Nupur sent me a lovely package of very fresh & fragrant Kolhapuri masala. I had totally forgotten the aroma of this masala which I had tasted in Belgaum at my pachi’s place. I have always relished this aromatic masala and continue to do so. Thanks a lot Nupur.
Now, I wanted to experiment with this masala. I used it in all kinds of dishes, one particular dish which I am sticking to is, this very fragrant pulav. If you don’t find this masala, you can always use goda masala or a simple garam masala. A very tasty and simple dish for the lunch box :). Leave out the egg if you are a vegetarian.
Ingredients: 1/4 cup onion 1/4 cup green beans 1/2 cup potatoes 1/4 cup capsicum 3 boiled eggs 1 cup basmati rice 3 green chillies 2 cloves 2 cardamom 1 tea spn ginger paste 1 bay leaf A pinch turmeric 1/2 tea spn kolhapuri masala/garam masala/goda masala Ghee Salt
Method: Heat ghee and add bay leaf, cardamom, cloves. Add ginger paste, finely chopped green chillies and all vegetables. Fry for few minutes. Add rice and fry again for few minutes. Add masala powder, turmeric and fry again. Now add water(about 1 and 3/4 cup), salt and cook till done.
Peel eggs and cut into small pieces (I discard yolks and just use white part). In another pan, heat some ghee and add little salt, pepper and tumeric. Saute them for a few minutes. Mix with rice before serving.
Serves : 2 Preparation time : 30mins
When we go to fresh vegetable section or to farmer’s market, I feel like trying the new vegetable that I haven’t tried before. My such experiments were not always successful. So last few days, I stuck to “known” vegetables. But last week, I saw these beautiful banana peppers at farmer’s market. They were very fresh and looked gorgeous. So I bought them. Now, I had to figure out what to make with them. Thats how this recipe was born. The dish was very tasty and goes well with rice or chapati.
Ingredients: 1 and 1/2 cups (3 big peppers) chopped banana peppers 1/2 cup potato 1 tea spn chana dal 1 tbl spn coconut 3 red chillies A pinch asafoetida 5-6 curry leaves 1/2 tea spn mustard seeds Oil Salt
Method: Heat oil and add asafoetida, chana dal. When they turn brownish, add curry leaves, red chillies, coconut. Grind to a coarse powder. Heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they start popping, add peppers, potatoes, salt and ground powder. Add a little water, cover and cook till done.
Serves : 3-4 Preparation time : 20mins
