Raw Mango thokku / Mango Pickle

Hi all,

Its summer now and summers are famous for Mangoes. Today I am going to share a very quick and easy pickle which you can make in 10 mins..

Prep time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Raw mango – 1 peeled and chopped

Chilly powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Salt – 1 tsp or as per taste

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Gingely Oil – 4 tbsp

To roast and grind:

Methi seeds – 1 tsp

Asafoetida (Solid) – 1 inch piece

Method:

In a Kadai add gingely oil. Once oil gets hot add mustard seeds. Once they splutter add Raw mango pieces, chilly powder, turmeric powder, salt and give it a good mix.

Let everything combine and cook well. Meanwhile roast and grind methi and asafoetida in a mixer jar and make a fine powder and keep it aside.

Once the mango mixture is cooked well and turns soft and mushy. It will come to almost halwa consistency. Now add methi-asafoetida powder and give a good mix. Let it cook for another minute and then it’s done.

Let the mixture cool down. You can store it in an airtight container. Use only a dry spoon.

Yummy, tangy and tasty Mango thokku is ready and that simple to make. Enjoy it with curd rice or even with dosa and bread.

Mysore Pak – Diwali Special

Diwali is round the corner.. Diwali is incomplete without sweets.. This Diwali let’s try an all time favorite dish.. Mysore Pak. 


I have seen various recipes of this dish but I will be sharing the simplest way you can make this recipe. This recipe is tried and tested. You can never go wrong if you follow this recipe. I can assure you that. 


Let’s get started. 


Ingredients:

Besan or Kadala maavu: 1 cup

Sugar: 1 cup

Ghee: 1 cup (melted)

Water: 1/4 cup


Method: 


Dry roast Besan for 10 minutes in medium flame till you get a nice aroma. Sieve and keep it in a bowl. 


Melt and add the ghee into the besan and mix it well so that there are no lumps. 


Take a baking tray or a container in which you are going to transfer the mysore pak. Grease it well and keep it ready. 

Now take a heavy bottom kadai. Add sugar and the water and let it boil. Boil it till you get one string consistency. 
Now add the besan and ghee mixture into the kadai. Remember to always keep the flame in medium. Now keep mixing till the mixture started bubbling and starts separating the pan. 
Now transfer it to the greased tray and after 5 minutes cut it into desired shape. Refer picture.

Once the mixture starts cooling it ll get harder. You will get around 10 to 15 pieces in this recipe. 


Enjoy Diwali with this yummy sweet. 
Wishing you all a safe and happy Diwali.. 😊❤

Jeera Rice

Hi all,

Good to be back here.. 
I have been a little busy with my son and his school.. I will try my best to post as frequently as I can.. I promise.. 😊❤


Here is a simple one pot meal recipe.. It takes less than 15 mins to make this.. If you got up late and find out there are no veggies in the fridge and want to pack something quick for lunch this one is a good choice. 

Ingredients:
Rice (I prefer raw rice over basmati rice) – 1 cup

Jeera- 1 tbsp 

Onion (Optional) – 1 big sliced

Peas – A handful (Optional)

Bay leaf – 2

Cloves – 4

Cardamom – 2

Cinnamon- 1 inch

Green chilly – 1

Salt as per taste

Ghee – 2 tbsp 

Water – 2 cups

Coriander leaves for garnishing


Method:
Take a heavy bottom cooker. Heat it. Add ghee.. Once it gets hot add Jeera, bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon stick and cardamom and sautè. Now add onions, green peas and green chilly and sautè till onions turn translucent. You can now get a nice aroma. 


Now add the rice and the required amount of water. Add salt and give it a good mix. Once the rice and water start boiling close the lid and cook for 2 whistles. Switch off the gas. 


Once the pressure subsides garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with channa masala or a simple dal fry for the sides.. 


Doesn’t it sound simple.. Do try it and tell me how it tastes.. 😊👍

Bisi Bele Bath

I am a Bangalorean and I love Karnataka cuisine. This is one of my favorite dishes. My mother makes awesome BBB. This one is dedicated to you ma.. 🙂

Ingredients needed

  • Raw Rice – 1 cup 
  • Toor dal – 1/2 cup   
  • Tamarind – small lemon sized ball
  • Oil – 2 tbsp 
  • Ghee – 3 tsp 
  • Pearl onions -15
  • Beans – 4-5 
  • Carrot – 2
  • Potato – 1 
  • Peas – fistful 
  • Jaggery (Optional)  – 1 small piece

Bisi Bele Bath Masala (roast and dry grind)

  • Oil – 1 tsp
  • Kopra/Grated dry coconut -1/2 cup
  • Coriander seeds – 1 tbsp
  • Cumin seeds/Jeera – 1 tsp
  • Red chillies – 6-7
  • Bengal gram/Channa Dal – 2 tsp
  • Urad dal – 1 tsp
  • Fenugreek – 1/2 tsp
  • Cinnamon – 1 inch piece
  • Cloves – 2
  • Cardamom -1 
  • Poppy seeds -1 tsp
  • Asafoetida – 1 pinch

Preparation:

Heat a tsp of oil, roast the ingredients under Bisi Bele Bath Masala, adding coconut at the end. Roast everything until it becomes slightly brown in colour and dry grind it.


