Babycorn Pepper Fry

We were bored with usual set of vegetables that are available here and after multiple rotations in dal, sambar, curry and stir fry, we wanted to try something different. There were 3 packets of baby corn lying the fridge (what was I thinking when I picked THREE!!). As I had just ground a fresh batch of black pepper powder, I decided to make a simple baby corn pepper fry and served it with lunch. Its simple fast and quite easy too.


Baby Corn Pepper Fry

Ingredients:

12 - 15 Baby Corn, sliced
1 large onion - finely chopped
1/2" piece of Ginger - minced finely
2 cloves of garlic - minced finely
1 green chilly - minced
1 T corn flour
1 T black pepper powder
1/2 t Jeera
Curry leaves
salt to taste
1 T Oil

Method:

1. Heat Oil in a pan.
2. Add the jeera and curry leaves. Add ginger, garlic and green chilly
3. Add chopped onions and fry till soft
4. Add the sliced baby corn and fry well.
5. Add pepper and salt and mix well.
6. After a minute, when the baby corn is 3/4th cooked, sprinkle the cornflour and mix well. Keep tossing until the baby corn is nicely roasted.
7. Serve hot.

Notes:

• If the babycorn is not tender enough, blanch them first in hot water.
• You can use the same recipe for paneer and cauliflower. Cauliflower needs to be blanched first.
• Adjust the pepper quanitity according to your taste.
• Garnish with coriander leaves or spring onions.
• It goes well with rasam and sambar rice.
• For a slight change in taste, you can replace gram flour (kadalai maavu) instead of corn flour for a Chettinad style pepper fry.

Masal Vadai / Masala Vadai / Paruppu Vadai

I was not a big fan of this popular Chennai street food - Masal Vadai. While it was popular among masses - to me, it was "Eli Vadai" (it's commonly used as a bait in rat(eli in tamil) traps - as the aroma is so tempting that it is haute cuisine for the rodents). As a child I used to patiently pull out every single onion and et al out of the vadai making it a cumbersome task for me to eat it and also to dispose the ruins secretly. As I grew up, it was easy - I refused to eat this vadai saying only rats eat it :-).

 Like how bad karma follows you everywhere, it is an irony that my in-laws love masal vadai. So I got around to making them though I don't wolf down as much as I would normally do if its medhu vadai. While I personally prefer the latter, I  do enjoy making the masal vadai because of its simplicity and popularity. This is an easy version and makes for a crispy hot tea time snack.

Ingredients:

1 cup Channa Dal / Gram Dal / Kadalai Paruppu
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
2-3 cloves Garlic
1" piece Ginger
1 t Garam Masala
3-4 green chillies
1 large Onion, finely chopped
2 T Mint leaves, finely chopped
2 T Coriander leaves, finely chopped
1 T Curry Leaves, finely chopped
1 t Rice flour (optional)
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method

1.Soak Channa dal in sufficient water for 2 hours.

2. Retain a handful of the soaked dal and grind the rest with ginger, garlic, cumin seeds, green chillies and garam masala into a coarse paste.

3. Remove onto a bowl  and add in the retained dal, onions, salt, mint coriander and curry leaves leaves and mix well.

4. Add the rice flour if using and mix well. Shape into small balls, flatten them slightly and deep fry in hot oil until the outer turns into golden brown.






6. Serve hot with chutney and a steaming cup of coffee / tea.

Notes:

1. Adding rice flour helps bring in some crispiness to the vadai.
2. You can use the same recipe to make pakoras. Instead of making small balls, you pinch a bit of the batter and drop it in hot oil.
3. You can also add boiled and mashed vazhakkai for an interesting twist.

Bruschetta - A piece of Italy

While the name sounds exotic and fancy, Bruschetta is basically lightly toasted bread slices topped with anything from chopped tomatoes and olive oil or mushrooms sauteed in butter and pepper. It can also be topped with meat or beans or cheese or just about anything else. The only constants being bread, garlic and oliveoil.

Bruschetta was the first step towards my foray into the world of Italian cuisine. I love to keep it simple with just chopped tomatoes, a bit of capsicum and finely chopped onions, green chillies, chilli flakes and garlic with a generous drizzle of olive oil. I usually make it with normal sandwich bread but if you are feeling fancy then do get a french loaf. Don't worry about dropping the tomato pieces as you bite into a delicious slice of heaven. Its totally worth it :-)

 La Dolce Vita!!

Bruschetta 

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 2, diced into small cubes

Capsicum - 1/2, diced into small cubes

Chopped Onion - 1 T, optional

Green Chilly - 1 or Chill Flakes - 1 t 

Garlic - 1 clove chopped + 1

Olive oil - 1/4 cup (I used light olive oil)

Parsley flakes - 1t (you can replace it with finely chopped fresh coriander)
Salt to taste

Sliced Bread - French loaf or whole wheat sandwich bread.

