vinayaprabhu2 - Vinaya's Culinary Delights

Shengavani/ drumstics in coconut gravy

Posted on February 6, 2021February 7, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This Maharashtrian recipe shared by my friend Nilima Kotulkar goes well with rice, poori and Roti. The base of coconut and Besan/ chickpea flour with it’s smooth texture , the addition of peanuts, the tang of tamarind and the slight sweetness of jaggery make this dish truly delectable.

Ingredients:

2 Drumsticks chopped into 2 Inch size pieces

A fistful of peanuts soaked and pressure cooked with a little salt

A small lump of jaggery or two tbsps of jaggery syrup.

1 tbsp tamarind paste

Half of a small coconut grated

2 tsps Besan/ chickpea flour

Salt

2 tbsps finely chopped coriander leaves

For the tempering:

2 tsps oil

1 tsp mustard

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp Chilly powder

A large pinch of turmeric

A pinch of Asafoetida

Method:

Boil the drumsticks with a little salt in two glasses of water till they are done. Grind the grated coconut and Besan to a smooth paste. Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard and after it splutters drop in the cumin seeds. Once they crackle add the chilly powder, turmeric, Asafoetida, and immediately pour in the tamarind paste, cooked peanuts, the water in which the Drumsticks were boiled along with the Drumsticks. Add the coconut besan paste and jaggery. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for a few minutes till the raw taste of the besan disappears. Add more water if required. The consistency should be that of a gravy of pouring consistency. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Serves four.

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Shahi Tamatar/ Tomatoes in a rich gravy

Posted on February 6, 2021February 7, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This recipe of Shahi Tamatar was shared by a friend Bharti Ahuja Dar and it is right royal as it’s name suggests. She had used the regular tomatoes and snipped off the upper end for the juices to sink in. I had cherry tomatoes with me, so just pricked them with a toothpick and used them. This preparation goes well with both Roti and Basmati rice.

Ingredients:

4 Medium sized Tomatoes or 25 cherry tomatoes

2 tbsps Peanuts

2 tsps White sesame

2 tbsps grated fresh coconut

2 Green chillies chopped fine

1/4 tsp Hing / asafoetida

1 tsp Kashmiri lal chilly powder

1 tsp Cumin seeds

3 tbsp oil

1 large onion sliced

1 inch piece of ginger grated

5 cloves of garlic grated

2 dry red chillies, each broken into 2

1 cup beaten Curd

1 cup water or as desired

Salt

1 tsp Garam masala powder

10 Curry leaves

A large pinch of Haldi/ turmeric

3 tbsps oil

Method:

Dry roast coconut, Peanuts and sesame seeds to a golden yellow.
Grind them with chopped green chillies and a little water to make a smooth paste.
Pour in rest of the water in the mixer jar, to make a thin paste of the remnants and keep it aside.
Cut the head of the Tomatoes, and prise the top from 3-4 places. Keep aside.
In a pan, heat oil and add cumin seeds, Hing and the dry red chillies.
Once the cumin stops crackling, add the sliced onion, grated ginger and garlic and saute till the onions turn brown.
Add salt, garam masala, Kashmiri lal chilly powder and the turmeric.
Drop in the curry leaves ,toss and then add the ground paste.
Bring to a boil, keep on low flame and cook till the gravy thickens.
Add little more water if required. You can use the thin water kept aside at this point.
Add the beaten curd and mix well.
Bring to a boil, add tomatoes, cover and cook on low flame till the tomatoes are soft, but still retain their shape.
Turn off heat, and transfer to a bowl.
Serve hot with paratha or boiled /steamed rice.

Serves four.

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Spicy Puffed rice

Posted on February 6, 2021February 6, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This snack is ideal for the weight watchers. Puffed rice roasted to a crisp, spiced with a few green chillies and Kashmiri chilly powder. Groundnuts too for that extra crunch , curry leaves and hing/ asafoetida for flavour. Add finely chopped onions, tomatoes ,coriander leaves and a little lemon juice and your Sookha Bhel is ready. , Thank-you so much dear Girija Vishnu Vardhan for the delicious, easy to make recipe.

