Mughlai Dum Aloo,Lazeez Kulche,Tofu Masala, Murg Nizam and fiesta Salsa in Vegan Taco!

Spring is almost here at last! YAY!
Although it rained the whole "birthday" weekend and next 2 days too without a break, it was warm enough and now the temp is in the upper 60s, lawn is green, trees are full of white blossoms and ready for green leaves, birds are chirping, Geese are flying back to the Lake and colorful flowers everywhere. It's wonderful and hopefully, old man Winter will be gone forever or at least until next November! :)

About Lucknow:
We are visiting Lucknow for RCI this month. I am not familiar with Lucknowi cuisine much and I am assuming here that most Mughlai dishes are included in popular Lucknowi cuisine.
"Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, located in what was historically known as the Awadh region. Lucknow has always been a multicultural city. Courtly manners, beautiful gardens, poetry, music, and fine cuisine patronized by the Persian Nawabs of the city are well known amongst Indians and students of South Asian culture and history. Lucknow is popularly known as the The City of Nawabs. It is also known as the "Golden City of the East", "Shiraz-i-Hind" and "The Constantinople of India." Info from WIKIPEDIA.

Mughlai Dum Aloo, Tofu Masala and Lazeez Kulche:
(I had cooked all these and made this post ready to go before kids birthdays came. I knew I would be too tired to cook anything immediately after the b'days! ;D)
These recipes are mostly adapted from Nita Mehta's "Mughlai Khana" cookbook with my changes to the recipes to suit my taste. "Dum" is method where you place all the meat or veggies along with spices in a pot, covered tightly and cooked in their juices on lower heat for a long time on the stove top or in the oven. "Lazeez" literally means "delicious" in Hindi and Urdu, Kulcha is similar to Naan without the tear shape and softer.

To make Dum Aloo:
We usually "Dum" the spices, tomato sauce and Potatoes in this dish but if you don't have the time, you can cook on the stove top, tastes equally good.

Prepare baby Aloos first:
10 round small baby Potatoes,(canned is okay too, easy to saute. If using fresh, cook in the Microwave until they are halfway cooked, dry and saute until you get golden crust)
1-2 tbsp oil to saute or shallow fry, 1/2 tsp salt.
Heat oil in a flat non-stick pan, add potatoes and saute until they are cooked with a reddish crust on top.Add some salt. Keep them aside.
Next, grind the nuts and spices to paste:
3 tbsp of mixed nuts (Pumpkin seeds, Cashews and Walnuts)
1 tbsp Poppy seeds,
1/2 tsp cumin seeds pd.
1/2 tsp Garam masala,
Roast the nuts, poppy seeds and cumin lightly and grind all these mixed Nuts, spices with garam masala and some hot water to a smooth thick paste and keep it aside.

For seasoning:
1 tbsp oil+1 tsp Butter,
2 onions, grated or finely chopped,
1" grated Ginger,
1/2 cup Tomato sauce,
1/2 tsp Paprika or Deghi chilli pd,
enough salt and 1 cup or more of water.

Dum in the oven!

Finally;
1. Heat oil and butter in a deep heavy cast iron pan or Le Crueset or any heavy pan, fry onion until soft and has a bit of reddish color, add ginger, saute for a minute and then add Tomato sauce.
3. Stir fry until you see the sauce thicken and it leaves the sides of the pan. Add paprika, salt and water, simmer for 5 mins.
4. Add Potatoes and nut paste, mix well and cover the pan (Dum) and put it the oven at 300F for about 30-50 mins. Take it out. Adjust the spices and you are ready to go! :)

Tofu masala:
Tofu masala dish is nothing but cubed extra firm Tofu added to the same Aloo Dum gravy above without the Potatoes. You can use Paneer too. My daughter loves Tofu, so I just took out some gravy from Aloo Dum and added Tofu, heated gently for her. You don't need to "Dum" this dish. Great for everybody, specially for women, as Tofu is a excellent source of Protein. My son hates Tofu though! :D

Lazeez Kulche:
Kulchas are similar to Naan without the elongated shape and are much softer. You can stuff them to bake them or just press the onions etc to bake or bake without ant spices at all for plain Kulche.
You can also cook the Kulche on the stove top on a tava/griddle instead of baking, which gives them a softer texture than baked Kulche.

You need: Makes about 6-8
2 1/2 cups Plain flour, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp Baking powder,
2 tbsp oil, 2 tbsp yogurt,1/2 warm cup milk.
1/2 tsp Yeast, 1/2 cup warm water, 1 tsp sugar.
Filling:
1 sweet onion, finely chopped, mixed with 1/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp crushed Ajwain, 1/4 tsp chilli pd, few mint leaves chopped. Keep aside. (saute onion until soft if you don't want the raw onion taste)
Topping:
few tbsp of chopped cilantro.

To bake Kulche:
1. Warm water to 90F and add yeast and sugar, keep aside for 5 mins.
2. Mix all the dry ingredients first and add oil, yogurt and mix. Now add yeast mixture, mix well. 3. Add enough warm milk, mix and knead to a soft but non-sticky dough. Add more water if you need to make the dough pliable if it's too dry.
4. Brush oil on the dough, cover and keep it in the warm place for 30mins. After it swells up, punch down, divide the dough to 7-8 balls.
5. Roll out into 3-4" circle and add 1-2 tbsps of onion filling, cover and roll out or press with your hand again to 5" circle, about 1/4" thick gently. Place them on a cookie sheet, brush some oil on top of each Kulcha, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let them rest for 5 mins.

Preheat the oven to the maximum or to 550F and pretend it's a "Tandoor!" ;D

6. Bake Kulchas 2 at a time for about 3-6mins or until slightly golden or you see dark spots on top. Take them out, place them on the cooling rack, immediately sprinkle chopped Cilantro on them. Or cook them on the stove top on a tava and press cilantro etc on top.
7. When cooled, keep them in the Tortilla warmer until you need them. You can reheat them in the microwave or in the oven quickly just before serving.

