Authentic tried and tested simple recipes in mainly Indian cooking, including traditional mangalorean, Goan, East Indian, North Indian recipes and much more…
This is such a good recipe from the book ‘Mai’s Recipes’, you will crave for it again and again. The aroma, the taste, is simply delicious! Your family, friends, guests are certainly going to shower praises on you for creating such a delicious dish.
Ingredients
2 cups Rice
4 cups hot water
Salt to taste
1 Cup prawns
2 onions, sliced
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp. ghee or oil
Grind to a paste
1 onion
6 green chilies, or to taste
1 bunch coriander leaves
½ tsp. turmeric
1” pc. Ginger
3 flakes garlic
½ tsp. mustard seeds
½ tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. pepper corns
3 cloves
1” pc. Cinnamon
2 cardamoms (optional)
Method
Wash rice and soak in water for ½ hour. Clean, devein and wash prawns and apply little salt and a pinch of turmeric powder. Heat ghee in a vessel, add the onions and fry till soft and translucent. Then add the tomatoes and cook till soft. Add the ground masala paste and fry till the raw smell of masala disappears. Add the prawns and cook till water dries up and fat surfaces. Add rice and mix well but gently till each grain is coated with the masala. Add water, salt and bring to a boil. Stir. Close tightly and reduce to very low flame and cook till all water is absorbed.
A delicious and light meat dish that can be served as a main course with rotis, pulao or steamed rice. Made with simple ingredients and minimal spices, the dish turns out rather light and tasty!! Spinach contains several essential vitamins. So enjoy this dish packed with nutrients.
Ingredients
½ kg. mutton
2 to 3 bunches Palak (Spinach)
4 green chillies
1” piece ginger
10 flakes garlic
½ bunch (small) coriander leaves
½ tsp. mustard seeds
½ tsp. methi (fenugreek) seeds
1 tsp salt or to taste
2 to 3 tbsp. ghee or oil
Clean and cut into desired cubes. Wash and set aside. Clean the palak, immerse in salted water and leave for 10 to 15 minutes to dislodge any dirt and kill insects. If any. Wash in several changes of water, drain and chop finely.
Grind the ingredients from green chillies to methi seeds to a smooth paste. Forgot to add coriander leaves in the video. Slice the onion and chop tomato.
Heat the oil/ghee and fry the onions till translucent and soft. Add the ground paste and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mutton, stir and cook till fat separates. Then add the spinach and tomato and 1/2 cup water if required and cook till meat is tender and done. Serve hot with rotis, steamed rice or a pulao.
Feijoada is a stew of beans with beef and pork. The name feijoada is derived from feijão, ‘bean’ in Portuguese. It is widely prepared in the Portuguese-speaking world with slight variations.
The basic ingredients of feijoada are beans and fresh pork or beef.
In Goa Feijoada is usually prepared with red beans (alsone) or red kidney beans and pork sausages. Usually the long sausages are used in Feijoada. I have not added any additional spice powders as I feel Goa sausages are spicy enough which is quite sufficient for our liking. Hence this Feijoada dish is very easy and simple to make.
Ingredients
1 cup Alsone/Red Kidney beans
15 Goa Pork sausages, the long ones
2 large Onions
2 large tomatoes
1 tbsp. ginger garlic paste
1 tsp. Salt or to taste
Method
Wash the red beans and soak overnight in plenty of water. Drain and pick the beans to remove any that have not swelled or the bad ones.
Remove the string and casing from the sausages. Chop the onions and the tomatoes.
Add the bean, sausages, onion and tomatoes to the nutripot dish. You can use a cooker also to make this dish. Add 2 cups water or as much gravy as required. Add salt and ginger garlic paste. Give a good stir. Cover the nutripot, switch on and set on “BEAN” for 15 minutes. Hit START.
After the pot assesses the ingredients, the cooking timer will start from 15 counting down to O. Switch off. You may leave the pot till pressure reduces or you may use the vent to release the pressure if you are short of time.
