Ripe Mango Gojju by Jayashree T. Rao; Guest Post Series

I am sure all of you relished Anjana Devasahayam 's Zucchini Hakka Noodles! I know I did! I made them rice  noodles for dinner and my family just polished it! If you missed it last week, feel free to go back and check it out! You will find a picture of my version too! 

This week I have a guest blogger from my part of India, Jayashree T.Rao. She  is a friendly and enthusiastic freelancer blogger who  writes her cooking tales on EvergreenDishes. It is primarily a vegetarian blog with predominantly Indian recipes. Besides writing recipes, she also writes poems and articles. She believes in living life to the fullest and loves cooking for husband and teenage children. Her other interests are reading and gardening. She is a published writer who is sharing with us today, one of her favorite poems.

INSPIRATIONS FROM NATURE

Nature is at its best,
Everything is beautiful
So blissful and delightful
Is it the mountains or river streams?
Flora or fauna, innumerable
That’s takes us out of this world
To a new exotic world.
It’s wonderful to see a seed
Sprout to a root and shoot,
Grows into a tree
The beautiful butterfly
Comes from a wiggly caterpillar
And the glowworm
Shining at night.

Strange are the ways
Of wild animals
They take more care
Of their young ones
Be it the mighty tiger,
Pouched Kangaroo or the
Mongoose from the snake.

She has brought us the recipe for Ripe Mango Gujju. It seems like a super easy & super delicious recipe, just the way I like it! I have a mango waiting for me at home to try this recipe with! Do check out all her other recipes at EvergreenDishes! She is giving away a book of handy hints to subscribers to her blog. It consists of hundred useful tips.

   Ripe Mango Gojju

Hello all,

    At the outset, I want to thank  Suchitra for inviting me to write a guest post on her blog. Blogging has introduced me to many people across the globe and she is one of them. Birds of the same feather flock together, goes the saying.  Quite true in our case,  foodies  exchanged comments and very soon we were friends.

         As the season of mangoes is coming to an end, I thought I will put a dish of the same. Again, till the next year, we will have to wait for this wonderful fruit.

          Mango gujju is a tasty and popular accompaniment made in Karnataka. It is sweet,tangy and spicy, all combined into one usually served with rice.  It can also be served with chapatti or dosa.

          Usually the small fibrous mango with sour taste are used. But I have used the regular mangoes which I had and thus added a little tamarind pulp. It  was ,delicious and liked by all. Over to the recipe now.

INGREDIENTS :

·         Mango 3

·         Tamarind pulp 2 tbsp

·         Jaggery 1tbsp

·         Green chilly 4

·         Salt to taste

For the seasoning :

·         Oil 1tbsp

·         Mustard seeds ½ tsp

·         Asafoetida a pinch

·         Urad dal ½  tsp

·         Curry leaves a few

·         Red chilly 1

Method :

1.       Wash the mangoes. Remove the stalk  and make small incisions with a knife at the tip.

2.       Put them to boil with three cups of water.

3.       The colour of the skin should change. This takes approximately ten minutes.

4.       Let cool.

5.       Remove the skin and leave it in the water.

6.       Put the pulp with the seed in another bowl.

7.       Squeeze the pulp.

8.       Extract the pulp from the skin and throw the skin away.

9.       Mix both the pulp together. It should be of medium consistency.

10.   Grind the chillies  and put in it.

11.   Put jaggery and salt to it. Mix altogether.

12.   Make seasoning in a small pan. Heat the oil and put the mustard seeds, as it crackles, add urad dal, red chilli, turmeric powder, asafoetida and curry leaves.

13.   Pour the seasoning over the prepared gojju and keep covered for fifteen minutes.

14.   Tasty mango gojju is ready to serve.

Take a tip:

·         If the mangoes are sour, there is no need of tamarind pulp. Add only jiggery,salt and chilly.

·         The quantity of jiggery differs accordingly. If the mangoes are sour, you will need more. If they are sweet, you will need less.

·         The taste of gojju  should be sweet, tangy and spicy.

·         Do not discard the seeds. They can be immersed in it and licked while eating.

Enjoy!

I am bringing Jayashree's delicious  to all our friends at Throwback Thursday#43, Fiesta Friday#124  and Saucy Saturdays#49! Angie's co-hosts this week are  Lindy @ Love in the Kitchen and Liz @ spades, spatulas & spoons.

If you are interested in writing a guest post for my blog, please email me at Sushealthyliving@gmail.com for more details.

