as one does for Diwali, there are a few that are made especially for beloved Ganesha only.

Modaks are considered to be Lord Ganesha's favorite sweet and a must on Ganesh Chaturthi.
Modaks are made in myriad different ways. Some deep fry it while some steam it. Sometimes the filling is of fresh coconut and jaggery, while sometimes it is dry coconut and sugar. I have also seen a recipe where it is filled with chocolate. Sometimes all this is skipped and modaks are just modak shaped pedas.

In our culture, we do not deep fry modaks. My grand mother was totally against deep frying anything on Ganesh chaturthi so we always made the steamed version stuffed with fresh coconut and jaggery. And this is the version I absolutely LOVE.
Steamed Modaks or Ukadiche Modak or Sihi Kadabu have the outer layer made of a rice flour dough and a stuffing of fresh coconut, jaggery (unrefined sugar) and cardamom powder.

To make the outer layer of rice flour, the rice flour is added to boiling water and mixed until it forms a stiff dough. Getting the consistency of the dough right is probably the toughest part of making the Modak. If the dough isn't made properly, there are chances that the modaks will split while steaming, which, believe me isn't really as disastrous as it sounds. They still taste great and means just some more modaks for the Cook. Hurray!!

The filling is made by cooking together grated fresh coconut and jaggery. In this recipe, the jaggery cannot be replaced with refined sugar, as it just will not live up to the taste and texture of the modak. The mixture is cooked until it the water almost evaporates. Cooking it beyond that will cause the jaggery to crystallize and the filling will become one big hard lump.

These days there are moulds available to shape the modaks after filling them. Unfortunately, as you can see in the pictures, I wasn't aware of it until I'd finished making them, hence very amateurish looking modaks in my house this year. But who is worried about the looks when they tasted SO delicious.

If you are making this for Naivedyam for Lord Ganesha, please do not taste anything and follow the recipe and your instincts and it will turn out great.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Khova Peda - Simple peda made from milk solids and sugar.
Kaju Katli - Fudge or Barfi made from cashewnuts and sugar. A favorite in every household.
Coconut Laddoo - A simple laddoo made from coconut powder and condensed milk in under 1 hour.
Kadle Bele Payasa - Kheer made with rice, chana dal and coconut

Steamed Modaks | Kadabu | Sweet Dumplings

Modaks are traditional steamed Indian dumpling made from rice flour, coconut and jaggery. Served as an offering to Lord Ganesha in West and South India.

Recipe Type: Dessert
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Yield: 9

Ingredients:

0.75 cup Coconut
0.5 cup Jaggery
1 tsp Cardamom
0.75 cup Rice flour
1.5 cups Water
1 tsp Ghee or Oil
0.25 tsp Salt

Method:

In a kadhai, mix the coconut and jaggery and cook on low flame. Keep stirring the mixture to avoid burning. Cook until the mixture is almost dry. Do not overcook as then the jaggery will harden. Add the cardamom powder and keep aside to cool.
In another pan, bring 1 cup of water to a rolling boil. Add the salt and the ghee and remove it from the heat.
Add rice flour by the spoonful and keep stirring to avoid forming lumps.
Add more water if needed. The dough should be slightly stiff yet malleable.
Keep the pan back on the stove and keep the flame low.
Keep stirring until the whole dough becomes one mass. It will start sticking to the spoon/ spatula. It took me around 5 mins. Take a small marble sized piece of dough and press it using your thumb and index finger, it should not break into pieces. Nor should it stick to your hand. If the consistency or the texture is not correct, the modaks may split while cooking. If it is your first time, do not fret over a few split ones.
Allow this to cool for some time.
While it is still warm, take a small ball of flour and flatten it. Place a small ball of the filling inside it and use your hands and stretch the flour to cover the filling.
Shape the modaks accordingly.
Steam the modaks in a steamer for around 8-10 mins. I used an idli steamer, you can use a cooker without the whistle.

Masala Rice with Capsicum and Carrots

It was a Friday night and all my fridge had was one tiny carrot and one capsicum... bored to venture out in the rain to buy more veggies, I decided to make do with what I had.... This was the first time I made masala rice and all I can say is it will soon become a regular item on my menu... so easy to make and yet so tasty and filling. You can use any vegetable you have left over, or if you have no veggies around, just make it plain, it tastes just as good....

Masala Rice with Capsicum and Carrots

Rice cooked with vegetables and a coconut-spice based masala.

