Author: Shoba

I am an analyst by day, star gazer by night, food blogger, fitness , travel and saree enthusiast in between. I am a die hard foodie and started documenting my learning based on feedback from friends and family. Hope you enjoy my blog and leave comments and feedback.
Kerala / Palakkad Recipes. · Side Dishes for Rotis/Dosas/ Naan.

Instant Keerai Masiyal. (Quick Greens Gravy with Seasonings)

Shoba5 Comments

Spinach and other forms of greens have been an excellent source of vitamins and iron for the body. It is of no wonder that we discover novel methods of ingesting greens so that we can derive the intrinsic rich sources of vitamins for our benefit. This instant keerai masiyal is an express method of cooking and flavouring the greens so that a twist in the taste would make us feel we are eating a different vegetable in a different form.

Its also a quick addition to the regular vegetable everyday, specially for kids and toddlers, to be eaten along with their course. Traditionally, its made with “Ara Keerai” or Mola Keerai in our homes, but I use any green leafy vegetable that I have. Today I`ve used a combination of Spinach, collards and turnips.The variation in the taste is in fact,  the effect of the seasoning.

INGREDIENTS:

Spinach/Collards/Turnip/Kale     – 1/2 a packet or a bunch cleaned.

Salt

Hing

Seasoning:

Coconut Oil, Mustard/Curry Leaves. Broken Urad Dhal, red chillis (3).

PREPARATION:

  • Take the washed and cleaned greens and pop in to a microwave safe dish and microwave on HIGH for 5 mins. Optionally, you could also sprinkle water and cook it on the oventop stove for 5 mins .
  • Do not allow the leaves to get bruised, but cook it only 60% or so.
  • Pulse the cooked and cooled greens along with salt in the mixer to a smooth paste. There is NO need to add water, as cooking itself brings out the inherent water in the leaves.
  • If you feel that there is still some raw smell of the greens, that is not agreeable, pop in in to the microwave for an extra 2 mins.
  • Warm a seasoning kadai on the stove and add 2 spoons of coconut oil.
  • When hot, add broken urad dhal, allow to slightly brown, red chillis, add mustard, hing, curry leaves and pour over the ground greens paste.
  • Serve as a side with rice, or over dhal rice, or as a course in itself to mix with rice.
Uncategorized

Smells just as sweet….

Shoba7 Comments

Timid jasmine buds that keep their fragrance to themselves all day, but when the sunlight dies away let the delicious secret out to every breeze that roams about.” – Thomas.
Flowers  have always been some thing of a wonder to me. That creation has allowed such beautiful amazing colourful representation of itself in so many different forms. How many pictures have spoken a thousand words…how many have been captured and frozen in a digital frame?  A flower renders itself in so many different ways, fully aware that its going to last only a few days, and some varieties only a few hours. One such flower that captivates me with its sheer beauty is the Jasmine.  We had this huge jasmine creeper all over my front yard, many years ago in our home. Every summer evening, the sweet smell of the jasmine, would waft in to our windows and every now and then , I as a child, wouold catch a wiff in the air and get so excited. Then came the days of the apartment living…I missed my plants and trees, but never failed to recreate a small green patch wherever I lived…

When I was in Madurai, for my post graduation, i realised, that this was the place for the most exotic varieties of this flower….On the drive to Kodaikanal, there are places where people would hawk for a big roll of jasmine just for Rs.5!!! And you can see rows and rows of jasmine shrubs, all ready to be picked, woven in to strands by skillful hands, ready to be transported and adorned on the beautiful shoulders of the Lord, or his Lotus feet, or in the hands of a loving husband for his wife!!!

