Tomato Gojju

       

Hey people!! Hope alls well at your end. Long time indeed...... :) My apologies for having disappeared without even informing. To all my readers who have been mailing and asking me if everything was alright.....Yes, things are great!! Thank you so much for asking :). Past couple of months have been eventful for us, out here. The update from my end is that, Naveen and I  are expecting a new addition to our family in a few months from now!!! :) While we were very happy and excited about entering the next phase of our life, the first few weeks were also a little hard for us to cope with. Terrible nausea and morning sickness had kept me away from the kitchen all this while.... I could not bear the smell of food, leave alone cooking and eating it :D. I only lived on fruits all this while :D Naveen even had to stop using his perfumes 'coz I couldn't bear the smell of it :). Glad that the whole phase is over and am slowly getting back to normal. Will keep updating you guys from time to time, with all the happenings at my end....

Another update is that, my parents will be joining us here in the first week of May!!! :) I am really looking forward to having them over..... You guys could expect some nice "amma- made" dishes and recipes here on Mane Adige, after they arrive!! :)

Will now head straight to today's recipe.... Its a simple side dish that takes very few ingredients and gets done really fast. This gojju tastes great with dosas and chapatis. Make it a little more watery and its perfect with rice as well.... 

Ingredients:

4-5 Ripe tomatoes, medium sized

1 tsp Red Chili Powder + 3/4 tsp Methi powder OR 1-2 tsp Rasam Powder

1 tbsp Jaggery

4-5 Curry leaves

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1 - 1.5 tsp Oil

A generous pinch of hing

Salt as per taste

Chopped Cilantro for garnishing

 

Method:

1. Wash and chop tomatoes finely; Keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan; Temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves and hing.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes and covered for a few minutes; You could add a few spoons of water if the mixture is too dry but usually, tomatoes give out moisture as they cook.
4. Add salt, jaggery, rasam powder and mix well; Continue to cook until done;If you are using methi seeds, dry roast them for a minute and then powder them in a blender without adding any water.
5. Add water to attain desired consistency and boil well; Once done, remove from stove and serve hot with rice /rotis/dosas etc.

Prep Time: About 20-25 mins;

Serves: 2-3 people;

Mangalore Buns

        

I was quite young when I heard of this dish for the first time, and I wondered.... "Why is it called buns?? why not pakoras or bhajjis or something?? Its nothing like the actual buns...!!!!"  Initially, I found this whole "Mangalore Buns" thing pretty strange, 'coz it was not actually buns, it was only mildly sweet (neither was it a savory, nor was it exactly a sweet dish - and I was told that's how its supposed to be), and its eaten with chutney!!!!!!! I thought i'd never get myself to like something this different. But after trying it a couple of times, I actually started liking them. These mildly sweet, banana flavored, deep fried treats indeed taste great with a spicy chutney!!!  They are different.... You should try it sometime, if you still haven't.

As the name suggests, this is an authentic Mangalorean recipe. Scan the menu of any local restaurant in Mangalore and you are sure to find "Buns" on it. While I like my buns with coconut chutney and a hot cup of tea, they can also be had with some steaming hot sambhar. I am posting this on the request from a few of my readers. Sorry about the delay, people... But I hope y'all like the recipe! :)

 

Ingredients:

1 cup Maida/All purpose flour

1 ripe Banana, medium sized

1-2 tbsp Curd/Yogurt

4-5 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Jeera seeds

1/2 - 3/4 tsp Baking soda

1/2 tsp Salt

Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Mash the banana completely with your hands; Add the rest of the ingredients, except oil, and make a dough; The dough should be of the chapati dough consistency. Note: Be very careful while adding yogurt; Yogurt gives out some water and tends to make the dough watery. So, start with very little quantity and then add more, as required.
2. Cover and set aside for 4-5 hours.
3. Heat oil in a frying pan on low-medium heat; A tiny ball of dough dropped into the oil should rise immediately - That's when the oil is ready.
4. Pull out ping pong sized balls of dough and pat them in between your palms to make pooris out of the dough; You could also use rolling pin to make the pooris. Note: If you are using your hands for making pooris, greasing them with a few drops of cooking oil would help.
5. Drop the pooris in oil and deep fry on both sides until they turn brown; Note: While deep frying, press and keep them inside the oil for a few seconds, just like how you would do for ordinary pooris - This helps them fluff up!
6. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels; Serve hot with coconut chutney/Sambhar and enjoy.

And the Winner of the "Chutney/Dip Mania" is........

Sanika for her Kokum Chutney  @ "Spicy & Tangy....Sweet & Yummy!!!!"

There were about 521 votes on the whole, and Kokum Chutney won with 240 votes (46%)!!!!!

A big THANKS to all Mane Adige readers and also my fellow bloggers for making this event a huge success! :)

Congratulations, Sanika!!! :) Expect to see a mail from me in your inbox pretty soon...