How to clean Kitchen Sink with Kiwi Kleen Dranex ?

How to clean Kitchen Sink with Kiwi Dranex

Kiwi Kleen - Drain Cleaner ( Rs14/ pack )

Instructions

Remove excess water from the blocked kitchen sink, wash basin or tub.

Empty the entire contents of Kiwi Dranax into drain add a cup of water and leave for 30 minutes.

Flush well with water. Repeat application for visible blocks. Use monthly for trouble free drain. Also keeps out cockroaches and germs.

Kiwi Kleen Drain cleaner won’t damage pipes. Kiwi Kleen should not be used for toilets.

Different Types of Cauliflower

Different types of Cauliflower

Green is a cross between broccoli and cauliflower in flavor and texture and is milder than white.

Purple is wild, and is better for health. The color comes from anthocyanins ( found in red cabbage and red wine ) which is an antioxidant. Steam it or eat it raw; boiling will cause the color ( and the nutrition ) to bleed.

Orange was discovered in a Canadian marsh; has 25 times more vitamin A than its pale cousin.

Source - Betterhomes and Gardens

Kerala Mixture

Here's the recipe of Homemade Kerala Mixture !!

Kerala Mixturum Chayayum

If you ever been to Kerala to visit any of your friends or relations, then there is every likelihood that you’ve tasted this mixture. Unlike the mixture you get in other part of the country this one is very very spicy hot ( with an overdose of chilli powder, dash of hing ( asafoetida ) and curry leaves ). It is an excellent accompaniment with tea / coffee. Those who have tasted this will never like to miss it again. For GSB functions normally the breakfast is Idli or Upma and this mixture is an inevitable item.

Sanabel Biryani Point, Anna Nagar - Chennai

Highly recommending Sanabel Biryani Point for Mutton Biryani, Chicken Biryani & Chicken Pepper Masala.

Sanabel
Anna Nagar,
Chennai

Tel# 26260891, 26200786

Land mark - Near Allahabad Bank, OKJ Jewellery & Seashell Restaurant

Plantain Bajji ( Kele Bajji )

Plantain Bajji ( Kele Bajji )

Makes: 6

You will need

1 plantain ( Kele / Ethakka - raw banana )
100 ml oil for frying
Tomato sauce or green chutney or coconut chutney for serving

For the bajji batter:

1/2 cup (100 g) besan ( gram flour )
1 teaspoon rice flour
1/4 cup + 3 tablespoon water ( for making batter )
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 pinches hing ( asafoetida )
1/2 teaspoon salt ( or to taste )

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients well and make a smooth batter with water. Batter should be of dropping consistency. Keep aside for 15 minutes.

Method

Wash and peel off the skin of the banana.

Cut banana into 2 and cut again lengthwise into 3 - 4 slices.

In a kadai / frying pan, heat oil. Reduce heat to medium. Dip each banana slices into the batter and deep fry on a medium heat ( 3 bajjis at a time ) till golden color on both the sides. Drain out from the oil and place on kitchen towel to absorb extra oil.

Serve hot as an evening snack with tea or coffee. Other accompaniments - tomato sauce or green chutney or coconut chutney.

Putt ani Chonya Gashi ( Puttum Kadalayum )

Puttu , Kadala Curry, Banana & Sugar

In olden days, puttu used to be made in bamboo steamer ( puttu kutti ). Later it underwent several modification to present day puttu maker which can be attached to pressure cooker. This dish is easy to prepare, easy to digest and can be made with minimum ingredients - especially the combo with banana ( kele ) and sugar. One can adjust the quantity of coconut.

Also a good combination with Banana & Sugar.

You will need

Makes - 2 puttu

For Puttu:

Raw rice flour – 1 cup ( 225 g ) ( Roasted - just roast it while stirring on a medium heat until it gives out the characteristic roasted smell – Do not wait until it turns brown)

Salt – ½ teaspoon

Grated coconut – ½ cup

Water for mixing – ¼ cup

Method

Take a big flat bowl. Add raw rice flour ( roasted ) and salt. Sprinkle water and mix it with fingers.

