Carrot Chutney

Didn't I tell you that I have way too many chutney recipes to publish?? Well, here comes another one! "
"Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie." ~Jim Davis.
I would substitute Carrot Chutney instead of Carrot Cake in the above saying :-) Because this recipe deserves it. I am personally not fond of carrots, but I really do love them in this dish. Perhaps because they seem to absorb the flavors of the spices better in this recipe. I haven't really liked any other carrot dishes since childhood. But as I grew up, I realized the remarkable nutritional values in this vegetable. And I do like the fact that there are variety of ways for consuming carrots - raw, steamed, stir-fried, soup, cake, pudding - pretty much anything, and ofcourse through this lovely chutney! I was amazed when I saw a few websites completely dedicated to carrot recipes. Nowadays I make sure I cook carrots often so that atleast my daughter benefits from it.

When I saw the Fortune Cooking Contest, I decided to pickup my beloved daughter's zodiac sign Capricorn. Capricorn's vegetable was picked as Carrots and I thought this was a recipe worth to share. Though coconut chutney is the "all-time favorite" for us, due to cholesterol and other health reasons, my mom introduced this chutney to our family long back. The ingredient list may seem to be long, but they are all tossed in the pan at the same time, and so preparing is not a pain. The taste however is scrumptious! The recipe calls for pretty basic ingredients as in any other south indian cooking. Since the ingredients are fried before making the chutney, this can last in the refregirator for a few days. Here is my entry for Fortune Cooking Contest.

Ingredients:

• Carrot - 1 long
• G.chillies - 2
• Shredded Coconut - 1 tbsp
• Mint leaves - 5
• Corriander leaves - 2 sprigs (about 3 tbsp when chopped)
• Onion - 1 medium
• Ginger - 1/2 inch
• Garlic - 2
• Curry leaves - a few
• Kadalai Paruppu (Chana dal) - 1 tsp
• Ulundham paruppu (Urad Dal) - 1 tsp

For Seasoning:

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Procedure:

• Grate the carrots and set aside.
• Heat a few drops of oil in a pan and fry the chana dal and urad dal until golden brown. Set aside.
• Chop the onions and ginger and set aside. (No need to chop the garlic and g.chillies).
• Add 1 tbsp oil in the same pan and add the chopped onions and fry until they turn transparent.
• Then add all the rest of the ingredients including carrots (except the ones for seasoning) one by one while frying for a few mins in between.
• Cool, add salt and grind together in a blender to a paste.
• Heat a tsp of oil and season with mustard seeds and asafoetida. Add to the chutney and mix well.

Goes well with Idlis and Dosas.

Multi-Grain Kurma with Potatoes

There is a saying about Indian food - "Lentils are the backbone of India, while Veggies are it's heart". How true! I think India has some of the best vegetarian dishes in the world. Its not surprising that the art of cooking vegetables has reached its peak in Indian cooking. Tamilnadu has equally a large number of vegetarians. Even non-veg households eat more vegetables than meat. I still remember those days when we used to go to the jam-packed, noisy veggie market with full of activities - sellers shrieking out the vegetable names and rates, buyers bargaining with the sellers for a bunch of curry leaves! Amidst the chaos, the fresh smell of the cilantro & mint leaves is irresistible & the sweet flavor of fruits is fantastic! The green veggies & fruits that are spread out throughout the market gives a fresh feeling to the mind. No wonder there are so many vegetarian dishes in Indian cooking!

This is a very healthy dish and a treat for vegetarians. This dish will delight you and anyone else you're cooking for. I adapted this from a tamil dish "Navadhaniya Kuruma", meaning multi-grain gravy cooked with coconut and spices. You can make it spicier, tangier or more herbal by adjusting the spices. I initially found this in a cookbook (I've tried this a few times now) and I never seem to make it the same way twice. I keep altering the seasoning, play around with spices depending on my mood and whatever taste I am hungry for and I suggest that you do the same too.

