"ONLY GREENS" event

I am reposting these recipes for the Only Greens event organized by Sara of Saras Corner and Pari of Foodelicious. Thank you both for organizing this event. 

Indian Lentils With Spinach / Palak Dal

Malabar Spinach Curry

Mustard Greens Curry / Sarson Ka Saag

Sai Bhaji

 Dill Stir fry With ChickPeas / Sepu Sabzi

Spinach Gravy with Potatoes / Alu Palak

MLLA # 30

I am sending these recipes for the "My Legume Love Affair" event organized by Priya and Susan. Thanks for organizing this event. 

13 Lentil Soup

Peas Usal

Moong Dal Khichidi

Sweet Chana Dal Khichidi

 Sweet Moong Dal Khichidi

Udipi Sambar

Val Usal or Field Beans Curry

Zunka

Chili Chicken for Holidays

This is a great starter or can be served as a dry side dish with any entree. It is very easy to prepare and can be be made in a jiffy. We made this for our Christmas get together and everyone loved it. 


Ensure that it is served immediately, otherwise it gets soggy and unappetizing. It is also a good idea to finish it the same day. Also if you are storing it in the fridge, it needs to be heated in the oven rather than the microwave. 




Ingredients 
For marinate:
1 pound chicken fillets
2 tablespoon ginger paste
2 tablespoon garlic paste
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper powder
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 tablespoon corn flour
salt as per taste


oil for frying


For Gravy:
2 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
4 green chilies or as per taste
2 spring onions
4 tablespoon red chili sauce or as per taste (I used knor chili sauce)
2 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon corn flour
3 tablespoon soy sauce


For garnish(optional):
1 green bell pepper
1 large onion


Method 
Cut the chicken into 2 inch pieces. Mix the marinate (except the oil and all purpose flour) well into the chicken and let it rest for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator. Prepare the gravy before frying the chicken. Mix the corn flour and the all purpose flour well into the chicken and deep fry it till the pieces are crisp.
Cut the bell pepper into large chunks and quarter the onion for the garnish. Stir fry in a pan on high heat for 4-5 minutes. Keep aside.

For the gravy:

Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a pan and add the garlic. Fry on high heat for 2 minutes and add chopped green chilies. Stir for another minute and add finely chopped 1 1/2 bunch of spring onions. Stir for another 2 minutes and add red chili sauce, vinegar, brown sugar and soy sauce. Add water as per desired gravy consistency. Dissolve corn flour in 1/4 cup of cold water and add to the gravy. Keep stirring till the corn flour is well cooked. Add the fried chicken into the gravy and mix well till all the pieces are coated with the gravy. Salt it accordingly and garnish with the remaining spring onions. Serve hot.

Healing Foods – Winter Squash Event

I am sending these entries to the Healing Foods- Winter Squash event organized by Saveur and Siri. Thanks for organizing this event. Winter squashes are very healthy as they contain beta carotenes which are necessary for healthy eyes and all the vital organs of the body. They also make excellent baby food as they are sweetish in taste. They are also very versatile to use as they make excellent soups, sabzi's or can be grated and added in dosas or baked delicacies. 

 Healthy Butternut Squash Soup with Saffron

Handvo

Pot Pie

Pumpkin and Corn Soup

Pumpkin Dosa

Pumpkin Flower Fritter

Pumpkin Sabzi

Roasted Pumpkin and Pepper Soup

Flavors of Goa Event

Thanks to Denise of OH Taste n See and Nayna of Simply Sensational Food for organizing the Flavors of Goa event.  I am reposting some of my previous posts for this event. 

 Fish Fry

Bhangda Fish Curry

Colostrum Milk Pudding

Crab curry

Konkani Fish Curry

Ivy Gourd Sabzi

 Potato Song

Raw Mango Chutney 

Sheera 

Solkadi

Sweet Moong Dal Khichidi

This is another sweet khichdi which is made by my mom. She makes the moong dal khichidi and also the Sweet Chana Dal Khichidi as both are very healthy as they contain legumes or dals with high protein content. Many combinations can be used to prepare this dish. One can use 100% moong dal, or 100% whole moong, or 50 % basmati rice and 50% moong or moong dal. It turns out to be very tasty in any of the combinations. Whole moong needs to be soaked for 4-5 hours before making the khichidi. Here I have used 50 % basmati rice and 50% moong dal. I am sending this entry to Say "Thank You Mom" Event organized by Satya.  

