Category: No Onion No Garlic

Brahmi Tambli:

May 28, 2019

Centella Asiatica is commonly known as Centella /Gotu kola or Asiatic pennywort locally known as Thimare /Brahmi or Ondelaga in our region. Popularly known as a memory enhancer and from ages, it has been used as a brain tonic. In our coastal Brahmi is considered as a body coolant and used as a culinary herb during summer either by making chutney or Tambli.

Brahmi is a small runner/succulent herb and contains numerous fibrous roots at its every node. In our coastal belt, it grows widely in our paddy fields or Areca nut garden. It has small tiny seed-like flowers with a neutral colour. The whole plant including its roots can be used in cooking as well as medicinal purpose. It has little bitter sweetish taste when it is consumed in a raw form without any added taste enhancer. 2 teaspoons of Raw extract can be used for 3 to 7 days to enhance the overall health /to boost immune system/to reduce any inflammation of the body. Apart from this, it is very good for hair as well and I have shared the Hair oil recipe long ago by adding Brahmi and many other goodnesses. 

In our region, usually, we make Tambli or chutney and consumed as a raw form (not boiled) to get all the benefits of the greens. This particular recipe I learnt it from Kavya Bhat which she has shared with us in our Foodie Facebook group and I want to thank her for the wonderful tasty recipe.

How to make Tambli-

Ingredients:

Brahmi greens – 1 fistful (You can use with roots or without)

Coconut – ½ cup

Cumin – ½ tsp

Jaggery – 1 small piece

Curd – ½ cup

Salt

Seasoning:

Coconut oil – 1 tsp

Sesame seeds – 1tsp

Red chilli flakes – 1 tsp (or chopped red chilli)

Curry leaves – 1 spring

Method:

-Wash Brahmi greens and roots nicely.

-Put Brahmi, coconut, salt, cumin, jaggery and pour ½ cup of water and grind into a smooth paste.

-Sieve the content and extract the liquid.

-Take all the roughage, add curd and little water grind once again and sieve. Collect the liquid.

-Third time add little water and grind, sieve and extract the liquid and discard all the remaining roughage.

-Prepare seasoning- heat oil, add sesame, when it turns light brown switch off the gas. Add red chilli flakes, curry leaves and add to Tambli.

-Adjust the salt and enjoy either as an appetiser or with white or brown/ red rice.

 

 

Kadu Mavina hannina Hasi Gojji/ Wild Mango Gojju:

May 1, 2019

Wild mangoes are known as Kadu mavina hannu in our local language. Which is very fibrous, tangy as well as sweet in taste. It has distinct taste; it is widely used in varieties of curries in our region. Hasi Gojju is nothing but, raw form of curry. Which can be prepared in a jiffy and doesn’t need any heating and is a perfect treat for summer. Usually we enjoy this with hot rice as well as devoured like a dessert :D. In Mango season, we do prepare varieties of curries like Sasame or Sasive, saaru and Gojju are the most loved dishes of our region.

Ingredients:

Wild mangoes -5-6

Salt – to taste

Jaggery – to taste

Green chillies – 1 or 2

Seasoning: Coconut oil – 1 tsp, mustard – 1 tsp, Red chilli – 1, Curry leaves – little.

Method:

  • Wash wild mangoes, remove top part of the mango, remove outer skin and keep this in a separate vessel. Keep inner fruit part in another vessel.

  • Add one cup of water to outer skin, mash nicely, collect pulpy water and add this to fruit.
  • Discard outer remaining skin. Add required amount of jaggery, salt and crush green chillies by using your hand.
  • Mix everything, check for the seasoning. If needed add some more grated jaggery or salt.
  • Season by using coconut oil. When it is hot, add mustard, after it splutters, add red chilli and curry leaves, add this to mango curry.

  • Enjoy this with hot rice.

NOTE:

-If you don’t have access to wild mango, don’t worry. Pick up any (little sour) varieties of mango, peel the outer skin and chop the fruit into bite size pieces or mash a little and proceed with above method.

 

Carrot – Bell fruit Kosambari /salad:

April 11, 2019

When you have abundant supply of home-grown Bell fruits in Summer, you tend to use it in anything and everything for sure 😀

Bell fruit has many names like Java apple, Wax apple, Water apple, Syzygium, Jambi fruit or Jambu nerale. I normally prefer to use local, easily available and pesticide free stuffs as much as possible. I have shared the juice recipe before and now I am sharing one salad or commonly known as Kosambari in our local term. Which is “no onion and no garlic” and ideal for any fasting or festivities.

