While browsing through my recipe book I came across recipe for Cauliflower Pulao. Cauli is family favourite veggie and such simple yet delicious recipes are always on my radar. I adapted the original recipe from the book "Annapurna" and it tasted awesome.  You can prepare it with leftover rice and you may also add extra vegetables. This rice tasted even more delicious the next day.


Continue Reading »

Upma or Uppittu was one amongst few easy dishes that I learnt to prepare in those beginning days of my cooking. This is a famous Indian dish made from semolina or suji/rawa traditionally served for breakfast. Rulavu is the name for upma in konkani. Rulavu with phova chutney/phovu and nylon sev is a hit breakfast combo prepared during festivals and religious ceremonies such as marriages/ engagements/thread ceremonies in a konkani household. The upma I tasted during my son's naming ceremony was best in taste till date. It was a plain one without any onions and vegetables but was so delicious that I had to check with cook [who comes from my native place] as what was his technique/ trick to prepare this plain yummy rulav and with a smile he answered in konkani language "Rulav [Semolina] layak kornu tuppantu bhaajuka ,, tupa [ghee] une korchya na ani udka [water] alte sama assuka ". What he meant is translated "The semolina needs to be roasted nicely in ghee on low flame, you should't limit the quantity of ghee [the health conscious mind of mine always tries to limit the use of ghee and hence I fail to follow this suggestion :P] and ratio of water to semolina should be correct". 

The preparation ranges from simple to number of variations such as use of different seasonings and vegetables, type of semolina, with or without onions, with or without coconut garnish, etc depending on individual preferences. So let's see the recipe of this simple and humble dish which can by rustled up in very less time. I'm sure most of you know it and prepare as per your liking, I was more eager to share the clicks here :) 



Continue Reading »

After green gram dhokla, I am posting the recipe of green gram dosa. A very nutritious dish here which I prepare more often from whole green gram for the nutrition they provide, yummy and filling by itself and especially in winter months when fermentation suddenly turns out to be difficult. The below recipe doesn't require any fermentation. You can also prepare them using split green gram or sprouted ones. North Indian prepare similar type of dosa which they call as "cheelas"




Continue Reading »

Recently, I got a request from one of my friend/ reader to share some diet recipes. I already have few of them shared on this space. With a note to myself to list down these recipes at the earliest [which would help readers to easily access them], I assured my friend to add more healthy recipes to this list whenever I come across it, provided the outcome of these recipe trials is "thumbs up" by family members :) 

Oats have been on hot seat/ in demand these days due to its health benefits and majority of us are trying to incorporate them in daily menu. I am one such person who is always on lookout to consume them through different recipes. The best part is it can be included in many recipes like parathas, idlis, dosas, upma, laddoos, etc. You can check the recipes that I tried successfully with inclusion of oats and has been posted here, here and here. Below is the recipe of Masala Oats Appos which is not just delicious but a healthy powerpacked dish served as breakfast in the morning or tea time snack in the evening. The original recipe was shared by my friend Suphala Shenoy and I did minimal changes to her recipe. So if you are diet conscious this is one of those recipes you should try it.




Continue Reading »

Continue Reading »

Bread usli is a simple and easy to prepare Konkani snack item, a quick fix menu especially on lazy days. You can prepare them using left over bread slices.

When I decided to prepare it in traditional GSB way, I was confused. Have you heard of a marathi phrase "Vyakti titkya prakruti" which means as many as peoples that many different natures and perceptions. So when it comes to cooking a particular dish the same phrase gets extension with difference in their perceptions and practices about the use of ingredients or the method of doing it. Even for this bread usli preparation, you will come across many versions such as adding cumin seeds, chopped tomatoes, coriander leaves for garnish, etc. For me, with overlap of Maharashtrian cuisine over Konkani cooking I was not able to zero down the exact ingredients to prepare and call it as GSB snack, that many variations I have experimented on this dish,,,have even added chaat masala and grated cheese. 

Tried calling mom and check with her. The phone kept ringing, probably she was away from her phone busy in her work or gone outside without carrying it. And this is when I remembered Asha mayi's book "The Konkani Saraswat Cookbook". I remembered reading about it in the index page and yes there it was on page 9 of the book. I liked the way Asha mayi has accurately mentioned even the quantity of water to be used in this dish. I have followed her recipe with minimal variation, by using brown bread and coconut oil. It was a perfect breakfast menu for us served along with wheat flour appo, tila undo and banana.



