Pumpkin Acchar /Pickle flavoured Curry

Pumpkin /Sihi kumbala kai is a healthy vegetable which can be kept for a long time. I have prepared this curry with little mustard along with sambar powder. It is called as Pumpkin Achar Curry because the spices gives out slightly pickle taste.

Our home in Brahmavar/Near Udupi used to have at least 3 to 4 pumpkins and that pumpkins were used to store for the rainy days in olden days. I am calling those days as olden days since my father in law used to grow pumpkins, ash gourd and mangalore cucumber in the field and the grown vegetables are to be stored in Padasale/Pooja room. These vegetables are used in rainy seasons because during the rainy days normally you would not get much vegetables. The days are gone and now is all dream that we have seen.
Let us see some benefits of eating pumpkin in our diet.
Pumpkin is low in saturated fat and low in cholesterol. It is also low in sodium. It has a good source of Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, Vitamin A and Vitamin C. It is filled with  Folate, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Copper and Phosphorus. It has a good source of dietary fiber. Pumpkin is good for people who suffer from blood pressure. It is rich in anti oxidants which helps in preventing damage to our eyes.
Pumpkin Acchar /Pickle flavoured Curry has no onion or no garlic in it. Do not add more mustard seeds, it might give out bitter and strong spice taste.
Let us see the recipe now :
Things needed :
To Cook :
Red Pumpkin : 1 Bowl. ( 1/4 part of one medium sized pumpkin)
To grind :
Coconut : 1 Cup ( 3 to 4 Tablespoons)
Mustard seeds : 1/4 Teaspoon
Jeera /Cumin seeds : 1/4 Teaspoon
Rasam / Sambar powder : 1 Tablespoon
To add :
Tamarind pulp : 1 Tablespoon
Salt : As required
Turmeric powder : A pinch
Coriander leaves : 1 Tablespoon
Seasoning :
Cooking oil : 1 Teaspoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh : A little
Curry leaves : 5 to 6 leaves

Method :

1. Wash and remove the hard part of pumpkin and cut them into small pieces.
2. Cook with little water till it turns soft. ( Do not over cook )

3. Grate coconut and grind it with rasam /sambar powder, jeera/cumin seeds and mustard seeds.
4. Add required water to grind and remove it from mixi jar.

5. Soak a marble size of tamarind in hot water and squeeze out the pulp from it. Keep the pulp aside.
6. Keep a pan on the fire and put cooked pumpkin pieces. Add salt, tamarind pulp and turmeric powder to it.

7. Let it cook for 2 minutes. Add ground coconut mixture and mix it well. Let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
 

8. Shift the curry to a serving dish.

9. Keep small pan on the fire and heat. Add a teaspoon of oil, mustard seeds. Let mustard seeds splutter.
10. Add little ingh/ asafoetida and cut curry leaves. Put this seasoning to prepared pumpkin curry.
11. Mix it well and Add cut coriander leaves.
12. Serve with the main dish you have prepared.

 Note :

Do not over cook the pumpkin pieces. No need to add any garlic or onion to this curry. Do not use more oil to season.  Do not add much mustard seeds to grind because the food might give bitter taste.
Time : 20 Minutes.
Serves : 3 to 4.
Purely South Indian dish.

Easy Mandakki / Puffed Rice Oggarane

Mandakki / Mundakki / Puri /Puffed Rice is used in different types of chats. Bhel puri, charmuri, nippatu charumuri so and so.

I have prepared Easy Mandakki / Puffed Rice Oggarane. I have seen many cookery shows, varieties of Mandakki Oggarane.
I have used Mandakki, onion, green chilly and ground nuts.
Let us see the recipe now :

Things needed :

Mandakki/ Puffed rice : 2 to 3 cups ( 1 Bowl )
Green chilly : 1
Ground Nuts : 2 Tablespoons
Roasted Chenna /Huri Kadale : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Cooking Oil : 2 Tablespoons
Salt : A pinch

Method :

1. Remove the outer layer of onion, wash and cut into small pieces.
2. Wash green chilly and slit, cut curry leaves into small.

