North Karnataka Jolada Rotti Oota - Part 1 - How to make Jolada Rotti | Jowar Bhakri Recipe [Video]

Jolada Rotti Oota is a North Karnataka Thali that has jowar roti, spicy curries and condiments along with salads and sweets. Jolada rotti or Jowar Roti is an oil less, vegan, healthy, gluten free flatbread made from jowar millet or sorghum.

If you have never been to North Karnataka or never eaten the food, you are in the right place, because I'm taking you there!!

Karnataka is a state with various cultures, dialect and cuisines all mixed into one. While the coastal belt is huge on growing and eating rice, the drier northern regions eat more of flatbread or rottis made from wholewheat or millet like jowar. And today, I'm taking you through the cuisine of North Karnataka in the first post of a four part series.

A typical vegetarian meal or Jolada Rotti Oota in the region is centered around the Jolada Rotti or the Jowar Roti (flatbread). Jolada Rotti is accompanied by spicy curries, jhunka, spiced peanut and fried gram powder (chutney pudi), sliced onions, fresh fenugreek leaves (methi), buttermilk and fried pakodas.

Going clockwise from the Jolada Rotti, I have the following on my plate - Karachi Kai fry - a baby bitter gourd type of vegetable native to the region, lightly fried in oil with red chilli powder and garlic,  Kaalu Palya (Lobia) or Cowpeas curry, Soppina Palya or a curry made with leafy greens, Yennegai or baby eggplants cooked in a peanut sauce, Chutney Pudi or spicy powder made with peanuts and fried gram. Outside my plate I have pickle, water, a tempered radish salad or kochhidu moolangi salad and rava ladoo or semolina fudge ball.

The Jowar flatbread is made of only 3 ingredients - jowar flour, salt and water. It is cooked without oil or any type of fat, making it a very healthy type of bread. A well made jolada rotti is soft and just melts in your mouth. Jolada Rotti is vegan, gluten-free and plant based and easily fits into various diets.

The recipe of Jolada Rotti that I have here is slightly different from the traditional one, but it produces the same results - a soft, heavenly rotti. Traditionally, the flour is made by adding hot water to the flour and kneading it until you have a pliable dough. In my recipe, I add the flour to hot water, this tends to increase the elasticity of the dough making it easier for you to roll it out. Also, traditionally, a jolada rotti is patted out thin using your fingers or palm. It requires a lot of practice and expertise to be able to pat out a thin rotti. Here, I'm demonstrating the easier option of rolling out the rotti using a rolling pin.

Since jowar is a gluten free millet, making the rotti is a little trickier than making chapatis, naan or rotis that are typically made from gluten rich wheat flour and hence the deviations from the traditional recipes. Additionally, I am giving you a few tips so that you don't fail, however, only practice can make you perfect in the art of making jolada rotti.

• Firstly, the flour - Buy the best quality jowar flour you can, preferably, organic and unadulterated. I usually buy jowar and get it powdered at a local mill and I found this works best for me over pre-packaged flours. If you have the option, try it out, you won't regret it.
• As Jowar is gluten free, you cannot make the dough in advance and the rottis later. You have to roll out the rottis when the dough is warm for best results. So make the dough only when you plan to make the rottis. You can store the rottis for later though. So make all the rottis and keep aside. 
• Roll the rottis on your kitchen counter or slab. I've tried to roll it out on a wooden board like I do for wheat rotis, but jowar seems to get stuck to the wood, so preferably roll it out on your granite kitchen slab or use marble slab.
• Roast the rottis on an oil free tava or griddle. 

There is a crisper version of the rotti called "kataka rotti" that you will find for sale in a lot of North Karnataka shops. Kataka rotti is jowar rotti cooked on very low heat until it becomes dry and crisp like a papad. It is usually made for travel or if one wants to store the rotti for weeks.

Come back for my next post - Yennegai or Baby eggplant curry - a perfect accompaniment to the Jolada Rotti.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are upto.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Joladda Rotti Recipe | How to make Jowar Bhakri

Joladda Rotti or Jowar Bhakri is an oil-free, vegan and gluten free Indian flatbread made from jowar millet or sorghum.

