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Stuffed Capsicum (South Indian style)

November 12, 2017

Stuffed capsicum is usually done with potato, paneer, cheese or moong dal. In this recipe I have used coconut and onion which is mixed with south Indian style masala powder for the filling. It can be relished with plain roti or rice as a side dish. It is very tasty, and we relish it every now and then, whenever I get to catch hold of tiny capsicums. This recipe I learnt almost a decade ago by Radha athe. She is a treasure house of North canara traditional recipes and I have learnt so many things from her.

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Ingredient:

Capsicum – ½ kg (small sized)

Onion – 2 to 3

Coconut – 1 cup

Salt – as needed

Tamarind powder – ½ tsp

Oil – 2 table spoons

For masala powder:

Chana dal – 2 table spoons

Urad dal – 1 tea spoon

Cumin – 1 tea spoon

Hing – small pea size

Dried red chillies – 6 to 8

White sesame seed (til) – 1 tea spoon

Mustard – ½ tea spoon

Turmeric – ½ tea spoon

Method:

-For masala, dry roast Chana dal, urad dal, cumin, white sesame and mustard and keep it aside.

-Next take couple of drops of oil and fry red chillies and hing.

-Cool everything and make powder by using mixer jar.

-Now take one bowl, add chopped onion, grated coconut, salt, tamarind powder and required amount of masala powder (don’t pour at once, use as required).

-Here salt and masala should be on a slightly higher side, because while cooking, even capsicum will absorb the masala and salt.

-Next wash small sized capsicum, make a round mark near the stalk region and cut open that top part. If possible, keep it intact.

Ribbet collage 1

-Remove inner seed part and clean inside.

-Fill ready coconut and onion masala and close it with upper stalk part and make it firm.

-Now take one wide nonstick pan, pour oil and heat.

-Place all the masala filled capsicum and sprinkle little water and close the lid.

-Cook in a simmer, check in between and turn the sides.

Ribbet collage 2

-All the sides should be uniformly cooked and outer skin should have charred effect.

-When it is done, switch off and serve hot with rice or plain phulka’s.

Indian Gooseberry/Amla Thokku:

November 10, 2017

Indian gooseberry is a sour and tangy fruit with many medicinal values as it is a rich source of vitamin C. 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.

I used to get Amla Thokku from an “Iyengari shop”. I wanted to replicate this lip smacking Thokku at home. Hence, I began my experiment with the same and tried it a couple of times with some minute tweaks. I finally achieved the taste of the original Thokku and now it is my yearly ritual to prepare this in the season and preserving it for my year-round usage. This recipe has minimal ingredients and is very easy to prepare.

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Now to the recipe:

Ingredients:

Amla – 300 grams.

Green chillies – 80 -100 grams

Mustard seeds – 2 tbsp.

Salt –to taste

Turmeric powder – 1tsp.

Method:

-Wash amla, pat dry them and remove the seeds.

-wash green chillies and pat dry them as well.

-put mustard and turmeric in a small mixer jar and powder it. Now add cleaned gooseberry and green chilies little by little and churn (dry grinding), take this out and keep it in a clean bottle, mix in salt and keep this bottle tightly closed in a cool, dry place.

-Every day mix this Thokku with a dry spoon/spatula, until it is set (almost 10 days), check for salt (it should be a little salty)

– After it sets, store this in a fridge.

Ways to Use this Thokku:

You can have this Thokku with white rice and little ghee.
You can also have it with curd rice.
Lassi: mix 1 tea spoon of Thokku in thin butter milk and drink as spicy, tangy lassi.
Make raita with curd: In a vessel take one table spoon of Thokku, add little curd and chopped onion, mix nicely and relish this raita with plain rice.

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It helps to reduce acidity and soothes. It also helps to regain appetite when you are not well.

