the footloose chef

Sambhar Sadam - wholesome, one pot meal

2012-01-17T08:46:00.000-08:00

Sambhar sadam, as it is called in Tamil Nadu, and the Bisi Bele Bhaath of Karnataka are close if not identical kins. At least, that's how I've felt. My paati (maternal grandmother) was a stupendous cook and her Sambhar Sadam was something to die for. My version of it is created from what I remember of her's with some minor tweaks to include the mild masala taste of the Karnataka version.I make this quite often but missed posting it here. Yesterday, my food blogger friend, Lubna, started a discussion on favourite 'one pot meals' and I ended up promising to post my favourite one pot delight,sambhar sadam,recipe for her. So, here goes...

Raw rice - 1/2 cup
Toor dhal (sambhar parippu)- 1/2 cup
Small onions - 7-8 Nos
Assorted veggies - 1 cup (I used potato,carrot,and small violet brinjals)
Tomato - 1 medium
Garlic - 2 cloves
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Curry leaves - 3-4 sprigs
Coriander leaves/cilantro - a small bunch
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 2 teaspoons
Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
Cloves - 2 Nos
Cardamom - 2 Nos
Fennel (saunf) - 1/4 teaspoon
Asafoetida - a few pinches
Tamarind extract - 1 tablespoon (or 1 large lemon sized tamarind ball soaked in warm water and juice extracted)
Water - 3 1/2 cups
Salt to taste

For tempering

Peanuts (with skin) - a liberal handful
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Cumin (Jeera) - 1/2 teaspoon
Dry red chillies - 1-2 Nos
Cooking oil - 1 tablespoon ( I use gingelly/sesame oil)

Put all ingredients, apart from the tamarind extract, cilantro and salt, into a pressure cooker and cook for 6 whistles (two on high flame and three on low). Once the pressure settles, add the tamarind extract, chopped cilantro, and salt. Mix well and simmer for a couple of minutes. Heat a pan and add oil. Roast the peanuts till golden, remove and add to rice. Place the rest of the ingredients for tempering into the same oil and saute till jeera crackles. Add to rice. Serve piping hot with papadoms, bujia, om podi, or appalams.

Prep your own candied dry fruits and nuts for a yummy fruit cake

2011-12-20T04:02:00.000-08:00

How about making your own Christmas or New Year fruit cake this year? You think it is complicated? Not at all. You think it's too late to start ? No, again. Read on for an easy way to prepare your own dry fruit n nut mixture that tastes great even with a minimum 12 hour soaking period. What's more? Make a little extra and stow it away in the refridgerator for next year's baking.

Assorted chopped dry fruits and nuts - 3 cups (I used dates, apricots, golden raisins, jumbo raisins, walnuts, cashewnuts, prunes)
Orange peel - 1 medium sized orange's rind with the white pith scraped out (cut into small pieces)
Rum (use any spirit you have at hand) - 2 cups

Put everything together in a skillet and toss on low flame till warm, and an aroma emanates. Close lid and let stand overnight. In the morning, place this in the fridge and let stand for another 10 hrs or so. Bring to room temperature before using in the cake.

For an equally easy Fruit cake recipe with your candied fruits and nuts,
click here.

Whole wheat banana, raisins, and Chocolate muffins

2011-11-28T10:12:00.000-08:00

This quick, wholesome muffin gets full points for nutrition and taste with minimal effort and time. Eat it for breakfast or pack it in your kiddos lunch box.

The recipe can be found here.

Baby carrots flavoured with garlic

2011-11-22T01:15:00.000-08:00

A completely easy and nutritious dish that your family will love, especially your toddler, if you have one.

The recipe can be found here.

Rainbow Salad Meal and Fresh Figs in Yoghurt dressing- Reposts

2011-01-27T02:55:00.000-08:00

The delicious Rainbow salad which is a wholesome meal in itself.

The recipe can be found here.

A totally addictive salad made with fresh figs and yoghurt dressing.

The recipe can be found here.

These two salads make their way to the Only Salads event on at The Chef and Her Kitchen. The 'Only' series of food events was started by Foodelicious.

Peanut and chocolate cookies

2011-01-19T04:35:00.000-08:00

My college mate, Annu, lives a few kilometers away from us at Muscat. We had a small family get together at her place last weekend. I made a little batch of these yummy cookies for her. I made up the recipe with ingredients I had in hand.

Plain roasted peanuts - 1 cup
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Unsweetened cocoa powder - 2 dessertspoons
Egg - 1 large
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Butter - 1/2 cup (at room temperature)
Vanilla extract - 1/2 teaspoon (I use powder)
Cooking (baking) soda - 1/2 teaspoon

Powder the peanuts into meal using the chutney jar of your mixie or a coffee grinder. Pour the egg and butter into a blender jar and whisk till frothy. Add the sugar and cocoa. Blend again. Add the baking soda and whisk once more. Add in the vanilla. Pour out into a vessal and add in the peanut meal and flour. Incorporate well. If the batter is too thick add a little warm water.

Preheat an oven to 200°. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil or parchment. Pour out the batter by the spoonful with enough spacing (this one expands quite a bit). Bake at 150° for 18 minutes.

PS: The cookie is quite soft when hot and hardenes to crumbly perfection when cool. Hence, watch out for the colour and the lovely aroma as baking indicators and not texture.

The crumbly peanut and chocolate cookie recipe goes to theKid's Delight - Chocolate Feast event on at Srivalli's Spicing Your Life.

Simple Oats upma with roasted peanuts

2011-01-10T06:07:00.000-08:00

This is our favourite oats upma recipe mainly because of the liberal douse of peanuts in it. This is also one of the most easiest of breakfast options; of course, apart from opening a readymade pack of cereal!

Rolled oats or Jumbo oats - 1 cup
Quick cooking oats - 1/2 cup
Plain roasted and deskinned peanuts - 1 cup
Ginger - 1" piece (chopped fine)
Green chillies - 2-3 Nos
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Onion - 1 medium sized (chopped fine)
Curry leaves - a few sprigs
Oil - 1 teaspoon

Heat a skillet and then pour in the oil and add onions, ginger, chillies, and curry leaves. Saute well. Add the jumbo oats, sprinkle some water and simmer covered for a minute. Open lid and keep stirring sprinkling water in between till the oats is cooked ( a few minutes are adequate). Add the grated coconut, salt, and the quick cooking oats. Sprinkle some more water and cook covered for a couple of minutes, stirring once in a while. Finally add the roasted peanuts and serve hot.

Chocolate, beets, and carrot muffins and a very happy 2011 to you!

2011-01-01T03:19:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year 2011 to all my readers and friends! My New year fruit cake is still half done, so, for now ,here is a quick and healthy muffin I baked over X'mas for my little girl. My husband, who initially winced at the sight of veggies going into a chocolate muffin, later commented , " It's just not possible to figure out this one has beets and carrots in it. Really nice!". Little Abhi, as usual, enjoyed her mother's rare baking attempt.

All purpose flour (Maida) - 1 cup
Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
Baking powder - 1 teaspoon (5gms)
Egg - 1 large
Olive oil - 1/2 cup
Jaggery syrup - 1/2 cup
Pure Date syrup - 1/2 cup
(If you do not have jaggery or date syrup at hand then use packed brown sugar or even plain white sugar instead)
Beetroot - 1 small (grated very fine)
Carrot - 1 small (grated very fine)
Dates - a few (deseeded and chopped)
Dark unsweetened or semi sweetened chocolate chips - a liberal handful
Vanilla essence or powder - a few drops or pinches ( I used powder because I could not find propylene free essence)

Whisk the egg till it froths ( I use a braun electric handheld blender with whisking attachement). Add the olive oil and syrups, blend well. Sieve the flours and baking powder to ensure even blending. Add all ingredients, except chocolate chips, together and mix well. If you find the batter dry add a little buttermilk or milk at room temperature. Finally mix in teh choco chips.

Preheat oven at 200. Line the muffin tray with cases and pour in to fill 3/4th. Baking time might vary with the oven. I have a very basic OTG and baked my muffins at 150 for 25 minutes. Insert a toothpick and if it comes out clean your muffins are done.

Here's a picture of how this looks inside.

Pavakka Mezhukkuvaratti (Bittergourd stir fry)

2010-11-09T21:58:00.000-08:00

This quick recipe is a family favourite. A lot of people I've served this to, who generally aren't bittergourd lovers or prefer only the deep fried version, seem to like this version of pavakka mezhukkuvaratti (bitter gourd stir fry). To the recipe then, without much ado:

Pavakka (bitter gourd) - 2 medium sized ( I prefer the dark green ones)
Onion - 1 medium sized
Green chillies - 5-6 Nos (as per your spice tolerance)
Ginger - 2 " piece (julienned)
Coconut oil - 3 teaspoons
Salt to taste
Sliced fresh coconut pieces (optional)

Soak the bittergourds in water with a teaspoon of salt or vinegar thrown in for atleast 10 minutes. This is to dislodge the dirt, the pesticide residue etc that can hide in between the grooves. Then wash thoroughly under running water.

Slit the bittergourds vertically. If the seeds are tender enough let them be or else dislodge them. Now, slice into thin semi circles. Slice the onions thin and slit the chillies. Add all ingredients (including salt and oil) together in a bowl and using your fingers rub everything together till well mixed. Cover and let marinade for 1/2 hour to 1 hour.

Warm a skillet and spread the mixture in. Cover and cook for a couple of minutes on very low flame. Open lid and stir. Allow to simmer cook tossing once in a while till the bittergourd is well done.

Serve as aside to plain rice and south indian curry of choice.

This platter of pavakka mezhukkuvaratti is going to participate at the Vegetable Marathon - Bittergourd event at Nithu's Kitchen. The event is part of the Vegetable Marathon series launched by Anita's Kitchen

Pori-badam urundai (puffed rice and almond laddus)

2010-11-08T04:27:00.000-08:00

Deepavali treats need not necessarily make you guilty of high calorie/fat laden indulgence. With a little bit effort and imagination you can make goodies
that are absolutely delicious and yet healthy. If you do not believe me, try these yummy laddus made all out of healthy ingredients. A lot of you might be familiar with puffed rice laddus (pori urundai), I've just given this a little variation plus thrown in a couple of extra ingredients.

Puffed rice (pori/murmure) - 2 cups
Raw almonds - 3/4 cup (ground to meal)
Jaggery (sharkkara) syrup - 1 cup
Cardamom - 4-5 Nos
White sesame seeds - 1/4 cup
Saffron strands - 3 or 4 (optional)
Medicinal (raw) camphor (pachai karpooram) - two pinches (optional)

Powder the almonds in a coffee grinder/chutney jar of your mixie/food processor). Pour the jaggery syrup into a thick bottomed skillet and add the rest of the ingredients one by one. Keep stirring. You will find that the puffed rice absorbs the syrup and will reduce in size. Stir on low flame till everything is well incorporated and reaches a coarse halwa/jam like consistency. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
Pull out small sections and shape into small lemon sized balls. Grease your palms with a little odourless cooking oil like rice bran/canola/sunflower or use ghee (clarified butter) instead.

Refridgerate and these keep well for a week.

PS:

To make Jaggery syrup - In a seperate vessel boil about 150 ml water and dissolve an equal quantity of jaggery. Filter to remove scum. Pour this into a thick bottomed skillet and simmer till it reaches a thick,syrupy texture.

Sending these to the Diwali Sweets & Snacks event at Home Cook's Recipes.

Quick coconut laddu with condensed milk - repost for event

2010-10-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

This was the Deepavali fare I made last year. Reposting it for the Diwali Sweets & Snacks event at Home Cook's Recipes.
Click Here for the recipe.

Eggless apple and dates bran muffins

2010-10-24T14:56:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since my last post. I hope my readers will accept my apologies and also my promise to be much more regular henceforth!

During a train trip from Chennai where I worked, several years ago, to my hometown in Kerala, I met a young couple travelling along with their toddler.I reach my destination by about 8 Am and hence avoid breakfast on the train. This couple, however, were going further and hence picked up breakfast when they reached the Ernakulam station.Once their breakfast ritual was done with the mother pounced upon the just awakened toddler with a pack of commercial potato fries. The toddler was obviously in no mood for the chips but the mother pleaded, cajoled, coaxed, and even threatened till she finished half the packet. The dad pitched in with his, "baby, you should eat breakfast". I was aghast to say the least! But once I started taking notice, I found that this was not a one off case. There are many people who regularly buy bakery goodies for their kids to eat after school; start them on a batter fried chicken, fizzy drink, chips, and instant noodle routine when very young. Started this way no wonder they bloom into coke guzzling-junk gobbling obesity ridden teenage years and then into young adults who have already succumbed to some or all of the degenerative diseases.

This in mind, I try and avoid picking up commercial snacks and edible goodies, as far as possible, where my little girl is concerned. Her only allowed indulgences, till date, are transfat free biscuit brands and chocolates in moderation. Once she gets to the school going- peer influencable age my influence on her is bound to decrease. Hence, why not atleast put some effort into giving her a healthy start.

This wholesome muffin, with loads of goodness in it, is a little different from your regular muffin in that it has more texture. I also found that it tasted much better the next day.

wheat bran - 1 1/2 cups
whole wheat flour - 1 cup
low-fat buttermilk -1 cup
flaxseed - 1 dessert spoon (finely ground)
packed brown sugar - 1/4 cup
baking powder - 1 teaspoon
date syrup - 1 dessertspoon
dates - about 10 Nos (pitted, and chopped)
apple - 1 Nos (deseeded, grated peel and all)
extra virgin olive oil - 1 dessertspoon

Soak the bran and flaxseed in the buttermilk for a few minutes. Incorporate the baking powder with the wheat flour. Add everything together and mix to form a sticky batter. If required, add in a little warm water. Pour into greased cup cake moulds and bake in preheated oven at 200° C for about 20 minutes. Insert a tooth pick to check if it comes clean. If required, bake at 180° for another 4-5 minutes.

PS: The chopped dates and date syrup will make these appear a little sticky in places. Hence cool well, preferably overnight, before eating.

Brown bread rolls and Paneer tikka kaati roll repost

2010-08-09T05:40:00.000-07:00

Been away for quite sometime now. Internet connectivity problems have been bugging us for over a month now. Planning to switch to a wireless connection as soon as we get back from the month long trip to India.
Irratic connectivity is my reason for not appearing on fellow blogger's sites too. Hope my friends will excuse the lapse. Being away for a while has made me lazier, but just had to do this post because I had agreed to Pari of Foodelicious that I would participate in the food event on at her blog. The last time I promised and could not keep it due to certain reasons and then I had told her I'd definitely participate in the next event she hosts. So, here you are Pari. For you...

For the filling

Button mushrooms - 10 Nos
Carrot - 1 medium sized
Chicken sausages (frankfurters/frankies/franks) - 4 Nos (vegetarians use paneer)
Onion - 1
Green chillies - 1-2 Nos
Garlic - 3 cloves
Ginger - 1" piece
Hot sauce - 1 teaspoon
Chilli powder - 1/4 teaspoon (optional)
Salt to taste

Thinly slice the mushrooms. Julienne the carrot and dice the onions and garlic. Mince the ginger and slit the green chillies. Warm a teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet and toss in the onion, garlic, and ginger. saute for a minute and then add the rest of the veggies. Boil 2 cups of water and dunk the sausages in. Let simmer for about 5 minutes, drain and slice into thin roundels. Add to veggies along with hot sauce. Saute for a couple of minutes and allow to cool.

Assembling the bread rolls

Brown bread (wheat bread) - 8 slices
Trim the edges of the bread. Place each slice on a wooden chopping board. Slightly wet with water and use a rolling pin to flatten out the bread slice.Place a little filling in the middle and join the two edges to form a roll. Since I used brown bread with added bran , the edges wouldn't stick easily and so I had to place it within my palm and gently apply a little pressure to make it hold.
Preheat oven. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil or baking parchment and line up the rolls. Bake at 200 for 10 minutes. Serve the extra filling on the side.

This is off to Foodelicious' 'Only' Kids Delight
event

Also reviving an archived Paneer Tikka Kaati Roll post for the same event. The recipe can be found Here

Also sending this over to Sreevalli's Kids Delight -Finger Food
event at Spice Your Life. She has been good enough to allow in my really late entry. Thank you, Sreevalli.

Ulli-mulaku chammanthi (pearl onions and dry red chillies dip)

2010-06-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

This chutney has been lying in my draft for months together now. Thanks to fellow food blogger, Priya, for hosting an event with onions as theme and thereby giving me reason to resurrect this post.

Ulli-mulaku chammanthi (pearl onions - dry red chillies dip) is a regular feature in the traditional Keralite household. Often paired with steamed cassava roots (tapioca/kappa/kuchikizhangu), this also goes well with south indian tiffin items like idlis and dosas.

Small onions (shallots/pearl onions/cheriya ulli) - 10 to 15 Nos
Long dry red chillies (unakka mulaku/vara mulaka) - 10 Nos
Coconut oil - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Peel and rinse onions. In a skillet throw all ingredients together except for salt and saute till onions turn translucent. Cool and grind to paste. The texture can be smooth or left coarse. Both taste equally great. Add salt to taste. Drizzle a few drops of coconut oil before serving.

This dip is off to the Healing Food - Onion event on at Priya's Easy N Tasty recipes. The Healing food event series is created by Siri's corner .

Spicy Brown Bread - repost for event

2010-06-25T13:45:00.000-07:00

Reviving an archived bread post for Aathidhyam's Bread mania event

The recipe can be found Here

Launching baby food blog

2010-06-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

This little post is to announce the launch of my baby food blog , 'Cooking for baby'. Ever since I started my little girl on solids I've been wanting to record all the baby food recipes that I've made and continue making. My baby turned 1 on May 6th this year but publishing this blog happened only now. I've been working on this on and off for quite sometime now and though I wrote the first post on May 16th, had some finishing touches to make and so kept the blog private (open only to me).

I request all my readers and blogger friends to take a peep at my fledgling blog and share valuable feedback. Brickbats are as welcome as bouquets if they ultimately help me make this better

Cooking for baby blog can be accessed at http://firstfeeds.blogspot.com/

Would really appreciate your feedback since it is a work in progress.

Burghul (bulgar) vegetable pulav with cucumber and cilantro raitha

2010-06-06T13:53:00.000-07:00

Burghul (minimally processed crushed wheat)is a staple cereal ingredient in the middle east. As a child, I saw only the typical south indian upma and conjee made out of burghul. Even then, this conjee (gruel)specially prepared for my thatha (grandpa) with ischemic cardiac disease and not eaten by anyone else in the family, had its hold on me. I just loved those wholesome and flavour filled brown specks!

As I grew into my twenties my fetish for newer and experimental cuisine took hold and since then I try using familiar ingredients in unfamilar ways. Made this delicious burghul for weekend lunch and both my hubby and I loved it steaming hot.

Ingredients

Burghul (bulghar/sambha godumai/dhalia)- 1 cup (200 gms)

Assorted vegetables cut into small pieces- 2 cups ( I used carrots, purple cabbage, white cabbage, cauliflower, beans)

Onions - 1 large

Tomato - 1 medium

Salt to taste

Water - 2 cups

To be coarse ground

Ginger - 2" piece

Garlic - 4-5 cloves

Green chillies - 4 Nos (more or less)

Fennel seeds (saunf/perumjeerakam) - 1 teaspoon

Whole spices

Cloves - 2 Nos

Cinnamon - 1" stick

Cardamoms - 2 Nos

Star anise - 1 No

Masala powders

Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon (more or less)

Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon

For garnish

Chopped cilantro (coriander leaves) - a liberal handful

Freshly squeezed lemon juice - 2 teaspoons

Rinse and drain the burghul wheat. Heat a teaspoon of oil directly in a pressure cooker or biriyani pot and saute the whole spices for a minute before adding the sliced onions. Saute onions till translucent and add the ground paste, keep stirring till a lovely aroma emanates. Add all the chopped vegetables, tomato, burghul, and the masala powders. Pour in 2 cups of water. Close lid and cook for 4 whistles in medium flame. Once the pressure has vent, open lid , add the chopped cilantro, salt and lemon juice. Stir well and replace lid for flavours to mingle. Transfer to serving dish and serve hot with raita of choice. I served mine with a simple cucumber-cilantro raita.

Cucumber-cilantro raitha

Green cucumbers - 3 Nos

Onion - 1

Green chillies - 3 Nos

Chopped cilantro (coriander leaves) - a cupful

Curd (plain yoghurt) - 100 ml

Salt to taste

Chop all veggies and cilantro into small pieces, add to whisked curds. Add salt to taste. Refridgerate for 1/2 hour so for flavours to mingle.

Instant mango pickle (maanga achar)

2010-05-23T14:14:00.000-07:00

Instant mango pickle (as against regular pickle that is generally allowed to mellow for a few days before use and stays good for many weeks) is something that my dad and now my husband makes regularly once the mango season sets in. My love affair with the tangy,spicy,succulent mango pickle is something that has stayed intact from childhood till now.

