Dal- I

This is the north Indian style dal. It can be had with rice or rotis. I use both masoor and toor dal to make it.
I am not very fond of toor dal, so I make this dal very often.


Ingredients
1/2 cup toor dal
1/2 cup masoor dal
1 teaspoon jeera
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
salt for taste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon ghee (preferably) or oil

Method
Wash and boil the toor and masoor dal in a pressure cooker till the dal is soft. Whisk the dal to remove any lumps. Put the dal in a vessel and add water and salt as per desired consistency. Get the dal to a boil. In a seasoning pan, add ghee or oil. Heat it and add cumin seeds and asafoetida to it. Fry for a minute and add red chili powder and turmeric powder. Stir well and add the seasoning to the dal. Cook and cover for around 3-4 minutes so that all the flavors of the seasoning are absorbed well by the dal. Serve hot.


Preparation time: 30 minutes
Serves: 2

Ivy Gourd and Cashew Nut Sabzi / Tendli Ani Bibbe Upkari / Tendli Upkari

Tendli bibbe upkari is one of the dishes which is a must in any Konkani or Goan wedding lunch. In Karnataka and Goa we get unpeepled wet cashew nuts with the skin on. These cashew nuts are boiled or pressure cooked in salt water till tender and the skin is peeled. Later the skinned cashews are cut in half and added to the curry. In US, I skinned cashewnuts available in the Indian store and pressure cook them in salt water. If you want to make healthy recipe, don't add the cashew nuts and coconut. Here is the recipe.

IvyGourd and Unpeeled Wet Cashews

Ingredients
400 gms tendli
100 gms cashew nut (optional)
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
3-4 green chilies
1 dried red chili
1 tablespoon coconut oil or any other oil
4 tablespoon grated coconut (optional)
salt as per taste

Method
Wash and soak the cashew nuts for 4-5 hours. Cut the tendli length wise into thin stripes. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard. When the mustard seeds splutter, add red chili and slit green chili and fry for a minute. Add the cut tendli and cashew nuts. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and cook covered till the tendli and cashew nut is soft, and the water is evaporated. 


Add salt as per taste. Garnish with grated coconut and serve hot with rice.


Preparation time: 1 hour
Serves: 3-4

Finger Millet Dosa / Ragi or Nachni Dosa

This is one of my easiest and healthy breakfast recipes. I make this dosa out of ragi atta or finger millet flour. I get this flour from my Indian grocery store. I serve it with sambhar, chutney or butter.


Ingredients
2 cups ragi or nachni flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup grated coconut (optional)
1 medium onion
handful of chopped coriander leaves or cilantro
2-3 green chilies
1/2 cup curd or butter milk
oil for frying

Method
Chop the onion and green chilies finely. Puree the coconut. Add these to the flour along with salt and coriander leaves. Add water and/or butter milk or curd to the flour till a thin consistancy is reached.


Oil a tava or pan and spread the batter evenly on the tava and cook covered.


Flip the dosa to the other side and cook uncovered. Serve hot with butter, chutney, sambhar or sauce.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Serves: 3-4

Spinach Papaya Curry / Palak Popaspala Ambat

This curry is made with raw papaya and spinach. Ambat in Konkani means "sour" or "Khatta". Magge or a variety of cucumber can be substituted instead of raw papaya.


Ingredients
1/2 medium sized raw papaya or 1 cup magge chopped into 2 cm cubes
1 bunch spinach
1/2 cup grated coconut
3/4 cup toor dal
3-4 byadgi chilies or red chilies
1/2 inch piece tamarind or 1/2 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
salt as per taste
1 teaspoon coconut oil or any other oil

For seasoning: mustard and asafoetida (for people who don't prefer onion or garlic tadka)
or
1 medium sized red onion


Method
Boil spinach and papaya till soft. If you pressure cook, then ensure that the papaya does not become all mushy. Boil toor dal and whisk it to remove any lumps. Fry red chilies and grind grated coconut, red chilies, tamarind into a smooth paste. In a vessel, mix the boiled vegetables, the masala paste, toor dal. Add water as per desired consistency. Get the curry to a boil. Add salt as desired.

Seasoning: In a seasoning pan, heat oil add mustard seeds and asafoetida. When the mustard seeds splutter, add the seasoning to the curry.
or
Chop the onion finely.

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Serves: 3-4

Mango Panna / Mango Panha

Ingredients
1 medium raw mango or 1/2 cup frozen mango
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder
5 tablespoon sugar
3 cups water

Method
Boil the raw mango. Cool it and separate the mango pulp and discard the stone. Grind the mango pulp with cardamom powder and water. Sieve the pulp to remove any fiber. Add sugar and water to the pulp as per desired consistency. Serve chilled.

Potato Sabzi - I

I made this sabzi to go with the Mangalore buns. At my home we usually eat buns with tomato ketchup, jam or chutney. Once, we went to visit one of my husband's friend who had called us over to meet their parents. His parents had come from India to visit them. His mom had made a potato bhaji to go with the buns. She told me she uses home made garam masala and coconut to make this sabzi. I don't make buns in winter as the dough never rises well. So, nearly a year later, when we had guests I made buns and this potato sabzi. Everyone liked this sabzi a lot.

Ingredients
5-6 potatoes
handful of peas
1/2 onion
2-3 pods of garlic
2-3 red chilies or as per taste
1/2 inch piece of cinnamon
1-2 pepper corns
4-5 cloves
5 pinches turmeric powder
1/4 inch piece of tamarind or 1/4 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
5 pinches asafoetida
2 tablespoon coconut
1 tablespoon oil
salt for taste
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds


Method
Boil potatoes and keep aside. Fry red chilies, coriander, cumin seeds, cinnamon and cloves. Grind all of these into a fine powder. Add tamarind, coconut and the above powder and grind into a fine paste adding very little water. In a pan add 2 tablespoon oil. Add cumin seeds, turmeric and asafoetida. Add chopped garlic and fry for a minute. Add onion and fry till it is golden brown in color. Add the masala paste and fry for 3-4 minutes. Chop the boiled potatoes and add them to the sabzi. Mash the potatoes till they are properly incorporated into the masala paste, adding around a cup of water. Add salt for taste and cook for around 10 minutes. Serve hot with Mangalore buns.



Preparation time: 40 minutes
Serves: 3-4