KUMBALANGA PULINCURRY

Pulincurry is a curry with gravy (ozhichu koottaan/kuzhambu) which goes well with rice. It can be made with vegetables like vendakkaa (ladies finger) and chembin thaal (colocasia stem) also.

INGREDIENTS

1. Ash gourd (kumbalanga) - 1/2 kg
2. Tamarind - 1 table spoon
3. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tea spoon
4. Muringakkaa (drumstick) - 1 (optional)
5. Grated coconut - 3/4 cup
6. Red chillis - 2 + 2
7. Fenugreek - 1 tea spoon
8. Coconut oil - 1 table spoon
9. Mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon
10. Curry leaves - 1 sprig

METHOD

1. Clean and cut muringakka into 2" pieces

2. Remove skin and seeds and cut ash gourd into thin 3/4" square pieces.

3. Add 1/2 cup hot water to the tamarind and extract juice.

4. Cook ash gourd and muringakka with 1/4 tea spoon turmeric and 2 cups of water. Once it is almost done add tamarind extract and cook again. Reduce heat.

5. Heat oil in a pan and fry 2 red chillis and fenugreek. Grind the coconut with 1/4 tea spoon turmeric, salt  and the fried chilli and fenugreek to a fine paste.

6. Add the coconut paste to the ash gourd and cook on low heat. Check for taste. If it tastes bitter add more tamarind juice. When it starts frothing switch off heat.

7. Heat the pan (with oil ) again. Splutter mustard seeds, fry the remaining chillis and curry leaves and pour into the curry.

DOSA

Dosa and idli need rice and uzhunnu parippu (urad dal) taken in different ratios. Dosa needs less amount of urad dal ( 1 cup for 3 cups of rice) and both dal and rice should be ground to a very fine paste. Idli needs more urad dal (1 cup for 2 cups of rice) and the rice can either be a fine or coarse paste.

Normally I grind the dosa and idli batter in the grinder. Once in a while I use the mixie too. If mixie is used rice and dal are soaked and ground seperately and mixed. If batter is made exclusively for dosa, 1 table spoon of fenugreek can also be added to the dal.

While making batter for both idli and dosa I go for a compromise ratio. I take 2 1/2 cup rice and 1 cup uzhunnu. A mixture of raw rice and parboiled rice is best to get thin , crispy dosas and soft idlis. I take "Ponni Puzhukkalari ( 2 cups) ,raw rice (1/2 cup) and uzhunnu ( 1 cup - whole or dal) together and soak for 6 hours. It is then ground to a fine paste with enough salt and minimum water.  For us this is enough for 4 -5 days. Immediately after grinding the batter is divided into 4-5 portions in small containers and only the batter for next day is kept outside. The rest is frozen.

Only fresh batter is to be frozen. Fermented batter frozen and defrosted will not give the desired result.

To use the frozen batter, keep it at room temperature  for 20-24 hours

The batter can be used as such or with a little more water for idlis. Dosa batter is not as thick as idli batter. 

INGREDIENTS

1. Ponni rice - 2 cups

2. Raw rice - 1/2 cup

3. Uzhunnu ( whole urad or dal) - 1 cup

4. Nallenna (sesame oil)

METHOD

1. Soak rice and urad dal for minimum 6 hours and grind to a fine paste with salt.

2. Heat a "doasakkallu" / tava and smear sesame oil using a piece of cloth. (since this is needed almost every day I make a small "kizhi" - cloth tied to look like a bundle- and keep in a plastic box.)

3. The tava should not be very hot. Spread 1/2 a cup of batter on the tava (1 cup for "thattu dosa" - thick variety) and increase the heat. Sprinkle 1 tea spoon oil.

3. Wait for 30 seconds We can see the dosa drying and the bottom side turning brown. Fold and transfer to a plate using an iron spatula.

4. Flip if it is "thattu dosa". Fold and take from the tava.

5. Sprinkle some water and wipe before making the next dosa.

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NAVARATAN KURMA

There is one vegetarian restaurant named "Green Land" in the Old Souk in Kuwait City. The place is small but they are famous for their tasty and not so rich North Indian vegetarian dishes like palak dal, baignan bhartha,paneer pasanda, sabzi maharaja etc.