Mix it slowly so that it won't roll into small balls. Break any rice flour balls which forms during mixing. Spray water little by little. ( Please note that to mix a cup of rice flour, one may not need more than 1/5 th of a cup of water).

After mixing rice flour; the flour should be just wet or moistened rice flour (un- like chapatti dough or batter for dosa).

Rice flour should not be dry but wet enough for steaming . Keep aside for half an hour. In Kerala we used to say ‘’ podi nanakkal for puttu”.

Fill this rice flour in Puttu maker / gadget for making puttu. This puttu maker / gadget will essentially have a sieve at the bottom.

Place a 5 mm layer of grated coconut at the bottom. The filling should be in such a way that a 5 mm thick layer of grated coconut should be layered every 3 – 4 inch thickness of rice flour; while filling.

Top it with liberal layer of coconut scraping. Steam it on the pressure cooker on medium flame for 5-8 minutes till a consistent stream of steam emanates from the top of puttu maker. Push the puttu from the puttu maker with the help of a thin rod.

Important while filling: Do not apply pressure on the filling. The filling should be packed loosely inside the puttumaker. Else the puttu will come out like a missile (there will be a pressure built up beneath it and steam will not pass thru it) and will end up as a big disaster.

Tips : For those who really want to avoid coconut can go ahead without using coconut. But in return you will get only half the original taste. There is an idiom in Malayalam “ Puttinu Peera Vachathu Poele” – Meaning an indispensable decoration.

Frankly blogging I’m always buy raw rice flour.

Kadala (Chick Pea) Curry

Serves: 2

Ingredients

150 g black Chana ( Kadala or Chick pea )
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

For the coconut paste / masala:

1 cup ( 200 g )grated coconut
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
3/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper powder
2 tablespoon water

Reserve 1/4 cup for water for diluting coconut paste )

Prepare a smooth paste from the above ingredients in a mixer and keep aside.

For the seasoning:

2 teaspoon cooking oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin ( jeera ) seeds
8 small onions ( chuvannulli / shallots / sambar onion ) or 1 onion, thinly sliced
1 spring curry leaves

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they sputter and cumin seeds, sliced onion and curry leaves. Fry on a low heat for 7 - 8 minutes or till golden brown and a nice aroma of small onions.

Method

Wash and soak black Chana ( Kadala ) in 2 cups water for 8 -10 hours or overnight. Pressure cook with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder for 25 - 30 minutes ( reduce heat to medium after 3rd whistle and cook for 25 minutes. Allow the cooker to cool naturally. Reserve half cup channa stock for later use ).

Boil cooked channa and 1/2 cup channa stock for 8 minutes on a low heat.

Add ground coconut masala to the pressure cooked channa. Mix well and dilute with 1/4 cup water. The consistency of this preparation should be medium thick; not too watery. Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 10 - 12 minutes. Stir occasionally. Once done, add seasoning to the curry; mix well . Serve with Puttu .

Bajjile Hittu / Khotte ( Shallow fried slices of Hittu / Khotte )

Hittu / Khotte & Bajjile gashi


Bajjile Hittu / Khotte

Yesterday we made a traditional breakfast of Hittu / Khotte. I was wondering what is the best option to utilise leftover Hittu / Khotte. One option struck my mind ( which my mom used to do in olden days) was to refrigerate them, take out today, cut into 1 cm thick round slices and fry on a pan applying a dash of ghee on both sides.

That turned out to be very tasty. This needs to be consumed when they are hot.

Bread Pakoda

Bread Pakoda - A deep fried snack !!

