Pure Veg Recipes from ManeThindi!

Pepper n' Jeera Rasam- Is a very good as a digestive n light on the tummy along with hot rice and a dash of ghee. This is non spicy but flavorful rasam. Can be had like soup as well. Rich source of protein as well as its made of toor dal. Ingredients: Toor Dal - 1 cup [appx. 50gms] Tomato - 1-2 Jeera - 1 tbsp Pepper - 15-20 [as per requirement] Hing - generous pinch [mix little water with the hing paste] Tamarind - watery pulp [little] Mustard - for tempering Ghee - 1-2 tsp for tempering Turmeric - 1/2 tsp Curry Leaves - 1-2 sprigs Salt - as per taste How to prepare: Pressure cook toor dal till it is completely mushy. Mash it well till smooth. Add adequate water and turmeric to the mashed dal. Let it boil. Add chopped tomatoes, tamarind pulp and hing water. Simmer it. Simultaneously, take a skillet and prepare the tempering which is vital for this dish. Using a mortar and pestle hand crush the jeera and pepper. It should be very coarse. In a hot ski

Nippat or Nippattu is an age old recipe passed on by grandmothers n mothers.. crisp crunchy and a quick to make savory item made of rice flour. This dish doesn't need a whole lot preparations! Its made of ingredients which are commonly used in our kitchens. Nippat is made during festivals like Krishna Janmashtami / Diwali and other festivals. It can be made in a jiffy and a perfect tea/coffee partner. To make approximately around 30-40 nippats [depends on the size.. smaller the size more in number] Ingredients: Rice flour [500 gms] Chiroti Rava or Fine Semolina [2 tbsp] Ground Nuts - 50gms Fried Gram - 30gms Dry Copra [Finely Chopped to small bits] - 1 cup Curry Leaves [dried and finely chopped, optional] Red Chilli Powder - 3-4 spoons [can vary with requirement]  Hing/Asafoetida - a generous pinch [if its a paste] or 1-2 tsp [if powdered] White Til - 1 tbsp Ghee / Clarified Butter 2 teaspoon for mixing Salt to taste Hot Oil - for deep frying [out of which

Palak Methi aur Paneer ki Saag is a calcium, minerals and protein rich gravy. Its got a very herby and fresh flavour, making it ideal to go with both roti and rice alike. This gravy is prepared along with fresh cream and paneer making it nutritious and delicious especially for expectant mothers. The usage of spices are minimal as it tends to over power the greens. To Serve 4 Ingredients - Palak / Spinach - 3 medium bunches [cleaned, blanched and pureed] Methi - 1 medium bunch [separate only the leaves, cleaned and finely chopped] Paneer - 200gms [Appx.] Onions - 2 big [roughly chopped] Green chillies - 1 or 2 [best if sparingly used] Garlic - 10 pods or more! [garlicky flavor gives an edge to this dish] Coriander powder - 1-2 tbsp Cumin/Jeera - 2 tsp Bay leaf and Elaichi/Cardamom - 1 Red chilli or Paprika - 1-2 tsp [as per requirement] Kasuri Methi or Dried Fenu greek leaves - 1-2 tsp Milk - 1 cup Oil or Ghee - 1tbsp Fresh Cream - 2 tbsp Cashew - 10 [so

Goli Baje or Bajji also called as Mangaluru Bajji is a Karavali dish which is hugley popular everywhere. Its made of very simple ingredients and doesnt take a lot of effort but the result is just awesome. Its crisp on the out and spongy in the inside. Its flavorful and a hit with both young and old. Since the ingredients are very easily available, it can be made in large quantities like functions or parties. Its served with simple coconut chutney or tastes great with tomato ketchup or any of the sauces/dips! For Coconut or Kayi chutney please click on this link - http://www.manethindi.com/2016/07/kayi-chutney-coconut-chutney.html To Serve 4 Ingredients - Maida / All purpose flour - 300 gms [appx.] Rice flour - 50 gms [appx.] Soda bi Carbornate - 1/2 tsp Sour curds - 1 big cup Green chilli - 5-6 [depending on the vartiety and heat] finely chopped Curry leaves - 3-4 sprigs finely chopped Coriander leaves - a bunch finely chopped Coconut - about 50gms or 1 cup ve

Veggie Tomato Cream Pasta - This pasta satiates an Indian palette to the T!! It has a pleasing colour [pink] and a great creamy texture making it favorite with both elders as well as kids. Veggies like coloured bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchinis, olives added to this yummy pasta makes it a complete and filling meal. I remember getting to know about this as a "new" dish in the early 2000 as a college student when it started making waves in India. My little sister who was a school girl and I were curious then and tried different ways to cook this versatile dish and came up with different stuff every time! Nostalgic for sure:) Today, though we get ready to eat pasta or different flavored pasta sauce off the shelf in any super market, I always prefer the home cooked simple yet tasty tried and tested sauce used in this recipe. One can be more creative by adding more ingredients to enhance the taste or the consistency of the pasta to suit tastes. Ingredients: To serv

