Green Masalo Daal Maas

Recipe Source : My Mom

Vegetarians can skip the meat & just use the 16 beans mix.

1 lb chicken, mutton or beef, cut into small pieces (preferably with bones) (I used chicken)
1 cup dry 16 bean mix (soaked for 4 - 5 hrs)
1 medium sized onion, finely sliced

Grind to a fine paste without adding water:

1 tsp poppy seeds
2 tbsp grated coconut
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 inch ginger
6 cloves garlic
1 1/2 inch big piece cinnamon
3 cloves
3 tomatoes
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 small marble sized tamarind
3 green chillies
1/2 bunch corainder leaves

If using beef/ mutton - pressure cook these along with the soaked 16 beans mix till done. If using chicken, pressure cook the 16 beans mix till done. Then add the chicken & let is boil along with the lentils till done. Its ok if the beans mash up. The more they mash up the better they taste.
Heat oil in a vessel & fry the sliced onion till golden brown. Pour the masala & fry well till the oil seperates. Put in the cooked lentils & meat & bring to a boil. Switch off the flame & serve hot with rice or chappatis.

Boblen Ani Sungata Kadhi (Bottlegourd & Prawns Curry)

Recipe Source : My Mom

1 medium sized bottlegourd, peeled & cut into big cubes
1 cup prawns, shelled, deveined & washed
Salt, to taste

Grind to a fine paste :

1/2 cup grated coconut
1 tbsp corainder seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
3 - 4 dried red chillies (I used the kashmiri variety)
1 small onion, cut into big chunks
2 flakes garlic
1 marble sized piece tamarind
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Set the ground masala paste aside. Put a cup of water into the blender & pulse the blender to remove any remaining masala sticking to the sides of the blender. Pour this masala water into a vessel. Add the bottlegourd pieces to the water. Cover & let it cook on medium flame till the bottlegourd pieces are cooked. Next add prawns & salt & stir to mix well. When prawns turn pink, add the ground masala paste & bring to one boil.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

Potato Chops

Recipe Source : My Mom

Potato Mixture :

4 large potatoes, boiled & mashed
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
Add salt & pepper to the potato mixture. Mix well & set aside.

Filling :

1 lb meat mince (lamb/ chicken/ beef/ turkey)
2 tbsp oil
3 - 4 green chillies, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic & 1 inch ginger, ground to a paste
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 medium sized tomatoes, finely chopped
salt, to taste
1 tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 bunch of corainder leaves, finely chopped
Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped green chillies & fry well till they turn crisp. Add the chopped onions & fry till transparent. Add the ginger - garlic paste & fry till the raw smell goes away. Add turmeric powder & saute for a minute. Next, add the tomatoes & salt & fry well till the tomatoes turn pulpy. Add mince & saute well & let cook till it is almost done. Sprinkle vinegar & garam masala powder & mix well. Turn the flame to high & saute till all the water from the meat evaporates & the mince is well cooked. Add the corainder leaves, mix well & turn of the flame. Set the mixture aside to cool.

Coating :

2 eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
rava/ semolina, as required

Heat a little oil in a pan. Take the potato mixture (apporximately the size if a huge lemon) & form it into a ball. Form the ball into a cup. Place about a tbsp or 2 of the mince mixture into the cup & enclose the potato mixture. Shape it into a ball again. If there are any cracks or if the mince is leaking out, just patch up the portion with some of the potato mixture. Flatten the ball into a round patty. Roll the patty into the egg mixture & then coat it with semolina/ rava. Place the patty into the oil. Fry till it turns brown on one side & then flip the patty & let the other side brown well. Repeat the process for the remainder. Make sure that in the entire frying process, you flip the patty just once. Frequent flipping can crack or break the patty.

Serve hot.

Gobi Matar

It feels so good to be back to blogging... after this unusually long longgggg break. Blame it on my kid, a move, family visits, vacations & most of all the LAZY ME :)
I dont promise to update on a regular basis, but will try to make it atleast once a week.
Here is a really simple dish from a very old issue of femina magazine. I have made this many times & it has always tasted good. Hope u all like it too..

