Tag Archives: Accompaniment

Taikulo ani Bikna Cassia Tora and Jackfruit Seeds Vegetable


Taikulo ani Bikna (Casia Tora & Jackfruit seeds Vegetable)

The early monsoon brings an array of wild foods that are super healthy and delicious. The rain makes wild vegetables grow in abundance alongside roads and in the hilly regions. Taikulo is one of these seasonal, local, monsoon vegetables, available for free, with all of its healthy goodness.  I, however, purchased this lot from the ladies at Mapusa market for Rs.30/-.  The vegetable looks a bit faded as I could not cook it the same day.

Taikulo also called Senna tora or Casia tora (Botanical name) is a wild leafy vegetable that grows along all the roadside and can be plucked straight from the plant and cooked into a simple and nutritious vegetable.  Only the tender leaves are used in cooking. Although the whole plant and roots and seeds are widely used in traditional Indian and South Asian medicine. It is said to have numerous health benefits. From an Ayurvedic stand-point the leaves and seeds of this plant are said to contain acrid, laxative, anthelmintic, ophthalmic, liver tonic, cardio tonic and expectorant properties. Adapted from : Vayuvision

Ingredients

4 to 6 cups Taikulo leaves

3 red chillies

6 flakes garlic

1 medium onion

½ tsp. Turmeric powder

½ cup coconut

10 to 12 jackfruit seeds (pre-boiled)

2 tbsp. oil

½ tsp. salt or to taste

Remove the tender leaves from the stems and discard the thick stems. Wash the taikulo leaves well, add some salt and soak in salted water for 15 minutes.  Drain and chop finely.  Slice the onion, crush the garlic and break the chillies into bits.  Heat the oil, add the red chillies, garlic and onion.  When onion is translucent, add 1/2 tsp. turmeric and mix.  Avoided excessive spices to get optimum benefit from the vegetable. Then add taikulo leaves, salt, some water and cook for 15 to 20 minutes till tender.  Add the boiled jackfruit seeds, cut in half and the coconut, mix and cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve as an accompaniment with any main meal.

N.B.: When jackfruit is in season, collect the seeds and dry they for a day or two which makes the skin a bit loose and becomes easier to peel. Then, wash and boil jackfruit seeds, cool and store in zip lock bags in the freezer. 

Galmbi Chutney Dry Prawn Chutney


Typical mangalorean dry prawn chutney, served as an accompaniment at any main meal. Delicious with simple dal rice or with pez!

  • Ingredients
  • 1 cup dry prawns, cleaned with head, tail and legs removed
  • 2 cups fresh grated coconut
  • 4 green chillies
  • 4 flakes garlic (reduce to taste)
  • 1/2 ” pc. ginger
  • 4 tpo 5 sprigs coriander leaves
  • 1 small lemon sized ball tamarind
  • 1 small onion

Roast the dry prawns on a heated pan on medium low flame till aromatic and crisp. Leave aside to cool.

Grind the chutney ingredients to a coarse almost dry paste, I like to add 2 tbsp. of the prawns to the grinder alongwith the chutney ingredients. Otherwise prawns are not be be ground. Mix prawns with the chutney wiht your hands, squeezing and crushing the prawns somewhat. Serve as an accompaniment with any main meal. Excellent with a simple meal of dal rice or with pez!!

Drumstick Moringa Fruit Pods How to clean, cook and eat them in a simple yet delicious vegetable


Drumstick Vegetable, Sangho Tel Piyav

The healthy, nutritious drumstick (moringa) (sangho) fruit pods

Drumstick pods and leaves are a storehouse of essential nutrients, whereas the leaves are the most nutrient part of the plant and one of the finest sources of calcium, iron, zinc, selenium and magnesium.  Fresh pods and seeds are a great source of oleic acid, a healthy fatty acid which is known to promote heart health. Moringa leaves is unique among all the greens as it is heaped with a good amount of protein about 9.8 gram of protein per 100 grams. Dry powdered leaves are an amazing source of good quality essential amino acids.

The rich culinary tradition of our country has helped us to relish and taste several types of vegetables and fruits thereby derive out the umpteen health benefits. One such amazing vegetable that is greatly valued and earns our interest is drumstick or moringa oleifera.

Moringa obtains its name from the Tamil word, murungai, denotes twisted pod. This humble vegetable is used extensively in Indian culinary dishes for more than a hundred years. Be it delectable sambhar or avail, or any meat curry, soups, pickles etc., drumstick renders its unique flavour to the dishes.

