Quick Rice Dishes : Methi Pulao | Methi Rice | Fenugreek Rice Recipe

Methi is a very popular green herb which is also commonly known as fenugreek leaves in English, menthe soppu in Kannada, menthe akulu in Telugu. The leaves have a strong flavor and slightly bitter taste. They are used in making a lot of dishes in India. Fenugreek leaves add a lot of nutrition and is rich source of protein, iron, calcium, vitamins and potassium. Here is a quick recipe of Methi Rice.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Basmathi rice
• 1 table spoon Fennel seeds
• 2 medium size finely chopped Onion
• 2 medium size finely chopped Tomato
• 1 cup finely chopped Methi leaves
• 1/3 rd peeled Green peas
• 1 inch long piece finely grated Ginger
• 7 to 8 finely chopped Garlic pods (optional)
• 2 medium size finely chopped green chillies
• Salt as per taste
• ¾  table spoon Jeera powder
•  ¾ table spoon Garam Masala powder
• 1 table spoon Oil

Method:

• Soak rice for 20 minutes. Drain the water completely and keep it aside.

• Break off the Methi leaves, wash them twice with clean water, chop them finely and keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadai.

• Fry fennel seeds, finely chopped green chillies, ginger, garlic (optional) and finely chopped onion till the onion turns light brown.
• Now add finely chopped tomato and green peas. Fry for 2 minutes.

• Now add jeera poder and garam masala powder and fry for a while.
• Add rice to it and sauté for a minute.
• Now add chopped Methi leaves and fry for another 2-3 minutes.

• Add 2 cup water and salt. Close the lid and let the rice cook.

• Tasty Methi Pulao is ready. 

Kannadiga Havyaka Recipes : Appe HuLi | Raw Mango Rasam | Sweet And Spicy Mango Drink

A typical Havyaka dish. Recipe goes here…

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

• 2 Raw mangoes
• 2 table spoon Jaggery
• ½ table spoon Mustard seeds
• ½ table spoon Cumin seeds
• 2 Green chilies
• 2 Red chilies
• A pinch Asafoetida
• 1 strand curry leaves
• Oil for seasoning
• Salt as per taste

Method:

• Wash the raw mangoes and cut them in to small pieces.

• Cook it in water as shown in picture for around 10 minutes till it becomes soft.
• Grind it to a paste and keep it aside.
• Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

• When mustard start sputtering, add curry leaves, green chilies, red chilies and asafoetida.
• Then add the paste of raw mangoes.

• Boil for 3-4 minutes. Add salt and jaggery as per the taste. You can adjust the water quantity, to bring it to a consistency of rasam. 

PS:  Like rasam, this dish can be used along with rice. Or we can filter it and have like a drink.

Spicy And Tasty South Indian Style Crab Curry | Crab Gravy With Coconut | Konkani Kurle Ambat

Here is a step by step preparation of South Indian Crab Curry.

Preparation Time: 60 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• Crabs 8
• Around 50 Prawns
• 2 big Onions
• 1 and ½ cup of grated Coconut
• 1 table spoon Coriander seeds
• 5 – 6 Red chillies
• ½ table spoon Tamarind
• ½ table spoon Turmeric powder
• 2 table spoon Oil
• Salt as per taste

Method:

• Clean the crab with water first, separate the legs and break and take out the outer shell as shown in picture.

• If the crab is big, cut them into 2 pieces.

• Fry coriander seeds on a tawa for a while, and grind coconut, red chillies, tamarind, Turmeric powder to a smooth paste and keep the masala aside.

• Heat 2 table spoon oil in a pan add sliced onions and fry until brown.

• The curry tastes too good if we use prawns along with crab. Here I have used washed and cleaned prawns as well.

• Now add the crabs and  prawns and cook for around 10 minutes.

• Now add ground masala, salt and cook for another 10 minutes. 

• Tasty crab curry is ready to be served with Rice.

 PS:  The curry has to sit in the prepared vessel for at least 2 -3 hours for the spices to combine.

Masala Bhindi Fry | Stir-Fried Lad'y Finger - A Side Dish For Roti

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kg Bhindi
• 1 big Onion
• 1 tea spoon Mustard
• 1 tea spoon Methi seeds
• 1 table spoon Chilli powder
• 1 tea spoon Pepper powder
• A pinch of Turmeric powder
• little Tamarind Juice
• Oil
• Salt as per taste

Method:

• Wash and cut the bhindi lengthwise as shown in picture.

