Chane Koshimbir ( Chikpea Salad )

This is one of the most important dishes served during the festive seasons or traditional events/rituals along with the festive sweets and snacks. It serves as a quick appetizer or a quick snack if using canned chikpeas (however I do not prefer canned foods except for bamboo shoots & jackfruits since they are not easily available.) I usually cook the soaked chikpeas and freeze them to have at a later time. So here are the details to make this wonderful side dish. The initial steps in preparation can be skipped if using canned chikpeas. This is today's Dusshera special and is my entry to WYF Festive Treat Event hosted by Simple Indian Food

Happy Dusshera!


Ingredients:
1 cup chikpeas (soaked or canned)
3 green chillies, finely chopped
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
5-6 curry leaves
pinch of asafoetida
1 tbsp oil
1/2 cup grated coconut (can reduce to 1/4 cup)
salt


Preparation Method:

1. Soak the chikpeas in water overnight or for 6- 8 hours.

2. In a vessel add water and cook till the chikpeas become tender. You can also use a pressure cooker, with a time limit of 1 whistle.Remove aside the cooked chikpeas.

3. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, and as they pop, add curry leaves, cumin seeds, asafoetida and green chillies and saute

4. Add the cooked chikpeas, salt, coconut and saute for few minutes.Add a dash of lemon juice if needed.

5. Serve

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Serves: 1 - 2


Note:
Do not overcook the chikpeas
The water or stew of cooked chikpeas can be used in a curry or soups.


This is my entry to MLLA-16th helping hosted by Cook sister and started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook

Lentil Dosa (Crispy Lentil Pancake)

What happens when you want to have a good authentic Indian breakfast/lunch/dinner and with a condition of not having the dish loaded with carbs? The answer is Lentil Dosa!!!, thats what struck me. During college days, Mom used to keep a lot of lentils in powder form which used to be mixed with water and make the ghavane which is similar to dosa, so that it was easier to prepare the breakfast early mornings. Coming back to the low carb diet, I make use of  the lentils along with the rice and they make a delicious and nutritious breakfast!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup rice
1/2 cup urad dal(black split gram)
1/2 cup chana dal (yellow split gram)
1/2 cup moong dal
1 tsp methi seeds(fenugreek seeds)
salt
oil or oil spray


Preparation Method:

1. Soak the rice, lentils and fenugreek seeds in water for 4 -5 hours

2. Grind these to a smooth batter. Add salt. The consistency of the batter is important in making the dosas, it shouldn't be of very thin consistency. 

3.  Leave the batter overnight to make dosas the next day (I actually made some dosas immediately after when the batter was ready, and they came out good)

4. Heat a non-stick pan, take a ladle full of the batter and spread it on the pan in circular motion to make thin dosas. Apply oil on the sides, or use oil spray.

6. Cook on both sides, if desired.

7. Serve hot with chutney/potato bhaji /sambar. 

Serves: 4-5
Cooking Time: 15 -25 min

Karle/Karela che Kaap/Phodi ( Bitter Gourd Rings)

We have this as a side dish called kaap or phodi during lunch or dinners. The way this is prepared goes well with lot of other vegetables like okra, eggplant/brinjal...etc


Ingredients:
2 Bitter Gourds(Karela)
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp tamarind pulp
pinch of asafoetida
pinch of turmeric
salt
1/2 cup rava /soji, fine
oil spray or oil for frying


Preparation Method:
1. Thinly slice the bitter gourd and remove the seeds if any. Add salt and leave aside for 5 -10 minutes. Then rinse with water.

2. In a bowl, mix the chilli powder,coriander powder, tamarind pulp, asafoetida, turmeric, salt. Add very little water if needed and mix. 
3.Add the slices of bitter gourd to the above mixture and mix well so that they are coated with the seasoning.
4. Heat a frying pan, add a little oil or spray.
5.Coat the individual slices(which are already coated with the seasoning mix) with fine rava/soji and shallow fry them.(these can also be deep fried, but I don't go for it.)

