All about Food

Ingredients required:

• Chicken curry cut 1 kilograms. Thoroughly cleaned, washed and drained. • Onion* 2 large size finely chopped• Ginger 1″ length. Finely chopped• Garlic 6 cloves chopped• Fenugreek 1/2 tsp• Cumin seed powder 1 tsp• Aniseed powder 1 tsp• Chilly powder 1tbsp• Paprika powder 1 tsp• Turmeric powder 1 tsp• Coriander powder 1 tbsp• Lemongrass 2 stalks, crushed and cut in 2 inch length• Cardamom powder 1/4 tsp• Cinnamon 2″ length• Curry leaves 2 sprigs• Tomatoes 4 nos medium sized, blanched and skin removed• Coconut milk 1 cup• Rock salt as required• Cooking oil 3 tbsp

Heat a pan over medium flame. Pour oil and then add the fenugreek. Once it’s about to get browned add chopped onion, garlic, ginger and saute until it’s soft and the raw flavor is reduced. Add in chilly powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, paprika powder, cumin powder, aniseed powder and saute for about 2 minutes.

 
Now add in the chicken and mix well. Add required salt and stir well for about a minute in high flame and pour a cup of water and allow to cook for about 5 minutes. 
Add the blanched tomatoes and break it with spatula back. Add now lemongrass stalk, cinnamon and cardamom powder. Stir well. Check for salt and consistency. Cover and cook for another 15 minutes. 
It’s time to add the coconut milk and the curry leaves. Stir well, and cook for another 15 minutes until the chicken is tender and allmost falling from the bone. 

* Red onion or White onion can be used. 

A traditional Mangalorean dish. Truly delicious, ideal along with steamed rice. 

Ingredients required:

• Mackerel (Bengude) 500 gms cleaned, washed and drained. • Byadgi Chilly 10 nos• Guntur chilly 6 nos• Fenugreek 1/2 tsp• Ajwain ( Carom Seeds) 1/2 tsp• Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp• Coriander seeds 2 tbsp• Black pepper 1 tsp• Ginger 1″ length chopped• Garlic 6 cloves• Onion 2 medium sized chopped• Tamarind 1 lemon size• Turmeric powder 1/2 • Curry leaves 2 sprigs• Green chilly 4 nos slitted• Coconut oil 3 tbsp.

Dry roast fenugreek, cumin, chilles, carom seeds, coriander seeds, black pepper in medium flame and keep stirring.Once roasted aroma starts emitting from it, put off the flame and allow to cool the spices. 
Grind the spices and add along with it chopped ginger, garlic, onion and tamarind and grind to fine smooth paste.You may add little water for easy grinding. ( remember to reserve a tsp of chopped onion,few chopped ginger for later usage).
Now heat a pan on medium flame, pour coconut oil ( reserve little oil for final addition) and once the oil is hot, add the chopped onion, ginger along with curry leaves and saute till it’s raw flavor is gone. Add in the grounded masala paste and mix well. Add turmeric powder and pour in required water as desired. Add salt and allow it to boil. Once it start boiling, slide in your mackerel, cover and cook for about 12 minutes. 

Check for gravy consistency and salt. Pour a good glug of coconut oil, cover the pan and allow it to rest for few minutes so that the coconut oil aroma will get infused in gravy. 
Serve along with steamed rice. Happy Cooking!. 

It’s a Mangalorean recipe and usually relished at every home as it’s very delicious and can be prepared with limited ingredients. In the coastal areas, Elephant yam ( Suran in Hindi) is also known as Kene. In Central part of Karnataka, or in kannada language, it’s known as Suwarnagadde. 
Ingredients required:

• Suwarnagedde (Elephant yam) 500 gms• Chickpea 250 gms soaked in water for about an hour• Turmeric powder 1tsp• Tamarind 1 lemon size• Yoghurt* 100 gms• Freshly grated Coconut 1/2 pcs• Birds eye chilly(Kandari) 10 nos• Coconut oil 1 tbsp• Mustard seeds 1 tsp• Dried Red Chilly 2 nos• Curry leaves 2 sprigs• Rock salt to taste
* You use even buttermilk. 

