Festival Recipes : Pooran Poli | Puran Poli | Holige | Obbattu | Bobattu

This Marathi dish takes a lot time to prepare and needs a lot of patience and practice to reach the perfection. Puran Poli is a very famous Maharashtrian recipe. In kannada this recipe is called as Simply Holige or Bele Obbattu and Bobattu in Telgu. This is also very famous in Konkani people.

Preparation Time: 60 minutes

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Chana dal, soaked in water for around 2 hours.
• 2 cups Jaggery
• 1 tsp cardamom powder
• 2 cups refined Maida/Plain flour
• 3/4 table spoon turmeric powder
• 3 table spoon oil
• Salt for taste

Method:  Preparation of Hoorna(in Konkani/Kannada)

• Cook Chana dal in pressure cooker till it turns soft. Drain out excess water until the dal is absolutely becomes dry.

• In a non stick pan, put Chana dal, Jaggery and mix it well. Cook till all the jaggery gets melted and the mix becomes dry.
• Grind the mix in a mixer to get a smooth paste without putting water.
• Add cardamom powder and mix well with hand to get a smooth mixture.

• Form balls of 20 equal size as shown in the picture and keep it aside.

 Preparation of  Kanik (in Konkani/Kannada)

• Mix refined flour, oil, water and turmeric powder. 
• Make very soft, sticky dough. 
• Knead very well. 

• Use oil to knead. 
• Divide into 20 equal portions.
• Cover and keep it aside for 2 hours.

 Preparation of Puran Poli

• With greased palms, take one portion of dough(Kanik) and flatten it with another hand to form a disc of the size of the palm.
• Place a ball of "chana jaggery" paste(Hoorna) in the centre and fold the disc from all sides to cover the paste completely.

• Put 1 cup of Maida/Plain flour on a paper and put all the prepared balls on the flour one by one. 
• Roll the balls over flour so that flour gets stuck to the ball from all the sides. 

• Apply oil to a sheet of clean transparent plastic paper, keep the ready ball on it and roll it like chapathi.

• Fry on hot tava till it gets golden brown color.

• Serve hot/cold with ghee.

 PS:  Use of milk instead of water for making the maida dough makes puran polis very soft. Along with chana dal, toor dal also can be used which makes the puran poli more thin and soft. 

Konkani Randap : Thausali | Taushya Kadamb | Cucumber Cake | Cucumber Idli

This dish is loved by Konkani people for breakfast or as a evening snack. This is a very healthy and satisfying dish. Cucumber is called a Taushe in Konkani. As it is cooked like idli in cooker, this delicacy is also called as cucumber idli. In the backyard, we can grow these turmeric plants and leaves can be used while preparing this dish. If these leaves are not available, then one can use ghee before pouring the batter into the pan. In the pan, before putting batter, turmeric leaves are placed, which leaves a great aroma. Even one can use two leaves and put the batter inside and fold it across, as I have explained in my instructions. This dish can also made with mangalore cucumber. In Konkani it is known as magge. The recipe goes the same, instead of cucumber, mangalore cucumber will be used.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes ( excluding the standing time).

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 2 cup finely chopped cucumber
• 1 cup rice rava
• ½ cup grated coconut
• 3 spoon sugar
• Salt as per taste
• Turmeric leaves ghee

 Method:

• Mix cucumber, rava, grated coconut, sugar and salt.

• And leave it for around 30 minutes.

• Don’t add water to batter as the cucumber leaves water which is more than sufficient for the consistency.

• Spread the turmeric leaves as shown in picture.

• Fold the leaves after adding batter and put them one by one in idli cooker.

• Steam it for around 10-15mins(similar to idlis without adding the weight)

• Serve hot with chutney.

PS:  The amount of sugar can be varied depending upon ones taste. If turmeric leaves are not available then, spread ghee around the vessel. Pour the batter and after cooking cut them into small square pieces.

Punjabi Style Traditional Rajma Curry | Rajma Chawal | Rajma Masala

Rajma Masala is one of the famous north Indian cuisine. This dish can be explained as Rajma cooked in a onion and tomato puree with a blend of all the spices.  This dish can be searved with rice or chapathi or roti.

