Mushroom Dhum - a very rich, tempting Party Dish ! Mushroom - 200 gms (chopped) Shahjeera - ½ tsp Finely chopped onion - ½ cup Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp Melon seeds - 2 tbsp (soak & grind fine with , methi & cardamom powderswater) Tomato pulp - ½ cup (Blanche & blend 3 ripe tomatoes) Red chilli powder - 2 tsp Dhaniya powder - 2 tsp Methi powder & cardamom powder - each ¼ tsp Salt, haldi Oil - 1 tbsp Heat oil & temper shah jeera. Next sauté onions till transparent. Next add the ginger-garlic paste & fry lightly. Add red chilli powder & dhaniya powder. Fry for a mte & add tomato pulp, salt & haldi. Fry on a medium fire for 5 mts. Now add the paste & mix well. When it starts simmering, add the mushroom. Close with a plate in which pour some boiling water. Simer the stove & cook for 5 mts. Open after 5 mts & dot with butter before serving. If you cannot get melon seeds, use a paste of 1 tsp each of cashew, khus khus & 1 tbsp cconut.
Bottlegourd Morkootu - A Very delicious dish. I make this with white pumpkin, chow chow & banana stem also. This can be made slightly thick as a side-dish or as a kuzambu also. Chop the vegetable to 1 cm cubes. Cubed vegetables - 2 cups Fresh curds - 1cup Salt To grind: Grated coconut - ½ cup Green chillies - 2-3 ( or more to taste) Jeera - ½ tsp Rice flour - 1 level tsp To temper: Coconut oil (or any oil) - 1 tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Curry leaves - few Boil the vegetable with just enough water till just soft. Add salt & ground paste. Simmer to boil & remove. Temper as given. After it becomes lukewarm, beat the curds well & mix. As a kuzambu, goes very well with appalam and a roast curry. As a kootu, goes with any kalanda sadam. Cabbage morkootu photo is posted below.
Peanut Sag - mildly spicy but very tasty! Potatoes - 2 big – peel & cut into 8 pieces Raw peanuts - 1 cup Lime juice - 1 tsp Onion - 1, chopped Salt Grind for masala: Grated coconut - 2 tbsp Dhaniya powder - ½ tsp Khus khus - 1 tsp Chilli powder - 1 tsp Garam masala - ½ tsp Garlic - 2 flakes Haldi In pressure pan heat 2 tbsp oil. Add potatoes, fry for a few mtes & remove. To the remaining oil, add onions, fry a little & add the paste. Fry well, then add lightly roasted potatoes & peanuts. Add 2 cups of water & salt. Close the cooker & keep the weight. When the first whistle comes, decrease the flame & cook for 10 mts. Cool, open & add lime juice. Serve with rice or rotis.
Bittergourd Palya (Sihi Palya) - this one is from Udupi cuisine I learnt this from my friend. She comes from Udupi. She makes special Saru powder, which, I can post on request. I substituted Rasam powder. This is a spicy half-dry sabji & goes with rice and chappathis. Slit bittergourd vertically & cut into thin slices. Vegetable - 2 cups Rasam powder - 2-3 tsp Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp Salt, haldi To temper: Oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Red chillies - 2,3 Curry leaves - few Hing - ¼ tsp In a kadai, temper as given. Finally add the vegetable & sauté on a low flame for 10 mts (this is to make it less bitter). Now add tamarind paste, rasam powder, salt & haldi. Add just enough water to cook the vegetable soft. This is a semi-dry dish. Goes with rice & ghee as well as with chappathis.
Jain Bread Curry - a simple recipe, I learnt from Ms Cheeniya This is an ideal accompaniment for plain fresh bread. By Jain, I mean, I am not adding onions & garlic. You can add onions, if you so prefer. Vegetables like beans, carrot, peas, cauliflower, cabbage, potatoes, babycorn can be used. Chop them into small cubes. Chopped vegetables - 2 cups Grind fine: Cashews - 7,8 Khus khus - 2 tsp Separately grind: Coconut - ½ cup Green chillies - 3, 4 To temper: Oil - 1 tbsp Bay leaf - 1 Cloves - 3,4 Cardamom - 2,3 Cinnamon - 1 “ In a pressure pan , heat oil & temper. If you want to add onions, chop & add at this stage. Add all the vegetables & sauté. Now add 2 cup of water & haldi. Pressurise for 2 whistles. Cool, open & add cashew-khuskhus paste. Simmer to cook the paste well. Finally add the coconut paste, give just one boil & remove. Serve hot with fresh bread or rotis.
