Chinese thick poha

Ingredients :

Thick poha : 1 Cup
Onion : 1 No
Tomato : 1 No
Capsicum : 1 No
Turmeric Powder : 1/ 2 Spoon
Coriander Powder : 1 Spoon
Cumin Powder : 1/4 Spoon
Chilli Powder : According to taste
Soya sauce : 2 Spoons
Tomato sauce :  2 Spoons
Oregano Spice mix : 1/2 spoon (Optional)
Fennel seeds(saunf) : 1 spoon
Oil : 2 Spoons
Salt : According to taste.

Method:

1. Wash thick poha & keep it soaked in little water for 1/2 an hour.
2. Chop onion, capsicum & tomato; Keep them aside.
3. Heat oil in tawa, add fennel seeds, once it splutters add onions. Fry onions till it turns pink.
4. Add chopped capsicum, fry for 1-2 minutes.
5. Now add turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder,chilli powder & oregano spice mix. Mix properly.
6. Now add chopped tomatos & cook for few minutes till tomato become soft.
7. Add soya sauce & tomato sauce, sauté properly.
8. Add salt & mix well.
9. Now add soaked poha & sauté properly. cook for 2-3 minutes.
10. serve hot.  

Note

• Check before adding salt, since sauce has got little salt content.

Sweet Pumpkin curry ( ಚೀನೀ ಕಾಯಿ /ಕೆಮ್ಮುಂಡೆ ಕಲಸು )

Ingredients :

Sweet pumpkin -Cut into medium sized pieces -2-3 cups
Grated coconut : 1-1 1/2 cups
Chickpea Black (soaked) : 1/2 cup
Salt : According to taste
Jaggery powder : 1 table spoon
Green chilles : 1-2 Nos
Cumin seeds : 1 spoon
Turmeric powder : 1/2 spoon
Tamarind : 1/4 lemon sized
Mustard seeds : 1/2 spoon
Cooking oil : for tempering
Curry leaves

Method :

1. Pressure cook soaked chickpea.
2. Cook sweet pumpkin with little water & mix with cooked chickpea.
3. Grind coconut, green chillies, cumin seeds,turmeric powder , pinch of salt & tamarind to smooth paste with little water. 
4. Add the coconut paste to cooked pumpkin&chickpea & mix well.
5. Add jaggery & salt according to your taste.
6. Bring to boil.
7. Heat oil in pan, when mustard seeds start spluttering, add curry leaves.
8. Add this tempering to sweet pumpkin curry.

Note : 

• Cook sweet pumpkin with little care, since pumpkins are so soft once cooked . They will just get mashed up, if over cooked.
• You can use any king of chickpea.
• The curry is not spicy one , hence 1 or 2 chillies are used.

Mysore pak

Ingredients :

Besan Flour : 1 cup
Sugar : 1 cup
Ghee : 1 Cup


Method : 

1. Melt 1/2 cup of ghee & fry besan flour till nice aroma spreads.
2. Mix powdered sugar with roasted flour. 
3. Add remaining ghee & heat in low flame till mixture leaves ghee on the sides/edges.
4. Grease the tray with little ghee.
5. Spread over the tray & give desired shape when the mixture is still hot.
6. Decorate with dry fruits.
7. Once its cool, take out from tray.

Note:

• You can add cardamom powder for flavour. 
• If you want little harder version of mysore pak (Like brown coloured), heat the mixture for some more time.

Black currant dates kheer (Payasa)

Ingredients :

Chopped seedless dates :1/2 cup
Black currant (dry) : 1/2 cup
Poppy seeds(ಗಸಗಸೆ) : 1/4 cup
Jaggery powder : 3/4 cup
Ghee : 2 spoons
Dry fruits : 1/2 cup
Coconut milk : 2 cups
Rice flour : 2 spoon

Method :

1. Roast dry fruits, poppy seeds, dates & blackcurrant with ghee till nice aroma spreads.
2. Add jaggery & coconut milk .
3. Dilute rice flour with water & add to above mixture .
4. Bring to boil.
5. Serve hot or chilled.

Note :

• Sugar can be used instead of jaggery.
• Dry grapes can be used instead of black currant.
• Any kind of dry fruit can be used.
• Coconut milk can be replaced by milk.
• Corn flour can be used instead of rice flour.
• Since dates & black current are already sweet, adjust sweetness accordingly.
• If you want more thickness, then only add diluted rice flour.

Masala neeru dose/dosa (Tellavu )

Neeru dose/dosa (Tellavu - in havyaka kannada) is prepared generally in south canara district of karnataka.  Neeru means water, that is the dosa batter thickness is similar to water thickness. Dose thickness is depends on the batter thickness. If batter is more watery, then the taste of the dose is perfect, soft & thin...

Since my hubby don't like soft neeru dose, I have to make some changes. While grinding the rice I have added coriander powder , chilli powder , jeera powder  & chiroti rawa. You can use your own variety of masala powder. Spreading the dosa on tawa is also another technique.  since the batter is too thin, you have to just pour it over the tawa quickly. I have used non-stick tawa , so it was easy to take out the dosa. If tawa is not non-stick one, apply little oil before spreading dosa.

