Mantav Ghashala Bajji

A complicated name for an oh-so-simple dish. Mantav Ghashale is the Konkani name for what is known as Tori in Hindi. The Spencer's super market here calls it Smooth Gourd. I think that's because it is a smooth version of the Ridge Gourd. While I have no love for either vegetable, I have cooked both very often. Summers in Delhi/NCR mean that you eat the same vegetables over and over again. During one vegetable buying trip, I'd gone through everything and picked up nothing. S came over and said, "Are the vegetables so bad?" And I said, "No, but I just made all of these last week." As I said it, I realized what was happening. I forced myself to pick up the same vegetables. I figured that if I needed a change, I simply had to cook the same vegetables differently.

For instance, I made a thuvayal with Tori with go with idlis. I followed the recipe for Peerkangai Thuvayal. I decided that thuvayals are great sides with idlis and dosas as they have more than a decent helping of vegetables. (And don't ask for my recipe for idlis. I really don't have one and, much to Amma's disgust, continue to use MTR Rice Idli mixes.)

I remember that Amma made this "bajji" a few times. This bajji is not to be confused with the one that belongs in the bonda family. It is a simple side dish, quite like a tayir pachadi. So when you put Mantav Ghashale and Bajji together, you get this dish! The day I made it, it was a welcome change from the normal Tori sabji.

4 Smooth Gourds

2 Green Chillies

2-3 tbsp Coconut, scraped

1 cup Curd, beaten

For the tempering:
1 tsp Oil
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
7-8 Curry Leaves

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

Roughly scrape the skin of the gourds. Do not peel. Chop them into 1 inch cubes and place the in a microwave safe bowl. Cook on high for 3-4 minutes. Cool.

Grind together the cooked gourd pieces with the coconut and chillies. Mix together with the beaten curd.

In a frying ladle, heat the oil, add the mustard seeds, and when they splutter, add the asafoetida and curry leaves. Add this to the vegetable-curd mixture.


Your side dish is ready!

Bhenda Huli

This is one of the more popular amchi dishes. I know that it features at least once a week on the menus of several of my relatives. It is usually not made dry. I made it a little dry to go with rotis and then diluted it with a little water when we had it for dinner with rice and dali-saar.

1/4 kg Lady's Finger, chopped

4-5 tbsp Coconut, scraped

2-3 Red Chillies

1 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/2 tsp Fenugreek Seeds

1 tsp Coriander Seeds

5-6 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tbsp Tamarind Paste

3-4 tsp Oil

Salt to taste

Fry the red chillies, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and coriander seeds in about 2 teaspoons of oil. Grind this along with the coconut to a smooth paste.

Cook the lady's finger with the tamarind paste, salt and a little water until done. When it is cooked, add the masala and enough water to make it a sambar like gravy (or thicker if you like). Bring this mixture to a boil.

In a frying ladle, heat the remaining oil and add the crushed garlic and fry for a minute. Add this to the gravy and serve with rice and dali-saar.

If you're looking for a no onion/garlic version, you could use this tempering:

1 tsp Cooking Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
½ tsp Asafoetida (Hing)
7-8 Curry Leaves

In a frying ladle, heat the oil and add the mustard. When the mustard splutters, add the asafoetida and turn off the flame. Add the curry leaves. Fry for a minute and add this to the boiling mixture.

Off this goes to Deepa's RCI: Konkani Cuisine.

Bhulbhulavani

Everyone knows how much I love brinjal. I am always on the lookout for new recipes that I can try out with these little purple beauties. I made this dish many months ago and saved the post for the RCI. This isn't a dish that Amma made. She made it for the first time after I told her about it. I adapted this recipe from Rasachandrika, my konkani cooking encyclopaedia. My maid and my mother-in-law were very skeptical when I started cooking this. They couldn't imagine how a dish could be made without turmeric. I was following a recipe. Modifying it, no doubt, but following it all the same.

1/2 kg Brinjals, finely chopped

2 Onions, finely chopped

2-3 Red Chillies

1/2 tsp Coriander Seeds

2-3 Cloves

1" piece of Cinnamon

2-3 tbsp Coconut, scraped

3-4 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped

3-4 Garlic cloves

2 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste

Dip the brinjal pieces in water for 10 minutes and drain. Add salt to the pieces and keep aside.

Heat about 2 teaspoons of oil and fry the chillies, coriander seeds, cloves and cinnamon. Grind together to a fine paste this mixture with the coconut and garlic.

Heat the remaining oil and fry the onions. Add the brinjal pieces and fry for about 2 minutes. Add the ground masala and mix it well. Cook till the brinjals are done. Add the chopped coriander leaves.

We had them with wheat rotis for lunch and with Rice Rotis for dinner. I haven't made it again since only because I have been trying out other dishes with brinjal. But the recipe is a keeper.

Off this goes to Deepa's RCI: Konkani Cuisine.

