Urid Dhal Vada, Medu Vada or Biscuit Ambade or Urid Dhal Bonda with chutney.

 

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Urid Dhal (Black Gram Dhal)

2/3 or ¾  Cup Chana Dhal (Bengal Gram Dhal)

Both to be soaked in water overnight or at least for 6 to 7 hours

2 green chillies- chopped ginger

2 inches ginger – chopped ginger

1 Sprigs Curry leaves – chopped fine

Few coriander leaves – chopped

1/3 tsp Soda Bicarbonate or Baking soda

Pinch of Asofoetida or Hing

Fistful of scraped coconut (optional)

½ to 3/4 tsp salt

Oil for deep frying

For Chutney:

2 tbsps Dhalia

2 tbsps Scraped Coconut

2 tbsp Yoghurt

1 Clove Garlic

Small piece ginger

2 Green chillies

½ tsp Salt

Water

Seasoning:

2 tbsps Oil, 10 Curry leaves, ½ tsp Urid dhal, ½ tsp Mustard seeds

Method:

Drain the dhal’s and grind it with little water. This should be dry. Add chillies, ginger, curry leaves, coriander leaves, scraped coconut, asafoetida, soda bicarbonate and salt. Mix well.

Place a deep frying pan and add sufficient oil. Test to oil if heated. Drop little batter and it should come up immediately. Keep a vessel of water by the side of the pan to dip your hands. Take a little batter and drop it in the hot oil. Fry on both sides until golden brown and remove onto paper towels or strainer to remove excess oil. The oil should be medium hot. This will be biscuit ambade or urid dhal vada or urid Dhal bonda.

If the batter is not thick enough you will not be able to form Medu Vada (vada with hole). Add roasted rava to thicken the batter. Take a little batter, make a ball, place your thumb or finger in the middle of the ball (to form a hole) and drop it in the hot oil. Fry on both sides and remove onto paper towels or strainer to remove excess oil. Dip your hand in the water and then make the next one.

Method for Chutney:

Grind all the ingredients to a fine paste. Pour in a bowl. Place a small pan on stove. Heat oil and when hot add curry leaves and then mustard seeds. When mustard seeds start spluttering add urid dhal. When urid dhal becomes brown, remove from flame and pour over the ground chutney mixture and mix well.

Beef Pepper Fry

400 to 500 Grams Boneless Beef (to be cut into small sized cubes and boiled with ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp pepper powder, 3 tbsp. vinegar, ½ tsp salt and 1/3 cup water). Pressure Cooked or in a vessel till cooked.

Ingredients:

1.5 Onion Chopped fine

1 Big Tomato chopped fine

Ginger & Garlic paste (8 cloves garlic & 3 inches ginger)

2 Sprigs Curry leaves

1 bunch coriander leaves – chopped

½ tsp turmeric,

2 tsp Pepper Powder

1 tsp garam masala powder (spice powder)

½ tsp salt

 

Method:

Place a pan on gas or electric stove. Add oil. When hot add the boiled meat and fry till brown (not fully fried). Add curry leaves and fry 30 seconds. Remove the beef and curry leaves from the pan and place aside. Add ginger & garlic paste and fry for 30 seconds. Add chopped onions and ½ tsp salt and fry till slightly brown.

Add turmeric powder and mix well. Then pepper powder and the stock (little by little) and fry well. Add chopped tomatoes and fry well. Add the fried beef and curry leaves. Mix well till the beef is well coated with the masala. Add garam masala powder and salt to taste and fry till dry. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and mix well. Remove from stove.

Beef Pepper Fry!

Lamb or Mutton Saagwala

Lamb or Mutton Saagwala

900 Grams Boneless Lamb or Mutton (to be cut into medium sized cubes and boiled with turmeric, black cardamom, cinnamon leaves, cinnamon, cloves, green cardamom, salt, water). Pressure Cooked or in a vessel till nearly done.

