Recipe world

Summer is the season of jackfruits in my native. Many households will be busy preparing different dishes and preservable foods from jackfruit during jackfruit season. Apart from papad and chips, my mum and aunts will make sun-dried raw jackfruit pieces. They use them to make different jackfruit dishes whenever they need. Here is the recipe of sun-dried jackfruit pieces for you..

Time required: 3 hours

Drying time - 1 week

Difficulty level: Medium

Ingredients:

Fully grown raw jackfruit - 1
Salt - for taste

Method:

Cut the raw jackfruit and separate the flesh.
Cut the flesh into medium sized chunks or into desired size.
Add salt to taste and mix well. Allow it to rest for 1 - 2 hours.
Squeeze off the excess water content and spread them on a plate for drying.
Sun-dry the raw jackfruit chunks for upto a week or till the chunks are dry and crisp and there is no moisture left in them.
Store the sun-dried chunks in an air-tight container and use them for preparing different dishes.
Soak them 30 minutes before cooking and they are ready to use!
I will share a few recipes using sun-dried raw jackfruit pieces in my upcoming posts.

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಲು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ

During our last India trip, my sister had packed some home made Sandige Menasu (Buttermilk chillies) for us. These chillies, once fried in oil, turn out so delicious! My kids wanted to give them a try and both started liking them. We get a spicific variety of green chillies called Gokarna Menasu in our native place. The name is because of the place where they will be grown. These chillies are very mild in taste and are perfect for making Curd chillies.

Few days back, we had got a big bunch of fresh green chillies from the farmers market. I checked with my sister for the recipe and tried my hands on making Curd chillies. They were a bit spicy than what my sister gave to us, but there was no compromise in taste.

Here comes the recipe of Sandige Menasu or Curd Chillies which I learnt from my sister:

Time required: 45 minutes

Sun drying time: 1 week approx.

Difficulty level: difficult

Ingredients:

Green chillies - 1/2 kg (mild ones are better)
Salt - to taste
Thick curd or thick buttermilk - 2 cups (approx)
Urid dal - 2 tsp
Methi seeds - 4 or 5 seeds
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida / hing - 1/4 tsp
Lime squeeze - for taste (use it if the curd is not sour)
Water - as needed

Method:

Wash the green chillies in water thoroughly.
Make a slit in the chillies lengthwise, but don't separate into parts. Slit helps to absorb the curd easily.
Heat enough water to cover the chillies.
Once the water starts boiling, transfer the slit chillies into the boiling water and after half a minute, take all the chillies out and drain them on a cotton cloth or thick paper towel for 15 minutes.
Spread the chillies on a wide plate and cover the plate with a thin cloth. Sun dry these chillies for two days. Then, dip them in curd mixture.

How to prepare Buttermilk mixture: Prepare the curd mixture on the second day by following the below steps:

Dry roast urid dal, methi seeds, asafoetida / hing and cumin seeds till aromatic and make a fine powder.

Take the thick curd and add the spice powder you made. Blend it in mixie for 2 minutes to make a fine mix.

Add salt according to taste. If the curd is not sour, add some lime squeeze.

After sun drying for 2 days, immerse the chillies in the curd mixture overnight.
Next morning, take out the chillies from the curd mixture and spread them on the plate, cover with a thin cloth and sundry them. Keep the remaining buttermilk mixture as it is.
Put the chillies back into the curd mixture in the evening, take out and sundry them next day. Repeat it till the curd mixture gets over.
Sun dry the chillies till they are nicely crisp and there's no water content left in them.
Store these dried chillies in an airtight container for upto a year.

How to fry Curd chillies:

Heat 3 - 4 tsp oil in a wok. Add 5 - 6 chillies and fry them on low flame till they turn a bit brownish.
Turn off the flame and enjoy these fried chillies along with rice and curd.

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಲು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ

We had a nice veggie garden during summer this year. Our little backyard was filled with many veggie crops for last couple of months. Radish or Moolangi was one of them, which we had a good crop. By the time COVID lockdown started, our veggies were ready for harvest. Prices of fruits and vegetables have risen drastically these days. Our home grown veggies have reduced the grocery bills to some extent. Now, its time to wind up the veggie garden as the winter is approaching.

Here is one of my favourite recipe, Radish leaves thepla or Mooli leaves paratha..

