Sweet and Sour Vegetables

My neighbor harvested some pineapples and gave me 3 huge ones! So I made a sweet and sour vegetable curry and served it with white rice.

Onion -1 medium, cut into large squares
Garlic - 3 pods, chopped fine
Red chilli - 3 , broken
Cabbage - 1 cup, diced into big squares
Carrot - 1 medium , cut into thick rounds
Baby corn - 4, cut into thick rounds
Beans - 6, cut into 2 inch long sticks
Capsicum - 1 medium, cut into big squares
Pineapple - 4 tbsp, diced fine
Pineapple juice - 1/2 cup
Vinegar - 3 tbsp
salt
sugar - 2 tbsp
Pepper - 1tsp
Cornflour - 1tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp

Parboil the carrot, baby corn and beans.
Mix the pineapple juice, sugar, salt, pepper and vinegar and keep aside.
Mix the cornflour with 1/2 cup water and keep aside.

Use high flame through out the cooking process. Therefore, keep all ingredients near by.
Heat the oil in a vessel with a long handle.
Add the garlic and red chillies.
When it starts browning, add the onions.
After a minute, it will turn translucent.
Now add the parboiled vegetable, cabbage and capsicum into the pan.
Heat through for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
Now add the pineapple pieces and heat for a minute.
Add the pineapple juice mixture and bring to a boil.
Add more water if necessary.
Mix in the cornflour solution and when curry thickens turn off flame.
Change vessel almost immediately and serve hot with fried rice.

Shefali's dal

When my mother-in-law got admitted in a hospital 18 km away, my dear friend Shefali Arvind who lived near by was kind enough to provide breakfast. And she served chappathi (my in-law is severely diabetic) everyday with some variant of dal. And my in-laws liked one particular dal a lot.
So I called her up for the recipe and this dal is not only tasty but VERY easy to make.

Split yellow gram dal / cheru parippu - 1 cup
Salt
Turmeric powder - 1tsp
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Ghee - 1tbsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
(Opt) Onion - 1 small , chopped
Tomato - 1 small , chopped
Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Soak the dal in water for half an hour and keep for boiling.
When nearly cooked add the salt , turmeric powder and pepper powder. Continue boiling.
I preferred to mash the dal, but that is up to you.
In a seperate vessel heat the ghee.
Splutter jeera and if using onion, fry till translucent.
Add the tomato and when the skin starts to peel add the chilli powder.
After a minute, add to the dal.
Serve with white rice , pulav or chappathy.

Upma Kozhakatta

This dish is a classic which has be used and abused by many a brahmin house wife!
It is not 'very' easy to make but can be made in bulk. So for almost all 'well-attended functions', this dish (nicknamed - bomb - by the 'vadyar'/ purohit community) is a favorite for the cook!
There are many steps involved , but do not get intimidated!
If you get the flour ready and freeze it, then this is the easiest dish to make.
Serve with coconut chutney and/or vathakozhambu.

Ingredients:
Raw Rice (palahara pachari)- 1 cup
Coconut - 1 cup
Coconut oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Channa dal / kadala parippu - 1 tbsp
Red chilli - 3
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
salt

Method:

Making the rice flour:
Soak 1 cup of raw rice in water for 20 minutes. Drain and spread over a clean cloth. Place under the fan for about half an hour. Now grind coarsely to make rawa.

Making the upma:
Heat the coconut oil and splutter the mustard.
Now add the red chillies and channa dal / kadala parippu.
Once the dal turns red, add asafoetida and curry leaves.
Add 2 cups of water to this. (keep 1/2 cup near you to be used if necessary)
Add 1 cup of grated coconut and salt.
Once it comes to the boil , turn off flame and add the rice flour.
It should not be lumpy. Break all lumps.
Add more water if necessary.
Heat again till dry. Cool.

Making the kozhakkatta:
Make small balls of the upuma and steam them for 15 minutes.

Serve with coconut chutney and/or sambar / vattakozhambu.

