RAJASTHANI BADI HARI MIRCH KI SABZI

 

My husband is so fond of spice and green chilli that he often gets this big green chilli and likes it as a sabzi for roti and doesn’t take it like achar / pickle.  Sometimes, I wonder how one can have so many green chillies at one go.  I took this recipe from Nisha Mudhulika’s webside and didn’t make much changes since the ingredients and spices used by her were simple and minimal.  So, without altering the ingredients, I made this sabzi and my hubby liked it so much that he finished about 12 chillies at one go.

GREEN CHUTNEY

 

Green chutney, also called as mint-coriander or hari chutney is a very simple condiment which goes well with almost everything… paranthas, puris, salads, pulao, chaats and the list can go on and on.   My daughter can have anything with this chutney and most of the time I make this especially for her, with subtle variation.  Sometimes, I make it using onion at times with garlic or just coriander and coconut with chilli, amchur powder and black salt.

MANGA RICE (RAW MANGO RICE)

 

Manga rice is very famous in Karnataka as I first heard about it in Bangalore and I was told that this rice is made on Karnataka new year / Ugadi.  It is very simple to make and tastes delicious, the sweet and sourness of raw mango, sweet and creamy coconut, hint of mustard seeds and spicy red chillies.  I used totapuri manga as this variety of raw mango makes the recipe very tasty.

METHI SABZI

 

Methi is one of my husband’s favourite green vegetable.  My daughter likes methi is form of parantha and my husband as sabzi.  Here, is a simple methi sabzi which goes well with roti and/or rice.

DOODH PAK

 

Doodh Pak is a favourite in Gujarati homes.  It is a luxurious dessert made from almond milk / puree that is cooked in saffron scented milk.  It tastes excellent when served with fresh tropical fruits like Mango, Papaya, kiwis etc.  I got the recipe from a cook book by Mridula Baljekar.

KEERA (SPINACH) URUNDAI MOR KUZHAMBU

 

We always make mor kuzhambu during important festivals / pandigai (as called in Tamil).  One of the easiest recipes of South India and one of my favourite too.  Mor Kuzhambu is generally made with paruppu urundai or dried salty sundakkai with white pumpkin or okra (bhindi).  My husband likes it with yellow pumpkin for the sweet, sour and salty taste. Here is the recipe with Keera Paruppu Urundai.  I took the recipe from here. You can replace spinach with any greens.  I normally soak all the dals for a minimum of 6 – 8 hours as soaked dals digest faster. 

SPICY CHAAS

Chaas also called as lassi is a buttermilk famous in North India.  Chaas is lighter than lassi which is little thick and is usually taken after a heavy meals.  It is also served as a welcome drink in hot summer when you feel like having something very cold and refreshing.  I made this spicy chaas for my husband as he likes hot and spicy stuff compared to sweet.

KATHRIKAI (BRINJAL) PULI KOOTU

I learnt this recipe from my mother-in-law which is very different from what my mom makes.  I liked this kootu as it gives more of a sambhar look and taste, it can be had with paranthas as well.  Katrikkai puti kootu can be made quickly as brinjal cooks in no time.

TOMATO PICKLE

 

I simply like this pickle with my idli or dosa.  The sweet and tangy flavour of tomato and the sourness of tamarind really go so well in this pickle that you can have with almost anything – idli, dosa, upma, rice, roti, parantha.  It is my best travelling partner – pack some phulka and tomato pickle and you are ready to go.  This pickle can be kept in the refrigerator for almost 10 days.

KARADAIYAN NOMBU ADAI–SALTY / SPICY

 

My husband prefers salty/spicy adai than sweet.  And, he also takes takes this adai as an evening snacks and sometimes for breakfast.  I simply toss these steamed adai in dosa milagai podi and serve.

KARUVEPPILAI KUZHAMBU / CURRY LEAVES KUZHAMBU

 

Karuveppilai kuzhambu is so simple to make and tastes so yummm with all the goodness of curry leaves.  I made this kuzhambu after such a long time and served it with aloo fry, cauliflower carrot curry and nellikkai thayir pachchadi.  This kuzhambu goes well with ven pongal and arisi upma.

VEGETABLE OATS UPMA

 

My dear friend asked me to post oats upma recipe.  So, before posting the recipe I wanted to try it out in my kitchen and get it approved by my biggest critic (husband).   I tried this upma today morning… and got thumbs up for the taste and texture.  I used Quaker Multigrain Oats but can be made with regular oats as well. 

POOSANIKAI (ASH GOURD) THAYIR PACHCHADI

I had been to my relative’s house and my SIL was mentioning about poosanikai thayir pachchadi.  I never heard of it because both my mother and my mother-in-law never made this pachchadi.  It sounded so interesting and decided to try it out.  It came out so tasty and without much effort.

MOR RASAM

I first tasted mor rasam at my in-laws’ place, I only heard of mor kuzhambu and kadhi.. never about mor rasam.  My MIL makes this rasam so flavourful.  She uses lots of ajwain / omam.. and she tells me this is good for cold just like jeera milagu rasam.  So, here is my mor rasam recipe…

DHOKLA

Dhokla is my favourite evening snacks… can be made quickly with very minimal ingredients.   I like the sweet and sour taste with spicy chilli and tamarind chutney.  I make this often because there is hardly any fat/oil, it is completely steamed and requires only gram flour as main ingredient.

PUNJABI CHOLE

Punjabi Chole is a spicy north Indian main course recipe which can be had with rice, pulao, roti or parantha.  Its very simple and quick to make.  I, personally, like to use onions for garnishing than in gravy.  When I googled about the properties of kabuli channa, I learnt that Chickpeas are source of carbohydrate, vegetable protein and soluble fiber.  They contain lecithin a type of fat that reduces cholesterol and improves memory.  Very rich in mineral that helps to treat fibromyalgia and weakness.  It is said chickpeas must be present in the diet at least twice a week.

BISIBELA BATH IN VERAGU ARISI (KODO MILLET)

Bisibela bath is a prominent karnataka recipe which is like a sambhar rice but with lots of flavour and aroma.  This should be take really piping hot else you will not relish it.  I wanted to try this out in veragu arisi which is very rich in fibre in comparison with rice.  It came out so well and yummy…  I served it with sweet potato fry, papad and poosanikai thayir pachchadi.

INJI (GINGER) PACHCHADI

Ginger, with its strong and spicy aroma, has its own place in Indian cuisine. It may be used fresh or dried, powdered or pickled or in the form of juice or oil.  No, wonder ginger is the classic Indian household favourite.  Ginger improves absorption and assimilation of essential nutrients and aids in digestion. It also helps break down the proteins in your food. Ginger protects the stomach against ulcers by promoting mucus secretion.  Today, I made inji pachchadi and it tastes best with rice and any sambhar.

ANJEER (FIG) HALWA

I read about Anjeer Halwa in Tarla Dalal’s web page and made very minimal changes to suit my taste buds… and since I had anjeer at home thought of trying it.  Fig has got so many health benefits… they are high in potassium so helps to reduce insulin level and have anti-diabetic properties, rich in calcium and strengthens bones.  They are so good to treat acne prone skin… one can go on and on about benefits of fig.  Here is a easy, quick and simple fig halwa recipe…

LEMON RASAM

Lemon rasam really tastes yummy and can be make in a jiffy.  We use lemon in place of tamarind for the sourness.  I generally grind tuvar dal, tomatoes and curry leaves together for this as it enhances the flavour and this way my little ones takes both tomato and curry leaves (both are so healthy and I have seen people pick these two out… that list includes me too).