Saabut Masoor ki Dal - Whole Red/Puy Lentils

We are off to India for a longish summer vacation. Longish because it is not our usual 2 or 3 week types, but for 6 full weeks! While I have fun there, eat good stuff and try and post about them, here is a saabut masoor dal recipe with coconut milk with ghee tadka for you. You could skip the coconut milk for the regular dal but add it to up the ante.

Ingredients:

1 cup whole masoor
1/2 cup thin coconut milk (optional)
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium tomato
1-2 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
1 tbsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 green chili, chopped (optional)
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Fresh chopped tomatoes, julienned ginger and chopped cilantro for garnish

For the tadka:
1 tbsp ghee
1 tsp cumin/jeera
1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Method:

Soak whole masoor in water for 15 minutes. Then pressure cook with turmeric until soft. Keep aside.
In a pot, heat oil. Add onions, green chilli, ginger and garlic and fry until the onions are soft.
Add tomatoes and cook until soft. Add the dry masalas, cooked masoor and coconut milk. If too thick, add some water. If skipping coconut milk, add more water. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
In a separate pan, heat ghee and add cumin. Once they sizzle, add the red chilli powder and switch off stove. Pour this over the curry. Garnish with fresh tomato, ginger juliennes and chopped cilantro.

Aloo Gobi - Spiced Potatoes and Cauliflower

My normal way of making Aloo Gobi involves cooking the potatoes and cauliflower right in the sauce. You really can't go wrong with this combination of vegetables and spices. But.. (yes, there's always a but) it is not the restaurant-kind of Aloo Gobi that I sometimes would like to have. Apparently, restaurants deep fry the vegetables, then combine them in the tomato sauce and cook through. This  recipe below is my take on the restaurant style Aloo Gobi, but without the deep frying. The parcook-and-shallow fry method came pretty close and I was happy with the end result, both texture and taste wise.

Ingredients:

1 large potato, cut into thick chunks 
1 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets and cleaned
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 large cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped fine
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp amchur/dried mango powder
1 tsp red chilli powder (or to taste)
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
5 tbsp oil, divided
Salt to taste
Chopped cilantro for garnish

Method:

In a microwave safe bowl, parcook the potatoes and cauliflower in a little water for 3 minutes on high. Cook the potatoes for an additional 2 minutes.
Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan, slide in the parcooked potatoes and cauliflower, season with a little salt and shallow fry for 5-6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside.
In the same pan, pour the remaining oil and put cumin seeds. Once they sizzle, add the chopped onions, garlic and ginger. Fry for 3-4 minutes on medium-high, until the onions turn golden.
Mix in the chopped tomatoes and let cook until soft.
Add the dry powders and the pan-fried potatoes and cauliflower.
Add salt and a few tablespoons of water. Mix well. Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes.
Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Kolhapuri Misal - Spicy Bean Sprouts Chaat

"Misal" means a mixture and that is exactly what this dish is about. A mixture of various flavors and textures - crunchy, spicy, hard and soft ingredients, all neatly layered for an explosion of flavors that only leaves you wanting more. There are variations of misal based on region and ingredients  - Puneri, Kolhapuri, Dahi etc. Misal is high in nutrition value, thanks to the usal component, which is made of sprouted beans. Various  farsan (deep fried snacks) like ganthiya, thick sev, chiwda and poha adds the crunchy layer. Kutt or tarri, is a spicy gravy that tops the usal. Some freshly chopped onions and cilantro form the final layer. A bowl of kutt is served on the side, along with some pav or bread for scooping it up.

The ever-affable Nupur of One Hot Stove had sent me some spicy Kolhapuri Masala a while ago and I used it all up in this delicious misal. This masala is available at Indian stores. The recipe for usal is adapted from Vadani Kaval Gheta, while the kat comes from Recipe Grab Bag. A typical Kolapuri misal does not contain pohe or tomato nor jaggery, says Mints. Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients and components. This was pretty quick, once the sprouting was done.

