Easy Cashew nut pakoda

Sunita Shenoy

This recipe has become my go to easy recipe for Diwali snacks. 

Ingredients 

2 cups whole raw cashew nuts

1/2 cup besan

1 tsp rice pwdr 

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp chilli pwdr 

1/2 tsp asafotida ( hing)

1/2 tsp jeera pwdr

1 tsp finely chopped curry leaves (optional)

You may adjust salt and spices to your taste.

Method:

Wash cashew nuts. Separately mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Sprinkle on washed cashews and use your hands to coat the cashews. You can add very little water only if needed to help with coating. Finally drizzle about 1 tsp oil to the coated nuts. Take grease a microwaveable plate and spread the nuts without forming clusters. 

Microwave for 1 min. Take it out and toss nuts. Repeat this for 3-4 times until nuts are crisp. Alternatively you can deep fry  these . 

Tendle Talasane (Gherkins stir fry)

Tendle Talasane (Gherkins Stir Fry)
Sunita Shenoy

This is a very simple dish and a konkani delicacy.

Ingredients:
20-30 gherkins
8-12 crushed garlic pods (more if small garlic)
2-3 crushed red chillies
salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

Recipe:
Wash and crush each of the whole gherkin with a stone. add salt to taste and keep aside for 30 min or so. Now take a wok/kadai and add oil, crushed garlic and chillies. once garlic begins to brown, add gherkins and stir fry. Cover and cook till it is limp and roasted w/o adding any water. Stir often so that it does not stick to the bottom and burn. It should be roasted (brown, not burnt).

Magge Koddel (Konkani curry with Mangalore Cucumber)

Magge Koddel (Konkani curry with Mangalore Cucumber)

- Sunita Shenoy

Basics:

Konkani coconut curry base is made with fresh grated coconut, small piece of tamarind, red chilles ground into smooth paste. the seasoning makes the difference in what the end product is named.

The vegetarian version typically is a combination of a vegetable like mangalore cucumber and a legume like pigeon peas, whole masoor, toor daal.

Koddel = season with crushed garlic in oil 

Ambat = chopped onions fried in oil

Gashi = mustard seeds and curry leaves in oil

Oil is typically coconut oil for best flavor, but any cooking oil maybe used. Variations of above include adding coriander seeds, methi seeds, urad daal, different combinations of vegetables and legumes.

Konkani Koddel with Mangalore Cucumber and Pigeon Peas

Ingredients

1 whole magge (mangalore cucumber)

1 cup cooked pigeon peas 

1 cup grated coconut

1 marble size tamarind

1 tbsp chilli powder mild to medium

2 tbsp crushed garlic cloves = 2-3 whole red chillies

2-3 Tbsp oil for seasoning

Procedure

Grind coconut, tamarind, chilli into a fine paste consistency of a gravy. 

Cut cucumber into cubes and cook partially with a little salt.  now mix in gravy, cooked pigeon peas, salt to taste and boil for 10 min or so till cooked through. Now heat oil and add crushed garlic/chillies till it turns reddish.  Curry is ready to serve with rice.

Bhindi Coconut Masala ( Bhenda Sagle - Konkani)

Masala
 1/2 small cup grated coconut
1 tbspn coriander + 1/2tbspn  urad dhal
roast  in to light brown in a little oil
 grind the coconut with 1 tbspn moderate  spicy chillipowder  along with roasted grains in to paste adding little water

Method:

Wash dry and cut 250 grams okra (bhindi) in to 1" pieces and keep.

Heat 3 tbspn oil in a kadai add 1 tspn mustard and few curry leaves and 1 tspn jeera .
When the mustard splutters add cut bindi , salt to taste 1/2 tb spoon, tamarind paste and little jaggery powder
Mix every thing together and close it with a lid on a medium fire stirring frequently
When the bhindi is cooked, add the masala and mix stirring frequently till the masala is dry
Serve with rice and dhal or with rotis.

