Monday, January 26, 2009

Bread Upma

Ingredients:
crusty bread-1
3 tbsp of yogurt (preferably homemade)
1 small yellow onion,
chopped1 green chilli,
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp jeera seeds
1/2 tsp chilli powder
a few curry leaves and coriander leaves
salt to taste

Method:

Cut the loaf of bread into 1/2 inch chunks.
Whisk the yogurt to make it smooth. Add some salt to taste. Marinate the bread pieces in it, till you get the other ingredients ready or for 10 mins. This step is what gives the bread upma a very tangy, yummy flavor.
Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard and jeera seeds. When they pop, add the green chillies, and curry leaves.
Add the onions and saute lightly.
Add the turmeric powder
Add the bread pieces and turn gently to mix well
Add salt and chilli powder to taste
Sprinkle coriander leaves
Notes:
If you use french bread or other similar crusty bread, it stands up very well to the marinade and retains it shape and texture.
The yogurt gets absorbed into the bread, gives it a lot of flavor and also a nice crispy crust if you fry the pieces well
If you don't like yogurt, you can add a little bit of lime/lemon juice

Atukula Upma(Poha upma)

Ingredients:
2 cups of poha (thick variety)
1 medium onion
1-2 green chilies
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp mustard seeds
juice of 1 small lime/lemon
a few curry leaves (5-6)
salt to taste
a pinch of sugar (optional)
1 tbsp fresh/frozen shredded coconut
1 small tomato
a handful of coriander leaves

Method:
Wash the poha well in several changes of water.
Set aside for 30 mins to 1 hour
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan
Add the mustard seeds and when they pop add the curry leaves, chopped onions and chopped green chillies.
Saute the onions till translucent
Add the soaked poha
Add the salt, sugar and turmeric powder and stir well.
Cover the pan with a lid and let poha steam for 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle with a little water if it seems to burn at the bottom.
When the poha is well cooked, turn off the flame.
Add the lemon juice and mix well.
To serve, garnish with fresh chopped tomatoes, grated coconut and cilantro leaves.
The crunchy, sweet juiciness of the tomato provides a wonderful contrast to the soft lemony bite of the poha.

Dahi Baigan(Brinjal with curd)

Ingredients:

4 Japanese eggplant(long brinjals)

1 medium onion

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

4-5 green chillis

2 tbsp sour cream (or use yogurt mixed with 1 tbsp all purpose flour)

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp jeera

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

curry leaves

coriander for garnish

Method:

Cut the eggplant lengthwise and then slice into half moons. Sprinkle eggplant with salt and mix the ginger-garlic paste. Put in a colander and leave to marinate for 1-2 hours. It helps to keep a bowl filled with water on top to weigh it down. The bitter juices will come out of the eggplant and the eggplant will fry up nicely.Heat a little oil in a wok and pan fry the till brown and crispy. Fry in small batches to get them nice and crispy.Chop the onions and green chillis. Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and jeera seeds. When they pop, add the curry leaves, green chillis and chopped onion. Fry lightly. When the onions turn translucent, add turmeric powder and salt.Gently mix in the sour cream and heat slowly. The mixture will slowly boil. Set aside.Mix the eggplant and gravy just before serving and garnish with chopped cilantro. The combination of turmeric and the sour cream gives it a very flourescent yellow color - quite unusual

Badam/Almond Halva

Ingredients:
1 cup whole almonds
1.5 cups of sugar approx
2 tbsp of milk
3 tbsp of ghee (or more if you want a richer halva)
2 cups + 1/2 cup of water
a few drops of orange food coloring (optional)
cardamom powder (optional)

