I had a lot of spring onion greens left over after harvesting a fresh crop and decided to use them up in a variety of dishes before they wilted.
I have already posted the recipe of spicy poori in my website… I have replaced the curry leaves used in the recipe by spring onion greens. Posting the link to the spicy poori. Add finely chopped spring onion greens as per preference.
This iceberg lettuce sandwich is a personal favourite and one can use fillings of one’s choice. Here I have used tomatoes and cucumber along with the Iceberg lettuce as well and slathered on some all purpose chutney which I generally have on hand. Just use the large variety of sliced bread which is available in the market. You may use slices of boiled potato and beetroot as well. Just assemble the veggies one on top of the other and cover it with another buttered slice of bread. Cut into triangles or bite sized pieces and serve.
Fresh Hyacinth beans are a seasonal delicacy and they are used in a variety of preparations all over my home state Karnataka. They have a unique flavour and are relished by the locals in items which are both traditional and contemporary.
Ingredients:
250 gms Semolina
200 gms Hyacinth beans
6 green chillies chopped fine
2 sprigs curry leaves
3 tbsps Ghee
2 tbsps refined oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
5 tbsps finely chopped coriander leaves
Juice of one lemon
Salt
500 ml boiling water
Method:
Soak the Hyacinth beans overnight and peel them. Alternatively, you can buy the peeled ones as well. Boil them with a little salt till done. Heat the oil and ghee mixture 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 and curry leaves . Toss. Add the semolina and roast for a couple of minutes. Add the cooked Hyacinth beans, lemon juice and half of the coriander leaves and mix well. Pour in the boiling water and stir well. Cover and cook on a low flame till done. Garnish with the remaining coriander leaves, mix and serve hot.
Horsegram preparations are very popular in South India. A variety of items are prepared which include both breakfast and lunch dishes. Horsegram is not only highly nutritious, but also gives good satiety. Here are some idlis prepared with Horsegram accompanied by a spicy chutney.
Ingredients:
1 cup rice rava
1 cup horsegram
1 cup poha/ flattened rice
1 cup urad dal/ split black gram
Salt.
Method:
Wash and soak the horsegram and urad dal for five hours. Soak the rice rava and poha too separately. Before grinding, wash the urad dal and horsegram again and then tip them along with the poha into a grinder. Using a little water at a time, grind it continuously for half an hour to a smooth batter of dropping consistency. Remove and wash the grinder with a little water. Tip it into the batter. Squeeze out the water from the rice rava and add it to the batter. Add salt and whisk thoroughly. Allow to ferment for 10-12 hours. The next day, thoroughly whisk the batter and pour it into idli moulds which have been greased with coconut oil. Place them into a steamer which has been kept boiling. Steam the batter for 10-12 minutes. Remove and allow to cool before unmoulding them. Serve with chutney of your choice.
Note: if using blender/ mixer to grind the urad and horsegram, use ice cubes while grinding. This helps in keeping the batter from heating. The batter is ready in only five minutes, but there is definitely a difference in the volume of batter ground in a mixer as compared to the grinder.
Posting the link to the recipe which I had served.
Tamarind based curries, rice and chutneys are a plenty in South Indian cuisine. Here is a breakfast item of Tamarind flavoured poha which is extremely easy to prepare.
Ingredients:
2 cups thick poha
1 lemon sized ball of tamarind
3 tbsps jaggery powder
1 tbsp Sambhar powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
4 tbsps oil
1tsp mustard seeds
1tsp sesame
1/2 tsp asafoetida
3 sprigs curry leaves
2 dry red chillies broken into two
3 tbsps peanuts
Salt.
Method:
Wash the poha thrice, drain and keep aside. Place the ball of tamarind in half a glass of hot water and extract the pulp. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and after they splutter add the sesame seeds, asafoetida and the peanuts. Saute for a couple of minutes. Add the turmeric powder. Drop in the dry red chilly bits and curry leaves. Toss. Add the tamarind pulp, half a glass of water, jaggery, salt and Sambhar powder. Bring to a boil. Allow it to simmer till the mixture thickens a bit. Add the drained poha and mix well. Heat for a minute, switch off, cover and allow to stand for fifteen minutes for the poha to absorb the water. After fifteen minutes heat up the poha and serve hot with curd.
Vellarikka is cucumber in Malayalam… Making dosa or even Idli using cucumber is common in the Southern states of India… It is served either with a coconut chutney or with pickle or thokku…
Method:
250 gms raw rice
1 cucumber deskinned and chopped
5 tbsps grated coconut
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
4 green chillies
1 inch piece of ginger
Salt
Oil for roasting the dosa.
