Konkani Thali

Konkani Thali

Tur chi Dal
Papdi chi Bhaji
Surmai Machi Fry
served with Chappati and Rice...

Daali Thoy / Tur chi Dal
Ingredients
1 cup Toor Dal
2  Green Chillies
1 inch piece Ginger grated
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
Few Curry leaves
1 Dry Red Chilli broken
2 Pinch of Asafoetida
Few Coriander leaves chopped
2 tsp Ghee

Method
Cook dal in pressure cooker with a turmeric, salt, green chillies and ginger. Heat ghee. Add mustard. When mustard starts to crackle, add curry leaves, red chilli and asafoetida. Pour this seasoning to the cooked dal. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add coriander leaves and if you want pout more ghee on the dal.  Serve with hot rice.

Flat Beans Bhaji (Papdi chi Bhaji)

For the Ground Masala
Ingredients
1/2 cup Coconut
2-3 Red Chillies
1/2 tbsp Tamarind paste
1 tsp Coriander seeds
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Jaggery

Method
Add all the above ingredients in a grinder and grind the ingredients into a paste.

For the Vegetable
Ingredients
1/2 kg chopped Flat Beans
2 Onion chopped
1 Tomato chopped
3 Green chillies cut into pieces
Few Curry leaves
Wet Masala
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Oil
Few Coriander leaves chopped

Method
Add oil in the pan. Heat it. Add mustard seeds and let it crackle. Add Curry leaves and asafoetida. Add the tomato. Sauté it for 2 minutes. Add the flat beans. Sauté it for few minutes more. Add salt,turmeric powder and wet masala. Stir and cook it 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup water and cover and cook till the flat beans have become tender. Garnish it with coriander leaves.

Surmai Machi Fry
Ingredients
6 pieces of sliced Surmai
1 tsp Tamarind paste
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Konkani Masala
1/2 Chilli powder
1/2 cup Samolina
Oil for Shallow frying

Method
Marinate the fish with Tamarind paste,
Salt,Turmeric powder,Konkani masala and
Chilli powder for 15 minutes. Coat the fish with Samolina. Heat the oil in a pan. Fry the fish till golden brown from both the sides. Serve hot.

Chilli Cauliflower Bread Sticks with Marinara sauce

Chilli Cauliflower Bread Sticks with Marinara sauce
Ingredients
1 big size cauliflower, cut into small florets and minced
1 tsp Pickled Red Chill sliced or Green chillies chopped
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp Pepper powder
Salt to taste
3 Egg whites beaten
1/2 cup + 1 cup Mozzarella cheese
Method

Cook the minced florets in a pan till tender. Remove cooked cauliflower from pan and cool it . Place the cooked  cauliflower in a towel and holding by the ends,  squeeze the liquid out of the cauliflower. No water should remain.Transfer the cauliflower to a mixing bowl along with 1/2 cup cheese, italian seasoning, chilli, pepper and salt and mix it well. Gently fold in the egg whites.  Transfer the cauliflower mixture into the baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes, at 200 degrees celcius in a preheated oven.  Remove from the oven and top with remaining 1cup cheese. Bake for another 5 minutes or until cheese turns golden brown. Cool it. Cut it into breadsticks and serve hot with marinara sauce.

Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
2 cups of Tomato seeded and diced
2 onions chopped
1 garlic clove  minced
1/4 tsp of each dry Oregano and Basil
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Pepper powder
1/2 tsp Sugar
2 tbsp Olive oil

Method
Heat oil in a saucepan.  Add onions and garlic and sauté until translucent. Add tomatoes, oregano, sugar and basil and simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Cool it. Add the sauce in the blender.. Blend it until it becomes into a puree. Add it back in to the saucepan and simmer for 2 minutes. It is  ready to be served...

Achari Began

Achari Began
Ingredients
1/2 kg small Brinjals cut into 4 pieces
1 Tomato cut into strips
1 tsp Ginger Paste
Few Curry leaves
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp Coriander seeds
1/4 tsp Fennel Seeds
1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
1/4 tsp Nigella Seeds
1 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp Fennel powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Dry Mango Powder
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
1/4 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Mustard oil

Method
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds and nigella seeds. When the seeds crackle, add hing and curry leaves.  Add ginger paste and sauté it for few seconds. Add in turmeric, coriander powder, fennel powder, garam masala powder, chilli powder and fry the spices for half a minute. Add the brinjals. Stir it well. Add the tomato. Add about 1/4 cup of water and cover the pan with lid. Let it cook till the water has dried up.  Open the lid and add salt to taste. Cover and let it cook for another 3-4 minutes on medium flame, stirring it occasionally. Add sugar and amchur powder and stir it  well. Let it cook uncovered for few more minutes till the brinjals are cooked.

Jamaican Fried Red Snapper

Jamaican Fried Red Snapper

Must try... The pickled Vegetable and the fish combination is awesome..

For Marinating the Fish and Frying the Fish

Ingredients

4 Red snapper, cleaned, scaled, washed and give 3 cuts 

Salt to taste 

1 tsp Pepper powder 

Oil for frying shallow 

Method 

Rub salt and pepper on both side of the fish. Heat oil in a pan over. Fry the fish until browned and crisp.  Remove fish and place on a paper towel.

For the VegetableTopping 

Ingredients 

2 medium Onions sliced

1/2 large carrot, peeled and cut into thin strips

1 tsp Garlic minced

1 Chilli minced 

1 sprig fresh Thyme leaves

1/4 cup Vinegar

1 tbsp Water

1/2 tsp All spice powder (1 small stick Cinnamon, 2 Cloves, small piece Nutmeg and 4 Pepper corn)

Salt to taste 

1/4 tsp Brown Sugar

1 tsp Oil retained from the fish fry. 

Method 

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a pan. Stir onion, garlic and carrot into the pan; cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes. Add thyme, allspice, chilli, vinegar, water, salt, and sugar and continue cooking until onions have softened and liquid has reduced, about 5 minutes .Serve fish with this topping...

Eggplant Lasagna

Eggplant Lasagna
Ingredients
2 big Eggplants  cut into halves
2 Onions chopped
4 Tomato purée
1/4 cup Yellow Capsicum cut into cubes
1/4 cup Green Capsicum cut into cubes
2 tbsp Garlic crushed
Salt to taste
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 cup Mozzarella cheese grated
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese powder
1 tbsp Olive oil
Parsley chopped
4 home made whole wheat  Lasagna sheets

Method
Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius. Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise. Rub the eggplants with salt. Place eggplant halves, cut sides down on a baking tray. Bake at 200 degrees celcius for 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Scrape inside of the eggplant with a spoon gently, so that the skin remains intact. Heat a large pan on medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Add garlic and onions, sauté till light brown in colour. Add capsicums and  cook for 3 minutes. Add the tomato purée and cook till the juices have reduce. Add the salt, Italian seasoning and the scooped eggplant. Mix Parmesan cheese powder. Remove from heat. Add the filling evenly into each eggplant half. Cover the top with lasagna sheets. Sprinkle evenly with grated mozzarella cheese. Bake at 200 degrees celcius for 20 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Remove from oven... Garnish with parsley.

P.S. Lasagna sheet, extra Parmesan cheese and Mozzarella cheese can be added after the first filling and then the second layer of filling can be added and the process can be repeated. I wanted to avoid cheese so just added it on the top...