Sadya in 90 minutes

How to make a sadya in 1-1/2 hrs for 2 adults and 2 children?
It is easy and with little preparation, you can easily make it. Call God and take a plunge! Remember PATIENCE is the key. And all the very best - not just for the cooking, but also for the cleaning up!

Utensils :
4 burner stove
Pressure cooker - 2 no:s - 5 lt and 2 lt capacity
Cooking vessels - 6
Kadai - 1 large , 1 medium
Thick bottomed vessel -1
Small bowls
Mixie
Ladles
Slotted spoon - 1

Banana Leaf - 4 to serve sadya

To be done in advance:
Grate 2 coconuts
Soak 1/4 cup van payar (cow pea) in water

Menu:
Payasam
Rice
Parippu
Sambar
Avial
Olan
Thoran - Cabbage
Erissery
Pulissery - mango
Rasam
Moru
Pickle - mango
Pappadam
Chips - banana
Kichadi - ladiesfinger

Ingredients:
Cooking brown rice / ottapuzhukku - 2 to 2 1/2 cups
Van payar (cow pea) - 1/4 cup soaked for 6 hrs
Broken brown rice / kaikuthari / pachari - 1/4 cup - (1 fistful)
Milk - 1/2  litre
Sugar - 1 to  1-1/2 cups
Turdal -2 1/2 cups
Tamarind - 2 1/2 lemon size balls
Asafoetida powder - 3 tbsp
Mustard - 50 gms
Coconut oil - 1 litre
Ghee - 10 tbsp
Cashewnut - 50 gms
Chilli powder -`6 tbsp
Sambar powder - 3  1/2 tbsp
Pepper powder - 2 tbsp
Jeera powder - 2 tbsp
Salt
Turmeric powder
Poppadam - 10
Curd - 1/2 litre
Jaggery - 3 tbsp
Red chilli - 10
Urad dal - 2 tsp
Gingelly oil - 2 tbsp

Raw banana (nenthira kaya)- 2
Ash gourd  / cooking cucumber - 1 kg
Carrot - 2 medium
Lady's finger - 20
Drum stick - 10 pieces of 3 inch
Pumpkin - 1/2 kg
Snake gourd - 1/4 kg
Tomato - 2 medium
Brinjal- 2
Cabbage - 1/2 kg
String beans - 100 gm
Yam - 100 gm
Green chilli - 1/4 kg
Ginger - 50 gm
Curry leaf - 10 sprigs
Coriander leaf - 1 small bunch
Raw mango - 1
Ripe mango - 2
Coconut milk - 1 cup (if using coconut milk powder add 1 cup water to 25gm of powder)

1. In the 2 liter cooker, add the washed broken brown rice / pachari , milk and sugar. Cover and when the steam starts escaping, put on the weight. Reduce flame and cook for 1/2 hour.

2. In the large pressure cooker, put the tur dal for cooking in one vessel and put the van payar in another smaller container with 1 slit green chilli. Cook for 3 whistles and keep aside. Once steam goes, mash the tur dal well. Keep aside 1 cup and into the rest add 1 glass of water. Leave to settle and move the watery upper portion aside for rasam.

3. Keep the rice for cooking inside the big pressure cooker with ample water. 3 whistles and one whistle on low flame will do the trick. Do not open till pressure gets released.

4.Rasam - Take 1/2 a ball of tamarind and extract 2 glasses of pulp. Into this add 1 tomato , salt, turmeric powder, 1 tbsp sambar powder , 1/2 tsp asafoetida powder , 1/2 tsp jeera powder and 1/2 tsp pepper powder. Boil for 5 minutes.

5.Pulissery -The ripe mango should not be skinned. Just make some large incisions. Put the whole mangoes (including seed) in a vessel with 1 glass of water, salt, turmeric powder and 1/2 tsp chilli powder. Cook covered.

6.Olan - Cut about a 1/4 of the ash gourd and 1/3rd of the pumpkin. Skin it and cut into thin slices.

