Crushed Tomato/Thakkali Njeradiyath

This is a very easy recipe prepared by my mom. My husband also loves it very much when I made and served it to him. This can be served as a side dish like chutney, a little tangy,hot and an extra kick of asafetida. The procedure does not include any cooking on the stove top, Just a crush is required with all the ingredients.This goes well with kanji or rice.

Know what you eat before you eat:
Do you know that Tomato is a fruit and not a vegetable; but mostly considered as a vegetable for most culinary purposes.

photo from google

Their consumption is believed to benefit the heart among other organs.
They contain lycopene, one of the most powerful natural antioxidants. In some studies lycopene, especially in cooked tomatoes, has been found to help prevent prostate cancer,improves the skin's ability to protect against harmful UV rays. Most Tomato varieties have double the normal vitamin C (Doublerich), 40 times normal vitamin A (97L97), high levels of anthocyanin (resulting in blue tomatoes), and two to four times the normal amount of lycopene.
Tomato consumption has been associated with decreased risk of breast cancer, head and neck cancers and might be strongly protective against neurodegenerative diseases.


Ingredients:
1. Tomato- 1/4 cup, finely chopped
2. Green chillies- 1, finely chopped
3. Asafetida/Heeng- 1/4 tsp
4. Salt, to taste.

Preparation Method:
1. In a bowl add all the ingredients together.
2. Press and crush well with your hands,all the tomato pieces together and ooze out the juice in them as well as infuse the flavors into the tomato chops.

Variations can be done adding a drop of coconut oil and 1/2 tsp shredded coconut. Without this also the mix will taste good. Seve like chutney as a side dish with rice or kanji.

Fried Pathrodo

You would have already gone through the post:Pathrodo under Konkani Cuisine. This is the fried version of that. Usually we Konkani Brahmins enjoy both steamed as well as fried. But our most favorite is the froied pathrodos, Enjoy.

Preparation Method:
1. Slice the pathrodo into equal thin pieces.

2. On a griddle, toast the Pathrodos to crisp with lots of coconut oil on top.
3. Serve warm.

Tender Coconut Dosa/ Adsara Polo

Ingredients:
1. Tender coconut,grated-1/2 cup
2. Ponni Rice- 1 cup
3. Salt, to taste
4. Oil

Preparation Method:
1. Soak the rice for 4-5 hours.
2. Grind together all the ingredients except oil.
3. Heat the griddle and toast it like general dosa.
4. Serve warm with chutney or potato/tapioca curry or Dal.

Okra/Bhindi/Lady's Finger/Vendakka Pachadi/Bende Pochatti

Ingredients
1. Okra/Bhindi- 2-3
2. Yogurt/Curd- 1/2 cup
3. Coconut shred- 1 cup
4. Chilly powder- 1 tsp
5. Salt,to taste
6. Oil, to fry
7. Oil-2 tsp
8. Mustard seeds, to splutter
9. Jeera- 2 tsp
10. Curry leaves- 3-4, chopped

Preparation Method:
1. Cut the okra into small round pieces.

2. Toss them with some salt and keep aside.
3. Grind together Coconut shred, yogurt and chilly powder.
4. In a pan, heat the oil to fry and fry the okras into fine crisp. Drain from oil and keep aside.

5. In a wok, heat 2 tsps of oil, splutter mustard seeds and jeera.
6. Add cuury leaves and the ground mixture into it. Add the fried okras too.
7. Keep the lid and Simmer for 2 minutes, do not over heat to curdle the curd-coconut mixture.
8. Serve as ozhichu curry(gravy) with boiled rice.

Jeera must be a little more in this recipe, it adds to the taste and aroma of this recipe.
This can also be done using fried bitter-gourd/pavakka.
The taste adds when kept for sometime(1 hr) and then served.

Thenga Varutharach Kizhangu Curry/Soyibajjile Gassi/Potato in Coconut Fried gravy

This is a typical konkani dish which is served in all konkani families atleast once in a week.

Ingredients
1. Potato- 1, cubed without peeling off the skin
2. Salt, to taste
3. Curry leaves- a few
4. Massolu- 3 tbsps


Preparation Method:
1. In a vessel, add enough water to cook potatoes and some for gravy.
2. Add potatoes with some salt and the curry leaves.
3. In a small cup, mix the massolu with 3 -4 tbsps of water to a paste.
4. Add this into the cooked potatoes and boil closing the lid for 4-5 mnts.
5. Ganish with curry leaves and serve hot with kerala boiled rice.
6. This can be served with idlis/dosas too.

Variations can be done by adding muringakka/drumsticks and chakkakuru/bikkand/jackfruit seeds alongwith the potatoes.