It was after visiting Green Land 3-4 times that I gathered the courage to try these dishes at home. As usual I searched all over the net to get a general idea about the recipes. I visited sites like SMTC and sanjeevkapoor.com and came out with recipes which suited my family's likings.

Navaratan Kurma is one such customized recipe tried and tested by me and yes, certified by my husband.  Eventhough navratan means nine gems sometimes I use more/less than nine vegetables/fruits to make the kurma.

INGREDIENTS

1. Diced vegetables - 2 cups (potato, carrot, green peas, beans, cauliflower)

2. Paneer cubes - 1/4 cup

3. Pineapple diced - 1/4 cup (apple, orange and grapes can also be added)

4. Cashewnut - 20

5. Kismis - 2 table spoon

6. Ghee - 1 tea spoon

7. vegetable oil - 1 table spoon

8. Cumin seeds - 1 pinch

9. Cardamom - 4

10. Cloves - 4

11. Bay leaves - 2

12. Cinnamon - 1" piece

13. Milk - 1/2 cup

14. Onion - 1 (cut into very small pieces)

15. Ginger (grated or cut into extremely small pieces) - 1 table spoon

16. Green chilli chopped - 2

17. Cilantro chopped - 2 table spoon

18. Tomato - 1 diced

19. Turmeric powder - 1 pinch (optional )

I use milk instead of cream. To make a richer kurma garnish with fresh cream.

METHOD

1. Cook potato, carrot and beans with 1 cup water. Add fruits, green peas and cauliflower towards the end. Finally add paneer. (grapes if used are to be added along with tomato - step 5)

2. Grind half the cahewnuts with 1/2 a cup of water to get a loose milky paste.

3. Heat ghee in a small pan , fry cashewnuts and kismis and keep aside. (Another option is to fry the cashew and kismis in a big pan, keep them aside, wipe the pan and use it for making kurma)

4 Heat vegetable oil in a big  pan and fry cumin seeds. Add cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and bay leaves and stir. Immediately add chopped onion, ginger and green chillis. Saute till the onion changes colour. ( turmeric powder can be added at this point)

5. Add cashew paste and allow to thicken on low heat. Add tomato pieces, salt and the cooked vegetables and fruits.

6. Add milk and continue cooking on low heat for 1 minute, stirring continuously.   Add cilantro and switch off stove.

7. Add  fried cashew , kismis and the left over ghee.

MUTHIRA MULAKUSHYAM

No grinding! No tempering! What an easy way to make a kuzhambu (curry with gravy/ozhichu koottan)!

One day while chatting over phone I asked my friend Beena what she had made for lunch. She said she felt too lazy to do any heavy cooking and made some rice and muthira mulakushyam. I was familiar with kaaya mulakushyam, kumbalanga mulakushyam etc. but this was something new. Naturally I asked for the recipe. Here it is, the super simple recipe of muthira mulakushyam (moloshyam) which goes well with rice, pappadam and pickle.

INGREDIENTS

1. Muthira (horse gram) - 1 cup

2. Green chilli split - 2

3. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tea spoon

4. salt

5. Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

6. Coconut oil - 1 table spoon

METHOD

1. Pressure cook muthira with turmeric powder and 2 cups of water for 10 minutes.(after the first whistle reduce heat to low)

2. Open the cooker, add green chillis, salt and 1 1/2 cup water and cook for 5 minutes.

3, Switch off stove and add coconut oil and curry leaves

NELLIKKA ACHAR

Nellikka (Indian gooseberry) achar is a very tasty and easy dish. It is used to prepare  Arachu Kalakki also.

INGREDIENTS

1. Nellikka - 15-20

2. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tea spoon

3. Salt

4. Chilli powder - 1 table spoon

5. Sesame oil - 1 table spoon

6. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tea spoon

7. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tea spoon

8. Asafoetida powder - 1 pinch

9. Ginger chopped - 2 tea spoon

10.Garlic chopped - 1 tea spoon (optional)

11. Curry leaves - 1 sprig

METHOD

1. Wash and cook nellikka wih salt, turmeric and enough water.

2. Remove seed and cut into pieces.

3. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add fenugreek and fry. 

