February, 2021 - Vinaya's Culinary Delights

Moru Kachiyathu

Posted on February 3, 2021February 3, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This Kerala Style seasoned buttermilk curry is nothing but buttermilk seasoned with spices and garnished with coriander leaves. It is enjoyed with hot rice and needs no accompaniment other than a Papad. Do be careful not to boil this curry as it may split. I thank my friend Anil Kumar Ramdas ji who generously shared this recipe with me.

Ingredients:

250 ml/ one large cup of thick curds

100 ml water

2 shallots sliced

2 green chillies slit

1 inch piece of ginger chopped fine

3 cloves of garlic chopped fine

A large pinch of Haldi/ turmeric powder

Salt

2 tsps finely chopped coriander for garnishing.

For the tempering:

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

5 seeds of Fenugreek

1 dry red chilly

1 sprig of curry leaves

Method:

Whisk the curds well and add water to it. Mix well and keep aside. Heat the coconut oil. Add the mustard seeds, and after they splutter drop in the cumin seeds. Add the curry leaves, red chilly and the Fenugreek seeds. Toss and immediately tip in the sliced Shallots, chopped ginger, garlic and green chilly. Saute for a minute. Lower the flame totally and add the turmeric powder, salt the blended curds or buttermilk. Mix well. Garnish with freshly chopped Coriander leaves, switch off the stove and pour the curry to another bowl to avoid splitting of the curds. It is optional to squeeze a little lime juice to enhance the flavour. This curry is not to be boiled.

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Ragi/ finger millet and Semolina Dosa

Posted on February 3, 2021February 3, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This is an easy and delicious dosa that one can make when one is running short of time. It is an instant dosa and needs no fermentation. Any kind of coconut chutney goes well with it. My friend Chaya Harish Kamath kindly shared her recipe with me.

Ingredients:

1 cup Semolina/ sooji/ rava

1 cup Ragi flour

1/2 cup rice flour

1 onion finely chopped

1 inch piece of ginger

3 green chillies

1 heaped tbsp of Jeera/ cumin seeds

2 tbsps of finely chopped coriander leaves

3 tbsps curds whisked well

Salt

Ghee to roast the dosa

Method:

Tip the semolina, rice and ragi flour into a bowl. Drop in the curds, Jeera, salt, finely chopped onions and coriander leaves. Coarsely crush the green chillies and ginger and tip that too into this mixture. Add enough water to make a free flowing batter. Allow the batter to stand for about ten minutes . In the meantime grind the chutney, recipe link to which is given below. Heat a tava/ skillet. Pour a ladleful of the batter and spread it evenly to either a thick or thin Dosa of your choice. Drizzle with ghee. Allow to roast . Flip and roast the other side as well. Serve hot with chutney.

https://vinayasculinarydelights.com/roasted-bengal-gram-dal-and-coriander-leaves-chutney-recipe/

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Cheesy Garlic bread

Posted on February 2, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This Cheesy Garlic bread is a bread lover’s delight. Cheese and garlic, both are my weaknesses , so I was thrilled when my friend Jyothi Baliga posted her version of it. I can only say one thing…… It’s Divine!

Ingredients:

One loaf of garlic bread

Cheese spread

Grated Mozzarella cheese as per requirement

Chilly flakes, oregano and pepper for seasoning

Butter to roast the bread

Method:

Slice the Garlic bread to one inch thickness. Butter the slices on both sides and toast them lightly on a tava/ skillet. Apply some cheese spread, top it with grated Mozzarella, season with chilly flakes, oregano and pepper and place them in a grill. Allow the cheese to melt. Remove and serve hot.

Note: I have again added a layer of cheese spread and sprinkled some chilly flakes for aesthetics. You may avoid the same.

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Roasted Besan chillies

Posted on February 2, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

These chillies are not for the weak hearted. They provide the much needed punch to a meal of Dal rice or Curd rice. They also go well with a Jowar or a Bajra Roti. I would like to thank my friend Bharati Ughade who shared her recipe with me.

