Happy Cow burgers (Veggie bean patties) and healthy coleslaw

For the burgers:

 1 big bunch coriander

 1 x 400g tin of mixed beans

 200g frozen broad beans

 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

 1/2 tsp ground cumin

 1/2 tsp ground coriander

 1 lemon

 1 heaped tbps plain flour (or use gluten free flour/wheat flour)

 olive oil

 

For the coleslaw:

 1/2 small white and red cabbage

 1/2 red onion

 4 heaped tblsp fat-free natural yoghurt

 1 heaped tsp wholegrain mustard

 

 

Put the coriander stalks in your food processor (reserving the leaves), then drain the mixed beans and add, along with the broad beans, a pinch of salt & pepper, the cayenne, cumin, coriander, grated lemon zest and flour.

 Whiz until fine & combined, scraping down the sides of the processor if needed.

 Tip the mixture onto a generously flour-dusted board, divide into 4 pieces, then roll each piece into a ball and flatten into a patty about 2.5cm thick, dusting your hands and the burgers with flour as you go.

 Pour 1 tablespoon of olive into the frying pan, followed by the burgers, pressing them down  & flipping them when golden.

 

Swap to grater in the processor, then grate the cabbage and peeled onion and tip into a bowl.

 Chop the coriander leaves and add, with the yoghurt, mustard and the juice of the lemon, then toss and season to taste.

Serve with cucumber, tomato, sweet-chilly corn, Greek feta cheese.

 

You can use these veggie patties as-  for lunch – these happy Cow Burgers are delicious hot or cold. Serve with a great big green salad and a harissa.

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Puli Koddel Konkani Delight

Ash Gourd or winter melon or white gourd is a very healthy vegetable called as kuvale in konkani. Kuvale puli or puli koddel is a konkani dish, a coconut based curry that is sweet, spicy and sour. This thick curry is usually prepared on special occasions and served with rice. 
Ash gourd has many health benefits and has great medicinal value.
Ash gourd juice is good to loose weight.
Ingredients:
1/2 kg ash gourd
1/2 cup grated coconut
4 dried red chillies
2 tablespoons of tamarind
2 teaspoons of raw rice grains
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons of corrainder seeds
2 teaspoons of seasame seeds
a pinch of turmeric powder
2-3 tablespoons of jaggery
3 tablespoons of oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds 
10-12 of curry leaves
salt to taste
Method:
Peel the ash gourd and remove the seeds in the middle. 
Chop the ash gourd into big cubes and cook them on flame directly or in a pressure cooker for 1 whistle until done using 1 cup water. You need not add lots of water or until the ash gourd pieces dip whether your cooking on a flame or in a cooker (presure cooker).
 You can add salt while cooking if your cooking ash gourd in a pressure cooker. If your cooking ash gourd on gas then do not add salt until its almost cooked as it doesn't cook sometimes.
Meanwhile prepare the masala.
Preparing the masala:
For preparing the masala, frying the spices right is very crucial or the taste changes.
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet, simmer the flame. Add spices into skillet for frying, in the same order as written here with continuous stirring to make sure uniform frying. Add fenugreek seeds, corrainder seeds, cumin seeds, dried red chillies broken into pieces, curry leaves, seasame seeds, rice grains, turmeric powder, grated coconut and fry them for few minutes on a low flame.
Remove off heat and allow it to cool completely.
Grind the fried contents along with salt, jaggery and tamarind into a coarse paste. Add jaggery depending on how sweet or spicy you want the puli to be.
Add the ground masala and the cooked ash gourd into a cooking vessel and mix well.

Add water if required. The consiatency of kuvale puli is usually thick. Keep stirring once in a while and cook on a low heat as it could stick to the bottom. Be very careful.
Check and adjust salt. Simmer for few minutes until the rawness of the masala goes off.
Remove off heat and season it with mustard seeds and curry leaves.
Serve hot with a bowl of hot steaming rice.

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Appam Recipe

Main Ingredients:

1. rice
2. coconut

Ingredients

• Raw rice - 1 1/2 cups ( soak in water for 4-5 hours )
• Grated coconut - 3/4 cup
• Cooked rice - 2 tbsps (optional)
• Salt - 1 tsp
• Sugar - 2 tsps
• Dry Yeast- 1/4 tsp

