Steamed Kakdi raita

This recipe was actually told by my ex-colleague.

Ingredients : 1 green & yellow cucumber ( known as Madraasi kakdi in Mumbai ),1/2 tsp mustard seeds,1/2 tsp jeera,1/2 tsp urad dal,1/2 tsp hing,1/4 tsp turmeric  ( optional )1 lal dry mirch ( Byadgi mirchi),1-2 tbsp fresh dessicated coconut ( optional ) 1 hari mirch,a few curry leaves ,1tbsp oil,4 tbsp dahi,salt to taste.

Method : Peel the skin of cucumber .Then cut a small piece & taste it to find out if it is bitter.If it is ,then please throw it & get another one.Or postpone this dish !

Now ,if the kakdi is ok ,please remove the seeds.Cut it into small pieces or big pieces according to convenience & liking.

Take oil in a kadhai & heat it up.Put mustard seeds.When they splutter add urad dal.When the urad dal turns golden brown,add jeera  & hing.Now add the lal mirchi & hari mirchi & kadi patta leaves.Add the diced kakdi & mix all nicely in the kadhai.If turmeric is going to be used, add it now. If no turmeric is to be added, add salt & let it cook by covering the kadhai with a lid..The kakdi will ooze water & get cooked.Sometimes ,one may have to add a few drops of water to the mixture.

After the kakdi gets cooked ( in 15-20 minutes )-it will have turned tender & translucent ,put off the gas.Let it cool.Then add dahi by beating it.Mix with dahi nicely.

If coconut is to be added, add it after kakdi gets cooked a little...maybe after 10 minutes into cooking of kakdi.Let it cook after adding coconut as well.Mix nicely.It may start sticking to bottom.Add water maybe 1-2 tbsps to prevent sticking.After 10 minutes, put off gas.Then cool it.Add dahi & mix.

Serve with rice ,chapatis or  stuffed parathas.

Tri vegetable tikkis.

Ingredients : 3 medium potatoes,1-2 bread slices( brown /white ),1/2 medium sized carrot ( grated ) 1/2 medium sized beetroot ( grated ),1 hari mirch,1/4 inch ginger,a few sprigs of fresh coriander ( washed ),1tsp garam masala,2 tbsp oil,1/4 piece lemon,1/4 tsp haldi,1/4 tsp hing & salt to taste,

Method : Boil potatoes nicely .Peel them & mash them so that no lumps remain.Make a paste of the green chilly & ginger.Add this to the mashed potato.Add the bread slices to the mashed potato.Again mix thoroughly.Now add haldi,hing,garamm masala , finely cut fresh coriander ,lemom juice of the lemon piece & salt & mix the whole mixture again.

Add grated beet & grated carrot to this mixture &  knead the mixture.


Take a little oil on the palms & a small amount of the mixed vegetable-bread  mixture & press it to get a small flat round shape.Repeat with the rest of the mixture.Take a tawa & put the flat round aloo tikkis on the tawa & put a little oil on each of them.Shallow fry on the tawa.Turn the tikkis upside down & shallow fry again.Serve the aloo tikkis with green chutney or tomato sauce.

Veg. Biryani

Ingredients :10 beans ,1-2 carrots,1tbs green peas,1medium sized tomato,1 medium sized onion,1 sprig of curry leaves,1 green mirchi,1' inch ginger,1 cup rice,1/2 tsp haldi,1/4 tsp hing,1/4 cup dahi with cream or only cream of preferably sour dahi,2 tej patta,2 cinnamaon sticks of 1/2 inches,2 cloves,5-6 black pepper ,2 tbsp oil,salt to taste.

Method :Wash the rice & keep aside.Take 2 tbsp oil in a pressure pan & heat it.Put tej patta & cinnamon sticks.Add cloves & pepper.Add hing.After the spices start emitting their aromas,add the carrots & beans which have been cut into 1/2 ' pieces.Add shelled peas.Fry the veggies.Add the rice & fry a little, maybe for a minute.Add turmeric & mix it nicely.

Take onions tomatoes,hari mirch,curry leaves & adrak.Cut them all .Now put all this in amixie & grind them.Now add dahi or cream of dahi to this mixture & again grind.Now pour this mixture on to the rice veggie mixture in the pan.Add salt.Now add 11/2 cups water to the rice.Less water is added as the onion tomato dahi paste contains some water.

Pressure cook for two -three whistles.Put off the gas.Let it cool.Remove whistle after the cooker gets silent.After 10 minutes,remove the whistle.After another ten minutes,remove the lid of the cooker to view & smell the veg biryani .

Tip :I added diced potatoes also with carrots & beans as my kid loves aloos.

Khaman Dhokla

This recipe is by my friend,Medha Sarathy.I am just putting it on to my blog.

Ingredients : 5 tbsp dosa or idli batter,5 tbsp rava,5 tbsp besan,5 tbsp dahi or yoghurt,1/2 tsp hing,1/2 tsp haldi,1-2 green chillies finely cut,1/2 inch grated ginger,2 tbsp oil,a pinch of baking soda,one sachet of eno fruit salt,a few curry leaves,1 tsp mustard seeds, salt to taste.

Method : Mix dosa or idli batter with rava & besan by adding dahi.Add 1 tbsp oil.Mix again.The consistency should be like dosa batter.For getting this consistency ,dahi amount can be altered - & in no case water needs to be added.Add 1/4 tsp turmeric & 1/4 tsp haldi & salt to taste.Again mix.Keep overnight.

Next day ,in the morning, add finely cut green chilly & grated ginger to the batter & mix.

Keep cooker on gas & let water start boiling in the cooker .Keep a stand in the cooker.Let the water boil.

