Ginger Rasam

Ingredients:
2 tbsp toor dal/ pigeon peas
2 1/2 inch ginger
2 green chilies
3 tbsp shredded coconut
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp peppercorns
3 tsp jaggery
salt to taste

Tempering
1tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumins seeds
1-2 red chilies
few curry leaves
hing / asafedita powder

Soak the pigeon peas/toor dal for 30 mins and keep aside.
In a blender, add coconut, ginger, green chilies, cumin and peppercorns and coaked dal. make a fine paste.
In a heavy pan, boil 2 cups of water with salt and turmeric powder, add the paste, simmer the flame and boil until the raw flavour goes or until you dont see the foam standing.
Lastly, In a small pan heat 3 tsp oil, add mustard seeds when it sluptters, add cumin, red chilies, curry leaves and hing.
Mix it with rasam.
Serve with white rice.

Mango Rasayana

Ingredients:
3 Mango(Peeled and smashed, disgard the seed)
3 tbsp Jaggery powdered.
1/4 tsp cardamom powdered
pinch of salt
1 cup grated coconut
Water

Blend the grated coconut and extract milk. In a serving bowl, add jaggery, cardamom, smashed mangoes, salt and coconut milk and mix well. If required add water/ milk and serve.

Poppy seeds and Cashewnuts Halwa!

The dessert was long time pending. Even this recipe is from south karnataka, India. It is rich and calorie-packed with cashews and flavourful poppy seeds,coconut milk and clarified butter/Ghee. You can use oil to make it less- fat but adding ghee gives halwa wonderful taste.

I will be offline for next one week as me and him going on vacation to Glaciers and will miss all your interesting recipes. See you soon..

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Cashewnuts 
1/2 cup Poppy seeds(soak for 15-20 mins)
1 cup Coconut milk
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Milk
1 tsp Cardamom powder
1/4 cup Ghee(clarified butter)

 

Grind cashwenuts,soaked poppy seeds with the coconut milk to fine paste.
Heat a heavy saucepan, add milk, sugar and ground paste.
Keep adding ghee in regular intervals and stirring continuously.
Add cardamom powder, mix well. when the mixture becomes thick and you can see ghee on the surface. remove from heat.
Transfer to serve bowl and garnish with safforn strings and cashewnuts.

Sending off to the event"Sizzling Summer Contest" hosted by SpicyTatsy.

Split Pigeon Peas Chutney ~ (Toor Dal, Thogari bele chutney)

The Slipt pigeon peas chutney is very famous in southern part of India especially south - north Karnataka. This chutney goes well with hot rice, chapati, idlis with a slice of onion. The aroma/flavour of the chutney is divine.
When I'm out of veggies will prepare this chutney ;)

Ingredients-
2 tbsp Split Pigeon Peas
1/2 cup fresh grated coconut
small piece of tamarind(if you use taste take 1/2 tsp)
salt to taste
asafoetida powder
4-5 Red chilies
few fresh curry leaves
Tempering
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 Red chili
few curry leaves
1/4 tsp Asafoetida powder
Oil

Dry roast the Split Pigeon Peas, red chilies, asafoetida powder,3-4 curry leaves.
Grind the roasted peas together with coconut, tamarind, salt by adding little water(as required) and transfer it to serving bowl.
Lastly, heat a 1 tbsp oil add mustard seeds, when it starts splutter add red chilies, curry leaves and asafoetida powder. Mix it with chutney and serve.

Curry Leaves Dosa\Crepes

Curry leaves are mostly consumed in south Asia and you can see that effect of it,many people will have long lenghty hairs. Yes, its good for hair.
Found this breakfast recipe on web search. It looks similar to green-gram dosa(pesarttu) but tastes different.

