Summer food
Banana Stem Bharith
How long it takes: 30 minutes
Number of servings: 3
Banana plant (plantain) like the coconut tree is blessed such that almost all its parts are useful in one way or the other. The outer most stem is chopped off as soon as the Banana bunch is cut off from it. It will be pealed into thin layers and on drying in the sun will turn into a wonderful thread and on dipping into water is used to tie flowers (or even vegetables) especially in the coastal regions of Karnataka which is called Bale Naru (Kannada) or Vayu (Konkani). The innermost part of the stem is called Gabbo (Konkani) or”Baledhindu”(Kannada). It has high fiber content and medicinal value. This Bharith I am putting up today is a great combination with rice and dal too.
What you need to have:
1. Chopped Banana stem – 1 and 1/2 cup
2. Fresh grated coconut – 2/3 cup
3. Green chilli – 2 4. Bilimbi – 2 (small)
5. Mustard seeds – 1/2 Teaspoon(raw) 6. Salt – to taste
Banana stem& the ingredients of Seasoning
What you do with what you have:
1. Chop banana stem fine on removing the thin fiber from it and chop it fine as shown in the image. Grate fresh coconut and keep it aside. Place a spatula with 1/2 teaspoons of cooking oil in it and fry green chili in it. (make sure your prick it a bit)
Ingredients of Banana stem Bharitb
3. In a mixer bowl add grated coconut, fried green chili, bilimbi, mustard seeds adding little quantity of water and grind to a medium fine consistency.
4. Add the ground mixture to chopped stem and also a little water to adjust the consistency.
5. Place a spatula with 1 teaspoon of cooking oil in it on low flame. When heated mustard seeds to it. When it splutters, add red chili pieces, asafoetida powder and finally curry leaves to it. Season it to the dish. Enjoy with rice and dal. Yum !
Ready to serve banana stem bharith
Good to remember:
1. Remember to chop off all extra fiber from the veggie.
2. This dish is best suited for summer as it is consumed raw. 3. Banana stem should be fresh and tender will be best suited.Avale Hindoli
Please check out for the same recipe on youtube in my channel “Manipal Kitchen”
Avale Hindoli
How long it takes: 1 hour
Makes: 500 ml bottle
Avalo (Konkani) /Nellikayi (Kannada) /Amla (Marathi) /Gooseberry (English) is known to us as the richest naturally available source of Vitamin C. I have previously uploaded recipes for avale saru and the popular nellikayi chithranna. The ingredients for avale hindoli are the same as for a pickle, but its texture makes it look more like a chutney. This pickled preserve has a shelf life of around 3 months when stored in refrigerator. I remember, in the days when we didn’t have a refrigerator, my mother-in-law would keep the bottle of pickle in the sun daily to enhance the shelf-life and flavour. This hindoli can be eaten with roti/chapati or dal rice or curd rice too. Let me know how it turned out !
Fresh Amla/Nellikayi
What you need to have:
1. Fresh Amla – 6-8 (when cooked and deseeded will be 1 and 1/2 cup)
2. Red chilly (Byadgi) – 15 -20
3. Fenugreek seeds (methi seeds) – 1/2 Teaspoon
4. Mustard Dal(yellow) – 1 and 1/2 Teaspoons
5. Asafoetida (hing) – Size of a peanut (soft)
6. Mustard seeds – 1/4 Teaspoon (to fry for grinding)
6. Salt – 1 and 1/2 Teaspoon (adjust accordingly)
7. Water – 1 and 1/2 Cup (approx and better to use boiled cool water)
Ingredients of Garnishing:
1. Raw green pepper – 1 Bunch (optional)
2. Chopped ginger – 1 Teaspoon
3. Chopped Green chilly – 1 Teaspoon
4. Mustard seeds – 1 Teaspoon (For seasoning)
Ingredients of wet masala and garnishing
What you do with what you have:
1. Wash the amla and cook it in the cooker vessel (without adding water to it) for 20 minutes till soft. On cooling, de-seed it and keep aside.
Cooked amla
2. Place a spatula with a teaspoon of cooking oil on low flame. When hot, add half the quantity of asafoetida/hing and fry till crispy and keep it aside. In the remaining oil fry half the quantity of the fenugreek/methi seeds too and keep it aside with the fried asafoetida. Next, fry 1/4 teaspoon of mustard seeds in a spatula till it crackles. Mix this with the other fried ingredients. Grind red chilly, and the other raw left over ingredients[(mustard dal, fenugreek, Asafoetida(s0ft)] and the fried ingredients with salt to a fine consistency adding water in steps.
