Alasande - Sauthe Kaai Gasi.

Alasande and  Mangore Sauthe ( also called Bannnada Sauthe) Gasi is a thick curry and can be eaten with rice, chapatis, pooris , dosa or Idly also .Even for Akki Rotti this curry is a good combination.

Things Needed :

Manalore Sauthe kai - 1 ( Medium size).
Alasande ( Cow pea ):  1 cup.
Coconut : 3 Table- spoons.
Red Chilly - 5 to 6 ( Byadagi).
Jeera - 1/2 Table spoon.
Tamarind : Very little ( 1/2 of  1 marble size).
Oil. - 1 Tea spoon.
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 Tea spoon.
Urd Daal: 1/2 Tea spoon.
Ingh - a pinch.
Curry leaves: 5 to 6.
Salt : to taste.

Method :

1. Wash and soak Alasande /Cowpea, overnight or 5 to 6 hours.
2. Wash and remove the outer layer of Southekai/Mangalore Cucumber and cut into desired size. Soak the pieces in normal water for 5 minutes.
3. Wash and pressure cook Alasande Kalu/Cow peas for 5 to 6 minutes.
4. Cook Mangalore Southekai with required water separately.
5. Great fresh coconut and grind it with red chilly, tamarind  and jeera/cumin seeds with required water.
6. Keep a big pan on the fire. Add cooked Alasande  pods, cooked mangalore southekai.
7. Add Salt, little turmeric and little water if required. Let it cook for 3 minutes.
8. Add ground coconut -jeera mixture and mix it well. Let it cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.
9. Shift the ready curry to a serving dish.
10. Add coconut oil seasoning and serve.

Note : 

It is better to soak Alasande pods over night. Cooking Alasande pods without soaking is optional.
Adding onions or garlic is optional. Adding more red chilly is optional. You can add little jaggery.
serves 4 -5.
Time : Soaking time 5 hours or over night. Cooking time 30 minutes.

Ridge Gourd Jeera Huli...

Ridge gourd/Heerekai is one of the best Indian vegetable which is full of fiber, minerals and vitamins. You can prepare so many varieties of dishes using Ridge gourd. I have prepared jeera huli/using cumin seeds and coconut.

Jeera Huli goes well with almost all the main dishes like plain rice, chapatis, rotis, dosa or idli. It is easy to prepare and a quick dish that can be done in 10 minutes. Ridge gourd jeera huli is one of the traditional dish from Udupi./Dakshina Kannada.
No onion OR No garlic is used here.
Let us see the recipe now :

Ingredients :

To Cook:

Ridge gourd : 2 .
Green chilly : 2 to 3
Ginger : 1 Tablespoon.( grated).
Coconut : 1/2 cup.
Jeera : 1/2 Tea spoon.
Salt: To taste.
To season : 
Mustard seeds : 1/2 teaspoon.
Urd daal: 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves
Coriander leaves: 1 Tablespoon. ( cut leaves).
Coconut oil .  1 Tablespoon.
To add :
Methi seeds: 6 to 8.
Turmeric powder:  a pinch.
Salt : As required

Method :

1. Wash and peel the edge of ridge gourd and remove the outer layer. (Outer layer can be used for chutney).
2. Cut ridge gourd into small pieces. Wash and cut green chilly and curry leaves. Wash and remove the outer layer of ginger and wash it again. Grate it and keep it aside.
3. Grind coconut, ginger, and jeera together adding little water to it.
4. Grind nicely till paste and remove from the jar. Keep it aside.
5. Keep a big pan on the fire. Put oil and heat. Put mustard seeds and urd daal
6. Let the mustard seeds spurt. Add curry leaves and cut green chilly and add cut ridge gourd pieces. 7. Add turmeric powder and fry on low flame. ( 1 to 2 minutes). Add required water and cook on medium flame.
8. Let ridge gourd pieces turn soft. Add required salt and ground coconut mixture. Mix it well and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
9. Shift the ready curry to a serving dish, add coriander leaves and serve with your choice of main dish.

Note: 

Ridge gourd pieces should be cooked well. Adding a handful of moong dal to ridge gourd makes the curry thick. Taste different.
You can also add other vegetables like carrots, beans etc. No need to add onions or garlic.
The curry consistency should be thick. Adding more coconut makes the curry thick. Adding a spoon of ghee adds to the taste.
Time : 10 Minutes
Serves : 2 to 3 

Green Chiily Poori

Pooris are fried dish and every one and all age group love to have them. I just tried this pootis with Green Chilly. It can be prepared for breakfast or as evening snack. It is good for kids party since it is green colour.

I have used green chilly, coriander leaves, ginger and some spices for this green chilly pooris.
It is easy, quick and as I always say Happy Tummy.