Ingredients:
Usal:
1 cup dried moth beans/matki (or whole moong or masoor matki)
1  large onion, chopped
2-3 large cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
1 tbsp Kolhapuri Masala
1 tsp cooking oil
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
salt to taste
Tadka - 1/2 tsp each mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric powder and a pinch of hing/asafoetida

Tarri/Kat:
2 large oinons
1/2 cup grated dry coconut
3-4 large cloves of garlic, crushed1 tsp ginger, grated
3-4 peppercorns
1/2 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
2 tbsp Kolhapuri Masala
2 tbsp oil
4 cups water
salt to taste

Toppings:
Potatoes, boiled and diced
Farsan (thick sev, hot mixture, chivda, ganthiya)
Thin sev
Red onion, chopped fine
Cilantro, chopped

Method:
For Usal:
Soak beans for 4-5 hours. Drain and place a cheese cloth.  Tie cloth and hang loose over a sink or with a vessel below to catch any drip. Overnight, the sprouts would have sprung and it is ready to use. This is the faster way to sprout. Alternately, once you drain, cover the beans and let sit overnight. Next morning, wash and drain again and let sit another full day. You will see sprouts in 2-3 days this way.
Pressure cook the sprouted beans with some water, until cooked.
In a pan, heat oil. Add mustard seeds. Once they pop, add cumin, turmetic and asafoetida.
Add garlic and onion and fry until slightly browned.
Toss in the cooked beans, Kolhapuri Masala, cilantro and salt. 

For Tarri/Kat:
Heat about a tsp of oil in a deep pot and fry the onions until brown. Add peppercorn, dry coconut, garlic and ginger and fry for another minute or so. Let cool and grind.
Heat the remaining oil in the same pan and fry the ground paste, until you see oil separates.
Stir in the Kolhapuri Masala, the red chilli powder and mix well.
Add water and salt and let it come to a boil.

To Serve:
In a bowl, start with usal, then add the farsan and boiled potato. Pour the tarri gravy on top and add chopped onion, cilantro and thin sev. Serve with bread or pav.  Or eat as is, which is what I do.

Zucchini and Green Peas Qorma - Zucchini & Peas in Tomato-Cream Sauce

This recipe comes from a Pakistani friend, who makes this qorma with chicken. She insists I pronounce it right - it is "qorma" with that "k" sound from the throat, and not korma like I'd normally say. We do have kurmas in South India and various kormas (navrathan, for example) from the North. "To-may-to" and "to-mah-to" kinda thing but there are minor variations in spices and ingredients between the three.

I've used zucchini and peas instead of chicken but the masala paste remains true to my friend's recipe. For chicken qorma, you'd just marinate the chicken in ginger-garlic, crushed pepper and lime paste and shallow fry the pieces. Once the gravy is done, slide the chicken pieces in and let cook for 10 minutes in the gravy.

Ingredients:

2 zucchini, diced into thick chunks
1/2 cup green peas
1/4 cup heavy cream (substitute with yogurt, coconut milk or milk, for variations)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp ghee or oil, divided
1 bay leaf
1 tsp chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)
salt to taste

To Grind:
2" cinnamon
4 cloves
2-3 cardamom pods (or 1/2 tsp cardamom powder)
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
2 tbsp cashewnuts
2 medium tomatoes
1 medium onion
4-5 pods garlic
1" ginger
1-2 green chilies

Method:

In a microwave safe bowl, parcook the green peas in a little water until slightly tender, about 2-3 minutes on high. Keep aside.
In 1/2 a tsp of hot oil/ ghee, saute cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, fennel seeds and cashews for about 20 seconds, taking care not to burn. Let cool and grind to a smooth paste along with the remaining grinding ingredients.
Heat the remaining oil, add the bay leaf. Fry for a few seconds, then add turmeric and the ground paste. Fry continuously until the raw smell of the onions are gone, about 7-8 minutes.
Add diced zucchini and parcooked peas. Stir in the cream and a little water, if required, to make a slightly runny gravy. Add red chilli powder, salt and sugar. Cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Check and adjust seasonings. Add garam masala powder and garnish with chopped cilantro.
Serve with rotis or rice.

