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!

-- Rice Dosa (Majjige Dosa)

Ingredients: [tsp: tea spoon]

1. Rice: 2 pau/ 4 rice cups

2. Rice flakes/Dagdi/Poha: 1/2 pau/ 1 rice cup

3. Yogurt/butter milk: 5 cups [Preferably savor one, if not jut use normal one]

4. Fenugreek seeds/Methi seeds/Menthey seeds: 1/2 tsp

5. Salt: 1.5 tsp

Batter Preparation:

1. Soak rice and fenugreek seeds in water for about 4 to 5 hours.

2. Soak rice flakes 30 minutes before grinding.

3. Grind rice,rice flakes, and methi together with yogurt into fine paste.

4. Do not make the batter too dilute. You need to have a nice flowing consistency!

5. Transfer the batter into a container and add salt into it. Mix it well.

6. Leave the batter overnight (8 to 9 hours) to ferment.

7. If it is cold season, add 1/4 tsp of dry yeast. Mix yeast with 1/2 cup warm water and leave it for 5 minutes and then add to batter. Mix well and leave it overnight.

Dosa Preparation: [Use medium flame] Click on the video below

1. Use a flat/rounded dosa pan

2. Add 1/2 tsp of olive oil/vegetable oil and pour 1.5 big rounded spoon of batter

You don't have to spread the batter! That's how you get thick spongy dosa

3. Add 1/2 tsp of oil on top as well

4. Cover dosa with a lid and let it cook for a minute or two

5. Remove the lid and flip dosa onto other side so that it gets cooked well on both the sides

6. Wait for a minute

7. Remove dosa from the pan

MAJJIGE DOSA or RICE DOSA READY!

Serve hot with butter/ghee and coconut chutney/pickle

-- Coconut Chutney

Ingredients: Serves 3 to 4 people

1. Coconut: 3 cups [Shredded coconut]. If you are using frozen one, make sure you thaw it

2. Green chilly: 4 Nos. [You can use it more or less depending on the level of spice]

3. Cilantro/Correander leaves: 7 to 8 branches

4. Roasted channa dal/Putani : 1/4 cup

5. Asafoetida/Hing : 1 pinch

6. Salt: For taste

Procedure:

1. Add coconut, green chilly, and roasted channa dal/putani into a mixer grinder. Add little water and grind it well. Do not grind into fine paste

2. Add Cilantro/Correander leaves and asafoetida. Grind again for few seconds. This is just for the cilantro to mix well

3. Add salt for taste and grind for 5 seconds

Tempering:

1. Heat a small frying pan on a medium flame and add 2 to 3 spoon of olive oil/vegetable oil

2. Fry 1 tsp of black gram/split urad dal, 1/4 tsp of mustard seeds,1 red chilly, 8 to 10 curry leaves

3. Add fried item to the grinded mix

COCONUT CHUTNEY READY!

Serve with hot dosa

-- Dosa (Urad dal/Udhina belae)

Ingredients: Serves 4 to 5 people with each person eating around 6 to 7 dosa!

1. Rice: 4 pau/ 8 rice cups

2. Black gram/Urad dal/Udhina belae: 1 pau/ 2 rice cup [Use the whole grain, not the split one]

3. Rice flakes/Poha/Dagdi/Avalakki: 1/2 pau or 1 rice cup

Soaking and grinding procedure: [tsp: tea spoon]

1. Soak rice overnight/4 to 5 hours before grinding

2. Soak black gram/urad dal and rice flake/poha 30 minutes before grinding

3. Grind rice, dal, and poha very fine. You can grind it separately or you can grind together in different portions

4. Do not add too much water. Make sure the batter is not too thick or dilute. If you pour the batter, it should flow with nice consistency

5. Add and mix 2 tsp of salt to the batter

6. Leave the batter overnight (8 to 10 hours) in a warm condition for fermentation

7. If you are making dosa during winter, you might want to add dry yeast into the mix to help in fermentation

Yeast preparation: Take half cup of warm water and add 1 tsp of dry yeast into it. Mix well and leave it for 5 minutes. Add the yeast to dosa mix and let it ferment overnight (8 to 10 hours)

Dosa Preparation: [Beginners: Use a non stick pan to avoid any disaster!]

