Kele phodi ( Pan-fried Sweet Plantain); 3 ways! Meatless Mondays!

Fried plantain is common not only in Hispanic cuisine but in the Caribbean and Indian cuisines too!  Almost all of the South Indian states make does sweet plantains in one form or the other. They are usually eaten as a snack with a cup of tea but may be also served as a side with a meal.

Where I am from, we make it in three different ways. My mother never deep-fried the plantains. She always pan-fried it with very little oil. Specific plantains are used for this recipe. They are called as Nendrabale.

I am going to show you all three ways to make fried plantains. I like them all, depending on my mood.

Servings: 3-4

Ingredients:

Ripe plantains: 2
Salt: as per individual taste
Coconut oil: to grease the skillet/ tawa/ griddle

For the plain version:
Red chilli powder: 1/4 tsp

For the rice flour version: all the above ingredients +
Rice flour: 2 tbsp

For the sooji rava version: all of the above +
Water: 2 tbsp
Cream of wheat/sooji rava or/cornmeal: 1/4 cup

Method:

Peel the plantain. Slice them horizontally into 3 equal pieces.

Now vertically slice each individual piece into 3-4 slices depending on your desired level of thickness and the thickness of the plantain. You don't want the slices to be too thin.

Arrange the slices on a plate.


For the plain fried plantains:

Mix together salt and chilli powder. Sprinkle this mixture on top of the plantain slices, on both sides.

Heat the skillet/tawa on medium heat. Grease it using coconut oil.Once the skillet is hot, place the plantain slices on it.

Cook on low flame until lightly golden brown( around 3-4 minutes on each side).

Serve hot.

For rice flour coated fried plantains: 

In a shallow bowl/ plate, mix together rice flour, salt and red chilli powder.

Dip the cut plantain slices into this mixture.

Heat the skillet/tawa on medium heat. Grease it using coconut oil.Once the skillet is hot, place the plantain slices on it. 

Cook on low flame until lightly golden brown( around 3-4 minutes on each side).

Serve hot.

For the sooji rawa coated fried plantains:

In a shallow bowl/ plate, mix together rice flour, salt, red chilli powder and water to make a paste.

Smear this paste on both sides of the plantain slices.

Take the sooji rava/ cornmeal in a plate.

Roll the batter-coated plantain slices into this mixture so that it is coated with rawa/ cornmeal.

Heat the skillet/tawa on medium heat. Grease it using coconut oil.Once the skillet is hot, place the plantain slices on it in a single layer.

 Cook on low flame until lightly golden brown( around 3-4 minutes on each side).

Serve hot.

Enjoy! I am bringing this to Fiesta Friday & Saucy Saturday. The co-hosts this week at Angie's Fiesta Friday are two excellent bloggers  Sonal @ simplyvegetarian777 and Laurie @ ten.times.tea. I know I am late for all the parties, but I truly believe in the adage, " better late than never!"

Cooking made easy:

Whenever you want to pan-fry something and use  less oil, make sure that the skillet/ griddle is hot enough at the beginning, but after that maintain a constant temperature that does not cause the food to burn but cooks it well. To much fluctuations in the temperature might prove detrimental to effective cooking.

Tip for healthy living:

While cooking, always look for healthier ways to cook any given recipe. Steaming/ broiling/ baking is better than frying . Pan-frying is better than deep-frying.

Food for thought:

One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. Hellen Keller

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

Fall/Winter Fruit Salad; Meatless Monday.

Happy New Year Everyone! May 2016 bring much happiness to each one of you. I wanted to start off the New Year on a healthy note. Hence, I am bringing to you this recipe that I was part of the spread at the parties in my home.

For me, any party is incomplete without some fruits on the table. Whole fruits can be kept handy but they are merely decorative as most people don't reach out and eat an entire fruit during a party. However if you keep a platter or bowl of cut fruits, they are more likely to be consumed, at least 50% if not more! Fruits make for a great choice for guests who are vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free or have nut allergies and you weren't aware of it beforehand!! They will have something to eat! Fruits are healthy and make for a great dessert choice . You can make serving fruit even better by making a fruit salad; without ice cream of course!! Here is a fruit salad recipe that uses fruits available during Fall/Winter. Hence, I decided to name it " Fall/Winter Fruit Salad". It is a very easy recipe that everyone will enjoy!

Servings: 8-10 ( 1 cup per person)

Ingredients:

Clementines/mandarins: 4, peeled and sections removed.
Pomegranate seeds: 1/4 cup
Apples: 2 medium-sized, peeled, cored and diced.
Pears: 2 medium-sized, peeled, cored and diced.
Craisins: 2 tbsp
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
Orange juice: 1 tbsp
Sugar: 2 tbsp
Chat masala: 1/2 tbsp

Method:

Take all the ingredients listed above in a bowl. Mix well.

Serve chilled. I am bringing this to Throwback Thursday , Saucy Saturdays & Fiesta Friday #101. Fiesty Jhuls and the calm Mr Fitz are co-hosting!!

