no onion no garlic curry

Kanile-Kappu Kadle Kodilu/Bamboo shoot – Black Chana Sambar:

August 29, 2024

Welcome to our culinary journey through traditional flavours! Today, I’m excited to share a cherished recipe celebrating simplicity and authenticity: Kanile Kappu Kadle Kodilu, which is nothing but Bamboo Shoot-Black Chana Sambar. This dish is from our traditional kitchen, without adding onion or garlic, making it both wholesome and flavorful. Join me as we explore this beloved recipe’s rich, aromatic layers, perfect for those who appreciate the delicate balance of traditional flavours and nutritious ingredients.

The recipe includes cooked dal, fibre-rich bamboo shoot chunks, black chana, and freshly roasted and ground coconut masala. The result tastes so fresh, and the crunchiness of the Bamboo shoot tantalizes the palate.

Ingredients:

Bamboo shoot – Sliced or chopped.

Black Chana – ½ cup (soaked)

Salt, jaggery to taste

Toor dal – ½ cup (cooked)

Fresh Coconut – 1 cup

Byadagi Red chillies – 4 to 6

Coriander seeds – 3 tsp

Cumin – 1 tsp

Methi – ¼ tsp

Hing- 1 pinch

Tamarind – one Amla size (soaked in water)

For the Seasoning: Coconut oil, Mustard, red chilli, and curry leaves.

Method:

-Slice or chop bamboo shoots; if you want to know how it is done, I have a blog post HERE.

-First, cook bamboo shoot chopping with abundant water; discard the water and keep the chopping ready.

-Cook soaked black chana with sufficient water; discard the water and use only chana.

-Now, put cooked chana and bamboo shoots, salt, jaggery, cooked dal, and tamarind water, and boil for some time. If needed, add a cup of water.

-In the meantime, prepare masala; take one small kadai, heat 1 tsp of oil, and put in methi seeds; when it turns light brown, add all the remaining masalas like coriander, cumin, hing, red chillies, and roast everything.

-Grind all these with coconut, make a smooth paste, and add it to the boiling veggies. Boil nicely. Adjust the consistency, either by adding water or salt.

-Add the tadka by heating coconut oil, mustard and curry leaves. Enjoy with Rice or Roti.

Avarekai Usli/Hyacinth beans:

December 25, 2022

Avarekalu or Avarekai is pure love for the people of Bangalore- Mysore region. These are seasonal beans available in and around Bengaluru between Nov and Jan., Also known as Hyacinth beans.

We relish Avarekai curry with dosey, a yearly affair at our home. Now, after tasting usli at our friends’ place, there is no looking back. I make it a point to prepare the same combo of vermicelli Uppittu and Avarekai usli.

Avarekai usli is versatile, and it can have it as a salad or with anything and everything.

To make a much-loved effortless dish, here is the method.

Ingredients:

Avarekai ( soaked and peeled one) – ¼ kg

Salt, turmeric

Coriander leaves – 1tbl sp (chopped)

Fresh coconut – 2tbl spoons

For seasoning:

Cold pressed oil – 1 tbl sp (as per your choice)

Mustard – 1tsp

Cumin- 1 tsp

Hing – one pinch

Green chilli – 1 (chopped)

Ginger – 1 tsp (juennile)

Curry leaves – 1 spring

Method:

-Cook Avarekai ( peeled dals) in water. When it froths, remove all the foam and discard. ( I would help to enhance the taste as well as to help to avoid bloating.

-When the dal becomes soft, switch off the gas and keep the vessel aside.

-Now, prepare the seasoning. Heat oil, splutter mustard, hing, cumin, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves, and turmeric and saute.

-Now, add the cooked dal with the remaining water. Add Salt and coconut and allow the flavour to seep by closing the lid. Garnish with coriander greens, and enjoy.

Thovve:

July 10, 2022

Our Thovve is nothing but dali thoye, a delicacy of the Konkani household. With Idli or buns,thovve is somewhat the most loved combo of my husband and his family. Over the years, even I have started to relish this combo as much as they do.

According to my father-in-law, tempering is the basis of any dish. Here, cooked toor dal is boiled and added with a liberal tempering. As we have now monsoon season, it is a most comforting and soothing meal option for us.

