September, 2018 - Vinaya's Culinary Delights

Breadfruit Stir Fry Recipe

Posted on September 21, 2018September 21, 2018 by vinaya

Bread fruit for the Konkani community is a delicacy! A variety of dishes ranging from stir fries, to Pakoras, Gravy based dishes and fritters are made when it is in season. Posting a simple stir fry seasoned with Mustard and dry red chillies today.

Ingredients :

One medium sized Bread fruit
5 Dry red chillies broken into bits
2 tbsps Coconut oil (or oil of choice)
1 heaped tsp Mustard
1/2 tsp Hing/asafoetida

Method :

Deskin the Breadfruit. Wash it and cut it lengthwise. Discard the thin hard layer in the centre. Slice the Breadfruit thinly. Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard. After it splutters add the broken red chilly bits, Hing and toss. Drop in the sliced Bread Fruit, salt and half a glass of water. Cook on a gentle flame till done. Serve it hot.

Note: Most stirfries are prepared on a high flame as the vegetables that are sautéed generally take very little time to cook. Breadfruit Stir Fry tastes best when it is a little soft rather than crunchy.

Soyi Bhajjilli Ghashi /Vegetables in Roasted Coconut Gravy Recipe

Posted on September 20, 2018 by vinaya

Soyi Bhajjilli Ghashi which literally translates to a Gravy of Roasted coconut is a Kerala Konkani preparation. A combination of vegetables like Potatoes and Drumstick or Chana/Black Chickpeas and Bread Fruit along with Cashew nuts are used in this dish. Coconut is roasted to a rich brown and ground to a fine paste with other condiments. This dish is not seasoned and served either as an accompaniment or over Rice.

Ingredients :

3 potatoes
1 Drumstick
A handful of Cashew nuts halved
1/2 of a small coconut grated
100 gms Arhar Dal/Split Pigeon peas
1 tbsp Tamarind paste
2 tbsps Coriander seeds
1 heaped tsp Urad Dal/Black gram Dal
12 roasted Dry red chillies
Salt
Oil to fry the potatoes.

Method :

Peel the potatoes and wash them. Cube them into bite sized pieces and wash them again under running water. Drain, apply a little salt and keep aside for a few minutes. The potatoes release water. Squeeze out all the water from the potatoes. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry them to a rich golden brown. Chop the Drumstick into one inch sized pieces and cook with a little salt in a glass of water. Boil the Cashew nuts separately in water till done. Wash and pressure cook the Dal . Churn and keep aside. Roast the grated coconut on a slow flame to a rich brown. Roast the coriander seeds and split black gram Dal separately in a tsp of oil to a golden brown. Grind the roasted coconut, the roasted coriander seeds and split Black gram, tamarind paste and the roasted red chillies to a smooth paste. Tip the fried potatoes, the cooked Cashew, pieces of cooked drumstick, the ground paste and the churned Dal into a pot. Boil well. Serve hot.

Note: If using Chana/Black Chickpeas soak them for about eight hours and then pressure cook them. Chop the Breadfruit and cook it separately. Rest of the procedure remains the same.

Tip: Grating and freezing the coconut for a couple of hours ensures even browning and also hastens the process of roasting.

Palak Dal/Spinach in Split Pigeon peas Recipe

Posted on September 20, 2018September 20, 2018 by vinaya

Palak Dal or Dal Palak is a very popular dish of North India. Palak /Spinach is cooked along with Split Pigeon peas and the fragrant and flavourful Dal is enjoyed both with Rice or with Roti. Though some people prefer using oil to season the dish, I prefer using Ghee/clarified butter, as it adds to the taste!

