Mor Kuzhambu

My favorite festival will always be Thai Pongal. While a lot of people enjoy Diwali for the lights and the joy, I will always cherish the humble Thai Pongal just for the lunch spread enjoyed by the entire family. It is the same menu at my grandmom's in Chennai every year. Two types of pongal, Yam kara kozhambu, potato roast, Mor kozhambu (with vadai), rasam, two types of vadai and ofcourse payasam. So afternoons on 14 January every year was spent in "post prandial coma". And then round 2 begins with the leftovers. I love the mor kuzhambu along with the soaked vadai.

Mor Kuzhambu is a pan-India dish. With slight variations, there is a version in each state. It is the kadhi of South India.

There are many versions some where the spices are roasted first, some where there is more of chana dal. My version is adapted  from Mallika Badrinath cookbook.

You can use a range of vegetables. Please refer notes. I have made it vegetable-free.

Ingredients:

Sour curd - 3 cups

Turmeric powder - 1/2 t

Salt to taste

Grind to a paste

Grated coconut - 1/4 cup

Green Chillies - 7

Dry Red Chillies - 7

Coriander seeds (dhania) - 1.5 t

Jeera - 1 T

Tuar Dal - 1T (soak in water for 1 hour)

Roasted gram dall - 1T (pottukadalai)

Seasoning

Mustard seeds - 1t

Fenugreek (methi / vendayam) - 1/4t

Curry leaves

Method:

1. Grind the items given under "to grind" to a sooth paste.

2. Beat the curd with turmeric and salt and blend in the paste. Add some water to make it thin.

3. Bring to a boil.

4. Heat oil in a seasoning pan and add items to season. 

5. When the seasoning splutters, add to the mor kuzhambu and switch off.

Notes:

• If you are adding vegetables, then precook them and add in step 3. Vegetables that go well are ladys finger/vendakkai, seppankizhangu/ yam / arbi etc. Avoid vegetables like brinjal. The root vegetables need to be boiled and added. Lady's finger should be deep fried and added in the end.
• You can add medu vadai or small medu bondas. Check out the recipe here. Fry them ahead and soak them well before serving the mor kuzhambu.
• You can also roast the items given under "to grind" except the coconut. This will give a different flavor to the mor kuzhambu.

Hyderabadi Dahi Bhindi Masala

This recipe is from my favorite blog - Edible Garden. Its my go-to-place for new recipes, ideas to use-up whats in my pantry and last but not least drooling over the beautiful food pictures. Nags - you are an inspiration :-)

When I read this recipe - I realized that for the first time I had every single ingredient listed at home and it took me just 30 minutes to get this dish done. It tastes just like a restuarant dish - a bit rich and heavy for an everyday lunch but would definitely be a party pleaser!.

Now to the main ingredient in this dish - Vendakkai aka Lady's Finger aka Okra. I remember as kids, we were told that eating ladies finger will "give you more brains" , "make you good at maths" (really!!). I did google it to check if the brain boosting properties were a myth or a reality. This is what i found.  The nutrition details of vendakkai reads like the ingredient list on a multivitamin bottle -  vitamins C, A, E, K, and B complex, as well as iron, calcium, potassium, sodium, copper, magnesium, selenium, manganese, zinc, and phyto-nutrients. I dont know if it really increases brain mass as my grandmother believed - but it does help with digestion, diabetes and other lifestyle diseases.

Whether it is healthy or not, vendakkai continues to reign the hearts of most people and suits a wide range of cuisines. Today's recipe is Hyderabadi Dahi Bhindi - a dish that looks complex but is actually super easy to prepare. Go ahead and try it. It will garner quite a few "wows" at your dinner table.

