May 2020 – Meal Haven

Garlic curry/Poondu Kuzhambu

A tangy and healthy recipe made of garlic and tamarind which can be served with rice. I have seasoned the curry using vadavam (vadouvan), french derivative for this masala. The spice blend is thought to have originated from the colonial influence of the French in the Pondicherry region of India. (Pictured below)

The spice blend contains pounded onion, garlic, cumin seeds, mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds which are sun dried, then crushed and mixed with castor oil, rolled into balls and dried for several more days.

If you do not have vadavam, you could use the items mentioned “under seasoning” which would be readily available in your pantry.

Ingredients:

Peeled garlic pods – a handful

Onion – 2 small chopped

Tomatoes – 4

Milk – 1/2 cup

Tamarind – a small ball

Chillie powder – 1 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Oil – 1 tbsp (Gingeley oil preferred)

Water – 1 cup

Salt- as required

For seasoning:

Vadavam : 1 tsp optional (see picture below)

Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp

Udad dal – 1/2 tsp

Fenugreek seeds – 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Preparation:

Soak the tamarind ( lime sized ball) in water for 10 minutes and make it pulpy.

Take a wide bottomed pan or kadai. Heat it and add oil. Add the onions and garlic and saute it well until the onions becomes slightly brown. Next, add the tomatoes and saute again. Add milk and cook the tomatoes. Take it off the heat and keep it aside.

When it turns cool, grind it in a mixer and keep it aside.

Heat oil in another pan, add the vadavam or the items listed under “seasonings”. Now add the ground paste to this and add the chillie powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder and mix it well. Next, add the tamarind paste or juice, discarding the flesh. Add a cup of water and salt and let it boil for 5 minutes. When it thickens a bit, take it off the flame and serve it with rice.

Chocolate Cobbler

Desserts

A crunchy topping on the hot fudge pudding cake makes it outrageously yum…..A simple batter spooned to the bottom of the pan, a dry cocoa mixture sprinkled on top of it and hot water poured on top if it and baked and voila….. a yum dessert ready to be served.

8 – 10 servings

Ingredients:

All purpose Flour or Maida – 2 cups

Salt – 1 tsp

Sugar – 1 cup sugar

Baking powder – 4 tsp

Cocoa – 3 tbsp

Melted butter – 4 tbsp

Milk – 1 cup

Vanilla essence – 2 tsp

Chopped Walnuts – 3/4 cup (optional)

For Topping:

Sugar – 1/4 cup

Brown sugar – 1 cup

Salt – 1/4 tsp

Cocoa – 1 tbsp

Boiling Water – 1 cup

Preparation:

In a mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa.

In another bowl, add sugar, melted butter, milk, vanilla essence and beat it well using a electric hand mixer.

Now add the flour mixture and walnuts (optional) and beat it at low while mixing the flour. You can use a spatula to mix it gently.

Grease a 9 inch glass pyrex baking dish and spread this mixture into it and set aside.

In another mixing bowl, combine the toppings (sugar, brown sugar, salt and cocoa). Mix it well and sprinkle it on top of the batter. Do not stir/mix it into the batter.

Pour the boiling water on top and do not stir.

Preheat oven to 180 C or 350 deg F . Place the baking dish inside the oven and bake for 80 minutes or until it is set. The cake will rise and you will see a pudding form at the bottom of the dish.

It is recommended to serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

Bisi Bela Baath with Oats

Rice

A healthy alternative to the traditional dish from Karnataka, made with oats, lentils and veggies. This dish has to be eaten hot and if left to become cold, will not taste good.

Ingredients:

Oats – 1 1/4 cup

Tur dal – 1 cup

Water – 4 cups

Peas – 6 to 7 pods

Carrot – 1 small

Beans – 4 to 5

Shallots – 5

Potato – 1 small

Ghee – 2 to 3 tablespoon

Tamarind water – 1/4 cup

Bisi bela powder – 4 tbsp or more if you want spicier

Jaggery – 1/4 tablespoon

Cashews – 10 – 12 pieces

Salt to taste

Seasoning:

Red chillies – 2

Curry leaves – 1 sprig

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Urad dal – 1/2 tsp

Home made powder

Oil – 1 tsp

Coriander seeds – 3 tsp

Urad dal – 2 tsp

Bengal gram/Channa Dal – 1 tsp

Cinnamon – 2 inch stick

Cloves – 2

Dry red chillies – 7 or 8

Khus khus – 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds/Jeera – 1/4 tsp

Pepper – 1/4 tsp

Dry coconut (Copra) – 1 or coconut – 1/2

Add dal with 4 cups of water in pressure cooker and cook

Pulse the ingredients for the powder finely in a mixie.

Bisi bela baath powder:

Heat 1 tsp of oil and saute coriander seeds, jeera, pepper, bengal gram dal, urad dal, fenugreek seeds, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and red chillies.

Saute until dal starts to change color. Add khus khus and saute for few seconds on low heat.

Add the dry coconut and saute for few minutes on low heat, stirring continuously. Or if coconut is used, it is to be roasted slightly and then powdered alongwith the other ingredients.

Turn off the heat and leave it to cool and powder it coarsely.

