Vegetable Sagu

Vegetable Sagu

Mixed vegetable sagu is a popular dish in most parts of South India. This dish goes well with puris, Chapati, dosas, appam, and rice. The first time I had this dish was in one of the restaurants in Hyderabad and just loved it. Tried it many times at home and finally came up with this recipe. There are various ways of making sagu, but this is how I prepare it.


Ingredients:

For sagu masala: (makes around 1/2 cup of masala)

• 2 tea spoon urad dal
• 1 -2 roughly chopped green chillies
• 4-5 kalimeeri (peppercorns)
• 2 tea spoon coriander powder (dhania)
• 1/2 tea spoon cumin seeds (jeera)
• 1/2 inch cinnamon stick (dalchini)
• 3 lavang (cloves)
• 4 table spoon grated dry coconut

Other Ingredients:

• 2 cups chopped mixed vegetables (carrot, beans, green peas, potato)
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 8 -10 curry leaves
• 1 tea spoon mustard seeds
• 1/2 tea spoon hing
• 1 tea spoon urad dal
• 2-3 dry red chillies broken into half
• 1/2 tea spoon turmeric powder/Haldi
• 2 1/2 table spoons sagu masala
• 2 tea spoon red chilli powder
• 5 table spoon freshly grated coconut
• 8-10 cashew nuts
• coriander for garnishing
• 2 table spoon oil

Method:

To make sagu Masala:

Take a pan and dry roast urad dal on a medium flame, stirring continuously till it becomes golden brown in colour and keep aside.

In the same pan dry roast grated dry coconut on medium flame till it becomes golden brown and keep aside.

Then dry roast green chillies and keep aside.

When cool, take roasted urad dal, roasted dry coconut and roasted green chillies in a blender along with all the other ingredients listed under sagu masala and grind it into a fine powder. You sagu masala is now ready to be used in the vegetable.

 

To make vegetable sagu:

Heat oil in a vessel (kadhai). Add mustard seeds when they splutter, add urad dal, curry leaves, dry red chillies, hing and haldi. Fry well. Add onions and saute them on medium flame till they turn translucent.

Now add all the vegetables and saute them for a minute, then add 2- 3 cups of water and salt, mix well, cover and cook the vegetables till they turn tender. Do not overcook the vegetables. The vegetables should neither be raw nor too mushy

In a small pan take some oil and roast 2 1/2 table spoon of sagu masala and 2 tea spoon of red chilli powder for half a minute, then add 1/2 cup of water and boil so that the masala doesn't burn. Now add this to the above vegetable.

Make a fine paste of freshly grated coconut and cashew nuts with a bit of water and add this to the vegetable. Mix gently, add water if required and simmer it for five to ten minutes. Turn off the heat.

Garnish it with coriander leaves

Serve it hot with puri, chapati, dosa etc...

Chinese Vegetable Chow Chow

Chinese Vegetable Chow Chow





Chow Chow is a quick and a very simple side dish you can have it with Schezuan fried rice or noodles. As usual I had it in a restaurant and tried at home. You can add any vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 4 french beans cut into 1 inch pieces
• 8-10 cauliflower florets
• 1 medium carrot, cut into thin rounds
• 1 big onion cut into 1 inch square pieces and separate the layers
• 1 green capsicum cut into 1 inch square pieces
• 1/ 2 cup yellow and red capsicum cut into 1 inch square pieces(optional)
• 1/4 cup cabbage cut into 1 inch squares
• 1 tea spoon sugar
• 1/4 tea spoon MSG (optional)
• 1/2 tea spoon pepper powder
• 2 cup vegetable stock or water
• 3 table spoons corn flour
• 4-5 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 table spoon finely chopped spring onion greens
• 1 tea spoon white vinegar
• 2 table spoons oil
• salt to taste

Method:

Mix corn flour in 1 cup water and keep aside.

Heat oil in a wok, add garlic and pepper and sauté for a minute. Now add onions and sauté for another minute. Add carrots, cauliflower, beans, cabbage and fry for 2-3 minutes on a high flame. Then add all the capsicums, MSG and fry for another minute.

Now add water or vegetable stock, salt, sugar and cook on low heat for 2 minutes. Add corn flour mixture and cook until the sauce starts to thicken, stirring continuously. You can adjust the water or corn flour mixture according to the thickness you need. Do not overcook the vegetables. The vegetables should retain it colour and crunchiness.

Stir in the vinegar and serve hot with Schezuan fried rice or noodles.



Sweet Corn Vegetable Soup



Sweet Corn Vegetable Soup

Creamy and tasty soup with vegetables and sweet corn.

