Sabudhana Kichdi

Sabudhana Kichdi

Sabudhana Kichdi is a famous Maharashtrian recipe especially made during the Navarathiri season. Maharashrtians follow a fast during the Navarathiri season and Sabudhana kichdi is one recipe that’s prepared frequently in addition to Sabudhana vada. Though I have heard a lot about this recipe, I never had a chance to try it until recently. The first time I made this, I followed a cook book I had but it didn’t work out as the sabudhana pearls were very chewy. Later, my mother in law who had lived in Mumbai for a while gave me this recipe and it worked great.

She mentioned that the key to the best Sabudhana kichdi is the pre soaking step. There are many kinds of sabudhana pearls available in the market. The variety I used is medium in size. This had to be soaked for 2 hours.

Ingredients:

1. Sabudhana Pearls – 1/2 cup

2. Potato – 1 (boiled and chopped)

3. Coarse peanut powder – 1/4 cup

4. Green Chilies – 2 small chopped

5. Ginger 1 inch

6. Oil to temper

7. Mustard Seeds – 1/4 tsp

8. Cumin Seeds – 1/4 tsp

9. Salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Wash sabudhana in water and soak it for 2 hours (Soaking time varies with the type of sabudhana. Some varieties require overnight soaking)

2. Once the sabudhana is ready to use (To check for this, try to squeeze a sabudhana. You should be able to squeeze it), Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds once the oil is hot

3. Once mustard splutters, add cumin seeds followed by green chillies, finely chopped ginger and potato

4. Stir well so that the potato is coated with cumin and chillies

5. Strain any water off the sabudhana and add the sabudhana to the pan. Add required salt and mix.

6. Remove the pan from the flame. Add coarse peanut powder and finely chopped coriander leaves and mix well

7. You may optionally add 1/2 tsp of lemon juice at the end.

Tasty Sabudhana Kichdi is ready. It can be relished as such or with a spoon of yoghurt

Shahi Vegetable Kurma

Shahi Vegetable Kurma

When I got married, my SIL passed on a cook book to me called 100 Delicious Vegetarian Curries
by Chef Mallika Badrinath. In my busy schedule, I totally forgot about the book. Three weeks ago, when my mom was making chapathis for dinner, we came across the usual weekly problem – “Whats the side dish”. That’s when I opened this cookbook. After shortlisting a few recipes based on what was available in the pantry and fridge, we finally zeroed in on this “Shahi Vegetable Kurma” . My mom made it and it tasted so heavenly! It was so yum that we have been preparing this dish every week since then. The best part was my son loved to have this chapathis with this dish. So here is the recipe..

Ingredients:

Mixed vegetables (Potato, Carrots, Peas, beans) – diced 3 cups. Please note: The original recipe suggests more veggies such as turnip, chow chow (chayote) etc

Kashmiri Chilli Powder – 1 tsp

Grated Onions – 1/2 cup

Oil for frying (The original recipe suggests using ghee and butter for frying)

Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tsp

Saffron – a pinch

Whipped Curds – 1 and a 1/2 cups

Bay leaf – 1

Cinnamon, cloves, cardamom – few

To grind together 

Blanched almonds – 10

Cashew – 10

Poppy Seeds – 1 tsp

Preparation

1. As a first step, cut all veggies and steam or microwave cook them till they are done. Grind almonds, cashews and poppy seeds and keep them aside

2. Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, add whole spices such as  cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf. Followed by grated onions and ginger garlic paste

3. Add a pinch of salt and saute till onion becomes golden

4. Add chilli powder, whipped yogurt and salt and stir the gravy in medium flame. you will notice that the oil starts to float on top

5. Add the ground paste, cooked veggies to the gravy

6. Add little bit of water and let the kurma cook till it becomes thick. Garnish with coriander leaves

7. Tasty Shahi Vegetable Kurma is ready to be served with chapathis

Carrot Chapathis

Carrot Chapathis 

Carrot Chapathis dubbed as ‘Power Packed Breakfast’ in my household is an amazing recipe which my LO loves.  My LO is a very finicky eater. There isn’t a lot of food items he approves and this is one of those few items he likes. 

This is a well balanced dish for breakfast:  whole wheat flour to provide the carbs, carrots and potatoes for the veggie content. Pair it with tomato nut chutney and we get the protein from nuts too. An easy way to make the kid eat nuts. Who wouldn’t like this? 

Carrot Chapathis

Ingredients:

Wheat Flour – 1 cup

Carrot – 2 medium sized

Potatoes – 1 medium sized

Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp

Cumin powder -1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Water to knead

Preparation:

1. Boil carrots and potato with a pinch of salt

2. Mash the boiled vegetables. Mix wheat flour, water, salt, red chilli powder, cumin powder and mashed vegetables and knead into a soft dough

3. Heat tava. Pinch a dough ball and roll it flat to make small chapathis.

6. Once the tava is hot, place the chapathi on the tava. Turn the chapathi over after 1 minute

7. Turn it over again till it’s done 

8. Serve with tomato- nut chutney for breakfast 

Aloo Methi

Aloo Methi

Aloo Methi

Ingredients:

1. Potatoes – 1 Kg

2. Methi leaves – 1 bunch

3. Onions – 2 big

4. Cumin seeds – 1 tspn

5. Green chillies – 1 or to taste

6. salt to taste

7. Required oil

8. turmeric powder

9. Tomatoes – 1

How to prepare:

1. In a kadai, heat oil

2. When the oil is hot, add cumin seeds, green chillies and onions

3. When the onions are transperent, add tomatoes

4. Boil and cut potatoes

5. When the tomatoes are cooked, add the potatoes

6. Add salt and turmeric powder

7. finally add methi leaves.