Onion Garlic Kulambu / Poondu – Vengaya Kulambu:

November 8, 2017

As I said in earlier post of Tamilnadu style Idli, Kulambu is a very good side dish for idli, if you like sweet and sour kind of taste. We all enjoyed this flavourful curry with idli and I had promised to post this recipe in my earlier post. Basically, it is a simple curry with tamarind base, which has shallots and garlic as the main veggies in it. Once again, all thanks to Senguttuvan Subburathina and his wife, Jayanthi Senguttuvan for this amazing recipe. I have made some changes to suit our requirement.

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Ingredient:

Peeled garlic – 20

Shallots /sambar onions – 20

Tamarind – small lemon size.

Salt

Jaggery – as needed.

Red chilli powder – 1 tea spoon

Sambar powder – 1 tea spoon

Hing – pea size

Turmeric – ½ tea spoon

Coconut – ¼ cup

Rice flour – 1 tea spoon

Seasoning: Gingelly oil – 1 tea spoon, refined oil – 1 tea spoon, fenugreek seeds – ½ tea spoon, mustard – 1 tea spoon, curry leaves – 1 spring.

Method:

-Remove outer skin of shallots and garlic. If shallots are big, make couple of pieces.

-Soak tamarind in one cup of water.

-Take a vessel, do seasoning by pouring both the oils, when it is hot, add fenugreek, when it is light brown, add mustard. When it crackles, add curry leaves.

Ribbet collage 1

-Add garlic and shallots and fry for a while. Meanwhile add turmeric, hing and toss for a while.

-Add tamarind water, red chilli powder, sambar powder, salt, jaggery and cook onions and garlic.

-Grind coconut and rice flour into smooth paste and add the paste to cooked onion.

Ribbet collage 2

-Adjust the consistency by adding some water, check the seasoning like salt, sweet and hot. If needed add and adjust the taste.

– Boil this for 5 minutes, so that rice flour and coconut paste also cooks and becomes little thick.

-When it is ready, enjoy with hot idlies.

Note:

-Original recipe is a little hot, hence I reduced the quantity of chilli and sambar powder.

-Usage of gingelly oil gives the authentic taste. If you are not accustomed to its taste, mix half of any vegetable oil.

-Usage of coconut paste is optional.

-We like little thick texture Kolumbu, so I added rice flour as well. It gives a little creamy texture and is also tasty.

Tamilnadu Style Idli and Dosa Batter:

November 5, 2017

It is a Two in one bonanza—Yes!!!!

I always wondered how to get a pillowy soft kind of idli which is a speciality of Tamilnadu. In our coastal side, idli turns out soft but has a little grainy texture, not spongy which we get in all Tamilian eating joints. During one such discussion in our Foodie group, we asked to provide Tamilian style idli recipe with our ever energetic, multitalented uncle Senguttuvan. I really was not expecting this kind of response after one week. He and his wife literally took all the trouble and wrote step by step procedures with pictures, some tricks and notes. Added to that, there were a couple of video’s too. I was really overwhelmed and wanted to give its due credit by publishing this recipe in my blog after preparing it myself at home and we all loved it.

I tried his Idli recipe and paired it with another hit recipe of his Onion Garlic Kolumbu. It was a pair made in heaven kind of breakfast. I will post the Kolumbu recipe next and once again all thanks to Senguttuvan Subburathina and his wife Jayanthi Senguttuvan for this amazing recipe. Now, over to his words as it is and my pictures-

Here we go!

The selection of Rice is important. Boiled Rice (Idly rice) with patches of white will help in better softness of Idly.

We use whole white Urad Dal. Not broken one. (why? This also help soft Idly they say. I am not sure)

Fenugreek (Methi /Menthya Seeds)

Salt to taste.

Water as required.

Only the above ingredients go into making of this Idly / Dosa batter.

Wash the Rice 2-3 times with water and soak in clear water for 2hrs.
Simultaneously, wash Urad Dal and Menthya seeds and soak in water.

THE RATIO IS – RICE 4:1 URAD DAL. One TeaSpoon of Menthya.