Recipe Type:  Bread
Cuisine:            South Indian
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Total time:     45 minutes
Yield:                16

Ingredients:

3.25 cups Jowar Flour
3 cups Water
1 tsp Salt
Jowar flour to dust
Water to cook the rottis

Method:

1. Add the water to a kadhai or a deep pot and allow it to come to a boil.
2. Add salt to the water.
3. Reduce the heat, and add 3 cups of jowar flour to the water and mix well with a wooden spoon.
4. Once the flour is well mixed, cover and cook on low heat for 4-5 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat and keep covered for 2 more minutes.
6. Remove the dough from heat and transfer to a clean plate. Spread it out a little and allow to cool slightly.
7. While the dough is still warm, knead it until smooth. If it is wet, add a little dry flour. If it is dry, then add a little water to help you knead.
8. Take out a lemon sized piece of dough and roll it into a ball and flatten it. Keep the rest of the dough covered with a kitchen towel.
9. Dust your kitchen counter with dry flour and dip the ball of dough in it.
10. Using a rolling pin, roll it into a thin rotti or flatbread. Make it as thin as you can.
11. Dust with dry flour while rolling to prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin and the counter.
12. Heat a clean ungreased tava or griddle on medium heat and put the rotti counter side up on the tava.
13. Wipe the rotti with a wet cloth.
14. Flip the rotti when one side has brown spots. Cook until the rotti puffs up a little.
15. All rottis may not puff up completely, but do not worry, they are still cooked.
16. Serve the rottis hot/warm with curry.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Jhunka

Ranjaka

Akki Rotti

Read more ...

Vegan Date and Walnut Cake Recipe [Video]

Vegan cake made with dates and walnuts!

A few weeks before my birthday, Gee asked me to help her bake a cake. She's only ever baked two cakes in her whole life - Banana Bread and one plain Vanilla, but both a long time ago. And both of those in my house. This time, she wanted to bake one in her house to test out her oven. I was all confident telling her what to buy and how much to buy, until I landed up in her house and realized, that the last cake I baked, not muffins or cheesecakes, but a loaf cake was actually 2 years ago!!! 

As a cook, it is never good to forget your skills, and here I was all lost and upset. So I decided I need to start baking more often. Lo and behold, this Date and Walnut Cake. I made it multiple times since I first did to just brush up my baking skills and dust out my recipes. And I can say with conviction, that I have loved it each time that I baked it. It has been a little difficult however, to stop sneaking in a piece - for me and for Raj. He'll even wipe out the crumbs (so will I !!). This cake is uber moist and slightly dense. It is rich and gooey to eat and when you find those little bits of walnuts and dates, it makes the bite, that much more special. I love the walnuts in the cake!!

If you like light airy cakes, then this may not fit the bill. 

The lucky recipients of my trials have been our friends. Lots of free cake going around from this household. 

Date and Walnut has always been a family favorite, only this time, I made it Vegan. It wasn't that I was looking for a vegan recipe, but this one just worked so perfect that I don't think I'll ever want to add dairy and change it. The cake uses Coconut Oil as the fat component, and I tell you, it tastes delicious. It imparts a slightly coconutty taste to the cake, that makes it so much more exotic in flavor. If you aren't such a coconut fan, use any neutral flavored oil like canola or sunflower. To enhance the coconut flavor (cause I'm a big coconut lover), I used coconut milk. Feel free to use almond or soy milk. If you have none, use water, however it may make the cake feel less rich in taste.

There are three sweeteners in here - Dates, Jaggery and Sugar. 