Ingredients :

125 gms ArharDal/Split Pigeon peas
One small bunch of Spinach
1 tomato
1 large onion
5 cloves of garlic
1 inch piece of ginger
2 green chillies
1 tsp Chilly powder
1/4 tsp Haldi /Turmeric powder
1 tbsp Coriander powder
1/4 tsp Jeera/Cumin powder
4 tbsps Coriander leaves
3 tbsps Ghee/clarified butter
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds
Juice of half a Lemon
Salt

Method :

Wash and pressure cook the Dal. Churn and keep aside. Chop the Palak roughly. Chop the onions and tomatoes fine. Grate the garlic and ginger. Mince the green chillies. Chop the coriander leaves extremely fine. Heat the Ghee in a pan. Add the Cumin seeds and after they splutter add the chopped onions, grated garlic and ginger and the minced green chillies. Roast till translucent. Drop in the Chilly, Turmeric, Coriander and Cumin powders and toss. Add the chopped Palak and salt. Sauté till the Palak wilts. Drop in the tomatoes and cook till they are mushy. Add the churned, Dal and boil well. Garnish with coriander leaves and a drizzle of Lemon juice.

Jeev kadge /Bread Fruit Tallasani Recipe

Posted on September 20, 2018September 21, 2018 by vinaya

Ingredients :

One medium sized Bread fruit
5 Dry red chillies broken into bits
15 cloves of Garlic gently crushed
2 tbsps Coconut oil (or oil of choice)
Salt

Method :

Deskin the Breadfruit. Wash it and cut it lengthwise. Discard the thin hard layer in the centre. Slice the Breadfruit thinly. Heat oil in a pan. Add the crushed garlic and roast it to a golden brown. Add the broken red chilly bits and toss. Drop in the sliced Bread Fruit, salt and half a glass of water. Cook on a gentle flame till done. Serve it hot.

Ladyfinger/Okra Sagllein – 3 Recipe

Posted on September 20, 2018September 20, 2018 by vinaya

This is the third variety of Okra Sagllein that is popular with the Konkani community. It can be served over rice or as an accompaniment to Roti or even Bread. The fragrance of the Fenugreek and Coriander seeds is unmistakable!

Ingredients :

100 gms Okra/Bhindi
1/2 coconut grated
10 roasted dry red chillies
1 heaped tbsp Coriander seeds
1/4 tsp Methi/Fenugreek seeds
1 tbsp Tamarind paste
Salt
2 tbsps Coconut oil (or oil of choice)
1 tsp Mustard seeds
2 sprigs curry leaves.

Method :

Wash and pat dry the Okra. Snip of both ends and chop into one inch sized pieces. Heat a tsp of oil. Roast the Coriander seeds and Methi seeds till they turn a golden brown. Grind together the grated coconut, roasted red chillies, tamarind and the roasted coriander and methi seeds to a smooth paste. Tip it into a pot. Add enough water to make a Gravy like consistency which should neither be too thick nor thin. Drop in the chopped Okra and salt. Boil well till the Okra is almost cooked. Heat oil in a pan. Drop in the mustard. After it splutters add the curry leaves. Toss and pour the seasoning into the boiling Sagllein. Switch off and keep aside for half an hour for the flavours to infuse and the Okra to cook completely before serving.

Schezwan Idli Dry Recipe

Posted on September 19, 2018September 19, 2018 by vinaya

Previous day’s Idlis always turned into an Upma or were roasted with Molgapudi. Today with the advent of fast food and leanings towards Chinese Cuisine, children always look for a change. So here are yesterday’s Idlis in their new Avatar of Shezwan Idli Dry.

Ingredients :

4 Leftover Idlis
1 tbsp Corn flour
1/2 tsp Pepper powder
Salt
2 tbsps Shezwan sauce
2 tbsps Tomato ketchup
12 tsp Kashmiri Chilly powder
9 flakes of garlic
2 medium sized spring onions
1 onion
1/2 Capsicum
2 tbsps oil.
1 tsp finely chopped spring onion greens for garnish.

Method :

Cut the Idli into bite sized pieces. Sprinkle Corn flour, pepper powder and salt and mix well. Heat one tbsp oil and roast them to a crisp. Slice the onion and spring onions along with the leaves. Slice the Capsicum lengthwise. Grate the ginger. Heat the remaining one tbsp oil in a pan. Tip in the grated garlic and roast for a minute. Add the sliced onions along with the leaves and sauté on a high flame continuously till the onions turn translucent. Add the Shezwan sauce, Tomato ketchup and Kashmiri chilly powder. Toss well. Drop in the roasted Idli pieces and mix thoroughly. Garnish with finely chopped spring onion leaves and serve immediately.