Source: Netmeds.com

Ingredients

  • 6 Drumsticks
  • 5 flakes garlic
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 tbs. coconut oil
  • 1 tsp. mustard seeds
  • Salt to taste
  • 4 tbsp. fresh coconut

Method

Cut the head and tail of the drumstick and cut into 2 to 4” segments, removing the skin as far as possible keeping the segment intact ensue it does not disintegrate. Discard the head, tail and the skin.  Wash and drain the cleaned drumstick pieces.  Slice the onion and peel and crush the garlic. Heat a pan, add 2 tbsp. coconut oil, when hot add 1 tsp. mustard seed and allow to pop, then add crushed garlic flakes. Saute for a minute and add the sliced onion and fry thill soft and translucent.  Add the drumsticks and toss to cost with oil.  Add a cup of water, ½ tsp. salt or to taste and bring to a boil.  Mix, cover and cook 10 minutes.  Stir in between.  When done, add the coconut, mix well and simmer 5 minutes.  Take off flame and serve hot as a side with any main meal.  To eat, hold the drumstick piece firmly with your teeth and pull with your fingers while extracting and consuming the pulp and the seeds inside the pod.  Chew the skin, if you wish, and discard.  Simply delicious!  The skin should not be ingested, only the pulp and tender seeds inside the pod.

Breadfruit Fry


Breadfruit is a staple food in many tropical regions. Most breadfruit varieties produce fruit throughout the year. Both ripe and unripe fruit have culinary uses; unripe breadfruit is cooked before consumption. Before being eaten, the fruit are roasted, baked, fried or boiled. When cooked, the taste of moderately ripe breadfruit is described as potato-like, or similar to freshly baked bread.  Breadfruit is exceptionally high in fibre and excellent for gut health!!

This recipe is similar to the Raw Banana Fry (Cooking with raw Bananas) that I

posted, but the method is different.  Here the breadfruit is marinated in the spices

and vinegar and then dipped in the batter prepared with the remaining marinade and

addition of flours.

Ingredients

  • 1 medium Breadfruit
  • 1 tsp. ginger garlic paste
  • 2 tbsp. Vinegar or Lemon juice, or to taste
  • ½ tsp. turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp. chilli powder or to taste
  • 1 cup water, approx.
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • ¼ cup rice flour
  • ¼ cup corn flour
  • ¼ tsp. soda bicarb (optional)
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil for frying

Method

Cut the end of the breadfruit and peel.  Cut into half, then fours.  Remove the pith and cut into 1/4 slices lengthwise or horizontally if its a large fruit.  Immerse in plenty of salted water, to prevent oxidation. 

In a separate bowl, mix the ginger garlic paste, chilli & turmeric powder, salt with the vinegar/lemon juice and water.  Add the breadfruit slices to this marinade and leave for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the breadfruit and set aside.  To the marinade add all purpose flour, rice flour, corn flour, soda bicarb and make a thick smooth paste.  If it’s too watery add some more of the flours.  Batter should coat the slices. Test salt and add if necessary.

Heat oil in a kadai or wide frying pan.  Dip the breadfruit in the batter to cover well. Deep fry in batches till crisp and golden on medium flame.  Drain on kitchen towel.    Serve as a side with a main meal or with tomato ketchup as a snack or appetizer.

P.S.: The same batter can be used to fry arbi, egg plant, zucchini, cauliflower, raw banana, potatoes, yam, mushrooms, etc.

Traditional way to make fried breadfruit is to just add some chilli powder, turmeric, salt and lemon juice or tamarind pulp to the slices and then shallow fry till cooked and lightly browned on both sides.

Fugias


The recipe was given to me by my sister, which happens to be her in-laws family recipe, passed on to her by her Mother-in-law.  An East Indian traditional dish, mandatory at weddings and festive occasions.  Served with Sorpatel, Vindaloo or any spicy curry.  I have paired it with Chicken Pickled Chops, another East Indian preparation!

Ingredients

  • 500 gms.flour (maida)
  • 2 tbsp rice flour
  • 100 gms sugar
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • ¾  water
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp butter
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp yeast
  • Oil for deep frying

Method:

Add the sugar, coconut milk, water, butter and salt to a saucepan and heat until the sugar melts.  Set aside to cool a bit. Take the flour in a large bowl or vessel, add the eggs, the yeast and the coconut milk mixture. make sure it’s not too hot but if it’s warm it may help in the dough rising faster. Use a hand mixer (if desired) and mix the batter till it’s like thick cake batter.
Add more water as required to get the right consistency. Should be of dropping consistency but not runny. Leave to ferment for 4 to 5 hrs.

To fry:

A little bit of practice goes a long way in making Fugias.  Mix the fermented batter.  Heat a Kadai or a wok and pour sufficient oil.  When hot, start making the fugias by grabbing the batter with your left hand and squeezing it between the opening in your palm between your thumb and forefinger, like when you form a fist.  Moisten your right hand fingers in water and scoop small balls, one at a time, with your right hand and put in the oil and deep fry on medium flame turning often to cook evenly till golden brown. Instead of your right hand, you can also use a spoon to scoop the batter.  Serve with your favorite curry or enjoy as a snack or with tea or coffee at breakfast.

