Showing posts with label No onion - no garlic recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label No onion - no garlic recipes. Show all posts
When we visited New Zealand this year, we had the opportunity to eat at an ISKCON restaurant. As you may already know, ISKCON restaurants prepare delicious dishes without using onion or garlic. What made this particular restaurant special was that they served only vegan dishes.
Since we are always on the lookout for vegetarian food wherever we travel, we absolutely loved the food there! But what we enjoyed just as much was the Ginger-Honey Panaka we had along with our meal.
Even after we returned home, we made this drink several times and enjoyed it. When you have a cold or a sore throat, sipping this Panaka slowly can feel especially soothing. This delicious and refreshing drink is also wonderfully simple to make. Do give it a try!
A refreshing, soothing drink made with ginger, honey, and lemon — inspired by one served at an ISKCON restaurant in New Zealand, and just as good as a comfort drink for a cold or sore throat.
10 minPrep time
0 minCook time (no-fire recipe)
5Servings
DrinksCourse
Ingredients
Cold water – about 1 litre
Honey – 10 tablespoons, or to taste
Lemon – 1 or 2 whole, depending on how much juice you get
Fresh ginger – 5 inches
Instructions
Take the cold water in a large vessel. Add 10 tablespoons of honey, or adjust the quantity according to your preferred sweetness. Mix well.
Clean the ginger, peel it if desired, and grate it finely using a grater. Then crush the grated ginger well.
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Add 1–2 tablespoons of water to the crushed ginger. Strain this mixture thoroughly and add the ginger juice to the vessel containing the sweetened water.
Add enough lemon juice to give the Panaka a pleasantly tangy taste. Mix everything well.
Pour the chilled Panaka into glasses and enjoy!
Tips
This drink tastes best when consumed fresh.
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We grow different kinds of vegetables in our backyard every summer. This year, while ordering seeds online, we also found Snap Melon seeds. Hence, after many years, we finally got to enjoy Mekkehannu payasa again! This fruit - also called Ibbudla or Kyakarike Hannu - gives a wonderful taste to the payasa. When it is still unripe, it tastes extremely bitter, but once it ripens and cracks open, it becomes soft and melts in the mouth.
The kids really enjoyed watching this fruit split open on its own, and our little boy even calls it “Hatch melon”!
Here is the recipe for this payasa, which can be prepared using just a few ingredients:
'Tambli' is a yogurt based gravy which is easy to prepare and has the health benefits too. When its summer, one or the other variety of Tambli is very common in Havyaka homes, to serve with rice. Here is a unique Tambli recipe which is prepared using Tindora which is known as 'Tonde Ele' in Kannada.
We had a huge crop of pumpkins this summer. Growing our own veggies during different seasons is not only pocket saver, its stress burster too, in my opinion. It needs a bit of regular maintenance, but seeing the garden brimming with flowers, fruits and veggies, it feels worth the effort.
Pumpkins last upto 6 months if they are harvested after ripening well. We enjoy pumpkin soup every now and then for our dinner during winter nights. Other dish which my family loves is Pumpkin Sambar. This Sambar won't need onion and garlic, its vegan friendly and tastes similar to the Temple style Sambar.
Majjige Huli / Paladya is one of the most common side dish in Havyaka households at my native place. When you are bored of eating same type of Sambar everyday, Majjige Huli makes the lunch or dinner more enjoyable. Different vegetables are used to prepare Majjige Huli. When made using every different vegetable, taste of this side dish varies. Also, we can make both sweet and savoury version of Majjige Huli with every vegetable!
During our recent visit to Sydney, one of our family friends had kindly shared some home-grown Tondekayi / Dondakaya with us. It was long time since I prepared Majjige Huli using Tindora. We all enjoyed this sweet version of Tindora Majjige Huli, and here is the recipe for you all to try!
Just like every year, our summer veggie patch is on full bloom this year too. When there are so much home grown veggies, its very hard to choose the veggies for your cooking, when you don't want anything go waste! We are making a good use of home grown veggies in our daily cooking, sharing some with friends and also, preserving some in the freezer for the winter months.
