Vegetable Biryani

 

I used to go snack heavy at parties and stick to one main dish. Five years ago, if I made more than two items at dinner for a party, I didn't have to cook for the next few days. By the time people reached the dinner table, they would have snacked enough. Nowadays, I try to stick to a snack or two and go for a larger spread for the main meal. This biryani works well in both settings.

For the longest time, I couldn't tell the difference between a pulao and a biryani. Now, I have a vague idea. I have had many bloggers tell me the difference and Amma also makes a mean vegetable biryani, which is cooked very differently from her pulaos. This is a recipe that comes very close in taste to some good biryanis that I have had, but is cooked like a pulao. I make this very often, and in the rice cooker. So I use parboiled vegetables. If you are cooking it in a pressure cooker, feel free to use raw vegetables and decrease the water by 1/2 cup.

1 1/2 cups Basmati Rice

3 cups Mixed Vegtetables (Beans, Carrots, Cauliflower, Peas and Potatoes)

1/2 cup Onions, sliced

1/2 cup Curd

2 tbsp Oil

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

3 pods Cardamom

4 Cloves

2 sticks Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder

2 tsp Chilli Powder

1 tbsp Shahi Biryani Masala (I use Everest)

Salt to taste

Grind to a paste:

2 Onions, roughly chopped

2 Tomatoes, roughly chopped

3 cloves Garlic

1" piece Ginger

2 Green Chillies, roughly chopped

Place the vegetables in a microwave safe bowl with enough water. Cook for 8 - 10 minutes. Drain.

Wash the rice and drain.

Heat the oil in a kadhai. Add the cumin seeds. When they crackle, add the cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Add the onions and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the tomato-onion paste and fry for a few minutes. Add the salt, turmeric, chilli powder and biryani masala. Fry until the oil separates from the mixture. Add the curd and mix well. Add the vegetables and mix until the vegetables are coated with the mixture.

Add the rice and cook the mixture for a minute. Transfer to the rice cooker and add 3 cups of water. Cook until done.

I usually serve this with some mixed raita and chips/salad. This dish has been as much a hit at weekend lunches as it has been at parties.

Capsicum Rice

This weekend saw a lot of cooking as I had invited two friends from my college days over for dinner. One of them has two children and the older child loves baking. I had never really taught a child how to bake anything and I had a great time making chocolate brownies with the girls. For dinner, we had Bisi Bele Huli Anna, Coconut Sevai, Lemon Sevai, Cucumber Pachadi, and Carrot Peanut Kosumbari. For starters, we had some potato wedges and pizza.

One of my friends stayed over and we had more fun on Sunday too. I woke up this morning thinking of college and all the fun that we had back then. I decided to make Capsicum Rice for lunch today as that is a dish I learnt from another classmate's mother. It is a simple recipe, but it is always a great hit.


1 cup Basmati Rice, cooked
2 Green Capsicum, seeded and finely chopped
2 Onions, finely chopped
1 tsp Chilli Powder
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
7-8 Curry Leaves
Salt to taste


Heat the oil in a kadhai. Add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cumin seeds and asafoetida. When the cumin crackles, add the curry leaves. Add the onions and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the capsicum and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add the salt, turmeric, chilli, and cumin powders and stir well. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes. Mix the cooked rice into the capsicum mixture and cook for another minute.


This is about as simple a dish as you can think of and it tastes great. I have made it often for train journeys and once when I traveled to Bombay to celebrate my aunt's 70th birthday by taking her to a restaurant, she said the best gift I could give her was to make this capsicum rice for lunch. This has to be the most effortless way to win some appreciation.

Arisi Upma

Here I am with yet another variant of upma. It is a well established fact that I love this snack. I haven't made it that often with rice rava. And that's probably only because I didn't have easy access to rice rava. This is an absolute favourite with S and I.


1 cup Rice Rava/ Idli Rava
1 tbsp Oil
1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
1/2 tsp Urad Dal
1/2 tsp Chana Dal
1 Red Chilli
1 Green Chilli
1/2 tsp Ginger Paste
7-8 Curry Leaves
Coriander leaves for garnish (optional)
Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a kadhai and add the urad and chana dals. When the urad dal starts to brown, add the mustard and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the red and green chillies, curry leaves and ginger paste. Add the rice rava and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add 2 cups of boiling water to this. Add the salt and mix well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. The upma is done when the rava sets and is not sticky. Add the coriander leaves, if using.

Enjoy this upma with some lime pickle on the side. It's guaranteed to remind you of everything homely and nice.

Sakkara Pongal

The harvest festival, Pongal, is here. And I took the day off and cooked. I would normally put such stuff beyond me, but S had the day off. I requested the day off and since it was granted, I decided to make the most of it. Deepavali is my favourite festival, but Amma tells me that Pongal/Sankranti was really the most important festival. Considering we've been in the city for about 4-5 generations, I probably haven't made that all important connection with my agrarian ancestors. So, as with many other festivals, for me, this one, too, is about food.

A meal on Bhogi is the typical "pandigai saapadu". On Pongal day, Amma says the grinder is to be given some rest. So, our meal is mainly pongal. In different avatars of course. The basic rice and moong dal combination is used to prepare Coconut Rice, Lemon Rice, Curd Rice and Sakkara Pongal. And since it is the harvest festival, we have a sambar made with just about every vegetable. On Kaanum Pongal, the day after Pongal, we usually have Coconut Rice, Tamarind Rice and Avial.

