Rajasthani cuisine is known for comfort food, and khichdi is one among them.
Several types of khichdi are made in this region, the most popular of them being the Jodhpuri Khichdi which contains brinjal and Kathiyawadi Khichdi which has vegetables like peas, beans, tomato, onion and brinjal.
I will post the recipes of these variations shortly.
Here is the simplest of the Rajasthani khichdis, which is a simple comfort food that is not just easy to make but really yummy.
After several days of eating rich food at functions and parties and festivals or after a hectic weekend of binge eating, this is what I normally cook.
Served with green chilly pickle, it tastes really yum!!
"Surkh Kukkad" is a Punjabi chicken starter. "Surkh" means "red as a ruby" and "Kukkad" means "chicken". This starter is a hot and bright red colored, dry chicken dish.
Easy to make and lip smacking. Goes perfectly well as a side-dish too for chapatis, rotis or bread.
"Thaikile Ambado" is a very popular evening snack in the monsoons, especially in Mangalore and surrounding areas.
"Thaikilo" is an edible leafy weed, found in the garden in most homes in the coastal belt.
The leaves have a nice aroma and the dishes made from these are loved by all konkani people.
Here in Bangalore, they are sold in the so called "Mangalore stores".
They are available only in monsoons, and in Bangalore its sold only in June/July in these stores.
So my making these "Vadas" or "Ambado" as we call them in Konkani, is also quite rare, sometimes just once during the rainy season.
"Fish Tikka" is a lovely seafood starter which is easy to make, tasty and almost fat free (if you do not use any butter during grilling).
This starter is a big favorite among kids mainly because fish fillets are used, which are boneless, so easy to eat.
I know many people resist cooking fish at home as they either do not know to clean it or find it difficult to eat, but fish is something which is healthy enough to include in your daily diet.
You could use fillets of any fish, but the best fish fillet chunks can be got from fish like Salmon, Sea Bass and Basa since they are firm and can stand well on the grill/tandoor especially during baking/grilling.
You could even deep fry these fillets if you do not have an OTG/Grill, but "Fish Tikkas" are normally grilled on open fire/tandoor. I have used an electric oven (OTG) and grilled the fish.
This is my 350th recipe post, and I am celebrating this milestone with a very traditional konkani dessert delicacy called "Ponasa Muddo".
"Ponasa Muddo" is a very popular dessert made by the konkani coummunity. "Ponos" means ripe jackfruit in konkani. "Muddo" means steamed dumpling.
The batter of the dumplings is normally spread on the leaf of the teak wood tree, and the steamed, but its not very easy to find teak wood leaves these days, we steam them in banana leaves.
If you cannot find either of them, you could use regular idli moulds or even steel bowls to steam them.
When served with Ghee, this tastes really great..
A delicious and power packed Indian breakfast is the Paneer parata.
"Paneer" is also known as Cottage cheese and it contains all the essential amino acids needed for it to qualify as a complete protein. It also contains high amounts of Vitamin B12, Calcium an Phosphorous.
Cottage cheese paratas or Indian bread stuffed with spiced cottage cheese, makes a great high-protein breakfast.
Paneer Parata with lots of butter, aam ka achar (mango pickle) and curds, is the complete Punjabi breakfast.
One of my favorite breakfast and my daughter's favorite lunch box dish.
"Meen Moilee" is a Kerala fish curry, its simply "Curried Fish in Coconut cream/milk".
A very simple curry, easy to cook, uses very few easily available ingredients but very high on taste.
This curry is a true example of how the simplest and fewest of ingredients can actually bring out the best flavors in the world.
I have always loved "Meen Moilee" but I could lay my hands on the perfect recipe only this summer during our week long Kerala Road trip.
And in the last 2 months, have cooked this couple of times both for family and friends, but somehow never had the time to click pics and post the recipe.
Today I made this again, and am finally able to share this with you all.
