Takka Kadi (Buttermilk Soup)

Takka Kadi is a Konkani dish made using buttermilk. The sour buttermilk is seasoned with aromatic spices and other ingredients roasted in ghee and then flavored with cilantro. This tastes somewhat similar to Phannna Taak. You can drink as it is or pair it with rice and a spicy curry. This dish is very simple and requires only few basic ingredients. It takes only 5-10 minutes of your time and its healthy too! Do try and let me know how it turns out for you.

I adapted this recipe from a Konkani cook book written by Jaya V Shenoy.

Ingredients:

• Sour Buttermilk* - 1 cup
• Water - 3/4 cup
• Melted Ghee (clarified butter) - 2-3 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Green chilli, slit lengthwise - 2-3
• Curry leaves - Few
• Ginger, grated - 1/2 tsp
• Cilantro (coriander leaves),chopped - 3-4 sprigs
• Salt - To taste

*I just mixed 1/2 cup of curd with 1/2 cup of water to make my buttermilk.

Procedure:

Chop cilantro and green chilli. Grate ginger and set them aside.
Now in a sauce pan heat ghee. Once hot, add in the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, green chilli, curry leaves and ginger. 

Fry until fragrant and then add water and salt. Once it comes to a rolling boil, add cilantro and turn off the heat.

Finally add the buttermilk and mix. 

Takka Kadi is ready!!

Serve it immediately as it is or along with rice and a spicy curry. Above measurement serves 2-3 people.

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Batate Thoy (Potato Soup)

Batate Thoy is a simple Konkani dish which makes a good accompaniment to rice. Few days back, I mentioned about this dish to my mother. She told me the recipe for it and it matched with the recipe I read in a cook book written by Jaya V Shenoy. She told me that her mother used to make it regularly. But I don't remember my mother making it. So I tried it and it did turn out tasty.

The recipe requires only few ingredients and is very simple to put together. It can be a quick fix for lunch/dinner on lazy days. Do try it and enjoy!

Ingredients:

• Potato, big sized - 1
• Green Chilli - 1-2
• Asafoetida (hing) - 1/8 tsp
• Oil - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Dry red chilli - 1
• Curry Leaves - Few
• Salt - To taste

Ingredients:

Wash the potato and cook it whole in a microwave or on stove top. Once done allow it to cool slightly.

Then remove the peel and chop into small cubes.

Now transfer the potato cubes in a saucepan containing a cup of water. Mash the potato pieces using your hands. Then add green chilli pieces, asafoetida and salt. Mix it and start heating the mixture.

Once it comes to a boil, continue heating for 3-4 minutes. Then turn off the heat and add the seasoning.

For seasoning - Heat oil. Once hot add mustard seeds. After it pops, add broken red chilli and curry leaves. Fry for few seconds and turn off the heat. Add this to the potato mixture. Mix well. Batate Thoy is ready!!

Serve it hot along with white rice and a spicy curry of your choice. Above measurement serves two people.

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Jeere Ambat (Cumin Flavored Coconut Soup)

Jeere Ambat is a mildly spiced Coconut based dish. This is one of the dishes my paternal grandma made regularly. My mother learnt to make it from her. Freshly grated coconut is ground to a paste along with turmeric and cumin. It is then diluted and boiled with ginger and green chilli. Finally seasoned with mustard and curry leaves. The fresh coconut makes this dish little sweet and cumin, ginger infuses a wonderful flavor.

It had been so many years since I had this. Few months back my mother mentioned about this dish and hence I thought of posting it. Finally I made it as I had fresh coconut. It turned out very good. Do try making this and I am sure you will love it!

Ingredients:

• Grated Coconut, fresh/frozen - 1/2 cup
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin seeds (Jeera) - 1/2 tsp
• Green Chilli - 1-2
• Ginger - 1/2 inch
• Oil - 1-2 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - Few
• Salt - To taste

Procedure:

Take grated coconut, turmeric, salt in a blender. Grind it along with little water to get a smooth paste. Once done add cumin seeds and blend it again for few seconds.