Puli Saadam (Tiger Rice)

Hostel. The word usually opens the floodgates. Memories come rushing in. Before I know it I’m transported to a time when the day of the week determined what we’d see on our plate. I remember our arguments at the dinner table. Initially on a Wednesday night, we’d instinctively know it was Fried Rice. At a later stage, even though the food was on our plate, we would look at it and say, “Today is Thursday, so this has to be Tiger Rice ya!” On the whole, I don’t know why I cribbed so much. The food was never great, but it was always decent. Except the idlis. Someday I will blog about the different types of idlis that my hostel mess dished out. Every Tuesday morning.

Today’s post is dedicated to the Tiger Rice of Kaveri Hostel. The dish has the colours of a tiger and puli = tamarind, but puli also = tiger. I don’t call it Puliyodarai. To me, Puliyodarai is a very different genus and species. This will always be my Puli Saadam. No puli kaachal or instant mixes, just a dish as simple as lemon rice… well almost. Puliyodarai that Amma or Paati make will have a separate dedicated post some day.

1 cup Rice, measured raw and then cooked
1 tbsp Gingelly (Til/Sesame) Oil
¼ tsp Mustard Seeds
¼ tsp Asafoetida
7-8 Curry Leaves
½ tsp Urad Dal
½ tsp Chana Dal
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
¼ cup Peanuts
2 tbsp Tamarind Paste
3-4 Red Chillies
Salt to taste


Heat the oil in a kadhai and add the urad dal, chana dal, mustard seeds and asafetida. When the mustard splutters, add the red chillies, curry leaves and peanuts. Fry for a couple of minutes. Add the turmeric powder and the tamarind paste. Add about ½ a cup of water and bring the mixture to a boil. Add salt and when the mixture thickens to about half the original volume, stir in the rice and take off the flame immediately. Serve with some appalams or crisps. My favourite way to eat this is with some avial on the side. This recipe is good for two people as a main course or for four to six people if there are other dishes on the menu.

I was in a very playful mood the day I made this. I microwaved some javvarisi vadaam (sago crisps) and then scooped up some rice in each. I still like to find ways to make food interesting enough to eat and despite my age, I tend to play with my food a lot.


Also known as Pulihora, this is festival food in Andhra Pradesh and I’m sending this off to Vani at Batasari for the RCI: Andhra Festival Foods event.

Kodo ko Roti

RCI has been a fun event. I can't decide which is more fun: trying out recipes that I've tasted but never tried or trying out recipes that I am clueless about. In any case, I always end up doing the most research for this one event.

Again, I did a bit of searching as always. I decided to submit Hakka Noodles just because it was served at the Meghalayan stall at Dilli Haat. But then, that doesn't make the cut, does it? So, I'm posting a dish that I "twisted" to suit my palate. I came across the recipe for Kodo Ko Roti at this site and modified it to make these rotis. The recipe calls for only sugar and ghee to be added to the dough. I made it a little spicy instead.

1/2 cup Ragi (Finger Millet) Flour

1 Onion, finely chopped

2-3 Green Chillies, finely chopped

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Mix all the ingredients together and add enough water to make a batter.

To make the rotis, heat a skillet and drop a blob of the batter onto it and spread it. Put a few drops of oil around the roti and cook for a couple of minutes. Turn the roti around and cook the other side too. I had this with some garlic chutney that I'd blogged about here.

I do hope that Bhags of Crazy Curry will accept this as my entry to RCI: North Eastern Cuisine. I'm also sending this to Srivalli as part of her Roti Mela.

Kairi Panha

This is a summer drink that I have come to love. I must admit that when Amma first made this, I thought she was crazy to go to class(canning and preservation class) and learn how to make weird drinks. I must have been all of 6 at the time. Like beer, I’d call this an acquired taste. This drink would, however, win hands down as a summer drink when compared to beer. After all, while both are summer drinks and both are acquired tastes, this is a delicious drink. (You can rest assured I’d almost never use that adjective with beer.)


I tried this sometime ago using the microwave and I was very happy with the result.

1 cup Raw Mango, peeled and diced
1 tbsp Roasted Cumin Powder
1 tsp Rock Salt, powdered
½ tsp Black Pepper Powder
2-4 tbsp Sugar

Place all the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl with a little water and microwave on high for 3 minutes. Allow to cool and then blend to a paste. Mix this with two glasses of chilled water and serve.

This is traditionally served as a breakfast drink in Rajasthan and goes by the name of Kairi ka Pani. So, this is off to Padmaja at Spicy Andhra as my fifth entry to the RCI Rajasthan - Flavours of the Desert event. Since this is a breakfast number featuring mangoes, I am sending this to Arundati of Escapades, who is hosting this month's Weekend Breakfast Blogging # 22, the theme of which is Mango Madness.

Masala Tinda

I've gone on tirelessly about how I eat all vegetables and how I am not a fussy eater and all that. And I feel sorry for all of you for having believed me all this while. There is one vegetable that I actually "hate". No, it isn't bitter gourd. But it is a gourd nonetheless: the round gourd. This is more popularly known as Tinda. I ate this once some 9 years ago at someone's house in Bangalore. Everyone at the lunch table seemed so excited that Tinda was on the menu. I hadn't eaten Tinda before and I really did eat everything at the time. And so I did. I hated it. Good upbringing made me finish everything that was on my plate and I politely declined further helpings. A few months later, I moved to Gurgaon. Tinda featured in every menu during the summer that followed. Since I "had" to eat vegetables (I've always preferred eating vegetables and dal to rice), I would end up with Tinda on my plate. And when I moved back south, I was happy to get rid of this vegetable.

