Ponsa (jackfruit) mulik

Summer is the season where you enjoy so many fruits like mangoes,watermelons,musk melons and of course  jackfruits.I love jackfruit especially barko type which is slightly hard compared to other variety that is tulvo which is very soft and little difficult to swallow.I really enjoy making so many dishes from this fruit.We konkanis make so many dishes from tender and ripe jackfruit like idli,mulik,payasam/garayi ,muddo,patholi,pappad,chips ..etc...
Today i am here with one of my favourite  jackfruit snack ie Ponsa Mulik as we call in konkani .Its  a soft sweet type bondas or you can call it jackfruit fritters ,which is usually served as a evening snack .

              In this dish i have used soft and mushy variety jackfruits we call it  tulvo in konkani .this variety is perfect to make these type dishes. I really thank to my son who enjoys climbing trees especially to pluck these jackfruits for me.I really enjoy making dishes with jackfruit which is my favourite too!

Ingredients:
jackfruit-11/2cups (10 bulbs)
Raw rice-1/2cup
Wheat semolina/soji/bombay rava-1 cup
Grated coconut-1cup
Jaggery-1cup or to taste
Salt-1/2tsp
oil for frying

Method:

•  I have used organic jaggery which has lovely dark brown color and awesome taste.Powder jaggery and grind it along with all the other ingredients except bombay rava to smooth  paste with 1/2 cup of water.

 You have to deseed before using it.You can use that seeds for making curries ,cutlets or desserts which i am going to post soon..

• Add wheat semolina/soji little by little and mix.Make a mixture of thick consistency so its easy to make a ball while frying.
• Now heat a oil in a pan  and start dropping one by one marble sized lump/ball in the oil.
• When it turns to dark golden take it out from the pan .
• Serve hot as a snack . 
• 

Saucy Crab

Today i got huge crabs which is my all time favourite seafood.I wanted to prepare something unusual dish without coconut and less spicy.Then i remember one dish my mom always used to make with other seafood For example :prawns ,clams or any other shell fish but she never prepared it with crabs so thought of trying that dish of her with my  crabs.
    My amma (mother) is a fantastic cook,coming from a small fishing village in the state of God's own country 'Kerala',She made a excellent dishes with seafood in which she is a master.

This recipe is very simple and less spicy compared to my earlier post  of  Kurla alley piyava Gashi/konkani style crab curry.


Ingredients:-
Crab-4
Onion-4( chopped finely)
Tomato-1( chopped finely)
Ginger paste-2tsp
Garlic paste-2tsp
Green chilly-4-5 slit
Turmeric-1/2tsp
Chilly powder-1/2 tsp
Tamarind pulp-1tsp
Cooking oil-1tbsp
Salt to taste

How to clean the crab:-

• Place the crab on the flat surface ,belly side up.
• Now you will see triangular -shaped belly flap,just pull that off  by holding the belly part tightly with your left hand and with your right hand  thumb try to pull off the shell like how you open the tiffin box and shell comes out easily.
• Now with a creaser cut off the ends of the legs and separate the claws from the crab.
• Now pull off the spongy gills and small paddles which is over the belly of crab.
• Now wash it under the water and cut into half from the centre of the belly to two pieces and keep aside.

Method:-

• Heat up your pan and add cooking oil.
• Stir fry the onions until they are light pink.
• Now add tomatoes and red chilly powder, keep stirring until tomatoes are soft and mushy.
• Now add Ginger and garlic paste and saute till you get nice aroma.
• Its time to add  some green chillies and turmeric and give a nice stir.
• When all the spices are done now its time to add pieces of crab along with tamarind paste and salt.
• Now add a cup of water,cover and cook on a low flame for 10 mins or till you get nice thick saucy crabs.

Serve hot with plain rice

Amrakhand

Yesterday i got some sweet ripe Alphanso/appus mangoes in the market.So while making Shrikhand  thought of making this Amrakhand which again  yoghurt based dessert but the difference is Amrakhand is flavoured with mango purée or pulp where as shrikhand is plain sweetened yoghurt. Gujarat is famous for both Amrakhand and Shrikhand.Both are served as a dessert or side dish with puris.

