Garlic Chives Raita

Ingredients:
One bunch chinese garlic chives or onion shoots if you cannot find garlic chives
One  serrano pepper slit
Two cups beaten plain yogurt
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal

Method:
This is the simplest raita you can make in a few minutes.
Heat oil, once hot, add urad dal and then mustard, once the mustard splatters, add the slit serrano pepper.  Now add the chopped chives/onion shoot. stir fry for 5 mins.  Let it cool for a few minutes. Then add the beaten curd and enjoy! The garlic chives is yum and makes a big differnce.

Stir Fry Tofu

Ingredients:
Firm Tofu cut – drain all the water and let it sit on a napkin to absorb water, cut into half inch cubes Vegetables – 1 cup mixed Stir Fry Vegetable available in frozen section 1 can baby corn
1 can water chestnuts
Olive oil – 2 tbsp
Garlic – 5 clove
2 tbsp Sauces – One tbsp. each of Ching’s Stir fry masala from Indian stores mixed with regular tomato sauce One teaspoon cornflour

Method:
Stir Fry Garlic and Tofu in Olive Oil
Add all the vegetables. Stir fry for 4 mins
Add sauces mixed in cornflour
Continue stir frying for 3 mins

Majjige Huli

Main Ingredients:

Sour yogurt blended well - 2 cups

White Pumpkin  - 4 cups boiled

Green chilies -5 to 6

cumin seeds/jeera -1 teaspoon

Dhaniya or coriander seeds(available at Indian Stores) -2 teaspoons

Chana dal (available at Indian Stores) soaked in water for 10 mins -2 teaspoons
Turmeric powder (available at Indian Stores) - a pinch

Coconut - half cup grated  
Ginger - One inch piece chopped

Whole black pepper - 2 seeds

Ingredients for seasoning (Vagarne):

½ teaspoon Mustard

1 teaspoon urad dal

1 Red chilli

Curry leaves

Pinch of Hing

Grind green chilies, ginger, cumin, dhaniya/cilantro, chana dal, black pepper, turmeric and fresh coconut to a fine paste to make masala.  Add blended sour curd to the paste and warm on a low flame.  Add salt and water as required to make it a fairly thick.  Add boiled white pumpkin.

Vagarne - Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a skillet. Add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Add urad dal and fry until brown. Add red chilli, curry leaves and hing.  Pour over cooked majjige huli.

Enjoy with white or brown rice.

Note/Tip
This is one of the traditional dishes of Karnataka.  You can use green beans, white pumpkin, okra, etc but white pumpkin in this is a classic combination.  If using other vegetables, make sure you use one vegetable at a time.  I have substituted coconut with tofu and it works great as well.

Pathrode - Udupi delicacy

Ingredients:

8 Colocasia or patra leaves/Collard greens or a small cabbage
1 cup idly rice – soaked in water

Hesarubele – 4 spoons – soaked in water

Kadlebele – 4 spoons – soaked in water
2 spoon coriander seeds
1 spoon jeera seeds
1/2 spoon methi seeds
1 cup shredded coconut
tamarind paste
Jaggery - small piece
red dried chilles –according to taste, I use 6 or so

salt to taste

Method: 

1.  Soak idly rice overnight (or at least 6 hours).

2.  Grind idly rice along with hesarubele, kadlebele, coriander seeds, jeera seeds, methi seeds, dried red chilles, tamarind, jaggery, salt and water. Don't make it too watery. The consistency should be of thick batter. Now the spicy masala is ready.

3.  Wash leaves properly and pat it dry.  I wipe the leaves with vinegar since I read that the vinegar takes away the itchiness.

4.  Remove veins of patra leaves with a knife.  This will help speed up cooking time and make it less itchy.

5.  Apply a layer of masala on the leaf. Keep another leaf on the first leaf and repeat till you have 3 or 4 leaf stacked. Now roll them. Make sure you apply masala when you roll them and apply batter on top as well.

6.  Once nicely rolled, put them in a steamer and steamed it for at least 15 minutes.

7.  Cool down before cutting it into long pieces.

8.  You can either cut this into pieces and add vagarne and eat it or pan fry cut round pieces on an iron skillet. 

9.  If using cabbage, chop cabbage and mix with the rice and masala paste, steam in a cooker (like you would with idli’s), chop after it is cooled, add vagarne and mix it all up.

Enjoy!

Note/Tip:

Pathrode is a popular delicacy in Udupi prepared using Taro or Colocasia leaves.  Colocasia is notorious if not grown in full sunlight can be highly itchy.   When my mom prepared pathrode, we would wait for her to eat and give us the verdict I fit was itchy or not before we ate.  Since we don’t get Taro leaves here, you can substitute with cabbage.

Gojju Pizza

Bought Mia Pizza Crust from Costco, was a big flop with my kids so made goggu pizza instead. Now the kids want it too :-)

Ingredients for Seasoning:
Mustars Seeds - 2 tsp
Hing (optional, available at Indian Stores) - a pinch
Curry leaves  - 2 sprigs
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Main Ingredients:
Tomatoes - 5 , chopped fine
Red Onion - 1, chopped fine 
Green Serrano Chillies - 2, chopped fine
Tamarind - 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves chopped - 1 tbsp
Jaggery - 1 tbsp
Rasam powder(available at Indian Grocery Stores) - 1 tbsp
Salt per taste

1. First prepare seasoning in oil - heat oil, add mustard and after it splutters in oil, add hing, curry leaves and turmeric.
2.  Add chopped onions to the seasoned oil
3.  After a few minutes add chopped tomatoes and green chillies
4.  Add a little water, tamarind, salt, jaggery, boil.
5.  After a  few minutes, add rasam powder and continue to boil till it is thick.
6.  Pizza usually comes with a packet of tomato based pizza sauce, add this and wait till the mixture is thick.
7.  Pour the tomato onion mixture over the crust.
8.  For the topping:  slice a fresh tomato into thin slices, add some fresh parmesan cheese and baked at 425 degrees for 7 mins. Enjoy!

Note/Tip:
Gojju can be made with other vegetables like Capsicum, Okra. I think Capsicum will be good on a pizza but not too sure about Okra.  If you are making only gojju by itself, add dessicated coconut at the very end and mix well. Gojju goes well with rice and akki rotti also.