Ingredients
1/2 cup moong dal

1/2 cup basmati rice

1 cup grated coconut

1 cup powdered jaggery
raisins and cashew nuts for garnish (optional)

1 teaspoon cardamom powder

2 tablespoon ghee

Method

Cook the basmati rice and moong dal in a pressure cooker or in a pan. The rice should only be cooked to 3/4th of its consistency and it should not be fully cooked. Keep aside till the rice cools down. In another pan heat ghee and add the nuts, raisins, jaggery and grated coconut. Mix well on low flame till both are combined well. Add the rice and moong dal to this mixture and mix well. Add cardamom powder and cook covered on low flame for 3-5 minutes. Serve hot with sliced banana slices and a teaspoon of ghee on top of the khichdi.

Kasay / Kasaya / Konkani Tea

We had been on a yoga retreat during thanksgiving and were discussing about kasaya being an alternative for tea or coffee. Kasaya(pronounced as Kah-sha-yah) was a regular feature at my grand parents home when I was growing up. Konkanis have this as a substitute to tea or coffee during breakfast or evening snacks. Both I and my sister loved kasaya always had it for morning breakfast and evening snacks. As we grew up we indulged in Boost, Complan, Bournvita and other powders but never got addicted to tea or coffee.

Coriander gives a boost to the digestive system and helps to cure indigestion, flatulence and gas. It is cooling by nature and cools down the acidity caused by overeating rich foods. It helps to stimulate lost hunger and helps to cure ulcers and stomach sores. Cumin seeds are rich in iron and help to cure digestive disorders. Fennel seeds are good to cure any digestive disorders and it is common tradition in India to have a pinch of fennel seeds after every meal. Kasaya is great to keep cough and cold away during the cold winters. Kasaya can be prepared with 1 part milk or 1/2 part milk and part 1/2 water. If you are a vegan it can be prepared just with water. 

Ingredients for Kasaya powder:
1 cup coriander seeds
1/2 cup fennel seeds
1/2 cup cumin seeds

Method 

Roast the seeds in a pan on low heat till they are crisp. Take care not to burn them. They can also be toasted in the oven. Completely cool the roasted seeds and grind them into a fine powder. I use a coffee grinder to grind my spices. Store in an air tight container. This powder stays good for 1-2 months but refrigeration can extend its life by another 2-3 months. But it is always good to prepare it on monthly basis to retain the original flavor of the spices. 

To prepare 1 cup Kasaya: 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of kasaya powder

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon sugar or any other sweetener

Method:

Put the water in a vessel and add the kasaya powder to it. Get it to a boil and add milk. Give it a stir or two and remove from heat. Keep the vessel covered for 3-4 minutes to let the flavor of the spices steep  into the kasaya. Strain the kasaya with a tea strainer. Add sugar as per taste and serve hot.

Garden

 

Humming bird sucking nectar from Zenias

I had a very successful experience growing flowers in my patio garden this year. I first started planting flowering shrubs last year and was quite successful having chrysanthemums and marigold last year. This year I planted marigolds, zinnia, asters and bachelor's buttons. With daily watering and proper care I had quite a bit of foliage growing in my patio this year. It has been exciting to see many humming birds, American robins and house sparrows paying daily trips to my garden. I did have on or two incidents of powdered mildew, white ants and flies which I took care of at the right time. I am posting a few photos from my summer garden.

Celebrating Regional Cuisine Event

Sujana of Sujana's World is organizing the event Celebrating Regional Cuisine. Here are some of the regional recipes I am reposting for this event. 

Chikki

Handvo

Goli Baje

Kolhapuri Rassa Sabzi

 Mangalore Buns

Udipi Sambar

Undhiyo

Zunka