Use of wet grinder is recommended. Heat generated during use of Mixie / blender spoils the Batter making. Though ice water usage will minimize the effect in mixie.

First, Grind the Urad Dal first, using the same water in which it was soaked. Grind for 25 mins adding water little by little so that a soft thick fluffy batter consistency is reached.

Transfer to a vessel and start grinding the Rice adding water little by little as you grind. About half an hour of grinding will give a little coarseness in batter. This thick batter is to be added to the Urad/ Fenugreek mixed batter.

Add required ROCKSALT (to taste) and mix well with hands. This is important. The good bacteria in hands help fermentation of batter. Take care to choose a vessel that will allow 25% raise in the height of batter after fermentation.

Normally, the batter is prepared by noon around 2pm. By night, around 8-9 pm, the batter is well fermented, for Chennai weather. In cold climate, it is recommended to switch the light on in OTG and keep it in, so that the warm light helps in faster fermentation.

At 9pm, when you find the batter well fermented, mix it well with ladle and close and keep refrigerated.

As and when required, take the small quantity of batter in a separate vessel and use that portion leaving the main portion of batter under constant refrigeration, so that it does not get further fermented.

The batter is ready for Idly / Dosa preparation the next day morning. Mix well and use for fresh fluffy Idly.

Use a drop of oil in each pit of Idly plate and spread oil so that Idly comes out smooth. We cook Idly in pressure cooker without placing the weight. It just takes 7 minutes to get fluffy Idlies cooked.

After removing the Idly plates from cooker allow a minute or two to cool down and remove the Idly for easy removal.

For Dosa preparation:

Remove small quantity of this batter to another vessel and add little water mix well and use. A thick Dosa or thin roast Dosa can be prepared with same batter.

Trust the above details help.

Note from Me:

-In Bangalore weather it takes more time to ferment. It took me almost 16 hours.

-I personally feel very lazy to remove urad dal after grinding. So, I add soaked rice and continue grinding as it is. It also works just fine.

Sweet Corn and Cheese Paratha/Parata:

November 4, 2017

Week days are really challenging for moms of school going kids. We must see the nutritional factor as well as the taste. This stuffing is such, it is tasty, nutritious and loved by any kids from tiny tots to teenagers. It has sweet corn, cabbage and cheese.

These three are very tasty and nutritious as well. Sweet corn contains a lot of vitamin B12, Iron, Folic acid and soluble fibre etc.

Cabbage also is rich in vitamins; minerals and it is quite filling as well. In India, the only concern is that it has high pesticide content. So, wash with salt or vinegar solution a couple of times, drain and use.

Now it is cheese. Who doesn’t love cheese? Like all dairy products cheese also provides required calcium to our body and kids need it even more. Usage in limited quantity is always good 😊

Ingredients:

For Chapati dough:

Whole wheat flour- 2 cups

Salt- ½ tsp

Water – as required

Oil – 1 tsp

For stuffing:

Cabbage – 3 table spoons

Sweet Corn – 3 table spoons

Capsicum – ½

Onion – 1 (small)

Oregano or Any pizza seasoning – ½ to 1 tsp

Chopped Garlic – 3 flakes

Red chilli flakes – ½ to 1 tsp

Salt

Turmeric – ½ tsp

Grated cheese – 2 table spoons.

Method:

-Make soft pliable chapati dough by mixing all the above ingredients under chapati. Keep aside.

-Boil corn and drain water.

-Chop garlic, onion, capsicum, cabbage.

-Churn or crush cooked corn, cabbage and capsicum in food processer or veggie chopper.

-Take one wok, add oil, chopped garlic, onion, turmeric and fry for a while.

-Next add crushed veggies, put salt and seasoning. Fry for 2 minutes or until it wilts.

Ribbet collage 1

-Cool and add grated cheese and mix nicely and make small balls.

-Now take lemon sized chapati dough in hand, spread as a small disc by using fingers.

-Keep this in your left palm, in a cup shape, put filling (smaller in size) and cover it.

