White Navy Beans Curry (Thingalavare Thili Saaru)!

 Hello....

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Now this seems like a tailing post.... cuz it was so in real too as the previous prep Semolina Pudding was prepared for breakfast & this thingalavare saru for lunch.... If I did not make an attempt to post it right away, it would add to the piling up pictures in my phone gallery eating away my storage space on iCloud.... Hence thought of being done with both right now right here.... 😛

So.... this white navy beans (found in every mangalore store) preparation tops my favorite list when it comes to pulses the very next being Hyacinth Beans (avarekaalu in Kannada).... 

I have never cooked mangalore cuisine... never tried... never learnt.... But have ONLY savored my mom's preparations... prepared in a simple subtle way that enhances the flavors of the veggies/pulses & makes one fall in love with them... & that is exactly how I loved them in my life...

But now am hell bent on being able to relish those recipes & their flavors prepared by ME with my own two hands.... of course with no help from mom as she stays in Bangalore & we are not in talking terms as of now.... after losing the only thing I had in my life, my husband... My Kuku... He went away taking along all the happiness I had in my life.... Nevertheless, am here & I only hogged more to find my peace.... & I am adamant of finding it in the food I once ate... my memories....

It is a very popular mangalore dish; simple & healthy.... So here is White Navy Beans Curry for you.... 

Ingredients :

Navy Beans (thingalavare) - 1 cup {serves 3-4}

Green Chilli - 5-6 (slit lengthwise)

Ginger - 2" (fine chopped/grated/cut into julienne)

Garlic - 1 1/2 pod giving you almost 15-20 cloves (peeled & crushed) (takes more)

Salt To Taste

For Tempering :

Dry Red Chilli - 3-4 (broken)

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Asafetida(hing) - 1 1/2 tsp (takes more)

Curry Leaves - 1 sprig

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Garlic - 2 cloves (crushed)

Oil - 2 tsp

Instructions :

1) Soak navy beans overnight

2) Pressure cook with water & salt for about 5-6 whistles

3) Once the pressure has released naturally of course, empty the content into a wok or pan

4) To it add green chilli + garlic cloves + ginger (not the cloves for tempering)

5) Add water & salt & cook it covered until the beans are soft & the flavors blend well

6) Once the beans are soft, with the back of the spatula, mash few of the beans so it adds to the flavor of the prep & to thicken the curry a lil

7) Check for the consistency & add in water & salt as required

8) Now heat your tempering pan & add all the tempering ingredients one by one until done & add it to the beans curry

9) Give it a good mix & a min boil & turn off the flame

10) Serve it piping hot with piping hot white rice along with some fryums

And as I always say, HOT is healthy & a taste & must be savored as is.....

Check out the video beneath for an insight to the prep....

& the recipe card below is for an instant briefing....

Do give it a try & do lemme know if you do.... :)

UNTIL NEXT, KEEP THE FAITH!!!

Semolina Pudding (Upma/Kharabath)!

 Heelo.... 😁

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Today I wish to journal & share a very popular South Indian Recipe for breakfast or snack, all over India which is an all time favorite for many of us....

Rava Upma OR Sooji Upma/Upittu/Kharabath... call it anything... but when prepared right, it shines on the top of your list of favorites....

There are several ways this recipe is prepared & I myself have tried many... from simple to rich with ingredients... And have finally settled down to this being my favorite of all.... A mix of both simple & rich.... So let's begin with the details....

Ingredients :

Semolina (rava/sooji) - 1 1/2 cup {serves 4-5}

Onion - 2 medium (fine chopped)

Tomato - 1 medium/2 small (fine chopped)

Green Chilli - 6 (slit lengthwise)

Curry Leaves - 2 medium sprigs

Cashews - a handful halved

Ginger - 1 1/2 tbsp (fine chopped/grated)

Peas - 1/2 cup (optional) Fresh/Frozen & precooked, I opted this time

Lemon - Halved & deseeded (as per taste)

Coriander Leaves - 1 tbsp (fine chopped)

Oil + Ghee - 3/4 cup (takes more to get the right taste & texture)

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Asafetida (Hing) - 1 tsp

Urad Dal - 1 1/4 tsp

Salt + Sugar To Taste

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp (optional) I chose to add this time

 Water - 3 cup (ratio is 1 cup of rava:3 cup water)

Instructions :

1) Heat a combo of oil & ghee as per your preference in a wok or pan....