Ingredients:

1. Hung curd-2cups
2. Mango pulp-1cup(don't use any water while making)
3. Sugar-2tbsp or to taste depending on the sweetness of mango
4. Butter-1tbsp
5. Salt a pinch
6. Almonds few for garnishing

Making of hung curd:

• Hung curd is nothing but yoghurt from which excess water has been drained off
• For making hung curd you will need a muslin cloth ,bowl and sieve.
• Place a muslin cloth over a sieve (big one) and pour the yoghurt in the centre of the muslin cloth
• Tie up the muslin cloth tightly with a string and leave it over the sieve.
• Now keep this sieve over a huge bowl.This is important ,else you will end up with a puddle of whey.
• Now keep this inside the fridge for at least 8-9 hours.
• Now open the muslin cloth and you will get nice creamy yoghurt.

Note:-Don't discard the water strained from the yoghurt.You can use it for curries or while kneading dough or mix it with sour curd to make spicy buttermilk.

Method :

• Make mango pulp by puréeing mango pieces in a blender.
• Refrigerate the puree for at least 1hour. 
• Now with a help of a hand blender mix hung curd ,mango purée,butter and  sugar  till light and creamy .
• Then add the cardamom powder and salt and mix it well.
• Let it rest in the refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving.
• Garnish with crushed almonds before serving.

Note: Color of your  Amrakhand is depend on the type of mango used and Alphanso  mangoes are the best choice.If  you use amrakhand with puris then use only a cup of mango plup for 2 cups of hung curd in order to get a thicker Amrakhand.If you want little smooth dropping consistency as a dessert  then use curd and pulp  in 2:2 ratio you will get nice creamy Amrakhand.

Shrikhand

Shrikhand is a famous Gujarati dessert which is prepared from hung curd or yoghurt sweetened with sugar and  flavoured with cardamom .
   I prepared this for breakfast along with poori which makes a excellent combo.You can serve this for dessert too with lots of nuts and can use some saffron to give that rich golden yellow colour to this dish.


Ingredients:
Curd-1ltr
Sugar-1cup(Powdered)
Cardamom-4-5 pods(powdered)
Almond-4-5( crushed)
Pistachios- 4-5 (crushed)

Making of hung curd:

• Hung curd is nothing but yoghurt from which excess water has been drained off
• For making hung curd you will need a muslin cloth ,bowl and sieve.
• Place a muslin cloth over a sieve (big one) and pour the yoghurt in the centre of the muslin cloth
• Tie up the muslin cloth tightly with a string and leave it over the sieve.
• Now keep this sieve over a huge bowl.This is important ,else you will end up with a puddle of whey.
• Now keep this inside the fridge for at least 8-9 hours.
• Now open the muslin cloth and you will get nice creamy yoghurt.

Note:-Don't discard the water strained from the yoghurt.You can use it for curries or while kneading dough or mix it with sour curd to make spicy buttermilk.

Method:

• Now take hung curd and mix it  well with powdered sugar .
• To get that creamy texture use hand blender and blend it well until sugar dissolves completely.
• Now mix in  cardamom and half  of the crushed almond and pistachios.
• Garnish with remaining nuts and serve chilled.
• You can serve it like a side dish with spicy pooris or can serve as a dessert.

Oats-Ginger Dosa

I am here with one more type of dosa which is not only healthy but yummy too.After my Appo/Gundu Ponglu/Paddu with oats thought of posting this one.In this dosa i have used  not only oats but ginger too which enhances the taste and the aroma of this dosa.

Ingredients:-
Raw rice-2 cups
Urad dal-1/2cup
Oat-1cup
Ginger-2 Big pieces
Salt to taste

Method:-

• Soak all the ingredients together for at least 6 hours except ginger..
• After 6 hours grind all the ingredients along with ginger to smooth paste.
• The batter should be little thick like idli batter.
• Now add salt and keep this overnight .
• Next day nicely mix the batter and start making dosas.
• Heat griddle and apply ghee and pour a ladle full of this batter and do not spread too much .This dosa should be little thicker.
• Now cover it with lid and let it cook on low flame.After an minute turn the dosa and fry on the other side till crisp .
• Serve hot with any chutney or sambar.

Sambarballi(cuban oregano) chutney/Tambuli

Sambarballi(cuban oregano) chutney/Tambuli

Sambarballi is a herb which is also know as cuben oregano.In kannada it is known as doddapatre and some call it sambrani .Leaves of this plants are aromatic and thick.This herb is widely know for its medicinal use especially in children.This herb is used for curing stomach related ailments like indigestion , constipation and acidity.You can also make the tea just boil some leaves along with coarsely ground cumin and coriander seeds which is very good in indigestion. I used to give the juice mixed with honey to my kid when they suffer from cough or cold.It has a cooling effect when mixed with curd so whenever i prepare this chutney i add curd and serve with rice.You can prepare variety of dishes like vada,bajji or in curry paste.