Ingredients:

Toor dal – 1 cup

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Green chillies – 2 (slit)

Salt

Hing – ¼ + ¼ tsp

Ghee or coconut oil – 1 tbl spoon

Mustard – 1 to 2 tsp

Red chillies – 1 or 2

Curry leaves

Method:

-I prefer to soak toor dal in advance to get a smooth texture. Wash the dal, add sufficient water, and collect and discard all the foamy froth which forms at the upper surface.

-Now, before closing the cooker lid, put turmeric, green chillies and a tsp of coconut oil or ghee and cook for 3 to 4 whistles with sufficient water.

-Mash the dal, and adjust the consistency by adding extra water. Add salt, ¼ tsp of hing and nicely boil.

-Now, do the tempering. Heat oil or ghee, crackle mustard, hing, red chillies, and curry leaves and pour over the boiled dal.

-Close the lid for some time and allow it to seep in all the flavours. Serve with Idli or buns.

NOTE:

-Soaking the dal and skimming (removing the foam) is optional. It does change the taste of the final product. Hence, I follow the process.

Badanekai Gojji Sambar/ Brinjal Dal :

March 18, 2022

Our Native Brinjal has its charm and a fan base. People who like it relish it in many ways. I have already shared the palya, and this dal is one more item, which is our family favourite and mild at the taste. Here, we use either Gulla or a native variety of big green brinjal.

It needs hardly any ingredient but tastes fantastic and soothing in the summer heat. It is No coconut, vegan curry.

Ingredients:

Brinjal – 1 ( big)

Toor dal – 1 cup ( cooked with turmeric and mashed)

Green chillies – 5 to 8 ( slit)

Salt – as per taste

Jaggery – as per taste

Roasted methi powder – ½ to 1 spoon

Tamarind – small lemon sized

coriander leaves – 2 tbl spoon (Chopped)

Seasoning: Coconut oil – 1 tbl spoon, Mustard – 1 tsp, Hing – peanut size ball, red chilli – 1, curry leaves – 1 spring.

Method:

-Here, we use full brinjal, even its stalk. So, the chopping procedure is, Halve the brinjal, even the stalk. Make four slits lengthwise. And dice it. Remove the inner woody part of the stalk and discard.

-Put those brinjal pieces in water and immerse.

-Now, take one vessel, Boil tamarind, 2 cups of water, salt, jaggery, slit green chillies. When it starts boiling, add brinjal pieces by draining the immersed water.

-When brinjal pieces turn soft, add mashed dal, roasted methi powder, adjust the salt and, jaggery and chillies according to your taste.

-Boil nicely, garnish with coriander. Do the seasoning by heating oil, splutter mustard, hing, red chilli and curry leaves.

-Enjoy with hot rice and papad.

NOTE: You can check the quantity of all the essential ingredients in the Above picture.

Omum and dry ginger Tambli:

February 26, 2022

Omum/ Ajwain/ carom seeds are the lesser-known spice of our Indian Kitchen. Our moms turn their hands whenever we complain about bloating or Indigestion and feed us Omum water by infusing it with water. It has been known for its benefits in treating bloating and diarrhoea due to intestinal inflammation for ages.

As we all know, Carom seeds have Anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal properties. We are here, Combining Carom with dry ginger, which has the capacity of cleansing our digestive system and nourishing our body. The taste of the tambli is so refreshing and soothing.

—such a simple preparation.

I learnt this recipe from my Foodie friend, Lakshmi Akka.

Ingredients:

Carom seed/ omum – ½ tsp

Grated dry ginger – ¼ tsp

Ghee or coconut oil – ½ tsp

Grated Fresh Coconut – ½ cup

Buttermilk – 1 serving spoon

Method:

Take ½ tsp of ghee or oil, fry omum and dry ginger.

-Grind fried items, coconut, salt and water to make a smooth paste.

-Add buttermilk adjust the consistency by adding water.

-If you like seasoning on tambli like me, please go ahead and heat some ghee add cumin and curry leaves. Pour on Tambli and enjoy it as a soothing drink or with Hot Rice.

Bendekai Kayirasa / Ladies finger coconut curry:

August 17, 2021

Kayirasa is one of our almost extinct dishes, which can be seen only in our rural houses and found only in our community / homely recipe. It is coconut-based, slightly sweetish, and pairs well with hot boiled red rice or white rice.