A few of our white radish plants grew up taller, they didn't produce any bulbs, but we could see big bunches of radish beans on the plant. Then, I got to know from one of my friends that, radish beans are good for cooking curries and stir fries. I tried my hands on making 2 - 3 varieties of stir fry (Palya), and here is the one which was liked by all..
Preparation time: 25 - 30 minutes
Difficulty level: Medium
Serves - 5
Ingredients:
Radish / Muli beans - about 3 cups
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 1 tsp
Amchur powder - 3/4 tsp
- For Seasoning: cooking oil - 3 tbsp, Urid dal - 1 tsp, Mustard seeds - 1 tsp, Turmeric - a pinch
Wash the beans in water, take off the stem and the pointy ends of the beans. Chop them roughly or just break each of them into 2 - 3 pieces using your hand. I had around 2 cups of chopped beans after cleaning and taking off the stem and pointy ends.
Next step is to prepare the Masala powder; Heat 2 tsp of oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add cinnamon piece, red chilli pieces and split chana dal, toast them for 1 - 2 minutes. Then add urid dal, methi seeds and clove. Stir it for half a minute and add coriander seeds, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and a pinch of hing. Toast them all till the mustard seeds start crackling. Finally add 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder and turn off the flame.
Transfer the toasted spices into the mixie jar after they cool down a bit. Run the mixie a few times on whip / pulse mode to make a course powder. Let it be like semolina, not too course. Add the shredded coconut at the end and pulse it for a few more seconds to make everything evenly course.
Heat 3 tbsp of oil in the sam heavy bottom pan for the seasoning. Add urid dal, mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start crackling, add a pinch of turmeric powder and chopped radish beans. Give it a good mix and sauté the mixture for 2 minutes. Then, close the lid and allow it to cook on medium flame.
When the mixture is half - way cooked, add salt to taste, 1 tsp sugar and 3/4 tsp of amchur powder. Combine it well, and close the lid to cook further. Keep mixing it every few minutes. No need to add any extra water, as the water content in the beans would be sufficient to cook them.
It would take around 12 - 15 minutes to cook the beans mixture. Once its cooked well, add the prepared masala powder and combine everything well Cook it for 2 - 3 minutes more and turn off the flame.
Serve this tasty Palya along with rice or chapathi!
Cucumber is one of those vegetables which is widely used in Indian cooking. Its summer here, and we are making a good use of cucumbers. My cooking style goes more towards my native style food when its summer; we enjoy preparing and eating native style curries like Hashi, Tambli, etc which are mainly yogurt based. But when the winter starts, we prefer more of soups, chapathi and curries.
Hashi or Saasive is a yogurt and coconut based curry which is a good combination with rice. We Havyakas can prepare Hashi or Saasive using almost every variety of vegetables and edible leaves.
Today, I am going to share the recipe of Savatekayi Hashi (Sasive) with you all. When we were school age kids, we cousins were all very keen to watch how Amma / Aunty / Grandma chop the cucumber so finely using 'Ilige mane' or coconut scraper. We all loved that aroma which comes when the cucumber is chopped finely. And, we used to wait for that small leftover pieces of cucumber which they give at the end!
Below is the recipe of Soutekayi (Savatekayi) Hashi for you all..
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Serves - 5
Difficulty level: Medium
Ingredients:
Finely chopped cucumber - 1 cup (see Tips)
Fresh grated coconut (or frozen) - 1 to 1 1/4 cup
Fresh curd - 1 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Water - about 1 cup (approx)
For Seasoning: Cooking oil - 2 1/2 tsp, Dried red chilli - 2 small pieces, Urid dal - 1 tsp, Till seeds - 1 tsp, Sesame seeds - 1 tsp, Asafoetida (hing) - a pinch, green chilly - 1
Recipe Instructions:
Grind the grated coconut into a thick, fine paste by adding around half a cup of water. Transfer it into a bowl.
Cut the green chillies and keep it ready for seasoning.
Heat a thick bottom pan for seasoning. To this, add around 2.5 tea spoon of oil. Once its heated, add red chilli pieces and 1 tsp urid dal. Saute it for half a minute and add 1 tsp till seeds, 1 tsp sesame seeds followed by a pinch of hing.
