Surnoli ( Sweet Dosas ) May 31, 2009
Posted by prathibalrao in Uncategorized.Tags: Dosa hut, Konkani dishes
7 comments
Surnoli is a delicacy among the South and North Kanara Konkanis. We prepare it usually for breakfast and also for tiffin in the evening. It can be sweet with Jaggery/Mollasses and also plain/sour (without Jaggery). Though the dough needs to be fermented like the normal dosa or Idli, we do not use Blackgram dal for this dish. We use puffed paddy to make the dosas fluffy, some people use beaten rice (poha) as well. Give this a shot ! Puffed paddy is Aralu in kannada, Layi in Konkani and puffed paddy corns in english i think.
What you need to have:
1. Sona masoori rice (raw) – 2 cups
2. Fresh grated coconut – 1 cup
3. Puffed paddy(plain) – 4 cups
4. Jaggery/Mollasses – As per taste
5. Fenugreek seeds – 2 teaspoons
6. Turmeric powder – 1 teaspoon
7. Salt – 1/8 teaspoon
Ingredients of Surnoli (Sweet dosa)
What you do with what you have:
1. Soak Sona Masoori raw rice, fenugreek seeds in about 2 cups of water for about 3-4 hours.
2. Grate coconut, crush Jaggery/Mollasses and keep it aside. Soak puffed paddy in 1 cup water for about an hour.
Puffed Paddy soaked in water
3. Grind soaked puffed paddy, grated coconut and jaggery in the mixer to a medium coarseconsistency (with the soaked water which is sufficient).
Ground mixture of puffed paddy, coconut & jaggery
4. Grind soaked rice and ground mixture of coconut, puffed paddy and jaggery along with turmeric powder to a fine consistency adding water in steps. The ground sweet dosa batter is as under. Keep it for fermentation overnight adding a pinch of salt.
The ground Sweet Dosa batter
5. When kept for fermentation the batter would be as below.
The fermented Sweet Dosa batter
6. Place a dosa griddle on medium flame with a little butter on it. When it melts spread the batter on it to a medium thick consistency.
Dosa batter spread on the hot griddle
7. Close it with a lid for a while.
Sweet dosa being cooked closed with a lid
8. Just open the lid and it is done. This dosa is full of holes. (There is no need to reverse these dosas at all. They are cooked on both the sides at once.)
Cooked Surnoli (Sweet dosa)
9. Serve hot with either butter or pure ghee.
Ready to serve Surnoli with Amul butter
10. Some enjoy it with chutney powder of one’s own choice.
Surnoli with chutney powder
Number of Dosas: 15-16 of the above size
How long it takes: 45 minutes other than soaking and fermenting
Good to know:
1. The reason for using puffed paddy is it makes dosa fluffy and light. More over the reverse side of the dosa never turns black as in case of Beaten rice if added in place of Puffed paddy which is called Aralu in kannada and Layi in konkani!!!!!
Sweet Potato Chips May 23, 2009
Posted by prathibalrao in Uncategorized.Tags: fried snacks
6 comments
Sweet potato though not at all as popular as its more relative potato, still the chips are really tasty and popular down south. We not only prepare chips , and also cook curries with it. We also steam it in the cooker with a pinch of salt and enjoy it. The chips I am putting up today, most people I know prepare it just like the Banana chips by adding only salt. But I have added masala which really gave a thumbs up to the recipe !
What you need to have:
1. Sweet Potatoes – 5-6
2. Salt – 1/2 Teaspoon
3. Chilli powder – 2/3 Teaspoon
4. Turmeric powder – 1 Teaspoon
5. Black salt powder – 1/2 Teaspoon
6. Pepper powder – 1/3 Teaspoon
Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients of Dry Masala powder
What you do with what you have:
1. Wash thoroughly Sweet potatoes in the running water to get rid of mud etc..,
2. Powder black salt. Mix it with chilli powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder, normal salt and keep it aside.
3. Place a wide skillet with 1 cup fresh cooking oil (either Saffola or Sunflower oil) in it on medium flame.
4. When heated scrap sweet potatoes directly in oil and let it fry as usual till dark brown. (I have just put up the picture of the last lot of chips being fried) 
Sweet Potato chips being fried
5. When chips is completely fried to dark brown color, remove it from the skillet and just sprinkle the masala powder mix from step 2 to it and stir well.
Ready to serve Sweet Potato chips
Heavenly to taste, enjoy it with tea as a snack.
Store it air tight containers and will remain afresh for more than 15 days if fried in fresh oil.