4. Add ginger, garlic and curry leaves and fry. Add asafoetida and switch off the stove. Immediately add the chilli powder and mix.

5. Add the nellikka pieces and mix well. Check for salt.

I dont use any kind of preservatives while making pickles and hence make only small quantities at a time. If you want to make pickles on large scale increase the amount of sesame oil and add some coconut vinegar.

FRIED RICE

I feel it would be improper if I dont post the recipe of fried rice after gobi manchurian. I put a lot of vegetables in fried rice to make it tastier and more colourful.

INGREDIENTS

1. Jeerakashala rice/Basmati rice - 1 1/2 cup (I used jeerakasala rice)
2. Vegetable oil - 2 1/2 table spoon
3. Salt
4. Ginger - 1/2" cube
5. Garlic - 2 cloves
6. Green chilli - 1 (optional)
7. Onion - 1 chopped
8. Carrot - chopped - 1/4 cup
9. Capsicum (bell pepper) chopped - 1/2 cup (I took green,yellow and red capsicum)
10. Beans chopped - 2 table spoons
11. Cabbage - 1/4 cup (cut into thin 1"long strips)
( in addition to these paneer, mushroom, cauliflower, green peas, noolkol or even beetroot can be added )
12. Pepper powder - 1 tea spoon
13. Spring onion chopped - 1/4 cup
14. Soy sauce - 2 table spoon

METHOD

1. Soak the rice for 10 minutes. Spread on a clean cloth to drain.

2. Crush the ginger and garlic lightly.

3. Heat 1 table spoon oil in a wok. Fry the rice for 3-4 minutes. (if you want the rice to be well cooked fry it for 30 seconds only) Add 3 cups of boiling water and enough salt. Close and cook till the rice is done and all the water is gone. Allow to cool.

4. Heat the remaining oil in a pan. Saute the ginger and garlic for 1 minute. Add onion (and chopped green chilly) and saute till soft. Add the veggies and stir fry on medium heat.

5. Add soy sauce and stir for 1 minute. Switch off stove. Add spring onion and mix.

6.Divide both the rice and veggies into 2 portions. Transfer 1 portion of rice to the pan and 1 portion of vegetables to the wok.Add 1/2 tea spoon pepper powder to each. Check for taste and add 1 tea spoon of soy sauce if needed. Heat on a low flame stirring.(the rice and veggies will be mixed well if the mixing is done in small quantities.)

7.Transfer  mixed rice in the pan to the wok.Toss well.

GOBI (CAULIFLOWER) MANCHURIAN

Most of my Chinese and Mughlai recepes are like Lopamudra, who owed her beauty to different creatures (including humans) from whom each of her body parts and qualities were taken. It was Chilli Gobi which I made first making use of the recipe for Chilli Chicken and the result was not that great. (as far as I know Chilli Gobi is a dry dish whereas Gobi Manchurian comes with gravy. But we can get 2 versions of Chilli Gobi from restaurants- the dry one and  the one with gravy - confusion again ) After some 5-6 years my collegue Tessy gave me another recipe (that too intended for Chilli Chicken) Again I tried and the result was ok. It was after coming to Kuwait that I happened to taste the super tasty (super hot too) Chilli Gobi from Udippi restaurant here. I tried to recreate it but both the judges (my daughter and husband ) refused to give it an "excellent" grade.

Finally something happened during the summer of 2009. I was in LA with my daughter and we went for a forum meet (I am a member of the forum http://www.sangeethasallapam.com/) There I tasted the Best Gobi Manchurian  which got an instant certificate for excellence  from my daughter. It was prepared by my friend Ammu and I asked for the recipe. She said she followed the recipe of the Yummy team with some improvisation from her side. I started making GM incorporating the ideas I got from the chilli gobi recipes I used and also from the GM recipe by both Yummy team and Ammu. It is almost 2 years and the recipe has undergone changes again. This is the recipe I used today.