Method

1.Slice one clove of garlic and dip it into a small spoon of olive oil and rub it on both sides of the sliced bread.

2. Lightly toast the bread in a pan

3. Mix the rest of the ingredients. Taste and adjust seasoning / spices /salt. Set it aside for 10-15 minutes for the flavors to meld.

4. Spoon the mixture onto the bread. Drizzle the juices from the mixed topping.

5. Garnish with cheese (if using).

6. Serve immediately.

Notes

•  I had only cheese slices at home but if you have a bit of mozzarella, then pinch off a dollop and place it right on top before serving.

• Using French loaf would prevent the bruschetta from becoming soggy. So if its for a party, then use a french loaf. If its for your 3 pm hunger pangs - any bread would do :-).

Topping Suggestions:

• Instead of regular tomatoes you can use cherry tomatoes cut in half. A combination of red and yellow cherry tomatoes will make it photogenic too.
• Basil adds a wonderful depth to the dish. Roll couple of leaves and slice thinly and mix into the topping.
• Olives will also make an interesting addition. Slice and add to the ingredients.

• Guacamole would also make an interesting twist. Mash up some avocado with the rest of the ingredients mentioned in the recipe. Add a dash of lemon juice and some finely chopped coriander.

Urulai Roast - Pan Roasted Baby Potatoes

I was surprised to find a basket of small potatoes lying hidden at the vegetable vendor today. I picked up a small bag to make an all time favorite potato dish - spicy baby potatoes roasted to a golden hue and garnished with loads of coriander leaves. It makes for a beautiful appetizer for parties - just stick a couple of toothpicks in for visual impact or takes its place in a thali meal as well.

 Simple, fast and tasty.



Urulai Roast - Pan Roasted Baby Potatoes
Recipe Source - My own

Ingredients

Potatoes - 10 - 15
Red Chilly Powder - 1 T
Turmeric = 1/2 t
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup finely chopped
Salt to taste

For Seasoning

Mustard Seed - 1t
Broken Urad Dal - 1t
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Curry Leaves - 1 sprig
Oil - 1T

Method:

1. Pressure cook the baby potatoes for 1 whistle or boil them in water for 7 to 10 minutes. Peel and set aside. If using normal potatoes, peel and cut into big chunks.
2. In a mixing bowl, add the chilly powder, turmeric and salt and mix well.
3. Toss the boiled potatoes in the spice powder mix well. Using a form prick randomly if the potatoes are big.
4. Heat oil in a pan and add items for seasoning one by one. Toss in the potatoes along with remaining spice powder and mix well.
5. Allow the potatoes to roast well until it becomes golden brown.
6. Add the coriander leaves and mix well.
7. Remove from stove and serve hot.

Baingan Bhaja - Pan Roasted Brinjal

Brinjal is not an easy vegetable to love. You either love it or hate it totally. I came across this recipe while browsing through one of my favorite blogs.It sounded exotic but is actually a very simple recipe with minimum ingredients. This recipe takes its own variations in different cultures. There is a Gujarati version and a Bengali variation and also has its place in Andhra cuisine. Some claim that the dish originated in Uttar Pradesh. Couple of ingredients change in each state but the concept of dabbing brinjal slices and pan roasting them remains the same. 

Brinjal is a bland vegetable and with the correct combination of ingredients, it transforms into a tasty and wholesome dish.  This is one such recipe that makes the mushy brinjal look beautiful and adds an exotic touch to your everyday lunch. Its a simple recipe and definitely low calorie as it uses very less oil.

Baingan Bhaja
Recipe adapted from - www.tongueticklers.com

Ingredients:

Brinjal / Aubergine - 1 (I have used the long Japanese ones. But any kind should be okay)
Red Chilly Powder - 1 T
Coriander Powder - 1 T
Garam Masala - 1/2 t
Salt to taste
Turmeric - 1/2 t
Lemon Juice - 1 t
Oil - 1 T

Method:

1. Slice the brinjal into thick discs and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
2. In a plate mix the chilly powder, coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric and salt along with the lemon juice into a thick paste. Add water if required.
3. Pat each brinjal slice on the spice paste on both sides and stack separately one above the other.
4. Heat a cast iron tava or shallow fry pan. Add a drop of oil and place a brinjal slice on top. Arrange the rest of the slices similarly and after a minute turn the slices over and cook on both sides until done. The cooked slices should not be soggy or mushy but must be soft and chewy with a bright golden orange hue.
5. Serve hot with dal and rice.

