Mixed Vegetable Pickle

This is my mother’s wonderful pickle recipe. In Konkani language it is known as ”Kochla Naunche”. This is generally prepared during rainy season when a lot of vegetables are available.

I make this often as my daughter and my husband are very fond of it. When some of the dishes are not to their liking, then out comes the pickle bottle !! As my daughter always says that whenever a dish does not turn out well, then a spoonful of this pickle on it will make that dish very delicious !!

Ingredients :

Lemon or Raw Mango	1 ½
Cauliflower	a small bunch
Tendle/Gherkin	7-8
Ginger	½” piece
Green chilies	4
Dry Red chilies	10
Mustard seeds	5 tsps
Asafoetida	½ tsp
Water	1 cup
Salt	5 heaped tsps

Method :

• Boil water with the salt and allow it to cool completely.
• Wash cauliflower, gherkin/tendle, ginger, lemon/raw mango, and pat them dry with a clean towel.
  
• Cut cauliflower into tiny florets, chop lemon/raw mango, gherkin, ginger and green chilies into tiny pieces.
• Add all the chopped vegetables into the cooled salted water and keep it covered overnight .
• Next day, grind red chilies finely with the same salted water (in which the chopped vegetables are added). No additional water is to be used.
• Then add mustard seeds and grind (coarsely) for a few minutes. Add asafoetida to it and run the mixer to mix it well.
• Add this ground mixture to the vegetable-salted water mixture. Mix well.
• Fill this in an aritight glass jar and refrigerate it.

Note :

This is a very tasty, easy to prepare and colorful looking pickle. You can also add carrots to it. It contains no oil and no drying in the sun. The amount of chilies used depends on individual taste.The pickle when refrigerated will last for a fortnight or so.

Suggestion: It is normally eaten with freshly made Shevai, idli/Khotto, aappau etc. Ofcourse, it tastes good with rice and chapattis too.

Avocado Salad

Avocado is also known as Butter Fruit. It is known for its highly nutritive value.

This fruit needs to be cut in a particular way. Since I had messed it up the first time I cut this fruit, I thought I shall let you in the secret .

First check that the Avocado fruit is slightly ripe – When you shake the fruit, you can actually feel the seed ( a big one) rattling inside or, the fruit when pressed gently will be slightly soft and not as hard as stone. Also note that the outer green skin is not black. You are now ready to cut the fruit.

Take a sharp knife and run it around the fruit making very light contact and complete the circle. Now hold the fruit in such a way that the lower half of the fruit is in your left palm and cover the upper half of the fruit with your right palm and gently twist the fruit( if the upper palm is turned clockwise, then the lower palm should be turned anti-clockwise) in the opposite direction. In this way, the fruit will be cut into half but not the seed. You can easily see the seed inside and remove it with your hand or with the knife. Discard the seed.

Now take a spoon and scoop out the flesh of the avocado and discard the skin. This way it is less messy. Now you are ready for the preparation of the salad.

Ingredients :

Avocado	1
Tomatoes	2
Onions	2
Lime	1
Green Chilies	2
Salt	to taste
Pepper	to taste
Corriander leaves	A small bunch chopped

Method :

• Mash the avocado pulp.
  
• Wash and chop tomatoes, onions and green chillies.
• In a bowl, crush the green chillies and salt.
• Add to it chopped tomatoes, onions, coriander leaves, pepper and the juice of one lime.
• Mix well and serve.

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Serves : 4

Note :

It tastes well with chappatis. In Mexico, it is used as a dip and they have it with tortilla or any chips.

I have adapted this recipe to cater to the Indian palate.

In Hindi this fruit is known as Makhanphal.

Source :http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/hindiname-pictures.html

For health benefits refer to the source below:

http://healthmad.com/nutrition/11-health-benefits-of-avocado/

Peanut Butter (Home-made)

Recently my friend (at one of our gatherings) was surprised to know that peanut butter can be prepared at home easily. She actually thought that this had to be bought from the supermarkets as it involves a cumbersome process.