Makes: 6 pakodas

Ingredients

3 slices of brown bread / whole wheat bread ( cut into rectangular / triangle shape )

200 ml oil for frying ( 1 - inch from the base of the kadai / frying pan )

Tomato sauce / Green chutney for serving

For Pakoda Batter:

1/2 cup ( 100 ml ) besan ( gram flour ) Indian standard measuring cup of 100 ml / 4 oz capacity

1 teaspoon rice flour

1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon water ( for making batter )

1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon salt ( or to taste )

2 pinches hing ( asafoetida )

Mix all the ingredients with water and keep aside for 15 minutes. Pakoda batter should be of dropping consistency.

Method

In a frying pan / kadai, heat oil. Reduce heat to medium. Dip each bread slices in pakoda batter and deep fry on a medium heat ( 3 pakodas at a time ) till golden color on both the sides. Drain out from the oil and place on kitchen towel / paper towel to absorb extra oil. Please use 2 - 3 paper towels to absorb extra oil.  Serve hot as an evening snack with tea / coffee.

Hittu / Khotte

Hittu with soyi bajjile gashi ( Traditional Konkani Breakfast )

Hittu / Khotte

Makes: 7 Hittu / Khotte

You will need

For Hittu:

1 bowl idli batter, fermented ( approximately 400 ml )
1 teaspoon jeera ( cumin seeds )
1/2 - inch ginger, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt ( or to taste )

Sufficient jackfruit leaves ( Since leaves of jackfruit tree is not of standard size, it is not possible to quantify the number of cones to fill the batter. It may vary upon size of leaves. 4 leaves are required / cone ).

Mix all the batter ( idli batter, jeera, ginger and salt ) ingredients well and keep aside for 1 hour.

Method

Take four jackfruit leaves, keep them edge to edge and attach with fine sticks in the shape of a cup or cone. Follow the same process for the remaining leaves.

Fill the cups or cones or khotte with idli batter ( 3/4 of the level ) and arrange in a bowl , keep straight and steam ( without weight ) in a pressure cooker / steamer ( or pedavan ) for 15 to 20 minutes or till done. The leaves give a nice flavour to the Hittu / Khotte. Serve hittu with chuntey / gassi / humman / sambar....

Spicy Bhindi

Spicy Bhindi

Serves: 3

Ingredients

250 g bhindi, pick tender (okra ), cut into 1 - inch pieces
1 tablespoon oil
250 g onions, thinly sliced
3/4 teaspoon salt ( or to taste )
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

Method

Heat oil in a frying pan.

Fry onions till pink and fragrant.

Add red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Saute on a low heat for 2 - 3 minutes till the raw smell goes.

Add bhindi pieces and salt to taste. Mix well.

Do not add water. Stir occasionally.

Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes or till done.

Serve hot as a side dish with Roti / Chapati / Rice ..

Chawli Sukke ( Payaru Thoran )

Chawli Sukke / Payaru Thoran

Sukke / Thoran - Vegetables cooked with coconut mixture and final product will be without gravy or liquid is called Sukke.

Chawli in Konkani ( Cochin GSB Konkani cuisine )
Achinga Payar or Payar in Malayalam
Long beans in English

Serves: 2

You will need

200 g chawli / achinga payar ( pick fresh )
2 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds ( jeera )
1/4 teaspoon urad dal
2 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoons salt

For the Coconut mixture:

1/4 cup grated coconut
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon crushed garlic or shallots / small onions ( optional )

Mix all the ingredients well and keep aside.

Method

Wash and clean chawli / achinga payar. Cut into very small pieces.

In a pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds. When they begin to crackle add cumin seeds ( jeera ) and urad dal. Saute for 2 minutes.

Add chopped payar / chawli, coconut mixture, 2 tablespoon water ( do not add more water ) and salt to taste.

Mix well. Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 10 - 12 minutes or till done and water dries up. Stir occasionally.

Serve as a side dish with rice ( choru / seeth ).

