Recipe world

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.

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಲು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ

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.

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಲು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ

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.

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಲು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ

Genasale is an authentic South Indian dumpling. This sweet dish is prepared using jaggery and coconut as main stuffing, covered with a layer of dough and is put inside the half folded bay leaf for cooking. They taste awesome with the unique flavour of bay leaves.

One of our neighbours had offered us plenty of fresh bay leaves a few days back. I thought to make Genasale, as we rarely get the fresh bay leaves here. They turned out delicious and we enjoyed eating them. Kiddos told me to make them again coz they're so tasty!

Do try these sweet dumplings when you get some fresh bay leaves next time. Here is the recipe of Genasale (Indian sweet dumplings) for you.

Preparation time: 45 minutes

Difficulty level: Difficult

Serves: 4 people

Ingredients:

medium sized bay leaves - 15 to 20

- For covering:

Sooji rava (semolina) - 3/4 cup
Salt - 1/3 tsp
Jaggery - 1 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Water - as required

- For stuffing:

Fresh (or frozen) grated coconut - 1/2 cup (tightly packed)
Jaggery 1/3 cup of to taste
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Water - 1 tbsp (See tips)

Method:

Wash the bay leaves in water and keep aside.
Transfer the grated coconut into the mixie jar and run the mixie for half minute.
In a heavy bottom pan, mix the grated coconut, jaggery and 1-2 tbsp of water if using the powdered jaggery. Cook it on medium flame and keep stirring regularly to avoid burning.
After 10 - 12 minutes of cooking, coconut mixture starts thickening. Turn off the flame, mix in the cardamom powder and allow it to cool.
Take around 3/4 cup of sooji rava in a bowl and add enough water to soak it. Stir it well and allow 5 minutes to get soaked.
Take out the excess water after 5 minutes, but do not squeeze.
Grind the soaked semolina in mixie for a minute. Add little water if needed. Ideally, it should come to dosa batter consistency.
Transfer the ground batter into a heavy bottom pan. Add salt, jaggery and turmeric powder and keep mixing it on low or medium flame till the batter changes the color and looks like dough. Allow it to cool down a bit and mix it nicely using your palms.
Take a bowl, add 3-4 cups of water and 1/4 tsp of oil. Applying this water to the leaves will avoid dumplings sticking to the leaves after cooking.
Take a bay leaf, apply oily water on its upper surface. Take a small portion of semolina dough, pat it thinly on the upper surface of the leaf. Put around 1 tsp (or more) of the coconut mixture on top of it.
Fold the leaf into half so that the stuffing remains inside. Cover the edges nicely and transfer it to the steamer plate.
Follow the same procedure and make as many dumplings as required. Arrange them on the steamer plate and cook for 5 minutes. If using pressure cooker, take off the whistle and close the lid just like that.
Remove the bay leaves after cooking and serve the delicious dumplings along with ghee (clarified butter).

Tips:

Since I have used the powdered jaggery, I have added 1 tbsp of water while making the stuffing. If adding liquid jaggery, no need to add any water.
Bay leaves can be replaced with turmeric leaves for this recipe.
If you find it hard to make the Genasale (dumplings) on the leaves, make them in the same way without using the leaves. While steam cooking, cover top it with bay leaves to add the flavour.

ಕನ್ನಡ ಆವೃತ್ತಿ

Honeydew melon is a variety of melon, which belongs to the family of musk melon. Its a family favourite fruit at our place because of its sweet taste. We normally would cut the fruit and eat it as it is. But there will be times the half finished fruit sits in the fridge for a few days and nobody wants to eat it. Something innovative has to be prepared during such times to make it interesting. Here is one such recipe..Muskmelon Cooler! It can be served as a refreshing drink or as a dessert.

Time required: 15 - 20 minutes

Difficulty level: Medium

Serves - 3

Ingredients:

Honeydew Melon - 1/4th of a whole fruit (or even less)
Milk (preferably full fat) - 1 cup
For sweetness - jaggery, sugar or maple syrup - according to taste (I have added 6 tbsp of jaggery)
Salt - a pinch
Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp

Method:

Cut the melon into big pieces and separate the seed part. Grate the flesh using a grater and discard the rind part.
1.5 cups of grated flesh plus the liquid therefrom will be enough for the above said measurements.
Transfer the grated fruit flesh plus liquid into a mixing bowl. Add pinch of salt and sweetener (jaggery, sugar or maple syrup) according to taste and mix everything well.
Add milk and cardamom powder and give it a good mix.
Keep it in the fridge for cooling before you serve.
While serving, mix it well and scoop both juice and the fruit gratings into the serving bowl.