3. Dry grind roasted chenna and keep it aside.
4. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add oil and mustard seeds.
5. Let mustard seeds splutter. Add ground nuts and fry till they turn slightly brown.
6. Add onions and fry for a minute. Add a pinch of turmeric powder and salt.

7. Put mandakki in a bowl of plain water and squeeze out the water quickly.

8. Add squeezed out puffed rice to the pan and mix it well.

9. Mix it well and add powdered roasted chenna and mix it well.

10. Now Madakki oggarane is ready to serve. Serve with fried fritters or pappad.

Note :

Do not soak mandakki in water. It might turn very soft and it does not taste good whiel eating.
Adding more / less oil is optional. Adding tomatoes to the mandakki is optiional. You can use lemone extract instead of tomatoes. Adding garlic to mandakki oggarane is optional.

Time : 10 Minutes
Serves : 2 to 3 .
A quick snack in the cold evening.
Purely Karnataka Snack.

Cow Peas - Mangalore Cucumber Curry /Gasi.

Fresh cow peas are seasonal pods and they are very soft and tender when they are just plucked from its plant. Later they dry it and then store it to use as dry pods. We can use fresh pods to prepare many dishes and the dishes turn not only delicious, it is packed with full of proteins and nutrients. I have used Mangalore Cucumber/Bannada southekai along with cow peas and prepared yummy curry.

This curry is called as Gasi/Thick and spicy curry and one of the traditional dish of South Canara./Udupi , Mangalore. Malenadu region.

Let us see some benefits of Coriander seeds in our diet.

Indian spices are very famous even in our ancient period. We read about the exchange of spices to gold from foreign countries. Spices like cinnamon, pepper, ginger, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg etc were the most popular spices sold through Arab merchants from India to Europe and other parts of the world. Indian spices are famous even now. We Indians use many spices in our Indian cooking. The spices like coriander seeds, jeera/cumin seeds, mustard seeds, pepper pods, cardamom and the list is so big. The spices take prominent place in our Indian cooking. 

Coriander seeds are loaded with health benefits. They help to cure digestive disorder /indigestion, cure the conjunctivitis and some eye problems. They are good for preventing arthritis and rheumatism. They do help in curing abdominal pains and helps in curing anemia. They are good remedy for controlling diabetes. They are good for inflammation, diarrhea and controlling cholesterol levels in our body. It is also good for aches and cramps and helps in lowering the blood sugar in our body. Coriander seeds is loaded with Vitamin C, Vitamin A and Vitamin B1. It has good source of iron, calcium and phosphorus.

Do not add any onion or garlic to this curry.

 Cow Peas - Mangalore Cucumber Curry/Gasi is purely Traditional Udupi Brahmin's Curry/Gasi

 Let us see the recipe Now:

Things Needed :

To Cook :

Mangalore Southekai/Cucumber : 1 Bowl (1/2 of 1 Medium sized Cucumber)

Fresh Cow Peas: Alasande Beeja : 1 Small bowl.

Spices to fry :

Channa dal : 1 Teaspoon

Coriander seeds : 1 Teaspoon

Jeera / Cumin seeds : 1/4 Teaspoon

tamarind : Very small quantity. 

Red Byadagi chilly : 5 to 6 ( More /Less as you wish).

Ingh /Asafoetida : A pinch

Oil : 1/2 Teaspoon

To Grind :

Fresh grated coconut : 1 small cup/ 4 to Tablespoons

Fried Spices and required water.

To Add : 

Salt : As required

Turmeric powder : A pinch

Ground Coconut mixture

Coconut Oil Seasoning 

Coriander leaves : 1 Tablespoon

Method :

1. Wash and peel off the mangalore southekai outer layer and remove the pulp and seeds from it.

 (Some time it has bitter taste).

2. Cut southekai into small pieces and  and soak them in water. Grate coconut and keep it aside.

3. Remove the pods from cow pea's cover. Wash it and keep it aside.

4. Cook them with required water. Use a pressure cooker to cook. ( 3 to 4 Minutes will do).

5. Keep a small pan and put 1/2 teaspoon of oil. Add channa dal and fry till it turns golden brown.

6. Add ingh and red byadagi chilly. Fry for 1 minute. Add all the other spices like coriander seeds, jeera, and curry leaves. Mix it well and put off the fire. Add grated coconut to it. Let it cool.