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

Piyava Gojju (Tangy, spiced onion chutney/dip); Meatless Monday

Chutneys and dips form such an integral part of the Indian cuisine, especially so with the South Indian cuisine. No meal is complete without the presence of a chutney or gojju. Gojju is another Indian terminology for chutney or dip. We like it for breakfast to dip our dosas and idlis; we like it with our lunch and dinner to spice up the meals.

The plethora of chutneys available are amazing. You could make chutneys out of almost any vegetable. Today, I am bringing to you Piyava gojju as they call it in Konkani language. Piyavu means onion and gojju means chutney. So, Piyava Gojju literally translates into Onion chutney.

This recipe makes me nostalgic. It brings back memories of the times I spent in my aunt's home and her mother ( Indira mai) would make it to go with Paan polo or Neer dose. Till date, I think Indira Mai makes the best Piyava chutney. The spicy, tangy onion chutney makes for a perfect dip for the bland panpolo. It is also perfect for dinner with kanji. If you still have leftover chutney, you can use it as a marinade.This recipe is courtesy Mrs. Indira Pai.

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

Onion: 1, medium-sized
Red chillies: 2
Coconut oil: 2 drops
Tamarind : marble-sized if using dried; 1/4 tsp if using pulp.
Salt: to taste
Water: 1/4 cup

Method:

Roast the red chillies in 1-2 drops of oil. Grind this with tamarind and water to a fine paste in a blender/food processor.

Roughly chop the onions. Add the chopped onions and salt to the blender/food processor. Pulse once or twice.

Remove from the blender.

Serve with dosas/crepes/ meals of your choice.

Stays fresh in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

Enjoy!

I am bringing this to Throwback Thursday, Saucy Saturday and Angie's Fiesta Friday where  Josette @ thebrookcook and Lily @ little sweet baker are co-hosts. I know I am a little late for the party but I was busy having a birthday party for my daughter.

Cooking made easy:

Whenever you chop onions, make sure they you clean the knife right away as it otherwise makes your knife blunt.

Tip for healthy living :

Whenever you buy snacks, buy small packs. This will satisfy your craving and at the same time prevent you from overindulging.

Food for thought:

The days you work are the best days. Georgia O'Keeffe

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

Batate Gojju ( Potato Dip)

Have you ever heard of a potato dip??? Yes, this is nothing new. Where I come from, gojjus as we call these dips have been a traditional accompaniment to our meals for time immemorial. This particular one is another one of my mother-in-law's recipes that is one my husband's favorites! It is yogurt-based, like a raita. If you don't like/want to use yogurt, you could skip it and make it without yogurt. It is tangy, yummy  and hearty.It is quick and easy to make and makes for a great meal accompaniment! I am bringing this dish to all my wonderful friends at Angie's Fiesta Friday! Selma@ Selma's table and Elaine@Foodbod are co-hosts this week!

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

Potatoes: 2, boiled and peeled.
Green chillies: 2-3
Salt: 1/2 tsp ( adjust as per taste)
Tamarind pulp: 1/8 tsp
Jaggery: 1/4 tsp
Freshly grated coconut: 2 tbsp
Hing( asofoetida ): a pinch if powder, 1/8 tsp if solution.
Water : 1/4cup
Yogurt: 1 cup ( optional)
Cilantro: 1 tbsp ( for garnishing)

For tempering:

Coconut oil: 1 tsp
Mustard :1/2 tsp
Dried Red chillies: 2
Curry leaves: 1 sprig

Method:

In a mortar and pestle, grind together green chillies and salt. Add the grated coconut,tamarind, jaggery and grind.Now add the peeled potatoes. Add water little at time as needed and grind until the potatoes are all mashed.

Take this in a bowl. Add asofoetida.

 You could stop at this step and proceed to tempering if you wish to skip the addition of yogurt.

Now add the yogurt, mix well.

Tempering:
In a small frying pan, heat coconut oil, add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add in the red chillies and curry leaves. Turn of the flame. Add this to the above bowl.

Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve cold or at room temperature. Usually served with steamed rice.

Cooking made easy:

When you need cooked potatoes instantaneously, you could use the microwave to cook them. Just clean the potatoes, prick them using a fork. Place it in the microwave and cook it for 3 mins. Turn them over and cook for another 3 mins. Well cooked potatoes are ready. Let them rest for a couple of minutes before taking it out of the oven.

Tip for healthy living:

Using gloves while washing dishes can help prevent dry and cracked skin of the hands. Also use some kind of moisturizer/ hand cream after doing household chores like washing dishes, mopping etc .

Food for thought:

God is the tangential point between zero and infinity. Alfred Jarry