Coconut Chutney - as the name suggests is made of Coconut and lots of it! In regular South Indian kind of chutneys we use coconut as one of the ingredients along with other ingredients. Whereas in coconut chutney we use fresh coconut and subtly spice it and is eaten as an accompaniment for dosas/idlies/chapatis. Its also served as one of the first condiments on "BaaLe Yele Oota" i.e., the famous South Indian Plantain leaf meal. Goes very well with fried stuff like Medu Vada or  Bajjis / Bajiyas. Its generally left to the natural white colour and the use of turmeric or green chilli or red chilli is avoided to keep the taste n flavor of the coconut intact. [Handy Tip: This dish has to be consumed immediately or stored in refrigerator for longer usage. Stays good for 2 days under good refrigeration.] Ingredients: Coconut - 2 big cups  Green chillies - 3-4  Ginger - 1/2 " piece [peel and chop] Hing or Asofoetida - a generous pinch Tamarind - a marble sized

Davangere Benne Masala Dosa - Is a "masala dosa' variant where the dosa, the potato curry and the chutney is white in color and use of turmeric or coriander is minimal to nil. Its distinct taste is because of this feature and of course because of generous use of butter while making and serving the dosa. Davangere is a place in Karnataka in the southern part of India and this dish had its beginning there and became very popular.. hence the name. In restaurants where this type of dosa is served, its generally made on firewood heated large tava/stone which carries the smoky flavor when served. When  eaten along with subtly flavored coconut chutney its just out of the world! In my place we eat this dish in a brunch on a lazy Sunday as its very sumptuous and filling! Kids especially like this as its not very spicy but at the same time its very yummy :) For this preparation 3 items are required. The Dosa batter [specifically for Davangere Benne Masala Dosa] ; The Aloo Cu

Udupi Sambar - Sambar is a South Indian originated dish. Made of Toor Dal/Moong Dal along with a choice of vegetables is a great source of protein. Its consumed as a staple and is very filling. Sambar is tasty, tangy, flavorful, and a great accompaniment for rice and idlies. Ingredients [to serve 4]: Toor Dal - 1 cup [appx. 60gms] Vegetables - Drumstick, Shallots, Brinjal and Tomatoes [Big chunks] Tamarind pulp - a lemon sized Jaggery - as per requirement Curry leaves - 1-2 sprigs Coriander leaves - for garnishing Salt to taste. Ingredients For the spice or masala-  Byadgi Chillies - Also called as Kashmiri Chilli is used for giving a bright red colour to the dish.. Its less pungent than the other chillies available like Guntur Chilli.A pic of Byadgi -  for this recipe we need about 6-7 [upto 10 for those who like the sambar spicy] turmeric - a pinch Dhaniya - 3 tbsp Jeera - 1 tsp Channa Dal - 3 tsp Urad Dal - 1 1/2 tsp Hing - a good pinch Poppy Seeds - 2

Mallige [Rice] Idly -Rice Idly is a staple across India. Though a breakfast dish, it can be eaten anytime of the day. Mallige in Kannada Language means "Jasmine". This term has been given to the humble  idly as it turns out very soft and looks very white just like the flower. It originated from Mysore - a royal city in Karnataka known for its pioneering recipes and Mallige Idly is one of the very popular ones. Its light and easy to digest and tastes great with sambar or various chutneys like the tomato/coriander/pudina/coconut chutneys. Generally Mallige idly is made from Suji or Semolina but i have used rice and its got a unique aroma to it. INGREDIENTS [to make around 30 idlies] : Urad dal - 1 cup [appx. 200 gms] Dosa or Idly rice - 2 cups [appx. 400 gms] Freshly Cooked rice - 3/4th cup [appx. 150gms] - Key ingredient! This is the item which makes all the difference in this recipe! Salt - To taste. [ Handy Tip : its a good idea to keep the idlies lightly salted as

Sweet Potatoes and Paneer Cutlets Sweet Potatoes are a healthy replacement for Potatoes which are considered high in carbs. Sweet potatoes have high potassium and is rich in fibre making it healthy. Paneer brings in protein and calcium content and the greens n chillies bring in the vitamins needed in our dietary supplements. Indian spices which is vital in this recipe helps in digesting and balancing. These crisp on the out n' soft n gooey on the inside makes it a great tea time snack! INGREDIENTS Sweet Potatoes - 3 medium boiled, peeled and mashed Paneer - 200gms .. scrambled and coarsely mashed Onions - 3 medium finely chopped Green Chillies - 4-5 or as per requirement very finely diced Coriander leaves - half bunch very finely diced. Bread slices - 3-4 slices quick dunk in water and drain out excess water and mash along with other ing. Black salt- half tsp Chat masala - 2 tsp Red chilli powder - 2 tsp Lime - 1 Salt - as per taste. HOW TO MAKE : Clean t

