BANANA CHIPS

Banana Chips are available in plenty in bakeries all over.  But the taste of the home made chips is awesome.   Home made chips are  fresh,  crispy and nourishing,  as we can use the oil of our choice to fry  the chips.  With little effort,  these  can be prepared at home, preferably with a helping hand.  

TO PREPARE BANANA CHIPS:

Ingredients:

• 8 fresh green raw Nandarkai bananas
• 1 litre cooking oil 
• 1 tbspn turmeric powder dissolved in water
• A metal chips slicer

Method:

• Peel the skin of the raw banana by slitting the skin lengthwise, without touching the pulp
• Soak these peeled bananas in turmeric  water in an utensil for a while
• Remove the bananas and pat dry using a dry cloth or tissue paper

• Heat the oil in a deep frying pan, bring it to a boil
• Hold the slicer above the hot oil and slice the bananas, dropping directly into the hot oil
• To avoid lumps, keep stirring.
• Add a tspn of salt water into the hot oil
• Fry until crispy
• Transfer the fried chips onto a plate covered with tissue paper
• Allow to cool. 
• Store the chips in an air tight container.

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PORK RIBS

Pork ribs is a variation in cooking pork meat and is a delicacy.  This recipe is from Jovita Pinto, and the dish comes out yummy.

Pork ribs are not sold separately in Mangalore.  However  with  a courteous request to the vendor we can buy the ribs.    Along with the ribs, fat as well as the meat is also included. The ribs must be cut into finger size pieces, preferably at the place where these are purchased.

TO PREPARE PORK RIBS:

Ingredients:

1 kg pork ribs along with meat and fat

Marinade:

Soya sauce                     : 1 tbspn

Ginger garlic paste         : ½ tbspn

Juice of a lemon

Chilly powder                 : 1 tspn

Salt                                  : to taste or ¾ tspn

Mix the marinade well and apply to each pork piece thoroughly.

Marinate overnight or atleast for 3 hours

To prepare:

Ingredients:

Oil                       : 1 tspn

Chilly flakes         : 1 tspn

Sweet and hot tomato ketchup : 1 cup (or more if required)

Cook the marinated meat on low fire until soft and tender.

In a separate utensil heat the oil and add the chilly flakes on a very slow fire.

Add on the tomato ketchup and mix well forming a thick gravy.

Add to this the cooked meat and stir well enough so that the thick gravy covers the meat. 

Delicious pork ribs are ready to be served.

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F I L A F I L

Filafil used to be one of my favorite snack during the good olden days in the desert. Although we can find many shawarma vendors in Mangalore, filafil caterers yet to come. After referring to different recipe sites and modifying the recipe as per the availability of the ingredients, I was successful to get the outcome as below:

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TO PREPARE FILAFIL:

Ingredients:

• 250 gms chick peas-soaked overnight
• 3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1/2 green chilly 
• 6 cloves garlic finely chopped  
• 1 small onion-minced  
• ½ cup water 
• 25 gm gram flour (more if required)
• salt & pepper 
• 1 tsp cumin powder 
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tspn lime juice

 Method:

• Wash the soaked chickpeas and put them in a food processor with the chilly, garlic, onion and water.  
• Grind until you get a rough moist texture.
• Add salt, pepper, cumin powder, finely cut coriander leaves, lime juice and soda powder. 
• Blend in the gram flour.
• Make small flat patties out of the mixture
• Drop in hot oil, fry over a moderate flame until golden brown and completely cooked.
• Drain and serve hot.

The filafils are good in a pita bread sandwich.

Split the pita bread on one side (lengthwise) to form an opening.

Place a layer of falafil, some *tahini, sour cream and lettuce along with some chopped onions and serve.

Tip: *Tahini is a paste made out of sesame, olive oil and little water blended together.

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PEPPER PRAWNS

Prawns taste delicious, whatever way they are cooked.  Though rich in cholestrol  and fat  contents,  all relish eating the prawn delicacies.  

Prawns pepper is a self-invented recipe, tried out by me and liked by all at home.   This dish requires lesser  time to prepare  and can be included on a party menu. 

TO PREPARE PEPPER PRAWNS

INGREDIENTS:

• 25 Nos. Big sized Prawns, cleaned and washed.
• 1 big onion sliced
• 1” ginger minced
• 2 garlic flakes minced
• 1 tomato diced
• 1 tspn green chilly sauce
• ½ tspn soya sauce
• 1 tspn pepper
• Salt
• 1 tspn lime juice
• 1 tbspn oil

METHOD:

• Saute sliced onion in the oil until translucent
• Add tomatoes and sauté until cooked
• Put in minced ginger and cook
• Add the chilly sauce, soya sauce and lime juice.
• Now add pepper and salt and stir well.
• Finally add the prawns and cook in the juice which comes out of the prawns on a low fire.