Sakkara Pongal is the highlight of the Pongal lunch. I almost stopped eating Sakkara Pongal years ago when the mothers of two friends (both Palghat Iyers) gave me Sakkara Pongal with chopped jackfruit in it. This happened on two consecutive days. That killed both flavours at once for me. I have not been able to eat jackfruit since. Sakkara Pongal I have managed to start eating (once a year). Very soon I might get around to liking it again.

1/4 cup Rice

2 tbsp Moong Dal

1/4 cup Jaggery

1/4 tsp Cardamom Powder

1/4 cup Milk

a few strands Saffron

1 tsp Coconut, scraped

1 tbsp Ghee

2 tsp Cashews

2 tsp Raisins

Pressure cook the rice and the moong dal with 1 cup of water. Mash well. Dissolve the saffron in the milk and add this to the rice. Mix well.

Dissolve the jaggery in a little water and heat it until the jaggery dissolves completely. Strain this and bring the mixture to a boil. (It should come close to a one thread consistency.) Add the cardamom powder and the coconut. Stir in the rice-dal mixture.

In a frying ladle, heat the ghee. Add the cashews and the raisins. When the cashews turn golden, add the contents of the ladle to the pongal. Cook for a couple of minutes. The sakkara pongal is ready.

This was what our Pongal lunch looked like last year. Nothing really changed except the dining table itself. For two years in a row, I have managed to cook up the exact same meal that I ate year afyer year. (The only dish that I didn't make was Karnakizhangu Mashiyal. And that was only because I couldn't find the vegetable. I will post that soon. It is languishing in my drafts.) I must say I am proud of myself. The picture of this table full of food tells me that I did complete justice to my day off.

Happy Pongal/Sankranti to all of you. May you harvest every happiness this year.

Pongal

During all those growing up years, I sneered at this dish. I developed a taste and even started loving its Gujarati cousin, khichdi. But Pongal was not something I liked. I could tolerate it with copious amounts of green coconut chutney. Wait, there was this one dish with which I think I may have even bordered on the “looking forward to this breakfast number”. Katrikkai Gojju (Gotsu) with chana dal. I somehow don’t make pongal that much and thanks to my logic of pairing stuff, I haven’t made the gojju either. Soon, soon.


It is that time of the year. The trio of festivals, Bhogi, Pongal and Kaanum Pongal, is here. Today is Bhogi. Had I been at home, I’d have eaten a typical “pandigai saapadu”. Mor kuzhambu, yelai paruppu, rasam, vadai and payasam. I ate a pasta salad for lunch today and maybe I’ll make up for it at dinner time.


Pongal or Venn Pongal (Venn = White) is a very popular breakfast dish across Tamilnadu. I am certain that you get this dish in Karnataka and AP as well, but considering how enthused I could ever be about eating Pongal for breakfast at a restaurant (where there are nicer things like dosas), I just probably haven’t noticed this. And as always, there are ways and ways of making this dish. This is the way I make it simply because this is the way I’ve always seen it made.


1 cup Rice
1/3 cup Moong Dal
1 tsp Peppercorns
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
¼ tsp Asafoetida
1 tbsp Ghee
2 tsp Cashews
Salt to taste


Pressure cook the rice, moong dal, peppercorns and cumin seeds together with 4-5 cups of water, until the rice is soft and mushy. When done, mash well with a spoon and add the salt, asafoetida and half the ghee. In a frying ladle, heat the remaining ghee and fry the cashews until they turn light brown. Add this to the rice mixture. Serve hot with some sambar, chutney or katrikkai gojju.


This dish also forms the base for the entire Pongal lunch. Do come back tomorrow to see the traditional Pongal lunch we had each year while I was growing up. Happy Bhogi!

P.S. The round up of the Think Spice Think Carom will be up on the blog very soon. Sorry for the delay.

Thengai Sevai

As a child, I was not in the habit of eating "tiffin" after school. Amma never bothered making any after school snacks for us as we were barely interested in food. All we wanted to do was dump our bags at home and go out to play until our respective curfew times. Also, instant sevai was not popular three decades ago, if it did exist then, that is. Amma would make sevai from scratch on weekends and we looked forward to those days. (And we took turns "twisting the press".) This is one of my favourite snacks and I love taking it in my lunchbox every now and then. Not as much effort as back then, you see!

2 cups Concorde Instant Rice Sevai

1/4 cup Coconut, scraped
Salt to taste

For the tempering:
1 tsp Oil
1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida
7-8 Curry Leaves
1/4 tsp Urad Dal
3 Red Chillies

1 tbsp Cashews (optional)

Prepare the rice sevai as per instructions on the pack and keep aside.

Heat the oil in a kadhai. Add the urad dal. When the urad dal begins to change colour, add the mustard and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the curry leaves, red chillies and cashews (if using). Add the coconut and fry for a couple of minutes. Turn off the flame.

Add this to the prepared sevai along with the salt. Mix well taking care not to mash the sevai. This is good as a snack for 4 people.

