Let it snow, let it snow...!

Happy New Year to all! We brought in the new year watching "3 Idiots" and a fun movie it was! Much as I'd have liked to watch the London Eye light up when the clock struck twelve, it wasn't a great idea to expose a baby to freezing weather! So we went to the theatre, with fingers crossed that the little one would behave well and also braced ourselves for the eventuality that she may scream the place down and we'd have to leave the movie mid-way! But the sweet little lady was at her best behaviour and slept five minutes before the movie began, all through to the next morning!

Idli Podi - Kerala Style

Idli podi or gun-powder as it is popularly called is a fiery, dry chutney powder that is served with idlis. The bland taste of idli is fantastically complemented with this hot, spicy chutney which is a blend of dal, rice, red chillies and spices. Idli podi is usually made in large quantities and bottled to retain the flavours. It stores well at room temperature for months, though the fieriness may go down a bit on prolonged storage. This idli podi can be served with idlis, dosas, uttappams etc. The recipe given below is my grandmother's which we quite love and is different from other idli podi recipes where rice and curry leaves are not used. This podi is served by mixing coconut oil into it to highlight the flavours whereas other recipes use sesame/gingelly oil or ghee. This powder will turn brown when roasted while the other podi are usually red in colour.

You need:

1/2 glass rice (both raw rice and boiled rice work well)
1/4 glass urad dal
1/4 glass channa dal
1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
a large pinch of hing
6 or more red chillies (the hot variety)
10-12 peppercorns
1 tsp til/sesame seeds
a handful of curry leaves

Roast the peppercorns, red chillies and curry leaves in 2 spoons of oil till they change colour. Add the remaining ingredients and fry till they turn golden brown. Cool thoroughly and powder finely. Store in dry, airtight bottles.

While serving, mix a few spoons of chutney with coconut oil to enjoy the true flavour of Kerala.

Corn Bhel

With some guests coming over for tea and no mood to fry up some snacks, I remembered reading a corn bhel recipe in one of Tarala Dalal's books. Most of the ingredients were available at hand and very minimal work to do, a nice looking evening snack was ready without much of a fuss and hardwork.

I had store bought sev and puris in my pantry and some frozen corn and date-tamarind chutney in the fridge which saved a lot of effort. Recipe for date-tamarind chutney is here.

You need:

1 cup cooked corn

1 large potato boiled, peeled and cubed

1 large tomato finely chopped

1 smal onion finely chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp red chilli powder

salt to taste

3 tbsp coriander leaves finely chopped

2 green chillies finely chopped

juice of 2 limes
4-5 tbsp sev (nylon sev used in bhel puris)

date-tamarind chutney

15-20 flat puris (as used for bhel puris)

Heat oil in a pan and sputter the cumin seeds. Add the onion and fry till transluscent. Add the green chillies, potato, tomato, red chilli powder and salt and toss for a minute. Turn off the heat and add the lime juice and mix well. Arrange the puris on a serving plate and add the warm corn mixture on it. Sprinkle the sev and spoon some date-tamarind chutney on top and garnish with coriander leaves.

Pumpkin Patties

Pumpkin is a versatile vegetable that can be boiled, steamed, roasted or even baked. Even the flowers, seeds and tender skin of the pumpkin is edible. Pumpkin is a good source of vitamin C, magnesium, fiber, potassium and other minerals, protein and essential fatty acids. Pumpkin is ideal for those who watch their weight as it is low in calories. Consuming pumpkin is an idea way to keep away worm infections, prevent cataracts and keep kidney and gall bladder problems at bay. The beta-carotene in pumkins are excellent anti-oxidants. Read mre about the benefits here.

How do you feed pumpkin to pumpkin-hating, unsuspecting guinea pigs? Like this. :)

You need:

2 cups pumpkin cubed and cooked
1 large potato boiled and grated
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp coriander leaves finely chopped
salt to taste
3-4 tbsp cornflour or plain flour or a mix of both


Mash the cooked pumpkin and add the remaining ingredients to it. Mix to form a thick dough-like consistency. Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry small patties of the pumpkin mixture till done on both sides. Serve hot with sauce or chutney.

For more ideas check out these recipes at Asha's Aroma.

Chicken Biryani

The temperature dips and the sun sinks slowly into the horizon. The surroundings become eerily calm. The streets are almost empty; just a few cars speeding homewards and the last of the people scurrying home. A chilling silence has settled over the place. BANG! The canon goes off signifying that the sun has set. Instantly the muezzin's call for prayers or azaan blares from the minarets of every mosque around. It's iftaar. People gather around the tents put up near the mosques to break their fast with dates, followed by prayers and dinner. This scene repeats itself everyday during the month of Ramadan - the festivity, coloured lights on every street, the fun-fairs, the display of traditional Arabic sweets and ofcourse, the iftaar parties! This month of fasting and feasting concludes with the sighting of the new moon announced with a colourful display of fireworks. Ramadan Kareem to all my Muslim friends!

The best part of any festival is the elaborate and mouth-watering food preparations. As kids, we associated festivals with the special food prepared on that day than the real essence of the festival itself! In my part of the world, evenings in the month of Ramadan are vibrant with festivities and the intense, over-powering aroma of freshly cooked food wafting from every household and restaurant in the vicinity. The most popular dish during this period is the biryani, a speciality interlayered with aromatic rice and spiced meat/seafood/vegetables, served with a side of raita or kurma, a salad and papad. The chicken biryani recipe here is the result of a challenge by the spouse to cook up a spicy, aromatic biryani and is heavily inspired by many different recipes on the internet. For this one-dish meal, I'd recommend using basmati rice which lends a distinct aroma and would also suggest not to tone down the oil/ghee used which imparts a delightful flavour while cooking. This dish is a strict no-no for all those on a diet, after all, isn't biryani a dish fit for a king!

