Menthae soppu (fenugreek leaves) and capcicum(green peppers) pulao

Ingredients:

Menthae-Capcicum pulao

• Menthae soppu (fenugreek leaves) - 1 bunch - Cleaned and chopped
• Onion - 1 (US size) - Diced into long pieces
• Green peas - 1/2 cup
• Capcicum (green peppers) - 1 full - Cut into medium slices
• Soy Chunks- 2 cups - Soak in water for about 15 mins and squeeze out water to the last drop
• Green chili - 3 to 4 diced (Add more if you want it to be spicy)
• Cloves (Lavanga) - 10 to 12
• Cardamom (Elakki) - 3 to 4
• Cinnamon (Chakkey) - 3 to 4 small sticks
• Coriander seeds - 1.5 tsp
• Ginger - 1/4 inch 
• Garlic - 6 to 7 cloves
• Grated coconut - 1 cup
• Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
• Bay leaves - 4
• Mint leaves - 2 to 3 branches
• Coriander (Cilantro) leaves - 3 to 4 branches
• Rice -3 to 4 cups (pre soaked in water for 30mins)
• Oil (Olive/peanut) - 6 to 7 tsp for rice and 2 to 3 tsp for masala
• Water - 3 to 4 cups (same proportion as rice and boiled)
• Salt for taste

Procedure:

1. Take a medium sized pan and bring it to heat in a medium flame
2. Add oil (2 to 3 tsp), coriander seeds, green chili, 2 tsp of onion, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, crushed ginger-garlic, mint leaves, coriander leaves, and coconut in the order. Make sure to saute for few seconds after adding every ingredient
3. Add the above mix into a blender/grinder and make a paste out of it
4. Take a pressure cooker[Indian/Electric] (you can also cook it using regular pan) and bring it to heat using high flame. 
5. Add oil (6 to 7 tsp), cumin seeds, and bay leaves
6. Add onions and saute for a minute
7. Add the grinded masala mix and saute for 3 to 4 minutes
8. Add chopped menthae leaves, capcicum, soy chunks, green peas and mix thoroughly
9. Add the pre soaked - drained rice and mix well
10. Add the boiled water, salt and mix well
11. Wait for the pressure cooker to release pressure for one time and turn off the heat
12. Once the pressure is released completely, open the lid and wait for about 10 mins before serving
13. Serve hot with cumber raita 

Try it out and I am sure, you will like it!

Sumitas Paneer (Cottage cheese) masala

This recipe credit goes to the master of north Indian food, Sumita Singh and hence the name of the dish under her name..
Ingredients: 

Sumitas Paneer Masala

• Paneer - One full cereal size bowl with pieces cut into medium sized cubes 
• Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
• Onion - 1/2 size chopped into small pieces
• Oil (Olive/peanut) - 4 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
• Ginger - 1/4 inch 
• Garlic - 4 to 5 cloves
• Tomatoes - 2 large size (US size)
• Cashew nut - 6 to 8
• Red chili - 2 (Kashmiri chili)
• Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
• Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp (You can add more depending on your spice level)
• Dry kasoori methi leaves - 2 tsp
• Honey - 2 tsp
• Whipped cream - 3 to 4 tsp / whole milk 5 tsp
• Salt for taste

Initial preparation:

1. Microwave the paneer for a minute to soften and keep it ready
2. Make a paste of ginger and garlic and keep it ready
3. Blend/Grind tomatoes, cashews, and red chilies into fine puree and keep it ready

Procedure: 

1. Take a medium sized pan and bring it to heat in a medium flame
2. Add oil, asafotida, and onions and saute for 2 to 3 minutes
3. Add ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute
4. Add the tomato puree, coriander powder, garam masala, red chili powder, salt and mix well. Once the mix starts to boil, cover the pan with a lid and allow it to boil in medium flame for about 10 minutes. From time to time, keep stirring to avoid sticking to the pan
5. Add kasoori methi leaves(grind it using your hand and then add), honey, and paneer and mix it gently. Keep it on low fire for about 3-4 minutes
6. Turn off the fire and add whipped cream or whole milk. Hot paneer masala goes well with chapathi's/rotis/naan's.

Try it out and please leave a comment on how it went..

