MASSOPPU SAARU !!!!!

Massoppu saaru is a Karnataka delicacy that too B'lore delicacy. We use many varieties of leaves in this dish. That means taste bhi...health bhi. This recipe is in my wish list since long back.Once my best friend's mom made this dish when i recently went to meet her. I just fell in love with it. Actually you should add either BBB powder or rasam powder to it.I mean original recipe demands it. Bur knowing my taste, aunty didn't add. After coming back, i tried both the varieties. But liked aunty's version very much. One more think i felt is i added less bunch leaves. I added one bunch of amarnath leaves, palak leaves, methi leaves each. But i felt i should have added 2 bunches each & a bunch of dill leaves too. In this recipe you should use only leaves, not stems. 

( here i added BBB powder)

INGREDIENTS:-                                                                                     

Toor dal - 1 cup
methi leaves, chopped - 1 or 2 bunch
palak leaves, chopped - 1 or 2 bunch
amarnath leaves(green), chopped - 1 or 2 bunch
dill leaves , chopped - 1 bunch (i didn't add)
onion, finely chopped - 1 medium
tomato, finely chopped- 1 medium
green chillies, slitted  - 2 if spicy, 3 if medium spicy
turmeric pow - 1/2 tsp
salt to taste
coriander leaves, chopped - 1 or 2 tblsp
Tamarind - gooseberry size
BBB pow/rasam pow - 1/2 tsp (optional)
cumin pow - 1/2 tsp

TO TEMPER:-

mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
garlic, chopped - 1pod
garlic, smashed - 1 pod
curry leaves - 4 strands
long red chilly - 1
ghee - 1 tblsp

METHOD:-

1. Wash & pressure cook toor dal+all chopped leaves+onion+tomato+green chillies+turmeric pow to 7-8 whistles.
2. Mash them finely.
3. Add tamarind extract, salt to taste, coriander leaves, cumin pow , BBB pow & bring it to boil.
4. For tadka, heat ghee in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, add cumin seeds, garlic chopped & smashed, red long chilly(cut it into 3 pieces), curry leaves & fry until garlic turns light brown.
5. Temper it to dal-leaves mixture & mix well.
6. Serve hot with rice/rotis.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))))

BATATE HUMMAN/ COOKED POTATOES IN COCONUT GRAVY !!!!!!!!

My today's dish is an amchi speciality. BATATE HUMMAN / COOKED POTATOES IN COCONUT GRAVY. It's a very simple recipe but awesome in taste. We don't give thadka for humman, instead we dilute hing & add to it. You can add little fresh coconut oil too after gravy is done to enhance the taste. I added here as son requested. Usually humman should be little spicy but i don't make it spicy as per son's demand. If you like it spicy, then add more red chillies while grinding coconut masala. You can have it with rice/rotis/ shenvai/undi/dosa/idly etc. Btw, my son had it with CHEPPI KHEERI  :d

 INGREDIENTS:-

potatoes, boiled - 2 medium   

grated coconut - 1 cup
red chillies, shallow fried - 5 if guntur or 8 if byadagi
tamarind - big chana size
hing - double the big chana size
fresh coconut oil - 1tsp
salt to taste     
                                                

METHOD;-

1. Wash, clean & pressure cook potatoes for 4 whistles & cube them & keep aside (don't remove the skin).

2. Grind grated coconut+red chillies+tamarind to a smooth paste.

3. Heat pan & add ground masala+ cooked & cubed potatoes+ salt+ little water to make gravy required consistency & bring it to boil.

4. Dilute hing in little water & add to the gravy & bring it to boil. (if you like hing smell then you can add little more hing according to your taste).

5. Switch off the stove & spread a spoon of coconut oil on the top & close the lid.

6. While serving mix everything well & serve.

HAPPY COOKING :)))))))

KHUBBE HINGA UDAK / CLAMS IN COCONUT BASED GRAVY !!!!!

My todays recipe is using clams & i. e. KHUBBE HINGA UDAK. But i don't know much about clams . So, i adopted these information about clams from the blog AAYI'S RECIPES. 

Clams are used widely in Konkani cooking.  During the low tide days, people stand in knee high water and pick up the clams. While using for cooking, the clams are opened carefully and the soft meat inside the shell is used in a variety of dishes. Usually one of the two shells is kept intact for some clams. I do not know why the shells are used.