Notes:

• This can be grilled in the oven though I haven't tried it. Its quite easy and fast on the stove top itself.
• Must be served and eaten hot. Keeping it until the next meal would result in making it soggy. Leftovers can be made into raita and served for the next meal.

Tandoori Baby Corn

For those who are not native to Chennai, no trip to my hometown is complete without the "visit to the beach". After all Chennai boasts of the second longest beach in the world. The Marina. Forget that some portions of the beach are better left to imagination. But for most parts, it reflects the culture, the food and the lifestyle of the people of the city. TLC can make an entire series with just that beach.  Even the beach has its class divide. The common man's Marina with its push cart eateries, merry-go-rounds and of course the bajji stalls and the slightly posh Elliots with cafes and bistros lined near it and of course the weekend getaways along the East Coast Road with private beaches. It is still a statement amongst teens to say you are going to Elliots even though you secretly want to fly those kites near the lighthouse at Marina.

Coming to food, its an amalgamation of cuisines at Marina. Antony Bourdain would have a field day here (and probably be clutching his entrails the next)!. You have the "akka" who deftly drops an assortment of coated veggies into huge cauldrons of boiling oil (of questionable age) to bring up super hot bajjis. Of course who cares about the carcinogens when you have a steaming plate of chilli bajjis with chutneys that can make gun powder look like salt. And the essence of Marina can be seen in the little boys who run around with stainless steel buckets thoughtfully covered with a paper containing fresh "sundal" - boiled lentils with a seasoning of coconut, mangoes, chilies and salt.

 When I was a child I used to be fascinated by the vendor who sells Corn on the cob.She has a pushcart which looks like a bunker made of corns and in the middle is the coal stove. She deftly opens up a corn from its husk but folds it down like a handle. Then places it on the stove and then the fireworks begin. Sparks jump out in a rainbow as she keeps turning the corn. Once it has the sufficient black specks and is roasted, she takes it out, dips half a lemon into a bowl of salt and chilly powder and slathers it on the corn with a slight squeeze of the lemon. then refolds the husk as a container for the roasted corn and hands it to you. Eco-Friendly!!. These were the days before the advent of the stylish cup corn with multiple toppings or the exotic baby corn.  

These days we hardly go to the Marina. Its crowded, too much traffic and parking is a big problem. I remember the days as a small child, when we went there on Saturday evenings with my parents on a scooter. After running on the beach, we used to sit in the sand and share a corn between us. I was too small to bite the corn deftly so my mom had to take out the kernels one by one and give them to me. No crowd, no traffic  to worry about, no TV programmes to miss and of course no digital cameras to capture and post. Just memories...

Today's recipe is from the exotic cousin of the corn - baby corn. Simple to make and looks delightful at a dinner party or to a hungry child from school

Tandoori Baby Corn

Ingredients

Baby Corn - 10-12
Capsicum - 1 small, cut into squares
Onion - 1, cut into squares
Thick curd - 3 T
Red Chili powder - 1T
Coriander powder - 1T
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1T
Tandoori Masala powder - 1T (Optional but recommended. I used the Everest brand)
Salt to taste
Lemon juice - 1/2 t
Oil

Method:

1. Blanch the baby corn in hot water for 3 minutes and set aside.
2. Mix the rest of the ingredients except the oil into a thick marinade. Taste and adjust any of the ingredients to your liking.
3. Marinate the baby corn in this marinade for at least 2 hour in the fridge.
4. Heat a cast iron tava and spray some oil. When the oil is smoking, place couple of pieces of baby corn, capsicum and onion.
5. Turn it around in 1 minute.
6.After another minute remove from the tava . Prepare the rest of the pieces the same way.
7. Serve hot with mint chutney, lemon wedges and salad.

Notes:

1. You can grill it in the oven or microwave instead of the stove. The cooking time would depend on the appliance.
2. The same recipe can be used for paneer, mushroom and chicken. Do not blanch these.\

Gobhi 65

One of the first things I noticed on landing in Malaysia is that most restaurants consider vegetarians as a minority. Walk into any Mcdonalds and ask for a vegetarian burger (after reiterating that you do not what chicken, beef or fish in your vegetarian burger), you will either get a blank look or if you are lucky then you get the burger bun with some coleslaw in it. The only other option is the ubiquitous "fries" which is definitely vegetarian even if its fried in the meat fryer. But after couple of times, the sight of fries will terrorize you.

 Reminds me of good ole Chennai where vegetarians were the market drivers. Where else in the world can you find McAloo Tikki burgers and Paneer Burgers.

