Lunch at Ramani's

One Saturday, I happened to call my five friends over for an informal lunch at my place. We meet nearly every month at some place or the other but this time I invited them to my house to partake of some recipes I had put up here. I had a variety of dishes which were not the usual formal lunch items. Here goes the menu.

Entrees

- Momos
- Steamed Broken Corn Idlis

Soup

- Scarlett :- a spicy beetroot and coconut milk soup

Main Course

- Chole
- Baked vegetables au gratin
- Stuffed Capsicum Boats

Accompaniments

- Plain Rice
- Bhature
- Cabbage Parcels (Salad)
- Curd

Dessert

- Gulab Hyderabadi :- Vanilla ice cream with faluda and Rose syrup.

Hamper

- Oatmeal Cookies

All of us enjoyed the food because it was different.

Enjoy the montage as well!

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Kamat Kolumbu

Some years back when we were in Chennai and Bengaluru, we used to have meals at some of the good Udipi Restaurants especially Kamat at Bengaluru. There, we became very fond of this particular kolumbu which was served as a side dish. I tried this at home and named it "Kamat Kolumbu".

This has vegetables like ladies fingers (okra or bhindi) and other ingredients which make it lip smacking. Other vegetables can also be tried. It is simple to make but the ingredients make it so tasty.

This recipe serves four to six people.

Ingredients	Quantity
Ladies Finger (Bhindi or Okra)	12
Coriander Seeds (Dhania)	3 tbsps
Fenugreek Seeds (Methi)	1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds	1 tsp
Asafoetida (Hing)	a pinch
red Chillies	3 or 4
Grated Fresh Coconut	¼ cup or less
Thick Tamarind Juice	½ cup
Jaggery	small piece
Curry Leaves	a few
Salt	to taste
Oil	2 tbsps
Water	if needed

Method

1. Cut the cleaned ladies fingers into small pieces and keep it aside.


2. Take a pan and heat it. Add the coriander seeds and fenugreek and red chillies and roast them till light brown. Cool it and grind it with coconut gratings and tamarind juice to a fine paste.


3. Take oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds,asofoetida,curry leaves and fry.Then add the cut ladies fingers and fry them on medium heat till done.


4. Now add the ground coconut paste,salt and jaggery into the vegetable and water if necessary because this dish should be of sambar consistency.


5. Boil all these ingredients well and remove from the heat and dish it out into a serving bowl.


6. Serve it hot with hot rice and enjoy it.


7. Other vegetables like capsicum or beans or brinjal etc can be used instead of ladies fingers.

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Cool Cucumber and Coriander Leaves Salad

Salads are great at any part of the year. However, they are best taken in summer for a cool and refreshing feeling. Also, they are low calorie foods. This recipe has cucumber and coriander (cilantro) with a little lime juice to add a tang to the salad.

Serves a small bowl.

Ingredients	Quantity
Cucumber	2 small or 1 medium
Fresh Coriander Leaves (Cilantro)	2 small bunches
Lime Juice	1 tsp
Salt	to taste
Olive Oil (Optional)	1 tsp

Method

1. Peel and chop the washed cucumber into even sized cubes in a mixing bowl.


2. Grind the washed coriander leaves in a blender with salt and lime juice into a coarse paste.


3. Add this paste to the cucumber cubes and mix thoroughly but gently.


4. Add olive oil if preferred and mix.


5. Cool it in the fridge for about ten minutes and serve it in a serving bowl.


6. Instead of coriander leaves paste, one can use even blanched spinach leaves paste.

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Seasonal Fruit and Vegetable Blend

During spring and summer a nice cool, healthy drink is most welcome. This drink is made with fruits and vegetable and a little ginger to add spice to it. Pepper corn powder can also be added to get that real spicy kick! In this recipe, apple, grapes and carrot have been used. Even tomatoes can be mixed with apple and ginger to make a nice healthy drink. This refreshing health drink is good for your skin and general health if taken daily.

Makes two glasses.