Pejje ( Kanji / Rice Porridge ) & Chawli Humman

Pejje & Chawli Humman ( Kanji / Rice porridge )

Last night my husband suggested to make ‘’ Pegge with Chawli Humman ‘’. This was staple evening diet when we were young. Easy to digest and full of energy and proteins. This is also makes a light evening diet. Other accompaniments with Pejje are Nonche ( Pickle ), Appolu... ( Papad ), Thambeli ( dry coconut chutney ). You can give it for infants also. For infants, you can make Kanji with milk and sugar ( Paal kanji / milk kanji ). Easy for digestion and no side effects.

For Pejje ( Kanji / Rice Porridge )

You will need

1 cup Kerala brown rice
4 cups water

Method

Wash & clean rice.

Add 4 cups water and pressure cook for 30 - 35 minutes or till done ( Bring to full pressure on high heat. Reduce heat a to medium after 3 rd whistle and cook for 25 minutes ). Serve with humman, payar, thambeli ( chammanthi ), papad ..

For Chawli Humman:

Ingredients

1 cup chawli ( dark red beans )
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt

For Seasoning:

2 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon jeera ( cumin seeds )
1 spring curry leaves
3 red chillies, broken
1/4 teaspoon hing ( asafoetida )
Extra salt to taste

Method

Wash and clean chawli ( dark red beans ). Soak in 2 1/2 cups water for 6 hours or overnight and pressure cook for 25 minutes or till done ( Bring to full pressure on high heat. Reduce heat to medium after 2 nd whistle and cook for 20 minutes ). Reserve chawli stock for later use.

For Seasoning:

In a wide kadai / frying pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds. When they begin to crackle add jeera ( cumin seeds ), curry leaves and broken red chillies.

Add boiled chawli with stock and extra salt to taste ( add extra 1/4 cup water if necessary ). Sprinkle hing ( asafoetida ).

Mix well, covered with a lid and cook on low heat for 20 minutes or until the chawli mixture slightly thickens.

Serve hot with pejje ( kanji ).

Palak Pakoda ( Spinach Pakoda )

Palak Pakora ( Spinach Pakora )

Makes: 9

You will need

1 cup spinach, chopped
1 onion, chopped ( optional )
1/2 cup besan ( gram flour )
3 tablespoon water ( for mixing )
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon salt ( or to taste )
2 pinches hing ( asafoetida )
150 ml oil for frying ( 1 - inch from the base of the kadai / frying pan )
Tomato sauce for serving

Method

Wash and clean spinach ( palak ). Drain out water and keep aside.

In a bowl, mix besan, chopped spinach, chopped onion ( optional ), red chilli powder, turmeric powder, hing ( asafoetida ) and salt. Make a thick batter with 3 tablespoon water ( do not add more water ). Mix well with a tablespoon.

Divide this pakoda mixture into 9 equal size portions.

Make round balls and flatten them with your palm.

Heat oil in a kadai / frying pan. Reduce the heat to medium and deep fry in batches ( 4 - 5 pakodas at a time ) till golden color. Drain out oil.

Serve with tomato sauce.

Ready to eat Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani & Chicken Chettinad from Kitchens of India ( a brand owned by ITC ) - A review

A few months back we had visited ITC Grand, Mumbai and very impressed with the quality of food and service we got there. We went for Sunday buffet lunch which cost 1250/ head. Once again I would stress that each item in the menu was served with utmost quality , promptness and courtesy.

With that experience in mind we bought ready to eat Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani & Chettinad Chicken ( from Kitchens of India, a brand owned by ITC ). This cost Rs105/ each and pack weighs 300 g & 285 g respectively. We followed all the instructions as given in the packet while heating the product. Once the packet was opened after reheating we found to our utter disappointment that the end product has no relation whatsoever with the quality displayed / conveyed by the packing.

Chicken Chettinad

This is the description mentioned on the packet - Chunks of chicken in a paste of curry leaves and ground pepper. A gourmet, ready - to - eat signature dish created by Master Che of ITC Hotels ( Dakshin Cuisine )

Chicken Chettinad was tasting and overdose of lime juice. We live in Chennai and had been to many Chettinad restaurants but are yet to come across a Chettinad Chicken curry with an overdose of curry leaves paste and lemon juice ( these ingredients are listed on the packet also ). While the photo shown on the packet displays the chicken curry rich in chicken pieces, what you get inside is predominantly gravy with very little chicken cubes in it. See the photo above.

