Authentic tried and tested simple recipes in mainly Indian cooking, including traditional mangalorean, Goan, East Indian, North Indian recipes and much more…
Recheado masala is a basic masala in every Goan kitchen and is used for marinating fish, chicken or red meats for pan frying of stir frying. This is an instant masala, in case your run out of your precious stock of your original rechead masala.
Ingredients
1/2 cup Kashmiri chili powder
1.5 tbsp. Jeerem Meerem powder
2 tbsp. ginger garlic paste
2 tbsp. tomato Ketchup
5 tbsp. vinegar plus more if required
1 tbsp. coriander powder
1 tbsp. sugar (optional) I have skipped the sugar.
As you will notice, salt is not added to the masala. So before applying the masala to marinate the fish, etc. do add salt, as per your taste.
Methi or fenugreek seeds have good nutritional values and are excellent for diabetics, good digestion and for lactating mothers.
Ingredients
2 cups Dosa rice or basmati rice
2 tbsp. Fenugreek seeds methi seeds
1 cup coconut
½ cup jaggery, or to taste (optional)
Salt, as per taste
Ghee / oil, to make dosas
Making Batter
Wash and soak rice and methi seeds separately, for minimum 5 to 6 hours.
First grind the methi seeds along with water till smooth and fluffy. Remove to a large vessel.
Grind the rice in 2 batches. Add half the rice to the ginder alongwith half the coconut and grind to a smooth paste. Add to the vessel with the methi batter.
When grinding is complete, mix the batter well and leave to ferment overninght or for atleast 8 to 10 hours. No fermenting agent has been added, so the batter will take longer to ferment. Fenugreek by itself acts as a fermenting agent.
Making Dosas
After batter has fermented, mix well and add water if required to adjust the consistency.
Heat a dosa pan, preferably. If not any frying pan may be used. When hot, sprinkle some water. Water will sizzle if pan is hot and at the same time helps in reducing the temperature of the pan. This is necessary, otherwise the batter will not spread smoothly and evenly but is likely to separate from the pan when spreading.
Using a rounded ladle, pour some batter as required for thin or thick dosas and using the back of the ladle, spread in circular direction to make them as thin as possible. If thick dosa is required, pour the batter and tilt the pan to spread the batter or spread it very lightly.
When the dosa is fully set and cooked, drizzle ghee in the centre and the sides of the dosa. Remove and serve immediately for crisp dosas (or else it will loose its crispiness). Thick dosas may be served hot or at room temperature.
To make sweet dosas, add the jaggery powder to the fermented batter and mix well. Fry as above.
I have divided the batter into 2 batches and added jaggery to one half of the batter.
Pink radishes are rich in antioxidants and minerals like potassium and calcium and also contain additional phytonutrients. Available in the winter season, and consumed in winters, the vegetables are at their peak in season being fresh and sourced from farms locally. The also help lower blood pressure and are low in calories. Their crisp and crunchy flesh adds a delicious dimension to this simple yet healthy salad.
Ingredients
1 medium radish
1/2 tsp. Salt + 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. olive oil
A few sprigs dill leaves
Scrub and wash the radish and slice thinly. Add 1/2 tsp. salt, mix and leave to let it release its excess moisture for about 15 minutes. Squeeze out the water. Mix the oilive oil, salt, sugar and chopped dill and pour over the sliced radish. Mix well and refrigerate. Serve chilled.
Winter vegetables have hit the markets in India, which means they are ‘in season’ now. It is always best to align your meals according to nature by consuming what is in season. This ensures your are ingesting food that is absolutely fresh and at its peak and this also goes a long way in supporting farmers and reducing our carbon footprints.
A traditional Gujarati preparation made in winters is the Undhiyu because most of the vegetables used in this dish are available only in winters as they are in season during the Indian winters. However, I love these seasonal vegetables and have made a simple and quick bhaji using the main veggies used in Undhiyu but it is not Undhiyu!!
Ingredients 1 Cup Surti Papdi 1 Cup Fresh Toovar (fresh Pegeon Peas) 1 Cup Papdi (flat broad beans) 1.5 cups Kand (Purple yam) cubes 5 to 6 small brinjals 1 small bunch fresh garlic 1 cup fresh coriander leaves ½ tsp. chilli powder ½ tsp. turmeric powder ½ tsp. cumin powder ½ tsp. coriander powder ½ tsp. garam masala powder ½ tsp. cumin seeds 1 tbsp. ghee ½ tsp salt or to taste
String the head and tail of the surti papdi and keep whole. Shell the fresh toovar. String the papdi and split it open and break into pieces. Peel the purple yam and chop into cubes. Cut the brinjal into four quarters. Immerse the yam and brinjals in water till required. Cut the roots of the fresh garlic, wash, drain the water. Chop and keep aside. Wash the coriander leaves and chop.
Heat a kadai, add the ghee, when hot add the cumin seeds and when it splutters, add the chopped yam and saute for 2 minutes till slightly brown. Then add the spice powders from chilli to coriander powder, a little water to avoid burning the spices and mix. Then add all the vegetables, chopped fresh garlic, salt, give it a mix and cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes. Then reduce the flame and cook till the veggies are soft. Stir in between and add a little water to prevent the veggies sticking to the bottom of the kadai and burning. Once the veggies are done, add the garam masala powder, mix and cook further 2 minutes. Then add the chopped fresh coriander and mix well. Cover and cook 2 minutes more. Take off heat. Serve hot with rotis or pooris. Enjoy!
This is one of my mother’s signature dish, prepared by her so often and we have done the same, yet not tired of this delicious preparation which is so easy and simple to make. Make no use of any masala powders or ground masalas whatsoever. Enjoy this mutton stew which is most definitely our family favorite!!
Ingredients
½ kg. mutton
3 big onions
4 tomatoes
4 green cardamoms
6 cloves
3” pc. cinnamon
6 black pepper corns
½ cup green peas (shelled)
2 medium carrots
2 medium (or 8 small) potatoes
8 small onions
2 tbsp. oil
Salt to taste
Method
Clean & cut mutton into medium pieces, wash well
and drain. Slice the 3 big onions, slice the tomatoes,
cut carrots into large pieces, cut the potatoes into
fours (if using small potatoes peel and keep whole),
peel the small onions and keep whole. Heat oil in a
vessel, add the whole garam masala and fry for a
minute. Then add the sliced onion and fry till brown.
Add tomatoes and fry well. Then add the meat, fry
for 5 minutes, add enough water for cooking and cook
till meat is almost cooked. The add all the vegetables,
water if required and continue cooking till the meat is
tender and vegetables are cooked. Add salt. Adjust
My Cooking Diaries "CooklikeCecilia.com" 
Recent Comments