Now, its the season of Jackfruits in India. Both raw and ripe jackfruit are great for cooking. Few food items are made using them which can be preserved till the next season. At my mum's place, they prepare raw jackfruit chips, preserve some raw jackfruit flesh in salt water and also, sundry the raw jackfruit pieces. So, its possible to prepare jackfruit dishes whenever they feel like.
My Mum had packed some Sun-dried Raw Jackfruit pieces for us during our recent India trip. We are enjoying typical native style curries once in a while now! Below is the recipe of Sun - dried Raw Jackfruit Bajji or Raita.
Click here to see How to make Sun - dried Raw Jackfruit Pieces.


Preparation time: 20 minutes
Soaking time: 20 minutes
Difficulty level: medium
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
 - For seasoning:
  • Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp
  • Dry red chilli - half piece
  • Urid dal - 1 tsp
  • Mustard seeds - 3/4 tsp
  • Green chilli - 1 (or as needed)
  • Crushed garlic - 1 tsp

Method:
  • Soak 1/2 cup of sun-dried raw jackfruit pieces in 3/4th cup of water for about 20 minutes.
  • Pressure cook the soaked raw jackfruit pieces along with the soaked water for 2 whistles.
  • Take off the excess water and mash the cooked jackfruit pieces lightly.
  • Add 1 cup of thick curd to the mashed jackfruit. Also add salt and lime squeeze for taste.
  • Heat oil for seasoning in a wok of small pan. Add red chilli piece, urid dal and mustard seeds.
  • When mustard seeds start crackling, add green chilli pieces and crushed garlic. Sauté it for a minute or two, or till aromatic. 
  • Add this seasoning to the curd - jackfruit mixture. Crush the chillies with ladle or with your finger tips. 
  • Mix the bajji / gojju / raita well and serve it with hot rice.

Tips:
  • Take care while adding salt to this recipe. Since the jackfruit pieces are salted and sun-dried, it already has some salt in it. If the Raita / Bajji tastes too salty, take a palm size of banana leaf and soak it in the salty dish for about 15 - 20 minutes and take it off. Banana leaf will suck the salt content in it.

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಲು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ

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.



Who loves chocolates? I know, most of us love chocolates. Chocolates are good to eat in any form and any time. Here is one easy and quick recipe using cooking chocolate and rice bubbles. I guess, rice bubbles can be replaced with our own Murmura (Mandakki) if its not salty; but I have not experimented it yet. These Choco treats are my kiddo's favourite snacks. Also, they are perfect for kids parties, food stalls, picnic and travels.
Here is the recipe of Choco Crackles to munch on any time!


Preparation time: 15 minutes
Difficulty level: Easy
Serves - 27 byte size treats 

Ingredients:
  • Cooking chocolate (I have used dark cooking chocolate)- 100 gram 
  • Rice bubbles (plain, white ones) - 2 1/2 cup
  • Coconut oil (or Copha)- 1 1/2 tbsp 

Cooking method:
  • Heat coconut oil and cooking chocolate in a double boiler. Or, fill water in a wide pan upto 1/4th. Place a vessel inside and start heating. Put the oil and chocolate in the inner vessel. 
  • Keep mixing the mixture regularly. 
  • Once everything is melted and turns into a fine paste, fold in the rice bubbles.
  • Mix everything well and turn off the flame.
  • Scoop the mixture on a plate or into cupcake moulds. I have used small cupcake tray to make them cuter!
  • Keep the tray inside the fridge for 10 minutes.
  • Heat the bottom of the tray / plate for a second or two. This make it easy to unmould the choco crisps in no time. 
  • Have a byte or more. And store the remaining in an airtight container!


Appehuli is a special variety of curry or rasam which is prepared mainly in Western Ghats of Karnataka. This curry is mainly prepared in Havyaka Brahmin households and hence, the name 'Havyaka' is very much associated with 'Appehuli'. Appehuli is served as a side dish with rice. Some people love to drink it as Soup too.
Nicely aromatic raw mangoes are perfect for preparing Appehuli. Apart from raw mango, sour fruits and veggies like Kanchikayi (Kaffir lime), lime, lemon, Star fruit, raw / ripe tamarind, etc. are all good to prepare Appehuli. 
Today, I am sharing the procedure of preparing Tamarind Appehuli. Ripe tamarind which is a bit sweet and sour in taste is good for preparing this Appehuli. 


