vinayaprabhu2 - Vinaya's Culinary Delights

Rava appe

Posted on June 28, 2022June 28, 2022 by vinayaprabhu2

Appe can be made from a batter of urad dal and rice, urad dal and rava/ semolina or even just urad dal. Urad dal is split black gram which is used in most of the breakfast items in South India. Making of appe the above mentioned way includes soaking, grinding and fermenting which takes roughly around 16 hours. Fermented food is high in B complexes so highly nutritive.

What does one do when one is running short of time or wants to churn out a quick breakfast? Make instant ones using curds/ yoghurt to prepare the batter. You can use veggies of your choice to enhance the flavour and to get children to eat their veggies. Though appes are traditionally served with a chutney my family loves to eat them with fresh home made butter.

Ingredients:

500 gms rava/ semolina

1 cup/ 250 ml curds

1 large onion

1/2 of a bell pepper

A large fistful of boiled sweet corn

7 green chillies

2 inch piece of ginger

3 tbsps finely chopped coriander leaves

A large pinch of baking soda

Salt.

Seasoning:

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp mustard

2 sprigs curry leaves roughly chopped.

Method:

Chop the onion, bell pepper and coriander leaves fine. Grind the green chillies and ginger to a coarse paste. Tip the chopped vegetables, the ginger green chilly paste along with the sweet corn, rava, soda and curd into a bowl. Mix well adding a little water at a time to make a batter of flowing consistency. Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard. Once it crackles drop in the curry leaves. Toss and drop the seasoning into the batter. Mix, cover and keep aside for ten minutes. You will notice that the rava has absorbed the water and is of dropping consistency. Add salt and mix well. Heat the appe pan. Brush it with oil. Pour the batter into each mould and drizzle with oil. Cover and roast on a medium flame till you see the appe leaving the sides. Flip and roast on the other side as well. Serve hot with chutney of your choice.

A variety of chutneys can be found in this website.

https://vinayasculinarydelights.com/chutneys/

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Mango jam in microwave

Posted on June 25, 2022June 25, 2022 by vinayaprabhu2

Today making jam is as easy as it can get! No stirring, no standing near the gas stove and everything ready within minutes. The microwave is a boon and the jam is ready within no time at all. The entire process took me precisely eighteen minutes.

Ingredients:

1/2 kg ripe Rajapuri mangoes

200 gms sugar

Juice of one large lemon

A pinch of salt.

Method:

Wash, pat dry and peel the mangoes. Chop them into cubes and tip them into the mixer. Puree. Pour the puree into a microwave safe bowl. Add the sugar and salt. Mix thoroughly. Place the bowl in the microwave and cover it with a glass plate or lid to avoid getting the microwave dirty. Power cook it for four minutes. Remove, add the lemon juice , mix and again power cook for three minutes. Remove, stir and finally power cook it again for another three minutes. The jam is ready. Allow to cool thoroughly. Store in a sterilised glass jar.

Note: The shelf life of the jam varies from place to place basically because of the weather conditions. I usually refrigerate the jam the next day . Though sugar is a natural preservative, not worth taking a chance of it getting spoilt because of the humidity.

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Raw mango sweet and tangy chutney

Posted on June 25, 2022June 25, 2022 by vinayaprabhu2

This sweet and tangy mango chutney goes well with Chapati, thepla, dal rice and also with poori. This is one chutney I always make when mangoes are in reason. The best mangoes for this preparation are the raw Rajapuri mangoes which are fleshy and tart. If unavailable any other raw mango like Totapuri or Ladva too works equally well. Do ensure that the mango is totally raw as even the slightest hint of ripeness can decrease the shelf life of this chutney.

Ingredients:

One large Rajapuri mango weighing around half a kg.

Sugar depending on the tartness of the mango. Here I used about 150 gms.

Salt

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Chilly powder as per preference

1 tsp methi seeds dry roasted and powdered

A kidney bean sized piece of Hing/ asafoetida

1 tbsp sesame oil/ oil of choice

1 tsp mustard seeds.

Method:

Wash the raw mango and pat it dry. Peel and then grate it. Add salt, sugar and the turmeric powder to it and keep it aside for ten minutes. The mango releases water. Heat the oil in a pan. Drop in the mustard seeds and after they crackle switch off and add the chilly powder. Immediately add the mango mixture to avoid burning of the chilly powder. Mix well. Turn on heat and after one boil, lower heat to minimum. Add the roasted methi seed powder and continue to cook till you see the mixture coming together. Transfer a spoon of the mixture on a plate. Tilt the plate. If the mixture doesn’t run, the chutney is done. Immediately switch off the gas and allow the chutney to cool thoroughly before bottling. It stays good for a fortnight in the refrigerator.