Hyderabadi Mutton Biryani

This is the description mentioned on the packet - Delicious mutton pieces cooked to perfection with cinnamon flavored Basmati Rice form this. Nawabi extravaganza. a gourmet, ready - to - eat dish created by the Master Chef of ITC Hotels ( Dum Pukht Cuisine ).

Here also, the contents inside the packet bear no resemblance with photo shown on the packet. For eg photo of biryani on the packet is shown richly sprinkled with all the spices. But you can hardly find any spice once you opened the content. Also the rice was only partially cooked ( see the photo above – normally in biryani, the rice is not fully cooked, but in this case, the rice was far below the optimum cooking required for biryani ) . The mutton pieces were also partially cooked and absolutely tasteless. One positive thing is it had a sprinkling of saffron.

Quantity wise this combo is not even sufficient for a single person.

All in all it was a total let down.

In my opinion any neighborhood restaurant should be offering a much better quality and taste at a much reasonable price than what is offered by Kitchens of India. My little advice is that one should go for pre pack or ready to cook meal only if there is no other alternate meal option available.

Stir Fried Eggs with Long Beans

Stir fried eggs with long beans

Serves: 2

You will need

2 eggs, beat well
10 long beans ( chawli / achinga payar ), finely chopped
2 tablespoon water
2 teaspoon oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder ( or pepper powder )
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

In a pan, heat oil. Add chopped onions and fry till light brown.

Add chopped long beans , 2 tablespoon water and mix well ( you can add French beans or carrot instead of long beans and spring onions instead of onion ). Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes or till water dries up.

Add red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Saute on a low heat for 2 - 3 minutes.

Add beaten eggs and salt to taste. Mix all the ingredients well. Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Serve hot as a side with rotis / rice / pulao.

Tirupati Prasadam ( Naivedyam / Nivedu )

This is the prasadam from the famous Balaji Temple of Tirupati. This divinely tasting laddu which is made of finest ingredients is second only to Lord himself in fame.



It’s a custom among our relatives and friends to share this laddu prasadam among all of us whenever they visit the temple - symbolic of sharing the blessings from the Lord to everyone.

One of our relative visited the temple recently and presented us this divine prasadam. I want to share with you all as well.

Amarakka Thoran

Amarakka Thoran
( Vaisambeli / Papdi in Konkani / Broadbeans Sukke )

Serves: 2

You will need

200 g amarakka
2 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds ( jeera )
1/4 teaspoon urad dal
2 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoons salt

For the Coconut mixture:

1/4 cup grated coconut
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon crushed garlic or shallots / small onions ( optional )

Mix all the ingredients well and keep aside.

Method

Wash and clean amarakka. Remove the fibre from sides. Cut very thin slices.

In a pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds. When they begin to crackle add cumin seeds ( jeera ) and urad dal. Saute for 2 minutes.

Add sliced amarakka, coconut mixture, 2 tablespoon water ( do not add more water ) and salt to taste.

Mix well.Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 10 - 12 minutes or till done and water dries up. Stir occasionally.

Serve as a side dish with rice.

Konkani Fish Curry

Konkani Fish Curry

Fresh fish in a spicy, tangy coconut gravy - a coastal classic

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 3

Ingredients

For the Curry:

500 g bekti / pomfret
1 onion, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon ginger - garlic paste
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
1 teaspoon red chilli powder
150 ml water
Salt to taste

For the Coconut Paste:

1 onion, chopped
2 red chillies
200 g coconut, grated
10 black peppercorns

Grind all the ingredients adding a little water to make a fine paste.

Method

To make the curry:

Wash and clean fish cubes. Keep aside.