Check out : Siri, Srivalli, Ranji, PJ, Curry Leaf, Medha, Priya, Bhawana, Raaji, Ruchii, Anu, Kamala, Roopa, Divya Kudua, Rekha, Divya M, Lakshmi, Lakshmi Venkatesh , Sripriya, Viji, Kamalika, Pavani, Karuna and Roochi.

Egg Masala Rice

For many years, I cooked for just one person. I ate my meals by myself. No television, no radio, just myself for company. Many a weeknight, I would skip dinner entirely and have a glass of milk or some fruit. On some days, I would make a little extra lunch so that I would have food if I didn’t feel up to cooking. I would always come back not wanting to eat the same food. Sometimes, when I look back, I think I really hadn’t gotten used to the idea of eating alone. I didn’t enjoy it that much. I had no problems living alone and, come to think of it, I did enjoy my company. But the meals were a big problem. So year after year, for most part of the 9 years, I struggled with meal times. S has a job that requires him to travel a lot. I thought all those years of training would come in handy. But each time he is out on work, I struggle with meals. I have near zero interest in cooking for myself. Breakfast and lunch are fine. But dinners I can’t seem to have by myself. Of course, more often than not, it is just that there is no dinner for me to have as I can’t drag myself into the kitchen. Then it comes down to popcorn and apple milkshake. When my enthusiasm gets the better of me, I try to make a little something for myself. This egg masala rice is one such attempt to feed myself on a busy weeknight when there was just one mouth to feed. All it took was an egg, some leftover rice and an onion.



1 Egg, hard boiled, peeled and cut in two
1 Onion, sliced
1 cup cooked Rice
1 tsp Chilli Powder
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Cumin-Coriander Powder
½ tsp Kitchen King Masala (optional)
2 tsp Oil
Salt to taste



In a frying pan, heat the oil. Add the cumin seeds. When they crackle, add the onion slices. Fry for a minute or two and add the chilli powder, turmeric powder, Kitchen King masala, if using, and the cumin-coriander powder. Fry for 2 minutes and add the salt. Add the egg halves and fry until they are coated with the spices. Allow the egg to roast to a golden colour and then take the pieces out. Add the rice to the onion mixture and cover and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the egg and enjoy it hot with a bowl of curd on the side.

Corn Methi Pulao

There was a time when I only made rice for lunch. Pasta at times maybe. But no rotis. S didn't have a microwave at work and so couldn't heat his lunch. I only made stuff that would taste good at room temperature. Ever since his office got a microwave, I started saving rice for our weekend meals. But I found that these pulaos were almost forgotten. Rice on the weekend meant a full meal that we didn't have time for during the week. Now, I make a pulao at lease once a week to take to work.

1 cup Basmati Rice, washed, soaked and drained

5-6 Peppercorns

1" tick Cinnamon

2 Cloves

2 pods Cardamom

2 Onions, sliced

1 cup Fenugreek Leaves, chopped

1/2 cup Corn

1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

2 tbsp Oil

Salt to taste

Heat the oil in a pressure pan. Add the pepper, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Add the onions and fry for 2 minutes. Add the fenugreek leaves, corn and turmeric powder and saute for a few minutes. Add the rice, salt and 2 cups of hot water. Pressure cook for 8 minutes or 2 whistles. When done, fluff with a fork.

This is a relatively bland pulao and I serve it with any sort of spicy raita. This is a great party dish and also makes for a lazy Sunday lunch.

Masala Tendli-Vangi Bhat

I can eat any amount of Brinjal. And I think I can safely say that S can eat any amount of Ivy Gourd(Tendli/Dondekai/Kovakkai/Kundru). Fortunately, it is not as though we dislike what the other adores. And this recipe is a perfect lunchbox item for the two of us. Little treats for both of us, and just one item to make and pack.

I don't even remember where I got this recipe from. I've been making this in summer as it is a nice variation from the usual roti-sabzi routine.

1 cup Basmati Rice, washed and soaked

1/2 cup Brinjal, diced

1/2 cup Ivy Gourd, sliced

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

1/2 tsp Ginger Paste

1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder

1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds

2 Medium Onions, chopped

1 tsp Green Chilli Paste

1 tsp Oil

1 tsp Cumin Coriander Powder

1/2 tsp Pepper

1/4 tsp Clove Powder

Salt to taste

Heat oil in a pressure pan and add the asafotida, ginger paste, turmeric powder and cumin seeds. When the cumin sees crackle, add the onions and green chilli paste and fry for 4-5 minutes. Add the ivy gourd and the brinjal pieces. Drain the rice and add this to the vegetable mixture. Add the cumin coriander powder, pepper and the clove powder along with the salt. Add 2 cups of hot water and pressure cook for 10 minutes or 3 whistles.

Serve with some curd or raita on the side.

This makes for a great Sunday lunch too. Not too much effort, but a great resultant dish. What more can one ask for?

Methi Pulao

Rice has come to be my comfort food. When I have to cook for myself, that is. Maggi still wins, but there could be times when it does not fit nicely into my scheme of things. When I crave something that is not everything that Maggi is. Maybe that’s a sign of growing up. Or maybe it is a sign that I’m out of Maggi. I don’t know.

This pulao never fails to impress. Thanks to its wonderful aroma, it is, no doubt, a hit at dinner parties. But I like it more because it is as comforting as it is smashing. Perfect for that simple weekend lunch, with some raita on the side. I made some plain cauliflower stir fry as a side.