Zucchini Fry


The zucchini, courgette or baby marrow  is a summer squash, a vining herbaceous plant whose fruit are harvested when their immature seeds and epicarp (rind) are still soft and edible.

Ordinary zucchini fruit are any shade of green, though the golden zucchini is a deep yellow or orange.  At maturity, they can grow to nearly 1 metre (3 feet) in length, but they are normally harvested at about 15–25 cm (6–10 in).

In botany, the zucchini’s fruit is a pepo, a berry (the swollen ovary of the zucchini flower) with a hardened epicarp. In cookery, it is a vegetable, usually cooked and eaten as a savory dish or accompaniment.

Source – wikipedia

Ingredients

(I am using 12 zucchinis approx. in the video recipe, so the ingredients used are proportionately more)

  • 4 to 6 Zucchini
  • ½ tsp ginger garlic paste
  • 1 to 2 tbsp. Vinegar or Lemon juice, or to taste
  • ½ tsp. turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp. chilli powder or to taste
  • ½ tp. Cumin powder
  • ½ tsp. coriander powder
  • 3 to 4 tbsp. rice flour
  • 2 tbsp. corn flour
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil for frying

Method

  • Wash and drain the zucchinis.  Trim the head and tail and cut vertically into ¼” thin slices.  If the zucchinis are tender and unblemished the skin can be retained.  Sprinkle 1 tsp. salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Then drain the water which is released from the zucchinis. Mix the ginger garlic paste, chilli powder, cumin and coriander powder, rice flour, corn flour, vinegar and salt (if required because the zucchinis are already salted) and make a thick paste using as much water as required.  Mix the slices with the batter.  A;ternatively you can dip each slice in the batter to coat before frying, in which case more batter will be required.  Heat oil for deep frying, when hot reduce flame and fry in small batches till crisp and golden.  Drain on kitchen towel.  Serve immediately when still crisp as a side with a main meal or with tomato ketchup as a snack or appetizer.

P.S.: The same batter can be used to fry arbi, egg plant, raw banana, bread fruit, potatoes, yam, mushrooms, etc.

Naan without yeast


Ingredients

  • 4 cups Maida (all purpose flour)
  • ¼ tsp. soda bicarb
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1 egg
  • 2 ½ tsp. sugar
  • 2 tbsp. yogurt
  • 3 tbsp. milk
  • 5 tsp. oil
  • Garlic butter to garnish
  • 1 tsp. kalonji, optional
  • 2 tsp. melon seeds, optional

Method

  1. Sieve the flour with salt, soda bi-carb and baking powder and mix.
  2. Take a bowl and break the egg into it, add eh sugar, yogurt and milk and whisk. Keep aside.
  3. Make a bay in the flour, pour water about ¾ cup and mix gradually.  hen it comes together as a dough, knead to 5 to 8 minutes. 
  4. Add the egg mixture gradually little at a time and knead till well incorporated. (Do not add all the egg mixture at one time, will make the dough too wet to handle. 
  5. When fully mixed, knead to make a soft but smooth dough. It should not stick to the fingers. 
  6. Cover with a moist cloth and set aside 10 minutes. 
  7. Then add the oil, knead and punch the dough and again cover the moist cloth and keep aside 2 hours to allow the dough to rise.
  8. Divide into 6 to 8 equal portions, make balls and place on a lightly floured surface.
  9. Sprinkle kalonji and melon seeds or any other garnish you will be using,
  10. flatten the balls slightly and keep aside 5 minutes.  Flatten each portion between the palms to make a round disc and then stretch in one side in an elongated oval. 
  11. Preheat oven to 375 deg. F.  Place the naans on a greased baking tray and bake for 10 minutes.
  12. In a tandoor, place the naan on a gaddi (cushioned pad) and stick inside a moderately hot tandoor and bake for 3 minutes.
  13. I have baked them on the stove top on a tawa, till light brown on both sides and then finished cooking the naan directly on the flame. 
  14. Apply garlic butter on the naan as soon as it is removed from heat and serve immediately with Raan, Butter chicken or any Indian veg or non veg gravy.

Steamed Cabbage


Ready in minutes, makes an instant addition to a dinner table and a great side or accompaniment to any meal. Smaller the cabbage, the better! Steam just before serving. You can adjust the amount of butter required and make sure to use salted butter for extra flavor.

Steamed Cabbage

Ingredients

  • 1 medium cabbage or 2 small cabbages
  • 6 to 8 cubes butter (size as per choice) preferably salted
  • Pepper and salt, to taste

Clean the whole cabbage by removing the outer leaves if they have any blemishes and look stale.  Trim the stem and cut the cabbage into wedges but keeping  the stem intact. Place the cabbage in a vessel to compactly arrange.  Put the butter cubes in between two wedges of the cabbage and sprinkle some water.  Cover and cook on medium flame for 10 minutes or till tender, but not overcooked.  The cabbage should be tender but still have the crunch.  Serve hot, sprinkled with salt and pepper.   It’s best to steam the cabbage just before serving.

