Bread fruit fry

When I was in school, I read an article in a magazine where the author described breadfruit as a food fit for god. She must have been someone like me who goes absolutely crazy seeing a tender breadfruit. Although technically it is a fruit, I have always eaten it in savory forms like sabzi, sambar or fry. The fry is probably the tastiest way to eat it. Since it was always available in my hometown every summer, I never realized that it is so regional and native only to the Konkan coast of India. I came to Bangalore and searched for it, only to realize people here did not even know what it is. I have found it in the shopping complex in Jayanagar recently but it is way too expensive here in comparison to the coastal belt. I believe a few Mangalore stores hold it in Bangalore. If you do find it, below is probably the best way to eat it…

A jeegujje looks like a jackfruit but is as small as a coconut

Inside of a jeegujje

Peel it and cut it into slices

Coat it with the flour mixture

Fry on a greased tava

Flip when one side is cooked

Ingredients:

Jeejugge/ Neerphanas/ Breadfruit – 1

Rice flour – 1 cup

Red chilli powder – 2 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Salt

Oil to fry

Method:

Cut the jeegujje into half

Peel it using a knife. You may use a peeler, but the tender ones have a hard skin.

Slice it as finely as you can and soak them in water else they will discolour.

Mix rice flour, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and salt. Adjust salt and red chilli powder according to your taste.

Heat a tava /griddle and grease it.

Coat the jeegujje slices in the rice flour coating and place on tava.

Spoon oil over each of them

Flip when brown spots appear on one side

Prick the jeegujje with a knife, if it goes through smoothly without much resistance, then it is cooked

This can be eaten just a snack or along with rice and sambar as an accompaniment.

Akki rotti / Rice flour flatbread with cucumber (sautekai)

Hot hot akki rottis with fresh homemade butter… yummmmm…. What in it is not to like? Akki means rice and rotti means roti/bread. It is a flatbread or roti made of rice flour. Akki rottis can be enjoyed as breakfast, lunch or dinner. So many different things can be added or the ingredients varied a little to get various types of akki rottis, each to suit a different palate. Akki rottis are probably unique to Karnataka, and are very easily available in any darshini and sagars across Bangalore. Very easy and quick to make. Below is a recipe with cucumber or sautekai in it. Let’s go ahead and add a teaspoon of life into akki rottis…

Akki rotti

Make balls from dough

Flatten the dough on a butter paper

Roll out the rotti using hand

Rotti after rolling

Place the rotti on the tava

Flip the rotti after one side browns

Cook on both sides

Enjoy rotti with homemade butter or chutney

Ingredients:

Akki hittu/ Rice flour – 1.5 cups

Cucumber – 1

Green chillies -1-2

Coriander leaves – a handful

Jeera/ Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Oil – 2-3 tbsp

Salt

Warm water

Method:

Peel and grate the cucumber

Chop green chillies finely. You can slit them and remove the seeds and then chop if you find them very spicy.

Chop the coriander leaves finely.

Add the chillies and the coriander to the cucumber.

Add the rice flour and cumin seeds also to the cucumber.

Use warm water to knead it into a smooth dough.

Divide into balls.

Grease a paper or a plastic sheet. An A4 size or quarter of a single newspaper sheet should do. I avoid using newspaper as sometimes the print makes an impression on the rotti. Using a good quality butter paper is suggested.

Place the ball of dough on it and flatten it out as thinly as you can using your hands.

You can use a greased rolling pin if you find it difficult to flatten using your hands.

Heat a tava/griddle. Grease the tava.

Once the tava is hot, gently remove the rotti from the paper and place it on the tava. I gently overturn the paper in one hand and peel off the paper using the other hand.

Spoon oil onto the tava and cook until brown spots appear on both sides.

Enjoy when hot along with chutney, chutney pudi, pickle or butter.

Spinach Dal | Palak Dal

Howdy!! How did the weekend treat you? Are you in mood for some piping hot Palak Dal and Rice?

How to make palak dhal recipe at www.oneteaspoonoflife.com

The first time I had this Spinach or Palak Dal was when I was around 8 years old. My friend's mom, my next door neighbor made it. As we played in the kitchen, she cooked it right in front of us showing us how it is made. The moment she added the ginger-garlic and fried and the aroma wafted over to where we were playing, our mouths started watering and we did not leave the kitchen until the entire dal was made. I did not even go home for lunch that day, I ate at my friend's place.

