Janmashtami / Krishnajayanthi 2011

 

Eggplant cooked in tangy-sweet sauce

"A way to a man's heart is through his stomach" I totally disagree to this adage. Why would good food will only make a man happy, why not a women or a kid? I am not trying to sound like a feminist. But on a serious note, I have fallen in love with my aunts and uncles who have cooked scrumptious meals for me. Infact, I have become a secret admirer to many home cooks. I have a special place for them in my life. It has to be re-phrased to something like "A way to a foodie's heart is through their stomach" Does it sounds better? Please excuse me for this attempt. Anyways you guys got an idea of what I meant right?

 What would you do if everyone in your family cooks so well and each dish tastes so exotic? How to ape their signature recipes? What's their secret? Yes, these are things that will run through my mind while eating their food. I am blessed to have a born in a family of brilliant cooks. There are certain dishes which will taste good only when they make it, even though you try to follow the recipe as such.That's called as "Kai pakuvam" in Tamil, literally translates to "the magic behind the hands". Lamb chinthamani by my Erode aunt, creamy custard by S mama, Karaikudi chutney by K mami, Pacha millagai sambhar by my MIL and the list of my favourite dishes continues with amma's and achi's recipes.

S perimma, my mom's eldest sister is an excellent non-vegetarian cook and the point to note is that she is a pure vegetarian and comes from a family of vegetarians. She was married at the age of 19 and learned to cook meat dishes only after being married to her purely carnivorous husband :-) She has keen interest in cooking and have seen her cookbook diary pinned with handwritten tips and withered pages of Mangaiyar malar (Tamil magazine) recipes tucked inside the book. Whenever I go to her house, I eagerly wait to taste what she has made for the day.Be it her chicken briyani or moor kozhambhu, her puri- thengai chutney (deep fried flat bread with coconut chutney) or simple poriyals (stir fries), the dishes will be well balanced with spices, perfectly garnished with herbs and salt and finally served with all her love. That's the secret I think - her unconditional love and her magical hands. She passed down her recipes of my favorite dishes to me and one such fool proof dish is this kathirikkai chaalna. Just follow the steps, you will end up in a restaurant style curry and your family is sure to get surprised.

After checking out the recipe for my corn pilaf, many have contacted me asking for the eggplant curry recipe. This curry goes by the name "Kathirikkai chaalna", it has coconut, tamarind, jaggery and every possible spice in your kitchen rack in it and is served as a side to briyani in my family. For a change, I served it with pilaf and they complimented really well with pulao/pilaf too. The smell of peppercorns toasted in oil and its spicy kick while biting it balances so well with the sweetness of the jaggery and earthiness of sesame seeds . Curry leaves and cilantro adds an excellent freshness to the aromatic base curry. The whole eggplants with the stems on it looked attractive in the serving plate.

Kathirikkai chaalna recipe is very similar to "Yennai kathirikka kozhambhu" , a common side dish served with mutton briyani in Mudaliyar household. Around the time I was getting married my amma gifted me the cookbook "Aharam- Traditional cuisine of Tamil Nadu" by Sabitha Radhakrishna as a reference book for the Mudaliyar dishes I am going to cook for S.  It's an amazing book for those who want to learn dishes predominant in Arcot district. On a personal front, most of the recipes were known to me and I also had my handwritten dairy which carried recipes of all my relatives. Still, I do use that book to cross-check the list of ingredients.

Serves 4

Ingredients

Baby purple eggplants/brinjal - 6

1 medium onion - thinly sliced

1 tomato - chopped

1 tablespoon ginger - minced

1 tablespoon garlic - minced

2 tablespoon jaggery or brown sugar

12 curry leaves

1/4 cup cilantro

1 lemon size tamarind or 2 tablespoon tamarind extract

2 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1/4 cup peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

2 teaspoon coriander powder

1 cup water

Salt to taste

For the puree:

1 small onion

1/4 cup coconut - I used dessicated one

2 cloves

2 cardamon

1 inch cinnamon

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

3 tablespoon peanuts

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

2 tablespoon sesame seeds

2 green chillies

Method

1.Wash the eggplants clean. Retain the stem and at the bulkier end, make a 1inch slit like a X. This way the curry can enter the vegetable and can make it even more flavorful. Pat dry and set aside.

