One Day At A Time!

Simple stir fries are quite common at our place. Everyone loves them and I like the ease at which such veggies are cooked. Not much prep work. Today I cooked sautéed asparagus with garlic and Cajun Seasoning. Ingredients: Asparagus - 1 pound Garlic - 2 big cloves Black Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp Cajun Seasoning - 1/2 tsp Olive Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp Salt How to cook Asparagus: Wash asparagus well. Discard the thick woody part of asparagus and dice it into about 2 inch pieces. Finely chop garlic. Since Asparagus is a local American vegetable, I have no idea what its Indian names are. Heat 8 - 10 cups water in a big vessel. Bring it to a boil. Add diced asparagus and cook for about a minute or so. Drain the water. Heat olive oil in a skillet and add garlic. Sauté for few seconds and add half cooked asparagus. Add salt, Cajun seasoning and freshly ground black pepper. Sauté for about a minute or two. Cook for few more minutes if you like asparagus softer. Serve Cajun spiced Asparag...

Chutney is the most popular Indian condiment served as a side dish with meals or as a dip with snacks. Today's recipe is a dry chutney made of phutane/dalia and coconut.   This dry chutney is also sprinkled on Masala Dosa . Ingredients: Phutane/Dalia/Roasted Chana Dal - 1 cup Dessicated (Dry) Coconut - 1/2 cup White Sesame Seeds/Til - 1 tsp Asafoetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp Dry Red Chillies - 5 Sugar - 1/4 tsp Salt How to prepare Dry Phutane Chutney: Wipe the blender/grinder jar completely dry. Blend all the ingredients in a blender/grinder to a fine or slightly coarse powder. Serve dry Chutney with Idli or Dosa with coconut oil.

Dadpe Pohe is a quick and easy Maharashtrian snack made of flattened rice or parched rice or beaten rice. All you need is chopped veggies and your mid morning snack gets ready within 10 minutes. Other than roasting peanuts, no cooking is involved. Ingredients: Patal Pohe/Thin Parched Rice - 2 1/2 cups Onion - 1 medium Tomato - 1 medium Grated Coconut (Fresh or Frozen) - 1 cup Lime/Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - few sprigs Green Chilies/Hirvi Mirchi - 2 Roasted Peanuts/Groundnuts/Shenga - about 1/2 cup Cumin Seeds/Jeera - 1/2 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Sugar - about 1/2 tsp Salt How to make easy Dadpe Pohe: Finely chop onions, tomatoes, green chilies and coriander leaves. In a mixing bowl, add onions, tomatoes, chilies, coconut, cumin seeds, turmeric, salt, sugar and lemon juice. Mix well.  Now add thin parched rice, cilantro and roasted peanuts. Mix all the ingredients well and taste it. Add more lemon j...

Sasam is an iconic Konkani delicacy. A friend of mine ate this Sasam at a Konkani wedding and asked for its recipe. So here it is. A sweet and savory fruit salad with coconut and mustard seeds. Generally, this fruit salad is made with mango (Ambe), pineapple (Avanas) with a few grapes. This treat gets its name from mustard, which in Konkani is called as Sasam. Ingredients: Mango (chopped) - about 2 cups Pineapple (chopped) - about 11/2 cups Red Grapes (halved) - 1/2 cup Shredded Coconut (fresh or frozen) - 1 1/2 cups Mustard Seeds/Saasam - 1/2 tsp Dry Red Chilies  (Byadagi variety)  - 2 or 3 Turmeric/Haldi - 1/8 tsp Jaggery/God/Gool (grated) - 3 tsp Salt - 1/8 tsp How to make Konkani Ambe Sasam: Peel the mango skin and dice the flesh into bite size pieces. Repeat the same for pineapple as well. Cut the grapes into halves. You can make this Sasam with just mango as well. I like adding grapes for a little more color. You can skip grapes. Grin...