Unripe mangoes (pacha manga/kacha aam) - 2-3 medium sized

Onions - 1 large

Green chillies - 4-5 Nos (use the Indian or Thai variety for heat)

Red chilli powder - 2 teaspoons (10 gms)

Curry leaves - 3-4 sprigs

Asafoetida - a pinch

Coconut oil - 1 teaspoon

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Chop the mangoes into small squares. Finely chop chillies and onions. Heat oil in a skillet, add the mustard seeds and allow to crackle. Add the curry leaves, asafoetida, chillie powder, and turmeric powder and saute for a minute or two. Add the chopped green chillies, oniona and mangoes. Toss well adding salt. Take off flame. Can be used immediately. Tastes wonderful with curd rice.

Stays good for 2-3 days if refridgerated.

This lot, made by my hubby, makes its way to Priti's Festive food - His Cooking event on till June 15th.
.

Rava-burghul (bulgar) idlis and a warning note

2010-04-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

After obnoxious comments, comments left in strange languages, anonymous comments, here is one, which I feel, takes the cake!

How about something that when one reads sounds perfectly nice and resounds appreciation but if you click on the commenter's profile opens up websites that promote steroids, androgen boosters, brain chemical enhancers to even cedar chests and cabins!

I've never had trouble with anonymous nasties simply because I've disabled the option for anonymity in my comment form.True it also prevents readers who want to leave maybe a genuine comment of appreciation but don't have a registered ID and thereby cuts down on my overall number of comments (and hence 'popularity' as a search engine might view it ;-). But never mind! But of late my blog has been getting comments of the new kind that I mentioned before. It's only through habit that I always click to check a new profile name that comments on my posts. Otherwise it would've been so easy to have allowed these "lovely" comments to be published (easily past moderation) and hence inadvertently promote whatever these sites seek to promote.

Hope fellow bloggers too watch out for these wolves in sheepskins!

Long back, during my preggie days, I posted my Rava and Oats Idli
which I find has turned out to be one of the most popular posts on my blog. Back then someone had commented that I could even try substituting the rava with broken wheat (burghul). Thought it was a good idea but decided to substitute oats with the burghul once in a while. The idlis came out quite good though with a little more bite than the oats-rava combo.

Broken wheat (dhalia/burghul/bulgar/broken wheat) - 1 cup
Rava (semolina/cream of wheat) - 1 cup
Low-fat Curds (yoghurt) - 2 cups
Roasted and skinned peanuts - a handful
Soda bi carb - a pinch
Salt to taste

For tempering
Ginger - 1" piece (peeled and grated)
Green chillies - 3 Nos (finely chopped)
Bengal gram (channa dhal/kadalai paruppu)- 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds (Kaduku/Rai)- 1/2 teaspoon
Indian curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Warm a thick bottomed pan and add in the rava. Dry roast on small flame stirring frequently to ensure even roasting. Brown speckles and an aroma from the rava denote the grains are roasted enough. Spread out on a plate and cool. Transfer to a bowl. Whip the curds with a fork and add to the roasted rava and burghul to form a thick batter. Let stay for about 2 hours.
Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and add the bengal gram. When it starts to turn a light brown , add the mustard and let crackle. Add in the finely grated ginger and chillies. Add the curry leaves. Saute for a minute. Add into the batter along with the roasted peanuts and salt. Blend in the soda bi carb. If the batter has turned too thick because of the rava having swollen up add in a little water. But remember that this batter should be considerably thicker than the ordinary rice idly batter. Pour into into idli moulds and steam for 15-20 minutes.

I served these idlis with fiery mulaku chammanthi (chilli chutney) the recipe of which will soon follow!

PS: Please do not mind the rather dull looking picture. Blame it on bad photography skills, wrong light, and hunger !!

Sending this over to Show me your whole grains event on at Divya's Dil se till April 30th.

Pumpkin Punch - tried and tasted

2010-04-03T03:18:00.000-07:00

I always bookmark interesting recipes from my blogger buddies' sites but the ones that actually make it to my kitchen are:

a) easy and doable - what's the point of cooking something that is so complicated that by the end you feel you'd rather sleep than put in the extra effort of eating what you've made! hats off to people who are such natural born, passionate cooks!

b) made with readily accessible and ordinary ingredients - not that most exotic grains, veggies and other edible paraphernalia are unavailable in the supermarket aisles at Muscat, but somehow can't bring myself to buy that for example, 'tiny bottle of natural sugar substitute' for an amount that will easily fetch me a generous portion of jaggery (unrefined indian cane sugar), palm jaggery, or demerara.

c) easy on my already zapped system - deep fried, maida (all purpose flour) made, cream filled , ghee (clarified butter) sploshed, meat laden etc etc are terms that scare me!

d) novel - this does not mean out of the world! merely something that I have had, loved but don't know how to make; or, something i'm not aware of and yet appeals to me.

Recently I came across a 'cool-cool' drink on Cynthia's blog that happily fitted into my criteria - the pumpkin punch! I've, however, modified it to suit my taste. The result was totally yum and my husband could hardly believe he was drinking up something that had the humble pumpkin as key ingredient!

Here's my version:

Pumpkin - 200 gms (peeled,cubed, and steam cooked)
Fat free milk - 250 ml (boiled and simmered to evaporate just a little bit)
Cardamom - 1 (powdered)
Vanilla essence - 2-3 drops
Demerara (or plain sugar) - according to taste

I whisked everything together together with an electronic hand blender till the pumpkin pieces were completely pulverized and the liquid took on a creamy,frothy texture. Chill and enjoy!

Here is Cynthia's Pumpkin Punch . Thank you Cynthia!

I so wanted to send this over to Priya's Cooking with seeds - Cardamom seeds event but am late by 2 days. Sending it over anyways! Hope you accept it, Priya.

Coconut - curd chutney (spicy, tangy coconut-yoghurt dip)

2010-03-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

I have a list of items stacked away in my 'growing up' food memory. In fact my growing up food memory is preserved in two different silos - one spanning the years spent with my paatti (maternal grandmother) eating tamilian food, and the other spent at home eating ammas attempts at Keralite cuisine. Amma's combos usually were green gram masala with chappathis, black channa with puttu, potatos in a deep brown roasted coconut gravy again with chappathis, podi chammanthi (chutney) with appams, coconut- curd (yoghurt) chutney with idlis... the list goes on. Somewhere down the lane amma gave up making this for the ordinary red chillies based coconut chutney much more common to keralite palates. My younger brother was brought up entirely in kerala and has always stayed with amma unlike me. And slowly amma's cooking modified itself to centre around his palate in which tamilian fare played no role. And his, is quite a conservative palate!

I love recreating all those dishes that I liked as a kid and also playing around with new items. This simple coconut-curd chutney is something that regularly features in my kitchen.

Fresh grated coconut - 1 cup
Green chillies or Thai chillies (kanthari) - 3to 4 (adjust as per your spice tolerance)

Ginger - 1/2" piece
Curds ( plain yoghurt) - 1 cup
Water - as required to grind the coconut into a smooth paste
Salt to taste

For tempering
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Dry red chillies - 2
Curry leaves - a few sprigs
Coconut oil (preferably) - 1 teaspoon

Grind the coconut along with the ginger-green chillies into a smooth paste adding water little by little. Heat the oil in a skillet and crackle the mustard seeds and roast the chillies and curry leaves. Add the coconut paste in and allow to cook for a minute or two. Whisk the curds well and pour in along with salt. Simmer for a minute stirring all the while. Transfer to serving dish and njoy with idlis or crisp dosas.

Stir fried carrots (thoran)

2010-02-25T13:03:00.000-08:00

This quick carrot stir fry (thoran) seasoned with a generous helping of grated coconut, aromatic curry leaves, and spices is all I need to pep up a bowl of simple steamed rice into a gastronomical delight!

Carrots - 1/4 kg (grated)
Coconut - 1/2 cup (grated)
Onion - 1 medium sized (cut fine)
Green chillies - 3-4 Nos (minced)
Garlic - 2 cloves (minced)
Curry leaves - a few sprigs
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Chilli powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Heat a thick bottomed skillet, pour in the oil, add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds. Wait till the mustard splutters and then add the curry leaves. In a seperate bowl toss the grated carrot along with the rest of the ingredients and tip it all into the skillet. Cover and let simmer cook till carrots are tender. Add salt to taste.

Fenugreek potion for PMS and Fenugreek (Vendhaya) Idli for a healthy meal

2010-01-31T07:27:00.000-08:00

Fenugreek (vendhiyam/uluva/methi) is as bitter and as healthy as it gets. Back home in India, fenugreek is often a recommended household remedy for alleviating menstrual cramps (Post Menstrual Syndrome), curing indigestion, promoting lactation , and preventing diabetes.

It's efficacy in lessening severe menstrual discomfort is something I have first hand experience in. In fact I got this little secret from my friend Bhooma who worked with me at my very first workplace, Indian Express.

First, the PMS remedy:

Fenugreek seeds - 1 teaspoon (5 gms)
Milk - 1/2 cup

Rinse seeds and place them in a cup.Boil milk and pour over the fenugreek seeds.Cover and let stand for an hour or so. Warm the milk again, chew the swollen seeds, and drink the warm milk. Alternatively blend it and gulp down. Add sugar if you absolutely must. Do this everymonth commencing 2-3 days prior to the date of menstruation and continue till second or third day.

Alternatively soak the seeds overnight in water. Next morning blend them with warm milk and drink.

Now, for a fenugreek based breakfast recipe:

I learnt this from my mom's aunt, Valli paatti with whom I shared an apartment during my work stint at Chennai.

Idli rice (Raw rice or par boiled rice works as well) - 2 cups
Fenugreek seeds - 1 small fistfull
Sesame oil (gingelly oil/ellenna/nallennai)- 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Soak rice and fenugreek seperately for about 3 hours.Grind fenugreek into a smooth, fluffy paste as you would grind black gram (urad/uzhunnu) for ordinary idli batter. Grind rice too into a smooth batter. Whisk both batters together along with the sesame oil and salt. Let ferment overnight or a minimum of 8 hours (depending on the climate). Pour into idli moulds and steam till done.

The PMS fenugreek remedy is off to the Home Remedies 1 event on at A2Z Vegetarian Cuisine

The fenugreek idli is off to my friend, Yasmeen's Health Nut Challenge 4 - Bitter Better Health on at Health Nut

Rainbow Salad Meal

2010-01-24T13:03:00.000-08:00

When my veggie intake has been low for a couple of days (nowadays weeks), I decide it is time to make my rainbow salad meal. I call it a meal 'cause it is substantial in itself. For an extra dose of protein alongside, I serve grilled chicken or chickpea sundal.Sometimes I just decide to toss in a handful of sprouts into the salad itself.

Red bell pepper - 1
Yellow bell pepper - 1
Carrot - 1
Zucchini - 1/2
Broccoli - 1 small head
Purple cabbage - a few leaves
Celery - 1/2" stick
Macaroni (any kind) - 1 cup (boiled as per manufacturer's instructions)

For the dressing
Low fat yoghurt - 2 tablespoons
Extra virgin olive oil - 2 teaspoons
Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
Mustard paste - a couple of teaspoons
Green chillies - 2 Nos
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
Ground pepper - 1/2 teaspoon

Whisk everything together with a fork or, put them into a glass bottle with lid and shake well.

Cut all veggies into small strips. Steam them for just a couple of minutes (skip this step if you want to). Add the cooked macroni. Pour in the dressing, toss evrything together really well. Let rest covered for 15 minutes. Eat

My salad is off to the Food for 7 Stages of Life - Healthy Fast Food event on at Sourashtra Kitchen and Cook like a bong

Pineapple and Spinach Chunky Soup

2010-01-18T12:35:00.000-08:00

No yak yak this time! Been really busy, missed wishing all of you a happy pongal! I did make venpongal, sarkarai pongal, and puli gojju. Abhi loved them (didn't give her the gojju, of course).Hubby is on a tight schedule and that means less respite for me even in the evenings. Add to that a nagging headache that just refuses to completely go. And, call it post pregnancy blues (they do continue this long ?)or whatever, I feel someone wound a tight band around my forhead and wont let go! But decided to post this tonight 'cause I've promised Usha of Veg Inspirations an entry for her first food event. And, she is one nice person I've met through food blogging.

Pineapple (really ripe) - 1 cup (chopped)
Spinach - 1 small bunch
Beans - a few
Carrot - 1 medium sized
Ginger - 1/2" (chopped fine)
Green chillies - 4 (more or less)
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Garam masala - 1/4 teaspoon
Olive oil - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Optional seasoning

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Canola oil - 1 teaspoon

Chop all veggies into bite sized chunks, saute for a few minutes in olive oil. Add the water and 1/2 the coconut milk. simmer till veggies are almost done. Throw in the spinach along with the rest of the coconut milk, salt, and the garam masala. Simmer till spinach wilts.Add salt to taste.

Crackle the mustard seed and add if you opt for the seasoning. I loved this soup made on the go to save an over ripened pineapple from ending up in the waste bin.Its spicy, tangy, and sweet!

Off this goes to Usha's "Healthy Inspirations Event-Soups" that's on at http://www.veginspirations.com/2010/01/event-announcement.html

Podi chammanthi (Coconut chutney to go with appams)

2010-01-11T09:31:00.000-08:00

I am a true blue crab sun sign...if I find someone pursuading me too hard (be it for anything) I retreat into my proverbial shell all suspicious :-) what's that to do with cooking? Nothing. Just in a 'verbal diarrhoea' mood coupled with two stray instances of insistent people! I have a bad back thanks to many reasons. Now with Abhi around a bad back is a big hinderance to happy 'mommying'. Hit upon chiropractice as a possible solution albeit a very expensive one. Towards the end of my schedule the therapist started suggesting that my husband who happened to have sprained his back undergo a session and he declined.Then one day I could not go for a prefixed session because abhi (my baby) had to have her vaccination shot. The chiropractor told us that vaccinations were bad and that they affected the nervous system, if we were insistent on giving abhi her shot then we should bring her for a spine adjustment chiro session!! That decided the end of 'my' chiropratic sessions!
Another minor incident is with facebook. I'm newbie at facebook and am fine when people suggest I follow their websites or blogs. I check it out and if I like it I accept. Some are blogs of people who I already follow through a list on my blog, so when they ask me to do the same on FB I am glad to do so. But there was one very persistent person who added me as friend (I'd never before seen that particular site), then suggested I follow the blog. I accepted both suggestions. Then soon after, I was asked to become a 'fan' of the same blog. I declined. Thereafter, I keep getting repeat suggestions that I become a fan of the said blog even after declining it each time! Grrrrrrrrrrrr...

Podi chammanthi is my mom's favourite side dish option with appams (vellayappam) when she is running short of time. It does taste fantabulous with hot appams (I dont like it with idlis and dosas).

Fresh grated coconut - 1 cup
Shallots (small onions) - 2 Nos
Ginger - 1/4" piece
Dry red chillies - 4 Nos (more or less as per your spice tolerance)
Salt to taste

For tempering

Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Coconut/canola oil - 1 teaspoon

Grind all ingredients together in a mixie/food processor adding just a teaspoon or two of water till coarse. Heat oil in a skilet and crackle mustard and fry curry leaves. Toss in the coarse mixture, saute for a minute or two to take away the raw taste of shallots.There, that was quick, was it not?

Fruit cake, happy breakfast, and happy new year to all

2010-01-01T00:55:00.000-08:00

"I wish all my blogger friends and readers a glorious, peacefilled, and happy 2010.May all that your heart rightfully desires be yours this year."

This being our first new year with Abhi (our baby) , I decided to go all the way out and make a traditional fruit cake. As a general rule, I'm not a regular baker. Somehow the concept of rigid measurements, high calorie ingredients, and my 'sumo wrestler' aka post-pregnancy figure (not that it was better afore) has kept me away from traditional cakes and cookies. I browsed high and low for a easy do-able fruit cake recipe, found a zillion recipes, then made last minute calls to my mom for her kinda cake measurements, gathered chance advice from my aunt who called 2 days ahead to wish us, and finally added my own permutations to them all
Preparations were punctuated by baby needs, oven cleaning (a year since i opened it last) etc. Finally by 2 a.m. new year's morning my cake was ready to be wrapped up in foil soaking in a final slather of whisky till 11 a.m. this morning (9 hours of drunken merriness, huh!). Cake making and pooja room cleaning had me up till 3 a.m. and so decided to sleep in this morning. Was woken up at 9.30 a.m. by my husband who had made a poori (indian fried bread), mixed veggie gravy, and a fruit salad breakfast for me :-). He also took over Abhi's early morning feeding, diaper changing, and patting back to sleep routine
My special breakfast

Ok, now to the cake. True to the footloose chef in me, my cake does not conform to classic ways and procedures...

Preparation

Chopped dry fruits and nuts - 3 cups (I used dates, apricots, golden raisins, jumbo raisins, walnuts, cashewnuts, prunes)

Orange peel - 1 medium sized orange's rind with the white pith scraped out (cut into small pieces)

Rum (use any spirit you have at hand) - 2 cups

Put everything together in a skillet and toss till warm, and an aroma emanates. Close lid and let stand overnight. In the morning, I placed this in the fridge and let stand for another 10 hrs or so. Bring to room temperature before using in the cake.

Ingredients

Self raising flour - 2 cups
Whole wheat flour -1 cup
Almond meal - 1 cup (1/2 cup of almonds powdered in a coffee grinder or mixie jar)
Baking powder - 1 teaspoon
Packed soft, dark brown sugar - 1 cup
Unsalted butter - 1/2 cup (about 100gms)
Canola oil - 3/4 cup
Egg whites - 5
Powdered mix spices (cardamoms,nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon) - 1 teaspoon
Vanilla essence - 1/2 teaspoon
Warm water - 1 cup
Whisky - 1/2 cup (for the final drizzle)

Sift the flours and baking powder together for even mixing. Toss in the almond meal into the fruit mixture and mix well. Add the flour bit by bit and mix well.

Beat the sugar, butter, and oil together till frothy ( i used an electric hand blender). Add the egg whites and whisk again till soft (the more the merrier). Add the spice powder and vanilla essence. Pour in a cup of warm water. Add the flour and fruit mixture and blend in taking care that no lumps are formed (add in a little by little).

Pour into a cake tin double lined (2 layers) with baking parchment. Preheat the oven at 250° for 15 minutes. Place the cake tin inside and bake at 150° for 1 hour and 5 minutes. Remove from oven and gently ease in a skewer to check if done. Make tiny skewer holes throughout the body of the cake and drizzle in whisky (or any other spirit). Wrap with aluminium foil and allow to mature for about 10 hours.

PS: Don't worry if the cake that comes out of the oven seems very dry (it will be). That liberal splashing in of whisky and allowing the cake to mellow will make it soft.

PS: When I refer to 'cup' I mean any standard tea cup that holds about 200 ml. The said measurements yeilded 2 medium sized cakes ( a loaf tin and a round tin).

My cake is off to participate in the 'Cakes n Cookies' event at Sara's Corner and Contribute your recipes event- Cakes & Cookies on at Indian Vegetarian Kitchen

Merry X'mas

2009-12-24T07:46:00.000-08:00

Introducing The Hunger site for those yet unaware

2009-12-21T13:05:00.000-08:00

I speak 'food' and 'recipes' out here in my tiny nook. While we are mooting if the nutritional quotient of potatoes are inferior to sweet potatoes; if flax seeds boost heart health or the immune system more; if the more expensive, fancier grains at our neighbourhood organic stores are a better alternatives to rice and millet...pause...every 3.6 seconds a little someone dies for lack of basic sustenance.
Let's join in the fight against hunger.The Indian tradition says, 'Annadanam Mahadanam'. Translated this means, feeding the hungry is the most pious of all charitable acts.

Since, we are on the topic of food and recipes, let's do our little bit 'annadhanam'.

The Hunger Site is a valid internet campaign. The concept works this way - a number of corporate sponsors place their advertisements on the said site. Each time a visitor clicks on the "Click To Give" button on the home page , he/she is automatically navigated towards the page that has sponsor ads. Each of these clicks are counted and the sponsor pays the promoters the equivalent of 1.1 cups of food. The promoters distribute this accumulated fund to feed target needy population in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and North America.

It doesn't cost you anything, so why not click. I've been doing this for the past 2 years.

Click on Logo to reach the hunger site

Coconut flavoured wheat halwa and a story

2009-12-15T11:49:00.000-08:00

My husband is a november born saggitarian. Basically a nice guy and very sweet but where temperaments and habits are concerened we are poles apart. I believe and thrive on little gifts, remembering dates, candle light dinners , barefoot walks on the beach, and flowers. Hubby tries hard but still requires reminders and prodes (sometimes as blatant as, "Hey, remember tommorrow is my birthday, what about a bouquet, huh?" ).