Egg plant (Bhadanae kaayi palya) subjee

Bhadanae Kaayi Palya

Ingredients: (Note: Egg plant is rich in iron content) 

• Eggplant - 3 long ones (sliced into 1.5 inch length by 1/2 inch thick)
• Onion - 1/2 (sliced long and medium sized)
• Green Chili - 3 (you can add more if you like it to be spicy)
• Tamarind paste - 2 tsp
• Salt for taste 
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
• Rasam Powder- 3 tsp
• Grated coconut - 1/2 cup (If used frozen, make sure you thaw in microwave before using)
• Black gram - 2 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Oil (Olive/peanut oil) - 4 tsp
• Curry leaves - 1 branch/ 10 leaves

Procedure:

1. Take a medium sized pan and bring it to heat using a medium flame
2. Add oil, black gram, mustard seeds and wait until the mustard seeds start to splutter
3. Add green chilies and curry leaves and let it fry for two minutes
4. Add sliced egg plant, onion, salt, tamarind paste, rasam powder, salt and coconut in the order and mix well
5. Simmer the fire and let it cook in low flame for about 10 minutes. No need to cover with a lid
6. Serve with hot rice and enjoy the mangalorean egg plant palya

Try this out and please leave a comment on how it went

Mangalore Rasam Powder Mix

Ingredients:

1. 1/4 tsp methi (menthay) seeds
2. 1 tsp cumin(jeera) seeds
3. 2 tsp corriander (kothambari) seeds
4. 5-6 red chili - Byadagi/Kashmiri chili
5. 1 or 10 leaves branch curry leaves
6. 3-4 tsp of oil (olive/peanut)

Procedure: If you are planning on using the mix for rasam, then use oil 3-4 tsp of oil. If not, just use 1 tsp of oil

1. Add oil into a pan and bring it to heat (low flame)
2. Add the mix in the following order
• Add 1/4 tsp of methi seeds (wait for 2 mins)
• Add 5-6 red chili and make sure hot oil touches every part of chili. Make sure not to over fry the chilies or else your rasam will not have good red color. Keep the chilies aside once it is fried.
• Add 2 tsp of corriander seeds and 1 tsp of cumin seeds (wait for 2 mins)
• Add curry leaves and turn off the fire. Keep the frying pan aside to avoid any excess heat.
3. Once the mix is cooled, grind it dry and your rasam mix is ready.

Haagal Kaayi (Bitter gourd) gojju

Ingredients:

Bitter gourd gojju

1. 4-5 medium sized haagal kaayi (bitter gourd)
2. One golf ball size tamarind or 1/2 cup tamarind paste
3. Bella/ Jaggery - One golf ball size jaggery
4. Sesame - 2 tsp (roasted and grinded)
5. Black gram/ Udhina belay - 2 tsp
6. Mustard Seeds/Saasive - 2 tsp
7. Garlic - 5 to 6 cloves
8. Curry leaves - 1 branch/ 10 leaves
9. Dry coconut powder - 3 to 4 tsp
10. Rasam powder - 4 tsp

Note:  [tsp: tea spoon]

Procedure:

1. Cut bitter gourd into medium slices (1/4 inch length and 1 cm thick). Mix the bitter gourd with 2 tsp of jaggery and 1 tsp of salt and keep it aside for about an hour. By doing so, you will remove the strong bitterness from the bitter gourd.
2. Squeeze the bitter gourd to remove the water and keep it aside. 
3. Add 4 tsp of oil (olive/peanut) and bring the pan to heat. Add the squeezed bitter gourd into the pan and fry it until the color changes to dull green. Make sure, you use medium to low flame while frying. Keep the fried bitter gourd aside.
4. Add 5 tsp of oil into the same pan and bring it to heat (Use medium flame). Add the following in the order
• 2 tsp of black gram (wait until it turns to golden yellow)
• 2 tsp of mustard seeds
• 5-6 cloves of chopped garlic (wait until it turns to golden yellow)
• curry leaves
5. Add tamarind paste, jaggery, and salt for taste. Add 1 cup of water and let it boil for 5 mins. 
• Note: If you are using regular tamarind and not the paste, soak the tamarind in water for 20 mins and then squeeze the juice out of it.
6. Add 4 tsp of rasam powder (Mangalore Rasam Powder Mix) into the boiling mix. Boil for 3-4 minutes
7. Add the fried bitter gourd into the mix and turn off the fire. 
8. Add 2 tsp of sesame powder and dry grated coconut mix.
9. Mix well and bitter gourd gojju is ready to eat.
10. Goes very well with hot rice or chapathis/Roti