Rava Bhath - And a Few of My Favorite Things

This week's theme for the Project-52 is "My Favorite Things". And these are a few of my favorite things -

- Deep fried food! Anytime, anywhere kinda thing with me.  Only vegetarian and savory stuff though. I can totally live my entire life without the sweet stuff.
- All curled up on a couch and eating garma garam pakodas, while listening to the sound of rain outside. Something about rain that makes the above said deep fried food even better!
- Beaches - my favorite kinda vacation involves a beach chair, a beach umbrella, a bottle of sunblock lotion and a book. The best way to relax and rejuvenate!
- Tennis - to watch and play (though I suck at it. Real bad.) When we lived in NJ, we'd go to watch US Open as Flushing was close enough. And what a pleasure it is to watch the players in action up close! I'm not star-crazy usually but when it comes to tennis, I am totally star-struck!
- Dancing! I love to dance and in my family, we tend to break into a dance for everything. We even danced to the "happy birthday" song recently! Yeah, we're kinda crazy.
- I love visiting new places, especially where history and culture abound.With two small kids now though, our outings are mainly geared towards keeping them engaged and any culture/history takes a back seat or a short cut!
- Cooking for people who appreciate food. I don't enjoy the day-to-day cooking but I'm always happy to have people over who relish food and whose company I enjoy.
 - Coffee - there was a time when I was addicted to coffee and would drink 5-6 cups a day. I still drink 4-5 times a day but I've managed to reduce the quantity and it amounts to about 2-3 cups a day.
- Watching sunsets - and we are blessed to be able to watch glorious sunsets right from our patio every evening. Something about it that makes you all grateful for the universe and appreciate the abundance of beauty around.

Coming to the recipe, Rava Bhath is a spicy, masaledar version of an upma/uppittu, with tons of vegetables. My mom used to make this for dinner at night, unlike upma, which is more a breakfast dish. Rava Bhath uses the aromatic vangibhath powder and is a crowd pleaser. Top it with ghee and surely you'll be in culinary heaven.

Ingredients:

2 cups semolina/rava, dry roasted
4 cups water
salt to taste

For the vangibhat masala:
2 cups mixed vegetables, chopped (potatoes, peas, carrots, capsicum)
1 small onion, chopped
1-2 green chillies, slit
2 tsp vangibhath pudi (or MTR Vangibhath Powder)
2 heaped tbsp coconut gratings
1/2 tsp tamarind concentrate
Tadka: 3-4 tbsp oil, 1 tsp each urad dal and mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, a few curry leaves and hing

Method:

Dry roast the rava on a low flame, until aromatic. Keep aside to cool.
In a deep pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds. Once they start to pop, add urad dal , turmeric and hing. Add curry leaves, slit green chillies and chopped onion and fry for 3-4 minutes on a medium heat.
Add chopped vegetables and mix well together. Cover and cook for 6-7 minutes, until they are soft.
Add vangibhath powder, salt and tamarind paste. The masala is ready.
Now add 4 cups of water to the masala and bring to a rolling boil.
Slowly pour in the roasted semolina, stirring continuously so that no lumps are formed.
Add coconut and salt, if required.
Cover and cook for 5 minutes on low, until the water is all absorbed.
Serve with some ghee on top.

Puli Koddel - Ash Gourd in Coconut Gravy

One of the nicest teachers I had in my Middle School retired recently and it got me thinking about my teachers throughout my school years. Some, like this wonderful lady, were passionate about teaching, they were inspiring, and genuinely wanted to reach out and connect with kids. And some were plain nasty, who probably caused more damage to kids than educate them. And some folks who were in between, for whom teaching was just a job and while they were not the best educators, they weren't harmful either.

