Coconut free kootu.

I had come across a kootu recipe with out coconut some time back.I wanted to try that.I googled & came across this quick kootu. Luckily,I had doodhi ( also called ghia or laukai ) at home. I used it to make this kootu.I have made kootu earlier & that recipe uses coconut.

Ingredients : 1 small & thin doodhi peeled & cut into small  size pieces, 1 small tomato cut into small pieces,1/4 cup toor dal, 1/tbsp split mung dal, 1/2 tsp urad dal, 1/4 tsp jeera, 1/4 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 sambhar powder , 1 green chilli, few curry leaves,1/4 tsp hing, 1/4 tsp haldi,1tsp oil,salt to taste.

Method : Wash toor & split mung dal together. Soak for some time ( maximum half an hour ) Soaking is optional.Add cut doohi, haldi & hing.Pressure cook for two whistles.Then cook on slow flame for 5-10 minutes.This is to cook the toor dal nicely.Put off gas.Let it cool.After it cools, try to mash veggies with the pav bhaji masher.

Make a puree of diced tomato.Keep aside.

In a kadhai,take oil.Heat it up.Add mustard seeds, followed by jeera.Add urad dal.They will turn golden brown.After they pop up, add finely chopped green chilli & kadi pattas. Fry for a few seconds. Add the pureed tomato paste .Fry the paste till raw smell  of tomato goes away.Add sambhar powder. Fry for a few seconds. Add the dal veggie mix now.Add salt. Mix nicely. Bring the mix to a boil.Put off gas.

The kootu is thick & flavourful.You will not miss the coconut. Even my husband asked me if coconut was not added , how was it so thick.I think, the secret is the mashed veggies.

Serve kootu with rotis and rice.It goes well with both.

I ground the green chilli & curry leaves in the dry mixer jar to get a coarsely ground mix which I added to the vagar.This was done to add more pungency to the kootu in place of finely chopped green chilly & curry leaves.

Vegan mango cake

I had already made an eggless  mango cake earlier.This time around,I wanted to try a vegan version of the mango cake. I googled & came across this recipe by chefinyou.I did not have all ingredients listed in the recipe.I used whole wheat flour & that's how I made my version of this vegan cake.

Ingredients : 1 cup atta, 1/2 cup maida , 1.5 cups mango puree ( mango pulp from two kesar mangoes ) , 1 tsp baking powder, 1tsp baking soda, 1-2  tbsp brown sugar ,1/4 cup oil, a pinch of salt & 1/4-1/3 cup water ( optional -if needed ).

Method : Preheat oven to 180 degrees centigrade.

Mix atta, maida, baking powder, baking soda & salt nicely man times over with whisk or fork.This is dry mix.Keep aside.

 Mix oil ,mango puree & sugar nicely. This is wet mix.

Pour wet mix into dry mix & make a batter.Please  take care that no lumps remain in batter. I had to add some water ( approximately 1/4 cup to make a lump less batter ) .

Line a baking vessel with butter paper. Pour the batter into the vessel on to the butter paper. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 180 degrees centigrade till cake is done.This can be tested by piercing a fork into the cake .If it comes out clean , cake is done.Otherwise bake for 5-10 minutes more.




I baked in microwave mode for 5 more minutes as I found that the fork had some batter sticking to it.Then Cool it for 10-15 minutes by switching off oven.Then take out cake & cool it outside oven for half an hour & more. The sides of the cake would have parted ways from sides of baking vessel.Put it upside down on to a plate.Remove the butter paper sticking to the bottom of the cake.Turn the cake upside down Cut into desired shapes & serve.

Please  test with fork .If batter is found sticking ,  bake in microwave mode for 5 minutes. That  settles it generally. That bakes it completely.

I begin baking by covering the top of baking vessel in which batter is going to be baked with aluminium foil .This is to prevent burning of the cake top .Just when last 10-15 minutes of baking is left, put off baking by switching off oven.Remove the aluminum foil & resume baking.This will give a nice crust to the cake top.

I found that this cake was dense.The baker at chefinyou has stated the reasons why cake could have come dense & not light towards the end of the recipe of vegan mango cake. It had risen when it was warm & then it settled down.This happened when I had baked it & even when I baked it again in microwave mode for 5 minutes. I was afraid that my cake had failed. And surprise of surprise, it was moist .I was able to cut with a butter knife.I found sweetness wanting .So I  generously sprayed powdered sugar on it before serving it to my neighbours & maids.One of may maids remarked that there was no need of the sprinkled sugar.My husband also ate it like that, without the sugar !