Now transfer the ground paste in a pot along with roughly chopped ginger and green chilli. Start heating it and add enough water to get the desired consistency. I kept it medium thick (not too thick or thin). Once the mixture comes to a boil reduce the heat to medium- low and continue heating for 2-3 minutes. Then turn off the heat. Finally add in the seasoning. 

For Seasoning - Heat oil in a small pan. Once hot, add mustard seeds. After it splutters, add curry leaves and turn off the heat. Add this to the cooked coconut mixture and mix well. Jeere Ambat is ready!!

Serve it hot along with rice. Above measurement serves two people.

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Bikkanda Saaru (Jackfruit Seed Soup)

Bikkanda Saaru is a simple soup made using jackfruit seeds. Recently we got a huge piece of jackfruit. We enjoyed every bit of it. I also made sure to save every seed. I am a huge fan of jackfruit seed. I like it cooked in salted water. But this time I had many seeds and hence wanted to try something new so that I can post it on my blog. When I told about this to my mother she mentioned me about this saaru (soup). I was very excited to try it. The recipe was very simple and required only few ingredients.

It turned out very tasty as I thought and we enjoyed it with rice and sanna khotto. Do give this a try and enjoy it on a cold rainy day :-)

Ingredients:

• Jackfruit seeds, chopped - 1/2 cup
• Green chilli - 1-2
• Asafoetida (Hing) - A big pinch
• Oil - 1-2 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - Few
• Dry red chilli - 1
• Salt - To taste

Procedure:

Peel the jackfruit seeds and cut into small pieces.

Now transfer it into a pressure cooker with 1 inch of water and salt. Cook it for three whistles.

Once the cooked jackfruit seeds cool, blend it to get a smooth paste (add little water while grinding). 

Now, mix this paste along with the water left in the cooker. Add additional amount of water to get the desired consistency (I kept it medium thick). Now add asafoetida, chopped green chilli and salt (if required). Bring it to a boil. Then turn off the heat. Finally add in the seasoning.

For Seasoning : Heat oil. Once hot, add in the mustard seeds. After it pops add in the broken red chilli pieces and curry leaves. Fry for few seconds and turn off the heat. Mix it with the above prepared mixture.

Bikkanda Saaru is ready!!

Serve it hot along with rice. Above measurement serves three people.

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Birinda Saaru (Kokum Rasam)

Birinda Saaru is a quick and flavorful South Indian soup. It is generally served as an accompaniment to rice. Kokum is a fruit that grows in Western Ghats region of India. The tree bears fruit in summer. The pulp of the fruit is either eaten or converted into juice. The peel is generally sun dried and used throughout the year. The dried peel is tangy and hence it is a good substitute for tamarind. 

My mother makes this saaru (Indian soup) often as my father likes it a lot. It had been a long time since I had this. So I noted down the recipe from my mother and made it. It turned out very good. The tanginess of the peel is very well balanced by the jaggery and salt. The garlic seasoning enhances the taste further. Do try making this on a rainy afternoon and enjoy!

Ingredients:

• Dry Kokum Peel - 4-5 pieces
• Green Chilli - 1-2
• Jaggery - 1 tsp or to taste
• Oil - 1-2 tsp
• Garlic pods - 4-5
• Salt - To taste

Procedure:

Dried Kokum Peel looks like this-

Now wash the dried peel and then add it in a pot containing water (around 2 1/2 cups). Turn on the heat.

Let this mixture boil along with green chilli pieces, jaggery and salt, for 14- 15 minutes. By this time all the flavor and juices of the kokum will be transferred to the water. Turn off the heat.

For seasoning- Heat the oil and add crushed garlic to it. Fry it until golden brown and then add it to prepared kokum saaru. Mix well. Birinda Saaru is ready!!