Ingredients

• 10-15 Sambarballi leaves
• 1cup Coconut grated
• 1 Onion-(chopped)
• 5 cloves Garlic
• 5-6 Green chilly
• 1/2tsp Cumin(jeera)
• 4-5 Pepper corn(optional)
• 1 cup Curd-(thick)
• 2-3 tsp of oil for frying.

Cooking Directions

1. Fry all the ingredients in oil on a low flame for a few minutes except coconut and curd.
2. Now grind it along with coconut to smooth paste with little water
3. Just before serving add curd and serve.
4. Goes well with plain rice.

• variation:- just omit curd and use tamarind Pulp.you can use this chutney with dosas or sandwiches .

Kori Sukka( dry chicken curry with coconut).. an authentic Manglorean dish

On the occasion of Mother's day  i am here with one of  my  amma's(mother )favourite dish Kori sukka.She used to love that dry masala more than the chicken.This is a very popular "Bunts" dish which is served on all occasions .Kori means chicken and sukka means dry dish.This dish is very popular through out the region of Tulu nadu in the south west of india.The cuisine of bunts is famous all over india.Some popular among them are kori ghashi,kori sukka,kaney masala,neer dosa,kori rotti,pundi gashi and Bangudey(mackerel ) puli munchi.

    Usually they prepare this dish with country chicken or free range, which is little hard and chewy compared to our broiler or farm fed chicken.This dish tastes goes well with our manglorean dishes  like idli,neer dosa or pundi/ oondi .Country chicken with skin tastes good.

Ingredients:-

1. Chicken-1(medium sized pieces with or without skin)
2. Red chillies-10-12
3. Coriander seeds-2tbsp
4. Cumin-3tsp
5. Ajwain/ova/oma-1/2tsp
6. Fenugreek seeds-1/4tsp
7. Pepper-1/2tsp
8. Garlic 1Pod
9. Tamarind-1small lemon sized ball
10. Coconut grated-1(4cups)
11. Turmeric powder-1/2tsp
12. Onion-4 chopped
13. Butter or oil-1tbsp
14. Salt to taste
15. Curry leaves-2 springs
16. Coconut oil/ veg oil-3tsp

Method

                                                     

• Heat 1tsp of oil and roast red chillies,coriander seeds,fenugreek,ajwain, cumin-1tsp and pepper corns very on low flame until the all the dry masalas changes to light brown color.

• For the 1st paste : grind roasted masala along with turmeric,1 pod of garlic and tamarind to smooth paste adding 1 cup of water and keep aside.

• For second paste : In the same jar grind coconut along with Cumin seeds to a coarse paste without adding any water ( just one or 2 round is more than enough while grinding.In this dish you should feel the coconut and jeera/cumin ,so keep it as coarse as possible).

 

• Now heat the remain oil or butter, add 1 chopped onion and saute for few seconds then add  the 1st masala paste along with chicken and salt and  do not forget to add plenty of curry leaves to get that nice fresh  flavour.
• Cover it with lid and boil till the chicken is cooked well.
• At this state add second masala paste* and mix it well ,let the masala coats the chicken pieces. cook  on high flame till the dish is fairly dry.Switch off the gas .
• Now take a small pan and add little coconut oil ( i prefer coconut oil which enhances the flavour of this dish ) or any other veg oil.when its hot add onion and remaining curry leaves and fry until onions turns to golden brown .Temper the Kori/ chicken sukka with fried onion and curry leaves.
• Serve hot with Paan pola/neer dosa or plain boiled rice.

Appo/Gundu Ponglu/Paddu with oats

This is another  type of " Appo " .My 1st appo was onion appo In which have used onions.But this time i have used oats which makes this more healthy.My kids love Appo/Paddu/Gundu Ponglu So trying something different each time to make it more interesting .As my kids doesn't like oat porridge so i just try to add in some form or other in my daily cooking.

In this Appo i have added a tsp of fenugreek which gives nice golden colour which you can use while making dosas too.Fenugreek has its own flavour which really blends well with our south indian dishes whether its sambar or any dosa or any other typical south indian veg curry. 