I remember dates and go all the way out and plan! It takes effort for him to get over the "shock" err...surprise of these episodes The first birthday after we got married was the one that caught him completely unawares. I got a made to order lovely, heart shaped birthday cake, a big bouquet, loads of balloons, candles, and returned from work early to cook a full fledged four course dinner. Conspired with our landlady who lived on the first floor to lock me in so that hubby would return as usual by 7PM, open the door using his own key, and then I would surprise him by suddenly switching on the lights and giving him a magnificent display of all the goodies bought and cooked.

Everything would have gone fine except for the fact that hubby's spare key refused to turn the lock that evening. I listened to him twist and turn it for a full five minutes before switching on the lights inside. The poor guy thought we had burglars inside! By the time I tried opening from within, he was at his wits end and thought I was deliberately playing the fool and locking him outside. Anyway, in all that ruckus our landlady rushed down and saved the situation by opening the door with my key which was with her.

After this I keep my surprises a little more predicatable! This time, with Abhi around and me being stuck without a driving license, decided the simplest way would be to just cook something special. Made a coconut flavoured wheat halwa. Did not have the time to patiently stir it till it reached the consistency where it could be cut into neat blocks. It was just as fine scooped by a spoon! And, guess what! Had just bought a Luminare juice jug set and upon opening found a pretty looking ashtray along with the jug, glasses, and snack jars. Both of us don't smoke or encourage smokers in the house. To cut a long story short, decided the ash tray would make a spectacular receptacle for my halwa! And, before you ask...No, I have not lost my nuts during pregnancy...well, not all...

Broken wheat (sambha godumai/bulgar) - 2 cups

Coconut palm jaggery - 150 gms (if unavailable, just use plain jaggery)

Coconut milk - 100 ml ( I used readymade coconut milk powder)

Cardamom (Elaichi) - 5 Nos

Fresh coconut pieces - 1/4 cup

Canola oil - 1/2 cup

Soak wheat overnight. Pulverize to smooth paste adding a little warm water.Place a fine pored sieve over a deep vessal or alternatively drape a thin muslin cloth over the mouth of the vessal. Strain the wheat paste through this. If using the sieve, coax out all the milk by pressing with a ladle. If using the cloth, secure it over the top of the vessal and allow the milk to slowly trickle out. The white whey you get is wheat milk.

In a seperate vessel boil about 150 ml water and dissolve jaggery. Filter to remove scum. Pour this into a thick bottomed skillet and simmer till it reaches a thick,syrupy texture. Pour in the wheat milk and the coconut milk, simmer stir till the mixture reaches a jam like consistency.
Cut the coconut into tiny bits and fry them till golden brown. Add these, the cardamom seeds, and canola oil to the halwa mixture. Keep stirring till the oil gives a glazy coating to the wheat mixture. Voila, halwa ready!

By the way, hubby loved it, huh.

Sending this across to the Food for 7 Stages of Life - DDPI (15-24 yrs) event being hosted at Sourashtrakitchen and co-hosted by http://bengalicuisine.net/

Simple Spinach soup

2009-12-10T07:12:00.000-08:00

I saw an expat celebrity chef's show on TV the other day. She was making a spinach based gravy. Her method was to boil lots of water , cook the spinach in it, drain the water and dunk the leaves in cold water! "Preserves the color", she chirped! I was outraged at the sheer waste of all those fabulous nutrients. Why not preserve the nutrients instead! Greens are delicate store houses of nutrients. Treat them easy. Here's a quick n healthy spinach soup going right to Sunshine mom's TumyumTreats Monthly Mingle - Soups event. The Monthly mingle event was started by Meeta of "What's for lunch, Honey?".

Fresh Spinach (palak) - 1 medium sized bunch
Coriander leaves (cilantro) - 3 to 4 sprigs
Shallot - 1
Ginger - 1/2"piece
Green chillies - 4 Nos (more or less)
Low fat milk - 1/2 cup
Grated parmesan - enough for sprinkling over each serve
Salt to taste

Rinse the greens well. Slice up the shallot, ginger, and green chillies. Place these and the greens in a thick bottomed pan. Cover and simmer cook till the leaves wilt (3-4 minutes). Blend to smooth puree, add the milk and salt and simmer for a couple of minutes. Ladle onto serving bowls, sprinkle on grated parmesan.

Ragi kool (finger millet porridge)

2009-11-22T03:27:00.000-08:00

You see that big brown, crispy dosa (crepe) that forms the background to my blog's title? It's made of ragi (finger millet/nachani/kelvaragu/panjapullu). Apart from dosas, ragi makes wonderful adai, puttu, sevai,idli,and 'kool'(porridge).

In rural Tamil Nadu (in South India) ragi is most commonly used to make 'kool' a porridge kinda dish. When summer rages at its worst then ragi kool with buttermilk and a dash of salt is liberally consumed by villagers involved in hard, physical labour. This is said to neutralise the energy draining effects of the sun and the hard work at hand.

The sweet version of this 'kool' uses jaggery (indian unrefined sugar) and milk. Jaggery adds in essential iron to this fortifying, comfort food. When had slightly warm, this tastes like manna and used to be my instant whip up option when I was pregnant and midnight hunger pangs struck!

Ragi , a nutritional treasure trove is a great source of the essential amino acid, methionine. Methionine is essential for vitality. Ragi, especially if sprouted, goes a long way in supplementing the nutritional deficiencies caused by a diet of highly refined cereals like white rice.

Today, we had to take Abhi for inoculation early in the morning.A nice, warm bowl of ragi porridge with a few cubes of sliced pappaya made for a wonderfully nourshing, easy breezy breakfast.

For 1 serving

Ragi flour (you can buy it ready made, look for sprouted and ground varieties) - 20 gms (4 heaped teaspoonful)

Water - 2 cups

Jaggery syrup - 2 teaspoons

Milk - 1/4 cup

Mix in the ragi flour into luke warm water and set on stove top at medium heat. Keep stirring till the mixture thickens and gets a glazy appearance (about 5 minutes). Add the jaggery and milk, and stir for a couple more minutes. Take off flame and enjoy while warm.

To make Jaggery syrup

Jaggery is usually available as lumps, either golden brown or dark brown.The dark brown version is denser in minerals but the golden brown version is cleaner.Since jaggery is unrefined it can contain sediments. Boil about 250 ml water for 100 gms of jaggery. Place the lumps in and simmer to dissolve jaggery. Simmer on for an extra few minutes to allow the syrup to thicken. Filter to remove scum. Once cool, transfer into airtight containers, and refridgerate. Stays good for a month or more.

Ragi kool is off to the JFI - Ragi event on at Madhuram's Eggless cooking

A relook at Falafel and Hummus

2009-11-12T07:13:00.000-08:00

My favourite aunt emailed me yesterday. She wanted to know all that I remembered about Lebanon - the people, places, food et al because the new novel she was about to teach at school is set in Lebanon (she is a French teacher in a Canadian high school).Our stay at Beirut, Lebanon dates back to 2005. That's where my software hubby was catapulted to, just after our betrothal, by his parent company to work on a Middle East Airlines project. And after marriage, that's where my role of the 'trailing spouse' began

I loved the beautiful terrain. We lived in a serviced apartment a short walk from the corniche and the picturesque pigeon rocks.

Could go on about the place! But food is what matters out here
I'd earlier posted two famous Lebanese recipes along with the story behind my learning them, and I repost them now to make it easier for my athai to look up.

Falafel with Garlic labenah dip

http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/07/falafel-with-garlic-labenah-dip-and.html

Hummus (chickpea dip with sesame paste)

http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/hummus-chick-pea-dip-with-sesame-paste.html

Quick coconut laddu and rava kesari for Deepavali with baby

2009-10-17T03:10:00.000-07:00

Helloooooooooooooooooooooooo! Back again after seven months!! Wish you all a very happy and delightful Deepavali.

I have my little girl with me now to celebrate deepavali with. She leaves me with very little time to cook or blog, but decided I just need to make a quickie something for her first deepavali. The easiest thing was to make the coconut laddu recipe that I had collected from a Nestle 'Milkmaid' condensed milk wrapper all the way back when I was at college. It takes just 10 minutes and minimal cooking to conjure them up.
In her fifth month, she is now ready to start with semi solid food, and so I also wanted to make something of which she could also take a teeny little bite. so decided on a quick fix rava kesari.

Coconut Laddu

Dessicated coconut - 150 gms (you could choose to use fresh grated coconut and toast it to perfection)
Sweetened condensed milk - 50 gms
Cardamom (elaichi)- 4 Nos

Powder the cardamom. In a thick bottomed vessel pour in the condensed milk and add the coconut. Turn down the flame to very low and stir the two together till they form a soft, pliant dough. Add the cardamom and keep stirring till a wonderful aroma emanates (all of 5-6 mts). While still warm shape lemon sized balls out of the mixture.
In another plate spread out some more dessicated coconut and roll the balls to give them a beautiful coating. Ready to eat!

Quick Rava Kesari

Roasted rava (semolina?cream of wheat) - 1 cup
Demerara sugar (you can use plain sugar) - 1/2 cup
Water - 3 cups
Ghee (clarified butter) - 1/4 cup
Raisins and nuts - a handful

Pour the ghee into a thick bottome dvessel along with all the other ingredients escept water. Let roast on low flame till the sugar starts to melt and the nuts start to roast (you will know by the smell). Add the water. Increase the flame to medium and keep stirring till the rava cooks into a gooey mixture of jam like consistency (about 7-8 minutes). Ready to go!

Take another look at the coconut laddu

Sending these over to Festive Food : Diwali Dhamaka hosted by Purva's Dawat. The event is on at http://purvasdaawat.blogspot.com/2009/10/diwali-dhamaka-announcement.html

Just like that

2009-03-10T23:52:00.000-07:00

I am travelling to India this Saturday. Started on my third trimester and my cut off time for flying is near! Everyone from back home tells me it's very very hot there! Not that the summers here are anywhere near mild!!!

Thought I'd spring clean the house before I leave (though not spring), but not able to do much. Thursday and friday is weekend out here and I still have some shopping and all my packing left. So friends, its tata for atleast a week now! The broadband in my little town in Kerala has it's own mood swings, so not sure how often I can get online.

Vibaas of vibaas-world.blogspot.com/ has passed me the cute circle of friends award. Thank you, Vibaas, for considering me a friend. I'd love to pass this onto all my blogger friends listed under my 'Foodie blogs I visit' list.

So, until we meet again friends...here's wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Aval dosai (Rice flakes dosa)

2009-03-04T10:28:00.000-08:00

When I mentioned that my trip home to India for delivery was due soon, so many of you blogger friends turned up with good wishes. It felt so good to have met and made friends with so many like minded souls through blogging! Thank you all, my dear friends, for all your good wishes. Now to get to today's recipe, Aval dosai, a Tamil Nadu special.

Aval dosai has been one of my favourite tiffin items right from childhood. Growing up at my maternal grandmother's house at Salem, my childhood food preferences were greatly influenced by Tamilian cuisine. Amma, having relocated to dad's place at Kerala, has more or less given up on Tamilian fare except for when I turn up at home and ask her to make me something from grandma's kitchen. Aval dosai is one thing I make perfectly well at my kitchen but still ask amma to make for me whenever I visit her. Love it with pottu kadalai chutney (roasted gram). Here is my paatti (grandma) and amma's recipe for the yummilicious aval dosai...

Raw rice - 2 cups
Aval (Rice flakes/beaten rice/poha)- 1 cup
Fenugreek seeds (uluva/methi/vendayam) - 1 teaspoon
Sour curds (plain yoghurt)- 1 cup
For seasoning
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 2 Nos
Onion - 1 medium sized
Ginger - 1" piece
For tempering
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Dry red chillies - 2 Nos
Curry leaves - 3-4 sprigs
Bengal gram (Channa dal/ kadala paruppu)- 1 teaspoon

Wash and soak the rice and fenugreek seeds together for about 4 hours. Whisk the yoghurt with a little water to make it a little thin. Add the rice flakes to it and soak for about an hour. Add sufficient water and blend the rice and fenugreek in a mixie/food processor/wet grinder into a smooth batter. Do the same with the soaked rice flakes. Mix the two together and add salt to taste. The consistency should be like that of ordinary dosa batter (see picture). Allow to ferment overnight or for about 8 hours.

Chop the onions, ginger, and green chillies fine. Heat a teaspoon of oil and saute the bengal gram and red chillies. Add the mustard seeds and allow them to crackle. Throw in the curry leaves, chopped onions, ginger, green chillies, and coconut. Whisk in to the batter.

Heat an appa chatti (see picture) and pour out a ladleful of the batter. Cover with a lid and simmer cook till done (approx 3 minutes). The bottom should have formed a golden crust and the top should be cooked well. You need not turn this over but if you like both sides golden, you can flip and brown the other side too like I've done.

PS : An appa chatti is a shallow pan traditionally used to cook palappams (vellayappams) in. If you do not have this you can use an ordinary dosa gridle (flat pan) to make aval dosai. For more detailed pictures of the 'appa chatti' check out the Vellayappam recipe link http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/05/vellayappam.html

Sending this over to EC's WYF : Cuisine event. The event is on at http://simpleindianfood.blogspot.com/2009/03/wyfcuisine-event-announcement.html till March 31st.

Spicy brown bread

2009-02-25T00:06:00.000-08:00

I have two major culinary blind spots. One, I cannot make deep fried snacks that look like what they are supposed to look. Two, I cannot bake without trying to sneak in something that's wholesome and cutting down on even essential fat with the result that the end product isn't always the best textured! As a result, I stay away from both these methods of cooking most of the time.
But I took the plunge and made a spicy, wheat flour bread yesterday! All because it's almost time for me to fly back home to India for delivery because international flights don't allow you on board once you cross the 32 week mark! So, what's that got to do with baking, you might ask. Back in India, my mom's house is in a little town in Kerala where maida (AP flour) rules the roost! The buns, cakes, breads, halwas, puffs, samosas...are all made with white flour! I sure am going to miss my trips to the local bakery out here that allows me a range of freshly baked multi-grain products.Don't know if I will actually bake once am back there, but anyway thought I'd give this a try here in my very own kitchen. A couple of months ago had attempted 'masala buns with potato stuffing' in whole wheat. Made slight alterations to it this time since the buns though they tasted good enough, were a little too chewy !

Whole wheat flour - 250gms
Fortified all -purpose flour - 150 gms
Oat flour - 50 gms
Instant yeast - 10gms
Baking powder - 5 gms
Extra virgin olive oil - 50 ml
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Buttermilk - enough to make a soft dough
Egg white - 1 (to egg wash the crust to prevent it from drying up)

The spice mix

Dry red chillies - 2 large (dry roasted and hand crushed)
Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon (dry roasted)
Garlic - 2 large cloves (minced and dry roasted)
Fresh Mint leaves - a generous handful (roughly chopped)

Sift the flours, baking powder, yeast, and salt a couple of times together so that they mix in well. In a deep dish, throw in the ingredients along with the olive oil. Add the buttermilk little by little and knead the mixture into a soft, pliant dough. The texture should be a little sticky and easy on the palms. Continue kneading till the dough turns smooth and stops sticking to your palms (approx 10-15 minutes of kneading). Cover with a cotton/muslin cloth and allow to rise for an hour.

After an hour you will find that the dough has almost doubled in size. Add the spice mix, a little more olive oil and knead again for 10 minutes. Place into a greased baking dish and allow to rise for another 30-40 minutes.
Whisk the egg white and brush it on liberally over the top of the dough. Use a fork to stab a few air holes into the dough.
As for the baking,I have a very basic OTG that I preheated for 10 minutes at 100°C. The actual baking took 12 minutes at 250°C and another 5 minutes at 150°C to get the bread done.

The bread tasted quite nice with a warm cup of tea and even better the next day when I used the leftovers to make a quick sandwich with light mayonnaise and cabbage shreds.

Chocolate morsels

2009-02-19T03:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, a friend and family invited us over for a weekday night dinner without prior information. Hubby was busy at work and I was stuck with limited mobility (a woman catching a cab by herself out here is not a very sensible choice and I don't have a gulf valid driving license!). However, we have a small supermarket at walking distance and I decided to browse around for something to take for the host's little boys. Somehow din't find the regular, off the shelf choclates attractive. Suddenly remembered a Nigella Lawson recipe that I chanced upon a long time ago on Travel and Living. A simple chocolate recipe which called for very little time, effort, and ingredients. I really don't remember the exact name or propotions the recipe called for but decided to give it a shot anyway. Turned out quite nice and I felt extra nice when the younger child, an avid choclate eater, finished an entire set, ran up to me, and very sweetly said, "Aunty, this is really very nice. thank you so much". Must I say I am still grinning

Mars choclate bars - I used up an entire 27g gms bag of mini bars
Corn flakes - 2 cups
Unsalted butter - 10 gms
Water - 1/4 cup
Roasted, almond flakes - 1/2 cup (optional)
Cup cake cases - 40-50 small ones

Roughly break up the choclate bars into a thick bottomed skillet. Add the water and simmer stir till the choclates begin to melt. Add the butter in and keep stirring till the choclate completely melts and it thickens. Add the cornfllakes and almonds and stir till the choclate completely coats the flakes. Take off flame. Line up the cup cake cases on a tray and and spoon in the mixture while still warm into the cases. Allow to set for an hour or so.

Watch your lil ones enjoy the tiny chocolate morsels.

Mixed veg kurma in nutty gravy with Beetroot paratha

2009-02-16T23:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was one of those low energy days. Frequent trips to attend nature's call might be a common side effect of pregnancy, it also is a sure shot way to mess up a good night's sleep! Since hubby had an early meeting to attend, there was no way I could sleep on hoping someone would cook for me. Made this as lunch and also dinner.

For kurma
Mixed vegetables - 2 cups (I used beans,carrot,cauliflower,peas,potato,capsicum)
Onion - 1 medium sized
Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) - 1/4 teaspoon
Cilantro (coriander leaves) - a small bunch (10 sprigs)

To grind
Garlic - 4 cloves
Ginger - 1" piece
Green chillies - 5 Nos (use less for lesser heat)

Dry masala
Cinnamon - 1" stick
Cloves - 2 Nos
Coriander powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Kitchen king masala - 1/2 teaspoon (optional)

For gravy
Almonds - 10 Nos
Cashews - 10 Nos
Low-fat milk - 1 cup (150 ml)
Low-fat paneer (Indian cottage cheese) - 1/2 cup (crumbled)

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a skillet, add the cinnamon and cloves followed by finely chopped onion. When the onions are sauted till translucent, add the ground garlic-ginger-green chilli paste. Saute well. Add the carrot and potato pieces in along with 1/2 cup of water. Cover and simmer till almost done, add the rest of the vegetables, coriander powder, turmeric powder, kitchen king masala, kasuri methi, crumbled paneer and half the milk. Cook covered till vegetables are soft.

Boil another cup of water seperately, add the nuts in and cook well. Drain and grind to fine paste adding the rest of the milk.

Add to the cooked vegetables along with finely chopped coriander leaves and salt to taste. Simmer cook stirring occasionally till the gravy thickens. Add 1/2 teaspoon of sugar. Cover and let stay for about 15 minutes before transferring to a serving dish.

For Beetroot paratha
Wholewheat flour - 2 cups
Wheat bran - 1/4 cup (optional)
Oat flour - 1/4 cup (optional)
Beetroot - 1 large
Salt to taste

Pressure cook beetroot with the jacket on. Peel and blend to smooth puree. Mix the flours and bran in a deep bowl. Add in salt and the beetroot puree. Rub the flours well and adding water little by little knead to dough. Cover and let stay for 1/2 hour. Shape lemon sized balls out of the dough and roll out (leaven) into chappathis (tortillas). Heat a flat pan and cook the chappathi with or without a little drizzle of oil. Turn over and cook other side. When done small golden brown blisters appear over the tortillas.

If paneer (Indian cottage cheese) is not commercially available in your area, you can easily make it at home. For the method, http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/06/learn-how-to-make-paneer-cottage.html

Bird's eye chilli (kanthari) chutney and steamed sweet potatoes

2009-02-14T21:41:00.000-08:00

Kanthari (bird's eye chilli/thai pepper/african peri-peri) is one of the ultra-fieriest members of the chilli family.
In India, this pungent and delicious chilli is rarely used in any other region apart from Kerala (open to argument). Even in Kerala, kanthari is not something you'd find on the menu of upmarket restaurants or the vegetable racks of supermarket chains. This is something that I grew up watching my parents and now my in-laws handpick fresh from the garden and then churn out superbly simple yet extremely delicious fare.If the taste wasn't enough, kanthari is also reputed to be high on the health quotient! It's supposed to be the foody way to a more temperate blood pressure ;-)

Kanthari- 5-6 Nos (less is recommended if you are are not used to heat)
Shallots (cheriya ulli/pearl onions/scallions)- 4 Nos
Ginger - 1/2" piece
Tamarind extract - 1/4 teaspoon
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Indian curry leaves - 4-5 leaves
Salt to taste

Peel the onions. Put all ingredients into a chutney mixie/blender and grind to paste. Add water only if required since the onions are quite moist.