8. Aloo Methi is ready. It is best with chapathis

Bird’s Nest (Paravaikoodu)

Bird’s Nest (Paravaikoodu)

This is a simple easy to make dish suitable for parties.

Bird’s Nest

Ingredients:

1. Mashed Potatoes – 2

2. Onions – 1

3. Finely chopped green chillies – 2

4. salt

5. Chilli powder

6. Coriander powder

7. Jeera powder

8. Boiled Peas

9. Maida – little

10. Semolina – little

11. Oil to fry

Method of Preparation:

1. Mix mashed potatoes, onions, chopped green chillies, salt, chilli powder, coriander powder, jeera powder

2. Add little water to maida and make a paste

3. Make balls out of the potato mixure and dip them in the maida paste

4. Immediately roll them on a bowl full of semolina so that the semolina sticks all over

5. Deep fry the balls in oil till the balls turn brown. Once done, with the help of a knife, carve out an aperture on the ball and place 2 to 3 boiled peas.

6. Repeat the same for all balls and serve with coriander leaves.

Mashed Potato Curry

Mashed Potato Curry

This is a very simple at the same time a tasty dish. I bet almost everyone knows it. but still posting it as a recent discovery. When I say discovery, its the Lithos potato curry masala i recently discovered from market. With the masala the curry is really easy to make. Seems it can be used for any other fried curry. Only that salt needs to be added to taste.

Mashed potato curry

Ingredients (for 2 people):

1. Potatoes – 5

2. Lithos potato curry masala – 2 spoons

3. Salt to taste

4. oil

How to prepare:

1. Microwave cut potatoes for 15 mins.

2. Take it out carefully and mash it well.

3. In a kadai, heat little oil and add the pototoes when the oil is heated.

4. Add the masala.

5. Add salt as per taste.

6. Tasty potato curry is ready in a jiffy. It can be used for any rice or chapathi as side dish.

Aloo Masala

Aloo Masala

I made this last week in a hurry. But it turned out very well.

Ingredients: (for 2 people)

1. Potatoes – boiled

2. Tomatoes – 2

3. Onion – 1

4. green chillies – 2

5. cashewnut -few

6. kus -kus – little

7. ginger-garlic paste / ginger and garlic – little

8. Sombu for garnishing

9. oil

10. salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder

How to prepare:

1. Grind tomatoes, onion, green chillies, cashewnuts, kus-kus, ginger, garlic into a fine paste.

2. In a kadai, add little oil and when the oil heats up, add sombu

3. Add the ground mixture.

4. When the mixture starts to boil, add salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder, and little sugar.

5. Add the boiled potatoes.

6. When the masala gets cooked, add little coriander and serve with chapathis.

7. Tasty aloo masala is ready.

Bread Upma

Bread Upma

It was a lazy Sunday morning. When I pestered my mom for a light delicious breakfast, she made this ‘Bread upma’ with the left over vegetables out of the previous week’s cooking.. She made this quick and easy to make light recipe for the morning breakfast. It was very healthy and delicious too. I took the photo and got the recipe from her.

Bread Upma

Ingredients

1. Bread pieces – 4 to 5

2. Mustard – few

3. Oil

4. Vegetables – carrot, capsicum, cauliflower, peas, potatoes, onions, green chillies.

5. cashew nuts

6. coriander leaves.

How to prepare:

1. In a kadai, heat little oil, add mustards.

2. When the mustard splutters, add the finely cut vegetables and fry well.

3. Add cashewnuts/ any other dry fruits.

4. soak the breads in water for a second and crush them and add to the vegetables.

5. Add salt to taste.

6. Add coriander leaves and cook for some time.

7. Bread upma is ready to be served.

Masala Dosa

Masala Dosa

Ingredients:

For Masala (Makes 4 dosas)

1. Potatoes  – 2 medium sized

2. Onions – 1

3. Green Chilly – 1

4. Mustard, Bengal Gram, Curry leaves

4. Salt, Turmeric powder, Amchur powder (Can be substituted with lime)

How to prepare:

For masala:

1. Boil and mash potatoes.

2. In a kadai, add little oil. When the oil gets heated, add mustard.

3. When the mustard splatters, add little bengal gram.

4. Add finely chopped onions. When the onions change color, add little green chillies.

5. Add mashed potatoes.

6. Add salt, turmeric powder. Little Amchur powder for the tangy taste. Add curry leaves.

7. Mix well and keep it aside.

For Chutney:

Prepare Green chutney or white coconut Chutney (See previous posts for green chutney).

Dosas:

1. With dosa batter, make thin dosas. Spread a layer of chutney on the dosa.

2. Keep the potato masala. Close the other side of the dosa and let it cook for a second and serve hot with Chutney/ Sambhar.

I am sending this recipe to Padma’s Recipes 1st Event ‘Dosa Corner’