February, 2021 - Vinaya's Culinary Delights

Puneri Misal

Posted on February 19, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This is what Punekars call Zhanzhanith Misal. It is a spicy preparation not meant for the weak hearted. A burger shaped bun called Pav is generally served along with the Misal and the Tarri that is a spicy sauce for those who like it extremely spicy, some Farsan, chopped raw onions and a wedge of lemon. I have already posted the general version of the one that is usually made at home. This recipe was shared by a friend Siddharth Shirali and is extremely fragrant and flavourful.

Ingredients:

2 cups of sprouted Matki/ moth bean pressure cooked to one whistle.

Salt

A small piece of jaggery

Finely chopped coriander leaves

To be roasted and ground to a paste:

4 tbsps oil

2 large onions sliced

2 large tomatoes chopped

1/2 cup sliced copra/ dry coconut

For tempering:

5 tbsps oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

A sprig of curry leaves

A pinch of Hing/ asafoetida

2 tbsps Red chilly powder

2 tsps Goda masala

Method:

Heat the oil mentioned in ” to be roasted and ground to a paste”. Drop in the sliced onions and roast to a nice golden brown. Add the chopped tomatoes and roast till they turn mushy. Add the dry coconut and roast till it wilts a little. Allow to cool and grind to a fine paste. Keep aside.

Heat the oil mentioned for tempering in a pan. Add the cumin seeds and after they splutter add the Hing, curry leaves and the ginger garlic paste. Roast till the raw smell of the ginger garlic disappears and then add the red chilly powder and Goda masala. Toss for half a minute and then pour in the cooked Matki and the ground paste. Adjust consistency by adding enough water. Check salt and add if required. Bring to a boil and simmer for about five minutes till the flavours are absorbed. Serve hot topped with raw onions, coriander leaves Farsan and a squeeze of lemon.

Serves six.

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Lemon, ginger, mint punch

Posted on February 19, 2021February 19, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This is one concentrate that is a must have in the freezer. Not only is it a refreshing drink, it’s also a good digestive. Mint and ginger aid digestion and lemon is rich in Vitamin C. The three together make for a deadly combo! This recipe shared by my friend Shalini Singh uses sugar. You may replace it with jaggery. If using sugar, do add a generous amount as this is a concentrate.

Ingredients:

A small bunch of mint leaves

18 tsps sugar

Juice of three large lemons

2 inch piece of ginger

1/4 tsp salt

A pinch of Chaat masala to be added per glass while serving.

Method:

Grind the mint leaves, ginger, lemon juice, sugar and salt together to make a smooth paste. Store it in a small airtight container in the freezer compartment. Add a spoonful to a glass of chilled water, sprinkle with Chaat Masala and top it with a few ice cubes.

Note: those with diabetes can skip the sugar and jaggery and add a teaspoon of salt instead. Add a tsp of this concentrate to buttermilk. Tastes divine!

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Lemon Sevai

Posted on February 19, 2021February 19, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

South Indians are known for their variety of breakfast eats. There are some extremely easy ones which are ready in no time at all. One of them is the Rice sevai which is sun-dried and stored for use later. It is normally made during summer , but as of today, a small batch can be made any time of the year except during the monsoons. This rice sevai is just soaked for ten minutes in luke warm water, drained and seasoned as per preference. Posting the recipe of a Lemon sevai which my friend Chandra Muthukrishnan shared with me.

Ingredients:

1 packet of Concord or Anil brand Rice sevai

Salt

Juice of one big sized lemon

3 tbsps finely chopped coriander leaves

3 tbsps grated coconut ( optional)

For the tempering:

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp urad dal/ split black gram

5 green chillies slit

1 dried red chilly broken into two

2 sprigs curry leaves

A large pinch of Turmeric powder

2 tbsps Peanuts

Method:

Soak the rice sevai in warm water for ten minutes. Drain well and keep aside. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and after they splutter add the Urad dal. Once the urad dal turns golden brown add the green chillies, broken red chilly and curry leaves. Drop in the peanuts and turmeric powder and toss for a minute. Add the drained Sevai, salt, lemon juice and finely chopped coriander leaves. Mix and heat thoroughly on a gentle flame. Serve garnished with grated coconut.

