Capsicum and Cashew Masala

Hi everyone, like I said I put up a simple lunch menu with pomegranate raita, capsicum cashew masala, beetroot and potato tikkis/cutlets along with  naan.  So here comes the next recipe from the menu.  The thought of making this subzi/ veg gravy came up was, where we reside, this is one gravy that everyone seems to order.  Hubby has had this dish so many times and that made curious and I always wondered when do I get to order one,  but somehow, that hasn't happened till now.  So I thought why don’t I try it once at home.  Result, I quite liked it and hubby said that it almost matches to the one he has tasted.  So, easy and quick, this is how I made it.   

INGREDIENTS:

Green Capsicum	2 medium
Cashew nuts	15-20 nos
Onions	2 medium
Tomato	1
Coriander powder	1/2 tsp
Cumin powder	1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder	1/4 tsp
Chilli powder	1 tsp
Garam masala	1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic paste	1 tsp or 1/2 tsp each
Salt	As per preference
Oil	1 tbsp (15 ml)
Fresh cream	2 tbsp (30 ml)
Coriander leaves	To garnish

METHOD:

1.       Wash and cut the capsicum into cubes and keep aside. In a pan add a tsp of oil and sauté the cashew nuts till light golden.

2.       Chop the onions and tomatoes roughly and grind them in a mixer/grinder adding very little water to a fine paste.

3.       In a pan add a tbsp of oil,  add in the onion and tomato paste sauté for 2-3 minutes then add in the ginger garlic paste and sauté till the oil separates.

4.       Then add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, coriander and cumin powder and mix well till combined.  Sauté for 2 minutes. 

5.       Add in the capsicum, cashews, salt and about 1/2 a cup of water and let it simmer on low flame for 15 minutes or until the capsicum cooks well.

6.       Add the cream and garam masala and mix well.

7.       Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves and cream.

NOTES:

1.       This measure serves 3 people.

2.       You could use whole ginger and garlic.  If using whole, then grind it along with the onion and tomatoes.  About an inch of ginger and 2-3 garlic pods.

Potato Sukke

This is a wonderful potato preparation from our Saraswat menu.  Mildly spiced with a bit of tanginess and loads of flavour.  A must try.  We make a lot of combination meals like these.  We pair up certain vegetable gravies with lentil or coconut gravy preparations.  We also make this sukke as a combination, with a lentil preparation for rice called ambat.  Here, today I have served it with kholombo (sambhar variety).  Kholombo is a lentil preparation of red lentil (dal) a few vegetables of your chioce and fresh homemade masala (lightly roasted & ground spices).  The detailed post coming up tomorrow.  So getting to the recipe of sukke.  We call it batata sukke.  In our language (Konkani), we call potatoes "batata".  The recipe is as follows.

INGREDIENTS:

Potatoes	1/2 kg
Salt	1 tsp or as per preference
Coconut Oil	1 1/2  tsp
Black gram dal (urad dal)	1 tsp
Coriander seeds (Dhaniya seeds)	1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)	1/4 tsp
Coconut gratings	1/2 cup
Red chillies	5-6
Tamarind	A small ball
Turmeric powder	1/4 tsp
Coconut oil*	1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds*	1/2 tsp
Curry leaves*	6-7 leaves

* to temper

METHOD:

1.       Wash the potatoes well.  Cook them in a pressure cooker for 4-5 whistles.  Alternately you could cook/boil them in a vessel.  If cooking in a vessel, peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes (about an inch in size). Pour sufficient water in the pan and add salt, add the potatoes and cook until soft.

2.       Heat a pan and add oil. On low flame, fry/roast all the ingredients separately (black gram dal, coriander seeds and fenugreek seeds, red chillies) to a reddish brown colour.  (Be careful not to burn them as the dish will turn bitter).

3.       Once done with step two, grind together coconut, tamarind, turmeric and the fried/roasted spices to a fine paste adding a little water (say about 1/4 cup). Add more if the paste is too thick.

4.       If you have boiled the potatoes in a cooker, remove, peel and cut them into 1 inch cubes. Pour the paste/masala in a pan. Add potatoes and mix well. Adjust salt.  (add water if the masala is too thick).  This preparation should be a semi gravy consistency. 

5.       Give it a tempering of mustard seeds and curry leaves. Serve hot.
6.       Enjoy it as a side dish with rice or chappati (Indian flat bread)

NOTES:

1.       Fenugreek seeds may turn the dish bitter, so be careful not to use more than mentioned.
2.       If potatoes are boiled in a vessel remember you have added salt, so adjust accordingly.
3.       You could use any oil, but using coconut oil gives the dish a wonderful flavour.
4.       Adjust the spiciness according to your taste and the spiciness of the chiilies.
5.       Tamarind could be replaced with tamarind paste, if using paste, 1/2 tsp should work just fine.

 

 

Lunch Menu 3

Back again with a lunch menu after quite a gap.  Not that I wasn’t making these combo meals, just that I used to be in so much pf a rush with so many other things going on, that I couldn’t click pictures.  So today I made it a point to click and make a post.  This meal that I have put up is one of the combination that we Mangaloreans make.  There are many such mouth-watering and tempting menu's that I will put up as often as I can.  Today, the combination that I have come up with is batata sukke (coconut based potato curry), carrot salad, kholombo (sambhar, lentil preparation), chappatis (indian flat bread),rice, capsicum bhajiyas (capsicum fritters)(Clock-wise).  I did miss keeping the black eyed beans subzi that I made.  So putting up the post of batata sukke.  Others will follow soon. :) 

 

Teenratna Dal

Today's recipe is a dal preparation.  I know you all might be wondering there is panchratna dal, what is this teenratna dal.   Actually this dal is prepared with three dals (lentils) put together in equal quantities and hence I have named it so.  My hubby dear calls it "Golden Wonder".  Very easy and can be made in a jiffy.  So here is how the recipe goes.