Now that I am back in Gurgaon, I have let one entire summer go by without as much as even looking at Tinda. But my colleagues kept telling me that it is really a tasty vegetable when made well. So, despite my hatred for this vegetable, I bought some and made this dish last week. It wasn't intended as an entry to any event, but merely as a means of trying out a new vegetable. But since I found this recipe in Rajasthani Cooking by Tarla Dalal and adapted it, this is off to Padmaja at Spicy Andhra as my fourth entry to the RCI Rajasthan - Flavours of the Desert event.

2 cups Tinda, sliced

1/4 tsp Asafoetida
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Chilli Powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1 tsp Dry Mango Powder
2 tbsp Oil
Salt to Taste

Heat the oil and add the cumin seeds. When they crackle, add the asafoetida and the Tinda slices. Add the turmeric powder along with a little water. Cover and cook for a few minutes until the vegetable is cooked.

Add the spices and the salt and mix well. Cover and cook again for a few minutes.


Have my feelings towards this vegetable changed since? Not really. But I know it is tolerable now and with time and a few more experiments, I will be able to incorporate this otherwise sorry vegetable into my regular menu.

P.S. Tinda lovers: Please do not take offence. I am looking for ways to relish the vegetable. So, please help.

Aloo Ki Subji

My cookbooks form a big part of what I'd consider my most prized possessions. And I have talked earlier about the lady I think of as my foster mother. My interest in cooking was shaped almost as much by her as it was by my own mother. Today, her cookbooks are far easier to use and the recipes seem uncomplicated. I don't know if the books have changed or I have.

When a recipe appears to be simple, I am tempted to try it. I also like using a variety of ingredients in my cooking so that the taste seems different each time. While earlier, I'd cook a certain vegetable a certain way, now I am more than willing to check out new methods. Potatoes are not a regular feature in my kitchen. Incidentally, the day we happen to make potatoes is the day my mother in law will specifically ask S what we ate. As soon he tells her, I'll get a lecture on how we should cut down on potatoes. To her, it is almost as though we eat only potatoes everyday. Irony!

I made this dish a few weeks ago. It is adapted from Tarla Dalal's Rajasthani Cookbook. I sometimes wonder if I might actually buy a book on Saraswat Cooking if she authored it. There is a certain amount of faith I place in her recipes and that faith has been built over years. Again, I modified the recipe to suit my bland palate and I was not disappointed. The dish turned out to be so like the one in the picture that I couldn't resist clicking the two together.

4 Potatoes, boiled, peeled and cut into wedges

1 cup Curds, beaten

1 tsp Bengal Gram Flour

1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

1 tsp Fennel Seeds

1/2 tsp Nigella Seeds

1 Bay Leaf

2 Cloves

2" Stick Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

1 tsp Cumin Powder

1 tsp Coriander Powder

1 tsp Chilli Powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste

Coriander Leaves for garnish

Whisk the curds with the gram flour, chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder and coriander powder.

Heat the oil and add the mustard, cumin, fennel and nigella seeds along with the asafoetida. When the mustard seeds crackle, add the bay leaf, cloves and cinnamon and fry for a minute. Add the curd mixture and bring to a boil over a low flame. Add the potatoes and salt. Bring the entire mixture to a boil. Garnish with coriander leaves.

This wonderful recipe adapted from my "foster mother's" cookbook on Mother's day is off to Padmaja at Spicy Andhra as my third entry to the RCI Rajasthan - Flavours of the Desert event. Paddu, I hope there are no limits to the number of entries. Happy Mother's Day All.

Arbi Ka Saag

For a long time, I knew of 3 ways in which I could make Arbi (Colocasia). I could make Seppankizhangu Fry (Deep Fried), Seppankizhangu Karumadhu, and Seppankizhangu Mor Koottu. All Tamil dishes. So, I'd buy the vegetable only if I knew I was going to make Sambar sometime soon. I never thought I could make a side dish to go with rotis.

When I came across this recipe, I was a bit skeptical about how well it would pair with rotis given how dry it looked. I was pleasantly surprised when not only did I think my lunch was great, my colleagues kept picking pieces off my plate, and S called from work to say, "You should make this more often!"

As with most Rajasthani recipes here, this is also adapted from the Rajasthani Cookbook by Tarla Dalal.

250 g Colocasia (Arbi/ Seppankizhangu), boiled, peeled and quartered

1/4 tsp Carom Seeds

1/4 tsp Mustard

1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tsp Chilli Powder

1/2 tsp Coriander Powder

Juice of 1 Lime

1 tsp Oil

Salt to taste

Oil for deep/shallow frying

Shallow fry or deep fry the arbi pieces and keep aside.