Kismoori

Ingredients
1. Yam, cut into very small cubes- 1/4 cup
2. Shredded Coconut- 1/4 cup
3. Finely Chopped Onion- 1/4 cup
4. Green Chillies- 1,finely chopped
5. Salt, to taste
6. Oil to fry yam

Preparation Method:
1. Mix yam with some salt, very few amount of salt.
2. In a wok, add enough oil to deep fry the yam pieces. Fry and Strain the yam pieces in a paper towel.
3. In a bowl, take all the ingredients, press and mix them together so that all the flavors are mixed and infused into each other. Done. Serve as a side dish with rice.

Idichaka Mezhukkuperatti/Idichakka Upperi/Gidgi Ukkeri/Raw Jackfruit Stir Fry

Ingredients
1. Idichakka/Raw Jackfruit, cut into small pieces- 2 cup
2. Coconut Oil- 1 tbsp
3. Curry leaves, a few
4. Red dried chillies- 2 split into 3
5. Mustard to splutter
6. Salt,to taste

Preparation Method:
1. Remove the thick skin, cut the middle thick portion.
2. Apply some oil on the knife and cut the jackfruit into small pieces.
3. In a wok, add oil splutter mustard seeds, curry leaves and dry red chillies.
4. Add the cut jackfruit pieces.
5. Add salt to taste.
6. Cover and cook for 20 minutes till its fully cooked.
7. While done, keep the lid open for a minute, stir-fry and pour 1/2 tsp oil on top.
8. Serve hot with kerala boled rice, pappadam and moru curry.

Pathrodo/ Chembila Ada/Yam leaf roll

Today, a fine thursday-evening sitting calm listening to some soft rocks, its heavily snowing outside and the temperature is negative 6 degree Celsius.

My husband would love to eat something hot and spicy in this chilled weather with a cup of hot tea. I just glanced my refrigerator-pockets for the veggies I have in-store.

Last time we went to the market(meijer, super-market), I saw a group of collard-green bunches in the vegetable section. It was so fresh and appealing, tempting me to cook something with them. I grabbed one from them and was the best purchase that day. Its there smiling at me, ready to go to the pot and get cooked and be the part of our dinner today.

I had taken the veins form them, washed several times and kept in a plastic bag.So its fresh and ready to cook. Gonna smear them with some batter to look pretty and beautiful to turn into yummy, healthy, tempting hot pathrodos, a very healthy dish which is basically of a konkani origin cuisine.

The name "pathrodo" came from the words 'pathra' meaning leaf and 'vada' fried dish .

Usually pathrodo is made with the yam leaf. the heart-shaped edible leaf of yam. It is widely available in all parts of India. Its gives a little Here, I usually get them from Patel brothers in Chicago Devon street. When it is used, A little itching feeling can come in the mouth, to get rid of this tamarind and heeng/asafetida is used in a good amount in this dish. But since its not so easy to go and get them, I could find out something to replace this particular leaf. Collard greens which is widely available here in the USA in most of the markets.

This is a very healthy dish since its made out of a freshy leafy vegetable and at the same time its cooked in steam. Dishes cooked in steam are the best than frying or cooking them with water.

It needs a little patience to make them, Today, I am in a perfect mood to cook something really yummy for my husband.

(Edited after cooking…….)
I could make perfect pathrodos this time. Really yummy and my husband enjoyed them eating them hot tea

Ingredients
1. White Rice/ Ponni Rice- 1 cup
2. Shredded cocnut- ¼ cup
3. Turmeric Powder- ¼ tsp
4. Chilly Powder- 3 tsp
5. Heeng/ Asafoetida- ¼ tsp
6. Tamarind paste- ½ tsp
7. Salt, to taste.
8. Collard Greens/ Yam leaf- a bunch (20 leaves)

Preparation Method.
1.Soak the rice in 3 cups of water overnight.
2.Grind together all the ingredients except the leaves into a thick paste,it must not be watery.

3.De-vein the leaves carefully and wash them very well, atleast 3-4 times without tearing them. If yam leaves are used, it must be kept in a plastic bag outside the refrigerator to make it yellow leaves to get rid of itching in the mouth once cooked.

4.Take those leaves one by one and wipe them with a tissue to drain out all the water content on them.
5.Now take the leaves one by one and smear them with the ground mixture.

6.Keep leaf one upon the other by smearing each leaf with some mixture.
7.Fold the two sides taking all the leaves together.

8.Now, roll this from one end to the other, making it a leaf roll packed and rolled together.

