Pudina (Mint) Chutney

Pudina (Mint) Chutney is a very flavorful chutney. It is one of our favorite chutney. This is my own recipe. I often make it as an accompaniment to rava idli and that is one of the best combination so far!!

In the past few months, mint has become one of our favorite herb and I have been using it a lot. We love the flavor. I am trying to use it more in our diet, as it is very healthy.
I have added few mint leaves (as I like the mild flavor. You are most welcome to increase the amount of mint leaves, to make the flavor more intense). The few sprigs of cilantro, goes really well with mint. Try making this coconut based mint chutney and I am sure you all will love it. 

Ingredients:

• Pudina/ Mint leaves- 15
• Dalia/Roasted Chickpeas/Hurgadle- 3 Tbsp
• Grated Coconut, fresh/ frozen- 1/2 cup
• Green Chilli- 2-3
• Tamarind- A very small piece
• Coriander leaves/Cilantro- 5-6 sprigs
• Salt- To taste
• Oil- 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp

Procedure:

Grind all the above ingredients except oil and mustard seeds. Add little water while grinding. Don't grind  the chutney very smooth. Transfer it into a bowl. Adjust the consistency of the chutney using water (I made it medium thick). Then add seasoning.

For seasoning- Heat oil and add mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering, turn off the heat. Add this to the chutney and mix well. Pudina (Mint) Chutney is ready.

Serve it with Rava idli, dosa or any idli of your choice. Above measurement serves three people.

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Cabbage Kosambari (Seasoned Cabbage Salad)

Cabbage Kosambari is a healthy, crunchy salad. I got this recipe from my mother. This salad can be prepared within 15 minutes and requires very few ingredients.

Cabbage is very rich in Vitamin C, fiber and beta- carotene. It also reduces the risk of certain type of cancer (source- Wikipedia). Hence it is good to include this pretty looking veggie in your diet. This recipe calls for raw cabbage. So all the nutrients remain intact (unlike most of the recipes where the cabbage is cooked and a part of its nutrients are lost).

Ingredients:

• Cabbage, finely chopped- 1 cup
• Onion, finely chopped- 2-3 Tbsp
• Grated Coconut, Fresh/Frozen- 1-2 Tbsp
• Green Chilli- 1-2
• Oil- 1/2- 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
• Curry Leaves- 3-4
• Salt- To taste

Procedure:

Clean the cabbage and chop it finely (use the inner part of the cabbage, as the outer leaves are tough and chewy). Chop the onion and green chillis as well (I didn't add green chilli).

Then take a mixing bowl and add the chopped cabbage, onion, green chilli, grated coconut and salt. Give them a good mix and then add the seasoning.

For Seasoning- Heat oil and then add mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add curry leaves and turn off the heat. Add this to the salad. Cabbage Kosambari is ready!!

Serve it immediately along with rice and any spicy dish of your choice. Above measurement serves two people.

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Maida Phanna Polo (Seasoned Maida Dosa)

Maida Phanna Polo is one of the popular konkani breakfast. In konkani, Phanna means seasoning and polo means dosa. This dosa is very easy to make and the dosa batter can be prepared within 10 minutes. I got this recipe from my mother. 

Maida Phanna Polo looks very similar to rava dosa. Good thing about it is- It can be made instantly and the other is- it doesn't require any chutney (to go along with it) as the batter is already seasoned. So it is very helpful to those who are pressed for time. Do try making this and I am sure you will love its unique taste.

Ingredients:

• All Purpose Flour/ Maida*- 3/4 cup
• Green Chilli- 1-2
• Grated ginger- 1/2 tsp
• Grated coconut, fresh/ frozen- 1 Tbsp
• Jaggery- 1/2 tsp (or to taste)
• Oil- 1 tsp plus more for frying
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves- Few
• Salt- To taste

*You can substitute maida with wheat flour, for healthier version.

Procedure:

Take a bowl and add all purpose flour, chopped green chilli, grated ginger, grated coconut, jaggery and salt. Mix well and then add water mix well to get a lump free batter. The consistency of the batter should be little watery (like rava dosa). You can add nearly 1 and 3/4 cups of water. Once it is done, add the seasoning and mix well.

