Vinaya's Culinary Delights - Authentic Vegetarian Cuisine

Instant Rasmalai Recipe

Posted on December 31, 2017 by vinaya

Rasmalai is one of my favourites among sweets. Cottage cheese balls dunked in thickened sweet milk and flavoured with saffron and Cardamom. Since it is a tedious process making the cottage cheese balls, I always prefer to buy a ready tin of Rossogollas and give them a quick boil in the sweetened milk. Rasmalai ready in half an hour and only needs to be cooled before serving.

Ingredients :

12 Rossogollas
1.5 Litres milk
1 tin Nestlé condensed milk
Sugar
Cardamom powder
Saffron

Method :

Boil the milk with required amount of sugar and bring it down to 1.250 Litres. Add the condensed milk, give one boil, add the cardamom powder and the saffron and drop the Rossogollas into it. Give one boil. Allow to cool and refrigerate. Serve chilled.

Note : Sugar, Cardamom and saffron are to be added according to individual taste, hence I have left out mentioning the exact quantity required.

Fresh Pigeon peas Stir Fry Recipe

Posted on December 29, 2017 by vinaya

Fresh Pigeon peas are a Winter delight and one of the easiest, healthiest and tastiest dish is the stir fry or Upkari as the Konkani community of Mangalore calls it. A variety of dishes can be made from fresh Pigeon peas but my favourite has always been the stir fry.

Ingredients :

250gms shelled Pigeon peas
1potato
1 tbsp Parachute Coconut oil
1tsp mustard
3 broken dry red chilly bits
1/4 tsp Hing/asafoetida
Salt
Grated coconut for garnish

Method :

Deskin the potato. Wash and chop into tiny cubes. Rinse the chopped potatoes and the Pigeon peas under running water in a colander. Pressure cook to two whistles with salt in half a glass of water. Allow the Pressure cooker to cool down. Heat oil. Add the mustard. After it splutters add the broken red chilly bits and hing . Toss. Drop in the cooked Pigeon peas and potato into the seasoning and cook till the water evaporates. Garnish with grated coconut.

Eggplant, Cashewnut and Drumstick Sukkein Recipe

Posted on December 29, 2017 by vinaya

This is an authentic Konkani preparation made from a special variety of Eggplant grown in Matti a district in South Karnataka. Matti gool or the round green brinjal from Matti is popular with the Konkani community . It is a seasonal vegetable and relished by making Phodi, bazo, sukkein, sagllein, colmbo, tallasani, upkari and the most popular goolla bajji/ bhartha.
Posting a sukkein made by adding Matti gool, drumstick and cashewnut in a coconut Masala. This preparation goes well with both, rice or Roti.

Ingredients :

2 Matti gool chopped into bite size pieces
1 long drumstick cut into 1 inch size bits
A fistful of cashewnut
1/2 of a small coconut
2tbsps coriander seeds
2 tsps urad dal/ black gram dal
12 roasted red chillies
1tbsp tamarind paste
Salt
1 tsp oil for roasting the coriander and urad dal.

Method :

Roast both the coriander seeds and the urad dal separately in a little oil to a rich golden brown. Grind the coconut, roasted red chillies, tamarind paste and the roasted coriander seeds and urad dal to a coarse paste.
Heat 2 tbsps oil. Add a tsp of mustard and after it splutters add the cashew. Add a big glass of water and salt and when three fourth cooked add the chopped gool and drumstick. Cook till done. Add the ground masala, mix well and boil well. This is a semi solid preparation.

Methi/ Fenugreek leaves Poori Recipe

Posted on December 28, 2017 by vinaya

Come winter and it brings along Methi leaves in abundance. Fresh,big bunches of beautiful looking leaves with tender stems. I had made some Methi Theplas, the recipe of which can be found in this website too. I was left with some dough and decided to make pooris. Added a little rice flour to the dough to make the pooris crisp.

Ingredients :

1 bunch methi leaves
1/2 kg wheat flour
7 tbsps besan/ Chickpea flour
4 tbsps rice flour
4 tsps oil
8 green chillies
5 cloves garlic
2 inch piece ginger
2 tsp til
1 level tsp ajwain
1 tsp chilly powder
3 tsps dhania/ coriander powder
1 tsp jeera/cumin powder
A pinch of haldi/turmeric
5 tsps sugar
A few sprigs of Coriander leaves
Salt
Oil for frying.

Method :

Grind the ginger, green chillies and garlic to a smooth paste. Take it in a bowl and add finely chopped methi leaves, chopped coriander leaves, and all the remaining masalas , sugar, salt, til, ajwain and the oil. Add the Besan, rice flour and the wheat flour. Bind a dough as soft as for chapati. Divide the dough into four equal portions. Roll out one portion into a big chapati. Apply a tsp of oil on it. Roll it tightly into a log. . Cut small portions of the log into pellets. Dust them with flour and with a gentle hand roll them into two inch sized pooris. Heat oil. Deep fry them to a golden brown.

All purpose Chutney, Recipe

Posted on December 27, 2017 by vinaya

This is one chutney that goes well with almost everything. I always make a fresh batch and deep freeze it immediately, as it comes in handy when having unexpected guests. You can use it as a sandwich spread, to make a jhatpat Bhel puri, with Dhokla or even to spread it on the dosa while making a Mysore Masala Dosa.