When I went to my mother in law`s place, in Trichy, I was happy to see a really tall, shrub of jasmines, that had worked it way up two floors and spread its branches all over the parapet wall….Her maid would dutifully collect the buds and weave them in to a lovely string, which my mother in law would give to me, to adorn on my braids…It was a variety that had sharper petals, but lush with fragrance…

When we relocated to Phoenix, I could`nt resist visiting the Garden Centre at Home Depot in Ahwautukee where we stayed. Phoenix, is so warm that there are so many varieties of plants that I could find in Madras! And there I saw the lovely jasmine shrub…and I joyfully  took it home with me. I followed the instructions for sunlight, and water and MagicGrow nutrition, repotting and the likes. I would take care of it like a little helpless baby, all through winter….And in summer, I got  sweet smelling jasmine flowers….that I would collect everyday and offer it to God, or collect it in a little uruli and place it on the dining area. It`s an amazing feeling to walk around your home,  smelling  fresh flowers and have the satisfaction that they are out of your own little garden.

Jasmine Flowers in a nursery in Eureka, MO.
Jasmine Flowers in a nursery in Eureka, MO.

Recently, we had been on a drive this summer to Eureka, MO and there was this lovely nursery filled with all kinds of blooms, chrysanthemums, roses of all varieties , hibiscus and even a huge jasmine creeper…The floor of the nursery was specked with little jasmine flowers…almost looking like a carpet…I picked out a few and enjoyed the fragrance for a few minutes…Shruti, another friend of mine, also shares my passion on jasmines. So when I went to my favourite Trader Joe`s , last week in the peak of the crazy january winter, and I saw little Jasmine Shrubs, shipped all the way from Florida…I picked one for her…She is waiting for the day, it would bloom and flood her with lovely fragrant flowers….And I am going to watch it grow in her place, and experience the delight as if it were my own!!!

Shruti`s Jasmine Shrub - Buds ready to bloom!
Shruti`s Jasmine Shrub - Buds ready to bloom!
Poriyals / Kootu Varieties.

Avaraikkai, Mochai and Koorkai Poriyal.(Broad Beans,Lilva and Chinese Potatoes Poriyal)

Shoba8 Comments
Avaraikkai, Mochai & koorkai Poriyal.
Avaraikkai, Mochai & koorkai Poriyal.

Koorkai is a favourite for me even when I was in Madras, as this was a pretty seasonal root, that you would get only during december/january. It is an important addition to the vegetables that we use in “Thiruvadharai Upperi”. My mum would soak it for some time and rub is against a rough surface so it would get clean. Cleaning the Koorkai is the most difficult portion of  labour before relishing its taste. Then you would have to painstakingly remove the skin and chop it before you cook it in steam, AND THEN it becomes ready to be used in Mozhukkuperati, or upperi or molagootal….So much for this rare tuber!!!

I was really missing it when I moved to the U.S, but when I visited my aunt in PLano, in December `08, I found cleaned, cut and frozen koorkai in in indian store near her place. I was delirious with joy and I guess I bought 4-5 packets, as my husband was darting looks that very clearly spelt “baffled”. Not that I minded. I knew this was a seasonal vegetable and I had to stock  up for the year! Today was an exceptionally cold day and I really felt like having this fragrant vegetable, so I combined to make a  Poriyal with Avaraikkai and Mochai. In my mind, I guess I was trying to make up for the root, by adding a pulse and a high fibre vegetable.

It`s a pretty simply recipe, so here you go…

INGREDIENTS:

Avaraikkai             – 1 cup (Valor/Broad Bean) chopped in to 1 inch pieces.

Koorkai                   – 1 cup. (cleaned and chopped in to small pieces)

Mochai                   – 1 cup ( Valor Lilva)

Coconut                 – 3 tsp.

Salt.

Hing.

Seasoning:

Mustard seeds, Broken Urad dhal, Curry Leaves, Red Chillis (2-3)

PREPARATION:

  • Take a kadai and pour in two spoons of oil and allow to get hot. Slip in the urad dhal and the red chillies and allow it to get a little brown and now drop in the mustard seeds and the curry leaves and a dash of hing.
  • Add the chopped vegetables and add sufficient salt and sprinkle water and allow to cook on a medium low flame.
  • Allow to cook for a good fifteen minutes and sprinkle dessicated coconut.
  • Serve HOT with Vengaya Sambar.
Pickles & Thokku.