You can also use the “Keep warm” button and open the pot when ready to serve.
Serve hot with plain steamed rice or any rice preparation like sannas, etc. Goes well with the Goan bread Poee. Enjoy!
This is my favorite mince recipe, which is my mother’s recipe from the book “Mai’s Recipes”. When I was pregnant for my daughter, I was craving this dish made by my miother all the time. My mother managed to send it across to me and for the next couple of days, this mince was my only diet for breakfast, lunch, dinner and as a snack!! Goes without saying that my daughter also loves mince!
Mince (Green Masala) – Mai’s Recipes
Ingredients
½ Kg. Mince (Mutton or Beef)
1 large Onion
1 large Tomato
1 cup black peas
2 cloves
1” cinnamon
4 pepper corns
1 tbsp. Vinegar
1 tsp. Salt or to taste
2 tbsp. Oil
1 tsp. Sugar (optional)
Grind to a paste
4 green chillies
1 small onions
¼ tsp. black peppercorns
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1” pc. Cinnamon
2 cloves
8 flakes garlic
1” pc. Ginger
½ tsp. turmeric powder
Method
Wash the black peas and soak in water for approx. 6 hours. Wash mince and drain well. Chop onion and tomato. Heat oil in a vessel. Add the cloves, cinnamon and peppercorns and fry for a while, then add the chopped onion and fry till light brown. Add the chopped tomato and fry till soft. Add the masala paste and fry stirring all the time till oil separates. Add the drained black peas and stir for a few minutes. Add the mince and salt and mix well, add 1 cup of hot water and cook till mince and peas are done. Add vinegar, sugar and simmer for 5 minutes till oil surfaces.
This recipe is dedicated to all Pork lovers!! Turns out simply delicious and awesome. Those who do not enjoy pork can enjoy the masala gravy, it’s lip-smacking….
Ingredients
1 kg. Pork Chops
1 large Onion, chopped
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. Oil or ghee
Grind to a smooth paste
10 red chillies
1“ pc. Ginger
10 cloves garlic
10 cloves
1” cinnamon
1 tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. peppercorns
½ tsp. turmeric
4 tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. salt
Method
Wash, drain the chops. This recipe may be used for pork chops, ribs etc. Apply the masala paste to the chops and marinate for 15 to 30 minutes. At this stage you may pre-prepare and marinate overnight.
Heat a wide pan, add the oil/ghee and fry the chopped onion, when they soften and are translucent, add the tomato paste and saute 2 to 3 minutes. Place the pork chops/ribs s in a single layer (reserve the excess marinade) and fry 2 minutes on each side. Add the reserved marinade alongwith the masala water from the rinsed jar and add to the chops. Stir to mix well. Cover and bring to a boil, reduce flame to medium and cook 30 minutes. If gravy dries up add some more water, l1/4 cup or so, to avoid the masala burning and cook till meat is tender and gravy is thick and oil surfaces. Check and adjust seasoning. Serve hot with rice or bread or just as is for an appetiser!
Shrimp have high levels of omega-3 fatty acids and low levels of mercury. As with other seafood, shrimp is high in calcium, iodine and protein but low in food energy. A shrimp-based meal is also a significant source of cholesterol, from 122 mg to 251 mg per 100 g of shrimp, depending on the method of preparation. Shrimp consumption, however, is considered healthy for the circulatory system because the lack of significant levels of saturated fat in shrimp means that the high cholesterol content in shrimp actually improves the ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol and lowers triglycerides
Many shrimp species are small as the term shrimp suggests, about 2 cm (0.79 in) long, but some shrimp exceed 25 cm (9.8 in). Larger shrimp are more likely to be targeted commercially and are often referred to as prawns.
When buying prawns there are several considerations. Firstly, see that they have all of their legs, feelers and eyes in tact and that the tail has a firm spring when curled. It should feel firm in texture and when you taste the meat it should be immediately sweet, with a long clean finish, no strong after taste.
