Chilly Baby Corn

One of the ways to beat homesickness in an expat life is to have family and friends visit every once in a while. We have been having a steady stream of visitors over the last couple of months and it has been a blissful couple of weeks cooking and sight seeing.

 The kind of food available in most attractions here in Singapore is limited to sad food courts or the teeming KFC's and McD's. While it does look fancy on the first day, by the second and third day you will kill for idli smothered with podi or even die for a roti stuffed with grandsweets thokku. So invariably I had to come up with fancy food as packed lunch or for dinner when the folks crash in after a tired day. Its tricky to take packed lunch here as due to the heat and humidity most foods don't hold well unless you think puliyodharai is exotic (I am sure after day 4 some of them did think lemon rice is manna!!). One of the meals I had planned was Fried Rice and Chilly Baby Corn. The fried rice is a tested family heirloom. The Chilly Baby corn recipe was adapted from here.

Chilly Baby Corn

Ingredients

1 Cup Baby Corn - Blanched and sliced/cut in big pieces
Oil for frying

Marinade:

2 Tblsp - Maida or All purpose Flour
1Tblsp - Corn Flour
1 tsp - Red chilli Powder
1 tsp - ginger garlic and green chilly paste
1/2 tsp - Black pepper powder
Salt to taste

Sauce:

1 Tblsp - Gingelly Oil
1 Dried Red Chilly
1 large Onion, chopped into chunks
1 Capsicum (Red or green) chopped into chunks
2 Tblsp - Ginger and Garlic - finely chopped
1Tblsp - Dark Soy Sauce (I use Chings brand)
1 Tblsp - Red Chilly Sauce (I use Chings brand) or 1/2tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp - Tomato Sauce
1 Tblsp - Corn Flour
1 tsp - Lemon juice
1/2 cup spring onion - white and green parts
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Mix together all items given under marinade and add the blanched baby corn pieces. Allow it to marinate for 30 minutes.
2. Heat Oil and fry the marinated corn. Drain and set aside. You can either shallow fry or deep fry. Deep fry obviously is the tastier option.
3. Heat Gingelly oil (nallennnai) in a deep pan. Add the red chilly and allow it to release the fragrance
4. Add the ginger and garlic and fry.
5. Add the onion and capsicum and fry
6. Add all the sauces and chilli powder and mix well..
7. Taste and adjust salt.
8. Add the fried baby corn and mix well.
9. Mix the cornflour in little water and pour into the pan.
10. Squeeze the lemon juice and mix well.
11. Garnish with spring onion.
12. Serve hot with fried rice.

Notes:

1. Gingelly Oil / Nallennai gives a lovely flavor to Chinese and Thai dishes. Its different from sesame oil. If not available then you can substitute with sesame oil.

2. You can replace baby corn with mushrooms / broccoli / cauliflower / soy chunks.

3. Check out the Vegetable Fried Rice recipe here

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.

Masala Bread Toast

Masala bread toast was a staple breakfast when I was a child. It is a vegetarian version of the French toast but with an Indian twist.

Masala Bread Toast ( Indian style vegetarian French Toast)

Ingredients:

4 Bread slices (I have used white sandwich bread)
2-3 T milk
Butter for toasting

To Grind:

1 bunch of coriander leaves
1/4 cup pottukadalai (roasted gram dal)
1 onion
1 clove of garlic (optional)
2-3 green chillies
salt to taste

Method:

1. Grind items given under "to grind" into a smooth paste
2. Add milk until it is a thick spreadable paste.
3. Heat a flat skillet and add butter. Spread the masala paste on one side of the bread and place that side on the hot skillet.
4. As it toasts spread the paste on the top side. Flip the bread slice and allow the other side to cook as well.
5. Serve hot.

Notes:

1. The toast will be a bit on the softer side. You can try toasting it on a pop up toaster. But remember to keep the paste thick as it should not drip.
2. You can substitute the green chillies with dry red chillies for a different taste. You can even omit the chillies and use pepper powder instead..