Sprouted Moong Upkari (Mooga Upkari)

 1 cup green moong, soak in water in the morning
 Drain the water and close the vessel tight overnight
Next day it will sprout; in winter it may take two days to sprout
 

Method:

Heat 3 tbspn oil in a kadai
Add 1 tspn mustard , 1/2 tspn jeera
when mustard splutters, add
3 to 4 red chili bits
Add the sprouted moong and 1tspn asofoetida powder
Add 1/2 cup water or more if necessary , and salt to taste
Close the pan with a lid and cook on medium flame for few minutes tossing frequently. when done remove from stove . Relish with plain dhal and rice. Healthy dish!

Cabbage thoran ( Dry Dish )

Method
Chop one small cabbage into legthwise pieces
Wash and keep aside
Soak 1 fistful of thuvar dhal for 2  hours ( optional)
Chop one big onion or two medium onions into fine legthwise pieces similar to cabbage pieces
Chop 3 to 4 green chillies ( according to ur spice tolerence)
Heat 3 tbspoon oil in a kadai
Add 1 tspn mustard and 1/2 tspn cumin seeds
When it splutters add 2 pods of mashed garlic
Stir for a while
Add the chopped onion and a few curry leaves
Fry for a while till onion becomes transulent
Add 1 tspn coriander powder
1 tspn jeera powder , 1/2 tspn turmeric powder , 1 tspn asofoetida powder
Stir fr a while
Add the chopped cabbage, draing all the water
Add salt to taste and cook covered on a medium flame stirring frequently. 
When done relish with roties  or with dhal and rice!

Vermicelli upma

Method:
2  medium cups  Bambino vermicelli
Heat 3 tbspn oil and 2 tbspn ghee in a flat bottom kadai
Add 1 tspn Mustard + 1 /2 tspn urad dhal
When it splutters add 4 green chillies slits and a
a few curry leaves
Add few cashew nut bits
Add the  vermicelli to this and stir  fr few minutes
Boil 3 cups water and add to the above fried vermicelli
Add salt to taste and 2 , 3t spns sugar and
mix nicely
Close with a lid on a medium flame .
when it becomes  dry remove from flame and add some coconut gratings and stir well . relish with tea or coffee .

Cauliflower Upkari ( Cauliflower Konkani Stir Fry)

Method:

1 medium size cauliflower
Cut into medium florets
Wash in hot water thoroughly
Heat 3 tbspn oil in a flatbottom kadai
Add 1 tspn mustard seeds + 1/4 tspn jeera
When it splutters add 1/2 tspn red chillipowder+ 1/2 tspn asofoetida powder and 1/2 tspn turmeric powder
Stir little then add the cauliflower florets and mix well Add salt to taste and sprinkle little water and  mix well again .
 Close with a lid and keep on the medium flame stirring frequently .
 Do not over cook
 when the florets  become crunchy to taste remove from fire / relish with rice and dhal

Aloo Gobi subzi ( Potatoe cauliflower dish)

Method.

one medium size gobi. Cut in to small flowerets

One medium size potato peel and cut in to small cubes

Wash both potatoe cauliflower flowrets

Chop one large onion in to fine pieces

Heat 4tbspn oil in a Kadai

Add 1tspn cumin seeds
1 tspn mustard 

Add chopped onion +4 to 5 slit green chillies ( according to ur spice tolerence )

Fry till it becomes translucent

Add  1 cup finely chopped tomatoes 

Fry till tomatoes become mushy

 1 tbspn coriander powder , 1 tspn cumin powder 

1 tspn garam masala powder +1 tsp red chillipowder  

1 tspn haldi powder
mix the above ingredients in some water in a bowl
add this mixture to the onion tomatoe and stirr well

 add 1tspn crushed Kasuri methi powder

Chopped coriander leaves
add cauliflower florets and chopped potatoes 

, add salt to taste and mix well .

