vinaya - Vinaya's Culinary Delights

Simple Thali – 1

Posted on June 20, 2018 by vinaya

Posting a simple Thali of Rice, Black Pigeon peas Bendhi, Raw salad and Bhavnagari chillies.

Bhavnagari Chilly Pickle Recipe

Black Pigeon peas Bendhi Recipe

Kuchumber Recipe

Bhavnagari Chilly Pickle Recipe

Posted on June 20, 2018 by vinaya

Bhavnagari chillies are the less spicy variety of chillies and are used to make fritters or as a pickle. As they are seasonal, an instant pickle is made and is enjoyed with Roti or Thepla.

Ingredients :

250gms Bhavnagari chillies
Juice of 3 lemons
Salt
1/2 tsp Haldi/ turmeric
5 tbsps Mustard kuriya/Halved mustard seeds

Method :

Wash and slit the Bhavnagari chillies, keeping the ends intact. Sprinkle salt and drizzle lemon juice on them. Add a pinch of haldi and mix well. After about 5 hours add the mustard kuriya to it. Leave it outside for a day, then refrigerate it. Serve it with roti or thepla.

Black Pigeon peas Bendhi Recipe

Posted on June 20, 2018June 20, 2018 by vinaya

Black Pigeon peas Bendhi with Jackfruit seeds is a delicacy made when Jackfruit is in season. Jackfruit seeds are peeled and pressure cooked along with salt and used in a variety of preparations. Bendhi is a preparation where garlic is used for seasoning. Posting a Black Pigeon peas and Jackfruit seed Bendhi today.

Ingredients :

125 gms Black Pigeon peas
12 Jack fruit seeds peeled and halved
Half coconut grated
12 roasted dry red chillies
1 tsp tamarind paste
Salt
15 cloves of Garlic crushed gently
2 tbsps Coconut oil

Method :
Wash and soak the Pigeon Peas for 6 to 8 hours. Tip into pressure cooker. After one whistle lower the flame and allow to cook for fifteen mnts. Pressure cook jackfruit seeds to two whistles with a little salt. Grind the coconut, roasted chillies and tamarind to a smooth paste and pour the paste into the cooked Pigeon peas and Jackfruit seed mixture. Add salt and adjust consistency of the Bendhi by adding water as required. It should neither be too thick nor watery. Boil well. Heat oil in a pan. Drop in the crushed garlic and roast to a rich golden brown. Pour the seasoning into the boiling Bendhi. Boil for a couple of minutes, switch off and keep aside for about fifteen minutes for the flavours to infuse.

Masala Peanut Chat Recipe

Posted on June 19, 2018 by vinaya

Masala Peanuts are loved by young and old alike in India. Popularly known as ‘Congress Kadlekai’ in Karnataka, they are simply delicious!! As they are readily available, it’s really very easy to make a chat when you have guests or when you would like a quick chat with your tea or coffee.

Ingredients :

250 gms Masala Peanuts
One large onion
One large tomato
Coriander leaves
Juice of half a lemon
Everest Chat Masala

Method :

Chop the onion, tomato and coriander leaves fine. Keep aside. Whilst serving the Peanut Chat, add them to the Masala Peanuts, sprinkle with chat masala, drizzle lemon juice, mix thoroughly and serve immediately.

Chana Stir fry Recipe

Posted on June 18, 2018 by vinaya

Chana or Black Bengal Gram is a versatile lentil. A variety of dishes can be made from it. Though a Chana Stir Fry can be made in a number of ways, my favourite one is with sautéed onions. I like it with a dash of lemon and a sprinkling of coriander leaves.

Ingredients :

200 gms Chana/Black Bengal Gram
2 large onions
5 green chillies
Juice of half a lemon
3 tbsps grated coconut
3 tbsps oil
1 tsp mustard
2 sprigs curry leaves
A pinch of Haldi /turmeric
Salt.
Coriander leaves

Method :

Wash and soak the Chana for eight hours. Pressure cook it with salt. Chop onions and green chillies fine. Heat oil. Drop in the mustard and after it splutters add the green chillies, Curry leaves and onions. Roast till translucent. Add the Haldi. Toss. Drop in the boiled Chana. Adjust salt. Cook till all the water is absorbed. Tip in the coconut and mix. Heat well. Switch off. Drizzle with lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves.

Lemon Rasam Recipe

Posted on June 15, 2018 by vinaya

This is an appetizer, mixer for rice and a drink one can sip on to soothe an aching throat. One can make it with or without the addition of a fistful of cooked Pigeon peas /Dal. I prefer mine with the water strained from the Dal.