Good to remember:
1. Sweet Potato being sweet it should be fried to dark brown colour only. Else it will turn out soggy.
2. One more thing people prepare this chips with adding only salt water like the banana chips. This being old recipe I thought of just modifying it by adding the above masala powder to it.
How long it takes: 15 minutes
Eggplant/Brinjal Gravy May 23, 2009
Posted by prathibalrao in Uncategorized.Tags: lunch side dish
2 comments
Egg plant also called Brinjal in English is Badane or Vangi in Kannada and Gulla in Konkani. I have already put up Vangi bath, and i would like to put up the most popular and the simplest of the recipes that is Gulla bajhi not only among the konkanis but also amongst all , may be there will be a little difference in the ingredients.
What you need to have:
1. Egg plant – 2-3
2. Green chillies – 4-5
3. Asafoetida (soft) – size of a peanut
4. Tamarind – Around 1/2 Teaspoon
5. Salt – To taste
6. Coconut oil – 2-3 Teaspoon
7. Fresh grated coconut – 2 Tablespoon
8. Coriander leaves chopped – 1 Tablespoon (optional)
Ingredients of Gulla Bajhi
What you do with what you have:
1. Wash Egg plant, green chillies, grate coconut and keep it aside.
2. Apply a little oil to eggplant and microwave it in the oven till it is cooked. To see whether it is cooked or not insert a knife and see if it pierces through all the way. One can even just roast on gas directly as shown here below. I have used the microwaved egg plant and the green chillies.
Egg plant being cooked on the flame
3. On cooling, in both the cases peal, open it and transfer it to a bowl.
Microwaved Egg plant being pealed
4. Dissolve soft Asafoetida in a little water and mix it to the cooked Egg plant.
5. Just roast green chillies on the flame itself holding it with a holder having first pricked it with a knife to prevent it from bursting. Or of course, you can microwave the chilli.
6. Squeeze roasted chillies from step 5 and salt together. Also mix tamarind to the pealed Egg plant.
7. Lastly add grated coconut and just add a few drops of coconut oil and serve with rice and dal.
Ready to serve Gulla Bajhi
8. One can even decorate it with chopped coriander leaves and finely chopped onion too.
Ready to serve Gulla Bajhi decorated with coriander leaves
How long it takes: 30 mins
Number of servings: 2-3
Jackfruit Payasam (Gharayi) May 13, 2009
Posted by prathibalrao in Uncategorized.Tags: sweets
4 comments
Now is the season of Jackfruit and we prepare a few items like the jack papad, Mulik, chips, pudding, idli, dosas etc., Today I would like to put up Jackfruit pudding – something that can be relished both warm and chilled.
What you need to have:
1. Jackfruit sheaths chopped – 1 cup
2. Coconut milk (thick) – 1 cup
3. Raw rice – 1/6 cup
4. Jaggery/Mollasses – 1/2 cup
5. Cardamom – 4-5
6. Cashews – A few
7. Water in all – 1 Litre
Jackfruit
Ingredients of Jackfruit pudding
What you do with what you have:
1. Chop jack sheaths into small pieces, chop Jaggery/Mollasses and keep it aside. Chop cashews as well into small pieces.
2. Soak rice in water for about an hour. After an hour grind soaked rice and pealed cardamom in mixer to a medium fine consistency adding suficient quantity of water.
3. Place a broad based bowl with 2 glasses of water in it on medium flame. When it boils add chopped jaggery to it and let it be on the flame till it dissolves in it.
4. At this stage add chopped jack sheaths to it and allow it to cook. Add chopped cashews as well to it.
Cooked Jackfruit sheaths cooked in Jaggery syrup
5. When done, add ground rice from step 2 and about 2-3 glasses of water to it and keep stiring continuously till it thickens. If needed add some more water to it. In all use 1 litre water for the dish. Lastly add coconut milk to it and stir well and bring it to boil.
Ready to serve Gharayi is as shown in the image below.
Ready to serve Jackfruit pudding (Gharayi)
Good to remember:
1. These days people use wheat sujee instead of rice to ease the recipe. Tastewise adding ground rice would be better.
2. The thing is always keep stiring the dish after adding ground rice mixture to avoid the dish from getting burnt and turning tasteless.
