Cheera Thoran | Amaranth Leaves Stir Fry

Ingredients:
1. Amaranth Leaves(Avare Soppu in Kannada) - 2 bunches
2. Onion - 1 medium
3. Garlic cloves - 4-5
4. Dried red chilli - 2
5. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
6. Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
7. Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
8. Oil - 1 tablespoon
9. Salt to taste

Method:
1. Clean and wash amaranth leaves along with the stem. We just need to remove the stem just above the roots which will be very fibrous. Finely chop the leaves.

2. Heat oil in a wide vessel and splutter mustard seeds. Add finely chopped onion and dried red chillies and saute till onion turn translucent.

3. Add finely chopped leaves, salt and turmeric powder. Cover and cook on low flame for 5-7 minutes.

4. Add grated coconut, mix well and turn off the flame.

Serve as a side dish with rice.

Green Amaranth Leaves

Beetroot Palya | Karnataka Style Beetroot Stir Fry

Ingredients:
1. Beetroot - 2 medium
2. Onion - 1 medium
3. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
4. Cumin seeds/ Jeera - 1/4 teaspoon
5. Urad dal - 1/2 teaspoon
6. Green chillies - 1 or as per taste
7. Dried red chilli - 1
8. Grated coconut - 3 tablespoon
9. Curry leaves - few
10. Coriander leaves for garnishing
11. Oil - 2 teaspoon
12. Lemon juice - 1 teaspoon
13. Salt to taste

Method:
1.Wash and remove the skin of beetroot. Cut them into small pieces. Pressure cook with 1/2 cup water, slit green chilli and salt to taste for 1 whistle.

2. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add urad dal and saute until they turn golden brown. Add Cumin seeds, split dried red chillies, curry leaves and finely chopped onion. Saute until onions turn translucent.

3. Add cooked beetroot along with any water left after pressure cooking. Mix well and cook until all the water evaporates.

4. Finally add grated coconut and turn off the flame. Add chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice and mix well.

Karnataka style beetroot palya is ready. Serve as a side dish for rice. 

Cauliflower Egg Stir Fry

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Cauliflower florets - 2 cups
2. Egg - 3
3. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
4. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
5. Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon or as per taste
6. Curry leaves - few
7. Oil - 1 tablespoon
8. Coriander leaves for garnishing
9.  Salt to taste

Method:
1. Clean and wash the cauliflower florets.

2. Boil 3 cups of water and add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder. Switch off the flame and add cauliflower florets. Cover and keep aside the vessel for 5 minutes.

3. After 5 minutes, drain off the water and cut cauliflower into small pieces.

4. In a pan heat a tablespoon of oil and splutter mustard seeds. Add cauliflower pieces and cover and cook on low-medium flame until they are very done.

5. Once the cauliflower is well cooked, add 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, red chilli powder, curry leaves and mix well.

6. Break open 3 eggs in the same pan and saute until eggs are cooked. Add salt to taste and mix well. Turn off the flame and garnish with coriander leaves.

Tastes best as a side dish for chapathi.

Chicken Ghee Roast - Mangalore Style

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1. Chicken - small pieces - 1/2 kg

2. Onion - 1 medium

3. Ginger - 2 inch piece

4. Garlic - 6 cloves

5. Curry leaves - 2 sprig

6. Tamarind pulp - 1 teaspoon

7. Jaggery - small piece(a size of almond)

8. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

9. Yogurt - 4 tablespoon

10. Ghee - 2 tablespoon

11. Oil - 1 tablespoon

12. Salt to taste 

To dry roast:

1. Kashmiri chillies - 6

2. Normal chillies - 2

3. Peppercorns - 10 nos.

4. Coriander seeds - 1 tablespoon

5. Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

6. Fennel seeds/ saunf - 1/2 teaspoon

7. Fenugreek seeds - 10 nos.

Method:

1.  Wash and clean chicken. Marinate chicken with salt, turmeric powder and yogurt. Refrigerate for atleast 2 hours.

2. Dry roast the items mentioned in the list on medium flame. Grind the spices along with ginger and garlic with a tablespoon  of water into a fine paste.

3. Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a thick bottomed pan. Add the marinated chicken and mix well. Cover and cook for 20 minutes.  

4. Remove the cooked chicken from the stove and keep aside. Heat the same pan again and add a tablespoon of ghee and a tbsp of oil. Add finely chopped onion and saute till they turn translucent. 

5. Add the ground spice paste and saute till oil separates. Now add the cooked chicken along with any liquid left while cooking chicken. 

6. Add a teaspoon of tamarind pulp, small piece of jaggery and curry leaves. Check for seasoning and add salt if required. Cover and cook on medium flame until all the liquid evaporates. 

7. Remove the lid and roast the chicken for few more minutes with continuous stirring.  Garnish with curry leaves and serve.

Bread Vada

Makes: 6 vadas

Ingredients:

1. Sandwich bread - 4 slices

2. Onion - 1 medium

3. Curd - 2 tablespoon

4. Green chilly - 1

5. Ginger - finely chopped - 1/2 teaspoon

6. Curry leaves - few

7. Baking soda - 1 pinch

8. Rice flour - 1-2 tablespoon

9. Salt to taste 

10. Oil for deep frying

Method: 

1. Cut the bread into small pieces and to this add finely chopped onion, curd, finely chopped green chilli, ginger, curry leaves and baking soda. Add salt to taste and 1 tablespoon of rice flour and mix well to form a dough. Add more rice flour if the dough is little loose.

2. Heat oil for deep frying. When oil is hot, take small portion of mixture, flatten it between your palms and make a small hole in the center. Drop them in oil and fry on low-medium flame until golden brown.

3. Once done, take out from oil and drain excess oil in a paper towel. 

Serve hot with tomato ketchup and cup of tea.

Idichakka Thoran | Tender Jackfruit Stir Fry

Ingredients:
1. Idichakka/ Tender Jackfruit - 1 small size
2. Coconut grated - 1 cup
3. Shallots - 1/2 cup
4. Garlic - 2 cloves
5. Cumin seeds/Jeera - 1 teaspoon
6. Curry leaves - few
7. Green chilly - 1 or as per your spice level
8. Dried red chillies - 2
9. Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
10. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
11. Salt to taste
12. Coconut oil - 1 tablespoon

Method:
1. Remove the skin of Jackfruit and cut into 2 inch pieces. Wash the cut pieces and pressure cook with 1 cup water, turmeric powder and salt to taste for 2 whistles.

2. Meanwhile grind grated coconut, garlic, green chillies and cumin seeds without adding water.

3. Drain any water left in cooked Jackfruit and mash with potato masher. You can also pulse it in blender for 2-3 seconds. We don't need to grind the jackfruit instead just need to shred them.

4. Heat coconut oil in a large pan. Splutter mustard seeds and add curry leaves and red chillies.

5. Add sliced shallots and fry till they turn translucent. Then add ground coconut mixture and saute for couple of minutes.

6. Finally add jackfruit and give it a good mix. Check for seasoning and add salt if required. Cover and cook on low flame for 5 more minutes.

Kerala style Idichakka thoran is ready to serve and it is best served as a side dish for rice.

Badam Milk

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
1. Milk - 3 cups
2. Badam/Almonds - 10+2(for garnish)
3. Cardamom pods - 4
4. Sugar - 4 teaspoon
5. Saffron strands - 1 pinch

Method:
1. Boil 3 cups of milk in a thick bottomed vessel on medium flame. Stir occasionally and make sure milk doesn't burn at the bottom.

2. Meanwhile, blend 10 almonds, sugar and cardamom into a fine powder.  Add this powder and saffron strands to milk and boil for 5 more minutes.

Badam milk is ready. Garnish with almond slices and couple of strands of saffron. You can either serve it hot or refrigerate for 1-2 hours and serve cold.

Linking this recipe to "Shhh Cooking Secretly Challenge", a monthly event started by Priya and now being hosted by Mayuri. For the month of Feb, I am paired up with Priya who gave me Saffron and Sugar as my ingredients and here comes my Badam milk recipe with these ingredients.