Ingredients:

5 cups of Kurmura/ puffed rice

Salt

1/2 tsp Kashmiri chilly powder

For the tempering:

5 tsps oil

1 tsp mustard

5 tbsps Peanuts

A big pinch of Hing/ asafoetida

3 sprigs curry leaves

2 green chillies finely chopped

Method:

Heat oil in a pan. Drop in the mustard seeds and after they splutter, add the peanuts and toss for a minute. Drop in the green chillies, curry leaves and Hing. Toss and add the puffed rice, Kashmiri chilly powder and salt. Mix thoroughly and roast on a very gentle flame till crisp. Store in an airtight container after it’s thoroughly cooled.

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Kobi Poha

Posted on February 6, 2021February 7, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This unique recipe of Kobi poha was shared by my friend Aparna Kamat. Onions are avoided on auspicious days by the Hindus. Cabbage is used as a substitute as it adds texture to the dish. Normally made at the temples in Goa, this dish is an example of how one can innovate and churn out something really delish!

Ingredients:

200 gms Thick/ jada poha/ beaten rice, washed and drained. (Do not soak)

1 potato peeled and chopped

A large bowl of Kobi/ cabbage chopped roughly

A handful of peas

Salt

3 tbsps of finely chopped coriander leaves

Juice of one large lemon or as required

A large pinch of turmeric

For the tempering:

3 tbsps oil

2 tbsps Ghee/ clarified butter

1 heaped tsp Cumin seeds

7 green chillies chopped fine

2 sprigs curry leaves

1 inch piece of ginger grated

Method:

Heat the Ghee and oil mixture. Drop in the cumin seeds and after they splutter add the curry leaves, ginger and green chillies. Saute for a few seconds. Drop in the cabbage, peas, potato, turmeric and salt. Saute on a gentle flame for a couple of minutes. Add a quarter glass of water, cover and cook till done. Takes about three minutes. Do not overcook. Drop in the drained Poha and mix thoroughly. Check the salt. If required add more. Add lemon juice . Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Give it a quick mix , switch off and serve hot.

Serves four.

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Roasted gram/ Daalia/ Puttani chutney -2

Posted on February 5, 2021February 7, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This roasted gram Chutney stays good for atleast two days in the fridge as it doesn’t contain coconut. It’s to be ground coarse. Very little or no water is added while grinding. Here I have used a little water as I would be finishing it off at breakfast. It is an Ideal accompaniment to Dosa, Idli and other Urad preparations. I thank my friend Prabha Ramapriya for this wonderful recipe.

Ingredients:

100 gms/ half cup of roasted gram

6 green chillies

Pea sized piece of Hing/ asafoetida

2 sprigs curry leaves

A small bunch of coriander leaves

15 leaves of mint

1 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard

1 tsp tamarind paste

Salt

Method:

Heat oil in a pan. Drop in the mustard. After it splutters add the green chillies and curry leaves. Toss till the chillies change colour. Drop in the roasted gram and saute for a few seconds. Switch off and allow to cool. After it has cooled tip it into the mixer jar along with coriander and mint leaves, salt and tamarind. Grind to a coarse consistency adding little or no water.

Serves four.

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Spicy Potato and Tomato subzi/ curry

Posted on February 5, 2021February 7, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This is an easy to make, simple yet delicious recipe, that one can make with just two vegetables. I thank my friend Roopa Prabhu for having shared this recipe with me. The best part is it’s ready in no time!

Ingredients:

3 potatoes quartered and diced fine/ or you can use the boiled ones too.

3 tomatoes finely chopped

2 green chillies minced

1 tsp Jeera/ cumin seeds

A large pinch of Hing/ asafoetida

A large pinch of Haldi/ turmeric powder

1 tbsp Kasuri methi

2 tbsps finely chopped coriander leaves

1 tbsp Kashmiri Chilly powder

2 tbsps oil

Salt

Method:

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the Jeera and Hing. Once the Jeera splutters add the chillies, toss and drop in the tomatoes, salt, turmeric and Chilly powders. Saute till the tomatoes turn mushy. Add the potatoes and a glass of water . Bring to a boil, cover and cook till the potatoes are done. Crush the Kasuri methi with your fingers and drop it into the subzi. Allow to simmer for a couple of minutes. Switch off and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. Serve with Poori, Paratha or even Dal rice.

Serves four.

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Instant Chapati

Posted on February 5, 2021February 7, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This is an amazing recipe of Instant Chapati that my friend Sabitha Shenoy shared with me. No kneading, no rolling nor does it need to be prepared in advance. Ready in just a few minutes. Extremely soft and delicious. You can see from the folds how soft it is. More like a Roomali roti made of wheat flour. Only requirement is a non stick tava/ skillet.