Parsnip is a root vegetable similar to carrot, but creamish white in colour.  You can follow the same recipe for potatoes, carrots, turnips, broccoli, cauliflower etc.   Ingredients: Parsnips - 6 Black Pepper Powder - 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper/Red Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp Italian Seasoning - 1/4 tsp Oil - 2 tbsp Salt Method: 1. Peel the parsnip skin and dice it into long pieces, like fries. 2. In a mixing bowl, add black pepper powder, cayenne pepper, Italian seasoning, salt and oil.  Mix well.  Add the diced parsnips and toss to coat them well.  Add grated ginger and/or garlic if you like.  Dry ginger, garlic, onion powders can also be used.  3. I used a dry organic Italian seasoning with marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory, oregano and basil.  Sometimes I use Indian Garam Masala and Chat Masala as seasoning. 4. Preheat the oven at 375 deg. F for about 10 minutes.  Spread the parsnips on a baking dish.  Bake the par...

Earlier I had blogged about Idli Fry . Here is another easy and fast snack made from leftover idlis . In Konkani, we call this as Idli Usli . You might know it as Idli Upma . Ingredients: Idli - 10 small Grated Coconut - about 3/4 cup Green Chilies - 6 Curry Leaves/Kadipata - a sprig Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp Asafetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp Oil preferably Coconut Oil Salt How to make Idli Upma with leftover Idli: Crumble the idlis with hands to a powder. Add salt keeping in mind that idlis do have little salt. Mix and keep it aside.  Wash green chilies, curry leaves. Pat them dry to avoid oil spluttering. Slit the green chilies lengthwise. Heat 2 - 3 tbsp coconut oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, green chilies, curry leaves and asafetida. When mustard seeds pop, add crumbled idlis and grated coconut. Sauté at low flame to mix all the ingredients for about 5 minutes. Simple yet tasty Idly Upma is ready. 

Ingredients: Papad/Papadam/Happal Finely Chopped Red Onions Pomegranate Seeds Finely Chopped Raw Mango Finely Chopped Cilantro Chat Masala (optional) Salt Method: 1. Deep fry or roast the papad. 2. Mix 1 tsp each of finely chopped onions, mango, cilantro and pomegranate seeds, would be sufficient for one papad.  Sprinkle a pinch of chat masala, salt and mix well.  Add black pepper powder or cayenne pepper (red chilli powder) if you like. 3. Add these toppings evenly on the fried or roasted papaddum. 4. Serve Masala Papadum as an appetizer or with meals.

For rice dishes like Pulav, Bisible Bhaath, we love a yogurt side dish. Even with Dal Rice, I like a dollop of yogurt.  When I have a few minutes to spare, rather than plain yogurt, I make this easy and quick pumpkin raita. One of my dearest Aai's (Mom) recipes which I love.  Since its not a spicy dish, this veggie raita is good for kids too.

Tempered buttermilk/chaas/taak gets ready within minutes and tastes great with steamed rice.  In Konkani, this is also called as Phanna Taak. Ingredients: Curd/Yogurt - 1 cup Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp Curry Leaves/Kadhipata - a sprig Turmeric/Haldi - 1/4 tsp Asafoetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp Ginger - 1/2 inch piece Salt Oil Method: 1. Wash curry leaves and green chillies.  Pat them dry.  Crush the ginger piece. 2. Beat/Blend the curd with about 2 cups water, salt and turmeric.  Add more water if required. 3. Heat 1 - 2 tsp oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chillies and asafoetida. When mustard seeds pop, turn off the heat.  Alternatively, a garlic tadka can also be added. 4. Pour this tempering/tadka/phann over the curd.  Add crushed ginger, chopped cilantro and mix. 5. Serve Taaka Kadi with steamed rice or as a drink.

Easy Chivda made with ready to fry Nylon Sabudana/Sago and peanuts.  Ideal for fasts.

