Raw Tomato - Fresh Cow Peas Curry

Tomatoes are good to have in our cooking. It is good to see our home garden is giving out so much tomatoes. This time it is green tomato curry done with these Green Tomatoes. Fresh cow peas is also available plenty in market.

I have used green raw tomatoes and cow peas for this curry. Fresh aromatic spice is prepared and used for this Curry.

Let us see the recipe now :

Things Needed :

Raw Tomatoes : 10 to 12
Fresh cow peas : 1 Bowl.
Coconut : fresh and grated : 2 to 3 Tablespoons.
Fresh spice powder : 2 Tablespoons
Salt : As required
Coriander leaves  : 2 Tablespoons
For Seasoning :
Oil : 1 Tablespoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Jeera : Cumin Seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh : Asafoetida : A little
Curry Leaves : 5 to 6
Green Chilly : 1 or 2

Method :

1. Wash and cut tomatoes into small pieces. Wash and pressure cook cow peas for 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Wash and cut curry leaves, coriander leaves and slit green chilly.

3. Grate coconut and keep it aside.
4. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add oil and mustard seeds  and jeera.
5. Let mustard seeds splutter.
6. Add curry leaves, ingh and slit green chilly.

7. Stir once and put cut tomatoes. Fry them on low flame. Add cooked cow peas and stir slowly/
8. Add turmeric powder, a teaspoon of jaggery.

9. Let it cook soft. Add salt and mix it well.
10. Add spice powder and mix all the ingredients nicely.
11. Let all the moisture disappear. Add Fresh grated coconut.

12. Shift the curry to a serving dish and mix it with coriander leaves. Raw Tomato - Fresh Cow Peas curry is ready to serve.

Note : 

Do not add while cooking tomatoes. It will be cooked soft with its moisture. Adding any spice powder is optional. Adding little garam masala adds to the taste. No onion or garlic is used here.
Adding more / less oil is optional. Use of coconut is optional.
Time : 15 Minutes.
Serves : 3 to 4
Special Spice powder :

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons of coriander seeds, 1/2 teaspoon of cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon of channa dal, 1 teaspoon of urid dal, ingh, 2 cloves,  a very small piece of cinnamon, handful of curry leaves and a pinch of ingh.
Dry roast all the above ingredients on low flame one by one and powder it once it is cooled. 

Fresh Cow Peas Spicy Curry. / ಹಸಿ ಹುಳಿ

Fresh Cow Peas/ ಅಲಸಂದೆ is available during winter. It a seasonal pod and filled with proteins. I have prepared Fresh Cow Peas Spicy Curry, which is very traditional curry in Udupi region. /South Canara region and Malnadu in region.

Raw curry has the aroma from spices which are used in the curry. It tastes yummy with any main dish. It is a good combination for plain rice, dosa or idli, chapati or poori, any type of rotis and even with bread.
I have used Fresh Cow Peas, coriander seeds, green chilly, tamarind and jeera/cumin seeds.
Coriander seeds are filled with nutrients. They are rich in high level of dietary fiber, antioxidants and B Vitamins and Vitamin C. It helps in treating inflammation, good for digestion and it helps to improve the skin. It also helps to control diabetes. It is good for ladies who suffer from their menstrual stomach ache. Drinking Boiled coriander seeds water helps in reducing the pain that cause during the monthly period.
Let us see the recipe now :

Ingredients :

To Cook :
Fresh Cow Peas/ ಅಲಸಂದೆ ಕಾಳು : 1 Cup
To Grind :
Coriander seeds : 2 Teaspoons
Jeera /Cumin Seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Green chilly : 2

Fresh Coconut : 3 to 4 Tablespoons. ( 1/2 Cup)
Tamarind Pulp : Very small marble size.
Soaked Moong dal : 1 Teaspoon
To Add : 
Ground coconut - spice mixture
Salt : As required
Turmeric powder/Haladi/Arashina : A pinch
Seasoning :
Coconut Oil : 1 Tablespoon
Green chilly 1
Pepper pods : 3 to 4
Jeera /Cumin Seeds : 1/4 Teaspoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh /Asafoetida : A pinch
Curry Leaves : 5 to 6

Method :

1.  Separate Alasande pods from its skin and wash it. Cook with required water. Keep it aside. ( You can pressure cook for 3 to 4 minutes).

2. Grate coconut and grind it with 2 to 3 green chilly, coriander seeds, jeera and tamarind pulp.

3. Put cooked cow peas in a big pan and keep the pan on the fire. Add little water, required salt and turmeric powder.
4. Let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add ground coconut and spice mixture. Mix it well and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

5. Add seasoned mustard seeds mixture done in coconut oil and shift the curry to a serving bowl.

6. Add cut coriander leaves and serve with the main dish you have prepared.

Note :

Do not make the curry very watery. It taste good when it is thick. Adding more /less chilly is optional. Adding soaked moong dal helps to thicken the curry. ( Optional : You can add soaked raw rice or soaked channa dal instead of moong dal). Adding more coconut taste better. Add little tamarind since it does not need  much savoury.
Note : I have added 3 to 4 pepper pods to the curry. ( Optional). Normally this curry does not have any pepper. Remember pepper helps to reduce the gas content in the food. 
Time : 25 Minutes
Serves : 3 to 4 .

 How to prepare Coriander Kashaya :

 ( Remedy for ladies monthly period/ menstrual stomach ache).

 Ingredients :
Glass of water
Coriander Seeds : 1 Tablespoon
Jaggery : 1 Teaspoon

Method : 

Boil water and put cleaned coriander seeds. Let it boil till it reduces to 3/4 th glass.
Add jaggery and boil for 2 minutes. Sieve this Kashaya and drink hot or cold as you like it.
It is better to drink kashaya when it is hot.

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.

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.