 

Ingredients:

Carrots – 2 (red or normal)

Bell fruit – 10 – 12

Salt

Raw mango or lemon – as needed

Grated coconut – 2 table spoons

Coriander leaves – 1 table spoon (chopped)

Seasoning:

Coconut oil – 1 tea spoon

Mustard – 1 tsp

Hing – ¼ tsp

Green chilli – 1 or 2

Curry leaves – 1 spring

Method:

-Grate carrots, chop bell fruits into very small chunks.

-If you are using raw mango, grate and add or else use lemon juice.

-Mix in coconut, coriander leaves, salt.

-Now prepare seasoning, heat oil, splutter mustard, add chopped green chillies, curry leaves fry for a min and add it to the salad bowl and mix everything and check once.

– Serve as a salad or as a Kosambari /side dish for lunch.

 

 

Sabudana/Sago idli:

March 30, 2019

Sago/ Sabudana is also known as Sabbakki, Javasiri in Southern part of India. Yes! It has many names and is one of the favourite staple foods during the festivals or fasting time. Sabudana is rich in complex carbohydrates due to which, it is easy to digest as well as takes longer to breakdown. Hence, you don’t feel hungry for long.

In our tradition, it has been used from ages during the summer time to maintain body heat, during the time of illness or as baby food. During all these situations, people need to take low calorie, high in energy, easily digestible meal option. Traditionally it is combined with rice while making gruel.

In India we normally make sweets as well as savouries from these edible pearls. Sago is usually confused with Tapioca pearls. Sago is extracted from the inner pith of the tropical palm trees. On the other hand, Tapioca pearls are made by using Cassava, it is a tuber.

In Summer, it is a good idea to include Sago, rice as well as curds in your diet to maintain body heat. I have included fresh homemade turmeric powder, fresh coconut, cumin as well as chopped coriander to enhance the taste as well as nutrients.

Ingredients:

Rice Rava / Idli Rava – 2 cups

Sabudana – 1 cup

Curds – 2 cups

Water – 1 cup

Cumin – 1 table spoon

Turmeric – 1 tsp

Salt

Grated coconut – 1 fist full

Chopped coriander leaves – 3 table spoons

Eno fruit salt or cooking soda – 1 tsp

Method:

-Mix Rice Rava and Sabudana, wash twice and drain. Add curd, water, cumin, turmeric powder, salt and keep it covered overnight.

-Next morning, add coconut, Eno fruit salt, coriander. If needed, adjust the consistency of the batter by adding little extra water.

Mix well and make idlies like regular idlies in an idli steamer for about 10 minutes and serve with chutney.

NOTE: Vegans can substitute with any plant based curds to make this batter.

 

 

 

 

Lemongrass Tambli:

March 8, 2019

Lemongrass is used as a culinary as well as medicinal herb in the Asian continent. It has a mild citrus flavour with sweetish taste. It can be used in a dried, powdered or fresh form in various things like teas, soups and curries. This particular curry is called “Tambli” and it is prepared by grinding fresh leaves with coconut and mixing in buttermilk and it doesn’t need boiling. You can savour this like an appetiser or mixing with piping hot rice in this really hot summer. It has healing properties and is very good for the digestive system.

How to prepare this:

Ingredients:

Lemongrass sticks – 5-6

Fresh grated Coconut – ½ cup

Green chilli -1

Salt –to taste

Lemon – ½

Buttermilk – ½ cup

Method:

  • Chop lemongrass into bite size.
  • Take your mixer jar, grind lemongrass pieces, coconut gratings, green chilli and salt by adding ½ cup of water into smooth paste. Sieve this mixture to get smooth liquid. (Sieving is very important over here, otherwise lemongrass will irritate your throat)

  • Once again add half cup of water, do exactly like earlier and repeat this process for two or three times, so that we will remove all the traces of liquid and discard the remaining fibre.
  • Now mix in buttermilk, adjust the consistency by adding water. Check the salt and add lemon juice.
  • Now your Tambli is ready to savour.
  • If you want to add the seasoning, heat one tsp of ghee, fry little cumin and curry leaves and add to Tambli.
  • Beat the heat by having this either as an appetiser or with hot rice.

NOTE:

  • To make vegan version, please omit the buttermilk and rest you can proceed as it is.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mixed vegetable with spinach:

March 5, 2019

Sweet potato is a versatile veggie and it blends very well with any veggies. Made this side dish to use my little harvest of spinach and Sweet potato by mixing with seasonal favorite cauliflower to make it attractive. 😉 . It is a perfect healthy side dish for Roti’s.

