All about Food

An exotic Oil created by the infusion of Rice bran oil with select herbs & spices matured to derive the aroma and flavor for cooking pleasure.

This distinctive oil can be a substitute for any cooking where Garam masala in powder form or whole is used. Use this oil instead and believe it yourself.

Ingredients:

• Rice bran oil. 1 litre
• Aniseed 1teaspoon
• Bay leaves 3 to 4 nos
• Basil leaves  6 to 8 nos
• Black cardamom 3 nos
• Black pepper whole 1 teaspoon
• Cardamom Green 6 nos
• Cloves 1 teaspoon
• Cinnamon stick 2″ long 3 pcs
• Cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon
• Corriander seeds 1/2 teaspoon
• Caraway seeds 1/2 teaspoon
• Curry leaves 1 sprig
• Dried ginger 2 inch long
• Fenugreek 1/2 teaspoon
• Garlic cloves 6 Nos
• Lemongrass 1 stem 2 inch long
• Marathi Moggu 6nos
• Mace 3 flowers
• Mustard seeds 1/2 teaspoon
• Mint leaves 1 sprig
• Nutmeg 1 no cut in to 2 pcs
• Red chilly dried  3 nos
• Shallots 6 bulbs
• Sesame seeds black 1/2 tsp
• Star anise 3 pcs
• Saffron Strands1pinch(optional)
• Turmeric whole dried 2 inch long

Take a glass bottle preferably a green color one with a cork or screw type cover or a porcelain Jar ( bharani).
Pour a litre of oil into it and add all above ingredients. Cover it properly and leave it to age. Place it in a dark area and count on days. You may start using after a minimum period of 6 months. The more it age, the better the quality oil.
It’s amazing! Check it out.

An excellent vegetable rich in Vitamins, Minerals, Magnesium, Potassium, Iron, High content of Calcium and Beta-carotene and several other antioxidants.

Ingredients:

• Karela good quality 4 to 6 inch length 4 to 5 nos
• Besan flour 5 tablespoons
• Cumin powder 1/2 teaspoon
• Red chilly powder 2 teaspoons
• Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon
• Finely chopped Onion 2 tbs
• Finely chopped Garlic  1 tsp
• Finely chopped Ginger 1 tsp
• Ajwain (caraway seeds) 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida 1/4 tsp
• Salt to taste
• Mango (aamchur) powder 1tsp
• Amul Ghee 3 tablespoons
• Oil 5 tablespoons

Method:

Wash karela without discarding ridges in a solution of salt and turmeric powder and leave it to drain.
Heat a frypan, add ghee to it. Once its hot, add chopped onion, garlic and ginger. Saute for a while and once it’s cooked, add chilly powder, turmeric, ajwain and stir well. Add besan flour and keep saute. Add cumin powder, hing and amchur powder. Add required salt. Keep mixing all together and when jeera and ajwain aroma starts emitting, ( the mixer color tunes to light brown) put off the flame and leave it to cool.

Now it’s time to stuff karela.
Make an incision length long on karela leaving an inch at both tapering ends. Carefully, strech the slit without breaking and scoop out the seeds and Pulp.

Fill the emptied cavity with the mixture without leaving any gap and using cotton thread, tie the gourd tightly to avoid the stuffing falling apart.

Heat the pan on a medium flame,pour oil and once it’s hot, arrange karela in it facing the slit upward. Cover the pan and cook for about 15 minutes.Turn the other side and if required apply oil over karela and repeat same process.
The remaining cooking need to be done with lid open and by turning all sides for even cooking.
Once karela turns bit stiff and turn light golden brown, you may put off the flame.

This is an excellent accompaniment for Curd rice, chappathi or with any other rice preparation. Ideal for monsoon and winter days.

This recipe of cooking chicken derived from the Colonial era. I have no record to prove, but the flavour, texture and the greatness of this recipe definitely point us in the right direction that usage of several other ingredients were limited to their taste as the visitors prefered less spicy food.

Ingredients:

• Curry cut chicken 1 kg
• Virgin olive / coconut oil 4 tablespoons*
• Nicely chopped onion 1 cup
• Garlic cloves peeled 3 large bulbs
• Red chilly dried  6 nos
• Crushed Black peppercorn  1 tablespoon
• Curry leaves 2 sprigs
• Salt to taste

Method:

Take a large hard bottom skillet and put on to fire.
Pour the oil and wait till turn hot. Add onion, garlic, whole chilly and curry leaves.
Cook untill onion turns light golden. Now time to add washed, drained chicken to it and give a good stir.
Add required salt and cover it to cook for about 10 minutes.
Now time to add crushed peppercorn and add a cup of water and cook for another 10 minutes
As desired, you can cook to semi gravy consistency or dry.