• Dates - Use the best quality you can. The flavor does come through and you want it to be good. I usually buy dates with seed and deseed them while using. The dates are cooked along with jaggery and water until soft and then blended to a puree. This adds sweetness as well as flavor to the cake.
• Jaggery - Jaggery is unrefined cane sugar.  With refined sugar off the list for many of us these day, jaggery is the perfect replacement. You can use palm sugar or coconut sugar or brown sugar if you cannot find jaggery. If you do have access to jaggery, buy the darkest, that is the least refined and has the best flavor profile. Sometimes, it even tastes like chocolate. 
• Sugar - I used half a cup of jaggery, and later added refined sugar, because the cake wasn't sweet enough. To avoid using refined sugar, just increase the quantity of jaggery to 1 cup or use powdered sifted jaggery powder later if the sweetness is less. You could also replace all of the jaggery with powdered sugar.

I have used all purpose flour or maida in the cake. I generally opt for whole wheat, however, I did not want this cake to be any heavier than it already was with all the vegan liquid ingredients. I suggest, if you are looking to use whole wheat, keep it at 50% and the remaining 50%, use all purpose flour.

The best part of the cake is the walnuts. Be generous. However, let me warn you that the cake gets a little difficult to slice when those walnut bits come in the way and you may not get the perfect slice. But don't let that stop you from baking the cake. Your family won't mind the large chunky slices, I assure you.cThe cake is soft and moist, so only slice it once it has cooled completely. Slicing it when hot will lead to it breaking into chunks around the walnuts.

Serve it warm with tea/coffee. 

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are upto.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vegan Date and Walnut Cake Recipe

Vegan loaf cake made with dates and walnuts. Eggless and dairy free cake.

Recipe Type:  Dessert
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     20 minutes
Cook time:     50 minutes
Total time:     70 minutes
Yield:                Makes one 9 inch loaf

Ingredients:

30 Dates
10 Walnuts
2 cups Flour
200 ml Coconut Milk
0.5 Coconut Oil
0.5 cup powdered Jaggery
4 Tbsp powdered Sugar
1 tsp Baking Powder
0.5 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Vanilla Extract or Essence
Pinch of salt
0.5 cup Water

Method:

1. Boil together 20 chopped dates, water and the jaggery until the dates are soft or 5-6 minutes. If you want to make a refined sugar free cake, increase the quantity of jaggery to 1 cup.
2. Allow the mixture to cool, and then blend to a smooth puree. Add water if required.
3. Mix together the coconut oil and half the coconut milk until combined.
4. Add in the date puree and mix well.
5. Add the vanilla extract and mix well.
6. Sift in the flour, baking powder and baking soda. You can add a pinch of salt if you want.
7. Mix until combined. Use the remaining coconut milk to loosen the batter if it is very dry.
8. If the cake batter isn't sweet enough, add the powdered sugar until you get the desired sweetness.
9. Mix in chopped walnuts and the remaining dates.
10. Grease a cake tin (9") and line with parchment paper or butter paper.
11. Pour in the batter.
12. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 200 degree C or until done. An inserted toothpick or knife should come out clean.
13. Demould after 4-5 minutes.
14. Allow to cool before slicing.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Eggless Blueberry Muffins

Honey Cake

Persian Love Cake

Read more ...

Soya Biryani Recipe [Video]

Soya Biryani is a spicy vegan layered rice dish made with nutritious soya chunks, mixed vegetables and fragrant long grained Basmati Rice.

If you love Biryani, you have arrived at the right place. This Soya Biryani is meaty, spicy and fragrant and perfect when you crave carbs and something spicy. 

To be honest, I am not a Biryani fanatic like a lot of my friends. While a lot of my friends can eat biryani for every meal, I'm usually the one who refuses to accompany them and I'd rather settle for a simple meal of roti and a dry sabzi with lots of fresh coconut. But I enjoy the spicy indulgence occasionally, especially on a real bad work day or on Sundays, when I have all the time in the world to give to the Biryani.

This Biryani recipe is my go-to recipe. I've made it with raw jackfruit, with mixed vegetables and with mushrooms, changing it ever so slightly at times. When I have ghee at home, I use that instead of the oil. When in mood, I use sour yogurt instead of tomatoes. But I keep the spicy masala the same, for the simple reason, because it works!!