Method:
Boil 2 cups of water and soak the almonds for 1 hour. Alternatively, you can heat the almonds and water till the water comes to a boil and then let it cool.
Peel the skin off the almonds. They should just slip right out the skins when you press on them with your thumb and forefinger.
Finely grind the almonds added very little milk (about 2 tbsp). You can add a little bit more, if the blender blades absolutely refuse to move.
Measure this almond paste. For 1 cup of paste, add 1.5 cups of sugar (you can reduce the amount of sugar if you'd like a less sweeter dish)
Melt the sugar with the 1/2 cup of water in a saucepan.
Let this sugar syrup come to a rolling boil.
Add the ground almond paste and stir well to avoid any lumps.
Keep stirring this mixture so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
Add a few tsps of the ghee at regular intervals. The ghee will immediately get incorporated in the mixture.
Keep stirring and cooking till the mixture gets slightly thick.
Add the food coloring (if using)
The mixture will become slightly translucent and shiny. You are looking for a jam like consistency here. The consistency is somewhat like thick idli/pancake batter.
Add the cardamom powder if you wish. My family prefers the taste of the halva without it, so I leave it out.
Switch of the heat and let the halva cool. The halva will solidify a lot after cooling. If you live in a really warm place, the mixture may not solidify enough. In that case, simply pop it in the fridge for a few minutes to set.
Roll into small balls (the heat from your hands as you roll it, will give a glossy look to the halva) or serve in a cup.

Coconut Burfi

Ingredients:
cup each: sugar, milk, whipping cream, unsweetened grated coconut (I used frozen grated coconut that I thawed in the microwave)
1 teaspoon ground cardamom,2 tablespoons sliced almonds

Method:
Heat sugar, milk, cream and coconut to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
Reduce heat to simmer.
Cook until mixture becomes very thick and starts to leave the side of the pan, about 50 minutes.
Transfer mixture to a buttered 8-inch square baking dish/tray.
Sprinkle with cardamom powder and nuts.
Cut into 1 inch diamonds or squares
Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 8 hours and serve fresh

Aloo Kurma - Potato Curry

Ingredients:
3 potatoes, washed, boiled, peeled and cubed
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 green chillis, slit length wise
2 tomatoes, quartered
10-12 fresh curry leaves
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
pinch of turmeric pwd
1/2 tsp red chilli pwd (adjust)
1 tsp coriander pwd
salt to taste
1 tbsp coriander leaves
1/2 tbsp oil
Make a paste by adding little water:
2 tbsps grated fresh coconut
1 tbsp poppy seeds/khus-khus/ghasagasalu

Method:
Heat oil in a vessel, add the chopped onions, green chillis and curry leaves and saute for 4-5 mts or till the onions turn transparent.Add ginger garlic paste and fry further for another 3 mts. Add the chilli pwd, turmeric pwd, coriander pwd and salt. Combine well.Add the quartered tomatoes and boiled and cubed potatoes and cook on medium heat for 6-7 mts. Reduce heat, add the ground coconut-poppy seeds paste and combine. Cook for 3-4 mts.Add a glass of water, adjust salt and cook covered till you get the desired gravy consistency.Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve with hot rotis, coconut rice or any flavored rice.

Kobbari Annam Recipe(Coconut Rice)

Ingredients:
2 cups raw rice
4 cups coconut milk
salt to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd (optional)
8-9 garlic cloves, finely sliced OR 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
4-5 slit green chillis
2 onions, finely sliced
1″ cinnamom stick (2 pieces)
2 cloves
2 elachis
1-2 bay leaf
1 tbsp ghee + 1/2 tbsp oil
Method:
Heat ghee and oil in a cooking vessel on medium heat, add the cinnamom stick, cloves, elachi and bay leaf and fry for a few seconds. Add sliced garlic and fry for half a minute. Add the green chillis and sliced onions and saute for 4 mts on medium heat.Add turmeric powder, salt and mix well. Add the drained rice and fry it along with onions for a minute. Add 4 cups of coconut milk and bring to a boil.Reduce heat and place lid and cook till rice is done.Garnish with coriander leaves.