How long it takes: 1 hour
Number of servings: 5-6 people
Snake gourd seeds chutney May 13, 2009
Posted by prathibalrao in Uncategorized.Tags: wet chutney
5 comments
Seeds of the tender Snake gourds ( I think they are referred to as “Indian gourd” in the US) soft and can be consumed just as you would consume the vegetable. However, a little ripe snake gourd means the seeds might have to be put to other use – most would jus throw it away until of course you realize that you can actually prepare a dish whose main ingredient is those very seeds. Cherish the chutney with rice and dal or with Idli , dosa etc.
This is probably the 8th in the series of wet chutneys on this blog !
What you need to have:
1. Snake gourd seeds – 3/4 Cup
2. Fresh grated coconut – 1/2 Cup
3. Green chillies(less spicy) – 2-3
4. Coriander leaves – A handful
5. Curry leaves – 5-6 strands
6. Asafoetida(soft) – size of a peanut
7. Cumin seeds – 1 Teaspoon
8. Pepper corn – 1 /2 Teaspoon
9. Salt – To taste
10. Bilimbi or Tamarind – 3-4
Snake gourd
Ingredients of Snake gourd seeds chutney
What you do with what you have:
1. Remove the seeds from the snake gourd and peal out the layer of it and keep it aside. Grate coconut, wash and chop coriander leaves and curry leaves.
2. Place a skillet on medium flame with 2-3 teaspoons of cooking oil in it. Add asafoetida and allow it to just turn out crispy. Add cumin seeds, pepper to it and let it also fry.
3. At this stage add the seeds and a little water to it . Let the seeds cook for a while. Now add green chillies , and grated coconut from step 1 to it and fry it till the coconut turns a little dry.
Ingredients of chutney after frying
4. Switch off the flame and let it cool. On cooling mix bilimbi (or tamarind), coriander leaves, curry leaves from step 1 to it and also salt to taste. Grind it in the mixer adding little water to the required consistency.
Ready to serve Snake gourd seeds chutney
There you go – ready to be served with the Dosas, Idlis and Rotis.
How long it takes: 30 mins
Number of servings: 5-6
Snake gourd Cutlet May 7, 2009
Posted by prathibalrao in Uncategorized.Tags: fried snacks, lunch side dish, North indian dishes
8 comments
Snake gourd is a vegetable available only for about 4-5 months in the year. Snake gourd in English is Padavalkayi in Kannada and Poddale in konkani. Some variety of it will be even 4 feet long , but here we get only the short organic ones. Though it is very good from the health point of view, many do not prefer it like they prefer the Cauliflower, potato, Beans etc. When it is tender we prefer to prepare curry and if it is more than tender, we just cut it into rings and stuff it with potato mix and shallow fry the same. We also prepare chutney with the seeds which I will put up later.
Snakegourd
Snakegourd rings
What you need to have:
1. Snake gourd rings – 10-15
2. Potatoes medium – 3-4
3. Chopped ginger – 1/2 Teaspoon
4. Chopped Garlic – 1 Teaspoon
5. Lemon juice – 1 Teaspoon
6. Chilli powder – 1 Teaspoon
7. Turmeric powder – 1 Teaspoon
8. Garam masala powder – 1 Teaspoon
9. Salt – As per taste
10. Chopped coriander leaves – 1 Tablespoon
Ingredients of stuffing
What you do with what you have:
1. Wash, peal, and cook potatoes in he cooker as usual till smooth.
2. Wash and chop coriander leaves, ginger fine, peal and chop garlic pods fine .
3. On releasing the pressure just smash cooked potatoes and mix all the ingredients from step 2 to it and mix well. Place a spatula and heat 1 or 2 teaspoons of oil. Switch off the gas.
4. Add chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder to it. Mix well and add it to the smashed potato mix. Lastly add salt, squeeze lemon juice to it and mix well to form a dough.
5. Place a veg ring on your palm. Pinch out required quantity of potato stuffing from it and just flatten it into the ring and is as shown in the image below. Repeat the same process for the remaining rings as well.
Pinched out ball and the stuffed cutlets
5. Just dust each of the stuffed cutlets in rice atta.
Cutlets dusted in Rice Atta
6. Place a dosa tawa on medium flame with 3-4 teaspoons of cooking oil in it. Place a few of the dusted cutlets and sprinkle little oil on the upper layer of the cutlets and close it with a lid. After a while just open the lid and reverse the same and again sprinkle a little oil again and fry it till crispy.
Enjoy with either tomato sauce or plain.
