Tag: south indian side dish

Kantola Palya / Subzi/ dry curry:

August 4, 2020

Kantola has many names like Spine gourd, Teasel Gourd, phagila, Mada hagala, locally we call this as “Kaadu peere” in Mangalore. Kantola is one of the famous and nutritious vegetable of coastal region and some Eastern parts of states. This monsoon vegetable is loved by all. This resembles a bitter gourd in structure, but not in taste. It is a crunchy mild flavoured vegetable.  It is a great health food as it is rich in proteins, Iron, and antioxidants and low in calories. It is high in fibre too.                  

In my family, we usually relish this in two ways. One is crunchy,  tawa fry form or as a palya. I make palya in two ways. One is garnished with  fresh coconut. Other one is  with coconut, along with little crushed roasted peanut. Both side dishes tastes equally good.

Ingredients:

Kantola – 500 grams

Onion – 1

Garlic – 7 to8

Turmeric – 1 tsp

Tamarind – small gooseberry size.

Red chilli powder – 1 to 2 tsp

Salt – to taste

Jaggery –  to taste

Fresh Coconut – to garnish

For seasoning: Coconut/ Vegetable oil, Mustard, urad dal, chana dal, cumin , curry leaves.

Method:

-Wash Kantola, chop into small slices. Chop onion and crush garlic. Soak tamarind in a cup of water.

– Take one kadai, heat oil, splutter mustard, add urad and chana dal. Fry until it turns red. Add cumin and curry leaves as well as crushed garlic.

-Add chopped onion, add turmeric, fry until onion turns transparent. Add tamarind water, red chilli powder, salt, jaggery.

-When it starts boiling, add chopped Kantola and mix everything , close the lid, and cook in a low flame.

-After water drains, Kantola turns soft, garnish with coconut or coconut as well as crushed roasted peanuts.

Mix everything and cook further 3 more minutes and switch off. Serve as a side dish with rice or roti.

 

 

Jack seed and Mangalore cucumber palya:

June 22, 2018

Jack seed is halasina beeja, which is a seed of jackfruit and most underrated protein rich nature’s gift to mankind. All thanks to our elders, who have gifted us with the knowledge of lots of combinations of ingredients, vegetables. One such combination is coloured cucumber which is also known as Mangalore cucumber/ sambar cucumber with jack seed.  It is an ultimate, tasty side dish from our region and I am eager to share this recipe with you all –

I normally preserve jack seeds in a frozen form and procedure is already shared in my blog as well.

Ingredients:

Coloured cucumber – ½ or 1

Fresh or Frozen jack seeds –2 fists full

Grated coconut – 3 table spoons

Turmeric – ½ tea spoon

Red chilli powder – 1 tea spoon

Salt- as needed

Jaggery – as needed

Seasoning:

Coconut oil – 1 table spoon

Mustard – 1 tea spoon

 Urad dal – 1 tea spoon

Cumin – ½ tea spoon

Red chilli -1

Curry leaves – 2 springs

Method:

-Wash Mangalore/Coloured/sambar cucumber.

-Chop off 2 ends, slice in to 4 pieces and remove inner core (seed part) and chop into thin slices. (see the picture)

-Check now for the taste. If it is bitter in taste, soak the pieces in plain water for 5 minutes.

-Discard the water and proceed.

-If cucumber tastes good, no need to soak in water and you can directly proceed in cooking.

-I normally crush and store the jack seeds. So, no need of chopping or crushing. If you have fresh seeds with you, please crush the seed by using hitting stone and remove outer stiff cover and use inner seed.

– Take one pressure pan or cooker, do seasoning. Heat oil, splutter mustard, add urad dal. When dal becomes light brown, add cumin, red chilli and curry leaves.

-Now add in crushed jack seeds, little water and cook for one whistle.

-When pressure releases, remove cooker lid and proceed to make palya.

-Switch on the gas, Add Red chilli powder, salt and jaggery, required amount of water and chopped cucumber pieces.

-Close the lid and cook this in a low flame, until cucumber is cooked or up to water drains.

-If water drains first, add some more water and make sure to cook cucumber.

Garnish with fresh grated coconut and mix, cook for 2 minutes and switch off the gas.

-Serve with hot rice and enjoy as a side dish.

Potato Sagu:

June 13, 2018

Potato Sagu is an ultimate combo for Rava idli, here in Bangalore. I came to know about Rava idli or Sagu only after coming to Bangalore, after my marriage. Earlier, we never found this combo in Mangalore. I like potato Sagu which is served with Rava idli in MTR hotel, Bangalore. It is here, that the invention of Rava idli happened, during the world war II. At that time, making of idli was so difficult, due to short supply of the rice, this is how they experimented with semolina to prepare idli and it is now history and Rava idli has become a staple diet of south Indians throughout the world.

Earlier I used to use MTR or Mayya’s Potato Sagu masala to this side dish to get a taste as close as their Sagu. But, now they have stopped the product. To replace it, I started using my own masala. 

My preparation goes like this-

Ingredients:

Potato – ½ kg

Onion – 2

Ginger – ½ “

Green chillies – 2

Tomato – 2

Coriander leaves – 2 table spoons

Salt

Sugar/ jaggery

Turmeric – ½ tea spoon

Sagu masala powder – 1 ½ to 2 tea spoons (Mixture of Puffed chana/ Putani powder, coriander powder, jeera powder, little garam masala and tamarind powder) 

Seasoning:

Cooking oil – 2 table spoons

Mustard – 1 tea spoon

Urad dal – 1 tea spoon

Chana dal – 1 tea spoon

Cumin – ½ tea spoon

Hing – one pinch

Curry leaves – 2 springs

Method:

-Wash potato, cut it into half and cook in sufficient water for 2 whistles in a pressure cooker.

-When it is cool, remove skin, mash and keep aside.

-Chop onion, ginger, green chillies, tomatoes and coriander leaves.

-Take one deep pan, add oil for the seasoning, when it is hot, splutter mustard, fry urad dal and chana dal. Next add hing, cumin, curry leaves.

-Next- fry onion, green chillies, ginger. While frying add turmeric powder as well.

-When onion is light brown, add tomatoes, salt, sugar or jaggery, Sagu masala and fry until tomato is mushy.

-Add 2 to 3 cups of water and when it starts boiling, add mashed potato, coriander leaves and cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until it becomes a homogeneous mix in a low fire.

-Serve with Rava Idli Or Rava and Oats idli  as a dip.