While there are good instant biryani recipes, to make the best Biryani, you need to give it love and time. You need to coax out the flavor of the spices by gently cooking them in oil. The tomatoes need to soften and come together with the spices. The birista or the fried brown onions needs their own time to crisp up and develop the flavor. While you may not miss much if you leave these steps out, but you will love it when you make it with patience.

This Biryani uses mini soy chunks as the main ingredient. Since soya chunks are porous and meaty, they absorb the flavors of the spices perfectly. Cook the soya nuggets or chunks as described on the packet or just soak them in hot water and squeeze out the water to use them. 

This Soya Biryani can be prepped in advance - the birista can be made much in advance and store it in a air tight jar until you need to use it, the vegetables can be parboiled the previous day, the rice can be washed and cooked the previous night as well. And if you know you are going to be stretched for time the day you want to make Biryani, make the masala - until you cook the tomatoes, in advance and store it in the fridge. The oil and salt will preserve the masala well. Add the vegetables and soya chunks on the day you want to make the biryani.

Biryani is best served with raita and if you like more spice, then salan.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are upto.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soya Biryani Recipe

Soya Biryani is a vegan layered spicy rice dish made with nutritious soya chunks and mixed vegetables cooked in a spicy tomato masala and fragrant basmati rice.

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     60 minutes
Total time:     90 minutes
Yield:                Serves 3

Ingredients:

1 cup raw Basmati Rice
0.75 cup mini Soya Chunks
1 small Carrot
5 green Beans
1 medium Potato
1 large Onion
2 medium Tomatoes
1 Tbsp Ginger Garlic paste
3 Tbsp fried Onions (Birista)
3.5 Tbsp Oil
0.5 cup Mint leaves (Pudina)
0.5 cup Coriander leaves (Dhania Patta)
1 tsp Caraway seeds (shah jeera)
2 Green Cardamom
3 Cloves
0.5" Cinnamon
0.5 tsp Stone Flower (Dagad phool)
1 tsp Fennel seeds
1 Bay leaf
0.5 tsp Turmeric Powder
0.5 tsp Coriander Powder
0.5 tsp Cumin Powder
2 tsp Biryani Powder or 1 tsp Garam Masala
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
Salt to taste
Water as required

Method:

1. Wash the basmati rice 5-6 times until the water runs clear. Soak for 20-30 minutes.
2. In the mean while, chop the carrot, beans and potato into chunks and parboil them with a little salt.
3. Soak the soya chunks in hot water for 15 minutes and squeeze out the water once soft. Or cook the soya chunks as instructed on the packet.
4. Boil 1.5 cups of water in a pan and add a pinch of salt to it.
5. Drain the basmati rice and add to water. Cover and cook on low to medium heat until the rice is almost done. Remove from heat and fluff the rice when slightly cool.
6. Roughly crush the green cardamom, cloves, stone flower, fennel seeds and cinnamon.
7. Heat 3 Tbsp oil and add the caraway seeds.
8. Add the roughly crushed spices and bay leaf and fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
9. Add chopped onion and ginger garlic paste. Saute until the onions are browned.
10. Add finely chopped tomatoes and saute for 2-3 minutes.
11. Add the turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, biryani masala or garam masala powder and salt and mix well.
12. Cook on low heat until the tomatoes are soft. Adjust salt or spices as required.
13. Add the soya chunks, parboiled carrots, beans and potato. Mix well and cook for 5-6 minutes.
14. In a clean non stick kadhai, spread out half the cooked masala.
15. Layer half the basmati rice on the masala.
16. Top with half of the chopped coriander leaves, mint leaves and the fried onions (birista).
17. Sprinkle a little salt and add 0.5 tsp of oil.
18. Layer the remaning soya masala.
19. Layer the remaining rice.
20. Top with the remaining chopped mint leaves, coriander leaves, and fried onions.
21. Sprinkle a little salt and add the remaining oil.
22. Cover and cook on low heat for 10-12 minutes.
23. Mix while serving. Serve hot with raita.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Jackfruit Biryani

Mushroom Biryani

Methi Rice

Read more ...