Ready to serve Snakegourd cutlet
What to remember:
1. One can even push the stuffed cutlet in the refregerator and fry it in a day or two whenever needed. Do not keep the fried cutlet since it will lose the freshness and will not be crispy
How long it takes: 45 minutes
Number of cutlets: 10-15
Ajwain Chutney powder May 5, 2009
Posted by prathibalrao in Uncategorized.Tags: dry powders
2 comments
Ajwain is also called oma in kannada. It is used in many ayurvedic medicines. In my childhood whenever we kids had a bad stomach mom used to feed us with ajwain kashaya and also she used to stuff a pinch of ajwain , salt and one or two black pepper in the beetle leaves and advise us to just chew on it for a while. Things would be back to normal without any need for a doctor visit. Ajwain is good for digestion and also helps one get some good sleep. It is also good for lactating mothers.
I am putting up Ajwain chutney powder today, this is the 7th in the list of the dry chutney powders on this blog !
What you need to have:
1. Copra (Dry coconut) – 2 cups
2. Bengalgram Dal – 1 cup
3. Ajwain seeds – 1 Tablespoon
4. Pepper seeds – 1 Tablespoon
5. Cumin seeds – 1 Teaspoon
6. Turmeric powder – 1/2 Teaspoon
7. Red chilli powder(Byadgi) – 2 Tablespoons
8. Curry leaves – 1 cup
9. Asafoetida (soft) – size od a peanut
10. Sugar/Jaggery – (Optional)
11. Tamarind – 1″ in diameter
Ingredients of Ajwain chutney powder
What you do with what you have:
1. Place a broad based bowl on the medium flame with Bengalgram Dal in it and dry roast the same till you get a pleasant aroma and a little change to light brown from its original yellow colour.
Dry roasted Bengalgram Dal
2. Place a spatula with 3-4 Teaspoons of cooking oil in it on the flame. When heated fry asafoetida in it till it turns brown and crispy. Transfer it to the bowl containg dry roasted Bengalgram Dal. Fry ajwain seeds, cumin seeds and pepper one by one in the same spatula.
Roasted Dal and other ingredients
3. Place a broad based bowl on the medium flame and dry roast curry leaves in till they turn crispy but donot change the colour. Powder roasted curry leaves with the dal mix.
4. Dry roast Copra also in bowl on medium flame till it turns light brown and crispy. Switch off the flame and add turmeric powder, chilli powder to it and stir well. Add required quantity of tamarind, salt and a pinch of sugar/Jaggery for taste to it and allow it to cool.
5. Dry grind roasted dal mix from step 1, 2 and 3 in the mixer to a medium coarse consistency.
Dry ground Dal mix powder
6. Divide dal mix into 3-4 parts and grind it with roasted copra chilli powder mix accordingly to required consistency. Ready to serve Ajwain chutney powder is here below. One can enjoy it with rotis as well as with rice and butter. On cooling store it in airtight containers and will remain afresh for about a month.
Ready to serve Ajwain chutney powder
How long it takes: 45 minutes
Toor Dal Varan May 2, 2009
Posted by prathibalrao in Uncategorized.Tags: Konkani dishes, lunch side dish
2 comments
We konkanis prepare our sole dish Dalithoy with Toor dal. This varan is a North Kanara Konkani recipe. I am from Bangalore and was not at all aware of this dish until after my marriage when my mother-in-law prepared it at least once in a fortnight. It tastes great and though not spicy can be served to kids which they will surely relish. It can be relished with spicy potato onion stir fry !!!!
What you need to have:
1. Toor Dal – 1/2 Cup
2. Green chilis – 4
Ingredients of Seasoning:
1. Mustard seeds – 1 Teaspoon
2. Curry leaves – 2 Strands
Ingredients of Toor Dal Varan & ingredients of Seasoning
Ingredients of Wet Masala
What you do with what you have:
1. Wash , soak toor dal for about 10 minutes in water. Wash, slit green chillies and add it to soaked dal.
2. Cook soaked dal in cooker as usual for about 20 minutes till smooth and is as shown in the image below.
Cooked Toor Dal
3. Grind grated coconut, turmeric powder, cumin seeds adding sufficient quantity of water in the mixer to a fine consistency and the masala is as shown here.
Wet Masala
4. Place cooked dal on the flame and add ground masala to it adding about 3 cups of water and required quantity of salt and bring it to boil stiring occasionally.
5. Place a spatula with 2-3 teaspoons of cooking oil in it on medium flame. On heating add mustard seeds to it. When it sputters add curry leaves to it. Season it to Toor Dal Varan.
Ready to serve Toor Dal Varan
How long it takes: 45 minutes
Number of servings: 5-6 people