How to extract coconut milk: Grate a coconut, add 2 glasses of hot water and leave aside for 30 mts. Grind it to a fine paste. Place a muslin or thin cotton cloth on a vessel and pour this mixture onto the muslin cloth. The strained milk is called ‘first milk’ of coconut. Use your hand to squeeze out the milk from the residue. Add one more glass of water to the residue and run in the grinder for a mt. Strain on to muslin cloth. This second extract is called ’second milk’ of coconut.

Tomato Chutney

Ingrediants:
2 large tomatoes

1 tsp cumin seeds

2-3 green chillis

pinch of asafoetida

1/2 tsp salt

3 1/2 tsps oil

4 garlic cloves


Method:

Heat three tsps oil in a pan, add a tsp of cumin seeds and 3 green chillis,garlic and saute for a minute. Add 2 large sliced tomatoes and saute till they turn soft. Turn off heat and cool. Grind the sauted tomatoes along with salt to a smooth paste (no water). For tempering, heat half a tsp of oil in a pan, add a half a tsp of mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add a dry red chilli, few curry leaves and pinch of asafoetida and turn off heat. Pour this seasoning over the chutney and serve with sponge dosas/idlis.

Attukula Dosa(Poha Dosa)

Ingrediants:
2cups rice
1/2 cup attukulu/poha/aval/rice flakes
3 1/2 cups thick buttermilk (sour)
1 tsp methi seeds
1/4 tsp cooking soda
1/2 tsp salt
oil as required

Method:
Soak rice, poha, methi seeds in thick buttermilk overnight (8-10 hrs). Next morning, grind to a smooth paste. The batter should be of pouring consistency. Add salt and cooking soda and combine well. Leave aside for 2 hours.
Pre-heat an iron tawa/Nonstick pan on high for half a minute. Do the water test (sprinkle few drops of water over the hot tawa such that it sizzles) and reduce heat. Pour a large ladle full of dosa batter in the center of the tawa and gently with the back of the ladle make a very slight circular motion (as shown in the picture below) or just let the batter spread on its own naturally. Pour a half a tsp of oil like drops along the edge of the dosa. Cover with a lid and on medium heat let the dosa cook for a minute till the rawness disappears and the dosa turns brown. Flip the dosa and let it cook for a less than half a minute (need not cover with lid). Flipping the dosa and cooking on the other side is optional.

Allam Pachadi Recipe-Ginger Chutney


Ingredients:
1 1/2″ to 2″ ginger root, remove skin, slice (reduce if you can’t take spice)
1 tbsp split black gram dal (minapa pappu)
1 1/2 tbsps bengal gram (senaga pappu)
1 green chilli
2 dry red chillis (adjust to suit your spice level)
2 garlic cloves (optional)
small lemon sized tamarind
2-3 tbsps grated jaggery
1/4 cup water (adjust)
salt to taste
2-3 tsps oil
For tempering/poppu/tadka:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
6-7 fresh curry leaves
1 tsp oil or ghee

Method:

Heat a tsp of oil in a non-stick pan. Add the split gram dal, bengal gram and let them turn slightly red and a nice aroma emanates. Add the red chillis, green chilli and garlic and saute for a minute. Remove and keep aside.In the same pan, add the remaining oil, add ginger and saute till it turns red (approx 3 mts). Remove from heat and cool.Grind the roasted dal mixture, sauteed ginger, tamarind, jaggery along with salt, to a slightly coarse paste by adding about one-fourth cup of water. Heat oil or ghee in a pan and add the mustard seeds, let them pop and add the curry leaves and fry for a few seconds. Add this seasoning to the ground pachadi. Serve with idlis, dosas or vadas

Palakura Pappu(Spinach Dal) Recipe

Ingredients:
1 small cup tur dal/red gram dal/kandi pappu
2 cups chopped and tightly packed palakura/palak/spinach
1 onion, chopped
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2-3 green chillis, slit lengthwise
1/2 tsp chopped ginger
salt to taste
1 1/2 cups water, approx
For seasoning/poppu/tadka:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp urad dal/minappa pappu/split gram dal (optional)
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 dry red chillis, de-seed and tear
10-12 fresh curry leaves
2-3 tsps oil