Ingredients:

• 1 tin sweet corn cream style
• 1/2 cup boiled sweet corn kernels
• 1 finely chopped carrot
• 8 finely chopped beans
• 1/2 cup finely chopped cabbage
• 1 finely chopped spring onion greens
• 5-6 cups vegetable stock or water
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tea spoon pepper powder
• 1 1/2 tea spoon sugar
• 3 table spoon corn flour

Method:

In a pan add sweet corn cream style add water and stir, now add carrot, beans, cabbage and sweet corn kernels. Boil it for 10 to 15 minutes.

Now mix corn flour with one cup of water and add it to the soup. Simmer for some time. Add salt, pepper powder and sugar. Boil for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Serve hot garnished with spring onion greens.

Tandala che Thalipeeth (Rice Flour Pan Cake)

Tandala che Thalipeeth (Rice Flour Pan Cake)



Thalipeeth is a type of savoury multi-grain pancake popular in Maharashtra. It is a special Maharashtrian dish.

It is usually served with white butter and is very popular amongst Marathi people. Otherwise it is served with thick ghee or "Toop" (Marathi) or sometimes even with thick curd.

It can be made for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups rice flour
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 3-4 finely chopped green chillies
• 2 table spoon finely chopped coriander
• salt to taste
• 2 tea spoon sugar
• oil for frying
• water as required

Method:

Take all the ingredients in a bowl, except for oil and water. Mix them. Now add water to make soft dough. The dough will be a bit sticky.

Spread 1 table spoon of oil on a tava/ kadai, (If you are using non-stick tava, no need of greasing it, you can add oil later). Take a handfull ball of dough and pat it on the tava. Using your palm and fingers flatten the dough into a round even disk of 1/2 inch thickness. Make 5 small holes to thalipeeth so that it can cook evenly.You can apply some oil on your palm and fingers to make the patting easier.

Now cover and cook on a medium flame till it gets brown and crispy. No need of flipping it over as we cover, it gets cooked by itself.

Thalipeeth is now ready. Serve it hot with white butter or thick curd.





Grilled Corn Sandwich

Grilled Corn Sandwich

Grilled Corn Sandwich is a healthy and delicious recipe filled with creamy sweet corn. You can have it as snack or meal itself.

Ingredients:

• 10 slices sandwich bread
• 1 cup boiled corn kernels
• 1 finely chopped onion
• 1 finely chopped capsicum
• 1 tea spoon oregano
• 1 tea spoon chilli flakes or chilli powder
• salt as required
• grated cheese or cheese slices
• butter as required
• salt to taste

Method:

Heat some butter in a pan. Add onion and saute it for a minute. Then add capsicum, saute it for another minute. We don't have to cook the vegetables, the crunchiness of the vegetables should be intact. Now add boiled corn, chilli flakes, oregano, little chilly powder and salt. Mix well and turn off the heat.

Take two slices of bread and apply butter to both the slices, on one slice add grated cheese or cheese slice, then take some corn mixture and spread evenly on the cheese.

Now cover it with other slice of bread and grill. I have grilled it in an electric sandwich griller. If you don't have a griller you can make it on a tava. Serve it with tomato ketchup.

Your yummy grilled corn sandwich is now ready.



Corn Cream

Corn Cream

This is a very easy and different starter made with sweet corn cream style. It should be prepared earlier and deep fried when needed.

Ingredients:

• 1 tin sweet corn cream style
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tea spoon aji-no-moto (optional)
• 6 table spoon corn flour
• 1/2 tea spoon pepper powder
• 1/2 tea spoon garlic paste
• 1/2 tea spoon ginger paste
• 1/2 tea spoon green chilli paste
• 1 tin water
• oil for frying

Method:

Put all the above ingredients in grinder. Add one tin water and grind it into a smooth paste.

Put this mixture in a pan and heat.

Mix it and keep stirring till it becomes very thick. Remove in a tray and cool.

Keep in the fridge to set for about 2 hours. Cut into small pieces. As shown in the picture below.

Roll each piece in corn flour and deep fry.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup and green chutney.

Khubani Ka meetha ( Dried Apricot Dessert)

Khubani Ka meetha ( Dried Apricot Dessert)

Khubani ka Meetha is a very popular and one of the delicacies of Hyderabadi cuisine. It is a common feature at Hyderabadi weddings. It is made out of dried apricots. "Khubani" means apricot in urdu language and "meetha" meaning sweet that's why it is called "khubani ka meetha".