Preparation Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups Red kidney beans (rajma), soaked overnight
• 3 tablespoons  oil
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 3 medium tomatoes, pureed
• 6-8 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 inch piece ginger, chopped
• 1 tablespoon  coriander powder
• 1 tablespoons cumin powder
• 2 tablespoons red chilli powder
• 1/2 tablespoons turmeric powder
• 1 tablespoons garam masala powder

 Method:

• Soak Rajma beans Overnight (or atleast 6 hours).

• Pressure cook Rajma with five cups of water and salt till totally cooked and soft
•  Heat ghee and fry onions and bay leaves  for 2 to 3 minutes.

• Add ginger and garlic and continue to sauté till the mixture turns golden.
• Add tomato puree, mix and continue to cook.
• Add coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and cook till the oil leaves the masala.

•  Add the cooked red kidney beans along with the cooked water
• Add salt for according to taste.

• Add garam masala powder.
• Lower the heat and simmer for about fifteen to twenty minutes on low heat.

• Serve Hot

Rasam Recipes : South Indian Instant Easy Tomato Rasam | Tomato Saaru | Tomato Rasam | Thili Saaru

In South Indian thali, a must dish is Tomato Rasam. It is a perfect match for white rice. Easy to make and tasty to have. If one wants to go for a light dinner, white rice, tomato saaru and curds makes the best. It is also known as thili saaru, because it will be very thin (liquid). One can even drink it as it is. It tastes tangy spicy and yummmy.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 3 medium tomatoes
• 2 table spoon jeera(cumin seeds)
• 1 table spoon oil
• 1 strand curry leaves
• 1 table spoon mustard seeds
• a pinch of  hing (asofoetidia)
• 1 cup grated coconut
• ½ table spoon sugar
• 1 string coriander leaves
• Salt as per taste

Method:

• Blanch tomatoes in hot water, and keep them aside.

• Grind grated coconut and tomatoes to smooth paste.
• Take a non stick pan, add oil.
• Once oil is hot, add mustard seeds and jeera.

• When they start spluttering, add asafoetida and curry leave.
• Now add the coconut and tomato mixture and sufficient amount of water.
• Let the saaru boil for 8 - 10 minutes.

• Add sugar, salt and mix well.
• Grnish the saaru with coriander leaves

• Serve hot with white rice and curds

PS:  One can use sambar powder to enhance the taste of the saaru.

Konkani Randap : KoLambo | Mixed Vegetable Sambar

Kolambo is a typical Konkani Mixed Vegetable Sambar which tastes great with white rice. Here I have used only 3 vegetables, brinjal, drumsticks and potato as it is the best combination, along with toor dal. But one can use any combination of our choice vegetables like carrots, cauliflower, tinda, beans or frech beans. Restrict the vegetables to 3, other wise the sambar will loose its taste.  It is very healthy sambar as it has all the proteins and vitamins included in it.

Preparation Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• Vegetables (of our choice, I have used potato, drumsticks and brinjal)
• ½  cup Toor Dal soaked for about 2 hours
• 1 medium size tomato
• A small lump of tamarind(optional)
• 2 strands of coriander leaves
• 2 table spoon sambar powder
• 2 spoon grated coconut
• 2 table spoon oil
• 1 table spoon mustard seeds
• 2 strands of curry leaves
• A pinch of asafoetida

 Method:

• Cut all the vegetables as shown in picture, don’t make very small pieces.
• Pressure cook all the vegetables along with toor dal.
• Grind grated coconut in a mixer to smooth paste.

• Pour all of them along with tomatoes in a container and cook for 5 minutes.
• Add sambar powder and salt for taste, mix well and cook for another 5 minutes.

• In a separate small non stick pan, add oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafetida one by one.
• Give this seasoning/tadka to the sambar. Mix well.

• Use finely chopped coriander leaves for garnishing.
• Yummy sambar is ready. Serve hot with white rice.

  PS:  I have used home made sambar powder here. So adjust the spice according to taste. There is no red chillies in sambar powder so I have used 3-4 red chillies. While cooking drumsticks in cooker, place drumsticks in a separate vessel without water, don’t mix with all the other vegetables.