How I do-

Ingredients:

Spinach – one bundle.

Cauliflower florets: one bowl (cleaned, washed)

Sweet potato – one bowl (washed and chopped)

Capsicum -1

Tomato – 2 to 3

Green chillies -2

Ginger – 1”

Oil – 2 tbl sp

Hing – ¼ tsp

Cumin – ½ tsp

turmeric – ½ tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Salt 

Black pepper – 6, cloves -3, cinnamon – ½ “, cardamom -2

Method:

-Take one bowl of water, add salt, cook sweet potato and drain, keep aside.

-by using this same water blanch cauliflower florets, drain and keep aside.

-Now add chopped spinach to this water, add a pinch of sugar to retain green color and blanch. When it is cool, blend this and keep aside.

– Now make coarse powder of black pepper, clove, cinnamon and cardamom.

-Make a paste of tomato, green chilli and ginger.

-Take one pan add 2 tsp of oil, when it is hot, add capsicum fry a little. Then add blanched cauliflower and sweet potato, toss and keep aside.

-In another tawa add oil, hing, jeera, powdered spices, tomato paste, turmeric, coriander powder, fry till oil leaves from the sides.

-Put spinach paste, check for salt and add tossed veggies. Mix till all the veggies are coated with masala and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

-Enjoy with any kind of Indian flat breads or roti’s.

 

 

Bannangayi Dosey /tender (young) coconut Dosa:

February 20, 2019

When I was a little girl, my mom used to work, and I used to spend the summer vacation at my grandparents’ house. I used to enjoy at the farm house by having an unlimited supply of Mangoes, tender coconut, pineapples etc.

There used to be abundant supply of fallen young coconuts, also called ‘bannangayi’ which have much harder flesh than what we get in the normal tender coconut carts over.

My aunt used to make a very tasty Dosa out of this and we used to relish this along with chutney and Jaggery syrup topped with homemade ghee.

Yesterday, when we had tender coconuts here in Bangalore, inner pulp was very thick and couldn’t eat. So, I thought about Dosa and prepared this after ages. It was such a nostalgic moment for me. Let us see how to make this tasty Dosa.

Ingredients:

Tender coconut – 1

Dosa rice – 2 cups

Salt

Method:

-wash and soak Dosa rice for 3 to 4 hours.

-Grate or chop tender /young coconut and keep aside.        

            

-Grind soaked rice with grated young coconut by adding little water and salt and make smooth paste. This batter must be like our regular Dosa batter and there is no need of fermentation.                           

-You can make use of this batter straight away. Usually we prepare this batter in the morning itself.

-If you want to prepare this batter in the evening, to make the Dosa in the morning, you can store the batter in the refrigerator.

-To prepare Dosa, heat iron Dosa tawa. When it is hot, don’t apply any oil. You can pour one serving spoon of batter and make Dosa like our regular Dosa. Pour ½ tsp of ghee and Close the lid.     

             

When it shows little brownish spots here and there, flip the side, cook upper side and serve with Coconut and onion chutney , jaggery syrup which is topped with ghee or honey.

 

Surnoli: (Bread dosa/ Buttermilk dosa)

January 24, 2019

Surnoli is a traditional breakfast recipe of south canara; it is also called as bread dosa or buttermilk dosa. This is usually prepared if you have left over buttermilk or curds in excess. Usually we make this by adding jaggery.

Here I am giving both sweet and normal dosa version.

Ingredients:

Dosa rice – 3 cups

Fenugreek seeds – 2 tsp.

Beaten rice /poha – 1 ½ cup

Salt – to taste

Buttermilk /curd – 2 cups

Grated coconut – from half coconut or 2 fists full.

Eno fruit salt – 1 tsp. each (for sweet/normal version)

Grated jaggery – according to taste (2 to 3tbl sp) (For sweeter version)

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp. (for sweeter version)

Method:

  • Wash dosa rice, fenugreek and beaten rice twice; discard water. Pour curds and soak this for 3 to 4 hours.
  • Grind this in to a smooth paste by adding coconut and salt to an idly batter consistency (little thicker than normal dosa)
  • If butter milk is very sour add milk while grinding or else you can add water too (if batter is too thick)
  • Now divide this batter into two, take out one portion of batter into a steel vessel in which you keep it for fermenting. This is our normal dosa batter.
  • For sweeter version, add turmeric and jaggery to the mixer jar and grind until it is homogenous.
  • Remove this batter to another vessel and keep it for fermentation.
  • Next day morning add 1 tsp. Eno fruit salt to both the batter and leave it aside for 10 min.

