Authentic tried and tested simple recipes in mainly Indian cooking, including traditional mangalorean, Goan, East Indian, North Indian recipes and much more…
Caldine or Caldinho in Portuguese, is a typical goan curry recipe used to cook, fish, vegetables or shrimp. It’s a light coconut curry and as the consistency is quite thin can easily double up as a spicy soup. It is mildly spiced and considered a “sweet” curry. This combination of shrimp and cauliflower is quite commonly prepared in a caldine and tastes delicious over boiled rice or with some crusty bread or poee or pao used to mop up the runny curry and the juicy morsels devoured with the crunchy cauliflower and luscious shrimp. Keep the shells of the shrimp intact (provided they are fresh) and you will enjoy sucking and relish the juicy caldine that is trapped in the shells!! Make sure the cauliflower has some crunch, so avoid overcooking.
Ingredients
1 cup medium to large prawns
1 medium cauliflower
1 medium onion
3 green chillies
1 medium tomato
1 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. Salt, or to taste
Grind to a paste
1 cup fresh coconut or 4 tbsp. coconut powder
3 large cloves garlic
½ tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. pepper corns
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
1 small marble sized ball tamarind
Method
Shell & devein the prawns. If the prawns are very fresh, keep the shell intact, removing the head and legs.
Wash and drain.
Apply a pinch of salt and turmeric and set aside.
Separate the cauliflower florets and cut into large pieces.
Immerse in salted water for 15 minutes to loosen dirt and kill insects, if any.
Grind the masala to a paste.
Slice the onion, slit the green chilies and chop the tomato.
Heat oil in a vessel,
Add the sliced onion, green chilli and fry till light brown.
Add the tomato and saute till soft.
Add the masala paste with the masala water and additional water for the curry as required,
Add 1 tsp. salt and bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes.
Add cauliflower and cook 5 minutes till almost tender.
Add prawns and cook 10 minutes.
Adjust seasoning and serve with steamed rice.
Goes well also with Poee, or bread to mop up the delicious gravy
Make a meal of these sandwiches, for brunch, lunch, dinner or simply as a quick snack to satiate you. If you wish to cut down on the carbs, have them as “open sandwiches”, using only one slice of bread. Enjoy these crisp, crunchy sandwiches with various fillings with fresh ingredients that can be adapted to suit your taste. Instead of tomatoes, use cucumbers, jalapenos or gerkins. I am partial to fresh basil and like to use it in everything if I have it on hand. You can substitute basil with parsley or fresh coriander. Feel free to use your preferred sauces like, tomato, mayo, mustard, etc. to suit your taste.
Tapenade and Feta Cheese Sandwich with Zaatar (Wild Thyne or Oregano)
Ingredients – Per Sandwich
2 Slices bread
2 tomato slices
2 tbsp. crumbled Feta cheese
2 to 3 tbsp. Black Olive Tapenade
1 tsp. Zaatar
2 tsp. olive oil
Lettuce, fresh basil and cherry tomatoes for serving
Method
Apply Tapenade to the bread slices. Put one tbsp. olive oil on a hot pan and place the bread slice tapenade side up. Spread the crumble feta cheese, sprinkle the zaatar, drizzle some olive oil and top with the tomato slices. Place the second slice of bread on top of the tomato slices tapenade side down. Apply olive oil to the top of the bread. By now the underside of the sandwich should be brown. Turn over and toast both sides. Serve crisp olive tapenade and feta cheese sandwich with soft succulent centre, with some iceberg lettuce and fresh basil.
2. Grilled Pepperoni Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients – Per sandwich
2 Slices Bread, of your choice
2 slices cheese
8 slices pepperoni
Butter to coat the bread
Dijon Mustard
Method
Butter one side of the bread and place on a skillet or pan, buttered side down. Place 1 slice of cheese and 8 slices of pepperoni on the top of the bread. (You may broil the pepperoni for ½ to 1 minute in the microwave if you wish). Top the pepperoni with a slice of cheese. Cover the open-faced sandwich with a lid. Spread some Dijon mustard on the second slice of bread. When the underside of the open-faced sandwich is brown, top the sandwich with the other slice of bread, mustard side down. Butter the upper side of the bread and turn to brown the other side. The cheese should be melted by now. Remove and serve immediately when brown and crisp on both sides.