You'll need:

I}To marinate the chicken:
1 whole chicken, cleaned and cut into medium pieces
2 1/2 inch piece ginger
9-10 big cloves of garlic
12-15 hot green chillies (more or less as per your taste)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
salt as needed
3 tbsp thick yoghurt

Grind the ginger, garlic and green chillies to a coarse paste and keep aside 2/3 of this paste for the masala in step V. Mix all the ingredients for the marinade and rub into the chicken well and leave aside covered for atleast 30 minutes.

II}For the Rice:
2 cups rice
1-2 bay leaves
1 stick of cinnamon (3 inch long)
2-4 cloves
2-3 cardamom
1 star anise
salt to taste
5-6 cups of water

Method A: Wash and soak the rice for atleast 10 minutes. On the stove-top, bring the water to boil in a large vessel. Add the rice, salt and spices and cook till the rice is almost done. It should take 12-15 minutes. Drain off the excess water and sprinkle lime-juice over it.

Method B: Wash and soak the rice for half an hour. Heat 2 tbsp of ghee and add the whole spices and fry. Add 4 cups of water to it, add salt and bring to a boil. Drain the cleaned rice and add it to the boiling water. Cover and turn down the heat and allow the rice to cook till all the water is absorbed. Fluff the rice with a fork and sprinkle lime-juice over it.

III} For the spice mix:
2-3 cloves
1 bay leaf
1 inch stick of cinnamon
4-5 mace
1 nutmeg
1 star anise
1 tsp fennel seeds/saunf
1/2 tsp shahjeera
1 black cardamom
Dry roast the above and grind to a fine powder. Keep aside.

IV}For the nut paste:
10 cashew nuts
5 almonds
1 tsp poppy seeds/khuskhus
1 tsp fennel seeds
Soak the above in 2 spoons warm water/milk for 1/2 an hour and grind to a creamy paste. Keep aside.

V}For the masala:
2 large onions sliced
1 large red tomato pureed
2/3 of the ginger-garlic-chilli paste reserved from step I
1/2 cup thick yoghurt
1 tsp red chilli powder
a handful of coriander leaves finely chopped
a handful of mint leaves finely chopped
1/2 cup or more ghee/oil or a mix of both

VI}For the garnish:
1 large onion, thinly sliced
a handful of cashew nuts/pine nuts or both
a handful of raisins
2-3 tbsps finely chopped coriander leaves
2 tbsp warm milk
a few strands of saffron

In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat half the ghee. Add the sliced onion reserved for the garnish and fry till it turns golden brown and crisp. Remove and reserve for garnish. Add the cashews and fry till golden, remove and reserve. Add the raisins and fry till they plump up, remove and reserve. Add the remaining ghee/oil and fry the onions for the masala till transluscent. Now add the ginger-garlic-chilli paste reserved from step I, marinated chicken, red chilli powder and spice powder from step III and fry on high heat till the chicken is fried and the raw smell of spices goes. Turn down the heat, add the tomato puree, yoghurt, coriander and mint leaves and fry till the oil separates. Add the nut paste from step IV and continue cooking covered till the liquid reduces and the chicken is cooked. Check and stir frequently to prevent the chicken and masala from burning.

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C. In an oven proof dish, spread half the chicken with gravy at the bottom followed by half the rice, then the chicken and finishing with a layer of rice. Spread the fried onions, cashews/pine nuts and raisins. Now rub the saffron strands in the warm milk and pour over the rice. Garnish with coriander leaves, cover with aluminium foil and bake for around 20 minutes. Alternately, instead of baking you can steam cook the biryani covered with a tight fitting lid on the stove top on a gentle flame for 20 minutes. Serve hot with raita, pickle and papad.

Savoury Appams

A holiday, illness and laziness later I was craving to have a deep fried something that wouldn't require me to slave over the stove too much. With idli batter in the fridge and a few other ingredients to bring in colour, appams, a childhood favourite was ready in minutes. This savoury version also called uppu-appams are equally popular as the sweet version called nei-appams. A special cast iron/non-stick pan with moulds called the appam pan/ aebleskiver pan is used to give the appams a round shape.

You'll need:
1 1/2 cups idli batter
2 or more green chillies minced
a sprig of curry leaves
a handful of coriander leaves
a carrot finely grated
2 tsps finely chopped red bell pepper
3 tbsps onion finely chopped
a few peppercorns
oil for frying

Chop the green chillies, coriander and curry leaves finely. Add all the ingredients to the idli batter and mix well. The batter already has salt, so there is no need to add more. Place the appam pan on the stove and pour 1 1/4 spoon oil into each mould. Let the oil heat well, turn down the flame and drop spoonfuls of batter into each mould. Allow it to cook through and turn and fry the appams evenly on all sides. Serve hot appams with coconut chutney or ketchup.

HAPPY GANESH CHATHURTHI TO READERS OF CURRYBAZAAR!

A few of my favourite things: Sambar

What memories does a tamarind evoke? Of putting a tiny bit into the mouth and instantly shutting the eyes tightly and twisting the lips into a strange pout as the sharp tangy and sour flavours explode into the senses leaving a subtle sweetness at the same time....

Or of the tamarind tree in school, the meeting point which protected us from the sun and rain, waiting for friends after school before walking back home....