Pressure cook rice and dal with 4 ½ cups of water for 4 whistles.
Remove the skin of pearl onions. Cut beans and carrot lengthwise. Peel and chop potatoes into cubes. Soak tamarind in a cup of hot water for 15 minutes. Extract its juice and discard the pulp.

Method:

Heat a tbsp of oil, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add fenugreek seeds, hing and curry leaves. Saute for a seconds and add pearl onions.
Sauté onions until it becomes transparent. Then add all the vegetables and sauté for a few more minutes.


Now add tamarind extract, needed salt, jaggery. and the bisi bele bath masala powder. Let it boil well until the raw flavor goes and at the same time the vegetables also get cooked well. 
Add cooked dal and rice with 3 tsp of ghee and mix well.

Garnish Bisibelebath with coriander leaves and serve hot with fresh potato chips or papad or onion raita. 

Kesari or Kesari Bath

Hi all,
Today I am sharing a very simple recipe which is a universal favourite sweet dish. Kesari or Kesari bath. It’s very simple sweet which you can quickly make within 10 minutes. Yes. It’s that simple.

The tricky part in making this is there should be no lumps formed. But not to worry. If you follow this recipe, there is no way you ll get lumps. Just a little practice and you ll be a pro. 
Cooking is that simple.

So let’s dive straight into the recipe.

Ingredients:

Rava/Semolina – 1 Cup
Sugar – 1/2 Cup
Ghee – 3 tsp
Cashews – 4 to 5
Raisins – 4 to 5
Water – 2 Cups
Cardamom – 1 pinch
Kesari food color – 1 pinch (Optional)

Preparation:

Take a pan and dry roast rava till it turns aromatic and slightly changes color. Transfer it to a plate.
Add a teaspoon of ghee to the same pan and roast cashews and raisins for a minute. Transfer it to the same plate and switch off the gas.

Method:

In a kadai add water and sugar. Keep it in medium flame. Let it start boiling. Now add the cardamom powder and Kesari food color and give it a mix.

Now keep the flame low and slowly add the roasted rava and keep mixing so that there are no lumps formed. Now add the dry fruits and the remaining ghee and mix it. Cover and cook for a minute to make sure the rava gets cooked well.

Tadaa.. Hot and yummy Kesari is ready!!

Please note: 
1. The quantity of ghee can be increased according to your taste. For health reasons I have given the minimum quantity.
2. You can skip adding the Kesari powder and add saffron strands instead. 
3. The quantity of sugar can be increased according to your taste buds. I don’t like it too sweet. 😜
4. You can add other dry fruits like almonds and pistachio too.

Tomato Onion Chutney



Ingredients:

Onion – 3 big (Chopped)

Tomato – 3 (Chopped)

Channa Dal – 2 tbsp

Urad Dal – 2 tbsp

Red chillies – 6 

Curry leaves – few strands

For tempering: 

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Urad Dal – 1 tsp

Hing – 1 pinch

Curry leaves a few 

Oil 

Method:

First take a kadai and add a tsp of oil. Once oil is hot, add Channa dal, urad Dal and dried red chillies and fry in low flame till the dal turn golden brown. Now add the chopped onion and curry leaves and saute till onions turn translucent. Now add the tomatoes and saute till they turn soft and mushy. Add required salt and saute for a minute and switch off the gas. 

Allow the mixture to cool. Transfer the contents into a blender or a mixie and grind it slightly coarse. Now transfer it to a container. U can add a little water if the chutney is too thick. 

Temper the chutney with mustard, urad dal, hing and curry leaves and serve with hot idly or dosa or chapathis.

Please note: You can even add roasted peanuts. It will give you more volume and it ll add a nutty taste to the chutney.. 

Channa Masala

Hi all, 

Today I will be sharing a very simple and healthy recipe. 