3. Grilled Halloumi Tapenade Sandwich
Ingredients – per sandwich
2 slices Bread
3 slices Halloumi Cheese
2 to 3 slices tomato
Iceberg lettuce (or any lettuce you have at hand)
Some fresh basil
2 tbsp. tapenade
Olive oil to brush the bread
Method
Grill the halloumi slices on a hot pan till brown on both sides. Brush the bread slices with olive oil and spread tapenade on the other side of the bread. Place the olive oil side on a hot pan with the tapenade facing up. Top it with the tomato slices, lettuce, basil and halloumi and cover with the second slice of bread, olive oil side facing up. When brown on the underside, flip the sandwich over and toast till brown. Serve immediately, crisp and warm on the outside and crunchy, salty and tangy on the inside!
P.S.: I am partial to fresh basil and use it in everything if I have it at home. Feel free to use any fresh herbs of your choice.
4. Tuna Melts
Ingredients – for one sandwich
1 small tin Canned Tuna (in sunflower oil)
1 small Onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp. Mayonnaise, or as required
1 green chilli, finely chopped (optional)
1 tsp. Sweet relish (optional)
1 tsp. Dijon Mustard (optional)
2 slices of tomato
Fresh Basil
1 slice cheese
Method
Put the tuna alongwith the oil in a bowl, add the chopped onion and green chilli and mash to a paste. Mix with mayonnaise and the sweet relish and mustard, if using. The tuna would taste as good though, without the relish and mustard. But if you love their complex flavors, you would enjoy these additional flavors. Butter one side of the bread and place on a heated griddle, buttered side down. Top with the tuna mayo paste, tomato slices and cheese slice. Add the fresh basil and cover with the second slice of bread, buttered side up. Flip the sandwich over when the underside is brown and toasted. Brown both sides and serve hot and crunchy with the soft juicy delicious tuna filling. Serve with some crisps or potato chips.
For variation: Add gherkins or jalapenos instead of tomatoes
5. Grilled Egg & Cheese Sandwich
Ingredients – for one sandwich
2 slices bread
2 eggs
Salt and pepper for the eggs
2 tomato slices
Butter to spread on the bread
Method
N.B: You need to use a large skillet for this recipe so you get enough of the egg omlete to fold over the sandwich.
Grease the skillet with a little butter and add the beaten eggs seasoned with salt and pepper and spread evenly over the pan. Place one slice of bread buttered side up in the centre of the egg omlete. When the egg browns lightly and sets completely, flip over so that the buttered side of the bread is now touching the pan . Fold the egg over the four sides of the bread. Top with tomato slices and fresh basil (or lettuce or baby spinach) and a slice of cheese. Place the second slice buttered side up on top of the cheese slice and turn the sandwich over the brown both sides. Serve hot and crisp with some green salad or sprouts salad if you wish to serve it as an express lunch or dinner!
6. Halloumi Lettuce Wrap
Ingredients – for one wrap
1 tortilla wrap
Mayonnaise or mayo Sriracha, etc as desired to spread over the wrap
3 to 4 Tomato slices, grilled
3 to 4 Grilled Halloumi
Lettuce, fresh basil, (or coriander leaves or mint)
Method
Place the tortilla on a warm pan on low heat. Drizzle mayonnaise as required and place on one end of the tortilla, grilled halloumi slices, tomato slices, lettuce and basil. Fold into half and serve immediately.
(Jowar – Bajra Dosa) (Sorghum – Pearl Millet Dosa)
Ingredients
Makes 8 to 10 Dosas
½ cup Bajra flour (Pearl Millet flour)
½ cup Jowar flour (Sorghum flour)
½ cup Rice flour
¼ cup flaxseeds powder (optional)
1.5 cups thin butter milk (Chaas)
Water as required to make a thin batter
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. green chilli paste
½” pc ginger finely chopped
½ tsp. pepper powder
1 tsp. Salt or to taste
Ghee as required
Mix the flours and combine well, add salt, cumin, green chilli paste, ginger, pepper and mix with butter milk to a pouring think consistency. Add additional water if required and adjust consistency. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes.