Diet Kootu - you can make a meal out of it ! This kootu can be made with white pumpkin, bottle gourd, snake gourd etc specially for diet purposes. This also tastes good with cabbage, cauliflower, chow chow etc. I make it bland; you can add more chillies. Masoor dhal - 1 tbsp Moong dhal - 1 tbsp Chopped vegetable - 2 cups Red chilli - 2 or more To temper: Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Jeera - ½ tsp Curry leaves In a vessel, take the dhals & enough water to immerse them. On top add the vegetables & the raw red chillies. Cover & cook inside a pressre cooker for 10 mts, after the first whistle comes. Cool, open, add salt & lightly mix, mashing the chillies. Temper dry in a ladle as given. This goes well with rotis also.
Bread Koftas in Pumpkin Gravy(Jain) - tastes very good without onions . For the koftas: Trimmed bread slices - 5, 6 Curds - enough just to soak them Minced green chillies + ginger - 1 tbsp Atta - 1-2 tbsp Soda - pinch Salt - very little Make a dough with all ingredients & roll small koftas. Test fry one kofta, to see if it does not break. If it breaks, add a little more flour. Deep fry all koftas. Gravy: Boil together & liquidise: Chopped white pumpkin - 2 cups Tomatoes - 3 Ginger - 1 “ Temper: Oil - 1 tbsp Cinnamon - 1 “ Cloves - 3, 4 Cardamom - 3, 4 Red chilli powder - 2 tsp Dhaniya powder - 2 tsp Salt & sugar Temper as given & then add the blended puree. When it boils simmer to cook for 5 mts. Add koftas & remove from fire. Decorate with coriander leaves. Serve with pulao or parathas.
Bhindi Kootu - unbelievable, but delicious ! Select tender bhindis, wash & dry. Cut into 1 cm long pieces. Bhindi pieces - 2 cups Gram dhal - 3 tbsp Tamarind paste - 1 tsp Sambar powder - 1 tsp Salt, Haldi Hing - ¼ tsp Jaggery - little ( optional) Oil - 1 tsp To temper: Oil - 1 tsp Boil gram dhal till soft. In a kadai, heat 1 tsp oil & fry bhindi pieces on a low fire till they start shrinking. Add to the boiled gram dhal with salt, haldi, tamarind paste, sambar powder & hing. Add just enough water. When the vegetable becomes soft, remove & temper. Adding 3 tsp freshly grated coconut at the end adds to the taste – however this is purely optional. Goes with rice and rotis.
Continental Vegetable Stew - for those who don’t like it spicy ! This dish has a Westen flavour ! This goes best with bread as a side dish. You can serve it with hot rice also. Use vegetables like beans, carrot, potatoes, cauliflower, peas etc. Cut into big chunks, 1”. Vegetables - 500 gms Small onions - 4,5 cut into 2 Big onions - 3, sliced Butter - 3 tbsp Cloves - 4 Cinnamon - 1” Peppercorns - 1 tsp Maida - 2 tbsp Tomatoes - 2, cut into 8 Worcestershire sauce - 3 tsp Salt Heat butter & first fry the sliced onions on a medium flame. Then add cloves, cinnamon & black pepper. After 1 mte, add vegetables & fry very well on a medium flame. Then add water just to cover them & cook on a low flame till vegetables become soft. Mix maida in ½ cup of water & add stirring continuously. Add tomatoes, salt & Worcestershire sauce. Simmer till well blended.
Whole Moong –Snake Gourd Diet Kootu - ideal when you are dieting. I make this with brinjal,raw banana, yam as well. You can use your imagination. There is no spice in this kootu, only the goodness of vegetable &pulses. Whole green moong - ½ cup Small snake gourd cubes - 2 cups Red chilli - 1 Salt Lightly fry green gram & soak in water for 5-6 hrs. Wash well, add vegetables & the red chilli. Add just enough water to immerse or a little less. Cook in a pressure pan for 3 whistles. Cool, open, add salt & lightly mash with a ladle. It is optional to add a few drops of coconut oil, for a nice flavour.