Raw plantain cutlets

Plantains are available all year round.I love trying different dishes of these lovely plantains.On the occasion of Navratri i am here with one interesting plantain dish specially for those who avoid onion and garlic,specially during 9 days of durga puja Actually i prepared this with my leftover filling of stuffed capscicum which is one more special dish without onion and garlic.These cutlets turned out to be so delicious.

Prep time: 20-25 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 40-45 Mins
Yield: 15
Ingredients

• 4 Raw plantain /banana
• 1tbsp Corn flour
• 2tsp Maida/all
• 1tsp finely chopped ginger
• 2 finely chopped green chillies
• 1tsp chilly powder
• 1/2tsp Roasted cumin /jeera seeds
• 1tsp Curry or garam masala powder
• 1tbsp Chopped coriander leaves
• 1tbsp Roasted and crushed ground nuts
• 1/4tsp Asafoetida powder

Cooking Directions

1. Cook the plantains in boiling water for 20 mins on medium flame or till it is soft but not mushy.
2. Peel them and mash them into a smooth mixture while they are still warm.
3. In a pan, heat some oil. Then add cumin seeds, asafoetida/hing and chopped ginger and green chilly ,stir it well.
4. Add some chilly powder and curry powder,mix it well.
5. Now add the mashed plantain,salt and coriander leaves and mix it well in the masala.Cook for a couple of minutes.
6. Turn off the stove and add Roasted and crushed ground nuts and coriander leaves and mix well.
7. Let the mixture cool and shape them into desired shape. Roll the cutlets in corn flour-maida mixture and shallow fry them on a skillet. Fry both sides till they turn golden brown in color.
8. Serve hot with chutney or sauce

Thrimadhuram...

Thrimadhuram ... a special prasadam offered to goddess laxmi

As far as I know, "thrimadhuram" is a "prasada"offering made to God and then distributed to devotees in some temples in south india.Today one of my friend told me exactly what all goes into this.In Thrimadura banana is used as the base and the other 3 ingredients are honey,cardamom and ghee combination that i have prepared today for nivedhya.But,there are other combination also like honey,milk and raisins or jaggery,milk and ghee.

Thrimadhuram is usually a dryish mixture of banana pieces ( of the "Kadali" variety), honey and ghee .Thrimadhuram signifies three from "thri" and sweet from "madhuram". 

Prep time: 5-6 mins

Cook time: 0
Total time: 5-6 mins
Ingredients

• 2 Banana ( kadali/elakki bale hannu)
• 2-3 tsp Honey
• 1tsp Ghee
• 1/4tsp of cardamom powder (optional )

Cooking Directions

1. Slice 2 kadali ( small yellow variety)
2. Take one bowl and combine all the ingredients and serve 

This was my 1st day nivedhyam to goddess durga..thanks to my friend Nisha Baliga for this divine easy to make traditional prasadam.

Godu povu ( sweet beaten rice)

          

       Navratri is a combination of two words. 'Nav' means nine 'ratri' means night. Therefore, this celebration is literally translated as 'nine nights'. The celebrations begin on the first day of the month of Ashvin according to the Hindu calendar. Navratri always falls in the month of October. The exact date differs from year to year though.

         As i mentioned Navratri lasts for nine whole days. However, each day has its own special significance and is celebrated separately. Along with the nine forms of Durga, obeisance is paid to the Trinity of goddesses as well. Different varieties and special cuisine are made during Navratri celebration. Since in most of the communities, people observe fast during Navratri and eat only one meal a day at sunset, the Navratri meal has special courses and is strictly vegetarian. 

 Today i am here with one of the important naivedyam/ prasada that we konkani's offer to devi durga during "Ayud puja" 9th day of Navratri and also during ganesh chaturthi,Deepavali and it is also offered to lord as prasadam in many hindu temples in Karnataka and some other parts of south india.

Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Ingredients

• 3 cups Beaten rice/avalakki/poha ( thin)
• 1 cup Jaggery
• 1 cup Coconut (freshly grated)
• 1/4 tsp Cardamom powder

Cooking Directions

jaggery syrup

One string syrup

1. Prepare jaggery syrup using jaggery and a cup of water.
2. Heat crushed jaggery along with water till it dissolves completely , strain to remove all the impurities.
3. Boil again till either one string consistency is reached,Test the syrup between thumb and forefinger. It will form one string,at this stage switch off the fire.
4. Now add grated coconut and mix it well with the syrup.
5. Then add cardamom and beaten rice and mix it well,till beaten rice absorbs all the syrup.Do not cover it unless it is completely cool.

You can store it for couple of day without refrigeration.You can serve this along with chana upkari/sundal

Spirali pasta with spicy sauce

Fresh tomatoes, onion, tomato puree and olive oil make this basic pasta sauce. It great for any use - as a base for Spaghetti Bolognese, as a pizza topping, or with fried chicken.You may add dried red mirchi flakes to add spice to your pasta

 Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 30 mins
Ingredients

• 500 gms Spirali Pasta
• 500 gms Tomato
• 1 big Garlic Pod
• 2 Onion ( chopped)
• 2 tsp Chilly powder
• 1/2 tsp Oregano
• 1/4 tsp Basil powder
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce,
• 2 cups Bell pepper ( red,yellow and green)
• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• Salt to taste
• 2 tsp Sugar

Cooking Directions

1. Puree 1/2 tomatoes in a blender and keep aside
2. Heat a tbsp olive oil in a saucepan over low heat.
3. Pour in the tomatoes, add the basil powder and tomato puree to thicken it up.
4. Then add chopped garlic, salt, Worcestershire sauce and chilly powder mix thoroughly.
5. Add the lemon juice and diced onion. Simmer for 5 - 10 minutes over a low heat and the basic pasta sauce is ready.
6. Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes, or according to the pack instructions, until tender.
7. Drain the pasta in a colander and toss in a tbsp of olive oil
8. Meanwhile, heat remaining olive oil in a sauce pan, Add the pepper cubes and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
9. Now mix pasta sauce and the cooked pasta and the chopped coriander or parsley and oregano Season to taste. Toss well to combine and serve at once.

tip: Find yourself with an abundance of tomatoes? Make several batches of this basic sauce and then freeze in meal-size portions!

Stuffed squid/calamari with prawns

I first had this stuffed calamari at our friend's place in Goa for holiday at one of my friends place.My kids enjoyed this so much so that they were only 3-4 pieces left on the plate.It was really very tasty.So this time when i got this fresh calamaris only one dish came to my mind that is Stuffed calamari.This makes very good party appetizer .Make-ahead appetizers help you relax and enjoy your own party.

Ingredients

• 10 Medium sized squid
• 1 cup Chopped prawns
• 1/2 cup Chopped onion
• 1 tsp Ginger chopped
• 1tsp Garlic chopped
• 1/2tsp Green chillies chopped
• 1/2tsp Pepper powder
• 1/2tsp Red chilly powder (optional)
• 1tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 3tsp Soya sauce
• 1tbsp Oil

Cooking Directions

1. Wash and clean the squid.While cleaning do not discard tentacles,instead chop the head and chop the tentacles into tiny pieces and use it in stuffing along with prawns.
2. Heat 2tsp of oil ,add chopped onions and saute for a minute.Then add chopped ginger,garlic and green chillies and saute again for 2 mins or till you get nice aroma of garlic and ginger.
3. Add chilly powder and  chopped coriander leaves ,mix it well.
4. Now its time to add our chopped prawns and tentacles and mix it well with the masala.
5. Now add soy and Worcestershire sauce and mix it well and sprinkle some pepper powder and cook on high flame for 2 mins or till the stuffing is dry.
6. Now check the seasoning and add salt if required( i have used only a pinch of salt as both the sauces contains salt) .
7. Let it cool completely,then start stuffing each squid with this filling and then secure it with toothpick.so the stuffing stays inside when you stir fry them.
8. Now heat remaining oil and slowly place the stuffed calamari in the frying pan Let them cook for about 5 Min on one side and then turn them over and cook again for a 10 mins with a lid.