Prawn sizing is based not only on form (HOSO or PDTO) but also on the actual number of prawns per pound or kilogram. The charts below will give you a quick and easy guide on sizing of the two forms.
HOSO Head on Tail On
PDTO Peeled Deviened Tail On
Stuffed Prawns, Extra Colossal Stuffed Prawns
This recipe may be used for any large sized prawns
Ingredients
4 Nos. Extra Colossal Prawns
4 red chillies
4 cloves
1” cinnamon
8 peppercorns
½ tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. ginger garlic paste
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp. garlic
½ tsp. cumin seeds
1 tbsp.vinegar
½ tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt or to taste
1 egg and rava for coating
Oil for shallow frying
Method
Clean prawns by chopping off the tip of the head and then slitting the back including the shell to devein, but not cutting through. Wash well and apply salt, turmeric and ginger garlic paste. Set aside to marinate.
Grind together the chillis, cloves, peppercorns, cumin seeds, garlic, onion, vinegar, salt and sugar, with a little water to a smooth paste.
Heat ½ tsp. oil in a pan and fry the ground masala on low heat till the raw smell disappears, about 1 or 2 minutes. Take off heat and cool.
Stuff the prawns with the masala paste. Then tie with thread, roll in beaten egg and rava and shallow fry 3 to 5 minutes on each side.
Remove the thread if you wish and serve immediately with lemon wedges and sliced onion.
Dried shrimp are shrimp that have been sun-dried and shrunk to a thumbnail size. They are used in many East Asian, Southeast Asian and South Asian cuisines, imparting a unique umami taste.] A handful of shrimp is generally used for dishes. The flavors of this ingredient are released when allowed to simmer. Source: Wikipedia
Dried Shrimp and Lady Finger Curry with Sola (Dried mango)
Ingredients
1 Cup Dry Prawns (Before cleaning)
20 to 25 Lady Fingers
8 flakes dried mango (Sola)
1 small onion, sliced
1/2 tsp. Salt or to taste
2 tbsp. coconut oil
Grind to a paste
4 red Kashmiri chilies
6 small round chilies (from Goa)
3 tbsp. coconut powder
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
1/4 tsp. pepper corns
1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
4 flakes garlic
1 small onion
4 to 5 flakes tamarind (small ball)
Roast prawns gently on medium low flame till aromatic and crisp. Becpmes easier to clean when crisp, the heads etc. fall off easily. Leave aside to cool. Prepare the masala ingredients and grind to a smooth paste using some water.
Wash the lady fingers and drain. Cut off the heads and tails and cut each slantwise into 2 to 3 pieces depending on the length of the lady finger. Cutting slantwise gives you a better view of the inside of the lady ifnger which can be sometimes infested with worms.
When the prawns are cool, clean them by removing the head, tail and legs and immerse in water for 10 minutes to soften. Soak the mango sola in water in a cup till required.
Slice the onion and fryin 2 tbsp. oil till light brown. Squeeze out the water (discard the waer) from the prawns and add to the onion. Remove the dried mango from the water (reserve the water) and add to the prawns and saute for 2 minutes. Add the masala paste, sufficient water for the curry, salt and bring to a boil. Then add the lady fingers, adjust the consisency of the curry and cook 10 minutes. Reduce flame when it starts boiling. After 10 minutes check if the vegetable is cooked, if not simmer further 5 minutes. Remove from eat when curry appears glossy and fat surfaces. Serve hot with rice for a delicious, nutritious and satisfying meal.
Sarapatel or Sorpotel, is a dish of Portuguese origin now commonly cooked in the coastal konkan region of India, primarily Goa, Mangalore and East Indians of Mumbai Sarpatel. The former Estado da Índia Portuguesa colony. It is also prepared in northeastern Brazil. The word ‘sarapatel’ literally means confusion, referring to the mish-mash of ingredients which include Pork meat and offal (which includes heart, liver, tongue and even pork blood sometimes). However, in modern-day version, blood is rarely used as now getting the pure blood is slightly difficult. The meat is first parboiled, then diced and sauteed before being cooked in a spicy and vinegary sauce.