Ingredients :

Wheat flour :2 cups
Rice flour : 2 Tablespoons
Green chillies : 2
Ginger : A small piece
Jeera : 1/2 Tea spoon
Coriander leaves : One Handful.
Salt : to taste
Oil : 1 cup (To fry)
Water : 1/4 cup

Method :

1. Take a bowl and put wheat flour , salt and one spoon of oil. Mix it well and keep it aside.
2. Wash green chilly, coriander leaves and remove the outer layer of the ginger and wash it again.
3. Cut ginger and put it in a mixi jar.
4. Now grind green chilly, ginger, corander leaves, jeera and one or two pepper pods. (Use a mixi jar and add little water while grinding. (very little water).

5. Remove the ground mixture and add it to the flour bowl. Mix it slowly. Add a spoon of ghee/oil  and prepare dough. (Thicker than chapati dough).
6. Divide the dough into small ball size.  Roll all these ball size dough into circle shape.

7. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add oil and heat.
8. Once it is ready fry rolled spicy pooris on both sides.

9. Put it on a kitchen tissue when you remove poori from hot pan. (extra oil absorbed by kitchen towlel.
10 Repeat the same and fry pooris and serve hot pooris with a cup of curd.

11. You can also cut these pooris in to very small. (Use any water bottle top).
12. Small pooris can be packed to school in kids lunch box.

Note : 

Add minimum water to grind the ingredients. You can add water if required, while mixing all the ingredients and preparing dough. Adding more /less chilly is optional. Adding any other spice like garam masala, chat masala or even bav bhaji masala is also optional.
Time : 30 minutes
Serves : 3 to 4.

White Pumpkin (Ash Gourd) Avial.

Avial/Jeera Curry is one of the yummy curry with different vegetables. Here I have used only Ash gourd/White Pumpkin and prepared one of the traditional dish of Udupi.

 There is a story in one of the English text of primary kids which Avial arrived in the Indian Kitchen.
The story goes like this. 
Once upon a time a king held a party at night. He asked his chefs to prepare delicious dishes. He went to the kitchen to check the dishes they have prepared. He asked them to prepare one more curry. The chef took out all the remained vegetables, vegetable outer layers, put them together and cooked with coconut and other spices. King tasted and said it was delicious. He asked the name of this particular dish. And a chef uttered a name as Avial.
Avial is normally prepared using many vegetables like mangalore cucumber, white/red pumpkin, padavalakai( Snake gourd), beans, potatoes, carrots and you can add your choice of vegetables.
I have used white pumpkin/Ash gourd as it mention and little jeera and red chilly. You can even prepare this curry with green chilly instead of red chilly.
Let us see some of the benefits of using Byadagi Red chilly.
Red chilly is known as bit safe for our digestion system and it does not  cause gastric. Not harmful for our intestine. It does not cause acidity.
Byadagi chilly is good for our heart health, acidity and other related healthy properties.
They are good solution for weight loss, it is full of antioxidants. Byadagi chilly contain Vitamin C and carotene in a huge amount. Byadagi chilly contain Vitamins A and B and minerals.
White pupmkin/Ash gourd Avial is one of the healthy and tasty curry which goes well with Plain rice, chapati, poori, Akki rotti and other main dishes.
Let us see the recipe now :

Ingredients :

To Cook :
White pumpkin : 1/2 kilo
To Grind : Spices:
Coconut : 3 to 4 Table spoons
Cummin Seeds ( Jeera ) 1/2 Tea spoon
Tamrind Pulp : 1 Table spoon
Ingh (Asafotodia ) a pinch
For  seasoning : 
Muster seeds: 1/4 Teaspoon
Urd Daal 1/4 Teaspoon
Curry leaves : 5 to 6 leaves
Salt : to taste
Oil : 1 Teaspoon ( Coconut Oil)
Turmeric powder : a pinch
Water : 1 cup

Method :

1. Wash pumpkin and remove the skin cut into small pieces.
2. Cook till soft with required water.

3. Grate coconut and grind it with red chilly and tamarind with required water.
4. Remove from the mixi jar and keep it aside.

5. Put cooked Ash gourd to a big bowl and keep it on the fire.
6. Add little turmeric powder and required salt. Let it boil for 2 minutes.
7. Add ground coconut, jeera, red chilly mixture. Mix it well.
8. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.

9. Shift Avial to serving bowl.
10. Keep a small pan on the fire. Add coconut oil and heat. Add mustard seeds and urid dal.
11. Let mustard seeds splutter. Add curry leaves and ingh. Add this seasoning to ready avial.

12. Serve with the main dish you have prepared..

Note : 

Use of coconut oil adds to the taste. ( Optional). Adding turmeric powder is optional. Use of green chilly instead of red chilly is optional. You can use vegetables of your choice. Do not over cook Ash gourd. Use only required water since Ash gourd has lots of water in it. The curry should be thick to enjoy its taste. Use of curd instead of tamarind is optional.
Serves : 2 to 3
Time : 30 Minutes.