6. Serve them as a snack or side

Preparation Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 5 mins

Dragon Fruit Juice

This past weekend, had been to one of the korean stores. Usually go there to get some of the tropical veggies or rather just to see if we could get the vegetables that we used to eat while growing up, vegetables like amaranth, dill, raw jackfruit, bamboo shoots....and lots more.... But the one that took ours and lot of other people's attention was this dark pink fruit...the label read..Dragon fruit (also called pitaya). I had a sports drink which was dragon fruit flavored, but had never seen this fruit..did not even search it on the internet.


So bought this fruit. It is wonderful to just look at it too. Got home, cut it into two parts and it resembled the kiwi fruit with tiny little black seeds. Scoop the pulp/flesh. We ate 1/4 part as it is, and the remaining, blended with 1/2cup of water and 1 tsp sugar. Loved it!!!


Here are some of the pictures.

Brown Rice Idli (Steamed Rice Cake)

White rice is good (I dont want to put it down cos I love it !) but brown rice is that much better and healthy too. So, making a healthy breakfast, the first thing that crossed my mind was to make brown rice idli, a healthy, nutritious and delicious breakfast. The combination of urad dal(highest protein content legume) and brown rice was a good one and must say they were soft, fluffy, and tasting great! a better option of eating brown rice.

Ingredients:

1 cup brown rice

1/2 cup urad dal(split black gram)

1 tbsp yogurt (optional)

1 pinch baking soda(optional)

salt

Preparation Method:

1. Soak the brown rice and urad dal in two different container. Soak  them in water for about  4 - 5 hours. (I usually soak them in the morning, grind in the evening, so it is good to make them for breakfast for next morning.)

2. Drain the water and grind the urad dal to a smooth consistency(use very little water), remove the batter.

3. Then grind the brown rice with 3/4 cups of water to a smooth consistency.

4. Mix well the urad dal and rice batter. Add yogurt, baking soda and mix.  Keep the batter covered,place it in a warm place for about 8 hours or overnight.

5. When time to cook idli's, add salt to the batter and mix. Apply little oil to the idly plate, Pour the batter onto the idly plate and steam for 10 - 15 minutes.

6. Remove the idli's and serve with favorite sambar or chutney. We had it with matki patal bhaji ,  tasted great!

Cooking Time: 15 mins


Note: I used brown basmati rice. Traditionally the idli's are prepared with white idli rice or parboiled rice.
During winters, when keeping the batter overnight for fermenting, keep it in a steel vessel with lid closed. Leave the vessel in the oven with lights on.

Matki Chi Patal Bhaji ( Moth Bean Sprouts Curry )

                                                           Matki Chi Bhaji/Matki Chi Usal

Sprouted moth beans are one of the favorite among the sprouted legumes. The moth beans or matki as they called is found in the cuisines of Maharashtra, north Karnataka and Gujrat where it is called as math. Sprouts are rich in digestible energy, vitamins minerals, proteins and enzymes. For more information about the goodness of sprouts you can visit here.

This recipe is one of my favourite and tastes that much better with use of goda masala (a typical Maharastrian masala prepared at home, have not seen it available in any stores. The typical aroma of this masala is due to the use of spice called dagad phool, or stone flower).

Ingredients:
3 cups matki moth beans, sprouted
1/4 cup dry grated coconut
2 tsp goda masala (if not available use garam masala)
2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp ginger, chopped
1 cup of onions, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
5 cloves of garlic
1 tomato
4 tsp oil
salt to taste
 The first step would be to have the sprouts. It is quite easy to sprout the moth beans.

* Clean, wash and soak the matki,beans in water for overnight, usually about 8 -10 hours
*. Then rinse it with water and spread them in a wide container, with the lid loosely closed. 
*. I usually rinse these with water  twice a day, so that they do not turn sour. The sprouts are ready in about  30 - 36 hours from the time they are kept for soaking.( Traditionally the soaked beans are tied in a damp cloth and stored at a warm place, with occasional sprinkle of water )
**** 1 cup of moth beans would make about 5 cups of sprouts.