Easy Potato Curry

It has been a hectic couple of weeks with school runs, multiple activity classes and not to mention the flu season here resulting in Little A being a bit under weather and not to mention bound to the house. I have been making a lot of flu-fighting meals - lots of soups, peppery rasams and spicy stir-fries. This is an easy potato curry that is an absolute favorite here. There is no prep required and can be done in 10-15 minutes.

Easy Potato Curry

Ingredients:

1/2 kg Potato - cut into small cubes
2 onions - finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic - finely minced
1 t Turmeric Powder
2 t Red Chilly Powder or Sambar Powder (I have used sambar powder)
Salt to taste
1/2 t Mustard seeds
1/2 t Broken Urad Dal
1 sprig of curry leaves
Coriander leaves for garnish
1 T Oil

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Season with mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves
2. Add the minced garlic and fry
3. Add the chopped onion and fry till they turn soft
4. Add the potatoes, turmeric, chilly powder and salt. Mix well.
5. Add 1/2 cup of water and allow the potatoes to cook on open pan.
6. Stir well and when the water is fully absorbed and potatoes are cooked, mix well and allow them to brown.
7. Remove from heat. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice.

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.

BisiBele Bath (Sambar Rice)

When Little A started school, I was hoping that her exposure to lunch boxes from other homes will open up opportunities for expanding her food chain. When her teacher proudly told me that they dont allow kids to share snacks / lunches I was disappointed. (apparently it was for hygiene and allergy reasons). I wish she had  seen "lunch-times" at my school. 

 I guess most of us would remember those times when we would wait to see what others have brought for lunch. We did not have air-conditioned lunch halls. Instead we had an open field where groups of us would have invisible territories where we gather around to open those stainless steel / Milton hot boxes. Lunch would always be a shared affair wherein you get to taste stuff that arent usually made at home or made differently in other homes. Bittergourd chips from L's home, Potato roast from B's lunch box, Peanut kuzhambu from P's mom, Chocolate cake from D and a range for other cuisines opened the doors for future foodies.  

I believe the experience made us appreciate cuisines, respect food cultures and also be tolerant to food preferences. Sadly Little A would get to experience this only on playdates and parties. 

I still recreate some of my friend's lunch box dishes at home for that touch of nostalgia. I was hunting for the recipe for Bisi Bele Bath which my friend G's mom had made for a pot-luck lunch almost 12 years ago. I landed on the recipe from Food Connoisseur authored by R another friend of mine - who had fallen for the same delectable dish. I have adapted the recipe with minor changes to suit our taste.

Bisi Bele Bath is a medley of rice, dal and vegetables along with spices. The dish has its origins in Karnataka and like any other popular dish has its own local twists.

Ingredients:

Rice – 1 cup  ( I use Thai Jasmine rice for flavor. But ponni rice is also fine).
Tuar Dal – 3/4 cup

Peanuts - 1TSambar Onion or Shallots - 15 - 20, Peel and slice (refer notes)
Tomato - 1
Mixed Vegetables - 1 cup (I have used 1 carrot, 1 potato, 3-4 green beans, 1/4 cup green peas) Refer notes
Sambar Powder - 2T
Tamarind - lemon sized - soak and extract pulp
Salt to taste
Turmeric – 1 pinch

Ghee – 2T
Curry Leaves - 1 Sprig

For the masala

Corriander seed -6T
Dried Red chilly - 15-20
Channa Dal - 2T
Asafoetida - 1 pinch (around 1/4t)
Fenugreek - 1t
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Cloves - 2
Black Peppercorns - 1t
Garlic - 2

Marathi Moggu - 1
Grated coconut - 3T (refer notes)

Ghee - 1t

Method

1. Wash and soak the rice and dal together along with the peanuts.

2. Pressure cook the rice, dal and peanuts in 6 cups of water along with a pinch of turmeric.

3. When the rice-dal is cooking, prepare the masala. 

4. Heat 1 teaspoon of ghee in a kadai and add all the masala ingredients one by one except coconut. When the spices have browned add the grated coconut and fry till it is brown. Cool and grind to a coarse powder. 