Clean & remove skin from elephant yam. Cut in to an inch size dice and soak it in turmeric powder & salt water solution for about half an hour. 
Cook the chickpeas in a pressure cooker. The time required for this would be 8 to 10 minutes. (4 whistle would be sufficient) Once the pressure is released, open the pressure cooker and keep on stove at medium flame. Add the washed and drained yam in to chickpeas. Add turmeric powder, salt, tamarind and cook until the yam is cooked soft. 
Grind grated coconut along with birds eye chilli to a smooth paste. Add grounded coconut & Yoghurt or the butter milk to cooked yam & chickpeas. Give it a good stir. Add two to three slitted kandari and a sprig of curry leaves and allow to boil. 
Now time for tempering. Over medium flame, heat a pan. Pour oil and once it’s hot, add dry chilly (cut in to halves) and mustard. Once the mustard start splutter, add curry leaves. Pour the tempering in to curry. Stir wellIdeal along with steamed rice, Idly, Dosa or along with any food as a side dish. 
Happy Cooking! 

A coastline delicacy from Manglore region of Karnatak. It’s combined flavors of tamarind, jaggery and spices enriched with fresh coconut makes this unique recipe favourites of South Indians. 

Ingredients required:

• Tender Jackfruit 1 small size• Kashmiri or Byadgi Chilly 12 nos• Guntur Chilly 6 nos• Coriander seeds 3 tbsp• Cumin seeds 1 tbsp• Tamarind 1 lemon size • Jaggery 2″ Dice thick• Coconut oil 3 tbsp• Grated fresh coconut 1cup• Mustard seeds 1 tsp• Rock salt to taste• Curry leaves 4 sprigs.

Step 1.

Apply cooking oil on your both hands, knife and the cutting board. Chop of the top portion of jackfruit. Use a scoring pad or kitchen paper towel to remove the sticky latex secretion from the jackfruit. Cut the jackfruit in to two halves. Remove the sticky latex from the halves. Now chop of the thorny surface like cleaning a pineapple till you get a smooth surface. Now dice the jackfruit according to your requirements. Here we will need to dice them an inch size. Soak the cut jackfruit pieces in a turmeric & salt water solution for about half an hour. Then drain to remove water. 

Step 2.

Heat a pan over medium flame. Pour a tbsp of coconut oil and roast the chilles( reserve 2 byadgi for later usage) and once you get the roasted aroma, remove and keep to coolIn the same hot pan  roast both corriander seeds and cumin seeds and once it’s half done, add 3 sprigs of curry leaves. Once curry leaves start wilting and about to dry  put off the flame and allow the content to cool. It’s now to grind grated coconut along with the roasted spices. Grind it a coarse – smooth paste consistency. If you need water, you may add little. 

Step 3.

Boil the cut jackfruit in a pressure cooker or in a cooking pot. Pour water up to surface so that all pieces are fully immersed. Add salt, turmeric powder, jaggery and tamarind, cover and cook till the flesh is soft and done. If you use pressure cooker, cook upto 3 whistles time. Once it’s done, add the grounded paste and stir well. Check for salt and cook it for another 5 minutes.

Step 4.

Now time for tempering. Heat a pan on medium flame pour coconut oil, cut the byadgi chilly in half and add to pan. Add mustard seeds and once it start to splutter, add curry leaves. Switch off the flame and pour the tempering in to Gujje Bindi. Mix well, cover the pot and leave to rest for few minutes so that the final process aroma will infuse in to gravy. 
Ideal to enjoy it with steamed rice, neer dosa, Idly or Chappathi. 
Happy Cooking! 

Couscous is a staple food made out of durum wheat originated from North Africa. 

Ingredients required:

• Couscous 1 cup washed and soaked for about 5 minutes and then drained• Chicken 500 gms (curry cut) • Chopped mushroom 1 cup• Onion 1 large, chopped• Tomato 2 medium sized Chopped• Baby spinach 1 cup• Butter 2 tbsp• Olive oil 1 tbsp• paprika powder 1/2 tsp• Black pepper powder 1 tsp• Salt to taste.