Tips:

For a quick serving, use cold milk and refrigerated fruit for this recipe.

ಕನ್ನಡ ಆವೃತ್ತಿ

I rarely prepare deep fried items at home. Dishes like Poori, Bajji, Bonda are always tempting. But as far as possible, we want to avoid eating food thats too oily. But I can't avoid making Chaklis when there's huge demand from my daughter!

Months back, I had eaten Chakli at one of my Aunt's home. They were so tasty and I was surprised to hear that she had used Curd for making those Chaklis! Then one fine day, again on daughter's demand, I tried Chaklis using my own selection of ingredients along with curd. They turned out so crunchy and yum! This recipe looks very handy and easy for me now. Here is my easy peasy Chakli recipe for you all..

Preparation time: 2 hours

Difficulty level: Medium

Yield: 60 challis (varies depending on the size)

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 4 cups
Roasted bengal gram dal / Pottu Kadalai - 1/2 cup
Butter - lemon size
Salt - for taste
Sugar - 1 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp or to taste
Carom seeds / Ajwain - 1 tsp
Till seeds - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Curd - 1/2 cup
Water (approx) - 2 1/4 cup

Method:

Combine roasted bengal gram dal, carom seeds, till seeds and cumin seeds and make a fine powder.
Mix it with rice flour, salt, sugar and red chilli powder in a large bowl.
Add heated butter to the flour mixture and mix it well with your hands.
To this, add 1/2 cup of curd and mix well.
Add water little by little and make a soft, non sticky dough like chapathi dough.
Fill the prepared dough in Chakli Press (Chakli Maker). Press the dough and make them into spiral shapes.
Heat the oil in a wide pan and deep fry these spirals till they turn crispy.
Enjoy crispy, delicious Chaklis anytime!

ಕನ್ನಡ ಆವೃತ್ತಿ

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.

ಕನ್ನಡ ಆವೃತ್ತಿ

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.

ಕನ್ನಡ ಆವೃತ್ತಿ

My school going daughter has recently developed a great craving for snacks. Everyday after coming from the school, she asks for some snacks thats crunchy. I rarely entertain store bought snacks at home and also, she loves homemade food. So, I always keep a stock of 2-3 varieties of homemade snacks for her. One among those is Spiced Phool Makhana. These crunchy balls are very addictive and they are a good source of protein and Vitamin B too!

Puffed Phool Makhana is available in most of the Indian grocery stores here. With this, one can easily prepare this delicious snack anytime. So, here is the recipe of Spiced Phool Makhana or Lotus Seed Snacks..

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Servings: 8 - 10

Difficulty level: Medium

Ingredients:

Phool Makhana (Lotus seeds) - 100 gm
Cooking oil - 4 1/2 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp or to taste
Chaat masala - 1 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Sugar powder (optional) - 1 1/2 tsp

Method:

Take a wide bottom pan, add Lotus seeds and toast them on low or medium flame for 8 - 10 minutes or till they turn crispy.
Heat oil in the same pan; Add turmeric powder, chilli powder and turn off the flame. Take care not to burn the spice powders. To this, add salt, sugar powder and chat masala powder. Mix it well.
Add the roasted Lotus seeds / Phool makhana to the seasoning and toss it nicely to ensure even coating of spices.
Serve this delicious snack along with a cuppa Tea!

Tips:

Chat masala can be replaced with amchur powder.
Use your hands for easy and even mixing.

ಕನ್ನಡ ಆವೃತ್ತಿ

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
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Jaggery / sugar - 4 tbsp or to taste
Water - 1/2 cup
Yogurt / Curd - 1/2 cup

For Seasoning: Oil (preferably coconut oil) - 1 tsp, Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Method:

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.

ಕನ್ನಡ ಆವೃತ್ತಿ

Most of you are familiar with the famous Indian sweets Kaju Katli and Badam (Almond) Katli. These sweets taste heavenly and were mostly store bought when I was a kid. These days, many of us are able to prepare these famous sweets at the convenience of our homes.