7. Rasam - Once the tomato is cooked and skin starts peeling add the tur dal water into it (the watery 1 cup). Cut the other tomato into small pieces and add to rasam with 1 tsp chopped green chilli and 1 tbsp coriander leaf. Add 1 tsp sugar and keep on a low flame till it starts bubbling on the edges. Keep aside the rasam.

8. Olan - Cook covered the cut ash gourd and pumpkin with 1 slit chilli, 1 glass of water and some salt. Do NOT add turmeric powder.

9. Pulissery - Check to see if the mangoes are soft. Use a back of a ladle to break it up a bit. Do not make a mush. Grind 1 cup coconut with 1 tsp mustard and 2 green chillies. Add this to the mango pulp with 1 tbsp jaggery. Simmer for 2 minutes and just before taking off the flame add 2 tbsp of thick curd. Mix well and take off the flame.

10. Erissery - Skin the rest of the pumpkin and cut into big chunks. Put it for boiling with 1 1/2 glasses of water, salt and turmeric powder. Cook covered.

11. Olan - Once the vegetables are half cooked add the cooked van payar and continue cooking till all vegetables are nearly mashed. Take off flame and immediately add the coconut milk. Mix well. Keep covered.

12. The payasam must now be ready. Open the cooker and boil stirring occasionally for a further 5 minutes. Then change vessel and soak cooker in lots of water. WASH after 5 minutes.

13. Open the rice cooker and boil the rice again for 5 more minutes and see if it is cooked enough. Then drain off excess water.

14. Sambar - Skin about 1/3 of the rest of ash gourd and cut into square chunk. Cut 1 carrot into 1/2 inch thick rounds. Add 5 pieces of drum stick . Take about 7 lady's finger and cut into 2 inch pieces. Put all the cut vegetables into the washed small cooker.
Take 2 glasses of pulp from 1 ball of tamarind. Add salt, turmeric powder, 1 tsp asafoetida powder , 2 1/2 tbsp sambar powder and about 1 cup of cooked tur dal. Cook for 2 whistles, reduce flame and keep heating on low flame for a further 5 minutes.
Allow all steam to be released. Open and boil again with 1 tsp jaggery, 1 tsp chopped coriander leaf and 1 slit green chilli. Taste and keep aside.

15. Erissery - Grind 1 cup coconut with 1 tsp jeera powder , 1 tsp pepper powder and 2 red chillies. Add this to the cooked pumpkins. Mix well and if you want add 2 tbsp of cooked tur dal. Boil on low flame for 3 minutes and keep aside.

16. Thoran - Chop the cabbage into fine pieces and keep aside.

17. Avial - Cut the rest of the ash gourd, 1 carrot ,2 brinjals , yam, string beans, snake gourd and 1 raw banana (with skin) into sticks of 1/2 inch width * 2 inch lenght.
Use the cooker in which rice was cooked.  Start with the yam and raw banana. Add 1/2 cup of water. Give a whistle. Now add 2 cups of  tamarind pulp (taken from 1 ball) and add the other vegetables.Add salt, turmeric powder and 1 tsp chilli powder. Give 2 more whistles and keep aside.

18. Start heating 1/2 litre of coconut oil in the thick kadai.

19. Kichadi - Cut the lady's finger into 1/2 inch thick rounds. Deep fry in the hot oil till brown. Transfer using slotted spoon onto serving dish. Add salt and just before serving, add 1 cup thick curd.

20. Avial - Grind 1 1/2 cups of coconut with 4 green chillies and 1 tbsp jeera powder. Add this to the avial. Mix well. Boil for 1 minute and take off flame.

21. In the medium kadai, heat 2 tbsp ghee and fry the cashewnuts until golden brown. Pour this over the payasam.

23. Heat 1 tbsp ghee and splutter mustard. Then add 1/2 tsp jeera and 1 pinch pepper powder. Add this to the rasam.

24. Heat 4 tbsp coconut oil and splutter 3 tbsp mustard, 4 red chillies split and 4 sprigs of curry leaf. Add 1/4th of this to the kichadi, 1/4th to sambar, 1/4th to pulissery and the rest to the tur dal kept aside in the beginning.