This chutney is perfect with the smooth sweetness of steamed sweet potatoes. To steam sweet potatoes,scrub them well, cut into pieces and either place them in a pressure cooker and steam for 4 whistles on medium heat; or, place them in a stove-top or electric steamer and cook for about 15 minutes. Stab a fork in to check if tender. Peel and your meal is ready!

Bird's eye chilli chutney and steamed sweet potatoes make their way to Asvadha's 'Made for each other' event. The event is on till the 28th of Feb at http://www.asvadha.com/2009/01/announcing-made-for-each-other.html

So why are these two 'Made for each other'?
-The spicy, macho kanthari blends beautifully with the wonderful, natural sweetness of the sweet potato.
-Both are nutritional treasure troves, check this out:
Apart from being a great source of beta carotenes, fibre, vitamin C, Vitamin B6, and iron, sweet potatoes contain a unique 'root-protien' that resemble one of our internally produced anti-oxidants and hence have dynamic anti-oxidant effects!
And now, kanthari (peri-peri) again is rich in Vitamin C, B vitamins, iron and calcium. The key ingredient 'capsaicin' helps lower cholestrol and decrease high blood pressure.

Take a closer peek:

This spicy chutney also goes to Mane Adige's Chutney/Dip mania event. The event is on at http://maneadige.blogspot.com/2009/01/inviting-entries-for-mania-event-here.html

Yasmeen has created this beautiful award and passed this onto all her blogger friends. Thank you for thinking of me too, Yasmeen!

Sathya of appetitetreats.blogspot.com has passed on the Good Chat Blog award to me. thank you so much, Sathya.

Carrot chutney with adai dosai

2009-02-10T22:45:00.001-08:00

Made 'adai dosais' for breakfast today. Adai dosai, for those who aren't familiar, is dosa (crepe) made with a variety of lentils and a portion of raw rice. I don't like the traditional combination of 'avial' with adai and so make different veggie chutneys to go with it. Saw this colourful recipe in Mallika Badrinath's Vegetarian Curries recipe book and decided to make a go at it. It came out really good and was excellant when paired with adai.
Feeling extra good about the perfect carb-protien combo with that liberal dash of Vitamin A and beta- carotenes for accompaniment

Grated carrot - 1 1/2 cups
Roasted peanuts - 1/4 cup
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Dry red chillies - 4 Nos
Coriander powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Garlic - 1 clove
Salt to taste

For tempering
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Dry roast the red chillies and garlic. Add a teaspoon of oil and add the grated carrot and coriander powder. Saute till carrots are slightly done. Add in the rest of the ingredients and saute for a minute. Cool and grind to a smooth paste adding a little water. Transfer to serving bowl.

Heat a teaspoon of oil and crackle the mustard seeds and fry the curry leaves. Pour it over the chutney.

I had posted the 'adai dosa' recipe long back, for the recipe click on http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/05/ada-dosa.html

Carrot chutney makes its way to FIC - February event. The colour this month is Orange and is hosted at My Diverse Kitchen. The event details can be had at http://mydiversekitchen.blogspot.com/2009/02/lets-paint-it-orange-this-month.html

The FIC event was launched by TongueTicklers. The original event details can be had at http://tumyumtreats.blogspot.com/2008/07/event-announcement.html

Also, sending this to Mane Adige's Chutney/Dip mania event. The event is on at http://maneadige.blogspot.com/2009/01/inviting-entries-for-mania-event-here.html

Dosa with Matta Rice - extra boost of nutrition

2009-02-04T03:28:00.000-08:00

The other day, I was suddenly struck with a longing for the Kerala 'Chaaya kada' style dosas. Chaaya kadas or tea shops are an integral part of the Kerala countryside. Tiny one room structures with glass almirahs that display a tantalising variety of local snacks like vadas, ethakkappams (made from ripe malabar bananas), sukhiyan, and so on. Morning tiffin items, amongst others, include thick, small dosas that are served with a simple coconut chutney spiced with shallots and red chillies. The tamilian 'set dosas' look a little like these small, soft wonders but the taste of these chaaya kada dosas is something so very different from any other dosa variety.

Decided to try making these at home. But, in keeping with my current mood of adding a little extra nutritional boost to all that I make, decided to substitute one part of the usual raw rice with the Kerala Matta rice. Kerala Matta or rose matta as it is known is a reddish-brown rice variety that is unpolished and hence packs in heaps of B vitamins and fibre. The earthy, flavoursome rice forms the daily lunch staple of keralite households.

Raw rice/ idli rice - 2 1/2 cups
Rose matta rice - 1 cup
Cooked Rose matta rice - 1/2 cup
Skinned Black gram (urad dhal) - 1 cup
Fenugreek seeds (uluva/vendhayam) - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Sesame oil - 2 teaspoons

Rinse and soak the rice varieties and black gram seperately for 2 hours. Grind the black gram in a processor/grinder/mixer adding water little by little. The batter should be smooth, fluffy and thick. Next, grind the rice varieties along with the cooked rice and the soaked fenugreek seeds. The rice batter should be slightly coarser. Mix both batters together in a big bowl that allows space for fermentation and rising. Add salt to taste and 2 teaspoons of sesame oil. Let ferment overnight or atleast for 8-12 hours based on the weather. Colder weather calls for more fermentation time.
Next day, use a ladle to nicely whip up the batter again. Heat a flat dosa gridle, rub on a little oil and pour out a ladleful of batter. Use the back of the ladle to slightly spread out the batter. Let cook for about 2 minutes, flip and cook the other side.
Serve with any chutney of choice. I served mine with coconut chutney and a dry chicken-mushroom masala.

Steamed vada with plain coconut chutney

2009-01-31T04:57:00.001-08:00

I'm going through this period where my internal antenna is always roving around on the look out for healthy, tasty, yet doable recipes. Patience, however, is not a strong point now and hence elaborate stuff that calls for exotic ingredients and lengthy preparation times are out! They say that women who are in the family way become mellow tempered, patient, and pleasant. I seem to have become clumsy, impatient, and cranky!!! I've even started 'channel hopping' because nothing catches or holds my fancy these days except if its a cookery show or a movie high on the 'emotional' count!!! Ok, to cut the gab, the other day saw this steamed food recipes special going on on NDTV good times. They showed a steamed, high nutrition "vada"..can you believe it??? Was sceptical about it turning into a 'kozhukattai' taste alike, but anyhow decided to give it a try. Surprise!! it actually tasted quite nice with a quick plain, coconut chutney. Mind you, have it steaming hot!

Wheat flour - 1 cup
Chickpea flour (besan/kadalai maavu, gram flour)- 1 cup
Spinach (palak) - 1 medium bunch
Coriander leaves (cilantro/kothamalli)- a handful of sprigs
Green chillies - 3 Nos (the slim Indian chilies for heat)
Ginger - 1 " piece
Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Red chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Soda bi carbonate (cooking soda) - 1/2 teaspoon
Olive oil - 2 teaspoons
Salt to taste
Water as required

Sift the flours and soda together. Rinse and chop the greens fine. Grate the ginger and chop the green chillies. Now add everything together into a bowl except for water. Knead well. Since the spinach leaves quite a lot of moisture, be careful not to overdo the water and carefully sprinkle just enough to make a soft, pliable dough.

Make lemon sized dumplings out of the dough, flatten each on slightly using your palms and make a small dent in the middle (see picture) to get the 'vada' shape. Arrange in a a steamer or idli maker and steam cook for about 20 minutes. Prick with a toothpick or fork to check if its done. Serve hot with the coconut chutney recipe below!!

Plain coconut chutney
Fresh grated coconut - 1 cup
Ginger - 1/2" piece
Salt to taste

For tempering
Dry red chillies - 3 Nos
Curry leaves - quite a few!
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Vegetable oil - 1 teaspoon

Grind the coconut and ginger into a fine paste adding very little water. Heat oil in a pan, crackle the mustard seeds, saute the red chillies and curry leaves. Add the ground mixture in, add salt to taste. Warm for a minute and transfer to serving bowl.

This recipe makes its way to the JFI - Chickpea event hosted at Sometime Foodie. The event is on at http://foodtravails.blogspot.com/2009/01/announcing-jfi-chickpea.html

Also sending this over to My Legume Love Affair, Seventh Helping which is being hosted at Cooking 4 all Seasons. The event details can be had at http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2009/01/announcing-my-legume-love-affair.html
The event was introduced by Susan of The Well -Seasoned Cook. Further details available at http://thewellseasonedcook.blogspot.com/2008/09/my-legume-love-affair-host-lineup.html

Mixed veggie fried rice with an overload of mushrooms

2009-01-27T22:46:00.000-08:00

Like I mentioned in my previous posts, my first trimester was a period of lethargy, lack of energy, and absolutely no interest in food. Yet, I would be afflicted by pangs of guilt when I though I wasn't feeding the lil one inside. All the pregnancy guides and books that I mugged up spoke about the importance of eating and eating well...and here I was, throwing up if my neighbour cooked something strong!! This multi-coloured and hence multi-vitamin packed, mildly flavoured rice is something that my hubby made for weekend lunch to entice my appetite and it did!! I'd clicked the dish in hope that I will post it here when I got back to blogging.

Basmati rice - 1 cup
Button mushrooms - 200 gms
Beetroot - 1 small
Red bell pepper - 1
Orange bell pepper - 1
Green chillies - 3 Nos
Garlic - 2 cloves
Pepper powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Soy sauce - 1 teaspoon
Cinnamon stick - 1" piece
Cloves - 2 Nos
Olive oil - 2 teaspoons
Salt to taste
For garnish
Cashewnuts - a few
Raisins - a few

Boil three cups of water and add in the basmati rice along with the cinnamon and cloves. Cook till rice is 3/4th done, drain water and fluff up with a fork to seperate grains.
Finely chop the garlic and green chillies. Cut the veggies and mushrooms into small slices. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and saute the garlic and green chillies. Add the veggies and saute till done. Add in the rice, soy sauce, pepper powder and salt to taste. Toss everything well together. Roast the cashews and raisins seperately and add into rice.

This dish is making its way to Padmajha's lovely, 'Who's gonna cook for me????' event. The event is on at http://seduceyourtastebuds.blogspot.com/2008/12/whos-gona-cook-for-me.html

Tangy mango dip (Maanga vella pachadi )

2009-01-24T23:40:00.000-08:00

Maanga vella pachadi aka tangy mango dip in jaggery was introduced to my palate by mom's aunt, Valli paati. Ease of making,versatality, high nutrition count, and taste make this dip a frequent fixture in my kitchen. Out here in Muscat, even the mangoes that bear labels like, 'produce of india', `alphonso' and so on are no guarantee that the fruit is anywhere as luscious as the ones we get in India. But, vella pachadi comes out fine even when fruit by itself is a let down. But this time I struck gold in my neighbourhood mart. Found a Kenyan mango variety that surprise...surprise...not only looked luscious but also bore a close resemblance in taste to the wonderfully succulent Salem Gundu (a type of mango variety from Salem district in Tamil Nadu).

Mangoes are high in dietary fibre, B vitamins, Vitamin C, and antioxidants. Jaggery is held high by Ayurvedic medicine and is attributed several nutritive and protective properties. High in folic acid and iron, jaggery is great for pregnant women. Just a teaspoon can contribute a lot in fighting anaemia (don't gorge on sugars of any kind!).

Ripe mango - about 200 gms ( 2 cups )
Jaggery (vellam/Indian unrefined brown sugar) - 50 gms
Red chilli powder - 10 gms
Salt to taste
Water - 2 cups
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Oil - 2 teaspoons

Peel and cube the mangoes. Heat the oil in a skillet and crackle the mustard seeds. Add a cup of water and the mango pieces along with the chilli powder. Simmer cook with the lid on till the mangoes and are soft and mushy. Add another cup of water and add the jaggery in. Keep simmering till the jaggery melts in completely and the mixture thickens to dip like consistency. Stir frequently to avoid burning. Add salt to taste. Cool and store in an airtight container. The pachadi stays great for upto a month.
Vella pachadi tastes good as an accompaniment to curd rice, dosas, idlis and rotis.
Maanga vella pachadi makes its way to Ramya's 'Chutney/Dip Mania Event'. The event is on at http://maneadige.blogspot.com/2009/01/inviting-entries-for-mania-event-here.html
This also goes to Sunshinemom's Food in colors - January 2009 . The color of the month is Yellow and what is more yellow than mangoes . The event is on at http://tumyumtreats.blogspot.com/2009/01/announcing-food-in-colors-january-2009.html

Chicken Dum Biriyani

2009-01-20T22:16:00.000-08:00

Dum cooking, to those who aren't already acquainted to the term, implies a very slow cooking process in which the ingredients cook in their own juices and steam. Traditionally dum cooking was done over coal fires, in sealed containers, ideally with a layer of embers on top of the lid too.

I've made this biriyani over the stove top and am feeling mighty proud that I finally found the energy for a slightly elaborate dish! With the chicken making up for protien and the rice for carbohydrates, I hope it made the lil one inside happy too.

Basmati rice - 1 1/2 cups
Chicken - 1/2 kg
Ginger & garlic paste - 1 teaspoon each
Green chillies - 4 nos
Onions - 3 large
Thick curds (yoghurt) - 1 cup
Coriander leaves - a handful
Salt to taste
Lemon juice - 10 ml
Milk - 1/4 cup
Raisins - a few
Cashews - a few
Whole spices
Cardamom (elaichi) - 3 Nos
Cinnamon (patta) - 2" stick
Cloves (Kar - 3 Nos
Mace (jaathipathri) - a thread or two
Nutmeg (jaathikka) - 2 pinches (crushed)
Bay leaves (biriyani ila)- 2
Fennel (perumjeerakam) - 1/4 teaspoon
Star anise - 2 Nos
Saffron - a few strands
Powdered spices
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1/4 teaspoon

For making the Dum sealant
Wheat flour - 1 cup
Water as required

Knead the wheat flour adding enough water into a stiff dough.

Marinate the chicken pieces in a mixture made up of yoghurt, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and all the whole spices except bay leaves and
saffron. Slice the onions thinly and add half the quantity to the chicken marinade. Add enough salt. Let it stay for half an hour.
Wash and soak rice till the time the chicken marinates. In the meanwhile deep fry the rest of the onion slices and place on kitchen napkins to drain excess oil. Fry the cashews and raisins
till golden.
In a thick bottomed deep pan , biriyani pot, or pressure cooker place the chicken along with the marination as first layer.
Drain the rice and place it on top as second layer. Tear the bay leaves and bury them into the rice. Warm the milk and dissolve the saffron strands into it. Pour this gently over the rice.
Sprinkle the garam masala on top along with finely chopped green chillies and coriander leaves. Place the fried onions, cashews, raisins and a sprinkling of salt as final layer along with a
drizzle of the lemon juice.
Now, take the wheat dough and using your hands roll it into a thick rope. Stick this atop the vessal in which you've layered the biriyani ingredients ensuring that it goes all the way
around the top. Now take a plate that fits the circumference of the vessal and place it on the dough that has been coiled over the top of the vessal. Gently press to ensure that the lid is
glued firmly to vessal aided by the dough. The dough should act as a sealant and ensure no steam escapes from any crevice in between the vessal and its lid.
Place the vessal over a very low flame and allow it to cook for about an hour and quarter.

Gently prise open the lid with a knife. Your hot Dum biriyani is ready.The signature charecteristic of Dum cooked food is the wonderful aroma that emanates when the seal is opened! Use a fork to gently mix the layers together and transfer into serving bowl.

Serve hot with raita and pappad.

This biriyani makes its way to Sudeshna's "Harvest: The Festival of Rice". The event is on till Jan 31st at http://bengalicuisine.wordpress.com/2009/01/04/announcing-event-harvest-the-festival-of-rice/

Rava and oats idli with puthina (mint) chutney

2009-01-18T21:40:00.000-08:00

The daily quest for healthier food options continues...Unlike some of my friends and acquaintances, pregnancy has not given me a raving appetite! One says, 'eat sweets, it's good for the baby's brain growth'; another one says, 'remember to eat something every one hour'; yet another recounts, 'I used to ensure I had one apple, one pomegranate, 250 gms spinach, and 1 rasgulla apart from the regular meals and milk, you too eat'....whew! the volley of well meaning advisors (eating champions??) make me feel I am starving my poor baby! The result is that my gynae bears the brunt! I keep pestering her with doubts :-)

However, I try my best to include wholesome ingredients into what I do eat. This time, the humble rava idli undergoes a tiny face lift in the form of oats and roasted peanuts.

Rava (Semolina/sooji/cream of wheat) - 1 1/4 cups
Quick cooking oats - 3/4 cup
Low-fat Curds (yoghurt) - 2 cups
Roasted and skinned peanuts - a handful
Soda bi carb - a pinch
Salt to taste

For tempering

Ginger - 1" piece (peeled and grated)
Green chillies - 3 Nos (finely chopped)
Bengal gram (channa dhal/kadalai paruppu)- 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds (Kaduku/Rai)- 1/2 teaspoon
Indian curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Warm a thick bottomed pan and add in the rava and oats. Dry roast on small flame stirring frequently to ensure even roasting. Brown speckles and an aroma from the rava denote the grains are roasted enough. Spread out on a plate and cool. Transfer to a bowl. Whip the curds with a fork and add to the roasted grains along with the cooking soda to for a thick batter. Let stay for half and hour.

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and add the bengal gram. When it starts to turn a light brown , add the mustard and let crackle. Add in the finely grated ginger and chillies. Add the curry leaves. Saute for a minute. Add into the batter along with the roasted peanuts and salt. If the batter has turned too thick because of the rava having swollen up add in a little water. But remember that this batter should be considerably thicker than the ordinary rice idly batter. Pour into into idli moulds and steam for 15-20 minutes. Serve with puthina chutney.

Puthina - coconut chutney (Tamil Nadu style)
This version of mint chutney is made Tamilian style and goes well with south indian breakfast items like idlis and dosas.

Puthina (mint) - 1 big bunch
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Tamarind extract - 1/2 teaspoon
Green chillies - 5 nos
Ginger - 1 short piece (about 5 gms)
Salt to taste

For tempering
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cury leaves - a few

Destalk and clean the mint leaves. Place all ingredients , except salt in a skillet and simmer for 2 minutes with the lid on. Cool and grind to smooth paste in a mixer bowl. Add salt to taste. Check for tanginess, if less add a teaspoon of lemon juice.

Heat a teaspoon of oil and crackle mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add in.

Excellant with hot dosas and idlis.

Paneer Tikka Kaatti Rolls

2009-01-13T03:25:00.000-08:00

Never imagined I would ever go through a period when the very thought (don't even mention the smell!!) of food would revolt me !!Well, I did... all for a good cause...the stork is on its way to our home. This is also why I haven't been updating this blog for such a loong time. Now you know...

Now that I'm back to 'eating' (dreaming about food takes top priority, however!)I've got back to 'cooking' too. Energy levels are not always at peak so I try to make up one dish options that can provide adequate, wholesome nutrition. The following has been adapted from Tarla Dalal's "Cooking with one teaspoon oil" with very minor tweaks.

Ingredients for Paneer Tikka filling
Paneer (indian cottage cheese) - 1 cup (cut into cubes)
Potato - 1 large (boiled and cubed)
Tomato - 1 large (diced)
Capsicum - 1 (deseeded and diced)

For the marinade
Hung curd - 1 cup (pour thick yoghurt through a muslin cloth, let the liquid part drain away)
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Ginger & garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
Bengal gram flour (besan/chick pea flour/kadalai maavu)- 2 teaspoons
Chaat masala - 1/2 teaspoon
Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves) - 1 teaspoon
Garam masala - 1/4 teaspoon
Lemon juice - 2 teaspoons
Olive oil - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Mix together the ingredients for the marinade into a smooth batter. Add in the ingredients for the filling and let marinate for atleast an hour. Heat a couple of teaspoons of oil in a pan and add the marinated pieces in. Saute on medium flame for a few minutes. Let cool.

For the roll
Whole wheat flour - 200 gms
Warm milk - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Water for kneading

Knead everything into a chappathi (roti/tortilla) kind of dough. Cover and let stay for an hour. Shape into large lemon sized balls and roll (leaven) out into chappathis. Place each chappathi on a hot gridle (flat tava) and cook till light brown spots appear, turn and cook other side. Place a portion of the filling on one side of the chappathi and roll up tightly. If required secure with a tooth pick. Place in a greased baking tray and warm in an oven at 150 degrees for 5 minutes. Alternatively brown the rolls on a hot girdle with a light sprinkling of oil.

Serve hot with green chutney and salad.

Happy New Year and a BIG Helloooooo

2008-12-30T22:41:00.000-08:00

Here's wishing all my blogger buddies and readers a very happy New Year 2009...