Preparation Method:
1.In a vessel heat oil, add the chopped onion and fry them till they start to turn brown. Remove half of these fried onions in a blender and keep aside.
2. Add the sprouted matki/moth beans to the vessel. Add turmeric, goda masala, chilli powder, water and let it cook(10 mins).
3. In the blender with fried onions, add ginger, garlic, cilantro, grated coconut(roasted), tomato and grind the mixture. Add this mixture to the vessel containing the cooking sprouts.
4. Add salt and water based on the consistency required. Let it cook for 15 minutes atleast.
5. Once cooked garnish with cilantro.
6. Serve with bhakri / rice / chapati

Preparation Time: 30 mins
Serves: 4 - 5

Note: while sprouting, rinse the beans atleast 2 -3 times a day to avoid the sour smell.

This is my entry to MLLA-16th helping hosted by Cook sister and started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook
This is my entry to GYO Sep 15 by Andrea.

Shami Kabab

Shami Kabab is one of the lucknowi/moglai cuisine speciality. No claims about originality since we have made little changes according to our needs., i.e., we did not add eggs and did not deep fry it, two things which the original recipe calls for.

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken, ground/minced
1 cup yellow split peas / chana dal
11/2 cup onions,chopped
3 cups water
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 eggs(optional)
salt to taste
oil for frying

For Dry Masala
1 1/2 tsp corriander powder
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
5 red chillies, dried
6 green cardomom
2 black cardomom
3 cloves
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 bayleaf
1 pinch methi seeds

Preparation Method:

1. Grind all the dry masala/spices into fine powder. I used coffee grinder.
2. In a large vessel add chicken, chana dal, onion, ginger garlic paste, salt, and the above ground masala. Add water and let it cook for 30 - 40 minutes or until about there is very little water (less then 1/2 cup) of water remaining in the vessel.
3.Once cooked, grind mixture to fine thik paste.
4. Make small balls and flatten them.
5. In a flat pan, add oil and shallow fry the kabas on both the sides until slightly golden brown (The kababs can also be deep fried if you want to.)
6. It is usually served with mint chutney, we prefer with nan or rice.

Preparation Time: 1 hour (includes cooking)
Serves: 4 -7

Note:
If using eggs, add the eggs in step 3 and knead the mixture, and follow the procedure from 4 to 6.
You can also dip the kababs in whiskend egg and then shallow fry or deep fry.

Sauted Turnip Greens

Turnip greens belong to the radish category. Growing up, we always had lot of greens on our everyday menu. Every evening we used to get fresh greens which would be been just harvested in the afternoons.They were a must in our daily food, the green leaves of the clauliflower were not spared either.Anyways, had these turnip greens in the refrigerator and have never ventured into other ways of making this vegetable. Its still the simple sauteing with the belief in the greens themselves.


Ingredients:
1 bunch turnip greens
8 cloves garlic
3 green chillies, chopped
1/2 onions, chopped (optional)
3 tsp oil
pinch of turmeric
salt


Preparation Method:
1. Clean the turnip green leaves and chop

2. In a pan, heat oil, add garlic, onions, green chillies and saute.
3 Add the chopped turnip greens.
4. Close the lid and let it cook.(around 7 minutes)
5. Add salt , turmeric, mix properly and saute till the liquid is evaporated.(Take off  the covering lid)

6. Serve with chapati or as a side.

 Preparation Time: 10 mins
Serves; 1 - 2

Simple Bhindi Fry / Okra Stirfry

This is another simple, easy and quick dish belonging to my favourite tava fry category. The dish is also similar to Bhindi Di Pyaza, but since i use green chillies, I do not use any spices or masala, it is just the way of saying ..... the simpler the better.

Ingredients:

2 cups,(~250gms, 9 oz) bhindi (okra), chopped
1/2 cup onions, chopped
3 green chillies,chopped
4 tsp oil
1/4 tsp tamarind pulp
pinch of turmeric
salt
1/2 tsp garam masala (optional)

Preparation Method:

1. Wash the bhindi/okra and pat it dry with a kitchen paper/towel or leave them to dry. This is to reduce the stickiness/sliminess while cutting the okra, then chop.

2. Heat oil in a pan, add onions and green chilles and saute for 2 -3 minutes.
3. Add the chopped bhindi and saute.
4. Then add turmeric, salt, tamarind pulp and garam masala (I did not use though) if needed. .
4. Keep the heat at medium to high and saute for 10 minutes or until the okra is cooked.