The flavourings and spices differ from region to region, for example, some use more vinegar. The size of the pieces also varies, as does cooking technique: some sautee the meat prior to cooking it in the sauce, while others add the diced parboiled meat directly to the sauce.
In Goa and Mangalore, Sorpotel is often accompanied by “sanna” – a spongy, white, and slightly sweet steamed rice and coconut bread. However, it can also be enjoyed with bread, on rice, or in a bun as a sandwich.
Made by African slaves in Brazil, the dish had the tail, ear, intestines, tongue and a hint of blood. It was a filling, rich ode to offal. The pork-loving Portuguese got it to India. What came to India was the version popular from Alentejo region of Portugal, to which the native Goan Christians and East Indians added their own tricks to make it even more interesting. It is this variety that is available today. Source – Wikipedia
Sorpotel
Ingredients
1 1/2 Kg. Fatty Pork (Belly preferably). If using Pork Liver, use 1 Kg pork and ½ kg liver (I have not used liver as it’s not available here)
2 Large onions, minced
2 tsp. salt or to taste
Grind to a paste with vinegar
1.5 cups vinegar
25 Kashmiri Red chilies
1 tsp. mustard seeds
8 to 10 pepper corns
1/2 tsp. Turmeric powder
1 to 2 tsp. cumin seeds
24 flakes garlic
4” pc. Ginger
4” pc. Cinnamon
8 cardamoms
8 cloves
Clean and wash pork (and liver if using) and cut into large pieces. Heat the pork on pan and fry for 10 minutes to release the fat, turning the pieces. Do not add any additional oil. Drain the pork and keep the fat aside.
Add the pork pieces to a large pan, add salt and enough water to cover the meat and bring to a boil. Reduce flame and cook 30 minutes till meat is almost done. Remove from heat, drain and reserve the stock.
When meat is cool enough to handle, chop into tiny pieces. If using liver, chop and keep the pork and liver pieces separate. Do not mix them at this stage. Heat the pan again and add the fat which was set aside. Add the chopped pork and fry for 10 minutes till light brown. Drain and remove. Then add the liver pieces and fry 2 to 3 minutes, drain and remove.
To the same pan, add the minced onion and fry till light brown. Then add the ground paste and fry 2 to 3 minutes, add pork and liver pieces and continue frying for 5 minutes. Add the reserved stock and more water for the gravy and bring to a boil, cover and simmer till meat is tender. Check seasonings and add salt, vinegar, as required. Add water to thin down the gravy.
Enjoy with Sannas, steamed rice, bread, poee or Fugias. For those who don’t eat pork, try this recipe with lamb or chicken liver…… delicious.
Sannas
Ingredients
2 cups Idli Rice
1 cup fresh grated coconut
Coconut water or Toddy as required to grind the batter
1 tsp. salt or to taste
¾ tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. luke warm water
Method
Wash and soak rice overnight. Grind with the coconut using coconut water or toddy, in 2 batches to a smooth paste of pouring consistency (not too thick).
Bloom the yeast by adding the yeast to a mug, then add the sugar and lukewarm water, stir well, cover and leave aside for 10 minutes. Once it blooms add to the rice batter and mix and beat the batter well with your hand. In warm weather the batter should ferment in 2 to 3 hours. In cold weather will take longer.
When batter is fermented, set the steamer on heat. Grease the sanna molds and fill them half way with batter allowing room for the sanna to rise. Steam for 20 to 25 minutes. After 20 minutes pierce a thoothpick in the sanna and it should come out clean, if not steam for another 5 minutes and test.