1 cup Basmati Rice, washed and drained
1 cup Fenugreek Leaves, chopped
2 Onions, sliced finely
1 tsp Oil
½ tsp Cumin Seeds
¼ tsp Asafoetida
1 tsp Chilli Paste
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
Salt to taste


Heat the oil in a pressure pan. Add the cumin seeds. When they crackle, add the asafoetida and the onions. Fry for a few minutes. Add the chopped fenugreek along with the chilli and ginger-garlic pastes and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add salt and 2 cups of boiling hot water. Pressure cook on a low flame for 1 whistle.

Fluff with a fork when done and serve.

Puli Saadam (Tiger Rice)

Hostel. The word usually opens the floodgates. Memories come rushing in. Before I know it I’m transported to a time when the day of the week determined what we’d see on our plate. I remember our arguments at the dinner table. Initially on a Wednesday night, we’d instinctively know it was Fried Rice. At a later stage, even though the food was on our plate, we would look at it and say, “Today is Thursday, so this has to be Tiger Rice ya!” On the whole, I don’t know why I cribbed so much. The food was never great, but it was always decent. Except the idlis. Someday I will blog about the different types of idlis that my hostel mess dished out. Every Tuesday morning.

Today’s post is dedicated to the Tiger Rice of Kaveri Hostel. The dish has the colours of a tiger and puli = tamarind, but puli also = tiger. I don’t call it Puliyodarai. To me, Puliyodarai is a very different genus and species. This will always be my Puli Saadam. No puli kaachal or instant mixes, just a dish as simple as lemon rice… well almost. Puliyodarai that Amma or Paati make will have a separate dedicated post some day.

1 cup Rice, measured raw and then cooked
1 tbsp Gingelly (Til/Sesame) Oil
¼ tsp Mustard Seeds
¼ tsp Asafoetida
7-8 Curry Leaves
½ tsp Urad Dal
½ tsp Chana Dal
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
¼ cup Peanuts
2 tbsp Tamarind Paste
3-4 Red Chillies
Salt to taste


Heat the oil in a kadhai and add the urad dal, chana dal, mustard seeds and asafetida. When the mustard splutters, add the red chillies, curry leaves and peanuts. Fry for a couple of minutes. Add the turmeric powder and the tamarind paste. Add about ½ a cup of water and bring the mixture to a boil. Add salt and when the mixture thickens to about half the original volume, stir in the rice and take off the flame immediately. Serve with some appalams or crisps. My favourite way to eat this is with some avial on the side. This recipe is good for two people as a main course or for four to six people if there are other dishes on the menu.

I was in a very playful mood the day I made this. I microwaved some javvarisi vadaam (sago crisps) and then scooped up some rice in each. I still like to find ways to make food interesting enough to eat and despite my age, I tend to play with my food a lot.


Also known as Pulihora, this is festival food in Andhra Pradesh and I’m sending this off to Vani at Batasari for the RCI: Andhra Festival Foods event.

Cauliflower Peas Pulao

Pulaos are multipurpose dishes. They are showstoppers at parties, timesavers on weekends and lifesavers during weekday lunches. And all you need on the side with these are some crisps and curd or a raita.

This time when I made pulao, I made it with cauliflower and peas, so the predominant colour was green. I served it with a tomato pachadi. The colours almost came alive on the plate. (And as always, my pictures never do justice!)

Ingredients:

1 cup Basmati Rice

1 cup Peas

1 cup Cauliflower florets

Salt to Taste

1-2 tbsp Oil
¼ tsp Asafoetida

1” stick Cinnamon

2 Cloves

Masala (Grind to a Paste):
2 tbsp Coconut, scraped

1 cup Coriander Leaves

2-3 Green chillies

1" piece Ginger

2-3 pods Garlic

1 medium Onion, roughly chopped

1” stick Cinnamon

2 Cloves

Grind the ingredients for the masala in a mixer. This will look like coconut chutney.

Wash the rice and drain the water.

In a pressure pan, heat the oil and add the asafoetida, cinnamon and cloves. Add the ground masala and fry till the oil starts to separate from it. Add the cauliflower, peas, washed rice and 2 cups of hot water. Cover and pressure cook on a slow flame for 10-15 minutes or for 1-2 whistles. Serve hot.

Off this goes to the mixed rice event at Simple Indian Food.

Mini Cocktail Appey

I have always loved "minis". Amma used to make us mini chapatis and dosas when we were kids. Then there was this mini idlis in sambar that made waves across all restaurants in Madras. I absolutely love that dish. Even when I bake, I prefer mini cakes to the normal ones. I had some left over batter and we wanted something to go with our cocktails. I didn't want to fry anything and I was short of time as well. These came to the rescue and I know I'll make this when we have friends over too.

1 cup Dosa batter

2 tbsp Gingelly Oil

3 tbsp Idli Molaga Podi

Heat the appey kayli and smear a drop of oil onto each mould. Simmer the flame and pour a teaspoonful of the batter into each mould. Turn after a minute and remove from the mould. Repeat with the remainder of the batter. (The oiling needs to be done only once.)

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the molaga podi. Mix well. Toss the mini appeys in this mixture until each is well coated. Remove from the pan and serve.

