Sunday 24 February 2019

Dantina Soppu pachadi (Red Amaranth Leaves chutney) - Karnataka Cuisine

This Chutney is very simple and takes a matter of hardly few minutes to prepare. It is extremely tasty and easy to make. Amaranth greens, also called the Chinese spinach is a common leafy vegetable available in India. It's popularly known as dantina soppu or harive soppu in Kannada and is more commonly used in South Indian cuisine. They come in two varieties, the green leaves and the reddish tint leaves. It is a yummy and healthy side dish.

 


Prep  time
Cooking time
Serves
20 mins
10 mins
2 persons

Recipe type:  Chutney varieties

Cuisine: Karnataka Cuisine

Ingredients
  • Red amaranth leaves -1 big bunch (app 2 cups heaped)
  • Urad dal -1 tbsp.
  • Channa dal – 1 tbsp
  • Coriander powder -3 tsp
  • Whole dry red chillies -4 no’s
  • Tomatoes -2 medium
  • Chopped coconut - 1/4 cup
  • Tamarind -½ lime sized soaked
  • Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
  • Salt –to taste
Seasoning
  • Oil -1 tsp
  • Mustard seeds -1 tsp
  • Split urad dal -2 tsp
  • Red chilies -2 no’s
  • Hing -pinch

Recipe Video Link:
Method

1. Separate the leaves in the running water and keep them aside.Heat oil in a pan add urad dal, channa dal, coriander seeds & fry for 2mins. Fry red chillies also and keep aside.
2. Fry chopped thotakura, green chillies in the same pan. Fry them until the leaves are soft, remove from the pan & let it cool.
3. Once cooled, grind fried pappu, soaked tamarind, and salt with turmeric powder. Next add fried thotakura & grind slightly, if required add little water.
4. To season this chutney, heat little oil in a pan. Add in the mustard seeds, urad dal, hing and broken red chillies. Fry them till the mustard begins to splutter. Add this seasoning to the chutney and mix well.

Pictorial:









Serving suggestions
Hot rice with ghee
Idli or dosa
Notes

  • Another variation to this chutney is to exclude urad dal and add crushed garlic cloves instead to the seasoning.
  • This tastes good with plain hot rice and dosa and stays good for a week




Nutritional information
Amaranth leaves
·        vitamins, minerals, oxalic acid
·        Vitamin A, C and iron.
·        kidney disorders consume in smaller quantities
·        Avoid reheating the cooked amaranth leaves due to the nitrate conversion in the leaves.
                                          

Thursday 21 February 2019

Soya Thongba - Manipuri Cuisine


Manipuri cuisine is simple and healthy. Dishes are typically boiled, smoked or spicy foods that use chilli pepper. The staple diet of Manipur consists of rice, leafy vegetables, fish and meat. The meals are simple but very well prepared. Dishes are typically spicy foods that use chili pepper rather than garam masala. Oil is uncommon in most Manipuri styles. The taste is very different from other Indian cuisines because of the use of various aromatic herbs and roots.

January month challenge for Shhhh secretly cooking challenge is Manipuri cuisine.My partner is Mayuri Patel blogs at Mayuris jikoni.(https://mayuris-jikoni.com/)
She gave me two secret ingredients Soya and Onions. I have prepared Soya Thongba dish. A very simple and quick recipe which goes well with both roti and rice varieties. Thanks dear for the ingredients and lovely to have the dish

    

A Manipuri curry prepared with soy chunks, potatoes, and green peas. Thongba means curry and soya Thongba is soy chunks curry. All you need to spice up the gravy is green chili, some ginger garlic paste, and cumin seeds. I love it that it’s simple and uses minimal ingredients. There is no chilli powder and no tomatoes in this dish. The beautiful yellow of the curry is from the turmeric and milk in it.


 Check out some more curry recipes
Prep  time
Cooking time
Serves
30 mins
15 mins
4 persons

Recipe type:  Curry varieties

Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients
  • Soya chunks (small) – 1 cup
  • Small potatoes -2 no’s
  • Fresh Green peas -1/4 cup
  • Onion -1 medium
  • Ginger garlic paste -1 tsp
  • Green chili -2 no’s
  • Oil -1 tbsp.
  • Cumin seeds -1 tsp
  • Turmeric powder -1/2 tsp
  • Milk -1 cup
  • Water -1/2 cup
  • Coriander leaves –few sprigs
  • Salt – to taste

Method:
1.Soak the soya chunks in water for 15 minutes and drain the water. Also, squeeze the soya chunks and remove the excess water. Chop the onion and set aside. Cut the potato into cubes and soak it water to prevent it from turning black. Slit the green chilies into two.


2. Once the oil is hot, add the cumin seeds and slit green chilies and fry for a minute. Then add the ginger garlic paste and sauté them till onions turn soft. Now add green peas followed by turmeric powder and salt.Mix them and add a half cup of water.

3. Add soya chunks and potatoes to the pan. Fry for few minutes and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. & close it with a lid.


4. Now add milk to the pan and cook on low heat with a lid till gravy gets little thick with salt & spice. 

5. Make sure the potatoes are not mashed up.Garnish with coriander leaves & serve warm with rice & roti.


 Notes:
  • If using frozen peas, thaw 1/3 cup of the peas or soak them in water to bring it to room temperature.

Apricot Milkshake