An ideal combination with plain rice, chappathi/parotha or with idly / dosa.

* can use Herbs & Spice oil as substitute 

A fluffy sweet puri,popular breakfast or a snack dish in Managalore, Udupi region of Karnataka.

Ingredients:

• All purpose flower(maida)3 cups
• Banana 3 nos *
• Sugar 2 tablespoons
• Salt 1/2 teaspoon
• Amul Yoghurt 200 ml
• Baking Soda 1 teaspoon
• Oil 2 teaspoon

Method:

In a large mixing bowl, add riped Bananas (* overripe bananas, black dots on skin are preferable) and smash it thoroughly to make a mushy paste without any lumps. You may also use a blender. Add sugar and mix well. Let it get completely dissolved. Then add, baking soda, salt and yoghurt. Mix nicely. Add maida little by little and kneed to chapathi dough consistency. Please remember,we don’t use water. Therefore care should be taken while adding maida.Grease the dough with oil and cover it rest for minimum 8 to 10 hrs.

If you plan it for breakfast, get the dough prepared at night.

It’s time to make buns.

Kneed the dough once again and roll it long. Cut equal size portions and roll it using palm to round ball shape. Use rolling pin run  into small chappathi shape. Ensure uniform thickness across and let the size be 3″ dia. If any excessive flour, dust it out before frying.

Heat oil in a wok and once achieved desired temperature, fry the buns. You may serve coconut mint chutney along with as accompaniment.

Optional:
you may add cardamom powder if you want some additional flavor. Also can add or decrease sugar per your taste.

Banana tree is actually not a tree but a plant and every parts of this plant is useful.
Banana stem is widly eaten across India and other Asian countries. It’s medicinal properties includes prevention of kidney stone.

Banana stem has fibers, and older the plant, more fibres.
Therefore use tender stem in which fibre contents will be very minimal. Take a feet long steam and slice it 2 cms thick vertically.
Then score same thickness from one end to other end and cut strips. Dice your stem as shown below.

Wash the cut stem with rock salt and allow to drain.

Now let’s prepare the masala.

• Grated fresh coconut – Half Cup (100 gms)
•  Dried red chilly whole – 4 nos
•  Cumin seeds – 1 teaspoon
•  Garlic – 4 to 6 cloves
•  Shallots –  5 bulbs

Grind all above to coarse texture

Use a thick bottom wok and once it’s hot, pour 2 tablespoonful of cooking oil. Once the oil is hot, add 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds, 2 dried chillies cut into short length pieces and few fresh curry leaves. Wait for the mustard to splutter. Once done

Botanical name ‘ Amorphophallus Paeoniitolius, a tuber vegetable found in tropical regions.

It promote weight loss, excellent for digestion as it has good bacteria required for stomach. Good for gastric, bloating and Irritable broad syndrome (IBS). It also has ani hyperglycemia, beneficial for diabetic patients.

Take around 1/2 kg Suran and clean thoroughly. Cut in to 2 cm  thin slabs size varying to shape of suran. Soak in turmeric and salt solution water and wash it two to three times.

Boil suran in salted water for about 10 minutes and leave it to drain.
In a bowl, Add
• 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon Chilly powder
• 1 tablespoon Tamarind paste
• 1/2 teaspoon Garam masala
•  a drizzle of cooking oil
• 1 pinch of Asafoetida
• Salt to taste.

Mix above ingredients well to a smooth paste and rub on suran thoroughly, cover the bowl and marinate for about 15 to 20 minutes. ( The more time you marinate, better the result)

Take a hard bottom pan and put to heat. Pour desired cooking oil.
Suggest to use Virgin coconut oil if not sesame oil or mustard oil.
Once the oil is hot, arrange suran in the pan and cook for about 5 minutes. Turn it out and this time, add few sprigs of fresh curry leaves in to it. Once the side is done, turn it again till it’s partially roasted.

This recipe would be excellent combination with Curd rice, Bisibele bath, any pulav, as a starter, or even as snack.
Try it out. It’s yummy.

Happy cooking.

Yoghurt, Beetroot, Cucumber and Spinach Salad with Honey & Nutmeg.

An all time salad 綾 for the health conscious.

Ingredients:

• Amul yoghurt ( Amul masti dahi) 400 gms
• Beetroot ( washed, boiled, peeled, round sliced and chilled)
• Cucumber ( washed, peel rings and chilled)
• Spinach ( tender spinach washed, blanched and chilled)
• Organic Honey 2 tablespoons
• Nutmeg powder 1/4 teaspoon
• Salt  1 pinch

Whisk yoghurt to avoid and lumps and to get a thick creamy consistency.
Spread spinach on plate or bowl.spread few teaspoon yoghurt on spinach and layer beetroot over it. Pour yoghurt over beetroot and layer with cucumber
Pour the remaining yoghurt over it
A good glug of honey over it and sprinkle salt and nutmeg.