Transfer the sannas to a water bath to cool slightly. Demould with a butter knife, back of a spoon or simply pull them away from the edges with your fingers. Place in a casserole spread with a muslin cloth or a wooden bowl or tray to prevent the warm sannas from sticking to the base.
Enjoy for breakfast with a dollop of ghee or butter or with Sorpotel, any Pork curry or chicken or mutton curry.
The video is full of tips and steps for the perfect Sorpotel texture and taste and soft and spongy sannas!!
If you don’t have a steamer, cook your Sannas in an Oven. Check out the video below.
For Italian purists, lasagna is an occasion. The layered pasta dish is a labor of love to create, from mixing and rolling homemade noodles to making sauce from scratch to carefully layering the meat, cheese and noodles. It’s a special occasion dish that, done right, is a true showstopper. (Taste of home)
Lasagne are a type of pasta, possible one of the oldest types made of very wide flat sheets and made of stacked layers of lasagne alternating with fillings such as ragu (ground meat and tomato sauce), vegetables, cheeses and seasonings and spices, topped with cheese which melts after baking. The resulting casserole is cut into single-serving square portions. (Wikipedia)
Ingredients
500 gm. Or 24 sheets Lasagne noodles
½ cup mozzarella cheese, or as required
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, or as required
9” x 13” dish, for assembling and baking the lasagne
Meat sauce:
2 tbsp. oil or butter melted (I have used olive oil)
3 to 4 medium onions, chopped
4 lbs. ground beef or lamb
2 14 oz (500 gms. each) can/bottle bolognaise sauce
1 tsp. mixed herbs (oregano & basil)
2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce (optional)
2 cups beef stock (made with 2 beef stock cubes)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tsp. salt or to taste
White sauce:
100 gms. butter
½ cup all purpose flour
1.5 litres milk
1 tsp. salt or to taste
½ tsp. pepper powder or to taste
2 tbsp. shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
To make the meat sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan and sauté the onion until soft. Add the meat and fry till completely browned and liquid has almost evaporated. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Adjust the seasonings, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
For white sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan, add the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and gradually add the milk. Return to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring, reduce heat and cook until thickened, but of pouring consistency. Add cheese, salt and pepper to taste.
Lasagne noodles: Some noodles require to be pre-cooked, some need to be dipped in hot water before assembling. The lasagne sheets that I have used in this preparation are ready to use (as per directions on the box). The Box also stated to cover the dish with foil before placing in the oven. I don’t usually cover the dish and bake it open but it is better to follow instructions on the pasta packaging for best results. So I baked it for 20 minutes covered with foil, then removed the foil covering and completed the baking.
Grease a shallow rectangle or square dish and grease with olive oil, line with the lasagne sheets, followed with meat sauce, white sauce and repeat the layers then top with the mozzarella cheese. Then sprinkle parmesan cheese and drizzle with olive oil.
Bake in a preheated moderate oven (180 dec C/350 deg F), for 45 minutes.
Cover with foil for first 20 minutes, then remove and complete baking, uncovered.
The deicious and tantalizing Goa sausages and the famous Choris Pao, a universal favorite, prepared from a simple sausage chilli fry. The sausages have all the spices required, all that is needed is some onion and potato (if you wish) to prepare this dish. The taste and flavor of the cooked sausage chilli fry is directly related to the quality of sausages. So do take care to source the best ones you can find!
Ingredients
20 small beads Goan Sausages (or 10 large ones)
3 to 4 medium onions, as required
1 medium potato (optional)
Remove the string and remove the casing of the sausages. Some even like to keep the thread and casing and simple cut the sausages strands into 2” pcs. In this case wash the outer casing of the sausages before using.
Clean and slice the onions roughly into thick slices/pieces. Peel, wash and chop potato into cubes. Add the sausages, onions and potato to a vessel. Barely cover with water and keep on flame and bring to a boil. Stir at intervals. Cook till water has almost dried, just a little should remain for gravy. Serve hot with pao or pulao.