Mavinkayi gojju

I had a small raw mango in my refrigerator. I wanted to try this  gojju with that mango. I decided to make my recipe trying to recollect how my mom makes it.I looked up this gojju recipe on Taste of Mysore 

Ingredients : 1 small raw mango ( my raw mango had turned somewhat ripe & it was yellow on the inside & not so sour ) , 1 tbsp fresh dessicated coconut, 2-3 green chillies finely chopped, 5-6 sprigs of curry leaves ( kadi  pattas ) , 1/4 tsp methi seeds, 1 byadgi chilli broken into 2-3 pieces,1/2 tsp jeera, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp haldi, 1/4 tsp hing, 1 tbsp gur or jaggery, 1tsp rasam powder, 1 tbsp oil,salt to taste.

Method : Roughly chopp the raw mango.Keep it aside.

In the dry grinder jar, grind the green chillies with washed kadi pattas.A coarse green mix will be obtained.Keepa side.

Grind the fresh dessicated coconut & raw mango pieces into a paste .Add little water if it gets too dry.Keep aside.

In a kadhai , take oil & warm it on gas.Add mustard seeds.After they pop up, add methi seeds followed by fenugreek seeds.After they have popped up , put the byadgi mirchi pieces.They get fried in a second or so as the oil is really hot now.Next ,add the green mix of chillies & kadipattas.Fry it for a few seconds. Add haldi & hing. Mix nicely.Now , add the raw mango coconut paste mix. Add the guthli or the mango seed as well as it has some remanent raw mango pulp sticking to it. Fry it all for about 3-4 minutes.Add 1/4-1/2 cup water. Bring it all to boil.Add salt & jaggery.Let it simmer for five minutes. Put off gas.Serve gojju with rice and or rotis.

My kadhai had got too hot & the jeera, mustard & methi seeds had turned black.My parents said the gojju was too sour .I found it to be mildly sour.

Roasted murmura chivda in microwave

I had made roasted poha chivda in microwave. I wanted to try roasted murmura chivda in microwave. I googled & came across this you tube recipe.

Ingredients :  6 cups murmura, 3 tbsp oil, 2 tbsp peanuts, 2 tbsp roasted chana dal, 20-25 curry leaves, 8-18 byadgi mirchis broken into 4-5 pieces each, 1/2 tsp haldi, 1/2 tsp hing, 1tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp jeera, red chilli powder ( optional ) , salt to taste.

Method : Take oil in microwaveable vessel .Add mustard seeds to the oil.Microwave on high for two minutes. This will pop up the mustard seeds. Put off microwave.Take the same vessel .Add jeera, haldi, hing, peanuts, byadgi mirchi pieces, curry leaves , peanuts & roasted chana dal to the oil-mustard mix. Mix all.Microwave on high for 1 minute. Give all ingredients a nice stir. And again microwave on high for 1 minute. Repeat 2  more time ...microwaving on high for one minute each. Add murmura to vessel.Mix nicely so that the whole murmura gets coated with haldi hing,& other ingredients. Add salt.Add red chilli powder. Mix. Roast murmura mix for 1 minute by microwaving on high for one minute. Mix again the contents. Microwave on high for one more minute. Put off microwave. 

After five minutes, take out the vessel.Take some murmura in a bowl & enjoy ! Rest of the murmura mix can be stored in air tight container.

Kairi Rajma

I have made rajma earlier with recipe from here. It is the season of raw mangoes called kairis.And tomatoes are flying towards the sky....their prices ,I mean. I thought, why not use kairi, instead  of tomatoes while making rajma ?

Ingredients : 1/2 cup rajma beans soaked overnight, 2-3 cubes ( 1/2 inch cubes ) of   kairi washed , cut & skinned, the kairi peels so skinned, 1 tbsp oil, 1/2 tsp jeera, 1 bay leaf, 1-2 green chillies, 1/2 inch ginger cleaned , salt to taste.

Method : Discard the water in which rajma has been soaked.This is to prevent flatulence.Pressure cook rajma with  1 cup water up to  two to three whistles.Then lower flame & cook for 12-15 minutes. he rajma beans must have cracked .If not pressure cook for more time. They must mash up if we press the beans with our fingers.I had not added salt as I felt , that rajma may not split if salt is used. Though ,Sangeeta Khanna pressure cooks rajma with salt always.Keep aside.

Finely chop ginger & green chillies. I run them in the dry grinder attachment. Green chillies & ginger get nicely minced. Take them out into a plate.Mince the raw mango peels in the dry grinder attachment. Keep aside in a plate .The raw mango pieces can be pressure cooked & then the pulp can be used. I pressure cooked & made use of the pulp.Kaii can be grated after peeling or even without peeling & added to the kadhai.