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Rontoso and Dalithoy.

Posted on June 24, 2022June 24, 2022 by vinayaprabhu2

Rontoso and dalithoy are traditional preparations of the GSB community from Kochi. Poori made of rice served with dal which has potatoes added to it. These pooris are not rolled out like the regular ones made of either wheat flour or Maida/ APF. These are quick and easy ones and taste delicious with even a simple pickle.

Ingredients for the Rontoso:

250 gms rice flour

Salt as required

Hot water to bind the dough

Oil to fry

1 tsp coconut oil.

Ingredients for the dalithoy:

2 large potatoes sliced

4 green chillies slit

1 cup Toor dal/ split pigeon peas pressure cooked and churned well

A pinch of turmeric powder

Seasoning:

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp mustard

1 dry red chilly

A large pinch of Hing/ asafoetida

2 sprigs curry leaves.

Method:

Tip the rice flour in a bowl. Add salt. Add half a cup of hot water and start binding the dough. Keep adding water ass required till the dough is soft and pliable. Add a tsp of coconut oil, knead and keep aside for five minutes. Make pellets as desired of the dough. Place each pellet in between two plastic sheets and press with the rolling pin or with the backside of a bowl. Finish off with the remaining pellets as well. Heat oil in a pan. Gently slide in a Rontoso at a time, taking care to press it down in the centre so that it puffs up. Flip. Fry on the other side too. Drain and place on a kitchen towel. Similarly finish frying the remaining Rontoso.

Cook the sliced potato along with the green chillies and salt till done. Add the churned dal and adjust consistency with water as desired. Bring to a boil. Heat the coconut oil in a pan. Drop in the mustard. After it crackles add the Hing, dry red chilly and toss Drop in the curry leaves. Toss and finally add the turmeric powder. Mix and drop the seasoning into the simmering dalithoy. Switch off, cover and keep aside for fifteen minutes for the flavours to infuse. Serve with Rontoso.

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Mango curry-2

Posted on June 23, 2022June 23, 2022 by vinayaprabhu2

This is the second variety of mango curry also known as Ambya upkari in my mother tongue Konkani. Here pepper is used to spice the dish instead of the green chillies that were used in the earlier mango curry posted in this website. A special variety of mango called Ambya ghonta which is sweet and sour is used to make this curry. If unavailable one may use any small variety of sweet mango and add some tamarind pulp for tanginess.

Ingredients:

1 kg small mangoes ( around nine or ten)

150 gms jaggery

Salt

1 tbsp heaped pepper powder

Seasoning:

1 tbsp ghee/ clarified butter

1 tbsp mustard seeds

1 heaped tsp urad dal/ split black gram

Method:

Wash the mangoes well and de skin them. Tip them into a vessel. Take the peel in a large bowl. Add about two glasses of water and rub them well, changing the water thus thrice till all the pulp from the peel is extracted. Tip the water each time into the vessel containing the mangoes. Puree two of the mangoes and add it into the vessel. This is to thicken the curry. Add the jaggery, salt and pepper and mix well. Bring the curry to a roaring boil. Lower flame and simmer for a couple of minutes to allow the mangoes to infuse the flavours. Heat the ghee in a pan. Drop in the urad dal and as it turns golden yellow, drop in the mustard. Allow it to crackle. Pour this seasoning into the curry. Mix well, cover and keep aside for about fifteen minutes before serving .

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Caramel Phool Makhana/ Fox nuts

Posted on June 18, 2022June 18, 2022 by vinayaprabhu2

Healthy, crunchy Phool Makhana which are considered as the wonder food today.. I have posted a simple version of it here in my blog. Today posting the caramel version of it as suggested by my friend Anita A Burde. It’s the same as making caramel popcorn, recipe of which you can find here in this website. I have used jaggery instead of sugar to caramelize both the makhana and popcorn.

https://vinayasculinarydelights.com/roasted-foxnuts-phool-makhana/

Ingredients:

100 gms Phool Makhana

4 tbsps jaggery

1 tbsp ghee/ clarified butter

A pinch of salt

1 tsp ghee to roast the makhana

Method:

Roast the phool Makhana with a teaspoon of ghee and a pinch of salt on a slow flame till crisp. Keep aside. Add the jaggery and ghee into a pan. Allow the jaggery to melt and froth. Add the roasted makhana and mix well. Transfer immediately on to a greased plate and separate it with a spatula… Allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight tin.