Murgh Nizam:
"Royal Chicken" or "Chicken fit for a king" is a delicious dish with spices, Raisins and mixed Nuts paste which gives a great aroma and creamy texture to the sauce. Delicious to eat with Naan or soft Kulchas. Photo isn't that great but it's super delicious, as my kids said! :)

You need:
about 2 lbs of dark and white meat chicken, cut into 2" pieces,
Seasoning:
2 tbsp oil, 2 onions chopped, 3 tbsp Ginger paste, 1 tbsp Garlic paste, 2-3 green chillies sliced, 1/2 tsp Turmeric, 1/4 tsp Chilli pd and salt.
Grind these coarsely:
1/4 cup Almonds, 2 tbsp Sesame seeds, 1/4 cup Coconut, fresh or desiccated, 1/2 tsp Cardamom seeds, 1/2 cup Yogurt or sour cream, pinch of Saffron pd or few strands of Saffron.
Garnish:
1 tsp oil or ghee to roast 2 tbsp Cashews, 1 tbsp Raisins,
1 tsp Garam Masala, chopped Cilantro and mint leaves, 1 tbsp Lemon juice.
To make:
1. Heat 2 tbsp oil, add onion and fry until reddish. Add ginger and garlic paste, fry for a minute. Add green chillies, chilli pd, salt and turmeric. Lower the heat.
2. Add coarsely ground Nuts+Yogurt paste, stir fry on low heat until the sauce is thick. Add chicken pieces and stir until chicken is whitish for 3 mins.
3. Add 1 cup or more of water, simmer for 30 mins or until chicken is cooked and sauce is thickish. Adjust the salt, and heat.
4. Garnish with cilantro, Mint, roasted Cashews and raisins, garam masala. Squeeze lemon juice if needed and serve with Kulche.

Fiesta Salsa with Cucumber,Avocado and the kitchen sink!!
Of course most of you know how to make Salsa! This is my version. Salsa is favorite for light Summer lunch, specially when I get loads of homegrown veggies from my veggie patch! In Winter, I rely on store bought fresh and canned veggies! :)

Mix all these and chill in the fridge for one hour and serve on the side with Doritos, Tortilla chips, inside the Tacos, Quesadillas, Enchiladas etc. for healthy and delicious snack.
Peel and chop 1 large cucumber, 1 Avocado, 3 Plum Tomatoes, 1/4 red onion, 1/2 cup Corn (canned is okay), 1/4 cup red bell pepper, 1 Jalapeno seeded and minced, 1/4 cup canned Red beans, 2 tbsp Cilantro, 1 garlic minced, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds powder (get Mexican cumin seeds if you can which a different smoky flavor than our Indian cumin seeds), salt, few drizzles of honey (optional) and 2 tbsp Lemon juice. Dig in with a spoon and enjoy!

A Vegan Taco!
A Mexican delight; I made my vegan Taco with Organic Wheat Tortilla, canned Organic Re-fried black beans, Fresh fiesta salsa and drizzled with Taco sauce! If I wasn't making this dish Vegan, I would add grated Jack or Cheddar cheese and sour cream in there too! Even my daughter, who usually doesn't like veggies, loved this Taco and ate this with me for lunch. So delicious with sweetish Wheat Tortilla, nutritious beans and mouthful of crunchy, tangy, hot and sweet Salsa for refreshing lunch!

To make Taco:
1. Take a Wheat Tortilla, warm it either in the Microwave for a min or heat it on a pan both sides just until soft, not crisp. Place it on a plate.

2. Heat 3-4 tbsp of refried black beans, layer it on half of the Tortilla bottom thickly, drizzle some Taco sauce or sprinkle some Taco seasoning.
3. Take a big ladleful of fiesta Salsa, layer on top of the Refried beans and fold the half of Tortilla over and serve as lunch immediately. Slurp! :)

Note: if you don't have canned refried beans, just mash soft cooked red, Kidney or black beans with salt, few chilli flakes, cumin pd, lemon juice until coarse paste and fry in a pan with some oil until thickish paste. Enjoy.

Here are the logos, links and hosts of these events. My thanks to all the event hosts fot taking time! :)

Mughlai Dum Aloo, Tofu Masala with Lazeez Kulche, go to Lavi of "Home cooked recipes", who is guest hosting "RCI-Lucknowi Cuisine" this month, an event started by LakshmiK.

Murg Nizam, goes to JZ of "dessert Pro", who is guest hosting "Go Nuts-Almonds" this month, an event started by Aquadaze.

Vegan Mexican Tacos, goes to Vaishali of "It's a Vegan World" to her event "It's a Vegan World-Mexican".

Cucumber-Avocado Fiesta Salsa, goes to Neha of "Tasty recipes" who is guest hosting "AFAM-Cucumber", an event started by Maheswari.

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A quick last minute addition for "Tried and Tasted"!

Ven Pongal and Gosthu, a delicious traditional Tamilnadu combo from Suganya's "Tasty Palettes" blog is my choice to "Tried and Tasted-Tasty Palettes", an event Sweatha of "tastyCurryleaf" is guest hosting this month and this event is started by Zlamushka of "Burnt Mouth" blog. Thanks ladies, enjoy hosting! :)

Ven Pongal with Gosthu:
Very tasty combo to have for lunch and nutritious too, thanks for the delicious recipes Suganya. Only change I made was to add Chana dal to Gosthu instead of Moong dal since Ven Pongal already has Moong dal in it. We make a similar Gosthu/Gojju in Karnataka and is called "Kadale Huli" made with Chana dal, Brinjal, Tomato and Potato to serve as a side dish with Dose.

Movies I watched:

"Rachel getting married"
Good movie to watch with family dynamics and drama, ups and downs and all that. Ann Hathaway was nominated for Oscar for playing the role of Kim, Rachel's sister in this movie, who comes home from rehab for a weekend to attend her sister's wedding.
"The boy with striped Pajamas"
I am sure not many have heard of this movie. I just picked it up out of curiosity. Glad I did!
It's heart wrenching and I almost teared up in the end. It's about a 8 yr old German boy who makes friends with another 8 yr old Jewish boy imprisoned in a concentration camp along with his father and others like him. They develop a innocent friendship and what happens in the end is shocking, saddens you and makes you very angry at the same time at the society which let something like this take place in the past! I know this is just a movie based on a fictional book but still....
"MILK"
Most of you know the story already. My heart goes out to the all the gay community. They still don't have equal rights even after all the struggles for so long. Hope they succeed and at least have the right to get married legally like the rest of us. If you have seen the movie, you know where the phrase "Twinky defense" comes from! :P

Have wonderful week and weekend, see you all later! :)

Haryanvi Cuisine: Pakodi di Kadhi, Jeera Chawal, Mooli de Paranthe, Gajar da Achar, Aloo Raita, Besan Pinni and Chhas!