Being from Mumbai, my friend's family was used to eating spicy and hot food. To my near bland palate, it was like an explosion in my mouth and I ate the dal while my eyes watered. But I loved every spoonful of it. I loved it so much, I ran back home and asked my mom to learn how to make Palak Dal.

I've since, learnt how to make it and it is regular occurrence in my house. While I have grown up, my palate is still not accustomed to extremely hot food, so I never add as much green chilli or ginger my friend's mom added, I only add enough to tantalize my tongue. If you are fond of hot food, feel free to add in more or if you prefer your food to be lighter in taste, you can remove the seeds of the chilli before grinding it into a paste.

For added flavor, you can add half a cup of dill leaves or suva sabzi to this dal as well. I add it at times if I have it and it gives this Palak Dal a different dimension. Highly recommended addition, I say!

I personally love dal with roti or naan as much as I love my dal rice. If you plan on eating this with roti, reduce the amount of water you add, to get a thicker consistency. To eat with rice, a thinner consistency is preferred.

I cook this dal entirely in the pressure cooker, partly because it is quicker and partly because I am lazy to wash many dishes. If you do not have a pressure cooker, you can use a kadhai or a sauce pan with a lid to make this Palak Dal. You will find that this does not alter the taste or texture of the Palak Dal, however, it does take longer to cook the dal. And that means you have to wait longer to eat this awesome curry!!!

If you liked this, you may also like:

Pancharangi Dal - Curry made with 5 different types of lentils.
Heerekai Tove - Dal with ridgegourd pieces.
Dal Makhani - Creamy and rich dal made with black lentils.
Dal Fry (restaurant style) - Plain simple dal made in restaurant style.

Spinach Dal | Palak Dal

Spinach Dal or Palak Dal is a spiced dal made from pigeon pea lentils (toor dal) and spinach.

Recipe Type: Main
Cuisine: North Indian
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Yield: Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

5-6 cups chopped Spinach (Palak)
1 cup Pigeon Pea Lentils (Toor Dal)
1 Onion
2 Tomato
3-4 pods Garlic
1" piece Ginger
1-2 Green Chilli
1 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
3 tsp Oil
Salt to taste
Water

Method:

Boil the toor dal with 2.5 cups of water in a pressure cooker. Remove the dal and clean the pressure cooker for re-use.
Wash and chop the palak leaves.
Chop the onion and tomato and keep aside.
Grind the ginger, garlic, and the green chillies into a paste.
Heat oil in the pressure cooker, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter.
Now add the cumin seeds and let them brown slightly.
Add the chopped onions.
Fry the onions until translucent.
Add the ginger-garlic-chilli paste and fry until fragrant.
Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add garam masala and mix well.
Add chopped palak and stir for 1-2 minutes.
Add the boiled dal, turmeric powder, salt and 1 cup of water.
Close the pressure cooker and cook for 1-2 whistles or around 5 minutes after the pressure builds up.
If you want it to be thinner in consistency, then add more water.
Serve hot with rice.

Note:

If not using a pressure cooker, you can just use a regular deep sauce pan with a tight lid. There will be no difference in taste or texture, however, it will take longer to cook the Spinach Dal.

Uppit / Upma

Uppit is easy breakfast to make in large quantities. I never liked uppit as a kid, but I think eating the breakfast available in my hostel mess, made me crave for things like uppit. As of most south Indian recipes, the taste of uppit can be altered by the addition/deletion of certain ingredients. You may add capscicum, dill leaves etc, to enhance the taste. You may also exclude vegetables mentioned below to get a different taste.

Uppit

Fry all the vegetable in oil

Add tomato to the fried vegetables

After the water evaporates, cover and rest until rava is cooked

Add coriander and freshly grated coconut and serve hot

Ingredients:

Rava/ Semolina – 1 cup
Water – 2.5 cups
Oil – 1-2 tbsp
Potato – 1 small
Carrot – 1 small
Beans – 8-10
Green peas – ¼ cup (optional)
Onion – 1 medium
Tomato – 2 medium
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Jeera / Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Ginger - 1/2" piece
Green chillies – 2-3
Coriander leaves – a handful (optional)
Grated fresh coconut – 2 tbsp (optional)
Salt

Method:

Roast the rava in a kadhai.You can add a tsp of oil while roasting.