This dessert is my hubby's only favourite which was enjoyed by all on his Birthday. I got this recipe from my neighbour who is an expert in preparing this dish. I thank her for making me learn this dish on the special day.

Ingredients:

• 400 grams dried apricots
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• juice of half lemon
• 2 drops vanilla essence

Method:

Wash and soak apricots in water for 5-6 hours or overnight. Make sure you add enough water to cover all the apricots.

After soaking them for specified time they will become soft and pulpy. Remove the apricots from the water. Do not throw the soaked water.

Now deseed the apricots. Don't throw away the seeds as there are small almond like nuts in them, which we will use in the dessert.

Crack open the seeds with a nut cracker to extract the nuts. Now blanch the nuts, remove the skin and keep aside for garnishing.

Take a vessel add sugar and around 2-3 cups water and boil it for 10 minutes to make a thin sugar syrup and keep aside.

Now boil the deseeded apricots using the same water in which they were soaked. Boil them on a high flame for 10 minutes and then reduce the flame and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Now add the sugar syrup and mix properly. Boil for another 10 minutes or till it gets completely cooked. It is fully cooked when the colour changes to  brown.

Now take it out in a serving dish. Once it turns warm add in the lemon juice and vanilla essence. Mix properly. Garnish it with the blanched nuts.

Serve hot or cold with or without ice-cream.

Pulihora/Tamarind Rice

Pulihora/Tamarind Rice

Pulihora, Puliyodhara, or Chitrannam is a very common preparation in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka. Puli means sour in taste.

It is made with tamarind as an ingredient and is very popular in southern India.

In the districts of Andhra Pradesh, it is considered as a festival food. It is given as prasad in temples.

Ingredients:

• 5 cups cooked rice or leftover rice(rice with each grain separate)
• 4-5 slit green chillies
• 2 dry red chillies
• 10-15 curry leaves
• 1 tea spoon finely chopped ginger
• big lemon sized tamarind
• 1 table spoon sesame seeds powder
• 1 table spoon roasted peanuts powder
• 1 tea spoon ready made rasam powder
• salt to taste
• 1-2 tea spoon sugar
• 3 table spoon raw peanuts
• 1 tea spoon urad Dal
• 1 table spoon chana Dal
• 1 tea spoon mustard seeds
• pinch of hing/asafoetida
• pinch of cumin seeds/jeera
• 1 tea spoon turmeric powder/haldi
• 3 table spoon oil

Method:

Soak tamarind in hot water and remove juice.

Heat oil in a vessel, add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start popping add dry red chillies, cumin seeds, urad dal, channa dal and raw peanuts . Fry for a minute till they turn light brown in colour.

Now add  green chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida and turmeric powder. Stir fry for half a minute.

Add Tamarind juice, salt, sugar and rasam powder. let it boil for few minutes then add sesame seeds powder and roasted peanuts powder. Cook till oil separates and the masala paste becomes a bit thick. The masala should not be very watery nor too thick. Check the seasoning. Then add cooked and cooled rice. Mix well so that all the rice is coated with pulihora masala.

Cover the vessel and let the rice heat through. Then turn off the heat.

Pulihora is now ready.



Neer Phanasa chi kaapa/Fried Bread Fruit

Neer Phanasa chi kaapa/Fried Bread Fruit

Neer phanas/Bread Fruit

Bread fruit or neer phanas is a wonderful fruit which is mainly found in the konkan region. Not many people are aware of this fruit. There are many dishes you can make with neer phanas for example kaapa, or bhaji (stir fry Vegetable) etc. Today lets see how to make kaapa.

Ingredients:

• 1 neer phanas/bread fruit
• 2-3 tea spoons red chilly powder
• 1/2 tea spoon haldi/turmeric powder
• 1/2 tea spoon hing/asafoetida
• salt to taste
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• oil for frying

Method:

Apply oil to your knife and palms, remove the skin of the bread fruit(neer phanas). Then cut it into four pieces length wise. As shown in the picture below.

Remove the centre core of all the pieces.

Now chop each piece in desired size and soak in water.

Remove the water and rub salt to the pieces, keep aside for 5 minutes as the pieces will absorb some salt. Because we have applied salt, little water comes out, remove all the water and apply red chilly powder, haldi, hing and salt if required.

Heat 2 to 3 table spoon oil in a pan and roll the pieces of bread fruit(neer phanas) in rice flour one by one till they are nicely coated and shallow fry.

Cover and cook in low flame till they turn golden. Now turn them over and fry from the other side.

Your yummy neer phanas kaapa are now ready.

Enjoy them as a side dish with rice and dal or as a snack.