Heat the teaspoon of oil. Add the carom and mustard seeds. When the mustard splutters, add the fried arbi pieces, turmeric, chilli and coriander powders, salt and lime juice. Mix well.

Serve hot with rotis.

I deep fried as I made it in the morning when I was short of time. I didn't want to shallow fry then as it really is time consuming. This is off to Padmaja at Spicy Andhra as my second entry to the RCI Rajasthan - Flavours of the Desert event.

Papad Mangodi ki Subji

If it took a few trips to Gujarat for me to fall head over heels in love with its cuisine, I must admit that I fell in love with Rajasthani food long before I set foot in the state. I think it was the Thali at Mansukh that did it. Or was it the daal-bati-churma at the Trade fair in Delhi? Maybe it was the sit down meal at Dhola-ri-Dhani in Hyderabad? Whatever it was, I know I've enjoyed this cuisine and am quite thrilled when I try stuff at home.

A few years ago, I bought the Rajasthani Cookbook by Tarla Dalal and made a fantastic meal of dal parathas, gatte ki kadhi and khasta kachori. I couldn't believe that my kachoris turned out so like the ones I'd eaten at chaat shops. I made this dish in the peak of summer last year (when I was out of vegetables). It almost seems like I made it and then waited for the RCI Rajasthan to be announced. That was not intentional.

1 cup Moong Dal Mangodi
4 large Urad Papads, torn into small bits
1 cup Fresh Curds, beaten
2 tsp Coriander Powder

1 tsp Chilli Powder
1 tsp Dry Mango Powder (Amchur)
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Ginger Paste
1 tsp Green Chilli Paste
2 tbsp Oil
1.4 tsp Asafoetida
Salt to taste


Place the mangodis in a plastic bag and run a rolling pin over it to crush them.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pressure pan and add the crushed mangodis. Add a cup of water and pressure cook for 3 whistles.

Beat the curds with the chilli powder, coriander powder, dry mango powder and turmeric powder. Heat the other tablespoon of oil and add the cumin and mustard seeds. When the mustard splutters, add the asafoetida, ginger and chilli pastes and fry for a minute. Add the beaten curd mixture and salt and continue to cook for a few minutes till the mixture comes to a boil. Add the mangodis(along with the water they were cooked in) and the papads and cook for another few minutes.

Serve with rice or parathas.

According to Tarla Dalal (www.tarladalal.com): Mangodis are sun-dried grape sized dumplings made from soaked and ground moong dal or sometimes from urad dal. Due to scarcity of vegetables, the ingenious Rajasthanis use different forms of pulses to whip up healthy and tasty meals. Mangodis or moong dal badis are often used to rustle up several tasty and mouth-watering recipes.

This is off to Padmaja at Spicy Andhra as she hosts the RCI Rajasthan - Flavours of the Desert event. I hope to send in more entries, but in any case don't want to miss the boat.

Koraishutir Kachuri

I grew up in a completely multicultural environment and had neighbours who belonged to Assam, Bengal, Kashmir, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, U.P., Punjab, Maharashtra and Gujarat. Pretty much on the same street. Of course, there were people from Tamilnadu as well. And for quite a while, we all ran in and out of each other's houses, had our meals in whosever house we happened to be at that mealtime, and came back home at the time our mothers told us to. I always feared I'd turn into a pumpkin if I didn't get home at 6 (or 8 or 10 or 11 as my curfew time got extended.) But I never bothered to find out anything about the food I ate at these different homes. Would you all believe that, at one point in time, I had NO interest in food?

While I may have eaten all kinds of food, it is only in the last 6 years that I've started trying things out at home. So, from dal parathas to sandesh to dosas to pastas, I'd love to give anything at least one chance in my kitchen. OK, there are exceptions.

Since I've not traveled in the eastern part of the country, my exposure to the cuisines in this part is unknown territory to me. By that measure, I haven't been to China, Mexico or Italy, but I seem to cook their food often. Hmmm, maybe the restaurants that got me interested have something to do with this. I have heard of one Bengali restaurant in Delhi, but have never been to it. I've always associated Bengali food with the numerous milk sweets. Food events take your interest level in a certain cuisine up by a few notches. There are some blog events that I love. They help me take walks down what I'd otherwise consider blind alleys. And then, participating in a much loved event like the RCI, seems like a walk in the park and not in a blind alley.

While I really wanted to make something else, I came across this recipe at Sutapa Ray's Bengali Recipes. I modified it to suit my taste and pantry.


Ingredients:

1 cup Atta
1 tbsp Oil + 1 tsp Oil
2 tsp Green Chilli Paste
Salt to taste
2 tbsp Aniseed
¼ tsp Asafoetida
1 cup Peas, shelled
1 tsp Ginger Paste
Oil for deep frying

Take the atta in a mixing bowl. Add the tablespoon of oil and some salt. Add a little water at a time and knead to a soft dough.

Grind the peas, ginger and chilli pastes and aniseed to a fine paste. In a pan, heat the teaspoon of oil. Add the asafoetida and fry for a minute. To this, add the peas paste and salt. Fry well till the paste is cooked. Remove from the fire and let it cool. Divide this mixture into 8 portions.