Roast for around 3-4 mins until it turns slightly brown. It may take longer. Make sure you don’t burn it. Generally color and fragrance tell you it is done.
Heat oil in a kadhai. Add mustard seeds and jeera and allow them to splutter.
Add urad dal and crushed ginger piece.
Add finely chopped onion and slit green chillis and fry until the onions are translucent.
Add finely chopped potato, carrot and beans. Add the green peas.
Cover and allow to cook for around 6-7 mins until the vegetables are almost cooked.
Add tomato and cook for another 2 mins until the tomato softens
Add the water to the kadhai.
Add salt and allow the water to boil.
Once the water has boiled, add the roasted rava and cover and cook until all the water evaporates (approximately 3-5 mins)
Once the water has evaporated, cover the kadhai and rest for around 10 mins.
Add coriander and grated coconut and serve hot.

Neer dose ( a thin rice pancake)

This is literally translated from kannada into english by many restaurants these days giving us a hilarious translation of "Water dose". Although "Neer" does mean water in kannada, it actually is a dosa made with a very watery batter. As a kid, neer dose was a breakfast I simply hated. I used to wonder how people enjoy eating it. My perspective totally changed when I had this with the local Mangalorean midigai pickle (it is small raw mangoes pickled whole) at a distant relatives place once. I don't even remember the relative, but I do remember how it felt to eat the neer dose with that pickle. I still think that is probably the most wonderful combination. I knew only one type of neer dose my mom used to make before I came to Bangalore. Bangalore serves this simple dish in various styles. Some add coconut to it, while some cook it differently, some serve it with freshly grated coconut and jaggery, some with regular chutney. Although, each of these does taste nice, I think what we eat as kids is always considered the best by us. So here goes the recipe for the simplest neer dose...

Ingredients:

Rice - 1 cup
Water - 5 cups
Salt
Oil for frying

Method:

Wash and soak the rice in 2-3 cups water overnight.
In the morning, drain out the water and grind the rice finely with very little water in a mixer/grinder.
Add salt and 1.5 cups of water to the rice batter.
The consistency of the batter should be around that of buttermilk.
Add more water if needed.
Heat a dosa tava/griddle. Grease the tava.
Once tha tava is hot, pour a spoonful of the batter on the tava.
Cover and cook until done. It should be done in 1-2 mins.
Generally, neer dose is cooked only on one side and isn't flipped on the tava.
If you feel it isn't cooking all the way through to the top, you may flip it and cook it.
Serve hot with coconut chutney or pickle

Mango Cheesecake (Eggless)

Every time I watch that episode from Friends when Chandler and Rachel steal their neighbour’s cheesecake and eat it, I feel like getting my own. I finally decided to try making one at home. Since it is May and mangoes are abundant, it was an easy choice to make Mango cheesecake. I searched the net for an easy eggless recipe and ended up on this one from Divinetaste. I modified it a little to suit my tin size. I used a 7” loose bottomed cake tin that took me a day to find in Bangalore. I searched high and low for it or for a springform cake tin. Ended up getting it at Ibcablr. Don’t be mistaken, these are available in most places like Hypercity, MK Ahmed, Nilgiris (Brigade road) etc. it was the size I wanted that was missing.

Biscuit base

Ingredients:

Curd – ½ litre (500 ml)

Paneer – 200 gms

Mangoes – 3

China grass –10 gms

Water – 1 cup

Powdered sugar – 1.5 cups

Vanilla essence – 1 tsp

Butter (unsalted) – 6 tbsp

Digestive biscuits – 8 to 10

Lime juice – 1 tbsp

Method:

Biscuit base:

Crush the digestive biscuits and mix with softened butter until it is evenly mixed. You should be able to hold the mixture in a closed fist and it should not crumble. Add less butter if it achieves the same result.

Spread this on the base of the loose bottomed cake tin or the spring form cake tin and press until it is tight.

Refrigerate for 1-1.5 hrs.

Cheese filling:

8-10 hours prior to making the cheesecake, pour it in a strainer with a bowl underneath it and leave it in the fridge. You can achieve the same results by hanging the curd in a muslin cloth as well.

I made paneer from about 1 L of milk, you can use store bought paneer too. In the mixer, add the paneer and the hung curd and mix until there are no lumps.

Soak the china grass in water for 10 mins.

