OMURICE

 A boring rainy evening can be turned tasty with Homo Rice. Use any vegetable available readily with the afternoon's left over rice. Increase the rice, eggs and vegetable as per your needs. Kids love this new tasty rice and ask for more. Add shredded chicken for extra taste. Substitute butter with oil. 

We need

2 cups cooked rice

2 eggs

1 cup Shredded carrot/cabbage/capsicum/onion shoots

10 clove garlic minced

2 green chillies finely chopped

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp soya sauce

1 tsp vinegar

1 tsp pepper powder

Separate the egg white and yolks carefully.

Mix the the egg yolk with cooked and cooled rice. Keep aside.

Heat butter in a non-stick pan, add garlic, saute for a minute, add chillies and shredded vegetables of your preference one by one.

Once the vegetables have fried a bit, little by little add the rice mixed with yolk, tossing the pan and now and then. Increased the heat and keep mixing the rice. At this stage the rice coated with the egg yolk cooks. After 3-4 minutes of tossing, add soya sauce, vinegar and pepper powder and continue tossing. Check the taste. Serve hot with Pepper Chicken

Take a pan, add little oil, when hot add the egg whites, stir well. Add a bit of salt and pepper for taste. Stir well, put off heat. After a minute stir well to make egg whites into small bits. Add this to the homo rice before serving. 

Seemebadane Sukka/Chow Chow/Chayote

Seemebadane Sukka/Chow Chow/Chayote

May be seemebadane kai is the most disliked/undercooked vegetable. It is called chow chow in some parts of Karnataka and Chayote in English which hardy anybody uses. The tender seemebadane cooked into a simple dish actually tastes soooo good. Just poke your nail at the bottom of the seemebadane to check whether it is tender before buying.

You need

1-2 tender seemebadane (medium size)

1 onion sliced thinly

1-2 green chillies slit

1 tbsp or more grated coconut

Little mustard and curry leaves

Salt to taste

·     Wash the seemebadane, trim the head and tail,  slit into two, discard the seed and slice the seemebadane into small pieces.

·     Heat oil in a thick bottomed/nonstick pan. When hot, add mustard, when they splutter add curry leaves, add sliced onions, fry for a minute, add slit chillies.

·     After a minute add sliced seemebadane. Add salt and coconut. Mix well. Cook for 3-4 minutes closing the lid. If needed add 2-3 tbsp water.

·     If the seemebadane is tender it cooks within 4-5 minutes.

·     Check the taste after 4 minutes, add lime and chopped coriander if you wish. Put off the stove and serve with chapathi or rice.

Capsicum Sukka

Capsicum Sukka

Easiest and fastest way to cook capsicum with only three things that are readily available in the kitchen. Goes well with the chapathi. Increase or decrease the number of capsicums, it just tastes the same.

You need

2-3 capsicums sliced thinly

1 onion sliced thinly

1-2 green chillies slit

Salt to taste

·     Wash the capsicums, slit into two, discard the seeds and slice the capsicums into thin slices.

·     Heat oil in a thick bottomed/nonstick pan. When hot, add sliced onions, fry for a minute, add slit chillies.

·     After a minute add sliced capsicums and salt. Mix well. Close the lid and let it cook in slow fire.

·     Check the taste after 4 minutes, add lime and chopped coriander if you wish. Put off the stove when capsicum is still a bit crunchy which tastes good.

·     Serve with chapathi or rice.

Macaroons

 

We need

 

1 egg white

75 gm cashew nuts cut into small pieces

175 gm finely powdered sugar

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

 

Let's start

Preheat the oven at 120 C

Take a big glass or steel bowl and carefully separate the egg white from yellow.

Begin whipping egg white  slowly till it becomes  foamy and frothy. Increase the speed till the egg white becomes stiff. (Test: when the whisk is lifted the peaks should not drop).

 

Add sugar spoon by spoon into the stiff egg white. Keep whisking/whipping. [Takes a bit of time. Be patient].

 

Fold in the cashew nut pieces delicately little by little. Don’t mix vigorously. Finally add cardamom powder. Fold it gently.

 

Line parchment paper on a baking tray and drop spoonfuls of batter on leaving sufficient space in between. (10-11 macaroons). Place the baking tray in preheated oven and bake

 

for 20-30 minutes or till the macroons turn light brown.

Let them cool completely and enjoy with hot cup of coffe.

Note: Any yolk (or yellow part) or oil if mixes up with white will keep the white from getting stiff. Hence, wash the whipper/whisk and bowl with hot water before you start the recipe. Add the sugar only after egg white has beaten to a foamy stiff stage.

Can also bake the macaroons in microwave in convention mode. It will take around 15 minutes. Please refer users guide of microwave for correct timing and heating.

