Uppina Saaru (Amarnath leaves)

Uppina Saaru (Amarnath leaves cooked with lentils)

Today I was at a Chinese store with a very friend of mine and I found this very healthy green leafy vegetable called Danttina soppu in Kannada in English its called as Amarnath leaves and I decided to make a very comforting  and homely dish. The name "Uppina Saaru"in Kannada literally means " Salty Water". As the name suggests we use basically only  2 ingredients salt and water to prepare this dish, in addition to it and according to the season we keep varying the green leafy vegetable or lentils that goes into it.

I remember my Dad used to ask my mom to prepare this dish after our holidays and eating outside  as this curry will refresh your taste buds

The best combination to go along with this saaru (curry) is Ragi Mudde (Recipe will follow).I made Ragi Mudde and red chutney to go along with this preparation.My husband while enjoying his very homely dinner he told me something which made me very happy,he said my mother would be very proud of me :).

Serving Tip: Serve it with mudde (ragi ball) or with steaming white rice along with red chutney.

   

Ingridients :

Toor dal - 1 cup

Amarnath leaves - 1 big bunch

salt- to taste

Ingridients for the Red Chutney (Khara) :

Dry red chillies or green chillies - 3

Garlic pods - 3
Jeera (cumin seeds) - 1 tbsp

Pepper corns -10

*Tamarind(burnt ) - marble size

Boiled toor dal - 2 tab spoon from the sarru
Uchellu (Niger seeds) - 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves - 10 springs

Salt - to taste

Preparation of uppina saaru:

1. Boil with toor dal with 10 cups of water and salt.

2.When the dal is 3/4th cooked add the leaves and cook untill leaves and dal are completelety cooked.

3. Check for the salt and water.This preparation needs to be more watery.

Preparation of Red chutney (Khara) :
1. Dry roast jeera and  Uchellu.
2. Roast green or red chillies with few drops of oil (the other option is to boil the chillies in saaru along with Toordal and take it out while grinding).
3.*Pierce tamrind to the knife and burn it over the flame in the gas burner.
3.Grind all the ingredients mentioned under Khara using water from saaru.

Saffron Biscuits or Osmania Biscuits

Saffron Biscuits or Osmania Biscuits

Osmania biscuits are very famous in a place called Hyderabad in India.They are served with Irani chai(tea).I had heard a lot about it from my husband and brother.My brother recently visited Hyderabad and liked these biscuits very much and kept talking abouth them for couple of days, which made me try one day as I badly wanted to taste them.It turned out be the best biscuits I ever made.
                 

Ingridients:
1.Butter - 120 gram
2.Powdered Sugar - 80gram( as I didnot have powdered sugar I ground sugar+1 tea spoon corn flour in a mixer)
3.Milk - 20ml
4.All purpose flour - 200 gram
5.Custard powder - 10gram
6.Milk powder - 10 gram
7.Cardamom - a pinch
8.Baking powder - 1/4 tea spoon.

Method:

                                 

1. keep the butter outside in a room temperature for 1 hour        2. Mix the butter +  powdered sugar with  
and mix it with powdered sugar untill it becomes smooth.             All purpose flour untill it forms a short                                                                                                      crust as shown in the pic.
                                                                                               

                                         
                                                                                             

3.Roll it on a flat surface by dusting with flour on the surface.           4. Cut them into desired shape using                                                                                                          cookie cutter or lid of any bottle.

5. Bake them at 180 deg centigrade for 15 mins( but keep an eye as every oven is different).

Stuffed Okra (Bhindi or ladies finger)

STUFFED OKRA

This is a delicious okra preparation to go along with chapathi or Naan.

Serving tip: Serve with Naan or roti.

         

Ingridients:

1.Okra (bhindi) - 500 grams
2.Onion  - 1 small
3.Ginger - an inch peice
4.Green Chillies - 1(optional)
5.Sesame seed - 1/4 tea spoon.

For stuffing:
1.Coriander powder - 2 tab spoon
2.Cumin powder - 1 tea spoon
3.Amchur (dry mango powder) - 1 tea spoon
4.Garam masala - 1 tea spoon.

Method:

   
                              







                                                                             


1.Slit the Okra  as shown in the pic                                          2. Prepare the stuffing as shown in 
                                                                                                       the pic and stuff the Okra 


                                                                                                
   






3. Heat oil in a pan and throw in onion , ginger         4.After onion turns translucent,add all the  
 and green chillies with sesame seeds                            stuffed okra in a single layer and fry 
                                                                                          10mins by closing the lid.                  
                                                                                                         
NOTE: You can also play around with the suffing by using sambhar or rasam masala.

Masoor Dal Tadka (Red Lentil Soup)

MASOOR DAL TADKA

This is one of the simplest yet delicious dal recipe. I added a little twist to this simple dal and it turned out to be the most delicious dal I ever made. My husband loved it very much and we both enjoyed every bite of it.

If you are eager to know the twist I gave please go through the instructions below. I really recomend you to try out this recipe.

Serving tip : serve it with hot Naan or roti or rice.

                 

Ingredients:

  Masoor Dal - 1 cup

  Turmeric powder - 1/4 tea spoon

  Ginger - half inch

  Garlic - 2 pods
  Greean chillies - to taste

  Salt - to taste

Method :

1.Soak masoor dal (red lentil) for 30 mins.
2.Pressure cook dal with ginger+garlic+green chillies paste.
3.For seasoning add oil in a pan , add mustard seeds into the oil once they start spluttering add sliced onions and fry until they turn golden brown.
4.Add the season to the dal.

Naan (Indian Bread)

Naan ( Indian bread )
                 
                 

                     

This Indian bread doesn't need any introduction .It's also very famous among westerners.Many a times when I talk to people in europe about Indian cuisine the first that occurs to most of them is this most delicious indian bread. Many of us think it's very complicated to make them but  actually not !!!. I would say it's much easier and faster than your normal roti or paratha's.Please do give it a try as it tastes better and good for you when eat it fresh.
I have also included in this recipe a susbitute for egg.
Serving tip : It can be paired with any indian curry especially mughalai type of curries. It can also be used as wrap with some tandoori chicken and mint chutney.


Ingredients :
All purpose flour - 3 cups
water - 1 cup
Yoghurt - 2 tbsp
Instant yeast - 1 tea spoon
egg - 1 ( you can use 1 tbsp ground flax seed + 3 tbsp water = 1 egg  but I never tried it!!!!).
sugar - 1 tbsp
Method :
1.Add yeast and sugar to the 1 cup luke warm water a ( temperature = approx 50 deg ) and set it aside for 10 mins untill you notice froath on the top ( its called proofing yeast).
2.Add egg and yoghurt to the yeast mixuture.
3.Take all purpose flour in a large mixing bowl and start adding yeast,egg and yoghurt mixture slowly untill all the flour comes together( I prefer it to be little sticky dough).
4. Let this dough rest for 1hr -2 hrs depending on the time you have.
5. Once the dough has risen and doubled in size, form small balls and roll them to the desired shape you like.
6.Preheat your oven to the max temperature possible along with baking tray or pizza stone.( very important to  preheat oven with baking tray or pizza stone and in case of baking tray lightly grease it).
7. Place them on the preheated baking tray or pizza stone and bake them for 5 to 7 mins ( but please do keep an eye on them as each oven is different).