Ingredients :

1 ladleful pressure cooked split Pigeon peas
4 glasses water
5 flakes of garlic crushed
Juice of one lemon
2 green chillies chopped fine
2 sprigs mint leaves
2 sprigs curry leaves
Coriander leaves
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin seeds
Salt
A pinch of Haldi /Turmeric
2 tbsps Ghee/clarified butter

Method :
Add the cooked and churned dal to the water. Add the chopped chillies, pepper powder, mint leaves, 3 flakes of crushed garlic and salt. Boil well. Heat the Ghee in a pan . Add the remaining two flakes of garlic. Roast to a golden brown. Add the jeera and after it splutters add the curry leaves. Add the haldi. Toss and drop into the boiling Rasam. Switch off. Garnish with coriander leaves and juice of lemon.

Toasted Sandwich with Tomato Omelette Recipe

Posted on June 15, 2018 by vinaya

This is one of my favorite sandwiches. Bread buttered, toasted and stuffed with a tomato omelette. Served with tomato ketchup, it is simply divine! Recipe link to both the Tomato omelette and the All purpose Chutney is given at the end of the recipe.

Ingredients :

4 slices of bread
Butter
1 tomato omelette
All purpose chutney
2 cheese singles

Method :

Butter the slices of bread on both the sides. Toast it well on one side. Apply some All purpose chutney on the toasted side. Quarter the tomato omelette and place two of the quarters on it. Place a cheese single over it and cover it with another slice of bread, the toasted side facing the cheese. Toast the sandwich on both the sides till golden brown and crisp. Cut into triangles and serve with tomato ketchup.

Tomato Omelette Recipe

All purpose Chutney, Recipe

Molgapudi/Dry Chutney powder Recipe

Posted on June 14, 2018June 19, 2018 by vinaya

Molgapudi or Chutneypudi is a dry version of Chutney which is served with Idli and Dosa. Drizzled with oil, it can be slathered on roasted Idli too. This is a must have in every South Indian home.

Ingredients :

250 gms Urad dal/ Black gram dal
6 Byadgi chillies
6 Guntur chillies
A huge Kidney bean sized piece of Hing/asafoetida
Salt

Method :
Dry roast the Urad dal to a rich golden brown. Roast the chillies with half a tsp of oil. Dry roast the Hing on a gentle flame till it gives its aroma. Allow all the ingredients to cool slightly. Powder them fine. Add salt. Mix well. Store in an air tight container.

Appo/Paddu/Black gram and Rice dumplings Recipe

Posted on June 14, 2018June 14, 2018 by vinaya

One of the most popular of breakfasts in Southern India, Appo, Ponganalu, Paddu or Paniyaram as they are called are served with a variety of chutneys. Appo can be made using, Urad dal/Black gram and Rice or even with Semolina. You can add a variety of spices to make them flavourful or enjoy them without it. The recipe to a Masala Appo has already been posted under the catagory of Breakfast Eats of this website. For today its a simple one with a chutney to accompany it.

Ingredients :

250 gms Urad dal/Black Gram Dal
600 gms Rice
Salt.

Method :
Wash and soak both rice and urad dal separately for 5 hours. Grind the urad dal in the wet grinder non stop for half an hour adding water at regular intervals. Grind the rice in the mixer to a semolina like consistency.
Mix both the urad and rice batters, add salt and allow to ferment overnight or for 10 -12 hours. The above proportion of urad and rice is if you are using the wet grinder to grind the urad dal. If using the mixer/blender the proportion is 250 gms of urad dal to 400 gms of rice. Mix the fermented batter thoroughly. Heat the Appam pan. Drizzle a little oil in the round moulds, followed by a ladleful of batter. Cover and roast. Flip. Drizzle with a little oil and roast till done. Serve with chutney of your choice.

Chutney :

1/2 coconut grated
7green chillies
1/2 tsp tamarind paste
Pea sized piece of Hing/asafoetida
Salt
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard
3 sprigs curry leaves

Method :
Grind the coconut, green chillies, tamarind, hing and salt to a smooth paste. Adjust consistency by adding enough water to make a neither too thick nor runny chutney. Heat a tbsp of oil. Add a tsp of mustard and after it splutters add 3 sprigs curry leaves. Drop the seasoning into the chutney and mix well.

Potato and Onion Stir fry Recipe

Posted on June 14, 2018 by vinaya

This simple Potato and Onion Stir fry is a saviour when one runs out of vegetables. It goes well with Rice, Roti and even with Dosa or bread. Simple, easy yet delicious!

Ingredients :

5 medium sized potatoes
3 medium sized onions
5 dry red chillies broken into bits
A pinch of Haldi /turmeric
1 tsp mustard
3 tbsps Coconut oil
Salt

Method :

Deskin the potatoes and wash them thoroughly. Slice them lengthwise. Wash them again to remove all the starch. Slice the onions. Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard and after it splutters add the broken red chilly bits and toss. Drop in the onions and salt. Roast till translucent. Add the haldi, toss and tip in the potatoes. Mix well. Add half a glass of water, cover and cook on a slow flame till done.