Authentic tried and tested simple recipes in mainly Indian cooking, including traditional mangalorean, Goan, East Indian, North Indian recipes and much more…
Hare Chane or Green Chana, also known as Chholia in hindi are a winter speciality as the fresh chana are available during the winter season in India. It is full of nutrients. You will find the chana sometimes in bunches with the stems and leaves and the chana and it is quite common to see people walking around with a bunch of the chana, plucking them directly, peeling off the shell and popping the chana in the mouth and munching on them.
This is a simple chaat recipe
Ingredients
2 cups Green chana (Shelled)
1 large Onion, chopped
2 Tomatoes, chopped
Small bunch fresh coriander, chopped
1 tsp. Red chilli powder
1 tsp. Chaat masala, or to taste
1 Lemon, juice
Boil the Chane with salt. Drain and mix with the onion, tomato, coriander leaves, red chilli powder, chaat masala and lemon juice. Serve in individual bowls and top with a lemon wedge.
To add some crunch, sprinkle with sev or potato salli. Enjoy this tasty and healthy chaat as a snack, appetizer or an accompaniment to a main meal.
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.
Spiny Gourd (Phagil) is a spiky green vegetable. It is also known as kantola, kakora, kakrol, spine gourd, teasle gourd etc. Available during the monsoon season this vegetable is not only super tasty but also provides a whole lot of health benefits. The appearance (and name) of the vegetable is quite misleading. Looks spiny but when cooked is so tender, it rather took me by surprise. Turned out to be delicious!
Seasonal vegetables are great if you are looking for regular intake of nutrition and still go easy on your pocket. The best part of including seasonal fruits and vegetables in your diet is their inherent ability to fight seasonal illnesses and flu.
Ingredients
½ Kg. Spiny Gourd
1 tsp. chilli powder or to taste
½ tsp. turmeric
1 lemon, juice (optional)
1 tsp.salt or to taste
2 tbsp. oil
Wash the kantola and chop the ends and slice. Hard seeds, if any may be removed or can be discarded while eating. Sprinkle the chilli and turmeric powders and salt and lemon juice and mix well. Set aside for 15 minutes. Fry the slices and stir fry, till cooked. The appearance (and name) of the vegetable is quite misleading. Looks spiny but when cooked is so tender, it rather took me by surprise. Turned out to be delicious!
NUTRITION Evidence Based 5 Surprising Benefits of Water Chestnuts (Plus How to Use Them) Written by Ryan Raman, MS, RD on April 20, 2018
Despite being called chestnuts, water chestnuts are not nuts at all. They are aquatic tuber vegetables that grow in marshes, ponds, paddy fields and shallow lakes. Water chestnuts are native to Southeast Asia, Southern China, Taiwan, Australia, Africa and many islands in the Indian and Pacific oceans. They are harvested when the corm, or bulb, turns a dark brown color. They have a crisp, white flesh that can be enjoyed raw or cooked and are a common addition to Asian dishes such as stir-fries, chop suey, curries and salads Water chestnuts are very nutritious and contain high amounts of fiber, potassium, manganese, copper, vitamin B6 and riboflavin. Most of their calories come from carbs. Water chestnuts are a great source of the antioxidants ferulic acid, gallocatechin gallate, epicatechin gallate and catechin gallate. These antioxidants can help the body combat oxidative stress, which is linked to many chronic diseases. Also known as Water Caltrop, Paniphal, Singhara
Eaten raw
Wash, peel and eat raw. Delicious, crunchy.
Boiled
Wash, cut off the stems and boil 15 minutes. Drain, cool, peel and eat as a delightful healthy nutritious snack
Sauteed Water chestnuts
1 medium onion, chopped ½ tsp. chilli powder 4 flakes garlic, chopped, 1” pc ginger, copped 1 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped ½ tsp. salt 1 tbsp. lemon juice Optional: 1 tbsp. green chutney sauce, 1 tbsp. sweet chutney sauce or Schezwan sauce or combination of soy sauce and tomato ketchup 1 tbsp. each. Etc.
Wash and peel the water chestnuts and immerse in water till required. Add 1 tbsp. oil to a pan and stir fry for 10 minutes. Drain and remove. Add 1 tbsp. oil to the pan and sautee the chopped ginger garlic for a minute, then add the chopped onion and sautee till saoft. Add the chilli powder, green chutney and sweet chutney and salt and 2 t 3 tbsp. water and add the chestnuts and cook till the moisture dries and the sauce thickens. Sqyeeze over the lemon and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve as an accompaniment with any main meal or as a starter! Absolutely delicious!!
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!!
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.
These prawns turn out absolutely delicious, so juicy and succulent. Makes a great starter or appetiser!! Serve with lots of lemon and crusty bread to mop up delicious gravy.