HYDERABADI DAHI BHINDI MASALA
Recipe Source: Edible Garden (orignally from Monsoon Spice)

 

Ingredients:

1kg - Vendakkai / Okra / Lady's Finger
1 large onion, finely chopped
1T Tomato Paste (substitute with 2 large tomatoes)
1 t Ginger Garlic Paste
1 cup Curd
1 T grated coconut
6-8 cashews
1T milk
1t Red chilly powder
1t Garam Masala
1t Coriander powder
1/2t Turmeric
1t Kasuri Methi (Dried Methi leaves0
1/2t Amchur powder (Dried mango powder)
salt to taste

For Seasoning:

1t Mustard seeds
1t Urad Dal
1/2 t Cumin seeds
3 Dried Red Chilly
1 pinch of asafoetida
1 sprig of curry leaves
1t oil

Method:

1. Slice the vendakkai into discs and smear a pinch of salt and mix well. Set aside for 30 minutes.
2. Soak the cashews in 1 tablespoon of milk for 10 minutes and grind to a paste along with the coconut.
3. Heat oil in a pan and roast the vendakkai until crisp. You can also deep fry them. Remove and set aside.
4. In the same pan, heat the remaining oil and season with items given under seasoning
5. Add the onions and fry until soft.
6. Add ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell goes. Add all the powders and mix well.
7. Add the tomato paste / chopped tomatoes and fry well. I have used tomato paste and therefore added some water to dilute it and mix well.
8. Add the ground paste and fry well.
9. Add the curd and simmer.
10. Add the kasoori methi, salt and mix. Continue on simmer. If you find the gravy thick, then add some water.
11. Add the fried vendakkai/okra pieces and mix well. Allow flavors to meld (about 2 to 3 minutes)
12. Serve hot with pulao or rotis.

Notes:

• If you want vendakkai that does not turn sticky while cooking, remember to leave them at room temperature for two days after you bring them home. They tend to wilt a little bit and thats when the stickiness doesnt show up.
• The original recipe calls for an optional pinch of sugar which I have omitted.
• The recipe can be used with paneer or mixed vegetables or even cauliflower.

 

Meen Kuzhambu/ Tangy Fish Curry

A lot of people have asked me on why there is only one non-vegetarian recipe in Crimson Spice. Simple reason - I prefer vegetarian food. But the same cannot be said of the staunch carnivores  who are part of my  family. So here is a simple South Indian Fish Curry recipe for all you carnivores out there. Hopefully I should be able to post more non-vegetarian recipes as I try catering to the non-vegetarians at home.

MEEN KUZHAMBU / TANGY FISH CURRY

Ingredients:

Fish -1/2 kg (I have used snapper. Refer notes)
Pearl Onions - 5 or 6, sliced
Tamarind - Lemon Size
Red Chilly Powder/Sambar powder - 1T
Turmeric - 1t
Mustard Seeds - 1t
Fenugrek - 1t
Asafoetida - a pinch
Vadagam - 1 t (optional)
Salt to taste

Grind to a paste

3 large onions
2 tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup curry leaves

Method:

1. Wash and clean the fish. Cut into big chunks.
2. Soak the tamarind in water and extract the paste.
3. Heat oil in a saucepan. When the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, fenugreek, asafoetida.
4. Add the pearl onions and fry well.
5. Add the ground paste, red chilly powder and turmeric and fry well until the raw smell goes.
6. Add the tamarind paste and bring to a boil.
7. Add the fish pieces and salt and continue boiling until the fish is cooked and you can see the oil leave the sides of the pan.
8. Serve with plain rice.

Notes:

• Any kind of fish would work for this recipe. I prefer ones with less bones.
• This can be kept without refrigeration for 3 days and upto a week in the fridge. The dish is thought to taste better the next day.

Keerai Kuzhambu - South Indian Spinach Gravy with Lentils

One of my  cooking handicaps is the inability to identify different types of spinach. In Chennai markets I used to be awestruck by the way some ladies used to ask for siru keerai, mulai keerai or vendhaya keerai by name, then proceed to check if they were good (Whatever they check for I wouldn't know. I only check for holes. And that is also to make sure that the vendor doesn't think I am naive) and buy accordingly. I wouldn't be able to identify regular spinach from hibiscus leaves. Yeah. I am that bad. I used to stand next to some of these experienced ladies and carefully pick up whatever they had picked up. Sometimes I ask them directly what they would do with it - poriyal or kootu and if all else fails I will ask the lady who sells it who would give me strange looks.