5. Heat ghee in a large pressure pan / kadai. Add the curry leaves and onions and fry well.

6. Add the mixed vegetables and fry well.

7. Add the tomatoes and turmeric and mix well.

8. Add sambar powder and tamarind pulp along with a cup of water and bring to a boil.

9. Take two tablespoons of the ground masala and mix with water to make a paste.

10. Add the paste to the vegetables and bring to a boil. Simmer and allow the vegetable to be cooked till soft(you can pressure cook for 1 whistle at this stage). 

11. Mash the rice-dal and add it to the boiling vegetables. Add salt and mix well. 

12. Taste and adjust spice and salt. If less spicy add some more masala paste and mix well. Add a cup of water if it is too thick bring to a boil and mix well.

13. Switch off the stove and add a dollop of ghee on top. (highly recommended)

14. Serve hot with appalam and pickle.

Notes:

• The masala powder can be made in bulk and stored in the fridge. But the flavor will not be the same when it is 2-3 weeks old. I normally make it fresh when I have guests and use the leftover powder for a quick weekday lunch.

• You can use a wide range of vegetables like Raw banana, drumstick (recommended), radish, avarakkai etc. Don't overload the vegetables. It should be more of rice-dal with a sprinkling of vegetables in every bite. 

• Small Onions / Pearl Onions / Shallots gives the dish a wonderful flavor. If you do not get them, then substitute with 1 big onion. Some people add them whole but I dont like finding them in my food. So I have sliced them.

• Traditionally Kopparai (Dry coconut) is used for Bisi Bele Bath. If you have them, then do use it instead of grated coconut as it takes the dish to another level. 

• BisiBele Bath should be gooey. It should not be dry. If you find it dry, then adjust water at step 12. 

• You can also garnish with cashew nuts roasted in ghee.

• Do not skimp on the ghee as BisiBele bath is not for the calorie conscious. Even without the ghee its not going to be low calorie. So go ahead and indulge :-)

• It usually is a dark brown color but the shades may differ depending on the quality of tamarind used.
• Always serve it hot with a dollop of ghee.

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.

 

Healthy Brown Capsicum Rice

On hot summer days (which is infact everyday in Penang!) I normally prefer making one-pot lunches. Meals that are simple to make, wholesome in combining grains / lentils /veggies and involves just one pot to wash up. One such easy meal is the Simple Capsicum rice. You can make the spice powder in advance and store it (I normally make these spice powders in bulk and store them in my refrigerator) and voila - the entire meal would take just under 30 minutes to prepare.

This recipe is adapted from Sailus Food - a delectable blog with a variety of recipes.  I have made this with brown rice to give a nutritious twist. Brown Rice is one of my new finds and it took a while for me to get the grips on the water ratio and cooking times. It is a bit on the chewy side and I doubt if small kids would like the texture but it suits well for the Indian mixed rice dishes. If you are health conscious - then do give it a try. It is filling and is much more nutritious than polished rice as the outer husk is still on and therefore adds a lot of fibre to your meals. For more details on the nutrition value of brown rice check out these pages. If you do not have brown rice - simply substitute with regular white rice or basmati.

Capsicum Rice

Ingredients:

Brown Rice - 1 cup (washed and cooked with 3 cups of water on stove top / pressure cooked as per instructions on packet)

Capsicum - 1 - sliced or chopped

Onion - 1 sliced 

Roasted Peanuts - 1 T

Salt to taste

Spice Powder:

Red Chilly - 5-6

Dhania (Coriander seeds) - 1T

Cumin Seeds - 1t

Broken Urad dal - 1T

Cinnamon - 1 inch stick

Curry leaves - 1 handful

Roasted Peanuts - 2T

Ghee - 1/2t

To Season

Mustard Seeds - 1t

Curry Leaves - a handful

Ghee / Oil - 1 t

Method:

1. Spice Powder - Heat ghee in a pan and roast cumin seeds, urad dal, red chillies, dhania, cinnamon and curry leaves together. Once they turn golden, add the roasted peanuts and mix well. Grind to a coarse powder.