Trim the head and keep the shell & tail on the prawns. Use kitchen scissors to cut down the middle to remove the vein. Clip off the legs, etc. as shown. Wash and pat dry. Rub salt on the prawns.
Take 1 tsp of just the oil from the aglio e olio sauce. Heat a large wide pan till very hot. Add oil and prawns. Press the prawns down so that the shell gets a nice char. After 2 mns on each side, add about ½ cup of the aglio e sauce and cook for 5 mns or till done. Add lemon juice and cream, mix till heated through. Take it off the heat and top with chopped parsley/coriander leaves. Serve with crusty bread and lots of lemon wedges.
Delicious tangy soup, if you have roasted garlic handy the soup would be real easy, otherwise would take a bit longer to roast the garlic. Check my tips for roasting garlic! Excellent for garlic lovers, great panacea for flu and colds due to the healing properties of onion and the large amount of garlic used. The garlic flavor however does not overpower the dish.
Ingredients
2 large heads garlic (one roasted)
4 medium Onions
3 stock cubes, any flavor
1 bunch cilantro (or parsley)
1 tsp. thyme (fresh if available)
½ cup milk (substitute with Soy or almond milk)
2 tbsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. olive oil
½ tsp. black pepper powder
½ tsp. salt or to taste
½ tsp. lemon zest
Prepare stock. Add the stock cubes to 1 litre (4 cups) hot water, stir to dissolve. Peel onions and chop roughly, peel one fresh garlic head and chop, peel the roasted garlic and discard the skins. Heat the olive oil and add the fresh and roasted garlic and the onion and saute 2 mns. Add the chopped parsley or cilantro (reserve some for garnish) and thyme, cook 2 minutes till onion is soft and translucent. Add the stock and stir well. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 30 minutes stirring in between. Take off heat and strain the soup. Transfer the onion garlic mixture to a blender. Add some stock to move the contents in the blender and blend to a smooth puree. Transfer the puree to the strained soup and put it back on heat, add salt and pepper powder, stir and simmer further 5 minutes. Add the milk and heat through, do not boil. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon zest. Serve hot with bruschetta.
To Roast garlic: Cut off 1/4 “ of the tail of the garlic head, dip in olive oil and smear oil all over. Wrap tightly in aluminium foil and bake in an oven for one hour.
TIP: On roasting garlic –
Roast several heads of garlic and store leftovers in the refrigerator for couple of weeks and use as and when required
Roast the garlic when cooking other food i.e. whenever you use the oven for roasting or baking food.
For quick roasting – Peel one head of garlic and roast on a frying pan with a little oil till lightly brown and fragrant.
A universal party snack – Most simple and so easy to make at home. Loved by old and young! Feel free to create your own toppings. Can be baked on the stove top using a pan.
Ingredients (makes 12 to 15 small circular pizzas)
1 ½ cup flour
1 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. warm milk
½ tsp. salt, or to taste
2 tsp. butter
2 eggs
½ cup Pizza sauce or as required
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Chopped and sauteed pepperoni or mortadella (optional)
Chopped onion (optional
Mix yeast and sugar in warm milk and stir. Cover and leave to bloom. Rub the butter into the flour. Mix in yeast mixture, stir in the eggs and knead well. If dough is too sticky dust some flour or grease your hands with butter and knead till smooth. Cover and put in a warm place for 2 hours, until double in size.
Knead risen dough for 3 minutes. Work into large flattened circles or use a cutter to make smaller pizzas. Arrange on a greased baking tin and spoon over with the sauce, and other toppings. Sprinkle over with grated cheese. Bake in a hot oven gas mark 4 for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately. To bake on the stove top, heat a flat pan on medium low heat till hot. Place the dough circles on the pan and quickly add the toppings. Cover and cook 10 minutes till cheese melts and underside is light brown.
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.
A versatile dish that can be served on the wooden skewers as a main entree or remove the chicken pieces to a plate and serve as a snack or appetizer. Plate it, put tooth-picks on the meat and serve with cocktails. Don’t forget the dipping sauce!
Use only chicken thighs. Any other meat like boneless chicken breast (though easier to prepare) would not achieve the same results.
Ingredients
8 Chicken thighs
1 package wooden skewers
Satay Marinade
¼ cup minced lemongrass, fresh or frozen
2 shallots or ¼ onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic
1-2 fresh red chillies, sliced or ½ to 1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 thumb size pc. Galangal or ginger, thinly sliced
½ tsp turmeric
2 tbsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. cumin
3 tbsp. dark soy sauce
3 tbsp. fish sauce
6 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
Peanut dipping sauce to serve
Method
Place all marinade ingredients in food processor and grind to a smooth paste.
