Konkani Dal/ Dalithoy

Dalithoy is the simplest dal made almost daily in a Konkani household. There are many variations to this dal. Additionally turmeric and coriander leaves can be added for further variations. Serve with a drop of ghee and serve with rice and you have a tasty meal ready.

Ingredients
1 cup toor dal or split pigeon peas
green chili 2-3
1 teaspoon mustard
5-7 karipatta or curry leaves
heeng
red chili
1 tablespoon coconut oil
salt for taste

Method
Wash the toor dal well with water. Add slit green chilies and 3 cups water and cook it in pressure cooker till soft. I usually discard the green chilies and whisk it well with a whisker. The green chilies may be added back in the dal or discarded as desired. Add water as per desired and get the dal to a boil. Heat oil in a seasoning pan and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, switch off heat and add asafoetida, curry leaves and red chili. Sit well and add to the dal. Add salt as per taste and serve hot with rice. 

Breadfruit Fritter / Jeev Kadgi Phodi

Bread Fruit fritters is considered a delicacy in Konkani households. Fritters, bhajiya and upkari (sabzi) is made from this bread fruit. Both fritters and sabzi are had as tea time snacks with tea or kasaya. Click here to see how bread fruit looks. 

Ingredients 

bread fruit

besan or gram flour 1/2- 1 cup as needed

pinch of heeng or asafetida

red pepper powder for taste

salt for taste

oil for frying

Method 

Cut the breadfruit depending on how many fritters you are preparing and keep the remaining part in the refrigerator. Skin the bread fruit and slice it as shown in the below picture. The central stem which extends into the fruit should be also removed.

Apply salt, red chili powder to the bread fruit slices and keep aside for 15-20 minutes. 

Mix water with the gram flour to make a thick paste of idli atta consistency. Add salt, asafoetida to the gram flour paste as per desired taste. Dip the bead fruit slices in the gram paste and fry it in hot oil on both sides till done. Serve hot as snacks or as a side dish with meals. 

Ridge Gourd Stir Fry/ Gosale Upkari

Ridge gourd or turai is a very healthy vegetable and is very cooling for the body. We make a very simple sabzi or upkari which is served with dal or sambar.

In this photo: Dal, Rice, Ghosale Upkari and plain Odi

Ingredients 
2-3 medium sized ridge gourds
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 green chili 
2 dried red chili or byadgi chili
3 tables grated coconut
1 tablespoon coconut oil or any other oil
salt for taste


Method

Peel the ridge gourd and chop it into 2 cm pieces. Heat oil in the pan and add mustard. When the mustard splutters add the red chili and slit green chili. Fry for a minute. Add the cut bottle gourd and saute it for a minute. Add 1/4 cup water and cook covered till the bottle gourd is soft. Add salt for taste and garnish with grated coconut. Serve hot with dal and rice. 

Gajar Ka Halwa /Gajara Halwo

Carrot halwa is very good way of including carrots in the diet. It is liked by people of all ages and is made by people in all parts of India. Carrot halwa can be made in a jiffy. Carrot halwa can be made with or without milk. The sugar quantity can be increased or decreased as per taste. 


Ingredients 
4 cups carrots grated
1 cup sugar or as desired
2 tablespoon raisins 
2 tablespoon cashew nuts
1 cup whole milk or 1/2 cup cream (optional)
2 tablespoon ghee




Method 
Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a pan and fry cashew nuts till brown. Add the raisins and fry for a minute. Keep aside. Heat rest of the ghee in the same pan and add grated carrots. Fry for 5 minutes. Add milk and cook well till all the milk evaporates. Add sugar and cook again till it becomes thick as per desired consistency. Garnish with fried cashew nuts and raisins. Serve hot or chilled. 

Churmundo / Aate Ka Ladoo

Churmundo is whole wheat flour ladoo make in Konkani homes. It is loved especially by children and is very healthy for growing children. We make this for almost all the festivals. 


Ingredients 
1 cup wheat flour
2 tablespoon thin semolina or rava
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup ghee or clarified butter (Check HERE for recipe)
1 teaspoon cardamom or elaichi powder
2 tablespoon kishmish (optional)
2 tablespoon roasted cashew nuts or kaju (optional)


Method
Roast the semolina along with the wheat flour on very low flame till it is light brown and gives out  a pleasant aroma. It will take 15-10 minutes to roast both the ingredients. Heat the ghee to a liquid form and mix it with the roasted flour. Stir on low heat for a minute or two till the ghee is absorbed well by the flour. Mix the sugar and the cardamom powder well. I just put it in my mixer and give it a pulse or two till both the ingredients blend well together. Mix sugar, roasted flour, kishmish, cashew nuts well with your hands. Take a hand full of the mixture in your hands and press it to make the ladoos. Store in an air tight container. 
The above ingredients make around 10-15 ladoos depending on their size.

Quinoa Khichdi/ Quinoa Stirfry with Peanuts

I make Quinoa Khichidi or Quinoa Upma very often for breakfasts. Come Spring and we feel very hungry whole day. I even wake up hungry and crave for a heavy breakfast. Wish I had a robot who could keep a variety of breakfast items ready for us every morning! Wishes apart, thats why my last post was about breakfast too.

I was introduced to Quinoa a few months back at a salad bar and I became quite inquisitive about this grain which tasted great and felt light on the stomach. I researched more on the internet and came across many recipes. I tried to make salad with a lemon dressing, but it tasted very bland to me. And that is when I decided to try to make Indian style recipes. I tried to make pulao like khichidi, but the quinoa got crushed and mushy when I mixed it with the vegetables and the dal. That is when I decided to make this lighter flavor version which retains the actual flavor of Quinoa while still making it spicy. 

Ingredients 
1 cup Quinoa
1/2 cup peanuts
3 tablespoon chopped cilantro or coriander leaves
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds or jeera
1 medium potato (boiled, peeled and chopped into cubes)
2-3 green chilies or as per taste
5-6 curry leaves or karipatta(washed)
1/4 teaspoon red chili powder or as per taste
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon oil

Method 

Roast the peanuts on medium flame. Coarsely powder them. I put them in the mixer and give a pulse or two to get a coarse powder. I usually don't skin the roasted peanuts as I feel the brown skin is healthy, but they can be skinned if desired.

Boil 1/2 cups of water and put quinoa in it. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook covered on low flame till the quinoa soaks up all the water. If you feel the quinoa is still not soft, you may add 1/4 cup more water. 

Once cooked mix in sugar and peanut powder and keep aside. 

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. Stir for a second and add curry leaves and finely chopped green chilies. Add the cubed potato and sprinkle red chili powder. Stir the potato well so that is coated with all the spices. Add the quinoa and mix well with the potatoes. Adjust the sugar and salt as per taste. Season the khichidi with lemon juice and coriander leaves. Serve hot.