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Moong curry

Posted on February 18, 2021February 18, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This is one curry which is ready in no time. Moong/ Green gram needs no prior soaking like other lentils do. A couple of extra whistles of the pressure cooker and it’s done. This preparation goes well with Roti, Paratha, poori or even with hot Basmati rice. My heartfelt thanks to my friend dear Rekha Shenoy for this lovely recipe.

Ingredients:

1 cup or 125 gms Moong/ whole Green gram

1/4 cup coconut

1 large onion roughly chopped

1 large tomato roughly chopped

15 sprigs of coriander leaves

1 Star anise

4 cloves

2 cardamom

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

2 tsps Red chilly powder

3 tbsps oil

Method:

Wash and pressure cook the Moong with a little salt to five whistles. If you have soaked it the previous night just a couple of whistles is enough. Allow the pressure to release naturally. In the meantime, powder the cumin, star anise, cardamom and cloves. Add the grated coconut, tomato, onion and coriander leaves. Grind to a fine paste along with the turmeric powder.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the ground paste and the chilly powder and roast it on a gentle flame till it leaves the sides of the pan. Drop in the cooked Moong . Check salt. Adjust consistency of the gravy by adding water. Do remember that Moong tends to absorb water so add enough water to make a gravy of pouring consistency. Bring to a boil and simmer for a couple of minutes. Serve hot .

Serves four

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Aloo Paratha-2

Posted on February 18, 2021February 18, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

Parathas – be it plain or stuffed, are synonymous with the North of India. Down South the staple is more of rice . The GSB community does make Aloo Parathas for breakfast but they are known as Batatya Ubbatti and the seasoning used is a South Indian one. Each household uses the seasoning of their choice. Posting the recipe of the one that my dear friend Rekha Shenoy shared with me.

Ingredients for the filling:

4 medium sized potatoes boiled, peeled and mashed

3 tbsps grated coconut

8 green chillies ( you can increase or decrease as per requirement)

A kidney bean sized piece of Hing/ asafoetida

3 tbsps finely chopped coriander leaves

Salt

Ingredients for the dough:

4 cups/ around 300 gms of wheat flour

Salt

1 tbsp oil

Warm water to bind the dough.

Method:

Grind the coconut, green chillies and Hing together. Tip this paste into the mashed potatoes. Add finely chopped coriander leaves and salt. Mix well and make ten balls of the mash. Keep aside.

Tip the wheat flour and salt in a bowl. Adding a little water at a time knead it into a soft pliable dough. Add the oil and knead again for a couple of minutes. Allow to rest for about ten minutes. Make equal number of balls of the dough as that of the filling. You will notice that the ten balls made are slightly larger than that of the filling. This is to ensure that the filling does not come out when the Paratha is being rolled.

Take a ball of the dough and roll it into a three inch sized circle. Place the filling in the centre and cover it with the surrounding dough. Take care to see that the filling is completely covered. Similarly finish off with the remaining dough. Now dust a ball with wheat flour and roll it into an eight inch sized circle of medium thickness. Parathas are never rolled thin. Heat a tava/ skillet. Smear a tsp of ghee onto it and place the Paratha gently on the tava. Drizzle with ghee on the top too. Roast the Paratha to a golden brown. Flip. Roast the other side too. Serve hot with a blob of butter and curd or a subzi.

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Tomato and onion Gozzu/ Chutney

Posted on February 16, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

The tomato and onion Gozzu is very popular in the south of India. Each household has their own way of making it, only that the basic ingredients of tomato and onion remain constant. This recipe is with a slight twist to it and my friend Gayathri Swamy shared it with me. The addition of roasted peanuts gives texture to this delicious Gozzu and you can serve it with rice, poori, Chapati and even with a dosa.

Ingredients:

2 onions sliced

4 tomatoes chopped

2 tbsps jaggery

2 tsps Sambhar or Rasam powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 cup roasted peanuts powdered

1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds powdered

Salt

2 tbsps finely chopped coriander leaves

For the tempering:

2 tbsps oil

1 tsp mustard

2 green chillies finely chopped

1 inch ginger grated

1 sprig curry leaves

A large pinch of Hing/ asafoetida

Method:

Heat the oil in a pan. Drop in the mustard and after it splutters add the Hing, curry leaves and green chillies. Add the onions, ginger, turmeric powder and salt. Roast till translucent. Add the tomatoes, Sambhar powder, jaggery and a glass of water. Bring to a boil and simmer till the tomatoes are cooked . Drop in the peanut and sesame powders, mix thoroughly, allow to boil for a minute. Switch off and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Serves four.