This is not exactly a "recipe". But I was thrilled with the results. This is like a cross between molaga smeared mini idlis and appeys. And it served the purpose... very well. So, the next time you're in the mood for a non fried starter, you know where to look.

Vegetable Dosa

I have been advised by many people to keep dosa batter ready at all times. I try to do this every once in a while, but I'm not sure I'm anywhere close to having it in there all the time. And I don't ferment my dosa batter because I love the taste of dosas made out of freshly ground batter. (I am told I am breaking a cardinal rule here, but then that's just me!)

Sometimes the batter lying in the fridge does get sour. And by day 4 or 5, it is ready for uttapam style dosas. I add vegetables to the batter to make this a meal by itself (OK, almost!)

1 cup Dosa batter

1 Carrot, grated

1/4 cup Beans, finely chopped

1 Onion, finely chopped

1 tsp Ginger Paste

1 tsp Chilli Paste

2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped

Salt to taste

Steam the beans and carrots or cook in a microwave for 2 mins with a little water. Add this mixture to the dosa batter. Add the onions, chilli paste, ginger paste, coriander leaves and a little salt. Mix well.

Heat a griddle (tawa) and smear a little oil on it. Simmer the flame and pour a ladleful of the batter in the centre of the tawa and spread it a little to form a circle. Add a little oil on the sides and centre, usually not more than 1 small spoonful per dosa. After a couple of minutes, carefully turn the dosa over and allow the other side to cook a little. Serve hot with some chutney or molagapodi.

I'd made this for Srivalli's Dosa Mela, but couldn't post it then thanks to some constraints. Since it has been in my drafts forever, I decided now might be a good time to share this easy recipe with all of you.

Day 4 of the Recipe Marathon saw the following posts:

Srivalli: Kasara Kaya Vepudu

Lakshmi: How to set Curd.

Dhivs: aromatic bread

Arundathi: two lovely dipping sauces
Swati: Neelam ji ki Teekhi aur Meethi Methi wali Kaddu ki Sabzi

Divya: Moong Dal Sundal

Ranji: Methi Dosa

Bhags: comfort food with 'seven' veggies

Siri: Moroccan Spaghetti

Vegetable Rice

I haven't been cooking a great deal. It is already so hot in Delhi/Gurgaon that all I want to do is sit down with tall glasses of juice or iced tea. But meals must be eaten and one dish meals rule my roost during these hot months. This rice makes an excellent lunch idea and I'm sure it will be a hit at parties too.

Ingredients:

250 g Mixed Boiled Vegetables (Carrot, Beans, Peas)

Rice:

1 cup Basmati Rice

¼ tsp Turmeric Powder

½ tsp Oil

1 tsp Salt

Masala:

2 tbsp Coriander Seeds

1/8 cup Coconut, scraped

2-3 Cloves

2-3” stick of Cinnamon

2-3 Red Chillies

2 tbsp Tamarind Paste

Salt to taste

1 tsp Oil

Tempering:

1 tbsp Oil

1 tsp Mustard Seeds

¼ tsp Asafoetida

8-10 Curry Leaves

Coriander Leaves for the garnish

Heat the oil and roast the coriander seeds for 2-3 minutes. Add the chillies, cloves, cinnamon and coconut and roast for a little longer. Grind this mixture to a paste adding the tamarind paste and salt.

Add 2 cups of water and cook the rice in a pressure cooker with the oil, turmeric and salt.

In a pressure pan, heat the oil for the tempering, add the mustard seeds and the asafetida. When the mustard seeds splutter, add the curry leaves and the mixed vegetables. Fry for a couple of minutes. Add the ground masala and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add the cooked rice along with salt and mix thoroughly. Cover and cook on a low flame for 2-3 minutes.

Cloves form an important ingredient in this dish and I am sending this to Canela & Comino for the Think Spice - Think Clove event, Sunita's initiative.

I must admit I got a wee bit jealous last week when I read Nupur's post. I thought about how happy it would make me to receive a small package filled with lovely stuff. And my dear friend, Nandita, seemed to have read my mind. I received this cute parcel from her yesterday and I am so thrilled.

Apart from a sweet letter, the box contained a packet of methkut, some kairi murabba, an assortment of flavoured teas, an agarbatti holder and the garlic-groundnut chutney that I have been craving for quite a while now. My colleagues who watched me open the parcel were shocked to see its contents. They're used to seeing calendars, organizers, placement brochures and random stuff, but never food. Did I notice a bit of jealousy? I sure did. But that's OK. At about the same time that I was in seventh heaven, my namesake got a small package from me with some Nankhatai, aloo mash, fake chicken drumsticks and a readymade curry paste. I'd been meaning to send her the fake chicken drumsticks for weeks now. I noticed her handwriting in her mango pickle post and was shocked to see how similar it was to mine. The only way I could show her was by sending her a sample. Now, this weekend, I shall make some sweet and savoury nankhatai and send them over to the doctor. I do want a clean chit of health afterall. Thanks Nandita! You're a darling.