Ingredients :

Dosa rice : 1 cup
Chiroti rawa : 1/2 cup
Salt : according to taste.
Coriander powder : 2 spoons
Jeera powder : 1/2 spoon
Chilli Powder : 1 spoon
Garam masala (Optional) / or any other masala powder
Chopped vegetables/leaves:  onion/coriander leaves / tomato : For spreading over dosa.

Method:

1. Soak dosa rise overnight.
2. Grind rice with coriander powder , jeera powder , chilli powder ,chiroti rawa, salt with water till very smooth paste.
3. Add some more water & prepare thin batter.
4. Now pour the batter over heated tawa , spread chopped vegetable/leaves over the dosa.
5. Cover the dosa & let dosa leaves the tawa on the sides. 
6. If you want crispier one leave it for some more time.
7. Now take out the dosa from tawa & serve with chutney.

Chocolate flavoured semolina payasa

Ingredients : 

Semolina : 1 Cup
Sugar : 1/2 cup
Jaggery : 1/2 to1 cup (adjust according to your taste)
Coconut milk : 3 cups
Dry fruits :( dates / grapes / cashew nuts /almond) : 1/2 cup
Ghee : 2 spoon
Cocoa powder : 4 spoons
Cardamom powder : 1/4 spoon (Optional )

Method :

1. Cook semolina with coconut milk & cocoa powder.
2. Add sugar & Jaggery. Adjust the required consistency by adding water / coconut milk. 
3. Bring to boil.
4. Roast dry fruits with ghee & add to above mixture.
5. Add  cardamom powder & serve.

Mangalore Buns

Mangalore buns is regularly prepared in south canara & udupi district of karnataka. This is deep fried dish & originally maida is used as major ingredient, with banana, sugar , curd & salt with pinch of baking soda . I dont prefer to use baking soda, rather i would like to compromise on taste . But believe me the buns prepared  without baking soda was heavenly .. so soft & fluffy .

Note:

In this recipe I have used whole wheat flour instead of maida & Jaggery instead of sugar. You can use any kind of banana but use completely ripe one. Use little sour curd.






Ingredients :

Whole wheat flour : 3 cups
Jaggery : According  to taste. ( Mangalore buns taste is little sweeter side)
Curd : 1 cup (aproximate )
Banana : 2 Nos
Chilli Powder : According to taste.
Cumin seeds : 2 Spoon
Salt : According to taste.
Oil : for deep frying.

Method :

1. Mash bananas to smooth paste without any lumps (Use mixer to get perfect smooth paste.)
2. Add Jaggery  powder, Chilli powder , salt ,cumin seeds & mix well.
3. Now add whole wheat flour ,mix properly. 
4. By adding curd , adjust the dough consistency to chapati dough consistency.
5. Keep the dough covered for about 5-6 hours.
6. Take out lemon sized dough & roll over like poori .( Don't make it too thin ) (If dough is sticky , use little flour while rolling like poori /chapati).
7. Deep fry in oil till both the sides become brown. (Make sure that buns is immersed in oil while frying till they become fluffy.)
8. Take it out & place it on kitchen towel to remove excess oil.
9. Serve with chutney or sambar. 
10. Since in this recipe I have used chilli powder , jaggery , salt , You can have directly. No need of chutney / sambar.

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Cocoa - Dates balls

Dates are very good source of protein, dietary fiber and rich in vitamins. Also have got high iron content. And many more health benefits of eating dates.

It is big worry for each mother to feed their little one something healthy & nutritious. Being a mother of  a little boy, who is fussy eater;  my thoughts always revolve around food items & how to fool  my little one to feed some thing good for his health. The only word which is liked by him is chocolate (chokky). So I have ended up with cocoa-dates balls.

You can have many variety of date balls; like almond date balls, cashew date balls or mixed date balls. Or you can have your own combination.

Ingredients :

Dates  : 2 cups

Sugar : 1- 2 spoons (According to your tatse) (Optional)

Cocoa powder - 2 spoons

Method:

1. Remove the seeds &  heat in microwave till dates becomes soft.
2. In a mixer, mix cocoa powder, powdered sugar & dates.
3. Let it cool for some time & give desired shape.
4. Decorate & serve.

Note : While preparing dates roll with dry fruits , Just heat de-seeded dates in microwave & roll over the soft dates on powdered dry fruits. Keep it in refrigerator for half an hour & then give desired shape.

Baby corn pakoda

Its slightly drizzling outside followed by cool breeze.
What would you prefer to have ?? 
Of course some thing spicy, hot & yummy ... Yeah pakoda..


That day I was preparing baby corn manchurian. While preparing baby corn fries with corn flour, just tasted one piece, it was just awesome.Hence thought of preparing  Baby corn pakodas. 

Ingredients :

Baby corn  : 10-12 Pieces

Besan flour : 3/4 cup
Corn flour : 1/4 cup
Coriander powder : 1 spoon
Jeera powder : 1/4 spoon
asafoetida : a pinch
Chilli powder : According to taste
Salt:According to taste
Garam masala powder : 1/2 spoon(Optional) 
Oil : for deep frying

Method:

1. Cook baby corn in pressure cooker with little salt till 1 whistle.
2. Cut cooked baby corn into two halves.
3. Mix besan & corn four, add coriander powder, jeera powder, asafoetida , chilli powder & salt.
4. Add water & Prepare batter, without any lumps.
5. Now dip baby corn in the batter & deep fry till golden brown.
6. Use kitchen paper to drain excess oil.
7. Serve with tomato ketchup.