Bisi Bele Millet Recipe [Video]

Spicy South Indian one pot main made by simmering millet with lentils (dal), mix vegetables and spice blends. Vegan and healthy.

So, here I am with another Millet recipe. As I mentioned in my last week's post, I'm all on the millet wagon. I'm enjoying discovering these grains and creating recipes with them. I made a Pulao last week with Millet that tasted awesome. Leave me a comment if you want me to post that recipe.

Apart from that, I had a super tiring Saturday and a totally relaxing Sunday, just as I had planned, or not. So the whole saturday was spent gardening. If you are new here, I should let you know I have a small balcony garden where I try to grow vegetables organically. More recently, I've acquired a few flowers and fruit too, but majorly focusing on herbs and vegetables. My okra and chilli plant from last month have germinated and are coming along fine. This Saturday, I've been ambitious and planted daikon radish, beets, french beans, and brinjals. And I'm so excited!!

Sunday was the day I turned a year wiser. I spent it doing absolutely nothing. Breakfast was at Gee's place and lunch at my in law's. Dinner was take out. So all I did was lie around and watch reruns of sitcoms all day long. My dream day, almost. It would be perfect if the day was 48 hours long.

What would be your dream birthday celebration?

So back to my millet wagon, this Bisi Bele Millet is a take on the Bangalore classic, Bisi Bele Bhaat. Bisi Bele Bhaat is a simple one pot main dish made by making a sambar - a curry with lentils and vegetables and adding rice to it and simmering the two together. In today's recipe, I have replaced the rice with millet. I used little millet or samai. Navane or Foxtail Millet can be used too. You can also use Quinoa.

Bisi Bele Millet is a spicy one pot comfort dish that is perfect for those lazy evening when all you are all worked up but cannot be bothered to get a take out. This dish is even easier when you have done all the prep work in advance. The lentils/dal can be cooked and stored in the refrigerator and so can the millet. The vegetables can be diced and stored in the fridge too. So on the night you want to eat the Bisi Bele Millet, just put one pot on the stove and get it going.

Bisi Bele Millet tastes delicious with the traditional topping of spicy boondi. If you aren't vegan, then I highly recommend stirring a teaspoon of ghee or serving it with a side of raita.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are upto.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bisi Bele Millet Recipe

Spicy South Indian one pot main dish made with cooked lentils, millet, mix vegetables and spice blends. Vegan and healthy meal.

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            South Indian
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Total time:     45 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked Little Millet or Samai
2 cups cooked Pigeon Pea lentils or Toor Dal
2 cups mixed chopped Vegetables (Carrots, French Beans, Potato, Kohlrabi)
2 tsp Bisi Bele Bhaat Powder or Sambar Powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
0.5 tsp Turmeric Powder
Pinch of Asafoetida (Hing)
Salt to taste
Water as required
2 tsp Oil
0.5 tsp Mustard Seeds
10-12 Curry leaves

Method:

1. Boil the diced vegetables until done. You can salt the water if you want.
2. Cook the vegetables until they are done, but not mushy.
3. Add salt, bisi bele bhaat powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and asafoetida. Mix well.
4. Add boiled lentils and mix well. Allow it to come to a rolling boil. Add a little water if it is too thick.
5. Add boiled millet and mix well. Allow it to cook on low heat for 5-6 minutes.
6. Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds.
7. Once they splutter, add the curry leaves and immediately pour on the bisi bele millet.
8. Mix well.
9. Serve hot with raita.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Millet Lemon Rice

Raw Mango Rice

Healthy Millet Salad

Read more ...

Eggplant Coconut Curry [Video]

Vegan Eggplant Curry made by simmering sauteed eggplant in a spicy coconut gravy.

It was today, 12 years ago that I stepped foot into the Corporate jungle. My first day at my first job. A job I had waited 1.5 years to join, a long wait. A special day in the life of a young Engineer. 

