Muringya Ela Thoran / Drumstick Leaf Stir-Fry

In kerala a drumstick tree in the backyard of a house is a common sight. There is one our back yard too. This gives a good supply of drumsticks and leaves to cook when ever you desire for a dish made out of it. Now to make this drumstick leaves upperi / thoran, pick on young drumstick leaves. Older leaves tend to be more bitter. Pick just the leaves off the stem and then clean them well.

Ingredients

2 to 3 cups - Drumstick leaves,washed

1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder

1/2 cup - Shallot/ small onion, chopped

Coarsely grind

1/2 cup - Freshly grated coconut

1/4 tsp - Jeera

1 big - Shallot / small onion

2 - Green chili

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds

1 sprig curry leaves

Method

1 ) Heat a wok or kadai with coconut oil, add mustard seeds and pop it in medium heat. Then add the shallots and fry till lightly browned. Then add turmeric powder and salt to taste and stir in.

2 ) Now add the drumstick leaves, stir and then close with a lid and cook on low heat till the leaves get wilted. Then add the coarsely ground coconut mixture, stir, close with a lid and further cook on low heat for few more minutes till done. The leaves will get cooked in it's moisture. Take care to see that the leaves don't stick to the bottom of the pan and start burning from lack of moisture.

Serve hot as a side dish with rice.

Variation - When the quantity of the leaves are less or even otherwise if you need a variation, add little par- cooked toor dal, and cook with the drumstick leaves. following the same recipe.

Mutton Masala

Mutton masala has the flavors and taste of a naadan kerala meat preparation. And i find comfort in these naadan tastes to have with rice or kerala porotta.

Ingredients

1 kilo - Mutton with bones

1/2 cup - Small onion/ shallots, chopped

1'' piece - Ginger, finelt chopped

6 big flakes - Garlic, finely chopped

1 small - Tomato, chopped

1 tsp - Turmeric powder

1/4 tsp - Red chili powder

1/2 tsp - Jeera

1 tsp - Black pepper powder

3 to 4 tsp - Coriander powder

3 tsp - Eastern, Mutton masala powder

Garnish

1/4 cup - Thenga kothu, Coconut cut to small pieces

4 sprigs - Curry leaves

Method

1 ) Marinate mutton with turmeric powder and salt to taste for 15 minutes.

2 ) Heat coconut oil in pressure cooker, add onion, ginger, garlic and fry till lightly browned. Simmer then add jeera, tomato and fry for minute or two then add all the powders - red chili powder, pepper powder, coriander powder, mutton masala powder and fry in the oil till the raw smell of the masala goes.

3 ) Add mutton pieces and fry for minute or two. Then add 1/2 cup of water, close the cooker and pressure cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Open the cooker, once cool. Place the cooker back on stove and then add the coconut pieces, curry leaves. Simmer and cook till all the gravy is used up. Now it is individual choice here, if you like a little gravy then stop cooking when the gravy thickens up. Adjust salt to taste. If you like it dry then cook till all the gravy is dried out and then add more coconut oil and fry the meat to the desired stage.

Serve hot with rice, roti or kerala porotta.

Kali Dal

Kali dal is yet another delicious Punjabi dish, that is wholesome and rich in taste. Whole black urad dal with skin is used for making this dish. Earlier i had posted 'Dal Makhani' recipe, cooked in slow cooker. This dish also can be cooked in a slow cooker to get the creamy texture for the dish. But now this a pressure cooker recipe, which is equally good.

Ingredients

1.5 cup - Whole black urad dal, washed well

5 cups - Water

3 to 4 tbsp - Heavy cream / malai

5 tbsp - Ghee

Salt to taste

Grind to a paste

2'' piece - Ginger

10 to 15 big flakes - Garlic

4 - Green chili

Seasoning

1 tsp - Jeera

2 medium - Onion,chopped

1/2 tsp - Hing powder, Asafoetida

1/2 to 1 tsp - Garam masala powder

1/2 tsp - Red chili powder

1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder

8 medium - Ripe tomatoes, pureed

Garnishing

3 to 4 tbsp - Heavy cream / malai

Some Coriander leaves, finely chopped

Method

1 ) Soak urad dal for an hour or two in enough water. You can also soak overnight and sprout it, which will be more nutritious. Then transfer to a pressure cooker along with ground ginger-garlic-green chili paste, 1 tbsp ghee, salt to taste and 5 cups of water. Pressure cook for 50 minutes. Cool the cooker then take some of the cooked urad dal and grind to a creamy consistency. Pour it back to the cooker.

