Majjige Huli (Majjiga pulusu)

A very relished dish by all at home. My daughter and me particularly like the ash-gourd in this dish. The coconut in Mumbai is so expensive and not available as easily as in Bangalore, at the same time dairy products here are of the best quality and available in abundance. The milk and milk products here are very creamy and thick..... We will have to cut curds here and not pour it..... the same way we eat lassi here and not drink it. Hence, it is very convenient to prepare curd based dishes often. There are 2 versions to cook this dish which i learnt from my granny and from my aunt. My granny's recipe has a lot of ingredients in the masala... coconut, pepper, jeera, dhania, curry leaves, mustard, ginger, chana dal, fiery red chillies and methi seeds. My aunt uses only, ginger, coconut, green chillies and chana dal. I merged both methods and took out the ingredients i like the most and made my own recipe and VOILA!!! my own version of majjige huli.

MAJJIGE HULI:



Ingredients:

1/2 kg ash gourd (diced into big squares)
2 cups curds (well beaten)
4 tbsp coconut
1 tbsp dhania seeds (coriander seeds) (dry roast)
1 tsp jeera (dry roast)
7 green chillies
1 tbsp chana dal (soaked for an hour)
a pinch of turmeric
salt to taste

for tempering:

1/2 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of asafoedita
curry leaves
1 tbsp oil

Method of preparation:

1. Pressure cook the peeled and diced ash gourd for one whistle. Strain and keep aside.
2. Grind together jeera, dhania seeds, coconut, chillies, ginger, chana dal and turmeric into a paste
3. Heat oil in a vessel and splutter the mustard seeds, add the asafoedita, and then the curry leaves.
4. Add the strained ash gourd to this and stir for half a minute. Add the ground paste to this, mix well and cook this for 2 minutes. Add water if necessary.
5. Switch off the flame and then add the beaten curds, mix well and switch on the stove and cook this for a further minute. Garnish with coriander leaves if necessary.

Tastes very good with rice.

Raw Banana fry

My kids would never eat raw banana in curries or avial. Incorporating raw bananas in their diet was a big challenge to me till i cooked it the below mentioned way quite by chance, actually. I have learnt different ways to cook banana from my mother, but always using coconut in one form or the other. One day i just tried cooking without coconut and VOILA!! everyone in my house became a fan of this dish, including my mom..... It is a great hit especially with my daughter. She doesn't mind having it without sharing with anyone..... Hence a dish which doesn't require much work from my side and is absolutely enjoyed by the kids and my husband.

RAW BANANA FRY




Ingredients:

2 raw bananas
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp dhania powder
a pinch of turmeric
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
Method of Preparation:

1. Peel the skin and slice the bananas round. If you want it extra crunchy, slice very thinly.
2. Heat oil in a kadai, add the bananas and stir fry for a minute.
3. Add all the spice powders and keep stir frying till done.

Serve as a side dish. My daughter eats it as a snack.

Methi Capsicum Rice

I haven't been updating my blog for sometime now since i was in the process of shifting from Bangalore to Mumbai. Now that i'm considerably settled, i'm back to my routines. The best part of Mumbai compared to Bangalore is the greens, fresh and good quality and quantity. The methi especially is not bitter when cooked even with the stalks.The brinjals here are in different varieties and very fresh. The cost is also less comparitively.

I tried this recipe as a one dish meal when i was in the process of settling. Luckily, i found the camera and decided to click away to add to my blog. Hence, the below dish.

I'm sending this to Srivalli's breakfast mela.

METHI CAPSICUM RICE



Ingredients:

2 cups rice (raw rice)
1 bunch methi (chopped fine alongwith the stalks)
2 medium sized capsicums (sliced lengthwise)
2 onions
2 tomatoes
2 green chillies (sliced lengthwise)
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 inch cinnamon
3 cloves
3 cardamoms
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder (dhania)
a pinch of turmeric
salt to taste
1 tbsp oil (you can use oil as per your taste, i like it less since it helps in my diet)

Method of Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add cloves, cinnamon and cardamom and let it splutter.
2. Add onions and once it is translucent, add ginger-garlic paste and fry till the raw smell is gone.
3. Add the capsicum and methi and fry for a minute. Add the tomatoes and fry for another minute.
4. Now add the spice powders and salt, fry for a minute and then add the rice, mix well.
5. Add 4 cups water and pressure cook this for 2 whistles.

Garnish and serve as is or with raita......

Akki Roti

Akki Roti

I'm sending this dish to "BREAKFAST MELA" hosted by Srivalli.


Ingredients:

2 cups rice flour
2 medium onions (cut finely)
1 carrot (grated)
1 tbsp jeera
coriander leaves (minced fine)

Roughly powder:

6 red chillies
3 tbsp roasted groundut

Method of Preparation:

To prepare powder: Roast the red chillies and once it cools down, powder it rough, add groundnut to it. Don't make the powder very fine, it should be a little more rough than bread crumbs.

1. Mix all the ingredients along with the powder.
2. Once all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed, add warm water to it and mix it to the cosistency of chapathi dough.
3. Take a thick muslin cloth (kitchen napkin will also do) and wet it in a bowl of water. Keep this water handy to pat the rotis.
4. Take a handful of dough and pat it on the wet cloth evenly, it looks like the pic below.



5. Place this on a hot tava roti side down and lightly lift the cloth away. Apply oil and close the roti.
6. Allow this to cook 1 minute each side.
7. Prepare all the rotis in the same way.
8. Serve this hot with a dollop of butter. (i prepare rotis everytime i churn butter at home)