Serve it hot with rice. Above measurement serves 3-4 people.

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Kothambari Palle Saaru (Coriander Leaves/ Cilantro Soup)

Kothambari Palle Saaru is a coconut based flavorful dish. In Konkani, kothambari pallo means Cilantro (coriander leaves) and saaru is nothing but a flavorful soup which is generally served with rice. I got this recipe from my mother.

My mother makes it when she has lot of cilantro in her refrigerator. This is a healthy way to use up the cilantro. Best part is - it is very simple to put together. Do try it sometime!!

Ingredients:

• Cilantro/Coriander leaves - Half a bunch
• Grated coconut, fresh/frozen - 1/2 cup
• Roasted Dry Red Chillis - 3-4
• Tamarind- A small ball (gooseberry sized)
• Jaggery- 1 Tbsp (vary accordingly)
• Salt- To taste
• Oil- 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - 3-4

Procedure:

Wash the cilantro (leaves as well as the stem). Then give a rough chop to it.

Then Grind the roughly chopped cilantro along with dry red chillies, tamarind, jaggery and salt (add water as required while grinding). 

After grinding, it looks like this.

Transfer it to a pot and then start heating. Add water to get the desired thickness (I kept it medium thick). Bring the mixture to a good boil and then turn off the heat. Finally add the seasoning.

For Seasoning: Heat oil. Then add mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add curry leaves and turn off the heat. Once the seasoning is added, mix well. Kothambari Palle Saaru is ready!!

Serve it hot with rice and any side dish of your choice. Above measurement serves two people.

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Shel Saaru

Shel Saaru is a very old konkani dish. I got this recipe from my mother. In Konkani 'Shel' means 'not hot' i.e at room temperature. Saaru is nothing but Indian soup which is served with rice. Generally saaru is made by roasting spices, then grinding, then cooking it down and finishing it with a seasoning. But the speciality of this dish is it is not cooked. The coconut is ground with the freshly roasted spices and then a good seasoning is given. 

It is a very unique recipe and not known to many. This was my favorite dish as a kid and my mother used to make this often. It had been so many years since I had this. Hence I thought of making it, so that I can share the recipe too. The 'saaru' really made me nostalgic.

Ingredients:

• Grated Coconut, fresh/frozen - 2/3 cup
• Dry red Chilli - 4-5
• Tamarind - A small piece
• Coriander seeds- 1 tsp
• Cumin seeds - little more than 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida (hing)- A generous pinch
• Jaggery- 1/2 tsp
• Salt- To taste
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - Few

Procedure:

Take a pan and roast the dry red chilli in few drops of oil. Then transfer it on a plate. 

In the same pan add few more drops of oil and then add coriander seeds. When it starts to roast add the cumin seeds and asafoetida. Continue heating until it turns light brown and turn off the heat. Transfer it into a plate for cooling.

Now take grated coconut, tamarind, jaggery, salt along with roasted spices and red chillies in a blender.

Grind it by adding little water to get a paste.

Transfer this paste into a bowl. Adjust the consistency by adding water (I kept it medium thick). Then finally add the seasoning.

For Seasoning: heat oil in a small pan. Once hot, add mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add the curry leaves and turn off the heat. Add this seasoning to the prepared mixture. Mix well. Shel Saaru is ready!!

Serve it along with rice. Above measurement serves two people.

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Tomato Saaru (Without Dal) ~ Quick Version

Tomato Saaru is a popular South Indian dish. There are many variations available in the internet world. This recipe is my mother's version. She has been making it for years now. It is a quick and easy recipe. It requires only few ingredients as well.

If you are very lazy to cook something that takes lot of time and effort, then these recipes always comes to help. The tanginess is well balanced by jaggery and the garlic seasoning makes it even more tasty.

Ingredients:

• Ripe Tomato, medium sized- 2
• Green Chilli- 1-2
• Jaggery- To taste
• Oil- 2 tsp
• Garlic pods, big sized- 5-6
• Salt- To taste

Procedure:

Wash the tomatoes and cut them into quarters.