Like Sambar, we always use a light green or purple coloured heirloom variety of Bhindi to make Kayirasa. I have never tried Kayirasa with any other types of Bhindi. It is my childhood favourite, and I used to ask my ajji / Grandmother to prepare whenever I visited her. Her preparation tasted like heaven, and I could never replicate that taste even if I used clay pot like her. Grandmothers are ultimate, and they have a magic wand in their hand to dish out such a delicious meal.

Ingredient:

Bendekai / Ladies finger – ½ kg

Tamarind – big gooseberry size.

Salt

Jaggery

Red chilli powder – ½ tsp

Fresh coconut – 1 big bowl

Urad dal – 1 tablespoon

Dried red chillies – 3 to 4

Seasoning:

Coconut oil – 2 tsp

Mustard – 1 tsp

Red chilli – 1

Curry leaves – 1 to 2 springs

Method:

–Soak tamarind, boil with little added water, salt, jaggery, red chilli powder.

-When it starts boiling, add chopped Bhindi. Allow cooking on a low flame.

-To avoid sliminess, don’t close the lid or put a spoon to mix while boiling Bhindi.

-In the meantime, prepare the masala: heat coconut oil, fry urad dal, red chillies. Grind into smooth paste by adding coconut and water.

-Add the ground masala to cooked veggie, boil nicely by adding sufficient water to adjust the consistency.

-Do the seasoning and serve with hot rice.

Jackfruit seeds Rasam:

July 18, 2021

Jack seeds Rasam, perfect for rainy weather. It is a nutritious, authentic way to soothe our souls.

Traditionally, we use freshly roasted and ground masala to prepare the jack seed Rasam. Here, I took a shortcut method to ease my work, without affecting the outcome.

I usually keep the jack seed in my freezer, and the procedure is here. Other than that, I have a couple of other jack seed recipes in my blog. One is jack seed with Bamboo shoot, and another one is with Mangalore cucumber; both are our traditional recipes. Other than that, I have tried and shared jack seed Hummus, which is tasty, creamy and delicious.

Now, let us see the procedure of Rasam. It hardly needs any ingredients. A fistful of jack seeds and Rasam powder creates the magic.

Ingredients:

Jack seeds – 10 -15

Green chillies – 1 or 2

Rasam powder – 1 to 2 tbl spoons

Coconut – 1 to 2 tablespoons

Tamarind – small gooseberry size

Hing – ¼ tsp

Salt – to taste

Jaggery – to taste

Seasoning:

Coconut Oil – 1 tsp, Mustard – 1 tsp, red chilli – 1, curry leaves – 1 spring.

Method:

– Here, I add a little more seeds than the required amount. I like to retain those seeds in the rasam to enjoy the creaminess.

-Cook a fistful of jack seeds in an open vessel or cooker for one whistle. Peel the outer skin ( pink in colour)

-Take one serving spoon of cooked seeds, Rasam powder, coconut and grind into a smooth paste.

-Now take remaining cooked jack seeds with water, salt, jaggery, slit green chillies, hing and boil for 5 minutes.

– Add ground paste, tamarind pulp, adjust the consistency, boil well. Add seasoning and enjoy with hot rice and some papad.

Plantain flower palya:

July 9, 2021

Plantain flower, aka Banana flower, is a superfood for humans. It contains various vitamins, minerals and fibres. The abundance in every aspect makes them an excellent source of healthy nutrients for diabetes, nursing mothers, and anaemic persons to increase their haemoglobin level.

We usually use the whole flower, which we call Kundige / Baale Mothe, and I have already shared a delicious traditional chutney recipe and dosa recipe by using Banana/ plantain flower.

The age-old practice of soaking chopped banana flowers in buttermilk laced water will be beneficial in two ways. It would control blackening due to oxidization and eliminate the bitter sap that would turn bitter after cooking. The recipe is straightforward and earthy in taste.