Look who is wandering into the wonderful state of Haryana today!
Yes! It's that time for my favorite RCI event again and this month we are going to tour and taste Haryana, which geographically surrounds Delhi (India's Capital) on three sides, forming the northern, western and southern borders. I am not from Haryana and what I gather from reading about this state from various online websites is that it's cuisine and culture are similar to Punjab. So I am trying to do my best here to bring you few dishes from that region, so bear with me if you think they are not very authentic Haryanvi! :)

Here is what WIKIPEDIA says about Haryana:
"The name Haryana means "The Abode of God" from Sanskrit. Hari (the Hindu God Vishnu) and ayana (home), although it may also refer to the lush green landscape of the state (from Sanskrit harit meaning green).
Chandigarh is the capital of Haryana and the state of Punjab as well. Haryana was the cradle of Indus Valley and Vedic Civilizations, both flourishing on the banks of the now lost Saraswati river. Haryana contributed heavily to the Green Revolution that made India self-sufficient in food production in the 1960s. The state of Haryana has the 3rd highest Per Capita income in the country. It is one of the leading industrialized states of India and is considered to be the current major hub for the information technology and automobile industries."

About Haryanvi cuisine:
"Haryanvi cuisine is like the people of Haryana, simple, robust. The 'Land of Rotis' is an apt title for Haryana as people are fond of eating different kinds of rotis. Haryana is well known for it's agriculture and cattle wealth, so there is a abundance of milk, butter, ghee, Lassi, Thandai, Buttermilk and vegetables, which are similar to Punjab." These infos are from a Haryana tourism website. Here is my RCI Punjab post.

Regional Cuisine of India aka RCI event is started by LakshmiK and this month EC of "Simple Indian Food" is guest hosting and she has chosen Haryana (vegetarian dishes) as the state for February. Thanks for hosting EC. With all those wonderful information about Haryana, let's celebrate and cook something Haryanvi, shall we? :)


Haryanvi Thali:
(I had to get my "big gun" thali for this Haryanvi cuisine menu, smaller thali won't do! :D)
Besan (chickpea flour) Kadhi with Pakodi, Jeera (Cumin flavored) rice, Mooli (Radish) Paratha, Potato Raita, Carrot-ginger-garlic pickle, Besan Pinni and Chhas (a lightly spiced Buttermilk). Some salt sits in the middle of the thali and lemon slices and a green chilly just in case if you feel the urge to take a bite! :D


Let me type in how I made these first:
You see Kadhi Pakodi, Jeera Rice and Carrot pickle below, you enlarge this by clicking on the collage. Recipes follows.
Pakodi di Kadhi:
For making Kadhi:
1. Beat 1 cup fat free or light Sour cream with 3 cups of water and add 4 tbsp Besan (Chickpeas flour) with a whisk to avoid lumps. Add 1-2 sliced green chillies, 1 tsp or more salt, 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp chilli pd, 1/2 tsp garam masala, 1 tsp each of cumin seeds pd and Coriander seeds pd, 2 tsp ground ginger and keep stirring often, simmer gently until it bubbles and thickens slightly, may be for 1/2 to 1 hour. Do not heat on medium heat, sour cream might separate.
2. Add Besan pakodis, let them soak and simmer for a while and turn off the heat.
To make Besan Pakodis:
1. Mix 1 cup Besan, 1/2 cup minced onion, 1 potato peeled and chopped fine, 1/2" ginger grated, 1/2 tsp dry chilli flakes, salt, 1/2 tsp garam masala, 1/4 tsp of baking pd, 1/4 tsp ajwain and add enough water to make a thick batter.
2. Deep fry small balls of these batter until golden and add to the above Kadhi.
Seasoning for Kadhi:
Heat 2 tsp ghee+1 tsp oil, add 1 tsp cumin seeds and 2 dry chillies. When they splutter, add to the Kadhi and mix.

Jeera Chawal:
This is an easy ghee and cumin flavored rice to make for Kadhi, of course you can also serve Kadhi with plain rice.
1. Cook 2 cups of Basmati or long grain rice with 3 1/2 cups water, 1 tsp oil or ghee and pinch of salt or as you cook rice usually. Cool the rice a bit.
2. Heat 1-2 tbsp ghee, add 1 bay leaf and 1 tsp cumin seeds. When they are slightly golden, add to the cooked rice and mix well.

Gajar Achar:
Freshly made Carrot pickle lasts in the fridge about a week. You can also add pickle masala like SWAD brand if you have it or you can add freshly ground spices. I added some garlic and ginger slices to this too, tastes great with Mooli parathas.
Here it is:
1. Dry fry 2 tbsp reddish Mustard seeds, 1 tbsp (or 1/2 tbsp, if you don't like it too bitter) Fenugreek seeds and 2-4 (or more for spicy) dry red chillies and pound these coarsely. Keep aside.
2. Take 1 large Carrot, wash, dry, cut into 2" sticks, 1 tsp paprika for color, slice 3 garlic and 2" ginger, mix with 2-4 tbsp Lemon juice and enough salt.
3. Add ground pickle masala to Carrot etc and mix well. Tempering the pickle is optional, I didn't do it. Adjust the spices and salt, keep it in the fridge. You can use it immediately.