Ingredients:-

Raw rice-2 cups

Urad dal-1/4 cup

Oats-1cup

Puffed rice-1 cup

Fenugreek /Methi seeds-1tsp

Salt to taste

Method:-

• Soak all the ingredients together except salt for about 3-4 hours in summer and 7-8 hours in winter.
• After 3-4 hours of soaking grind rice-dal mixture to fine paste adding about 4cups of water.The batter should be neither too thick nor  too watery.You can add little water the next day while preparing Appo.
• After grinding add salt to taste and keep it overnight in warm place to ferment .
• Next day morning mix the batter well and start making Appo.

• Heat appo tava( Appya kayli )  smear some oil or ghee in the round shaped well.Now fill it with batter and close it with lid for about 1minute or till done.
• Now turn the appos using sharp spoon or with a knife to cook on the other side.Again put some oil or ghee and continue cooking till both the sides are crisp and golden brown on medium flame.I use old iron Paddu tava which requires little more oil ( i just don't mind as far as its nice brown and crisp ).But  now  you have a option of non-stick tava which is not only easy to use but consumes less oil too.

Appo served with putane chutney and Oats chutney powder

Serve hot with any chutney

Chingri (Prawn) Macher Malai Curry.......a bengali cuisine

Chingri Macher malai curry

Today i tried bengali dish called Chingri( means prawn)Macher Malai Curry.Bengalis love prawns and have it all year round in variety of ways.They have created their own distinct style of cooking  which is quite different from others when compared to our konkani or goan konkani dishes and prawn dishes definitely ranks one of the most popular among them.Chingri/prawn malai curry as it is better known by bengalis,is one of the signature dishes created by bengalis,which is served with rice.This dish is not at all spicy but you can really enjoy the prawns and its flavour as it contains only few spices and very subtle flavour of coconut milk which makes this dish very delicious and incomparable taste

Tiger prawns

Tiger prawns

Clean and devein the prawns

Ingredients:-
Jumbo prawns-1/2kg
Onion-1large(finely chopped)
Green chillies-5-6(slit)
Chilly powder-1/4tsp
Turmeric powder-1/4tsp
Cardamom-3
Cinnamon-1" piece
Cloves-4-5
Bay leaf--1
Garlic-2-3 cloves(finely chopped)
Ginger-1(small piece chopped)
Coconut milk-1cup(thick)
Salt to taste
Oil-2tbsp

Method:-

• Clean and devein the prawns.Apply salt and turmeric and keep aside for 20 mins
• Coarsely pound cardamom,cinnamon and cloves and keep aside
• Heat a oil in kadai/frying pan and fry the prawns until it changes to light golden brown color.
• Once it is done take it out and spread it on a paper towel
• In the same oil add  coarsely pound masalas,bay leaf,chopped garlic,ginger, onions and saute until onion turns to light pink color.
• Now add red chilly powder,Green chillies and followed by coconut milk and mix it well.
• Add a cup of water and bring to boil,when you see the gravy starts buddling add shallow fried prawns  and continue cooking on low flame until the gravy thickens and becomes creamy.
• Serve hot with Pulao or plain Basmathi rice. 

Chingri Macher Malai curry

Prawn Patia/Patio..a parsi dish

"prawn patia/Patio"..its a authentic parsi dish which is not only spicy but sweet and sour too.I got this recipe from one of TV shows of Karen Anand's .I am a big fan of parsi cuisine so tried this dish and it was really tasty and it is very different from our curries .Usually we do not add jaggery or sugar to our non-veg dishes but this curry has jaggery in it but still we all liked the taste and the aroma of this dish which goes well with Parsi brown rice.

 

Ingredients:-

1. Prawns-1kg
2. Tamarind paste-1tbsp
3. Onion-3 chopped
4. Oil-3tbsp
5. Tomato -2 chopped
6. Coriander leaves for garnishing
7. Jaggery-2tsp

For the masala:-

1. Coriander leaves-2tbsp
2. Green chillies-4
3. Dry red chillies-7-8
4. Cinnamon-2sticks(1"piece)
5. Cardamom-4-5
6. Cloves-6
7. Pepper corns-7-8
8. Coriander seeds-1tbsp
9. Cumin-1tsp
10. Ginger-1"piece
11. Garlic-1big pod

Method:-

• Mix jaggery with tamarind pulp and keep aside.
• Wash clean and devein the prawns.
• Grind 1-11 masala ingredients to fine paste.
• Now take a heavy bottom sauce pan and add oil,onion,tomatoes and fry for a minute.
• Add masala paste,tamarind-jaggery pulp ,prawns and the salt.
• Now cover the pan with a lid and cook on a medium low till the gravy is semi dry or almost dry.
• Serve hot

Choco Maida Burfi

This is easy chocolate burfi which is very simple and easy to make.It takes hardly 15 mins.From many days i was thinking of making this easy burfi and at last i tried it today.It was really very yummy.