There are many types of clams used in cooking. We used 3 types of them. First one is called ‘Tisre’ in Konkani. It looks like this and has many lines on the shell. Second type is called ‘Khubbe’, which doesn’t have the lines. Some people eat the first type and do not eat the second and vice versa. (Some more information about these types can be found here).The third type is called ‘kalva’, these are found in big stones near the sea shore. Any of the three types of clams can be used for this dish

                    ( here are the 2 varieties of clams)

                ( i used this type of clams for this gravy )

INGREDIENTS:-

clams, cleaned, cooked & one side opened - 2 cups

coconut grated - 1

red chillies - 12

hing - small chana size

tamarind - small chana size

salt to taste

METHOD:-

1. Grind coconut, tamarind and red chilies to a smooth paste.

2. In a pot, mix the paste with clams. Add sufficient water and salt.

3. When the curry starts boiling, add hing (dilute hing in 2tbsp water) & mix well.

HAPPY COOKING :)))))

KURLE AMBAT / CRABS IN COCONUT BASED GRAVY !!!!

I am a eggitarian person. But my son loves crab. So, prepared this curry for him.

INGREDIENTS:-

Crab, cleaned & washed - 4
Grated coconut - 1/2
Red chillies - 5
Tamarind - small chana size
onions, finely chopped - 2 medium
salt to taste

METHOD :-

1. Clean the crabs. If the crab is big, cut them into 2 pieces to make eating easier. Slightly crush the legs with pestle(beat it just once or twice just to crack the outer shell slightly). 
2. Grind coconut+red chillies+tamarind to a smooth paste.
3. Now add this paste + half of the finely chopped onion in a kadai & bring it to a boil.
4. Now add crabs+salt in this kadai & mix well & cook it for  1/2 an hour or till done.
5. Now temper it with remaining onions & mix well & again bring it to a boil.

HAPPY COOKING :))))

and here's an tip:- 

This dish tastes great when crabs absorbs the gravy. So, better serve it after 3-4 hrs.

BATATE SAUNG/SPICY POTATO CURRY !!!!!

This is one of popular Konkani recipe. Goes well with steaming hot rice & dal/idly/khotto/moodo/chapathi etc. There are so many different recipes for this. But this one is my MILs recipe which i liked most. So, today i am going to share this with you all.

INGREDIENTS:-

onions, finely chopped - 4 medium
potato, cubed - 3 medium
mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
curry leaves - 3 strands
salt to taste
oil - 1 tbsp ( i used coconut oil)

Grind together:-

grated coconut - 1 cup
red chilly - 10-12 (depending on your taste)
tamarind - big chana size
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
methi seeds - 1/2 tsp
coriander seeds - 2 tsp

METHOD:-

1. In a tadka pan heat 1 tsp oil & add methi seeds & coriander seeds & fry till the aroma comes & keep it aside.
2. Coarsely grind grated coconut+red chillies+tamarind together. 
3. Now add roasted methi seeds+coriander seeds & grind it to almost smooth paste.

4. In a kadai, heat oil & add mustard seeds + curry leaves. When it starts spluttering add onion fry till very light brown in colour.
5. Now add cubed potatoes+ground masala+salt to taste & required water & mix well.
6. Cook till potatoes becomes soft.
7. Serve hot.

HAPPY COOKING :)))))))

CHANE GHASHI / BLACK CHANA IN COCONUT BASED GRAVY !!!!

Chane ghashi is a popular amchi cuisine. This dish is prepared during almost all amchi festivals like wedding, thread ceremony, temples etc. You can add yam/raw jackfruit/chinese potato/potato to this dish. Best combo is chana & yam and chana & raw jackfruit. This is my son's one of favourite dish among amchi cuisine.

INGREDIENTS:-

chana - 1 & 1/2 cup
yam, deskined & cubed - 15-20 pieces
salt to taste

Grind together :-

grated coconut - 1 cup
red chillies - 8-9
tamarind - chana size

For tempering:-

mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
curry leaves - 3 strands

METHOD:-

1. Soak chana in water whole night.

2. Pressure cook soaked chana for 2 whistles. 
3. Deskin yam & chop them into 1 inch cubes & add them in pressure cooker & again take 1 whistle.
4. Grind grated coconut+red chillies+tamarind to a smooth paste.

5. Add this masala to cooked chana+yam+salt & required water to get desired consistency & bring it to a boil.
6. Temper mustard seeds+curry leaves & add it to the curry & mix well.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))

BENDA HOOLI / LADY'S FINGRES IN COCONUT BASED GRAVY !!!!!!