Now put them in a pot and add water just enough to soak them. Add salt to taste and then start cooking it on a medium heat.

Once the tomato looks cooked (it turns mushy), turn off the heat.

Now blend this in a blender (I used a hand blender). The final mixture doesn't have to be perfect. A few small pieces of tomato here and there shouldn't bother (you can also crush the cooked tomatoes using your hands. For that the tomatoes has to cool down completely). Now add the green chilli pieces (cut lengthwise) along with jaggery to the tomato puree and then start heating. Once it comes to a boil, taste it and add more salt or jaggery, if required (you can as well add some water, if the mixture is too thick). Then turn off the heat after a good boil of 2-3 minutes. Finally add the seasoning.

For seasoning: Heat the oil and add crushed garlic to it. Fry it until light brown and add it to prepared tomato saaru. Mix well.

Tomato Saaru is ready!!

Serve it hot along with rice. Above measurement serves two people.

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Moolangi Sambhar (Radish Sambhar)

Moolangi Sambhar is a newly learnt dish. This is a recipe received from a reader (named Bhuvana). Two months back, I had posted Moolangi Buthi. Seeing this post she mentioned me about her mom's moolangi sambhar. I always like mother's recipes and hence got the recipe from her. I made few additions to the original recipe. 

This sambhar tasted very good and it didn't had the foul smell of radish. The addition of garlic made all the magic. Do try making it. My idea of Moolangi Sambhar completed changed after trying this:-)

Ingredients:

• Toordal (Split Piegon peas)- 1/4 cup, heaping
• Radish, Chopped- 1 cup
• Pearl Onions (sambhar onions)- 8- 10
• Cilantro (coriander leaves)- 5-6 sprigs
• Garlic pod, large sized- 1
• Grated Coconut, fresh/frozen- 1/2 cup
• Tamarind paste- 1/2 tsp
• Jaggery, grated- 1 tsp (or to taste)
• Turmeric Powder- 1/8 tsp
• Salt- To taste

For Dry Roasting:

• Urad dal (Split black gram)- 1 Tbsp
• Chana dal (Split Chick peas)- 1 Tbsp
• Coriander seeds- 1 1/2 Tbsp
• Fenugreek seeds (methi)- 1/4 tsp
• Dry Red Chilli- 4-5

For Seasoning:

• Oil- 1-2 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Urad dal- 1 tsp
• Curry leaves- Few
• Dry Red chili, broken- 1-2

Procedure:

Wash and remove the skin of radish. Chop it into bite size cubes. Also peel the onions ( I kept the onions whole as they were small. You can also use any type of onion).

Now in a pressure cooker take the washed toor dal, chopped radish and small onions with enough water and cook until you hear 2-3 whistles.

Once cooked, beat the dal mixture using a whisk or ladel to break down the dal.

Now, prepare masala. Dry roast all the spices together or one by one, mentioned under 'For Dry Roasting'. They should be roasted until a nice flavor is released. 

Once the dry roasted spices cool, grind them along with grated coconut, turmeric, tamarind, garlic pod, salt, jaggery.

Add water as required to get a smooth paste.

Now add this paste to the cooked dal mixture. Mix well and add more water to adjust the thickness. Heat this mixture until it coms to a rolling boil. Then turn off the heat. Now add the chopped cilantro as well. Check for salt and add more if required. I kept the sambhar's consistency- medium thick (add water in little amount to get the desired consistency).

Now finally add the seasoning.

For seasoning- Heat oil. Then add mustard seeds. Once it starts to splutter add urad dal. Wait till urad dal turns light brown. Then add curry leaves and broken red chillies. Turn off the heat immediately. Add this to the prepared sambhar and mix well. 

Moolangi Sambhar is ready!!

Serve it hot with rice or idlis. Above measurement serves four people.

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