Tomato Thokku (Pickled Tomatoes)

Shoba14 Comments

Tomato Thokku is a form of pickle (read delicacy) that`s so often made in my home…but then one never gets enough of it. Its such a versatile side, you can have it with idli, dosa, upma,curd rice, parathas, bread, tortillas and virtually anything else you can think of. Whenever tomatoes are down to 99c a pound, or If I have a few getting ripe, tomato thokku it is…

Here it goes, for the benefit of the others…

INGREDIENTS:

15 Medium Sized Tomatoes.

2 Tsp Fenugreek

2 Tsp Salt

3 Tsp Red Chilli Powder

Hing

1/2 cup of Concentrated Tamarind Extract.

Pinch of Turmeric.

1 Tbsp of Jaggery.

Seasoning:

Mustard seeds, Curry Leaves.

PREPARATION:

  • Wash the tomatoes, dry them by wiping them  and chop them in to tiny pieces.
  • Dry roast the fenugreek/venthayam on a slow flame until you get the aroma. Its very important that its roasted on a medium low flame as this slow release of flavour adds to the taste. cool it and powder it well in the mixer.
  • Take a heavy bottomed pan and pour in 8-9 spoons of oil, add mustard and when it starts to splutter, add curry leaves and hing.
  • Quickly add the tomatoes, hing, salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and the tamarind extract.
  • Stir in the ground venthayam/fenugreek and jaggery  also in to the pan.
  • Allow the tomatoes to cook and simmer on a medium-low flame with constant stirring so that it does not stick to the bottom.
  • Keep on stirring until the oil seperates from the “thokku”…this should approximately take about 40-45 minutes.
  • Switch off the stove and allow to cool for 2-3 hours and store in an airtight glass jar.
  • Enjoy with Rotis, Parathas, Idlis, Doasas, Venn Pongal or yummy curd rice.

Cakes / Pastries / Cookies/ Bread/Muffins.

Baklava…Pastry filled with nuts and sweetened with honey.

Shoba4 Comments
Delicious Baklava.
Delicious Baklava.

Baklava is a rich, sweet pastry featured in many cuisines of turkish, persian and arab countries. It is a pastry made of layers of phyllo dough filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey. Many other Middle Eastern nations have pastries which are very similar, thanks to a long running tradition of sweet desserts which feature flaky, delicate pastry. While baklava was originally considered a food for the wealthy, today it can be found in many pastry shops and Greek specialty stores all over the world. The first time ever that I had Baklava was in a quaint Mediterranean restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona. I bit in to the delicacy and found my mouth bursting with the flakiness of the phyllo dough, the crunchiness from the nuts,  all coming together with the sweetness of the honey dripping from it. I was awed completely by the experience. The next time around that I remember was in the summer of 2008, at The Chateau on the Lake, resort spa in Branson, Missouri. This  amazing resort has a lovely patio overlooking the scenic Table Rock Lake and we had this delectable pastry right there and suddenly it was so beautiful all around me…

My inspiration of the twist on the baklava, is from the way we make “Modhakas” and steam them…and of course from Giada…Here they are for you to try and taste…

INGREDIENTS:

Walnuts          – 1/4 cup.

Almonds         – 1/4 cup.

Raisins             – 1/4 cup.

Coconut            – 1/8 cup.

Sugar                  – 2 Tbsp.

Cinnamon         – Powdered a pinch.(Optional

Melted Butter- 1/2 a stick.

Vanilla Essence – 1 tsp.

Honey

Phyllo Dough       – 6 sheets.