Grind wet masala
3. Grind the de-seeded cooked amla with this masala to a coarse consistency, adding remaining water to bring it to the required thickness, so that there are a few small pieces of amla left to chew and relish when served. Place a spatula with 2 Teaspoons of cooking oil on low flame. Fry chopped ginger, green chilly and green pepper in it. When cooled, add the fried spices to the hindoli and mix well.
Chopped ginger & green chilly being fried
4. Fry mustard seeds and season it to the hindoli on cooling.
Mustard seeds being fried in oil
5. Ready to serve hindoli is as shown in the image below. Store it in a bottle and preserve in cold storage. You can enjoy it with roti, chapati and also with rice and dal and also curd rice. Ready to serve Avale Hindoli
How long it takes: – 1 hour
Makes: Bottle of 500 ml
Good to remember:
1. Use fresh big amla for this dish instead of the small variety available.
2. One can retain the consistency while serving or even dilute it while eating with a little boiled cool water, but do not store diluted version.
3. For best results, remember that one part of the masala ingredients are ground coarse and another part is grind a little more than coarse and finally mixed. Cooked Amla should be ground at on the whipper mode of the mixer.
4. Never store it at room temperature as it is sure to perish.
5. The quantity of water could vary depending upon the chilli one uses too.(Byadgi chilly which i use makes the masala thick)
Pineapple Murabba
Pineapple Murabba
How long it takes: 45 minutes
Makes: 1 bottle
Pineapple is a very popular fruit worldwide and needs no introduction. We get a special variety of large pineapples here that are grown locally in a place called Moodbidri in Karnataka. The Moodbidri pineapple will be around 6-8 Kilos by weight and is very sweet and juicy. It is yellow in colour, thought we also get pineapples from Sirsi, in North Canara, that are slightly yellowish red in colour. We prepare a variety of dishes like the pineapple pudding, a mango-pineapple sweet-tangy dish called sasam and the popular pineapple rasam – recipes that I have already put up on this blog. Today I would like to put up the Murabba which is essentially pineapple cooked in sugar syrup. It can be served with chapati, roti, dosa idli etc., for the kids, and in fact is a good way to encourage the kids to have breakfast, tiffin i.e. small meals at regular times. We can prepare Murabba with Amla and Mangoes too. The recipe for Pineapple Murabba is as follows:
What you need to have;
1. Chopped Pineapple – 2 cups
2. Sugar – 1 cup
3. Saffron strands – A few
Ingredients of Pineapple Murabba
What you do with what you have:
1. Peel, and remove the ‘eyes’ of pineapple properly so that the fruit is clear. Chop it into bite size pieces as shown in Image-1.
2. Place a skillet with chopped pineapple pieces in it and add required quantity of sugar to it. Heat and stir continuously till done.
Pineapple being cooked with sugar
3. Cook till sugar syrup attains a consistency in such a way, that when it is poured on a plate, it does not flow and stays intact (imagine tar consistency). Add a few strings of saffron to it and switch off the flame.
Pineapple being cooked in sugar solution
4. On cooling, transfer and store it in a bottle. It will remain palatable for months if dry spoons is used while in use.
A closer view of Pineapple Murabba
Pineapple Murabba being stored in a glass bottle
How long it takes: – 45 minutes
Makes – 1 Bottle
Ambe Hashale (Aamras / Mango Juice in Coconut Milk )
Ambe Hashale
How long it takes: 15 minutes
Number of servings: 4-5
I have already put up Aamras and this is the old conventional Aamras with coconut milk and jaggery. We give this concoction a special name and place in Konkani cuisine, ‘Ambe hashale’. It tastes great with either puri, chapati or even served chill as a drink. I have used the mangoes from our own garden and home-made fresh coconut milk. The recipe is very simple and easy yet very tasty. Here it is:
What you need to have:
1. Chopped sweet mango pieces – 1/2 cup
2. Mango pulp(sweet) – Around 2 cups
3. Coconut milk – 2 cups
4. Jaggery – As per taste
5. Fresh grated coconut – 2 cups (To extract coconut milk )
6. Thin Beaten rice – A handful
7. Cardamom – 5
Fresh Sweet Mangoes
Ingredients of Aamras
What you do with what you have:
1. Preparing home-made coconut milk: Grate coconut and grind it in the mixer adding water in steps to a medium coarse consistency. Then, to extract coconut milk, strain the ground mix in a strainer. Add some more water and grind again so that you get some more coconut milk on straining. Coconut milk is as shown in image-2 (above).