Take oil in a kadhai.Heat up the oil.Add jeera. After they splutter, add the ginger mirchi mince mixture. Then add the bay leaf. Mix nicely so that oil coats all the ingredients. Add the mango peels mince & the raw mango pulp or the grated unpeeled raw mango .Mix nicely.Add salt. Mix nicely.Add the cooked rajma.I pressure cooked this rajma for 3 whistles as my rice was to be pressure cooked .So kept this rajma at  bottom & rice on top & pressure cooked for 3-4 whistles.  Then put off gas. Let it cool Serve with rotis or rice.The rajma was good ...it had not become like pulp considering that it was pressure cooked again.The pictures say that !


Alternatively, add the pressure cooked rajma to the kairi-green chillies-ginger-jeera bay leaf -salt mix. .Bring all to a boil.Let it simmer for five minutes.Put off gas.Serve with rotis and or rice.


I loved the khatta taste of the rajma. And my daughter ate it without complaining ...which says a lot !

If kairi is very sour, then add lesser pieces.Maybe even 1 piece would do. The kairi, I used had become semi ripe.So used 3-4 cubes. And it also depends on your individual taste.

Adai

My husband is very fond of adai.I hardly make them as I feel , they are way too heavy to digest & may cause flatulence. Since, he insisted that once, we must have breakfast of adai,I gave in & made adai.

.In some recipes, chana dal is used generously & other dals are used in lesser quantities.In another recipe, both toor dal & chana dal are used in equal quantities & other dals are used sparingly.In fact, you could have you own measurements for dals.There are other combinations as well.

I asked about adai recipe from one of my mother's friend & she gave me her adai recipe. This is her recipe.

My husband is off onions.So I have skipped adding finely chopped onions to the batter just before making adai on tawa.You can add it. In fact, even methi , palak leaves can be chopped finely & added. Carrots, dudhi, etc can be grated & added as well just before making adais on tawa.

Ingredients : 1/2 cup rice, 2 tbsp   tur dal, 2 tbsp split urad dal, 2 tbsp split mung dal, 1/4 cup  chana dal,5-6 byadgi mirchis, 3-4 tbsp oil for greasing tawas , 1/4 tsp hing, salt to taste, a few curry leaves finely chopped after washing.

Method : Soak rice dal mixture along with byadgi mirchis for at least two hours. After soaking period is over, drain the water. Grind it all into a coarse textured batter inn mixer ( not wet grinder as wet grinder would make it very fine batter ). Keep adding water little by little as it is ground in the mixer. I kept it to ferment for 1 hour .Many do not ferment. Then ,I kept it in refrigerator.I made them the next morning, after adding salt.

Add chopped & washed curry leaves to batter.Add hing. Mix nicely. Take a non stick tawa & pour a ladle full of batter on the tawa. & spread it like a dosa. Cook by covering with a lid. After 1-2 minutes, remove lid.The adai  would have cooked on bottom side. Add 1 tsp oil on dosa.. Flip it up & cook on the other side.After a minute, take it off the tawa. Repeat making more adais with  the remaining batter.

Serve adi with coconut chutni though my husband reminds me time & again, that adai is best eaten with avial.

Tips : De skinned mung dal & de skinned urad dal can be used. In fact, they are used in place of split urad dal & split mung dal.The colour of adai may turn out golden brown  in that case.In the case photographed above, reddish  gold !

I recently mad adai & had no byadgi mirchis at home. So added 2-3 packts of chilli flakes ( the packets one gets when pizza is home delivered ) .And so the colourof adis was so different. Take a dekko below ....

Mango halwa

I wanted to try a dish which had mangoes in it.I came across this mango halwa.And the best part is that it was a microwave recipe.

I made it & it turned out a bit sour .Well, because, the mangoes were little kachha or raw.

Ingredients : 2 mangoes ( I used aapus or alphanso or happus mangoes ) , 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tbsp ghee, 1/2 tsp ghee ( for a greased plate dish for spreading the halwa) , 1/4 tsp cardamom powder ( optional ).

Method : Take out the mango pulp from mangoes. Discard the seed as also the skin afters squeezing all the mango pulp sticking to the seed as also the skin.

Add 1/ 4 cup sugar to the mango pulp & puree to an even paste in the mixer. Take this even paste in a microwaveable vessel .Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Remove the vessel & stir the pulp sugar mixture. Microwave on high for five more minutes.

Add ghee to the sugar pulp mix .Mix nicely.Microwave on high for five minutes.Remove & stir in the ghee sugary pulp mix .Add cardamom powder & microwave for another 4-5 minutes. Remove.The pulp would have become like a gel.If it is still not like gel, If it is not, microwave for some more time like 4-5 minutes after stirring.Spread the pulp on the  greased plate.Let it cool for half an hour or more.Cut into desired shapes & serve.

My father said , the halwa was a bit sour.

Any sweeter variety of mangoes can be used.Even kesar, dussehari, etc.,