One Day At A Time!

Easy and quick snack made of parched rice or Poha and requires no cooking at all. This Konkani recipe of Godda Phovu  is made of thin Poha also known as flattened rice or beaten rice or parched rice. Konkani phovu recipes are both sweet and savory. Savory Poha recipes are similar to Maharashtrian Dadpe Pohe . Today I am sharing a simple sweet recipe which needs only 5 ingredients. And with thawed frozen coconut, I need less than 15 minutes for this sweet treat. This recipe can also be made by preparing a sugar syrup, but I always go with the easiest one.

Batate Talasaan  with coconut and green chillies is one of my favorite potato recipes, especially when my Mom cooks it.  Today's recipe is a similar potato stir fry which in Marathi is called as Batatyachya Kachrya, shared by a dear friend Kavita. Ingredients: Potatoes - 4 medium Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder/Cayenne pepper - 1 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Asafoetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp Oil - 2 tbsp Salt How to cook Batate Kachrya: Peel the potato skin and dice the potatoes to thin slices.  To avoid potatoes turning dark, put the slices in water.  I used Russet potatoes. Heat about 2 tbsp oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, asafoetida. After mustard seeds pop, add potato slices and saute till golden brown or till cooked.  Add Cayenne pepper, salt, turmeric and mix well.  You can add a pinch of garam masala as well. Saute for 5 more min and its ready to serve with puri or chapati.

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.  ...

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.

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.

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.

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.

A simple stir-fry Tindora/Indian Gourd/Tendli with a garlic flavour.   Ingredients: Tindora/Ivy Gourd - 350 gms Garlic - 4 cloves Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp Turmeric - 1/4 tsp Salt Oil Method: Heat 1 - 2 tbsp oil in a kadhai/wok and add crushed garlic. After garlic turns golden brown, add lengthwise cut (or mashed) Tindora. Saute till tindora turns brown and crisp.  Add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and saute for 2 more minutes.  Enjoy Tendle Talasani with rice or roti.

Potato can be cooked in numerous ways. This one is my favourite, the way my Mom cooks. A Konkani potato stir fry with coconut.  Ingredients: Potatoes - 2 big Green Chilies - 4 Curry Leaves - a sprig Turmeric - 1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp Grated Coconut - 1 tbsp  Asafetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp Oil - 2 tbsp Salt How to cook Konkani Batate Talasan: Peel the potato skin and cut the potatoes into long julienne slices just like fries. Place them in a bowl of water to avoid darkening. Pat curry leaves and green chilies dry. Heat oil in a kadhai/wok and add mustard seeds, curry leaves and asafetida. After mustard seeds pop, add potatoes (drain the water), lengthwise slit green chilies.  Saute till potatoes soften. Add salt, turmeric, grated coconut. Add more coconut if you like. Sauté for 5 more minutes or till potatoes are slightly glazed. Easy quick Batatya Talasaan is ready.

An instant dosa/crepe made of Semolina and All purpose flour which does not require soaking or fermentation. A quick fix for breakfast or a light snack. Ingredients: Rava/Sooji/Semolina - 1/2 cup Maida/All Purpose Flour - 1/2 cup Onions (Finely chopped) - about 1/2 cup  Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp Green Chilies - 2  Water - about 2 1/2 cups Salt Oil How to prepare Instant Rava Dosa: Finely chop onions and medium chop green chilies. Mix Rava, Maida, onions, green chilies, water and salt in a mixing bowl. For tempering/tadka, heat oil and add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds splutter, turn off the heat. Pour this tadka to the dosa batter.  The consistency of the batter is thin. Heat a cast iron griddle or a nonstick pan. Grease the pan with cooking spray or few drops of oil. Pour a ladle full of batter and swirl the pan so that the batter spreads evenly. Roast both sides of the dosa to golden brown, drizzling few drops of oil. Roast the dosa longer t...

For me, Vermicelli or Semiya Kheer is the easiest Indian dessert. A delicious, yummy one to end a meal.  Also known as Shavige Payasam . Ingredients: Vermicelli/Shavige/Semiya/Shevai - 1 cup Milk - about 4 cups Green Cardamom/Elaichi - 2 pods (seeds only) Almonds/Badam - 4 Cashews - 4 Pistachios - 4 Walnuts/Akrot - 1 Sugar or Brown Sugar or Jaggery - 3 tbsp Ghee/Clarified Butter - 2 tsp How to make Vermicelli Kheer: Roast the nuts in a pan or a microwave for few minutes so that the skin comes off easily. Chop the nuts of your choice into small pieces. You can add dry grapes/raisins as well. Heat ghee is a thick bottom vessel. Add vermicelli and roast at low flame till vermicelli changes color and turns crisp. Add more ghee if you like. After vermicelli turns golden brown, add milk to vermicelli. When milk starts boiling add chopped nuts and keep stirring to avoid burning. Continue cooking and stirring til...

Yay! Day 1 of food blogging. My First Post! This recipe is definitely special to me. One that my Dad used to cook for us. My Dad cooks rarely, but when he does, we all love it. Onion Upma is one of his recipes, with little heat of the green chilies, slightly sweet, aromatic ginger and not to forget my favorite cilantro. Ingredients: Rava/Sooji/Semolina - 1 cup Onion - 1 medium Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1 tsp Green Chilies - 3 or 4 Ginger - 1/2 inch Curry Leaves/Kadipata - about 8 leaves Coriander/Cilantro/Dhania Leaves - few sprigs Sugar - 1/2 tsp Oil - 2 tbsp Salt Shev or Farsan How to make Onion Upma: Wash and pat the curry leaves, green chilies dry, so that they don't splutter in hot oil. Finely chop onions, green chilies, ginger and coriander leaves. Heat oil in a pan or a kadhai. You need to be a little generous about oil here. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. When mustard seeds pop, add ginger, green chilies an...