Your YBCS salad is ready.
Happy cooking!

This recipe is very traditional and tribal origin since ages. It’s very easy to make using very few ingredients easily available at any time at every home no matter rich or poor.

Ingredients:-

• Chicken – could be with skin or not cut in to Curry cuts  500 gms
• Crushed garlic  8 – 10 cloves
• Red chilly powder 2 teaspoons
• Cooking oil  (preferably coconut oil) 3 teaspoons
• Curry leaves 2 sprigs
• Salt to taste.

Wash the chicken and leave to drain. Heat an earthen cooking pot, or a saucepan. Pour oil and let to heat. Add crushed garlic, curry leaves and saute till its light brown. Add chilly powder, salt to taste and stir and add chicken to it. Stir well. Pour a cup of water and cover with lid. Cook for about 20 minutes.

It goes well with plain rice, chappathi, malabar parotha, or even with set dosa, neer dosa & idly.

It’s delicious. Check it out.
Happy cooking!

Botanical name – Manihot Esculenta, popularly known as Cassava & Tapioca. It’s a root vegetable, it was food energy source for more than 600 millions across the globe.
Rich in calorie Vitamins & minerals. A good source of vitamin ‘C’ Thiamine, Riboflavin and Niacin. It also has Phytoestrogens and Folic acid which is good for enhancing fertility.
In India, it’s byproduct, Sagu or Sabudana is widely used across.

Ingredients:

• Tapioca, peeled, washed & cut in to disc shape 500 gms
• Basmati rice 500 gms washed and drained
• Amul Ghee 100 ml
• Finely sliced onion 1cup(200 gms)
• Tomato medium sized 3 nos cut in to quarter cuts
• Fresh Mint leaves 3 sprigs
• Bay leaves medium sized  2 nos
• Star anise 2 nos
• Mace flower 2 nos
• Aniseeds  1 teaspoon
• Black pepper whole 1/2 teaspoon
• Cloves 6 to 10 pods
• Black cardamom 3 nos
• Kapok buds (Marathi Moggu) 3 nos
• Turmeric powder 1/2 teaspoon
• Red chilly powder 1 teaspoon
• Coriander powder 2 teaspoons
• Ginger paste 1 teaspoon
• Garlic paste 1 1/2 teaspoon
• Amul curd 1 cup
• Salt to taste

Method:

Heat a strong bottom cooking pot, and pour ghee. Add bay leaves, star anise, mace flower, black pepper, cloves, black cardamom, kapok buds, and stir for a while. Add sliced onion in to it and cook till light brown. Add ginger, garlic paste and cook till it’s raw smell is completely gone.
Add turmeric, chilly and corriander powder and saute for about 2 minutes. This time you may add the curd and give it a good mix.
Add tapioca and keep stir for a while and pour about 3 cups of water (approx: 600 ml) and add salt to taste. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes.
Add the rice and mix thoroughly. Check for salt.
Add the tomoato and mint leaves. Cover it and cook for another 10 minutes.

Remove the pot from fire and mix well. You may add fried onion as a garnish.
Tapioca biriyani is ready now. Serve it along with Onion raitha.

Koliwada’ term refers to the hamlet of the “Koli,’s or fisherman’s of Maharashtra. Here the mouth watering fried dish made out of fish originated and it was nothing but Fish koliwada. Here I use chicken instead of fish for a change and that’s all about.

Ingredients required.

• Boneless chicken cut in strips long ( around 2 cm width)500 gms
• AP flour(maida) 3 tbs
• Gram flour (besan) 2 tbs
• Cornstarch 1tbs
• Kashmiri mirchi powder 1 tbs
• Chilly powder 1tbs
• Asafoetida (hing) 1tsp
• Chat masala powder 1tsp
• Roasted ajwain 1tsp
• Cooking soda 1tsp (optional)
• Egg white (3 eggs)
• oil for frying as required
• Salt to taste

Take a mixing bowl. Add maida, besan, cornstarch, kashmiri chilly powder, red chilly powder, ajwain seeds, hing, chat masala, cooking soda and mix well. Add on well whisked egg white and give it a thorough mix. Add salt to taste and mix chicken in it. Leave it for about an hour to rest in refrigerator.

Oil in a deep, thick wok and heat on medium flame. Insert chicken strip without crowding the wok. Turn on the flame high and fry untill it turns crispy.

Serve hot along with onion rings and lemon as a snack or while meal.
A delicious dish for young and old.

Happy Cooking!