Alrighty, second batch now!
This part has Aloo raita, Mooli (Radish stuffed ) Paratha, Besan Pinni (a delicious dessert like Burfi) and Chhas, a lightly spiced Buttermilk to wash it all down, Haryanvi style! :)

Mooli de Paranthe:
Mooli stuffing:
1. Thickly grate Daikon or white Radish until you get about 2 cups or so, sprinkle some salt and let it rest for a while to draw out the water. Squeeze out the water to get dry Radish.
2. Mix with a bit of chilli pd or minced green chilles, tsp of grated ginger, few pinches of turmeric, 1/2 tsp cumin pd, enough salt, little Amchoor (Mango pd), 1 tsp besan or cornstarch to make it all come together.Divide into equal sized portions.
Paratha: Mix 2 cups wheat flour (Atta), salt, 2 tbsp oil or veg shortening, 1/2 tsp of baking powder(optional but makes it very flaky) and enough water to make a firm dough, make into equal sized balls and let it rest for an hour or so.
To make Mooli stuffed Parathas;
Roll out dough to 4" circle, place a Mooli stuffing, cover and carefully roll out to 5-6" circles and roast on Tava with a bit of oil until both sides are golden. Check this "Aloo parathas" post to see step by step photos of stuffing.

Aloo Raita:
1. Boil 1 or 2 Potatoes, peel and cube them, keep aside to cool them.
2. Beat 1 cup of plain thick yogurt, add salt, pepper, cumin seeds powder, pinch of Kala Namak, pinches of Chaat masala and few chopped mint and coriander leaves. Add Potato cubes and mix to chiil and serve.

Besan Pinni:
A typical Haryanvi dessert, we loved these. Tastes like Besan Laddoos we always make at home but better with Pistachios and easy to make too. They say that Pinni is the way they make these sweets squeezed in the fist of your palm. I made few of both shapes.
Here is how:
1. Sift 1/2 cup Besan well to avoid lumps.
2. Heat a non-stick pan with 2 tbsp ghee and add besan to it on low heat and keep stirring until it's roasted or until you smell the aroma. Do not burn it.
3. Add 1/2 cup powdered Sugar,1/4 tsp Saffron, 1 tsp ground cardamom, 1 tbsp toasted chopped Pistachios, mix everything very well and cook for 2 mins or until sugar is incorporated.
4. Take off the heat, add 1 or 2 tbsp of milk to it just until it's little wet but liquidy. Just enough milk so you should be able to pick up the dough and make shapes with your hand.
5. Traditionally, you take a lump of Besan mix, squeeze it gently to make a fist in your plam to get the finger prints on it like Gujarati Muthias. I made some of those until my palms started to get red and then put some in a small cup and inverted them to make the other shape.
6. Cover to keep. This recipe makes about 7-8 small pieces which is enough for us.

Finally, a Chhas:
A simple but tasty Buttermilk drink to accompany these thali dishes, somewhat like south Indian spiced buttermilk but lot less spicy! Here is my very tasty Karnataka style Majjige!
To make Chhas:
1. Beat 2-3 cups of thin Buttermilk with salt, taosted and ground cumin seeds powder, coarse pepper pd well until frothy. Few chopped mint and Cilantro on top to garnish and flavor would complete the picture! Serve with Lemon slices.
One more look without the Chhas there. This thali was delicious!! Enjoy and have a great weekend!!!


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Tried and tasted dishes from other blogs:
Thanks to all of you for posting these yummy dishes! :)

Potato Muruku, from Vijaya.
Zucchini chutney, from Laavanya. (Added 1" ginger and 1 garlic to grind and tempered with mustard seeds)
Crowder peas Usal, from Meera. (Made this with some gravy to go with soft Idlis!)
Kollu Pongal, from Jayasree.

Thank you Yasmeen for "You are a sweetheart" award, photo is in the side bar. I think you are the SWEETEST gal! :)

Book I am currently reading is:
"Q and A" by Vikas swarup, which is available at Amazon. He is a Indian diplomat serving in South Africa, the book says. This is also his first novel which is converted in to 34 languages so far! This is THE book which inspired the movie "Slumdog Millionaire".
The main character here in this book is a waiter in Mumbai who won a billion rupees in a contest and his name is Ram Mohammad Thomas!! When they arrest him, police mocks him "What kind of name is that? Your mother couldn't decide who your father is?"
Intriguing enough for ya? I am still reading it, has 12 chapters which takes to every question of that contest and his life experiences in every stage and it's very enjoyable, much more interesting than the movie! :))

Have a wonderful Shivaratri celebration on the 23rd, see you all next week with what I made for Shivaratri, a smaller thali than this for sure! No fasting in my house for any reason! ;D

Chettinadu Cuisine: Kara Kozhambu, Pirattal, Adai, Semia Payasam, Coriander chutney

My heartfelt thanks to all of you who wished and blessed Trisha last week. I did convey all of them to her, which kept her smiling the whole week. With those sackful of blessings, I am sure she can achieve anything she wants in life! In fact, she is so excited that she wants to bypass half year of high school and go straight to Chapel Hill right now and she is already listing the dishes she wants me to bring to her when she is in college!! ;D

Now, on to the serious business of "Regional Cuisine of India" event! RCI is conceived by LakshmiK of "Veggie cuisine", where we get to cook and appreciate the the regional cuisine and culture of India. This month Srimathi of "Few minute wonders" blog is guest hosting "RCI" with "Chettinadu vegetarian cuisine". Thanks for taking time to host, Srimathi, enjoy!

About Chettinadu: (Info is from WIKIPEDIA)
"Chettinad cuisine is the cuisine of the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu state in South India. Chettinad is one of the driest regions of south India. The Chettiar community, who are a majority in this region are a very successful trading community. Chettinad cuisine is one of the spiciest and the most aromatic in India. Chettinad cuisine is famous for its use of a variety of spices used in preparing mainly non-vegetarian food. The dishes are hot and pungent with fresh ground masalas, and topped with a boiled egg that is usually considered essential part of a meal. They also use a variety of sun dried meats and salted vegetables, reflecting the dry environment of the region. The meat is restricted to fish, prawn, lobster, crab, chicken and mutton. Chettiars do not eat beef and pork.
Most of the dishes are eaten with rice and rice based accompaniments such as dosais, appams, idiyappams, adais and idlis. The Chettinad people through their mercantile contacts with Burma, learnt to prepare a type of rice pudding made with sticky red rice. Chettinad cuisine offers a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.
In Chettinad food, the most important spices are marathi mokku (dried flower pods), anasipoo (star aniseed) and kalpasi (known as Dagad Phool). In addition, tamarind, whole red chillies and saunf (Fennel seeds) are also used along with cinnamon, cloves, bay leaf, peppercorn, cumin seeds and fenugreek".