Whew! it feels good to be back from an 'imposed' hibernation ;-) And you know it feels so good that so many of my blogger buddies hopped in to enquire if all was well with me. Thank you so much for the thought, my friends...a huge Hug coming your way :-) And, so many people have left quite a few thoughtful awards too. It surely does feel wonderful to be rememebered :-)

Will be back to posting recipes by this weekend... In the meanwhile, once again here's wishing you all a very merry 2009. May the deity of 'gastronomical delights' abide by you :-)

Sambharam (flavoured and spiced up buttermilk)

2008-10-01T01:35:00.000-07:00

Four and a half months into food blogging and 100th post, so guess I should be celebrating. But, feeling disinclined to cook, eat, or blog the past few days. Missed out on a whole lot of events I'd bookmarked because of this. So, this time I decided to post a simple 'sambharam' (flavoured and spiced up buttermilk) recipe. Sambharam is very popular in Kerala and before the onslaught of the fizzy drinks, it was this nourishing drink that was the most sought after and the most consumed thirst quencher. Unlike its upstart artificially flavoured, areated counterparts, the sambharam offers only health benefts and zero side effects.

Low fat plain yoghurt - 50 ml

Water - 200 ml

Green chilli - 1

Coriander leaves (cilantro) - 2 sprigs

Curry leaves - 3-4 leaves

Ginger - 1/4 teaspoon (grated)

Small onions (shallots/scallions) - 2 Nos

Asafoetida (hing/perunkayam) - a pinch

Salt to taste

Freshly squeezed lime - 1/2 teaspoon

Optionals

Roasted and powdered cumin (jeera) - a pinch

Roasted and powdered Fenugreek seeds - a pinch

Fresh lemon tree leaves - a couple

Traditionally, buttermilk was made by whisking yoghurt long enough for the cream to seperate and come up. This was then skimmed out. So buttermilk in reality was yoghurt with the butter content removed. But a simpler method is to whisk the curd lightly to make smooth and add water to thin it.

Crush all ingredients apart from the yoghurt and water in mixer bowl/blender. Whisk the yoghurt and add in the water and the crushed spices. Add salt to taste and the freshly squeezed lime.

Excellant in beating heat, dehydration, and aiding digestion.

My friend Vidhya of My Receipes (iyercooks) has passed me this award. Thanks a bunch Vidhya.

Will pass this on soon.

Fresh fig salad in flavoured yoghurt dressing

2008-09-24T01:39:00.000-07:00

I saw this recipe being demonstrated in a Nigella Lawson cookery program. Just loved the ingredients that went into making it as well as the final appearance of the dish. Tried it the very next time I saw fresh figs in the market. I've made minor variations to the original recipe to make it more appealing to my palate...

Fresh figs - 1 1/2 fruit per person

For the dressing

Yoghurt - 250 ml

Red wine - 10 ml

Fresh ginger - 1/4 teaspoon (grated)

Honey - 20 ml

Cinnamon - 1/4 teaspoon (powdered)

Orange zest - 1 teaspoon (grated off fresh orange peel)

Lemon juce - 1 teaspoon

Whisk the yoghurt with a fork. Grate in the orange zest and ginger. Add the wine and rest of the ingredients. Blend well with the fork. Chill for half an hour.
Quarter the fresh figs lengthwise and arrange in a serving bowl. Pour in a liberal helping of the dressing.
Garnish with silvered pistachios (optional). I skipped the garnish because I realized last minute that I din't have any at home.

PS: If you don't find figs, use any other soft fruit.

Sending this over to Easycrafts' WYF - Soups, starters, and salads event. The event is on till 30th september at http://simpleindianfood.blogspot.com/2008/08/wyf-saladstartersoups-event.html

Pineapple salad with Rice crackers

2008-09-20T22:34:00.000-07:00

Bought a pineapple to make 'Pachadi' for Onam. But, the fruit insisted on staying unripe on 'D-day'. So, had to skip pachadi. Another 3-4 days, and it turned just the right shade of yellow. My hubby is a little finicky when it comes to eating fruits that have a slightly sour edge. When I tasted this pineapple with its marked 'tanginess', i was sure he was going to avoid it. So, ended up making a salad out of it and he liked it too (don't ask me why he din't notice the tang in the salad. Like most hubbies, he has his own eccentric notions on food )

Pineapple - 1
Small onions (shallots/scallions) - 6 Nos
Green chillies - 3 Nos
Lemon juice - juice of one medium sized juicy lemon
Coriander leaves (cilantro) - a handful
Salt to taste
Demerara (unrefined sugar) - 1/2 teaspoon
Apple cider vinegar - 1 teaspoon (optional)

Peel and chop pineapple into tiny cubes. Cut onions into roundels. Mince green chilles. Rinse coriander leaves and chop fine.
Whisk together the lemon juice, chopped green chillies, salt and demerara with a tiny splash of apple cider (optional).
Toss everything together with the dressing, cover with cling , and chill for atleast half an hour before use.
I've served the salad with Chinese Seaweed flavoured rice crackers. Take each cracker, place a teaspoonful of salad and pop in. Yummm!!!You can choose your own accompaniment to the salad or just dive in straight into the salad.

Spinach (palak) parathas with Green gram masala

2008-09-19T07:42:00.000-07:00

Parathas in combination with green gram masala and chopped onions was a dinner favourite at home when I was a kid. This time, I'm just giving my mom's old recipe an extra dose of nutrition with spinach. I generally shred the spinach (palak) that I put into the dough for this recipe but this time decided to liquidise it along with the green chillies and ginger.

For the Palak (spinach)paratha
Whole wheat flour - 2 cups
Spinach (palak) - 1 medium sized bunch
Green chillies - 3 Nos
Ginger - 1" piece
Fennel (saunf/perumjeerakam)- 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Rinse the spinach leaves well. Together with the green chillies, ginger, and fennel grind the spinach leaves to a smooth paste. Add to the wheat flour, along with salt to taste and knead to a firm yet pliable dough. Add a drizzle of oil. Let stay covered for atleast half an hour.

Make golf ball sized shapes out of the dough. Dust with loose flour and roll (leaven) out into chappathis (tortillas). Heat a flat pan and rub on a little oil to temper it. Place the leavened paratha on it and cook till done. Turn over and repeat procedure on the other side.

For green gram (moong) masala (cherupayar kari)
Whole green gram - 150 gms
Coconut - 1/2 cup
Small onions (shallots/scallions) - 4 Nos
Cumin (jeera) - 1 teaspoon
Green chillies - 5 Nos
Garlic - 4 cloves
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Chilli powder (cayenne pepper) - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

For tempering
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 4 sprigs

Soak the green gram overnight. Drain and cook till very soft. Grind together the coconut, onions, garlic, green chillies, cumin, chilli powder, and turmeric powder into a paste. Heat a teaspoon of oil and crackle mustard seeds. Add the curry leaves and the cooked gram. Add in the masala and salt to taste. Sprinkle some water if the mixture is too dry. Saute everything together for a minute or two. Take off flame and squirt in some freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Sending this over to Tongue Ticklers' FIC - Green event. The event is on till the 30th of September at http://tumyumtreats.blogspot.com/2008/09/round-up-of-food-in-colours-red.html

Ona Sadya Part 7 - Ada Pradhaman

2008-09-19T01:01:00.000-07:00

The Ona sadya (traditional feast) series continues...
Today, it is Ada Pradhaman. Ada pradhaman is known as the king of payasams (kheer) at Kerala, a prestigious addition to festivities such as Onam and marriage ceremonies. It is generally dark brown in colour due to the use of jaggery or unrefined Indian sugar). Jaggery is good for health being a great source of iron and fibre. My picture looks a lighter brown because my neighbourhood store had only light brown jaggery in stock.

Rice ada - 150 gms
Jaggery - 100 gms
Thin Coconut milk - 1 1/2 cups (approx 250 ml)
Thick coconut milk - 1 1/2 cups
Cardamom (elaichi) - 4 Nos
Dry ginger (chukku) 2 gms
Dry roasted Cumin (jeera) - 2 gms
Coconut slices - a few
Cashews - 25 gms

Readymade Rice ada is generally available in stores selling South Indian provisions.If you don't find them in your neighbourhood store, then you can try the home made version. Scroll down to see how the home made version is made.
Boil a litre of water and add in the readymade rice adas. Keep stirring frequently to avoid the squares from sticking to each other (It is a little like cooking noodles/macroni). Once soft, drain and dunk in cold water. Drain again.
In a seperate vessel boil about 250 ml water and dissolve jaggery. Filter to remove scum.
Take a thick bottomed skillet and pour in the thinned down coconut milk and filtered jaggery. Add the cooked ada ensuring that each square is seperate. Simmer, ocassionally stirring, till the mixture thickens a bit (about 15-20 minutes on low flame). Powder the dry ginger,cumin, and cardamom and add in. Add the thick coconut milk.
In a seperate skillet warm a couple of teaspoons of clarified butter (ghee). Cut the coconut pieces into tiny bits. Fry these and the cashews till golden. Add to the simmering payasam mixture. Ready to indulge!

Rice ada

To make rice ada at home
Soak a cup of raw rice in water for about 4 hours. Grind to a smooth paste. Add enough water to make a batter of runny consistency. Pour these out onto either clean banana leaves or butter paper cut into large squares. Place these one by one in a steamer and cook for about 6 minutes. Take out and you will find that the rice batter has solidified into translucent sheets. Slide off into chilled water for a couple of minutes. Take out and cut into squares.

To extract coconut milk
The readymade coconut milk will very well suit our purpose but in case you prefer to make it at home, here is how:
Grated or shaved coconut - 1 large coconut
Warm water - 2 1/2 cups
Put the coconut and a few teaspoons of water in a processor/mixie and grind for a couple of minutes. Place a sieve or very thin muslin over a vessel. Take out the coconut mixure by the handful, hold over sieve and use your hands to squeeze out the milk. Repeat till the mixture is over. This first batch is your thick coconut milk (onnaam paal).
Put back the coconut into the mixie and add a cup of water. Repeat procedure over another vessel for thinned down extract. Do this entire procedure once more to fully extract all milk.
For a lesser fat version of ada pradhaman, substitue half the quantity of coconut milk with low fat ordinary milk. Use canola oil for frying the cashews instead of ghee.

With this the Ona sadya series comes to an end. Feel free to ask me if you are looking for any other traditional sadya recipe, and I will be happy to pen it down for you.

This is my final entry to Asankhana's Festive food event - Onam celebrations. The event is on at http://asankhana.blogspot.com/2008/09/after-successful-celebration-of-krishna.html

For the rest of the Ona sadya series, see...

For Ona -sadya-part 1 - Aviyal and the Onam legend, check out http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-1-aviyal.html
For Ona-sadya-part 2- Inji curry, check out http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-2-inji-curry.html
For Ona-sadya-part 3- Kootu kari, check out http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-3-kootu-kari.html
For Ona-sadya-part 4- Olan, check out
http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-4-olan.html
For Ona-sadya-part 5- Kalan, check out
http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-5-kalan.html

For Ona-sadya-part 6 - Vendakka kichadi, check out
http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-6-vendakka-kichadi.html

Ona Sadya Part 6 - Vendakka Kichadi

2008-09-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Ona sadya (traditional feast) series continues...

Today it is Kichadi made with Vendakka (Lady's finger/Okra). This is a very simple dish that resembles raita. The difference is in the addition of coconut masala, ubiquitous in Kerala cooking.

Vendakka (lady's finger/okra) - 150 gms
Green chillies - 4 Nos
Slightly sour curds (yoghurt) - 150 ml
Salt to taste
For masala
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Cumin (jeera) - 1/4 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Small onions (Shallots/scallions) - 2 Nos
For tempering
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 3 sprigs

The traditional recipe calls for the okra being cut into thin roundels and deep fried. My version is made out of sauted okra roundels. You can choose either method with no compromise on the taste. Only difference is that the deep fried version is crunchier initially, then when the yoghurt blends in fully both versions become equals!

Grind the masala ingredients fine. Chop the green chillies. Heat a teaspoon of oil and crackle mustard. Add in the curry leaves and green chillies. Saute. Add in the masala, fried or sauted okra, and salt. Add in the sour yoghurt. Simmer for just a minute. Take off flame.

This is my sixth entry to Asankhana's Festive food event - Onam celebrations. The event is on at http://asankhana.blogspot.com/2008/09/after-successful-celebration-of-krishna.html

If you liked this, you may also like the following:

For Ona -sadya-part 1 - Aviyal and the Onam legend, check out http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-1-aviyal.html

For Ona-sadya-part 2- Inji curry, check out http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-2-inji-curry.html

For Ona-sadya-part 3- Kootu kari, check out http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-3-kootu-kari.html

For Ona-sadya-part 4- Olan, check out

http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-4-olan.html

For Ona-sadya-part 5- Kalan, check out

http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-5-kalan.html

The ona sadya series ends tommorrow with Ada Pradhaman (Rice squares cooked in jaggery and coconut milk). I have purposely avoided the usual fare that includes paruppu (dhal), sambhar, and thoran (stir fried vegetables) from this series. The reason being these dishes feature in almost everyday South Indian cooking and are not unique to feasts though definitely an integral part. I will share my version of these in due course.

Ona Sadya Part 5 - Kalan

2008-09-16T23:37:00.000-07:00

The Ona sadya (traditional feast) series continues...
My paternal grandmother, ammoomma, used to make the best Kalan in the world (to me). She insisted on going traditional all the way, right from using the now archaic virakaduppu (fuelled by wood) and kalchatti (stoneware). Somehow, the kalchatti taste just cannot be fully replicated in a non-stick kadai sitting pert on a cooking range!
Kalan is very similar to pullisseri (morekuzhambu). In our family, the difference between the two is that the former is thicker,creamier than the latter. Some zones of Kerala would say the difference is in the raw bananas that are used in Kalan. But, in our family, raw bananas are never used in either dishes.
The recipe I am going to share uses very ripe, large Kerala bananas or Nenthranpazham (ethappazham). In case you don't get it, you can use ripe mangoes or just avoid the pieces all together. The curry tastes just as yummy without the pieces.

Thick curds (yoghurt) - 250 ml
Nenthran pazham (ripe Kerala banana) - 1 large
Green chillies - 2 Nos
Red chilli powder (cayenne pepper) - 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

For masala
Grated coconut - 3/4 th cup (150 gms approx)
Small onions (shallots/scallions) - 3 Nos
Cumin (jeera) - 1/2 teaspoon
Green chillies - 3 Nos
Pepper corns - 3 Nos
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

For tempering
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds (uluva/vendayam/methi) - 1/4 teaspoon
Dry red chillies - 3 Nos
Curry leaves - 3-4 sprigs

Whisk the curds well with a fork. If you are using store bought curds,whisk, and let it stay at room temperature with the addition of 2 slit green chillies. This ensure that a slightly sour flavour permeates the curds.
Finely grind all the ingredients for the masala ensuring that the green chillies are added when the paste is almost done. Grinding green chillies too much can sometimes imbue the dish with a bitter taste and this doesn't go well in kalan.
Heat a teaspoon of oil in a thick bottomed vessel and crackle the mustard. Follow up with the fenugreek seeds ensuring that these don't burn (if it burns, it turns very bitter). Add the dry red chillies and curry leaves. Cube the nenthranpazham and add in along with the chilli powder and turmeric powder. Add a little water and cook till pieces are soft. Add in the ground masala and saute for a couple of minutes. Carefully add in the beaten curds and keep stirring on very low fire till tiny bubbles break the surface. Don't stop stirring or the curds break. Add salt to taste. Take off from flame and let stay for half an hour atleast before use.
Kalan tastes even more fantabulous the next day.
PS: If you dont find nenthranpazham or ripe mangoes, and want to try the version with no pieces in, just crackle the tempering, saute the masala and go ahead straight to adding the curds.

This is my fifth entry to Asankhana's Festive food event - Onam celebrations. The event is on at AsanKhana

My dear friend, Sripriya of srikarskitchen, has given me the Perfect blend Of Friendship Award. I've been getting so many friendship awards that it makes me feel that food blogging is indeed a very nice way to find warm hearted kindred souls whom otherwise I would've never met.

Thank you, Sri for this blend of Trust, Kindness, Honesty, and Caring. This time I'd like to pass this on to Divya Vikram of divya-dilse; Vidhya of My Recipies (iyercooks)who gave this to me the first time; Priti of indiankhanna; and, Suma Rajesh of sumascuisine .

Ona Sadya Part 4 - Olan

2008-09-16T01:54:00.000-07:00

The Ona sadya (traditional feast) series continues...

Today, it is Olan. Different zones in kerala make olan in a zillion different ways. It sometimes even varies from family to family. I've heard the older generation say that olan is made out of the left over veggies after cooking all the other main dishes. I love the way my mom-in-law makes this simple dish and it is her recipe that I am going to share.

Kumbalanga (Ash gourd) - 150 gms
Urulakizhangu (Potato) - 1 medium sized
Van payar (red bean/azuki bean/red chori) - 50 gms
Green chillies - 5 Nos
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Curry leaves - 5 sprigs
Coconut oil - 1 teaspoon

Slice kumbalanga and potato into thin 1" squares. Soak van payar for a couple of hours. In a thick bottomed vessel add the vanpayar, slit green chillies, and a cup water. Cover cook till almost done. Add the potatoes and kumbalanga pieces. Add half of the coconut milk and more water if required. Add a portion of the curry leaves. Cook till potatoes are soft. Add in rest of the coconut milk, salt to taste, curry leaves and stir for a couple of minutes. Take off flame and add a dash of coconut oil.
For Ona -sadya-part 1 - Aviyal and the Onam legend, check out http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-1-aviyal.html
For Ona-sadya-part 2- Inji curry, check out http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-2-inji-curry.html
For Ona-sadya-part 3- Kootu kari, check out http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-3-kootu-kari.html

This is my fourth entry to Asankhana's Festive food event - Onam celebrations. The event is on at http://asankhana.blogspot.com/2008/09/after-successful-celebration-of-krishna.html

Ona Sadya Part 3 - Kootu kari

2008-09-15T01:35:00.000-07:00

The Ona sadya (traditional feast) series continues...
Today it is Kootu kari, a delightful mixture of raw bananas, yam, and brown chick peas. Easy to make, it is a great accompaniment to steamed rice.

Raw banana (preferably the Kerala Nenthran variety) - 2 Nos
Yam (chena) - 150 gms
Brown chickpeas (karutha kadala) - 150 gms
Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
For masala
Grated coconut - 1 cup
Pepper corns - 6-8 Nos
Cumin (jeera) - 1/2 teaspoon
For tempering
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Dry red chillies - 2-3 Nos
Curry leaves - 4 sprigs

Soak chickpeas overnight and pressure cook. Peel and cube raw bananas and yam. Place the cubed vegetables in a thick bottomed skillet and add enough water to submerge it. Add the chilli powder and cook covered. When soft , add the chickpeas. Grind the ingredients for masala and add to vegetables. Heat a little oil and crackle the mustard and fry the curry leaves and dry chillies. Add to the vegetable mixture. Add salt to taste.

For Ona -sadya-part 1 - Aviyal and the Onam legend, check out http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-1-aviyal.html

For Ona-sadya-part 2- Inji curry, check out http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-2-inji-curry.html

This is my third entry to Asankhana's Festive food event - Onam celebrations. The event is on at http://asankhana.blogspot.com/2008/09/after-successful-celebration-of-krishna.html

Ona Sadya Part 2 -Inji curry

2008-09-14T00:11:00.000-07:00

The Ona sadya (traditional feast) series continues...Today it is Inji curry or inji puli as it is known in some places. This is an integral part of Ona Sadya. This sweet, hot, and tangy ginger based dish is taste treat with better digestion as an additional bonus.