The Goa sausages famous all over the world, cooked and added to rice for a spicy, tangy, delicious pulao.
Ingredients
2 cups Basmati rice
30 small beads goa sausages (chorisan)
3 medium onions
6 cloves
6 cardamoms
½ tsp. whole peppercorns
2” sticks cinnamon
2 stock cubes, any flavour (I used chicken)
½ tsp. salt or to taste
2 tbsp. Oil
Wash and soak the rice, till required. Cut the thread of the sausage beads and slit the casing to remove completely. Keep the sausage meat aside. Clean and slice the onions. Heat oil in a vessel and add the onions, fry till translucent. Add the sausage meat and 1 cup water and cook 15 to 20 minutes till all the water is absorbed and sausages are tender. Take a larges vessel to cook the pulao. Add 4 cups water, peppercorns, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and the stock cubes. Add ½ tsp. salt to taste. When the water starts boiling and the stock cubes are dissolved, add the soaked drained rice. Mix well and cover. When it begins boiling, reduce to low flame and cook till water is half absorbed. Then add the cooked sausages and mix well gently. Cover and continue cooking on low till all the moisture is absorbed and rice is cooked. Serve hot. Delicious! A family favorite!!
Clean and cut meat into cubes or slices. Wash, drain and set aside. Grind the ginger and garlic to a coarse paste. Marinate the meat with the 1 tbsp. of the jeerem meerem powder, juice of lemon and salt. Keep aside for one hour atleast.
Slice the onions and tomatoes, slit the green chillies and cut the potatoes into cubes or wedges. Heat oil I a vessel and fry the onions till light brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and fry till soft. Reduce heat and add the remaining jeerem meerem powder and saute for a miunute. Add beef and cook on high heat till meat changes color, reduce heat and cook till water evaporates. Add the tamarind pulp and a cup of hot water, bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes. Then lower heat and cook another 20 minutes till meat is tender. Add the green chillies and potatoes and cook further 10 minutes till potatoes are cooked. Check seasoning. Add ½ tsp. sugar (optional) Usually this is a dry dish but you can add some hot water if you need to have some gravy and simmer till oil surfaces. Served with Goan pulao (Aroz) or any bread of your choice.
Delicious, succulent and moist Stuffed Pomfrest in mouth watering green masala and cooked iun banana leaf which prevents the fish from absorbing too much oil! Use stuffing of your choice, red, green or recheado masala. Recipe is from my mother’s book “Mais Recipes”. Get hold of your copy soon. Here is the link for details: https://cooklikececilia.com/mais-recipes-contact-details
An East Indian speciality. The chicken is cooked in just 4 spices ground in vinegar alongwith almonds and raisins and the masala is sauteed in a substantial amount of onions which not only adds body to the gravy but also makes it immensely flavorful, spicy complemented with sweetnes of the raisins and tartness of vinegar!
Ingredients
1 Chicken
2” pc ginger
1 whole head garlic
1 tbsp. cumin seeds
8 red chillies
1 tbsp. Almonds (or cashewnuts)
1 tbsp. raisins
¼ cup Vinegar
6 to 8 large onions
1 tsp. salt or to taste
2 tbsp. ghee
Cut the chicken in to suitable pieces, discard the skin, wash and drain. Clean the garlic and ginger and grind alongwith cumin and red chillies to a paste with vinegar. You can add a little water to get the contents moving in the grinder as excess vinegar could ruin the dish. Clean the onions and cut into thick roundels. Heat a vessel and add the ghee, when hot add the onions and fry till light brown. Add the masala paste and saute till fat separates. Then add the chicken, mix, cover and cook on medium 30 minutes till tender. Stir at intervals. After 30 minutes add the salt, mix and check seasoning. Simmer for further 5 to 10 minutes till fat appears on the surface. Serve hot with rice or fugias.
My Cooking Diaries "CooklikeCecilia.com" 
Recent Comments