-Now take extra flour for dusting and spread or roll this ball with light pressure by using a roller.

-Cook both the sides by using either oil, ghee or butter.

-Enjoy this either with ketchup or pickle.

Note:

-Instead of chopped garlic and salt, one can use garlic salt as well.

Seasoned Neer Dosa / Thellavu Oggarane:

November 2, 2017

Neer Dosa batter usually finished off as a fresh batter. We traditionally don’t keep Neer Dosa batter to ferment. We finish off all the batter by preparing dosas and keep. My family likes the seasoned sweet version of this at evenings as after school or office snack. That is the reason why I make it a point to soak more rice and prepare more dosas in the morning and keep them. Now we will see how I make this-

Ingredients;

Left over dosas – 8

Coconut oil – 1 table spoon

Mustard – 1 tea spoon

Urad dal – 1 tea spoon

Dried Red chilli -1

Curry leaves – 1 spring

Salt – ¼ tea spoon

Coconut – ½ cup (grated)

Jaggery – grated (as needed)

Method:

-Break Neer Dosa into pieces by using hand.

Ribbet collage 1

-Prepare mixture of grated jaggery and coconut and keep aside.

-Heat one tawa, add oil, splutter mustard, fry urad dal, red chilli and add curry leaves.

Ribbet collage 2

-Add pieces of Dosa, sprinkle salt and add coconut jaggery mixture.

-Heat until it all mixes and then switch off the gas and serve as a snack.

Neer Dosa:

November 1, 2017

Hi all! Today I’m posting a south Karnataka special- Neer Dosa! Its literal translation to English is watery Dosa and we call this as “Thellavu”. It is soft lace like and many people enjoy this Dosa. Friends always want to have this Dosa when they visit our home and it is a joy to prepare and eat. Everyone keeps asking for the recipe and I thought I would post it. So, here’s how you make this simple, soft and delicious Dosa. This Dosa stays fresh for hours and very good option for tiffin boxes or gatherings. One can prepare in advance and keep it in a hot box.

Ingredients needed:

Dosa rice -2 cups

Salt

Iron griddle /tawa.

Method:

Wash and soak Dosa rice at night or 2 to 3-hour soaking is needed.

In the morning grind this soaked rice into fine paste with water (I use soaked water while grinding, it gives nice aroma for the Dosa) and salt as per requirement.
Make batter into pourable consistency like this and check for the salt.

Now keep Iron griddle for heat.
When it is ready, apply oil like this.
Pour one serving spoon of batter like how we make Rawa Dosa, you can see it in the picture above.
Now close the lid by keeping the gas on full flame.

After two minutes, remove the lid and keep the gas in simmer the edges of the Dosa rise a little(See in 2nd picture “cook in a simmer”)
Now flip this Dosa on the plate, leave for 2 minutes, then fold (upper shiny part will stay upwards)
Now keep repeating this with the remaining batter and stack one over the other or take one big plate and stalk one opposite another alternately.
This type of folding will help to keep Dosa without sticking to one another.

Serve these Dosa with coconut and grated jaggery mixture or coconut chutney. People even enjoy Neer Dosa with Egg curry or Chicken curry as well.

Note:

Use soaked water while grinding.
If you are using any other variety of rice,please add half cup of fresh coconut to give softness to Dosa.

Choco Almond Biscuits:

October 29, 2017

These are melt- in- the -mouth and loved by all, kind of cookies or biscuits. Added to all that, it is rich with all the healthy stuff. I got an opportunity to taste this goodie at “RAGA” Mangalore and it was prepared by Nalini akka who is a super talented and down to earth person. Our acquaintance started in 2012 through a Facebook group named “FOODIE” and I got to know her through her hubby Sadashiva Rao Mailankodi, who started our group and has shared this recipe on the group long ago. It was in my “to try” list and after tasting these cookies at their residence, I couldn’t wait much and prepared it immediately. I am posting it over here by thanking Nalini akka for this wonderful recipe.