Serve hot as an appetizer

King fish curry without coconut( kerala style)

Kerala style King fish curry without coconut

Kerala fish curry

Amma (mom) just can not live without fish .When i was a kid i used to hate fish as she used to cook fish,every single day. Now its my kids turn,they like only fried fish ... Amma ( mom )is a excellent cook, has got so many konkanis as well as typical Kerala style fish recipes as she hails from a small town called kannur,Kerala.Today i am here with an authentic kerala fish curry without coconut.I like it so much as it is quick and easy to make and my kids love it too as it is not like our usual coconut based curry.This is dish is perfectly balanced with the right amount of spices.In this i have used some kokum to give it that extra punch to the gravy though amma never used kokum/ birinda in her recipe but one of my friend told me her version, so i tried this dish with both kokum/ birinda and tamarind.I have prepared this dish in a earthen pot/matthi kulle which really enhances the taste and the flavour of this dish.

Ingredients

• 1/2 kg Salmon/ king fish
• 2 Onion ( chopped )
• 1 heaped tbsp Chilly powder
• 2tsp Ginger- ( finely chopped )
• 5-6 Garlic cloves - ( roughly crushed )
• 2 Green chilly - ( chopped )
• 1 Tamarind - marble sized ball
• 4-5 Kokum
• 1 spring Curry leaves
• 1/2tsp Turmeric powder
• 2 tsp Coriander powder
• Salt to taste
• 2 - 3tsp Coconut oil

                            

Cooking Directions

1. Soak tamarind and Kokum in warm water separately in 1/2 cup of waterfor 10 mins.
2. Now squeeze all the pulp from the tamarind and discard the residue.
3. Marinate the fish with turmeric powder,salt, onion,ginger and garlic for 30 Min
4. Heat heavy bottom kadai / pot with 3tsp of oil.
5. Add red chilly powder, coriander powder , curry leaves and pour the tamarind pulp and soaked kokum along with water and boil.
6. Now gently drop the marinated fish into the gravy along with the marinade .
7. Mix it well with the gravy and cook on medium low flame till done.
8. Serve hot with red boiled rice.

Kerala fish curry

Kadambuttu ( coorgi style rice dumplings)

Kadambuttu is a signature dish of kodavas/coorgis.This dish is normally prepared along with coorgi chicken curry or pandi (pork ) curry .You can have it with any other curries as it is prepared with simple rice-rava or idli rava/Rice semolina.Usually kodava's prepare this right from the scratch.But in this recipe i have used readily available rice rava which is as good as home made rava.

Ingredients:
Idli rava / rice rava - 2cups
Water-6 cups
Salt to taste
Sugar-1/2tsp
Cardamom -1 crushed

Method:

• Wash and soak rava with 6 cups of water for 30 mins.
• Now take a deep kadai or heavy bottom pan and cook the rava along with water on low flame.
• Add salt,sugar and crushed cardamom and keep stirring all the time to avoid any lumps.
•  Continue to stir till the mixture is fully dry and resembles soft dough, immediately  turn off the gas and cover it for few mins with a lid.
• Now take a bowl of water and mix in a tsp of oil.
• Dip the fingers into the water and rub onto both the palms.
• Now take about a heaped table spoon of this rice dough and roll into nice round balls.
• Now heat idli cooker or steamer and place all the balls inside the steamer and steam like idli for about 30 mins.
• Serve hot with coorgi pandi curry or any other curries of your choice.

