vinaya - Vinaya's Culinary Delights

Fresh Peas and Potato Stir Fry

Posted on April 29, 2018 by vinaya

A light, healthy and delicious stir fry, this Peas and potato upkari as it is called can be eaten with Rice and Dal, Roti or as a meal by itself. The inherent flavour of the vegetables remain intact because of the minimum use of spices.

Ingredients :

250 gms gms peas shelled
2 medium sized potatoes
3 green chillies
2 tbsps coconut oil
1tsp mustard
Salt
A pinch of hing/Asafoetida
Grated coconut for garnish.

Method :

Deskin the potatoes and chop them into tiny pieces. Wash both the peas and chopped potatoes thoroughly. Place them in a sieve for the water to drain off. Heat the oil in a pan. Add a tsp of mustard and after it splutters add the finely chopped green chillies. Saute for a minute. Add the hing and toss. Drop in the peas, potatoes, salt and a little water. Cover and cook till done. Garnish with grated coconut.

Malabar Spinach and Jackfruit seed Bendhi Recipe

Posted on April 26, 2018April 26, 2018 by vinaya

I had posted a Malabar Spinach and Jackfruit seed Stir fry a few days ago. Since this Leafy vegetable is in season, I like to make the most of it. Here is a Bendhi which goes well with both Rice and with Roti. The seasoning of garlic makes it so flavourful that it is irresistible!

Ingredients :

A small bunch of Malabar spinach
15 Jackfruit seeds
1/2 of a coconut grated
14 roasted Byadgi chillies
1 tbsp tamarind paste
25 cloves of garlic
2 tbsps coconut oil
Salt

Method:

Clean the Malabar spinach. Discard the thick stems if any and retain the tender ones. Wash thoroughly and chop both the stems and leaves together. Cook them together in a glass of water with a little salt till done. Keep aside. Remove the outer white peel of the Jackfruit seeds. Cut the seeds into half. Wash and pressure cook to four whistles with a little salt. Grind the coconut, roasted red chillies and tamarind to a smooth paste. Drop in the cooked jackfruit seeds and the Masala into the Malabar spinach. Boil well. Heat oil. Drop in the garlic which has been lightly crushed. Roast to a rich golden brown. Tip the seasoning into the boiling Bendhi. Simmer for a couple of minutes. Switch off and keep aside for half an hour for the flavours to infuse.

Bread Fruit Saung Recipe

Posted on April 24, 2018April 24, 2018 by vinaya

I was left with bits and pieces of Breadfruit after making fritters and Pakora. Breadfruit is one vegetable that I wish would grow throughout the year. Being seasonal, it is available only for three months in a year. I end up making a variety of dishes from stir fry, to ghashi, Tallasani and anything that takes my fancy. Posting a saung that I made from the remnants after having those delicious Pakora!

Ingredients :

2 cups chopped breadfruit
2 cups sliced onions
2 tbsps chilly powder
1 tbsp tamarind paste
Salt
4 tbsps coconut oil

Method:

Heat oil. Tip in the sliced onions and salt. Keep tossing on a high flame till a few slices turn brown and the other remain translucent. Add the chilly powder. Toss. Add the tamarind paste, chopped breadfruit and a glass of water. Cook till done. Serve with Dal, rice or even with Roti.

Pullikoddel/ Tangy Spicy and Sweet Ashgourd Curry Recipe

Posted on April 23, 2018 by vinaya

Pullikoddel is delicacy made by the GSB community of Mangalore. It is a sweet, tangy and spicy curry all rolled into one and goes well with Rice or even with Rotis. Prepared on all auspicious ocassions as well as weddings, the aroma of the spices used will leave you asking for more!!

Ingredients :

500 gms Ashgourd
1/2 of a small coconut
2 tbsps coriander seeds
10 seeds methi/ Fenugreek
15 pepper corns
2 tbsps Chana Dal /Bengal Gram Dal
1 tbsp Til/ Sesame
A kidney bean sized piece of hing /asafoetida
1 tbsp rice
A pinch of haldi /turmeric
12 roasted Byadgi chillies
2 tbsps Tamarind paste
5 tbsps Jaggery syrup
Salt
4 sprigs curry leaves
1 tbsp mustard
3 tbsps coconut oil

Method :

Deskin the Ashgourd. Wash and cut into cubes. Pressure cook to one whistle with a little salt. Dry roast the coconut to a rich brown on a gentle flame. Roast the Byadgi chillies in half a tsp of oil till crisp. Roast the coriander, chana dal, sesame, methi, pepper corns and rice in a tsp of oil to a golden yellow. Drop in the hing and roast to a nice golden brown. Remove from flame and add the haldi. Mix thoroughly. Grind the roasted coconut, roasted red chillies, tamarind and the roasted spices to a smooth paste with as much water as required. Drop the paste into the cooked Ashgourd pieces. Add the jaggery and adjust salt. Boil well. Heat oil. Add the mustard. After it splutters add the curry leaves. Toss and drop it into the boiling Pullikoddel. Switch off, cover and keep aside for half an hour for the flavours to infuse.

Home Made Butter Recipe

Posted on April 21, 2018 by vinaya

Though Butter is widely available in the market today, the pleasure of eating the freshly prepared home made one is something to be experienced!! Its easy to prepare and free from preservatives. One can even use it to make ghee / clarified butter. Posting the method of preparing home made butter.