Method

1. Drain the rice and grind it along with grated coconut and cooked rice in a mixer grinder. Add water little by little while grinding. You can add upto 3/4 cup of water. The ground batter need not be too smooth. When you run the batter between your fingers, it can feel a little coarse but not too coarse. Even if the batter is super smooth, its fine.
2. In a stainless steel vessel (Appam Pan), add 1/4 cup of the ground batter and 3/4 cup of water. Place it over very low flame and go on stirring constantly. It will begin to thicken, continue stirring vigourosly till it appears like a transparent thick mixture. Turn off heat and bring to room temperature.
3. Add the cooled cooked batter to the remaining ground appam batter and mix well such that there are no lumps. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup water, if necessary. This batter should not be too runny like rava dosa batter not thick like a masala dosa batter. It should be a slightly thick pouring consistency.
4. Place lid and ferment this batter overnight. It will almost double in size on fermentation.
5. Add salt, sugar and dry yeast dissolved in warm water. Keep the batter aside for 2 hrs, Mix well but do not over beat the batter.
6. Heat the non-stick appam pan on medium flame for 2 minutes. There is no need to add oil while preparing appams. Add 2 to 3 drops and use a tissue to grease the pan all over. Lower flame, pour a ladle full of batter or a little more than 1/4 cup of batter in the center of the pan.
7. Lift the pan (off the flame of the stove) and twirl the batter in a clock wise direction so that the batter spreads out in a circular shape. Do not twirl more than twice. There will be more batter in the center than the sides, which is fine. Place back the pan on stove, cover with lid and cook on low flame. Check after two mts and if it is done, remove from pan, otherwise continue to cook with lid for a little while longer. It should cook within 2 1/2 mts to 3 mts.
8. The edges will be crisp and will slowly leave the sides of the pan. Use a flat spatula to lift the appam off the pan and place on serving plate. You can cook for a while longer for browner edges but I prefer pure white appams.
9. Prepare appams with the rest of the batter. There is no need to add oil for preparing appams in a non stick pan.
10. Serve warm appams with vegetable stew or chicken curry, egg roast or sweetened coconut milk. If you do not want to make any curry just break an egg in the middle of the appam sprinkle salt and black pepper powder close the lid cook the appam for 1-2 minute. and serve. Its know as Bull’s eye Appam.

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Raw Banana Kofta Curry - Kachche Kale Ka Kofta Curry....

Ingredients

• For Koftas:
• Raw bananas - 2, boil in 3 cups water till soft
• Potato – 3 medium size boiled (grated)
• Red Beans boiled -  ½ cup (helps to bind the kofta)
• Ginger - Green chili – garlic paste - 2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
• Amchur powder - pinch
• Coriander leaves - 2 tbsps, finely chopped
• Cornflour- 3tsp (dissolved in cold water- add pinch of salt)
• Salt to taste
• Oil – 2 tsp for Gravy, 2 tsp to fry onion and whole spices, Few drops of oil used in Appe Pan.

• For Gravy:
• Cinnamon stick - 1"
• Cardamom - 1
• Onion - 2 roughly chopped
• Tomato - 1, large, pureed
• Green chillies-1
• Ginger paste – ½ inch
• Garlic-4-5
• Cumin Seeds-2 tsp
• Asafoetida (Hing)- pinch
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Sesame seeds (white till) – 2tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder - 1 1/2 tsps
• Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
• Fresh cream - 1 tbsp for garnish (or malai/top of milk)
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves for garnish

Method

1. Cut the end of the raw bananas. Cut each raw banana into two pieces. Do not peel the skin. Boil them 4 cups of water along with pinch of salt on low to medium flame. It will take approx 20-30 mts based on the size of the raw bananas. Insert a knife into the raw banana and if it goes through smoothly then its cooked till soft. Turn off heat and drain the water. Cool and peel the raw bananas and grate them.
2. In a bowl, add the grated raw banana,  grated potato, Mashed red beans, ginger-garlic- green chili paste, coriander powder, amchur powder, coriander leaves, and salt. Mix well the mixture such that you can make small lime sized balls (koftas). Make small koftas and keep aside.
3. Heat Appe Pan (Paniyaram Pan) oil for making kofta with few drops of oil in each arounds. Once the oil is hot, reduce flame to medium and dip the balls in cornflour water then carefully place the balls  gently into the appe pan. Close the lid and cook for 2.5 minutes and remove the lid and cook the kofta on each side for another 3 minutes or till golden brown in colour and remove into a bowl lined with absorbent paper. Keep aside and make the gravy.
4. To prepare the gravy, heat oil in a cooking vessel. Add the cinnamon stick, cumin seeds, and cardamom and allow to splutter. Add the chopped onions and saute for 4 minutes, add ginger-garlic- green chili and saute for a minute., remove form heat add 2 tsp of white till (sesame seeds). Add turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, red chili powder and salt and mix. Now allow the mixture to cool, then grind to smooth paste.
5. Take a kadai add few drops of oil add pinch of hing (asafoetida), add the onion paste mixture, cook for 3-4 minutes, add tomato puree and cook for 5 minutes.
6. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce flame and simmer for 7-8 minutes or till it reaches the desired curry consistency. Now add fresh cream and cook for another 2 minutes. Turn off heat.
7. To serve the kofta curry, place the koftas in a deep bowl and pour the gravy over the koftas till submerged. Allow to sit for 7-10 minutes and serve warm. Fresh coriander leaves.

The warming Raw Banana gravy adds that magic touch which pulls the dish together and makes for an excellent side with flavored rice or rotis.  Happy Cooking.
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