  • Make a dosa by pouring one serving spoon of the batter on hot iron griddle, don’t spread.
  • You will see thousands of holes on upper surface, smear with butter(Vegan’s can avoid) and cook this in a low flame by closing it with a lid.
  • Cook this dosa only on one side and don’t flip.

    -Spongy bread dosa is ready to serve and indulge in it with homemade butter or any chutney. Here I have served this with Onion-coconut chutney.

Indian Gooseberry preserve/Amla Jam:

January 18, 2019

Indian gooseberry is a sour and tangy fruit with many medicinal values as it is a rich source of vitamin C, calcium etc. It is known as Nellikai in Kannada, Amla in Hindi. This berry has been used for years in Ayurvedic medicines as well as in Home remedies, because it is rich in antioxidants. I make it a point to store Amla in a couple of forms every year- normally by Sun drying and making a jam instead of doing traditional morabba etc.

Usually early morning, weekly 3 to 4 times I do include this jam in my breakfast. It is very good for hair, skin, eye sight and overall health of a human body.

How I make –

Ingredients: 
Amla/Gooseberry (grated)-1 cup 
Sugar -1 cup 
Water -1 cup 
Red Chilli powder-¼ tsp 
Black pepper powder -¼ tsp 
Kesar – 5 -6 strings 
jeera powder -½ tsp 
Turmeric -¼ tsp 
Salt -As per taste 

Method: 

– Wash, cut open and remove the seeds. Put gooseberry either in food processor or chopper. U will get nice uniform chunks, or you can directly grate it.

-Take one thick bottomed pan, add water, grated amla, sugar. Mix well. Cook in low heat.

-When it is half done, add all the other masalas, salt and cook further.

-When mixture becomes shiny and forms a single thread, when you touch in between your fore finger and thumb.

-Switch off, cool and store it in a glass bottle.

-Stays good for one year, in cool weather like Bangalore.

 

Mangalore Buns:

January 13, 2019

Mangalore Buns is a mildly sweet, deep-fried poori which has a honeycomb texture inside.  It is pure bliss to have this super tasty breakfast occasionally. The main ingredient of this delicacy is Banana and curd. That is the reason it has the fragrance, a little sour, melt-in-a-mouth texture and a sweetish taste.

In Mangalore, each hotel in any nook and corner will offer this super yummy dish throughout the day as a snack. Usually, they serve this with coconut chutney or super thin dhal which is called Thovve.

In our household, we relish this with Thovve. Thovve is nothing but cooked Toor dal boiled with slit green chillies, lots of asafoetida/hing and salt and seasoned with coconut oil or ghee, mustard and curry leaves.

Usually, buns are prepared by using all-purpose flour, but I normally make this by using whole wheat as a healthy choice.

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour – 3 to 4 cups

Curd – ½ cup

Sugar – 6 to 7 teaspoons

Salt – 1tsp

Cooking soda – 1 teaspoon.

Bananas – 4 (small variety)

Cumin seed – 1 tablespoon.

Coconut oil – 2 teaspoons.

Oil- to fry

Method:

-Take one mixing bowl; pour in curd, sugar, salt, and cooking soda. Mix nicely in a circular motion by using your hand.

-When sugar dissolves, add in bananas and mash or add mashed bananas. Now add cumin.

-Starts making the dough by adding Whole wheat flour or All-purpose flour or half and half, however you prefer.

-Dough should be a little sticky, hope you are clear over here, if not please refer to the above picture and refer to my fingers.

-At this stage, pour in coconut oil and coat this on the outer side of the dough. Now keep this oil-applied dough in a bigger container or in that same vessel by closing the lid.

-It should ferment, rise and becomes double. It will take almost 7 to 8 hours in normal weather. In cold areas, even more, time is needed. I keep it for almost 20 hours rising in Bangalore weather.

-Next day morning, Keep oil in a thick Kadai for heating. When it becomes hot, take the fermented dough and keep it ready.

-Don’t mix or knead the dough. Take a small amount of dough, make this into a ball and roll the ball into discs with thickness as shown, by applying flour while rolling. (please refer to the above picture).

-Check the oil, if it is hot start frying buns.

-Slip the rolled disc into hot oil, when it comes up, immediately starts pressing from the back of the frying spoon. (please refer the picture no. 1) Now disc will fluff (No. 2) and fry nicely on both sides.

-Serve these fluffy and soft buns either with Thovve or coconut chutney.