Ingredients:

2 two inch piece ginger

1Pod Garlic (10 flakes)

2 Green Chillies (according to spice requirements)

2 sprigs Curry Leaves

(The above to be ground- green masala)

A big bunch of fresh coriander leaves (chopped)

3 Tbsps. Kasoori Methi (Dried Fenugreek Leaves)

2 Bay leaves (broken)

1 tsp of Cumin seeds

4 Tablespoons Oil

2 Big onions – roughly chopped.

150 gms Spinach leaves (washed) – can increase quantity (200 gms)

For boiling mutton or lamb

½ tsp turmeric,

2 black cardamom,

2 cinnamon leaves,

2 pieces cinnamon,

6 cloves,

6 green cardamoms,

1 tsp salt,

½ cup water

Method:

Boil the cut meat and keep aside (use ingredients as suggested above). Grind the ginger, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves.

Boil water in a vessel (sufficient for the spinach leaves). Drop the spinach leaves in the boiling water and remove after a minute. Drain the water by placing in a colander. When cooled down, grind in blender to a fine paste.  Reserve the water from washing the blender.

Place a deep pan on gas or electric stove. Add oil. When hot add bay leaves and then cumin seeds. Fry for 30 seconds and then add the ground green masala-fry for a minute. Add chopped onions and ½ tsp salt and fry till slightly brown. Add chopped coriander leaves and fry for another two minutes. Add the boiled meat pieces. Mix well and then add Kasoori methi and again mix. Add the water from blender and half cup stock (boiled meat water). Close and cook for 10 to 15 minutes till meat is fully cooked. Check if meat is cooked and for salt. Add Salt if required. Add the rest of the stock (another half cup). Don’t add all stock if it is too much. Close and bring to a boil. Add the ground spinach. Mix and give a boil and put off. Do not close and cook (the spinach will lose its colour). Remove from flame and close with lid.

That’s it Lamb or Mutton Saagwala.

 

 

 

Mani (Sweet Dish made from Rice, Coconut Milk & Jaggery)

Mani (Sweet dish made from Rice, Coconut Milk & Jaggery)

Ingredients:

½ Kg Raw Rice/Basmati Rice (soaked in water for 2 hours)

1 Coconut (Milk) – taken the traditional way- by grinding the scraped coconut with water and squeezed out the coconut milk. You can also use Maggi or Nestle Coconut Milk Powder. Should have around 1.5 litres of Milk.

Ghee or Clarified Butter

Some pieces of Cashewnuts

Some raisins

Some sliced almonds

400 grams Jaggery (scraped)

Salt  (1.5 tsp New Zealand- not so salty)

1 tsp Cardamon Powder

Method:

Grind the rice with coconut milk and mix the remaining coconut milk, Jaggery, Salt. Keep a vessel on  fire, add 3 tablespoons of ghee and pour the mixture in this. Bring to boil, keeping stirring all the time. When it thickens add more ghee and continue stirring. This will take between 30 to 45 minutes. If it starts sticking to the bottom of the vessel add more ghee. When it becomes nice and sticky add the other ingredients – raisins, cashewnuts, almonds & cardamom powder. When the mixture starts leaving the sides of the vessel and the ladle, pour the mixture into trays (previously greased with ghee) and flatter with butter knife. Pour little ghee on top and flatten it. A

Allow it to cool completely and then cut it into diamond shapes and then place it in refrigerator for an hour and serve.

Enjoy this traditional Mangalorean Sweet!!

Beef Cutlets

1 Kg Beef (boneless) – can use Mutton or Lamb

Ingredients:

9  green chillies

6 medium onions

3 inch ginger

A few sprigs mint

A bunch coriander leaves

½ Kg medium potatoes (boiled)

2 Eggs

1 tsp pepper powder

A little garam masala (1/2  tsp)

Bread slices 2 to 3  (dipped in water in which meat was boiled and then water to be squeezed out)

Vinegar ( 1 to 2 tbls)

Salt (1.5 tsp) to taste

Breadcrumbs or white of egg ( beaten well )

Oil for frying

Method:

Boil the meat. Mince the meat, onions, potatoes, green chillies, ginger, mint, coriander leaves. Add eggs, pepper powder, garam masala, salt, bread slices, vinegar.

Mix well and make lemon sized balls. Form the cutlets and then either roll in breadcrumbs or apply white of egg and then shallow fry the cutlets. When brown (don’t fry on high heat) remove them onto paper towels.