Fry onion, tomatoes and ginger - garlic paste in oil. Add cumin powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and salt. Saute on a low heat for five minutes.

Add coconut paste and tamarind pulp. Cook for three minutes on a low heat.

Add water and stir well.

Add the fish cubes and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot with rice.

Athirasam, Butter Murukku & Thattai ( Photos )

One of our close friend gifted us homemade Athirasam, Butter Murukku and Thattai. These are special Channai snacks.

Athirasam


Butter Murukku ( Chakkuli )


Thattai

Kele Sassam

Kele Sassam

This is a tasty dessert / sweet dish prepared during feasts in Konkani cuisine of Cochin GSB. Ease of preparation with minimum ingredients makes it popular in Konkani Cuisine. This tasty compliment is liked by children as well as elders – due to its unique taste.

Serves: 3

You will need

3 bananas ( pick well ripe )
2 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon jeera ( cumin seeds )
6 curry leaves
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1/4 cup thick coconut paste
1/4 cup thick curd
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Method

Cut banana into 1 cm thick circles.

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they begin to crackle add jeera, curry leaves and chopped green chilli. Saute for 2 -3 minutes.

Add thick coconut paste. Saute on a low heat for 1 - 2 minutes. Do not boil or cook. Switch off the heat.

Add sugar, salt, thick curd and banana pieces. Mix well. Serve as a side with rice.

Homemade Seafood Platter

Konkani Fish Curry, Squid Fry, Kerala Fish Fry & Spicy Prawns Fry

Recipes soon ....

Carrot & French Beans Sukke / Thoran

Carrot & French Beans Thoran / Sukke

Serves: 2

Ingredients

3 carrots, cut into small dices
12 French Beans, cut into small pieces
2 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds ( jeera )
1/4 teaspoon urad dal
2 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon salt ( or to taste )

For coconut mixture:

1/4 cup grated coconut
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

Mix all the ingredients together and keep aside.

Method

In a pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds. When they begin to pop add cumin seeds ( jeera ) and urad dal. Saute for 1 minute.

Add cubed carrots, French beans and coconut mixture. Mix well.

Add 2 tablespoon water ( do not add more water ) and salt to taste.

Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes or till done and water completely dries up.

Serve as a side with rice.

Dudh Peda & Malai Laddu from Heritage Foods

Available at Heritage Shops in Chennai

Dudh Peda & Malai Laddu ( Rs40 / pack )

Santhan - An all time favorite dish in Konkani Cuisine

Santhan also Sannan is a dish very close to every Konkani family, especially the Cochin GSB's. Though it is just another form of idli, Santhan is normally associated with festivities.

Santhan - the spongy form of idly, used to be made in our homes when there were celebrations - marriages, temple festivals (aarattu or thirunal), Santhan is made by pouring idli batter in a large thali or flat vessel and steamed just like idli. Once it is cooked and done, Santhan is cut like cake and consumed. This amounts to considerable saving - time wise - in serving large number of people as making santhan is easier than idli.

There is no parallel to hot steaming Santhan, when consumed along with any compliments like sambar, chutney, kukka humman, gashi, kermbala thoro etc.

Santhan

A form of Idli where Idli batter is steamed in a steel thali / bowl.

You will need

300 - 400 g idli batter
1 teaspoon oil
1 steel thali / bowl

Method

In a steel thali / bowl, grease 1 teaspoon oil.

Pour idli batter up to 3/4 level (to allow for expansion during cooking ) and steam ( do not put weight ) in a pressure cooker / steamer / pedavan on a medium heat for 20 - 25 minutes or till done.

Open the lid and allow to cool naturally.

Cut into desired shape. Serve with gashi / sambar / coconut chutney / pickle ..

Masingapathe Polo ( Dosa with Drumstick leaves / Muringayila Dosa )

Masingapathe Polo ( Muringayila Dosa ) is a very famous all time favorite dish in Konkani cuisine ( also it's popular in Kerala ). It’s a healthy and wholesome polo and favorites of all age groups.