Ingredients
1 cup Par-boiled rice
2 cups Regular Idli/ dosa rice
5 tsp Pigeon peas(toor dal)
5 tsp Black gram (urad dal)
1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds
1-1/12 cup Curry leaves
Salt to taste
Water

Soak all the ingredients except curry leaves for 4 to 5 hours
Grind the soaked grains with curry leaves.
Allow it to ferment overnight.
Heat the griddle and pour the batter, spread and cook both sides.
Serve with coconut chutney.

Poori and Vegetable Korma

It's been long time I haven't made this. Just because I don't want to make whole house frying oil smell. But, from past 2 days weather was so gloomy our food sense was craving for home fried food.
It's a famous recipe in Bangalore restaurants they either serve with the aloo masala or korma

Vegetable Korma
Ingredients
1 cup mix vegetables of your choice(I used carrots, turnips, potato)
1/3 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Lemon juice
Cilantro for garnish

Paste
1 garlic clove
1'' inch ginger
3-4 green chilies(If you want to have red color korma, go with red chilies)
1 tsp poppy seeds
5-6 black peppercorns
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp roasted Bengal gram
4 tbsp coconut grated

Boil 1 cup water add turmeric and vegetables cover and cook until the vegetables are soft and tender.
Mean while, grind all the ingredients from paste list to fine. keep aside.
Once the vegetables are cooked add salt and ground paste. cook for 5-10 mins.
Lastly add lemon juice and garnish with cilantro. Korma is ready!

Poori
Ingredients
1 cup wheat flour
water
Oil for frying

In a mix bowl, Mix wheat flour and water as required and make a dough and knead well. Keep aside for 30 mins.
Again knead well and make small balls and roll out with help of oil and Fry.

Note: The Poori dough should be little harder than chapati in that way it won't take much oil while frying.

Green Gram and Mix Vegetables Curry - South Indian Style

Ingredients:
1/4 cup Green gram
1 Cup mix vegetables chopped(Carrots, String Beans,Potatoes) You can add green peas or anyother less watery vegetables.
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
Oil

1 tsp Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp Black peppercorns
1/2 tsp Poppy seeds
2 red chilies
4 tbsp grated coconut
Tempering:
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Bengal gram
1 Red chili
Few curry Leaves

Pressure cook the green gram and drain the excess water and keep aside
In a medium sauce pan, heat 1 tsp oil add cumin seeds, black peppercorns, red chilies and poppy seeds. fry for 2-3 mins or until it turns light golden and grind with coconut and little to fine paste.
In a heavy saucepan, add 2 cups of water(depending on the quantity of vegetables) bring to boil, add vegetables, tumeric powder and cook until the vegetables are tender and soft.
Add cooked green gram and cook for 3-4 mins. Now, add the ground paste and salt and cook until combine thoroughly. Lastly, Heat oil in a small sacuce pan, add mustard seeds, bengal gram , red chilies and asafoetida powder and curry leaves when mustard seeds splutters mix it with the curry.
Serve with hot rice or even goes well with chapathis, rotis.

Toor Dal Idlis(Pigeon peas Steamcakes)

This is one of regular breakfast of Malnad(Southern part of India).Most of idlis are prepared using the banana leaf or jack fruit leaves called Kotte and steamed in a heavy copper untensils which tastes delicious.

Ingredients
1 cup Parboiled rice
1 cup Toor dal /pigeon peas
Salt
1/4 tsp Baking soda

Soak parboiled rice and toor dal for 4 hours separately and grind the dal finely and rice to coarse.
Add salt and baking soda, mix evenly and allow for frementation for 8 hours.
Heat the steamer and grease the ildi moulds(I used Stainsteel glasses and the steaming time would be 20mins) pour the batter and steam for 20 mins(If you use the regular ildi moulds- steam it for 10 mins)
Serve with any chutney.

Note: You can add some chopped cilantro, curry leaves and ginger to batter.