Inji (Ginger) - 200 gms

Green chillies - 50 gms

Tamarind - a large lemon sized quantity

Jaggery - 5 gms

For tempering

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Curry leaves - a few sprigs

Scrape off the skin from the ginger and cut into thin roundels. Deep fry till brown. Set aside to drain. Grind to coarse paste.
Soak the tamarind in a cup of warm water and squeeze out extract. Chop green chillies into fine roundels. Heat a couple of teaspoons of oil in a skillet and fry the green chillies well. Remove. Use the same oil to crackle mustard and curry leaves. Pour in the tamarind extract and allow to come to a boil. Add in the ground ginger and chillies. Grate and add the jaggery. Add salt to taste. Let simmer for a couple of minutes. Cool and store in stainless steel or glass jars.
Inji curry stays fresh for over a week and even more if refridgerated. Not just great for Sadya but also a wonderful accompaniment to Idlis and Dosas
For Ona -sadya-part 1 - Aviyal and the Onam legend, check out
http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/09/ona-sadya-part-1-aviyal.html
This is my second entry to Asankhana's Festive food event - Onam celebrations. The event is on at http://asankhana.blogspot.com/2008/09/after-successful-celebration-of-krishna.html

Ona Sadya Part 1 - Aviyal

2008-09-13T01:31:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I promised to share my Onam special recipes with you, so here goes...
Onam, one of the most important festivals of Kerala - the other one being Vishu, commemorates a Golden age when the land was ruled by the benevolent asura king, Mahabali. King Mahabali, the legend says, secured a blessing from Lord Vishnu that he could come back from nether world to visit his land and people once every year. It is Mahabali's visit that is celebrated as Onam. Onam begis in the month of 'chingam' (august/september) and therefore it is also a time for harvest celebrations.
Kerala of the yesteryears was the land of farmers (which brings to mind the apathetic attitude of the present day rulers towards land filling the fields of yester years and playing havoc with the famous once -luxuriant ecosystem of the state) and people celebrated the end of the ravaging rainy month of karkidakam and the begining of pleasant chingam.
'Onasadya' or the traditional luncheon feast is an integral part of Onam. And, to most of us expats, who cannot indulge in the traditional village games, cannot let our hair loose on the rustic swings hitched on to trees in courtyards, or decorate our porches with Pookalam (rangoli with fresh flowers), Onasadya is the only indulgence still possible :-) Ona sadya is traditionally served on Vazha ilas (banana leaves) which adds an extra zing to the tasty treats.
My hubby and I made Inji curry, Olan, Kootu kari, Thoran, Kichadi,Aviyal, Paruppu, Sambhar, Kalan,and Ada Pradhaman. The off the shelf additions where pappadams,pickle, banana chips, and sharkkaravaratti (jaggery coated chips).

Our sadya on the leaf

I will be sharing the recipes of each of these yummy recipes, one by one. For starters, it is Aviyal that lovely medley of all kinds of vegetables in an aromatic masala of coconut, cumin, and shallots.

Aviyal

Beans - 50 gms
String beans - 50 gms
Snake gourd (padavalam) - 100gms
Carrot - 1 large
Potato - 1 large
Yam (chena) - 100 gms
Ash gourd (kumbalanga) - 100 gms
Malabar cucumber (vellarikka) - 100 gms (skip it if you don't find it)Green tomatoes - 2 Nos
Green mangoes - 1 (use the sour ones)
Green chillies - 3 Nos

For the masala
Grated coconut - 150 gms
Small onions (shallots/scallions) - 3 Nos
Cumin (jeera) - 1 teaspoon
Green chillies - 4 Nos (less for less heat)
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

Extras
Red chilli powder (cayenne pepper) - 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coconut oil - A teaspoon
Curry leaves - a liberal handfull
Salt to taste

Peel and cut vegetables into even sized pieces (traditionally appoximately 2" juliennes). Place all veggies, except raw mangoes, in a thick bottomed vessel, add water just about enough to cook vegetables in, add the chilli powder and turmeric powder and cook covered. When 3/4 th done , add in the mangoes and cook. If you don't find raw mangoes, use a teaspoon of tamarind extract.
Grind the ingredients for masala into a coarse paste. Add to cooking vegetables. Saute well for the masala to cook and blend with vegetables.Add salt. Before taking off the flame add the dash of coconut oil and the curry leaves. Cover and set aside for a few minutes before use.

PS: Some regions in Kerala use yoghurt instead of green mangoes to add the soury tang to Aviyal. People who prefer less heat in their food can try that. My family prefers the green mangoes and if unavailable a strong dash of tamarind.

Sending this along to Asankhana's Festive food event - Onam celebrations. The event is on till september 22nd at http://asankhana.blogspot.com/2008/09/after-successful-celebration-of-krishna.html

The Wylde Women award has come back to me this time passed on by my blogger buddy, EC of simpleindianfood . Thank you, EC.
The purpose of this award is to send love and acknowledgement to women who brighten your day, teach you new things and live their lives fully with generosity and joy.
The rules of this award are:
1.You can give it to one or one hundred or any number in between - it's up to you.
2.Make sure you link to their site in your post
3. Link back to this blog site http://tammyvitale.typepad.com/ so that Tammy, the originator of this award, can go visit all these wonderful women.

I in turn pass this onto...
Jaishree of jaisrecepieblog
Priti of indiankhanna
Vaishali of earthvegan
VP of vegetableplatter
and
my new visitor, Vandana of cookingupsomethingnice

2008-09-11T04:04:00.000-07:00

"Wishing all my readers and blogger friends a very happy Onam. Watch this page for Onam recipes I am going to make for tommorrow's sadya (traditional feast)".

Hummus (Chick pea dip with sesame paste)

2008-09-07T02:07:00.000-07:00

White chickpeas (kabuli channa/vella kadala) - 1 cup

Tahina (sesame paste) - 1/2 cup

Lemon juice - of 2 medium sized juicy ones

Garlic - 2 cloves

Olive oil - 10 ml

Salt to taste

Soak chickpeas overnight, drain and pressure cook.Mash the chickpeas (use a ladle, or a electric processor) Crush the garlic cloves. In a deep bowl place the chickpea mash, add the rest of the ingredients and mix till smooth.
Serve up with a drizzle of olive oil, a dash of paprika and a few whole chickpeas.
Tastes lovely with Khubuz (arabic bread), chappathis, tortillas, nachos, grilled chicken, or just plain old carrot sticks :-)
If you don't get readymade tahina in your neighbourhood,make your own at home:

White sesame seeds - 1/2 cup
Extra Virgin Olive Oil - 1/4 cup
Salt - to taste

Dry roast the sesame seeds till it turns an even light brown and wafts an aroma. Powder in a small mixer bowl. Once fine, add in the olive oil and whisk the mixer again. In case the mix is dry add a little more olive oil. The final consistency should be like that of a smooth peanut butter.

If you liked this recipe, you might also like Falafel. http://thefootloosechef.blogspot.com/2008/07/falafel-with-garlic-labenah-dip-and.html.

This is my entry to the DIPS event on at Archana's kitchen. The event is on till 30th September at http://www.archanaskitchen.com/2008/events/dips-a-collection/

As promised in my earlier post, am passing on the Good Job award, that EC gave me, to to four more fellow foodies, apart from the earlier two, whom I genuinely feel are doing a great job. So, here's to Yasmeen of yasmeen-healthnut, Srimathi of fewminutewonders, Purva of purvasdaawat, and Sangeeth of letusallcook

Vinayaka Chathurthi Kozhukkattai, money purse modkam, and easy sukhiyan

2008-09-02T23:35:00.000-07:00

Vinayaka Chathurthi celebrates the benevolent elephant faced god, Vinayaka (Ganesha). I've always enjoyed collecting Vinayaka idols and figurines. While staying at Chennai, vinayaka chathurthi used to give me the perfect opportunity to collect beautiful and unique Ganesh figurines. Though it's customary to immerse the idol into a water source after the festival, I've never been able to do so. I love the happy god with his very humane ways. Symbolically, it is said, Ganesha represents the concept of perfection in imperfection. With his elephant head and overfilled tummy tied around with a snake to prevent it from bursting, he seems full of physical imperfections. Yet it is Ganesha who is believed, by all Hindus, to be the harbinger of all things good. Any religious or social, if it is to be successful, is begun by an invocation of Ganesha.
Here is my foodie offering to the lovable Ganesha...

Kozhukattai/ Modak/Stuffed Rice dumpling

This steam cooked dish is considered a favourite of Ganesha. The white, round dish in the middle of the picture is Kozhukattai.
For the dough
Raw rice flour - 200 gms
Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 teaspoon
Hot water - sufficient for kneading
Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
Place the rice flour, cumin and salt in a vessal and add in the water bit by bit. Use a sturdy ladle to mix in the water. Finally when the dough is a little cool , use your hands to knead mixture into a soft but firm dough. This is a slightly flaccid version of the chappathi dough.

For the filling (pooranam)
Freshly grated coconut - 2 cups
Jaggery (indian cane sugar) - 100 gms
Cardamom - 5 Nos
Water - 1 cup
Boil water and dissolve jaggery in it. Filter out scum. Pour back into a thick bottomed vessel and simmer cook. When it reaches syrupy consistency, add in the coconut and crushed cardamom seeds. Keep stirring till coconut absorbs all water. Cool.

Procedure
Take a golf ball sized portion of the dough, shape it into a round, and placing it on your palm flatten it in the middle to cause a depression. Now place a teaspoon of the filling in the middle and reshape into a ball. Repeat procedure with the rest of the dough. In an Idli steamer or any other steamer, place the balls and steam cook for about 10 minutes. If you do not have a steamer, you could line a large, steel colander with muslin/cotton cloth and place over a vessel of boiling water. Cook covered.
Money purse modak

The tiny, cream coloured items on the right side of the picture are money purse modaks. These resemble the shape of string pouches (purses) used by our grandmothers and hence the name.

The dough and filling is the same as kozhukattai. Here you take small goosberry sized balls of the dough and place a teeny amount of the filling in it. Dampen your fingers and shape the ball to resemble a string purse. Deep fry and leave on a kitchen tissue to drain excess oil.

Easy Sukhiyan

Sukhiyan is a Kerala deep fried sweet dish made out of green gram (moong) , jaggery, and maida (all purpose flour). Decided to adapt this to suit my Vinayaka chathurthi fare. The brown item on the left of the picture is sukhiyan.

Whole green gram (moong) - 100 gms
Jaggery (Indian cane sugar) - 50 gms
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Cardamom - 3 Nos
Rice flour - 1 cup

Pressure cook moong for about 3 whistles on low flame. Crudely crush with a fork. Dissolve jaggery in half a cup of water and filter scum. Powder cardamom. Mix with the moong. Stir fry in a skillet for a few minutes. Cool and knead in the rice flour. The consistency should be soft and you should be able to drop tiny knobs of the mixture into hot oil using your fingers.

Heat oil and gently and carefully drop dollops of the mixture into it. Fry till all sides are browned well.
This is my entry to Purva's festive food series - Krishna and Ganesh Chathurthi. The event is on at http://purvasdaawat.blogspot.com/2008/08/announcing-krishna-and-ganesh-chaturthi.html

This is also making its way to Paajaka Recipe's Sweet series - Deep fried or steam cooked sweets event. The event is on at http://www.paajaka.com/2008/09/announcing-sweet-series-deep-fried-or.html

My blogger buddy EC of simpleindianfood has passed me the Good Job award. Thanks a bunch EC.

I, in turn, would be delighted to pass this on to Vidhya of My Recipes (iyercooks); and Usha of veginspirations. I will be passing this on to 4 more deserving blogs in a couple of days.

Nutty Surprise

2008-08-30T03:47:00.000-07:00

I love nuts! And peanuts top my personal list of comfort foods. Sitting by the beach with a huge bowl of freshly roasted peanuts and a book is my concept of a perfect holiday. By the same note, anything and everything cooked with an overdose of nuts is my concept of ideal foodie heaven!

Roasted and skinned peanuts - 150 gms

Walnuts - 50 gms

Almonds - 50 gms

Small whole Figs - 15 nos

Jaggery - 100 gms

Cardamom - 5 Nos

Dry ginger powder - 2 pinches

Dry roast all nuts together. Cool and pulverize to granules in a mixer/food processor.Boil a cup of water (200 ml) and dissolve jaggery in it. Filter to remove scum. Place a thick bottomed skillet on the flame and pour in the jaggery. Keep simmer stirring till jaggery thickens to one string consistency (a slight syrupy texture). Add in the granulated nuts, whole figs, ginger powder and powdered cardamom. Keep stirring till the mixture reaches a jam like consistency. Take off flame.
When slightly cool place the mixture in a wax paper/aluminium foil/cling film and roll up into a tight cylinder. Place in the freezer for a couple of hours to set. Later, remove from wrapping and cut into slices.
The surprise element in this nutty treat are the bits of luscious, grainy figs that you stumble upon while munching
This yummy delight is softer, unlike the traditional chikki.

This is my entry to Mythreyee's Sweet Series - Chikki and Laddu event. The event is on at http://www.paajaka.com/2008/08/announcing-sweet-series-chikki-and.html

This also goes to EC's WYF: Color in Food event. My colour is deep , earthy brown from the Jaggery! The event is on at http://simpleindianfood.blogspot.com/2008/07/wyfcolour-in-food-event_30.html#comment-form

Also sending this to Lore's Original Recipe - Monthly Roundup event. The event is on at http://culinarty.sapiensworks.com/articles/original-recipes-monthy-round-up-event/

Omelette with greens

2008-08-29T01:29:00.000-07:00

It's not that I don't enjoy traditional recipes but I do plead guilty to having a very strong streak of adventure when it comes to food. I love adding a lil something extra to give what my family eats a fillip !

Whole Egg - 1
Egg whites - 2
Coriander leaves (cilantro) - a medium sized bunch
Spinach (palak) - 4-5 fresh leaves
Small onions (shallots/scallions) - 3 Nos
Ginger - 1 " piece
Green chillies - 3 Nos
Fresh ground pepper - as spicy as you want
Salt to taste
Chop the onions, ginger, green chillies, and the greens well. Whisk in the eggs. I choose the yolk of only one of the 3 eggs to lessen the cholestrol content (you may want whole eggs). Add the salt.
Heat a girdle and drizzle a little olive oil. pour out the omlette. Sprinkle the pepper on top. Turn over and cook other side.
Serve with whole grain bread for a hearty breakfast.
Sending this over to Sangeeth's 101 Recipe Series featuring Omelettes. The event is on at http://letusallcook.blogspot.com/2008/08/calling-all-food-bloggers-for-101.html

Vidhya of My Recipes (iyercooks.blogspot.com) has given me the beautiful Perfect blend of friendship award. Thank you, dear!

Awarded:Mai Yen Eds Chez Francine La Place de Cherie Le bric à brac de Cherie Wonderful Things In life Concealed Mind Can of Thoughts Muthahood Crib MammaDawg Life and Me A Mother's Stuff http://housewifeatwork.blogspot.com/My Receipes, thefootloosechef

I pass this on to my sweet friend Lubna of kitchenflavours; my first blogger friend, EC of simpleindianfood; my 'newest' visitors Yasmeen of yasmeen-healthnut and Divya of mixtomatch.blogspot.com; Srivalli of cooking4allseasons just for her kind heart; and with a big bouquet of heartfelt apologies to my friend Sunshinemom of Tongue Ticklers(tumyumtreats) for inadvertently missing out the last date of her first event :-(

Mixed veggie paratha with dates chutney

2008-08-25T00:32:00.000-07:00

To me, a wholesome mixed veggie stuffed paratha is a meal in itself. And when in combo with a yummy sweet, tangy, and spicy dates chutney, it's 'heaven on earth' for breakfast/dinner !!!

For the paratha dough
Whole wheat flour - 2 cups
Vegetable oil - 1 teaspoon
Warm water - to knead
Salt to taste
Knead everything together to form dough. Cover with soft muslin cloth and let stay atleast for half an hour.

For the mixed veggie filling
Potato - 1 large
Carrot - 1 large
French beans - 150 gms
Onions - 1
Ginger - 1" piece
Green chillies - 5 nos
Garlic - 3 cloves
Cook the potato in jacket. Cool, peel, and use a fork to crumble. Finely mince the carrots and beans. Chop the onions. Grind the ginger, garlic, and green chillies. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a skillet and saute the ground paste. Add the onions and saute till traslucent. Add the carrots and beans, and stir fry till 3/4th done. Add the crumbled potato and salt to taste. Take off flame and cool.
For making stuffed parathas
Shape large lemon sized balls out of the dough. Roll (leaven) them out as ordinary chappthis/tortillas. Keep one chappathi on a plate and place a liberal quantity of filling over it, leaving the sides clean. Place another chappathi over this and press down well to seal sides and remove air. Heat a girdle (dosa pan/tava) and rub on a little oil. Place the stuffed paratha on and cover with a conical shaped lid. Allow to simer cook for a minute. Turn over and repeat with other side. Ocassionally,press down using a flat ladle to allow even cooking. Remove from girdle and using a sharp knife cut the paratha into halves.

For dates chutney
Deseeded and chopped dates - 1 cup
Tamarind - about 5 gms
Ginger - a short piece
Vinegar - 1 teaspoon
Red chilli powder (cayenne pepper) - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Water - 1/4 cup

Put everything together in a mixer/processor and grind to paste. Presto! your yummy chutney is ready.

Serve with hot mixed veggie paratha!

This is my entry to Latha's WBB - Combi Breakfast event series. The event is on at http://masalamagic.wordpress.com/2008/07/29/announcing-wbb-combi-breakfasts/. Hurry all you fellow bloggers, the deadline is August 31st.

My dear blogger friend, Lubna of kitchenflavours has passed me the 'Wylde Woman Award'. The purpose of this award is to send love and acknowledgement to women who brighten your day, teach you new things and live their lives fully with generosity and joy.

The rules of this award are:
1.You can give it to one or one hundred or any number in between - it's up to you. Make sure you link to their site in your post
2. Link back to this blog site http://tammyvitale.typepad.com/ so that Tammy, the originator of this award, can go visit all these wonderful women.

I in turn would be delighted to pass this onto:
Purva of purvasdaawat
Usha of veginspirations
Vidya of iyercooks
Meera of enjoyindianfood
Suma of vegetableplatter
Rashmi of delhibelle
Seeema of myrandap

Vidya (iyercooks) has tagged me with a lovely poem on friendship.

We need friends for many reasons,all throughout the season.

We need friends to comfort uswhen we are sad,and to have fun with us when we are glad.

We need friends to give us good advice,

We need someone we can count on,and treat us nice.

We need friends to remember us once we have passed ;sharing memories that will always last.

Spread the poem of friendship.1. Everyday Life 2. Words of Love 3. Sheng's Simple Thoughts . . . 4 My Wonderful Life ....5. Can of Thoughts 6. Designs By Vhiel 7. Vhiel's Corner 8. Anything and Everything in Between 9. A Mother's Stuff 10. http://housewifeatwork.blogspot.com/ 11. My Receipes 12. Vblogger 13. thefootloosechef 14. You next

I would like to pass this to:

Sunshinemom of Tongue Ticklers (tumyumtreats); Nidhi of sizzlingbites; and Srilekha of srishkitchen; and Lubna of kitchenflavours.

Donate for a Heart Campaign

Srivalli of cooking4allseasons has launched a fund raiser to save Lakshmi, a coronory disease patient. Lakshmi is a 28 year old with two young children to support and only her aged parents to help her. She requires a major operation costing Rs. 5-6 lakhs ($15,000).

You can chip in to save Lakshmi by making a contribution securely through PayPal (click the widget below) or by directly making your contribution through Srivalli's blog http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2008/08/donate-for-heart-campaign-to-heal.html

If you have any questions on this fundraiser, email lakshmi.fundraising@gmail.com

Fish Molly (Mildly spiced fish in coconut milk)

2008-08-17T01:23:00.000-07:00

This fragrant, mildly spiced fish curry is a complete antithesis to the usual fiery-red kerala fish curry. Fish molly is popular among the christian community in Kerala. It's usually served as accompaniment to bread or appam in family get togethers and feasts.

Fish (King fish/pomfret/tilapia/sharry) - 1/2 kg
Onions - 2
Ginger - 1" piece
Green chillies - 5 Nos
Tomatoes - 2 Nos
Garam masala - 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Coconut milk - 2 1/2 cups (500 ml).The instant powder works well or if its fresh coconut extract, use the cream of 1/2 a big coconut.
Curry leaves - 5-6 sprigs
Coconut oil - 1 teaspoon
Remove as much skin as possible from the fish and slice into medium sized pieces. Clean with salt and fresh lemon juice to remove the fishy odour:-)
Slice onions and slit gren chillies. Grind the ginger. Heat a little oil in a skillet and saute onions, ginger and green chillies. Mix a cup of the coconut milk with a cup of water to dilute it and add to the skillet. Add the fish pieces and turmeric powder in. Cover and simmer cook till fish is almost done. Add the cubed tomatoes,garam masala and half the curry leaves. Let cook. Add the rest of the coconut milk. Add salt to taste, a drizzle of coconut oil and curry leaves. Take off flame and let stay for about 15 minutes for the flavour to mingle.

Hot and Sour Veg Soup

2008-08-13T03:21:00.000-07:00

A new chinese restaurant opened next to our home here in Muscat. The first time we went there, my hubby suggested 'hot and sour veg soup'. I was a little skeptical since the hot and sour soup i'd tried at a restaurant in india wasn't really to my taste. To my pleasant surprise, this one here was really yummy! The second time we went to the restaurant, I asked to meet the chef, met him and got the recipe. Therefore this soup is courtesy Chef Santa of Nepal from the Wok of Life restaurant.