Or the lone tamarind tree, at the far corner of the house at my native village, which provides the entire family across three generations their annual supply of the fruit....

Or the delicious sambar exuding an enticing aroma of curry leaves, spices and tamarind?

Sambar conjures the image of a very satisfying, homely meal with rice, a thoran(stir-fry) and pappadam or a lavish sadya(feast) where one asks for endless servings of sambar to accompany every other item on the menu. Every South Indian household has its own version of sambar. The recipe given here is for sambar with freshly ground masala. A large variety of vegetables like pumkin, ashgourd, bottlegourd, carrots, taro, capsicum, small green/purple brinjals/eggplants, large onions or small pearl onions, drumstick, okra etc. Pearl onions are very popular with sambar lovers though I personally don't care much for them. Tempering the sambar with ghee makes it aromatic and tastier. Serve sambar with idlis, dosas or plain, steamed rice.

You'll need:
1/2 to 3/4 cup toor dal
1 1/2 cups of diced vegetables of your choice - red pumkin, ashgourd, bottlegourd, carrots, taro, capsicum, small green/purple brinjals/eggplants
a handful of pearl onions/shallots
1-2 drumsticks cut into 2 inch pieces
3-4 okra cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large tomato chopped into large chunks
A small lime-sized ball of tamarind - if using old, dark tamarind, a marble sized ball will do
1/4 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
a handful of coriander leaves for garnishing

For the sambar masala:
1/2 cup grated coconut
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp methi seeds
2-3 dry red chillies (the spicy variety)
a few curry leaves
1 tbsp oil/ghee for roasting

For the tempering:
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 dry red chillies
a pinch of hing/asafoetida
a few curry leaves

Wash and soak the toor dal so that it cooks fast. Place the toor dal with water, a pinch of turmeric and salt in a pressure cooker separator and the chopped pearl onions and vegetables except the tomatoes, okra and drumsticks, in another separator above the dal and pressure cook till the dal and vegetables are done. Cook the drumsticks in a vessel with sufficient water, some turmeric and salt till tender. Soak the tamarind in 1 cup warm water and extract the pulp, discarding the seeds. Then add the tamarind extract to the drumsticks and let it boil for a few more minutes.

Dry roast the coconut in a heavy bottomed pan till golden-brown and remove. In the same pan heat 1 tbsp of oil/ghee and roast the remaining spices for the masala till aromatic. Remove from flame and cool. Grind the spices and coconut with very little water to a fine paste.

In a heavy bottomed pan, heat oil/ghee and add mustard and other items for the tempering. Add the chopped okra and fry till soft. Add the tomato, ground masala paste, drumsticks, tamarind extract and cooked vegetables and allow it to simmer till the tomatoes are soft. Add the cooked dal and adjust consistency. The sambar should neither be too thick nor too thin. Check salt and seasoning. Bring the sambar to a gentle boil and switch off the gas. Mix in the coriander leaves and serve hot sambar with rice, idlis or dosas.

Balle, balle....it's Dahi Bhalle with Date-Tamarind Chutney

Dahi bhalle or dahi wadas are always the best item on any menu. Soft lentil dumplings covered with creamy yoghurt and sprinkled with spices, these beauties are served with lunch or dinner or even for brunch! The wadas freeze well, so one can make large batches and freeze them in airtight containers or ziploc bags. They also form a good base for chaats like Delhi chaat or Jaipuri chaat.

You'll need:

1 cup urad dal
1/2 inch piece ginger
2 green chillies
Oil for frying
Salt/sugar to taste
Whipped yoghurt

Jeera powder
Red chilli powder
Coriander leaves for garnish

Soak the urad dal for 2-3 hours in plenty of water. Drain and grind with ginger and chillies to a fine batter using very little water. Add salt and whip with hands till fluffy. Heat oil in a pan and drop small lemon sized balls of the batter. Fry on medium flame till golden brown. Remove on to paper towels and cool. Freeze till needed.

Variation: you can add 1/4 cup channa dal to the soaked urad dal for softer wadas.

Before serving, soak the wadas in hot water for 10 minutes to make them soft and moist. This also removes the excess oil from the wadas. Squeeze the wadas slightly (you may flatten them if you like) and place them on the serving bowl. Beat the yoghurt with salt/sugar and pour over the wadas. Sprinkle red chilli powder, jeera powder and coriander leaves over it. Chill the wadas for 10-15 minutes. Just before serving, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and date-tamarind chutney.

For date-tamarind chutney:

250 gms dates

250gms jaggery
100gms tamarind
2 tbsp jeera powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
a pinch of garam masala powder
1 heaped tsp black salt
salt to taste

Pressure cook the tamarind, dates and jaggery for 2 whistles. Cool, grind and seive the mixture. Add the seasonings, adjust consistency and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes stirring continuously. Cool completely and refridgerate in sterilized glass jars.

This recipe makes chutney on a large scale - the chutney keep well refridgerated. You can cut down the measurements to make a small quantity.

Dahi-bhalle with date-tamarind chutney is my entry to Siri's Frozen Yoghurt event and Sig's JFI-Tamarind - just made it!!

Cucumber Tomato Sandwich

At every nook and corner of Mumbai you will encounter intense aromas of street food and discover new fusions of flavour and spice at the ever-popular and densely crowded "khau-gullies". It is hard to say which street food is the most popular for there are takers for every kind of food and drink available on the streets. A sandwich stall is probably the most visible street food and the speed at which the sandwich-wallahs dole them to customers is amazing! So sandwich it is with the green chutney, cucumber and tomato for the Street Food edition of Monthly Blog Patrol, hosted by Sia at Monsoon Spice from Nupur's One Hot Stove. Makes a good breakfast too!