2 ) For tadka / seasoning - Heat 3 to 4 tbsp of ghee in a pan or kadai, add jeera, let it splutter, then add onion and fry till the onion is well fried to a golden color then add the powders, hing, red chili powder, turmeric and garam masala powder. Let the powders get fried for a few seconds, then add the tomato puree. Stir and cook till the tomato is well cooked on low heat and the oil separates. Pour half the heavy cream and mix in well. Now pour this tadka on top of the cooked urad dal, stir in. Adjust salt to taste. Keep the cooker back on stove, simmer and cook for few minutes.

3 ) Now garnish with some coriander leaves and when serving pour some heavy cream on top and serve hot.

Serve hot with roti or basmati rice.

Laal Maas

Laal Maas, is popular Rajasthani meat dish, that is cooked with a lot of red chilies to give a very deep red color to the meat curry. This red meat curry usually prepared with goat /lamb meat and is served with roti. Rajasthani roti's are made from bajra, maize or besan.

Ingredients

1 kg - Mutton with bones

20 to 25 - Whole dried chilies

3 medium - Onions, chopped

2 tsp - Fresh Garlic paste

2 tsp - Fresh ginger paste

4 small - Bay leaves

4 - Cloves

2 - Green cardamom

2 - Black cardamom

2 tsp - Roasted cumin seeds

3 tbsp - Coriander powder

1 cup - Yogurt

Garnish

Few coriander leaves, chopped

Method

1 ) Soak whole dried chili in warm water for sometime. Then grind to a smooth paste using little water.

2 ) Heat Ghee or refined oil in cooker, add bay leaves, clove, green and black cardamom and let the spices release their aroma, then add garlic and ginger paste and stir till lightly fried, then add onion and fry till onion turns golden brown in color. Now add the chili paste and fry till the oil turns red and floats. Put in the meat and fry till the meat is well coated with the chili paste and the color of meat changes.

3 ) Now add coriander powder, cumin and yogurt and salt to taste. Cook till all the yogurt is absorbed by the meat. Then add 2 cups of water, stir, close the cooker and pressure cook for 10 minutes till the meat is fully cooked and tender. Open the cooker once cool and then garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with roti

Note - Adjust chili as per your spice level. You can add half of regular dried chili and half of kashmiri chili, to get the reddish color.

Coconut Caramel Pudding

Coconut Caramel Pudding ! Love caramel pudding for the caramel infused taste with the pudding. This one is made with coconut milk. It's easy to put together and enjoy a sweet dessert.

Ingredients

For caramel

1/2 cup - Sugar

3 to 4 drops - Lemon juice

3 tbsp - Water

For Pudding

4 - Eggs

1 cup - Thick coconut milk

3 tbsp - Sugar

Method

1 ) Make caramel - Add water, lemon juice drops and sugar to a pan and keep on stove. Sugar will melt, start bubbling and then slowing change color, when it reaches a deep golden color stage, switch off the stove and carefully pour the caramel into the utensil to make the pudding. Swirl the utensil to uniformly coat the caramel in the bottom and the sides of the utensil.

2 ) Beat the eggs very well then add sugar and beat well again. Then add coconut milk and beat again. Now pour this mixture into the caramel coated utensil. Cover utensil top with a aluminium foil.

3 ) Pour 2 to 3 cups water into a pressure cooker to steam the pudding. Place the separator that you get with the cooker. On top of the separator place the pudding utensil. Close the cooker and bring the cooker to full cooking pressure.Reduce heat to medium, steam cook for 25 to 30 minutes. To check if the pudding is fully cooked, insert a knife in the center of the pudding and if comes out clean it is done. Take off the cooker and cool completely. You can serve when cool or you can place in refrigerator for a hour and then invert the utensil into a plate and serve the pudding.

Serve as a dessert and enjoy !

Note - I have used ready made Dabur Hommade coconut milk,(200 ml packet) which worked very well for this pudding.