Keep on the flame stirring frequently 

 Close with a Lid til it is done

Serve hot with roties 

Red Amaranth leaves ( dry dish )

 Method
1 big bunch of leaves
 Remove the leaves from the stems
 wash thoroughly and chop in to fine pieces
Heat 3 tb spn oil in a kadai
 splutter 1 tspn mustard , 4 to 5 mashed garlic pods
 and 3 to 4 redchilli bits
 when the mustard splutters add red chilli bits and mashed garlic . when the garlic turns red in colour add the chopped red leaves . add salt to taste , stirr well
close with a lid and cook on the flame till it is done . relish with dhal

Tomato chutney

Method
1 kg  ripe tomatoes  chop in to big pieces and keep aside
Heat 2tbspn oil in a Kadai
Add 2 tspn urad dhal
2 tspn coriander seeds
2 tspn chana dhal
When the above ingredients turn light brown
Add 1 tspn mustard , 1 tspn methi seeds
Few curry leaves
When the mustard splutters add 1/2 tspn asafoetida powder
Add 1/4 cup chopped onion , 4 flakes garlic ,2 " ginger chopped
Stir for a while
 Then add the chopped tomatoes, salt to taste
 When tomatoes get mushy, blend this in the mixer to a smooth chutney
If tomatoes r not sour , add little tamarind pulp 
Also little sugar can be added
 Mix well and store in a glass bottle refrigerate
 Use this for dosas , idles , chapaties

Red channa rasam and subzi

Method -
1 cup red chana
Soak in water overnight
 Next day wash and pressure cook it with 4 cups of water with 4 to 5 whistles
Drain the cooked chana water in a vessel
Heat 6 tbspn oil
Splutter 2 tspn mustard seeds +4 to5 red chilli bits +few curry leaves and 1 tspn asafoetida
when done add half of this to chana water and 1./2 to the cooked chana and mix well.
Add  salt to taste to both chana and the sar and simmer fr a few minutes
. To make the sar thicker, paste one fistful of chana in the grinder and add to the sar and simmer .
Add 1 fistful of grated coconut to the cooked chana . Mix well
Relish with rice .

Green beans thoran

Method
1/2 kg green beans
Wash and chop in to tiny thin pieces
Heat 3 tbspoon oil in a flat bottom kadai
Add1tspn mustard  when it splutters
1/2tspn black gram dhal;when it becomes light brown color
Add  1/2 tsp cumin seeds ;
a few curry leaves; 1tspn asafoetida.
Add the chopped onion
Fry till trsnsulent
Add the chopped beans
Add salt to taste
Mix well
Close it with a lid adding little water
When done serve with dhal and rice

Val Val or Yogiratna-(Vegetables in coconut milk)

Method -
2 cups chopped pumpkin (skinned and cut into big cubes )
1 cup chopped  ash gourd ( skinned and cut into big cubes)
1/2 cup potatoes  cubes
1/2 cup tender cashew nuts ( Bibbo-soak in water for 3 hours and skin them) )OR cashew nuts ( soak in water for 3 hours)
1/2 cup chopped ridge gourd ( skin and chop into big pieces)
3  string beans ( alsando) cut in to 1 " strings



Cook all these vegetables adding little water
Add salt. They get cooked very soon. Do not overcook.

Add two cans of coconut milk OR 1 can of coconut milk according to gravy required )
Mix and simmer for a while
Gravy  should be slightly thicker consistency
Seasoning:
Heat 2 tbspn  coconut oil or canola oil
1 tspn mustard+ 1/2 tspn Cumin seeds
when it splutters add curry leaves  , 3 slit red chilies +1 tspn
asafoetida powder
Add this seasoning in to the curry
( If ready coconut milk is not available , take extract of ground grated coconut and add).
This is a Konkani festival dish. Very delicious! Can be eaten with rice or without rice (like a soup) 

Spinach Stir Fry ( Spinach upkari)

Method -
2 bundles Spinach ( Palak)
Clean wash thoroughly 3 , 4 times to remove all dirt from leaves and chop in to big pieces along with stems
Mash 4 to 5 pods garlic
Mash 11/2 " ginger and slit 5 to 6 gtreen chillies
 Splutter 1 tspn mustard and 1/2 tspn cumin seeds in 2 tbspn heated oil in a kadai
 Then Add mashed ginger and mashed garlic pods and slit green chillies
ad the washed palak
Add 1/2 tspn  salt  to taste
 cover it and cook till it is done tossing frequently
 Do not pour water as the leaves water when cooked .
when water evoporates and the leaves r cooked remove from gas and relish .