1. Place your dosa pan on a medium size flame

2. Use a rounded bottom serving spoon to place the batter on dosa pan

3. Spread the batter clockwise with the help of spoon

4. Add 1 tsp of olive oil/vegetable oil/ghee on top of dosa spread

5. Cover dosa with a lid and wait for a minute. Make sure you don't burn it!

6. Open the lid and take your dosa out of pan using flat wooden/metaled stick

URAD DAL/UDHINA BELAE DOSA READY!

Serve hot with coconut chutney and potato/aloo sabji

-- Lemon Rice (Chithranna)

Ingredients:

tsp - tea spoon

1. Rice: 1 pau/2 rice cups

2. Onion: 1 (sliced)

3. Green chilly: 3 to 4 (sliced into two)

4. Peanuts: 1/2 cup (Roast peanuts without any oil on a medium flame and keep it ready)

5. Lemon: One half squeezed lemon juice (You can add more lemon, if you need more savor)

6. Curry leaves: 8 to 10 leaves

7. Turmeric: 1/4 tsp

8. Black gram/Urad dal/Uddinabelay: 1/2 tsp

9. Mustard seeds: 1/4 tsp

10. Asafoetida: One pinch

11. Cilantro/Correander leaves: 1/2 cup

12. Shredded Coconut: 1/2 cup

Rice Preparation: Basmati rice (or rice of your choice)

1. Take one pau/ 2 cups of basmati rice and wash it properly

2. Add 2 pau /5 cups of water into an electric cooker and add rice into it [Ratio-1(rice):2(water)]

3. Once the rice is cooked, open the lid and let the rice get cooled

Note: If you mix hot rice with all the ingredients, your rice will turn into a paste!

Procedure: [Use medium size flame]

1. Take a medium size pan and add 4 to 5 tsp of olive oil/vegetable oil

2. Add black gram and mustard seeds. Wait until the color of black gram turns golden yellow

3. Add green chillies and curry leaves and wait until they slightly start shrinking

4. Add onions and mix well. Reduce the flame and cover the pan with a lid. Wait for about 5 minutes or you see your onions are cooked well

5. Add turmeric and asafoetida and mix well

6. Add roasted peanuts and salt for taste. Mix everything well

7. Now, add cooled rice and mix thoroughly. You shouldn't be seeing any white color of rice

8. Add shredded coconut and lime together and mix it well

9. Finally, add and mix cilantro/correander leaves

Lemon Rice/Chithranna Ready!

Serve with either coconut chutney or yogurt with pickle

-- Pizzaaa!!

Credit goes to my friend, Khaldoun Rishmawi, who taught me this one!

Ingredients: [Serves 4 people and can make 2 large size pizza]

tsp - tea spoon

1. Tomatoes: 8 (medium sized) - Smell the tomatoes before you buy, because good tomatoes does smell good

2. American flour/Maida: 3 cups [Ice cream cup:3 inch diameter and 1.5 inch deep]

3. Fresh thyme leaves: 8 to 9 branches

4. Oregano: 1 tsp of dried oregano [If you get fresh one, use 2 branch of it]

5. Fresh rosemary: 1 branch

6. Cheese: Mozzarella [Use the fresh mozzarella for not so heavy pizza]

7. Yeast : 2 tsp

8. Tomato paste: 1/2 tin [Smaller size tin]

9. Garlic: One full size [Peel all of them and keep it crushed]

Yeast Preparation:

1. Take one full glass of water and warm it slightly. Do not make it too hot!Just warm it

2. Add 2 tsp of yeast into it

3. Add 1 tsp of sugar and mix well. Keep it aside for 5 minutes.

Pizza dough: [Prepare it 4 hours before you make pizza]