Veg stock - 1/2 litre
Carrots - 1/2 finely chopped
Cabbage - 2 leaves finely chopped
Black mushrooms - 3-4 (sliced thin) I din't find black mushrooms so just made do with button mushrooms!
Bamboo shoots - 2-3 tinned pieces (sliced)
Bean sprouts - about 5 gms

For seasoning
A dash of freshly ground pepper

Some Chilli sauce/paste

Dark soy sauce

A dash of tomato sauce

Vinegar

Boil the stock. Cook The mushrooms. Shred all the veggies , except sprouts, very finely and add. Dont overcook, the flavours should just mix in. Add the seasoning and top with bean sprouts. Simmer another minute. Serve piping hot!!!

The delightful 'Blogging friends forever' award has come back to me. My dear blogger friends Purva of purvasdaawat and EC of simpleindianfood have passed me thsi treat. Thank you, gals!

I pass this on to:

Vidya of iyercooks, Sagari of indianhomefood, Pooja of creativepooja, Nidhi of sizzlingbites, and Shreya of ammascooking .

Tricolour Raita

2008-08-10T01:59:00.000-07:00

History has it that the Indian National flag, in its present tri-colour form, was adopted by a constituent assembly meeting twenty two days before 15th August 1947, our Independence day! Each of the tri- colours have a symbolic meaning. The saffron (almost orangish) color symbolizes courage, sacrifice, and the ability to put the nation's interest above self; white stands for peace and truth, and green is for faith and chivalry. Info courtesy, the wikipedia!
Pooja of My Creative Ideas has come up with an Independence day theme for food. Here is my entry to her interesting event. A foodie tribute to our wonderful motherland!

Carrots - 3 medium sized
Onions -1 big
Green chillies - 4 Nos
Coriander leaves (cilantro/kothammalli) - a small bunch
Yoghurt (curds/thayir) - 2 cups
For seasoning
Ginger - a small piece (grated finely)
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Cumin (jeera) - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Asafoetida - a pinch

Grate the carrots. Finely slice the onions. Chop the corinader leaves and green chillies.Add everything into a bowl.
Heat a little oil in a skillet and crackle the mustard seeds. Add in the cumin and stir fry. Add the curry leaves. Pour this over the vegetable mixture. Add in the ginger, yoghurt,a pinch of asafoetida, and salt to taste.
Refreshing taste!!
The Theme Independence Day 2008 event is on at http://creativepooja.blogspot.com/2008/07/theme-of-week-is.html

Vidya of My Recipes (iyercooks) has tagged me with '7 Facts about me' :-)

The rules of the tag are:
(a) List these rules on your blog.
(b) Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.
(c) Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

So here goes...
7 Facts about me.
Work: I started work as a journalist right after my MA exams. Moved onto other genres of writing over the years.
Education: A masters in English and a professional degree in Medical & Psychiatric social work. Love to learn and hope to do more in future.

Friendship: I was born with a strong social streak. I love friends!
Relationship: My hubby and his and my family
Internet (WWW) - My friend dragged me in kicking and protesting to open my first email ID in '98 :-)
Fitness: I love long walks
Dreams: Lots. I thrive on them :-)

I tag my new visitor, Priti of indiankhanna, Purva of purvasdaawat, Usha of veginspirations, Lore of culinarty, Lubna of Yummy Food (kitchenflavours), Sri Priya of srikarskitchen, and A&N of reluctantchefs.

Friends, do pass this on to 7 other people.

Soya Uthappam

2008-08-07T12:07:00.000-07:00

Soyabean and its by products top the food charts of a health conscious population. Versatality and nutritional value of soy make it a great protein alternative to meat and poultry.

Uthappam is a traditional south indian tiffin delicacy. But traditional uthappam is made out ordinary dosa batter (rice and black gram), with onion and tomato topping. Less frequently other veggies and cheese too are used. I've given this traditional recipe a completely original twist. It's a soybean batter with soy chunk topping. In the begining, I was a little apprehensive about the outcome, but the final outcome was a pleasant surprise!

For the batter
Soyabean - 1 cup
Raw rice - 1 cup
Black gram (urad/uzhunnu) - 3/4 cup
Sesame oil (ellenna) - 2 teaspoons
Salt to taste

Soak the soybean overnight. Clean and soak the rice and black gram for about 2 hours. Grind each to a smooth paste adding enough water.Mix to make batter of dosa consistency. Add the sesame oil and salt to taste. Let ferment for 3 hours. refridgerate till half an hour before use.

For the topping
Soya chunks (textured soy protien) - 1 cup
Onions - 1 large (finely chopped)
Carrots - 1 (grated)
Coriander leaves (cilantro/kothamalli) - 1 cup (chopped)
Green chillies - 4 Nos
Ginger - 1" piece (finely chopped)
Red chilli powder (cayenne pepper) - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Tomato ketchup - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Boil the soychunks in hot water for a few minutes. Drain and soak in cold water. Squeeze dry. Use a food processor or mixie to mince the soy chunks (like keema).
Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a skillet. Saute the onions, ginger and chilies. Add the carrots and soy chunks. Add the chillie powder and turmeric powder. Saute till the soy chunks start getting a light brown. Add the tomato ketchup, chopped coriander leaves, and salt. Cool. Heat a dosa pan (flat girdle). Use a kitchen tissue or soft cotton cloth to rub some sesame oil onto the girdle. This will prevent sticking of the uthappam.
Pour two ladlefuls of the batter onto the hot girdle. Sprinkle the topping mixture liberraly on top. Use a conical lid to cover the pan and simmer cook the dosa till the sides turn a golden brown. Lightly dribble some sesame oil over the topping. Turn over and cook covered for another minute or two. Serve hot with a chutney of your choice!

This is my entry to MonsoonSpices' JIF - Soya event. The event is on at http://www.monsoonspice.com/2008/07/announcing-jfi-aug-08.html

I am sending this entry to Lore's 'Original Recipe' event too. The event is on at http://culinarty.sapiensworks.com/articles/original-recipes-monthy-round-up-event/

Mint tea

2008-08-07T10:40:00.000-07:00

This is my version of the Moroccan 'Mint tea'. The original, I've heard, calls for huge chunks out of conical shaped sugar lumps, greentea that's been washed and dried to remove some of the bitterness, and poured from a height so that the tea forms a foam on the glass.
My version is simpler and I find it very energizing and yummy!
For one cup
Fresh mint - 3-4 sprigs
Tea leaves - 1/2 teaspoon
Demerara (brown sugar) - 1 teaspoon
Boiling water - 1 cup
Place the sugar, tea leaves, and mint sprigs in a teapot or saucepan. Pour boiling water over this. Stir to dissolve the sugar and infuse the mint flavour in. Filter into a cup or in a glass like the moroccans and me :-)
Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dhi of cookingetcetera has been kind enough to bring my attention to the foodie photograph competition on at her end. Thank you, Dhi. The competition is on at http://cookingetcetera.wordpress.com/2008/07/07/red-white-foodie-photo-contest/

My first blog award

2008-08-05T22:34:00.000-07:00

Yippee...my first blog award! Usha of veginspirations passed me the the Blogging Friends Forever Award...am all grins!!!!

In turn, I would like to pass this award onto

EC of simpleindianfood. Thank you EC for those lil tips for better blog visibility!

Ujwal of kitchlab . My young friend who moderates the cookery community I run on Orkut.

Sunshinemom of Tongueticklers (tumyumtreats)

Rashmi of delhibelle

And finally, in a gesture of reciprocated friendship I'd like to give back Usha the same award too.
Thank you, buddy!

Masala peas and potatoes

2008-08-05T10:53:00.001-07:00

Potatoes and peas are a favourite combo in Indian cusine. This one's made of freshly ground spices. Hope you love it as much as I did!
Potato - 1 large (cubed with skin on)
Fresh or frozen green peas - 1 cup
Onion - 1 large (sliced lengthwise)
Garlic - 3 cloves
Chilli powder(cayenne pepper) - 1 teaspoon (5gms)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 3-4 sprigs
Olive oil - 2 teaspoons
Tomato puree - 1 cup
Salt to taste
For fresh masala
Cardamom - 2 whole

Cinnamon - 1" stick

Nutmeg - a tiny piece

Fennel - a teaspoon (5 gms)

Cumin - 1/2 teaspoon

Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon

Clove - 1

Dry roast all the fresh masala ingredients lightly. Cool and grind to powder.
Grind the garlic seperately to paste.Heat oil in a skillet. Add the sliced onions, saute till translucent. Add the garlic in. Stir till a fine aroma emanates. Add the potato cubes followed by the freshly ground masala. Saute for a few minutes. Add a cup of water and simer cook till almost done. Add in the green peas and cook well. Add the chilli powder, turmeric and coriander powders. Add the tomato puree and saute till gravy reaches a smooth, thick texture. Add the curry leaves and salt.
Take off flame and let stay with the lid on for a few minutes. This allows the flavours to really settle in. Serve with a fresh squeeze of lemon.
Yummy with Bajra rotis and chappathis!
This is mt first entry to Cooking4allSeasons' Curry mela event. The event is on at http://cooking4allseasons.blogspot.com/2008/07/announcing-curry-mela-event-to.html

Stir fried mushrooms in basil

2008-08-04T03:53:00.000-07:00

It is said that the ancient Greek civilization introduced Basil into cooking! Closer home, our very own ayurvedic texts abound with medicinal benefits of the delicate herb.Basil is a great source vitamin A & C apart from other trace minerals. It's acclaimed to greatly benefit cardiovascular and respiratory tract health, and promote eyesight.

Mushrooms contain copper, potassium, and folates. Key minerals that help the production of healthy red blood cells, ensure proper muscle and nerve functions, and promote overall health. A scientific study funded by the Mushroom council, Dublin found that Mushrooms, especially button mushrooms, retained 100 % of their nutrients even after cooking or grilling!
Button mushrooms - 250 gms
Sweet basil - a generous handful
Garlic - 3 cloves (finely chopped)
Freshly pounded pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
Apple cider vinegar - 1/2 teaspoon
Olive oil - a tablespoon (10 ml)
Salt to taste

Rinse mushrooms well in brine with a little turmeric powder added. Slice into thin pieces.
Warm a thick bottomed skillet. Add the olive oil. Saute the finely chopped garlic. Follow this with the mushrooms. stir fry till the mushrooms are almost done. Add the apple cider and pepper. Finally add a generous amount of roughly chopped fresh basil. Stir only till the leaves wilt in. Add salt to taste.
Serve with warm soup and bread toast!
This is my entry to Ammalu's Kitchen's Herb Mania - Basil event. The event is on at http://ammaluskitchen.info/2008/07/18/anouncing-herb-mania-basil/

Molaga bajji

2008-08-03T00:15:00.000-07:00

Molaga bajjis (batter fried chilli crispies) are the first to greet you on your evening out on the beaches of Marina at Chennai. Numerous make shift stalls adorned with garlands of molaga (chillies) burst with the yummy smells of frying bajjis. The chillies used for making molaga bajjis are big and light green in colour with not so much of the heat of their smaller counterparts. If you don't get these bajji chillies, jalapenos work as well.
For the batter
Roasted gram flour (kadala maavu/besan/chickpea flour) - 100 gms
Rice flour - 50 gms
Corn flour - 10 gms
Red chilli powder (cayenne pepper) - 5 gms Turmeric powder - a pinch
Cumin (jeera) - 1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida (perumkayam) - a pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Mix all the ingredients with sufficient water to create a thick batter. The batter should be thick enough to form a stable coating on the chillies.

For the bajjis
Bajji molaga (jalapenos) - 5-6 Nos

Slit the jalapenos ensuring taking care that they remain intact at the stems. If the chilli is very large then you can opt to completely slit it up into two. Heat oil in a thick skillet. Drop a small dollop of the batter in, if it rises up with a sizzle then you know the temperature is right. Dip the slit chillies in the batter. Ensure that it is coated all over and in between the slits.
Drop into the oil gently and fry ensuring all sides are an even crusty brown.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup! Nothing to beat a rainy or wintery day like a piping hot molaga bajji with tea!

Masala chappathi with a 'twist' :-)

2008-08-01T02:58:00.000-07:00

I made stir fried green brinjal, green gram sprouts, and dhal (lentils) for lunch yesterday. After we ate, just a teeny weeny bit of each dish remained. Did not feel like transfering them into tiny katoris and stoving into the fridge, felt even more bad chucking them out.
Voila! idea struck! mixed them along with wheat flour to make a different kinda 'masala chappathi'!
Left over veggies
Wheat flour
Yoghurt - 2 teaspoons
Chilli powder (cayenne pepper)
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Salt to taste

Knead everything together. Add water only if required (i found the moisture from the veggies sufficient).

Keep aside covered by a soft muslin cloth for about an hour. make chappathis (tortillas) as usual!
Serve with achar (pickle) and thick yoghurt.

Green brinjal stir fry

2008-07-31T04:11:00.000-07:00

Out here in Muscat, people seem to love Brinjals. The stalls are full of brinjals in different hues, shapes, and sizes! And, at 200 - 300 baizas (Rs.20-30 approx) per kilo, it's the cheapest veggie around too :-) . Here's a simple dish made of long, green brinjals.
Long, green brinjals - 250 gms
Onions - 2 medium sized
Garlic - 2-3 cloves
Green chillies - 5 Nos
Cumin (jeera) - 5 gms
Black gram (uzhunnu/urad) - 10 gms
Mustard (kaduku) - 5 gms
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 4-5 sprigs
Salt to taste

Clean and cut brinjal into roundels. Slit green chillies. Chop onions and garlic.
Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a skillet and add the black gram and saute till light brown. Add and crackle mustard. Put the garlic and onions and stir fry. Follow with the green chillies and turmeric powder. Add the brinjal roundels and stir fry in medium heat. Add he curry leaves and salt to taste.
Enjoy with plain steamed rice or chappathis.

Shrikand (flavoured hung curd dessert)

2008-07-29T23:24:00.000-07:00

My first taste of 'shrikand' was at my aunt's sister's place. The son-in-law of the house was a north indian and an ardent fan of shrikand. Sadly, his wife abhorred it ! As a result, whenever a guest turned up (this time us), he would happily feed them, along with himself, to a generous helping of readymade shrikand picked off supermarket shelves. To be honest, I did not quite like the over sweet, sour taste of the thing. Then recently had it again at a restaurant, the fresh variety this time, and fell head over heels in love! Made it at home yesterday, of course with minor variations to the traditional recipe ;-)
This is my entry to Paajaka's 'Sweet series event - cool desserts'.
Thick curd (plain yoghurt) - 500 g
Demerara sugar (brown sugar) - 2 teaspoons (10 gms)
Cardamom (elaichi) - 4 pods
Saffron - 4-5 strands
Pistachios - 10 Nos
Almonds - 10 Nos
Red pomegranate - 1 large

Place a large pored sieve over a deep vessal. Drape a thin muslin cloth over it. Now pour the yoghurt through this, cover with lid, and leave for 4-5 hours for the water to completely drain out. This is hung curd. Transfer to another container.

Dissolve the saffron in a teaspoon of warm milk.
Powder the cardamom. Crumble half the pistachios and almonds in a mixer. Add these, along with the sugar to the hung curd. Refridgerate for 1/2 an hour. Serve over a bed of pomegranate rubies. Garnish with silvered almonds and pistachios.

Yummy! especially when you know it's dessert that good for you! All those probiotics sans the calories!
The Paajaka 'Sweet series event - cool desserts' is on at http://www.paajaka.com/2008/07/announcing-sweet-series-cool-desserts.html

Ragi dosa (finger millet crepes)

2008-07-29T13:16:00.001-07:00

Ragi (finger millet/nachani/kelvaragu/panjapullu), a nutritional treasure trove is a great source of the essential amino acid, methionine. Methionine is essential for vitality. Ragi, especially if sprouted, goes a long way in supplementing the nutritional deficiencies caused by a diet of highly refined cereals like white rice. My ragi dosa recipe owes its origin to my mom's aunt with whom I shared an apartment at Chennai, during my journalist days :-)

Ragi flour (you can buy it ready made, look for sprouted and ground varieties) - 2 cups (200 gms)
Black gram (urad dhal/uzhunnu) - 1/2 cup
Fenugreek seeds (methi/uluva/vendayam) - 5 gms
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Soak the black gram for an hour and grind to a fluffy batter (as you would for idli/dosa). Mix in the ragi flour with sufficient water to make a thick batter. Ensure there are no lumps. Let ferment overnight. Next morning add the cumin seeds and salt to taste. Add a little more water if the batter is too thick. This should be thinner than the ordinary rice dosa batter.
Heat a dosa pan (flat girdle) and rub a little sesame oil on using a kitchen tissue or muslin cloth. Pour out a ladleful of batter and make a thin dosa. Simmer cook till the side is crispy, turn over and repeat other side. Use a little more sesame oil, if you like the taste.

PS: Serve hot. If you make the entire lot and let it cool, the dosa loses its magic. The picture shows ragi dosa served with spicy puthina (mint) chutney.

Ragi kool is off to the JFI - Ragi event on at Madhuram's Eggless cooking

Horsegram chutney

2008-07-29T01:01:00.001-07:00

In Tamil there's a saying 'Muthirai thinral kuthirai pole shakthi'. Translated, if you eat horsegram, you become as strong as a horse (remember, horsegram is fed to horses too :-).
However, it's a fact that horsegram is a great source of fibre, protein, and calcium. Here's a simple recipe popular in rural Tamil Nadu.

Horsegram - 1/2 cup (100gms approx)
Dry red chillies - 5-6 Nos
Garlic - 3 cloves
Curry leaves - as much as you wish
Salt to taste
Tamarind extract - 5 gms

Heat a thick bottomed skillet and dry roast the horsegram and garlic. Keep stirring to ensure even roasting. Add the dry red chillies and curry leaves . Roast till the chillies start turning colour and an aroma emanates. Cool.
Add tamarind and salt. Grind in a mixer or processor adding sufficient water.
Great accompaniment to idlis, dosas, or even plain steamed rice.

Venpongal

2008-07-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

Venpongal is close to the tamilian heart. An integral part of Pongal, the harvest festival, venpongal is a wholesome mix of carbohydrates and proteins. The traditional way of preparing pongal calls for liberal quantities of ghee; the reason why most people who eat pongal for breakfast complain it makes them sleepy. In restaurants , ghee is supplemented by it's cheaper look alike, hydrogeonated vegetable oil. A greater health hazard!

I find that wonderful tasting pongal can be made sans the grease. Just add a little bit of milk to cook it.

Raw rice - 1 cup
Split green gram lentils (cherupayaru paruppu/moong dhal) - 1/2 cup
Ginger - 1" piece
Pepper corns - 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin (jeera) - 1/2 teaspoon
Low fat milk - 1 cup
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 teaspoons
Water - 3 cups

Wash rice and lentils and drain. Chop ginger and add to rice and lentils. Add the milk and water to the rice mixture and pressure cook for 6 whistles. Once the pressure cooker is opened, add salt and mash the mixture well.
Crush the pepper corns lightly (so that they don't burst when frying). Heat oil and crackle the cumin and pepper corns.Add to the rice and mix well.
Serve piping hot with pottukadalai and malli chutney (roasted gram and cilantro dip). Watch this page for the chutney recipe tommorrow.

PS: Roasted cashewnuts can be added as an optional garnish

Beetroot mezhukkuvaratti (Stir fried beets)

2008-07-25T23:49:00.000-07:00

Beets are rich in potassium, manganese, and folates. They are acclaimed to be natural cholestrol busters. Their high 'soluble fibre' content helps optimize high cholestrol levels while the flavonoid and caretenoid content prevent oxidization of the bad cholestrol 'LDL' in the arteries.

The red pigment abundant in beets are also said to have anti-cancer properties.

Beetroot - 3 medium sized

Garlic - 3 cloves

Green chillies - 5 Nos

For the seasoning

Broken black gram (urad/uzhunnu) - 1 teaspoon (5 gms)

Yellow lentils (toor dhal/sambhar paruppu) - 2 teaspoons ( 10 gms)

Dry red chillies - 3 Nos

Curry leaves - 4 sprigs

Olive oil - 1 teaspoon

Pressure/ Steam cook the whole beets with the jackets on. Cool, peel and cut into strips. Chop the garlic and slit the green chillies. Heat the olive oil in a skillet and add the black gram and yellow lentils. Stir fry till they change colour. Add the dry red chillies and curry leaves. Add the garlic and saute. Add the beets and saute till the flavours mix. Add the green chillies and saute till the green chillies start to wilt. Add salt to taste.

Serve with plain steamed rice.

Butter beans pilav

2008-07-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

I love the creamy texture of butter beans. And when I like something , I look for ways to include it into everyday cooking, in simple yet unique ways. Here's a yummy, wholesome recipe that's so very easy to cook.

