Seasoned Beaten Rice With Potato & Onion (Kanda Batat Pohe)

One of the breakfast items which is quite banal and adored so to say - Kanda Batat Pohe. Kanda = Onions, Batat = Potatoes and Pohe = Beaten Rice. Mom made this for our school lunchbox and morning breakfast. Pohe is easy to make and quick to finish dish. This is the savoury recipe for many a Maharashtrian households and a pop item if you have quick and unexpected guests at home and also if the bridegroom is visiting home to see/meet a prospective match and their family. There is another version of Pohe, which is Dadpe Pohe which is also easy. Beaten rice is washed, seasoned with salt and turmeric and covered with a lid, which is called as Dadapney in Marathi, hence Dadpey Pohe. I like both the versions and they pack a world of nutrition in them. In Kannada, they are known as Avalakki. These apart, there are many styles and varieties of Pohe. I choose Thick Poha available at Indian grocery.

For festive occasions especially in Marathi families, an offering of different types of Pohe are made to God. The festive platter made during Diwali is known as Faraal; apart from being heartily enjoyed and rejoiced by family members we made these at home and Mom sent Faraalachey Taat to be shared with our neighbours and friends. Dudh Pohe, Gul Pohe, Tikhat Pohe to name a few. Dudh Pohe is one of my favorite snack made during Diwali. One of my dear aunt, fondly called as Maushi, prepared this every year for me during Diwali. At the crack of dawn , she would give a pompous shout and plead to my Mom to have me summoned at her place to enjoy the grand Diwali brunch. Sadly, she passed away many years back but the memories are close to my heart. The popular belief drilled in us as kids was eating Pohe on Diwali morning supposedly brought good luck and prosperity for the family. So every year during Diwali, we had a Pohe overdose. :)

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Yield: 2

Ingredients:

Beaten Rice - 1 cup

Onions (sliced) - 1 cup

Potato (thinly sliced) - 1/2 cup

Coriander leaves (finely chopped) - 1/3 cup

Grated Coconut - 2 tablespoon

Salt

Turmeric powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Red Chilli powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Lime juice - 2 tablespoon

For Seasoning -

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Asafoetida - just a pinch

Oil/Ghee

Method:

Wash the beaten rice in water for couple of times to get rid of the starch. Allow the water to drain completely. Add salt and turmeric powder and leave aside for 10 minutes.

In a separate deep dish vessel, heat few spoons of oil/ghee. Add mustard seeds, once they splutter, add curry leaves and asafoetida. Add the onions and potatoes now and allow to sweat. Add a cup of water and slow cook with a lid on. Add Turmeric powder if desired. Once both cooked, add the beaten rice and give a good gentle mix. Adjust salt if required. Once done, garnish with grated coconut, coriander leaves and a drizzle of fresh lime juice. Serve hot with Tea or Coffee.

Kohlrabi Semi-dry Side Dish (Navalkole Sukke)

Kohlrabi is a native of the Cabbage family. The soft, tender juicy crust appeals the vegetable lover in me although as a kid I begged and threw mighty tantrums to avoid this vegetable. It is a versatile vegetable in many a ways - can be used to make Bhaaji, Sukke, mixed with Dal to make tasty Amtis. Apart from these, the vegetable can be grated to make yummy tasting Koshimbirs, a salad made using simple vegetables. Mom often made Navalkole Koshimbir for noon lunches especially when they were in season.

Interestingly, apart from South of India, the consumption of Kohlrabi is very high in Kashmir and is popularly known as Monj. Its known as Navalkol in Marathi, Navila Kosu in GSB Konkani. Sukke is a semi-dry style of making side dish in Konkani, hence Navila Kosu Sukke. This side dish pairs well with Rotis.

~ Kohlrabi Sukke ~

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients:

Kohlrabi bulb (diced) - 3 cups

Turmeric powder - 1/3 teaspoon
Jaggery (optional) - 1/2 teaspoon
Urad Dal - 1 tablespoon
Coriander seeds - 2 tablespoons
Red Chillies (Byadgi preferred) - 3-4
Grated Coconut (fresh or frozen) - 1 cup
Tamarind - 1/2 teaspoon pulp
Salt

For Seasoning -
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 3-4 leaves
Oil/Ghee to taste