Divide the dough into 8 balls. Roll out each ball into small circle and fill it with the pea mixture.Bring the edges together and seal them. Roll out as for puris. Deep fry in hot oil till golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper.

My neighbour made this sometime back and served it with a chana dal and coconut dish. This is so similar to the Vatanya Nevryo that Amma makes from time to time. I plan to make something else for RCI too, but this month being as busy as it is, I don't want to have deadlines go by for one of my favourite events and then kick myself for not having sent a recipe in.

This goes to Sandeepa who is hosting this month's RCI - Bengal. Thanks Sandeepa and Happy Hosting. I'd also like to wish all of you a very Happy Holi.

Khichdi and Kadhi

Wherever I go, I try and sample the local cuisine of the place. Of course I sample global foods without ever once having even flown over those lands. I’d never seek out Indian food while traveling abroad. Firstly, I am not the biggest fan of Indian food to have the face of this earth. I enjoy it as I do any food. Secondly, I don’t like to lose out on the chances (to taste different cuisines) that life offers me. While in Paris, I had the misfortune of being with two Indians who’d seek out atrociously expensive Indian food at Strasbourg Saint-Denise every night. They spoke no French and they sort of emotionally blackmailed me all the time. They didn’t know how to ask for food without any meat and were unwilling to learn basic French. To top it all, they thought a trip to McDonald’s constituted sampling local food! I used to travel all over the city each day after work picking up small snacks along the way, taking in everything the beautiful city had to offer. My academics in Tourism will never be a waste. (And I can beg you all never to order Baingan Bharta anywhere in Paris!)


The first Indian state that I traveled extensively in happens to be Gujarat. I should have said the first Indian state that I didn’t “belong to”. This was about 21 years ago. Until that time, our travel was limited to the three states that I have called home: Maharashtra, Karnataka and TamilNadu. I don’t count going to Tirupati as it is closer to Madras than it is to most urbanized parts of A.P. Gujarat left its indelible mark on me. Literally and figuratively. Literally as it was the very first time I was experiencing temperatures higher than 40 degrees Celsius. (Yes, Madras in those days wasn’t half as hot as it is now.) I developed heat boils, which, as they healed, left scars on my neck and legs. (I even had to have one boil surgically removed.) Figuratively, I was so impressed with what the state had to offer that I made three or four trips since then. And I keep going back.


One of the things I love about any place is the food on offer. It’s not like I’m never disappointed. But Gujarat has never disappointed me in this matter. From the khakhras to the dhoklas and khandvis to the theplas and rotlis to the quintessential khichdi and kadhi… I love them all. I once joked to my cousin about wanting to marry a Gujju boy so my MIL could feed me all the lovely stuff. She said, “Your MIL will probably get stuff from the shop, as it is so much simpler, which you can also do”. Initially, I got my recipes from my dear friend M who could never understand why I loved her food so. As soon as Tarla Dalal came out with her Gujarati Cookbook, one copy was on my bookshelf.

I think this book of Tarla Dalal’s is like the Rasachandrika of Gujarati cooking. The recipes that M gave me are almost identical to the ones in the book. So I love it even more. Khichdi and Kadhi is a combination that I used to make very often when I was single. There was this time when I was attending German classes in the morning and so had very little time to make lunch. I ate khichdi for lunch throughout this 7 week period. There’s a slight variation to my khichdi and that is the addition of vegetables. I also add equal amounts of rice and dal as it makes me feel good. (Don’t ask why!)

1 cup Rice (Basmati or Sona Masuri), washed and drained
1 cup Green Gram (Moong) Dal, washed and drained
1 tsp Oil
1 cup Mixed Vegetables (Carrots, Beans, Peas)
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Peppercorns
1” piece Cinnamon
2 Cloves
1 tsp Green Chilli Paste
¼ tsp Asafoetida
Salt to taste


Heat the oil in a pressure cooker and add the cumin seeds, asafetida, peppercorns, cinnamon and cloves. When the cumin crackles add the rice, dal and vegetables. Fry for a minute and add the chilli paste and salt. Add about 4-5 cups of boiling hot water and cook for 20 minutes (4-5 whistles).

While the khichdi is cooking, get the kadhi going.

2 tbsp Gram flour (Besan)

2 cups Curd

2 cups Water
½ tsp Green Chilli Paste
½ tsp Ginger Paste

2 Curry Leaves

1 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste

For the tempering:

1 tsp Ghee (clarified butter)

1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
½ tsp Mustard Seeds

¼ tsp Asafoetida

1 Red chilli, broken into bits

Beat the curds with the gram flour and water until you get a smooth mixture. Add the green chilli and ginger pastes, curry leaves, sugar and salt. Bring this mixture to a boil on a low flame.

In a frying ladle, heat the ghee and add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds. When the mustard splutters, add the asafetida and the red chilli. Add the tempering to the kadhi and boil for 1-2 minutes.