2)Then add in mustard seeds... Allow it to splutter completely.... ALWAYS 

(else it's a distraction if gotten in between your teeth)

3)Add in hing & stir a lil & then add urad dal & give it a stir...

4)Now add cashews & stir fry until golden (if cashews are added early it burns instantly... when added later the dal & cashew gets fried evenly)

5)Now add green chilli & curry leaves.... Allow it to splutter & stir further

6)Then add chopped onions & fry until translucent...

7)Now add in the sooji/rava.... Stir well so the tempering combines well.... (this is where the essence of the recipe lies.... frying semolina along with the tempered ingredients allows the rava to combine & absorb all the flavors along with oil & ghee)

8)Now add salt & turmeric powder... stir fry further....

Meanwhile boil the water & keep aside...

9)As you stir fry the ingredients & you smell the aroma of the fried ingredients & rava, add in the boiled water... (Since the ingredients are hot & the water is also hot, there is no chance for the formation of lumps)

10)Sit in the mixture well...

11)Add in the precooked peas + tomato chops + ginger chops & mix well.... lower the flame & allow it to cook for 5 minutes, covered... (at this point it does not take long for it to get cooked)

12)Check for salt & add in sugar + squeeze in the lemon juice & combine well again.... Turn off the flame..

13)Garnish chopped coriander leaves & leave it covered for sometime for it to settle down....

Serve Piping Hot.... (& I reiterate time & again, HOT is a taste & the food is forever enjoyed hot like you do with COLD ice-creams) 

Find the video below for an insight to the prep linked to YouTube...

& the recipe card for those who want the recipe....

Hope you would try this method to relish a simple yet rich prep.... Even those who dislike this prep, am sure would fall in love with it 😍

UNTIL NEXT, KEEP THE FAITH!!!

MANGO KSHEERA (Maavinahannu Kesaribaath)!

 Hello...

Back after many days... after being done with my cycle to be specific... 😔

Had made a post earlier related a mango prep I made then... 

MAAVINAHANNU MASAALE OGGARANE (Mangalorean Traditional Mango Curry)

This relates to the same time in real... SO there would be a few references that may be repetitive... so please bear 🙏 

From the mangoes I received I had kept aside a glass of pulp with this prep in mind... Maavinahannina Kesaribaath.... My mom prepares pineapple kesaribaath/ksheera & it is very popular in our circle for everyone who has tasted her prep drools over it... 😋 And I wanted to try it with the mango that found me by destiny....

There's nothing much to share about it... So let us get down to the prep directly...

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Used up a glass of pulp from the lot.... 

Ingredients :

Semolina (Bombay Rava/Sooji)

Ghee - 2tbsp

Cashew Nuts - 6 halves

Raisins - 5

Cloves - 2

Yellow Food Colour/Saffron Strands - A pinch

Mango Pulp - 1 Cup

Water - 1 & a 1/2 Cup

Cardamom Powder - A pinch

Sugar To Taste

Instructions :

1) Heat Ghee in a wok/Pan & toss in the cashew + raisins + cloves... Saute until done 

2) Add semolina & stir fry for a couple of minutes...

3) Simultaneously, in a pan boil the water & add in the yellow food color/saffron strands & the mango pulp & mix well...  bring it to boil & turn off the flame...

4) Now add this water into the semolina wok stirring slowly as it bubbles out, to avoid the lump formation..

5) You would see the semolina absorb all the water being cooked... Keep stirring in order to allow the mango pulp to blend well with the mixture...

6) Once done add in sugar & a lil cardamom Powder & mix well again....

7) During this process add in about 1 tbsp ghee as the sugar melts... Very important... else the ksheera turns out very dry... mine did cuz the mango was very fibrous & due to the lesser amount of ghee, the texture turned dry later...

8) Give it a good stir again & you would know the ksheera is ready to be consumed!

It was a day after that & my previous cook who does not work at my place anymore but visits to check on me now & then, made a visit & I served her a bowl of mango ksheera & she was all praises for me.... It means a lot to me cuz she is a professional who cooks many dishes for others & when she appreciates it means I have been able to cook well... 😍

Do give it a try & enjoy!

UNTIL NEXT, KEEP THE FAITH!!!