String Bean Masala/String beans Stir fry with Coconut and Spices

Ingredients:
2 cups of String beans chopped
Sal to taste
For Masala:
3 tbsp Bengal gram
1 tbsp Black gram
2 tbsp Coriender seeds
4 red chilies
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
4 tbsp fresh coconut grated
a lemon sized Tamarind pulp
Tempering:
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Bengal gram
1 tsp Black gram
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1 red chili
few curry leaves
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder

Heat 1 tsp oil in a medium pan, add all the ingredients from Masala list except coconut saute for 2-3 mins or until it turns light golden and grind to fine paste with coconut by adding little water and keep aside.
In a heavy sauce pan, heat a 3 tbsp oil add mustard seeds,cumin seeds, bengal and black grams, red chili and curry leaves when mustard seeds splutters add asafoetida powder and chopped long beans saute for a min. Add turmeric powder and 1 to 11/2 cups of water mix well and cover the lid. Let the beans cook.
Meanwhile, In a medium pan add 2 tsp oil add ground masala paste and cook for 5-7 mins or until the paste is dry and crisp.
Lastly,  add the masala to cooked beans and cook for few more mins until masala blends well with beans.
Serve with hot rice.

Bitter Gourd Pitlay

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Toor dal
Lemon sized Tamarind pulp
3-4 Bittergourds chopped
1 big Tomato chopped
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Sambar powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tbsp Jaggery
7-8 Cashewnuts
Paste:
Oil
6 Red chilies
1 tbsp Coriender seeds
1/2 tsp Black peppercorns
1 tsp Bengal gram
1 tsp Black gram
1/2 tsp Asafoetida powder
1/2 cup Fresh coconut grated
Tempering:
2 tsp oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
Few curry leaves

Pressure cook the dal with water and add 1 tsp oil. Meanwhile, In a medium pan, roast all ingredients from the Paste list above and grind to fine paste by adding water and keep aside.
(To remove the bitterness of bittergourd,add salt to chopped bittergourd and keep it for 30 mins and squeeze the juice out of it and then use it)
Soak the tamrind for 15 mins and extract the juice.
Heat a heavy sauce pan, add the tamrind juice,salt, jaggery,turmeric,sambar powder and finely chopped bitter gourd. On a medium flame cook the bittergourd.
Once the bittergourd is well cooked, add chopped tomato cooked dal and ground paste. lower the flame and bring it to boil(add water if required)
Lastly, Heat a 2 tsp oil add, mustard seeds and chopped cashews, when it splutters add curryleaves saute it and mix it to pitlay.
Relish it with white rice.

Taro Root Kootu

Ingredients:
4 tbsp Toor dal
4 tbsp Bengal gram
lemon sized Tamarind soaked and extract juice
4-5 Taroroot peeled and chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Paste:
1 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns
2 tsp Blackgram dal
1 tbsp Bengal gram
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
1 tbsp coriender seeds
1 red chili
4 tbsp coconut grated

Tempering
Oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp peanuts
1 red chili
few curry leaves

Pressure cook the lentils/dals and keep aside.
Heat a oil in pan, add all ingredients from paste list and roast except coconut until light golden and grind along with coconut to fine paste.
In a heavy saucepan. add mustard seeds, rew peanuts,red chili and few curry leaves.When mustard seeds splutters add chopped taro root, salt,turmeric powder and tamarind juice. Cook until the taroroot is tender.
Now, add the cooked lentils/dals cook for 2-3  mins until it's thoroughly blend. Lastly, add the ground paste and cook for a few more mins.
Serve with rice.