1. Take a big bowl and add 3 cups of american flour/maida

2. Add 4 tsp of olive oil

3. Add 1/2 tsp of salt

4. Add the yeast water and mix it with flour. If you need more water, add water little by little. You don't want your dough to be too soft

5. Beat the dough until you get a nice consistency. Shouldn't be too hard or too soft!

6. Seal the bowl with plastic food wrap and make it air tight. Keep it aside for about 4 hours!

Tomato Sauce:

Tomato cold shock: [This technique is used to easily peel tomato skin]

a. Prepare plenty of ice cubes and add it to a container to make very cold water. Keep it aside!

b. Take one more container and separately boil water in it. Make sure, it can hold 8 to 9 tomatoes.

c. Once the water starts boiling, add tomatoes

d. Wait until tomato skin starts cracking

e. Remove tomatoes from boiling water and add quickly into freezing cold water. Tomato skin starts peeling automatically!

f. I found this technique useful. You may have a better technique to peel tomato skin

1. Grind the peeled tomatoes in a grinder / blender

2. Take a medium sized pan and add 3 to 4 tsp of olive oil

3. Add grinded tomato mix

4. Add thyme, oregano, and rosemary

5. Add 3/4th of crushed garlic. Mix well everything and allow it to cook for about 10 to 12 minuter. Cover your pan with a lid. Use a medium size flame!

6. Keep stirring your mix from time to time and make sure you don't burn it!

7. Once the tomatoes are cooked, remove the lid of pan for water to evaporate. Cook it further for 10 more minutes in a low flame. Make sure your tomato sauce has a nice thick consistency!

8. Add salt for taste and add tomato paste. Mix it well and let it cook for 3 more minutes in low flame

9. Keep aside your tomato sauce and let it cool

Pizza Preparation: [2 large size]

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees

2. Beat the dough once again for about 5 minutes to get a nice consistency

3. Make two portions of your dough and make nice ball out of it

4. Spread some flour on top of dry counter and roll your dough using a wooden roller. Sprinkle some flour on top, if your dough starts sticking on to your roller

5. If you want thin crust, you can roll into thin size or if you want it to be little thick, you can roll accordingly

6. Brush your pizza pan with olive oil so that your pizza does not stick on to your pan

7. Place your pizza on pizza pan. Brush your pizza with olive oil [You can skip this step, if you think you are using too much olive oil. I like Olive oil!]

8. Spread tomato paste on top of it. Make sure you have it enough for the second pizza!

9. Spread veggies of your choice: Some of the combinations are here

a. Fresh basil, spinach, mushroom, onion, green pepper

b. Fresh basil, spinach, onion, green pepper, pineapple [Make sure you drain water from pineapple before using]

10. Evenly spread freshly grated mozzarella cheese on top of your veggies. Add enough so that it covers your veggies

11. Make sure you spread your veggies and cheese by leaving 1 inch gap from the edge

12. Place your pan inside the oven at 500 degrees for about 5 minutes

13. Once you see your pizza has fluffed, reduce the temperature to about 350 and bake for 8 more minutes. This will let all your veggies get cooked!

14. Again increase the temperature to 500 for about 3 minutes

15. If the base color starts turning into golden yellow, you know your pizza is cooked. Also make sure you don't burn your cheese too.

16. Remove pizza from the oven and cut into slices

PIZZA READY!!!

Serve hot with green chilly pickles

-- Veg pulau [Serves 4 to 5 people]

Ingredients:

tsp-tea spoon

1. Carrots: 2 - Chopped into equal slices. Not too small, not too big

2. Green Beans: 250gm/25 to 30 in count, chopped

3. Green peas: 1.5 cup (Regular ice cream cup)

4. Potatoes: 1 - Chopped

5. Onions: 1 (US size) - Chopped length wise

6. Bay leaf: 2 to 3

7. Basmati Rice: 2 pau/4 small rice cups

8. Water: 4 pau/8 small rice cups [Rice to water ratio is 1:2]. Boil the measured water and keep it ready!

9. Cilantro/Corriander leaves: 1/2 cup chopped

Masala mix: Grind all of the below items into fine paste. Do not add too much water!