For Seasoning- Heat oil and then add mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add the curry leaves and turn off the heat. Add this to the prepared batter.

Now heat a nonstick or iron griddle/tawa. Once it is hot, start splashing the batter on the tawa using a ladel. Don't fill the tiny holes in between. This gives a nice lacy pattern. Sprinkle little oil at this point.

Now allow it to turn crisp on a medium flame.

Once it is crispy, transfer it on a plate. Maida Phanna Polo is ready!!

Serve it hot. Above measurement serves 2-3 people.

Note: You can as well add few sprigs of cilantro/ coriander leaves to the batter, for extra flavor.

Try to finish off the batter on the same day.

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Avale Chutney (Pickled Gooseberry Chutney)

Avale Chutney is a very simple recipe. In konkani, avalo means gooseberry. This chutney  requires very few ingredients and can be made within 10 minutes. I got this recipe from my amma. I have used the brined amlas to make this chutney.

This chutney is very healthy as amlas are rich in Vitamin C. Gooseberries are not available through out the year. Hence these are generally preserved in salt solution and they remain good for a year.

Ingredients:

• Grated Coconut, fresh/frozen- 1/2 cup
• Brined Amla (gooseberry), large sized*- 2
• Green chilli- 2-3
• Garlic pods- 2-3

*The amount of brined amla depends on the the sourness of the amla as well as how much sour you want. So adjust it accordingly.

Procedure:

How to Brine: Wash the amla (fresh and frozen both works) and then place them in a glass jar. Add couple of spoon of salt. Then add water till the top. Close it with its lid and let it sit for more than a month. This is how mine looked-

Then remove the brined amla from the jar and wash them. This is how they look.

Break them open and discard the seeds (you can as well leave them in cold water, to remove the excess salt)

Now grind the brined amla pieces along with grated coconut, green chillies, garlic to get a semi coarse mixture. Add few table spoon of water, to ease the process of grinding (I didn't add salt as the brined amla has enough salt). At this point, check for the salt, sourness as well as spiciness. If everything is good then transfer it to a bowl.

Avale Chutney is ready!!

Serve it as a side dish to rice. I would suggest you to serve this chutney with rice and a spicy curry like Batate Vaagu, Batate Song or any other curry of your choice. Above measurement serves three people.

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Karbeva Saaru (Curry Leaves Soup)

Karbeva Saaru is a healthy soup. In Konkani, karbevu means curry leaves. I got this recipe from a cook book (by Jaya V Shenoy). 
Curry leaves are rich in iron. These leaves are very flavorful and very commonly used in South Indian dishes. Generally these leaves are added in seasoning. But the sad part is instead of eating, it is kept aside by many of them. So I think this recipe is a good way to consume these healthy flavorful leaves.

Recently, a friend of our's gave me a generous amount of fresh, flavorful curry leaves and I was searching for a way to use them before they go bad. I saw this recipe and made it after couple of days. It turned out so good that it reminded me of saaru that my mother makes. I enjoyed every bit of the rice. The freshly ground spice and the curry leaves indeed took the saaru to an unexpected level. Do try it and I am sure the effort in making it, is worth!!

Ingredients:

• Tamarind- A small piece
• Jaggery- 1 tsp
• Coriander leaves/ Cilantro- 2-3 sprigs 
• Salt- To taste

For Frying:

• Curry leaves- 3 sprigs
• Grated Coconut- 2-3 Tbsp
• Peppercorns- 12
• Dry Red chilli- 3
• Toordal/ Pigeon peas- 2 tsp
• Coriander seeds- 3 tsp
• Cumin seeds/ Jeera- 1/2 tsp
• Fenugreek seeds/ Methi- 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida/ Hing- 1/8 tsp
• Turmeric powder- 1/8 tsp
• Oil- 1 tsp

For Seasoning:

• Oil- 1-2 tsp
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves- Few

Procedure:

Wash the curry leaves and pat dry with a cloth or paper towel. Then fry these leaves in a small pan in few drops of oil for a minute. Then transfer it to a plate for cooling.