This small incident inspired me to share this easy, tasty, healthy and highly nutritious recipe with you all. Peanut butter if prepared at home, unlike other variety of butters will not contain any preservative and animal fat. It is also easy on one's purse.

A bowl of roasted peanuts and Peanut butter in Glass jar

Ingredients:

Peanuts	500 gms
Peanut Oil	1-2 tsps

Method:

• Roast the peanuts in a wok (without adding oil) till light brown.
  
• Grind the roasted peanuts (when cooled) in the grinder along with the peanut oil to a smooth paste or till you see a film of oil on the top of the mixture.
• When the mixture is thoroughly cooled, fill it in an air-tight glass jar.

Note:

Peanut oil is added just as a lubricant to start the grinding process.

If while grinding, the mixer jar gets heated, stop the grinding and allow it to cool and start the process again.

Initially the paste may appear dry but as the process starts, the oil from the peanut itself is released and the grinding becomes smoother. The skin of the peanuts need not be removed as it adds to the fibre content of the product.

Suggestions:

While grinding peanuts, you may also add salt, sugar and red chillies for taste. It tastes fine even without these ingredients.

If you prefer the chunky peanut butter variety, then keep aside about 100gms of roasted peanuts and grind them separately in the grinder to the desired size of chunks. Finally add these to the prepared smooth peanut butter and mix well.

It tastes best on bread, toast or on Marie biscuits.

Tip:

Instant chutney can be prepared from peanut butter - Crush salt and green chillies together. Add to it a small amount of peanut butter. Then add curds and mix well. Lastly season it with mustard seeds and curry leaves in oil.

For detailed information on nutritional values check on the following sources :
http://www.peanut-institute.org/NutritionBasics.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanut_butter

Cookaa (Chinese Potato) Humman - Konkani Dish

Coook (in Konkani language) is a potato like vegetable, slightly smaller in size, dark brown colour on the outside has a distinct flavour and unlike potato its skin can be peeled off by applying a little pressure of the thumb and index finger. Caution : it leaves black stain mark on your fingers.

The skin of Coook is generally peeled by putting them in a gunny /jute bag and rubbing vigorously back and forth on the ground. This process though laborious removes the skin of the Coook all at one go ! If any stubborn peels are still left, it has to be peeled individually by hand. As soon as it is peeled, it should be immersed in water to prevent it from changing colour.

Peeled and washed Coook

But believe me, for some of the Konkanis this task is worth all the trouble as the “jibbe ruchi” (taste) overtakes all hard ships!!

Coook (Konkani) or Coork (Malayalam) or Sambrani (Kannada) or Chinese Potato (English) is available in Karnataka & Kerala States and, in some other states mostly in Mangalore stores.

During our recent Katapady trip,I bought some Coook as, it's ages since I last had them and as I said earlier, it is worth a little trouble !!

Cookaa Humman

Ingredients :

Coook	250 gms
Coconut (grated)	1 cup
Dry red chilies	4 /5
Tamarind	A small lump (size of a marble)
Asafoetida	¼ tsp
Water	2 cups or as required
Salt	as per taste
Oil	1-2 tsps

Method :

• Peel and wash the Coook (whole) in water and then boil till tender. Add Salt.
• Grind coconut, dry red chilies, tamarind, asafoetida with a little water to a smooth paste.
• Add the ground paste into the boiled coook and mix well. Add water if required.
• Bring to boil again and remove from flame.
• Add the raw oil on top. Serve hot.

Serves: 4

Note:

Coook if large,can be halved. The gravy should not be watery. Traditionally coconut oil is used. But any other oil tastes just fine. This curry tastes good with rice or chappatis.

Potato Humman and Jackfruit seed (Bikkand in Konkani language) Humman is prepared in the same way, with the exception, that in the case of potatoes, they need to be cut into quarters and peeling of the skin can be omitted. In the case of “Bikkand”, they need to be cut lengthwise and the skin removed. The rest of the method remains the same.