SimlaMirch(Capsicum) Polo(Dosa)

This recipe is something I tried yesterday and it came out really tasty. I had some batter left after making Patharvodo and was trying to do something with it. Usually I add cabbage(shredded) or any leaves like drumstick leaves or fenugreek leaves to make dosa. But I didnt have any of these and was feeling very lazy to go to the market. I had one capsicum and thought of giving it a try.

The batter is the same as we use for making PAtharvodo

Iddli rice - 1cup
Shredded coconut -1/2 cup
Red chillies - 2 0r 3
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Asoefetida-a pinch
Tamarind pulp - 1/2 tsp
salt to taste

Grind the above to make a smooth paste.

Chop the capsicum (may be 1/2 of capsicum should be fine) and mix it well in the batter. If the batter is too thick, add some water to get the consistency of dosa.






Heat the Tawa, apply few drops of Gingely oil and spread it evenly.Now make Dosas by spreading a ladle of batter at a time. This type of dosa will be thicker than plain dosa. You can eat it with Chutney or have it just like that without any curry too.
When you eat the Dosa you will taste the crunchy capsicum which makes it very tasty.

Patharvodo with SilverBeet leaves(konkani dish)

This is a Konkani snack(sort of) and an exotic one too. This one is usually prepared with colacasia leaves which I am sure is very difficult to get. I am agreat fan of this so i thought why dont i use some other leaves which are available rather than wait for the next visit to India to eat it. Though it is not as tasty as the original one, i think using silver beet has its own advantages. one thing is you dont have to devein them much compared to the colacasia leaves. When you are using the colacasia leaves, if you dont add correct amount of tamarind and dont devein them properly then you will end up feeling scratchy in the throat.

Here is how i prepared it.

Silver beet leaves - 1 bunch

iddli rice - 1 1/2 cups(350 gms). soak for 4-5 hrs.
shredded coconut-1 cup

dry red cillies
turmeric pdr-1 tsp
tamarind paste - 1 tsp
salt to taste
asofoetida- apinch

Wash the leaves and set it aside.
Once the rice is soaked, grind all the ingredients in a mixie, careful not to make the paste very watery something like the consistency of idli batter.


Now to prepare the rolls, take widest and longest leaf on a large plate. Keep it with bottom side up. with left hand holding the leaf use the right hand to spread the batter on the leaf. spread it in such a way that it coats the leaf well. now over this keep the next leaf. Apply batter similarly. As you do this, keep the leaves smaller in size on the top. after 7-10 leaves, you are ready to roll them into cylindrical shape, by folding the leaves from the side first and then rolling them.
once the leaves are over or the batter is over, steam them in a steamer or pressure cook(10 mts) for 15-20 mts.

Once cooked, cut them into slices and serve with coconut oil. I like to eat it with sugar.

val val (pumpkin,winter melon/ash gourd,potato/ taro stew)

This is a Konkani recipe and is one of our exotic dishes. though it looks very simple, if prepared well it turns out to be really tasty. Again my daughter who doesnt eat much spicy food likes this very much because of its mild spicyness.

I dont usually get winter melon here so i skip it. Again taros are difficult to get, so i use the frozen ones. Its okay. If you dont have taros you can use potatoes too.

Here goes the recipe.

pumpkin - 150 gms cut into thin slices of 1/2" thickness and 1 1/2" inch long.
winter melon - 150 gms cut into thin slices like pumpkin
taros-150 gms cut into thin slices.
Green chillies- 3(if you like it spicier ,add more chillies)
curry leaves
Asofoetida- a pinch
salt to taste
coconut oil(optional)
coconut milk -1 can (400 ml) . i use the diluted milk not the cocnut cream.

If the taros are fresh not frozen, cook them first in a pan with little bit of water. Then add the pumpkin, winter melon pieces.
Add the green chillies and curry leaves. Once they are cooked add the coconut milk. Add salt. Let it blend nicely, simmer the heat. When it is almost ready, add the asofoetida and coconut oil . Turn off the heat.

Serve it with Basmati rice, dal( dali thoy), Happol(Pappad) and Bindi ukkeri. Its more tastier than a real feast.

Tender Coconut Pudding

My mother-in-law makes yummy pudding with tender coconut. I am not a great lover of coconut but this one is really yummy. My daughter likes it so much that I tried to get a good tender coconut from the SuperMarket, but the it didnt turn out to be as good as my MIL's preparation. There was something different about the tender coconut i got from the super market. So next time we visit India, thats one thing she wants to eat. That said, there is no harm in trying it atleast once.

So here is the recipe for the pudding.


China grass - 10 gms( I used the gelatin)
condensed milk -1 small tin
Kernel of 1 tender coconut
Milk - use the same condensed milk c an - 1 1/2 can

sugar - 3 tbsp( add more if you want it more sweet)
Vanila essence - 1 tsp

Wash the china grass and boil it( you can double-boil it, if you like it that way) in 1 cup of water or tender coconut water. Simultaneously boil condensed milk and milk mixture in a sauce pan.
Mix the boiled china grass to the milk. Add the sugar. Turn off the heat and allow it to partially cool.
Grind the tender coconut to a paste and add it to the above mixture.Add vanilla essence and mix well. cool it in the refrigerator.

Blending the mixture will make it more tastier.

Enjoy!

Konkani sweet

Rava (semolina) Ladoo

Ingredients

Semolina 1 cup
Castor Sugar 1 cup
Ghee 2 tbsp
Milk - just enough to bind(1/2 cup), boiled and cool
cardamom powder 1/2 tsp

Cashew nuts or Raisins or almonds

Heat the ghee in a pan. Add the semolina and roast for couple of minutes.Let it cool. Once it is cool enough to handle, add the sugar and the cardamom powder to it and mix well. Sprinkle milk a little over a small portion of the mix. Take a small portion and bind it to make a ball of size 1'' diameter. While making the ball add a cashew nut or raisin or almond (optional).

Vegetable cutlet

Vegetable cutlet-Mom's recipe

My mom makes very yummy cutlets. I have tried making them but they are not as tasty as my mom makes. But i would like to share her recipe with you.

Ingredients

Potatoes - 2 medium chopped
Carrot - 1 diced
onion -1 chopped
Tender French beans - 12 chopped
Beetroot - 1 chopped
Green peas - 100 gms
Cashew - 1 handful
Raisins - 1 handful
salt to taste
oil to fry


For masala paste:

Green chillies-2 (if you need hot, add more)
cinnamon stick - 1'' stick
cloves -3
cardamom pods- 2
ginger - 1/2"
garlic - 2 cloves


For Batter:
Plain flour
Breadcrumbs


Grind the ingredients for masala to a paste.
In a kadai, heat 2 tblsp of oil and add the masala to it. Fry for a minute. Then add all the vegetables and salt to taste. Cover and cook till the vegetable are tender and dry (to bind them nicely).Add the cashews and raisins and mix well. Let it cool. Mash the vegetable just to bind them together. Make round balls of size of you taste. I usually press them to make it little flat.
Make a smooth batter with plain flour. keep the breadcrumbs ready in a plate. Dip each cutlet in the flour and the roll them in breadcrumbs so that it is well coated( At this stage, you can freeze them for later use).Heat enough oil to fry these cutlets in a kadai. Fry them till they are light brown. Serve with onion rings and Tomato sauce.

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