Try it and please let me know how it went. Thanks :)

Avaraekaayi Saaru/Rasam:

Ingredients:

1. Garlic - 7 to 8 cloves [Chopped into medium dices]
2. Avarey kaayi/ Paapri lilva (in US) - 1 bag
3. Coconut : 1/2 cup [Freshly grated/frozen [thaw it before using]

Masala Ingredients:

1. 2 tsp of coriander seeds
2. 1 tsp of cumin seeds
3. 1/4 tsp of methi seeds
4. 4 red chilies (Byadagi/ Kashmiri chili) [Note: Less spicy and good color]
5. Curry leaves: 7 to 8 leaves
6. 3 tsp of oil [vegetable/peanut/olive]

Procedure:

1. Boil Avarey Kaayi pressure cooker with 1/4 tsp of salt. After one whistle, keep it on simmer for 5 to 8 minutes. Make sure, the avarey kaayi is cooked, but not melted.

2. Bring 3tsp of oil to heat and add the ingredients as per the below order

•   methi [wait unitl it starts changing color]
•   red chilies [Do not over fry the chilies. Just make sure the hot oil is on every part of chily and keep it aside if you want.]
•   coriander seeds [You can add coriander, cumin, and curry leaves together and turn off the fire. The heat of the oil is good enough to fry them all]
•   cumin seeds
•   curry leaves

3. Grind the masala [(2)] along with coconut in a mixer grinder to make a fine paste. Add 2 serving spoons of cooked avaraey kaayi into the grinder and mix along with masala.
4. Add the grinded paste to the cooked avaraey kaayi and dilute the mix accordingly. Do not make it too dilute!
5. Add salt to taste and boil for ~10mins
6. Add 1/2 tsp of tamarind paste and 1/4 inch of brown sugar/bella/gud
7. Boil it for 2 more minutes and turn off the fire
8. Fry chopped garlic + 2 tsp of ghee + 1 tsp of mustard seeds + 7 to 8 curry leaves and garnish the rasam and keep it covered for 5 minutes.
9. Serve with hot rice and papad and you will realize heaven on earth.

Try it out and let me know, please post comments on how it went.

Saagu (Vegetable curry for poori/roti/chapathi)

Ingredients: Serves 3 to 4 people

[tsp: tea spoon]

Veggies: [You can add any veggies of your choice!]

    1. Carrots: 2

    2. Beans: 300gms / 40 to 50 in count (american beans)

    3. Green peas: 1.5 cup

    4. Potatoes: 2

    5. Onions: 1

    [Veggies: Chopped into small equal pieces of 1cm length]

Masala ingredients:Grind all of the below ingredients in mixer/grinder

    1. Cloves/Lavang: 10 to 12

    2. Cinnamon: 1/4 inch

    3. Cardamom/Elaichi/Elakki: 2

    4. Garlic: 2

    5. Ginger: 1/4 inch

    6. Green chilly: 4 [Depends on how much spice you want]

    7. Red chilly/Byadagi : 2 [This is just for the sake of color]

    8. Coconut: 1.5 cup shredded [Make sure to thaw the frozen coconut]
    9. Split dalia/putani/hurigadle: 3 tsp

    10. Tamarind paste/Imly/hunise hannu: 1.5 tsp
[I usually prefer fresh one!You can soak fresh tamarind(size of 1/2 ping pong/tt ball) in water for few minutes and squeeze the paste]

Saagu preparation: [Use medium flame]
1. Take a medium size pan and boil all the veggies in it. Do not add too much water!Your water level should be just 1cm above the surface of veggies. Cover the pan with a lid and let it boil for about 12 to 15 minutes
2. Once the veggies are properly boiled, add the grinded masala mix into and stir well. If you want, add little extra water, but not too much!

3. Add salt [1.5 to 2 tsp] for taste. Also add 1/2 tsp of sugar and mix everything well.
4. Cook it for 10 more minutes and keep stirring the mix from time to time. This step removes the raw taste  of masala!
5. Once the masala is properly cooked, switch off the flame and garnish with chopped cilantro/correander leaves.

SAAGU READY!

Serve hot with hot poori/chapathi/roti and believe me, this curry is deadly with poori!