Sabudana Vada Sabudana or Sago is a favorite tiffin/snack dish. It is considered ideal for fasting during festivals/poojas. Generally Sabudana is used to make popular dishes Kichdi, Vada, Thalipeet and Kheer. Predominantly a staple in Gujrat and Maharashtra, Sago is popular all over india. They come in different sizes used for different dishes. There are polished and unpolished versions.Unpolished is the healthier option which is used in the following Sabudana Vada recipe. INGREDIENTS : Sabudana - 300gms [soak for 3 hrs] Boiled potato - 2 medium [crushed] Dry roasted peanuts - 1 cup [clean and coarsely crush] Coriander  and curry leaves - a handful [finely chopped] Green chillies - [grind to paste] about 1 or 2 tsp Cumin - 1-2 tsp Black salt - a pinch [optional] Sugar - 1/2tsp Oil - for deep frying Salt - to taste HOW TO MAKE : Soak Sabudana for 3 hrs and check by pressing the sago if its fully soft and mashable. If not add a little more water and soak

Indian gooseberry is called as Amla in Hindi, nellikai in tamil and kannada and usirikaya in Telugu. Gooseberry is an immunity booster since it is high in vitamin C and has been used for years to prepare ayuvedic medicines.It is very healthy and has the power to control many ailments. Try this very easy and quick nellikai thokku recipe which tastes heavenly with hot rice and ghee!! INGREDIENTS : 1 cup of chopped nellikai/gooseberry pieces 2 tbsp. Sesame seeds  8 red chilies (adjust more or less as needed) ½ tsp cumin seeds Salt to taste Seasoning : 1 tbsp. oil 1 sprig curry leaves(dint have these:() ¼ tsp mustard ¼ tsp cumin ¼ tsp urad dal 1 broken chilli Pinch of hing HOW TO MAKE : Roast sesame seeds lightly or chana dal and urad dal till golden. Set aside to cool. Fry red chilies in 1 tsp oil and set aside, add cumin to the hot chilies. Fry nellikai pieces in the same pan on a medium high flame for 3 to 4 mins, do not burn them. Powder the s

Cream of mushroom soup is a very comforting soup on chilly days.Mushrooms are low in calorie,fat free,cholesterol free,gluten free abd very low in aodium,yet they are a powerhouse with the most important nutrients like vitamin D,Selenium, potassium and more! Mushrooms were never cooked at our home and it was an unknown veggie for us!First time I tried mushroom in the form of  cream of mushroom soup at a restaurant and just loved it!Tried making the same and it turned out to be great! Try this yummy soup yourself and let me know what you think! INGREDIENTS : Button mushrooms - 1 cup finely sliced Onion  (small)-1 finely chopped  Garlic-2 flakes finely chopped  All purpose flour or maida -1 tbsp Milk - 1 1/2 cups Butter- 1 tbsp  Fresh cream -1 tbsp  Oregano powder- 3 tsp Pepper -ground to sprinkle/taste Salt to taste HOW TO MAKE : Peel the mushrooms,rinse and chop them fine. Take a pan.Add maida and saute it on medium flame for a minute. Keep it aside to c

Palak [Spinach] and Methi[Fenugreek] are the most commonly used greens in everyday cooking in the Indian Subcontinent and the Middle East. It has great nutritional value.. It is a power house of nutrition and one of the must haves for expectant mothers and a boon for Type 2 diabetics. In this particular curry/sabzi we are using Potato to go along with Spinach n' Fenugreek. It balances the taste and gives the dish volume. Have used very less cooking oil and goes well with hot Phulkas/Roti/Indian breads.  INGREDIENTS  : Spinach/Palak - 2 Big bunches Fenugreek/Methi - 2 Big bunches Potato - 6-7 [smaller ones have intense flavour and suits this dish better] Onion - 2 Big Garlic - 4-5 cloves finely chopped Oil - 1 or 2 tbsp Cumin/Jeera - 1 tsp Turmeric - 1/2 tsp Green Chillies - 2 Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp Kitchen King Masala or Garam Masala - 1-2 tsp Yogurt - 2 tbsp Amchoor/Dry Mango Powder - 1/2 tsp [Optional] Salt - As per taste HOW TO MAKE : Cle