My Chettinadu Thali;
Murungakkai Kara Kozhambu, Palakkai/Varukkai Pirattal, Mixed dal Adai, Semia Payasam, Turmeric rice, Coriander leaves chutney, Mango Pickle and appalam:


Murungakkai/Murungai Kara Kozhambu:
Drumsticks or Nuggekayi as we call it, is one of my favorite vegetables. I only get frozen ones here, I used those along with some Pearl onions . Loved the Kara Kozhambu, a simple but tasty Sambhar. Here is how I made it.

1. Heat 2 tbsp oil+ghee in a pressure cooker, add 1 cup peeled Pearl onions, fry until reddish and take them out onto a plate.
2. To the same oil, add pinch of hing, 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds, 1 dry red chilli, few curry leaves, 1 tbsp Peanuts, 1 tbsp chana dal, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 small onion, chopped finely. Fry until they soften, add 3 garlic, chopped, stir fry for few seconds.
3. Add 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp red chilli pd, 1/2 tsp tamarind paste, 1/2 cup Tomato sauce, cook for a minute.
4. Add 1 tbsp coriander seeds pd, 1 tsp Sambhar pd (optional), 1/2 tsp Peppercorns crushed( or as much as you want) , 2 cups water, 2 cups of 3" pieces cut Drumsticks, enough salt, mix well.
5. Close the lid and pressure cook on low heat for 20 mins. Open the lid after pressure releases, add Pearl onions, cilantro, adjust the spices to taste. Simmer for 5 mins and serve.

Palakkai/Varukkai Pirattal:
Raw Jackfruit!! YAY!! I made a spicy Pirattal/Perattal with another favorite vegetable of mine but I get only the canned ones. This is a stir fry with typical chettinad spices like Fennel seeds, cloves and peppercorns. It makes a delicious side dish to serve with rice or Adais.

1. Heat 2 tsp oil, add 1 tsp mustard seeds, few curry leaves, 1 red chilli, add 1 small onion, chopped, stir fry until reddish.
2. Add 1 or 2 cans of drained and chopped raw Jackfuit pieces, fry for 2 minutes. Canned raw Jackfruit is already soft, so you don't have to cook too much.
3. Add ground spices, pinch of turmeric, enough salt and stir fry for 2 minutes. Mix 1/4 tsp tamarind mixed with 4 tbsp water, add to Pirattal and stir until it's almost dry. You can add more water if you need it.
4. Serve along with Adai or rice or both.
Spices to grind: Don't have to roast these.
3 tbsp dry dessicated coconut, 1 tbsp yellow roasted Chana (Hurigadale, Daliya, Pottukadali, chutney dal) 1 tsp Fennel seeds, 1/2" Cinnamon sticks (Dalchini), 1 clove, 1/2 tsp peppercorns,1 tsp cumin seeds. Grind these powder to use in Pirattal.

Mixed dal Adai:
Adais are instant dosas without the hassle of fermenting etc. Adding mixed dal and brown rice makes it a healthy and quick meal. Here is my version.

1. Soak 1/4 cup each of Tuar dal, Chana dal, Moong dal, Urad dal, 1/2 cup Brown rice for 2 hrs and drain the water.
2. Grind all of these with enough water and 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 red dry chillies, salt to make a batter until smooth.
3. Heat a dosa Tava or electric griddle, pour a ladleful of batter and spread to a circle. Cook until the bottom is golden, flip and cook other side.

Serve this with Pirattal or Coriander leaves (Cilantro) chutney.

Cilantro chutney: Grind a bunch of cilantro with few green chillies, 1/4 cup fresh coconut, 2 tbsp Daliya/yellow roasted chana, 1/4 tsp tamarind paste, salt, 1/2" ginger, salt and with very little water to a smooth paste. Season with oil, mustard seeds, few curry leaves and mix with chutney.

Semia Payasam:
Of course, every Indian knows this sweet in one way or another. I used Chinese Rice Vermicelli or Rice Semia or akki Shavige in this dessert. Since rice Semia is delicate, you don't need to roast this in ghee before. here is how I made it.

1. In a non-stick pan, add 1 tbsp ghee or butter, add 1 tbsp each of Cashews, raisins, Almond slivers, fry until golden, take them out on to a plate.
2. To the same pan, add 3 cups of 2% milk, 1/2 cup brown sugar or jaggery (how much sugar to add is up to you, I always add less), bring it to boil, cook until it reduces a bit. Turn down the heat and add 1 cup Rice Vermicelli, mix and simmer.
3. Let it simmer gently, until Semia is well cooked and plump, then add 1/2 tsp of Cardamom powder to it and turn off the heat.
4. To serve, top Semia payasam with fried nuts and raisins. You can serve this cold or warm or at room temperature.

Mythreyee of "Paajaka" blog is hosting a "Sweet series: Rice/Wheat sweets/Diabetic friendly" event. My relatively low fat Semia Payasam goes to her event. Thanks for hosting, Myth. Enjoy the sweet! :)


That's the end of my Chettinadu thali, which we thoroughly enjoyed with some tasty Mango pickle and toasted Papad/Appalam! :)

Another look of Chettinad Thali:

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Here is a small list of what I tried from others so far, click to make it large.

Madras Onion Sambhar, from Kalpana.
Spicy Chicken curry, from Srilekha.
Tomatillo Kootu, from Mahimaa.
Udupi Dhania Sambhar, from Paru.
Fluffy Idlis, from DK.
Beets- Chana dal stir fry, from Priya.
Thanks for posting all these, girls! :)

Awards:
Last week, Sandhya gave me a "You have my heart" award, thank you so much, Sandhya.
Vibaas, Malar Gandhi, Lakshmi G, Pavithra, Meera and Ann gave me "Lemonade appreciation" as well. (I have posted the photos in my sidebar).
It always gladdens my heart to think that you all care so much about me even though I disappeared for almost 5 mnts from blogging! Now, I am passing both of these awards to all my blog friends who come here every week since I can't choose a few out of so many. Please go ahead, take them and enjoy. Hugs to all of you! :))

Movie:
I don't know how many of you have watched the movie called "300", about a war between 300 Greek Spartan warriors and Persians. If you have watched "300" , then you must watch the spoof of the same movie called "Meet the Spartans"!!
OMG!! I have never laughed so much in my life!! It's hilarious. All I am going to say is it involves fake Sanjaya, Paris Hilton and Brittany Spears too!! ;D

Book I read:
"The Reader" by the author Bernhard Schlink.
Kate Winslet recently won a Golden Globe award for the movie made based on this book and also nominated for Oscar as well. Interesting book; story about post World War II, long lasting relationship betn a couple with a tragic end. Book is sensual, full of suspense and very readable.