Pumpkin Milkshake

Pumpkin Milkshake

Unbelievable! Milkshake from a vegetable ! !Pumpkin milkshake tastes sooo good. Unless told, can't guess it is pumpkin milkshake! Good substitute for store bought juices.

You need

100 gm pumpkin, peeled and cut into small pieces
100 ml milk
100 ml or more water
1 tsp sugar
2 pods cardamom peeled

• Blend pumpkin pieces, sugar, little water and cardamom in a blender till smooth.
• Add milk and rest of the water, whisk a few times.
• Check the taste, add sugar and water if need be. Whisk again. 
• Chill for some time and serve. Tastes better when chilled.

Note: Not necessary that you adhere to the quantity given. When pumpkin is bought to cook, a piece of it can be used for milkshake. Can substitute honey instead of sugar. 

Fresh Pepper in Brine

Fresh Pepper in Brine

The black pepper which we use daily actually looks and tastes differently when it is fresh. I tasted this pickle while sharing lunch with collaagues at office. Since it tasted good and easy to prepare, caught hold of fresh pepper stalks in Mangalore. The fresh pepper stalks should be pickled as early as possible to retain its tastel.

You need

10 bunches of fresh green pepper

1 cup water (approx. 220 ml water)

A pinch of turmeric powder

Juice of 2 big lemons

1 tbsp Salt

·      Wash the pepper corns well. Drain them and gently wipe them with a clean towel. Spread them on a clean plate and leave for an hour so to dry well.

·      Cut the stalks into small pieces keeping the pepper in tact.

·      In a pan bring the water to boil, add turmeric and salt. Let it simmer for a few minutes. Let this brine mixture cool down.

·      When the brine water is cooled down add lime juice. Stir well and pour the brine into a sterilized bottle.

·      Put the peppercorns into the bottle. Make sure that pepper stalks are submerged in water completely.

·      Close the lid and store the bottle in a cool dry place. Pepper stalks are ready to use after a week. The green colour turns into brownish green.

·      Tastes well with curd rice. Keeps well in room temperature. No need to refrigerate it.

Raw Banana Kebab/Kele Kebab/Balekai Kebab

Raw Banana Kebab/Kele Kebab/Balekai Kebab

You need

2 green bananas

1 medium onion cut into small pieces

1 tsp bafat powder or any other curry powder

Curry leaves 1 twig

1 tsp cooking oil

1 tsp fresh coriander leaves cut into small (optional)

1/2 tsp lime juice (optional)

Salt to taste

                                                                       After steaming

                                                   

·     Wash the bananas and steam them in the cooker only for one whistle.

·     When the cooker is cooled down, take out the bananas, peel and cut into small cubes.

·     Heat a nonstick pan or kadai, add oil. When oil is hot add mustard seeds, curry leaves one by one.

·     Add onion, fry for 2-3 minutes, add cut banana piece, salt and bafat powder. Mix well, close the lid and cook for 3-4 minutes in low heat.

·     Add lime juice, sprinkle fresh coriander and put off the stove. Check the taste,  give a toss and serve with rice/roti.

Other recipes using Bafat powder

Tomato - Egg Burji
Drumstick Flowers Sambar (Nugge Hu)
Black Chana/Kadale Sukka (Whole Bengal gram or kale sane)

Beetroot – Tomato Salad

This colourful easy to prepare salad can be put together in a few minutes. Usually, who doesn’t like to eat beetroot subji, enjoy this salad immensely.lad.

You need

1 medium beetroot

1 big tomato cut into thin slices

1 big onion cut into thin slices

1 green chilli slit

Little coriander leaves (optional)

1 Salt to taste

½ tsp lime juice

·        Wash and steam the beetroot in cooker. Usually the beetroot cooks well when it is cooked for 10 minutes after the first whistle. When the cooker is cooled, open the lid, peel the beet root and cut into thin slices.

·       Add salt, slit chilli and onion slices to the beetroot and mix well.

·       Add tomato slices and toss well.

·       Just before serving add lime juice, check the taste, sprinkle coriander leaves and serve.

Tomato - Egg Burji

Tomato - Egg Burji

Easy to prepare but tasty.  Can be served with chapattis or carried in the lunch box conveniently. To hasten the cooking,tomato puree is used here. However, tomato can be chopped finely or grated. Bafad powder can be replaced with any sambar or curry powder.

You need

2 eggs beaten well

1 big tomato pureed/grated/chopped finely

1 big onion minced

1 tsp bafat powder

1 sprig curry leaves chopped fine

Little coriander leaves (optional)

1 Salt to taste

1 tsp oil/mustard seeds

·     Heat a nonstick or thick bottomed pan, add oil.