When the sesame seeds start crackling, add the green chilly pieces and sauté it for 1 - 2 minutes and turn off the flame. To this seasoning, add the finely chopped cucumber when the pan is still hot. Mix it once, and transfer this mixture into bowl where we kept the coconut paste.
Crush the chilli pieces using a spoon or using your fingertips (if its not too hot). Add 1.5 cups of curd, 1/2 tsp sugar and salt to taste.
Mix everything well, check and adjust the taste. If the mixture is too thick, you can add a few spoons of water to adjust the consistency.
Enjoy this Hashi along with rice and pickle.
Tips:
If you are using the young cucumbers no need to take off the peel while chopping.
Fully grown cucumbers are not good for this recipe. I normally use lebanese cucumbers for this.
Pull chopper comes in very handy to chop the cucumber finely.
Some varieties of cucumbers comes with a bitter taste. Hence, make sure to taste a small piece before you proceed with the preparation.
For that authentic taste, I prefer using coconut oil for the seasoning.
Balekai or plantain is one of our family favourite vegetables. We get raw banana or plantains once in a while in the Indian grocery stores here. We love different dishes made using plantains in our native style.
I had brought raw bananas after a long time during my recent grocery shopping. My daughter requested to prepare Banana chips since its her all time favourite. Hence, I had to make some Banana / Plantain Chips for her. One dish we never want to miss is Plantain Palya / Poriyal / Fry / Thoran.
Here is the recipe of Havyaka Style Balekayi / Plantain Palya for you all!
Heat 4 - 5 cups of water in a pan. Add 2 - 3 drops of oil to avoid stickiness. Once the water is hot enough, add the whole plantains and cook for 8 - 10 minutes or till they are nearly cooked, but still firm. Once cooked, their skin will turn darker brown and plantains will be a bit soft than before.
Take out the cooked plantains and allow them to cool.
Peel the skin and grate the plantains using a grater.
Take the grated plantains in a mixing bowl. Add grated coconut, salt, sugar and lime juice for taste.
Heat 2 1/2 tbsp oil in a heavy bottom pan for seasoning. Once the oil is hot, add red chilli, urid dal, mustard seeds and hing. When mustard seeds start spluttering, add turmeric powder, slit green chillies and curry leaves. Sauté it for half a minute.
Add grated plantain to the seasoning and mix it well. Close the lid half way and cook it for 5 more minutes.
Serve it as a side dish with Rice, Sambar and Curd.
Tips:
While cooking, if the plantains became softer than required, wash them in cold water immediately. This will avoid them from becoming smoother again.
Lime squeeze can be replaced with Aamchur powder / Hulipudi.
As a South Indian family, we love rice for our daily lunch. Hubby loves Roti / Chapathi and hence, I prepare Roti / Chapathi for our dinner. To ease the the cooking time, I plan to make any one side dish or sambar or dal to be suitable for both rice and roti! This reduces my time in the kitchen a bit.
Here is one such Palya / curry which goes well with rice, roti / chapathi, dosa and poori. Do try this healthy and delicious Cabbage - Sprouted Green Gram Palya / Thoran / Masala Dry Curry and let me hear your feedback :)
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Difficulty level: Medium
Serves: 3
Ingredients:
Finely shredded cabbage - 3 cups
Sprouted green gram / mung bean - 1/2 cup (can use more also)
Salt - to taste
Amchur powder / hulipudi - 3/4 tsp
Sugar - 1/3 tsp
Pav Bhaji Masala powder - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp (adjust according to spiciness)
- For Seasoning:
Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp
Dry red chilli - 1 inch piece
Urid dal - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/3 tsp
Green chilli - 1 slit
Curry leaves - 5 to 6
Recipe Instructions:
Keep all the ingredients ready.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan for seasoning. Add red chilli piece, urid dal and mustard seeds. Toast it till mustard seeds start crackling.
Add turmeric powder, slit green chilli and curry leaves.
Sauté it once and add shredded cabbage and sprouted green gram.
Mix everything well, close the lid and cook it on low to medium flame.