Muffin Pans

PREPARATION:

  • Preheat the oven to 350F.
  • Place the walnuts, almonds, raisins, coconut, sugar and cinnamon in a mixer and pulse well so it grinds well. Transfer to a bowl and add 2 tbsp of melted butter and honey and stir it to combine in to a homogeneous mixture.
  • Take the phyllo dough very carefully as they are extremely thin.Use a dry working surface and spread out one sheet of the dough. Slowly brush this sheet with butter and place the second sheet on the face of the first and lightly press it so they stick together. Repeat with brushing the melted butter on the second phyllo dough and slowly place the third sheet on the second. Care should be taken while working with phyllo dough as they tear very easily. Continue until all the 6 sheets are pressed and stacked  firmly on one another.
  • Now slowly slice this stack of sheets with knife or scissors   in to 12  pieces.
  • You could make little balls from the filling so it makes the process much more simpler.
  • Use the smaller pieces of phyllo, fill it with the nut-honey ball and close it as you would do a little dumpling and twist it, and place it in the muffin compartment.

  • Phyllo Dough filled with Honey-Nut Mixture.
    Phyllo Dough filled with Honey-Nut Mixture.
  • Use the melted butter to seal the edges if you are having difficulty closing the  pastry.
  • Continue and complete all the 12 pieces and place them on a muffin pan.

  • Baklava baked golden...
    Baklava baked golden...
  • Bake for 15-20 mins or until all the baklavas are golden colour.
  • Cool and serve dripping with honey.
  • dscf1056

(Optionally, the honey-nut mixture could be flavoured with orange zest and orange essence instead of vanilla and cinnamon for a warm citrus twist and served with Orange Blossom Honey).

Uncategorized

12 Days of Christmas – Indian Style.

ShobaLeave a comment

I realise that this post is a month late coming…but I could not contain myself till `09 Christmas to place it here.  My daughter`s school recital this year had all the teachers perform for 12 Days of Christmas….I guess its almost like a recount of the singer`s 12 days to christmas and what he/she  did…Typically, it`s all over Youtube modified to so many flavours…Indian, Hawaiian, Chinese, Mexican and the like. My cousin S, showed this to me when I visited her during christmas and I fell for it. Here are the lyrics for the song and the link to this video itself!!! ENJOY!!!

On the ________ day of Christmas my true love gave to me –
01 A totally insufficent dowry
02 Two nosy in-laws
03 Three buttered chicken
04 Four Hare Krishnas
05 Five Indian gangs (5 minutes of fame on the 12th day)
06 Six IT graduates
07 Seven eleven workers
08 Eight Hollywood films
09 Nine telemarketers
10 Ten-minute yoga
11 Eleven-syllable names
12 Twelve cricket ball tamperers

No Need of Onions!!! · Sambar / Rasam / Kuzhambu Varieties.

Vathal Kuzhambu…

Shoba8 Comments
Spicy yummy Vathal Kuzhambu
Spicy yummy Vathal Kuzhambu

What can I say about the Vathal Kuzhambu? Simply put its everybody`s favorite…I can`t even trace back the times when I  fell hook line and sinker for this amazingly delicious simple dish.  Every home has its own way of doing it and its definitely comfort food for them. Vathal Kuzhambu simply put is the delicious gravy got by simmering “Vathals” in tamarind water which is spiced with other ingredients like sambar powder, turmeric, hing etc. It`s also a very resourceful preparation as it derives it tastes from the  vegetable/vathal which its cooked in. There are a gazillion varieties of vathals but the ones that are most commonly used are “Sundakkai”, ” Manathangalikkai”, “thamara kazhangu”, arisi koozhu vathal” and some times even “thayir molagai”.

I remember going to my favorite Annalakshmi restaurant in Chennai on mount road for their “Preethi Bhojan”. I am told that the people who cook the various dishes in Annalakshmi are people who are from normal walks of life, like professionals, doctors, teachers etc, who willingly offer their services to the Ashram. At one occasion, where I had been to Annalakshmi for lunch, the day`s specialty was “Arisi Appalam Vathal Kuzhambu”. It was so delicious, as the kuzhambu had derived its taste from the fried appalam. Many people also prepare it with vegetables like Brinjal, Onions, Ladies finger and even drumsticks.