• Put oil in a non stick pan.
• Add mustard and methi seeds.
• When mustard start sputtering, add chopped onion.
• Fry till onion turns light pink.
• Now add bhindi, salt, tamarind juice and cover it.

• When bhindi is half done add chilli powder, pepper powder and turmeric powder one by one.
• Let it cook for 10 more mins without closing the lid.
• Bhindi fry is ready.

Quick Easy And Tasty Kannadiga Dish : Avarekai Palya | Avrekalu Saaru | Surti Beans Gravy For Dosa or Chapati

This is a traditional Kannadiga dish. Avarekai available mostly in winter season in Karnataka. There are lot of delicious dishes one can make with Avarekai. Here is the quick recipe of Curry.

Preparation Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cubs Avarekai
• Roughly chopped 2 medium Onions
• Roughly chopped 1 medium Tomato (optional)
• Roughly chopped 1 medium bunch coriander leaves
• 1 table spoon Ginger Garlic paste
• 1 table spoon Chilli powder
• 1 table spoon Garam masala
• 2 table spoon oil
• A pinch of Turmeric powder
• Salt as per taste

 Method:

• The whole beans(avarekai) look almost like green peas with shells on. The shells are harder than green peas.

• After peeling the avarekai seeds/beans from the outer shell, we need to soak these seeds in water for at least 4 to 5 hours. The picture shows soaked seeds.

• Then we can peel the inner shell and get the actual avarekai which we can use in curry. In market we get peeled avarekai as well.

• Pressure cook avarekai separately in a cooker – only 1 whistle - with a pinch of salt and turmeric powder and keep it aside.
• Heat oil in  a pan, fry onion and ginger garlic paste,.
• saute till the onion turns light brown.

• Now add tomatoes and fry if using.
• Blend the above ingredients along with coriander leaves in mixer to very coarse paste. Don’t make it smooth.
• Now add the paste to the cooked avarekai.

• Add garam masala and chilli powder. Mix well.
• Add salt as per taste.
• Sambar is ready. Serve hot with roti, poori, dosa or chapati..

 PS:  You can add brinjal along with Avarekai while cooking in cooker, which gives a great aroma to the curry.

Quick Rice Dishes : Corn Pulav | Bhutta Chaval Recipe

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

• 1/2 table spoon Cumin seeds
• 3 - 4 Green chillies
• 1 big Onion finely chopped
• 1 table spoon Ginger garlic paste
• 1 cup Corn seeds
• 2 cups of cooked Rice
• 1 tea spoon Turmeric powder
• 1 tea spoon Garam masala powder
• Salt as per taste
• Oil for seasoning
• 1 tea spoon Lemon juice
• 2 strands of Coriander leaves

Method:

• Heat oil in a kadai.
• Add cumin seeds. When it starts popping add green chillies.
• Now add ginger garlic paste.
• Then add chopped onion and fry till becomes light brown.

• Add corn, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and salt.
• Close the lid and let it cook for 10 minutes.
• Now add cooked rice and mix well.

• Put off the flame.
• sprinkle coriander leaves and lemon juice.

• Serve sweet and yummy Bhutta Chawal along with raitha.

Konkani Randap : Vayngana Bharth | Baingan Ka Bharta | Smoked Egg Plant Chutney

Every one has heard of Baigan Ka Bhatha among North Indian Dishes. Here is a Konkani version of it, known as Vaigana Bharth in Konkani. Traditionally bharta is made with charcoal roasted eggplant. But these days it is difficult to roast that way. I have given a simpler way of it.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• Eggplant 1 big
• Coconut 1/2 cup
• Green chillies 3-4
• Tamarind 1/2 tea spn
• Asafoetida a pinch
• Salt

 Method:

• Smoke the eggplant as shown in the picture above.

• Let it cool. We can pour a little water slowly on the eggplant, by which the skin of the egg plant can be removed easily.

• Now peel off the skin of the egg plant..

• Prepare a chutney by grinding coconut, green chillies slighly roasted on thawa, tamarind, salt and asafetida.

• Add very little or no water while grinding. Eggplant has a lot of water in it, that is sufficient for the chutney.
• Mash the eggplant with hand and mix it with chutney.

• We can add the eggplant directly to mixer/blender before removing the chutney and grind just for one round. Eggplant should not be ground completely.

• Bhartha is ready serve hot with rotis, parathas, naan or just as it is with a combination of papad.