Ingredient:

Whole wheat flour – 3 cups

Almond – ½ cup

Cocoa powder – ¼ cup

Powdered sugar – 3 cups

Ghee – 1 ½ cup

Butter – 3 table spoons

Cooking soda – ½ tea spoon

Salt – a pinch

Method:

-Roughly Crush almonds.

-Mix all the dry ingredients like flour, cocoa powder, cooking soda and salt.

Ribbet collage 1

-Sieve couple of times or use dry wire whisk to combine uniformly.

-Now beat ghee, butter and sugar by hand or food processor.

-When it becomes like a cream, add flour and make a dough.

-Add in crushed almonds, mix well. Dough will be little crumbly and will not be like a smooth dough.

-Now shape these dough into whichever shape you like.

-Keep in a lined cookie tray and bake in a pre-heated oven at 170°C for 10 to 12 minutes.

– I have exactly followed her method to give shape by using bigger steel spoon. It was a cute oblong shape.

-After baking, cool and store it in an air tight container.

Pizza with Homemade Spinach Pesto:

October 27, 2017

Who doesn’t love Pizza? I love Spinach and paneer in all forms. So, thought of clubbing my spinach pesto recipe into veggie pizza and prepared this for the kids. Should I say, even I loved it too: D

Usually I make pizza by chopping vegetables into bite size pieces and mixing it with the seasoning that one likes and mixing some chopped cheese too. It will surely give a more tastier pizza than normal veggie one.

In this way, veggies absorb more flavour and because of cheese it gives a little texture too.

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Now we will see how I did this nutritious treat –

Ingredients:

For Spinach Pesto:

Spinach – 1 small bunch

Walnuts – 2 table spoons

Garlic salt – 1 tsp

Olive oil – 2 tsps.

Red chilli flakes – 1 tsp

For Pizza:

Pizza base – 2 numbers

Vegetables – 1 bowl (Paneer – 100 gms, yellow and red capsicum – ½ each, Boiled sweet corn -2 tbl sp)

Onion – ½

Hot and sweet tomato ketch up – 2 tbl sp

Mozzarella cheese – 2 tbl sp + 2 table sp (to garnish at the top)

Method:

Grind all the items under spinach pesto and make a smooth paste and keep aside. It is for pizza spread.
Now chop all the vegetables and onion.

Ribbet collage 1

Take one bowl, put all the chopped items, Tomato ketchup and 2 tbl spoons of grated cheese and paneer. Mix everything and keep it ready. This is for the toppings(fillings).
Pre-heat oven at 180 C
Take a Pizza base on lined baking tray, Spread Spinach pesto over the pizza base.

Ribbet collage 2

Top with veggie mixture, which we have mixed and kept ready.
Spread this topping equally and grate some more cheese and spread evenly on top.
Bake this for 10 to 15 minutes or until cheese melts and becomes bubbly.

pizza 1

Remove from the oven and cut and serve.

pizza 2

Usually it doesn’t require any seasoning, if you feel like adding some, you can add and enjoy.

Turmeric Milk /Turmeric Latte:

October 26, 2017

This is an age-old remedy for sore throat during flu season in India. Turmeric is a key ingredient in Indian cooking and has a very important place in our kitchen shelf. It offers many health benefits since it has both anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiseptic and anti-oxidant properties. It is considered as a “natural aspirin” in Ayurvedic medicine. In our family we combine turmeric and pepper with milk to make concoction to soothe sore throat. Pepper corns is said to help in absorption of turmeric by the body.

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How we prepare –

Ingredients:

Water – ¾ cup

Milk – ½ cup

Turmeric – ½ tea spoon

Black Pepper corns – ¼ tsp (crushed) or pepper powder-2 pinch

Sugar – 1 tea spoon

Method:

-Boil water, add turmeric and pepper and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

Ribbet collage 1

-Add milk and sugar and heat a bit, sieve the mixture and drink as warm as possible.

-It really gives a soothing effect.

Note: Vegans can use any other form of milk.