One Day At A Time

An Indian Egg Omelette is generally made with onions, green chillies and cilantro/coriander leaves.  I like to add some veggies like capsicum/bell pepper, carrot etc. which makes the omelette healthy and tasty. Ingredients: Eggs Onions Capsicum/Bell Peppers Carrots Cabbage Tomatoes Green Chillies Cilantro/Coriander leaves Black Pepper Powder Salt Oil Method: 1. Finely chop onions, capsicum, cabbage, tomatoes, green chillies and cilantro.  Grate carrots.  You can use any veggies of your choice. 2. I prefer one egg at a time. Break an egg and pour it in a bowl.  Whisk/beat (with a spoon/fork) the egg till the yolk is mixed well.  Add salt, little black pepper powder, chopped green chillies, about 1 tsp each of all chopped veggies  and whisk again. 3. Heat a pan and pour this mixture on the pan and spread it with the spoon.  Drizzle little oil and flip the other side after a m...

An easy and quick, less spicy stir fry cabbage recipe with chana dal or split chickpeas. Ingredients: Green Cabbage/Kobi/Patagobhi - 250 gms Chana Dal/Split Chickpeas/Gram - 2 tbsp Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp Green Chilies - 4 Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Asafetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Salt Oil How to cook Kobichi Bhaaji: Soak Chana dal in water for 15 - 20 minutes. Meanwhile, wash curry leaves and green chilies. Pat them dry. Finely chop cabbage, cilantro leaves and medium chop green chilies. Wash the soaked dal well. Heat about 2 tsp oil in a kadhai/wok and add mustard seeds, curry leaves, asafetida.  When mustard seeds pop, add washed dal. Add about 1 cup water and cook it covered until dal softens.  Now add chopped cabbage and green chilies. Saute for 2 - 3 minutes. Lastly, add salt, turmeric and chopped cilantro.  Mix and cook it covered at low flame. Keep checking after every 2 minutes.  ...

Mushrooms in a creamy garlic gravy.  An easy, yet tasty and comparatively quicker recipe.

Bhadang as said in Marathi, is a light, low calorie, less oily snack made from Puffed Rice. Other names for Puffed Rice are Mamra or Kurmure or Churmure . Instead of garlic you can use mustard seeds and asafetida/hing for tempering as well. Ingredients: Puffed Rice/Mamra/Kurmura - 7 cups Peanuts/Groundnuts - 1 cup Garlic - 5 big cloves Curry Leaves - a sprig (optional) Red Chili Powder - 2 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Powdered Su gar - 1/2 tsp Oil - 3 tbsp How to make Marathi Bhadang: Wash curry leaves and pat them dry. Heat oil in a kadhai/wok. Fry the peanuts till color changes slightly. Save the fried peanuts for later. Add more oil if required. Now, in the same kadhai, add crushed garlic and dry curry leaves. Sauté until garlic turns golden brown.  Turn off the heat and add puffed rice. Then add fried peanuts, red chili powder, turmeric, salt and sugar. Do not add the powders, salt and sugar in hot oil, it will form l...

Vaingana Kaap, Dalitoy and Rice is my favorite comfort food. Shallow fried eggplants coated with semolina is a traditional Konkani recipe. Potatoes, sweet potatoes and taro root are also cooked in a similar way, especially in North Canara Konkani Cuisine. Today I served these fritters with Black Beans and Rice. Ingredients: Eggplant/Brinjal/Aubergine - 400 gms Semolina/Sooji/Rava - 1/2 cup Red Chilli Powder - 2 tbsp Tamarind Paste - 1/2 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Salt Oil How to make Vaingana Kaap (Phodi): Cut the eggplant into slightly thick slices. Add the eggplant slices in the mixing bowl.  Sprinkle red chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Add tamarind paste and toss the slices well.  Keep it covered for about 20 minutes so that the eggplants turn watery. Mix them again before frying. In case you don't have 20 minutes, add few drops of water and form a thick paste. Coat the marinated eggplant slices (both sides) in semolina and s...

Buns or Banana Puri used to be one of the breakfast items for Sundays in my Mom's kitchen. This Konkani recipe, also known as Mangalore Buns is a fermented sweet fried banana bread, generally served with a Coconut Chutney and/or Potato Bhaji . In addition to Bananas, you can add buttermilk/taak or curds/dahi and/or butter to soften the dough. I prefer the low calorie vegan version with just bananas. Ingredients: Whole Wheat Flour - about 3 cups Bananas - 3 Cumin Seeds/Jeera - 1 tsp  Light Brown   Sugar or Jaggery - 2 tbsp Salt Oil How to cook Banana Buns: In a mixing bowl, mash the bananas. Add sugar, cumin seeds and little salt. Mix till sugar dissolves. Add more or less sugar to suit your taste. Now add Whole Wheat flour little at a time, as much the bananas can hold. At this point, you can also add 1/8 tsp baking soda if you like the buns more fluffy. Knead to a nice soft dough.  The dough will be sticky because of ba...

There are days when you feel too lazy to cook. Plus, you have no leftovers in the refrigerator and you don't want a takeout either.   Once I was telling my colleague and friend how I have no idea to cook for today's dinner. This was when I was working in Mumbai and we were returning home. My friend started throwing some ideas and one of them was Paneer Bhurji. Back then, I knew only about Egg Bhurji. That night, I tried my friend's recipe with a few tweaks. Since then, this recipe is a regular at my place, especially when I don't have time for something elaborate.