1 medium sized cauliflower, cut into small florets
1/2 cup of frozen or cooked green peas
2 tbsps butter
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 inch ginger, julienned
2 green chillies, finely chopped
salt, to taste
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
a few sprigs of fresh corainder leaves, finely chopped

Melt butter in a non-stick pan. Season with cumin seeds & ginger juliennes. Fry for a while till ginger turns crisp. Add green chillies, cauliflower & salt. Saute well. Cover & cook for 10 mins or till done. Add green peas & mix well. Sprinkle corainder leaves & garam masala powder. Mix well & turn off the flame.

Serve hot with rotis.

Beans Foogath

Foogath is a very popular dish in Mangalore. Foogath can be made of vegetables, meat, fish etc with slight variations in the preparations.

To make green beans foogath, you need :

400 gms green beans, french cut
1 onion, chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
8 - 10 curry leaves
salt, to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated coconut
juice of 1 lemon
2 tbsps finely chopped corainder leaves

Heat oil in a kadhai/ wok & season it with mustard seeds. When they splutter, add curry leaves, chopped onions & green chillies. Stir on high flame for a minute. Do not brown the onion. Add the french cut green beans & salt. Stir well. Cook covered on low heat for 5 to 7 minutes till the beans are cooked, but are still a little crunchy. Do not overcook the beans as they tend to lose colour & texture. Remove from heat. Add the grated coconut & juice of a lemon. Mix well.

Garnish with finely chopped corainder leaves & serve hot with dal & rice.

Prawns & Peas Risotto

I have been so very busy recently, that I am unable to give enough time to my blog. I should come out of my busy schedule in a few weeks & continue with my regular posts.

I have had a lot of inquiries about this wonderful italian feast from all my blog visitors & I really apologise for the delay in posting the recipe. Risotto is a wonderful italian treat, I used to feast on this treat only in italian joints. But after watching a couple of episodes on Food Network, I decided to try it at home. I was so happy with the results & the process is not really difficult. All you need is a little patience.

1 cup arborio rice
12 - 15 cups of chicken stock/ broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 shallot, sliced
1 cup shrimps/ prawns
1/2 cup frozen green peas
handful of finely chopped parsley
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
handful of freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp olive oil

Pour the chicken stock/ broth in a saucepan & keep on medium-low flame.

Heat oil in a flat bottomed wide skillet over medium flame. Put in the minced garlic & saute for a few seconds till you get a nice aroma. Put in the sliced shallots & saute till it turns transparent. Add the arborio rice to the pan & saute for a few more mins. Pour in the white wine & saute well till the alcohol evaporates. Pour a ladleful of the chicken stock/ broth into the pan. Saute till the rice absorbs the liquid. Pour another ladleful of the stock/ broth into the pan & saute again till the rice absorbs the liquid. Continue this process till the rice is completely cook. It is not necessary that you use up the entire stock/ broth. Just keep pouring the liquid till the rice is almost done. Add the prawns & peas & continue the process till the rice is completely cooked. This should take approximately 20 mins. Season with some salt & pepper. Garnish with finely chopped parsley & freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Serve hot.

Goan Prawns Ambot Tik

'Ambot' means 'Sour' in konkani & 'Tik' means 'Pungent'. This is a traditional dish in both Goa & Mangalore. The preparation style is a little different though, but the majority of the ingredients remains the same. I got this recipe from one of my Goan friends.
The tamarind, peppercorns & red chillies add a distinct flavour to the dish. You can substitute prawns for any other fish of your choice. Mangaloreans & Goans prepare Ambot Tik of skate, shark or catfish as they absorb the hot & sour flavour of the gravy very well.

To make Ambot-Tik, you need :

1/2 kg prawns or any fish of your choice
1 onion, finely sliced
2 tbsp oil

Grind the below ingredients using very little water :

10 dried kashmiri red chillies ( they are less spicy & add more colour to the curry)
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
4 peppercorns
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
4 cloves garlic
1/2 inch ginger
marble sized ball tamarind

Apply salt to the prawns & keep aside.

Heat oil in a vessel. Fry onion till it is golden brown. Add the ground masala. Fry for sometime. Add a cup of water & allow to boil. Add the prawns. Cook till tender on low flame. Add salt & vinegar, only if necessary.