2. Puree the ingredients give under its list.

3. Soak the tamarind fruit in 1/2 cup warm water for 15 minutes and using hand, squeeze the juice out of the fruit. Discard the fibrous solid material. Save the tamarind water.

4. Heat oil in a large cooking pot. Once the oil ripples, add the mustard seeds and let it pop. Then add the pepper corn and roast it for a minutes. Add the curry leaves and let it crisp.

5. Now mix in the onions and eggplants and let it brown, approximately 6-8 minutes on medium flame. Add the tomatoes, turmeric, chili and coriander powder. Saute till the raw smell disappears.

6. Add the masala puree and cook till the oil separates out, approximately 20-25minutes. Pour the tamarind extract and salt. Stir well to combine and cook for further 10 minutes. Sprinkle cilantro and mix well. Switch off the flame and serve hot with rice dishes.

Sweet poli - An Indian dessert

Sweet poli is the most popular dessert of India. For me holidays are all about friends, family, hanging out in the kitchen, tasting the gorgeous food my mom makes. She makes these lovely pancakes during Dussera and Summer holidays. As she prepared them today, the soothing aroma of the ghee was bringing back tons of childhood memories to me.

These hot polis were was prepared by stuffing the dough made from all purpose flour with sweet mixture.These are so simple to fix and can be made in less than 30minutes. The delicious coconut, earthly jaggery and a dash of cardamon creates a warmth in every mouth. A soothing layer of flour on either side of the stuffing gives them the right amount of sweetness to the dish and thus makes it enjoyable without reaching the saturation in the tongue.

Makes 6-8 polis

Ingredients
For the dough:
2 cups all purpose flour
2tsp vegetable oil
A pinch of salt
A pinch of baking soda
50ml water

For the stuffing:
1cup dessicated/fresh coconut (shredded)
1cup jaggery
1cup channa dal
1tsp cardamon powder
A pinch of salt
50ml water

Method
Warm the water in a measuring cup. Sieve the flour, baking soda and salt in a fresh bowl. Drizzle the oil on top and mix them well with hand. Add water little by little to roll them in a soft dough. You could sprinkle little flour on the kitchen bench and roll the dough over. Once done, leave them covered on the kitchen top.

Clean and steam cook the channa dal in water for 3 whistles. Cool and grind them to a course paste in a grinding jar.Heat the non-stick pan with jaggery,salt, cardamon, channa dhal, coconut, little water and cook for further 10-15minutes on medium heat. Keep stirring to avoid burning at the bottom. Remove from flame and cool. Drizzle a teaspoon of ghee for extra flavor and mix well.

Now remove the dough and roll them into tiny balls (1-2 cm radius). Sprinkle the bench with little flour. Roll out the balls into a small circle with a rolling pin (like you roll out a pizza). Take a spoonful of the stuffing and place it in the center of the circle. Seal them back to form a sphere and roll them back to a circle. Lightly dust the rolling pan and the bench to avoid sticking.


Cook them on a hot tava. Drizzle little ghee along the edges. Cook for 5-8minutes on each side. Keep the flame on low and have an eye to avoid burning.

Serve hot with a little ghee on top.

This is my entry for the 'Flat bread' event at Sandhya's kitchen.

Pacha mangai pachadi - South Indian raw mango chutney

This dish is a simple sweet-tasting avatar of the beautiful tropical fruit - Mango. My little grey matter recollects tasting this delicacy only during festivals. Mangai pachadi was cooked especially on "Varshapirappu" (Tamil New Year's day) and "Ganesh Chathurthi" (Lord Ganesh's birthday). Though so simple in preparation, nobody in my household prepared this on days other than a festival. I wonder why? This is one of my most favorite dish which I relish with a bowl of rasam & rice. I don't why my amma didn't make it often?