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp each of the following grains (dry): Grean Peas (Vatana), Rajma, Black-eyed peas, Black chana, White Chana, Whole green moong, Lima beans (Papdi lilva), Brown Moong.
• Potatoes - 2 medium
• Onions - 2 medium
• Tomatoes - 2 medium
• Ginger - 1 inch
• Garlic - 3 big cloves
• G. Chillies - 2
• Cinnamon - 1/2 inch
• Cloves - 2
• Cardamom - 1
• Bay leaf - 1
• Fennel seeds - 2 tsp
• Grated coconut - 2 tbsp
• Poppy Seeds (Kaskas) - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Corriander powder - 2 tsp
• Cilantro leaves for garnishing.

Procedure

• Soak the grains overnight.
• Peel the skin and cook the potatoes along with the grains in pressure cooker.
• Grind the ginger, garlic and g.chillies to a paste.
• Grind the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, fennel seeds, coconut, poppy seeds to a paste.
• Heat oil in a pan, Add bay leaf and fry for a few seconds. Add the finely chopped onions and fry for a few mins until golden brown.
• Add the ginger/garlic/g.chillies paste and fry for 2 mins.
• Add the ground coconut paste and fry in medium heat for 5 mins.
• Add the cooked grains and mix well.
• Add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, chilli powder, corriander powder and enough water to cover the grains and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 mins.
• Finally shred the potatoes and add to the boiling mixture. Boil until the mixture reaches a thick gravy consistency. You can add more water if required.
• Garnish with corriander leaves.

Goes well with Plain rice & Chapathis.

Spicy Plantain Fry

Wow, I've been lazy last week.. Ofcourse I did cook, but mostly very simple. I've been coming home pretty tired with no mood for cooking. Since I had prepared the Idli batter last weekend, we had Idlis and dosas for a couple of days and we went out for another 2 days. There goes the week! I finally cooked something today but still far simpler from our regular sunday lunch. I quickly whipped some mashed spinach (Keerai masiyal) and a spicy plantain fry (Vazhakai Varuval). For a sunday lunch, it was quite comforting though not that elaborate. Now I'm recharged and all set for next week! Hopefully I will do a better job next week.

I have already mentioned about this recipe in my other post about Green Plantain Fry (Vazhakai Podimaas) . This is the spicy version of plantain fry that my mom makes. There is something warm and tasty about this recipe. Its exceptionally simple to prepare, but the flavors are full. There are some vegetable dishes that I want to make when I have a craving for something simple, but still savory. This is one of them. A creamy curd rice with plantain fry is a heavenly combination! To me, a simple lunch with my favorite item is the best way to relish.

Ingredients

• Plantains - 2
• Garlic - 2
• Curry leaves - a few
• Fennel seeds - 2 tsp
• Chilli Powder - 1.5 tsp
• Oil - 1 tbsp

Procedure

• Peel off the skin from the plantains and cut them in round pieces.
• Grind the fennel seeds and garlic to a paste .
• Heat oil in a pan, add the curry leaves . Now add the plaintains and fry for a few mins.
• Add the ground paste and mix well.
• Add chilli powder, salt and some water. Mix and cover in low heat.
• Cook until the water evaporates and the plantains are tender. Now increase the heat and fry the plaintains in medium heat until they are roasted well.

Serve hot with any rice dish.

Tomato Briyani

Tomato Briyani with Chicken Curry

Its Spring and tomatoes are in abundance. Last week when I went to the supermarket for groceries, a pile of red juicy tomatoes caught my eyes and I couldn't resist buying them. I ended up buying a few pounds, but then I wondered how to use them up wisely before they rot. I started hunting for some good recipes in my cookbook, and I couldn't beleive how many recipes I had using tomatoes! One reason is that tomato is a universal vegetable that can blend with any form of food or spice. And not to mention it teams up with Rice as well!

Its almost impossible to overestimate the importance of rice in south indian cooking. Rice is the main staple food in south, and is eaten atleast twice by the average family. Its usually combined with a curry or a sauce (sambar, rasam etc.) to make it more interesting and tastier. Apart form the curries, there is an assortment of "variety-rice" dishes that are usually stir-fried or cooked together with spices. Stir-fried rice items are usually made with pre-cooked rice, infused with spices. Amazingly, most of the stir-fried rice dishes use only basic ingredients like mustard seeds, curry leaves, lemon, tamarind etc. to give them their authentic south indian flavor.