Take  eno fruit salt & add 1 tbsp water..Add this eno water mix to batter. Batter will start bubbling up.Now gently the batter & immediately pour the batter into a greased plate ..Keep this plate on the stand in the cooker. Close the lid of the cooker.Do not put the whistle.

Steam will keep escaping from the cooker.Let it continue for 15-16  minutes after the dhokla batter plate has been kept in the cooker.

Now put off the gas.Open the cooker lid.Put a knife or fork in the centre of the dhokla batter plate.If it comes out clean,the dhokla is done.

Now ,take 1 tbsp of oil .Put it in a kadhai.Put on the gas.Put mustard seeds into it.When they splutter,add finely cut chilly & kadipattas.Put off the gas Also add 1/4 tsp hing & 1/4 tsp haldi.Now add 2 tbsp of water.Add 1-2 tsp sugar to the mustard seasoning.Boil this water mixture till it gets thicker.Now put off the gas.Pour this sugar-water-seasoning mixture on the dhoklas.The seasoning mixture can be poured on the dhoklas either before or after the dhoklas have been cut.

Take a knife & make squares on the dhokla plate.Now remove the squares.Serve with chutney or fried green chillies.

Option :The dhokla pieces can be garnished with finely cut dhania ( coriander ) & fresh dessicated coconut.

Gundpangulu

Ingredients : Rice 2 cups,urad dal 1 cup ,1/2 poha or 1 tsp methi (fenugreek seeds),1 tsp jeera,1 ' inch ginger ,2 large onions,1-2green chillies (hari mirchi),4 tbsp oil  ,salt to taste.

Method :Soak rice & urad dal together with poha or methi seeds for 5-6 hours.Drain the water & grind finely in a grinder.Add little water while grinding.The dough after grinding must be of idli batter consistency. Ferment this overnight.Next day ,add finely cut onions,green chillies,grated ginger & jeera to this mixture.Add salt.Mix thoroughly.

Now take the vessel as shown in the photograph .Oil the inside of the cups in the vessel.Pour a tablespoon of the dough mixture into each of the cups in the vessel.Light up the gas & keep the vessel on the burner.Cover with a lid.After two minutes,turn the balls in the cups with a spoon & reverse them one by one.They will all have turned golden brown.Again cover the vessel with lid & let it cook for another 1 minute.Now remove the balls from the cups with a spoon with sharp edges.The gundpangulu are ready to be served with coconut
chutney.

More gundpangulus can be prepared by oiling the cups after each batch gets cooked.

Tips: Grated carrot can be added to the dough to make it more healthy.Appams are also made in this fashion & they are sweet in taste.

If the vessel is a non -stick one then less oil is needed.

Corn bread tikkis

This was tried by my mother today morning.

Ingredients : Corn cobs from one & another half corn ( corn kernels removed from 1 1/2 corns).Two bread slices ( the topmost & bottom ones in a loaf of bread ),the bread crusts from all sides of the bread slices in a loaf of bread,a few sprigs of kadipattas,2 hari mirchi,1" inch adrak (ginger),1/2 tsp red chilli powder( optional ) ,2 tbsp oil,salt to taste.

Method : Boil the American sweet corn in cooker.Grind the corn into a coarse mixture by adding the finely cut hari mirchi,adrak,kadipatta leaves & red chilli powder.Keep aside.

Take the bread slices & crusts & cut them. Now soak this in water & squeeze out the water.Now crush this wet bread mixture.

Mix the corn & bread mixture nicely after adding salt.Apply a little oil on the palms & take a small part of the corn bread mixture & shape them into flat round tikkis.Take a tawa & shallow fry the tikkis on the tawa .Reverse the tikkis & shallow fry them again.Now both the sides of tikkis have become golden brown.
Alternatively,the tikkis can be baked in microwave oven for 4 minutes on each side of a tikki  to brown the tikki.So ,this will take a total of 8 minutes.

The tikkis can be eaten plain and or accompanied by tomato ketchup or dhania ki chutney.

Tips : One can add 1 tsp lemon juice to add tanginess.Even grated carrot can be  mixed in the bread corn mixture.The bread used in this recipe was brown bread.Even white bread can be used.

Instant raagi oats idli

I recently came across this recipe on the net.The copy right of the recipe is with http://www.veginspirations.com/search/label/Idli%20varieties

I made one change - that was, in using eno fruit salt instead of baking soda.

The quantity of ingredients used yields 16 medium sized idlis.

Ingredients : 3/4 cup coarsely powdered oats,3/4 cup fine lapsi rava(roasted),1/2 cup raagi ( nachni ) flour,1 tsp eno fruit salt,2 cups dahi & salt to taste.

The dahi & the raagi-oats-rava mixture has to have 1:1 proportion -hence,2 cups dahi as this dry mixture will measure 2 cups.



Seasoning : 2 tbsp oil,1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp chana dal,1 tsp urad dal,1 sprig of coriander leaves ( cut finely or whole ),1-2 green chillies( optional )finely cut.

Method: Mix the coarsely powdered oats ,lapsi rava & raagi flour.Add 2 cups dahi & mix thoroughly.Now add salt & eno fruit salt & mix vigorously.Add water if there is need.The mixture must be of idli batter consistency.

Take the 2 tbsp oil in a pan & heat it. Now add mustard seeds.After they splutter add chana dal followed by urad dal.After the dals have changed color slightly,put off gas.Add coriander & green chillies.Add this seasoning to the idli mixture prepared.


Now grease the idli moulds & pour the idli mixture into the moulds.Steam the idlis for 8-10 minutes. Your idlis are ready to be savoured !

This recipe is excellent for diabetics as it has no rice & has raagi & oats.Raagi is a good souce of calcium & oats help in controlling cholestrol.