Khichdi and Kadhi

Wherever I go, I try and sample the local cuisine of the place. Of course I sample global foods without ever once having even flown over those lands. I’d never seek out Indian food while traveling abroad. Firstly, I am not the biggest fan of Indian food to have the face of this earth. I enjoy it as I do any food. Secondly, I don’t like to lose out on the chances (to taste different cuisines) that life offers me. While in Paris, I had the misfortune of being with two Indians who’d seek out atrociously expensive Indian food at Strasbourg Saint-Denise every night. They spoke no French and they sort of emotionally blackmailed me all the time. They didn’t know how to ask for food without any meat and were unwilling to learn basic French. To top it all, they thought a trip to McDonald’s constituted sampling local food! I used to travel all over the city each day after work picking up small snacks along the way, taking in everything the beautiful city had to offer. My academics in Tourism will never be a waste. (And I can beg you all never to order Baingan Bharta anywhere in Paris!)


The first Indian state that I traveled extensively in happens to be Gujarat. I should have said the first Indian state that I didn’t “belong to”. This was about 21 years ago. Until that time, our travel was limited to the three states that I have called home: Maharashtra, Karnataka and TamilNadu. I don’t count going to Tirupati as it is closer to Madras than it is to most urbanized parts of A.P. Gujarat left its indelible mark on me. Literally and figuratively. Literally as it was the very first time I was experiencing temperatures higher than 40 degrees Celsius. (Yes, Madras in those days wasn’t half as hot as it is now.) I developed heat boils, which, as they healed, left scars on my neck and legs. (I even had to have one boil surgically removed.) Figuratively, I was so impressed with what the state had to offer that I made three or four trips since then. And I keep going back.


One of the things I love about any place is the food on offer. It’s not like I’m never disappointed. But Gujarat has never disappointed me in this matter. From the khakhras to the dhoklas and khandvis to the theplas and rotlis to the quintessential khichdi and kadhi… I love them all. I once joked to my cousin about wanting to marry a Gujju boy so my MIL could feed me all the lovely stuff. She said, “Your MIL will probably get stuff from the shop, as it is so much simpler, which you can also do”. Initially, I got my recipes from my dear friend M who could never understand why I loved her food so. As soon as Tarla Dalal came out with her Gujarati Cookbook, one copy was on my bookshelf.

I think this book of Tarla Dalal’s is like the Rasachandrika of Gujarati cooking. The recipes that M gave me are almost identical to the ones in the book. So I love it even more. Khichdi and Kadhi is a combination that I used to make very often when I was single. There was this time when I was attending German classes in the morning and so had very little time to make lunch. I ate khichdi for lunch throughout this 7 week period. There’s a slight variation to my khichdi and that is the addition of vegetables. I also add equal amounts of rice and dal as it makes me feel good. (Don’t ask why!)

1 cup Rice (Basmati or Sona Masuri), washed and drained
1 cup Green Gram (Moong) Dal, washed and drained
1 tsp Oil
1 cup Mixed Vegetables (Carrots, Beans, Peas)
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Peppercorns
1” piece Cinnamon
2 Cloves
1 tsp Green Chilli Paste
¼ tsp Asafoetida
Salt to taste


Heat the oil in a pressure cooker and add the cumin seeds, asafetida, peppercorns, cinnamon and cloves. When the cumin crackles add the rice, dal and vegetables. Fry for a minute and add the chilli paste and salt. Add about 4-5 cups of boiling hot water and cook for 20 minutes (4-5 whistles).

While the khichdi is cooking, get the kadhi going.

2 tbsp Gram flour (Besan)

2 cups Curd

2 cups Water
½ tsp Green Chilli Paste
½ tsp Ginger Paste

2 Curry Leaves

1 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste

For the tempering:

1 tsp Ghee (clarified butter)

1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
½ tsp Mustard Seeds

¼ tsp Asafoetida

1 Red chilli, broken into bits

Beat the curds with the gram flour and water until you get a smooth mixture. Add the green chilli and ginger pastes, curry leaves, sugar and salt. Bring this mixture to a boil on a low flame.

In a frying ladle, heat the ghee and add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds. When the mustard splutters, add the asafetida and the red chilli. Add the tempering to the kadhi and boil for 1-2 minutes.

Serve the kadhi along with the khichdi. This would also go down as a classic comfort food for me. S doesn’t care much for kadhi and sometimes I make the mixed vegetable khichdi alone which we have with pickle and curd.

This is my first entry to the Regional Cuisine of India: Gujarat event which is being hosted by Mythili. if time permits, I'll send in my other recipes too. I'd like to send the Khichdi to

Meeta's Monthly Mingle. The theme this month is One-Dish Dinners. Happy hosting Meeta and Mythili!

Egg Biryani

Biryani. The very word makes my mouth water. Made differently in each state in India, I've often heard people say, "This isn't authentic, ours is." Well, I've always loved Egg Biryani and have ordered it as often as possible. I never attempted making it at home (without a readymade mix, i.e.). And somehow, my food never smells good. I know some people whose kitchens start spreading aromas almost as soon as they’ve placed the pan over the flame. With my cooking, it almost never happens. Until a week ago, I could safely say, “It never happens”, but my biryani changed all that. For the very first time in all these years of cooking, the aroma of my cooking actually made us drool. So, I don't know if this authentic or not. I didn't cook it in layers, I didn't cook the rice separately from the rest of the stuff and I didn't marinate anything and I most definitely used no curd.


But nonetheless, I think it was great and I’m sharing with you my very first attempt at a biryani.