Goes well with steamed rice.

Promfret Fry

Ask about my favourite fish & I would call it Promfret & I like them fried crisp. I am not much crazy about them in gravies. Fried frish with dal & rice was often a great & comforting meal at our home. Occassionally, my mother would stuff promfrets with green masala or ground shrimps & then fry them.
Promfrets are not available everywhere in the US. You would only find them at local chinese markets. Last week, I was lucky to find a chinese market on my trip to Jersey. So not looking for a second chance, I just hopped into the market & bought 2 beautiful large sized promfrets. I just could'nt wait to get back home & fry it up.

So here it is, fried all crisp..

1 medium to large sized promfret, cleaned well by removing all the internal inedible stuff
3 - 4 tbsp rava (semolina)
2 - 3 tbsp oil, for frying
1 lemon, cut into wedges

For Marinate :

1 tsp tandoori masala powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp corainder powder
salt, to taste
3 cloves garlic, ground to a paste
1/2 inch ginger piece, ground to a paste
1 tbsp vinegar

Wash the promfret well. Make gashes on both sides of the promfret for the marinade to seep in.

In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients for the marinade. Apply marinade to the promfret, rubbing well into the gashes & inside the promfret. Set aside to marinate in the refrigerator for atleast an hour.

Heat a heavy bottomed pan on medium flame. Pour oil into the hot pan.

Coat the promfret with semolina (rava) & place it on the hot pan. Let it fry undisturbed on medium flame for 10 minutes. Flip & turn over the promfret on the other side. Let it fry for 10 minutes more.

Serve hot with lemon wedges.

Kesar Badam Nankathai

Baking has become one of my recent passion. I have always baked cakes. Now its time for cookies, since my toddler loves nibbling onto them. I recently tried Nupur's - Kesar Pista Nankathai. Since I did'nt have pistachios at home, I substituted it with almonds & they turned out awesome. I also skipped the addition of water as per the recipe.

Overall, the nankathai's were kind of melt-in-the-mouth & a good tea-time snack.

Thanks Nupur, for such a great recipe.

Mom's Traditional Meatloaf

Another top recipe in my mom's list is her meatloaf & if its meatloaf, this is the standard way she would make it & nothing on earth would ever make her change the recipe. My mother generally uses about 1/2 kg bacon mince & 1/2 kg beef mince for this recipe. Since bacon mince is not easily available in the US, I use the meatloaf mix that you get in the meat section of the grocery store. It has a combination of pork, beef & veal & the right amount of fat to deliver a perfect meatloaf. Secondly, she wraps the meatloaf in an aluminium foil & steams it in an idli steamer. So you really dont need an oven to make this meatloaf. This recipe is a must try.

1 pkg of meatloaf mix (approx. 1 lb package)
1 egg
1/2 - 1 tsp nutmeg powder (depending on the intensity of the flavour desired)
3/4th tsp pepper powder
1 big lemon, squeeze juice
2 - 3 slices of bread, crumbed
salt, to taste

Mix all ingredients together. Shape into a loaf & bake in a 350 deg F, pre-heated oven till done & the top of the meatloaf looks nice & brown (approx. 45 - 50 mins). Alternatively, you can even wrap the meatloaf in an aluminium foil & steam it in an idli steamer. Once done, set aside for 15 mins & then slice it.

This meatloaf can be served hot as well as cold.

Butter Cookies

I have always wanted to try my hand at baking cookies, but was scared at messing up. I guess, I was wrong. My first hand at trying these was successful. Moreover, my 1 yr old daughter kept munching them as if they were the best things in the world.

I got this recipe from another site & its the best. Click here for the recipe.

Prawns & Potatoes Bhaji

This is the most easiest version of a prawns dish. The taste is unbeatable & it goes well with chappatis.
A must try dish.

250 gms prawns, cleaned, shelled & deveined
250 gms potatoes, peeled & chopped into bite sized pieces
250 gms onions, thinly sliced
3 to 4 cloves garlic, crushed
red chilli powder, as per the pungency desired
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt, to taste
handful of finely chopped corainder leaves, for garnish
2 tbsps oil

Mix prawns, potatoes, onions, chilli powder, turmeric powder & salt in a bowl & set aside for 15 to 20 minutes.