OPOS (One Pot One Shot) is an innovative or rather I can say, more simplified way of cooking which is becoming famous these days. I was introduced to OPOS cooking few months back by one of my friends. Many thanks to Rama Krishnan Sir for making cooking so simple through OPOS.

Basically, OPOS cooking needs a 2 litre pressure cooker which I didn't have. But I was eager to try OPOS cooking and hence, started experimenting my dishes using my 3 litre pressure cooker. Luckily, my experiments went well and I'm preparing most of my side dishes in OPOS way now a days.

After seeing the OPOS Kaju Katli recipe, I thought to prepare Katli using groundnuts. My Mom makes Groundnut Burfi, which takes a lot of time stirring the mixture on the stovetop. I just modified my Mom's Groundnut Burfi recipe to suit the OPOS way. Groundnut Katli turned out very well and tasted amazing! My daughter loved them a lot and I ended up preparing one more batch of Groundnut Katli the very next day. Believe me, they are really addictive!

Preparation time: 7 - 8 minutes

Time to set: 20 minutes

Difficulty level: Easy

Yield: 35 pieces

Ingredients:

Sugar - 1 cup minus 1 tbsp (1 cup = 200 gm)
Milk - 1/2 cup
Groundnut powder (Roast, remove the skin and make fine powder) - 1 cup
Ghee / Clarified butter - 1 tbsp (for greasing)
Pressure cooker - 2 litre or 3 litre (I have used 3 litre pressure cooker)

Method:

Combine milk and sugar in the pressure cooker and give it a stir. If the sugar crystals are bigger, stir the mixture nicely till sugar dissolves.
Close the lid and cook on high till 6 whistles. Make sure to wipe off the sugar water which comes out with every whistle; else, it won't whistle properly.
Turn off the flame and release all the pressure using a spoon.
Take the lid out and fold in the groundnut powder. Mix it quickly without lumps and close the lid again. Allow it to set for 20 minutes.
Open the cooker lid after 20 minutes and by that time, the mixture will become like a thick dough. Grease your palms with ghee and mix the dough once. Transfer the dough onto a greased plate and pat it thinly.
Cut them into desired shapes and enjoy the delicious Groundnut Katli!

Tips:

Since the cooking needs to be done on high flame, you have to use either induction or gas stove.
While preparing groundnut powder, don't run the mixie / blender continuously; instead, try to whip and powder.

ಕನ್ನಡ ಆವೃತ್ತಿ

Hi everybody,

I am here with a new recipe after long time. Life has made me busy with the arrival of our second baby. Taking care of two naughty kids is not an easy task. But I'm not exhausted, I'm enjoying this phase of life with them :)

Well, this is the recipe of Chakli which my Mom prepared during her stay with us. My daughter is a big fan of Chakli and this was made on her demand. Try this melt in mouth Chakli and I'm sure you will love it!

Preparation time: 2 hours

Soaking time: 2 - 3 hours

Difficulty level: Difficult

Yield: 60 Chaklis (depending on the size)

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 big cup full (1 cup = 175 gms)
Roasted rice flour - 3 1/2 cup (approx)
Till seeds - 4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Carom seeds - 2 tbsp
Butter - lemon size
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Water for grinding

Method:

Wash the rice 2 times and soak it in water for 2-3 hours.
Drain the soaked rice and grind it along with till seeds, cumin seeds and carom seeds into fine paste. Add water as required. Consistency should be like the Dosa batter.
Add 2 1/2 tsp salt and 2 cups of water to the prepared batter and mix well.
Transfer the batter to a thick bottomed vessel and keep stirring on medium flame for few minutes. Add lemon size butter while heating up the batter.
When the batter thickens, add around 3 1/2 cups (or as needed) of roasted rice flour and mix it when its still hot.
Knead the dough well and prepare a soft, non sticky dough ball. Keep the dough covered with a wet cloth and take out small portions as needed.
Fill the dough in a Chakli press and make them into spirals.
Deep fry in hot oil and crispy Chaklis are ready to eat!

ಕನ್ನಡ ಆವೃತ್ತಿ

Strawberry is one of my kiddo's favourite fruits. She demands for it everytime when we go for buying fruits. Strawberries are tend to spoil very quickly, even when we refrigerate them. So whenever we buy 2-3 boxes of strawberries, I will end up preparing some milkshake, jam or ice-cream. Home made ones are free from artificial colors, flavours and preservatives and delicious too!

Here is my simple recipe of Strawberry Ice-cream..