Rava laddu....Festive special

Rava laddu is my daughter's favourite laddo.I love preparing different types of sweet during our hindu festivals like nagpanchami,Ganesh chaturthi and Diwali without fail.People of north karnataka and Maharashtra prepare this Rava laddo especially during ganesh chaturdashi and Diwali.As i said in my earlier post ,indian festivals are incomplete without sweets.Even I enjoy preparing many types of laddos and this one is my favourite too,as it is simple and can be prepared with or without ghee.My daughter likes moist laddus so on ganesh chaturthi i prepared with ghee and added littel besan instead of grated coconut.

Prep time: 15mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 45 mins
Yield: 20 medium sized laddus
Ingredients

• 2cups Bombay Rava/semolina
• 21/4 cups Sugar
• 1/4 cup Gram flour/Besan
• Few strands of kesar/saffron 
• 1/2tsp Cardamom powder
• 1/2 cup Ghee
• Roasted cashewnut and raisins for garnishing

Cooking Directions

1. Mix bombay rava/semolina, gram flour and ghee and roast over low flame till it changes its color to light brown, switch off the gas and  transfer this to a wide plate.
2. Now take a heavy bottom pan, add sugar and few strands of saffron.Pour enough water to cover The sugar completely and set to cook on low flame. Allow the sugar to dissolve slowly, stirring once in a while, when completely dissolved, raise the heat and allow the syrup to boil. Do not stir when the syrup is boiling, this will affect the consistency of the syrup.once its started boiling then keep checking the syrup by taking little syrup with a help of a wooden spoon and take little between your thumb and forefinger and check to see that the syrup forms a single strand as you pull your fingers apart,then immediately switch off the fire
3. Slowly stir in the the semolina to avoid forming lumps.
4. Stir in the cashews, raisins and cardamom powder
5. When warm enough to handle, squeeze a handful of the mixture between your fingers and palm to form small balls.

Note:-

1. Do not over boil your sugar syrup otherwise you will end up with hard powdery rava mixture.If it happens then all you have to do is just sprinkle some warm milk and proceed with your laddoos...
2. Do not store in an airtight container immediately,let it remain on a plate at least for 6-8 hours.

Variation:-

Here is my 2nd version of rava laddos. In this i have not used ghee or any other fat, instead  I've dry roasted semolina and  mixed with the sugar syrup.This is good for those who are health concious .These laddos are bit hard compared to  ghee laddos but really good for people like me who wants to avoid ghee.As we all know during festival its impossible to avoid sweets but at least we can cut down calories by not using ghee by preparing some healthy sweets and desserts like this.
All you need is :
Rava and sugar 1:1 proportion and no need of besan. If you want can add a tbsp of grated fresh coconut (roast separately until its dry on non-stick pan ) and mix it with rava before adding sugar syrup and the rest is  same as ghee rava laddos.

 Cheppe kheeri (turmeric leaves flavoured rice in coconut milk)...a true konkani festive delight

Cheppe kheeri is a rice pudding flavoured with turmeric leaf In konkani "Cheppe " means no sugar or salt completely bland but still we konkanis love this dish because of the unique flavour that comes from the turmeric leaves(haldi paan/patholi paan) and coconut milk..some prefer to season it with salt but i like it as it is.This dish is specially prepared during Nagpanchami and Ganesh chaturthi.

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 15 mins
Total time: 25 mins
Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Basmathi rice/flavoured rice
• 3 cups Fresh grated Coconut
• 2 Fresh turmeric leaves

Cooking Directions

1. First grind coconut with 3cups of water to smooth paste.
2. Now mix washed rice and coconut paste and cook on low flame.
3. While its cooking add turmeric leaves and cook rice till soft and mushy,the consistency should be like our rice pudding/kheer.
• Relish it with or without salt....My kids love to have it with sugar just like rice pudding but flavoured with turmeric leaf

God appo/sweet paddu/...ganesha chaturthi special

God appo is a very divine konkani dish specially prepared during ganesh chaturthi .We mangaloreans offerGod appo instead of Modak .Therefore this dish is a must on that day.'God" means sweet in konkani and jaggery also known as god.This appo is usually offered to Lord Ganesha as prasad in my temples even in Sankashti day every month.But usually my mom used to prepare this once a year during Ganesha chaturthi.So even now i follow her tradition and make sure to prepare this without fail and my kids love it too.