Recipe Type: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Yield: 2-3 Servings

Ingredients:

1 Capsicum / Green bell pepper
1 Carrot
1 small Tomato
6-8 Curry leaves
1 cup uncooked Rice
1 tsp Cumin seeds
2 tbsp Urad dal / Split black gram
1 tbsp Chana dal / Split Bengal gram
1 small stick Cinnamon
2 tbsp Peanuts
2-4 dry Red Chillies
2 tbsp Coriander seeds
1/2 tsp Amchur
1 tsp Turmeric powder / haldi
2 tbsp grated fresh coconut(Optional)
1 tsp Mustard seeds
2 tbsp Ghee / Clarified butter / Oil
Salt

Method:

Cook rice as per instructions or as you regularly do. I pressure cook it with twice the quantity of water.

Heat 0.5 tbsp. of ghee in a pan and add the cumin seeds, urad dal, chana dal, coriander seeds, peanuts and red chillies. Fry until the chillies crisp up and the urad dal turns light brown.

Allow this masala to cool and then grind it to a coarse paste along with coconut.

Julienne the capsicum and carrots or slice them finely. Chop the tomato finely.

Heat the remaining ghee in a pan and add the mustard seeds

Once they splutter, add the curry leaves and the vegetables

Fry until the vegetables are done and then add the ground masala and cook for 1 min

Add the haldi and amchur and mix well

Add the rice and mix well with the masala

Add salt and cook for another 2 mins

Enjoy it while it is hot

Brinjal in Coconut Masala

Brinjal / Eggplant / Aubergines , call it what you want, is a favourite veggie across the world. Different names and cooked in myriad different ways. Wiki tells me that this was originally domesticated in India. So this was another gift to the world from us ;) Very easy to grow as well. I say this cause I have found success in growing brinjals :D. Brinjal is probably one the few vegetables cooked all across India, albeit in different ways. I myself make it in a couple of different styles. The recipe that follows is the twist on the traditional "Yennegai" or "Yenne badnekai" or the "Bharwan Baingan". The original recipe involves stuffing baby brinjals with the stuffing and frying in oil. I did not want to use too much oil and wanted it to cook sooner, so I cut the brinjal into smaller semicircles and fried them in very little oil initially and then added the masala. It was a perfect combination with the jowar roti or "Joladda rotti"

Brinjal in Coconut Masala

Brinjals cooked in a spicy coconut masala

Recipe Type: Main Course
Cuisine: South Indian
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Yield: 2-3 Servings

Ingredients:

500gms Brinjal
2 medium Onion
2 medium Tomato
1 cup grated fresh Coconut
2 tsp Sambar powder
1 tsp Garam masala
2 tsp Red chilli powder
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 Tbsp Urad dal
½ tsp Fenugreek seeds / Methi seeds
2 tsp Cumin seeds / Jeera
1 Tbsp Tamarind
A pinch of Hing
3 Tbsp Oil

Method:

Lightly roast the urad dal and the methi seeds in a kadhai until the urad dal is slightly brown

Grind together coconut, tamarind, sambar powder, garam masala, urad dal, methi, red chilli powder and turmeric powder into a coarse paste. Use 1 tbsp of water to grind.

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a kadhai and fry onion until translucent in it.

Add finely chopped tomatoes, hing and the ground paste and cook until the tomato is cooked

Add 1 cup of water and cook on low flame for 8-10 mins or until the oil separates

In a different kadhai, add the remaining oil and fry the sliced brinjals until done. The brinjal should be cooked but still be firm.

Add the fried brinjal to the masala and cook together for 2 mins

Add more water if you want a thinner gravy or less water if you want a dry sabzi.

Enjoy with hot hot phulkas or joladda rotti

Avial

Avial is I believe a Tamil/ Kerala version of the Kannada majjige huli. Majjige huli is made only from white pumpkin, but Avial has loads of vegetables. An awesome combination with dosa or adai (dal dosa). Don't fret if you don't have all the vegetables mentioned in the list, just add what you have at home and make your own version of avail like I did.

Avial

stew made with vegetables, coconut and yogurt

South Indian stew made with vegetables, coconut and yoghurt

Recipe Type: Main Course
Cuisine: South Indian
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Yield: 2-3 Servings

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Coconut
3 tsp Jeera / Cumin Seeds
2-3 Green Chillies
1 cup Curd / Yoghurt
2.5-3 cups of mixed Vegetables
4-5 Curry Leaves
2 tsp Oil
Water
Salt

Method:

Cut all the vegetables roughly, appx 1” pieces. Generally used vegetables for avail are Drumstick, Carrot, French beans, Yam, Pumpkin, Raw banana and brinjal. I did not have all these, so I used Carrot, French beans, brinjal, potato and capsicum.