Sabudaana(Tapioca Pearls/Sago) Upma!

 Hello Again.....

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Posting a very popular breakfast recipe.... Most of them love this prep & call it Sabudaana Kichdi & I have fail to understand why? Cuz the preparation is similar to the way we would prepare any other upma (dry tempered prep) rather than a kichdi (watery mushy mashed prep)... 😠

Anyways.... We all prepare it differently as per our likes & dislikes & here is my way 😍

Ingredients :

A. 1st Phase (1st Step to this prep)

Sabu daana - 2 cups (Serves 2-3)

Water - 1 Cup (Ratio is 2:1)

Salt - a generous Pinch

B. 2nd Phase

Peanuts - 1/2 To 3/4 cup

Potato - 2 medium (with or without skin - washed & diced)

C. 3rd Phase

Onion - 2 medium/1 big (finely chopped)

Green Chilies - 4-5 chopped

Ginger - 1 tbsp (finely chopped)

Lemon - 1/2 deseeded

Curry Leaves - 1 sprig full

Cumin Seeds - 1 & a 1/2 tsp

Hing - 1 tsp

Pepper Powder - 1 & 1/2 tsp

Ghee/Oil - 1 tbsp

Salt To Taste

Sugar To Taste

Coriander Leaves - 2-3 sprigs (finely chopped)

Instructions :

A. 1st Phase

Wash Sabu daana under running water... Now empty it into an air tight container with a lid... Now add 1 cup of water & sprinkle generous amount of salt over it, cover & refrigerate the container overnight....

B. 2nd Phase

1) Dice the potatoes... Add a lil salt... Mix well & keep aside for at the least 15 minutes for the potatoes to absorb the salt.... Meanwhile you can chop & cut the ingredients & set aside too... Once done deep fry those potato pieces for 3-4 minutes & keep aside... (you can use boiled & diced potatoes too... But I prefer deep fried ones)

2) Dry roast the peanuts & set aside to cool... Once cool, blow away the skin & pound them down into tiny edible pieces with the help of pestle & mortar... (do not grind them in a mixie for it would turn into a paste)

C. 3rd Phase

Heat oil/ghee in a wok/pan... Once its hot, add in cumin seeds... once it splutters add in a dash of asafetida (Hing) & then add in chopped chilies + ginger & sauté for a minute & then add chopped onions & fry till translucent....

Now add the fried or boiled potatoes & mix well for sometime... Then add in curry leaves & crushed peanuts & stir fry further....

Now add in the Sabu daana & mix well... Then sprinkle the required amount of salt + pepper powder & mix... 

Then squeeze in the lemon juice + a dash of sugar & give it a last good mix....

Then garnish it with chopped coriander leaves & serve hot...

It is better relished hot cuz eventually when it cools down it gives a lot of job to your molar teeth making your jaws ache.... 😛😜😝😶

Find the video for the same below... 

Do give this simple process a try & do lemme know how it turned out in your wok :)

UNTIL NEXT, KEEP THE FAITH!!!

MAAVINAHANNU MASAALE OGGARANE (Mangalorean Traditional Mango Curry)

 Hello...

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Here I am today sharing my first time; In my 22 years of marriage I never got an opportunity to learn or try our typical mangalorean dishes... Not to say no, may be I knew 1 or 2... not more cuz comparatively northindian dishes were easier & of course was Kuku's routine diet too & since I was a foodie, I was game for anything edible... When it came to food I wasn't a fussy eater... You give me anything with love & I would savor it with the same respect & love too.... 

It is only now that I find the time & the opportunity to try them... & slowly I am getting a hang of it... Touchwood!

So an uncle near the shop gave Gunda few mangoes from their own home cultivation & We could not eat them all in a day or two... If left it would rot... Hence I thought WHY NOT TRY MY CHILDHOOD FAVORITES which I have only relished when prepared by my badimaa (doddamma) & maa (amma)...

Badimaa's personal favorite is tempered mango curry with no ground paste added... but simple tempered mango curry with spices ground to paste & added before tempering is my mom's favorite.....

That night for dinner I did not have enough coconut for the paste & hence opted to prepare badimaa's favorite with few mangoes.... However to my surprise I prepared the prep well but forgot to click pictures or shoot.... I only relished my first time feeling proud of self along with Gunda....