Preparation time: 15 minutes
Difficulty level: Easy
Serves: 5 - 6

Ingredients:
  • Ripen tamarind - 2 tbsp
  • Water - 1 1/4 cup
  • Salt - 1 tsp or to taste
  • Sugar - 1 tbsp or to taste
 - For Seasoning:
  • Oil - 2 tsp
  • Dry red chilli - 1 inch piece
  • Sesame seeds - 3/4 tsp
  • Asafoetida / hing - a pinch
  • Turmeric powder - a pinch
  • Green chilli - 1 
  • Curry leaves - 5 or 6
  • Crushed garlic - 1 tsp


Method:
  • Take the tamarind in a small bowl. Add enough water to cover it and soak for 10 minutes. Soaking in warm water will quicken the process. 
  • Squeeze the tamarind and collect the pulp. Add little more water and prepare 1 cup of tamarind water. Adjust the sourness according to your taste. 
  • Add salt and sugar according to taste. This Appehuli tastes good with sweet - sour taste.
  • Heat oil in a small wok. Add dry red chilli, sesame seeds and a pinch of hing. 
  • Once the sesame seeds start crackling, add a pinch of turmeric powder, green chilli pieces and curry leaves. Sauté it for a while and add crushed garlic. 
  • Turn off the flame once the garlic becomes aromatic and add this seasoning to the tamarind water. 
  • Crush the chillies and crunchy curry leaves to enhance the taste. 
  • That's all, tasty Appehuli is ready to go with hot rice! 


Eggplant is one of those vegetables which is available throughout the year. Although its not so good in nutritional values, it adds more taste to various dishes and curries. There are different varieties of brinjal available in the market. Varieties of curries and other dishes can be prepared depending on each variety of eggplant. For instance, I prepare Baingan Barta (Badanekayi Hindi / Gojju) when we get the bigger eggplants.
My sister is a huge fan of Badanekayi Hindi / Baingan Barta. If there is Baingan Barta for lunch / dinner, her dinner / lunch will start with this curry and also ends with this curry! As she likes Badanekayi Hindi, she may have tasted it 'n' times. Today, I am sharing with you all the recipe of Baingan Barta which I learnt from my sister.


Preparation time: 30 minutes
Difficulty level: Medium
Servings: 3

Ingredients:
  • Eggplant / Brinjal (medium sized) - 1
  • Salt - to taste
  • Aamchur powder - 1 tsp or to taste
  • Sugar / jaggery - generous pinch
  • Onion (small) - 1
  • Grated coconut (optional) - 2 to 3 tbsp
 - For seasoning:
  • Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp
  • Dry red chilli - 1
  • Urid dal - 1 tsp
  • Asafoetida / hing - generous pinch
  • Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Turmeric powder - a small pinch
  • Green chilli - 1
  • Curry leaves - 5 to 6 leaves

Method:
  • Cook the brinjal on direct flame on low heat. This process takes around 15 minutes.
  • Once the fire roasted brinjal is cool enough to handle, take off the dark, outer skin carefully. Keep a bowl of water handy and dip your hands frequently, it helps to avoid the brinjal skin mixing with its flesh.
  • Mash the flesh of brinjal using a ladle using cut and mix method. 
  • Heat the oil in a wok for seasoning. Add red chilli pieces, urid dal, hing and mustard seeds. 
  • Once mustard seeds start crackling, add a pinch of turmeric powder followed by green chilli pieces and curry leaves. 
  • Turn off the flame after a minute of cooking. Add this seasoning to mashed brinjal. 
  • Crush the red chillies and green chillies to enhance the taste. 
  • Add salt, amchur powder and a pinch of sugar / jaggery for taste. 
  • Just before serving, chop the onion finely and add it to the brinjal mixture. 
  • Some people add fresh grated coconut for this curry. I personally like it without coconut. 


