Author: redchillies

Mexican Rice – for a picnic potluck

Mexican Rice – for a picnic potluck

I had briefly mentioned about our picnic at the park in my earlier post in which few families got together and did a potluck. With heat looming, it was a weekend well spent, as the kids spent hours together splashing in the water, while the 

Blueberry Yogurt Parfait

Blueberry Yogurt Parfait

  Blueberries are powerhouse of nutrition! They are packed with vitamins, minerals, and rate very high on antioxidants capability. You knew that already didn’t you? Now that summer is here, the groceries are flooded with varieties of fresh berries. There are different ways in which 

Corn Salsa – picnic recipe

Corn Salsa – picnic recipe

Picnic at the park with friends, delicious Mexican food, kids splashing in water, chit chat, laughter; this is a tidbit of how we spent one of our weekend evenings. It was a great way to unwind and sync up with friends; it also provided a much needed relief from the scorching summer heat. 

Few of our friends decided to have a potluck picnic and I made this salsa along with Mexican Rice and Guacamole to take. This salsa is based on the recipe that is served at Chipotle Mexican Grill. This is one of our favorites and a few servings of this, makes the burritos and the veggie bowl served there taste delicious.

 I love the fact that it is so simple and nutritious; can be made with just few basic ingredients on hand. It is a kid favorite and does not involve any cooking at all. All that is required is to mix the ingredients together and refrigerate it for few hours before serving. 

This serves as a good accompaniment along with chips/nachos, tacos, topping over tostadas or along with simple Mexican Rice.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups frozen corn (you can use fresh also)
  • ½ cup chopped red onion
  • 2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
  • 2 tsp finely chopped jalapeno
  • Salt to taste
  • Juice of 1/2 lime

Method:

  • If using frozen corn, thaw the corn in advance. After that warm it for a minute or so in the microwave and drain any liquid from it.
  •  Chop the jalapeno finely.  (If you do not like it hot then remove the seeds, before chopping).  
  • Take a big bowl and add the corn, jalapeno, chopped onion, salt, coriander and mix well.
  • Stir in the lime juice and mix well again. Cover with a lid.
  •  Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.  This will allow the flavors to blend together.
Masala Papads (with a twist)

Masala Papads (with a twist)

You know what Masala Papads are? Crispy papads topped with spicy tomato onion salad that makes a refreshing starter/appetizer? The one’s you find on the top of a restaurant menu, right?  Well, I tweaked it a bit and crushed the papads and mixed it with 

Instant Oats Idli

Instant Oats Idli

Over the past 5 years that I have been blogging, I have learnt and tried many recipes from various bloggers. Be it a new dish, different cuisine, adaption of an existing recipe, healthy tweak to traditional favorites the list is endless. It is amazing how 

Kele Podi/ Pan Fried banana (Konkani style) Recipe

Kele Podi/ Pan Fried banana (Konkani style) Recipe


Have some extra bananas that are ripe and waiting to be used? Then this is a good way to make use of the ripe bananas. This is a typical GSB (Gowd Saraswath Brahmin) dish, commonly made in the Konkani households. I do have to mention that many people refer to the deep fried version as Podi, however we refer to the pan fried version as Podi and the deep fried version as Bhajji. 

Crispy on the outside and soft in the inside it is a total delight. The recipe could not be simpler. You cut the bananas, coat them in spicy rava/sooji mix and shallow fry them on a pan. In fact, you can substitute bananas with any other vegetable like potato, brinjal, raw banana, bitter gourd etc. 

This is eaten as side dish along with rice, daal and any upkari/stir fried sabji.

Ingredients 

  • 2-3 ripe bananas (not very ripe, it should be able to hold its shape)
  • 2 Tbsp fine sooji/rava/semolina
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • Salt to taste
  • Oil (for shallow frying) 

Method 

  • Peel the banana and chop into little less than ½ inch discs. I chopped them in the shape of rectangle. Keep aside.
  • In a small dry plate mix the sooji/rava, red chilli powder, turmeric and salt.
  • Now heat a tava or pan, when it is warm enough drizzle about 1 Tbsp of oil all around.
  • Take each piece, coat them in the spicy sooji mix on both sides thoroughly (making sure no part is left open) and place them on the pan.
  • Continue this process with some discs. Make sure not to over crowd the pan.
  • Add about ¼ tsp of oil around each of the discs. This cooks very fast and the edges brown.
  • Using a good spatula, turn each of the pieces around and cook on the other side. Transfer to a plate.
  • Serve this as a side dish along with rice, daal or as a snack or appetizer along with tea. 

Kairi ani Chana Gashi/ Raw Mango and Kabuli Chana Coconut Curry

Kairi ani Chana Gashi/ Raw Mango and Kabuli Chana Coconut Curry

This coconut curry a Konkani dish is a delightful combination of spicy, sweet and sour. In Konkani cuisine, it is quite common to find a seasoned coconut curry with the combination of bean/legume and or vegetable. The ground coconut paste is called ‘Maasolu’ and depending