It was also special for another reason. It was the day I met Raj. We've known each other for 12 years, starting from that day. 12 years is a long time to know someone. You tend to learn every annoying little detail there is, every story has been told, there are no skeletons left in the cupboard. When I predict he will do something to the "T", he thinks I'm guessing, but I know him so well that I don't need to guess anymore. There is comfort in knowing someone so well, there is warmth in trusting a person so much.

These two feelings of comfort and warmth are echoed in today's curry. A good curry is like a warm hug from inside. It is supposed to make you feel at home, it is supposed to make you smile for no reason at all. It is supposed to make you feel like you are in your pajamas even when you are dressed to impress.  It is supposed to be something you cannot resist taking another helping of. This Eggplant Coconut Curry is all that, and more!

This Eggplant Coconut Curry is made by first sauteing roughly diced eggplant in coconut oil until they are brown and soft. Then a gravy is made by adding coconut milk to sauteed onion and tomato puree. Spices, a lot of them are added to flavor the curry. The curry is finished off in true Indian style with a tempering or "tadka" of mustard seeds and curry leaves. Garnish with sliced almonds and the quintessential coriander leaves. You can use pine nuts or cashew nuts too. This is just an indulgent step and skipping it will not affect the flavor of your dish.

This curry is simple if you know your way around in the kitchen. If not, I have a quick video to help you out. This Eggplant Curry is vegan. It can be made gluten free by skipping the asafoetida. It can also be easily doubled or tripled and is perfect for a large family gathering. It requires barely any prep too.

The Eggplant Curry uses a mix of different spices like fennel powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and garam masala. If you don't have all of them, just use what you have, or use your favorite Indian spice blend or curry powder.

Serve the curry with roti, naan or jeera rice like I did.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eggplant Coconut Curry

Flavorful curry made by simmering sauteed eggplant in a vegan gravy made with coconut milk and flavored with a mix of spices.

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     10 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Total time:     40 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 large Eggplant (bharta baingan)
1 cup Coconut Milk
1 large Onion
2 medium Tomato
1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1 tbsp Fennel Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
0.5 tsp Turmeric Powder
0.5 tsp Garam Masala
A pinch of Asafoetida (Hing)
3 Tbsp Coconut Oil
0.5 tsp Mustard seeds
8-10 Curry leaves
Salt to taste
0.5 cup Water
Sliced almonds to garnish (Optional)
Handful of Coriander leaves

Method:

1. Dice the eggplant into small pieces.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp coconut oil in a pan and add the diced eggplant.
3. Add salt to taste and saute the eggplant until it is cooked. Remove and keep aside.
4. Puree the onion and tomato separately.
5. Heat 1 Tbsp coconut oil in a pan and add the pureed onion.
6. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute until the onion browns slightly.
7. Add the pureed tomato and cook until the liquid evaporates.
8. Add all the spice powders and mix well.
9. Add 0.5 cup of water and simmer on low heat until for 4-5 minutes.
10. Add the coconut milk, salt to taste and the sauteed eggplant. Mix well and simmer on low heat for 4-5 minutes.
11. Heat the remaining oil in a different pan. Add the mustard seeds and allow them to splutter.
12. Once the mustard splutters, add the curry leaves and remove from heat.
13. Add this tempering to the curry.
14. Garnish the curry with sliced almonds and chopped coriander leaves.
15. Serve hot with roti or rice.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Lahsuni Methi Mushroom

Grilled Eggplant Rolls

Punjabi Dum Aloo

Read more ...

Achari Bhindi Dahiwali | Spicy Okra Curry with Yogurt [Video]

Pan fried okra cooked in a curry made with pickle spices and yogurt.

There are 2 kinds of people in the world, one who love Okra or Bhindi and one that wouldn't be caught dead eating it. I was a latter, I hated bhindi all through my childhood - I mean which kid really enjoys the slime? Until about 5 years ago, when I had run out of veggies to cook for the day, I picked up some fresh bhindi and decided I could try to convert the hate to at least a tolerable feeling. Frankly, all I needed to do that was learn how to cook the okra correctly. See my tips below.

