One Day At A Time

Tomato Saar is similar to a tomato Soup or a tomato rasam, generally served with rice. Ingredients: Tomatoes - 4 medium Green Chillies - 3 Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1 tsp Black Pepper Powder - 1/4 tsp Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - few sprigs Garlic - 3 big cloves Salt Oil How to cook Tomato Saar: 1. Heat about 10 cups water in a vessel.  Bring it to a boil and add whole tomatoes.  Turn off the heat and keep it covered for 15 - 20 minutes. 2. When the tomatoes cool down, peel the tomato skin.  Puree the peeled tomatoes to a smooth paste. 3. Heat 1 - 2 tsp oil in a pot.  Add crushed garlic cloves, cumin seeds and lengthwise slit green chillies.  Saute till garlic turns golden brown.  Add the tomato puree, salt and freshly ground black pepper powder.  Bring it to a boil and garnish with cilantro.  Enjoy hot Tomato Saar with rice or slurp as a soup.

We Konkani foodies love coconut in every dish. Today's post is a simple yet flavorful vegetable stir fry with coconut. Ingredients: Ridge Gourd/Ghosali - 300 gm Green Chilies or Dry Red Chilies - 4 Grated Coconut - about 1/2 cup Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp Asafetida/Hing - 1/4 tsp Grated Jaggery or Sugar - 1/4 tsp Oil - 1 tbsp Salt How to cook Konkani Ghosale Upkari: Wash and peel the ridge gourd. Dice the ridge gourd into bite size pieces and place them in a bowl of water. Pat the green chilies dry and slit them lengthwise. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, asafetida. When mustard seeds pop, add diced ridge gourd and mix. Cook it covered. No need to add water.  After about 5 minutes, when ridge gourd gets cooked, add salt, coconut, green chilies, jaggery. Cook for 5 more minutes or till water (from ridge gourd) gets evaporated. Serve Ghosale Upkari with steamed rice.

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.

We Konkanis prepare many kinds of Idlis for breakfast. So far, you have read about Dudde (Pumpkin) Idli and Tavshe (Cucumber) Idli . Here is another one - Rave Idli made of Semolina/Rava. This is especially made on auspicious occasions or fasts. Ingredients: Urad Dal/Split Black Gram - 1/2 cup Rava/Sooji/Semolina - 1 cup Baking Soda - 1/8 tsp (a pinch) Salt Oil How to cook Konkani Rave Idli: Soak Urad Dal for about 2 hours. Wash soaked dal well. Grind soaked dal with about 1 cup water to a smooth fine paste. Let the ground urad dal ferment overnight, preferably in a warm place.  Fermentation is not necessary. For instant idlis without fermentation, add more baking soda. Roast Rava at low flame until it turns aromatic, for 10 - 15 minutes. Let it cool. Grease the idli plates with little oil or cooking spray. Add the roasted rava, baking soda and salt to the fermented urad dal. Add enough water (about 1 cup) and mix well to remove lump...

Ingredients: Collard Greens - 250 gms Chana Dal/Split Bengal Gram/Split Chickpeas - 3 tbsp Red Onion - 1 big Garlic - 4 big cloves Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - few sprigs Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper/Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp Turmeric/Haldi - 1/8 tsp Chat Masala or Aamchur - 1/4 tsp Garam Masala or any other spice mix - 1/4 tsp Salt Oil Method: 1. Soak Chana dal in water for about an hour. 2. Finely chop onions and cilantro.  Crush the peeled garlic cloves.  Chop washed collard greens medium or fine.  Discard the tough mature stems of the greens. 3. Heat 1 - 2 tbsp oil in a pan and add cumin, crushed garlic.  Saute for a minute or two.  Add onions and saute till onions turn soft.  Now add soaked chana dal and a cup of water.  Cook it covered for 15 - 20 minutes.  (Alternately, soaked chana dal can be pressure cooked as well.)  Add more water if required. 4. When chana dal is cooked well, add chopped ...

Ingredients: Baby Spinach Leaves/Palak - about 150 gm Wheat Flour - 2 cups Gram Flour/Chickpea Flour/Besan - 1/2 cup Ginger - an inch piece Garlic - 5 big cloves Green Chilies - 5 White Sesame Seeds/Til - 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds/Dhania  - 1 tbsp Cumin Seeds/Jeera - 1 tsp Black Peppercorn - about 5 Salt Oil How to cook Indian Spinach Poori: Steam/Blanch the spinach leaves with about 2 tbsp water till they wilt. Let them cool. Grind the blanched spinach, green chilies, ginger, garlic, black peppercorn, coriander seeds, cumin seeds to a fine puree. In a mixing bowl, add wheat flour, gram flour, salt and sesame seeds. Mix the dry ingredients. Now add the spinach puree and knead into a soft, firm dough. Add about 1 tsp oil and knead the dough again. Let the (covered) dough rest for about 30 minutes. Make small lemon size balls of the dough and roll each one into round puris ( 5 - 6 inch diameter) either dusting some wheat flour or using oil. Al...

Ingredients: Cauliflower/Gobhi - 200 gms Potatoes - 2 medium Onion - 1 big Ginger - 1 tsp Garlic - 1 tsp Green Chillies - 6 Coriander/Dhania Seeds - 1 tsp Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1 tsp Turmeri/Haldi - 1/2 tsp Salt Oil Method: 1. Heat about 3 cups water in a pot.  Add little salt, cauliflower florets and bring it to a boil.  Turn off the heat and drain the water after 5 minutes. 2. Peel the potato skin and dice it into bite sized pieces.  Place the diced potatoes in a bowl of water.  Medium chop the onions and green chillies. 3. Coarsely grind cumin and coriander seeds. 4. Heat 1 - 2 tbsp oil in a pan or a kadhai.  Add grated ginger, garlic, chopped green chillies and saute for a minute or two.  Add onions and saute till onions turn soft. 5. Add diced potatoes and about 1/2 cup water.  Mix and cook it covered at low flame.  When potatoes turn soft, add cauliflower florets, ground cumin coriander and turmeric. ...