For the green chutney:
2 cups coriander leaves
1 cup mint leaves
1/4 cup roughly chopped onion
2 green chillies or more to suit your taste
2 tbsp roasted peanuts
1 tbsp yogurt
1 tsp cumin powder
salt to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend with a little water to get a thick chutney.

For the sandwich:
Softened butter
Green chutney
Sliced cucumber
Sliced tomatoes
Sliced onions (optional)
Boiled and sliced Potato
Boiled and sliced Beetroot(optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cheese slices (optional)

Spread softened butter and then green chutney on two slices of bread. Then place some sliced cucumber, tomato, potato, beetroot, onion (use the veggies as per your preference), cheese and top with the other slice of bread. Serve. You may grill it - ofcourse you must! Press lightly and cut into squares and add a drop of tomato ketchup on each square. Mmmm!

Also goes to Zlamushka's Tried and Tasted event - the blog in the spotlight being One hot stove!

Manga Perukku - A union of Mango and Coconut

During most of our summer school holidays, my sister and I accompanied our grandparents for a vacation to our native village in Kerala. A long train journey through the countryside across five states took us to our destination, reaching in the wee hours of the morning when the rest of the world was fast asleep. We'd wait for the sun to rise before catching a connecting local train to our beautiful, little village, the excitement of our "real" vacation keeping us wide awake. Pacing up and down the platform under the watchful eye of our grandfather, drinking piping hot "Milma" milk, watching the sky slowly change from a dark black to a mellow blue and admiring the blue Western Ghats at a distance before hoping on to the old, steam train, rushing to reserve our window seats. As the train slowly chugged on spewing tiny flecks of coal and lots of smoke, we stuck our noses out of the window grill wide-eyed at the flowers, the greenery, the mangoes and jackfruit. Soon we arrive at our village railway station that is only a flag-post announcing the station name, jumping off onto the cobbled stones that make the platform and unload our luggage, watching the lone other person there - the station master - waving a green flag as the train slowly pulls away. We walk towards our ancestral house, passing by the village pond, my sister and me asking our grandma, if we can bathe there? "Not today, maybe tomorrow", she says. We sight the house, the one with the red hibiscus bush hanging over the walls. As we approach the house, we hold on to our grandparents hands tightly, hearing the dogs bark wildly in the backyard. Our grand-uncle opens the gates for us, with our grand-aunt rushing close behind, welcoming us into the house. After ensuring that the dogs are securely tied up, my sister and I undertake a brave walk through the front yard inhaling the fragrant roses and jasmine of many varieties, discussing if the lone “bubbleemoose” aka pomelo was ripe enough to be eaten. Then we check out the backyard, eyes wide open at the countless mangoes hanging from the trees, counting how many jackfruit we can actually eat before the end of our vacation, watching the coconut plucker climb up expertly, giving the coconuts a firm shake near the ear to test the ones ready to be pulled down and throwing them down to his assistant who husks the coconuts with a sharp knife called “koduvaal”. By this time grand-aunt joins us, giving us a tour of the backyard pointing to the drumsticks, curry leaves, chillies, cheera or amaranth leaves, marachini or tapioca, chena or yam, chembu or colocassia, tamarind….. there is enough growing to make a lovely lunch! (End of Part I....to be continued.)

Maanga perukku is a lovely amalgamation of mango and coconut simmered with a few spices, that I first tasted at my native village. It is served as a side dish for lunch usually paired with rice, curry and a thoran. The mango used in this recipe is an almost ripe mango which imparts a sweet-sour note to the dish. The coconut has to be freshly grated - dessicated coconut will not serve the purpose. It is cooked on a low flame with ground coconut till the flavours of coconut and mango mingle without either flavour dominating the dish. On the whole this dish is sweet, sour and very, very delicious that will have people eating out of your hands!

You'll need:
1 cup mango, skinned and chopped into tooth-like bits
1 cup coconut grated
2 green chillies
1 tsp cumin seeds
a sprig of curry leaves
2 dry red chillies
1 tsp mustard seeds
salt to taste
2 spoons curd or buttermilk

In a thick bottomed pan, heat a spoon of oil. Add the mustard, red chillies and curry leaves and let it splutter. Add the mango and 3 tbsp water and let it cook slightly for 2 minutes.

Grind the coconut, cumin seeds and green chillies with very little water to a fine paste. Add this mixture to the mango and let it cook on a slow flame for atleast 10 minutes. Then add the curd or buttermilk and salt and continue to cook it for another five minutes, till all the flavours merge. Serve warm or at room temperature.

The key to this recipe is freshly grated coconut. I'm probably the only soul around here who goes through the process of cracking open a coconut and grating it on a chirava. I do occasionaly buy freshly grated coconut from supermarkets but strongly believe that those grating-machines haven't been washed in eons!

This post goes off to:

Click: Yellow for Bri (Read more about it here)

Meeta's Monthly Mingle#23 - Mango Mania

AFAM - Coconut hosted this month at Suganya's Tasty Palettes

Kesar Malai Kulfi

He perches himself at the street corner, mostly sheltered under a tree, dressed in white kurta-dhoti and fanning himself with his pinkish-red scarf. As the evening turns into dusk, it's business as usual as he pulls out a tiny aluminium kulfi mould from his ice-box, expertly snaps off the lid, pushes in a stick, scoops out the kulfi in perfect shape and hands it over to the impatient customer in exchange for a few coins. More customers approach his "stall" demanding assorted flavours of kulfi which he deftly hands out as cones or serving them sliced on tiny steel plates with toothpicks as cutlery, his till jingling with coins all the while. It's peak business season for him from summer through the monsoons. Finally the last customers have gone and it is late at night. He picks his icebox and walks through the streets shouting "Kulfiwale....kulfeeeeeee". More children and adults gather and he sells them the last of his wares before he wraps up for the day.