Briyanis are different from stir-fried rice dishes in the way that the raw rice is cooked along with aromatic ingredients. Briyani gives a whole new journey into the spice world. Authentic briyanis are time consuming and were made at home only during special occassions. Otherwise, briyanis were only restaurant foods. But after the arrival of electric rice cooker, briyani is as easy as any other rice item.

This recipe is a variation from the regular Tomato Rice. I make tomato rice pretty much with basic ingredients like mustard seeds, curry leaves and tomatoes. However this recipe gives a briyani touch but with a boost of tomato flavor. I picked it up from my recipe collections and a quick glance at the ingredients convinced me that it's not that time consuming. I made this dish along with chicken curry and vegetable kurma (since my husband is a vegetarian), and both of them are excellent combinations.

Ingredients:

• Basmati rice - 1 cup
• Ripe Tomatoes (medium size) - 4
• Onion - 1 medium
• G.chillies - 3
• Garlic (medium size) - 3
• Cinnamon - 1 inch
• Cloves - 2
• Cardamom - 1
• Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves - a few
• Corriander leaves - a handful
• Mint leaves - 4

Procedure:

• Soak the basmati rice in water atleast for 15 mins.
• Blend the g.chillies and garlic to a paste. Set aside.
• Blend the tomatoes to a puree. Set aside.
• Chop the onions, corriander and mint leaves finely.
• Heat ghee/oil in a pan and season with cumin seeds, cinnamom, cloves and cardamom.
• Add the g.chillies/garlic paste and fry for a few mins.
• Add the onions, curry leaves and fry well for a few mins in medium heat.
• Then add the mint and corriander leaves and fry for a min.
• Finally add tomato puree and let it boil for a few mins.
• Add soaked rice, salt and 1.5 cups of water to this boiling mixture and cook together in a rice cooker. You can also cover and cook the rice in the same pan in low heat for 10 - 12 mins.

Serve hot with any gravy and/or raita.

Karuvadu Kuzhambu (Dry fish curry)

Ever since I went for a team outing last week to a crab-house, I started having a craving for home-made fish curry. Its been months since I've made fish at home. Fish is the only sea-food I like to cook at home, though several times I've thought about cooking spicy crab curries. I do have some awesome recipes for crab curries, but haven't cooked so far.

Being a tamilian, I've enjoyed many fish varieties while growing up. Fish is never a scarcity in our place as Tamilnadu is a coastal state. Sea-food is flavored with different ingredients in different parts of India. Tamilian cooking uses Tamarind, turmeric and curry leaves for flavoring , while on the western coast of malabar, sea-food is flavored using Coconut and Curry leaves whereas Goan cooking uses Coconut, Chillies and Vinegar. Some of tamilian fish curries use coconuts, while most of them do not.


This is a wonderful dish that my mom makes. I bought this dry fish from an Indian store in California when I visited my sister a few months before. This is the same variety that we get in India. It has an extra-ordinary flavor. Since I had the craving for fish curry from last week, I wanted to cook it as soon as possible. I do love the dry-fish curry as much as a fresh fish curry. I quickly called up my mom to double-check on the recipe and cooked it right away. It came out awesome as usual, and my kitchen smells divine now :-)


I usually make it extra spicy to compensate the "fishy" smell, but you can vary the spices to your choice.


Ingredients:

• Any dried fish - 8-10 pieces (I used Seer fish)
• Pearl Onions/Shallots - 6
• Garlic - 4 cloves
• Curry leaves - 10
• Tamarind paste - 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
• Fennel seeds powder - 1 tsp (optional)
• Mustard & Cumin seeds, Fennel seeds - 1 tsp each
• Coconut paste - 1 tbsp
• Kuzhambu Powder - 2 tbsp (I use the home-made kuzhambu powder, if not use can substitue with 2 tsps chilli powder, 2 tsps corriander powder & 1 tsp cumin powder. I've heard that sambar powder also works well, but I've never tried it so far in fish curries)

Procedure:

