Kachumber

Dal and chappathy seem so boring without this! So easy to make and YUM!

Onion - 1 large or medium depending on the serve size
Green chili - 1 or 2
Salt
Vinegar or lemon juice - 1 tsp to 1 tbsp

If you feel like decorating and have time why not cut a 1/4 carrot julienned ?

Cut the onion and green chili into thin slices.
Add the salt and vinegar /lime juice.
Mix well and keep aside covered until serving time.

It tastes best fresh and when you keep for long the onion turns pink.

The pink onions can be used in sandwiches (mixed with mayo) as the pungency of onions is much reduced but they are still crunchy.

Ven Pongal

(Picture taken at a restaurant in Tamil Nadu. Pongal served with sambar and 4 varieties of chutney)

(Pongal, Vadai, Sambar and chutney made at home)

Each time I travel into Tamil Nadu, my breakfast is this cannot-go-wrong dish. If you serve pongal with idly and uzhundu vadai as many marriages solemnized in Tamil Nadu do, oh my God,  I am in Heaven!

Fluffy idly, crisp vadai and steaming pongal with spicy sambar and varieties of coconut chutney. Top that!

Ingredients:

Rice / pachari (white rice, not basmati) - 1 cup

Moong dal / pashi parippu / cheru parippu - 1/2 cup
Ghee* - 3 tbsp (heaped) (or) 1/4 cup
Cashew nut (broken) - 2 tbsp
Jeera -1/2 tbsp
Whole Peppercorn - 10
Ginger (minced fine) - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - 15 , torn
Salt


Method:
Clean and soak the dal and rice together for 10 minutes.
Pressure cook with 4 cups of water and salt until mashed well (3 whistles + 10 minutes).
Open and it will be overcooked. Mix / mash well.
If you feel it is very thick (it should hold shape of the ladle when inverted on a plate) add some hot water and mix.
Heat the ghee and fry first the cashew nut and keep aside.
Next add the jeera and wait till it pops.
Turn off flame and add the rest of the ingredients (peppercorns, ginger and curry leaf).
Pour over the cooked rice-dal loose mass and mix well.
Serve hot with sambar and chutney.

Bisi Bela Bath

I love this South Indian Kichdi!

Spicy, tangy and tasty. Karnataka special!

The additional of Sambar powder masala with some garam masala and tamarind gives it an authentic twist to the North Indian Kichdi.

It has all the components a Mom would want her kids to eat - rice, dal and vegetables.

Wholesome and nearly a one pot dish!!

Great for picnics or for packed lunches.
Serve hot or cold with potato roast / pappad.

Recipe Courtesy: Mrs. Shanthi Ganesh

This quantity was sufficient for the four of us.

Rice - 1 cup

Turdal - 1/2 cup

Tamarind - 1 lime size ball

Vegetables* - 3 cups

Small onion / shallots - 1/2 cup (optional)
Tomato - 1 large

Curry leaf - 2 sprigs

Cashew nut - 2 tbsp

Ghee - nearly 3 tbsp

Salt

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Garnish: (not in pic)
Ghee / refined oil - 1 tbsp
Coriander leaf (optional)
Mustard seeds  - 1 tbsp
Red chilli - 2, broken 

Masala:

Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp

Kadala parippu / channa dal - 1 tsp

Urad dal - 1/2 tsp

Red chilly - 6

Cloves - 4
Pepper corns - 8 to 10

Cinnamon stick - 2 inch

Asafoetida - 1 small ball or 1 tbsp asafoetida powder

Coconut - 2 tbsp

Wash and soak the rice and tur dal together for 10 minutes.
* Vegetables : I have used carrot, potato, green peas and cauliflower.
Choose your own vegetables like brinjal, drumstick, capsicum.

Take a heavy bottomed vessel.
Add 1 tbsp ghee and first fry the cashewnuts till golden. Move aside.
In the rest of the ghee, add the chopped onions (if using) and curry leaf. Fry till the onion turns golden and the curry leaf crisps up. Move aside.
Then we start the masala.

First fry the asafoetida ball in the remaining ghee, if  you are not using asafoetida powder and move it aside.

Fry the other ingredients, except coconut in the remaining oil till dals turn red. Add the coconut at the very last and turn off flame. Continue stirring till vessel cools. Keep aside.

In the same vessel, boil 4 cups of water with salt, turmeric powder and 1 tbsp ghee.
Add the washed and soaked rice and tur dal into it.

By the time the rice and dal gets cooked, do the other prep work. Cut the vegetables in desired shape, extract tamarind pulp (2 cups) and powder the masala.

Once the rice and dal get half done, add the vegetables, tomato and tamarind pulp.

Now mix very well and boil. Once boiled, reduce flame and continue cooking till the vegetables soften.
Open in between, stir well and add more water , if necessary.

Once the vegetables soften and rice gets mashed, add the masala powder.

Mix very well and add 1 tbsp ghee.

Then add in the fried onion and curry leaf. Continue cooking on a low flame for 2 to 3 minutes.

That is it!
Splutter and add the mustard and red chilli in the rest of the ghee / oil.
Garnish and serve with pappad.

Kerala style Ladies finger in coconut milk

There is something with Ladies finger / Okra which is very attractive. I first fell in love with it in class 6 when my friend , a Sindhi / Gujarati used to bring along a fried version of the same with her chapathy. Here I have made a Kerala 'vendakka pal curry' which tastes good with any rice based dish esp. idiyappam.

Ladies finger / Okra - 20
sliced into 4 then cut into 2 inch long pieces and deep fried preferably in coconut oil

Onion - 1 large
Green chilli - 2, slit
Curry leaves -1 sprig
Tomato -1 medium
Salt
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Masala powder - 1tsp
Coconut milk - 1 1/2 cup
Oil for deep frying



Deep fry the ladies finger and keep aside.
In a pan saute the onions, green chili and curry leaves on a low flame till transparent.
Now add all the powders except salt.
After a minute add the tomato and saute till the skin peels off.
Now add 1 cup of water and cook covered on a low flame for 5 minutes till it gets mushy.
Add the fried okra, salt and the coconut milk.
Mix well and add more water if necessary to lighten the curry and simmer till it just starts to boil.
Serve hot.