The de-skinned raw green mangoes and couple of green chillies were chopped and cooked in the pressure cooker until they soften and then they were paired with hot bubbling jaggery syrup.Finally the thick mixture is tempered with mustard seeds and urad dhal. My mouth is watering just to think about this. Some add dried neem flower to impart a dash of bitterness to the pachadi. Since I couldn't get a hand on those, I skipped its addition. 

The lovely sweetness from jaggery blends beautifully with the juicy mangoes and the mild heat from the green chillies gives a exotic kick every now and then. The tiny urad dhals gives a delicate crunch in every mouth. Nothing can be so simple yet exquisite in taste . Mango pachadi beams its beauty with its glossy yellow color and speckles of mustard & urad dhal around, which is a true delight to the eyes. I enjoyed it so much that I ate it like a dessert. A true earthly dish to remind you of India. Do try it!

I made this for the first time on my birthday which was months ago and repeated it so many times after that. I wanted to share my love for this dish with you all today. They are served a side dish for Indian rice and Sambhar, Rasam or Curd (Yogurt). They can also be used a spread for chapathi stuffed with paneer and Indian chat chutneys (Recipe here).

MANGAI PACHADI
Source: Amma
Serves: 4

Ingredients
2 small raw mangoes
1 long green chilly - Slit
1 cup jaggery - grated
Salt - A pinch
Water 200ml

For the tempering
2 teaspoon oil
2 teaspoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoon urad dhal

Method
1. Clean the mangoes and with a peeler remove the skin. Pat dry with a kitchen towel and using the same peeler, gently work around the flesh of the raw green mango or you can chop them into cubes as well. Do whichever is easier for you.

2. Pressure cook the mangoes and green chillie with 1/4 water for 3-4 whistles. Remove excess water. Mash them to a fine paste and cool it.

3. In the mean time, heat about 100 ml water in a cooking pan and throw in the jaggery and salt when the water is boiling hot. Maintain the heat at medium high. Let the jaggery dissolve and as they turn in to a thick syrup, which will happen in 15-20 minutes, add the mashed paste and give it a complete mix. Allow the mixture to thicken for 2-3 minutes and remove from flame.

4. In a small pan, heat the oil. Once heated, let the mustards splutter and add the urad dhal and cook for 2 minutes. Add this to the mango paste and serve hot.

Diwali suzhiyan - Deep fried dumplings with coconut, lentils and jaggery

Dear friends!

"A foodie n her cooking hat" wishes you all a "Happy Diwali"! Hope you all had a lovely time with family and friends and also with sweet treats, crackers and "diya" (lights).

Diwali is a much awaited festival in India and it depicts the mark of a happy beginning. During the growing up days, it was more exciting as Diwali shopping begins a month before the actual date. It is celebrated with the entire family at grandparent's place, hence every kid will look forward spending time with cousins and getting cash from elders (It is a ritual in India to give cash when one seeks blessings from elders by touching their feet). It is also the time where moms, aunts and grandmothers prepare delicious savorys and sweets at home.We buy new clothes, start bursting crackers nearly a couple weeks before the festival and start munching all the delicacies from the day it is made. Every diwali has been special to me since childhood and this time its more special as I am spending it with S.

I couldn't make those complicated stuffs but I tried creating suzhiyan, vadai and gulab jamun for the festival. The post for today is suzhiyan. It is a simple dessert made with jaggery, coconut and channa dhal and deep fried by coating with a maida-rice flour batter. It is super simple to make and it is super delicious in taste.

Serves: 8 balls
Ingredients

For the stuffing
1/2 cup coconut shavings
1/2 cup jaggery
1/2 cup channa dhal
1 cup water
1 tsp cardamon powder
Oil to fry

For the batter
1/2 cup maida / all purpose flour
1/4 cup rice flour
A pinch of salt
1/4-1/2 water

Method
Mix the maida, rice flour and salt in a bowl. Pour in the water little by little till it forms a pancake batter or dosa batter like consistency. Set them aside.

Pressure cook the channa dhal with 1 cup water for 3 whistles. Once done, drain the water completely and mash them.