• Soak the dry-fish in steaming hot water for 5 mins, remove and set aside.
• In a pan, mix the tamarind paste, kuzhambu powder, turmeric powder and salt in 3 cups of water and boil. Simmer for 10-15 mins or until the raw smell goes.
• Meanwhile crush the shallots & garlic or run them for a few seconds in a food processor (shouldn't be a paste).
• Add this to the boiling mixture and boil for 5 mins. The whole mixture should start to thicken up slightly.
• Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a separate pan (I use gingely oil/sesame oil for added flavor) and season with mustard, fennel and cumin seeds. Add the curry leaves and fry for a few seconds. Add this to the boiling mixture along with some fennel powder (optional) and mix well.
• Then add the coconut paste and dry fish - cover and boil it for 6-8 mins on medium heat until the dry-fish is soft and juicy.

You can add water as and when needed depending on the consistency.


Serve with hot plain rice.

Tomato Chutney

This is one of my comfort foods - A food item that is very familiar to me while growing up and brings back childhood memories whenever I make it. After a few days of travel, there are a few food items that I crave for after coming home - A flavorful sambar with Potato roast, or Crispy dosas with tomato chutney! Back in my hometown, while having Idlis or Dosas every morning, we are forced to alter the accompaniments atleast twice a week.. Some pair-ups for idlis are - Chutneys, Idly-sambar, Vadakari , Kurma etc.. However, Chutneys are easier to make and fits into a busy weekday morning schedule. A slight change or an addition of a new ingredient to a regular chutney produces a new chutney with a whole new flavor. There are a variety of chutneys that can be made just with tomatoes and all of them taste great. I'm so comfortable with tomatoes that if the chutney contains tomatoes, I am going to like it no matter what! I guess I have way too many chutney recipes to publish :-)

Almost every household in tamilnadu makes a version of tomato chutney unique to their family. Here is a divergent version of the regular tomato chutney that I know of, one more recipe from my sister! I've never made tomato chutney this way. Its very Simple to make and very tasty too. I am sure I will be making this quite often from now on. You can serve this pretty much with anything that needs a little kick - sandwiches, omlettes, chips etc...

Ingredients

• Pearl onions/Shallots-15 nos.(finely chopped) - you can substitute with 1.5 medium sized onions.
• Garlic cloves -5 (finely chopped)
• Red chillies - 3 medium
• Tomatoes(ripe &big) - 4
• Tamarind paste-1tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Procedure

• Grind 2 red chillies and salt in a mixer to a coarse powder.
• Boil the tomatoes,peel the skin, and grind it to paste along with tamarind paste to prepare tomato puree.
• Heat the oil in a pan add mustard seeds,1 red chilli, 1/4 tsp asafetida,curry leaves.
• Then add the finely cut onions and garlic and fry for 5mins
• Add the coarsely powdered red chillies and fry for 5mins.
• Then add the tomato puree and allow the contents to boil for 5 mins.

Goes well with Idli, Dosa, Uthappam, Curd Rice.

Happy Tamil New Year! - Javvarisi Aval Payasam

Let this new year bring new dreams and new hopes to each of you... Iniya Puthandu Vazhthukkal...!!

Tamil New year's day is celebrated on April 13th or 14th every year. Its called "Varusha Pirappu" in tamil. Its a festivity time for all Tamilians. The main focus on this day, like any other festival day, is given to food. The tradition is to prepare a variety of dishes that can taste sweet, sour, salt and bitter to depict the different colors of life from success to failure. Mango Pachadi is a common dish that's prepared to represent sour and sweet taste. Veppampoo Rasam is another special dish made to represent bitterness. New Year day is a feast day with sambar, rasam, a variety of vegetables with the highlights of Vadai and Payasam! Meat is strictly prohibited on this day.

Growing up, my family followed some rituals to ensure well-being and prosperity. We start the day by a early morning bath, wearing fresh clothes and having pooja before food. The pooja is carried out by offering betel leaves, nuts, fruits, flowers, coconuts and raw rice mixed with turmeric. After moving to the US, I try to maintain the same rituals as in India and do have a pooja before lunch. I have also been preparing an elaborate lunch so far to make it a special day. Our menu today was: Keerai Sambar, Lemon Rasam, Chow-Chow koottu, Poosanikkai Pachadi, Vadai and Javvarisi-Aval Payasam. A typical Indian meal is an excellent example of the correct combination for a nutritionally balanced meal, which is why Indian food provides such an attractive option for vegetarians.