Arbi in Yogurt Sauce

Arbi /Taro cooked in a yogurt based gravy. Will be a good side dish with rice.

Ingredients

400 gm - Arbi / Taro

2 medium - Onion, chopped

1 tsp - Garlic paste

1 tsp - Ginger paste

Make a mixture

1/2 cup - Sour yogurt

1 tbsp - Besan / gram flour

1/2 tsp - Chili powder

1/4 tsp - Turmeric powder

2 cups - Water

Salt to taste

Seasoning

1 tsp - Mustard seeds

3 sprigs - Curry leaves

Granishing

Few coriander leaves

Method

1 ) Pressure cook abri for 5 minutes. Cool, peel and cut into small pieces. Mix yogurt, gram flour, chili powder, turmeric powder, salt and water.

2 ) Heat ghee in a kadai, add mustard and let it pop, then add curry leaves, onion and fry till onion is translucent, then add ginger and garlic paste and fry till golden brown in color. Then add arbi pieces and fry for 5 minutes. Add more ghee if necessary.

3 ) Add yogurt mixture, cover and simmer till the gravy thickens and the ghee floats on top. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Serve hot with rice.

Microwave Tips

1 ) Making oil less Pappad in Microwave - Place one pappad on the turn table and microwave. In less than 30 seconds pappad will get cooked. Watch the pappad, when it's getting microwaved. Stop the microwave as soon as the whole pappad is cooked.

2 ) Blanching Almonds - Place some almonds in a microwave safe bowl along with little water to cover the almonds.Microwave for 1.5 to 2 minutes. Take off the microwave and cool a bit. Then peel the skin off the almonds. Almond skin will peel off easily.

3 ) Drying fresh green herbs - Mint leaves, coriander leaves, Methi leaves can be dried in the microwave. Place fresh leaves in a microwave safe plate and microwave for 2 - 3 minutes. Then crush the dried leaves and store in containers.

4 ) Make tamarind pulp - Add lemon size tamarind and one cup water to a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 3 - 4 minutes. Strain to collect the pulp.

5 ) Make bread crumbs - Crumble 2 bread slices and microwave for 2- 3 minutes. Let the bread cool, which in meanwhile will dry, then powder the crumbs in blender.

6 ) Reheat Chapathi - Wrap chapathi in a napkin or paper towel and microwave for 1 to 2 minutes.

Soya Chunks Curry

A soya nuggets / chunks curry with potato tastes more or less like a mutton curry. This gravy curry will be good with rice or roti. Also if the curry rests for an hour or so, it will taste even better with all the flavors settling in. Good amount of onion and oil is used for this recipe to get good results.

Ingredients

1.5 cups - Nutrela Soya Chunks

1 big - Potato, quatered

4 big - Onion, chopped

1'' piece - Ginger, pound well

6 big flakes - Garlic, pound well

2 big - Tomato, grated or pureed

1/4 tsp - Jeera

2 tsp - Coriander powder

1 tsp - Red chili powder

1 tsp - Turmeric powder

1 tsp - Chicken masala powder

Garnish

Coriander leaves

Method

1 ) Wash soya chunks then soak in enough hot water for 1/2 an hour. Squeeze out all the water well. Again wash in fresh water and squeeze out the water. Do one more time, squeeze all the water out very well and set aside.

2 ) Heat 1/4 cup oil in a pressure cooker, add jeera, then add onion, little salt and fry on low heat till onion turns light brown in color. Now add ginger garlic paste and fry for a second. Then add the powders - coriander, red chili and turmeric powder and fry till the raw smell goes.

3 ) Now add tomato and fry till tomato is cooked and oil separates on low heat.Then add potato quarters and fry well till potato is fried a bit. Then add soya chunks and fry well for 5 minutes on low heat. Add more oil if necessary.

4 ) In another utensil bring 3 cups water to a boil. Pour this water to the cooker, stir, add salt to taste. Close the cooker and pressure cook for 2 to 3 whistles. Once the cooker is cool, open the lid, place the cooker back on heat and then add chicken masala powder, simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Then finally garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Serve with rice or roti. Serving after half an hour to one hour or more, enhances the flavor.