Coming to Penang I saw the innate love for greens with both the local and the Chinese population. And of course the rows and rows of different types of greens in every market. Most of the times the shopkeeper would give me only the Chinese or local name and I would come home and google it to see if it is in anyway related to the ones I have cooked in Chennai. So by trial and error I have shortlisted couple of varieties here and luckily the supermarkets have their names on them. So it is not difficult to select the right ones. 

But sometimes I am overcome with the eagerness to try new variety of spinach and just last week the market lady showed me something which I thought looked like palak. She also said it is good with stir-fry. So brought it home and promptly made it into a keerai poriyal with onion and garlic. After a couple of minutes of stir frying, I realized something was not right. Yeah. the darn thing was generating some gel-like substance that coated the entire stuff in a gelatinous glob. Of course it did not make it to the lunch table. So now I have vowed to abstain from trying anything new. It may last for a week until I see some other new vegetable.

But not to worry, today's recipe is a basic South Indian comfort food especially in Tamil Nadu. It is very close cousin of the North Indian Dal Palak. It is made regularly in most households almost on a daily basis. Traditionally, this is made in a "mannu chatti" or terracota pots. The heat and the porous nature of the vessel along with the labor-intensive hand blending with a "mathu" brings out the best in the dish. I have seen my mom do it the traditional way. Cook in the chatti, then take it off the heat and using a kitchen towel, sit on the floor deftly holding the pot and churning it with the mathu.  Any type of spinach would work for this but apparently it tastes best with "paruppu keerai". If you know what that is and can identify it - go ahead and use it. But if you are "spinach challenged" like me, then you can use any edible spinach. (stress on the word edible after my last experience).

Keerai Kozhambu - A Spinach and Lentil based Gravy

Ingredients:

Spinach - 1 bunch

Tuar Dal - 1/2 cup, pressure cooked till soft and mashed

Onion - 1, chopped

Tomato - 1, chopped

Green Chilly - 1, slit

Garlic - 1 clove, smashed

Tamarind paste - 1t

Sambar Powder - 1T

Turmeric - 1t

Salt to taste

For Seasoning

Mustard seeds - 1/2t

Broken Urad dal - 1/2t

Asafoetida (Hing) - a pinch

Curry Leaves - 1T

Vadagam - 1t (Refer Notes)

Ghee - 1t

Method:

1. Pressure cook and mash the tuar dal with a pinch of turmeric.

2. Rinse and chop the spinach.

3. Heat oil in a kadai/ pan. Add the green chilly, garlic and onions and fry well.

4. Add the tomatoes and fry well.

5. Add the spinach, sambar powder and fry well.

6. Add the tamarind paste along with 1/4 cup of water and mix well.

7. Add the dal and add some more water and allow it to come to a boil.

8. Traditionally a "mathu" is used at this stage to blend the spinach and dal. But if you find that time-consuming, then go ahead and use a mixie/blender. I have used the stick-type hand blender. If using a hand-blender, then mash the dal and spinach-onion-tomato mix directly on the stove. Do not make into a smooth blend but leave a few bits of spinach/ onions etc. If using a blender, then switch off the stove,allow the mixture to cool and blend.

9. Add salt and bring the blended mixture to a boil.

10. In a small pan, heat some ghee. Season with the seasoning ingredients mentioned above.

11. Add the seasoning to the boiling kuzhambu

12. Serve hot with rice.

Notes

1. For best results use mann chatti and a mathu. But that is extremely labor intensive. So if you are like me - then use a pressure pan and hand blender for fast results.