Spinach Dhal coconut based Curry ( Konkani Vali Ambat)

Method -1 big bunch of Spinach-Malabar spinach  ( Vali in konkani -this spinach is different from the palak )
Wash and chop finely
Wash and  cook 1 big cup thuvar dhal in the pressure cooker adding 2 big  cups of water with 4 whistles)

 Masala-
 1/2 big  cup grated coconut +2 tspn chillipowder +1/4tspn tamarind paste
 Grind in to paste
Cook the chopped spinach in the cooked dhal
 Add salt to taste .
 Add masala
Add water according to ur consistency
 Simmer for 5 minutes
Chop one big onion
 Heat 3 tbspn oil in a kadai
 Fry the chopped onion to golden brown
 Add this onion  seasoning in the spinach masala
 Serve hot with rice .
 Optional - Add dry shrimp while simmering the masala OR add potato cubes in the masala while simmering 

Potato Spicy Red curry( Konkani Potato Song )

Method:
2 large potatoes - boil in the pressure cooker for 4 whistles.
Peel them and chop in to 1/2 "cubes, after cooled
1or 2 large onion cut in to cubes
Heat 3 to 4 tbspn oil in a kadai
Splutter 1 tspn mustard
Add the chopped onion and fry till it is translucent
Add 2 tbspn red chilli powder  ( or less according to ur spice tolerance )  and
3/4th or ,1/2 tspntamarind paste  (according to the quantity of chillipowder u added )
.Mix and cook on low flame. Then add 1 tbspn coriander powder and mix
Add the potatoe cubes, little water and salt to taste
Keep on the fire for a few minutes stirring frequently
Remove from fire when all water evaporates and curry is well blended.
Relish with rice and dhal(dhalithoi) OR chapaties .

Quinoa Pulao

Method:
1 cup quinoa: wash and cook in 2 cups of water
Heat 2 tbspn oil +1tbspn butter
Add 1 medium onion chopped lengthwise
Add 3 slit green chillies
 Add 1 tbspn ginger garlic paste
Fry till the onion becomes translucent
Add 1 tbspn garam masala
Add chopped coriander leaves
 Fry for a while
Add mixed frozen vegetables and salt to taste .
Stir fry till vegetables are cooked
Add the cooked quinova , mix  and strir for a while
Add 3 tbspn grated cheese (optional)
Mix thoroughly . keep on fire for a few minutes
Decorate on the top with roasted cahewnuts and raisins
Serve hot  .

Dhal Makhani - Black Gram Dhal | Punjabi

Method -
1 small cup Black Urad dhal (soak over night)
Next morning  pressure cook it for 4 to 5 whistels

Heat 2 tbspn oil +3 tbspn butter
Add1 tspn cumin seeds
When it splutters add 1  chopped onion
Add  8  pods of garlic cloves finely chopped
+ 2 " ginger chopped
OR
2 tbspn ginger garlic paste can be used
Fry till onion becomes light brown
Add chopped tomatoes ,saute till tomatoes r well mashed
Add 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves and fry for a while
Add 1 tspn cumin powder +1tspn coriander powder
 Add 1 tspn garam masala powder
Stir all the ingredients for a while
Mash the cooked dhal
Add this to the masala
Add some water and simmer for a few minutes
Add  kasoori methi , 1/2cup cream,  and simmer
Serve hot with roties

Palak Soup

2  small spinach bunches cleaned and washed
2 small carrots peeled and washed
1 big tomato washed
Pressure cook all above for 5 minutes adding little water and grind to a fine paste
Add 2 cups of water and 1 can of chicken broth ( adjust consistency according to your preference)
Heat 2 tbspn oil and fry 1 finely chopped onion until golden brown.
Add this to the soup along with salt to taste, chilly sauce, vinegar and pepper powder according to your liking.
Garnish with croutons and serve.