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Refrigeration time: 5 - 6 hours

Serves - 7 to 8

Ingredients:

Strawberries - 250 gm
Thick cream - 250 gm
Sugar - 2 tbsp or to taste

Method:

Wash and clean the strawberries, remove the stems. Chop them into small / medium chunks.
Combine them with thick cream and sugar and blend smoothly using a mixer or blender.
Transfer the blended mixture to an airtight container and refrigerate for 2 - 3 hours or till it becomes hard.
Take out the ice-cream mixture and blend it for 4 - 5 minutes or till smooth and keep it back into the freezer. Repeat this step 2 - 3 times to get a smooth textured ice-cream.
Scoop the ice-cream and serve it!

Tips:

If you want some strawberry chunks in the ice-cream, add 4 - 5 tsp of finely chopped strawberries after blending the mixture for the final time. Mix it well and refrigerate.

Bottle Gourd is one of those vegetables which are available throughout the year. Here in Australia, it is commonly available not only in Indian grocery stores, but also in most of the Asian grocery stores. Bottle gourd is a good of vitamins and minerals and hence, regular consumption of this veggie is good for our health.
In our home, we would prefer typical Indian style food most of the time. We buy bottle gourd more frequently to prepare different Indian dishes. I have shared the recipe of Bottle Gourd Palya / Spiced Bottle Gourd long back. Here is one more delicacy made with Bottle Gourd. Do try this Bottle Gourd Payasa when you buy bottle gourd next time and let me hear your feedback! 😊

Time required: 35 - 40 minutes
Serves - 3
Difficulty level: Medium

Ingredients:

Sugar - 3/4 cup (1 cup =
Bottle gourd peeled, seeded and chopped into small or medium pieces - 2 cups
Semolina (medium) - 1/3 cup
Jaggery - 2 tbsp (see Tips)
Salt - big pinch
Ghee / clarified butter - 1 tsp
Milk - 2 1/2 cup
Water - 2 1/2 cup
Cardamom powder - 1 tsp
Saffron strands - 8 to 10 (optional)

Method:

Heat the water in a pan. Once it becomes nicely hot, add a teaspoon of ghee and chopped bottle gourd. Continue cooking till bottle gourd pieces become soft.
In the meanwhile, wash the semolina by adding some water and drain it off.
Add this semolina to the cooked mixture and mix it continuously for 2 - 3 minutes to avoid lumps.
Add sugar, salt, jaggery (optional), milk and saffron strands. Allow the Payasa to boil for 8 - 10 minutes.
Add cardamom powder before switching off the flame.
Serve this delicious Payasa hot or cold. This Payasa goes well with Poori, if you are a sweet lover.

Tips:

If you don't like jaggery, you can replace it with sugar. If you like to use jaggery, use more jaggery and reduce the quantity of sugar accordingly. If using more jaggery, no need to add saffron as the flavour will be dominated by jaggery.

Christmas is already round the corner. Joy of the festival is visible everywhere in the form of lights, decorations and of course, shopping! We just roamed everywhere and did enough shopping. Actually speaking, we won't celebrate Christmas in our home. But we are very much fond of Christmas Fruit Cake / Plum Cake. So, all the preparations are done to prepare the Fruit Cake!

Candied Peel is one of the key ingredients for Christmas Fruit Cake. Peel of citrus fruits such as orange, lemon are taken out in order to make the candied peel. Fruit peel will be chopped, boiled, drained and then cooked in sugar syrup to make it delicious. Candied peel and candied fruits are easily available in the market especially during the Christmas time, but I always prefer making them at home.

Here is the easy recipe of making Candied orange peel. Thanks to Suma of Cakes And More for this wonderful recipe!

Preparation time: 1 1/4 hour

Cooling time: 1 hour

Yield: 30 - 32 pieces of peel

Difficulty level: Medium

Ingredients:

2 medium sized navel oranges
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/2 cup + more water to cook the peel

Method:

Cut the oranges into 4 equal halves and take out the peel carefully.
Slit the peels into equal size pieces to ensure even cooking.
Take about 2 cups of water in a vessel and bring to boil. Add the orange peel and cook it for 4 - 5 minutes. Now, drain all the water from the peel and run the peels through cold water.
In order to remove the bitterness from the orange peel, I have repeated the above step two times.
Combine 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of water in a vessel and heat it on the stovetop. Once the sugar is dissolved, add the orange peels and simmer the flame.
Cook the peels for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or till the all sugar syrup is absorbed.
Switch off the flame and leave the orange peels on a wire rack for an hour for cooling.
Thats it, homemade orange peels are ready to use!