1. Green chilli - 3 to 4 based on the amount of spice you need

2. Red chilli - 2 for color

3. Cloves/Lavang - 15 to 20

4. Cinnamon - 1/2 inch

5. Cardamom - 3 to 4

6. Garlic - 3 to 4 cloves

7. Ginger - 1/4 inch

8. Coconut - 1 cup [I use the grated frozen one. Make sure you thaw it in microwave]

Procedure: [Use medium to maximum flame, while cooking]

1. Add 8 to 10 tsp of olive oil/vegetable oil into a pressure cooker

2. Once oil is hot, add 1.5 tsp of cumin seeds. Wait for 15 to 20 seconds and add bay leaf. Stir it for about 15 seconds

3. Add chopped onions and fry it for about 3 minutes

4. Add the grinded masala mix and fry it for about 5 minutes. Keep mixing so that masala looses it raw taste

5. Add vegetables and rice together and mix everything well for about 2 minutes

6. Add boiled water

7. Add salt according to taste and 3 tsp of ghee

8. Add cilantro/corriander leaves and mix everything together for about 30 seconds.

9. Close the lid of pressure cooker and turn off the flame after 2 whistles. Do not overcook!

10. Once the cooker is cooled, keep the lid open for 10 minutes before you serve. If you serve immediately, too much moisture in the cooker will make everything sticky, while you mix and serve.

VEGETABLE PULAU READY!!!!

Note: Serve pulau with raitha of your choice

1. Chopped cucumber,green chilli, curd raitha

2. Onion, tomatoes, green chilli, cilantro/correander leaves, curd raitha

-- Channa Masala

Ingredients:

tsp-tea spoon

1. Tomatoes: 3

- Chop tomatoes into smaller pieces

2. Chick peas (Chana / Kabul kadley) - 2 pau / 2 cups

- Soak channa for 4 hours or overnight. Boil the soaked channa in pressure cooker. Make sure, channa is cooked properly. Do not drain the water, you will use this water later.

3. Garlic(2) and Ginger(1/4 inch)

- Crush garlic and giner into fine paste

4. Onion: 1

- Chop onion into medium/smaller pieces

5. Tomato paste: 2tsp

----

Masala Mix: Mix all of the below items with sufficient water to make a paste

1. Corriander powder: 1 tsp

2. Cumin powder: 1/2 tsp

3. Amchur powder: 1/4 tsp

4. Garam masala: 1 tsp

5. Channa Masala: 1.5 tsp

6. Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp

7. Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp

Procedure: [Use medium flame]

1. Add 5 to 6 tsp of olive oil (or any other oil) in a pan and let it become hot

2. Once the oil is hot enough, add "1 tsp of cumin seeds". Wait for 15 seconds

3. Add "chopped onions" and fry it until the color turns to golden yellow

4. Add finely "chopped tomatoes" and let it cook properly

5. Once tomatoes are cooked, add the "masala mix" and "garlic ginger paste". Add little water from boiled chickpea. Mix it properly and let it cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Make sure, you don't burn it!

6. Add 2 full tsp of tomato paste to get rich red color and consistency. Let it cook for 2 more minutes

7. Add the "drained chickpea". Please dont throw away the drained water, as you may need to add it later to get proper consistency

8. Add salt for taste and 1/2 tsp of sugar. Mix it well and let it cook for 5 more minutes

9. Add cilantro/corriander leaves in the end

CHANNA MASALA READY!!!!

Serve hot with the combination of poori/chapathi/roti and chopped onions/lemon

--------------------