Any long grained rice (jeera rice/basmati/good quality raw rice) - 1 cup
Dried white butter beans (double beans/lima beans/madagascar beans) - 1 cup
Onions - 1 medium sized
Green chillies - 5 Nos
Fennel (perumjeerakam/saunf) - 1 teaspoon (5 gms)
Coconut milk - 1 cup (the instant one works well)
Salt to taste

Soak the butter beans overnight. Wash the rice well and drain. Finely slice the onions and slit the green chillies. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pressure cooker and add the fennel seeds. Stir till it turns light brown and add the green chillies and onions. Saute till the onions turn translucent and the fennel leaves a heady aroma. Add the washed rice. Mix the coconut milk to 2 1/2 cups of water and add to pressure cooker. Cook for 5 whistles. Let cool and seperate grains with a fork. Add salt to taste.

PS: Always soak butter beans overnight and cook well. Raw butter beans contain cyanogens.

Banana flower and Green gram thoran (Vazha chundum cherupayarum)

2008-07-11T10:11:00.000-07:00

Thoran is part of everyday eating down south. A 'thoran' is a simple dish made with any vegetable with a little bit of seasoning thrown in. In Kerala it is called thoran and is seasoned with coconut, cumin, shallots, green chillies and at times garlic with a large measure of curry leaves thrown in. In Tamil Nadu, it is 'poriya'l seasoned with onions, green chillies, and garlic. It's 'Pallya' in Karnataka and more or less similar to the tamilian version.
Banana flowers are a great source of Vitamin A and C. Traditional Indian wisdom propounds the beneficiary effects of the banana flower in women as a natural uterine tonic. Green gram is a great source of good protein.

Banana flower (vazha chundu) - 1 medium sized
Green gram (moong/cheru payar) - 1 cup
Curry leaves - 3-4 sprigs
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Dry red chillies - 3 Nos
Salt to taste
For masala seasoning
Small onions (shallots) - 4 Nos
Garlic - 3 Nos
Green chillies - 4 Nos
Cumin (jeera) - 1 teaspoon
Red chilli powder (cayenne pepper) - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Peel of the outer magenta coloured petals of the banana flower. Finely chop the creamish white interior portion of the flower. Wash them in a bowl of salted water. Soak the green gram for an hour. Pour adequate water in a skillet and cook the green gram in it. When the green gram is 3/4th cooked and the water is evaporated, add the finely chopped banana flowers and simmer covered.
Grind all the ingredients of the masala to a coarse paste. Add to the green gram- banana flower mixture and saute for a couple of minutes till a fragrance emanates.
Heat a teaspoon of oil in another skillet. Crackle the mustard seeds, and saute the dry red chillies and curry leaves. Add to the green gram- banana flower mixture. add salt to taste.
Great accompaniment to plain, steamed rice.
PS: Rub a little oil on hands before cleaning and chopping the banana flowers to prevent staining.

Falafel with garlic labenah dip and salad

2008-07-08T23:58:00.000-07:00

Just after our betrothal, my husband got posted to Beirut, Lebanon.So, our first home after marriage was the mediterranean country. The native population speak arabic and french, very few knew English. Born with a very dominant social streak, I cannot survive without friends...but the language was a barrier, initially!

We lived in a serviced apartment which sent in a native lady to clean the place. Within days, we became friends..if that was ever possible between two people with a wide age difference, different backgrounds, and who virtually did not understand a single word the other one spoke! She introduced me to mediterranean cuisine... Where she couldnt explain the ingredients to me...she wrote down the names of items I should buy at the supermarket in Arabic. I just took it to the nearby mart and got the sales assistants to read the slip and get me stuff. At home , my friend demonstarated hummus, falafel, and a few other very yummy recipes. The falafel recipe I give is hers modified a bit with the help of other recipes I found on the internet.

Falafel is made of chick peas,a great source of protein, zinc, and folates.Parsley, which is thrown in a good measure, is a treasure trove of vitamins, C, K, A, potassium and fiber.
Protein content in 100 gms of chickpeas - 10 g (approx)

White chickpeas (kabuli channa) - 1 cup
Chopped onions - 1 cup
Chopped parsley - 150 gms
Chopped cilantro (coriander leaves) - 50 gms
Pepper powder - 10gms
Chopped garlic - 5 gms (about 3 cloves)
Wheat flour - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Good quality oil for deep frying

Soak the chickpeas overnight and pressure cook for five whistles. Drain. Mash them up in a food processor. As they granulate, add all the other ingredients except wheat flour. Add the wheat flour last, little by little, and knead with hand into a dough. Shape little lemon sized balls out of the dough and slightly flatten them with palm.
Heat oil in a skillet. Add the balls. Fry till all sides turn a choclatey brown.
For garnish
Finely sliced cucumber - 2
Salt to taste

For Garlic labenah dip
Hung curd - 200 ml
Crushed garlic - 1 clove
Freshly squeezed lemon juice - 20 ml
Salt to taste

To make 'hung curd' place a large pored sieve over a deep vessal. Drape a thin muslin cloth over it. Now pour the yoghurt through this, cover with lid, and leave for 4-5 hours for the water to completely drain out.

Blend all ingredients together to make a smooth dip.

Serve hot falafel with cucumber salad and garlic labenah dip.
PS: Add only sufficient wheat flour to bind the dough. Too much can spoil the taste.

Indian cottage cheese in spinach gravy (palak paneer)

2008-07-07T10:57:00.000-07:00

Palak paneer is a popular Indian dish. There exist many variations to the recipe. Some people overload the simple dish with spices. Some others, like the expat celebrity chef I saw on TV the other day, choose to boil lots of water , cook the spinach in it, drain the water and dunk the leaves in cold water! I was outraged at the sheer waste of all those fabulous nutrients. Greens are delicate store houses of nutrients. Treat them easy! I like my palak paneer simple. The dish tastes yummy too. Do try and let me know what you think...
Spinach (palak)- 2 bunches
Onion - 1 big (finely chopped)
Green chillies - 3 Nos
Ginger - 1 short piece
Cumin (jeera) - 1/4 teaspoon
Low fat paneer (cottage cheese) - 200 gms
Milk - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste
Cream for garnish

Clean and rinse out the spinach well.
Heat a teaspoon of oil in a non-stick skillet, add the cumin and let crackle. Add the onions, ginger, green chillies and saute till onions turn translucent. Put in the spinach and simmer cook with a lid on. Cook only till the leaves wilt (about 5 minutes).Cool and grind in a mixer bowl.

Cut the paneer into small cubes and place in chilled water for few minutes. Drain. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a skillet. Add the paneer and stir fry till the cubes start browning. Add a pinch of turmeric powder and fry again. Pour the spinach mixture in. Simmer for a minute and add the milk. Add salt to taste and keep on low fire for a couple of minutes. Taste to check if the raw flavour has left the gravy. Take off flame. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with a squirt of cream on top.
PS: At home , I sometimes avoid the cream. Save the fat for parties :-)

Tinda and Potato masala

2008-07-07T05:29:00.000-07:00

For the uninitiated, Tinda or the Indian round-gourd/apple-gourd is a green, squash like vegetable shaped very like an apple. Quite a rich source of essential minerals and vitamins, tinda is more common in North Indian cuisine.

Tinda (indian round-gourd/apple gourd) - 4

Potatoes - 2 medium sized

Onions - 2

Ginger - 1" piece

Garlic - 4 cloves

Curry leaves - 4 sprigs

Red chilli powder (cayeene pepper) - 1 teaspoon (5gms)

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin (jeera)- 1/2 teaspoon

Salt to taste
Steam or pressure cook the potatoes with skins. Grind the garlic and ginger to paste. Chop the onions and tinda into small cubes.
Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a skillet. Crackle the cumin and fry the curry leaves. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute till the mixture gives out a good aroma. Add the onions and tinda and saute for a minute. Pour half a cup of water and cook with lid on. Add the chilli powder and turmeric powder and fry. Cube the boiled potatoes keeping the skin on. Add and saute till the flavours mix. Add salt to taste.
Yummy with lemon rice (the recipe is on its way) and chappathis.

Express channa masala

2008-07-05T05:36:00.000-07:00

Kadala (chickpeas/channa) is a popular ingredient in Indian cuisine. The keralite way of preparing kadala curry is quite a long process but well worth the effort. We will be talking about that in the days to come. But for now, here is a quick, yummy recipe to the very Indian channa masala. I owe this tasty treat to my neighbour 'akka' during my 'spinster' days at Chennai. I and an aunt of my mother shared an apartment at Shenoy Nagar, in Chennai. Our neighbour was a shy lady who took great pains to cook newer and newer recipes for her kids and husband. Somehow her placid nature seemed to find an interesting companion in my exhuberant temperament. The result...occasional yummy treats that found their way to my dining table ;-)

Chick peas (channa/vella kadala) - 100gms
Onions - 2 big ones
Tomatoes - 2 big ones
Garlic - 4 cloves
Ginger - 1" piece
Cinnamon stick - 1"piece
Cloves - 2 Nos
Cardamom - 2 Nos
Fennel - 1 teaspoon
Red chilli powder (cayenne pepper) - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander leaves (cilantro) - 5 stalks
Salt to taste
Lemon juice for garnish
Soak the chick peas overnight and pressure cook for 5 whistles. Roughly chop the onions and tomatoes, peel garlic and ginger. Put all ingredients except boiled chickpeas into a mixer bowl and grind to make a thick masala.
Heat a teaspoon of oil in a skillet, add the masala and saute till the raw smell of onions and garlic goes and a flavorful aroma emanates. Add the cooked chickpeas and saute till the masala becomes a thick gravy coating for the chickpeas. Add salt to taste. Add a dash of lemon juice before serving.
Lovely accompaniment to appams (see label 'Appam' for recipe),chappathis, and pooris.

Spicy Kerala Fish Curry

2008-07-03T03:40:00.001-07:00

For most Keralites ( a little state at the southern most corner of India) fish is an indispensible part of everyday meal. There are a zillion different ways to making the ubiquitous Kerala fish curry. Each town in the little state seems to have its own regional take on it! Here I give you one of the oldest ways to the traditional, spicy red fish curry. It's ranks well on the health count with its preference for omega - 3 fatty acid rich fish varieties and minimal oil requirement.

Fresh Mackerel or sardines - 1/2 kg

Small onions (shallots/scallions) - 10-12 nos (sliced into two)

Green chillies - 3-4 (slit)

Ginger - 1 medium sized piece (julienned)

Garlic - 4 big cloves (minced)

Kudampuli (Gambooge/malabar tamarind)- 3 pieces

Curry leaves - 6-8 sprigs

Red chilli powder (cayenne pepper) - 3 teaspoons

Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Coriander powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Coconut oil - 1 teaspoon

Salt to taste
Clean and cut the fish into medium sized pieces (if you are using small sardines, just snip off the head, clean the insides and use them whole).In an earthern vessal (cooking pot) or an ordinary skillet if you dont have its earthern counterpart, layer the curry leaf sprigs so that they form the base for the rest of the ingredients. Soak the kudampuli in water for about 5 minutes and add it into the pot along with all the other ingredients except coconut oil and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and let simmer on slow fire with the lid on. When the fish appears almost cooked add the salt. When cooked , remove from fire, take off lid add a dash of coconut oil and a few more curry leaves and replace lid. let stand for an hour before serving.

Serve with cooked rice or tapioca (cassava/kappa).
PS: This gravy tastes even more better on the next day. It doesn't spoil if not refridgerated.

Sweet and savoury nutty mixture

2008-07-02T02:38:00.000-07:00

This recipe was shared by my neighbour and friend, Mrs.Sumangala, at Muscat. Indians are no strangers to 'mixture'. As the name suggests 'mixture' is a sweet or savory, or sometimes both, mix of an assortment of deep fried items.They are favourite tea time snacks.
All purpose flour - 200gms

Assorted nuts (cashews, peanuts, almonds, pine nuts) - 200gms

Beaten rice flakes (aval) - 200gms

Fresh Curry leaves - 100 gms

Sugar - 15 gms

Red chilli powder (cayenne pepper) - 5 gms

Asafoetida (perumkayam) - 1/2 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Add sugar to the all purpose flour and knead it into a dough (as you would for chappathis/tortillas).Shape balls out of the mixture and roll them out into thin chappathis (tortillas). With a sharp knife make criss cross lines both lengthwise and widthwise on each of chappathi, so that you get tiny diamond shapped patterns that can be guaged out. Deep fry these diamond cuts and place on kitchen tissue to drain the extra oil.
In the same oil, fry the assorted nuts. Remove and drain. Add the beaten rice flakes and repeat the process. Be careful with the rice flakes since they burn easily.
Fry the curry leaves in oil and drain.
In a deep pan mix all the ingredients together, add the chilli powder , salt, and asafoetida and toss. Store in airtight containers.

Nutmeg (jadikka) pickle

2008-07-01T21:53:00.000-07:00

Nutmeg (the yellow outer flesh that covers the seed) - 200 gms
Red chilli powder ( cayenne pepper) - 50 gms
Turmeric powder - 5 gms
Fenugreek seeds ( uluva/vendayam) - 5 gms
Bird's eye chilli (kanthari mulaku) - 50 gms
Mustard seeds - 10 gms
Asafoetida (perunkayam) - 5 gms
Sesame oil (Nallenna) - 100ml

Clean and cut Nutmeg (Jadika) into strips.Heat a few teaspoons of sesame oil and crackle mustard seeds. Stir fry a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds. Add 50 gms of chilli powder and 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder in. Follow with the Nutmeg (jadika) pieces and the bird's eye chilli (kanthari mulaku). Follow up with the asafoetida (perunkayam). Add salt to taste. Cool and place in a dry bottle. Top with the rest of the sesame oil. Close with an airtight lid and let stay for 2-3 days before use.

Thakkali (Tomato) chutney

2008-06-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

Thakkali chutney (kaara chutney) is a Tamilian speciality. Maybe other regions have variations of the same recipe, but my first taste of this fiery red, yummy accompaniment to hot idlis was at my paati's (grandmom) house at Salem.

Tomatoes - 2 big ones
Onions - 1 medium sized
Garlic - 2-3 cloves
Dry red chillies - 6 Nos (you can use red chillie powder instead, but use about 10gms. This is really spicy!)
Tamarind - 5 gms
Salt to taste
Curry leaves for seasoning
Chop tomatoes and onion. Peel garlic. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a skilet and fry the onions till translucent, add in the garlic and tomatoes. Keep frying till tomatoes mash in and the oil starts to seperate. Cool. Grind adding tamarind and salt. Season with fried curry leaves.

Karuvepilai chutney

2008-06-30T00:19:00.000-07:00

For people down south, any dish to be complete requires a generous sprinkling of Indian curry leaves. Rich in iron and folates, curry leaves not only add flavor to dishes but also aid digestion. They are proven to have anti-diabetic, anti-cholestrol, and anti-oxidant properties.In Kerala, it is also used to fortify hair oils as it aids luxuriant growth of scalp hair. Not many people are familiar with dishes where the curry leaves move beyond the role of a flavoring or garnishing agent, to the main ingredient. Here's an attempt at recollecting some traditional methods of cooking curry leaves.

Karuvepilai (curry leaves) - 150 gms
Grated coconut - 50 gms
Ginger - 10gms
Tamarind - 5 gms
Green chillies - 4
Red chillie powder - 1/4 teaspoonSalt to taste

Destalk and rinse out the curry leaves.Dry roast the curry leaves along with coconut , ginger, and green chillies for about 2 minutes. Cool. Add the rest of the ingredients and grind to paste. If required sprinkle a little water to aid grinding.

PS: Excellant accompaniment to rava idli (see recipe under 'Idlis & dosas'), dosas, or even plain steamed rice.

Zesty curd rice

2008-06-28T22:43:00.000-07:00

Out here the mercury is soaring. The temperature has touched 48 degrees. Getting myself to cook is an ordeal but even more terrifying is the prospect of an over greased lunch from outside. Suddenly remembered how an aunt of mine at Chennai would make her son subsist on a diet of curd rice and fruit when the temperatures soar. But she stuck to a single fruit at a time..it was either grapes in curd rice or pomegranates in curd rice. Thought I could, with minor variations, make it even more interesting. So here goes...

Steamed rice - 1 cup (for the rice base)
Curds (yoghurt) - 1 1/2 cups

Green cucumber - 2 nos

Seedless green grapes - 1 cup

Ginger - 1 medium sized piece (about 5 gms when chopped)

Green chillies - 4 Nos

Pomegranate - 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Finely mince the ginger and green chillies. Chop the cucumber into small pieces. Use a fork to gently mash the steamed rice just a little bit. Mix all ingredients together with the rice. And voila, you are ready to dig in !

PS: Adding a couple of teaspoons of grated raw mangoes make this even more yummier!

Learn how to make paneer (cottage cheese)at home

2008-06-28T11:24:00.000-07:00

Starting on your first culinary expedition? Here's help. Do let me know if you require anything specific.
Cheers!

Boil 1 litre of full cream milk. Add a dessertspoon of fresh lime juice and a teaspoon of sour curd into the milk while it's still hot. Keep stirring as the milk curdles and seperates into paneer and whey. Place a thin muslin cloth over another vessel and pour this mixture through it so as to filter out just the paneer. Now, tie up and hang the cloth with the paneer inside so as to drain all the whey. Let stay for an hour or more.Place the paneer on a flat surface and place a heavy object on top so as to flatten it out. Let stay for sometime. Now, open cloth and cut paneer into cubes.
PS: If you want a low fat version, use 1 litre low fat milk and 1/4 litre full fat milk.
PS: The whey is rich in nutrients. It can be added to soups or used in the gravy in which you make the paneer.

Green peas & Walnut rolls

2008-06-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

I've tried to make this a complete meal. It has a combination of protiens, carbohydrates, and essential vitamins with the walnuts throwing in a generous measure of heart healthy fats. Makes an easy and yummy tiffin box item for both kids and adults. Hope you like it :-)

Fresh or frozen Green peas - 1 cup
Walnuts - 50 gms
Egg whites - 2
Garlic - 3 cloves
Green Cucumber - 1
Green chillies - 4 Nos
Soy sauce - 2 dessertspoons (20gms)
For garnish
Mustard paste
Chilli sauce
Tomato ketchup
Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet. Add finely chopped garlic and stir till brown. Add in the green peas and keep stirring on low flame for 3-4 minutes. Break the walnut into bits and throw them in along with the green peas. Keep stirring till the peas are almost done. Add the egg whites and stir cook. The final appearance is like green scrambled eggs. Stir in the soy sauce. Julienne the cucumber and finely mince the green chillies. Add into the mixture and keep on for a minute. Take off flame. Garnish with the sauces.
Make regular chappathis or Kuboos (arabic bread). Place this filling on one side and roll the other side over to form a cylindrical shape.

Yummy hot or cold!

Peanut butter

2008-06-28T05:08:00.000-07:00

Roasted and deskinned peanuts - 200 gms
Olive oil - 2 teaspoons (10 ml)
Salt to taste
Put the roasted peanuts into a mixer and grind. When 3/4 th done add in teh oil and salt and whisk again.
PS: You can grind the peanut butter to a smooth texture or leave it coarsely ground as per your taste.

Mayonnaise

2008-06-28T05:06:00.000-07:00

This recipe is courtesy, my friend's mom! An extremely sweet assamese lady who was also a wonderful cook. Once I recieved a jar of home-made mayonnaise from her and instantly fell in love with the stuff. This is her recipe. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did :-)
For people, who don't like the idea of high cholestrol egg yolks, use milk powder or soy milk instead. Don't forget to tell me how it was :-)

Egg yolks 2
Salt & pepper
Dry mustard powder 2 tsp
Castor sugar 1 ½ - 2 Tbs
White vinegar or limejuice 1 Tbs
Garlic paste[opt] 2 tsp
Olive or sunflower oil 300 ml
Boiling water 1 ½ Tbs
Except for the oil, put all the other ingredients into a blender and blend for a couple of minutes.
Add the oil a drop at a time, and then in a steady stream until the mayonnaise thickens. Add boiling water to prevent the mayonnaise from curdling. Store in a clean bottle in the fridge.

PS:All ingredients at room temperature.
This quantity makes 300 ml of mayonnaise.

Bread bajji

2008-06-28T04:36:00.000-07:00

Bread - 8 slices
Besan ( kadala maavu/chick pea flour) - 1 cup
Rice flour - 1/2 cup
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Asafoetida (kayam) - 1/4 teaspoon
Cumin (jeera) 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying
Mix the besan, rice flour, chilli powder, asafoetida, jeera, and salt together. Add water to make a loose batter. Cut the bread slices into two. Dip each piece into the batter and make sure that batter gets coated evenly over the bread slices.
Heat oil and gently place each batter coated bread piece in. Fry till golden brown on all sides.
Serve hot with ketchup.

Garlic chutney

2008-06-28T04:17:00.000-07:00

Garlic cloves - 6 Nos
Small onions (shallots/scallions) - 10 Nos
Dry red chillies - 5 Nos
Oil - 2 teaspoons
Salt to taste

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil ina skillet. Throw in the peeled garlic, small onions, and dry red chillies. Stir fry till the onions turn translucent. Cool and grind coarsely with salt to taste. Add a dash of oil before serving.