True to Chennai tradition, any popular non-vegetarian dish would have its vegetarian sibling. The preferred substitute being gobhi (cauliflower) or baby corn or paneer. Most food chains are aware that you cannot survive the Chennai market without recognizing the vegetarians. Its not just fast food and no it is definitely not a recent phenomenon either.  One of the most popular starters in South Indian restaurants is the Chicken 65. Succulent pieces of chicken marinated and deep fried to a beautiful golden hue and garnished with curry leaves, this dish is so famous, it has its own wiki entry. Walk into any restaurant and you will notice that for every chicken 65 ordered, there would be equal numbers ordering Gobhi 65 or aloo 65 or babycorn 65.

Gobhi 65 is a quick dish and for those with an OCD about eating cauliflower in restaurants, its easy to make and enjoy at home. Unlike the cutlets and samosas that require wrapping and rolling, this appetizer is relatively simple - just dip and drop.

Gobhi 65

Ingredients

Cauliflower florets - 1 cup
Oil to fry

Batter:

3 T Corn flour
1 T Red chilli powder / paprika
a pinch of Turmeric
1 T ginger garlic paste
1/2 Eno fruit salt or Baking soda (optional but recommended)
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Soak the cauliflowers in hot water along with a tablespoon of salt. Remove in 10 minutes to retain the crunch.
2. Mix the cornflour, chilli powder, turmeric, ginger garlic paste along with water to consistency that is thinner than dosa batter.
3. Add the baking soda just before frying.
4.Heat Oil in a kadai. Dip the florets and fry in hot oil in batches.
5. Drain and serve hot with ketchup.

Notes:

• The dish has to be served hot. It will turn soggy if allowed to stay. You can make the batter in advance and fry it just before serving.
• The same batter can be used for baby corn or capsicum.
  
  
  
  
  

Kuzhi Paniyaram

For a long time, the traditional paniyaram was relegated to the kitchens of chettinad households. Invented by diligent home chefs who were keen on not wasting food especially idli/dosa batter that was painstakingly hand ground. So the batter took on various avataars - idli on day 1, dosa on day 2, uthappam on day 3 and finally it became the delectable paniyaram. Spongy and soft with just the hint of onion, chillies and spices, the humble kuzhi paniyaram has come a long way.

The traditional kuzhi paniyaram pan has 7 or 11 holes/indents. The pan itself can be of aluminium/hindolium, cast iron or non-stick. The latter required minimum conditioning while the first two need to be seasoned and conditioned well.

This dish will take a bit of oil and even if you are a serious health freak, it is hard to say no to a plate of steaming paniyarams with spicy coconut chutney.There are so many variations to the paniyaram. It can be sweet, or made with grated veggies or if you are adventurous , then with stuffings as well.


The recipe below is for the basic paniyaram made with an onion and green chilly seasoning.

It goes well with any type of chutney, but the best match is coconut chutney or peanut chutney.

KUZHI PANIYARAM
Recipe Source: My Mother in Law
Makes 21 paniyarams

Ingredients

Dosa Batter - 3 cups (refer notes)
Onions -2, finely chopped
Green Chillies - 4, finely chopped
Mustard seeds - 1t
Broken urad dal - 1t
Channa dal - 1/2t
Curry leaf - 1 sprig finely chopped
Coriander leaf - 1 sprig finely chopped
Ginger - 1 inch, minced finely
Oil - 1T + 1/2 cup
Grated carrot - 1/4 cup, optional


Method

Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal, ginger and curry leaves. Add green chillies and onion and fry till onion turns pink.

Mix the seasoned onions and coriander leaves and grated carrot with the dosa batter and allow it to rest for 15 mins.

Meanwhile, heat the paniyaram pan. Add about 1/2 spoon of oil in each of the holes. (I used a nonstick paniyaram pan. Cast iron/aluminium pans would require more oil.)

Mix the batter and pour a small ladle full of batter into each of the holes. Close with the lid and wait for 3 mins. Open the lid and using a skewer or the stick that comes with the pan, turn each paniyaram gently without making any obvious damage to the paniyaram. Cook without the lid for another 3 mins. When both sides are evenly browned, remove them using the skewers. (To check if the paniyaram is done on the inside - a skewer inserted should come out clean).

Repeat the steps till you finish the batter. Any leftover batter can be stored in the fridge for 24 hours.

Serve hot with spicy coconut chutney.

NOTES

• Use sour dosa batter for the best results. I normally use batter that is atleast 5 days old.
• Batter should be in the same consistency as used for dosa.
• Grated veggies like carrots, beetroot, zucchini add color, flavor and nutrition.
• You can also use Ebelskiver or poffertjes pan if you cannot get a paniyaram pan.