Method:
1 In a pressure cooker, place dal, palak leaves, onions, green chillis, ginger and turmeric pwd. Add 1 1/2 to 2 cups of water and pressure cook upto 2 whistles. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, add mustards seeds , add cumin seeds, urad dal, garlic, red chillis and curry leaves and stir fry for half a minute.Add this to the pressure cooked dal along with salt and saute well. Cook on slow to medium flame for 5-7 mts without lid or till you get the consistency of your choice. Serve with white rice
Variation:
You can prepare it differently by frying onions and palak leaves along with the tempering and combine the cooked dal with the fried onion-palak mixture.

DHABEY DI DAL RECIPE

Ingredients:
2 - 3 green chillies
1/4 cup coriander leaves
1/4 cup bengal gram (chana dal)
8 - 10 garlic flakes
4 tbsp oil
3 medium sized tomatoes
1/2 tblsp cumin powder
1/4 cup red kidney beans (rajma)
1 tblsp red chilli powder
2 medium size onions
1 tbsp kasoori methi
3 tblsp butter
1/2 cup black gram (urad dal)
salt to taste

Method:
Clean, wash and soak urad dal, chana dal and kidney beans in sufficient water for at least six hours.
finely cut onion and garlic.
finely cut green chillies,tomatoes.
Remove soaked dals, add six cups of water and pressure cook-stir for half an hour or until the dals are completely cooked.
Meanwhile, heat up oil in a pan, mix in cut garlic, stir-fry briefly till golden brown.
Mix in cut onion, slit green chillies and stir fry for four to five minutes or until the onion is golden brown in colour.
Mix in red chilli powder, cumin powder and stir-fry briefly.
Mix in cut tomatoes and stir fry on high flame for three to four minutes, stirring continuously.
add cooked dals and mix well.
Mix in salt, cut coriander leaves and stir fry dal for ten minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally.Crush kasoori methi between the palms, sprinkle on the dals and serve hot.

Punjabi sukhi chana dal

Ingredients:
1 cup - Chana dal
1 Onion chopped
Salt To taste
1tsp - Turmeric Powder
Handful - Corainder leaves
2 - Cinnamon sticks
2 - Cloves
1 - Bayleaf
1/4 tsp - Cumin seeds
1 tsp - Lemon Juice
1 tbsp - Ghee

Method:
Clean, wash and soak chana dal for one hour.
Pressure cook the dal with 3 cups of water. Keep aside.
Heat ghee in a pan, add cloves, cinnamon stick, bayleafs, cumin seeds and fry until they pop up.
Add onions and fry till brown. Add salt and turmeric powder. Mix well.
Add dal and let it boil for few minutes.
Garnish with corainder leaves. before serving, add lemon juice and stir well.
Serve sukhi chana dal hot with rice or paratha.

RAJMA (RED KIDNEY BEANS) Curry

Ingredients:
2 cups Rajma ( Red kidney beans)
Salt To taste
1 Pinch Turmeric powder,
chopped 1 Onions,
chopped 5 Garlic cloves,
chopped 1 inch Ginger,
chopped 3 Green chillies,
chopped 3 Tomatoes,
1/2 tsp Corainder powder
1 tsp Red chilli powder
1/2 tsp Garam masala
2 tbsp Oil Handful Coriander leaves

Method:
Soak rajma overnight. Wash and pressure cook the rajma. Keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan, add ginger, garlic and chillies. Fry until they turn brown.
Add onions and tomatoes. Cook until masala separates from oil.
Add salt, turmeric powder and mix well.
Add the boiled rajma, red chilli powder, corainder powder, garam masala and stir.
Simmer the flame and cook until a thick gravy is formed.
Garnish rajma with corainder leaves and serve hot with chapatis or rice.