Boil water in a pan and add the vegetables to it and cook until they are done but still firm. Add the vegetables that take longer to cook first. Veggies like brinjal, capsicum, raw banana can be added after 3-4 mins.

Grind together coconut, 2 tsp jeera and green chillies into a fine paste.

Add the paste to the vegetables once the vegetables are done

Add salt and 1 cup water and boil for 3-4 mins. Adjust the water according to the desired consistency.

Beat the curd until smooth and add to the avial. Cook for 2 mins on low flame.

Heat oil in a small pan and add the cumin seeds. Once they slightly brown, add the curry leaves and pour this tempering to the avial.

Enjoy hot with rice or dosa.

Banana blossom and white peas subzi

Banana blossom or banana flower is the maroon tear drop shaped thing we probably see in our vegetable shop. It is found at the end of a banana cluster on the tree. I never knew how to cut it or cook it having never eaten it. But a thai place around my house serves banana blossom cakes and they added lemongrass and all those wonderful thai spices and made an awesome cutlet out of it. I simply loved that. I have not yet tried making that but I'm sure that will be soon on the menu. Meanwhile, I got this recipe from my mom which works out great for me. It is the Goan way of cooking banana blossom. It must be good, coz hubby dearest wants it again soon :)

How to make Poombe Palya Bondi Sukke Banana Flower recipe at www.oneteaspoonoflife.com

Ingredients:

Banana blossom - 1
White peas/ Green peas - 1 cup (dried)
Fresh grated coconut - 2 tbsp. (Optional)
Oil - 2-3 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder / Haldi - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Salt

Method:

The important thing with banana blossom is knowing how to peel it and cut it
Discard the maroon layer and keep the small buds at the bottom of the stem. We only use the buds. Cut the buds into smaller pieces and soak in water to avoid oxidising.
Keep removing the layers until you can. After a point it is difficult to separate these layers.
Once the maroon layers are over, the layers will turn white. These are difficult to separate.
Start cutting the blossom into slices once you cannot remove any more
Soak this in water overnight. You can keep this in the fridge.
Squeeze out the water in the morning and pressure cook for around 2-3 whistles (10-12 mins)
Separately pressure cook the white peas for 1-2 whistles (8-10 mins) until done
Heat oil in a kadhai and add the msutard seeds.
Once they splutter add the cooked banana blossom and the white peas.
Add a cup of the water the peas were boiled in.
Add turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala and salt
Cook until the water evaporates.
Garnish with coconut and serve

Majjige huli

Every woman needs a day off from cooking. I decided it was today as I was bogged down with office work (the woes of IT world). I handed over the kitchen to my dearest hubby. Menu was decided as majjige huli and rice. My favourite huli/sambhar is majjige huli. It's base is not with lentils or dal but buttermilk or curd. Hubby promptly called up his mom for the recipe and whipped up an awesome dinner. Ahhh heaven...:) It is my mom-in-law's recipe that follows...

Ingredients:

White pumpkin - 2 cups (peeled, deseeded and cut into cubes)
Fresh grated coconut - 3 tbsp
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
Green chillies - 1-2
Ginger - 1/2" piece
Cumin seeds/ Jeera - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chana dal - 2 tbsp
Curd - 1 cup
Curry leaves - 5-6
Oil - 3 tsp

Method:

Soak the chana dal in half a cup of water and keep aside
Boil the pumpkin in 2 cups of water. Add around 1 tsp salt to the water. The water should cover the pumpkin. Add more water if needed.
Boil the pumpkin until done, it should still be stiff but allow a knife to pierce smoothly through it. Don't let it become too soft, it should still have a bite to it.
Grind together coconut, coriander leaves, ginger, cumin seeds, chana dal (drain out the water), turmeric powder, green chillies and 1 tsp mustard seeds with a little water into a fine paste
Add this paste to the pumpkin and cook for 2 mins
Churn the curd or blend it in a mixer to remove all lumps and add it to the pumpkin. Lower the flame and cook for another minute. Do not cook on high flame else the curd will split.
Add salt as needed.
Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds.
After the mustard seeds splutter, add the curry leaves and pour this tempering into the majjige huli.
Enjoy with rice

Heerekai Sippe Chutney | Ridgegourd Chutney | Toorai Chutney

Heerekai Sippe Chutney is a flavorful chutney made from Ridge gourd peel, coconut, red chillies and cumin seeds.

heerekai turai toorai tori luffa ridge gourd sippe peel chutney

What's your pick with that hot Dosa on a Sunday morning? Chutney or Sambar?