2. Heat ghee / oil in a big pan. Add mustard seeds and curry leaves.

3. Add the sliced onions and fry till they turn pink

4. Add the capsicum and fry until they are  cooked but are still crunchy. 

5. Add salt and mix well. If you taste it at this stage, the capsicum should be a bit salty.

6. Add the rice, spice powder and mix well. Taste and adjust salt. 

7. Garnish with roasted peanuts and serve with raitha.

Notes:

•  If you are not sure about the salt quantity, then add the salt while cooking the rice and omit while frying the vegetables.
• Store excess spice powder in a tightly lidded jar in the fridge. Use within a month.
• If you are making this for kids - then use basmati rice and increase the quantity of ghee for added flavor

Green Chilli and Ginger Pickle / Puli Inji

This is a simple home-made pickle recipe that requires very little effort and even lesser number of ingredients.
A great combination of pungent ginger, hot green chillies, sour tamarind with just a hint of jaggery and absolutely no oil. Ideal for those tastebuds that need some kick.

Green Chilli and Ginger Pickle / Puli Inji

Ingredients:

Chopped Ginger - 1 cup

Finely chopped green chilly - 1/2 cup

Tamarind - Lemon Sized

Jaggery - 1/4 cup

Asafoetida - a pinch (optional)

Salt to taste

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together in a pan and add 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and allow it to thicken.

Once the mixture thickens, remove from heat. Cool and store in a bottle.

This will stay for 10 days at room temperature. Will stay for 3 weeks when refridgerated.

Mac & Squash - A Creamy Pasta with Roasted Squash

A lot of kids here live on the traditional American Mac and Cheese. Its nothing but macroni (pasta) in a cheese sauce. Its rich and heavy and more of a junk food than an Italian entree. I have always wanted to make a healthier version of the Mac and Cheese and what better choice than the nutrient rich yellow squash. The kids cannot figure out the vegetable and would love the rich and creamy taste. Just think of it as Mac and Cheese with more character :-).

 I had some squash leftover after making "poosanikkai sambar" for the Pongal festival last week. If you are in India, then squash is nothing but yellow pumpkin ("manjal poosanikkai). This is a simple recipe made with just roasted squash. You can use any type of pasta but it goes well with macroni or penne as these shapes can hold the sauce well.

MACRONI IN A ROASTED SQUASH SAUCE

Ingredients:

1/4 kg of Squash
1 cup of uncooked pasta (macroni or penne)
3 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup Milk (I have used full cream)
1 teaspoon Red Chilly powder or paprika
1/2 teaspoon Parsley flakes for garnishing (optional)
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash and cut the squash into thick slices without the skin.
2. Heat butter in a pan and  gently roast the slices until they brown a little and turn soft.
3. Remove from heat, cool and blend into a smooth paste.
4. While the squash is cooling, cook pasta as per package instructions. (heat a pot of water until boiling. Add a teaspoon of salt and pasta along with a teaspoon of olive oil and cook till its soft but not squishy or sticky. It should be of the texture popularly known as "al dente" or to be firm but not hard).
5. In the same pan used for roasting, heat the remaining butter. Add the minced garlic and mix well.
6. Add the squash paste with a little water (you can use the water used for cooking pasta) and heat gently.
7. Add the chilly / paprika powder and salt and mix well
8. Add the milk and continue heating gently.
9. Add the cooked pasta and mix well. Heat until the pasta is well coated with salt. If you find the dish getting dry/thick, add some more water or milk.
10. Taste and adjust salt.
11. Garnish with parsley or chilli flakes.
12. Serve hot with garlic bread.

Notes:

1. Grated Cheese can be used for garnishing.
2. Adjust the milk to build the right consistency for the pasta.
3. You can substitute cream instead of the milk but that would make the dish very rich.
4.  You can carrots while roasting for a different twist.
5. For an Indianized verison, add a pinch of garam masala along with the red chilly powder.