Continue Reading »

Hello everyone, here's a simple, easy to make, nutritious and flavored rice and that's Carrot rice.  



Continue Reading »

"Ratale" is a marathi name for sweet potato. This ingredient is best known for its use on fasting/ Vrat days in Maharashtrian house. "Kees" means grated or shredded and the dish prepared from this grated sweet potato [sometimes prepared from potatoes too] by Maharashtrians is a simple stir fry served as fasting food with Sabudana Khichadi. This can also be served as breakfast dish on other non-fasting days.



Continue Reading »

Song/ Saung is an authentic dish from Konkani cuisine. It is one super spicy and tangy dish which goes very well with rice, dosa, idli and even chappatis. I usually opt for less spicy levels so that kids too eat it . I prepare this dish from either of these ingredients - potatoes, mushrooms, cauliflower, green peas and few beans like navy beans, soya bean, etc. 

Soya/ Meal maker which is known to be a healthy means of increasing the protein intake is also known to readily absorb the flavors of any dish that we cook them in. Recently I have been using soya chunks in different recipes substituting it for the main ingredients. It is during one of these times the below recipe happened. Glad that I attempted it and this was a healthy twist to amchi recipe which tasted very nice with chappatis.




Continue Reading »

There's an age old axiom "Breakfast is known to be an important meal". Yes, it is, especially for growing children to get them started for the day. 

With my elder one, A 's exam scheduled early morning on weekend, I had less time in the morning to cook anything and that's when I remembered "Tandlachi Ukad". Immediately, I headed towards my kitchen to prepare the dish and get "A" fueled up before his exam. 




Continue Reading »

Potato is called as Batato in Konkani and the preparation of mashed potatoes with seasoning is called as gojju. In simpler terms we can call this dish as potato salad from Konkani cuisine :)

The days when stock of fresh/frozen veggies gets emptied or the days when we return back from any tours/India trip, potatoes come to my rescue while cooking a meal. With just few ingredients this dish is super easy and quick to prepare. A perfect side dish that goes well with rice and dalitoy.


Ingredients

Potatoes 3
Tamarind small piece
Coconut grated fresh or frozen 1-2 tbsp
Green chilli 2
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves few leaves
Asafoetida 1/4 tsp
Coconut Oil used for seasoning
Red chilli 1

Method:

Wash potatoes and pressure cook them in enough water for 3 whistles. Allow it to cool, peel the skin and mash it or crush it with hand. Keep it aside.

Meanwhile finely chop the green chillies and crush with tamarind and little water. Now add grated coconut and salt as per the taste. Add this mixture to the mashed potatoes and add water to bring it to required consistency.

Prepare seasoning in a spatula, heat some oil and add mustard seeds, once they start popping add broken red chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida. Pour the seasoning on potato mixture, mix well and enjoy it as side dish.

Happy cooking !
Continue Reading »

Continue Reading »

Chole pulav is an easy and quick recipe, a complete meal by itself where rice is cooked with chickpeas and variety of spices.




Continue Reading »

Summer is approaching. Not a favourite season for most of them with the mercury rising higher, but then the season brings along with it school vacations and people take advantage of these holidays to visit the beaches, spend more time outdoors and enjoy various sports. In such a scenario, precautions should be taken before the rising temperatures create problems such as dehydration, sunstrokes, etc.

It is very essential to keep the body cool and prevent such episodes by drinking plenty of water, juices, buttermilk, lassis and eating more fresh fruits, salads, curds. The best way is to include various salads/ raitas in our daily menu. I prefer to add curds in these salad/raita recipes which surely helps to have a cooler effect on our body. Today, I am posting a simple and refreshing salad recipe.



Continue Reading »

"Dhaiyn" is Konkani word for curds/yoghurt. Yes, today the recipe is "Curd rice" also known as "mosuranna", "thayir sadam" in other languages. Its a comfort food for many, a rescuer to me when I am in no mood to cook after a long tiring day at work. The ingredients and measurements gets adjusted as per its availability. This is the version which I prepare most of the times.


Rice cooked 1 cup
Thick curd [chilled] 2 cups
Water/Milk to adjust the consistency
Salt to taste
Pomegranate seeds few
Coriander leaves to garnish
Cashews roasted for garnishing

For tempering
Ghee 2 tsp
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves few leaves
Green chillies finely chopped 1-2
Asafoetida a pinch

Method:

Whisk the yoghurt and add it to cooked cooled rice. Add salt and mix well. Keep this aside.
Roast cashews and keep them aside.