Taste-test the marinade – you should taste sweet, spicy, and salty. The strongest taste should be SWEET and SALTY in order for the satay to taste its best. Add more sugar or more fish sauce (in place of salt) to adjust the taste. Add more chilli if you want it spicier.
Remove skin and debone the thighs (or use boneless thighs if available) and cut meat into small pieces or strips – thinner is better.
Place in a bowl and pour marinade over.
Stir well to combine.
Allow at least 2 hours for marinating, or longer (upto 24 hours refrigerated).
Simultaneously, place the wooden skewers in water and leave to soak until required.
When ready to cook, thread meat onto the skewers. Fill upto 3/4 of the skewer.
Grill the satay, turn over and grill over all sides of the skewer till well roasted and brown, about 15 to 30 minutes.
Serve with satay sauce for dipping.
Satay Sauce (Thai Peanut sauce)
Ingredients
½ cup dry roasted peanuts, unsalted
2 cloves garlic
½ tsp. dark soy sauce
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 ½ tbsp. tbsp. fish sauce (substitute with soy sauce)
½ tsp. tamarind paste or 1 tbsp. lemon juice
½ tsp. thai chilli sauce or cayenne pepper
½ cup coconut milk
¼ to ½ cup water (as required)
Method
Process all the ingredients in a food processor until sauce is smooth.
Adjust, salty, sour, sweet and spicy taste by adding fish sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar and cayenne pepper, respectively as required.
If you require more salty add fish sauce, if more sweet, add sugar.
Serve warm or at room temperature as dipping sauce for veggies, spring rolls, chicken satay, etc.
A delicious roast, can be cooked with steak slices or a chunk of beef roasted and then sliced before serving. Serve as a starter or with a main meal. Leftover roast can be made into tasty sandwiches. Yummy…..
Use boneless Lamb instead of beef!
Goan Roast Beef
Ingredients
1 Kg. Beef
3 medium onions, chopped into large pieces.
15 to 18 cloves garlic
1.5”pc. ginger
15 cloves
4 piece cinnamon (1” pc. Each)
¼ tsp. pepper corns
1 tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. turmeric powder
4 red chillies
2 tsp. sugar (optional)
¼ cup vinegar, or to taste
2 tbsp. ghee
1 tsp. salt or to taste
Method
Grind the spices from garlic to turmeric powder with the vinegar.
You can add some water to get the spices to move while grinding.
Transfer the masala to a wide bowl, add salt, mix
Marinate the beef with the ground masala for one hour.
To cook, heat ghee and add the red chillies and onion.
Saute till the onions are translucent.
Then add the meat with the masala water and cook till meat is tender and gravy is almost dry.
Beef steak stuffed rolls – I am calling this Goan Beef Roulade because this is the spicy version of Beef Olives with typical Goan flavors as it includes Chorizo (Goan sausages) in the stuffing. The Beef Olives I have made earlier are a milder version leaning more towards continental cuisine. Try them, both are delicious in their own right!!
Ingredients
1 kg. Beef steaks, beaten
2 medium chopped onions
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 to 4 tbsp. oil or ghee
Stuffing : Potato, Carrots, Choris (Goan sausages), Bacon, as required
Grind to a smooth paste
10 red chillies
1 ½ “ 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:
P.S.: Ask the butcher to beat and flatten the steaks well. If not you will need to use a mallet or heavy pestle to beat the steaks to thin them so forming the rolls is easier.
Wash, drain and marinate the steaks in the ground masala paste for one hour.
Prepare the stuffing.
Peel, wash and cut one potato in 2” sticks.
Wash carrot, peel and cut into 2” sticks.
Remove the Goan sausages from the casings.
Cut the bacon into 2” strips. As bacon is not available here I have skipped it.
Spread the steaks on a board and trim off any excess meat and you need a rectangle piece.
Reserve the extra meat trimmings
Place the potato, carrot and sausages on one end of the steak and roll into a compact roll.
Secure with string or toothpicks. Thus make all the rolls.
Heat a wide pan, add the oil/ghee and fry the chopped onions, w
When they soften and are translucent, add the tomato paste and saute 2 to 3 minutes.
Place the rolls in a single layer (reserve the excess marinade) and fry 3 to 4 minutes on high till light brown.
Turn over and cook 20 minutes till the gravy almost dries up.
Stir well scraping the bottom of the pan to avoid burning the onions.
Add the excess marinade and some water to rinse the bowl and add to the roulade gravy.
Also add the leftover potatoes and carrots, if any, chopped finely.
Check and adjust seasoning.
Cook till meat is tender and gravy is thick and oil surfaces.
Any rolls that are large in size can be cut into pieces before serving.
Remove the string before serving.
Toothpicks may be left as it is as they can be easily removed. Serve hot.
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