But next day lunch box for him demanded my preparation again & I prepared this tempered mango masala curry carefully remembering to shoot & click in between.... 

So here I share the same with you.... A very simple but divinely sumptuous side dish for piping hot rice....

Let's Go!

 Ingredients :

Ripe Mangoes - 4

Coconut - 1 Cup Grated

Jaggery - 2" piece

Byadgi/Kashmiri Lal Mirch Chilli (Whole) - 5

Mustard Seeds - 3/4 tbsp

Tamarind Pulp - 1 lemon sized ball

Salt To Taste

Instructions :

1) Peel the skin, off the mangoes & keep aside

2) Squeeze the juice from mangoes by hand.... Mash it well so the juice collects to add its essence to the curry....

3) Do the same with the peeled skins too with a lil hot water which eases the process of extracting the juice from them... Throw away those skin peels...

4) Now in a mixie jar add rest of the ingredients & grind to a fine paste, adding a lil water...

5) Now add the mangoes along with the extracted juice with a lil water into a wok/pan... Add in salt to taste & allow it to cook covered for 10 minutes stirring in between.... (if unattended the juice of the mango dries up completely, leaving you to be able to prepare with just water & no essence) :/

6) Once you feel it is cooked, add in the ground paste & give it a good mix...

7) At this point do check for the salt sweet sourness in the preparation....

8) Allow it to boil for another 10 minutes & turn off the flame...

9) Savor it hot with piping hot rice..... Cuz that is exactly where the flavors interact with your taste buds... (HOT is a flavor which not many of us human beings experience, enjoy & remember to relish in our lives)

Hope you give this a try & enjoy it too..... 😋

UNTIL NEXT, KEEP THE FAITH!!!

PALAK RICE!

 Hellloooo,

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

A long sigh it is.... I skipped last month to post anything despite my piling up gallery :(

It's okay... nothing goes as planned... ever.... Life includes health which comes with its own challenges every now & then, with something of the other.... :/

Likewise.... This is about a recipe that I had planned as usual... but fortunately unfortunately ended up taking another course... 

Refrigerator had palak leaves (spinach leaves) for the love of palak paneer (Spinach & Cottage Cheese Curry) but by the time I was ready & picked up the bunch to prepare it was almost rotten... :( I had to literally pick a handful to go on only to realize that I did not have enough spinach pure for the prep....

Hence stopped in between to make something else out of it.... & I made Palak Rice for my brother's tiffin box.... & since the preparation was for palak paneer minus the paneer, it had to still taste good.... 😋 

So let's look into it the hows!

Ingredients

Palak - a big bunch

Paneer - 200/300 gms fine cubed

Oil - 1 tbsp

Butter - 2 tbsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 1/2 tsp

Garlic - finely chopped 1 1/2 tbsp

Green chilli - 2

Ginger - finely chopped 1 tbsp

Onion - 2 tbsp finely chopped

Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp

Cumin Powder - 3/4 tsp

Method

1. Wash the leaves well & keep aside

2. In a utensil heat some water to blanch these leaves

3. Once blanched remove those leaves from the hot water & soak them ice cold water.... This step helps you retain the greenery in your preparation

4. After a minute remove it from the water squeezing out leftover water that is absorbed by the leaves

5. In a mixer grinder you would now grind the leaves into a smooth paste along with the green chillies with no additional water... 

6. In a wok heat the oil & add in the cumin seeds... allow them to splutter & then add in the butter...

7. Now add in the chopped garlic & fry until it changes color slightly.... Now add in the chopped ginger & stir fry for sometime & then add the chopped onions... Fry until it turns translucent...

8. Now add in the palak pure`& allow it to cook for sometime.... 3-4 minutes approximately

9. Now add in the red chilli powder + salt + cumin powder & stir fry...

(Disclaimer : Palak Pure pictures are taken from my previous post - Palak Paneer Prep)

10. Since the palak is already par cooked you need not cook it further cuz that is where you retain its taste...

11. Now add in the required amount of already cooked rice & mix it well... 

12. Best savored hot as I always say & believe.... but not always it does happen.... 

there isn't any heating option at the shop.. so he is forced to have a cold lunch always.... 

Nevertheless, it can be prepared for any occasion & time of the day.... Best relished with plain curd/Raita/Mixture.... Enjoy!

 

UNTIL NEXT, KEEP THE FAITH!!!