Have a wonderful Super Bowl Sunday, may the best team win! :)

Goan Cuisine; Sorpotel, Alu Ambot Tik, Pulao, Sannas, Dodol

My sincere thanks to all of you who welcomed me back to the blog world last week, including many talented young new foodies I have met so far. It's my pleasure to be a part of this foodie community, let's keep it simple, clean and have fun sharing! :)

Note to event hosts.. if you see any dish fits your event in my blogs, do give me a nudge. I will gladly send it to you. Just that it's a bit hard for me to remember all the events and deadlines, so help me out!

This week I chose to cook few Goan dishes for my post. Goa being the smallest state in the west of India, it's a coastal area which is very popular tourist destination well known for it's beaches, churches and architecture among Indians and Panaji/Panjim as it's capital, Goan cuisine is very much influenced by Portuguese among the Christian community who are fond of pork,beef dishes and Konkan style menu among Hindus. Fish, coconut are few of the staples along with addition of Feni, Toddy, Goan Vinegar are used in much diversified cuisine of Goa. For more info about Goa, click here and here.

(I don't claim to be an expert in cooking or I don't claim that my dishes are authentic to any region in any shape or form. I just post what I cook at home, sometimes experiment by borrowing from cookbooks, bloggers or websites if I am not familiar with certain dishes, which I always link or give credit to the source. So if some of you feel that the dishes are not authentic enough, please bear with me and just enjoy the recipes! You can click on the photos to see the larger images.)

Few Goan delicacies I tried;
Pulao, Sannas, Pork Sorpotel, Potato Ambot Tik and a dessert Dodol/Dhodol:
I have visited Goa several times while I was in India but haven't eaten in Goan-Portuguese homes. I chose some of these dishes to try a Goan thali by referring to this website and few books that I have like Tarla dalal's with few changes in the recipes. Toddy or Feni is not available to me, so I skipped those.

How to make these:

Potato/Batata Ambot Tik:
'Ambot' means 'Sour' in konkani & 'Tik' means 'hot/spicy'. Combination and balance of these both makes a wonderful vegetarian or non-veg dish added to Potatoes or any other vegetable you choose or meat or seafood.
Batata Ambot Tik goes to sunshinemom of "Tonguetickers" blog's FIC-Yellow" event, Thanks for hosting S! :)

Cook 3-4 peeled potatoes until almost done, sliced into thick wedges lengthwise, drain water,cool them and keep aside. Add salt to taste. Some cilantro to garnish.
1/2 tsp tamarind paste mixed with some water.Grind these:
3 or more dried kashmiri red chillies,
1 tbsp cumin seeds,
6 peppercorns,
1/4 tsp turmeric,
4 cloves garlic,
2" ginger.

To season:
3 tbsp oil,
1 large onion, sliced thin.
To make it:
1. Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add onion and saute until soft. Add Tamarind juice, ground masala and fry, adding a bit of water if necessary until you see the oil on top.
2. Add potatoes, stir gently so you don't break them and 1/2 cup water if you feel it's very thick.Sprinkle Cilantro. Little bit of gravy is great. Serve with Sannas or Pulao.

Sorpotel:
Pork is used in this classic Goan dish, which is blended with various spices, Feni and vinegar has a wonderfully colorful red gravy. It's spicy, I cut down the chillies way down! Sorpotel has a Portuguese influence and often served with Sannas or rice on festival days. It tastes better after a day or two when the spices and meat get a chance to mingle.

1. Cut 2 lbs Pork shoulder into small cubes. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a deep pan, add pork cubes and stir fry until slightly browned, keep aside.
Grind these to a paste:
3 dry red chillies, 6 peppercorns, 3 cloves garlic,2" fresh ginger,2 tsp cumin seeds, 4 cloves, 2" cinnamon (Dalchini), 2-3 tbsp apple Cider vinegar (I chose this vinegar for it's fruity taste, can use any other, like Malt vinegar). Keep the paste aside.
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil, add a cup of finely chopped onions, 2 green chillies until soft. Add ground masala paste, stir fry for 3 mins.
3. Add pork cubes, salt, 2 tbsp Feni (if you are using it), mix well. Add about 2-3 cups of water, boil, turn down the heat and simmer until oil shows on top, gravy is slightly thick.
you can use the pressure cooker which makes pork tender and quicker to make this dish too. Serve with rice or Sannas.

Sannas:
Now, these Sannas are look similar to our south Indian Idlis but in Goa they are made differently. It's batter is fermented with Toddy which gives it a tangy taste or you can also use 1 tsp yeast for fermetation, bit like Kerala Aapams. I don't have Toddy, so I made without it which came out fine except the taste of Toddy.

1. Soak 1 cup rice in water overnight. Drain the water, add to a blender with 1/2 cup coconut milk or grated coconut (add toddy now if you have it). Grind the rice coarsely like Rava/Semolina, likethickish idli batter.
2. Add (yeast now if you are using it and not Toddy),1 tsp salt and 1 tsp sugar, mix well and let it ferment for 4 hrs.
3. After 4 hrs, adjsut the salt and pour it into idli moulds and steam for 12mins just like idlis.
4. Take them out and serve. I am they are fluffy with Toddy or Yeast fermentation, for these were bit firm but great to sop up the gravy.

Pulao:
Also called Arroz Refogado, it's a simple Pulao to serve with Sorpotel, Vindaloo, Xacuti, Ambat Tik etc.You can add sausages or few veggies to make it more interesting. It's cooked in chicken stock but salted plain water will do as well or you can chicken stock cubes.