Lady's finger / okra is a tasty & fast cooking vegetable. Okra is a healthy vegetables as it contains vitamin C, fibre, calcium & potassium. We call it BENDA in konknani & BENDEKAI in Kannada & BHINDI in Hindi. I adapted this recipe from my Mother-in-law. I can say this is her signature dish. You can add potatoes & drum sticks for extra taste & flavour in this dish ( we always add it). You can make this curry when you want to finish your left over cooked toor dal / daalithoy. It goes well with rice.

INGREDIENTS:-

cooked toor dal - 1/3 cup
lady's finger - 7-8
drum sticks - 1 large or 2 small
potato - 1 large
coriander leaves, chopped - 1/4 cup
salt to taste

For grinding:-

grated coconut - 1 cup
fried red chillies - 5-6
tamarind - chana size
hing - little
methi seeds - 1/4 tsp
mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
coriander seeds - 1 tsp

For tempering :-

mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
curry leaves - 2 strands

METHOD:-

1. In a tadka pan fry grated coconut till light brown & aroma comes & keep it aside.
2. In that same tadka pan heat little oil & fry methi seeds+ mustard seeds+coriander seeds+hing till the aroma comes & keep it aside.
3. Now grind grated coconut+red chillies+tamarind to a coarse paste adding water. Now add fried items & grind it to a smooth paste & keep it aside.
4. Wash & chop lady's finger into 1 1/2 inch pieces & keep it aside.
5. Wash & chop drum sticks into 2 inch pieces & potatoes into 1 inch cubes & cook them along with cooked toor daal by adding required water. (don't over cook it).
6. Now add chopped lady's finger+ground paste+chopped coriander leaves+salt to taste & bring it to boil till lady's fingers are cooked properly. ( add little more water if required to make it as curry)
7. Temper it with mustard seeds+ curry leaves & close the vessel with a lid for few minutes.
8. Your yummilicious benda hooli is ready to serve.
9. Serve this curry with steaming hot rice.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))))

AVNAAS-AMBE SASAM / PINEAPPLE-MANGO CURRY !!!!!

AVNAAS-AMBE SASAM is a pure Konkani dish. We prepare it especially at summer as it is season of mangoes. This is a popular dish in Amchi weddings/functions. You can add grapes for better taste ( i always prefer grapes in this dish) but it is optional. Btw, avnaas & ambo are konkani names of the fruits pineapple & mango respectively. This is a non spicy dish, so kids will love this for sure. 

What makes this dish special ????

We use only fruits instead of vegetables in this dish. & you can make this dish at "cooking without fire" competition. Only you have to skip the step 'seasoning" here.

INGREDIENTS:-

ripe mangoes - 3 small
pineapple - 1 medium
grapes - few ( optional)

Grind together:-

grated coconut - 1 cup
roasted red chilly - 1
green chillies - 1 or 2 (according to your taste)
jaggery - to taste
mustard seeds - 1 tsp
salt - to taste

For seasoning:-

mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
oil - 2 tsp
curry leaves - 1 strand

METHOD:-

1. Wash & peel the mangoes & pineapple & chop them into pieces. (for the size of pieces  refer the pic of avnaas-ambe sasam).
2. Grind all the ingredients mentioned under "GRIND TOGETHER" to a coarse paste adding very little water. (paste must be thick).
3. Add all chopped fruits+washed grapes to the masala & mix them well carefully.
4. In a tadka pan, put oil, when hot add 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, when splutters add curry leaves & turn off the stove. Add this seasoning to the gravy, & mix it carefully.
5. Serve this dish immediately.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))

and here's an tip:-

Usually we don't boil such kind of dishes. & we have to finish this on the same day. You can keep it in fridge & can use it next day but doesn't tastes great. But once i tried to boil the left over gravy, then i cooled it & kept it in fridge. & i used it after 2 days. It tasted good.

EGG CURRY WITHOUT TAMARIND !!!!!

I adapted this recipe from BHAVYA'S CUISINE. No need to add tamarind here as we add tomatoes & tomato puree to it. It tasted good. Goes well with rotis/rice.

INGREDIENTS:-

Boiled eggs - 4
onions, chopped  2
tomatoes, finely chopped -2
tomato puree/sauce - 3 tsp
garlic cloves, chopped - 2
ginger paste - 1 & 1/2 tbsp
green chillies, chopped - 3 or more (according to your taste)
turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
red chilly powder - 1 1/2 tsp
coriander powder - 1 ts\
oil
garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
salt to taste
water - 1 1.2 cup

METHOD:-

1. Heat oil in pan on medium heat. Add garlic+ginger paste+onions & fry well till they turn brown.
2. When they turn golden, add coriander pow+salt+red chilly pow+turmeric pow & fry for a minute.
3. Add tomatoes & fry again for some time.
4. Add tomato puree/sauce, stir well & fry till the oil leaves the sides.
5. Add chopped green chillies.
6. Add water & lower the flame to sim for about 10 mins.
7. Then again turn the heat to medium.
8. Cut the eggs in half & add it to the gravy.