Serve hot as a side dish.

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ASSORTED BASKET OF BREAD

Bread making is an art, though laborious worth the efforts.    Here I have tried to make a variety of shapes and sizes of bread.

TO PREPARE  THE ASSORTED BASKET OF BREAD:




Ingredients:

• 250 gms flour
• 2 tsps sugar  
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp yeast
• 125ml water
• 2 ½ tsps oil

Method:

• Ferment the yeast with sugar and 2 tbspns of water.  Make sure that the yeast is active.
• Sieve the flour.
• Add the yeast mixture to the flour and work with the dough adding the required amount of water till the dough is smooth. 
• Put on the work top and knead with the palm of your hand for at least 15 minutes. 
• Then add the oil to the dough and work on it more. 
• Rest the dough in a quiet place for 30 minutes.
• Knock it back on the work surface.

• Shape the dinner rolls according to the shape you desire and then *prove. 
• Egg wash the proven rolls and bake at 160 degrees.
• Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

• Tip: *Proving is to keep the dough for another 30 minutes after the     desired shape is given. 

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GOLI BAJE - ROUND FRITTERS

Goli baje is an all time favourite snack, can be prepared for breakfast or for evening snack.   Goli means ‘round’ in Kannada and though it is of varied shapes, as the batter is dropped in hot oil using a spoon, it is still called Goli baje.  Goli baje is a Mangalorean snack and can be found in most of the Mangy restaurants in Mangalore and around.  

As Goli bajes are deep fried, more oil is absorbed in it and must be placed on tissue paper soon after removing it from the deep frying pan to get rid of the the excess oil. 

TO PREPARE GOLI BAJE:

Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 cups maida
• 1 tspn gram flour (besan) – for crispiness
• 3/4 cup curd or yogurt
• 1 tspn finely chopped ginger
• 1 tspn finely chopped green chilies
• 2 sprigs curry leaves
• A pinch of asafoetida
• 1/2 tspn baking soda
• 1 tspn sugar (optional)
• 1 onion chopped
• Salt
• Oil
• Tissue paper

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients (except oil) to form a thick batter;  
• batter should be thicker enough to drop off a teaspoon.
• Leave the dough for around 30mins.
• Heat oil in a deep frier.
• Drop a spoonful of batter into hot oil.
• Deep fry until slightly crunchy.

Serve hot with chutney and steaming coffee.

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DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE

April First being a significant day for our family, what else would make it a memorable day than baking and presenting a Devil’s Food Cake to my darling Dad on his birthday.

Forget what the title says, the cake  turned out into a lip-smacking delight.  Chocolate lovers simply love this cake.

TO PREPARE THE DEVILS FOOD CAKE:

INGREDIENTS:

For the cake:

• 50gms cocoa powder, sifted
• 100gms dark brown/demerara sugar
• 250ml boiling water
• 125 gms soft unsalted butter
• 150gms castor sugar
• 225gms plain flour
• 1⁄2 tspn baking powder
• 1⁄2 tspn bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tspns vanilla essence
• 2 eggs

For the frosting:

• 125ml water
• 30g brown sugar
• 100g unsalted butter cubed
• 300g dark chocolate finely chopped
• 2 x 9 inch baking tins

METHOD :

• Line the bottoms of both the tins with butter paper and grease the sides.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder and soda bicarbonate in a bowl and keep  aside.
• Put the cocoa and 100g dark brown/demerara sugar into a bowl and pour in the boiling water. 
• Whisk to mix, then set aside.
• Cream the butter and castor sugar together, beating well until fluffy.
• Dribble the vanilla extract into the creamed butter and sugar – mixing all the while
• Drop in 1 egg, quickly followed by a scoopful of flour mixture, then the second egg.
• Keep mixing and add in the rest of the dried ingredients for the cake.
• Then finally mix and fold in the cocoa mixture, scraping the bowl well with a spoon.
• Divide the chocolate batter between the 2 prepared tins.
• Pre-heat the oven to 180°C
• Place the tins in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean.
• Take the tins out and leave them on a wire rack for 5–10 minutes, before turning the cakes out to cool.

• To make the frosting: put the water, 30g brown sugar and 100g butter in a pan over a low heat to melt.
• When this mixture begins to bubble, take the pan off the heat and add the chopped chocolate, swirling the pan so that all the chocolate is hit with heat, then leave for a minute to melt before whisking till smooth and glossy.
• Leave for about 1 hour, whisking now and again – when you’re passing the pan – by which time the cakes will be cooled, and ready for the frosting.
• Set one of the cooled cakes, with its top side down, on a cake stand or plate, and spread with about a third of the frosting, then top that with the second cake, and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides, swirling away with your spatula. Smoothen the top of the cake as much as possible.