Ingredients	Quantity
Carrot	1
Apple	1
Green Seedless or Chopped Grapes	½ cup
Chopped Fresh Ginger	1 tsp
White Pepper Powder (Optional)	1 tsp
Sugar	2 tbsp
Water	enough to blend

Method

1. Blend all the cleaned vegetable and fruits,sugar,ginger and pepper powder in a blender to a smooth liquid with water.


2. This can be taken as such preferably because it contains a lot of fiber or it can be strained.


3. Serve it chilled in two serving glasses.

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Corn Discs

Corn discs are a fried snack made with corn flour (makki ka atta or mokka jonna flour) which is easily available in the market, rice and plain flour or maida. These are easy to prepare and are nutritious but they are fried. These discs after frying can be used as tortilla chips as a base to serve any filling on them. They can be served with salsa also.

Makes a big bowl of corn discs.

Ingredients	Quantity
Corn Flour (Makki ka Atta)	1 cup
Rice Flour	½ cup
Plain Flour (Maida)	¼ cup
Turmeric Powder	½ tsp
Salt	to taste
Hot Oil or Hot Ghee	2 tbsps
Red Chilly Powder	1 tsp or more
Celery Seeds (Ajwain)	1 ½ tsp
Oil	for deep frying

Method

1. Take a bowl and add all the three flours,salt,red chilly powder,turmeric powder, ajwain seeds and mix well.


2. Heat two tablespoons of oil or ghee and add it to the flour mixture.



3. Add enough water and make a pliable dough.



4. Divide the dough into equal balls.



5. Roll out each ball into flat thin chappatis or circles and cut small circles or triangles with a cutter or with a sharp lid.When all the dough has been cut into circles,keep them aside.



6. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying.Add these corn discs a few at a time slowly and fry them till golden brown and crisp.Drain them on a kitchen towel to remove the excess oil.



7. Serve hot or cold as a snack.It can be stored in an airtight container for a few days.



8. To make it gluten free,you can use rajghira powder{amaranth flour} instead of plain flour or maida.

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Spicy Cornmeal Idlis

Usually idlis are made from black gram dhal (urad dhal) and rice, or only semolina (suji). Here, I tried with cornmeal (corn rava) which is easily available in the market. Corn, as you all know is low in calories and has other nutrients. In this recipe very little oil is used and it is steamed. The steaming process is a little longer than other idlis because corn takes a longer time to cook. Here, normal size idlis and cocktail idlis have been made. These cocktail idlis or button idlis can be used as appetizers or given to kids who will enjoy them a lot.

This recipe serves eight normal size idlis or thirty six or more cocktail idlis. Enjoy it!

Ingredients	Quantity
Corn Meal or Corn Rava	1 cup
Sweet Corn	1 ½ cups
Curd	½ cup
Chopped Green Chillies	1 tsp or more
Curry Leaves	a few
Chopped Ginger	1 tsp
Chopped Cashenuts (Optional)	1 tbsp
Gram Dhal (Channa Dhal)	½ tbsp
Black Gram Dhal	½ tbsp
Mustard Seeds	1 tsp
Cumin Seeds (Jeera)	1 tsp
Salt	to taste
Oil	1 ½ tbsp
Water	to mix the batter

Method

1. Take a pan and add oil.When the oil is heated add to it channa dhal,urad dhal,mustard seeds,cumin seeds and fry.When the mustard seeds splutter,add cashew nuts,curry leaves,green chillies,ginger and corn meal and fry lightly for a minute.


2. Remove from the heat and transfer it to a bowl and add curds,sweet corn,salt and enough water to make a not very thick batter and mix it well.Keep it covered for about ten minutes.Unlike semolina, this mix will not become more in quantity after soaking.


3. Take an idly steamer and grease the moulds with a little oil and place a little more than a table spoon of the batter into these moulds and steam it on heat for about ten minutes or more.