Cooking made easy:

To prevent cut apples/ pears from becoming dark, squeeze a little lemon/orange juice and mix well.

If you don't have chat masala, you can add 1/4 tsp each of  cinnamon powder and nutmeg powder. This gives it a nice flavor.

You can add more or less fruits based on availability and individual preference.

Tip for healthy living:

Fruits are not only a great source of daily recommended vitamins and minerals, they are also a great source of much needed fiber.It is recommended to included 4-5 servings of fruits a day.

Food for thought:

We can believe what we choose. We are answerable for what we choose to believe. John Henry Newman

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

Quick Masala Eggplant

Navratri is a nine-day long festival that is celebrated in India with much pomp. Navratri  literally means Nine- nights." Nav" means nine and "ratri" means night. This is a festival that is celebrated for 9 days and 10 days . This festival is celebrates the Hindu Goddess (Devi) in her varied forms. You can read more here.During these days there is lot of festivities, fasting and prayers. You can read more in detail here. Different parts of India celebrate it differently with varied levels of fasting. It is believed in the Hindu religion that fasting is a form of cleansing and also that of self-discipline. The levels of fasting vary from complete fasting wherein the individual does not eat or drink all day and consumes a satvik vegetarian meal to an individual who only observes a vegetarian diet for nine days. Some only eat fruits and drink milk all nine days.Fasting is completely voluntary. It is perfectly ok if one chooses not to observe any of this and continues to eat a non-vegetarian meal.  Now, what is a satvik meal? A satvik meal is one that is without meat, eggs, fish, rice, onion and garlic . Are you surprised?? Well, you will be even more surprised when I tell you that all our weddings and other auspicious occasions have meals that are satvik , except that rice is served. And it is truly delicious. Coming back to the fasting: the North Indians follow a different kind of fasting while the South Indians follow a different kind of fasting. You can check the North Indian style of fasting for Navratri here. I am a South Indian and therefore I am familiar with only how fasting is observed  in the Southern Indian state of Karnataka. The other South Indian states like Tamilnadu and Kerala have a different way of fasting. You can check how the different states celebrate this festival here. I have only discussed the fasting part of this festival as this is a food-related blog.

Now,as for me personally, I used to not observe fasting during my younger days. Now for around 18 years I have been observing fasting during Navratri. This is how I do it. I take a bath first thing in the morning. Then I light a lamp in front of the altar. I then  eat breakfast in the morning which is usually a satvik meal with one cup of coffee. I do not eat anything all through the day. In the evening I eat another Satvik meal. That's it. Nothing in between or later. This for me is a great way to cleanse myself and to exercise my self-determination. It is also a great way to control your senses.

Happy fasting and praying to all those who celebrate Navratri. May you and your family be blessed.

On the occasion of Navratri I will be bringing to you one satvik recipe each day. Today I bring to you this dish which I prepared on a whim..

Sometimes you crave for certain flavors, certain tastes.. Sometimes you want to rustle up something different from the mundane... Sometimes, you want something really quick and easy... Sometimes, you want something that you can just leave on the stove and will transform to a delectable dish. This eggplant dish can meet all the above criteria. Honestly, I didn't know what to name this dish!! This is something that I came up with and created on a whim. I didn't follow any specific recipe and yet, here is a dish that you will want to make over and over again. It is finger-licking delicious! The addition of peanuts is completely optional, but I must say that the peanuts give the dish a nice texture and crunch that makes the dish even more delightful. Therefore, avoid adding peanuts only if you or a family member is allergic to it.

Servings: 3-4 ( serving size: 1/2 cup)

Ingredients:

Eggplant: 1 medium-sized, diced large.
Coconut oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig
Roasted Peanut halves: 2 tbsp
Sambhar powder: 1 tbsp ( I used MDH brand sambar powder, any brand can be used).
Tamarind pulp: 1/4 tsp
Salt: to taste

Method:

Dice the eggplant into medium pieces and keep aside.

Heat oil in a frying pan or a sauté pan. Add mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add the chopped eggplant & salt. Reduce the flame, cover and cook until the eggplant reaches the desired level of tenderness. 

Add the Sambhar powder and sauté for 30 seconds. 

Add the tamarind pulp and peanut halves and mix well. Turn off the flame.

Serve hot with rice, roti, bread.

Enjoy. I am bringing these goodies to Throwback Thursday #10, Fiesta Friday # 90 and Saucy Saturday. At the Fiesta,Effie @ Food Daydreaming and Lindy @ Lindy Mechefske are co-hosting this weekend.

Cooking made easy:

If you are out of Sambhar powder or don't have Sambhar powder, you can use any spice mix that you have on hand like rasam powder, curry powder.The taste will be slightly different than what you would get when you use Sambhar powder, but the dish will still be delicious as every spice mix is usually geared to making a flavorful dish.

Tip for healthy living:

For vegetarians,surreptitiously adding nuts, lentils and beans into dishes made with vegetables  is a great way to add protein into your diet.

Food for thought:

A champion is a dreamer that refused to give up. Unknown