"Moonga Ghashi" - Whole green gram curry - A Konkani dish

Its been a while since I posted a new dish. Life is pretty hectic after having got back to work. Its fun at the new workplace, making new friends, learning a new/different work culture, learning my new job, juggling between home and an office which is 26 kms/1.5 hrs one way drive from home...but am enjoying every bit of my new life...
Now that its been 4 months am slowly getting back to the groove...of being the same old super-woman who used to manage home, office work and my lil kitchen life all so well..
In the last 3 months cooking for my family is been an integral part of my life just like everything else, but I must admit I have not tried cooking any new dish in the last 3 months.
The easiest and most liked dish is what I have been cooking...the obvious reason being time...
but now I have settled down and decided that whatever it may be, cooking is a passion for me, like I always say "When I am in the kitchen, I am happy"...
Last night I made this simple traditional curry called "Moonga Ghashi' in Konkani.
Its a very easy dish to make, and does not require any pre-preparation, perfect for working men/women. When served with steaming white rice, your meal is complete.

"Masaledar Mutton" - A lip smacking Lamb side-dish

A truly lip smacking side-dish made from mutton/lamb is this "Masaledar mutton"...
Try making it and am sure you will love it...
Goes well both with rotis ( Indian bread) or plain steaming rice/ jeera rice.

Minty Masala Aloo

A yummy side-dish for all those who love "aloo" or potato.
This is one of those dishes that tastes as good when cold as when it is hot.
Perfect to be packed in lunch boxes and served best with rotis/chapatis or any Indian bread.

Ingredients:
Potatoes - 4 medium sized
Jeera /Cumin - 1 tsp
Asofoetida /Hing - 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Rock Salt powder - 1 tsp
garam masala - 1 tsp (optional)
Chat masala - 1 tsp
Fresh mint leaves/pudina leaves - 1 handful
Green chillies - 2 - chopped finely
Ghee or refined oil or Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method :
Boil and peel the potatoes and cut them into small bite sized cubes.
In a pan/kadai , put the ghee or oil and when its lightly warm add cumin seeds and chopped green chillies and as soon as it splutters, and all the other spice powders ( garam masala being optional ).
Within a few secs add the potato cubes ( make sure the dry masalas or jeera dont burn ).
Then fry the potatoes in the masala for abt 8-10 mins, add salt to taste and the mint leaves. Fry till the potatoes are lightly crispy.
Garnish with chat masala and mint leaves as required.

Hot n Sour Amaranths curry or "Bhajji Amshe" - a Konkani side-dish

Amaranths also known as "Chinese Spinach" are green, leafy vegetables and/or grain crops. The leaves of vegetable amaranths and the seeds of grain amaranths are high in protein. Amaranth varies greatly in color of the foliage, the shape of the leaves and the height of the plant. Most varieties are edible.
In Konkani they are known as "Bhajji" and in Kannada as "Dhantin soppu".
I have used the red amaranths as they taste great in this curry.Here is a lovely lip smacking hot n sour side-dish which my mom often makes. Its easy to make and goes well with steaming white rice.

Arbi Masala

Arbi like potato is a root vegetable, high in starch but with better nutritional qualities. It has 3 times more dietary fibre.It is an excellent source of vitamins C and E, potassium, magnesium, and folate.Arbi is also known as Arvi in India, but known as Taro/Colocasia the world over.
Arbi roots are extensively used in North Indian cuisine where as Arbi leaves are extensively used in Konkani cuisine.
My favorites are the "Pathrode phodi", "Venti thalasani" made from the colocasia stems, "Ganti thalasani" a speciality made by knotting the leaves, "Alvatthi" and the most famous of them being "Pathrode or Pathrado".
This dish is made from the root Arbi and again I would categorize it under North Indian cuisine, very easy to make and goes well with rotis/phulkas.

Serves 3
Ingredients:Arbi/Arvi/Taro/Colocasia - 200 gms

Onion - 1 large - chopped
Tomato - 1 medium - chopped
Green chilly - 2 - finely chopped
Garlic - 2 cloves - finely chopped
Ginger - 1 inch - finely chopped
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 1 tsp
To Garnish:
Coriander leaves - chopped - 1 tbsp
Green chilly - 1 - slit lengthwise

Method:
Wash the Arbi roots well, put them in a pressure cooker and after 1st whistle reduce the heat to low, then simmer for 10 minutes and then switch off the heat.
Allow to cool naturally, then peel the roots to get the white fleshy root.
Slice thinly and keep aside.
Take a large pan, keep on medium heat, add oil, and fry the chopped ginger, garlic, onion and green chillies till onions turn almost golden.
Now add all the spice powders, tomatoes and salt and fry till tomatoes become soft.
Then add the sliced arbi and fry well till arbi are lightly crispy.
Serve hot garnished with chopped coriander and slit green chilly.

Stuffed Bhindi/Okra Fry

According to history, one of the world’s most beautiful women, Cleopatra of Egypt, ate Okra, also known as “lady finger or gumbo”.
Besides being low in calories, it has vitamins of the category A, Thiamin, B6, C, folic acid, riboflavin, calcium, zinc and dietary fiber. Eating okra is highly recommended for pregnant woman because of its richness in folic acid, which is essential in the neural tube formation of the fetus during 4-12 weeks of gestation period in the mother’s womb. 

Apart from the numerous health benefits, also give smooth and beautiful skin. Maybe now we can understand the reason why Cleopatra loved it. No wonder, Cleopatra was so beautiful!

Here is a simple side-dish made from Bhindi/Okra.

Stir fried Teasel gourd or "Phagila thalsani" - A Konkani delicacy

Teasel Gourd or "Kantola" or "Phaagil" in Konkani is a very popular vegetable in the coastal regions of India widely available during the monsoon season.
Teasels have good medicinal properties. They are good source of antibiotics and also help in improving blood circulation.
The Konkani community love this vegetable so much that it is part of all festivals that come in the monsoon. 
The most common side dish made with this vegetable is the "Phaagila Podi" or Teasel Gourd fritters which we all love and I will be posting it soon.
There is another side-dish which my Mom makes quite often during this season. Its "Phagila chutney" which goes well both with rotis/chapatis as well as Rice and dal.
Here is another side-dish called "Phagila thalasani" which is stir fried teasel gourd using garlic and dry red chillies.
This tastes really great...!!