Ingredients:

25 spicy chillies slit but stem kept intact

2 tbsps Besan/ pea flour

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp Cumin powder

1 tbsp Amchur/ dry mango powder

Salt

3 tbsps oil

Method:

Heat the oil in a pan. Tip in the slit chillies and salt. Roast till they change colour. Remove and keep aside. Drop in the Besan into the same oil and roast it till it gives its aroma and turns a nice deep golden brown. Add the coriander, cumin and dry mango powders. Mix thoroughly and saute for a minute or two. Switch off and allow to cool thoroughly before storing.

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Okra fritters

Posted on February 2, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

Left with a batch of not so tender okra? No worries. Here are some delicious Okra fritters that can be served as an accompaniment to a meal , as a snack or as starters. A heartfelt thanks to Gowri Baliga who shared her recipe with me.

Ingredients:

25 Okra ends snipped and slit lengthwise

1 tbsp Chilly powder

1 tsp powdered Hing / asafoetida dissolved in a tbsp of water

Salt

Oil for frying the fritters.

Semolina and rice flour required to coat the Okra. I used roughly about 3 tbsps of rice flour and 2 tbsps of Semolina, but it may vary depending on the amount of water oozed out by the vegetable.

Oil for frying the fritters

Method:

Tip the sliced okra in a bowl. Tip in the Hing water, salt and chilly powder. Mix well and allow to rest for fifteen minutes. Heat oil in a pan. As the oil is heating, drop in the semolina and rice flour over the marinated Okra. Mix well and drop them into the hot oil around ten to fifteen pieces at a time. Fry till they turn golden brown and crisp on a medium flame. Drain and serve hot crispy Okra fritters.

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Vegetable cutlets

Posted on February 2, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

These vegetable cutlets will have your kids asking for more. Serve it as is or with a tomato ketchup, they will munch on it to their heart’s content. You can use vegetables of your choice but I am posting the recipe that I followed of Arathi Pai my friend. The only change I made is of boiling the Beetroot too along with the potatoes and tempered the mixture with Cumin seeds.

Ingredients:

2 carrots

1/4 cup green peas

A handful of French beans

4 potatoes peeled

2 Beetroots peeled

3 green chillies

1 inch piece of Cinnamon

2 Inch piece of ginger

5 cloves of garlic

1/2 tsp Fennel seeds

1 onion

1/4 tsp each of Coriander, turmeric, chilly and dry mango powders

A pinch of Garam masala

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tbsp oil

1 tbsp each of finely chopped mint and coriander leaves

Salt

Bread crumbs to bind into a dough

Semolina or rice flour to dust the cutlets

Method:

Grind the green chillies , Cinnamon, ginger, garlic, fennel and the onion into a fine paste.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds. When they splutter add the ground paste and roast till the raw smell disappears. Allow to cool. In the mean time pressure cook the carrots, peas, French beans potatoes and beetroot. Strain and keep the water aside. It can be used to make a clear vegetable soup. Mash the boiled vegetables well. Tip in the cooled seasoning into it. Add the garam masala, chilly, turmeric, dry mango and coriander powders, the finely chopped coriander and mint leaves and salt. Mix well. Keep adding bread crumbs till you are able to bind it into a dough. Pinch balls of the dough and flatten them into cutlets. Refrigerate for fifteen minutes. Dust them with either semolina or rice flour. Keep aside. Heat oil in a pan. Deep fry them as I have or shallow fry them on a tava till they turn crisp.