Heat a dosa pan to very hot. Pour a ladle and a half of the batter and cook till brown. Drizzle ghee in the centre and all around. After a minute, flip and fry on the underside for a minute. Remove and serve while crisp and hot with Idli Podi (Gun Powder) or any chutney of your choice. Continue frying the remaining dosas ensuring the batter is thoroughly stirred and mixed before each dosa is put on the pan, as the flours tend to settle to the bottom of the dish. Leftover batter can be stored in the refrigerator and later or the next day.
P.S.: To ensure the bajra and jowar flour remains fresh, store in the freezer.
This easy and quick breakfast is ready in minutes! Enjoy as a snack or for dinner or supper.
For variation, use chapatis or phulkas instead of tortillas.
Quick Breakfast Tortilla Wrap
Ingredients –
To make one wrap – per person
1 Tortilla
2 eggs
2 slices cheese
A handful fresh baby spinach
2 or more slices of cold cuts (beef, pork, chicken ham, smoked turkey, mortadella, etc.)
A pinch Salt & pepper, or to taste
1 tsp. butter
Method
Break the eggs into a bowl, season with salt and pepper.
Heat a pan, add butter and pour the beaten eggs into the pan.
Immediately place the tortilla over the egg and quickly turn the tortilla over (must use your fingers for this) so it is coated with the egg on both sides.
Now fry for a minute till egg on the underside is light brown.
Flip the tortilla over and place 2 slices of cheese side by side at the end nearer to you.
When cheese melts slightly, top with spinach and 2 or more slices of cold cuts, as per your taste.
Carefully transfer the tortilla to a board and form into a compact roll, beginning from the side with the filling.
Cut diagonally into two halves and serve immediately.
Ketchup, mayonnaise or mustard sauce may be added as per taste.
The combination of Dal & Palak makes it extremely healthy and nutritious. Split yellow moong dal is rich in vitamins, proteins and essential nutrients and palak (spinach) a rich source of iron.
Tastes delicious with chapatis, puris or any Indian bread. Even goes well with steaming hot rice and a little pickle!!
Enjoy this meal-in-one dish, which is not only delicious and satisfying, but healthy too.
Dal Palak
Ingredients
1 cup moong dal, soaked in water for an hour
1 large bunch spinach, chopped
1 Large tomato, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped roughly
5 cloves garlic
1” piece ginger
4 green chillies
½ tsp. turmeric powder
½ tsp. chilli powder
1 tsp. salt or to taste
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 tbsp. ghee
Method
Grind garlic, ginger, chillies, onion, turmeric and chilli powder to a paste.
Heat ghee and add cumin seeds, saute for 1/2 a minute,
Then add the masala paste and fry till ghee separates.
Add tomatoes and salt.
Cook till tomatoes turn soft.
Add the soaked dal and 2 cups of water.
Bring to a boil, cover and cook till dal is tender.
Add chopped spinach, add a cup or two of water if dal is dry and adjust consistency.
Cook 10 minutes, then add some chopped coriander leaves, save some for garnish.
Remove to a serving dish and serve hot garnished with coriander leaves
Sprouted Moong (Green Gram) and Jackfruit Seeds (Bikna) Curry
A super easy, quick, delicious and highly nutritious curry.
When I last prepared the sprouted moong bhaji (check out the video recipe) I had saved the excess sprouts in the freezer. The Biknas I had frozen a large batch of boiled jackfruit seeds. These proved handy when I had to rustle up a quick nutritious meal before rushing to work!
All you need is some steamed rice or chapatis any bread of your choice, with your favorite pickle (aachar).
For a more elaborate meal, serve with fried fish or fish cutlets!!
Ingredients
1 cup sprouted moong (green gram)
1 cup boiled jackfruit seeds (Bikna)
1 medium to large Potato (optional), cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 flakes garlic, sliced
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp. mustard seeds
2 tbsp. Bafat masala, or to taste
4 tbsp. coconut powder
1 tbsp. tamarind pulp
1 tsp. Salt, or to taste
1 tbsp. Oil
Method
Rinse the sprouts and drain.
In a vessel add oil, when hot add the mustard seeds, when they splutter, add the curry leaves, garlic and onion and saute till onions are light brown.
Add the bafat masala and fry for ½ a minute.
Add the moong and and potatoes, if using, and more water, salt and bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes till potatoes are cooked.
Add the boiled bikna and tamarind pulp and cook 5 minutes.
Meanwhile dilute the coconut powder with some water and add to the curry, adjust gravy by adding sufficient water.
Bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes or till fat suraces.