Note: Leftover Idlis work best for this recipe as the fresh ones are too soft and may break apart when being roasted.

Carrot and Sesame Salad Recipe

Posted on September 19, 2018 by vinaya

This is a recipe shared by my dear friend Renu Kulkarni. Easy to make and absolutely delicious. Children who don’t like carrots will finish them off in a jiffy!

Ingredients :

2 small carrots
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp oil
1 tsp sugar
Juice of half a lemon
1 tsp coriander leaves
Salt

Method :

Scrape the carrots. Wash and slice them thinly into long strips. Dry roast the Sesame seeds till they splutter. Heat oil in a pan. Drop in the carrots and stir fry them on a high flame for a couple of minutes. Add sugar and salt. Toss well. Tip it into a platter, drizzle with Lemon juice and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and toasted sesame seeds.

More Koozhu /Buttermilk Upma Recipe

Posted on September 19, 2018 by vinaya

More Koozhu or Buttermilk Upma is a delicious preparation made of Rice flour and Buttermilk with Thayir Molaga (Curd Chillies) used instead of the usual green chillies. My heartfelt thanks to my friend Radhi Gopal who shared this recipe with me. It was simply amazing!

Ingredients :

125 gms Rice flour
3 glasses sour Buttermilk
2 tbsps Coconut oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Urad Dal al /Split Black Gram
1 tsp Chana Dal/Split Chickpeas
2 sprigs curry leaves
1/2 tsp Hing/asafoetida
5 Thayir Molaga(Curd Chillies)
Salt

Method :

Mix the Rice flour and Butter milk along with some salt well. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and after they splutter drop in the Urad and Chana Dal. After they have turned golden brown drop in the curry leaves, broken Curd Chillies and Asafoetida. Pour the rice flour Buttermilk mixture into the seasoning and cook on a gentle flame till it leaves the sides of the vessel. Pour the mixture into a greased plate and allow to cool before cutting into pieces of desired shape. This preparation can also be eaten hot like any other Upma.

Goan Pumpkin Curry

Posted on September 19, 2018September 19, 2018 by vinaya

This is a traditional Goan Pumpkin curry which can be enjoyed with both Rice or Roti. I personally like mine with hot rice and a Cabbage Foogath as an accompaniment.

Ingredients :

1/2 kg Pumpkin
1 small coconut grated
7 garlic cloves grated
1 tbsp Garam masala powder
1 tsp Chilly powder
1/4 tsp Haldi /Turmeric powder
1 tbsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1 large onion
2 green chillies
2 tbsps Oil
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds
Salt
2 tbsps Coriander leaves

Method :
Chop the Pumpkin into bite sized pieces. Chop the onions and green chillies fine. Extract Coconut milk from the grated coconut. Keep the first extract aside. In the second extract boil the pumpkin along with a little salt till done. Heat oil in a pan. Add the Jeera and after it splutters add the chopped onions, green chillies and grated garlic. Roast till the onions turn translucent and the raw smell of the garlic is gone. Add the Coriander, Turmeric, Chilly and Garam masala powders and roast for a minute. Add the cooked pumpkin. Adjust salt and boil well. Finally add the first thick extract of coconut milk. Tip in the Coriander leaves. Boil for a minute, switch off and keep aside for about ten minutes for the flavours to infuse before serving.

Cabbage Foogath Recipe

Posted on September 19, 2018September 19, 2018 by vinaya

Foogath in Goan is another term for Upkari in Konkani. It is a simple and delicious Stir Fry where minimum of spice and oil is added to the vegetable, thus keeping the flavour of the vegetable intact.

Ingredients :

1 medium sized Cabbage
1onion
3 green chillies chopped fine
1 tbsp Coconut oil
1/2 tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
3 tbsps grated coconut
A pinch of Haldi/Turmeric powder
Salt

Method :

Chop the Cabbage and onions fine. Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and Jeera. After they splutter add the green chillies and the chopped onions. Roast till translucent. Add Haldi and salt. Toss and add the cabbage. Mix thoroughly. Sprinkle water, cover and cook till done. Garnish with coriander leaves and grated coconut.