Kulfi is an exquisite Indian icecream with a rich and creamy texture. Unlike a typical icecream which is whipped till airy, kulfi is dense and solid in form. It is prepared by boiling down whole milk till it reduces to one-third of its original volume, adding sugar and some thickening agent and incorporating the desired flavour and freezing it. Mumbai is famous for it's kulfiwalas or kulfi vendors who are sighted at street corners, beach sides or khau-gallies. Kulfi is available in several flavours like malai/cream, rose, pista, kesar/saffron, chocolate, mango, strawberry, chickoo etc. It is sometimes served in a clay pot as matka kulfi. At weddings, kulfi is paired with rabadi or falooda or fresh fruit or malpua etc.

Kesar Malai Kulfi

You'll need:

5 cups whole milk
1 can(400 gms) sweetened condensed milk - I used Milkmaid
2 level tbsp cornflour
a pinch of cardamom powder
a pinch of saffron strands
a handful of skinned and sliced almonds

Bring the milk to a boil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the condensed milk to it and stir continuously till it reduces. Add the saffron strands and let it boil for 5 more minutes. Mix cornflour in a little milk or water at room temperature and add it to the boiling milk. When the milk starts to thicken, add the cardamon and almonds and mix well. Take off from flame and pour into kulfi moulds or a container with a tight-fitting lid. When cool, place the moulds or container in the freezer and let it set for 5-7 hours atleast. Serve as such or with dry fruits or chopped fresh fruit.

Related Posts:
Strawberry Icecream
Watermelon Icecream
Palada Payasam

This goes of to The Fozen Desserts event at Mike's Table.

Amarkhand = Mango Shrikhand

Shrikhand is traditionally made from thick, hung yoghurt or chakka. The yoghurt is placed in a muslin cloth which is tied up and hung till all the whey has drained off. An easier alternate is using labneh, which is strained yoghurt having a cheeselike consistency. Labneh or yoghurt cheese is widely consumed in the Middle East and Mediterranean region as a dip with pita bread. Labneh lends itself very well to a creamy, delicious shrikhand and is not very sour like the store bought shrikhand. Amarkhand is mango flavoured shrikhand. With the mango season in full swing, it is important to balance the heat from the mangoes with cooling yoghurt - amarkhand fits the bill. Serve it with puris for breakfast or as a dessert or have it whenenver you feel like, it's yummy!

You'll need:

1 sweet, ripe mango - preferably alphonso

200 gms labneh

a pinch of cardamom powder

powdered sugar as per taste

Remove the pulp from the mango. Whisk it along with the labneh and cardamom powder till smooth and creamy. Add sugar only if required. Now fetch a spoon and dig in....aah, you're in heaven!

For a variation, you can add chooped fruits to it or saffron and nuts like almonds, pistachios or chironji.

My entry to:

Beautiful bones event at Food Blogga

WBB#22 - Mango Madness at Escapades

Think Spice think cardamom at Simple Indian Food

Babycorn-Carrot-Koosa Masala

A packet of babycorn, a handful of baby carrots and koosa were languishing in the crisper. That is when Sia's Babycorn-carrot masala came to the rescue. The unusual combination of carrots and babycorn in a creamy gravy was enticing. One of the changes incorporated into it was the addition of koosa, the Arabic name for a pale green, cucumber-like vegetable also called "squash", "zucchini" and "marrow vegetable" on signboards in supermarkets - I have no idea what it is called in English. It is widely used in Lebanese cuisine and tastes great in curries.

For the ground masala, I replaced the cashew nuts and sugar with 1 tbsp of yoghurt which gave the gravy a creamy richness without the extra fat and sweetness. I also pressure cooked the vegetables along with the masala for 2 whistles. The carrots and babycorn were just tender and had absorbed the masalas very well.

The verdict: It was a change from the routine and we particularly liked the creamy gravy. The addition of kasuri methi and kitchen king masala lent a nice balance to the sweet taste of the vegetables. Next time I'll try adding a different combination of vegetables, paneer or chicken to the gravy or even cook the gravy with cashew nuts and some cream!

Here's the recipe with Sia's permission and my own changes. Thanks, Sia!

For Ground Masala:
1 small Onion, quartered
3 large Tomatoes
2-3 cloves of Garlic
¾ -1 inch Ginger, peeled and chopped
2-3 Dry Red Chilli
¾ -1 tsp Garam Masala
½-1 tsp Kitchen King Masala
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Coriander Seeds


Grind the above ingredients to a smooth paste and keep aside.

Other Ingredients:
One packet Baby Corn, cut into fingers
10-12 Baby Carrots
2-3 koosa, cut into fingers
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
2-3 Green Chillies, slit
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
½ tbsp Kasuri Methi/Dried Fenugreek Leaves
1 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp Yoghurt
¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ tbsp Oil/Ghee
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds to it. When cumin splutters, add finely chopped onion and slit chillies and sauté till it turns golden brown. Add ground paste, kasuri methi, yoghurt and sauté for 2-3 minutes till raw smell of masala disappears. Add salt, turmeric and the vegetables and sauté for a minute. Add sufficient water and pressure cook for two whistles. Turn off from the flame. When the cooker cools, open lid and adjust consistency if required. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rotis/parathas.

