Recipe world

Broccoli is one of our family favourite vegetables. Kiddos love it because of the color and we, adults love it for its health benefits. I heard a few people won't like this vegetable for its distinct smell. But we love every dish prepared using broccoli.

3 years back, my Mum and Dad were here with us for a few months. During that time, buying vegetables was not that easy for us as many vegetables we get here are totally different from what they get in India. When we go out for groceries, mum eyes usually look for only those veggies which are available in hometown! To my surprise, they both liked broccoli and she used to prepare Broccoli Stir Fry (Palya) 2 - 3 times a week during their stay.

I would like to share the recipe of Broccoli - Potato Cutlet / Broccoli Patties with you all today. These patties are perfect for breakfast, snacks, starter and kids lunch box too. Below is the recipe of Broccoli - Aloo Cutlets:

Preparation time: - 25 - 30 minutes
Difficulty level: Medium
Servings: 2

Ingredients:

Broccoli florets - 2 cups
Medium size potato - 1
Chat masala powder - 1 tsp
Green chillies - 2 (adjust according to taste)
Onion - 1 (small)
Amchur powder / lime juice - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Bread crumbs - 1 cup or more
Oil - for shallow frying

Recipe Instructions:

Cook the potatoes till soft. I have halved the potato and pressure cooked till two whistles.
Finely chop the onion and crush the green chillies.
Wash the broccoli florets and put them in a bowl. Add 1 tsp salt and about 4 cups of hot water. Leave them for 5 minutes.
Drain all the water and spread the broccoli florets on a kitchen towel for 4 - 5 minutes.
Pulse the broccoli florets in a mixie or blender coarsely without adding any water.
Peel the cooked potatoes, and mash it nicely.
Take a mixing bowl and add pulsed broccoli, mashed potato, crushed chillies, chopped onion, chat masala, amchur powder / lime juice and salt to taste.
Also add 2 - 3 tbsp bread crumbs and mix everything well.
Make lime sized balls and pat them into flat discs.
Roll these discs in bread crumbs and shallow fry on hot tawa. Flip the discs a few time and cook till both the sides turn slightly brownish.
Serve hot cutlets along with tomato sauce or your favourite dip. We would love to have it with coconut chutney!

Tips:

Green chillies can be replaced with red chilli powder.

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಲು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ

Keeper recipes like Chutney, Thokku, Gojju are our family favourites. A few varieties of these preserves will always be there as part of our lunch and dinner. Not only there are tasty, they come very handy when I feel tired and can't make varieties of fresh curries.
Here is a finger licking Thokku recipe which I learnt during my India trip last year. This Thokku goes well with rice, chapathi or dosa.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Serves - 20

Difficulty level: Medium

Ingredients:

Mint leaves - 50gm
Dry red chillies - 50 gm
Garlic peeled - 50 gm
Tamarind - 50 gm
Salt - to taste
Jaggery or sugar - 1/2 tsp or to taste
Water - 1/4 cup (if needed)

- For seasoning:

Oil - 5 to 6 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Method:

Grind together mint leaves, dry red chillies, garlic pods and tamarind into a fine paste. Add a few tablespoons of water if needed.
Heat oil in a thick bottom pan. Add mustard seeds to the hot oil and let it splutter.
Now, add the prepared paste to the seasoning slowly and carefully. Mix it well.
Add salt and jaggery/sugar for taste.
Mix everything well and cook till it becomes a thick paste and there is no water left in it. If minimal water is added, it takes less than 10 minutes to do this.
Keep mixing it regularly to avoid burning.
Once it becomes like a big lump and starts leaving the bottom of the pan, turn off the flame and allow it to cool.
Store in an airtight container.
Mint leaves thokku can be served as pickle or chutney along with rice, dosa or chapathi.
It stays good for 3 - 4 days at room temperature and can be stored in the fridge for a few months.

Tips:

Quantity of tamarind can be adjusted according to your taste.

