Cucumber Palya
Method :
- In a pan heat oil, add mustard seeds and once it starts crackling add Cumin Seeds, Turmeric, Hing and cubed Cucumber.
- After 2mins of cooking, add little bit of water and close the pan with a lid for about 5 to 8mins.
- Once the cucumbers are cooked, add salt, Jaggery, Groundnut Powder, Masala Powder, Red Chilli Powder and cook for another 2-3mins.
- Transfer it to a serving bowl and enjoy it with hot Chapatis or Rice.
Eggless Pancake
Here is a simple eggless pancake recipe which can be made with common house hold ingredients within no time.
Method :
- In a mixing bowl add all the dry ingredients – wheat flour, all purpose flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and mix well. Smash a ripe banana into the flour mix.
- Now slowly add milk to it and mix without any lumps. Then add oil, vanilla extract and mix. Batter is ready to be cooked now.
- Heat a skillet/pan and drizzle 1/2tsp of oil(so that pancake won’t stick to the pan) and pour large spoonful of batter.
- Let it cook on one side(for 2-3mins), then flip it to the other side and cook it for another 2-3mins.
- Remove it to a serving plate and serve it with maple syrup/honey.
Note :
- Banana can be skipped in this recipe.
- Blue berries or chocolate chips can also be added.
- Almond milk can be added instead of whole milk to make it vegan.
Aloo Bhaat
Aloo Bhaat is a variety of indian rice which is made with potatoes and masala powder. Can be served with any kind of raita and papad. Its a one pot meal which can be made within 30mins. A good option for Lunch Box too. It can be made during festivals also.
Aloo Bhaat or masala bhaat can be made with mixed vegetables too, like potatoes, cauliflower, beans, carrots, green peas, capsicum. But below recipe uses only potatoes.
Method :
- In a cooker pan add oil, once hot add mustard seeds, when its starts popping add jeera, hing, haldi, curry leaves(optional) and groundnut.
- Then add cubed potatoes and sauté for 2mins. Add rice to it along with salt, masala powder, red chili powder and tamarind paste. Mix well.
- Add 2 cups of water and pressure cook it on medium flame for 2 whistles.
- Once pressure is down, remove the lid, transfer it to a serving bowl and garnish it with chopped coriander leaves.
Cucumber Raita
Raita is a yogurt based side dish which can be served with different kinds of rice(like Pulao, Biryani, Bhath etc) or even Chapatis. It can also be eaten during fasting.
Its very simple, quick and easy side dish which can be made with very few ingredients.
Its usually made with onions, cucumbers, radish, boondi. Cucumber raita has cooling property as its made with cucumber and yogurt.
I used Hung curd or greek yogurt for this recipe, as it will have less water content in the curd/yogurt and makes it more thick . It also makes the raita more yummy. 🙂
Method :
- Finely chop cucumber (its can be peeled and chopped too, I usually don’t peel).
- In a bowl add chopped cucumber, hung curd/greek yogurt, salt, pepper and dried cranberries and mix well. And its ready to be served.
Note :
- Dried cranberries can be replaced by pomegranate seeds.
Instant Onion Cucumber Pickle
Here is one more easy peesy pickle for pickle lovers. 🙂 Its a crunchy spicy pickle which goes well with hot rice or Chapatis (Indian bread).
Method :
- Take a bowl, add finely chopped onions and cucumber along with all other items mentioned in ingredients list and mix well.
- Tastes good if you eat it after one or two days of preparing it.
Note :
- If you don’t want onions then it can be skipped and made with only cucumber.
- If kept in refrigerator then will be good for one week.
Radish Sambar
Sambar is a main dish cooked with lentils(usually toordal/ split pigeon pea) along with spice powder/sambar powder and vegetables. There are varieties of sambar we can make using different vegetables, it can be single vegetable or combination of 2 or more vegetables in it.
We almost make it every day in our home. It can be served with hot rice or even with chapatis.
Method :
- Chop radish(it can be cubed or cut into circles) and put it in a bowl. Wash toordal and take it in a bowl along with 1 1/2cups of water.
- Add 2 cups of water in a cooker and place the bowls with radish and toordal and pressure cook it until 3 whistles.
- Heat a kadai, add oil. When hot enough add mustard seeds, when its starts crackling add jeera, haldi, hing, dry red chili and curry leaves(optional).
- Add cooked radish and dal to the tadka. Also add salt, red chili powder, sambar powder, jaggery and tamarind paste.
- Let it boil for 5mins. Then transfer it to serving bowl and garnish it with chopped coriander. Its ready to serve with hot rice topped with ghee.
Note :
- Radish can also be cooked along with tadka too. When done with tadka, add chopped radish and some water and cook it until they are soft. (cooking it in cooker saves time).
- Amount of jaggery and tamarind paste can be adjusted according to your taste.
Onion Potato Palya
Potatoes and onions are very common items in the kitchen and they are used in many dishes too. Here is one more dish made of both potatoes and onions. Its a curry/palya that can be served with chapatis, poories and even dosa. Its a different version of potato curry then the one usually made for masala dosa.
Method :
- Finely chop onions(I used a blender to make my work easy:) )
- In a microwave safe bowl, add cubed potatoes along with some oil(i used olive oil) and also sprinkle some salt and microwave it for 5mins or until they are cooked(don’t forget to stir them after every minute).
- Meanwhile when potatoes are cooking in microwave, heat a pan with oil. When hot enough add chopped onions and haldi, let it cook for some time(3mins or so), then add chopped cashews and continue cooking until onions turn translucent.