Method :

Boil milk. Allow to cool. Refrigerate. Thick cream gets collected on the top of the milk. Collect the cream everyday and add a tsp of Curd to it. Leave it outside to ferment for around five hours and then transfer it into a large container and refrigerate . Everyday the cream is first collected, fermented and then stored in the large container . Once a week, churn the cream so collected, in the mixer blender using the whipper blade. Fill the mixer to just half with the fermented cream and add a glass of water. Run the mixer using the whipper blade. Fresh butter gets collected. Remove the butter from the mixer and wash it thoroughly twice or thrice. The remaining butter milk can be used to make kadhi or even for soaking rice for Surnali recipes for which can be found in this website .

Coconut Chutney Recipe – 2

Posted on April 21, 2018 by vinaya

Another variant of the coconut chutney is the one where ginger is used to flavour it. The earlier one that I had posted contained asafoetida. This one too goes equally well with Idli, Dosa or even Upma.

Ingredients :

1/2 coconut grated
4 green chillies
One inch piece of ginger
1/4 tsp tamarind paste
Salt
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 tsp mustard
2 tsps coconut oil.

Method :

Grind the grated coconut, green chillies, ginger, tamarind paste and salt to a fine paste. Adjust consistency by adding water. Heat oil in a pan. Drop in the mustard. After it splutters add the curry leaves. Toss. Drop the seasoning into the chutney. Mix well and serve.

Green Chilly Fritters Recipe

Posted on April 19, 2018 by vinaya

These Bhavnagari chillies are the mildly spiced ones, making them ideal for making fritters or what is known as Mirchi Bhajia. An Andhra delicacy, they are now found in every region in India, as they go well with Dal Rice or even as an evening snack with a cup of hot tea.

Ingredients :

9 medium sized Bhavnagari chillies
150 gms Besan/Chickpea flour
50 gms rice flour
A large pinch of hing/Asafoetida
Salt
A large pinch of ajwain / Carom seeds
A pinch of haldi/ turmeric powder
Oil for frying

Method :

Wash and slit the green chillies in the centre, keeping the ends intact. Remove seeds if any gently. Mix together the Besan, rice flour, salt, haldi, hing and ajwain. Add enough water to make a thick batter. Fill some of the batter in the chillies. Heat oil in a pan. Check the temperature of the oil by dropping a spoon of batter in it. It should immediately rise to the surface. Lower the flame. Gently dip the chillies in the batter and drop them into the oil. Fry on a medium flame to a nice golden yellow. Serve hot.

Malabar Spinach Stir Fry

Posted on April 19, 2018April 19, 2018 by vinaya

Greens contain a lot of iron, hence I prefer to make them once a week. One can make a meal of these simple stir fries which are seasoned either with garlic or a pinch of asafoetida. This time round, I found a big fresh bunch of Malabar Spinach. I had a few jackfruit seeds too. Combined them to make a stir fry with lots of garlic. The aroma in the kitchen is irresistible!!

Ingredients :

A big bunch of Malabar spinach
1 potato
15 jackfruit seeds
15 cloves of garlic
3 dry red chillies
2 tbsps Coconut oil
Salt

Method :

Wash the Malabar spinach well and chop along with the tender stems. Discard the hard ones if any. Deskin the potato, wash and chop into tiny cubes. Peel the jackfruit seeds. Wash and crush them with a mallet. Pressure cook to five whistles. Do not discard the water in which the seeds have been cooked. Crush the garlic roughly. Heat oil. Add the garlic and roast to a rich golden brown. Drop in the broken red chilly bits. Toss. Add the chopped Malabar Spinach, potatoes and the cooked jackfruit seeds along with the water. Add salt as required. Cook till done.

Musk Melon Harshallein/Salad Recipe

Posted on April 16, 2018 by vinaya

Chibda Harshallein / Muskmelon Harshallein is a Konkani delicacy which is enjoyed during the summer months when Musk melon is in plenty. Though fruits are best eaten as is, this is one preparation I just cannot resist. You can serve it as a dessert or for for brunch as well.

Ingredients :

1 medium sized musk melon
Coconut milk extracted from half a coconut
Jaggery as per requirement
Cardamom powder
A pinch of kesar/saffron
Poha/ flattened rice

Method :
Scoop and chop the musk melon fine. Add the coconut milk, jaggery, kesar and Cardamom powder and mix well. Refrigerate for an hour or more till it is chilled. Serve with poha.

Note: poha should not be added beforehand as it turns soggy. It is dropped into the harshallein in small quantities and eaten immediately.

Banana Sheera Recipe

Posted on April 12, 2018 by vinaya

One of the best ways of utilizing those over ripe bananas is by making a fragrant Banana Sheera or Kela sheera. The aroma of the banana combined with ghee/clarified butter makes this sheera a one of its kind. It needs no additional condiments like Cardamom or saffron to enhance its taste.

Ingredients :

200 gms Rava/Semolina
200 gms sugar
2 elaichi Bananas
600 ml milk
100 ml water
100 gms ghee/ clarified butter
A handful of Cashew nuts and Kishmish

Method :
Roast the Rava in 5 tbsps of ghee till it turns to a golden brown and gives its aroma. Roast the cashews and kishmish in a little ghee to a golden brown. Boil the milk and water together and pour it into the roasted rava. Cook till done. Slice the banana finely and add it to the Sheera. Keep roasting till the bananas get mashed. Add the sugar and keep stirring till it starts leaving the sides of the pan. Add the remaining ghee and the roasted Cashew and raisins. Mix well. Serve hot.