Serve the kadhi along with the khichdi. This would also go down as a classic comfort food for me. S doesn’t care much for kadhi and sometimes I make the mixed vegetable khichdi alone which we have with pickle and curd.

This is my first entry to the Regional Cuisine of India: Gujarat event which is being hosted by Mythili. if time permits, I'll send in my other recipes too. I'd like to send the Khichdi to

Meeta's Monthly Mingle. The theme this month is One-Dish Dinners. Happy hosting Meeta and Mythili!

Vegetable Stew

I have never learnt to make any Mallu (Keralite) food. Maybe it was because I had easy access to it whenever I wanted. The only things I think I attempted to make were the Kadala Curry and Egg Curry after inspiration from Sig. There's a lot of stuff that I make that is so similar to Keralite food. My everyday upkari becomes a thoran in Kerala. I could pass off my proper Iyengar avial as a Keralite dish. But to me these foods are not typical of the only state in southern India that I am not connected to directly. (Being someone from Karnataka and Tamilnadu, I'm married to someone from Andhra Pradesh!) These are foods that I have grown up eating and can hence only think of them as Konkani or Tamil, however similar they may be.

 

Stew is quite another story. I can't remember where I first had it. But I remember licking my lips as I placed in my mouth the last piece of appam soaked with the remnants of the stew in my bowl. And I remember that taste as so distinctly Keralite. I have made this quite often and I used to take it to my uncle after my aunt passed away. It was the last dish I took to him on my way to work. I made this yesterday for the first time since then.

1 cup Coconut Milk

1 tsp Oil

1 cup Mixed Vegetables (Potatoes, Carrots, Beans, Cauliflower and Peas), boiled

1/2 cup Onions, sliced

7-8 Curry Leaves

8-10 Pepper Corns

1 Cardamom Pod (optional)

1" stick Cinnamon

3 Cloves

2 Green Chillies, slit

Salt to taste

Heat the oil and add the curry leaves and onions. Add the cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns (and cardamom, if using) and the green chillies. Fry these for a few minutes. Add the boiled vegetables and the coconut milk along with a little water. Add the salt and mix well. Crush some of the potatoes to thicken the stew. Allow it to thicken and then take off the flame.

I love stew with appams, but figured that it tastes great with rice too. Off this goes to Jyothsna of Curry Bazaar for this month's RCI - Kerala.

Aloo Chokha

One of my closest friends during my schooldays hailed from Bihar. Yet, I learnt almost nothing about Bihari cuisine from him or his mother. I just remember a lot of yellow and white, both in his lunchbox and on their dining table. I was wondering what I should make for the RCI: Bihar. I asked my colleague (who happens to be married to a Bihari) about their cuisine and she revealed that her mother-in-law was Bengali and so she was confused about which foods belonged to which state. She gave me 2 recipes which I wanted to try, and I am certain I will sometime soon. Another friend stayed with a Bihari family in the U.S. and is currently staying with us. She told me about this simple recipe using mashed potatoes called Aloo Chokha. Since I have Aloo Mash at home, we were able to whip this up very quickly. I used the leftovers this morning as a stuffing for parathas.

2 cups Mashed Potatoes

2 Onions, chopped finely

1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic-Green Chilli paste

1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

1/2 tsp Chilli Powder

1/2 tsp Cumin-Coriander Powder

1 tbsp Oil

1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds

Salt to taste

Coriander Leaves for garnish

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the onions and fry until they turn pink. Add the ginger-chilli-garlic paste and fry for a few minutes. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder and the cumin-coriander powder and fry for a minute. Add the mashed potatoes and the salt. Cook for a few minutes and garnish with coriander leaves.

We ate this with some Adraki Dal and rice. I am sure this will go well with rotis as well.

Off this goes to Sangeeta's place as my entry to RCI Bihar. Happy hosting Sangeeta. And thank you for this opportunity to explore the cuisine of a state that was totally new to me.

Kadalai Paruppu Sundal

Navaratri. The 9-night long festival that brings back a flood of memories. We had a nice golu in our house for as long as I can remember. Every year, we'd try to add to the golu on the two sides. A park one time, a village scene another time. Attention to detail was essential. All schools would close immediately after the Mahalaya Amavasya except for my own. We'd have school till the 5th or 6th day of Navaratri and then remain closed for some 7 days after Dussera. I find it funny to this day that just because it was a central government school, we had to follow the north blindly in terms of holidays.

Fortunately, my school didn't have a quarterly exam system, so we were spared excessive studying during festival time. We'd accompany Amma to Parry's Corner to buy bags, coconuts, sweet lime, betel leaves, turmeric, supari, and some steel items to give away. Then we'd sit late into the night making vettalai paakku bags for all guests.

