I always always associate Corn on the Cob or Bhutta in typical Bambaiyya language with some very warm childhood memories.

There are a zillion times when we friends have ran down the street to have our Bhutta on a gloomy monsoon evening & the Bhuttawallah ( Corn on the Cob Vendor ) was always round the corner, roasting corn cobs on a charcoal grill.

If you cannot find a Bhuttawallah in your neck of woods, Make them at home. This is really as simple as it can get.

As I don't have a charcoal grill at home, I steamed the corn cobs & roasted them directly over the stove top.

You Will Need:

• 2 Corn Cobs
• Kosher Salt
• Lemon - sliced into quarters
• Black Pepper Powder
• Red Chilli Powder ( Optional )

How To:

• Peel back the husks & remove the excess corn silk
• Steam the corn cobs in the microwave or on stove top for about 5-6 minutes.
• Meanwhile, Mix together kosher salt & red chilli powder in a small bowl. If red chilli powder is too HOT for your taste, replace with Black pepper powder. I added about 1/2 a tsp of black pepper powder. Set aside.
• Once done, Pat dry & Grill the corn cobs over medium heat for 10-12 mins. Keep turning them frequently.
• I roasted the corn cobs over the stove top. This is very quick & it gets done in about 3-4 minutes.
• When some of the kernels are browned, dip a quarter of the lemon slice into the salt & pepper mixture, apply it evenly on the corn cobs

Eat while it is still warm & relive your childhood memories. Enjoi !!!

NOTE: You could even oven roast the corn cobs or roast them over a griddle.

As a kid, I never ate much of Tindora, all thanks to the belief that eating Tindora made one's brain less sharper. I was anyways not so good at mathematics, so I never let my mum get this home. Now, that I have finished the studying phase, I get this more often.

Tindora paired with cashews make a real good curry. Anything that has cashews has to taste great, right? This is a specialty of the Mangalore region in Karnataka & We just love Mangalore cuisine.

You Will Need:

• 2 cups Tindora - washed & quartered lengthwise
• 1 cup cashews
• 3-4 green chillies - finely chopped
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• A handful of curry leaves
• 1 tbsp grated coconut - fresh (More if you prefer)
• 2 tsp peanut oil
  
• Salt as per taste

Method:

• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, splutter mustard seeds & add curry leaves
• Add chopped tindora & fry for a couple of minutes
• To this, add cashewnuts & half a tsp of salt & saute till tindora is completely cooked. Do Not over cook the vegetable as it tendsto get mushy.
• Check for salt & add grated coconut & mix well

Transfer to a bowl, serve with chapatis/Rice. Enjoi !!!

The cashews add a lovely rich taste to this otherwise usual curry. Make this for your guests, they will love it. Do not make, if you are on a Diet :)

Have Fun :)

I love coconut chutney, without any second thoughts. I am sure you all do. But have you ever been tempted to substitute it with a low calorie version.

As I drown my idlis into a huge bowl of chutney, I know, this isn't doing any good to my body. Nevertheless, I relish it.

The other day, I was looking for some low-cal chutney solutions. And, I found one here.

This chutney goes well with Idlis/Dosas/Rottis. But if you cannot do without your beloved coconut chutney, don't make this one :)

You Will Need:

• 4 carrots - peeled & diced
• 3 green chillies
• 2 tsp tamarind extract
  
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• A handful of curry leaves
• Salt as per taste
• 1 tsp vegetable oil

Method:

• Parboil the diced carrots & let them cool.
• grind it coarsely along with salt & tamarind extract
• Temper with mustrad seeds, green chillies & curry leaves

Enjoi your low-cal chutney with Idli/Dosa/Rice

• 1 cup Basmati/Long grained rice
• 2 packed cups - chopped fenugreek/methi leaves
• 2 onions - chopped into long strips
• 1/2 cup green peas - fresh/frozen
• 2 green chillies - slit lengthwise
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 2 tbsp roasted cashewnuts
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp saunf/fennel seeds
• Salt as per taste
• 1 1/2 tbsp desi ghee/oil

Method:

• Clean rice in several changes of water, drain & set aside for 10 mins. Heat a tsp of ghee in a pan, gently roast the rice for a couple of minutes. Pressure cook the rice with 1 1/2 cups of water, such that each grain is separate. Once cooked, set aside to let it cool completely.
• Before chopping, soak methi leaves in water. add a tsp of salt & a pinch of sugar. Squeeze the water out after about 5 mins & proceed to chop. This gets rid of the bitter taste.
• Heat oil/desi ghee in a heavy bottomed pan, splutter cumin & fennel seeds, add slit green chillies, ginger garlic paste & fry for 20 secs.
• Add chopped onions & fry until it turns pink. Add chopped methi leaves, red chilli powder & saute until cooked.
• Add rice, slat as per taste & garam masala. Mix gently on medium flame. Take care to set that the grains do not break.
• Add lemon juice & garnish with roasted cashewnuts

Serve HOT with onion raita .. Enjoi !!!

This pulao was indeed very different. I loved the fresh flavor of methi leaves. It has subtle flavors & makes a nice homely one pot meal. Thanks Rajini for the recipe. We really did enjoy this.