Heat oil in a wok/ kadhai. Add the crushed garlic & saute till it turns light brown. Add the prawns & potatoes mixture. Mix well & let cook on slow flame till the potatoes are cooked. Saute occassionally. Once done, garnish with finely chopped corainder leaves & turn off the flame.

This goes great with chappatis.

Prawns Pattie

Cutlets & kababs are my favourites & they are always stocked up in my freezer. I carry this trend from my mom, who always had something for us to snack when we were hungry. My mother owns hundreds of recipes alone on cutlets & kababs. The below recipe is a combination of my mothers recipe & my own. These prawn cutlets are so delicious, that you will find yourself smacking on these, while you cook. Just ensure that you don't finish it off before your guests arrive.

1 lb medium sized shrimps, cleaned, shelled & deveined
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 medium potatoes, boiled & grated
handful corainder leaves, finely chopped
1 egg
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp vinegar
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
oil, for shallow frying

Divide the shrimps into 2 equal portions. Grind 1 portion of the shrimps to a fine paste. Remove into a bowl. Add the other portion of the shrimps to the ground shrimps. Add all the other ingredients except oil into the shrimps mixture. Mix well. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap & refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan. Form round shaped cutlets out of the prawns mixture & fry the cutlets in hot oil till nicely browned.

Serve hot.

Whole Wheat Bread

Making bread is not as difficult as it sounds. Home made bread is so tasty & it just melts in the mouth. We have now stopped buying bread from the store as it lacks the taste & freshness of home made bread. Give it a try. It is as easy as cooking rice or making chappatis for your daily meal.

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
7 gms packet of rapid rising yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup warm water

Stir in the yeast & sugar in the warm water & set aside for the yeast to rise. Meanwhile, sift the flour. Add salt & melted buter & mix well. Add the yeast mixture & knead to a soft dough. Add more warm water if required. Put the dough in a bowl & cover it with a plastic wrap & leave it in a warm dry place till it doubles in size. This should take about an hour or so.

Spray a loaf pan or a baking tray with an oil spray. Set aside. Pour a tsp of oil on the dough & knead well for a minute. Shape into a loaf or individual sized buns & place it in the greased baking tray. Cover with a warm damp cloth & leave it again in a warm dry place to rise until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until done. Brush the tops of the bread with some melted butter. Let cool & then cut into slices.

Prawns Masaledar

This is my husbands favourite dish. When I buy shrimps, I have to make a portion of the shrimps this way & we relish it with hot chappatis. This dish is nice & spicy. So if you cannot take the heat, just reduce the amount of chilli powder & green chillies.


1 kg medium sized prawns, cleaned, shelled & deveined
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp coarsely powdered black peppercorns
juice of 2 lemons
salt, to taste
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp coarsley powdered corainder seeds
200 gms onions, chopped
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp garlic paste
200 gms tomatoes, chopped
6 green chillies, chopped
1 tsp cumin powder
handful of corainder leaves, chopped

Pat dry & marinate the prawns with chilli powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder, lemon juice & salt. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes.

Heat oil in a wok. Add mustard seeds & the coarsley powdered corainder seeds. When they splutter, add onions & fry till they turn golden brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste & fry till light brown. Add tomatoes, green chillies & salt & keep stirring occassionally for 8 minutes or until the gravy becomes thick. Add prawns along with the marinade & simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occassionally. Sprinkle cumin powder over & cook for a minute. Garnish with finely chopped corainder leaves.

Serve warm with steamed rice or crisp rotis.

Pineapple Dessert Shells

This is a superfast way of preparing a yummy dessert. The dish is really versatile. You could use any other canned fruits or just mix up a few of your favourites.

You need :

dessert cake shells (usually available at all supermarkets in the US)
canned pineapple
whipped cream

Arrange the dessert shells on a serving plate. Spoon in the pineapple juice from the canned pineapple into each dessert shell. Spoon in some shredded canned pineapple on each dessert shell. Top with whipped cream & arrange some shredded pineapple on the whipped cream.

Refrigerate till it is ready to serve.