We had cute invitation cards printed. Amma would draw up a list of people from the IIT Madras directory. Then there was this list of Appa's relatives that we'd send invitations to. Amma's colleagues, our school teachers... so many people. Then H and I would drop these invitations around campus. We'd also get invited to people's houses and everyone used to have the standard, "Oru Paattu Paadu Maa" (Please sing a song!). I was a moody child just as I am a moody adult. And I never did like singing at other people's golus. Forgive me all of you die hard Cartnatic music fans (I am one myself, but even then) for saying this. Maamis would ask me to sing and then give me "expert advice" on technique, gammukkam, taalam (like I went to music class with some other intention!) and succeeded in killing any residual interest I may have had in classical music. Today I regret giving up learning, but try and see the world through the eyes of a 14 year old who has been learning music from the age of 4, who is interested in good music and not necessarily in raagas and azhuttam and all the associated stuff and you'll know what I mean. For those of you who asked about which genre of music I sing: bhajans, semi classical music, hindi film music and retro English numbers.

While Navaratri is almost synonymous with loads of classical music, it is also synonymous with sundal. Nine varieties of sundal on 9 nights. What fun! Much as the family I grew up in is not a believer in "kitchen religion", I indulge every once in a while. While I am not making a sundal every evening this Navaratri, I will be making it on as many days as I can.

We had invited some guests over for dinner on Saturday and made this kadalai paruppu sundal. I was the only one in the group for whom sundal was a tradition. The other three, my hubby included, were from A.P. and had no clue about the navadhanyam for navaratri concept and had never eaten or heard of sundal. But they loved it and that's all that matters!



1/2 cup Gram Dal (Chana Dal), soaked for 1 hour
1 tsp Oil
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Urad Dal
1/4 tsp Chana Dal
1 tsp Green Chilli Paste
1/4 tsp Ginger Paste
1 Red Chilli
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
1/4 tsp Dry Mango Powder (Amchur)
1 tbsp Coconut, scraped
Salt to taste


Pressure cook the chana dal with salt for 2-3 whistles. Drain when done.


In a kadhai, heat oil. Add the urad and chana dals, mustard seeds and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the curry leaves, ginger and chilli pastes, and the red chilli. Fry for a minute. Add the cooked dal and a little salt. Cover and cook a couple of minutes with a little water if necessary. Garnish with the scraped coconut and enjoy.



I am sending these to Viji as my second entry for the RCI - Tamil Festival event. I am also sending this to Vee for her Dassera event.

Goodies for Ganpati: Kozhukattais: Uppu & Ammini

Ganesh Chaturthi is a huge festival on my mother's side of the family. My father is an Iyengar (Vaishnavite) and so this is technically not a festival. But it has been celebrated at his place. However, there is no culinary tradition relating to this festival on his side of the family. But growing up in a multicultural home in a multicultural surrounding (IIT Madras) meant that I got to celebrate more festivals than were celebrated on either side of my family.

I am not too fond of the sweet kozhukattais. And I had made Patoli and Narlya Kheeri just the day before Chaturthi. I wanted to make the savoury kozhukattais that I've eaten at friends' places or brought home from work by Amma. I didn't fare too well on my first attempt at making kozhukattais. But I tried again the very next day and got a nice pliable dough. Lakshmi and Latha from The Yum Blog helped me understand what may have gone wrong.

I had invited a few people for dinner that evening and wanted to have a good mix of sweet and savoury items. The world knows that I was eyeing Laavanya's Ammini Kozhukattai ever since she posted it. I had never heard about it, let alone eat it. But the thought of small rice pearls with a savoury tempering made my mouth water.

I didn't soak and grind rice flour as Laavanya's method suggests. Instead, I made the dough for the outer covering of a kozhukattai from The Yum Blog.

3 cups Rice flour
3 cups Water
1 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste

Bring the water to a boil in a heavy pan. Add the oil, salt and rice flour and stir well. Take off the flame and mix to a smooth dough like consistency. Cover and cool.

For the Ammini Kozhukattai:

1 tsp Oil
1/4 tsp Urad Dal
1/4 tsp Chana Dal
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 Red Chilli

1 tsp Green Chilli Paste
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
1 tbsp Coconut, scraped
7-8 Curry Leaves
Salt to taste

Make small balls of the dough and steam in a greased pan for 10 minutes.

Heat oil in a kadhai. Add the urad and chana dals, mustard seeds and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the curry leaves, green chilli paste and the red chillies. Fry for a minute. Add the steamed balls, coconut and the salt. Cover and cook for a couple of minutes.

I didn't have time to look at Laavanya's blog for the exact recipe, but I am fairly certain I was pretty close to the original. The dish turned out superb.

For the Uppu Kozhukattai:

1/2 cup Urad dal
1 tsp Green Chilli paste
7-8 Curry Leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp Oil
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
Salt to taste
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds




Wash and soak urad dal for half an hour. Drain well and grind coarsely adding 2 table spoons water.

Heat the oil in a kadhai and add the mustard seeds and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the curry leaves, green chilli paste, salt and the ground urad dal.

Cook for 3-5 minutes on a low flame.

Take a small amount of dough, flatten it on your greased palm and make a small cup. Add a little urad dal filling and bring the edges together. Seal at the top and keep aside. (I flattened these because I was going to steam them in my idli mould!)



Steam on a greased idli/idiyappam stand or just any vessel for 4-5 minutes. Aren't they just perfect little beauties?