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.

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.

Mysore Rasam

Move away Nigellas and Jamie Oliver!

One of the first cookbooks that I had bought was Meenakshi Ammal's Samaithu Paar (Meenakshi Ammal's Cook and See). It is was first published in the year 1951 (wow!) and has been in circulation for more than 60 years. I have the Tamil edition though it is available in many languages.

                                 

The book had no glossy pictures. Infact its black and white and looks like a photocopy. I bought it for the primary reason that it covered the basics of cooking such as making rice, rough diagrams of cooking utensils etc. Yes. I was such a novice at cooking when I got married that I could not differentiate between dals and had to use the instruction manual that came with my pressure cooker. My disastrous experiences - with filter coffee powder mistaken as instant cofee, misjudged quantity of upma and pooris that were mistaken for papadams and chana dal misidentified as tuar dal and used for sambar - are stuff that will be retold in my house for ages to come. They will never let me live it down.

The book is written in a way that emulates how your grandmother / mother might instruct you. The dishes are vegetarian and what one would find in a typical South Indian household (with a touch of Iyer/Iyengar cuisine). 

Each recipe comes with easy instructions and multiple variations as well. Most of my daily cooking was and continues to be adapted from this book. A versatile book, one that I would recommend to be a part of every cook's library and a gift for every novice cook. It may not be a pretty coffee table book, but is an ideal   "ready reckon er. "

One of my favorite recipes from this book is Mysore Rasam. A delectable twist to the mundane rasam, it uses coconut along with the other usual inhabitants in rasam powder. 

Like all spice mixes, this rasam tastes awesome when the powder is ground fresh. But for the sake of conveniences, I have adapted the powder to stay in my fridge for a month. There is no mention of storage instructions in the book and I realized that its because the author would not have seen a refrigerator!!.

MYSORE RASAM

Recipe Source: Meenakshi Ammal Samaithu Paar cookbook

Ingredients:

Tuar Dal - 1/4 cup, cooked and mashed

Tamarind - 1 gooseberry sized piece

Tomato - 1
Garlic - 2 pieces, smashed

Ghee - 1 t

Mustard Seeds - 1/4 t

Cumin - 1/4 t

Asafoetida - a pinch

Curry Leaves - 1 sprig

Coriander Leaves - 1 sprig with the stem

Mysore Rasam Powder: 

Red Chilly - 6 or 7
Gram Dal - 1 1/2 t
Dhania (Coriander seeds) - 1 T
Black Pepper - 5 or 6
Grated Coconut - 1 T
Ghee - 1t

Method:

For the Rasam Powder

1. Roast all the ingredients except coconut under "Spice Mix" with a teaspoon of ghee. Just before switching off the stove, add the coconut and roast till brown.

2. Cool and Grind to a slightly coarse powder. This can be made in bulk and stored in the fridge.

For the Rasam



1. Add water to the tamarind and extract the paste. I zap it in the microwave along with the water for a minute and then extract the paste. Its easier that way.
2. Take the tamarind extract in a saucepan and add 1/2 cup of water to it.
3. Add the cut tomatoes and smashed garlic and add the chilly powder and salt. You can also add a bit of your regular rasam powder but that's optional.
4. Place the saucepan on the stove and bring to a boil. Add the tuar dal and mix well.
5. Add a teaspoon of water to 1 to 2 tablespoon of the ground spice powder and add to the rasam. Bring to a boil.
6. In a small pan heat some ghee and add the mustard, cumin, asafoetida. Once it crackles, add it to the boiling rasam.
7. Garnish with coriander leaves and remove from fire.

Notes:

1. Unlike the regular rasam, the mysore rasam contains coconut and hence cannot be left outside overnight.
2. Making the tadka (final seasoning) with ghee enhances the flavor of the rasam.
3. Just before placing the saucepan on the stove, taste the rasam and adjust spice or salt.

Note: This is not a paid review.