1 cup Basmati Rice, washed and soaked
4 Eggs, boiled, peeled and halved
¼ cup Soya Chunks, soaked and drained (optional)
4 Fake Chicken Drumsticks, cooked (optional)
2 tbsp Oil
1 Bay Leaf
3 Star Anise flowers
1 Green Cardamom
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 Onion, sliced
Salt to taste

To Garnish:

¼ cup Fried Sliced Onions
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, chopped

To be Ground to a Paste:

1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Coriander Seeds
1 tsp Poppy Seeds
1 tbsp Cashews
1 tbsp Peanuts
1/4 tsp Carom Seeds
1 Onion
4 pods Garlic
4 Red Chillies
1 tsp Fennel Seeds

Heat the oil. Add the cumin seeds, star anise, cardamom, bay leaf and onion. Fry for about 3-4 minutes. Add the paste and fry for about 5 minutes. Add the rice, soya chunks, fake chicken, eggs and about 1 and ¾ cup boiling water. Add salt to taste. Pressure cook for 3 whistles on a low flame.

Garnish with the fried onions and coriander leaves. Serve with a raita.

This is off to Think Spice - Think Star Anise hosted by Sunita. I brought Star Anise from Madras as I was forced to. I needed it to make Sig's Kadala Curry. I couldn't find this spice in any shop then (despite drawing it for the shop keepers) and I am so happy that I could use it now.

Mor Kazhi and Menthi Kuzhambu

There are favourites and then there are favourites... and then there's mor kazhi. While we were kids, lunch was always rice, sambar, rasam, curd and a vegetable. Sometimes the sambar became dali saar and we had a konkani meal complete with a masla randeyi. And at other times, we had plain dal and avial or mor kuzhambu. On other days we had menthi kuzhambu.

Known as Vathal Kuzhambu (or Vatha Kuzhambu) in many households, I think that Menthi Kuzhambu or Vendhaya Kuzhambu is one of those dishes that leaves you licking your fingers. At our home, this is traditionally made with brinjal, lady's finger or yam. My Iyer friends make it with shallots, pumpkin and even radish. I make it with just about anything I can lay my hands on. I have even made a version of this with garlic. My father had once told me, "If you want to make me happy, learn to make menthi kuzhambu for me" and I (thinking it was too much trouble) said, "It's OK with me if you're not that happy... let's have paruppu kuzhambu". Now, I know better!

On days when we had Menthi Kuzhambu for lunch, we tried to have mor kazhi for dinner. The combination is simply superb. I made this for dinner last week and I'd also made some rice just in case S doesn't like this mor kazhi of mine. But the rice was eaten about two days later.

Menthi Kuzhambu



Ingredients:


1 Radish, sliced
1 tbsp Vathal (Sundaikkai, Cluster Beans or Manathakkali - optional)
1-2 Red Chillies
1 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/2 tsp Asafoetida
1 tbsp Toor Dal
2 tbsp Tamarind Paste
1 tsp Oil
7-8 Curry Leaves
1 tbsp Sambar Powder
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a vessel and add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, toor dal, vathal and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the curry leaves and the chillies. Add the radish and fry for a minute. Add the sambar powder and fry for another minute. Add the tamarind paste, salt and a cup of water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the radish is cooked.

My friend Preeti suggested that I cook the vegetable in the sambar itself. She also suggested that I use gingelly or sesame oil while making this type of sambar. So, while a lot of how I cook comes from Amma, these are two things I remember while making this.

Mor Kazhi is probably one of my favourite snacks. I don't know how many things I am allowed to count as favourites. Instead of waiting for leftover Menthi Kuzhambu, I decided to make both items fresh. My very first attempt at making mor kazhi was a success. I think I'll experiment with different flours from now on too.

Ingredients:

1 cup Flour

1/2 cup Rice Flour

4 cups Buttermilk

1 tsp Chilli Paste

1 tsp Ginger Paste

1/4 cup Coriander, chopped

1 tbsp Lime Juice

2 tbsp Oil

1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

1/4 tsp Urad Dal

1/4 tsp Chana Dal (optional)

2 Red Chillies

7-8 Curry Leaves

Salt to taste

Mix the flours with the buttermilk and add the coriander leaves along with the ginger and chilli pastes. Add the salt and the lime juice and mix until well blended.

In a kadhai, heat the oil and add the urad and chana dals, mustard and asafoetida. When the mustard splutters, add the red chillies and the curry leaves. After a minute, add the buttermilk-flour mixture and mix well and remove any lumps. Cover and cook for 5-10 minutes.

Serve hot with menthi kuzhambu. I am told that there are several ways in which mor kazhi is served. Cut into squares, made into balls. I would love to try this out in all the different ways it is made. I have only eaten this at home and only in this manner. And I love it.

The Joy of Blogging...

...is something that one rarely gets from cookbooks. The kind of cookbooks I use has a lot of pictures. So I do get a thrill when something I make turns out like it is in the picture. Of course there are those books such as Rasachandrika or Samaithu Paar where there are not many or any pictures and yet I get a thrill. Because what I've made turns out the way I "remember" it.


But blogging, the food variety, gives me kicks like never before. I find recipes of new things that intrigue me, I find recipes of stuff I've tasted at some point, I find recipes I've been hunting for. And the best part is that I can go right back to the blogger and say: THANK YOU.