The Grand Sweets and Snacks has this amazing “Vathakozhambu Thokku” which is a boon to people who are hard pressed for time. All one needs to do is, scoop a spoonful, add some water, heat for a couple minutes on the microwave, and there you have steaming hot “Vatha Kuzhambu” for two!!!

INGREDIENTS:

Tamarind             – Lemon sized to extract 1 1/2 cups of juice.

Vathal                   – Any variety a small handful.

Turmeric              – A pinch.

Coconut Milk      – 2 spoons (Optional)

Sambar Powder-  1 spoon heaped.

Salt                           – 3/4 spoon

Hing

Curry Leaves.

Seasoning:

Mustard, Bengal Gram,Raw Peanuts, Curry Leaves, gingely oil.

PREPARATION:

  • Keep the vathals,tamarind water  and the seasoning ingredients ready.
  • Use a heavy bottomed vessel and pour in it 4 spoons of gingely oil.
  • When hot, add 2 spoons of bengal gram, and raw peanuts and saute it for 3-4 seconds.
  • Add the vathal and allow to slowly roast in the oil.  Immediately add the mustard, curry leaves and hing in split seconds.
  • Care should be taken so the mustard or any of the seasoning ingredients dont brown in the oil as this may alter the taste.
  • Pour in the tamarind water on to the vessel.
  • Add more torn curry leaves, sambar powder, turmeric, salt and give it a good stir.
  • Allow the gravy to simmer and reduce till it becomes a little thicker on medium flame.
  • If you have guests visiting, you could add 2 spoons of coconut milk at this point for a richer taste . This is purely optional.
  • If you want it to thicken a little more add 4 spoons of water to one spoon of rice flour and briskly mix it to dissolve any clumps.
  • Add this rice flour mix to the vatha kuzhambu and stir in to see instant thickening of the gravy.
  • Serve Hot with Alu Fry or Beans Paruppu Usili.
Kerala / Palakkad Recipes. · No Need of Onions!!! · Poriyals / Kootu Varieties.

Avial – (Vegetables simmered in Coconut Yoghurt Gravy.)

Shoba4 Comments

Avial, a kerala dish, was always a favorite of mine.  There are many different ways of making this simple dish, but I love the way my grandmother used to make it. She had no methods and proportions, but all her dishes would be extremely tasty and very well done. I dont ever remember even a single incident where she felt that her salt was more or less or the dish was not well done. Her cooking was perfected over years and years of practice. As I lived with her during my student  years, I had learnt this dish from her first hand!!  Traditionally, Avial is made either as a side in a slightly thick form, or as a “kuzhambu”  form where its slightly more thinner.

Normally, Avial, is a choice when I see I  have a lot of leftover vegetables at the end of the week. It could be made with a variety of gourds and roots so its pretty versatile. Typically, its made with ash gourd, yam, potatoes, drumstick, carrots and raw plantains and some times even mango! . I am posting this simple recipe for the benefit of all my friends who have been wanting to try this for a long long time. In Tamil Nadu, people pair “Avial”  with “Adai” for a filling evening tiffin or dinner.

INGREDIENTS:

(ALL THE VEGETABLES HAVE TO BE CUT IN TO 1 INCH LONG PIECES)

Ash Gourd          – 1/2 pound.

Yam                       – 1/4 pound

Raw Plantain      –  1 Medium sized

Potatoes               –  1 Big sized or 2 Medium Sized

Carrots                  – 1 Long

Long Eggplant    – 1

Tamarind Water- 1/4 cup

Thick Yoghurt    – 1/2 cup.

Salt

Coconut                 – 1/3 cup

Green Chillis        – 6-7

Turmeric               – A pinch.