9. Stir it slowly so that it gets dipped into the gravy.
10. Cook the egg curry for about 5 mins & turn off the flame.
11. Garnish with coriander leaves.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))))

EGGS IN THAI RED CURRY PASTE !!!!

Eggs in Thai red curry paste...excellent in taste. I prepared this curry using REAL THAI brands red curry paste. My son liked it very much. It tasted just like amchis Batate Humman. I tried to prepare same curry using different brands red curry paste. But the taste is not at all the same :(  

INGREDIENTS:-

eggs- 4
Thai Red Curry paste - 50gm
oil - 2 tbsp
coconut milk - 400 ml 
salt to taste

METHOD:-

1. Boil eggs. Remove shells & cut it into halves & keep it aside.
2. In a kadai, put oil & read curry paste & stir it for 1 min.
3. Now add coconut milk( i used ready made tin but we can extract it in home also) & bring it to a boil.
4. Now add eggs carefully & add salt to taste & again bring it to a boil.
5. Garnish it with mint leaves.

HAPPY COOKING :)))))

AMBE UPKARI/RIPE MANGO CURRY !!!!!!!

Ambe upkari or Ripe mango curry  is a pure Konkani delicacy. You can have it with rice as side dish or you can eat it independently. Well i would like to eat it independently especially in the evening. This ambe upkari is made from home grown mangoes. These mangoes are specially used for making ambe upkari & we call it GONTAMBO in Konkani. I feel it has a different flavour & taste than other mangoes. Usually i don't eat mangoes but this is my favourite one.

INGREDIENTS:-

ripe mangoes - 6
green chilly - 3
maida - 3 tbl sp
long red chilly - 2
jaggery to taste
salt to taste
oil for seasoning
mustard seeds - 1 1/2 tsp
curry leaves - 3 strands

METHOD:-

1. Remove the peel of mangoes. Now add little water to the peel & squeeze it properly to get the juice. Repeat this process twice.
2. Take the peeled mangoes+juice extracted+slit green chillies in a pan & bring to boil.
3. Cook it further till the colour of mangoes slightly changes. Add jaggery & salt depending on your taste.
4. Continue cooking for further few mins.
5. Now take maida in a bowl & dilute it by adding water & add it to the curry & cook it for further few mins. This procedure will thickens the gravy.
6.In a tadka pan, put oil.When hot add mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering add curry leaves+long red chilly pieces & fry till the colour of curry leaves changes slightly. Add it to the mango curry & switch off the stove & close this curry with a lid. 

HAPPY COOKING :)))))))

MOOGA GHASHI/ GREEN GRAM IN COCONUT GRAVY !!!!

MOOGA GHASHI  is a konkani delicacy & this s a less spicy curry. Moogu means green gram in English, Moong in Hindi & Hesaru bele in Kannada. We use sprouted moong for this gravy. You can use yam/raw jackfruit/tender bamboo shoot/potato/raw banana/bread fruit as a combination with it. But mostly we use yam with this curry. And last but not least this is my sons most favourite konkani curry.

INGREDIENTS:-

sprouted moong - 1 cup
yam, cut into small cubes - 1 cup
salt to taste

For masala:-

freshly grated coconut - half
fried red chilly - 3-4
tamarind - small chana size
mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
turmeric pow - 1/2 tsp

For tadka:-

oil - 2tsp
mustard seeds - 1tsp
curry leaves - 3 strands

METHOD :-

1. How to sprout moong ?

Sprout the green gram at home by soaking it in water overnight. Drain water next morning. & tightly close it with a lid. At night again soak it in water. Morning it will be sprouted completely & you will be able to peel the skin.

2. Grind all the ingedients together except musterd seeds to a coarse paste. Now add mustard seeds & grind it to a smooth paste & keep it aside.
3. In a vessel, put sprouted moong + enough water & cook it directly on flame. (do not over cook it).
4. Cook yam cubes into pressure cooker till ther are soft.
5. Transfer cooked moong+yam into a broad based vessel & add ground masala+salt to taste+water(as required to make it a curry) & bring it to boil stirring every once a while.
6. In a tadka pan, heat oil & add mustard seeds. On spluttering add curry leaves. After few seconds switch off the stove & add this tadka to boiling dish & close the gravy with a lid.
7. Serve hot with rice/idlies.

HAPPY COOKING :))))))