If you just chose Chutney, you are gonna love this new flavorful fibre filled Heerekai Sippe Chutney.

If you chose Sambar, may be it is time you tried this flavorful fibre filled Heerekai Sippe Chutney.

See what I did there? *wink*

Heerekai means Ridge gourd or Toorai or Tori. It a long green vegetable with ridges running through its sides. Heerekai is one of the healthiest vegetable around. It isn't starchy like the potato or slimy like the okra or juicy like the cucumber. It is somewhere in the middle there, totally forgotten by many. You may also know it as Luffa and this is what a natural Luffah is made of. Heerekai is eaten when it is still green and not yet ripened. It is full of fiber and super low in calories. Win-win!!!

Sippe means Peel in Kannada. This chutney is made using the peel of the Heerekai and fresh Coconut. While the Heerekai flesh has a very neutral taste, it's peel is very Earthy in taste. To make this chutney, we first need to lightly peel the Heerekai and discard the "ridges". Once all the ridges are discarded, peel again to remove the dark green peel. This is what we will use in our chutney.

This peel is then cooked until it is slightly soft and blended together with cumin seeds, dried red chillies and fresh coconut to give an earthy fiber filled chutney.

I added a tempering of mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves because I am a big fan of tempered chutneys. You can skip this.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Mint Coriander Chutney - A tangy chutney made using mint and coriander. Goes well with snacks such as Samosa and Pakoda or Chats.
Red Chilli Chutney or Ranjaka - A super spicy chutney made from fresh red chillies. Goes well with Joladda Rotti or as a marinade.
Heerekai Tove or Ridge Gourd Dal - A simple Dal or Lentil curry made using Ridge gourd.

Heerekai Sippe Chutney | Ridgegourd Chutney | Toorai Chutney

Heerekai Sippe Chutney is a flavorful chutney made from Ridge gourd peel, coconut, red chillies and cumin seeds.

Recipe Type: Side
Cuisine: South Indian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Yield: 1 cup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Ridge Gourd Peel or Heerekai Sippe
1/3 cup fresh Coconut
1/2 tsp Tamarind pulp
2-3 dry Red Chilli
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds or Jeera
3 tsp Oil (Optional)
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds(Optional)
1/2 tsp Urad Dal (Optional)
6-8 Curry leaves (Optional)
3-4 Tbsp Water
Salt to taste

Method:

Peel the heerekai/ ridge gourd. Do not use the ridges in the chutney, they are very hard and will not grind properly. Use the remaining part of the peel.
Heat 1 tsp of Oil in a pan and add the chopped peel. Fry for 1-2 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp of water and cover and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Allow the peel to cool.
Grind together the coconut, peel, cumin seeds, tamarind, red chillies, and using 2 tbsp water into a fine consistency.
Heat oil in a pan.
Once hot add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add the urad dal and curry leaves and immediately pour the oil on the chutney.
This tempering is optional. Chutney tastes good even without it.

Raw mango gojju

Raw mangoes... just thinking of them makes my mouth water. I'm sure they have the same impact on a lot of us. The recipe that follows is something my mom used to make in the summers and would always leave me craving for more. Generally made with a fruit called "amtekai" or "ambade", in its absence, it was made using raw mangoes. Since "amtekai" is only available along the konkan coast, I decided to make my childhood favourite using raw mangoes. And it paid off, my husband loved it too and did not seem bored after this made an appearance multiple times this summer.

Ingredients:

Raw mango - 1

Coconut - 1.5 cups

Sambhar powder - 1.5 tbsp

Hing - a pinch

Urad dal - 2 tbsp

Methi seeds - 1 tbsp

Jaggery - 2-5 tbsp

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 8-10

Salt

Method:

Dry roast 1.5 tbsp urad dal and .5 tbsp of methi seeds.

Grind the coconut and the sambhar powder to a coarse paste using little water. Add the dry roasted urad dal and methi seeds and continue to grind to a fine paste.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, remaining urad dal and methi seeds and wait till mustard seeds have stopped spluttering.

Add the coconut paste and roast for 1 minute.

Add chopped raw mango and water. Add salt, chilli powder, turmeric and hing.

Allow it to cook till mango are done.

Add jaggery depending on how sweet you like it.