Vatanyachi Usal - White Peas Curry

Vatanyachi Usal is a traditional marathi dish, that is popular among local mumbai people. Dry white peas is used here for this dish.This is served hot with roti.

Ingredients

1.5 cup - Dry white peas, soaked overnight

1 medium - Onion, chopped

2 medium - Tomatoes, chopped

1 - Bay leaves

2 sprigs - Curry leaves

To fry & grind to a paste

1 medium - Onion, chopped

1'' size - Ginger, chopped

5 big flakes - Garlic, chopped

1/4 shell - Copra Or 1/2 cup - Fresh coconut, grated

1/2 cup - Coriander leaves

2 to 3 tsp - Kashmiri chili powder

1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder

1 tsp - Garam masala powder

Method

1 ) Soak white peas over night and drain.

2 ) To make gravy - Heat oil in a pan, add onion, ginger and garlic. Fry till the onion turn pinkish. Now add copra / coconut and fry till coconut turns lightly brown in color. Turn off the stove and cool. Transfer to a blender and grind along with coriander leaves, chili powder, garam masala powder to a smooth paste, adding little water as needed.

3 ) Heat cooker with some oil, add bay leaves, curry leaves, onion and fry till lightly brown in color. Now add tomato and fry till tomatoes gets cooked on low heat. Then add ground masala and stir for a few minutes. Then add the white peas, stir and mix well with masala. Add 3 cups of water, salt to taste and stir. Close the cooker and pressure cook for 15 minutes.

Serve hot with roti.

Vegetarian Tomato Omelet

Other day a friend visiting me shared with me this vegetarian tomato omelet recipe. She is a vegetarian and doesn't eat any eggs. With a name tomato omelet, i assumed it was made with eggs and tomato, but besan is the base with strong flavors of tomato, onion, coriander and spices. This turned out to be a good snack that we had with tea. Here i find similarity with punjabi puda, which is also a besan based pancake.

Ingredients

1.5 cup - Besan / Gram flour
1 big - Onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup - Coriander leaves, finely chopped
1/4 tsp - Jeera powder
1/4 tsp - Coriander powder
1/8 tsp - Hing powder
1/4 tsp - Red chili powder
Salt to taste

Grind to a smooth paste

3 medium - Tomato, chopped
1 - Green chili
1 small size - Ginger

Method

1 ) Sift besan to remove the lumps into a mixing bowl. Add onion, coriander leaves, jeera powder, coriander powder, hing, red chili powder and salt to taste. Make a paste of tomato, green chili and ginger in a blender. Add this mixture to the mixing bowl and mix all the ingredients very well. Add little water if needed and make a batter that is like a pancake or idly batter consistency.

2 ) Heat a non-stick pan. Grease with little oil. When the pan is hot, add a ladleful of the batter and spread a little. Then drizzle some oil on the top and the sides. Bubble will start forming on the batter and the bottom will start turning lightly brown in color. Using a spatula, turn the pancake over and cook on both sides evenly. Take off the pan and serve hot.

You can serve this with tomato ketchup or any chutney.

Aloo Matar Tikki, Fruit Chaat

Chaats are popular street food in india, especially in the northern regions. These are savoury snacks that are lip smacking and filling. Aloo matar tikki, a potato- green peas pattie, that is served with fruits and garnished with onion, coriander leaves, spice powders and drizzled with curds, is a very filling and delightful snack. With the tartness and sweetness of the fruits and the savoury taste of aloo matar tikki, it's a combination of taste in your mouth. Also check out aloo tikki choley chaat, i had posted some time back.

Ingredients

For Tikki

3 big - Potato, boiled with skin

1/2 cup - Green peas, boiled

2 - Green chili, finely chopped

1/2 '' piece - Ginger, finely chopped

1/2 cup - Coriander leaves, chopped

1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp - Garam masala powder

Salt to taste

To coat

4 tbsp - Bengal gram flour

To Garnish

1 cup - Mixed fruits, diced

1 - Onion, chopped

1 cup - Thick curds, beat with a little sugar

1/2 tsp - Roasted cumin powder

1/2 tsp - Red chili powder

Few sprigs coriander leaves

Method

1 ) To make tikki - Mash potato, while still warm very well. There should not be any lumps. Then crush peas with hand lightly and add to the potato and mix. Add green chili, ginger, coriander leave, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and salt to taste. Mix well, then take a little of the mixture, make a ball of it, then flatten to make a pattie / cutlet /tikki shape.

