Solkadhi

  Cool, creamy, and oh-so-refreshing drink . Say hello to Solkadhi – the soul-soothing drink from the heart of the Konkan coast. Made with the goodness of coconut milk and the tangy kick of kokum, this traditional cooler is a must-have in Goa, Mangalore, and coastal Maharashtra. Perfect to calm those taste buds after a spicy meal or enjoy as a refreshing sip with your food.

Ingredients 

Dried Kokum/dried birinda sali    -- 8-10

Grated coconut            -- 1/2 cup

Green chilli.                   -- 3-4

Garlic flakes                  -- 4-5

Jeera                              -- 1/2 tsp 

Red chilli                        -- 1-2

Jaggery (optional)

Salt to taste 

Coriander leaves for garnish 

Method 

Soak dried kokum petals in hot water for 5 to 10 min. Then crush them with your hand or spoon strain water and keep aside.

Grind grated coconut with green chilli, jeera, 2 flakes of garlic into fine paste. Strain then coconut milk. Repeat 2-3 times. 

Add kokum water to coconut milk, salt ,add coriander leaves, mix well. 

Heat oil, add chopped garlic,  fry till light brown, add red chilli, fry for a second, pour this on kokum kadhi/solkadhi.

Kumbalakkayi majjige huli( Ash gourd butter milk curry)

Majjige huli is a very popular dish in Karnataka, with mild gravy, prepared using ash gourd, coconut, butter milk and minimum spices.  Since ash gourd is a very low calorie vegetable, its good for diabetic patients and helps in weight loss.

ingredients

Ash gourd                           --      250 gm

Grated coconut                 --       ½ cup

Green chilly                        --       4 to 5

Bengal gram/chana  dal   --       1 tbsp

Jeera                                    --       1 tsp

Mustard seeds                   --       ½ tsp

Coriander seeds                --        2 tsp

Turmeric powder              --        a pinch

Butter milk                         --        1  cup

Curry leaves few

Salt to taste

Method

Soak Bengal gram/chana dal in ¼ cup of water for 30 minutes.  Remove skin of ash gourd then cut into cubes.   Then pressure cook it with pinch of turmeric powder and salt for 1-2 whistles.  Grind coconut, soaked channa dal, green chillies, coriander seeds and jeera into fine paste.   Add this to cooked ash gourd, boil till its gravy becomes thick.  Then add butter milk and boil for few seconds.  Heat oil in seasoning pan, add mustard seeds and curry leaves.  Pour this on the curry.  Serve Kumbalakkayi majjige huli with steamed rice.

Jeere Saaru/ Jeera Rasam

Ingredients

Grated coconut                --    2tbsp

Jeera                                   --    1tsp

Green chilli                        --    5 to 6

Turmeric powder             --     ¼ tsp

Mustard seeds                  --    1tsp

Curry leaves few

Salt to taste  

Method

Slit green chillies, add salt and  1 cup of water and boil for 5 minutes.  Grind grated coconut, turmeric powder and jeera into fine paste.  Add this to green chilli water and boil  for 5 min. then give tadka of mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Thowsha Sasame(cucumber salad)

This is a Konkani delicacy and an inevitable side dish for Gouri Pooja and Vinayak chaturti feast in our home.

 

 

Ingredients

Cucumber               -- 1 medium sized

Ginger                     --  1 small piece                                    

green chilly            -- 2-3

red chilly                --  3-4

grated coconut     --  ½ cup

mustard seeds      --  1 tsp

salt to taste

Method

·      Grate cucumber, add chopped green chilly, ginger and salt, mix it well and keep aside.

·      Meanwhile, grind grated coconut, red chilly and mustard seeds using little water like chutney consistency.

·      Add this paste to cucumber mix.

·      Serve immediately.

·      Since It is not heated, will not last long.

 

 

Tomato pachadi

Tomatoes                   -     2to 3 chopped

Curd                             -     1 cup

Grated coconut         -    ½ cup

Grated beetroot       -     1  tbsp (optional)

Green chilly               -     3 to 4

Mustard seeds          -     1 tsp

Jeera                           -      1  tsp

Garlic                          -      2 to 3 flakes

Red chillies                -      3 to 4

Curry leaves few

Butter                         -      1 tsp

Oil for seasoning

Method

Heat butter, add chopped tomatoes and grated beetroot fry till tomato get fully smashed.

Grind grated coconut, green chilly, garlic, ½ tsp mustard seeds,  ½  tsp  jeera into coarse paste.

Add this to tomato mix then add beaten curd and salt mix well.  Slowly boil it, meanwhile,  heat oil in seasoning pan add mustard seeds, jeera , curry leaves and broken chilly fry for a min. Pour over boiling curry. Serve this as a side dish for lunch.

Moru curry without coconut(Butter milk curry)

This is a traditional kerala dish which is very popular in malayalee households.  Its very simple and healthy side dish for lunch which goes well with spicy fish mulakittathu or fish fry.  Easy to prepare and healthy too.  

