Palak/Spinach & Tomatoes

I wanted to whip up quickly something for lunch and what better than using tomatoes and greens for a quick dish. A quick sauté of tomatoes and spinach with just the chili powder as spice, tangy and very fulfilling with a bowl of rice. This dish can be prepared in so many ways and different flavors just by using different ingredients like garlic or curry leaves or some whole masala/spices for a different flavor!

Ingredients:
1 bunch Spinach, chopped
2 –3  medium tomatoes, chopped
2 tbsp oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp chili powder or according to taste
pinch of turmeric
julienned ginger
salt to taste

Preparation Method:
1. Clean, rinse and chop the spinach leaves.
2. Heat oil in vessel or large pan. Add mustard seeds. As they splutter, add onions and sauté till translucent.
3. Add chopped tomatoes and saute till cooked.
4. Add chopped spinach, turmeric, chili powder and salt. Add julienned ginger and stir for few minutes.
5. Remove from heat and serve with rice, roti or bread.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Serves: 2 – 3

Note: For a dry curry, let the water evaporate and oil separate from the sides before adding spinach.

Chicken Ghee Roast (Hirva / Green Masala)

By now if you have seen couple of my last posts, there is always a post every few days with this tasty and flavorful green masala, yes its my favorite. The use of green chilies, ginger, garlic and cilantro is my most favorite combination/masala that I regularly use for rice or non-veg preparations. It is also called Malvani Hirwa Masala based on the region it is most famous for. Malvan is a town on India’s West Coast and most of the konkani food specializing in seafood and/or chicken recipes heavily use this mixture.
I have another ghee roast recipe here with regular chili powder and tamarind. The one posted below is using the green masala and it tasted just awesome. With the flavor and aroma of the green masala, the dish goes best with rice flour roti/ghavne.

Ingredients:
2 full cups chicken (~ 2 lb)
2 tbsp yogurt
4 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
whole masala (1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp pepper corns, 5 cloves, 5 cardamoms, 2 in cinnamon)
1 tsp coriander seeds powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 lemon-juice
salt to taste
Grind:
1 cup cilantro/coriander leaves
4 in ginger
8 cloves of garlic
4 green chilies

Preparation Method:
1. Grind the green masala (garlic, ginger, green chilies, cilantro) to a coarse paste.
2. Marinate the chicken with green masala, yogurt and salt. Leave it for 15 –20 mins
3. Heat ghee in a deep vessel. Add the whole masala and sauté. Immediately add the marinated chicken and saute for few minutes.
4. Add the remaining marinade, coriander powder and cumin powder.
5. Close lid and let it cook till ghee separates from the sides.
6. Garnish with chopped cilantro, lemon juice and serve with chapati/ghavne/nan/rice.


Preparation Time: 25 mins
Serves: 3 – 4

Badaam / Almond Chicken

Marinated Chicken pieces simmered in almond masala/sauce !

Preparing this dish had been pending since such a long time, so today sure, I finally managed to prepare this. In one of my previous posts I had mentioned that I have a 4 lb almond bag sitting since such a long time, that I am still not able to finish it off. Of course, if I make sweet it will finish sooner, but we are in no mood to prepare sweets !
This recipe is a variation from our regular curry with the only variation is the coconut being replaced with almonds. Very easy to prepare, although the ingredients list looks huge and tastes nice and creamy !

Ingredients:
Marinate:
2 full cups chicken (~2lb)
2 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1/8 tsp turmeric
2 green chilies, sliced
salt to taste

Lightly roast in oil and grind:
5 cardamoms
2 in cinnamon (uncoiled)
1 bay leaf
5 cloves
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp dry coconut
1/2 cup almonds

Saute in oil & Grind to paste
1 cup onions, chopped
1 large tomato (or 2 cups, chopped)

Other:
2 tbsp oil
1/4 cup onions
cilantro/coriander for garnish

Preparation Method:
1. Marinate the chicken with chili powder, green chili, salt, turmeric and ginger garlic paste. Let it sit for 10 –15 minutes till you prepare the masala.
2. Roast the dry ingredients and spices and grind them to a fine powder.
3. In a pan heat oil and sauté the onions till light brown. The add the tomatoes and sauté for few minutes.
4. Combine the dry masala(step 2) and the onions & tomatoes in a blender and grind to a fine paste using some water.
5. Heat oil in a deep vessel. Add the 1/4 cup chopped onions and sauté.
6. Add the marinated chicken and roast for couple of minutes. Add water and bring it to boil.
7. Then add the masala paste (step 4) and let it simmer over low heat. Add salt and/or water according to consistency required.
8. Let it cook for 15 – 20 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
9. Serve with nan/chapati or with rice.

Preparation Time: 40 mins

Serves: 4

Note: This dish can be varied to make butter chicken by adding 3 –4 tbsp of butter and 2 –3 tbsp of kasuri methi.

          Another variation is to just use dry unsweetened coconut or any other nuts/dry fruits instead of almonds.