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Mix Dal vada

Posted on February 2, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

A no fail starter when served at get togethers. Hot and crisp mixed Dal vadas when accompanied by some mint chutney or a tomato ketchup are absolutely out of this world. This is a lovely recipe shared by my friend Maya Joshi.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup each of

Urad dal/ split black gram

Moong dal/ split green gram

Chana dal/ split Bengal gram

Masoor dal/ red lentil

7 green chillies

1 tsp pepper corns

7 cloves of garlic

2 sprigs curry leaves finely chopped

3 tbsps of finely chopped coriander leaves

Salt

Oil for frying the vadas

Method:

Wash and soak the Dals for four hours. Drain and grind to a coarse consistency along with the green chillies and garlic adding just a few tbsps of water to facilitate grinding. The batter should be coarse and firm. Crush the pepper corns coarsely and tip them into the batter. Add the finely chopped coriander and curry leaves. Add salt and mix thoroughly. Heat oil in a pan. Pinch small amounts of the batter and drop them into the hot oil, around five to six at a time. Deep fry on a medium flame to a golden yellow. Drain and serve hot with tomato ketchup and mint chutney.

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Palak Pulao

Posted on February 2, 2021February 2, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

A simple, easy to make Palak Pulao which is a one pot meal. You may serve it with a Raita, but the Pulao is so fragrant that it doesn’t need any accompaniment. I thank my friend Ashwini Kulkarni for sharing this wonderful recipe with me.

Ingredients:

2 cups of leftover cooked Basmati rice

1 cup Palak washed and chopped

1 large onion slit vertically

1 green chilli cut

1/4 tspn chilli powder

1/4 tspn Biryani masala

1/2 inch piece of ginger grated

2 cloves of garlic grated

Salt.

2 tsps Ghee

3 tsps oil

1/2 tsp Jeera/ cumin seeds

Method:

Heat the oil and ghee mixture in a pan. Drop in the Jeera. After it splutters add the sliced onion, finely grated ginger and green chilly. . Saute this mixture on a low flame till the onions are translucent . Add the chopped Palak, the chilly powder and Biryani masala. Tip in the salt and saute till the Palak is cooked. Add the cooked rice, mix thoroughly , cover and heat for a few minutes.

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Radish Raita/ Mulyacha Chatka

Posted on February 2, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This tempting Raita of Radish and raw Moong dal/ Split Green gram is not only healthy but also very versatile. It can be served as an accompaniment with a meal or eaten with a Roti or can be used as a spread over bread. Be careful to use thick curds while making it. My heartfelt thanks to Suresh Sawant ji who shared this recipe with me.

Ingredients:

2 small tender radishes, peeled and grated

3 tbsps of Moong dal washed and soaked for about an hour.

2 green chillies minced

1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

1/4 tsp sugar

Salt

200 ml or one small bowl of thick curd/ yoghurt

For the tempering:

1 tsp oil

1/2 tsp Mustard

1/2 tsp Jeera/ cumin seeds

A pinch of Hing/ asafoetida

Method:

Whisk the curds well. Squeeze the grated radish. Drain out the water from the moong dal. Drop in the squeezed radish and drained moong dal into the curds. Crush the green chilly with salt and add that too along with sugar and the finely chopped coriander leaves. Heat oil in a pan. Drop in the mustard and after it splutters add the Jeera and Hing. Pour the seasoning into the raita/ chatka. Serve it chilled.

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Lemon Chutney/ dip

Posted on February 2, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

I am always trying to find new recipes wherein I could use the lemons which grow in abundance in my terrace garden. Earlier I would share them with friends, but in these Covid times, didn’t want to risk it. I prepared a sweet, tangy and spicy chutney or you may even call it a dip. The fragrance of the lemons especially the rind is absolutely divine! My friend Rosy D’Souza had shared this recipe in the food group that I manage on Fb. It’s an amazing preparation which goes well with rice and Dal, roti or even as a spread over bread. Ready in precisely ten minutes.

Ingredients:

3 medium sized lemons

6 tbsps jaggery syrup

1 heaped tbsp Kashmiri chilly powder

Salt.

Method:

Wash the lemons , wipe them dry and cut them into four pieces each. Gently remove all the seeds and tip the lemons along with the jaggery syrup, salt and chilly powder into the small mixer jar. Grind to a fine paste. Remove and store in a glass bottle or a ceramic jar.

This proportion makes around 12 tbsps of the Chutney.

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