Heat a pan over medium flame. Add oil and butter and allow it to melt. Add chopped onion and saute for 2 minutes. Add now chopped mushroom and tomato. Saute until it turns soft. Add babby spinach, paprika and pepper powder. When spinach turn wilted, add the chicken and mix well. Add couscous and give it good stir. Add 2 cups of water, mix well and allow to cook for about 20 minutes. 

A delicious preparation of Chicken with selective spices. It’s ideal along with tandoor bread, steamed rice or any South Indian breakfast items like Idly, Neer dosa, set dosa or as per your personal preference. 

Ingredients required:

• Chicken curry cut 500 gms*• Onion 2 medium-sized finely chopped• Garlic 6 cloves crushed• Ginger 1″ Length finely chopped• Turmeric powder 1 tsp• Red chilly powder 1 tbsp• Coriander powder 1 tbsp• Jerra powder (Cumin) 1 tsp• Besan flour ( chickpeas flour) 1 tbsp• Aamchur powder (Mango) 1 tsp• Kasuri methi 1 pinch• Asafoetida  1/2 tsp• Mustard oil 2 tbsp• Rock salt to taste.

* Here I have used Chicken breast as I was left with no other option. 

Preparation:
Take a wok and heat over medium flame. Pour mustard seed oil, add chopped onion, chopped ginger and crushed garlic. Saute till onion turns translucent. Add Turmeric powder, Chilly powder Coriander powder and jeera powder. Saute till it’s combined and oil start releasing from wok sides. Turn on the flame to high.Now add washed and drained chicken and mix well. Keep sauteing for about 2 minutes. Add required salt, pour a cup of water and stir well. Cover the wok and cook for about 10 minutes in medium flame. 
Prepare Chickpea flour( besan flour) slurry, and add in to chicken. Turn on the flame low. Keep stirring to avoid Coagulation or catching at bottom of wok. It’s time to add final ingredients Aamchur powder, Kasuri methi and hing. Stir well and check for consistency and salt. Cook for another 10 minutes, occasionally stirring. Put of the flame and allow it to rest for 10 minutesGarnish with ginger julienne. 
Happy Cooking! 

A modern avatar’ a magical delight for your any occasions. Cardamom scented rice dumplings delicately cooked in richness of whole milk, reduced to half during cooking process to derive a thick creamy base.  Amulya is adorned with Cashews & Raisins. Nutty ghee, milk, fresh cream, sugar and saffron makes it a cool yummy dessert. 

Ingredients required:

• Raw rice 200 gms. • Ghee  100 ml• Whole milk 1 litre• Fresh cream 250 ml• Amul Mithai mate 200 ml• Sugar  50 gms• Green cardamom powder 1 tsp• Cashew nut few pieces• Raisins few nos• Saffron a pinch.

Step 1.
Wash the rice thoroughly and soak it for about 3 to 4 hours. Drain the rice and grind it a fine dough consistency. Add water little by little so that the dough is not loose or hard. Add half the amount of ghee and knead the dough properly till turn soft. Cover the dough with a damp cheese cloth and allow it to rest for few minutes. 

Step 2.
It’s time to prepare the dumplings. Divide the dough in equal portions. Using your hands, roll each portions in to a smooth round ball. Intermittently, keep greasing your palm. Make sure the ball surface is smooth and brush each rice ball with ghee and keep aside for few minutes. Now place a steamer on medium flame and steam cook the rice dumplings. Cooking time required for this would be approximately 10 minutes. Put off the flame and let the steam in steamer condense. 

Step 3.
Boil milk in a saucepan, add cardamom powder and keep stirring to avoid catching on bottom. Keep boiling the milk till it’s reduced to half. Add sugar and stir well. Once sugar is completely dissolved, drop each dumpling into it and leave to rest for about an hour so that the dumplings will absorb sugar and cardamom flavor. 

Step 4.
Time to give Amulya’ the final touch. Prepare a mixture of fresh cream and condensed milk. Pour on to dumplings and gently mix well. Adorn your favorite sweet dish with Cashews, raisins and few shreds of Saffron. 
Remember it can be served as a hot dessert as well as cold. 
Happy cooking! 