- Once the onions are properly cooked, add cooked potatoes, salt and red chili powder and mix well, let it cook for 2 more minutes.
- Transfer the curry/palya in a serving bowl and its ready to serve with hot chapatis or poories.
Note :
- Potatoes can also be cooked on stove. Take another pan, add 1 Tbsp of oil and potatoes along with salt and cook until potatoes are soft.
- If using roasted cashews then add them when onions are cooked completely so that cashews won’t overcook.
Stuffed Hagalakayi
Bitter Gourd/Hagalakayi/Karela is a vegetable which many people don’t like because of its bitter taste. But its very good for our health, especially for diabetes.
I personally like hagalkayi, either it can be stuffed, fried or even sautéed, all are my favorites.When cooked properly it decreases the bitterness and tastes good.
Below recipe uses small sized Bitter Gourd stuffed with sweet, tangy & spicy ingredients and pan fried.
Ingredients
- 8 to 10 Hagalakayi/bitter gourd/karela
- 1/4th cup Roasted groundnut powder
- 1 Tbsp Red chili powder
- 1 Tbsp Lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp Cane sugar/Brown sugar
- 1 Tsp Jeera powder
- 2 Tbsp Oil
- Handfull of Coriander leaves
- Salt to taste
Method :
- Wash and dry the hagalakayi/bitter gourd.
- Cut of top and tail of the hagalakayi. Split them through lengthwise leaving 1/2 inch from both top and bottom(as shown in the picture below).
- Sprinkle some salt and haldi on top and keep it aside for at least 1/2 an hour. Meanwhile in a bowl add roasted groundnut powder, red chili powder, salt, sugar, lemon juice, jeera powder, chopped coriander leaves and mix it.
- After 1/2 an hour stuff all the hagalakayis with the groundnut powder mix.
- Heat a pan with oil. Add stuffed hagalakayi to it and pan fry it on medium flame for 10mins. Keep rotating the hagalakayis in between so that they are evenly cooked.
- Once its cooked from all side, remove it to a serving plate.
Note :
- If you don’t get small size hagalakayi then you can cut them half and then stuff it.
Sabasige Palya
Dill is called Sabasige soppu in kannada. Its very good for digestion. Many people don’t like its smell(even I did to not like it much before :P) but cooked with right ingredients it can taste good.
Curry with these leaves can be made in 2 ways, one with toordal and the other with moong dal. Even Bassaru/Rasam can be made with sabasige. Below I am showing you how to make sabasige palya with toordal.
It can be served with chapati or rice.
Method :
- Finely chop and wash sabasige soppu/dill.
- Heat a pan, add oil and mustard seeds, when is starts crackling add jeera, hing, haldi, curry leaves(optional).
- Now add chopped sabasige soppu/dill and sauté for 2mins. Once its cooked then add cooked toordal, salt and red chili powder. Let it cook for 2 more mins.
- Once done taste it, if necessary add more salt and red chili according to your taste. Remove it in a serving bowl and its ready to serve.
Note :
- Red chili powder can be replaced with green chillies.
- If you like your dish on a sweeter side then you can add jaggery to it while cooking.
- Onions and garlic can also be added to this dish. When done with the 2 step(made tadka) add chopped onions and garlic and sauté its for 2mins and then continue with the 3rd step.
Huggi Saaru
For Huggi
- 1 Cup Rice
- 1/2 cup Split green gram/Moong dal
- 1 Tbsp Ghee/oil
- 3 Cups Water
- Salt to taste
For Saaru/Rasam
- 5 Cups Water
- 2 Tbsp Tamarind paste
- 3-4 Tbsp Jaggery
- 2 Tbsp Roasted groundnut powder
- Salt to taste
Huggi Saaru is a variety of North Karnataka rice usually made during festivals. Especially during winters it makes a perfect meal.
Freshly ground spice is mixed with rice and moong dal and cooked. The aroma of fresh masala/spice powder will make it delicious meal yet very easy to make without consuming much time. It can be served with Gojju or Saaru/rasam with is made with the same freshly made masala.
Method :
- Grind all the ingredients mentioned under ‘To Grind’ list.
- Heat a cooker pan add ghee/oil, when its hot enough add freshly ground masala/spice powder and fry it for 2mins. Mean while wash rice and dal and keep it ready.
- After 2mins take out 1Tbsp of masala powder from pan and keep it aside(its later used for making saaru/rasam). Add washed rice and dal to the remaining masala in the pan and fry it for 2 more mins.
- Add salt and 3 cups of water and pressure cook it for 3 whistles.
For Saaru/Rasam :
- In a kadai add 5 cups of water along with the masala powder (which is kept aside for saaru), salt, groundnut powder, tamarind paste and jaggery and stir well. You can serve this saaru/rasam as is, but if you prefer hot saaru/rasam then boil it for 4mins.
For Seasoning :
- Heat a seasoning/tadka pan, add oil. Once hot add mustard seeds, when it starts crackling add jeera, hing, curry leaves(optional) and switch off the flame.
- Add this seasoning to both cooked rice and saaru/rasam and serve hot.
Note :
- You can increase or decrease the amount of spices according to your taste.
- Finely chopped onions can be added to the saaru/rasam version which is not boiled.
- Saaru/Rasam should be sweet, tangy and spicy, so you can add green chili in seasoning for saaru. And add tamarind and jaggery generously as mentioned in the ingredient list.
- Consistency of Huggi should be mushy, so add more water if needed.