Snakegourd Seed Pancake (" Poddale Biye Sannapolo")

“Poddale Biye Sanna Polo” in Konkani language literary means Snake-gourd seed Pancake. This pancake is unique to our Konkani or GSB community.

Generally the seed and the pulp inside the snake gourd are discarded. But if the seeds are tender, then both the seed and the pulp can be used to make this tasty pancake.

The tenderness of the seeds can be tested as follows: Hold one of the seeds in between your index finger and thumb and apply pressure on the seed with your thumb. If it gets crushed, then it is tender but if it jumps out of your fingers then discard it!!

Ingredients:

Snake Gourd seeds (tender) + pulp	About 1 cup
Rice Flour	2 tbsps
Gram Flour	2 tbsps
Turmeric powder	¼ tsp
Red Chilly Powder	1 tsp or as per taste
Asafoetida	¼ tsp
Salt	As per taste
Water	½ cup

Method:

• Mash the snake gourd seeds & pulp. (If you have a food processor, you can put this in and run it for a second – it will give a better result. Remove it in a bowl.
• To this add turmeric powder, red chilly powder, salt and asafoetida. Mix well.
• Then add the gram flour and rice flour and make sure that no lumps are formed.
• Add a little water if necessary. Do not make it watery.
• Heat a tawa/frying pan. Smear a little oil on it. Spread the batter with a ladle on the frying pan (3 or 4 pancake/polo at a time depending upon the size of your tawa/frying pan) each about 5” in diameter.
• Fry it as you fry any pancake or polo – overturning it on the other side too till dark brown spots appear.
• Serve Hot.

Makes about 4-5 pancakes or polo

Variation:

Another variation of this pancake or polo is, to substitute red chilly powder and asafoetida with chopped green chilies, onion and coriander leaves. Rest of the method is the same.

Note:

This pancake or polo is served as a side dish during lunch.

For info on Snake gourd :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichosanthes_cucumerina

Watch out for my next recipe on snake gourd.

Ginger Brinjal

Brinjal is also known as eggplant, aubergine, baingan etc. A brinjal by any other name would taste just the same you may say but certain variety especially the “Matti Gulla” variety is unique and the people from Udipi district will vouch for its taste. As the name suggests, it is grown in “Mattu” in Udupi district of Karnataka.

Generally, Brinjal is one of the most hated vegetables by children. However, I have observed that over the years we learn to appreciate the taste of this vegetable and the goodness as well as the health benefits. A variety of dishes can be prepared to suit the individual taste buds. This is one such dish that is easy to prepare, and also tastes good.

Ingredients:

Brinjal (medium size)	3
Tomatoes (medium)	3
Ginger (fresh)	1” piece
For seasoning
Oil	1 tbsp
Mustard	1 tsp
Cumin /Jeera seeds	1 tsp
Turmeric powder	¼ tsp
Chilly powder	½ tsp
Coriander powder	1 tsp
Cumin powder	¼ tsp
Salt	as per taste
For Garnish
Coriander leaves (chopped)	1 tbsp

Method:

• Cut the brinjal into small pieces and cook it in water adding salt and turmeric.
• Chop the tomatoes and ginger and keep aside.
• Heat the oil in a pan and add to it mustard and cumin seeds.
• When it starts spluttering, lower the heat and add all the powders.
• Immediately, add the chopped ginger and tomatoes. Give it a good stir.
• Next add the cooked brinjal. Stir well and let it simmer in the gravy for a few minutes.
• Remove from flame.
• Garnish with fresh chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Serves: 3

Note:

Instead of fresh tomatoes you can also use tomato puree. Addition of drumsticks will enhance the taste of this dish.

It tastes good with Rice and dal or with chapattis.

For info on eggplant and Matti Gulla :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggplant

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matti,_Karnataka

Bitter Gourd “Kismuri” (salad)

“Kismuri” in Konkani language, or “kosambari” in kannada language means a sort of salad or a side dish.

Bitter gourd as you all know and as the name suggests is quite bitter in taste and generally not liked by children (or even some adults) - though right from childhood it is being constantly drilled into our heads that this vegetable has great health benefits and should not be avoided.

However, I have observed that this “Kismuri” is quite a hit with all those who hate this vegetable and that include my daughter too. !

Generally the pieces are deep fried but for a healthier version, I follow my Mom’s example by shallow frying it (though it takes a bit longer time to fry).