2. Vadagam - It is a kind of dried seasoning made up of onion and garlic and other spices that are made into a ball and stored for the rest of the year. Adds great flavor to south indian gravies. Check out the recipe here. I have not attempted to make these at home but get mine from India. Please note that it is quite pungent even in its dried form - so you can imagine the nasal assault it will have during the making! Do not try this at home unless you have an independent well-ventilated house. On hindsight - maybe I will make it at home to take revenge on my durian-loving neighbors ;-)

Aviyal

As every mother does, I worry about what a picky eater my daughter is. Her list of don't likes is way too longer than the list of likes. And it bugs me when she looks at a dish and decides she doesn't like it by just the sight of it. Well. I can go on cribbing and most mothers would join me too. But in some ways I am not too concerned. After all I was one of the worst "picky eater" if there ever was such a title. You can count my likes with fingers in one hand. But what gives me hope is that some of the foods on my hate list have made it into my like list. Couple of vegetables, eggs cooked in specific ways and of course coconut. I used to hate coconut in any form - sweets, curry, gravy, chutney. All avataars of coconut was banned from my plate. But over-time this hate has mellowed and today I actually enjoy Kerala cuisine which is predominantly coconut based. Coconut sweets are still a no-no but I love the delicately flavored stews, and the fiery "Thengai Thuvayal" and of course the ubiquitous Aviyal is one of my favorites (as long as it is not made with veggies from my hate list!! Some things dont change :-)).

So judging by my changing tastes, I hope that Little A would grow to like chapathi, pasta, cauliflower, chutney, vatha kozhambu, pulao, biriyani ...phew. I only hope..

Today's recipe is Aviyal - a medley of vegetables in a delicate coconut and sour curd (yoghurt) base. In most homes, there would be one or two random vegetables lying around. There wouldnt be enough of it to make a full fledged poriyal or kootu. The best way to utilize them would be mix them up into an aviyal or a mixed vegetable kootu. Aviyal is super easy with minimum ingredients. Please do check the list of veggies that can be used for aviyal.

Aviyal Vegetables: Carrot, Potato, Raw Banana, Banana stem (vazhai thandu) Beans, Chow-Chow,      Bottle Gourd, Snake gourd, Drumstick, Avarakkai, Spinach stems, Pumpkin/Squash, , Raw Mango etc

Vegetables that should not be used: Okra, Spinach leaves and any other sticky vegetable

Aviyal

Ingredients:

Mixed Vegetables - 1 cup (refer list above. I used potatoes, green beans, raw banana, carrots and peas)

Sour curd - 1/4 cup

Salt to taste

Grind to paste: 

Green Chilles - 3 to 4

Coconut - 1/2 cut into pieces or shredded

Cumin - 1t

Raw Rice - 1t (soaked). or Rice flour - 1r

For seasoning:

Curry Leaves - 1 sprig

Coconut oil - 1 t

Method:

1. Pressure cook the vegetables with little water and salt for 1 whistle. Alternatively you can boil them in water as well. Remember to use less water as all the nutrients are in the water and you dont want to throw the excess water out. If the water is more, then the aviyal will be runny.

2. Grind together the items given above with little water into a thick paste. You can increase of decrease the chillies according to your heat quotient.

3. Add the ground paste to the cooked vegetables and boil well.

4. Add the curd and mix well. Adjust salt if necessary.

5. In a small pan, heat some coconut oil and season with curry leaves. Add this to the aviyal.

6. Serve hot with rice, sambar and rasam or with Adai. Goes well with rotis too.

Notes:

• If the cooking times for vegetables you are using differ, then you can cook them separately and mix together for the aviyal.
• If using raw mango, adjust sour curd accordingly as the mango will increase the sourness of the aviyal.
• Traditionally coconut oil is added without heating. If you like the intense flavor it gives, then you can use it without heating. Add the curry leaves while the aviyal is boiling.
• As you get experienced with making aviyal, you will be able to judge if a particular vegetable would suit the combination to make aviyal.

Whole Moong Dal Subzi

I call this my back-up recipe. Its for those days when you are tired and forgot to plan on what to make for dinner or when you have guests and you want to add another dish to the menu but don't want to slog for it or if you only have onions and tomatoes in your vegetable tray and don't want to make chutney. 

I was a bit apprehensive when I saw this recipe on Manisha's Indian Food Rocks. What? No soaking the moong beans overnight?? Doesn't this go against the law of the beans?? But that's the beauty of the dish. Simple, quick and yes - no soaking time.  The only thing you will need is a pressure cooker to reduce the cooking time. This recipe is a faithful representation of the original. The only difference is I used ginger-garlic paste instead of grated ginger and garlic and sometimes increase the red chilly powder or  add marathi moggu while seasoning. 