Dahi Curry


Dahi Curry

Dahi Curry / Yogurt curry / Dahi Kadhi

A delicious, light and satisfying  curry served with simple boiled rice or khichidi for days when you need a quick meal or something light to tide you through the day!

Ingredients

  • 250 ml or 500 ml Thick Butter milk or Laban (undiluted)
  • 2 green chillies
  • 1” pc ginger
  • ½ tsp. mustard seeds
  • 1 stalk curry leaves
  • ¼ tsp. turmeric
  • ½ tsp. fenugreek (methi) seeds powder
  • ½ tsp. garam masala powder
  • 1 tsp. salt or to taste
  • 1 tsp. ghee

Method

  1. Heat a pan, add the ghee, when hot add the mustard seeds, when they pop add the curry leaves, chillies, ginger and saute for a minute. 
  2. Add the turmeric, garam masala and methi powder and saute for a minute. 
  3. Then add the butter milk and salt. 
  4. If using bottled laban (butter milk) rinse the bottle with ¼ cup of water and add to the curry 
  5. Heat the curry, stirring occasionally till the edges show signs of boiling. 
  6. Switch off and serve immediately. 
  7. The curry does not require to be boiled or else it will split/curdle. 
  8. Just heat through and serve immediately as an accompaniment with steamed rice, khichidis, pulaos, etc.

Bharwa Masala Mirchi


Bharwa Masala Mirchi

Stuffed Masala Peppers

These stuffed chillies can be consumed as a pickle or an accompaniment or loaded into sandwiches or rotis for a snack! Make a large batch and store in the refrigerator for upto a month!

Bharwa Masala Mirchi

Ingredients

  • 6 large long green Chillies
  • ¼ cup sev (fried bhel puri sev)
  • 1 ½ tbsp. fennel seeds (Saunf)
  • ¼ tsp. Ajwain (carom seeds)
  • ½ tsp. turmeric powder
  • 2 tbsp. coriander powder
  • 2 tbsp. Amchur (Dry mango powder)
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. Asafoetida
  • ½ tsp. mustard seeds
  • 4 to 5 tbsp. oil

Wash chillies and wipe dry.  Make a slit on the length of the chilli without cutting through.  Carefully remove the seeds and the pith with a small spoon or a knife.  Leave the stem on. 

To prepare filling:-

Powder the sev fine.  Grind the fennel and Ajwain to a powder.  Mix the sev, fennel, Ajwain, coriander, amchur, turmeric and salt in a bowl and add 2 tbsp. of the oil and mix well.

Stuff the masala powder into the chillies and set aside.  Heat the remaining oil and temper with asafoetida and mustard seeds.  When the seed pop add the stuffed chillies and fry on medium low heat for 3 to 4 minutes till it changes color and is light brown. Turn and cook other side for 2 minutes. Don’t burn them.  When the chillies are soft, switch off flame and cover and keep for 5 minutes.

Serve with besan chillas, rotis or with any meal as pickle or appetiser.  Can be preserved for a month in the refrigerator.

Crispy Fried Chicken


Crispy Fried Chicken

The chicken is so amazingly delicious and crispy and crunchy that you just can’t have enough of it. It was just flying off the frying pan. Very simple and easy to make with very few common ingredients. Serve as a starter, appetizer or as an accompaniment with any main meal. Or simply serve as a meal with a green salad and potato fries!

Crispy Fried Chicken

Ingredients

  • 1 Kg. Chicken or Boneless chicken breasts
  • 2 tbsp. ginger garlic paste
  • 1 tsp. salt or to taste
  • 1 to 2 tbsp. vinegar
  • 1 tsp. cumin powder
  • 1 tbsp. coriander powder
  • ½ tsp. garam masala powder
  • 1 tbsp. chilli powder or to taste
  • 1 cup rice flour & 3 tbsp. rawa for coating
  • Ghee or oil for frying
  1. Clean chicken and cut into large pieces. If using boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips or cubes.
  2. Mix the ginger garlic paste with the masala powders, salt and vinegar to a smooth paste. Add a little more vinegar if the paste is too dry.
  3. Apply this mixture to the chicken and allow to marinate for half an hour or can even keep overnight in the refrigerator.
  4. Roll each piece of chicken in rice flour rawa mixture.
  5. Heat enough ghee/oil in a frying pan.
  6. Place the chicken pieces in the pan.
  7. Deep fry, reduce flame to medium, turning occasionally until a delicate brown and tender about 3 to 5minutes each side.
  8. Serve hot.
  9. May be shallow fried if desired.
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