Tips:
  • If you have prepared this Gojju for more than one time serving, keep the excess part aside and add chopped onion only to that portion which is ready to serve.

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಲು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ 
Summer is the season of jackfruits in my native. Many households will be busy preparing different dishes and preservable foods from jackfruit during jackfruit season. Apart from papad and chips, my mum and aunts will make sun-dried raw jackfruit pieces. They use them to make different jackfruit dishes whenever they need. Here is the recipe of sun-dried jackfruit pieces for you..


Time required: 3 hours
Drying time - 1 week
Difficulty level: Medium

Ingredients:
  • Fully grown raw jackfruit - 1
  • Salt - for taste

Method:
  • Cut the raw jackfruit and separate the flesh. 
  • Cut the flesh into medium sized chunks or into desired size.
  • Add salt to taste and mix well. Allow it to rest for 1 - 2 hours.
  • Squeeze off the excess water content and spread them on a plate for drying.
  • Sun-dry the raw jackfruit chunks for upto a week or till the chunks are dry and crisp and there is no moisture left in them.
  • Store the sun-dried chunks in an air-tight container and use them for preparing different dishes.
  • Soak them 30 minutes before cooking and they are ready to use!
  • I will share a few recipes using sun-dried raw jackfruit pieces in my upcoming posts.


During our last India trip, my sister had packed some home made Sandige Menasu (Buttermilk chillies) for us. These chillies, once fried in oil, turn out so delicious! My kids wanted to give them a try and both started liking them. We get a spicific variety of green chillies called Gokarna Menasu in our native place. The name is because of the place where they will be grown. These chillies are very mild in taste and are perfect for making Curd chillies. 
Few days back, we had got a big bunch of fresh green chillies from the farmers market. I checked with my sister for the recipe and tried my hands on making Curd chillies. They were a bit spicy than what my sister gave to us, but there was no compromise in taste.
Here comes the recipe of Sandige Menasu or Curd Chillies which I learnt from my sister:


Time required: 45 minutes
Sun drying time: 1 week approx.
Difficulty level: difficult 

Ingredients:
  • Green chillies - 1/2 kg (mild ones are better)
  • Salt - to taste
  • Thick curd or thick buttermilk - 2 cups (approx)
  • Urid dal - 2 tsp
  • Methi seeds - 4 or 5 seeds
  • Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Asafoetida / hing - 1/4 tsp
  • Lime squeeze - for taste (use it if the curd is not sour)
  • Water - as needed

Method:
  • Wash the green chillies in water thoroughly.
  • Make a slit in the chillies lengthwise, but don't separate into parts. Slit helps to absorb the curd easily.
  • Heat enough water to cover the chillies. 
  • Once the water starts boiling, transfer the slit chillies into the boiling water and after half a minute, take all the chillies out and drain them on a cotton cloth or thick paper towel for 15 minutes. 
  • Spread the chillies on a wide plate and cover the plate with a thin cloth. Sun dry these chillies for two days. Then, dip them in curd mixture. 

How to prepare Buttermilk mixture: Prepare the curd mixture on the second day by following the below steps:
Dry roast urid dal, methi seeds, asafoetida / hing and cumin seeds till aromatic and make a fine powder.
Take the thick curd and add the spice powder you made. Blend it in mixie for 2 minutes to make a fine mix.
Add salt according to taste. If the curd is not sour, add some lime squeeze.
  • After sun drying for 2 days, immerse the chillies in the curd mixture overnight.
  • Next morning, take out the chillies from the curd mixture and spread them on the plate, cover with a thin cloth and sundry them. Keep the remaining buttermilk mixture as it is.
  • Put the chillies back into the curd mixture in the evening, take out and sundry them next day. Repeat it till the curd mixture gets over.
  • Sun dry the chillies till they are nicely crisp and there's no water content left in them.
  • Store these dried chillies in an airtight container for upto a year. 

How to fry Curd chillies:
  • Heat 3 - 4 tsp oil in a wok. Add 5 - 6 chillies and fry them on low flame till they turn a bit brownish. 
  • Turn off the flame and enjoy these fried chillies along with rice and curd. 


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