Method:
Peel off the skin and dice the Kohlrabi. If the vegetable is young, there is no need to peel the outer thick skin, else if its aged, peel off the tough layer of light green skin. Pressure cook the diced vegetables with little salt for a single whistle.
In a separate pan, heat few spoons of oil and saute the Red chillies, Urad dal and Coriander seeds. Once lightly toasted, allow to cool, grind with Coconut, Turmeric powder, Tamarind pulp and salt to a paste with very less water. In a deep bottomed vessel, bring the ground masala to boil, add little or no water. Add Jaggery if desired. Adjust salt and bring to a gentle boil. Cook till done. In a separate pan, heat few spoons of oil, add mustard seeds and once they begin to splutter, add curry leaves. Pour this seasoning on the cooked vegetable. Cover with a lid and stir while serving.

Mung Beans Curry With Coconut Masala ~ Goan Style (Mugachi Gaathi)

I had earlier blogged about Muga Ghashi, a typical Konkani way of making a slurpy delicious curry with Mung Bean sprouts. There is another version which is commonly made at my home in India by Mom which is Mugachi Gaathi, a creamy coconut based curry commonly made in Goa especially on days when one partakes/ observes a vegetarian meal. This curry is made with green chillies instead of Byadgi Chillies and a tad bit of Garam Masala, hence the alluring green color of the curry. I added Turmeric powder hence missed on the green color. This rich slurpy broth pairs fabulously with Puris and Rotis.

This is a Goan style of preparation and is commonly made during Ganesh Chaturthi season in Goa, a tiny picturesque state in located in South of India.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Soak time: 18 hours
Cooking time: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients:
Green Gram (Sprouted Mung Beans) - 4 cups
Onion (chopped) - 2 cups
Grated coconut (fresh or frozen) - 2 cups
Green Chillies - 2
Garam Masala powder - 1 teaspoon

For Seasoning -
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 3-4
Oil/Ghee

Method:
Soak the Green Gram (Mung beans) atleast 3 days before to get the desired level of sprouts ready to be used on 3rd day. Remove the green husk and separate the sprouts. In a pan, heat few spoons of oil and saute chopped onions along with grated coconut. Do not fry till they are brown, just a little wilting for the mixture is good enough. Divide the mixture into two portions. Grind the first portion with little water and green chillies. Bring this ground paste to gentle boil, adjust salt as desired. Add the next portion of coconut and onion to the boiling broth. Once the paste is partially cooked, add the sprouts. Bring to boil and simmer on low flame for 10 minutes or till cooked completely.

In a separate pan, heat few spoons of ghee/oil, once the oil is hot enough, add mustard seeds, once they splutter add curry leaves. Turn off the flame and pour this seasoning on the curry. Cover with a lid and mix while serving. Goes well with Rotis and Chapatis.

Broccoli With Garlic Side Dish (Broccoli Talasaani)

Broccoli Talasaani - an uber cool way of introducing fresh exotic vegetables into the regional diaspora. I got this recipe from my Pacchi. She is very innovative when it comes to cooking and is a great source of inspiration to me. Best part is - its quick to make, takes less than 15 minutes and is very flavourful.

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
Broccoli (florets) - 2 cups
Black Pepper powder - 1/3 teaspoon
Grated coconut (optional) - 2 tablespoon
Tamarind juice (optional) - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt

For Seasoning -
Red Chillies (Byadgi) - 2
Garlic pods - 2
Oil/ Ghee

Method:
Wash and chop the Broccoli into tiny mini florets. Heat a deep pan/ vessel with few spoons of oil. Once the oil turns piping hot, season with red chillies and crushed garlic. Saute for couple of minutes. The garlic would be lightly charred with a hint of browning. Add the florets now and give a good toss. Season with salt and black Pepper. Add tamarind paste if desired. Gently stir and cover with a lid, cook for few minutes. Turn off the flame and garnish with grated coconut.

Notes - Broccoli cooks very fast. Keep a watchful eye. One can also mix in Potatoes along with Broccoli for more volume and quantity. Both the vegetables blend well. Do not overcook the vegetables as the vital nutrients get destroyed.

Fish Fry With Green Masala & Black Pepper

On a rare occasion, husband requested me to make Fish Fry. This time around, I wanted to try something different so I experimented Fish Fry with Green Masala and Black Pepper. I also used lime juice to tenderise the meat. The resultant, Fish Fry was well received and appreciated. One can opt for - Fish Naked Fry which is fish smeared with the masala directly going on the pan for shallow fry or Fish Rawa Fry which is fish smeared with masala and rolled in seasoned Rawa, and then shallow fried. Adding freshly crushed whole black Pepper added a different depth to the fish. If one has Hirwa Thecha made before hand, that paste can also be used thereby saving some time. Adding lime juice, made the fish fillet juicy and tender. We both liked this variety of Fish Fry and plan to make more often!