Aamras

Every summer, we visit a small, family-run Gujarati restaurant in Dubai, to tuck into their weekend thali. The menu is the same every week - puris, undhiyo, chhole, potato curry, gujarati kadhi, dhoklas and aamras. While we don't care too much for most of the items in the thali, the undhiyo and aamras are outstanding. Everytime we scoop off a few spoons of aamras, the cup is promptly refilled. After downing atleast five cups of aamras, and the food, the staff will still insist on "some more aamras". Any refusal on our part, and the old cook appears at the table, lovingly serving the aamras himself and gently coaxing us into relenting - "the mango season is so short, have all you can now". Now we can't refuse, can we?

I tried making aamras at home without any extra flavouring and loved it. Then I saw a recipe which mentioned adding elaichi/cardamom to it and tried that. We hated it. Elaichi takes away the true mango flavour - it is a distraction in the the taste!! Going back to the original way, this is how I made it.

You'll need:

2 ripe mangoes - I used the Alphonso variety

a tbsp milk

a little water

sugar, if needed

Soak the mangoes in water for 2 hours - this takes the heat out of the mangoes. Then peel the mangoes and chop of the pulp. Reserve the seeds in the water - this is said to retain the flavour. Blend the pulp with milk till smooth. Check for sweetness and add sugar if needed. Add a little water (in which the seeds were retained) to make it a little thin and blend again. Serve chilled with puris or palak puris.

The original way of making aamras is by squishing the soaked mango with fingers and extracting the pulp. Blending it does not make a difference to the taste and is less time consuming.

Aamras goes to Arundhati at Escapades who is hosting WBB#22 - May Mango Madness.

Doodhi Koftas

Growing up, most of the vegetables found on this planet fell into the category of vegetables I disliked. I can imagine how hard it was for my mother to come up with ideas to make me relish the ones on my "dislike" list. Much has changed since I've had to cook myself. The discovery of the fact that my husband too had a similar "dislike" list and the sheer lack of innovative ideas to come up with varieties with the veggies we liked, pushed me into experimenting with the ones we both disliked earlier. Doodhi/lauki/bottle gourd is one such vegetable that found acceptance rather quickly. The fact that it is tasteless by itself helps, as it absorbs flavours of the spices in which it is cooked. Our favourite way of consuming doodhi is making koftas which disguises the doodhi itself and whoever says no to koftas!

You'll need:

For the koftas:
1 cup grated bottlegourd
1/2 cup besan/chickpea flour
1 tsp garlic paste
1 green chilli chopped finely
3 tbsp coriander leaves chopped finely
1/4 tsp amchur/mango powder
a pinch of black pepper powder
salt to taste
oil for frying

Peel and grate the doodhi, keep aside for 15 minutes and squeeze out the excess water. (The water can be used to knead roti dough.) Add the remaining ingredients to the grated doodhi and mix well. Form tiny balls or koftas and deep fry in oil till done. Keep aside.

Koftas can be stored in the freezer for a month.

For the gravy:

1 cup tomato puree
1 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp chilli powder
a pinch of turmeric
1 tsp garam masala powder
salt to taste

For the garnish: (optional)
finely chopped coriander leaves
cream

Heat oil in a pan, add the cumin seeds and let it splutter. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add the spices and tomato puree and cook till the oil separates. Add sufficient water, bring it to a boil and simmer to get the consistency you like.

Just before serving, add the koftas to the gravy and simmer for a few minutes. garnish with cream and coriander leaves and serve.

Saibhaji

There are days when I open the fridge and it seems I'm cooking for a marriage party at home! This feeling surfaces right after I've stuffed my fridge with the week's quota of vegetables, fresh from the wholesale market. The veggies are mostly wiped out by the end of the week with barely twos and threes of something or the other left. A nice way to use up veggies from a stuffed fridge is to prepare saibhaji, a Sindhi dish made of leafy greens, pulses and a variety of vegetables. Not only is it packed with nutrition, it is really delicious and you can even get the fussy ones eating their greens and veggies.

You will need:

2 cups spinach - washed, cleaned and finely chopped
1/4 cup fenugreek leaves/methi - washed, cleaned and finely chopped
1/4 cup green moong dal
1/4 cup yellow moong dal
1/2 cup onions chopped
1 tsp garlic chopped
1 tsp gingerchopped
1 tsp green chillies chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
1/2 cup doodhi chopped
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/4 cup chopped cluster beans
1/4 cup brinjal/eggplant chopped
a pinch of turmeric powder
a pinch of garam masala
salt and red chilli powder to taste

Note 1: You can substitute the moong dals with 1/2 cup channa dal.
Note 2: You can also add 1/2 cup chopped dill leaves(suva) and 1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves for an enhanced flavour.
Note 3: You can also add vegetables like potato, capsicum, okra.



Method:

Heat oil in a pan and fry te onions till golden-brown. Add the minced ginger, garlic and green chillies and fry for a minute. Then add all the chopped vegetables and stir-fry for about 3 minutes. Now add the spinach, fenugreek leaves, dals, salt, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and little water and pressure cook for 4 -5 whistles. Turn off from heat. After the cooker has cooled, open the lid and mash the saibhaji lightly (it should not become a paste). Just before serving, temper with ghee and red chilli powder (optional). Saibhaji is served with rice but taste great with rotis too.