5. Serve as a side or with chapati.
Note:
Make sure the okra, cutting board, knife are all dry before you cut the okra.
Cooking on medium to high heat helps in removing the stickiness/sliminess..
I like the crunchiness of this dish, but if you want the vegetable to be soft, cover the pan and cook.

Preparation time: 15 mins
Serves: 2

About

Denufood - The name combines the first two letters of the two words - delicious and nutritious !
Denufood - Delicious and Nutritious Food Receipes from our kitchen, features the flavors of regional Indian cuisine, international cuisines and featuring Vegan,Vegetarian, Non-Vegetarian, Sea foodrecipes! Come share and enjoy some of quick, simple easy recipes!

We have been part of Belgaum, Mumbai, Goa in INDIA and currently located in Maryland, USA. And being part of Belgaum which is border to Maharashtra and Goa,  the food is influenced by the humble cuisines of North Karnataka, Maharastra & Goan/Konkan.

Cooking has always been fascinating and started cooking since we were kids..and now we are just moving from the recipe book of our to this blog...which is an extension of our enthusiasm for cooking a healthy and nutritious delicaces

Dedicated to our parents & grand parents !

Come share and enjoy some of the receipes from our kitchen!!

Cheers
SE

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Thanks Once Again
Denufood!!

Salmon - pan seared with masala / spices

                                                                                                                                                                                 

This dish can also be grilled or baked if making in larger quantity. I however prefer using pan since it is takes less time to prepare the dish. The masala is influenced by the goan cuisine since seafood at home is always made the goan way..as it is belgaum food is influenced by north karnataka/maharastrian& goan cuisines.

I prepare the traditional goan fish fry with mackeral (bangda), kingfish (surmai) or tilapia. But since I had Salmon, prepared it this way.

Ingredients:

2 Salmon fillets (about 3 inches)

1 tbsp onion, minced

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp vinegar (can be substituted with lemon juice/ tamarind or kokum pulp)

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/4 tsp turmeric

3 stems of cilantro

2 tsp oil

salt to taste

Preparation Method:
1.Take a bowl of water with 2 tsp of salt and soak the salmon fillets and keep aside.

2. In another bowl, mix all the above ingredients except oil to prepare the spice mix / seasoning

3. Wash the fillets and slightly press to remove any excess water.

4. Apply the spice mix to the fillets, poke the fillet at few places using tip of the knife so that the mixture goes in it. Leave it to marinate for 5 - 10 minutes.

5. On a medium heat, add 1 tsp of oil into a non-stick pan.

6. Place the fillets in the pan and let it cook for 3 - 4 minutes. Then turn over, add remaining 1 tsp of oil at the sides of the fillets and let it cook for 3 - 4 minutes.

7. Once done, remove the fillets into a serving plate and garnish with sliced onion & cilantro. Squeeze lemon if needed.

8. Have it as is, as a side or with rice / bread / naan.

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Serves: 2

Chane / Harbare/ Chole Koshimbir (Chikpea Salad)

We always make this as an appetizer/starter or at times when its a dieting time :-). Back home we use to make this during Nagapanchmi and mix it with lahya(puffed millet/jowar). I've used the chikpea of bengal gram variety. We also call it as harbare.

Ingredients:
1 cup chikpeas/chana
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 - 4 green chillies, chopped
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumins seeds
1 tsp cumin powder
1 strand of curry leaves
3 tsp oil
salt
garnish: 2 tsp grated coconut & cilantro/coriander

Preparation Method:

1. Soak the chana/bengal gram/chikpeas in water and leave it overnight. Drain water before cooking.

2. In a pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds. As the mustard seeds start popping add, cumin seeds, curry leaves, choppd onions and greeen chillies. Saute.
3. Add the chikpeas, a cup of water and cook the chikpeas with lid covered. Do not overcook, it  just needs to be soft enough.
4. Once cooked, add salt and cumin powder and mix well/saute till the water is all used up.
5. Add grated coconut and cilantro for garnish.

Preparation: 20 mins

Serves: 2 -3

This is my entry to the My Love affair with Legumes-Fifteenth Helping and invited by The well seasoned cook.

Cheers!