Peel and puree 2 mangoes.

Heat the china grass until it dissolves in water. Simultaneously heat the mango puree. Do not allow either of the two to boil.

Once the china grass is dissolved, pour it into the mango puree.

Add this mix to the cheese mix.

Add vanilla and sugar. I suggest adding sugar little by little until the desired sweetness is achieved.

Pour this over the biscuit base and refrigerate for half an hour.

Mango glaze:

Peel and puree 1 mango.

Add the lime juice and 1 tbsp of water. Add around 1 tbsp sugar and heat for 5 mins. Keep stirring and do not let it burn. Add more sugar if required.

Pour this over the cheese filling.

Refrigerate for 5-6 hours.

Raw mango gojju

Raw mangoes... just thinking of them makes my mouth water. I'm sure they have the same impact on a lot of us. The recipe that follows is something my mom used to make in the summers and would always leave me craving for more. Generally made with a fruit called "amtekai" or "ambade", in its absence, it was made using raw mangoes. Since "amtekai" is only available along the konkan coast, I decided to make my childhood favourite using raw mangoes. And it paid off, my husband loved it too and did not seem bored after this made an appearance multiple times this summer.

Ingredients:

Raw mango - 1

Coconut - 1.5 cups

Sambhar powder - 1.5 tbsp

Hing - a pinch

Urad dal - 2 tbsp

Methi seeds - 1 tbsp

Jaggery - 2-5 tbsp

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 8-10

Salt

Method:

Dry roast 1.5 tbsp urad dal and .5 tbsp of methi seeds.

Grind the coconut and the sambhar powder to a coarse paste using little water. Add the dry roasted urad dal and methi seeds and continue to grind to a fine paste.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, remaining urad dal and methi seeds and wait till mustard seeds have stopped spluttering.

Add the coconut paste and roast for 1 minute.

Add chopped raw mango and water. Add salt, chilli powder, turmeric and hing.

Allow it to cook till mango are done.

Add jaggery depending on how sweet you like it.

Vegetarian Quiche

I simply love the mushroom quiche from Sweet Chariot in Bangalore, but unfortunately, it is not always available. I have once spent almost an hour and half and lots of fuel searching for it in 3 different SC across Bangalore. Isn't it easier that I learn to make it at home. But do I really have the time to slog over mastering the pasty? Not really. So I had to Google my way through this recipe. Since my husband does not eat mushrooms and I'm so selfless (seriously, I am),and anyway I did not want him salivating while I enjoyed my quiche. I decided to forgo the mushroom quiche idea and make a vegetable quiche instead. This is just as yummy with or without the mushrooms

Before keeping in the oven

Nice an hot, ready to eat

Ingredients:

Pastry:
Flour - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1/4 tsp
Olive oil - 1/8th cup
Cold water - 1/8th cup

Béchamel sauce:

Butter - 1 tbsp
Flour - 1.5 tbsp
Milk - 3/4 cup
Salt
Nutmeg - 1/2 tsp

Filling:

Onion - 1/2
Garlic - 1-2 cloves
Green peas - 2 tbsp
Carrot - 1 small
Cauliflower - 2 tbsp (cut into small florets)
Dill leaves - 1/2 cup
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt
Red Chili powder or Black pepper - 1 tsp
Cheese - 1 cube

Method:

Pastry:

1) Mix the oil and water and whisk together with a fork until it forms an emulsion
2) Add the flour and salt to the emulsion and mix with a fork or hand until completely mixed. Do not knead.
3) Roll it out and layer the greased pie dish
4) Bake for 10-15 mins at 200 deg Celsius

Béchamel Sauce:

1) Heat butter in a pan and add the flour to it and sauté for a while until the raw smell disappears
2) Add milk, salt and nutmeg. Keep stirring continuously until the sauce thickens.

Filling:

1) Heat oil in a pan and add all vegetables and cook until vegetables are done
2) Add salt and chilli powder/pepper powder
3) Pour in the bechemel sauce and mix well

Quiche method:

1) Pour the filling into the pastry
2) Grate the cheese on top of the filling
3) Cook for 25-30 minutes at 200 deg celsius or until the top browns

Baked thick sev

My husband is almost a professional junk food aka kuruklu eater. All he needs is a packet or bowl of his crunchy munchies and a TV remote in his hand to forget all about my existence. I'm sure he has some special abilities to be able to faze out my constant chatter, but he does manage to do it somehow. If he has to eat his munchies, I decided, it was time to make it as healthy as I can. Store bought ones are generally fried, hence, I decided to bake. I'm not sure about the calories saved in this one, but I can guarantee, it definitely is healthier.