Keep mixing it every now and then to avoid burning. If the mixture looks too dry, a few tablespoons of water can be added. I have not added and water here.
When the mixture is nearly cooked, add salt, sugar, amchur powder, pav bhaji masala powder and red chilli powder. Mix it well and cook covered till done.
Serve this delicious Palya along with rice, chapathi, dosa or poori.
Tips:
You can skip using green chillies by adding little more chilli powder.
Adding sugar is purely optional.
Pav bhaji masala powder can be replaced with sambar powder or any other masala powder.
This year, we had planted some snow pea plants in our little backyard. Snow peas are easy to grow, they won't need much care and the yield is also pretty quick. Now, the winter has started and still we are getting enough crop to serve our little family. As they have a sweet taste, my kids love to pick the snow peas fresh from the garden and eat them as it is.
Here is the recipe of a side dish which my family loves to eat often. I use potato, snow peas, capsicum and green peas for this Subzi. But it should be ok if you skip capsicum and / or green peas.
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Difficulty level: Medium
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Potatoes (big) - 2
Snow peas - 8 to 10
Capsicum chopped - 3/4 cup
Green peas - 3/4 cup (I have used frozen peas)
Kasuri methi - 1 tbsp
Cumin coriander powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Pepper powder - 1 tsp or for taste
- For seasoning:
Oil - 2 tbsp
Fenugreek / Methi seeds - 1/4 tsp
Method:
Wash all the vegetables thoroughly in clean water.
Chop the snow peas and capsicum into medium size pieces.
Peel and chop the potatoes into small pieces lengthwise.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add the fenugreek seeds and toast till aromatic.
Add the potato pieces, mix well and close the lid for cooking.
Keep mixing it frequently to avoid potatoes sticking to the bottom.
When the potatoes are half-cooked, add chopped snow peas, capsicum, green peas and kasuri methi. Close the lid and continue cooking. Keep mixing them regularly.
When potato pieces are almost cooked, add salt, pepper powder, cumin - coriander powder and cook for 3 - 4 minutes or till done.
Serve this delicious side dish along with rice, chapathi or pooris.
We had a nice veggie garden during summer this year. Our little backyard was filled with many veggie crops for last couple of months. Radish or Moolangi was one of them, which we had a good crop. By the time COVID lockdown started, our veggies were ready for harvest. Prices of fruits and vegetables have risen drastically these days. Our home grown veggies have reduced the grocery bills to some extent. Now, its time to wind up the veggie garden as the winter is approaching.
Here is one of my favourite recipe, Radish leaves thepla or Mooli leaves paratha..
Preparation time: 25 - 30 minutes
Difficulty level: Medium
Yield: 10 - 11 Theplas
Ingredients:
Radish leaves - 1 small bunch
Whole wheat flour / Atta - 2 1/4 cup
Besan flour - 2 tbsp
Oil - for cooking
Cumin coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Chilli flakes (optional) - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 1 1/2 tsp
Amchur powder - 1/3 tsp
Warm water - 1 cup
Method:
Wash the radish leaves thoroughly in clean water. Chop them finely. If you have a pull chopper, it will ease the process.
Heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add finely chopped radish leaves and cook it till the leaves change the color. It may take 5 - 8 minutes.
Switch off the flame and add cumin - coriander powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and chilli flakes. Mix it once.
Then, add wheat flour, besan flour, sugar, amchur powder and salt to taste.
Add water little by little and prepare smooth, non - sticky dough.
Make a big ball of dough, apply little oil and keep it covered for about 5 minutes. If you are in a hurry, just skip this step and proceed further.
Take out the dough, and make equal sized 10 or 11 balls from the dough.
Take one ball at a time, dip in dry flour and roll it into thin circle. Repeat the same with all the dough balls.
Cook the rolled circles on the hot tawa on both the sides. Drizzle a few drops of oil or ghee (clarified butter) while cooking.
Serve hot Thepla along with your favourite side dish.
Radish leaves thepla or parathas are perfect for breakfast, lunch box and dinner.