9.Keep them in a steamer and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on the number of leaves in the roll. For -20-25 leaves the cooking time is 45 minutes after the steam starts coming. If the number of leaves is more and the roll becomes thick, the cooking time will vary and will be more.

10.Once cooked, open the lid and keep for 15 minutes so that the stickiness on the roll goes and it dries up.

11.Cut and keep them for sometime so that it cools down and the stickiness on each piece is gone.
12.Serve with some fresh coconut oil on top.

Vaazha Koombu Thoran/Bondi Sukke/ Plantain Seed dish

Ingredients

1. Dal (parippu)/ Moong dal(cherupayar) or Red dal(vanpayar)- 3 tbsp

2. Vaazha Koomb-1/2

3. Shallots/ small onions- 4, chopped

4. Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp

5. Red chilly powder- 1 tsp

6. Grated coconut- 1/4 cup

7. Oil- 1 tbsp

8. Mustard seeds, to splutter

9. Curry leaves- 3-4 chopped

10. Black-gram/Uzhunnu- 1/4 tsp

1. Finely chop the plantain-seed into a vessel with some water so that it does not stick to each other. Brush your hands with oil and then start cutting to avoid sticking on to your hand.

2. Cook dal to half.

3. In a pan, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds.

4. Saute chopped shallots. Add the chopped plantain-seed.

5. Add some water and cook. After sometime, add the grated coconut which is mixed with turmeric powder and chilly powder.

6. When it is fully cooked and the water has dried out, add curry leaves. Serve as a side dish for rice.

Vendiye Geshi/ Yam stem dish

Ingredients
1. Yam Stem- a bunch (mostly collected after taking its leaves for pathrodo, a recipe posted under the same category)
2. Green chillies slit- 2-3
3. Tamarind paste- 1/4 tsp
4. Shredded coconut- 1/2 a cup
5. oil- 1/4 tsp
6. Heeng/ Asafoetida- a pinch

1. Cut and remove the yam stem from the leaf. Then remove all the fiber running through its two vertical sides.
2. Cook them with slit green chillies and tamarind paste.
3. Water will ooze out and when it gets cooked add shredded coconut, oil and heeng.
4. Cover and keep for a minute. stir well and switch off the flame.
5. Serve as a side dish with boiled kerala rice and other vegetable side dishes.

Pitto/Dosa podi

Ingredients

1. Chana Dal/ Kadala parippu- 1/4 cup

2. Black gram/Uzhunnu parippu- 1 cup

3. Coriander/Malli- 3 tbsp

4. Dried red chillies- 2 tbsp

5. Salt, to taste

6. Asafoiteda/Heeng- 1 1/2 tsp

7. Oil- 1/4 tsp

1. Fry together chana dal, black gram and coriander in very low flame for 10 minutes in 1/4 tsp oil.

2. Do not burn, fry till the raw taste goes and the smell starts coming.

3. Add red chillies and fry for a minute. Switch off the flame.

4. When it cools down, grind them into fine powder without adding any water.

5. Add salt and heeng. Keep in air-tight container and can be stored for months.

6. This is served by mixing with oil and making it to a paste. This is served with idlis and dosa.

Courtesy to my mom.

Alle- Ginger Chutney

This is a kind of ginger chutney made by konkanis and served with rice like we serve pickle. This ver good for digestion since a lot of ginger is used and very good with rice, idli, dosa etc

Ingredients

1. Grated Coconut- 1/4 cup

2. Shredded ginger- 2 tsp

3. Green chillies- 1

4. Mustard seeds, to splutter

5. Salt, to taste

6. Curd- 2 tbsp

1. Grind together ingredients from 1-3.

2. Splutter mustard seeds and pour the ground mixture. Switch off the flame.

3. Pour the curd and mix. Done.

Curd can be repalced with 1/2 tsp tamarind paste mixed in 2 tbsps of water.

This is a kind of chutney which is served along with rice as side dish like pickle. Ginger taste must dominate and it gives a kick while just a bit of it is licked.

Velvel

Ingredients

1. Pumpkin (Mathanga)-1/4 cup

2. White Gourd (Kumbaalanga)-1/4 cup

3. Colocasia (Chemb)- 1/4 cup

4. Green chillies- 3

5. Coconut Milk- 2 cup

6. Heeng/Asafoiteda- 1/4 tsp

7. Salt, to taste

8. Curry leaves, a few

1. Cook the vegetables with the slit green chillies, salt, some curry leaves and 1 1/2 cup cocnut milk mixed in 3/4 cup water.

2. When the vegetables are cooked, pour in the rest of the coconut milk, curry leaves and 1/4 tsp heeng. Mix well without mashing the vegetables. Do not allow to boil. Switch off the flame and serve as a side dish for rice.