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Mango Mastani

Posted on June 8, 2022June 8, 2022 by vinayaprabhu2

Mango Mastani is one of the most popular mango milk shakes in India. Made from the fragrant and delicious Alphonso mango, it is thick mango pulp mixed with milk, topped with vanilla ice cream, pieces of mango, dried fruits and garnished with a glace cherry. I decided to use the fresh ones as I had them.

Ingredients:

3 Alphonso mangoes

4 cups chilled milk

Sugar as per requirement

A handful of dried fruits like walnuts, almonds and pistachios

A large scoop of vanilla ice cream per cup

Glace or fresh cherries for garnish.

Method:

Peel the mango and chop it up. Reserve a few pieces for garnishing. Tip the remaining in the blender/ mixer jar and puree. Add a cup of milk and sugar and again blend till smooth. Pour the mixture into a vessel. Add the remaining milk and mix thoroughly. Pour the milk shake into glasses top it with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream and garnish with pieces of mango, dried fruits and a cherry.

Serves 5.

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Mayonnaise and vegetables sandwich.

Posted on May 3, 2022May 3, 2022 by vinayaprabhu2

An absolutely delicious option which is ideal for summers, this mayonnaise and vegetables sandwich is not just filling but enjoyed by young and old alike. Serve it at parties, get togethers or as a quick snack as they are extremely easy to make.

Ingredients:

One loaf of bread

Butter

Equal quantities of the following vegetables finely chopped:

Cucumber

Tomato

Onion

Capsicum/ Bell pepper

Grated carrot

Pepper powder

Eggless mayonnaise

Salt

Method:

Trim the edges of the slices of bread. Use the discarded edges to make bread crumbs. Butter the slices and keep aside. Tip in the chopped vegetables and grated carrot into a bowl. Refrigerate for an hour. Drop in mayonnaise, and pepper as per preference. Mix thoroughly. Add salt, mix and apply the mixture on the buttered side of the slice. Cover it with another slice of buttered bread, cut into triangles and serve immediately.

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Moong and palak Shorba.

Posted on May 2, 2022May 2, 2022 by vinayaprabhu2

A filling and highly nutritious soup/ shorba which can be served as a meal on the days that one is rushed for time or would like to take it easy. The term Shorba comes from the Arabic word Shurba which means soup. It is generally thick and can be enjoyed with bread or on it’s own.

Ingredients:

100 gms Moong/ green gram

1 bunch of palak/ spinach

2 green chillies

1 inch piece of ginger chopped

7 cloves of garlic minced

1 onion sliced

1/2 tsp pepper powder

1 tsp cumin seeds

Salt

Lemon juice as per preference

1 tbsp Ghee/ clarified butter.

Method:

Wash and pressure cook the moong till mushy. Wash and chop the palak roughly. Heat ghee in a pan and drop in the cumin seeds. After they splutter drop in the sliced onion, ginger, green chillies and garlic. Roast on a gentle flame till the raw smell disappears. Drop in the chopped palak and roast till the palak wilts. Allow to cool. Tip in the cooled mixture along with the cooked moong into a mixer and grind to a smooth consistency. Tip it into a pan along with pepper powder and salt and bring to a boil. Allow to simmer on a gentle flame for five minutes. Switch off and add lemon juice as per taste. Serve hot.

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Tender mango Rasam.

Posted on May 2, 2022May 2, 2022 by vinayaprabhu2

An absolutely delicious mixer for rice which can be served as an appetizer as well is the tender mango Rasam. Tender mangoes which are slightly sweet as they are in the process of ripening are the best for this preparation. The texture of this Rasam is simply divine!

Ingredients:

One large tender mango washed, peeled and pressure cooked to three whistles.

100 gms Arhar dal pressure cooked and churned well.

3 green chillies

3 tbsps powdered jaggery

Salt

A large pinch of turmeric

1 tbsp Ghee/ clarified butter

1 tsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard

1 tsp cumin seeds

A large pinch of Hing/ asafoetida

1 dry red chilly

1 sprig curry leaves

Coriander leaves to garnish.

Method:

Pass the cooked mango through a sieve and collect the pulp in a vessel. Drop in the churned dal, salt, jaggery and green chillies into it. Add enough water and adjust consistency as per preference. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer on a gentle flame for five minutes. Heat the ghee and oil mixture in a pan. Drop in the mustard and cumin seeds and as they splutter drop in the asafoetida and dry red chilly. Toss and add the curry leaves and turmeric powder. Drop in the seasoning into the boiling Rasam and simmer for a minute. Switch off and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Keep aside for the flavours to infuse for about fifteen minutes.

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