Sambharam - Spiced Buttermilk

Hot summer noons and cool, refreshing buttermilk go hand-in-hand. While the summer isn't too harsh on us yet, spiced buttermilk does bring on some respite. The other day I saw Nags' spiced buttermilk recipe and decided to piggy-back on that as my entry to MBP-Mixed drinks hosted by Sig of Live to Eat. Thanks Sig for extending the deadline, I'll squeeze in my entry too!

A variant to the more famous lassi, Sambharam or spiced buttermilk is a combination of buttermilk, salt and spices to suit your taste. The proportion of water added to the buttermilk may be more or less depending how thin you prefer the sambharam. You may also add a pinch of asafoetida, some grated ginger or a few kaffir lime leaves for a different flavour.

You need:

1 cup yoghurt/curds

4 cups water

2 green chillies slit

1 sprig of curry leaves

3 tbsp coriander leaves

2 tbsp mint leaves

1 stick of lemongrass

salt to taste

some icecubes

Blend the yoghurt, water, salt, curry leaves, coriander leaves and mint leaves well till frothy. Add the green chillies, lemongrass and icecubes and let it sit in the refrigerateur for half an hour till the spices infuse into the buttermilk. Strain and serve chilled.

Methi Aloo

Methi alu is a dry side accompanying rice or rotis, combing the benefits of methi with the ever popular potatoes, mildly seasoned with turmeric, chilli and garlic. Fenugreek or methi has been used in ancient Indian and Chinese medicine to treat a number of ailments from bronchitis and arthritis to inflammations, rashes and digestive disorders and promoting healthy metabolism. Recent studies have shown that fenugreek lowers blood glucose and cholestrol levels and are hence used in treating diabetes and cardiovascular problems. Read more about benefits of methi here and here. Turmeric, popularly used in Indian cooking is considered a cleanser, blood purifyer, antiseptic and most importantly for it anti-cancer properties. Read about the benefits of turmeric here and here. This healthy combination of fenugreek and turmeric in the form of methi aloo makes an appearence on our table whenever fresh methi is available at the wholesale market. Methi aloo is clearly not a favourite due to the bitterness of methi. Sauteing the methi leaves till they wilt lightly removes the bitter taste. This post goes to Barbara for her LiveSTRONG with a Taste of Yellow event.

You need:

1 onion finely chopped
1 tomato finely chopped
2 large potatoes boiled and chopped
2 cups fenugreek leaves/methi
1 green chilli minced
1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp chilli powder
salt to taste

Heat a pan and add the fenugreek leaves/methi to it. Stir till it wilts slightly. This removes the bitter taste of the leaves. Remove the leaves from the pan. Now add some oil to the pan and throw in the cumin seeds and allow it to splutter. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry. Add the potatoes, green chilli and tomato and cok till the tomato turns soft. Add the fenugreek leaves, salt, red chilli powder and turmeric and cook for 5 minutes till the flavours blend. Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Dalwali Roti/Dal Parathas

Attending weddings and all the ceremonies that accompany them are a whole lot of fun - the family gatherings, dance and music, dressing up in finery, the gossip and merry-making and most importantly, the lavish variety of cuisines that Indian weddings offer. Gorging on the rich, feasty spread day after day for almost two weeks, my tastebuds died and my senses could no longer take in the sight or smell of typical wedding food! All my hungry stomach craved for was some warm dal and rice. Back home in Dubai, I promptly made, what else, dal-chawal for the dil!!

I often end up with left-over dal which are converted into dal parathas or dalwali rotis, which are easy to make and perfect for a filling breakfast. I used leftover toovar dal which tastes the best in the roti/paratha but moong/masoor dals will also work fine. If the dal is too watery, heat it to evaporate the liquid as much as you can, allow it to cool and keep it in the fridge to thicken, before using it for the rotis.

Depending on the consistency of the dal, add atta/whole wheat flour to it, sufficient to make it into a dough. To give the rotis a crunch, add 1 minced onion, 2 minced green chillies and a handful of finely chopped coriander leaves even if the dal already has these ingredients. Add salt if necessary and knead into a dough in the same way as for rotis. Divide the dough into small balls. Roll out a ball into a circle and apply some ghee. Bring the edges together and twist into a ball again. Roll out the stuffed ball into a roti and roast evenly on both sides on a skillet till orange spots appear. Apply ghee on the roti and roast again till it is slightly crisp on the outside but soft inside. Serve hot with a dollop of butter, yoghurt and pickle.

What you do with left over dal? Let me know through your comments.

RCI - Cuisine of Kerala Round-up

The much-awaited round-up of RCI - Cuisine of Kerala is here. With 91 wonderful entries, it was raining coconuts! Thankyou to each and everyone of you who participated, I was happy to open my email every day and see an entry waiting for me to read. It was a pleasure to see some "first-time-event-participants", some regulars competing for the most number of entries and to gently nudge some dormant bloggers to participate. It also led some new bloggers to discover my blog and me to theirs. Thankyou LakshmiK for giving me the opportunity to host this event, I had great fun hosting it! Those who missed the bus may link their recipes to this post or leave a link in the comments section. My apologies for any missing links, mis-spelt names, mislaid entries or mismatched pictures.

Menu Today and Sia of Monsoon Spice have shared some pretty pictures of Kerala; go over to their space to read more on their experiences in this vibrant state. And then begins the parade of recipes, categorised for easy reference.