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Ragi poori

Posted on February 16, 2021February 17, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

Ragi/ Finger millet/ Nachani is highly nutritious and can be used in a variety of breakfast eats or as the most popular Ragi mudde with Bas sopu saaru for lunch. I have posted quite a few recipes using Ragi in the Breakfast Eats section of this website. Today I tried out the recipe of a poori which my friend Reena Pillai shared with me. The addition of Ragi lends a sweet taste to the Poori and the best part is that it retains it’s shape for a long time.

Ingredients:

1 cup Ragi flour

1 cup wheat flour

1 tbsp oil

Salt

Water to bind the dough

Oil to fry the Pooris.

Method:

Tip in both the flours, salt and oil in a bowl. Mix thoroughly and then adding water a little at a time bind it to a hard dough. Knead the flour well for a couple of minutes, cover and rest for ten minutes. Give a quick knead once again and pinch tiny pieces of the dough. Roll into a ball and flatten it into a pellet. Dust the pellet with flour and roll it out into a circle three inches in diameter. It should be neither thick nor thin. Roll out ten to twelve pooris and cover the remaining dough while they are being fried. Heat oil in a pan. Sprinkle a little flour into the oil to check the temperature. If it sizzles, gently slide in the poori, press it down with a slotted spoon and allow it to fluff up. Flip, fry on the other side, drain and place on a kitchen towel. Finish frying the remaining pooris before you start rolling out the next batch. Serve hot with Potato bhaji or Chutney.

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Batatya Vaagu/ spicy potatoes

Posted on February 16, 2021February 16, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This is a traditional Konkani recipe, which is made with slight variations and different vegetables like potatoes, cauliflower and peas…. All depending on family preference. The only thing that remains unchanged is the spice and the colour. Posting the recipe of a Potato Vaagu today which my friend Vandana Bhaktha shared with me.

Ingredients:

4 potatoes peeled and cubed

3 tomatoes roughly chopped

1 heaped tbsp coriander seeds

9 Byadgi chillies roasted in a little oil

1/2 tsp tamarind paste

Salt

A chickpea sized piece of Hing/ asafoetida

1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

Method:

Drop the potatoes and tomatoes into a pan of boiling water along with a little salt. Cook till done. Meanwhile, grind the coriander seeds, roasted Byadgi chillies, Hing and tamarind to a smooth paste with a little water. Drop the paste into the potato- tomato mixture, adjust consistency by adding a little water and bring to a boil. Simmer gently for a couple of minutes and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Serves three.

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Sauteed Peas

Posted on February 16, 2021February 16, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This is an extremely simple but delicious recipe which one can make instantly and enjoy as a meal, with Chapati or even with rice. This used to be made quite often when the children were around, but now with the nest empty, had almost forgotten about it. It just so happened that my friend Keshav Kamath mentioned about it the other day when we were discussing easy recipes for his lunch box.

Ingredients:

100 gms frozen peas washed under running water and drained

1 tbsp Amul butter

Salt and pepper as required

Method:

Heat a pan and tip in the butter, peas, salt and pepper. Saute on a high flame till the peas are tender but don’t lose their colour. Takes just three minutes. Serve hot.

Serves one.

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Tomato Shorba

Posted on February 15, 2021February 16, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

Nothing to beat a hot soup with a few croutons or a small loaf of Garlic bread on a cold wintery evening. Tomato soup is an all time favourite with me and I always make it a point to try out the recipe whenever I chance upon one, as no two soups are the same. I already have posted a cream of tomato and a clear one in this website. Posting the recipe of the one which my friend Sona Savoor Kasargod shared with me.

Ingredients:

6 tomatoes pressure cooked and de skinned

1 large onion sliced

1 tbsp butter

Salt

Pepper

2tbsps Tomato ketchup

Cream to garnish

Method:

Heat butter in a pan. Tip in the sliced onions and saute till they are translucent. Allow to cool. Puree the de skinned tomatoes and the onions together. Pour it into a pan, season with salt and pepper and adjust consistency by adding the water in which the tomatoes were cooked. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for a couple of minutes. Serve hot garnished with a little cream.

Serves three.

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