Konkani Randap : Karathya Rosu | Udid Methi | Raw Mango Coconut Curry

This recipe is one favorite recipe among Konkanis be it any festival or any other ritual. Rosu is a coconut curry with raw mango or  bimbal or ambado(amte kayi in Kannada, hog plum in English) or tamarind if none available and an urad methi temparing. Karathe is a Konkani word for Bitter gourd. It is known as Hagalakayi in Kannada and Karela in Hindi. Here I have used bitter gourd and capsicum, instead one can use a combinatiion any of these vegetables... lady's finger(bhende kai in Kannada), bamboo shoots( Keerlu in Konkani) or  kantola (phagil in Konkani). Use only 2 vegetables at at time, to get a taste of every vegetable.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 small bitter guard
• 1 big capsicum
• Bimbal or ambado (amte kayi) or tamarind or raw mango 2-3 pieces
• 2 table spoon urad dal
• 1 table spoon methi seeds/ fenugreek seeds
• 1 cup grated coconut
• 2 table spoon of coriander seeds
• A pinch of termeric powder
• 3-4 red chillies
• 1 table spoon jaggery
• ½ table spoon mustard seeds
• 4 table spoon oil
• A pinch of asafoetida
• Salt as per taste

  Method:

• Cut bittergaurd leghtwise as shown in picture.
• Add salt, mix well and keep for around 1 hour. After that squeeze out and throw the bitter salt water and wash it nicely. This removes the bitterness of the bittergaurd to some extent. Keep this aside.

• Cut capsicum into big pieces as  shown in picture.
• Heat 2 table spoon oil in non stick pan, fry Urad dal and methi seeds nicely.

• Grind coconut, red chillies, coriander seeds, turmeric powder, tamarind in a mixer. Do not make the masala too fine.

•  Now add urad dal and methi seeds and grind one more round. After adding urad dal and methi seeds don’t grind it more, as these seeds should not become powder.

• Heat 2 table spoon oil in a separate kadai, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add curry leaves and asafetida. Now add bittergaurd pieces and fry to 5 minutes.

• Add capsicum pieces and fry for another 2 minutes.

• Add 1/2 cup water and cook the vegetables for 5 minutes.
• Add ground masala, add salt, jaggery and sufficient water(It should not be too watery).
• Cook for 2-3 minutes.

• Serve hot with rice.

 PS:  Bitter gourd is very good for health because of its bitterness which makes it mandatory in our food at least once a week. This dish is a combination of all the tastes, bitter, sour, spicy, sweet and salty.

Egg Curry Recipe | Ande Ki Curry | Muttai Kulambu | Kerala Style Egg Curry

Here is a quick Egg Curry recipe from south India. In south, where mainly coconut is used in all the dishes, egg curry is not an exception. Great aroma of coconut and garam masala makes this curry mouth watering. Egg is very rich in proteins, and kids would love to eat this curry along with chapathi or rotis.

Preparation Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 3 Eggs
• 2 big onions
• 1 tomato
• 4 spoons grated coconut
• A pinch of turmeric powder
• 5-6 red chillies
• 1 table spoon coriander seeds
• A small piece of tamarind
• 1 strand coriander leaves
• 2 table spoon chicken masala powder
• 2 table spoon oil
• Salt as per taste

 Method:

• Take one vessel, add water and put the full eggs and boil it for atleast 10 - 15 minutes.
• Peel the eggs and keep them aside.

• Prepare a masala for the curry by grinding grated coconut, red chillies, tamarind, coriander seeds, turmeric powder to a smooth paste.
• Heat a non stick pan, add oil.

• Once oil gets heated, add onions and fry till they become light brown.

• Now add the previously prepared masala and let the curry boil once.
• Add chicken masala powder and tomatoes. Boil the mix for around 10 minutes.

• Once the raw smell of powder goes add a cup of Water and Salt cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the previously cooked half eggs as shown in picture. Cook for 2 minutes.

• Once the Eggs cook on both sides, garnish with Coriander leaves.

 PS:  After adding eggs, stir the curry occasionally. Other wise the eggs might break into pieces which we would spoil the curry. Instead of cooked full eggs, raw eggs also can be added. But caution is after adding the eggs, one should not stir the  curry till eggs get cooked both sides.