In the past, I've adapted my


Carrot Chutney from Seema's blog
Eggless Masala French Toast from Coffee's blog
Quick Mango Sandesh from Nandita's blog
Kaddu ki Subzi (Pumpkin Curry) from Richa's blog
Egg Roast from Cinnamon's blog
Almond Raisin Muffins from Sharmi's blog
Cheesy Wheat Bread from Anita's blog
Fried Egg with Curried Mushrooms from Meeta's blog
Goodies for Ganpati: Kozhukattais: Uppu & Ammini from Latha's and Laavanya's blogs


At times they've been exact replicas, at others my posts have been inspired by the originals. These have been individual posts. I haven't been able to blog much of late and don't want to delay this thanksgiving. So a combined post for all the recipes that I have tried out:


Sunny Salubri-Tea from Anita's blog. I mixed it with Lime Tang and was amazed at how good this tastes. And the cute smiling sunflower is the kitchen radio S got me a couple of months ago.

Chelsea Buns from Jai and Bee's blog. It has become a lot cooler in Gurgaon and my dough didn't rise much. And I was in a tearing hurry as always. So, these are not as soft as I thought they'd be and I used a mixture of walnuts and raisins for the filling.

Fried Rice from Jai and Bee's blog: I used whatever vegetables I had and skipped the eggs. It is really surprising how I had everything the recipe called for the very day these guys posted the recipe. This made for a very quick meal just before S and I rushed to catch Ratatouille!

Egg Roast from Sig's blog. I didn't have the patience to slice the onions, so I ground the onions along with the tomatoes and all the spices and just sauted the paste in some oil.

Kadala Curry from Sig's blog. I had eaten this dish 3 times in the past. All three times in Kerala. Each time with a different rice item: Appam, Idiyappam and plain rice. And I loved it. I couldn't believe my eyes when Sig posted the recipe on her blog. I finally got around to making it with Tandlya Rotis for our guests on Saturday night. It was a super duper hit and I've been eating a little everyday since.

I think this covers most of my cooking from other blogs so far. I know I will do more of this as I keep bookmarking new recipes to try. A big thank you to all of out there who keep inspiring me to do a bit more, to try a little harder and most of all, to never give up.

Vegetable Pulao - 5 Star Style and a Me-Me

Home made pulaos. There’s something so homely about them. Despite the masala and the grinding, I just love sitting down for a meal with freshly made pulao in front of me. The 5 star pulao is a different species altogether. Pristine white, picture perfect, with just a few vegetables that add a dash of colour. It is a dish that goes well with just about anything. And that is the catch. I like my food to be one dish meals as long as I am the one making it. When someone else is cooking, I am a different animal.


This is beautiful party dish and I make it for all the parties that I don’t throw and serve it to all my guests who aren’t there. And so as you can see from my photograph, this, too, has become a lunchbox item. Amma loves this pulao and it is thanks to her that I gave it its name. There are those who call this fried rice. Now, to me, fried rice is Chinese and my 5 star pulao is Indian. And I was just telling a friend recently, I still can’t tell the difference between a pulao and a biryani.


This goes very well with dal of any kind, but I packed it with some spicy raita. And I always add as many vegetables as I can. So my pulao isn’t the white picture perfect thing you are served in the buffets of 5 star hotels. It has far less white and more than just a dash of colour.


1 cup Basmati Rice
1 cup Carrot, cut in long pieces
1 cup Beans, cut in long pieces
1 cup Peas
1 tbsp Oil
5 Cloves
2” stick of Cinnamon
3 Cardamoms
1 tsp Peppercorns
Salt to taste



Heat the oil in a pressure pan. Add the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and peppercorns and fry for a minute. Add the vegetables and fry for another minute. Add the rice and salt and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add 1 ¾ cup hot water and cook on a slow flame for 1 whistle. When done, fluff the rice a little and serve.

Easy breezy 5 star pulao. If you pack it in your box, and have a microwave at work, make sure to pack lots because people are going to be queuing up at your table as the aroma of your pulao draws them there. (Picture Jerry wafting in the air following the smell of cheese! Yeah yeah, Tom and Jerry still crack me up.) But you do get the picture, don't you?

Sig of Live to Eat has tagged me for the Fantastic Four Meme.

4 Places I’ve lived:

The 4 that I have the fondest memories of:

Chennai , India
Bangalore , India
Hyderabad, India
Poughkeepsie, USA

4 Jobs I’ve had:

The 4 that shaped me:

HR Head
Translator/Interpreter
Music Instructor and Teacher
Cashier

4 Favorite places I’ve holidayed:

Orlando – For the best childhood memory
Singapore – For everything it meant to me
Paris – For the sights, the food and the people
Coorg/Manali - For not being able to decide where I had more fun.

4 Favorite foods:

Pizza: the way Amma makes it
Paruppu Urundai and Vazhaippoo Paruppu Usli
Dali Saar and Avrya Bendi
Mushroom Alfredo Pasta

4 Places I’d rather be:

Somewhere in the mountains
At the beach (even Elliots will do!)
Home having a drink
My workplace is fine. I love it here.

4 bloggers I like to tag:

Nandita
Sia
Asha

Lakshmi