4. After steaming, serve hot with coconut chutney.


5. Chopped vegetables can also be added to increase the nutritive value further.

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Fresh Green Coriander Patoli

This curry is made with soaked bengal dhal or channa dhal and plenty of fresh coriander leaves or cilantro. Coriander leaves give a fresh and different flavour. Capsicum and fresh peas have been added. "Patoli" (in Telugu) is a dhal dish made commonly in South India with different vegetables like onions,cluster beans,cauliflower,fresh peas, fenugreek leaves{methi} etc. The dhal is fried but it can also be steamed first and fried in very little oil. This is simple to make but you need to fry the dhal on low heat and stirring often. Patoli can be served with hot rice or chapatis. Serves four to six people.

Ingredients	Quantity
Bengal Gram Dhal (Chana Dhal)	½ cup
Chopped Coriander Leaves (Cilantro)	½ cup
Chopped Capsicum	¼ cup
Fresh Green Peas	2 tbsps
Curry Leaves	a few
Red Chillies	2 + 1 for seasoning
Cumin Seeds	2 tsps
Mustard Seeds	1 tsp
Black Gram Dhal (Urad Dhal)	1 tsp
Asafoetida	a pinch
Turmeric Powder	½ tsp
Salt	to taste
Oil	2 ½ tbsps or more

Method

1. Soak the washed dhal for two hours and grind it to a paste with two red chillies,salt and a teaspoon of cumin seeds with very less water.


2. Take oil in a pan and spread it allover the pan so that it becomes easy to fry the dhal paste later. Add the urad dhal,mustard seeds,cumin seeds,red chilly and asofoetida and fry till the mustard seeds splutter. Add the curry leaves and fry.


3. Add the chopped coriander leaves,capsicum and fresh peas and fry lightly so that they are not wet.


4. Then add the ground dhal paste and mix with all the ingredients and cover. Fry the mixture on slow fire.


5. The curry has to be stirred every three or four minutes otherwise the dhal paste will stick to the pan and you will need more oil which is is not advisable.


6. Remove the cover and stir it till the mixture is more or less dry and seperate. You can judge the texture of the curry yourself and remove it from the heat.


7. Serve it hot with hot rice or chappatis.

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Stuffed Capsicum Boats

Capsicum in a different form.It is quite common to see whole capsicum being stuffed with different fillings. But in this recipe, the capsicums have been sliced lengthwise into two which look like boats and have been stuffed with a rice filling like biriyani. The best part about this shape is that it is easy to bite the capsicum along with the filling especially for kids. The stuffing can be anything and can be prepared ahead also. Before serving the blanched capsicum with the filling it can be warmed up in the oven or just heat up the filling and serve it hot in the capsicum boats. The ingredients may seem to be more but it is fairly simple to prepare. Four capsicum boats have been made with this recipe.

Ingredients for Capsicum Boats	Quantity
Green Capsicum (Bell Peppers)	2 medium
Water	enough for blanching
Salt	a pinch

Ingredients for Filling	Quantity
Basmati Rice	½ cup
Chopped Carrots	2 tbsps
Chopped French Beans	1 tbsp
Fresh Peas	2 tbsps
Corn	2 tbsps
Chopped Onions	½ cup
Ginger Garlic Paste	1 tbsp
Chopped Mint Leaves	2 tbsps
Cashew and Almond Paste	2 tbsps
Curds	½ cup
Tomato Puree	from 1 tomato
Fried Cashewnuts and Raisins	a few
Garam Masala Powder	1 tsp
Saffron Soaked in Milk	1 tbsp
Cardamom (Elaichi)	1
Cloves	2
Bay Leaf	2
Cinnamon Stick	1
Green Chilly	1 cup
Cumin Seeds (Jeera)	1 tsp
Salt	to taste
Refined Oil	1 tsp
Hydrogenated Fat (Ghee)	1 tbsp

Method

1. Slice each washed capsicum lengthwise into 2 pieces.


2. Remove the seeds etc.Now there will be four pieces of capsicum which look like boats.


3. Boil water in a saucepan and add a pinch of salt and put these capsicum boats in this boiling water and blanch for two minutes and keep them aside so that the water is drained.