Ingredients:

Kabul Channa – 200 grams

Onion – 1 (thinly sliced)

Tomatoes – 2 finely chopped

Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp

Chilly powder – 1/2 tsp

Garam masala – 1/4 tsp

Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp

Salt as per taste

Cinnamon stick – 1

Bay leaf – 1

Jeera – 1 tsp

Oil to temper

Preparation: 

Soak Channa overnight or atleast for 8 hours. It would have doubled in size. Wash Channa thoroughly and add 2 cups of water and salt and pressure cook for atleast 10 whistles. Channa should be soft. 

Method: 

Take a kadai. Add oil, jeera, cinnamon and bay leaf and sauté till u start getting a nice aroma. Now add onion and ginger garlic paste and saute till onions turn translucent. Add tomatoes and sauté till they become mushy. 

Now add turmeric powder, chilly powder, cumin powder and garam masala along with little salt just for this masala (Remember we have already added salt in the Channa). Give a good mix and add the cooked Channa along with the cookin liquor. Close the lid and let it cook on medium flame for 10 mins. Now switch off the gas and garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves. 

Yummy Channa Masala is ready.

Serve with Hot Batura or pooris or jeera rice along with chopped onion and lemon wedge. Yumm.. 🤤

Lemon Rasam

I love rasam. I like all kinds of rasam. The key to making any rasam is to keep the flavour intact. Today I shall share a rasam made with lemon. Yes! Tangy Lemon rasam.

Cooking time: 10 mins
Preparation time: 10 mins

Ingredients:
Ripe Tomato – 1
Ginger – 1 inch (chopped finely)
Green chilly – 1 slit
Lemon – 1
Sambar powder – 1 tsp
Pepper jeera powder – 1/2 tsp
Toor dal – 1/4 cup
Hing – 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves – 6 to 7
Coriander leaves for garnishing
Salt as per taste

For tempering:
Mustard – 1/2 tsp
Jeera – 1/2 tsp
Hing – A generous pinch
Ghee – 1 tsp

Preparation:
Cook toor dal in cooker for 3 whistles, mash it and keep aside.

Method:
In a vessel add 2 cups of water and add chopped tomato, ginger, green chilly, sambar powder, hing, curry leaves and salt. Switch on the stove and bring it to boil..

Once tomato turns mushy add the mashed toor dal and add 3 cups of water.. Once it starts frosting add pepper jeera powder and switch off the stove. Do not wait till it starts boiling as the flavour will be lost.

Now add lemon juice and temper it. Garnish it with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with rice.

Please note:
1. Add lemon juice in rasam after you switch off the gas. Otherwise there will be a bitter taste.
2. Always keep the rasam covered once done to keep the flavour intact.

Carrot Halwa or Gajar Ka Halwa Recipe

Ingredients:

  • Carrots – 3 cups
  • Milk – 2 cups (boiled)
  • Sugar – 1/2 cup
  • Cashew nuts -5-6
  • Raisins 6-8
  • Almonds – 2-3
  • Cardamom -3
  • Ghee -2 tbsp
  • Milkmaid – 2 tbsp

Preparation:
Grate the carrots finely
Fry cashew nuts, almonds and raisins in a little ghee separately.

Method:
Heat a tsp of ghee and fry the carrots for 2 minutes.
Add milk to it and cook on medium flame until all the milk evaporates.
Now, add milkmaid, sugar and the remaining ghee and cook on low heat until it leaves the sides of the pan.

Finally, add cardamom powder and garnish with cashew nuts, chopped almonds and raisins.

Now our yummy Carrot Halwa is ready. 🙂
It can be served either hot or cold.

Ragi Vermicelli

Ragi is a rich source of iron. In olden days, farmers used to eat ragi mudde or ragi balls so that they get good source of energy to work and don’t feel hungry for a long time. I always try and include ragi in my diet especially for breakfast. There are lot of yummy dishes you can make out of ragi. This is one such dish. Its a very healthy breakfast menu. Try it out!

Prep Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 10 mins
Serves: 2

Ingredients needed:
Ragi Semiya – 2 cups/100 grams
Onion Chopped -1 cup
Salt needed

For the seasoning:
Oil -1 tbsp
Mustard seeds -1 tsp
Urad dal -1/2 tsp
Green Chilli – 1 slit
Hing -1/4 tsp
Curry leaves

Preparation:
Take two glasses of water and add needed salt and soak ragi semiya/vermicelli for 3 minutes. Do not soak it for more than 3 mins or else it will lose its form.

Drain the water completely using a strainer.

Steam the vermicelli in an idly steamer for 5 minutes. Once cooked, spread it on a plate and let it cool down.

Now heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add urad dad, green chilli and hing. When dal turns golden brown, add finely chopped onions, and fry till it turns transparent and add salt and curry leaves.

Now add the steamed ragi semiya, mix well and cook for another 5 minutes on low flame.

Remove from heat and serve hot with any chutney of your choice or sambar.