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil or butter, add few cloves, 1-2 bay leaves, few peppercorns, 2 crushed cardamom pods.
2. Add 1/2 tsp turmeric, stir and add 1 small onion,sliced. Saute until soft and slightly reddish. Add 2 garlic minced, 1" grated ginge, stir fry.
3. Add 2 cups rice, saute for a minute. Add 3 1/2 cups water (add salt)or chicken stock (skip salt). Boil first until halfway cooked and then cover and simmer on low heat.Stir to mix.
---I cook the rice first, let it cool and season it with above masala. That way, rice doesn't get soggy. If you are good at cooking rice on the stove top, go ahead and do it the traditional way.

Dodol:
Dodol is a dessert made with rice flour, coconut milk, jaggary,stirred until thick and leaves the sides of the pan like halwa and garnished with nuts.Takes a little time to make but aromatic, delicious to eat.I made a very little amount just to try.


1. Take a non-stick pan, add 2 cups of coconut milk (canned is fine), heat it on medium heat until hot.
2. Add pinch of salt, 1/2 cup or more jaggary or sugar to it, stir until it dissolves. Add few tbsps of grated fresh or sweetened coconut to it and mix well.
2. Pour in 3/4 cup rice flour little by little, kepp stirring. It becomes thick, and starts to leave the sides of pan when done.4. Pour into buttered dish.
5. Sprinkle chopped nuts like Cashews or Pistachios. When cooled, cut into shapes and serve warm or cold.

Another look of my Goan thali!!

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Check these out when you have time:
Spinach and Feta Cheese bread.
Urad dal masala vada with spicy dal dip.

Movies:
Don't miss "Gran Torino"! Clint Eastwood, as old as he is, can still hold the whole film on his shoulder alone! It's a amazing movie, loved it. I also learnt many many many "names" they call southeast Asians from this movie which I didn't know before too! :P

"Mamma Mia", and "Burn after reading" are two fun films I saw last week, rented from one of those "Red box", each film costs like $1.07 for 1 day rental. Hurray for me!! :D

"Slumdog Millionnaire" movie is based on the book "Q and A: A novel" written by an Indian author, Vikas swarup. I am planning to buy it this month.

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Here are few dishes I cooked last July from other bloggers before my kitchen was demolished. I am posting it now, one more list coming next week. Thanks for posting all these recipes, fellow foodies!

Quinoa dosa, from thetastetinkerer.
Kandi Podi, from Uma.
Mangalore chicken curry, Ranji.
Lima Beans Curry, from Medhaa.
Huli, from Ramya of Mane Adige.
Pacchi Pulusu, from Rekha.
Amaranth dal, from Anusha.
Black Eyed Peas Kurma, from Kribha.
Beans (originally made with Plantain stems) Kootu, from Srivalli.
Butter beans Subzi, from RC.
Rasam, from Sireesha.
Chole, Priti.

and now I am done! see y'all next week! :))

Sojjappalu, Dhapalam, Poori, Murukulu, Vellulli Podi from Andhra kitchen

Regional Cuisine of India is celebrating "Andhra Festival Food" in June, here is my Andhra festival thali! Vani of Batasari is hosting the "RCI-Andhra Festival food" this month, an event started by Lakshmi of "Veggie cuisine". We have already celebrated the state of Andhra Pradesh and it's cuisine few month's ago, let's have some Andhra festival food this time! Thanks for hosting Vani! :))

Andhra Festivals and feasts:
Andhra Pradesh is a amalgamation of different religions, cultures and languages and is famous for celebrating festival of every region and religion with equal pomp and enthusiasm, whether it's traditional Hindu festival or the Muslim festivals or Christmas!
Here are some of the festivals celebrated in Andhra Pradesh with much joy, feasts and prayers: Deepavali, Holi, Krishnashatmi,,Maha Shivaratri, Vijaya Dashami, , Naga Panchami,Sankranthi, Sri Rama Navami, Ugadi, Vara Lakshmi Vratam, Vinayaka Chavithi, Id-Ul-Fitr, Milad-Un-Nabi, Muharram and Christmas.
Above info is from this site and to learn more about various Festivals and rituals of Andhra Pradesh in detail, click here.

Sojjappalu with ghee, Dhapalam, Pooris, Murukulu, Vellulli (Garlic-chilli) podi from Andhra festival Kitchen:
Here is a festival thali I would love to have on any festival day, may not be the elaborate kind we usually cook for festivals but I loved it! Dhapalam/Dappalam, the book says, is made on special occasion in Andhra and Sojjappalu is a classic Andhra festival sweet. Check my old post on Andhra cuisine to see the book I referred for some of these recipes.
I didn't have a clue about which festival they cook these dishes for as Vani requested us to point out! That book didn't tell me that either but after researching a bit in the internet, came to know that these dishes are cooked as prasadam to celebrate Sri Vara Lakshmi Vratam and also on Sankranthi too.(Thanks sra!)
(Thank you "mere mai baap" (my mommy and daddy!) Google for this info, without you I am just a big, dumb, non-religious lump in the Universe! OYY! :D)

Pepper or chilli Murukulu:
Murukulu or Chaklis are crispy fried snack which is common to all 4 south Indian states in India. I love them. There are many types of Chaklis you can make using different flour combinations, this is one of them using Besan. Enjoy! :)
You need:
1 cup Chickpea flour/ Besan,
2 cups Rice flour,
2 tsp Cumin seeds crushed,
1 tsp coarsely crushed Pepper corns or red chill flakes,
salt to taste, enough Water to mix,
3 tbsp Sesame seeds,
pinch of Hing.
To make Murukulu:
1. Roast the Besan gently in a pan for a minute or two until warm, cool.
2. Add all the above ingredients and mix with enough water to make a stiff dough.
3. Put it in a Chakli maker in batches, press out Murukulu circles like here on kitchen towel and deep fry them at 375F oil. Drain, cool and store.