Mango Sweet Curry

Ingredients:
1 Green Mango peeled and Cut into cubes
4 tbsp Jaggery
Salt to taste
1 tsp turmeric powder
Dry Powder:
1 1/2 tbsp Black gram
1 tsp seseame seeds
Masala paste:
1 tbsp coriender seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp Bengal gram
1 tsp poppy seeds
1/2 tsp raw white rice
5-6 red chilies
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
5 tbsp grated fresh coconut
Note: If you want to store for more days add dry coconut instead of fresh one.
Tempering:
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 red chilies
few curry leaves

In a Medium pan, Boil 1 cup of water add the turmeric and cut mango cubes. Let it cook in medium flame until mangoes are soft.
Meanwhile, Heat a small pan and roast the black gram and sesame seeds to light golden and grind to fine powder(no water).keep aside.
In a same small pan, roast all ingredients from masala paste  except fresh coconut. let it cool and  grind along with coconut to fine paste by adding water.Keep aside.
Once the mangoes are cooked, add jaggery and salt bring to boil.
Add Masala paste and mix well. cook for 4-5 mins or until the raw smell goes.Now, add the dry powder make sure there is no lumps mix well. In low flame cook for 2-3 mins.
Lastly, Heat a 2 tbsp oil add mustard seeds when splutters add red chilies and curry leaves saute it and mix it with mango curry.
serve with hot white rice.

Navil Kosu Idli / German Turnip steam cakes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup coarse semolina
1 cup mix of sour yogurt and buttermilk
1 German turnip/ Navil kos grated
salt to taste
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp bengal gram
2-3 green chilies
few currry leaves chopped
cilantro chopped

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and bengal gram. when mustard seeds starts splutters add semolina and fry for 2-3 mins on medium flame. Keep aside for cooling.
Now, add grated turnip, chopped green chilies,curry leaves, cilantro, salt and yogurt. Mix well and keep aise for 10 -15 mins.
Add baking soda, if batter is too thick add buttermilk as required.mix well.
Heat the steamer, grease the idli plates and pour the batter to the plate moulds and steam in high for 10 mins. Let it cool and serve with  any chutney.

Palak Chutney/ Spinach dip

Ingredients:
2 bunches of Spinach/Palak Chopped
2 tbsp Tamarind pulp
2 tsp Sesame seeds
1 tbsp Balck gram Split
2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeda
4-5 Red chilies
2-3 Green Chilies
Few Curry Leaves
1/4 tsp Asafortida powder
Oil
Salt to taste
Tempering
1tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Black gram seeds

Heat a 1 tsp oil in medium sauce pan, add the Spinach and saute it and cover the lid. Let it cook until leaves are soft.
Meanwhile, heat a pan and dry roast the black gram until it turns light golden add mustard seeds, and then fenugreek seeds. Switch off the heat and add red chilies, curry leaves and asafoetida powder and saute it.Let it cool.
Now, Dry roast the sesame seeds on low heat until golden and grind to coarse powder.
Grind all along with tamarind pulp and salt to taste.(Add water only if required. The chutney should be thick in consistency).
Lastly temper it. heat oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds and black gram when it splutters mix it with the ground paste.
Serve with white rice, Dosas/crepes, Idlis.

This is off to "Healing Foods Event-Spinach" (hosted by Divya).

Holige/Obbattu/Puranpoli

Wishing all  Ma recipes readers  Happy Ugadi and Gudi Padwa.   

Ingredients:
1 cup Maida\All purpose flour
2 tbsp Wheat Flour
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 pinch Salt
Water to make dough
6 tbsp Oil
Oil
Inner Filling
1  cup Jaggery
1 cup Bengal Gram Dal
1/2 cup Toor Dal
1/4 tsp Cardamom Powder

In a bowl, mix flour,turmeric,salt with water and a dough. knead well and apply oil and keep aside for 2 hours.
Pressure cook the dal and starin excess water and grind to fine paste.
Heat a pan melt the jaggery and add dal paste and mix well until it's one ball like.
Make small balls of the filling. Divide the dough into small balls and flatten them. Place one ball of filling on the dough and cover and seal up the filling.
On a plastic sheet apply oil and place the dough filled on the sheet and gently roll out.
Heat a griddle/tawa grease oil and place the dough.Cook on both sides until golden.
Holige/Obbattu/Puran Poli is ready to be served.