As everyone is restricted from going outside due to COVID - 19, its a bit hard to manage the kids at home all day. And, more household work like cooking, cleaning vessels, cleaning and the like. I am trying to involve kids in doing the household chores a bit. Here is a recipe which can be done involving the kids. Potato Podi or shallow fried potato slices are always on demand in our home.
Preparation time: 20 -25 minutes
Difficulty level: Medium
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Potato (big ones) - 2
Sooji rava (Course Semolina) - 3 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Red chilli powder - 3/4 tsp or to taste
Oil - for cooking
Method:
Peel off the skin of potatoes and cut them into thin slices.
Mix together sooji rava, salt and red chilli powder in a small bowl.
Coat the potato slices with the rava mixture by dipping them in the mixture.
Cook them on the hot tawa by drizzling a few drops of oil. Flip them a few times to ensure even cooking.
How to cook in the oven:
Pre-heat the oven to 175C.
Line the baking tray with baking sheet and arrange the semolina coated potato slices side by side.
Drizzle 4 - 5 drops of oil on each potato slice.
Cook them in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes or till done.
Take out the tray after 5 minutes and serve the hot Potato Podi as snacks or as a side dish with lunch or dinner.
Doddapatre is a common herb which is generously used in many Indian households for cooking and home medications. This plant won't need much care and can be easily grown in a pot. We use this herb mainly to get rid of cold and cough. Having access to herbs like Ajawain, tulsi, ginger, etc. will definitely cut down frequent visits to the doctor for some common sickness. Apart from its medicinal values, Ajwain leaves are equally good for preparation of a few yummy dishes. Here is one such side dish, Doddapatre / Ajwain leaves Gojju..
Preparation time:15 minutes
Difficulty leves: Medium
Serves: 4 - 5
Ingredients:
Doddapatre / Ajwain leaves - 7 or 8
Split bengal gram - 2 tbsp
Dry red chillies - 2
Urid dal - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing / asafoetida - a pinch
Coriander seeds - 3/4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Till seeds - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Tamarind - 1 1/2 tbsp or to taste
Jaggery / sugar - 3 tbsp or to taste
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Oil - 1 1/2 tsp
- For seasoning:
Urid dal - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tsp
Method:
Wash the Doddapatre leaves in clean water and keep aside.
Heat 1 1/2 tsp oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add split bengal gram and sauté for a minute on medium or low flame.
Then, add urid dal, red chilli pieces followed by coriander seeds, cumin seeds, till seeds and hing.
Once the mustard seeds start spluttering, add turmeric powder and doddapatre leaves.
Continue cooking till the leaves change color and then turn off the flame.
Grind the cooked mixture along with grated coconut and tamarind and make a course paste. Let it be thick, not too watery; add little water as required.
In a pan, do the seasoning with oil. urid dal and mustard seeds. Add the grind mixture, salt and jaggery / sugar to taste.
Allow the mixture to heat up nicely. Once the bubbles start coming, turn off the flame.
This Gojju or gravy tastes well when served with rice.
As you all know, Corona virus is spreading quickly everywhere and its at all recommended to go out in most of the places. Curfew, home isolation these are the situation everywhere. This virus is spreading in our area also. Kids are homeschooling, husband is working from these days due to safety reasons. We are completely restricting ourselves from going out except fortnight grocery shopping. Hope some solution will be found out soon and I wish for everyone's safety and good health.
Coming back to the recipe part, here is and easy Chutney recipe which I learnt from my sister. This goes well with rice and Idlis. This Chutney can be made with commonly available ingredients from the kitchen pantry and hence, I thought this might be of help especially when you can't go out for much grocery shopping. Below is the recipe of Kadlebele Chutney or Kadle Kaalina Gojju..
Preparation time: 10 - 12 minutes
Difficulty level: Medium
Serves - 4
Ingredients:
Kadlebele (Split bengal gram) - 2 tbsp
Dry red chillies - 1 or 2 (adjust according to spiciness)
Urid dal - 1 tsp
Hing / asafoetida - generous pinch
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp + 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Green chilli (optional) - 1
Tamarind - 1 1/2 tbsp or to taste
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 1/4 tsp
Fresh grated coconut - 1 cup
Curry leaves (optional) - 4 leaves
Oil - 1 1/2 tsp + 1 tsp
Method:
Heat 1 1/2 tsp oil in a wok or heavy bottom pan. Add split bengal gram dal and roast it for 1 - 2 minutes.