Masoor Amti (Brown Lentil Curry)

This is one of the widely used pulses across the world,  I believe. Back home Belgaum is famous for this pulse and the locally grown variety is different from the one we get in stores here. The Belgaum masoor is tiny in shape and tastes much better. My grandmothers side, in Belgaum have large farms where they grow this lentil and the other being kale vatane/black peas. So everytime we went for a visit, we were always sent with bag full of these lentils. These lentils are a staple and are always stocked back home and so we have so many variations of preparing this curry.
Today’s recipe is just as simple with use of goda masala and tempered with garlic & curry leaves. We used to also use the spiced chili powder(Belgaum chili powder,masala tikhat, ghati masala, or masala khara) which when used, there is no need to add any additional masala. The recipe for the masala tikhat(spiced chili powder) will have to wait until I make, till then follow this recipe :

Ingredients:
1 cup masoor/ brown lentils
1/2 tomato, sliced
1/2 small onion, sliced

2 tbsp oil
4 –5 big cloves garlic, minced
4 – 6 curry leaves
1 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp goda masala
2 tbsp fresh/frozen coconut & cilantro for garnish
salt to taste

Preparation Method:
1. Pressure cook the lentils along with onion and tomato, with enough water. Allow for 1 –2 whistles and let it cool.
2. Heat oil in a deep vessel. Add the minced/pressed garlic and sauté slightly. Add the curry leaves.
3. Add the contents in the pressure cooker(cooked lentils).
4. Add salt, chili powder, turmeric, masala and let it simmer for about 5 – 10 minutes.
5. Garnish with cilantro & fresh coconut.
6. Serve with bhakri/chapati or with plain rice.

Preparation Time: 30 mins
Serves: 2 – 4

Note: The lentils can be cooked in a vessel separately although it will take more time, so soak it for few hours before cooking.
Variation: The fresh coconut can be ground with cumin and coriander and added to the curry. Skip goda masala in that case.

White Kidney Beans in Tomato-Coconut Masala

These days I have religiously preparing the dishes that may help in making some space in my pantry. Lot of different lentils and beans have been lying for such a long time. So have decided to make sure I use all those different beans/lentils.
I don’t remember having white kidney beans but there are so many varieties of this seeds and this preparation is our regular recipe that could be used with any other types of beans or peas. I have separately used the ginger garlic paste here, although a fresh ginger-garlic used in grinding the spice mix will make the curry taste much better. Although I have used the goda masala, use garam masala incase you do not have one, though it could read the link to add few more ingredients to get the spice mix.

Ingredients:
3 cups white kidney beans, soaked overnight & cooked
2 tbsp oil
strand of curry leaves
1/2 cup onions
1 1/2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tbsp goda masala/garam masala
1/8 tsp turmeric
salt to taste

Grind:

1/2 cup fresh/frozen coconut
2 medium tomatoes
1/2 cup cilantro
1/2 cup cooked beans (from above 3 cups)

Preparation Method:
1. Soak the bean overnight. Then cook them in a pressure cooker or in a vessel(will take time) until soft but not mushy.
2. To prepare the masala, grind all the ingredients mentioned. Use the same 1/2 cup beans from the above.
3. Heat oil in a deep vessel. Add chopped onions, curry leaves and saute.
4. Add ginger garlic paste and slightly saute.
5. Add the cooked beans along with its water, ground masala, goda masala/garam masala, chili powder, turmeric and salt. Let it simmer for 15 – 20 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and serve with rice or bhakri/chapati.

Preparation Time: 25 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Serves: 4 – 6

Gawar ani Phanasbi chi Bhaji / Cluster Beans & Jackfruit Seeds Curry

 

A combination curry with jackfruit seeds and cluster beans is very much a konkan recipe. This is the season when the market is flooded with jackfruits, the raw ones used in making lot of curries and the seeds of the ripe ones. I was able to get these frozen jackfruit seeds at our local Indian grocery store which were already slightly cooked, shelled and sliced, else you would need to follow the steps. One of the other ways of preparing this recipe can be followed here. I did not have the green chilies, instead used the chili powder.

The jackfruit seeds resemble like the Brazilian nuts. Whenever we used to get the jackfruit back home, it was a huge task, we used to enjoy though, applying oil to palms, then each one removing the fruits from their own share, collecting the seeds to roast and eat as they are. If you want to have a look at some best pictures of jackfruit and its seeds, find them here @ jugalbandi.

Ingredients:
1 cup jackfruit seeds, boiled,shelled,sliced (phanasachi be)
1 cup cluster beans/gawar/tupshenga
2 tbsp oil
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garam masala (optional)
pinch of turmeric
salt to taste

Preparation Method:
1. If you have the seeds, slightly cook them to remove the outer cover. Then slice or press the seeds.
2. Heat oil in a pan or vessel. Add the onions and sauté till translucent.
3. Add the cluster beans and jackfruit seeds and sauté for a while.
4. Add tomatoes, chili powder, turmeric, masala, salt and water. Close the lid and let it cook.
5. Once cooked, remove from heat and garnish with fresh coconut.
6. Serve with bhakri/chapati.

Preparation Time: 25 mins (may be more if starting from scratch)
Serves; 2 -3