Ingredients

Moru (butter milk)            --  500 ml

Shallots                                --  5 to 6  OR

Onion                                   --   1

Ginger   chopped               --   2 tsp

Red chilli                              --  3 to 4

Turmeric powder               --  ¼ tsp

Garlic                                    --   5 to 6 flakes

Mustard seeds                    --   ½ tsp

Fenugreek                            --   a pinch or ¼ tsp

Curry leaves optional

Salt and oil

 

Method

Heat oil in a pan  add mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds when it splutter add chopped onion, ginger, garlic   fry till light brown then add turmeric powder, salt and broken red chillies fry for a minute add butter milk.  Stir continuously for 5 minutes do not allow it boil.  After removing from gas stir for few minutes.

This curry can be kept for 2 -3 days in refrigerator.

PS:  Butter milk should be at room temperature  otherwise it may curdle. 

 

 

 

Tomato Rasam

 

I got this recipe from my friend Rajeshwari Menon  whose mother used to prepare it well.  She always used to encourage me and regularly  tries my recipes and give valuable feed back on each one of them.  Today  I thought of preparing it because it has lots of medicinal values and feel very good especially when we have a sour throat and cough.

Thank you  Rajeshwari and her mom for this wonderful recipe.

Ingredients

 

 

·        Tomatoes                                        2no’s

·        Coriander powder                            2tsp

·        Red chilly powder                            1tsp

·        Jeera powder                                   1tsp

·        Black pepper powder                      1tsp

·        Ginger garlic paste                          1tbsp

·        Mustard seeds                                 1tsp\

·        Hing powder                                    ¼ tsp

·        Lemon juice                                     1 big lime

·        Oil                                                    1 or 2 tsp

·        Curry leaves few

·        Coriander leaves for garnishing

·        Salt to taste

Method

Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, hing powder and curry leaves fry for a while in a low flame then add chilli powder and coriander powder.   Fry till nice aroma comes (stop frying when you start sneezing).   Add ginger garlic paste fry till raw smell goes then add tomatoes.  Fry for 2 to 3 minutes  till the tomatoes get smashy then add pepper powder,  jeera powder and adequate  water and salt.   Boil it for 10 to 15 minutes.  (If tomato is not sour add  tamarind pulp).   Switch off the gas, squeeze lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves.  Serve hot with rice or can be used as a soup.   

 

Avala saaru/amla rasam

Ingredients

Salted Amla/amla                                 3 to 4

Grated coconut                                     1 tbsp

Green chilly                                            3 to4

Jeera                                                        ½ tsp

Crushed   garlic                                      5 to 6 flakes

Salt to taste

Method

Cut amla remove seeds then grind this with grated coconut, green chillies, jeera and salt into fine paste. Then add 2 to 3 cups of water and boil it for 5 to 10 min.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan add crushed garlic fry till brown.  Then pour this on boiling rasam.

Tasty Amla rasam ready to serve.

Karibeva saru ( curry leaves rasam)

Recipe adapted from Jaya. V. Shenoy cook book

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

·        Curry leaves                    3-4 springs

·        Toor dal                           2 tsp

·        Coriander seeds             3 tsp

·        Methi seeds                    ¼ tsp

·        Red chillies                      3-4 nos

·        Pepper corns                    10-12

·        Hing powder                     a pinch

·        Mustard seeds                  ½ tsp

·        Jaggery                               small piece ( optional)

·        Oil                                       2-3 tsp

·        Jeera                                    ½ tsp

·        Salt to taste

 Method

Heat 2 tsp oil in kadai add methi, jeera, pepper corn, red chillies, hing, toor dal and grated coconut. Fry till it becomes light brown. Then grind this roasted masala with tamarind pulp into fine paste. To this masala add required amount of water, if using jaggery, add jaggery and salt . boil it for 10 min. Then temper with curry leaves and mustard seeds. Serve with rice or as a soup

 

 

 

 

Instant Tomato Saaru/rasam

Ingredients   

Tomatoes                                                        2

Sambar powder                                             2 to 3 tsp

Coriander leaves  chopped                      1 tbsp

Mustard seeds                                            ½ tsp

Curry leaves few

Oil                                                                 1 tsp

Method

Finely chop tomatoes  then  add water,  sambar powder and salt mix well. And boil it for 5 to 10 min. Then add chopped coriander leaves boil it for 2 min.

Heat oil in pan add mustard seeds when it splutter and curry leaves fry a min then pour this on boiling rasam. Serve with rice and fish fry.

Jeere saaru (cumin rasam)

Ingredients

Grated coconut                                    ¼ cup

Green chilly                                           3 to 4

Jeera                                                       1 tsp

Turmeric powder                                 ¼ tsp

Curry leaves few

Oil                                                            1 tsp

Salt to taste  

Method

Grind grated coconut with green chillies and jeera  into fine paste.

Then add 2 to 3 cups water and salt mix well and boil it for 10 min.

Then heat oil in pan add jeera when it splutter and curry leave fry for 1 min.

Pour this on boiling rasam. Tasty jeere saaru ready to serve with rice.

Tamarind Rasam (Chinchamba Saaru)

Tamarind                                     1 lemon size

Red chillies                                  3 to 4

Garlic flakes                                5 to 6

Salt  to taste.

Coconut oil                                 1 tsp(can use any oil)   

Method

Soak tamarind in hot water for 10 min or smash tamarind in warm water.  Then prepare thick paste.

 

Add  tamarind  paste  into vessel add salt and 3 to 4 glass of water and boil it for 10 min.

Heat oil add garlic and broken red chillies fry for 2 min. Then pour this on boiling tamarind water .Turn off  the gas tamarind rasam ready to serve with rice.