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Marinade for: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Fish fillet (skinless and boneless) - 8-12 pieces

Whole Black Pepper corns - 8-10

Lime juice - 1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon

Sooji or Rawa - 1-1/2 cup

Red Chilli powder - 1/3 teaspoon

Salt

Oil

Green Masala -

Ginger - 1" piece

Garlic - 4 pods

Coriander leaves - 5-8 strands

Mint leaves - a fistful of tender leaves

Green Chillies - 2

Method:

Thaw the fish if using frozen ones at room temperature. For a quick thaw - immerse in warm water and bring to room temperature. Wash in multiple change of water till clear. Pat dry all the pieces with kitchen paper towel. Transfer to a clean mixing dish. Season with salt and freshly crushed whole black pepper corns. I use my regular pestle and mortar to crush the seeds. Mix and leave aside. Grind all the ingredients of Green Masala to a wet paste with less or no water. Smear this paste liberally on the fish on either sides. Add 1 tablespoon lime juice. Mix gently and leave to steep for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes has elapsed, roll the fish pieces in Rawa (seasoned with a hint of red chilli powder and salt) and shallow fry on both the sides for around 5-8 minutes each. Once the crust is golden, turn off the flame. Drizzle some lime juice and serve hot with white Rice and Daal.

Mushy Rice With Green Chillies (Tanni Anna/ Panta Bhaat)

Many a times when we were kids, leftover rice would be aptly used for this recipe - Tanni Anna or Panta Bhaat - the Bong version of this rice. I am talking about days when scorching summer would annoy to no end and refrigerators were owned only by the rich, if you know what I am saying. Mom used to soak the rice in cold water at night before sleeping, make a comforting meal for 1100 noon next day morning for us. Anna is Rice in Konkani, Tanni is cold in Kannada. Even during days when there is no leftover rice, I keep some cooked rice aside to prepare this soul-warming comfort meal! This is a depleting recipe yet very very silly one so to say. I sometimes think that lesser mortals like me are the only ones hounding their Grandmoms and Aunts to offer gyaan on such simple recipes. But I wanted to document this to aid the sprawling, curious bunch of posterity in my jumbo family.

The science behind this recipe is the rice gets lightly fermented in water giving it a very mushy texture. Next day morning the rice is squeezed from the water, mixed with little green chillies crushed in a mixture of salt and oil. All the gooey mass mixed in together to form a mushy kid meal. But mind you, this recipe is not for the faint hearted. The green chillies pack in quite a punch, so reduce you green chillies if you are not ready for spice and heat. I prefer soak time of 2 hours and use the rice thereafter. Do not oversoak as you run the risk on over-fermentation of rice. My Ammama made this and Paej frequently when she had to feed an army of kids, grand kids in a joint family. The recipe is close to my heart for the sheer paltry ingredients it needs and the simplicity it carries. It is also known as a Paupers meal owing to the simple stuff its made of and was prepared by poor people during olden days as resources were scarce so says my Grandma.

Few years later further to my discovery, a Bengali friend of mine informed me that they have a similar version amongst Bongs, known as Panta Bhaat. The only difference being, the seasoning is some lime juice, red onions chopped and green chillies instead. Panta = soaked in water and Bhaat = boiled rice in Bengali. Panta Bhaat is made during key Bengali festivals. In Konkani homes (atleast the ones I know), this is a hush-hush secret recipe to devour the leftover rice. My Grandmom was to embarassed to discuss the details and laughed it off saying it was 'silly' and too easy. I think its too precious to be passed off and ignored what she said! :)

Soaking time - 8-10 hours

Processing time - 5 minutes

Ingredients:

Cooked rice (2 cups) - soaked in double the quantity of cold water

Green Chillies - 1-2

Coconut oil

Salt

Method:

Soak cooked rice which is cool, in water for 8-10 hours. Once soaking time passes, squeeze the rice out of water. Mix salt and oil and crush green chillies in them. Mix all of this together and devour with relish. Remover green chillies while serving if required. For more authentic flavour, use Coconut oil.