·     When oil is hot add mustard seeds. Let them crackle. Add curry leaves

·      Add onions and fry for two minutes, add tomato puree, mix well and cook till the puree dries out about five minutes.

·     Add salt and bafad powder, mix well. Check the taste.

·     Add beaten eggs and mix well. Close the lid and let it cook for 2-3 minutes. When the mixture becomes thick, keep stirring for a minute or 2..

·     Check the taste, adjust salt,  close the lid and cook for two minutes.

·     Put off the stove and let the eggs cook for 2-3 minutes on its own.

·     Add chopped coriander leaves.

·     Mix well and serve with chapathi or rice.

Other dishes which use Bafat powder
Drumstick Flower Sambar (Nugge Hu)

Pepper Cabbage

Pepper Cabbage

Cabbage with just pepper and salt yet delicious. Goes well when chapattis need to be made into rolls for tiffin box.

You need

¼ kg Cabbage shredded into thin and long pieces

½ tsp pepper

Salt to taste

1 tsp oil

¼ tsp Mustard seeds

·     Heat a nonstick pan or kadai, add oil. When oil is hot add mustard seeds.

·     Add cabbage, mix well, close the lid. Let it cook in low heat

·     After 3-4 minutes add salt and pepper, mix well. Leave it for a minute.

·     After 1-2 minutes, check the taste. When the cabbage is still crunchy put off the flame. Cabbage will cook little more in its own heat.

·     Serve as a side dish with rice or with chapatti. 

Banana Leaf Moong Dal Salad/ Green Gram Dal/ Moogachi Dal

Banana Leaf  Moong Dal Salad/ Green Gram Dal/ Moogachi Dal

Tender banana leaf which just peeps in to the world has a distinct taste. The rolled in tender leaf mixed with moong dal tastes delicious. This salad is easy to prepare with a few ingredients always available in the kitchen.

You need

1 tender banana leaf (still rolled together as shown in the picture)

50 gms of moong dal washed well and soaked for 3 hours in cold water

1 medium onion cut into small pieces

1 green chilli cut into medium pieces

1/2 tsp lime juice

1 tsp fresh coriander leaves cut into small

½ tsp oil and a few mustard seeds

Salt to taste

  

·     Clean the banana leaf and cut into small pieces

·     Heat oil in a pan, when hot add mustard seeds.

·     When they start crackling add the cut banana leaf and sauté for 2 minutes. Put off  the stove and leave it to cool.

·     Drain all the water from the moong dal and keep aside.

·     Mix onion, chillies, salt, moong dal and cooled banana leaf.

·     Just before serving, sprinkle lemon juice, check the taste.

·     Sprinkle fresh coriander, give a toss and serve with rice/roti.

Carrot, Potato, Moong Sukka/ Green Gram, Carrot & Potato

Carrot, Potato, Moong Sukka/ Green Gram, Carrot & Potato

This tricolor side dish is a feast to eye. Easy to cook and nutritious but loved by all.

You need

50 gms of whole moong washed well and soaked overnight

1 medium carrot peeled, washed and cut into small pieces

1 small potato peeled, washed and cut into small pieces

1 medium onion cut into small pieces

1 green chilli cut into medium pieces

Curry leaves 1 twig

1 tsp cooking oil

1 tsp fresh coriander leaves cut into small (optional)

1/2 tsp lime juice (optional)

Salt to taste

·     Drain the water from the moong  and keep aside.

·     Heat a nonstick pan or kadai, add oil. When oil is hot add mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chilies one by one.

·     Add onion, fry for 2-3 minutes, add cut potoato and moong. Mix well, close the lid and cook for 5 minutes in low heat.

·     Add carrots and salt, give stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.

·     Check whether the potato is boiled. If not, sprinkle 2 tsps of water and cook further.

·     When they are cooked well add lime juice, sprinkle fresh coriander, give a toss and serve with rice/roti.

Moong Dal Salad/ Hesaru Bele Kosambri/ Moogachi Dal

Moong Dal Salad/ Hesaru Bele Kosambri/ Moogachi Dal

The tiny moong dal when soaked and mixed with readily available items in the kitchen turns into a lovely salad or kasambri. What’s more, this dal doesn’t need any cooking but tastes just great.

You need

50 gms of moong dal washed well and soaked for 3 hours in cold water

1 medium carrot peeled, washed and grated

1 medium onion cut into small pieces

1 green chilli cut into medium pieces

1/2 tsp lime juice

1 tsp fresh coriander leaves cut into small

Salt to taste

·     Drain all the water from the moong dal.

·     Add grated carrot, minced onion and chillies and salt. Mix well.

·     Just before serving, sprinkle lemon juice, check the taste.

·     Sprinkle fresh coriander, give a toss and serve with rice/roti.