To this, add urid dal, red chilli pieces, mustard seeds and hing. Once the mustard seeds start spluttering, add turmeric powder, green chilli pieces and curry leaves. Sauté for a minute and turn off the flame.
Grind the roasted lentil mixture along with fresh grated coconut, tamarind, salt and sugar. Add little water as required and make a thick, coarse paste.
Heat the oil in a wok. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds and a pinch of hing. Once mustard seeds splutter, add this seasoning to the prepared Chutney.
Serve this Chutney along with rice or Idlis.
Tips:
If you don't like to add green chillies, add more red chillies according to taste.
When it comes to the habit of healthy eating, eating more vegetables is always recommended. Being born and brought up in South India, we prefer Rice for our lunch and dinner most of the time. So, I try to include salads, veg stir fries, lentil based curries and yogurt in our daily food to make sure we won't miss the required nutrients.
I try to mix and match the vegetables for my curries and stir fries just to make it attractive for my daughter to eat! Beans is one of those vegetables which goes well with most other vegetables to make delicious dishes. I am sharing with you all a healthy and delicious stir fry using Beans and Lilva Beans. For this recipe, you can use either fresh or frozen Lilva Beans. I have used the frozen ones here..
Preparation time: 20 - 25 minutes
Serves - 3
Difficulty level: Medium
Ingredients:
Fresh beans - 200 gm
Silva Beans / Hitikida Avarekalu (Fresh or frozen) - 1/2 cup (can add more if you like)
Salt to taste
Amchur powder - 2/3 tsp or to taste
Grated coconut (optional) - 2 tbsp)
For Seasoning:
Cooking oil - 2 tbsp
Dry red chilli - quarter piece
Urid dal - 1 tsp
Asafoetida / Hing - a big pinch
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Green chilli - 1 (according to spiciness needed)
Curry leaves - 8 to 10 leaves
Method:
Wash the beans thoroughly in water, remove the stem and fibre, if any. Chop the beans into as thin roundels as possible.
Heat oil in a heavy pan. Add red chilli piece, urid dal, asafoetida and mustard seeds. When mustard seeds start crackling, add turmeric powder, slit green chilli and curry leaves. Saute for a minute.
Add the chopped beans to the seasoning and mix it well. Close the lid tightly and cook it for 5 - 6 minutes. Sauté it once in between to ensure even cooking.
Mix in the Lilva Beans along with the half cooked beans and cook for 5 more minutes.
Add grated coconut, salt and amchur powder for taste. Mix everything well and cook for 5 minutes or till done.
Serve this delicious stir fry as a side dish with rice.
Tips:
Don't add any water while cooking. Water content in the beans will be sufficient for cooking them.
Eggplant is used in preparing wide variety of Indian dishes. We too love this vegetable in our cooking. Varieties of side dishes and stir fries can be made using this vegetable. Today, I am sharing a unique Stir fry (Palya) recipe from my native place.
As per my observation, most of the eggplant recipes tastes good only when onion or garlic is added. But this Stir fry tastes delicious without adding garlic and onion. Try this simple yet delicious Stir Fry and let me know your feedback!
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Soaking time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4
Difficulty level: Medium
Ingredients:
Eggplant (Finely chopped) - 1 large
Oil - 5 to 6 tbsp
Dry red chilli (optional) - 1 small piece
Urid dal - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida / Hing - big pinch
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Green chillies - 2 (add according to spiciness needed)
Curry leaves - 1 strand
Salt to taste
Amchur powder - 1 1/2 tsp or to taste
Grated coconut - 4 tbsp
Method:
Take the finely chopped eggplant in a bowl. Add 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp amchur powder. Mix it well and leave it for 15 minutes.
Squeeze off the water content from the eggplant mixture and discard the water.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add red chilli, urid dal, mustard seeds, hing and turmeric.
Once the mustard seeds start crackling, add slit green chillies and curry leaves. Saute the mixture for a minute.