The payasam that I made today is an excellent sweet and an ideal item for a festival day. Though it requires a few extra steps, its all worth for the taste it offers, and definitely looks distinct on the table. Its made of a very unique combination of Tapioca (Javvarisi/Sabudana) and Rice Flakes(Aval/Poha) powdered and simmered in sweet milk and coconut milk.

Ingredients:

• Tapioca (Javvarisi/Sabudhana) - 1/2 cup
• Rice Flakes (Aval / Poha) - 1 cup
• Shredded Coconut - 1/2 cup
• Coconut milk - 1/2 cup
• Milk - 1 cup
• Sugar - 2.5 cups
• Water - 3 cups
• Cashews - 20
• Raisins - 10
• Cardamom pods - 4
• Ghee - 2 tbsp

Procedure:

• Heat 1 tsp of ghee in a pan and roast the tapioca for a few mins. The color won't change but you'll feel the change in flavor, Cool and grind into a coarse powder (shouldn't be fine) and set aside.
• Dry Roast the rice flakes for a few mins until it changes to light brown, Cool and grind into a coarse powder (shouldn't be fine) and set aside.
• Crush the cardamom pods and set aside.
• Boil 3 cups of water in a pan, add the tapioca powder and cook it for 5 mins in medium heat stirring frequently. Then add the rice flakes powder and boil it for 2-3 mins.
• Meanwhile, grind the shredded coconut with the coconut milk and half of the cashews into a paste.
• To the boiling mixture, add the above paste, sugar & milk. Stir and cook for a few mins. The mixture would thicken as it boils. So if required, you can add more water.
• Heat the remaining ghee , roast the remaining cashews and raisins. Add this to the payasam.
• Finally add the crushed cardamom pods and boil it for 2-3 mins.

Serve warm.

Mysore Rasam

I have a great liking for soups generally, because it can be made from almost anything. You can toss in any kind of vegetable or meat along with some basic spices and you will have a nice pot of soup. Many times it serves as a light & quick meal for me. The only disadvantage is- its a little time consuming. Thats why I am particularly fond of rasams, because they are much easier and quicker to make and still gives a similar "soupy" feeling.. Growing up, I remember my parents drinking rasams at the end of the meal, in glasses as hot beverages. It intimidated me and wondered how can anyone enjoy such a steaming hot, highly spiced drink. But it makes sense now. The flavor is irresistible and drinking in glasses is indeed a great way to enjoy rasam!

There are a variety of traditional rasams popular across the states of south india. Its an everyday cooking in almost all households in Tamilnadu. Modern cooking uses readymade Rasam powder available from stores. I however prefer using freshly ground spices rather than a prepared powder, but rasams made from rasam powders come out just fine.

My sister told me about this great recipe for Mysore rasam. She is a doctor in India, and is a great cook as well. She passed on this recipe to me and told that this rasam comes out great for her everytime. I tried this today and she was right! Its made from a tomato base and other mild spices. I have no idea why its called so, but I'm guessing (like everyone else!) may be it originated from Mysore.

Ingredients

• Tomato-4 nos
• Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp
• Tuvar dal water -1 cup (clear water after cooking the lentils)
• Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
• Chilly powder-1/2 tsp
• Pepper powder-1/2 tsp
• Ccumin seed powder-1 tsp
• Coriander leaves-1 cup
• Curry leaves-one handful
• Ghee-2tsp

Procedure

• To make the lentils stock, pressure cook tuvar dal with 3 cups of water and drain the water separately.
• Dissolve the tamarind paste in 1 cup of water. Add turmeric powder chilly powder and salt.Boil this for 5 mins.
• Then add the tomato puree (prepared by cooking the tomatoes, peeling off the skin and grinding it to a thick paste) and boil for 5mins.
• Now add the dal water (paruppu thanni), pepper powder, cumin powder, coriander leaves. Allow it to boil for 5 mins.
• Heat 2 tsp of ghee in a separate pan, Seasos with 1 tsp of cumin seeds and add it to the rasam. Boil for a min and turn off heat.