I have the following tips to cook the okra, just right:

• The first tip for cooking okra, if you don't like slime, is to never cover it while cooking. Cook the okra in an open pan, always.
• Preferably use a flat pan and do not crowd it. A wok or a kadhai, ends up steaming a few pieces of okra at least, and when steamed, okra tends to get slimy.
• Be liberal with the oil. If cooking on a stove, use sufficient oil. The oil helps make the okra crispy and stops it from steaming. If you want to use less oil, grill the okra in a pan in the oven. This recipe tastes equally delicious with grilled okra.
• Cook okra on medium to high heat stirring regularly. Okra cooked in low heat, again, tends to get slimy.
• Avoid adding water to the okra while cooking. Okra loves oil, let it cook in oil alone. Don't add any water or any ingredients that may leave their juices (like tomatoes) until the okra is almost cooked.

Once I had mastered the art of cooking okra, there was no turning back. I've made okra innumerable times since then, and loved it.

This Achari Bhindi Dahiwali translates simply into Pickled Okra in Yogurt. This curry uses the pickling spices used in North Indian pickles. While the okra is not pickled, it is cooked with a spice blend made inspired by the pickles. Pickle spices usually include - fennel seeds (saunf), carom seeds (ajwain), mustard seeds (rai), fenugreek seeds (methi dana), asafoetida (hing) and dried mango powder (amchur). I have reduced the quantity of fenugreek seeds as they are bitter in taste. 

To make this recipe vegan, use vegan yogurt like cashew yogurt or coconut yogurt.

To make Achari Bhindi Dahiwali, we first slice the okra lengthwise. You can chop it how you please, lengthwise just made it visually appealing to me. The okra is pan fried with oil. I've made it before by grilling the okra in the oven, the curry tastes the same and uses a lot less oil.

Then the gravy is made by cooking onions and tomatoes with the pickling spices and blending it. Whisked yogurt is added to the gravy to finish it off. Toss in the cooked okra and serve it hot with rotis.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto. 

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Achari Bhindi Dahiwali

Okra cooked with Indian pickle spices and whisked yogurt. Bhindi curry made with North Indian achaar masala and dahi.


Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:          North Indian
Prep Time:     10 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Yield:              2-3 Servings

Ingredients:

25 small Okra (bhindi)
1 Onion
1 Tomato
1 cup Yogurt (dahi)
4 Tbsp Oil
1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
0.5 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
0.5 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Fennel Seeds (Saunf)
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Carom seeds (Ajwain)
4-5 Fenugreek Seeds (Methi dana)
1 tsp Dry Mango Powder (Amchur)
Pinch of Asafoetida (Hing)
Handful of Coriander leaves
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Dry roast the fennel seeds, mustard seeds, carom seeds and fenugreek seeds.
2. Grind them to a fine powder along with the asafoetida and the dry mango powder. Keep aside.
3. Heat 2 Tbsp Oil in a flat pan and add the chopped bhindi to it. Saute until the bhindi are soft and cooked. Never cover the bhindi while cooking, it will tend to get slimy. Remove and keep aside.
4. Heat 1 Tbsp Oil in the same pan and add the ginger garlic paste.
5. Once the ginger-garlic is fragrant, add finely chopped onions and fry until translucent.
6. Add in chopped tomato and stir well.
7. Mix in the achari spice blend we made earlier along with salt and turmeric powder and cook until the tomatoes are soft.
8. Blend into a fine paste with little water once cooled slightly.
9. Heat the remaining oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds.
10. Once they brown slightly, add the blended paste and cook on low heat for 4-5 minutes.
11. Stir in whisked yogurt and red chilli powder. Adjust seasoning if required. Cook for 2-3 minutes on low heat.
12. Add the pan fried bhindi and mix well. Simmer for 4-5 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Lahsuni Methi Mushroom

Tomato Curry with Okra

Punjabi Dum Aloo

Read more ...