Ingredients required:

• Whole Green gram 1 cup• Grateful coconut 1 cup• Garlic cloves 10 nos• Curry leaves 2 sprigs• Red Chilly powder 1 tbsp• Tamarind 1 lemon size• Ginger 1″ length• Kosher salt – to taste.
Take green gram, wash and leave to dry. Heat a pan over medium flame and dry roast the gram. Once it’s done, leave it to cool at room temperature. 
In a mixer/grinder, grind the gram to fine, smooth powder. Add grated coconut, garlic, ginger, chilly powder, tamarind and curry leaves. Add salt to taste. Grind to fine coarse consistency. No need to add water as there is adequate moisture from coconut, garlic and tamarind. Should you feel little water is required,you may add one or two teaspoonful of water. 
This chutney can be used for two to three days. If you want to keep the chutney for an extended period, you may dry roast the grated coconut. This will allow you to preserve the chutney for more days. 

A very traditional, tribal preparation of South India with thondekai. 

Ingredients:

• Thondekai (Ivy gourd) 500 gms• Red chilly dried 6 nos• Grated coconut 1 cup• Turmeric powder 1tsp• Tamarind 1 small lemon size • Jaggery (Gur) 2″ Size length cube• Kosher Salt to taste. 

For Tempering:
• Mustard seed 1tsp• Dried red chilly 2 nos cut in piece• Curry leaves 2 sprig• Coconut oil 2 tbsp
Step 1Wash thondekai and allow to drain water. Using a Stone mortar and pestle, crush each thondekai. Do not smash it so that it will break in to pieces while cooking. Take a cooking pot or a wok, put the crushed thondekai in to it and pour water till the vegetable is covered. Add the piece of Gur. Cook in medium flame for about 5 minutes. Add salt to taste, cover and cook till it’s soft and cooked perfectly. 
Step 2Grind grated coconut, turmeric powder, red chilles and tamarind to a fine paste. Add the grounded paste in to cooked thondekai, stir well and allow to boil. Once it’s boiled, remove from flame. Now it’s time for tempering. Heat a pan over medium flame. Pour the oil Add mustard seed, dried red chilly pieces and curry leaves. Once mustard seed start spluttering, remove the pan from flame and add the tempering in to cooked thondekai and mix well.An ideal curry along with steamed rice, Dosa Or Idly. 
Happy Cooking! 

Ingredients required:

• Large Cabbage 1 no. • Minced chicken 500 gms• Tomato Diced 2 cups• Finely chopped garlic 1tsp• Finely chopped onion 1 tbsp• Celery stalk chopped 1 tbsp• Dried Oregano 1/2 tsp• Fresh Rosemary 1 sprig• Black pepper crushed 1tsp• Lemon juice 1 tsp• Butter 1tbsp• Olive oil 2 tbsp• Salt to taste.

Step 1.

Wash the cabbage and discard any damaged outer leaves. Using a pairing knife, remove the center core of the cabbage.  In a large cooking pot, take water and allow to boil. Immerse the cabbage in boiling water. Ensure the cabbage is completely under water. Allow to cook for 3 minutes so that the outer layers will be soft and cooked. Remove the cabbage from water and allow to drain. Once water is drained slowly remove outer leaves one by one and keep it aside. If required numbers of leaves are not obtained, once again dip the cabbage in to hot water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until adequate leaves are ready. Pat dry the leaves with paper towel and trim the cabbage center vein from backside of the leaves. This will ensure easy to roll after stuffing. 

Step 2.

Heat a pan over medium flame. Add the butter and oil. Add in the chopped onion and garlic, saute until it’s translucent. Add the diced tomato and celery, Rosemary and lemon juice. Add minced chicken and stir well, season it with salt and pepper.Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the meat is cooked. 
Before adding the mince chicken, reserve half quantity of the tomato sauce for later usage. 

Step 3.

Place 2 spoonful of the mixture In to the center of cabbage leaf and Fold the sides over filling and roll the leaf up tightly. Follow the same pattern and fill in rest of reserved leaves and arrange the rolls seam side down and pour over it the reserved tomato sauce.  Happy cooking!