Ingredients :

A bunch of Coriander leaves
3 tbsps grated coconut
15 green chillies
1 heaped tsp tamarind paste
7 cloves of garlic
1 inch piece of ginger
Salt

Method :

Grind the coconut, garlic, ginger, green chillies and tamarind to a smooth paste with a little water. Add the salt and coriander leaves and grind it fine. Remove and store it in airtight containers. Use as required.

Leftover Rice Pakora Recipe

Posted on December 22, 2017June 17, 2018 by vinaya

A great way of using up leftover rice is to make Pakora. You can add finely chopped vegetables or just add a little spice and fry it to a crisp. Here I have added boiled sweet corn, grated carrot, coriander and mint leaves. Best enjoyed either with a green chutney or any of the ready sauces or ketchups.

Ingredients :

1 large bowl of leftover rice
1 carrot grated
A fistful of sweet corn boiled
1 inch piece of ginger
4 garlic cloves
4 green chillies
Coriander leaves
7 mint leaves
Salt
5 tbsps rice flour
2 tbsps Besan/Chickpea flour
Breadcrumbs
Oil for frying

Method :

Mash the rice well. Make a coarse paste of the green chillies, garlic and ginger. Chop the coriander and mint leaves fine. Add the boiled corn, grated carrot, green chilly, ginger garlic paste, chopped coriander and mint leaves, salt, rice flour and Besan, to the mashed rice. Roll into desired shape. Roll into bread crumbs and deep fry to a crisp golden brown.

Thali Meal – 1

Posted on December 20, 2017December 20, 2017 by vinaya

A ‘Thali Meal’ from the coastal city of Mangalore in India, today for all of you dear friends.
Rice
Dalithoy
Onion, sun basked crispies
Pineapple, Mango and Grape Sasam
Cauliflower stir fry
Hyacinth Beans Coconut Based curry
Onion Gozzu
Buttermilk
Fruits

Just type in the names of the above mentioned dishes and you will find all the recipes in this website.

Cauliflower Stir fry Recipe

Posted on December 20, 2017 by vinaya

One of the easiest and simplest of stir fries, the Cauliflower stir fry, fragrant with the seasoning of coconut oil and coriander leaves can be turned into a subzi too by adding a couple of finely chopped green chillies. The taste of the vegetable is brought to the fore due to the lack of any masalas which are normally added to a subzi.

Ingredients :

500 gms Cauliflower
3 green chillies minced
Coriander leaves
1 tbsp Parachute Coconut oil
1 tsp mustard
Salt

Method :

Slice the Cauliflower into tiny florets. Wash thoroughly. Heat oil. Add the tsp of mustard and after it splutters add the chopped green chillies. Sauté for a few seconds. Drop in the Cauliflower, salt and a little water to cook the vegetable. Cover and cook over a high flame till done.

Pineapple, Mango and Grape Sasam Recipe

Posted on December 20, 2017 by vinaya

A Konkani delight, the Pineapple, Mango and Grape Sasam or Avnas Ambya Sasam is a cold preparation. Sweet and piquant at the same time it is traditionally served at all Konkani weddings. I was fortunate to find mangoes during this season and with pineapple and grapes available a plenty seized the opportunity to make this delicious dish.

Ingredients :

One cup Pineapple pieces
One cup Mango pieces
15 grapes
1/2 of a small coconut grated
2 roasted red chillies
1/2 tsp mustard
Jaggery as per requirement
Salt

Method:

Chop the pineapple into bite sized pieces. Boil them in salted water till they are cooked. Allow to cool thoroughly. Refrigerate. Chop the mango too into the same sized pieces as the pineapple. Add required amount of jaggery and salt. Mix well. Refrigerate along with the grapes and pineapple. Grind the coconut, roasted red chillies and the mustard to a semi coarse paste. Tip it into the bowl containing the mixed fruits. Serve chilled.

Biscuit Rotti Recipe

Posted on December 19, 2017 by vinaya

The name is very deceptive as Biscuit Rotti is a far cry from anything Biscuit. It is a typically Mangalorean preparation and can be relished with or without a chutney. My mother in law made one of the best Biscuit Rotti and I am really happy that it has turned out exactly how she made it!!

Ingredients :

250 gms Maida/All purpose flour
50 gms rice flour
A pinch of chilly powder
1 tbsp oil
100 gms urad dal/ black gram dal
6 green chillies
A pea sized piece of hing/asafoetida powdered fine
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 tsp mustard
2 tbsps Parachute Coconut oil
2 tbsps grated coconut
Salt
Oil for frying the Biscuit Rotti

Method :

Wash and soak the urad dal for two hours. Drain and grind to a coarse paste. Chop the green chillies and curry leaves fine. Heat the oil and drop in a tsp of mustard and after it splutters add the chopped chilly bits, hing and curry leaves. Toss. Add the ground urad dal, coconut and salt. Heat on a gentle flame for a few minutes. Keep aside. This forms the filling.

Mix the Maida, rice flour, chilly powder, salt and oil. Bind a dough as for pooris that is neither too hard nor soft. Pinch balls of the dough and make around 21 balls. Roll out the balls into a two inch diameter disc. Place the filling in the centre of the disc and bring all the ends of the dough together. Flatten it and roll it out into a neither too thick nor too thin poori of 3 inch diameter. Make around five such rottis at a time. Heat oil. Gently slide in the rotti and deep fry to a crisp golden brown. Serve with chutney.

Note:

The recipe for the chutney can be found in the Chutney catagory of this website.