Lime pickle

My grandmother's recipe.
Can it go wrong???

Recipe source: Late (Mrs.) Lakshmi Suryanarayana Iyer
Passed on to me by Mrs.Seetha Ananthakrishnan (my aunt). :D

Ingredients:
Lime - 1 kg
Til oil - 1/2 cup + 1/4 cup
Salt
Red chilly - 150 gms or more
Uluva / Methi seeds - 1 tbsp
Asafoetida powder / kayam - 1 tbsp

Method:
Wash the lime very well and wipe dry.

Dry fry the Methi seeds till they pop and keep aside.

Dry fry the red chilly till it becomes a deeper shade of red. Add it to the methi seeds.

Cool and powder. Keep aside until necessary.

Add the 1/2 cup til oil to this and add the lime to it.

Reduce flame and stir often. The lime will blacken and start 'exploding'/ developing cracks.

Remove the lime to a plate to cool.

Wipe well with a tissue paper to remove all the black.

Cut the lime into half, then quarter and then into half - total 8 pieces. Remove all the seeds you can.

Add the powdered chilly-methi powder to the cut pieces.

Add salt.

Mix well.

Heat 1/4 cup til oil in a kadai till smoking point. You can add more oil, if you wish.
Turn off flame.

Add asafoetida powder.

Add it on top of the lime pickle and mix well.
Transfer to an airtight glass container and seal.

Tikka masala

When there is left over dishes, but not enough for everyone, expansion programs become necessary!!
Similarly, Tandoori dishes become Tikka masala. The most famous of these is the national dish of Great Britain - Chicken Tikka masala.

Ingredients:
Tandoori Aloo / Tandoori Gobi - 8 pieces
Onion - 1 large, chopped fine
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Tomato - 2, medium, chopped fine
Milk - 3/4 cup
Oil / ghee (clarified butter) - 2 tbsp + 1 tbsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Coriander leaf to garnish.

Method:
Heat 2 tbsp oil/ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel and splutter the jeera.
Add the onion, ginger and garlic paste. Fry until the onion turns golden brown.
Reduce flame and add all the powders.
Fry till the raw smell goes away.
Add the tomato and cook covered till the skin peels off.
Cool and grind to a smooth paste.
Heat the 1 tbsp oil and add the puree.
Bring to a boil and add the milk.
After 1 minute add the tandoori vegetables and cook covered for 1 more minute on a low flame.
Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

My mom's mango chammandi

My mother makes the best Mango Chammandi and it ticks all the right boxes. It sort of defines kerala as it is made with mango, coconut and 'kappal mulagu'. It is my brother's favorite.
Try having it with hot steaming rice and ghee.
Yummy, yum! Heaven!!
Just a word of caution - your breathe will smell of onions.

Ingredients:
Coconut - 1 cup
Mango (ripe but sour variety / moovandan preferred) - 1
Onion - 1 medium
Red chilly - 6
Salt
Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaf - 1 sprig

Method:
Cut the mango into small pieces.

Grind the coconut with the salt and red chilly. Grind into a fine paste.
Then add the onion, mango and grind.

Move into the serving vessel.
Splutter the mustard and urad dal in the coconut oil. turn off flame and add the curry leaf.
Add on top of the chammandi.

Tandoori Aloo / Barbecued Potato Indian style

Making Tandoori dishes at home is not a huge feat. The taste is as good as any good restaurants with a tandoori oven!

Ingredients:
Potato - 5 medium

For the marinade:
Thick curd - 1 cup
Black salt / kala namak / inthuppu - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Red colour (optional) -1 pinch
Chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Dry Mango powder / aamchoor - 1 tsp
Salt*
(* Be very careful with the salt, as aamchoor and kala namak are high in salt content.)

Other ingredients:
Onion - 2 chopped into thin 1/2 rings
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Oil - 6 tbsp
Salt
Green chilli - 2, chopped
Curry leaf - 2 sprigs (optional)
Coriander leaf for garnish

Method:
Scrub the potatoes well and cut each into 4 pieces, with the skin on. Do not peel.
Cut the Potato into big chunks.
Take water at room temperature in a sauce pan and add salt. Add the potato to this. the water should cover the Potato pieces. Keep for boiling.
Cook the Potato until it is 3/4 done. It should hold shape and the skewer must just be able to pierce it.
Cool completely.

Add all the ingredients of the marinade together and add the cooled potato to this.
Mix frequently and rest for 1 hour.

Take a heavy bottomed vessel with a tight lid.
Pour in the oil. Fry the onion and curry leaf (if using) with the coriander powder and garam masala.
When it turns golden brown, remove using a slotted spoon and keep aside.




In the left over oil and pour in the Potato with the marinade.
Cook covered till all the water of the curd gets evaporated and the potato gets well cooked.
Now open the lid and increase flame.
You have to get a charred colour on the potato, so do not mix often or reduce the flame.
Let it rest on one side, so that , that side turns deep brown.
Then toss again.
Just before serving, without turning off the flame, add the fried onion and chopped green chilli.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with mint chutney and onion rings.

Here I have served my Tandoori Aloo mixed with Tandoori Gobi.

Bengali Style Brinjal dish / Doi Begun

My daughter had been to Hyderabad recently and she came home with an amazing recipe for a side dish made with Brinjal.
Her friend's mother is a Bengali, married and settled in Andra (at present Telangana). This recipe resonated strong flavours and tastes exceptional with both Khichdi and Biryani.

Recipe is also pretty simple.

Ingredients:
Brinjal - 2
Curd - 3/4 cup
Salt to taste
Oil (preferably Vegetable) - 3 tbsp
Garlic - 4 cloves, finely chopped
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp (or more)
Hing / Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaf - 2 sprig, torn
Coriander leaf - 1 tbsp

Method:
Slit the Brinjal lenght wise with the stalk. Check for worms!!
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed vessel and place the brinjal, flesh side down, reduce flame and cook covered till it softens.
Once the brinjal softens, remove the lid, and cook till the flesh gets golden brown. Flip and cook till the skin also nearly chars.
Remove from oil and place on your serving dish. Cool completely.

In the rest of the oil, add the garlic and once it turns golden add the red chilly powder. Turn off flame and add the curry leaf. Cool completely.

Beat the curd with the salt.
Pour this over the cooled brinjal.

Then pour the flavoured oil on top.

Dust with the hing / asafoetida.
And garnish with Coriander leaf.

Serve with Biriyani and Tandoori Vegetables and Pudina chutney!!