Tomato Halwa ( Tomato Sweet )

Made this sweet after a long long time...5 years. Had made this dish while  working in Pune. Thanks to Savita for letting us know to make this dish then. But making this dish today turned out to be a chemistry/formulation project. The receipe had all the ingredients mentioned in gms and now had to convert them into cups, cup being a volumetric measurement( a kg pack of sugar is different then a kg pack of cereal)......ok how did we do it?? so the conversations were like..ok find out the density of sugar, also the density of corn flour....ok so density=mass/volume, if we know mass, we can calculate volume......so enjoyed little calculations...back with the memories of chemistry labs...

 Ingredients

2 cups tomato puree
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn flour
1 cup water
1 pinch cardamom powder
2 - 5 tsp ghee (clarified butter)/ olive oil
Sliced almonds, raisins, cashews or any dry fruits for garnishing

Preparation time 30min

Preparation Method

1. Take tomato puree in a bowl. (to make 2 cups of puree blend about 1 lb of tomatoes or 3 fist size tomatoes).
2. Add the corn flour into the puree, mix well and keep aside.

3. In another vessel add water and sugar and bring it to boil.
4. Add cardamom to the boiled sugar syrup.
5. Slowly add the puree mixture into the sugar syrup with continuous stirring for about 15 min or till the mixture is thickened
6. Add ghee ( vegans can use olive oil ) and dry fruits to the mixture and mix well.
7. Transfer the mixture into a greased pan and allow it to cool.
8. Cut into required shape.

This is my entry to FIL - Ghee Sweets hosted by Sanghi's Food Delight

Hirvi Kobi Tawa Bhaji (Green Cabbage Stirfry)

Let me decipher what Hirvi Kobi Tava Bhaji is..Hirvi means greeen, kobi is cabbage, tava/tawa is pan or griddle, bhaji is vegetable. I had the last quarter of the cabbage head lying in the fridge since couple of days, so thought to go ahead with it. This tawa bhaji, I guess is the most simplest with ingredients as well as preparation is concerned and so one of the favourite quick dishes!!! The green color of the dish is from the generous use of cilantro or coriander leaves.

Ingredients:

3 cups cabbage thinly sliced

3 tsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

3 green chillies

1/2 cup chopped cilantro/coriander

salt to taste

Preparation method:

sliced caggage

1. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. As the seeds start to pop add the finely cut green chillies. Saute for a 1/2 min.

2.Immediately add the thinly sliced cabbage and saute for about 5 mins on little over medium flame.

3 Add cilantro/corriander and salt and stri fry for another 2 - 3 minutes.

4. Serve with chapati/roti or a loaf of bread. Can also have it as a side/salad.

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Serves: 1 - 2

Note: Do not use water in this dish and do not cover the pan anytime during the sauteing, or after the dish is done. This is to maintain the crunchiness of the sliced cabbage.


More Stir Fry Recipes:
Karela (Bitter Gourd ) Stir Fry 
Sauted Turnip Greens

Mung & Masoor Dal / Varan ( Mung & Red Lentil Curry )

I started making this daal as a part of the Naivaidya/Prasad on tuesday evenings as part of fasting ritual. So this has been a regular in our kitchen. However there are other types of varan that we make and will share those in the upcoming posts!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup mung dal
1/2 cup masoor dal
1/2 tomato (chopped)
2 -3 green chillies
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1/4 tsp black pepper powder
1 tbsp oil
pinch of turmeric
salt
For garnish: cilantro/corriander and 1 tsp of ghee(clarified butter)

Preparation Method:

1. Wash the lentils and transfer it in a vessel.

2.Add 3 -4 cups of water and cook the dal till it becomes soft. This should take anytime between 10-20 minutes but make sure the liquid doesnt overflow.
3. Add the tomatoes  and cook for another 5 minutes. Check for the consistency, add water if needed.
4.Then add salt, turmeric, black pepper powder and keep the vessel on the lowest heat setting.
5. In another pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds. Once they start to pop add green chillies, cumin seeds and asafoetida. Immediately transfer this seasoning mixture into the vessel with cooked lentils and close the lid on the vessel.
6.Add a little water to the seasoning pan and transfer it to the lentil mixture. This is done so that there is no seasoning mixture left behind and the curry has all the aroma of the seasoning.
7. Garnish with ghee and cilantro.Serve with hot plain rice or as a soup.

Prep Time: 30 mins

Serves: 2-4