Add the squeezed eggplant chunks to the seasoning and mix it once. Check the taste and add salt and amchur powder accordingly.
Cook this mixture on low flame without closing the lid for 8 - 10 minutes or till done.
When its cooked half-way, add the grated coconut. Stir the mixture frequently to ensure even cooking.
Turn off the flame when the eggplant chunks become soft and cooked nicely.
Serve this delicious stir fry as a side dish along with rice.
If cooked nicely, this stir fry stays good for 2 - 3 days at room temperature.
Tips:
If you would like to add onion, add chopped onion while adding the grated coconut.
This stir fry tastes better when eggplant is chopped very finely.
Rainy season has started in various parts of India now. In my native, its the time to enjoy different seasonal fruits like mangoes, jackfruit, pineapple and so on. They are good to eat just like that. Also, varieties of sweets, jams and side dishes can be prepared using them. I have shared some of those recipes already. Please click on the recipe names below to check them.
Coming back to today's recipe, we all know that pineapple can be used to prepare Jam, Pastry, Kesari (Shira), etc. sweet dishes. I am sharing with you all the recipe of a delicious yogurt based gravy using pineapple. Its one of the authentic Havyaka recipe and we call it as Pineapple Saasive. Try this sweet gravy with hot rice and let me know how you liked it!
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4 - 5
Difficulty level: Medium
Ingredients:
Pineapple chunks - 1 1/4 cup
Fresh grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Till seeds - 1 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 3/4 tsp
Dry red chilli or fresh green chilli - 1 small piece
Combine pineapple chunks along with salt, jaggery / sugar and water in a vessel and bring to boil. Turn off the flame after it is boiled for 5 minutes and allow to cool.
Separate the liquid from the cooked pineapple chunks and keep aside.
Grind the cooled pineapple chunks along with grated coconut, till seeds, mustard seeds, chilli piece and turmeric powder into fine paste. Use the liquid you saved before, while grinding.
Add half a cup of curd to the ground mixture. Check the taste and add salt or jaggery if needed.
If the mixture is too thick, you can add a little water. But don't make it too watery.
Heat oil in a small wok. Add mustard seeds and when it crackles, add this seasoning to the Saasive.
Serve this Saasive as a side dish with rice.
Here is a simple stir fry recipe from my kitchen. It can be prepared quickly using the common ingredients in the pantry. We
Many people dislike okra because of its slime. But you won't feel it when its cooked with proper care. Okra is a good source of fibre which is needed for our body.
Try this Okra Stir Fry and I hope you like it!
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Serves: 2
Difficulty level: Medium
Ingredients:
Medium size Okra - 15 nos
Amchur powder - 3/4 tsp or for taste
Salt to taste
Fresh grated coconut - 2 to 3 tbsp
For seasoning:
Oil - 2 tbsp,
Dry red chilli - half piece,
Urid dal - 1 tsp,
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp,
Asafoetida / Hing - a pinch,
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp,
Curry leaves - 7 or 8 leaves,
Green chilli - 1 (adjust according to spiciness)
Method:
Wash the Okra in water and drain the water using a cotton cloth or paper towel. Slice them into very thin rounds.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add dry red chilli, urid dal followed by mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds splutter, add pinch of hing, turmeric powder, slit green chilli and curry leaves. Saute them for a minute.
Add the Okra slices to the seasoning and mix it once. Add salt and Amchur powder for taste.
Cook the mixture without putting the lid and give it a stir regularly to avoid burning. It won't take much time to cook since we have sliced the Okra very thinly.
Once the mixture is almost cooked, add the fresh grated coconut and cook it till done.
Serve this delicious Stir Fry / Palya along with rice or chapathi.
Tips:
This Stir Fry tastes really good when Okra is slices into very thin roundels.
Do not over mix the stir fry while cooking, otherwise it becomes mushy.
Adding onion will give a different taste for this recipe. Chopped onion can be added along with grated coconut.
Its the summer season in India now. We were on a vacation to India last month. Since the mango season has started, we enjoyed eating varieties of mangoes there. In my home, everyday we were having one or the other dish prepared from mango for the lunch.