Enjoy with plain rice and papad! You can also serve this as a soup by making a slightly less spicier version.

Sodhi

Sodhi - my all time favorite! Whenever I cook this, there are no leftovers.. This dish is suppose to be a Srilankan curry, but its famous in Tamilnadu as well, especially in Trinelveli region. I tasted this for the first time during my college days at my friend's wedding!. She is from Trinelveli and her wedding feast was one of the fantastic feasts I've ever experienced. All dishes were served with a touch of Trinelveli cuisine and had lots of authenticity. Fifteen years later, the flavor of that Sodhi is still lingering in my mind and I can never make it without thinking of my friend and her wedding.

I often make this for a sunday lunch. My mom had penned it for me in my recipe book (my life saver!) when I got married , since then I have been making it quite frequently. The right mixture and the balance of flavors is the essence of this dish, but taste and flavor have always been personal. So feel free to make slight changes in the quantity of spices. I make this a little extra spicy so that the flavor doesn't get buried in rice.

Ingredients:

• Whole Moong dal (Pasi Paruppu) - 1/2 cup
• G.chillies - 4
• Ginger - 1.5 inch
• Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
• Mixed vegs (peas, carrots, beans, potatoes) - 1/2 cup
• Coconut Milk - 1 cup
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - a few

Procedure:

• Pressure cook the moong dal, mash well and set aside.
• Cook the vegetables, along with 1/4 cup coconut milk , 1/4 cup water and 2 pinches of salt.
• Meanwhile, Fry 3 of the green chillies in a few drops of oil and grind to a paste.
• Grind the ginger with some water to a liquid consistency. Drain/squeeze the thick juice from the ginger and discard the pulp.
• Add the cooked vegetable mixture to the cooked dal and bring it to a boil.
• Now add the remaining coconut milk, g.chilly paste, 1 cup water, salt and mix well. Boil for 5 mins.
• Heat 1 tsp of oil in a separate pan, season with cumin seeds and curry leaves. Slit the remaining 1 g.chilly and toss it in. Fry for 2 mins. Add this to the boiling mixture.
• Finally add the ginger juice and lemon juice and boil for 2 mins. Turn off the heat and leave it covered until served.

Goes well with Rice or puris.

Green Plantain fry (Vazhakai Podimaas)

Ever since I moved to the US, I am on the lookout for Banana stems.. and my search still continues! My mother-in-law makes an awesome Koottu (gravy) with banana stems, which is irresistible. I've been longing to make that here, but sadly I haven't yet found a store in my area that sells banana stems. However we do get green plantain and banana flower quite often.

I have to admit that I just know 2 recipes with Plantain.. One is hot and Spicy Plantain Fry that I learnt from my mom, and the other is mild and plain that I learnt from my mother-in-law. Both of them are excellent side-dishes for a variety of curries, yet my choice is the spicier one. It tastes extra good when my mom makes it! Conversely, today I made the the milder version - a pretty simple stir fry and usually goes well with kara kuzhambu (Spicy Tamarind curry). Its called podimaas in Tamil, meaning mashed and stir-fried.

Ingredients:

• Plantains - 3
• Onions - a handful (chopped finely)
• Red Chillies - 2
• Shredded coconut - 2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds, Urad dal - 1 tsp each
• Asafoetida - a pinch
• Curry leaves - a few

Procedure:

• Pressure cook the whole plaintains (with skin) for a short time.. Do not overcook, it usually takes the same time like any other vegetable.
• Peel off the skin, grate the plaintains and set aside.
• Heat oil in a pan and season with mustard seeds & urad dal. Add chillies and fry for a few seconds.
• Then add the asafoetida - fry for a few seconds and immediately toss in the onions and curry leaves. Fry for a few mins (onions need not turn brown).
• Now add the plaintains, salt and stir fry well until the seasoning is mixed well with the vegetable.
• Finally add the shredded coconut and fry for 2-3 mins.