Yield: 12 - 15
Ingredients

• 2cups Wheat flour/atta
• 1cup Grated jaggery
• 1 Banana( mashed)
• 2tbsp Fresh grted coconut
• 1/2tsp Salt
• 1/2tsp Baking soda(optional)
• Ghee for frying

Cooking Directions

1. Grind coconut,jaggery and banana to a smooth paste using 2cups of water
2. Add this paste to wheat flour and add salt and if you are using baking soda add at that too ,blend it well and prepare smooth batter.The batter should be thick like idli or pancake batter.
3. Let the batter rest for an hour.
4. Now heat appo tava and pour heaped tsp of ghee in each mould and then fill it with appo batter.
5. Cover it with a lid and cook over low flame for 2 mins or till done.
6. Now again pour some ghee and flip all the appos using spoon or fork and cook again for a minute .Paddu prepared may stick to the molds.You have to be careful while handling these appos because it may stick to the mould so have patience while taking out the appo from the mould.
7. Serve hot or cold ..you can enjoy this for appo for couple of days without refrigeration as it is fried in plenty of ghee.

 

Chakkuli/chakli/muruku

Chakkuli/muruku is a deep fried indian snack enjoyed in every household specially during festive season,especially during deepavali,ganesh chaturthi and nagapachami.So i make sure to prepare these crispy snack at least on these festivals.This is very easy and simple recipe which i got from my neighbour.

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Yield: 20 medium sized chakklis
Ingredients

• 2 cups Rice flour
• 1/4 cup Besan/ gram flour
• 1tbsp Melted butter
• 1/2tsp Ajwain
• 1/2tsp Red chilly powder
• 1tsp Black sesame seeds/thil

Cooking Directions

1. Mix rice flour,red chilly powder,ajwain,black sesame seeds,besan/gram flour and salt to taste
2. Now pour melted butter and mix it well.
3. Add water little by little as required,form a stiff dough.
4. Let it rest for 10 - 15 mins.
5. Now take a chakkuli maker and use one star attachment and start preparing chakkuli.Use plastic sheet or Banana leaf and grease it well with oil.
6. Now press the dough on the plastic sheet,Slightly rotate the chakkuli maker round and round until you make a circle.
7. Heat oil in a deep frying pan and gently remove the chakkuli from the moist hands and slowly slide into hot oil.
8. Fry till golden brown and drain them on kitchen towel or paper .
9. Let it cool and store in airtight container.

Karanji/karji kai/nevri

Recipe by Preethi baliga

Karjikai/karani/nevri is a deep fried dumpling that is a common Maharashtrian and southindian traditional sweet made during festivals like ganesh chaturthi,Deepavali or special occasions. It is crispy on the outside with a sweet stuffing. The stuffing is made with a combination of coconut, sugar/jaggery and nuts.

Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 30 mins
Total time: 60 mins
Yield: 12-15
Ingredients

• 1 cup Maida/all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Chiroti rava/super fine semolina
• 2tbsp hot oil/ghee
• 1/2 liter oil for frying
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup dry coconut/copra ( grated)
• 2tsp White til/sesame seeds
• 1tsp Spice powder( cloves,cinnamon and cardamom)
• 1tbsp Cashew nuts,raisins,almonds