Beautiful Kerala - Pic courtesy Menu Today

Unthu vandi - Pic courtesy Sia of Monsoon Spice

Uppu manga - Pic courtesy Sia of Monsoon Spice

Herbal Rememdies :

Chukku Kaapi - Shn of Mishmash

To break-the-fast :

Appam - Asha of Foodie's Hope

Aapams & Vegetable Stew - Namratha of Finger Licking Food

Whole Wheat Appams and Stew - Meera of Enjoy Indian Food

Appams - Srivalli of Cooking 4 all seasons

Idiappam - Easy Crafts of Simple Indian Food

Erachi Puttu - Seena of Simple and Delicious

Chemba Kuzha Putta with Kadala Curry - Lavanya of Home Cook's Recipes

Puttu - Kadala Curry - Asha of Foodie's Hope

Upmaavu - Giniann of Salt and Pepper

On the side :

Chutney :

Chuttaracha Chammanthi - Nags of For the cook in me

Ulli Chutney - Jyothsna of Currybazaar

Pearl onion-red chilli chutney - Jayasree of Experiments in Kailas Kitchen

Coconut Chammanthi Podi - Jayasree of Experiments in Kailas Kitchen

Roasted coconut chutney - Asha of Foodie's Hope

Pickle :

Gooseberry Pickle - Jayasree of Experiments in Kailas Kitchen

Injipuli - Maya Shanbhag of All about Konkan

Crunchies :

Ashgourd peel fries - Seena of Simple and Delicious

Tea-time favourites :

Savoury crunchies and munchies:

Tapioca chips: Happy Cook of My Kitchen treasures

Sweet goodies :

Kumbil Appam - Bharathy of Spicy Chilly

Achappam - Sandhya of Sandhya's Kitchen

Steamed Plantain - Shankari of Stream of Conciousness


Pazhampori - Seena of Simple and Delicious


The big meal :

The vegetarian corner :

Avial - Padma of Padma's kitchen

Avial : Siri of Siri's Corner

Avial - Laavanya of Cookery Corner

Kaalan - Raji of Rak's Kitchen

Kalan - Pravs of Simply Spicy

Kadala Curry - JaiBee of Jugalbandi

Erissery - Menu Today

Nendrapazham Pulissery - Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen

Banana Pulissery - Bharathy of Spicy Chilly

Pineapple Pulissery - TBC of The Budding Cook

Pineapple Pulissery - Deepa of Recipes n More

Thiruvathira Puzhukku - Chithra of Kudampuli

Thiruvathira Puzhukku - JaiBee of Jugalbandi


Kappa Puzhukku - Bharathy of Spicy Chilly


Kappa Curry - Roopa of My Kitchen Treats

Manga Pachadi - Seena of Simple and Delicious

Ulli Theeyal - Nanditha of Satvika

Theeyal - Prema of My Cookbook

Vegetable Kurma - Bhags of Crazy Curry

Vellarikka Parippu curry - Nags of For the cook in me

Idichakka Thoran - Asha of Foodie's Hope

Asparagus Thoran - Shamin of My Comfort Food Network

Cabbage Thoran - Jyothsna of Currybazaar

Papaya Thoran - Bharathy of Spicy Chilly

Beetroot Thoran - Jyothsna of Currybazaar

Pindi Thoran - Nags of For the cook in me

Beans Thoran - Rajitha of Hunger Pangs

Kootucurry - Asha of Foodie's Hope

Vegetable Stew - Raaga of The Singing Chef

Vegetable stew - Sra of When my soup came alive

Vegetable Stew - Nandita of Saffron trail

Mixed Vegetable Stew - Grihini of Grihini

Olan - Kamini of Bubbling Cauldron

Olan - Deepa of Recipes n More

Koorka in Dal - Injipennu of Ginger and Mango

Koorka Mezhukkupuratti - Jayasree of My experiments with food

Vegetable Moilee - Vaishali from Holy Cow!

Non-Vegetarian fare :

Duck Roast - Lissie of Salt and Spice

Parotta and Egg Masala - Superchef of Mirch Masala

Kerala Parotta and Chicken Roast - Remya of Spices 'n Flavours

Kozhi Pidi - Shynee of Indian Potpourri

Kozhi Mappas - Asha of Foodie's Hope

Kappa with fish curry - Mallu recipes of Spice and Rice

Simple Kerala Meal with Fish Curry - Nags of For the cook in me

Moluttathu with kappa - Reshma of Green Chutney

Kerala Fish Curry - SC of So what's new today?

Fish Vevichathu - Rachel of Tangerine's Kitchen

Fish Gravy - Kerala Style - Rina of Rina's Kitchen

Fish Molee - Kitchen Fairy of Secret of Taste

Fish Molee - Maya Shanbhag of All about Konkan


Spicy Fish Curry in Coconut Milk - Vrinda of Spice Coast Kitchen

Kozhuva Meen Tilapichathu - Devi of Tamil Spice

Fish Fry - Sumitha of Kitchen Wonders

Fish Fry - Kavita of Kichdi

Fish Varathathu - Bharathy of Spicy Chilly

Pan Fried Fish with Roasted Onion marinade - Mandira of Ahaar

Chemeen Biryani - RP of My Workshop

Njandu varatharachathu - Shn of Mishmash

Turkey Wings Curry - Kerala Style - Rina of Rina's Kitchen

Panni Ularthiyathu - Sig of Live to Eat


Oh-so-sweet desserts :

Coconut barfi - Susan of The Well-seasoned cook

Parippu Pradhaman - Shn of Mishmash

Godambu Payasam - Mallugirl of Malabar Spices

Idichu Pizhinja Payasam - Mythreyee of Paajaka

Pal Payasam - Anjali of Anna Parabrahma