Ingredients:

Banana flower – 1

Tamarind – 1 tsp

Salt

Turmeric – ½ tsp

Jaggery – 1 to 2 tsp

Red chilli powder – 1tsp

Grated coconut – 1 cup

For Seasoning:

Coconut oil– 1 tablespoon

Mustard – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1tsp

Cumin – ½ teaspoon

Red chilli -1

Curry leaves – 1 spring

To soak:

Water – 1 bowl

Curd – 1 serving spoon or little Tamarind

Method:

-Soak tamarind in a cup of water and keep aside.

-Wash banana flower from outside and remove outer purple bract (remove 2 layers) and discard.

-Now, take one bowl of water with 1 serving spoon of curd and mix and keep it ready. (This water will avoid decolouration of the choppings)

-Start chopping banana flower from the tip (refer to the above picture)

-Keep on adding the chopped part to curd water.

-While chopping, whenever the outer shell opens by itself, discard that and proceed to chop.

– After the chopping, drain the curd water and collect the banana flower choppings.

-Take one Kadai/ wok. Do seasoning, heat oil, splutter mustard, urad dal, cumin, red chilli, curry leaves.

-Add tamarind water, salt, turmeric, jaggery, red chilli powder, and drained choppings and cook in a low flame by closing the lid.

-When it is cooked and water drained, garnish with coconut and mix nicely. Serve with hot rice.

NOTE: For the vegan version, instead of curd, use diluted tamarind water

Wild mango Rasam :

June 9, 2021

Kadu Mavinahannina saru: is a traditional delicacy of coastal Karnataka, which is a must during mango season. We have several recipes of wild mangoes in the coastal region, and each has its charm and taste. Some varieties are sour and fibrous, and some are sweet and juicy; some mangos do not have much pulp. According to their types, their usage also varies 😉

If tiny wild mangoes are sour, not so sweet, and fibrous, they go into the cooked form of saru / Beyisida gojju. In this way, we can enhance the taste by adding additional jaggery and enjoy even the sourest mangoes.

Sigh!! These are all nostalgic memories for me. Here, In Bangalore, I do manage to cook all these varieties by using tiny mango, which is also known as Sakkara gutti or Sugar baby 😀

The recipe is simple and goes like this –

Ingredients:

Wild mangos / tiny mangos – 6

Green chillies – 2

Jaggery

Salt

Method:

-Clean the mangoes, remove the peel, put it in the vessel containing half a cup of water, squeeze and collect mango pulp; repeat the process until skin sheds all the pulps.

-Now, take mangoes, squeezed the water into a vessel. Add salt, crush two green chillies by using your hand ( it indeed a vital part to enhance the taste), jaggery ( little more), 1 tbsp of grated fresh coconut and boil until mango cooks.

-Adjust the water content according to your taste. -Season it with Coconut oil, mustard, red chilli and curry leaves. Serve with hot rice.

Suvarna gadde- Kadle Melara / Elephant foot yam -Kabuli chana Kayi Huli :

June 5, 2021

Yam and Chana Melara is the Most loved dish of our community. It is an absolute favourite of my family as well. Today, I will share one more traditional recipe of our region and one of the favourite dishes you find on our wedding menu.

-Now prepare the Elephant foot yam or simply Yam; if you are new to the usage of Yam, please go through my detailed description of handling Yam, how to chop etc., in “Understanding the roots and tubers.” And go down until Tubers, and you would find the Yam under Number 6, and it is HERE.

Ingredient:

yam – around ¼ kg

White chickpeas – ½ cup

Salt- as needed.

Green chillies – 2

tamarind – one gooseberry size (soak in 1 cup of water)

To grind: Fresh Coconut – 1 ½ cup

For Seasoning: Ghee or Coconut oil- 1 tablespoon, mustard – 1tsp, red chilli – 1 (optional), curry leaves- 1 spring.

Method:

-Soak dry chickpeas overnight and cook in a pressure cooker for 3 to 4 whistles or until done.

-Cook Yam until it is half done, add tamarind pulp, slit green chillies, cooked chickpeas, salt, jaggery and cook until Yam is soft and perfect.

Now, grind the coconut into a fine paste, add the paste into cooked veggies, adjust the consistency, and boil for 2 minutes.

-Add buttermilk or beaten curd, and when it starts to boil, switch off.

-Prepare seasoning, heat oil, splutter mustard, add red chilli and curry leaves, fry and pour over Melara. Serve with Rice.