Tips:

You can prepare Candied lemon peel using the above method.

Dry Fruits Ladoo is a very common sweet which is found in most of the sweet stalls in Karnataka. These ladoos are made of all healthy ingredients like almonds, cashews, poppy seeds, raisins, dates, etc. and taste divine! These yummy ladoos are good for people of all ages.

At home, we all love munching dry fruits and nuts. But what happens normally is, one day we tend to eat more of them and the next day, we forget to eat them. If Dry Fruit Ladoos are there at home, we won't forget to eat them daily! Thats the reason I keep making these ladoos at home regularly.

Here is my version of Dry Fruit Ladoo..

Preparation time: 40 minutes

Yield: 30 ladoos (depending on the size)

Difficulty level: Medium

Ingredients:

Dates (De-seeded and roughly chopped) - 2 cups (1 cup=
Chopped almonds - 1/2 cup
Broken cashews - 1/2 cup
Raisins - 1/2 cup
Shredded coconut - 1/2 cup
Poppy seeds - 1/4 cup
Ghee / Clarified butter - 4 tbsp

Method:

Heat a heavy bottom pan. Toast the chopped almonds, broken cashews and poppy seeds separately.
Then, Melt the ghee in the same pan. Add the chopped dates and raisins. Keep mixing the mixture for 4 - 5 minutes or till it becomes like a dough.
Add the rest of the ingredients to the dates mixture and mix them well.
Make equal sized balls from the mixture and store them in an airtight container.

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'Baklava' is a Turkish delicacy, which was introduced to me few months back. I had heard of this sweet dish before, but never got a chance to taste it. One of my friends had brought Baklava while visiting us sometime back. We liked its unique taste and crispy texture.
After tasting this heavenly sweet, I just googled for Baklava recipe. The recipe called for walnut as one of the main ingredient. I didn't had walnuts in my pantry and hence, I have replaced it with almonds. Baklava tasted perfect just the same as the store bought ones.
I have adopted this recipe from allrecipes.com with slight modifications. Try this recipe and let me know your feedback..

Preparation time: 35 minutes
Baking time: 50 - 55 minutes
Yield: 40 pieces (depending on the size)
Difficulty level: Difficult

Ingredients:

Filo pastry sheets - 375 gm
Butter - 250 gm
Sugar - 1 cup (1 cup = 200 gm)
Almonds - 2 cups (see tips)
Sugar powder - 4 tbsp
Water - 1 cup
Peel of half lime
Cloves - 2
Honey - 6 tbsp
Cinnamon powder - 1 tsp

Method:

Thaw the filo pastry sheets according to the instructions on the pack.
Chop the almonds finely and toast them on low flame till aromatic or till it turns golden brown. Add sugar powder, cinnamon powder once its cool and keep aside.
Grease the baking tray with butter. I have used a 33*23 cm baking pan here.
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Take out two sheets of filo pastry carefully from the pack and arrange them on the greased tray. Brush the top with melted butter and place two more sheets upon it and brush it with butter. Continue this process till half of the sheets are done.
Once you finished arranging half of the sheets, fold in the almond mixture and spread it evenly.
Start placing filo pastry sheets 2 at a time, brush with butter and continue this process till you are done with all the sheets.
Brush the top layer with butter and cut the sheets into diamond or any desired shapes of equal size.
Place the baking tray inside the pre-heated oven and bake them for 50 - 55 minutes or till they turn golden brown.
Prepare sugar syrup while Baklava is baking. Combine sugar and water in a vessel and bring to boil. Once the sugar has diluted, add cloves, honey and lemon peel. Allow it to boil on low flame for 15 - 20 minutes and turn off the flame. Take out the cloves and lemon peel and discard it.
Once the Baklava is cooked, take it out of oven and pour the sugar syrup evenly. Allow it to set for atleast two hours before serving.

Tips:

The original recipe calls for walnuts. I have used almonds here since i didn't had walnuts.

ಕನ್ನಡ ಆವೃತ್ತಿ

Being born and brought up in a village environment, we rarely used to eat the bakery food. All we knew was only Bread those days! We didn't had an oven, so there was no chance to eat any baked food at home. When I started going to college, I came to know about more varieties of bakery food and got addicted to them.