During my first grade, "put your hand out", "show me your knuckles" were a dime a dozen every single day with the class teacher. Ms. Evan was her name and what a monster she was. Every class teacher since has been wonderful though. I was this extremely shy kid and it was my fourth grade teacher, Sr. Christilla, who brought me out of my shell and pushed me to go further. Some kids are born leaders. I was not one of them. It was my eighth grade teacher, Ms. Alfonza, who made me stand for class elections and I was the second class leader, meaning the main leader and I had to "mind" our class sometimes and were supposed to lead by example. Ninth grade saw me becoming the class leader and with Ms. Hemalatha, who was the most laidback class teacher, I was the most laidback class leader, I think! We had Moral Science as a subject, once a week, in high school. They were the most fun classes for us - no exams and good time pass. Our teacher, Sr. Bertilla, used to doze off in the middle of her talks and wake up a few minutes later and take off from where she left off, even if it was the middle of a sentence! We used to tease that Moral Science lessons were so boring that even she fell asleep but we were mortified later when we came to know that she had some illness that made her so. High School was all about sports for me and some really good coaches. Ms Jayanthi and Mr. Mahadevappa pushed us hard and made us sweat it out and even cry, at times. But our school saw the most trophies during their time. All in all, my school years have been great despite the odd not-so-great teacher here and there.

Here is the recipe for puli koddel, a tangy and slightly sweet coconut based curry from Mangalore. Ash gourd or Mangalore/Yellow cucumbers (magge/dosakaya) are the typical vegetables used in this.

Ingredients:

Ash Gourd (or Mangalore/Yellow Cucumbers), chopped into thick chunks - 2 cups 
2 cups water
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
jaggery to taste

For the tadka:
1 tsp oil
mustard seeds
curry leaves

For the paste:
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp methi seeds
2 tsp sesame seeds
3-4 red chilies (or to taste)
1 tbsp coconut gratings
1 tsp tamarind paste

Method:

Peel skin, de-seed and chop the cucumber/ash gourd into big pieces.
In a deep vessel, heat oil and do the tadka.
Add the chopped cucumber/gourd, turmeric, water and a bit of salt. Cover and cook on low until soft.
While that is cooking, roast the coriander seeds, urad dal, methi seeds, coconut and red chilies in about a tsp of oil. Dry roast sesame seeds separately. Grind to a paste along with tamarind, adding a little bit of water.
Once the cucumber is cooked, add the ground masala, salt and jaggery to taste and bring to a boil.
Serve with rice.
As a variation, I sometimes add about a half cup of cooked toor dal for added nutrition. 

Fried Green Tomatoes

He had the most adorable eyes - huge, doe-like, innocent, alluring eyes that would make anyone want to take him home to their moms while declaring their everlasting love for him. He was one irresistible charmer who made his way into my heart with just one look into his eyes. He was in my thoughts, day and night. So that is what I did - took him home to my mom and declared my love for him, that is. She was not at all happy with me walking into the house with a stranger and asking if I could keep him with me forever. Of course, she said 'no' but gave me some hope when she said I could feed him every evening. That was my first time falling in love. I was all of five and he was the cutest little pup ever!
This goes to this week's theme, "My First Time" in the Project 52 series.

Coming to the recipe, fried green tomatoes are a southern (US, that is) favorite. Folks here fry the heck out of anything and everything, I think. I'm not complaining, coz I like to eat anything and everything deep fried. This recipe is adapted from the Neelys show on Food Network. I've added cornmeal though, which according to a Southerner, is a must-have in any decent fried green tomato recipe. I have pan fried these, instead of deep frying them.

Ingredients:

2 large green tomatoes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2  eggs
1 tbsp buttermilk or milk
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 tsp red chilli/cayenne powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 cup oil for pan frying
salt and pepper for seasoning

Method:

Cut unpeeled green tomatoes into 1/3 inch slices. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Keep aside.
In a shallow bowl, combine flour and garlic. In another beat egg and milk/buttermilk together. In a third shallow bowl, combine breadcrumbs, cornmeal, cayenne and paprika.
Heat half the oil in a skillet. Dredge tomatoes in the flour mix, then dip in the egg mix and lastly through the bread crumbs-cornmeal mix.
Place the dredged slices in the hot oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, until browned.
Drain on paper towels and serve with Tabasco or Louisiana Hot sauce.