Serves: 6
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

Pigeon peas (toor dal)	1/4 cup
Green gram dal (moong dal)	1/4 cup
Pink lentils (masoor dal)	1/4 cup
Onion (finely chopped)	1 medium
Tomato (finely chopped)	1 medium
Garlic (finely chopped)	3-4 cloves
Cumin seeds	1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder	1 tsp
Turmeric powder	1 tsp
Coriander seeds	1 tsp
Cumin & coriander powder	1 tsp
Coriander leaves	A little
Salt	1 1/2 tsp
Ghee	1 tbsp

METHOD:

1.       Wash the lentils together a couple of times and pressure cook it till soft and mushy.
2.       While the lentils get cooked.  Dry roast coriander and grind it into a fine powder, chop the onion and tomato into fine pieces.
3.       In a kadai (wok), add 1/2 a tbsp of ghee and add the cumin seeds.  Once they splutter add finely chopped garlic, sauté it for a second and add the onions.  Sauté the onions till translucent. 
4.       Add the chilli powder, turmeric powder and ground coriander seeds powder.  Blend well. 
5.       Add the tomatoes and a little water and cook the tomatoes till soft.  At this stage add the powder of cumin and coriander.
6.       Mash the cooked dal and add it to the onion and tomato mixture.  Add salt and a little water.  Mix well so that the onion and tomato mixture blends well with the dal.
7.       Adjust seasoning.  Garnish with coriander leaves.
8.       Serve hot with rice or rotis.

NOTES:

1.       Coriander and cumin powder is half tsp each.


 

Lunch Menu - 2

 

Today I prepared a lunch menu of sorts.  It included subz biryani, teenratna dal, boondi raita and papad.  Though I must admit, I did feel something was missing. No no, it wasn't the subzi (vegetable gravy).  I did not make that as there was subz biryani and it had the veggies in it.  That something was a sweet dish.  Then I thought it's ok,  let me save it for another time.  So this is how the lunch menu was served.

·         Subz biryani

·         Teenratna dal
·         Boondi raita
·         Papad

So enjoy this wonderful lunch menu.  Of course, you can make a sweet dish and complete your meal.

 

 

Lunch Menu - Masale Bhaat

Today am posting a simple yet mouth-watering lunch menu.  The combination that I have put together is that of, masale bhaat (masala rice), Dry Potato Subzi, rasam, and for sweet dish made aamras (mango pulp).  There is also rawa kesari here, since I made this combo meal on Satyanarayan puja day.

Starting with the recipes, the first one being MASALE BHAAT.  This is a Maharashtrian rice preparation.  A must have at all Maharashtrian weddings.  There are many variations to this wonderful spicy rice dish.  Here I have made this according to our preferences.  So my version of the recipe goes like this

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins

INGREDIENTS:

Rice	½ cup
Tendli (Ivy gourd)	15 (slit into 4 pieces)
Salt	As per preference
Water	2 cups (to cook rice)
Coriander leaves	To garnish
Grated coconut	1 tbsp (to garnish)
Green Peas	A handful
Cashew nuts	15-20 for garnish

To dry roast:

Black Pepper	6 nos	Dry red chillies	4
Big cardamom	1 no	Green cardamom	2 nos
Cinnamon	1 inch	Star anise	1 no
Cloves	3-4 nos	Stone flower (dagad phool)	2 nos
Coriander seeds	1½ tsp	Coconut	2 tbsp
Cumin seeds	1 tsp

To temper:

Oil/Ghee	2 tbsp
Cumin seeds	1 tsp
Bay leaf	1 no

METHOD:

1.      In a vessel (kadai, wok) dry roast the black pepper cinnamon and cloves together for a minute.  Keep them on a plate.  Then roast separately, the coriander seeds, cumin seeds.   (Roast them for a minute or two or till they get a very light golden colour on them).  Roast the green cardamom, big cardamom, star anise and stone-flower together for a minute. Roast the chillies till they puff up.  Lastly roast the coconut to a dark brown colour.

2.      Let this mixture cool.  Then dry grind it to a very fine powder.

3.      In a pressure cooker, add oil/ghee (keep this on a medium low flame).  Add cumin seeds.  Let them splutter.  Add the bay leaf.

4.      Then add the slit ivy gourd (tendli), Green peas and saute it for 2 mins.  Add the rice.

5.      Saute the rice for a minute.  Add the ground masala to it and mix well.  Add salt

6.      Add 2 cups of water to the rice and close the lid and keep this one high flame.  Cook this for one whistle.  Then let it simmer for 5 minutes on low flame.

7.      Once the pressure goes, transfer the rice in a serving dish and serve hot garnished with coriander leaves and grated coconut along with ghee roasted cashews nuts.  Enjoy this lovely rice preparation.

NOTES:

1.      I have given the quantity of ingredients which serves two people.  Kindly increase the quantity when making for more number of people.

2.      I have used fresh coconut here.  You can use dry coconut (kopra).  It will give a wonderful taste to the dish.

3.      Adding water completely depends on the rice.  So please add accordingly (how you would normally cook your daily rice).

I will be making different posts for the other recipes in this combo meal.  So keep looking as the recipes will be posted ASAP.