Veg Puffs are one of my favourite bakery food. Making the pastry sheets at home is bit tedious task. These days, puff pastry sheets are available in super markets, so making the Puffs at home is not that difficult. Here is my version of Veg Puffs!

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Baking time: 25 minutes

Difficulty level: Medium

Yield: 6 Veg Puffs

Ingredients:

Eggplant - 1 (small sized)
Potato - 1 (medium sized)
Capsicum - 1 halve
Beans - 4 to 5
Green peas - 1/2 cup (*see Tips)
Onion - 1 large
Salt - to taste
Amchur powder - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp or according to taste
Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 3 tbsp (plus more for brushing)
Puff pastry sheet - 1 1/2 (can make 4 puffs from 1 sheet)

Method:

Cut the potato into two halves, cover with enough water and pressure cook upto 2 whistles. Once they are cool, peel off the skin and chop them into medium sized cubes.
Chop eggplant, capsicum, beans and onion into small chunks and keep separately.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add chopped beans and eggplant. Cook them covered on low flame. Add up to 2 tbsp of water if needed.
Once these veggies are almost cooked, add green peas and chopped capsicum.
Add chopped onion after a minute and mix well. Cook it on medium flame for 4 - 5 minutes.
Add the potato pieces followed by salt, amchur powder, red chilli powder and garam masala powder. Mix everything well and turn off the flame.
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.
Thaw the puff pastry sheets according to the instructions on the package.
Take one whole pastry sheet and cut it into 4 equal squares. Take one piece and put it on a flat surface. Pour 2 tbsp or little more of stuffing mixture on the middle of the pastry piece. Apply little water to the sides of pastry piece and fold it keeping the stuffing mixture inside. Press the edges and make sure that stuffing won't comes out. Do the same with all the pastry pieces.
Line the baking tray with aluminium foil or baking sheet and place the veg puffs on it. Keep some space for them to expand.
Brush the puffs with oil or butter and cook them for around 25 minutes or till they turn golden brown.
Serve them hot with Tomato ketchup and a cup of hot tea!

Tips:

If using dried green peas, you nee to soak it for 4 - 5 hours and pressure cook along with potatoes. I have used fresh ones here hence, no need to cook before using.
For the stuffing, use any vegetable which has less water content. Veggies like carrot, beetroot, sweet corn, cabbage also go well for the stuffing. Or if if there is any leftover stir fry, you can use it too!

ಕನ್ನಡ ಆವೃತ್ತಿ

Dosa is one of the most common breakfast item in South India. South Indian people are good at making varieties of dosas. In rural places like my native, they prepare dosas using different vegetables which are available locally. Colocasia Stems Dosa or Kesuvina Dantina Dose is one such dosas which will be prepared mainly after the rainy season has started when plenty of colocasia plants are grown in the backyard. Colocasia Dosa is the main dish for Gangashtami festival, which will be celebrated at my native place.

Here in Australia, sometimes we will get colocasia plants in the farmers markets. When we buy them, I would love to prepare my native style dishes using them. One of them is Colocasia Stems Dosa or Kesuvina Dantina Dose. Do try this sweet dosa and enjoy eating them with butter!

Time required: 15 minutes

Soaking/fermentation time: 4 - 5 hours

Difficulty level: Medium

Yield: 10 - 11 dosas

Ingredients:

Rice - 3 cups (1 cup = 110 gm)
Colocasia Stems chopped into medium size pieces - 7 to 8 cups
Jaggery - 1/2 cup or for sweetness
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash the rice and soak it in water for 2 - 3 hours.
Transfer the chopped Colocasia Stems into a vessel. Add salt and jaggery for taste and cook it covered on low flame till soft. Don't add any water, the water content in the Colocasia Stems will be sufficient to cook them.
Once the cooked mixture cools down, mix it with drained rice and grind them into fine paste. No need to add any water while making the batter coz the cooked mixture will be watery which helps to make a smooth batter.
Allow the batter to set for 1 - 2 hours before making dosas.
Heat the dosa pan. Pour a ladle full of batter and gently spread it into a semi-thick circle. Pour few drops of oil and cook it on both the sides.
Enjoy them hot with some butter on the top!

ಕನ್ನಡ ಆವೃತ್ತಿ