Makes - 1 cup

Ingredients:

Besan (gram flour) - 1 cup
Lime juice - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Hing (asafoetida) - a pinch
Salt - to taste
Water
Oil - 1 tsp

Method:

1) Mix all the ingredients and make a stiff dough with water.
2) Use a chakli press with a fine hole plate. I did not have this so I used a plastic bag with a small hole at one end (like a piping bag) and piped out the sev. It is a very tiring process to pipe the dough out, better to invest in a chakli press.
3) Use a non stick baking tray and place the sev on it and bake at 180 deg Celsius for appx 10 minutes. Remove if they start browning before 10 minutes.

Methi Mutter Milk (low fat)

Bored of making methi the same two ways I always do, I decided to try something new. After googling for a while, I decided to make methi mutter malai. Although, I must say my dish does not live up to its name. I have used no malai. The thought of malai makes me squirm. So it has been replaced by milk in my recipe. Extremely easy to make, this simple change in menu got me out of my boredom. Pleased to add a third way to cook methi in my recipe book.

Ingredients:

Fresh green peas - 3/4 cup
Fresh methi leaves - 2.5 cups
Onion - 1 large
Cashew nuts - 5-6
Garlic - 2 cloves
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Green chillies - 2-3
Milk - 1/2-1 cup
Amchur (dry mango powder) - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Oil - 3 tsp
Salt

Method:

1) Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan and fry onion, cashew, ginger, garlic and green chillies until the onions are translucent
2) Blanch the methi leaves in hot water for 5 mins and shock them by adding them to cold water immediately
3) Boil or sauté the peas until done
4) Make a paste of the onion mixture along with a tbsp of methi leaves
5) Heat the remaining oil in a pan and add the ground paste
6) Add the peas and methi leaves to the pan. Add 1/2 cup water and all the dry spices
7) Cook for around 5-8 minutes
8) Add 1/2 cup milk and cook on sim for another 8-10 mins or until the methi is completely cooked. Add more/less milk depending on the desired consistency.
Do not cover and cook once the milk is added. Also, do not cook on high once the milk is added.
Serve hot with rotis or rice

Palak Rice / Spinach Rice

My friend recommended me to try the unique fare a restaurant in Bangalore has to offer. This restaurant has added a certain twist to the dishes we know to make them different. It was at this place I ordered a Spanish fried rice. Although the name is exotic, and the taste was also good, I doubt it has anything Spanish about it. But this rice got me craving for it. Generally, when I crave something, I try to recreate it at home, instead of going out again to eat it. So it was decided that Spain would enter my kitchen with this Spanish aka Spinach rice... I was not disappointed, my experiment tasted very much like the original and had my friends digging into my lunch box more than usual.

Ingredients:

Palak/ Spinach - 2 bunches
Rice - 1 cup (raw)
Onion - 1 small
Tomato - 1 small
Potato - 1 medium
Peas - 1/2 cup
Carrot - 1
Baby Corn - 5-6 (Optional)
Broccoli - 1/2 cup split into florets (Optional)
Green chilies - 2-3
Ginger - 1" piece
Garlic - 2-3 cloves
Biryani masala/ Garam masala - 1 tsp
Maggi veg cubes - 1
Salt
Water
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

Cook the rice with the water until done.
Boil water in a pan and add the spinach to it. Once you add the spinach, make sure you don't cover the pan. Let the spinach blanch for around 5 minutes.
Immediately move the spinach to ice cold water.
Once cooled, grind the spinach with the green chillis. Use more green chillis if the ones you are using are not spicy.
Make a coarse paste of the ginger and garlic.
Boil the potato and green peas.
Blanche/ boil the broccoli until done.
Heat oil in a pan, add the onions and fry them until they are translucent. Add the ginger garlic paste,tomatoes, boiled peas, baby corn, broccoli and cut boiled potato and fry for 1-2 minutes.
Add the palak paste and cook for 1 minute.
Add the salt, maggi cubes, biriyani masala and chilli powder (if needed).
Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Add the rice and mix well.
Serve hot with raita.