2. Wash, peel and chop mango into small pieces as many as required to add to Aamras as garnishing. Grind the remaining pieces it in the mixer with chopped jaggery into a smooth paste. Add this paste to the coconut milk from step-1 to it.
Mango being ground with jaggery
Mango pulp being added to coconut milk
3. Add the mango pulp to coconut milk and stir well. Wash and squeeze water from beaten rice and add it to the same mix. Peel cardamom and powder it and add to it. Aamras is ready to be served either chilled or at normal temperature. Add chopped mango pieces too.
Chopped mango pieces, soaked beaten rice & cardamom powder being added
4. Transfer to serving bowls and serve chilled. Like I always say – Yummmmmmmmmmmmm !!!
Ready to serve Aamras (Ambe hashale)
How long it takes: 15 minutes
Number of servings: 4-5
Good to remember:
1. Use fresh, sweet and pulpy mangoes like the Ratnagiri Appus or even Pyry variety.
2. Tangy variety of mangoes will curdle coconut milk and may spoil the taste of the dish.
3. One can even use the coconut milk available in super bazar as well, but as far as possible home made coconut milk is always more welcome.
4. Adding beaten rice is optional.
Instant Mango Pickle
Instant Raw Mango Pickle
How long it takes: 30 mins
Servings: 1 bottle of 1/2 kg mangoes
Summer is coming to an end, so also the the pickle season. I would like to put up this recipe for instant mango pickle which can be prepared in a span of 30 minutes and has a shelf life of more than 3 months if stored in the refrigerator. I have already put up a few pickles like the lemon pickle,, Star fruit pickle, chopped raw mango pickle (ambe hindi), bilimbi pickle and the raw jack pickle (adgai). This is an easy recipe for starters as well.
What you need to have:
1. Fresh raw mango chopped – 2 cups
2. Chilli powder – 2 and 1/2 Teaspoon
3. Mustard dal – 1 and 1/2 Teaspoon
4. Fenugreek seeds – 10
5. Turmeric powder – 1/2 Teaspoon
6. Asafoetida soft – Size of a peanut
7. Table salt – 6 Teaspoons
8. Cooking oil – 4 Teaspoons
Fresh Raw Mangoes
Choppped Raw Mango
Ingredients of Pickle Masala Powder
What you do with what you have:
1. Wash and wipe the raw mangoes and on drying chop it into bite size pieces and keep it aside as shown in image-2.
2. Place a spatula with 1 Teaspoon of cooking oil in on medium/low flame and fry asafoetida(soft) in it till crispy and light brown and keep it aside.
Asafoetida being fried in oil
3. In the same spatula again, on heating the oil, fry fenugreek seeds in it till done and keep it with fried asafoetida.
Fenugreek seeds being fried in oil
4. Add a little more oil, and on heating fry mustard dal in it and mix it with the other two ingredients earlier draining extra oil from it.
Mustard dal being fried in oil
5. Heat oil, switch off the flame and add chilli powder to it just stir with the spatula.
Chilli powder being fried
6. Mix all the fried and raw ingredients and powder it to a fine consistency. (Only half the quantity of the ingredients should be fried and half should be added raw while grinding for better taste and aroma.)
Fried masala ingredients
7. Mix the masala powder and the required quantity of salt to the cut raw mangoes and mix with a wooden spatula. Add 2 Teaspoons of raw oil to it and keep it aside for 3-4 hours and later preserve it in the regrigerator..
Powdered masala added to the chopped raw mango
Ready to serve Mango pickle
How long it takes: 30 mins
Servings: 1 Bottle of 1/2 K.G
Good to remember:
1. Always use fresh raw mangoes to avoid it from turning soft.
2. One can even use mustard seeds in place of mustard dal. While using mustard just dry roast and remove the skin so that the colour of pickle is maintained and also it helps in keeping the mango pieces fresh and crisp.
3. One can use cooking oil of your choice. I always use” Saffola gold heart” oil since it is odourless.
4. Keep the pickle at room temperature for about 4-5 hours and later, preserve it in the refrigerator.
5. Check for salt and spicyness before pushing it in the refrigerator. The reason being that the quantity of masala and salt depends upon the tangyness of mango.
6. Do not use water at all. Once you add salt and masala it gets mixed and the pickle would look as shown in the image -10.