In the same pan, dry roast the grated coconut, until it turns slight brown. Before it turns slight brown add turmeric powder and asafoetida. Then transfer it on a plate for cooling.

Fry the remaining spices one by one in oil, until they turn light brown, mentioned under 'For Frying' . Transfer all the spices to a plate for cooling. Take care not to burn the spices, as they make the masala bitter.

Now grind the fried coconut, curry leaves and spices along with red chillis and tamarind to get a fine paste. Add water as required. 

Transfer this paste to a dish and dilute it, according to required consistency (I prefer it to be medium thick). Then add jaggery and salt to taste. Mix it well and bring it to a boil. Once it starts boiling continue heating for 3-4 minutes and turn off the heat. Add chopped cilantro. Mix well and then add seasoning.

For seasoning- Heat oil and add mustard seeds to it. Once it starts spluttering, add curry leaves and turn off the heat. Add this to the prepared Saaru and mix well. 
Karbeva Saaru is ready!!

Serve it hot with Rice. Above measurement serves three people.

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Gointa Gooli (Coconut based Pointed Gourd Dry Curry)

Gointa Gooli is a simple coconut based dry curry. In konkani, Gointa means Pointed Gourd. I got this recipe from my mother's sister. 

Gointa (also popular as parval or potol or pointed gourd) looks like Ivy gourd but it is bigger in size. It imparts a very unique flavor to the dish. I grew up eating this only in the form of fritters and they used to taste great. This used to be a seasonal veggie for us and hence would be available only for 3-4 months. I tried making it for the first time and enjoyed with dal.

Ingredients:

• Gointa/ Parval/ Pointed Gourd- 15-16
• Grated Coconut, Fresh/ Frozen- 2/3 cup
• Roasted Red chillies- 3-4
• Tamarind- A small piece
• Oil- 1-2 tsp plus for seasoning
• Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves- Few
• Salt- To taste

Procedure:

Take the washed pointed gourd and chop off small pieces on either end.

Now start chopping it into small pieces.

Then heat oil in a pan and then add the chopped pointed gourd. Toss it well.

Fry it on a medium flame until it becomes brown and crispy, with constant mixing (this might take between 20- 30 minutes). Also sprinkle little salt when half done.

Now the frying part is done. Next part is to prepare the masala.

For masala- Grind grated coconut along with red chillies, tamarind and salt to get a coarse mixture (add little water so as to bring everything together). Don't grind the masala too fine. Masala is ready.

Now transfer the masala to a bowl and mix it with the fried pointed gourd pieces and then season it. Mix it well.

For seasoning- Heat oil and then add mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add curry leaves and turn off the heat.
Gointa Gooli is ready!!

Serve it as a side dish to rice, dalitoy. Above measurement serves 2-3 people.

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Mixed Rice- Lentil Dosa - Version 2

Mixed Rice- Lentil Dosa -Version 2 is a newly learnt recipe. I got this recipe from a FB friend. I tried it for the first time and it tasted very good. The red rice gives a wonderful flavor to the dosa. This dosa has a mixed texture- it is soft and at the same time it is crispy. You can spread it thick to make spongy dosas. Overall, I loved its texture. Give this a try and enjoy. You can as well try the first version of this dosa which I had posted few months back.

Ingredients:

• Rice- 1/2 cup
• Red rice/ Kerala matta rice- 1/2 cup
• Urad dal/ Split black gram- 1/4 cup
• Salt- To taste 
• Ghee/ oil- For frying

I also added a fistful of leftover cooked rice while grinding and its purely optional.

Procedure:

Wash and soak the two types of rice and urad dal, together for 6-7 hours. Then grind it to a smooth paste. Add water as required, while grinding. Keep the batter to ferment for 8-9 hours. Once done, add salt and adjust the consistency of the batter by adding water. It should not be too thick or thin. Now the batter is ready.

Pour a ladel full of batter on the hot tawa and spread it. Sprinkle little oil/ghee over it. Close it with a lid.

After a minute, it starts to turn golden brown.

Then transfer it on a plate. Mixed Rice- Lentil Dosa is ready!!

Serve it hot with coconut chutney or any spicy curry of your choice. Above measurement serves 2-3 people.

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