Vellulli Podi:
A classic Andhra powder, coarsely pounded or blended together with garlic, chilli pd and other spices is a great tasting condiment on the side for rice or rotis!
You need:
Roast these without oil:
1/2 cup dry coconut, slightly toasted,
4-6 Red chillies or less, toasted,
1 tbsp toasted Coriander seeds,
1 tbsp roasted Sesame seeds,
Enough salt,
1 tbsp grated Jaggary,
3 tbsp chopped Garlic,
2 tsp Tamarind juice or Lemon juice or 1 tsp Tamarind powder.
To make Chilly-Garlic powder:
1. Toast the first four ingredients, cool and add to a blender.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients in the list and blend coarsely.
3. Adjust the spices, cool, bottle it and store in the fridge when cooled.

To make plain flour or wheat flour (atta) Pooris, click here!

Dhapalam/Dappalam:
Dhapalam, as the cookbook says, is made on special occasion in Andhra. I had never heard of this dish before. It's a very simple and delicious side dish made with plenty of vegetables and seasoned lightly. I added some south Indian masala pd I had to make it tastier as an option.

You need:
About 6 cups of mixed vegetables of your choice, peeled, chopped into cubes,
(I used a mix of Cauliflower, baby Carrots, 1 Potato, Green Beans, Green bell pepper, Green peas, few Spinach leaves, 2 cups Bottle Gourd cubes, 1 small Eggplant, 1 Tomato)
3 Green chillies,
1/2 tsp good quality Turmeric,
3 tbsp Cilantro,
2 tsp Coriander seeds powder or any south Indian masala pd you have (optional),
2 tsp Tamarind juice,
1 tsp Jaggary or sugar,
2 tsp Rice flour mixed with 2 tbsp of water.
For seasoning:
2 tbsp oil and ghee mixed, or sesame seeds oil,
1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds,
1 tsp Mustard seeds,
2 red chillies,
few curry leaves,
pinch of Hing/Asafoetida.
To Make it:
1. Cook all the veggies with 2-3 cups of water, turmeric, green chillies gently until cooked thru' but not mashed in a pressure cooker.
2. Open the lid, add salt, jaggary, cilantro, spice powder if you are using,Tamarind, simmer gently for 2 mins.
3. Add rice flour mixture to vegetables and simmer until you get thickish gravy for about 2 mins. Turn off the heat.
4. Heat oil and add all the above ingredients and let it sizzle. Add to the Dhapalam and mix it in. YUMMY! Tastes even better the next day, great with Pooris!


Dhapalam goes to "Vegetable Of the Week", an event hosted by Pooja from "Creative Pooja" blog. Her choice of vegetable this month is "Bottle Gourd". Here is my contribution to her event, enjoy hosting Pooja!:))

Check this post for more bottle gourd dishes here!


Sojjappalu:
Sojjappalu is similar to Obbattu with dal filling we make in Karnataka. Filling for Sojjapplau is made of Rawa Kesari, just like Karnataka Kesari Bhath, but thick enough to make balls. It is stuffed in sweet dough, patted to circles and cooked. Delicious!:))

I am sending Sojjappalu to Mythreyee' from "Paajaka" who is hosting a "Sweet Series-Sweet Rotis" event. Enjoy Myth!:)

For filling you need:

2 tbsp Ghee or more if you like,
1 cup Rawa/Semolina, finer the texture the better,
Pinch of salt,
1/2 cup sugar or more if you like it sweeter,
1 tsp Cardamom powder,
1/4 tsp Saffron mixed with 1/4 cup milk,
keep some more milk ready as needed to make a solid mixture.
Roasted, finely chopped Cashews and Raisins are optional, I didn't add them to keep the wrap from tearing.
To make it:
1. Heat ghee in a non-stick pan. Add chopped nuts and raisins if you are using, then Semolina and fry stirring constantly to avoid burning the rawa.
2. When you get a golden hue or smell the roasted aroma, turn the heat down a bit and add salt and sugar, mix well.
3. Keep mixing until the sugar dissolves, take off the heat, add cardamom pd, mix. Now add 1/4 cup saffron mixed milk, mix well.
4. Place it again on the heat and stir until you get big lump of Semolina, should be able to makes balls. Add a tbsp of milk at a time only if the mixture is dry and crumbly but not too much. Cover and cook on low heat until it looks like lump.
5. Let it cool and then divide into golf ball sized rounds. Keep aside.
To make the dough:
1. Mix and knead 1 1/2 cups of plain flour or wheat flour or mix of both, pinch of salt, 1 tbsp powdered sugar, 1/2 tsp Cardamom pd and enough milk or water to make a stiff dough like poori dough.
2.Cover and let it rest for 1 hour. Divide into the same amount as Semolina balls you have made already.
To make Sojjappalu:
1. Roll one dough ball in to 3" circle, place one Semolina ball and cover with dough all over the sweet filling. (Just like making Aloo Paratha)
2. Press a little to make it flat, and roll or pat with your hand until it's about 3-4" circle. It's okay if little filling comes out, you can always patch it up. Repeat with others.
3. Instead of deep frying in ghee as the book says, cook on a griddle with bit oil or ghee brushed until golden both sides.
4. Cool and serve with a tsp Ghee on top. Perfect traditional dessert to enjoy!:)

One more look!

Enjoy and hope you make some of these!

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"Thank you Meera" dishes this week!
I was in her blog two weeks ago and saw few delicious Malvani dishes. I casually mentioned to her that I would love the recipe for Malvani powder. Next thing you know, sweet girl that she is, sent me a package with Goda Masala, Malvani masala and Kolhapuri Masala!
I thought I would choose and cook few dishes from her blog with the masalas she sent me. Each one of them were delicious, specially loved Malvani Tomato Saar and spicy Misal. I made some Pakodas for Misal as they served in Belgaum and loved it. Thank you for everything, including the "inspiration award" Meera!:))

My thanks to Delhi Belle, Sireesha, Cham, Madhavi, Roma, JZ, EC, Hetal, Latha N, Veggie Platter and Happy Cook for their awards given to me as well!

Meera's package, Kolhapuri Tambda Rassa, Misal and Malvani Tomatochi Amti/Saar.
Click on these above titles to go to Meera's blog and for the recipes. Enjoy!:))

Okay dear friends, have a wonderful week and weekend too! I have two more weeks/posts to go here before the vacation! YAY! :)