7. Only half the quantity of the masala ingredients should be fried in oil and the other should be added raw for better taste and aroma!!!!!
Banana Spicy Papad (sun-dried & home-made)
Sun-dried, Home-made, Spicy Raw Banana Papad
How long it takes: 45 minutes
Number of servings: 15-20 of the above size
Banana needs no introduction since it is universally available fruit through out the year. Banana in English is Kele in Konkani and Balehannu in kkannada. The vegetable banana is used to prepare a variety of dishes and this variety of the banana for this recipe is called ‘Kat Bale‘ which is available in plenty in central part of Karnataka in places like the Hubli, Dharwad. It has a very thick skin and becomes sweet on ripening. I got this variety from our garden and thought of preparing spicy Banana Papad when it is raw. The recipe is very simple and easy to prepare. We can roll it with the rolling pin at night and dry it the next day in the strong sun during the afternoon for about 2 hours and store it in air-tight containers to enjoy it on a cold chilly day during the rainy season. One can prepare this papad with the usual Raw Banana veggie as well. I will try it out and put it up in the next summer season. In konkani we call it” Kele Happolu”.
What you need to have:
1.Raw Bananas – 4 (Cooked pulp could be 2 cups)
Ingredients of wet masala:
1. Red chilli powder (Byadgi) – 6 Teaspoons
2. Table salt – 1 Teaspoon
3. Asafoetida (soft) – Size of a peanut
4. Water – as required to prepare the paste
(The quantity of wet masala prepared of which only 3 Teaspoons should be used for 2 cups of Raw grated Banana)
5. Beaten rice powder – 1 cup
Fresh Raw Bananas
What you do with what you have:
1. Cook the fresh raw bananas in the cooker in water for about 20 minutes as usual and peal it.
Cooked raw bananas
2. Peel it and grate the cooked Bananas and is as shown in the image below.
Grated cooked raw bananas
2. Grind chilli powder, asafoetida, salt in the mixer, adding water in steps to make a thick paste. Prepare the required quantity of masala and of this add only 3 Teaspoons of this wet masala to prepare the papad with 4 raw bananas.
Ground masala paste
3. Pass the grated bananas from step-2 and also the chilli masala from step-3 into the bhujia mould together without adding water so that it mixes properly.
Cooked raw banana and masala mix
4. Dry beaten rice in the sun for about an hour and powder it in the mixer to a fine consistency.
5. Mix the masala mixed banana mixture into a soft pliable dough. Pinch out a small quantity of the dough and shape it into small balls. Dust the balls in the beaten rice powder and roll superficially with a rolling pin to required thickness. One has to roll the rolling stick also with thick plastic sheet and roll the papad on a plastic sheet superficially. Dry it in the hot sun for about an hour till it puffs up.
Pinched out ball and the rolled Banana papad1
6. Sun dried spicy Banana papad would be as shown in the image below. Roast it on the papad roaster and apply a little coconut oil and enjoy it during rainy season. Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Sun dried Raw Banana spicy papad
How long it takes: 45 minutes
Number of servings: 15-20 of the above size
Good to remember :
1. Use raw and fresh bananas for taste and quality and also crispness.
2. Do not add water at all while kneading the dough.
3. Dusting it in beaten rice powder while rolling, will make the papad turn crispy and tasty.
4. Roll it superficially taking care to see that papad retains its round shape .
5. It should be dried in the hot sun for only one hour till it puffs up.
Ragi Juice
I thought of putting up this wonderful juice which should be an excellent choice for this hot summer ( and its only getting hotter here in Manipal at least ) This juice is a very old recipe which I first tried in my childhood days in my granny’s. Now though this is available in Manipal juice centers. Just to note that if you are a Ragi fan, I just put up Ragi Manni a couple of weeks ago.
What you need to have:
1. Ragi – 1/2 cup
2. Milk – 1 cup (good life milk)
3. Jaggery – As per taste
4. Cardamom – 4-5
Ingredients of Ragi Juice
What you do with what you have:
1. Peal cardamom, grate jaggery fine and keep aside.
2. Wash ragi and grind it in the mixer adding sufficient quantity of water in steps along with half the quantity of cardamom to a fine consistency.
Ground Ragi mix
3. Strain it in a clean muslin cloth and add milk chopped jaggery and remaining cardamom powder chill it and enjoy it this hot summer.
Ready to serve Ragi-juice
Number of cups: 2-3
How long it takes: 10 minutes
The Indian Food Court 