Ingredients:-

Maida(All purpose flour)-11/2cup

Rava(Wheat semolina)-1/2cup

Sugar-13/4 cup

Ghee-11/2cup

Cocoa powder-2tbsp

Vanilla essence-1tsp

Tutti fruiti  -1tbsp 

Method:-

• Take a heavy bottom pan add ghee,maida and rava.Now fry maida and rava on low flame for about 5-6 mins or until the raw smell goes off.Now switch off the gas and mix cocoa powder and wait till the sugar syrup is done.
• Side by side start making sugar syrup .Take a bowl and add 11/4cup water and sugar bring to boil.Keep testing the syrup to get its consistency.To do this dip a wooden spatula in the syrup and lift out.Now touch the syrup with  a clean forefinger and then touch your thumb and forefinger together and pull apart gently.Keep testing till you get the 2 string consistency syrup
• Once it is done add this syrup to maida-rava mixture ,vanilla essence and keep stirring on a low flame for 3 min .Switch off the gas and mix until all the syrup is absorbed and forms a soft dough. Immediately pour it on a greased plate and sprinkle some tutti fruiti over the burfi.Level it well with a greased spatula or back of a steel bowl.
• Cut into desired shape while still warm.Store in an air tight container after an hour.

Lassi Malai Markey( sweet yoghurt with cream)

One more drink to beat the heat is all time favourite  "Lassi Malai Markey".This yoghurt drink is very famous in northern part of India especially in Punjab.No meal is complete without large glass  full of lassi.Lassi is primarily a sweet drink taken cold and it is really good and healthy choice to beat the scorching  heat and get refreshed in summer.Lassi can be served plain or enhance the flavour by adding mango or strawberry or rose syrup.

                                               

There are Many new drinks flooding in the market every second day but flavour of 'Lassi ' can not be replaced with any other drink.

2 servings

Ingredients:-

Plain yoghurt-2cups

Sugar-2-3 heaped tablespoon

Cardamom powder- a pinch

Rose water-1tsp(optional)

Ice cubes-6

Fresh cream-1tbsp

Method:-

• Place all the ingredients except ice cubes in a blender and blend until frothy .
• Now add ice cubes and churn it again until they broken down into a slush.
• Serve in tall glass.

                                     

Oats chutney powder

Yesterday i tried chutney powder using oats for the first time,which was so delicious and yum As.we all know  it is a good source of dietary fibre."soluble fibre from oatmeal is low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease".source: U.S.FDA.So it is a great way to start your day with plenty of Energy.
              My kids do not like oats if i give them like a porridge .So i just add in our own south indian breakfast to make it more interesting like in idlies,dosas,upma, paddu/appo or any other food in different forms.But today for the first time i used oats in my dry chutney powder because kids love chutney powder a lot and that they want almost daily in their breakfast and some times in their lunch also.Yesterday  i actually wanted to prepare oats upma so for  that  i roasted my oats to keep in handy when i needed.But i am not very sure about the kids so prepared some vermicelli upma for them .Then i dropped my plan to prepare oats upma.So tried this chutney .

Ingredients:-

oats

Cumin

Garlic

Ground nuts

Roasted gram

Curry leaves

Kashmiri red chillies

Copra

1. Oats-2cups
2. Roasted gram-1/2cup
3. Roasted ground nuts-1/2cup
4. Copra grated-1tbsp
5. Curry leaves-3strands
6. Kashmiri red chilly-10
7. Cumin -1tsp
8. Garlic-2pods
9. Oil-2tsp
10. Salt to taste

Method:- 

• Dry roast oats over low flame untill it becomes light brown colour.
• Now add all the ingredients and roast further 5 mins on low flame.
• Let it cool for some time then put all the roasted ingredients along with the oil in a  mixer jar to make a fine powder.
• Spread it on a wide plate and once it cools down store it in an air tight container.
• Serve with dosa,idli or with hot rice along with ghee or curd.