Ingredients: Semolina/Rava/Sooji - 1/2 cup Wheat Flour or All purpose flour (Maida) - 1/2 cup Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup Green chillies - 3 Cumin/Jeera seeds - 1 tsp Brown sugar or Sugar - 1/2 tsp Salt Oil Method: 1. In a mixing bowl, add semolina, wheat flour, coconut, finely chopped green chillies, cumin, brown sugar and salt. 2. Add about 1 1/2 cup water and mix well to avoid lumps.    3. Heat a pan and pour a ladle full of batter and spread it thin.  Drizzle oil and roast both sides till golden brown. 4. Serve instant dosa with chutney.

Most of us love the well known North Indian entrée Aloo Matar . But it involves a lot of prep work, especially the restaurant style creamy one. This Marathi version of Aloo Matar, called as Matar Batatyacha Rassa  is easy, even for newbies. Ingredients: Green Peas/Matar - 1 1/2 cup Boiled Potatoes - 2 big Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1/2 tsp Asafetida/Hing - 1/8 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper/Red Chili Powder - 2 tsp Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp (optional) Lemon or Lime Juice - 1 tbsp Cilantro/Coriander Leaves/Kothimbir - few sprigs Oil - 1 tbsp Salt How to cook Marathi Aloo Matar: Heat about 1 tbsp oil in a pan/skillet and add cumin seeds, asafetida. After few seconds, add green peas and turmeric. Sauté green peas for about 2 minutes. Add about 1 cup water, salt, cayenne pepper and garam masala. Mix and cook till peas turn soft. Add mashed (or diced) boiled potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes. Add water if required. Boiled potatoes tend to ...

Instant thin crust pizza made with sliced bread and vegetable toppings. Ingredients: Bread Slices Onion Spring/Green Onions Capsicum/Bell Pepper  Cilantro/Coriander Leaves Jalapenos Peppers /Green chillies  Southwest Chipotle Seasoning/Red chilli flakes Mustard Seeds - about 1 tbsp Tomato Ketchup or Pizza Sauce Pepper Jack Cheese or any other cheese Butter Salt Method: 1. Finely chop onions, capsicum and cilantro.  Cut jalapenos peppers into thin circular slices. 2. Grind the mustard seeds to a coarse powder. 3. Apply little butter on one side for all the bread slices. Apply tomato ketchup on the other side of the slices.  Sprinkle a pinch of ground mustard on the ketchup side. 4. After mustard, add your choice of chopped veggies on all the slices.  Sprinkle a pinch of salt on the veggies for each slice.  Add grated cheese or cheese slices, jalapenos slices, Chipotle seasoning ...

Egg Bhurji or Anda Bhurji is an Indian recipe of scrambled eggs with veggies like capsicum/green bell pepper, green peas, tomatoes. An easy and quick fix on a busy day.

A simple breakfast recipe.  An instant Konkani pancake recipe made of rice flour. Ingredients: Rice Flour - 1 cup leveled Grated/Shredded Coconut - 3/4 cup Finely chopped Onions - 3/4 cup Green chillies - 8 Cilantro/Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup Finely chopped Ginger - 1 tsp Cumin/Jeera seeds - 1 tsp Water - 1 cup Salt Oil Method: 1. Finely chop onions, green chillies, ginger and cilantro. 2. Mix rice flour, chopped onions, green chillies, ginger, cilantro, cumin, grated coconut and salt.  Add about 1 cup water and mix all the ingredients well.  Use Coconut water if available. 3. Heat a pan/tawa. Spread a handful of the above mixture evenly as thin as possible using hands.  While spreading lowering the heat helps. 4. Drizzle little oil on top and at the sides.  Flip it after a minute or so and roast both sides till golden brown. 5. Rice Thaalipith is ready to serve.

Instant Noodles are always a saviour when I want something quick.  But I discard the seasoning mix in case it contains MSG .  MSG is also known as Sodium Glutamate.  Instead I use my favourite spices and it tastes equally good.  You can use Chicken Masala, Meat Masala, Garam Masala, Cajun Spice Mix  as substitutes for Biryani Masala. Ingredients: Noodles - about 160 gms Cayenne Pepper - 1/4 tsp Chat Masala - 1/4 tsp Biryani Masala - 1/4 tsp Onion - 1 small Carrot - 1 small Corn Kernels - 1/4 cup Green Peas - 1/4 cup Salt Oil Method: 1. Heat 1 - 2 tbsp oil in a kadhai/wok and add sliced onion.  Saute for about 2 minutes and add sliced carrot, corn and peas. 2. Saute till vegetables are half done or as you like. 3. Add about 2 cups water, cayenne pepper, chat masala, biryani masala and salt.  Stir all the powders well and add the noodles. 4. Cook till the noodles absorb water and turn soft.  Add more water if req...