4. Half boil the carrots,french beans and peas and keep them aside.


5. Boil the washed rice in water with little salt, cardamom, clove, cinnamon stick, green chilly and one bay leaf till the rice is cooked and seperate. Remove the cardamom,clove cinnamon,green chilly and bay leaf and keep it aside.


6. Take a pan and add the oil and ghee and heat it. Add the cumin seeds, bay leaf and ginger garlic paste and fry till brown.


7. Add the cashewnut almond paste and fry.Add the tomato puree,little salt and boiled vegetables and cook till the oil seperates.


8. Next add the garam masala powder, mint leaves and salt and mix well.


9. Lastly add the boiled rice and on low heat, mix all the ingredients thoroughly.


10. When they have all mixed well, add the soaked saffron and mix well. The biriyani is now ready.


11. To serve, place the capsicum boats in a plate and fill each boat with the biriyani and place fried cashewnuts and raisins on top to decorate.

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Amaranth Curry

Amaranth leaves are one type of greens available in India. In Telugu it is called "thotakura". In South India it is widely used in dhals,vadas and also in curries. Its unique taste and freshness makes it popular and also nutritious.Very little oil is used in this recipe and cooks easily. Use of garlic is optional as many homes do not favour the taste and flavour of garlic. Its eaten best with rice and can also be a side dish for chapatis.Try this easy and nutritious recipe. Serves four people.

Ingredients	Quantity
Finely Chopped Amaranth Leaves	5 cups
Ginger Paste	1 ½ tsp
Garlic Paste (Optional)	1 ½ tsp
Bengal Gram Dhal (Channa Dhal)	1 ½ tsp
Black Gram Dhal (Urad Dhal)	1 ½ tsp
Mustard Seeds	1 tsp
Cumin Seeds (Jeera)	1 tsp
Red Chillies	1 cut into 3 or 4 pieces
Asafoetida (Hing)	a pinch
Salt	to taste
Oil	1 tsp
Water	2 to 3 tbsps
Fried Vadiyalu	a few

Method

1. Take a pan and add the oil and heat it.


2. Add the channa dhal,urad dhal,mustard ,cumin,red chilly and asafoetida and fry them till the mustard seeds splutter.


3. Add the ginger and garlic paste and fry.Do not brown it too much.


4. Then add the chopped greens, salt and sprinkle the water and mix it well.Cook it on slow heat without covering it for few minutes.


5. Cover the greens and cook till done.


6. Serve it garnished with fried "vadiyalu" with rice or chappatis.


7. Vadiyalu or vadams are dried lentil balls.

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Dondakaya (Kundru, Gentleman's Toes) Pickle

Many households in India cannot do without a spicy powerhouse pickle in their cuisine. Mango season in India is in summer when all the households preserve this raw mango in the form of a pickle for a year. In the other seasons,vegetables like cauliflower, carrots, tomato, dondakaya, dosakaya etc can be used to make this simple pickle. Some greens like Gongura leaves can also be used. This pickle recipe may not stay for a long time but can be a spicy side dish. Here dondakaya(in Telugu),Kovai(Tamil)Kundru(Hindi) Ivy Gourd or Gentleman's Toes (English) has been used. Its botannical name is "Coccinia cordifolia" or "Coccinia grandis". This pickle tastes good with curds rice or chapatis.Serves a small bowl.

Ingredients	Quantity
Sliced Dondakaya (Wiped Dry and Clean)	1 cup
Mustard Powder	½ cup
Red Chilli Powder	¼ cup
Roasted Fenugreek (Methi) Powder	1 tbsp
Salt	to taste
Lime Juice	2 tbsps
Oil	¼ cup

Method

1. Take a bowl and and mix all the ingredients well listed above.


2. Let it stand for half an hour.Serve it with rice.


3. Store it in a bottle or stone jar preferably in the refrigerator for longer life.


4. Try the same recipe with other vegetables like finely chopped cauliflower,chopped tomatoes,carrots etc.

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Mixed Vegetable Paratha

Mixed vegetable parathas are nutritious and filling too.They have a number of vegetables added in it.Its a whole some food for kids and adults too. In this recipe,a few easy steps have been used in the filling so that it is easy to stuff into the dough and roll out. The filling, more over should contain minimum moisture in it.Makes about ten to twelve parathas.