INGREDIENTS

1. Cauliflower - 400 gm
2. Maida - 1/4 cup
3. Corn flour - 1/4 cup + 1 tea spoon
4. Kashmiri chilli powder - 1/2 table spoon
5. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tea spoon
6. Salt
7. Diced onion - 1/2 cup
8. Diced capsicum - 3/4 cup (I took green, yellow and red bell peppers)
9. Vegetable oil
10. Garlic - 2 cloves
11. Ginger - 3/4" cube
12. Soy sauce - 1 table spoon (optional)
13. Tomato sauce - 3 table spoon
14. Chilli garlic sauce - 2 table spoon
15. Vinegar - 1 tea spoon
16. Salt
17. Pepper 1/2 tea spoon
18 Sugar - 1 pinch
19. Spring onion chopped - 2 table spoon

METHOD

1. Mix 2-6 with some water to get a thick batter. Cut cauliflower into small florets. Put them into the batter 

2. Heat oil in a pan. Put a handful of florets coated with the batter into  oil. Fry for 2-3 minutes, flip and fry again. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel. Break into small pieces when cold. Fry the whole cauliflower like this. Keep the oil aside.

3. Crush the garlic and ginger lightly.

4. Heat  1 table spoon oil from step 2 in a pan. (you can use the same pan) Saute the ginger and garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add onion and capsicum and saute till they are soft but crunchy.

5. Add the sauces and pepper powder and stir for 1 minute

6. Mix 1 tea spoon corn flour with 1/2 a cup of water. Stir and cook on low heat. When the gravy thickens add vinegar, salt and sugar. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

7. Switch off and add spring onion. Mix.

8. Finally add the fried gobi and mix well.

ELUMICHAMPAZHA SADAM (LEMON RICE)

   Like curd rice and tamarind rice elumichampazha sadam or lemon rice is very good for boxed lunch . It stays fresh for more than a day and can be packed for long distance travels too. Eventhough any cooking oil can be used, nallenna (sesame oil ) is preferred for its special aroma and the ablity to keep the rice fresh for long.

INGREDIENTS

1. Cooked rice (pachari, basmati rice or jeerakashaala rice) - 1 cup (not to be overcooked)

2. Nallenna - 1 table spoon

3. Lemon/lime juice - 1 1/2 table spoon

4. Salt - 1/2 tea spoon

5. Ground nut/ cashewnut - 12-15

6. Chana dal - 1 tea spoon

7. Urad dal - 1 tea spoon

8. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tea spoon

9. Whole red chillis - 2-3

10. Asafoetida - 1 pinch

11. Curry leaves - 1 sprig

12. Green chilli chopped - 1 tea spoon

13. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tea spoon

METHOD

Salt is added while cooking the rice or mixed with lemon juice.

1. Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds.

2. Add chana dal, urad dal, groundnut/cashew and red chillis one after the other and fry.

3. Add curry leaves and green chilli and fry. Add turmeric and asafoetida and switch off the stove.

4. Add lemon juice rice and salt. Mix well.

VELLARIKKA PACHADI

Pachadi and kichadi are 2 essential items on the Kerala sadya menu. What is the difference between the two? There are so many varieties of pachadi and I have seen people referring to the same dish as pachadi and kichadi As far as I know pachadi is made using vegetables or fruits either raw or cooked in water or stir fried. It can be made with or without coconut or using curd or tamarind. Kichadi is made with deep fried vegetables/vathals and curd, mostly with coconut paste and crushed mustard seeds.

My mom sometimes makes pachadi as an "ozhichu koottaan" by using butter milk instead of curd.

INGREDIENTS

1. Vellarikka (cucumber) cut into small pieces - 1 cup
2. Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
3. Cumin seeds - 1 pinch
4. Mustard seeds - 1 pinch, 1/2 tea spoon
5. Green chilli - 1
6. Coconut oil - 1 table spoon
7. Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tea spoon
8. Curry leaves - 1sprig
9. Red chillis - 3-4
10. Salt
11. Beaten curd - 1 cup

METHOD

1. Grind coconut with cumin seeds and green chilli to a fine paste. Crush a pinch of mustard and add to it.

2. Cook vellarikka with 1 cup of water Wait till all the water is gone.

3. Reduce heat to minimum and add the coconut paste. Mix and remove from fire .

4. Add curd and mix

5. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Fry fenugreek, red chillis and curry leaves. Pour into the pachadi.