Method:
Soak the rice for around four hours. Drain and grind it along with the chopped cucumber, cumin seeds, ginger and green chillies to a smooth paste. Add enough water to make the batter flow freely. Add salt. Mix well. Heat a skillet. It should be really hot. This ensures that the dosa gets an evenly porous texture.
Pour a ladleful of batter on the hot skillet and swish it around. Drizzle a tsp of oil, lower heat and allow the dosa to cook. Remove it as it starts leaving the sides of the skillet. Remove, fold and serve hot.
Note:
This dosa is not flipped over. You can also use rice flour if you are in a hurry. Just pulverise the other ingredients before adding it to the rice flour. Rest of the procedure remains the same.
Vrat ka dosa does not contain any of the ingredients which are not consumed during a fast. Most people avoid either rice or wheat while fasting. Here is a dosa which is made using Sabudana/ Sago pearls and Varai/ Little millet .
Ingredients:
1 cup Sabudana
3/4 cup Varai
3 tbsps curds
Salt
Oil to roast the dosa.
Method:
Soak the Sabudana and Varai separately for four hours. Drain. Tip the drained mixture into a blender and blend to a smooth paste along with the curd to a thick batter. Add salt and mix thoroughly. Keep aside for a few minutes. Heat a skillet. Pour a ladleful of batter on it and drizzle with a teaspoon of oil. Once the underneath starts to brown, and the edges start leaving the sides of the skillet, flip it over. Allow to roast for a couple of minutes. Fold the dosa and serve it hot with chutney.
Buckwheat flour also known as Kuttu ka aata is used to prepare this snack Tein tein by the people of Ladakh. Generally an egg is added to hold the batter together. Vegetarians like me substitute it with a tablespoon of maida/ all purpose flour. Tein tein is served with a walnut chutney or with an apricot preserve.
Ingredients:
250 gms Kuttu ka aata
2 tbsps Maida
Salt
1 tsp caraway seeds/ Shahi jeera
Butter
Water.
Method:
Tip the Kuttu ka aata, salt, maida and caraway seeds into a bowl. Add enough water to make a runny batter. Mix thoroughly and keep aside for ten minutes for the gluten from the maida to release. Heat a tava/ griddle. Pour a ladleful of batter on the tava and spread till you cover the tava. Drop a blob of butter on it and cook the Tein tein on a really gentle flame for about half a minute till it is roasted. Flip and roast the other side as well. Serve hot with apricot preserve or with a walnut chutney. Recipe link to the walnut chutney given below.
Tomul Chhot is an easy to prepare Kashmiri snack with rice flour and carom seeds. It is generally served with Noon chai and walnuts. Tomul refers to husked rice in Kashmiri.
Ingredients:
250 gms Rice flour
1/4 tsp ajwain/ carom seeds
Salt
2 tbsps Ghee/ clarified butter
Warm water to bind the dough.
Method:
Tip the rice flour, salt and carom seeds in a bowl . Add ghee and rub it into the flour. Knead the flour with hot water to a lump free batter of pouring consistency. Mix well. Heat a tava/ griddle. Pour a ladleful of batter and spread it in concentric circles. Cover and cook for a couple of minutes or till you see the sides leaving the tava. Remove and serve with Noon chai and walnuts.
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Poha or flattened rice is a popular breakfast item all over India. Each state has their unique recipe for it. Posting one of the well loved breakfasts of Uttar Pradesh Chura matar today. Chura refers to flattened rice and matar is peas. Though a Sattvik recipe, Chura matar is delicious and easy to make as it is flavoured with garam masala.
A close friend Pushpalata Satish shared this recipe with me.
Ingredients:
Half kg thick Poha
250 gms fresh peas
7 green chillies or as required
Juice of one lemon
1.5 inch piece ginger grated
1/4 tsp Garam masala
2 tbsps Ghee/ clarified butter
2 tbsps oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
Salt
6 tbsps finely chopped coriander leaves.
9 Cashewnuts halved.
Method:
Tip the poha into a colander and hold it under running water, gently washing it for a minute. Drain and keep aside for ten minutes. Boil the fresh peas with a little salt till done. Heat the ghee and oil mixture in a pan. Add the cumin seeds. After they splutter add the green chillies, grated ginger and halved cashewnuts. Toss till the cashewnuts turn a golden yellow and then add the boiled peas. Stir for a minute. Add the washed poha, salt, lemon juice, garam masala and finely chopped coriander leaves. Mix gently, cover and allow the Chura matar to heat thoroughly on a gentle flame. Serve hot .
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