PREPARATION:

  • Arrange the heavier root vegetables like the carrots, potatoes, yam and plantains at the bottom of the vessel, and the more  lighter ones like the gourds and eggplant on the top.
  • Sprinkle salt and turmeric powder and pour the tamarind water over the veggies and allow to cook in the cooker for JUST ONE WHISTLE.
  • Do not overcook the vegetables as this would make them mushy.
  • Pulse the chillies and the coconut to a smooth paste.
  • Take a heavy bottomed vessel and move the cooked veggies to it.
  • Swich on the stove and  add the ground coconut paste.
  • Stir in the paste carefully to avoid breaking the cooked vegetables.
  • After simmering for 5-6 mins, add the thick curds and salt.
  • Stir again to mix in the yoghurt, add curry leaves, 3-4 drops of coconut oil and switch off the stove.
  • Serve HOT!! with Vethal Kuzhambu.
Pickles & Thokku.

Manga Oorgai (Quick Mango Pickle.)

Shoba8 Comments
Mangaa Curry.
Mangaa Curry.

All my childhood summers, were spent in my grandmother`s home in madras, where all our cousins would meet up and have such a blast.Of course, those were the days of no tv, no mega serials and no countdowns, but we would be allowed to read a lot of novels, play chess and scrabble, make believe” games, hide and seek and the like. Mangoes are an essential part of Madras summers in all their forms. We would be busy grating mangoes to help make “Mango Thokku” which is a pickled form of raw grated mangoes. Then we would get the small baby mangoes called “Vadu Manga” and madurai amma would soak them in salty brine and preserve them for us to eat all year long. This Manga Curry is a quick one to two day use of raw mangoes to go with “Curd Rice”.

INGREDIENTS:

Raw Mango          – 1 chopped in to fine pieces.

Salt                          – 1 spoon

Turmeric               – A pinch.

Chilli Powder      – 1 spoon heaped.

Hing                        – A pinch.

Seasoning:

Oil, Mustard,Hing,Curry Leaves.

PREPARATION:

  • Take the finely chopped mangoes preferably  in a ceramic/glass container.
  • Add the turmeric,salt, red chilli powder and hing.
  • Keep a Tadka ladle on the stove, add 1 spoon of gingely oil.
  • When the oil is hot, add mustard, hing and curry leaves and pour it on the mangoes, when its spluttering.
  • Mix well and enjoy the aroma of the mango pickle.
  • Enjoy with Curd Rice.
Side Dishes for Rotis/Dosas/ Naan.

Alu Rassewale.

Shoba11 Comments

Alu Rassewale simply means the gravy form of the humble potatoes. .This original recipe was given to me by my good friend Ritu. She had called all of us home one morning for a Kanya Pooja and had made like 60 of the softest puris you have ever eaten and this amazing Alu Rassewale to go with it.  What struck me most about the dish was its simplicity and ease of preparation. Also,  this has no onions so it could be had on any day which makes it  an instant hit..And of course, between you and me, all of us are a little partial to any dish with potatoes…and this one was no exception. I had asked Ritu to come home one day and show me how to do it , as she does not believe in the measures and methods rule…She looks at  the numbers of potates, and the rest simply happens. My proportions are simply an approximation of what it could have been.

INGREDIENTS

3 or 4 medium to big Potatoes.(Boiled and mashed to 1 inch sized chunks)

4 medium sized Tomatoes chopped in to small pieces.

1 cup Water.

Turmeric a  pinch.

1 Tsp Red Chilli Powder

1 Tsp Dhania Powder.

1/4 Tsp Garam Masala

1 Tsp Salt

Curry Leaves, Oil,Jeera to season.

PREPARATION:

  • Mix all the powders (turmeric,red chilli powder, dhania powder, garam masala powder and salt) in a little container and add 1/8 cup of water and dole it in to a paste.
  • Pour oil in a kadai, allow it to get hot, add jeera and curry leaves and immediately add the paste.
  • Allow 2-3 seconds for the paste to cook in the oil and add the chopped tomatoes and allow to cook till mushy.
  • Add the mashed potatoes and mix in the required salt as well. You may want to moderate the salt as we have already added a spoon with the powders.
  • Let this curry cook for a few minutes and now add a cup of water and allow to simmer for a good ten minutes.
  • Switch off the stove and garnish with chopped corrainder.
  • Serve HOT with puris or parathas.