I am sending these to Viji as my first entry for the RCI - Tamil Festival event. I am also sending this to Latha for her Gowri Ganesh event.

Geena Sandan (Colostrum Pudding) for a sweet ending

Today is the last day for the RCI Karnataka event. And I am sad to see it end. My posts on konkani food will continue, but I am sure the frequency will be a lot different. I tend not to cook amchi food on a daily basis.

Special events call for special dishes. A farewell is a special event. And as a sweet dish, there is really nothing that I consider more special. One of the reasons I love this pudding is probably the frequency with which I get to eat it. How often do you know of someone who has a cow? And how often does that cow give birth? And how often when that cow gives birth does that someone remember to send you the colostrum or first milk?

But there are times when all of this comes together. So the next time life hands you colostrum, you make geena sandan!!



2 cups Colostrum

3 cups Jaggery

1 tbsp Pepper, ground

4 cups Milk

1 tsp Cardamom Powder


Dissolve the jaggery in the milk and add all the other ingredients. Pressure cook for 3 whistles.


It doesn't get any simpler than this. The only difficulty here is in getting the colostrum. Once that hurdle is crossed, everything is really as easy as p-u-d-d-i-n-g.


While Asha will be busy with her round up of dishes from Karnataka that have poured in, I am presenting a mini round up of dishes that I sent to the

Carrot Kosumbari

Beans Upkari

Appey

Jeera Kotambarya Chitni

Patrodo

Besan Unde

Rulaama Doddak

Akki Roti

Cauliflower Phodiyo

Capsicum Phodiyo

Dali Saar

Chow Chow

Divkadgye Phodiyo

Patoli and Narlya Kheeri

Somashe and Chakli

Cashew Onion Pakodas

Pineapple Sasam

Vatana Ambat

Avrya Bendi

Madgane

More dishes that call Karnataka home on The Singing Chef:

Tomato Saar
Tandlya Roti Ani Lasnye Chitni
Biscuit Roti
Ambya Sasam
Rasayan
Tendlya Talasani
Sabudana Khichdi
Batat Phow
Bread Upkari
Chhollia Ghasshi

Green Akki Roti

And with this special dish, I bid adieu to the RCI Karnataka. Asha will probably have to give me an award for the maximum number of entries. I'm just wondering. For this event, did I have competition??

Goodies for Ganpati - Madgane

This is one of those dishes that make me wonder why some things are only made for festivals. This kheer is something that we traditionally make for Ganesh Chaturthi.

1/2 cup Cashewnuts, broken to bits
1/2 cup Bengal Gram Dal (Chana Dal)
1/2 cup Coconut Milk
1/2 cup Jaggery, grated
1/4 cup Rice Flour
1/2 tsp Cardamom Powder

Cook the bengal gram dal and the cashews in a pressure cooker with 3 cups of water. To this, add the grated jaggery and coconut milk. Add about one more cup of water and bring to a boil. Add the cardamom powder.

Mix the rice flour with a little water and make a paste. Add this to the boiling mixture and cook until the mixture thickens.

This also goes to dear Asha as yet another entry for the RCI Karnataka event. I am also sending this to Latha for her Gowri Ganesh event.

Avrya Bendi

This would go down in history as my favourite amchi dish. Everyone in my family knows how much I love bendi. And Avrya Bendi is top of the tops. Avro is very similar to the lima bean and the navy bean, though I am really not sure which it is. In Tamil, this is known as the Rangoon Mochai.

There was this one time when I took my friend to Bombay for two and a half weeks. I probably have relatives at every station on all three train suburban lines. Definitely every station from Bhayandar to Marine Lines. And I had to visit them all. And they all religiously served us the same things. Over and over again.

Batat Phow and Sabudana Khichdi if we were there at tea time and Avrya Bendi and Tendle and Bibbya Upkari (Ivy gourd and Cashew vegetable - something amchis serve to show their love for the people they are feeding.). My friend really must have thought this is the ONLY food that Konkani people eat.

1 cup Hyacinth Beans (Avro/Rangoon Mochai), soaked overnight and cooked
¼ cup Coconut, scraped
1 tbsp Tamarind Paste
2-3 Red Chillies
1 tsp Teppal (Triphala)
Salt to taste

For Tempering Version 1
1 tbsp Cooking Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
½ tsp Asafoetida (Hing)
7-8 Curry Leaves

For Tempering Version 2
1 tbsp Cooking Oil
3-4 Small Garlic Pods, crushed slightly

Grind the coconut, tamarind, red chillies, Teppal and a tablespoonful of the cooked beans to a fine paste.

Mix this paste with the cooked beans and add salt and a little water. Bring this to a boil.

In a small kadhai, heat the oil and add the ingredients for tempering based on your preference. (If using mustard seeds, add the curry leaves after the mustard has spluttered.) Add this to the boiling mixture and serve.

My favourite way to eat Bendi is with rice, Dali Saar, some phodiyo and upkari. And I want the world to know how I enjoy my comfort food, so this is off to dear Asha for the RCI Karnataka event.