Heat ghee in a wok. Add mustard seeds and once they splutter add curry leaves, chopped green chillies and asafoetida. Switch off the flame and pour the tempering on the mixed curd rice mixture. Mix it well. Adjust salt as per the taste and add few tsps of water or milk to adjust its consistency.

Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and pomegranate seeds. Enjoy the rice with any pickle of your choice.

Note: Addition of some milk to the curd rice may remove the sourness of the curd if it is there before serving.
Continue Reading »

Today's recipe is a stirfry using beans also known as green beans/ french beans or pharasbi



Ingredients

250 gms french Beans or pharasbi 
1 large sized potato, peeled and cut into small cubes 
1/2 tsp mustard seeds 
1/2 -1 tsp urad dal
1 Green chilly slit vertically 
Few curry leaves 
2 tbsp grated coconut 
Coconut oil preferably

Wash the pharasbi, remove the ends and strings. Finely chop them. Keep them aside. 

Heat oil in a wok. Add mustard seeds, when they splutter add urad dal. Stir it till the urad dal turns slightly brown color. Now add green chilly, curry leaves and fry for few seconds. Add potato pieces, stir it and cover the pan with lid for 3-4 minutes. Next add finely chopped beans and sauté it for 2 minutes. Cover it with lid and cook it on low flame. Keep checking in between if it is done. Once the beans are done, add salt and mix it well. Cook it covered again for another 2 -3 minutes. Garnish it with grated coconut and upkari is ready. This stir fry goes well as side dish with rice and dalitoy or chappatis.

Notes:
Sometimes, I exclude potato and just go ahead with beans only in this preparation.
I usually don't add water to this stirfry, but sometimes if pharasbi are not so tender then we can sprinkle few drops of water that helps to cook the veggie.
Continue Reading »

Cabbage upkari /stir fry is a simple amchi upkari [Konkani cuisine] served as a sidedish. 

Even today I ponder over the episode of burnt cabbage upkari that I had prepared when I was in 7th/8th std. I had never ever ventured into the kitchen to lend a helping hand or show my interest in cooking before this episode. Seeing my enthusiasm to cook, the first ever recipe my amma suggested was "Cabbage upkari" the easiest of all :P. She told me the method and I requested her to handover the kitchen to me. I followed the steps exactly as she instructed me to do, but I forgot to stir the vegetable at intervals and the veggie got burnt completely. Since that day, I had held this recipe responsible for making me lose my enthusiasm for cooking [whatever interest had tweaked in that time] but post marriage, this stir fry preparation only gave me back my confidence in cooking :).

Below is the pic of shredded purple cabbage. 


Continue Reading »

A very simple and easy to do recipe. These spiced potatoes goes well with rice, breads or chapatis. You can also serve these potatoes as spicy starters during parties.



Ingredients

Baby potatoes 300 gms
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Curry leaves a sprig
Hing a pinch
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder 1/4 tsp
Sambhar powder 2 tsp
Tamarind extract 1/2 tsp
Oil 2 tbsp for shallow frying as well as seasoning.

Method:

Wash and clean the baby potatoes. Pressure cook these potatoes. Add salt while cooking them. Once cooked the potatoes should be soft and at the same time maintain its shape. Peel the skin when cooled down, prick them with fork or toothpick, shallow fry them in oil till golden brown and keep aside on paper napkin. Take care and see that the potatoes do not break.

Take oil in another kadai. Add mustard seeds. Let it splutter, then add curry leaves. Sim the flame. Add hing, turmeric powder, chilli powder and sambhar powder one by one. Add fried potatoes, tamarind paste and fry them on low flame. Saute gently and see that the masala powder coats the baby potatoes. Add salt as per your preference. Mix and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Garnish with curry leaves. This goes well as side dish or spicy starters by itself. Serve it hot.

I thank my friend, Suphala Shenoy for sharing this yummy recipe.

Note: While serving as starters, I garnished them with coriander leaves and served with tomato sauce.


Continue Reading »

Small tender fresh bhindis/ bhend picked from grocery stores and I could not resist clicking these tiny beauties. Today I am sharing here the recipe of Bhenda gojju. Gojju is yogurt based dish from Konkani cuisine served as an accompaniment with meals.



Continue Reading »