Whole Moong Dal Subzi

Recipe Source: Indian Food Rocks Blog

Serving Size - Serves 2

Ingredients:

Whole Moong Dal (Pacha Payaru) - 1 cup

Onion - 1, chopped

Tomatoes - 2, chopped

Ginger Garlic Paste - 1t

Green Chillies - 2

Dried Red Chilly - 1, broken

Cinnamon - 1/2 stick

Cloves - 3

Bay Leaf (Briyani leaf)  - 1

Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Cumin Seeds - 1t

Marathi Moggu (Dried Capers) - 1, optional

Red Chilly Powder - 1t

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 t

Ghee - 2 T

Coriander leaves - for garnish

Salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker. Add bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, marathi moggu, broken red chilly,cumin and asafoetida.

2. Add chopped onions and fry well.

3. Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell goes.

4. Add tomatoes, green chillies and turmeric and fry well.

5. Add the washed and drained moong dal and mix well.

6. Add 4 cups of water and the red chilly powder and salt and mix well.

7. Close the lid and pressure cook for 4 whistles.

8. Switch off the stove and wait for the pressure cooker to use up all the pressure and the pressure valve indicates that its safe to open.

9. Open the cooker and check for salt and spice. Adjust salt or red chilly powder and heat the gravy till the raw smell (if you have added red chilly powder) goes.

10.Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rotis.

Notes:

• Using ghee instead of oil adds a lovely flavor to this dish. 
• You can use soaked moong dal as well. But you dont have to pressure cook in that case.

P.S - As this dish was not planned ahead, I clicked the pics when I made it for dinner last night. Hence the poor lighting!

Babycorn and Cauliflower Subzi

A side-dish that has been adapted from one of Tarla Dalal's popular low calorie recipes. We make this very rarely at home as the primary vegetables used here - cauliflower, babycorn and capsicum are on PK's hate list. Its easy to make and adds depth to a dinner menu by being a side to the breads as well as rice. I have made it semi-dry but you can easily make it into a full gravy by increasing the quantity of items that are ground to a paste. The same recipe can be used for green peas and potatoes or mushrooms. Refer notes for a low calorie version of the same dish.

Babycorn and Cauliflower Subzi
Adapted from Tarla Dalal: Low Calorie Recipes

Ingredients

Babycorn - 6-8, blanched* and sliced
Cauliflower florets - 1 cup - blanched and drained
Capsicum - 1 cut into strips
Garam Masala - 1t
Turmeric - 1t
Onion - 1, finely chopped
Tomato - 1, finely chopped
Cumin - 1t
Cloves - 1
Cinnamon - 1 small stick
Oil - 1T
Salt to taste

To Grind

Onion - 1 large
Grated Coconut - 2T
Green Chillies - 4
Garlic - 3 cloves
Ginger - 1" piece
Cumin - 1t
Dhania (Coriander seeds) - 1t
Coriander leaves - 1 small bunch

Method:

1. Grind the items given under "to grind" into a smooth paste.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin, cloves and cinnamon.
3. Add the onion and fry till it turns pink
4. Add the ground paste and fry well till the raw smell goes. If its too thick add half a cup of water.
5. Add the turmeric, blanched babycorn and cauliflower and mix well.
6. Add the tomatoes and mix well.
7. Add the capsicum and garam masala and salt and fry till the vegetables are cooked.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves and lemon wedges.
9. Serve hot with rotis or pulao.

Notes

• To make it low calorie, Add onions and tomatoes to the blanched vegetables. Add some garam masala, salt and red chilly powder and mix the ground paste into this along with a teaspoon of oil. Mix well and allow to marinate for 15 minutes. In a saucepan, add the vegetable mixture and add 1 cup of water. Allow to cook and until the excess water drains out. Serve hot.

• *Blanching refers to the process of dunking the vegetables in salted boiling water for about 2-3 minutes. The key is to get it slightly cooked without losing the natural crunch.