Ingredients (For the Filling)	Quantity
Boiled Mashed Potato	1 cup
Finely Chopped Cabbage	¼ cup
Finely Chopped Capsicum	¼ cup
Finely Chopped Cauliflower	¼ cup
Finely Chopped French Beans	2 tbsps
Grated Carrot	¼ cup
Mashed Peas	3 tbsps
Pureed Tomato	from one tomato
Chopped Cilantro (Coriander Leaves)	1 tbsp
Ginger Garlic Paste	1 tsp
Green Chilli Paste	1 tsp (or according to taste)
Turmeric Powder	½ tsp
Cumin Seeds (Jeera)	½ tsp
Garam Masala Powder	1 tsp
Dhania, Jeera Powder (Coriander, Cumin)	1 ½ tsp
Water	2 tbsps
Oil	1 tbsp
Salt	to taste

Method for the filling

1. Take a pan and add oil and heat it.Add the cumin seeds and fry.


2. Add ginger garlic paste and green chilly paste and fry.


3. Add the cabbage, cauliflower, beans, mashed fresh peas, carrot and mix them.


4. Then add turmeric powder, salt, garam masala powder, dhaniya jeera powder and the mashed potato and mix well.


5. Now add the tomato puree and mix all the ingredients well and cook till the moisture in the filling evaporates and it is almost dry.Add the chopped coriander leaves and mix.


6. Cool it and make about twelve balls of the mixture and keep it aside.

Ingredients for the dough	Quantity
Whole Wheat Flour	2 ½ cups
Water	enough to make dough
Salt	to taste
Oil	to make parathas

Method

1. Mix all the above ingredients except the oil and make a soft but stiff dough and leave it aside for nearly and hour or more.


2. Make about ten to twelve balls.

Method for making the parathas

1. Take a flat thick pan and heat it.


2. Roll out a ball of the dough on a floured board into a small circle and place a ball of the filling and cover it from all the sides with the dough to make a ball.
   
3. Roll out this stuffed ball gently into a circle of about 6inches in diameter and place it on the hot pan.


4. Cook the paratha on medium heat on both sides by adding a little oil on the edges.Use as less oil as possible.


5. Remove from heat and repeat with the rest of the dough.


6. Serve hot with boondi raita or any other raita.Raita is curd based. This paratha does not require any other side dish because it by itself tasty and sumptuous.

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Sweet Potato Sago Payasam

This dessert, I thought, is innovative and good as a gluten free recipe. If one wants to make it casein free which means without milk, either rice milk, almond milk or more of coconut milk can be used. Sweet potato and sago, as you all know, is good for health. In India we make a variety of porridges(kheer or payasam) for any auspicious or happy occasion. The sweet potato makes the payasam thick, it lends consistency. This dish is especially nutritious as jaggery (unrefined whole cane sugar) is used instead of white sugar, and it is rich in iron. You can try it.

This recipe serves six to eight people.

Ingredients	Quantity
Mashed Sweet Potato	½ cup
Cooked Sago	¼ cup
Powdered Jaggery	¾ cup
Coconut Milk	½ cup
Crushed Cardamom	1 tsp
Saffron soaked in Milk	1 tbsp
Fried cashewnuts and Raisins	2 tbsps

Method

1. Take a big pan and add the milk.Boil it till it thickens.


2. Add the cooked sago and cook it.Then add the mashed sweet potato,coconut milk and mix well and boil it together.


3. Cut off the heat and add the jaggery so that the milk does not curdle and melt it by stirring.


4. Then slowly reheat the mixture and once it is boiled well, add the saffron and cardamom powder.


5. Remove from heat and serve it hot or cold in a serving bowl garnished with fried cashew nuts and raisin on the top.

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