7. Grind all the fried ingredients with a small marble size tamarind. ( Remove the seed if it has).

8. Add required water and grind it into fine paste. Remove the ground mixture to a small bowl.

9. Keep a big pan on the fire and put cooked cow peas and cucumber pieces. Add little turmeric powder.

10. Add required salt and mix it well. Let it boil for 2 minutes.

11. Add ground mixture and mix it well. Let it boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in between slowly so that it does not get burnt.

12. Shift it to a serving dish and add mustard seeds, ingh, curry leaves seasoning done in coconut oil.

13. Add cut coriander leaves.

14. Serve Cow Peas - Mangalore Curry/Gasi with the main dish you have prepared.

Note :

You should remove the outer layer and the pulp from Mangalore Southekai because pulp contain bitter taste. Removing the outer layer helps the southekai to cook soft and good. Retaining the outer layer is optional.  Fresh fried spices adds to the taste. Use of pressure cooker to cook veggies is optional. Adding more /less chilly is optional. Do not add more channa dal, the taste will not be good and it becomes sticky sometime. Do not add more coriander seeds and no need to fry much. Soaking southekai pieces in water helps to remove the bitterness in them. 

Time : 30 Minutes.

Serves : 3 to 4 

Udupi/Karnataka /Indian Curry.

Jack Fruit - Rava Halubai/ Pudding

Haalubai/pudding is one of the traditional dish of South Canara./Karnataka. It is a sweet dish prepared using raw rice, jaggery and coconut normally. Here I have tried this Halubai using jackfruits and rava instead of raw rice. Jack Fruit - Rava Halubai is soft and delicious and is one of the healthy traditional dish normally done during Nagara Panchami festival.

Nagara Panchami is one of the festival which falls in the month of Shravana.  On this day Snakes are worshiped by Hindus through out India and other parts of the world where Hindus live. People pray for snakes to get their blessings and welfare of the family. According to Garuda Purana offering prayers to snake on this day is auspicious and will usher good health and wealth in one's life. This day there is a custom that girls pray for their brother's health.
In Dakshina Kannada/Udupi/Mangalore /Malenadu region there is a traditional saying that one should not season the food, or prepare dosa or even keep oil for frying. Doing these frying, preparing dosa on hot tava and keeping a pan on the fire and seasoning will hurt the snake body and people who does might get a curse from the snake. There may be a reason to do these customs but it is said in this way.
Let us see the recipe now :

Things Needed :

Jack Fruits : 10 to 15
Rava/Semolina : 2 Cups ( Small cup)
Jaggery /Bella : 1 Cup
Coconut : 1 Cup
Cardamom : 6 to 8 pods
Ghee 3 to 4 Tablespoons
Salt : A pinch
1 Cup Rava : 1 and 1/2 Cup Water. 

Method :

1. Grate coconut and remove the pods from jack fruits. Remove the pods from cardamom.

2. Grind it nicely till it turns like paste. Use required water to grind. Add jaggery and give a churn.
3. Shift the mixture to a bowl. Add a pinch of salt to it.

4. Dry roast medium size rava for 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Add ground jack fruit -coconut mixture to rava and mix all the ingredients nicely.

6. Stir till the batter turns thick. Add ghee little by little and stir.

7. The batter starts to get thick and leaves the pan.

8. Stir for another 5 more minutes and shift the ready jackfruit halubai to a ghee spread plate.

9. Spread it nicely and equally around the plate.

10. Leave it for cooling and then cut it according to your desired shape.

Note .

Dry roast rava/semolina. You can use chiroti rava instead of medium size rava. The water should be
 1 1/2 times more than rava. 1 Cup rava; 1 1/2 cup of water.  Adding more jaggery is optional. Adding more ghee is optional. We do eat this halubai with a spoon of ghee on the top. Adding cashews or any other nuts is purely optional.

Time : 30 Minutes.
Serves : According  to your wish.
Purely South Canara Dish.