• Increase or decrease the quantity of green chillies to adjust the heat quotient of the dish.

Aloo Mattar

One of the first dishes that I had tried out during my school days was the simple Aloo Mattar. A basic vegetable gravy without much fuss of complex techniques or ingredients.

So while thinking up options for dinner last night, I decided to make Aloo Mattar to go with our chappathi dinner. There are multiple ways to whip up the basic gravy - you can just use plain chopped onion and tomatoes or use a paste of sauteed onions, tomatoes and cashews. The variations are endless for this versatile dish.

Aloo Mattar

Ingredients:

3 to 4 Large potatoes boiled and cubed
1 cup of peas (fresh or frozen) - slightly boiled
2 onion, finely chopped
1 onion, ground to paste
2 tomatoes
1 long green chilly - slit lengthwise
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp red chilly powder
2 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 cloves
1" cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1 tsp jeera
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp fesh yoghurt
1/2 tsp sugar
salt to taste
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped

Method:

1. Boil the tomatoes, deskin and grind into puree. Keep aside. 2. In a pan, heat the oil. Add the Jeera, clove, cinnamon, bay leaf and green chillies.3. Add the chopped onions and the ground onion paste and fry for 3-4 mts. If it sticks to the pan, add some water and fry until the raw smell is gone. 4. Add all the spice powders except the garam masala and fry for a minute. 5. Add the tomato puree and fry until the raw smell is gone.6. Add 1/2 cup of water, boiled potatoes and peas and combine well. 7. Add salt and sugar. 8. Cook for 5 -7 minutes until the gravy thickens. 9. Check for taste and adjust seasonings. 10. Add the curd and mix well. 11. Keep on flame until the gravy gets a creamy texture. 12. Add the lemon juice and mix well. 13.Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rotis.

Chicken Korma - Comfort Food!

It has been quite sometime since my first write-up. With a laptop crash (that lasted for nearly two weeks - thanks to running helter skelter for file retrival) and Aditi starting school, it has been a hell of a couple of weeks!!. And now for the last one week - we are all down with sniffles and sneezes. So to cheer up the folks at home (and to limit the time spent in the kitchen),we decided to make a simple rice and chicken curry yesterday.
It is one of the best comfort foods (especially when one is fighting a battle with the common cold) and the chicken korma recipie from Sailu's kitchen is one of my favorites. I have modified it to suit the ingredients in my pantry - but with all the additions and deductions, it still creates a "feel good" effect. This recipie here is an adapted version with a higher heat quotient - because of adding pepper.



Nilgri Chicken Korma ( Serves 2-3)
Ingredients: 1 kg chicken (cleaned and marinated in masala of turmeric,chilli powder and curd)
2 large onions, finely chopped1 1/2 tbsps ginger garlic paste
1 large tomato, chopped
1 tbsp finely minced Garlic
1 tsp red chilli pwd
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste2-3 tbsps oil
chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Roast and Grind:
1.5 tsp peppercorns
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp saunf1 tsp khus khus
1″ cinnamon2 cardamoms
5 tbsp grated fresh coconut
8 cashew nuts
1 tbsp roasted chickpeas
Roast: (in 2 tsps oil for 5 mts)
10 -15 curry leaves
8-10 shallots/sambar onions
4 green chillis
3 tbsps chopped coriander and mint leaves
1 Make a paste of ingredients under grind and roast by adding a few tbsps of water and keep aside.2 Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, add curry leaves and saute for few secs. Add the minced garlic, chopped onions and fry till transparent. Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for 3 mts. Add red chilli pwd, turmeric pwd and salt and combine. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry for 4-5 mts.3 Add the ground paste and cook over medium heat for 7-8 mts.4 Add lemon juice and the chicken pieces and combine. Cook without lid for 5-6 mts. Add 3 cups of water and cook with lid on simmer till the chicken is tender and the gravy thickens. (You can also use a pressure pan and allow it to cook until one whistle) Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
If you are conscious about the use of coconut, you can reduce the quantity of grated coconut and increase the khus khus slightly.
Serve hot with steaming plain rice or chappathis. Yumm!! Best cure for gloomy days