Heat a non-stick kadai with 1/4 cup water. Once the water bubbles, throw the cardamon powder and jaggery and let it dissolve. Add the coconut shavings and channa dhal and give it a complete mix. They should roll into a dough. Remove and cool. Roll them into small balls and cool it in the freezer for 10-15 min. Heat the oil for frying. Once heated up, dip the balls in the batter and fry till golden brown. Serve hot.

Green gram cooked in jaggery and cardamons

I am back to the blogosphere after a very long break and thanks to all my friends for the lovely wishes and enquiries. It's been an exciting ride for the past few weeks. I am married, I have moved to the US - A new beginning, a new life with a new person - "S"! :-) Its been taking a lot of emotions to handle it. But I am all excited and geared up to start setting up my warm cosy home.The first day I entered this home, I was stunned to see the then-bachelor S's house to be so beautiful, neat and well organized. No mess around! Everything was kept at the right place and everything looked brand new. I was thinking to myself "Gosh!! was he really been living here for the past 2 or so years or has he bought new stuffs a week before he left for India??!!?? :-)". Such a cleanoholic is my husband!!!

I had purchased a lot of desi decor stuffs to fill my home with. S has a more westernized touch to the house. So everytime something is rearranged / replaced at home, he always spares a weird expressionless look at me. Initially that bothered me but now its better may be because I stopped looking at his face or he stopped reacting to the changes I make (smiles). Well that's my rambling about the house.

Summer is just setting in here. I just love this season of the year. Early sunrise and late naah! very late sunsets. The weather is too perfect for a lovely walk along the beautiful gardens near my home or for a perfect afternoon BBQ. I am just loving this bright and sunny days. I have started my cooking on the 2nd day after my landing in US. My kitchen was busy helping me with spreading a decent meal for S; salads, spaghetti, soups, sambar, pongal, rasam, Indian curries, egg masala and list goes on. Well, "A way to a man's heart is through his stomach" Right? (wink) :-)

Now the post for today isn't that complicated, its a simple bowl of Sweetened Green Gram. A 3-step dish, which can be whipped in no time. This is one of the most delicious snack made in any South Indian household. My mom used to make them during my growing up days and I am a big addict to it since then. It will be a sure hit among kids. The mild sweetness from the jaggery blends so beautifully with earthly green gram and the cardamon infuses a beautiful aroma to it.

Ingredients 
1 cup green gram 
1 cup jaggery 
5 cardamons - crushed  
A pinch of salt 
4 + 4 + 2 cups water

Method 
Soak the green gram in a bowl containing 4 cups of water overnight. Drain the water next day, add 4 cups of fresh water and steam cook them for 2 whistles. Drain the water and set them aside. 

Heat a saucepan with 2 cups water. Bring it to boil and add the crushed cardamons and finely grated jaggery. Stir it to dissolve them completely. Once they begin to get syrupy about 30 minutes, add the cooked green gram and give it a complete mix.Add a pinch of salt to enhance the sweetness of jaggery. Serve warm in a bowl.

Sweet dosa with jaggery and whole wheat flour

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABHI KUTTA - my most favourite kid in this world! Hugs and kisses. Hope you had a blast.

This is yet another simple recipe from my grand mom's kitchen. The sweet dosa can be made in a jiffy and this was mostly my after-the-school snack. It is eaten with idly podi and its perfect for people who love sweet-spicy combination in their foods. These are the best ones for evening snack and an excellent alternative when one runs out of idly/dosa batter.

This dosa and hot masala Chai is just perfect for the season.

Ingredients

• 2 cups maida / all purpose flour or whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup rice flour
• 1/4 cup jaggery or coconut palm sugar
• 2-3 cup water
• A pinch of salt.

Method

1. Dissolve the jaggery / coconut palm sugar in 1/2 cup water and keep aside.

2. Mix the maida / whole wheat flour, rice flour and salt well in a bowl and pour in the jaggery water. 

3. Slowly add in the desired amount of water. Beat them to a rice-batter like consistency. Let it sit for 10-15min.

Make dosas/pancakes in a skillet/tava.

Serve hot with idly podi.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABHI KUTTA!