Ingredients :

Bitter Gourd (medium size)	3
Salt	1 tsp or as per taste
Tomato (chopped)	1
Onion (chopped)	1
Green chilly (halved)	1 or 2
Corriander leaves (chopped)	A small bunch
Grated coconut (optional)	1 tbsp
Oil	11/2tbsp.
Mustard seeds	1 tsp

Method:

1. Wash Bitter gourd. Discard the seeds if not tender. Chop it finely, sprinkle salt over it and keep aside for about 15-20 minutes and then squeeze out the water*.
2. Heat a pan. Add to it oil and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start spluttering, add the chopped bitter gourd (from which all the water has been squeezed out) and the halved green chilies.
3. Fry this on a low flame till the bitter gourd has turned crisp and dark brown in colour – this will take quite a while.
4. Remove from flame and allow it to cool. Do not cover the pan as it will turn soggy.
5. In a serving bowl, add the cooled & fried biter-gourd pieces.
6. To it add the chopped tomatoes, onions & grated coconut. Mix well.
7. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve immediately.

Serves: 3

Note:

• *Do not throw away the water that has been squeezed out of the chopped bitter gourd. You can use this water in soups or in any gravy.
• If the salad is to be served at a later time, then the fried and cooled bitter gourd is to be stored in an airtight container to preserve its crispiness.
• It goes well with rice and dal or even with curd rice.

For bitter gourd health benefits, see here :http://www.juicing-for-health.com/bitter-gourd-benefits.html

Garlic Soup

It is said that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. But garlic a day keeps everybody away!

The goodness of garlic is plenty whether raw or cooked. All members of my family simply love this delicious bulb in whichever form: raw in salad dressings/sauces or garlic seasoning in our typical Konkani dishes. So when I came across this garlic soup during our tenure in Dubai, I did not hesitate to prepare this and it was a great hit in our family and it still is. I have slightly modified it to our Indian taste.

This soup tastes wonderful during cold nights, rainy days or even during hot weather! Apart from the taste, it’s very healthy too as garlic has great medicinal value.

Ingredients:

Garlic	30 cloves
Water /vegetable stock	1/2 litre
Bay leaf	1
Nutmeg	A pinch
Basil/Tulsi	A few leaves
Oregano (dried or fresh)	Dried (1 tsp) fresh – 3-4 leaves
Clove	2-3
Olive oil	1 tbsp
For Garnish :
Black pepper powder	As per taste
Lemon juice	1 tsp
Corriander leaves chopped	1 tbsp

Method:

1. Peel the garlic.
2. Boil the water / vegetable stock in a pan and add to it all the above ingredients (except those meant for garnish).
3. Reduce the heat and let it simmer (with the lid covered) for about 20-30 minutes or until the garlic cloves are soft. Remove from the heat.
4. Strain the soup through a sieve and press the garlic cloves through. Stir the soup well.
5. Finally garnish it with coriander leaves, pepper powder and lemon juice. Serve hot.

Serves : 2

Note:

At the time of preparation of the soup, I did not have vegetable stock nor coriander leaves instead I used water (instead of stock) & finely chopped fresh curry leaves (kadipatta)as garnish. It gives a unique taste to the soup.

The soup tastes good with bread sticks - masala one (available in Nilgiri super market) which is a little spicy so goes well with the soup. Bread sticks are a healthier version than croutons.

For more info on garlic see here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic

Sweet & Sour Mango Chutney

Hello Folks! After the Gir posts on my blog, I am back with more recipes.

The mango season is still on, and so many varieties of them are available in the market. Many delicious recipes can be prepared from either raw or the ripe ones. I decided on an easy mango recipe that can be done quickly without spending much time in the kitchen but at the same time can be preserved. No oil is used in this recipe.

For this you need “Totapuri” or “Rajapuri” mango. The mango should not be soft or over ripened. It should be firm and just ripe or slightly under ripened. Once the selection of the mango is made, you can proceed with the recipe.

Ingredients :

Totapuri Mango	1
Onion (chopped)	1 medium
Garlic (chopped)	3-4 cloves
Sugar	¼ cup
Chilly powder	1 tsp or as per taste
Cummin seeds	1 tsp
Pepper corns	4-5
Cinnamon sticks	1’
Cloves	4
Salt	1 level tsp or as per taste
water	2-3 tbsps
Vinegar	1 tsp

Method :

1. Wash and skin the mango, grate it and keep aside.
2. Grind pepper, cumin seeds, cinnamon, and cloves to a powder.
3. In a pan, cook the grated mango with a little quantity of water.
4. When the grated mango is cooked ( cooks within minutes), add the sugar.
5. When the sugar starts melting, add to it the chopped onions, chopped garlic and the ground powder together with the chilly powder and salt.
6. Cook for a few minutes and then remove from the flame.
7. Then add a teaspoon of vinegar and mix well.
8. Cool and preserve it in a bottle.

Note:

Instead of grating the mango, you can also cut it into small cubes. The chutney when finished will fill 200-250gms size bottle/jar.

This chutney tastes good with chapattis or puris. Can be used instead of jam on bread slices.

If refrigerated this chutney will last for a month.