Sweet, fruity watermelon pancakes with a hint of cardamom and coconut.  These dosas called as Kalingana Polo in Konkani is a North Canara speciality.  During the watermelon season, my Mom used to make these very often for breakfasts.  Here I am sharing our favorite breakfast recipe from my US kitchen.

Spicy Maharashtrian Vegetable Rice known as Masaale Bhaath.   Ingredients: Basmati Rice - 1 cup Green Beans - 1/4 cup Carrots - 1/4 cup Green Peas - 1/4 cup Corn Kernels - 1/4 cup Onions - 1/2 cup Cashews - 6 Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - few sprigs Pudina/Mint Leaves - 10 Bay Leaf - 1 Oil or Butter Salt Green Chillies - 6 Coriander Seeds - 1 tbsp Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp Fennel Seeds - 1/2 tsp Poppy Seeds - 1/4 tsp Garlic - 4 cloves Cinnamon - 1/4 inch Cloves - 2 Method: 1. Wash rice well, about 4 - 5 times till water is clear.  Keep it in a colander (or any vessel with holes) to drain water. 2. Chop onions, carrots, beans as you desire.  Finely chop cilantro and mint. 3. Grind green chillies, garlic, coriander, cumin, fennel, poppy seeds, cinnamon and cloves with 1/2 cup water to a fine paste.  4. Heat 1 - 2 tbsp butter or oil in a cooker and add bay leaf.  After few seconds, add onions, carrots, beans, peas and corn. ...

Healthy veggie pancakes made of cabbage and protein rich chickpea flour (besan). Ingredients: Chopped Cabbage/Pata Gobi/Kobi - 4 cups Onion - 1 medium Rice Flour - 1/4 cup Besan/Gram Flour/Chickpea Flour - 1/2 cup Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Green Chillies - 4 Salt Oil Method: 1. Finely chop onions, cabbage and cilantro.  Medium chop green chillies. 2. Add chopped onions, cabbage, green chillies, cilantro, rice and salt in a mixing bowl.  Mix well.  Now add rice flour and gram flour.  Use about 1/2 cup water and mix well. 3. Heat a pan and add a ladle full of the cabbage mixture.  Spread it evenly and as thin as possible with hands or a spoon.  Roast both sides till the pancakes turn golden brown.  Drizzle little oil while roasting. 4. Serve Cabbage Dosa with ketchup or chutney.

Sabudana or Sago is a staple for Indian fasts, well known as Vrat or Upvaas.  Sabudana Khichdi also known as Sago Pilaf is a vrat special food. Let me tell you about another sago delicacy - deep fried sago and potato cutlets, known as  Sabudana Vade.

An easy, crunchy snack made with leftover idlis. Ingredients: Rice - 2 cups Split Urad Dal - 1 cup Salt Oil How to make Idli Fry: Wash rice and urad dal and soak them in water separately for about 6 hours. Grind urad dal into a very fine paste. Then grind rice coarsely, almost like rava. Mix ground urad dal and ground rice to form the idli batter, slightly thicker than dosa batter. Keep the batter in a warm place overnight for fermentation. The batter will rise to almost double. Add salt to the batter and mix well. Grease the idli plates with little oil and fill the batter only till 3/4th of each idli mold. If idli mold is not available, you can use a pressure cooker vessel. Steam the idlis in an idli cooker for about 12 - 15 min. Remove the lid and let it cool for about 5 min. Cut the idlis each into 3 or 4 pieces and deep fry in oil. Idli Fry is ready to serve with ketchup and/or chutney . Note:   Before pouring idli batter in t...

Shikran in Marathi, Ashale in Konkani is a very quick dessert. Shikran with Poli/Chapati also tastes good. Ingredients: Banana/Kele - 1 Milk - 1 cup Sugar - 2 tsp Cardamom/Elaichi - 1 How to make Kele Shikran: Boil milk and let it cool. Add sugar and stir till it dissolves. Now a dd thin slices of banana. Stir again.  Sprinkle ground cardamom and serve. Add few saffron/kesar strands if you like.

Like any Konkani household, I grew up eating Idlis and Dosas. Staying in Mumbai added Marathi delicacies too - Kande Pohe, Dadpe Pohe and so on. While I was in Mangalore, my mother-in-law taught me this special Konkani delicacy.  Tavshe Idli  is a slightly sweet idli made of cucumbers. But you can cook it minus sugar and enjoy with coconut chutney like any regular idli. Take your pick. What I love about this idli is that it does not involve any soaking, grinding, fermentation.

We Konkanis love dosas and idlis for breakfast. Surnali is a thick pancake made of rice and coconut. These pancakes are also made sweet adding jaggery, but we love the savory ones called as Cheppi Surnali .

Ingredients: Bread slices - 8 Eggs - 4 Black Pepper Powder - 1 tsp Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Salt - 1/2 tsp Oil Method: 1. Break the egg shells and transfer the eggs in a mixing bowl. 2. Whisk eggs slightly so that egg yolks are not seen. 3. Add salt, red chilli powder, black pepper powder and whisk well to avoid lumps of the powders. 4. Spread this egg mixture on both sides of the bread slices.  Or dip the bread slices in the egg mixture and coat both sides. 5. Heat a pan and roast the coated bread slices drizzling little oil. 6. Golden brown Spicy Toast is ready to serve.