Cooking Directions

1. Dry roast til/sesame seeds and keep aside.
2. Now Coarsely grind sugar,dry coconut grated,spice powder, and cashew nut,raisin and almonds,Now the filling is ready to go into our karanji
3. For making karanji dough ,first heat oil or ghee ,mix in maida,chiroti rava and salt and hot oil.
4. Knead the flour into a firm yet pliable dough with warm water.Cover it with a wet cloth and set aside for 20-25 mins.
5. Divide the dough into little lime sized balls
6. Roll each ball into round circles ,now place a spoonful of stuffing in the middle.Dip a finger into cold water, and gently dampen only one half of the edges and then gently fold and shape it like puff.Make sure the edges are sealed properly.
7. Heat oil in a deep kadai/pan,gently slide 2-3 karnjis at a time into the hot oil and fry them till crisp.Drain them out on paper towels.
8. Once cold store them in an air tight container.
9. They can be made and stored for up to 2 weeks .For better result store in an airtight container.

Ganesh Chaturti special dishes...

ಎಲ್ಲರಿಗೂ ಗೌರಿ ಗಣೇಶ ಹಬ್ಬದ ಶುಭಾಶಯಗಳು

HAPPY GOWRI GANESHA FESTIVAL

Can any indian festival be complete without authentic sweet dishes??? Here are some konkani dishes posted in this blog

 Friends only few more days for ganesh chaturti and we all are going to enjoy this time with lots of happiness, joy and lots of  sweet.As per ancient tradition,hindus worship the elephant -headed god Ganesha the  first during  every ritual.Ganesha, the remover  of all obstacles, is the son of Lord shiva and goddess parvathi.He represents wisdom,good will and most importantly the art of living a balanced life.Ganesha is also portrayed with sweets in his hand,depicting him as a sweet lover.His favouite sweet is called " Modak " is made and served specially during ganesha chaturti.Apart from Modak there are a variety of sweets made on this occation

Modak

Modak

It is very famous sweet specially prepared during Ganesh chaturti,mostly prepared  in maharashtra and in some southern parts of india.There are 2 types of Modak one is deep fried modak and one is steamed rice dumpling or ukdiche modak people  the name may change from region to region.People of maharashtra call it Modak and in kerala it is known as kozukattai , in manglore bunt community people call it pundi and Christians call it

Rava laddu:

 Rava or semolina mixed in sugar syrup along with grated coconut and some besan/gram flour.

Besan laddu

 One of the popular sweets of india prepared during Ganesha chaturti and Deepavali

Puran Poli/Ubbati/obbattu/Holigey

Puran Poli/Ubbati/obbattu/Holigey

This is a popular south indian sweet parata which is stuffed with begal gram and jaggery stuffing .In maharashtra it is known as Puran poli and in karnataka it is known as holige in kannada and ubbati in konkani

Karanji/karji kai/nevri 

Karanji/karji kai/nevri 

This is one more sweet prepared during Ganesha chaturthi,deepavali and ugadi.You can call it sweet puff or sweet samosa.

 Chakkuli/chakli 

Chakkuli/chakli

Chakkuli/muruku is a deep fried indian snack enjoyed in every household specially during festive season

Special "GSB konkani" dishes prepared during "Ganesha Chaturti "

Patholi/patholeo/steamed sweet rice dumpling

Patholi/patholeo/steamed sweet rice dumpling

Mudganey(Gram payasam)

Mudganey(Gram payasam)

God appo/sweet paddu

God appo/sweet paddu 

 Chana upkari /Bengal gram usali

Chana upkari


Patrode(steamed colocasia/taro leaves) 




Cheppe kheeri 



Festive thali


We GSB's usually serve our festive lunch in banana leaves because its  hygienic and very divine.Here you can see our konkani dishes specially served on our festive days..(Mudganey(Gram payasam), 
PODI(kele,karathey,jivkadgi,Banbaley kele)
Patrodesteamed colocasia /taro leaves)

PODI(kele,karathey,jivkadgi,Banbaley kele)

  Here i have Crispy fried bread fruit which is one of the podi that we prepare during ganesh chaturthi

khotto/kottigey/gundu/idli batter steamed in

 jackfruit leaves

Konkanis love fried veggies and we make sure to prepare at least 5 types of  PODI on ganesha chaturthi