25. Heat 2 tbsp coconut oil and splutter 1 tsp mustard. Now add 1/2 tsp urad dal , 2 split red chillies and 1 sprig curry leaf. Once dal turns red, add 1/4 cup fresh coconut. Fry till it turns light brown. Add to erissery.

26. Add 1 sprig fresh curry leaf and 1 tbsp fresh coconut oil to the olan.

27. Add 2 sprigs curry leaf and 3 tbsp coconut oil to the avial.

28. Heat 1 tbsp coconut oil and splutter mustard seed and 1 tsp urad dal. Once dal turns red, add the cabbage, 1 sprig curry leaf, 1 split green chilli, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well. Cook covered on a low flame for 10 minutes. Add grated coconut either ground or otherwise after turning off flame. Mix well and keep covered until serving time.

29. Peel the last raw banana and slit into 4. Use a slicer to cut into thin slices directly into hot oil. Deep fry until crisp. Remove using slotted spoon and salt the chips.

30. Fry the poppadams.

31. In the large mixie jar, grind 2 inch skinned ginger , 1 green chilli, salt and 1 sprig curry leaf. Now add 2 cups of curd and 2 cups of drinking water. Moru is ready.

32. Cut the raw mango into bite size pieces. Heat the gingelly oil and splutter mustard. Into this add 1 tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder , 1 tbsp chilli powder and 1 tsp asafoetida powder. Now add the cut mango. Mix well and turn off flame.

Pumpkin Ravioli

Little hard to make. But worth the effort.

Pumpkin filling:

Pumpkin - 1 1/2 cups

Onion - 1 medium

Garlic - 6 cloves

Celery - 1 stick

Mixed spices - 1 tbsp

(Thyme, oregano, chilli flakes, rosemary)

Salt

Olive oil / vegetable oil - 2 tbsp

Dough:

Maida - 200gms 

Egg - 2

Salt

Sauce:

Butter - 2 tbsp per portion

Walnut - 1 tbsp per portion

Basil - 1 sprig per portion

To make the filling:

Sauté the onion garlic and celery on low flame till translucent.

Then add the chopped pumpkin.

Sauté for 2 minutes.

Add 1-2 cup water.

Then add the mixed spices and salt.

Cook covered for 10 minutes till the pumpkin gets cooked and all water gets absorbed.

Then mash well.

Keep aside to cool.

Dough:

Every 100 gms of maida needs 1 egg.

Add salt to the measured maida.

Mix and make a well. Break the eggs into this.

Mix well so that the flour resembles bread crumbs.

Add water to make a smooth dough which does not stick.

Wrap in cling film and keep aside for 15 minutes.

After 15 - 30 minutes the dough will look like this.

Divide dough into 4 portions and take out 1 part. Keep the other parts covered as it will dry out otherwise.

Use ample flour and spread the dough thinly.

Now I will show u 2 different ways of filling the pasta.

1) use a cutter and cut out even number of circles.

Fill in one circle with the pumpkin filling.

Smear water in the edges.

Place another circle on top

Seal the edges well and see that there are no air bubbles inside.

Little time consuming beauties!!

2)After spreading the dough place filling equidistantly on one side of the sheet.

Then smear water around each ball. Fold.

Cut and seal. Be very careful about the air bubble getting stuck inside. 

Cut and seal.

Easy ravioli.

Keep a tray covered in aluminium foil ready. Dust with flour and keep the ravioli on this till cooking time. 

Keep refrigerated if you are not using immediately.

Cooking:

Take a deep vessel. Fill with water and boil.

Add salt when it starts to boil.

Once it starts to roll boil, add the pasta 10 at a time.

It is cooked if they start floating.

Then scoop it out and spread on a plate.

Sauce:

Heat butter in a pan on very low heat.

Once it melts, add the basil and broken walnuts into the pan.

Let the butter brown a bit.

Top the ravioli with this sauce.

Serve hot.

Enjoy!

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.