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಲು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ

Wheat flour dosa is popularly known as a fasting recipe. I was never a fan of Wheat Flour Dosas till I learn this recipe from my friend Maitri. Since then, Wheat Flour Dosa has become our family favourite breakfast. This is an instant dosa, and won't need any fermentation.

Below is the recipe of Wheat Flour Dosa / Paper Dosa / Tellevu / Crepe:

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Difficulty level: Medium

Serves: 3

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour - 1 1/2 cup
Sooji rava / Semolina - 1/3 cup
Green chillies - 1 or 2 (depending on spiciness)
Ginger - half inch
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 5 to 6 leaves
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Hing / asafoetida - generous pinch
Fresh grated coconut (or frozen) - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1 tsp or to taste
Water - to prepare the batter

Recipe Instructions:

Combine wheat flour and sooji rava in a mixing bowl.
Blend coconut, green chillies, ginger, cumin seeds, curry leaves, turmeric powder and hing into a smooth paste. Add water as needed while blending.
Add this paste to the wheat flour - semolina mix and also add salt to taste. Mix everything well.
Add water little by little and keep mixing it. Make it a thick batter without any lumps.
Take a ladle full of batter and spread it thinly on the hot tava.
Cook it on medium flame till it turns a bit crispy.
Serve hot dosa along with Coconut Chutney or your favourite side dish.

Tips:

Adjust the wheat flour - sooji rava ratio as needed. The more sooji rava you add, more crispier the dosa will be.

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಲು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ

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.

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಲು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ

During our childhood days, Cake was a luxurious treat for us. Rarely we had a chance to eat the bakery products like cakes, so it felt like cakes were the most delicious food when compared with whatever Mum made at home with all the love! Gone are those days and now, many of us have ovens at home and its easy to prepare cakes or other bakery food whenever we feel like.

I often prepare varieties of eggless cakes at home. When kids are at home, how much ever snacks I prepare, they all vanish so quickly! My daughter loves to eat cake for her evening snacks. Eggless Vanilla Cake and Eggless Chocolate Cake were here favourites before. And when we found this way of making Eggless Orange Cake, this cake has become her favourite now!

I just tried to follow the technique of Hot Milk Cake while preparing my Eggless Orange Cake and the result was - Wow! My eggless loaf turned out to be the most delicious one with a soft, airy, moist texture. It tastes the same like Iyengar Bakery Plain cakes.

Below is the recipe of Eggless Orange Cake for you all:

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Baking time: 25 - 30 minutes

Difficulty level: medium

Serves: 1 loaf cake

Ingredients:

All purpose flour (Maida) - 1 1/2 cup (Or you can use Maida and wheat flour in 50:50 ratio)
Baking powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Baking soda - 1/8 tsp
Salt - a pinch
Fresh orange juice - 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1/3 cup
Orange zest - 1 1/2 tbsp
Milk - 1/2 cup
Curd - 1/4 cup
Oil - 1/2 cup

Recipe Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 175C.
Grease the baking pan with oil, dust it lightly with flour and line it with baking paper.
Sieve together flour, baking powder and baking soda 2 - 3 times.
Mix together sugar, salt and curd in a bowl.
Once sugar is dissolved completely in the mixture, add orange juice, zest and oil. Mix it well.
Fold in the flour in small batches and mix it gently.
Add the hot milk to the batter little by little and bring it to thick, pouring consistency (like dosa batter).
Transfer the batter into the lined baking pan and bake it for about 25 - 30 minutes or till the toothpick inserted comes out clean. Mine got done exactly at 25 minutes.
Wait for it to cool down on a cooling rack.
Once its almost cool, take it out of the pan and allow to cool down completely before cutting it into slices.
You can pour some icing if you would like to. Or it can be eaten as it is.

Tips:

Tutti frutti chunks can be added to this cake to enhance the taste and make it more colourful.

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಲು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ.

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:

Dried raw jackfruit pieces - 1/2 cup
Water - 3/4 cup
Salt - to taste
Lime squeeze - 1 tbsp or to taste
Thick curd - 1 cup

- 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.

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಲು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ.

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!

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಲು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