Ingredients:

1 cup wheat flour

Salt as required

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp oil

Water to make a batter of dosa consistency.

Method:

Take one cup of wheat flour in a bowl. Add the salt, sugar and oil. Keep adding water a little at a time taking care to see no lumps are formed. Whisk the batter in one direction adding water till you get a batter of flowing consistency. The batter should not be thick. Heat a non stick tava/ skillet. When it’s just warm, pour a ladleful of the batter and spread it thinly in concentric circles to a diameter of seven to eight inches. The size of the Chapati depends on the size of the tava. Turn up the heat to medium low and allow the Chapati to roast. Once you see bubbles appearing, flip and roast on the other side as well. Keep pressing down with the spatula. Once roasted remove and serve hot. You may brush it with ghee if required.

Note: The entire roasting process has to take place on a medium flame as turning on the heat too high can make the Chapati hard.

This proportion yields 6 chapatis.

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Tomato, spinach and Kidney Beans Soup

Posted on February 5, 2021February 7, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

Food for the soul! A hearty soup of Kidney Beans, chickpeas, spinach and tomatoes. It is filling and in fact serves as a meal. Two bowls of this delicious soup and you can skip the rice, bread or Roti. Excellent soup for weight watchers. My heartfelt thanks to Veena Shenoy for the recipe .

Ingredients:

One fistful each of Red Kidney Beans and Chickpeas soaked overnight and pressure cooked

25 leaves of spinach chopped fine

5 tomatoes quartered

1 large onion sliced

Salt

1 tsp Kashmii chilly powder

1/2 tsp pepper powder

5 tbsps Maggie sweet and sour sauce

Method:

Pressure cook the tomatoes, spinach and onions to one whistle. Drop it into the mixture of the cooked Kidney beans and chickpeas. Allow it to cool. Strain some of the kidney beans, chickpeas, tomato and spinach , mash it or pulse it in the mixer and add it to the soup to thicken it. Add the chilly and pepper powders, salt, the sweet and sour sauce and bring to a boil. Simmer the soup for a few minutes. Serve hot.

Serves six.

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Crunchy cabbage and carrot stirfry

Posted on February 5, 2021February 7, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This is an extremely simple but deliciously divine recipe which was shared by my friend Prasad Naik. Goes well with Chapati, rice or even as a filling in a sandwich. I love to make a meal of it as it’s not only light on the stomach, but amazingly flavourful.

Ingredients:

1 cup each of cabbage, carrot and tomatoes.

2 green chillies slit

1 sprig of curry leaf

1 tbsp oil

A large pinch of turmeric

1 tsp finely chopped coriander leaves

Salt

Method:

Grate the carrots. Chop the cabbage and tomatoes roughly. Heat oil in a pan. Drop in the curry leaves, chillies and turmeric. Immediately add the vegetables and salt. Saute on a high flame for just a few seconds till the vegetables are heated, but retain their crunch. Garnish with coriander leaves, mix and serve hot.

Serves two.

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Bruschetta -2

Posted on February 5, 2021February 5, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

Here is a Bruschetta, an antipasto or an Italian starter. Normally a French Baguette which is a kind of crusty bread cut at a tangent is used. It is toasted, brushed with olive oil and a clove of garlic is rubbed over it when it’s still warm. I had to make do with a Garlic loaf . Topped it with a salad and seasoned it with herbs. I thank my dear friend Vidya Pai for having shared her recipe. You can find another version of the Bruschetta posted under the hors d’oeuvres section of this website.

Ingredients:

1 garlic loaf sliced at a tangent

2 tomatoes

2 onions

1/2 of a capsicum

1 tsp of mixed herbs

1/ 2 tsp pepper powder

Juice of half a lemon

1 tsp olive oil

Salt

1 tsp coriander leaves

Method:

Chop the coriander leaves, tomatoes, capsicum and onions. Tip in the lemon juice, the mixed herbs, pepper, salt and olive oil. Mix thoroughly. Slice the Garlic loaf at a tangent. Butter it on both sides lightly and toast it for just a minute so that it gets warm. Top it with the salad and serve immediately.

Note: you may use finely chopped garlic, basil leaves, jalapenos and olives as well. I had to make do with what is available because of the shortage during the Lockdown

9 slices per loaf.

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