Ripened mangoes are also good for preparing few types of curries like Neer Gojju, Sasive, etc. We get a wild mango variety called 'Sasive Maavu' at our place which has a sweet and sour taste. It is good for preparing curries like Saasive and Neer Gojju. I am sharing the recipe of Mango Neergojju with you all today. Try this simple and tasty curry before the mango season ends!
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Serves - 4
Difficulty level: Medium
Ingredients:
Saasive mango / wild mangoes - 5 to 6
Liquid jaggery (Joni bella) - 7 tbsp or to taste
Salt - 1 1/4 tsp or to taste
Water - 2 cups
For tempering: Oil - 3 tsp, Dry red chilli- 1, Urid dal - 1 tsp, Mustard seeds - 1 1/4 tsp, Asafoetida / Hing - a pinch, Green chilli - 1, Curry leaves - 4 or 5
Method:
Wash the mangoes cleanly. Peel off the green skin and put them in a mixing bowl.
Add salt and jaggery to the mangoes and squeeze the mangoes nicely. Add water and leave it for ten minutes. Check and adjust the taste.
Heat oil in a small wok. Add red chilli pieces, urid dal, mustard seeds and asafoetida. Once the mustard seeds start crackling, add curry leaves and slit green chilli. Saute it for a minute and switch off the flame.
Add the seasoning to the mango mixture and mix it nicely.
Different kinds of leafy vegetables are part of our healthy diet. They are good source of various nutrients and taste delicious as well. One among those leaves is Amaranth Leaves. We buy it often from the vegetable market. Amaranth leaves are a good source of calcium, iron and vitamins. They are good for preparing stir fry, sambar, hashi, saasive and other side dishes.
Below is the recipe of Amaranth Leaves Stir Fry / Harive Soppina Palya..
Preparation Time: 20 - 25 minutes
Serves: 2
Difficulty level: Medium
Ingredients:
Amaranth leaves / Harive soppu - 1 bunch
Dry red chillies - 2 or 3 (adjust according to taste)
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida / Hing - a pinch
Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp
Cooking oil - 3 tbsp
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Amchur powder - for taste
Jaggery / sugar - 1/4 tsp or according to taste (see Tips)
Onion (optional) - 1
Method:
Wash the amaranth leaves in clean water thoroughly. Chop them finely. Include the tender stems also while chopping.
Heat the oil a heavy bottom pan. Add broken red chillies, urid dal and roast them for a minute. When the urid dal turns into light brown color, add mustard seeds and asafoetida.
When the mustard seeds start crackling, add the turmeric powder and saute it once. Now add the chopped amaranth leaves and mix it well. Quickly find the broken red chillies in them which are crunchy after frying, powder them coarsely using your fingers or with the help of laddle. Add the powdered chillied back to the seasoned mixture.
Cover the lid and allow the mixture to cook on medium flame. No need to add any water, since the water content in the leaves will be enough for cooking them.
Stir the mixture regularly. Once the leaves are almost cooked, add salt, amchur powder and jaggery / sugar for taste.
Add grated coconut after 2 - 3 minutes. Also add the chopped onion, if using. I have added onion here.
Cook it for 5 more minutes and turn off the flame.
This stir fry tastes delicious with rice, chapathi or poori.
Tips:
Add only 1/4 tsp of jaggery / sugar for this stir fry if you don't want to make it sweet. If you like sweet taste, add more jaggery / sugar according to taste. And if making it sweet in taste, don't add onion.
Hi, I’m Vani — a passionate home cook, recipe creator, and food lover. I enjoy exploring new dishes from cookbooks, magazines, cooking shows, and fellow food bloggers. My love for cooking — and for capturing those delicious moments — inspired me to start this blog. Many of the recipes you’ll find here come from my mother, mother‑in‑law, and the traditional flavors I grew up with. I especially cherish authentic Havyaka and South Indian recipes, and this space helps me preserve and share them with anyone who wants to bring those homely, comforting tastes into their kitchen. Whether you’re trying a simple everyday dish or exploring something new, I hope my step‑by‑step recipes make your cooking experience enjoyable and easy.