Clean the tambdi bhaji, discarding the damaged and insect eaten leaves.
Save only the clean and complete leaves and the tender stalks. To find out if the stalks are tender, they should snap easily on breaking.
Immerse in plenty of salted water and leave for 10 to 15 minutes to loosen the dirt and kill insects if any.
Slice the onion, crush the garlic, break the red chillies into 2 to 3 pieces and transfer to a cooking vessel.
Wash the soaked bhaji well, drain and chop roughly.
Add the vegetable to the vessel, add salt and oil and 1/4 cup water if desired and place on heat and cook 10 minutes till vegetable is tender. Stir in between.
Add the fresh coconut, mix and cook further 5 minutes.
A Soft and fluffy mangalorean pancake you can make in two ways – Sweet & Plain (Savory) which can be enjoyed for breakfast, as a snack or as an accompaniment with your favorite curry for lunch and dinner.
Ingredients
2 cups Idli or basmati Rice
2 cups Buttermilk
1 cup poha
¼ tsp. fenugreek seeds
½ cup coconut
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. Soda bicarb
For sweet version
½ tsp. turmeric
¼ cup jaggery powdered (for half the above quantity of batter)
Method
Wash the rice and fenugreek seeds and soak in buttermilk for atleast 4 hours.
Soak the poha in water for 15 minutes.
Grind the rice, poha, coconut to a thick paste.
As far as possible do not add more water when grinding.
Add salt to the batter and divide into two.
To one half, add turmeric powder and jaggery and mix well till jaggery is dissolved.
Leave both the batters to ferment 8 hours or overnight.
Before frying you may add a pinch or ¼ tsp. soda bicarb to the batter (If the batter has not fermented well) and mix. This is optional.
You may thin down the batter slightly, if required by adding little water if batter is too thick.
To fry, heat a dosa pan very hot, smear with oil using an onion, put two ladles of batter (3/4 cup), do not spread.
Cover and cook till it is covered with holes, becomes opaque and light brown on the edges. (Suruli for holes in Konkani).
Remove and serve the sweet Surnalis with butter
And the plain or savory ones with chutney.
Also enjoy them with your favorite curry for lunch or dinner.
Karela Bitter Gourd Stir Fry, is usually cooked at home on a weekly basis. This is the only way we enjoy it besides is easy and quick to prepare.
Ingredients
3 Large Karelas (Bitter Gourd)
2 to 3 tbsp. Coconut or Olive Oil
1 tsp. chilli powder, or to taste
½ sp. Turmeric powder
1 tsp. Amchur (Dry mango powder)
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
Method
Wash the Karelas.
Chop the head and tail and slit vertically (lengthwise) in half.
Scoop out the seeds.
Cut the vegetable horizontally into thin slices.
Add the salt to the sliced Karela, mix well and set aside 10 minutes. Then squeeze out the karela to remove the excess juice (this removes some of the bitterness, but this step is optional).
Transfer the karela to a vessel.
Add the oil, chilli powder, turmeric powder, amchur and mix well.
If you skip step 5 then , set aside for 10 to 15 minutes.
Cook on medium flame and stir fry till karela is cooked and lightly fried, but do not burn.
Serve with rotis or as an accompaniment with any meal.
We love this vegetable gravy. Only turmeric powder is added as a spice in addition to the fresh ingredients. So even though it is cooked with minimum spices yet turns out delicious, light & nutritious.
Ingredients
1 cup chana dal
1 medium pumpkin
2 medium onions, chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
2 lakes garlic, sliced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. salt or to taste
2 tbsp. oil
2 tbsp. chopped coriander leaves to garnish.
Method
Wash and boil the dal in 2 cups water.
Peel the pumpkin, cut into cubes, wash and drain.
When the dal is half cooked add the pumpkin cubes and salt and cook till dal and pumpkin are tender. Don’t overcook the dal, should be tender yet whole.
Set aside.
Take another vessel and add oil.
When hot add the chopped onion and garlic and green chillies.
Fry till onion is translucent
Then add the chopped tomatoes and cook till tomatoes are soft.
Add turmeric powder, mix and add the cooked dal and pumpkin, sufficient water for gravy and bring to boil.
Lower flame and simmer for 10 minutes or till oil surfaces.
Adjust seasoning and add the chopped coriander leaves, mix.
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