Winter Melon Dosa/Crepe

Ingredients:
2 cups Winter melon(peeled, deseeded & chopped )
2 cups RawIdli  rice
1/3 cup Black gram (urad dal)
1 tsp Methi seeds

Soak the rice,methi seeds and lentils separately for 4-5 hours.
Wash and grind the lentils by adding little water to smooth first and transfer it to mixing bowl.
Now, grind the rice,methi seeds and wintermelon together with little water(melon contains water in it)
mix altogether add salt and keep aside for frementation for 8-10 hours or till the batter is double.
Heat the griddle and grease 1/2 tsp of oil and pour the batter,spread the batter in round and cook both sides.
Serve with coconut chutney.

Black gram dal rice

One more recipe from the cookbook Dakshin.Normally, Black gram is used for tempering or making idlis when I read this sounded unique but it is easy,simple and tasty recipe. This rice recipe goes well with Mango Raita

Ingredients:
2 cup Soan masoori rice
2 tbsp cashewnuts
2 green chilies
salt to taste
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp black gram
1 tsp bengal gram
2 red chilies
few curry leaves
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
Masala
2 tbsp Black gram
1 1/2 tspblack peppercorns
2 tbsp white sesame seeds
2 tbsp copra grated

 

In a pan roast all the ingredients from masala list and grind to fine powder. keep aside
Now, heat a oil in saucepan add mustard seeds,when it splutters add black gram, bengal gram,cashewnuts, green chilies, red chilies, curry leaves and saute for a min. Add rice, salt and ground masala powder. Mix well and serve hot.

Besi Bele Bath

One of the famous dish that every South Indian will have. Besibelebath is mix of rice and lentils with hot spices. Poha/Thick rice flakes can be added instead of rice.

Ingredients:
2 cup Sona Masoori rice
1 cup Toor dal
Lemon sized piece of Tamarind pulp
1 small Onion chopped
1 Red/Green pepper chopped
1 cup mixed Beans and Carrot chopped
3 baby pototoes or 1big regular potato chopped
1/2 cup green peas(optional)
1/2 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste
Oil
Paste:
3 tbsp Coriender seeds
3 tsp Bengal gram
1'' inch long Cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp Poppy seeds
4 Cloves
1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds
1/3 cup Coconut grated
7-8 Red chilies
1/2 tsp Asafoetida powder
Masala:
3 tbsp Fried gram dal
3 tsp uncooked rice
1 1/2 tsp Poppy seeds
Tempering:
4 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp Bengal gram
1 1/2 tsp Balck gram
2 Red chilies
Few Curry leaves

Pressure cook toor dal and rice with water.soak the tamarind pulp in water for 20 mins and starin the juice.
In a sauce pan roast all the Paste ingredients except coconut and grind to fine paste
In a heavy sauce pan, dry roast the ingredients from masala and grind to powder. keep aside
Heat the oil in a hevay sauce pan. add mustard seeds when it splutters add cumin,begal gram, black gram, red chilies, and curry leaves and saute for a min. Add onions and saute until it is light golden. Now add chopped bell pepper,beans, carrots, potato and green peas and saute it. when vegetables are partly cooked add tamarind juice, salt to taste and turmeric, mix well and cover the lid and cook in a medium flame for 4 mins.
Once vegetables are soft add ground paste and cook for few mins. Now simmer on a low heat add cooked rice-dal mix well make sure no lumps form. Cook until well blended. Lastly, add the dry masala mix well remove from heat. Serve with Bhondi or Chips.

Mango in yogurt(South indian style)

Ingredients
1 small green Mango skinned and chopped
2 tbsp grated coconut
2 green chilies
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cups plain yogurt
salt to taste

Tempering
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 red chilies
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
few curry leaves

Grind the mango,grated coconut,green chilies and cumin seeds to fine paste.
In a bowl, mix the yogurt,ground paste and salt to taste.
Heat a 2 tsp oil in small sauce pan add mustard seeds, when it splutters add red chilies and asafoetida powder.
Mix it with Mango-yogurt mixture and serve with any rice recipes.