2 ) Heat oil in a pan. Spread some bengal gram flour on a plate, roll the tikki, in bengal gram flour and deep fry or shallow fry until golden brown in color. Make tikki's in the same manner with rest of the mixture.

3 ) Now to garnish and serve the tikki with fruits - Place two tikki's in a serving plate along with some diced fruits. Add some beaten curds around the plate. Sprinkle roasted jeera powder and chili powder. Garnish with chopped onion and coriander leaves.

Fruit suggestion - Pomegranates, grapes, apple and like. Cut fresh fruits when ready to serve.

Garam Masala - A Marathi Way Of Making It.

Garam Masala Powder is a blend of various spices, that is dry roasted to release the aroma of the spices and then powdered. This is stored in air tight containers, so that the aroma of the spice mix is not lost. Garam masala powder is used in a dish towards the end of the cooking, when the dish is almost done, so that the aroma of the powder is not lost. Making of garam masala powder differ from region to region and as per one's requirement to a particular dish. Here is a spice blend, given to me by a maharastrian lady, who uses this garam masala powder in her chicken curry, sabzi and other maharastrian dishes that she prepares.

Ingredients

2 tbsp - Coriander seeds

2tbsp - Black pepper corns

2 tbsp - Fennel seeds

1 tbsp - Cloves

1 tsp - Shah jeera

4 big sticks - Cinnamon

2 to 3 - Mace /Javitri

6 - Bay leaves

5 - Big black cardamom

2 - Star anise

1 to 2 tbsp - Khus khus / poppy seeds

Method

1 ) In a heavy kadai / pan, add the all the ingredients listed except khus-khus. On a low heat stir and dry roast the spices. The spices will release it's aroma and will turn lightly brown. Turn the stove off, transfer the spices into a plate to cool. Now add khus khus to hot pan and let it warm up in the heat of the pan. If needed place pan on low heat till khus-khus turn light brown. Take off stove and cool.

2 ) Once cool, transfer to a coffee grinder or a good blender that can powder the ingredients well.

Transfer the powder into a air tight container.

Now an homemade garam masala powder is ready to be used in any dish that calls for this spice blend to flavor and spice up the taste buds, with its aromatic flavors.

Phirni - Creamy Rice Pudding

It's been long since i posted a sweet dish here. Phirni / firni, a creamy rice pudding is easy to put together and a sweet delight that is garnished with nuts. The basic ingredients are milk, rice and sugar, then as to one's taste and preference you can make variations to this basic recipe. Addition of almonds, rose water, saffron or mango or strawberry can bring about variation in taste. This recipe has some almonds and rose water to enhance the taste of phirni.

Ingredients

4 cups - Milk

3 to 4 tbsp - Coarsely ground basmati rice

1/2 to 3/4 cup - Sugar ( or as to taste )

1 to 1.5 tsp - Rose water or few drops of rose essence

20 - Almonds, blanched & thinly sliced

Method

1 ) To blanch Almond - Put almond in microwave safe bowl, with little water. Microwave for one minute. Take off the microwave and set aside for few minutes to cool. You can now peel the almond skin off very easily. Slice thinly and set aside.

2 ) Boil milk in a big pan. Once the milk has boiled, take some boiled milk and mix it with ground rice to a smooth consistency. Then pour the rice mixture to the milk on stove and keep stirring continuously. Cook till the milk has thickened and has a creamy smooth consistency. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes of cooking time.

3 ) Add sugar and taste for sweetness. Adjust sweetness as per your taste and preference. After adding sugar simmer for a few minutes to dissolve the sugar, while stirring constantly. Take off the stove, add the rose essence and stir in the sliced almonds, reserving some for final garnish on top.

Pour phirni into shallow dessert bowls. Allow to cool to room temperature, refrigerate and serve cold. Traditionally phirni is served in small earthen cups / matkas, like the one in the picture.

Note - For variation, crushed pistachio nuts can be added as final garnish. Also cardamom powder can be sprinkled.