Tip - Separating individual leaf / petal from the leafy branch of drumstick is a painful process. To make it easy, I am sharing a secret. Wrap the leafy branch in a news paper overnight. Next morning, one can easily separate the individual leaf.

Health benefits of drumstick leaves

The leaves are highly nutritious, being a significant source of beta-carotene, Vitamin C, protein, iron and potassium. The leaves are cooked and used like spinach. In addition to being used fresh as a substitute for spinach, its leaves are commonly dried and crushed into a powder, and used in soups and sauces. Murungakai as it is locally known in Tamil Nadu and Kerala is used in Siddha medicine. Its leaves are full of medicinal properties. The tree is a good source for calcium and phosphorus. Also excellent natural remedy for hyper tension (high blood pressure). The leaves can also be consumed by adding it to Dal, by making poriyal of the leaves etc.

Masingapathe Polo ( Murungayila Dosa )

You will need

Drumstick Leaves - 2 cups

Raw Rice – 2 cups

Grated coconut – 2 cups

Tamarind juice – ½ cup

Red chilly powder – 1 – ½ teaspoon

Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon

Asafoetida / hing – ¼ teaspoon

Salt – to taste

Cooking oil- 1 teaspoon

Method

Wash and soak raw rice for 5-6 hours. Grind with grated coconut, tamarind juice, red chilly powder, turmeric powder and salt. ( if you add tamarind juice while grinding, then no need to add extra water ). Grind until the batter is fine consistency. Remove and mix with asafoetida / hing and drumstick leaves. No need to ferment this batter.

Heat Frying pan / dosa tawa. Apply little oil. Pour 1 ladleful of batter and spread it in a circle. Cover with a lid cook for 5-8 minutes on medium flame. Sprinkle little oil / ghee if required. Turn other side also and fry / cook till golden color. Color of the drumstick leaves dosa should be in golden color. Repeat for remaining batter. Instead of drumstick leaves you can add shredded cabbage also.

Kele Sukke ( Ethakka Thoran )

Kele Sukke ( Ethakka Thoran )

Serves: 2

You will need

1 kele ( ethakka ) - Raw and green(unripe)
2 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon jeera ( cumin seeds )
1/4 teaspoon urad dal
1/2 teaspoon salt ( or to taste )
2 tablespoon water

For Coconut mixture:

1/4 cup grated coconut
1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
4 cloves garlic (optional ), crushed

Mix all the ingredients together and keep aside.

Method

Wash and peel off the skin of Kele and cut kele into desired shape preferably diced to 1 cm cube.

In a pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds. When they begin to pop add cumin seeds and urad dal. Saute for 2 - 3 minutes.

Add diced kele, coconut mixture, salt to taste and 2 tablespoon water ( do not add any more water ).

Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 12 - 15 minutes or until done and water dries up.

Serve as a side with rice. Also good with kanji ( pejje / rice porridge).

Moong Dal Upkari ( Moong Dal Usli )

Moong Dal Upkari ( Mooga daliyechi ukkari )

Serves: 2

You will need

1 cup moong dal
1 1/2 cup water
2 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin ( jeera ) seeds
2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
1/2 - inch piece ginger, finely chopped
1 spring curry leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt ( or to taste )
1/4 cup grated coconut

Method

Wash and clean moong dal and keep aside.

In a pan, heat oil.

Add mustard seeds. When they begin to crackle add cumin ( jeera ) seeds, slit green chillies, chopped ginger and curry leaves. Saute for 3 - 4 minutes until fragrant.

Add 1 1/2 cup water, moong dal and salt to taste ( do not add more water ). Mix well.

Cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for 15 - 20 minutes or until the water dries up ( This will tastes / look good if the dish is not over cooked but cooked such a way that individual grains ( moong dal ) stand apart without sticking to each other ).

Add grated coconut and gently mix well. Serve hot.