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CHOCO CHIP COOKIES

Choco-chip cookies are a good tea time snack and are loved by the entire family, specially the kids. My little 2 year old just loves having them with a cup of milk.  The cookies make a healthy snack for growing up children.

Chocolate chips are small chunks of chocolate. They are often sold in a round, flat-bottomed tear-drop shape.  

These are available in many sizes, from large to miniature, but are usually around 1 cm in diameter. Choco- chips can be found in any big retail store and  can be used in cookies, pancakes, waffles, cakes, pudding, muffins, crêpes, pies, hot chocolate, and various types of pastry.

To prepare Choco-chip Cookies:

(Makes 25 -30 cookies)

 Ingredients:

• 140 gms maida flour
• 100 gms butter
• 150 gms powdered sugar
• 1 egg or 50 ml milk
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of baking powder
• 10 gms caramel
• 75 gms Choco chips 
• 2.5 ml vanilla essence

Method:

• Sieve flour, baking powder and salt.
• Beat the butter till light using a cake beater
• Add sugar  and beat the mixture until creamy
• Add the egg and then the essence.
• Add the caramel and mix
• Add choco chips to maida mixture. Mix with creamed mixture.
• Rest the dough for 10 minutes.

Put a spoonful of the mixture on an ungreased baking tray to make cookies. The cookies take their own shape when baking.  

Bake at 140 – 160 degrees C temperature for 20 minutes. 

Check before removing, allow it to cool.

Choco- chip cookies are ready to be served for the tea time.


Tip: Caramel is made by browning 2 tsps of sugar in a non- stick pan, then add about a tbsp of water and boil till it reduces to caramel consistency.

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MANGO CURRY - KAAT AMBYACHE NISTHE

Ripe mango curry is one of the favourites of the entire household.  Year after year when summer sets in, this is one of the many summer food delicacies that we prepare. 

During my childhood, we had few wild (kaat) mango trees  and as soon as the day sets in, a visit to these trees in order to pick the fallen ripe mangoes was a habit during the summer holidays. 

A delicious curry was being prepared from these mangoes by my Mother.  The mango  curry blended well with the boiled rice and I usually ended up over-eating.  

TO PREPARE MANGO CURRY:

• 1 Kg country/kaat  ripe mangoes 
• (any other variety of mangoes can also be used)
• 1 ½ tbspn jaggery powdered
• ½ tspn salt

Grind together:

• ¾ cup grated coconut
• 3 dried red chillies, tawa roasted in ½ tspn of oil
• 1 tspn mustard seeds 

For Seasoning:

• 1 tspn mustard
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 tbspn cooking oil

Method:

• Wash the mangoes and peel off the skin. 
• The peel must be squeezed  to extract the mango pulp in it. 
• Ultimately discard the peel and put the skinned mangoes to this pulp.
• Boil the ground paste with a cup of water and allow it to slightly thicken.
•  Add the salt and dissolve the jaggery powder in it.

• When the gravy is thickened, add the peeled mangoes with the water.
• Allow it to simmer on low fire for five minutes.
• Add the seasoning of spluttered mustard seeds and curry leaves in oil 

Serve the curry with boiled rice for scrumptious lunch. 

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MUSSELS / CLAMS MEAT CUTLETS

Mussels or clams are shellfish found both in salt and sweet water.   The meat is soft and  delicious.  The mussels must be cleaned thoroughly and the whole shells are boiled until they open.  The meat is then separated from the shells.

The meat of the clams can be cooked in different ways.  I have used the meat to make cutlets using potatoes and other usual ingredients.   

TO PREPARE MUSSEL CUTLETS:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of cooked meat from the clams, minced fine.
• 2 big potatoes boiled and mashed
• 2 big onions minced
• 3 green chillies
• 1 ½” ginger piece
• A bunch of coriander leaves
• 1 cup of bread crumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1 tspn salt to taste
• Oil for frying           

Method: 

• Mx the minced clams meat, onions, green chillies, ginger and salt, keep the mixture on fire to soften the mixture.
• Cool the mixture and add the eggs and mix well.
• Mix the potatoes and minced coriander leaves.
• Add required quantity of bread crumbs to form small balls of the mixture.
• Flatten the balls using bread crumbs and a knife.

Shallow fry with little oil until crunchy.

Ready to be served as a snack or side dish.

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