Beef Pita

This is one of our favourite dinners on a sunday evening. I make this often for a gathering of family & friends. You could also substitute beef with chicken.

1 lb beef, cut into thin long strips
1 big onion, cut into thick slices
2 flakes garlic, sliced
2 splashes of soya sauce
salt, to taste
pepper to taste
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 small capsicum, cut into strips
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil
4 pita breads

Marinate the beef strips with soya sauce, some salt & pepper. Set aside for 30 mins.

Wrap pita breads in an aluminium foil & let it slowly heat up in a 250 deg F oven till nice & warm.

Heat oil in a wok. Cook the entire dish from step one till the end on high flame. Put in the garlic & jalapeno. Fry till garlic turns brown. Add the onion & saute till they turn transparent. Add the mushrooms. Saute for around 4 mins. Next add the capsicum. Saute again for sometime. Add the marinated beef strips. Mix well. Season with salt & pepper. Saute till the beef strips get completely cooked & all the pan sauces has completed dried up.

Spoon the beef mixture onto individual pita breads, roll & serve hot.

Simple Pulao

One amongst my favourites, that my mom used to make at home. A very versatile dish, you could use your own combination of ingredients; anything you have at hand works for this pulao.

Here's how I made this :

2 cups boiled basmati rice
2 tbsp olive oil
2 strips of bacon, chopped
1 cup chopped veggies (I used only peas & corn)
1 cup meat or shrimps (I used just chopped shrimps. You could use shredded chicken, beef, pork or a mix of all meats)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 - 2 green chillies, finely chopped
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
chopped scallions

Heat olive oil in a deep wok/ kadhai. Add bacon & let it sizzle in the oil for a few seconds. Add garlic & green chillies. Fry till garlic turns light brown. Add the veggies & fry till they turn tender. Add shrimps/ meat. Add salt & pepper & fry for sometime. Lower the flame & add rice. Mix slowly. Spread chopped scallions on top of the pulao. Cover the kadhai/ wok with a tight fitting lid.

Heat a heavy bottomed flat pan. Simmer the flame to low & keep the kadhai or wok on the heavy pan. Keep it on dum for 30 minutes.

Serve hot.

Grilled Beef

A really simple & quick method of making grilled beef. The end result is indeed beautiful & tastes good.

4 - 5 long strips of beef
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice

Spread beef strips on a flat tray. Sprinkle salt & pepper on the beef. Set aside in the refrigerator for an hour. Drizzle olive oil & lemon juice over the strips. Mix well & refrigerate overnight.

Fix the strips on skewers in a zig-zag fashion. Place in a pre-heated oven for 30 - 40 minutes or till done. Baste with olive oil every 15 minutes.

Serve hot.

Prawns Pulao

This is a very simple & tasty recipe. My mom used to prepare this very often for my lunch box at work & she would prepare it in bulk as my colleagues would freak out on it.
Give it a try. I am sure you will like it.

You need :

20 medium to large sized prawns (if you have small sized prawns, just increase the quantity)
2 cups basmati rice
4 cups water
3 green cardamoms
3 cloves
1 inch stick cinnamon
2 medium sized onions, thinly sliced
2 medium sized tomatoes, finely chopped
2 - 3 tbsp cooking oil
salt, to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder (if you are using any other chilli powder, add as per the pungency. This pulao will not taste good if you make it very spicy as you will lose the sweetness of the prawns.)

Heat oil in a kadhai/ wok. Put in the cardamoms, cinnamon & cloves. Fry for 10 seconds till you get a nice aroma. Add onions & fry till nicely browned. Add the prawns & stir fry till just pink on the outside. Add tomatoes, salt, turmeric powder, chilli powder. Stir fry till tomatoes turn soft & mushy. Add rice & water. Cover & let cook on medium-high flame till the water has almost been absorbed by the rice.

On the other hand just heat a tawa or a big flat pan on high flame. When the pan has become very hot, make the flame very low & keep the kadhai/ wok on that tawa/ pan. Lightly fluff the rice with a spatula from underneath the kadhai/ wok. Cover & keep it on dum till all the water has been absorbed by the pulao. Again fluff up the rice & serve hot.