Preparation time: 25 - 30 minutes

Difficulty level: Medium

Yield: 10 - 11 Theplas

Ingredients:

Radish leaves - 1 small bunch
Whole wheat flour / Atta - 2 1/4 cup
Besan flour - 2 tbsp
Oil - for cooking
Cumin coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Chilli flakes (optional) - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 1 1/2 tsp
Amchur powder - 1/3 tsp
Warm water - 1 cup

Method:

Wash the radish leaves thoroughly in clean water. Chop them finely. If you have a pull chopper, it will ease the process.
Heat 1 1/2 tbsp oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add finely chopped radish leaves and cook it till the leaves change the color. It may take 5 - 8 minutes.
Switch off the flame and add cumin - coriander powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and chilli flakes. Mix it once.
Then, add wheat flour, besan flour, sugar, amchur powder and salt to taste.
Add water little by little and prepare smooth, non - sticky dough.
Make a big ball of dough, apply little oil and keep it covered for about 5 minutes. If you are in a hurry, just skip this step and proceed further.
Take out the dough, and make equal sized 10 or 11 balls from the dough.
Take one ball at a time, dip in dry flour and roll it into thin circle. Repeat the same with all the dough balls.
Cook the rolled circles on the hot tawa on both the sides. Drizzle a few drops of oil or ghee (clarified butter) while cooking.
Serve hot Thepla along with your favourite side dish.
Radish leaves thepla or parathas are perfect for breakfast, lunch box and dinner.

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಲು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ

'Katne' - is a unique curry from my native in Southern India. Its prepared using some wild leaves called 'Kannekudi' leaves which are available there. This curry is preferred during rainy season when people can't get much vegetables. Also, it helps to keep the body warmer during times of cold and fever.

We can't get Kannekudi leaves here in Australia, but I prepare this curry by substituting Spinach leaves. Below is the recipe of Spinach leaves Katne.

Preparation time: 20 - 25 minutes

Difficulty level: Medium

Serves: 5

Ingredients:

Spinach / Palak leaves - 1 bunch
Pepper corns - 10 to 12 (adjust according to spiciness needed)
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Amchut powder - 3/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Lime squeeze - for taste (see tips)
Oil - fr seasoning
Crushed garlic - 1 1/2 tsp
Water

Method:

Wash the spinach leaves in water and chop them roughly.
Heat 1 1/2 tsp of oil in a pan, add pepper corns and roast them till they start crackling.
Then, add cumin seeds followed by chopped spinach leaves.
Cook it till spinach leaves change color and turn off the flame. Don't add any water for cooking at this stage.
Grind the cooked mixture along with grated coconut and archur powder into fine paste. Add water as required.
Transfer the spinach paste to a pan. Add water as needed to adjust the consistency. I prefer it to be a bit watery like Rasam. Also add salt and lime juice as per taste.
Boil this curry nicely for 5 minutes.
Heat 1 1/2 tsp of oil in a small wok or pan. Add crushed garlic and sauté till it turns into lite brown color. Add this seasoning to the prepared curry.
Enjoy this delicious Katne (curry) along with rice!

Tips:

If not using lime juice, use more amchur powder and adjust the taste.
Having this curry during post partum time is good for health. Only change needed is to replace lime juice with amchur powder completely.

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಲು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ.

As everyone is restricted from going outside due to COVID - 19, its a bit hard to manage the kids at home all day. And, more household work like cooking, cleaning vessels, cleaning and the like. I am trying to involve kids in doing the household chores a bit. Here is a recipe which can be done involving the kids. Potato Podi or shallow fried potato slices are always on demand in our home.

Preparation time: 20 -25 minutes

Difficulty level: Medium

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Potato (big ones) - 2
Sooji rava (Course Semolina) - 3 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Red chilli powder - 3/4 tsp or to taste
Oil - for cooking

Method:

Peel off the skin of potatoes and cut them into thin slices.
Mix together sooji rava, salt and red chilli powder in a small bowl.
Coat the potato slices with the rava mixture by dipping them in the mixture.
Cook them on the hot tawa by drizzling a few drops of oil. Flip them a few times to ensure even cooking.

How to cook in the oven:

Pre-heat the oven to 175C.
Line the baking tray with baking sheet and arrange the semolina coated potato slices side by side.
Drizzle 4 - 5 drops of oil on each potato slice.
Cook them in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes or till done.
Take out the tray after 5 minutes and serve the hot Potato Podi as snacks or as a side dish with lunch or dinner.

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಓದಲು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕ್ಲಿಕ್ ಮಾಡಿ