Acorn Squash is similar to Pumpkin/Lal Bhopla/Kadoo in taste. Few months back I had blogged about Duddhe Upkari or Lal Bhopla Bhaji . This recipe is similar to that, but with acorn squash and minus coconut. Ingredients: Acorn Squash - 2 cups Green chilies - 8 Curry Leaves - a sprig Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp Asafetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp Jaggery or Brown Sugar - 1 tsp Salt Oil How to cook Acorn Squash Bhaji: Peel the squash skin and discard the seeds. Cut it into bite sized pieces. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadhai/wok and add mustard seeds, asafetida and curry leaves. When mustard seeds splutter, add squash pieces and lengthwise slit green chilies. Cook it covered. When squash gets cooked and soft, add salt and jaggery. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add chopped cilantro and Stir fry Squash is ready.

When we talk of Indian flatbreads, the popular Tanduri Naan or Roti comes to our mind. Today's Konkani flatbread recipe is not made of wheat flour, but of cooked rice. This Bhakri recipe is similar to the unleavened flatbread made of Rice flour and/or Jowar flour, quite popular in Maharashtra. Ingredients: Cooked Rice - 1 cup Rice flour - about 2 cups Salt Oil How to cook Rice Bhakri: Grind cooked rice in the mixer adding little water. Add salt, rice flour and knead into a soft dough. Add more rice flour if required. You can also use leftover rice for this Bhakri recipe. Make round balls.  Roll each ball like chapati in between 2 food wrap sheets.  While rolling each bhakri, apply oil to the plastic to avoid sticking. Traditionally, banana leaf is used to roll this bhakri. Instead of rolling pin, you can spread the dough ball with hands. Roast bhakri on a tawa/griddle drizzling little oil.  Serve Bhakri with a chutney or a sp...

Easy and quick pancakes made of Semolina and Cucumber. A Konkani recipe which is like thaalipith and also known as Sajjige Roti in Kannada. Ingredients: Semolina/Rava/Sooji - 1 1/4 cups Grated Coconut - about 1 cup Grated Cucumber - about 1/2 cup Cumin/Jeera seeds - 1 tsp Chopped Green Chilies - 4 Water - 1 cup Sugar - 1/2 tsp Salt - about 1/2 tsp Oil How to cook Konkani Rave Bhakri: Mix all the above ingredients except oil in a mixing bowl. Let it rest for 5 - 10 minutes. Soaking semolina for a longer time will make the pancakes too soft and not crisp. Add coconut water if available, enhances its taste. Heat a pan/tawa, add few drops of oil. Spread a handful of the above mixture evenly as thin as possible with hands. While spreading lowering the heat helps.  Flip it after a minute or when the edges dry. Drizzle few drops of oil all over the pancake and roast it till golden brown on both sides. Rave Bhakri is ready to binge. If the pancake ...

Most of us like to have crunchy munchy snacks while sipping our evening tea.  What could be faster than fried chips?  Within 15 minutes raw banana chips are ready. Ingredients: Raw Banana - 1 Black Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper/Red Chilli Powder - 1/8 tsp Salt - about 1/4 tsp Peanut Oil Method: Peel the raw banana skin and cut it into thin round slices.  I used a potato slicer.  In a mixing bowl, add the raw banana slices, salt, black pepper powder, cayenne pepper and mix/toss well.  Add turmeric as well if you like. Heat oil in a kadhai/wok and deep fry these slices in hot oil.  Remove the slices when colour changes and the buzz sound while frying stops.  Binge on crisp Banana Chips anytime you like.