Preparation:

Wash dal first and cook it in pressure cooker with water for 2 whistles and keep it on low flame for 10 minutes. Put off the flame and then, open the cooker after it is cooled, mash it a little and close and keep it aside, once the dal is cooked.

Heat 1 tsp ghee. Add shallots, beans cut into 1/4 inch pieces, peas and carrot sliced small and saute for some time. When it is cooked, add tamarind water and jaggery powder.

Let it boil until raw smell leaves. Add bisi bele bath powder (I use home made powder).

Let it boil for 2 minutes. Add the mashed dal and stir well. Then add the oats and cook it well. Make sure to stir as it may turn lumpy. Keep it on slow fire for about 3 -4 minutes. You may add 1/4 cup hot water if it becomes too thick.

Heat a tbsp of ghee and fry cashews until golden, remove. In the same kadai, add the seasonings listed under ‘seasoning’ and let it splutter.Add the seasonings also to the rice and dal. Mix well and serve hot with a tsp of ghee. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Maharashtrian Sabudana/Sago/Tapoica Pearls Kichdi

Breakfast

For the uninitiated, Sabudana kichdi is a popular breakfast item in Maharastra. It is mostly prepared on the days of fasting. Made with potatoes, coarsely ground peanuts and tapoica pearls, this recipe is one you would want to try…The tricky part is to prevent the sabudana from getting all clumped together but getting separate pearls after it is cooked.

Ingredients:

Sabudana/Sago – 1 1/2 cups

Potatoes – 2 medium diced

Cumin seeds/Jeera – 1 tsp

Roasted peanuts coarsely ground – 1/4 cup

Green chillies – 2 finely chopped

Coriander leaves – 2 sprigs chopped

Curry leaves – 6 to 7 (optional)

Lemon juice – 1/2 tsp

Salt as needed

Water – as needed

Grated coconut – 1 tbsp (optional)

Oil – 2 tbsp

Preparation:

Rinse the sabudana using a strainer two to three times until all the starch has been washed away.

Soak the sabudana with just enough water so as to submerge it, around 3/4th cup for every 1 cup of sabudana. Soak it for 3 to 4 hours. (Some types of sabudana are delicate and therefore, you may have to soak it for just an hour or so).

After 3 to 4 hours, check the sabudana and see if it is soft, if not leave it for some more time. The soaked sabudana should be soft when you press it and there should not be any water left for absorption in the vessel. Remove the excess water, if there is any.

Dice the potatoes and cook them with little salt till they are soft but not mushy. Keep them aside.

Heat a non stick pan (I prefer a non stick pan to a cast iron kadai as the sabudana tends to stick to the kadai due to the high heat). Add oil. When it turns hot, add the cumin seeds and curry leaves. When it starts to crackle, add the finely chopped green chillies and saute well. Add the cooked potatoes and mix it once. Then, add the drained sabudana pearls and mix well. Stir it to avoid sticking to the bottom. If it is too dry, just sprinkle a little water and stir again. Add salt and close and keep so that it cooks and becomes glossy. When done, add lime juice, coriander leaves and lastly coarsely ground peanuts. Mix well again and serve. You can add grated coconut at the end, if you wish.

Instant Red Aval/Poha Idlis(Flattened Rice Steam Cakes)

Breakfast

These red aval idlis require no fermentation and can be prepared when you want quick idlis. Fluffy and light, these are easy to digest and makes for a light meal.

Makes 20 idlis.

Ingredients:

Urad dal – 4 tbsp

White or Red Poha/Aval – 1 cup

Rice flour – 1 cup

Sour curds – 1/2 cup

Water – 1 cup or as required

Salt – 1/2 tsp or to taste

Eno’s Fruit Salt – 1 tsp

Oil – for applying on the steamer plates

Preparation:

Heat a pan. When it is hot, lower the heat and add the urad dal and fry for 2 minutes. Then add the Poha/Aval and stir for another 2-3 minutes. Remove and let it cool down.

Pulse it to a fine powder in a grinder. Sieve this flour and keep it aside.

To the sieved flour, add rice flour, salt and mix well. Then add the curds, water and with a whisk , make sure that there are no lumps. If you require more water, add another 1/4 cup. The consistency should not be too thick or too flowing or thin.

Next, to steam the idlis, grease the idli moulds with little oil and add water to the idli cooker for steaming.

Before the batter is poured into the pans, add eno’s fruit salt into the batter. The batter will start bubbling up a little. Mix it well or else, you may end up with light orange colours in the idlis. You should add the eno salt only before pouring the idlis into the moulds or else, the idlis will become hard.

Pour the batter into the idli moulds and keep it on the steamer. Cover and steam for 10-12 minutes. Let it cool a bit and then remove the cover and check if it is cooked. When a toothpick is inserted, it should come out clean. Once cooked, remove the idlis with a tablespoon dipped in water.

Serve with peanut chutney or any chutney of your choice.

Srilankan Pol Roti

Baking

These are rustic flatbreads native to Srilanka which are made of coconut milk, chillies and shredded coconut. As Srilanka is a coastal island, their cuisine is mostly tropical flavoured.

Delicious in every bite, you can serve this with any curries or gravies.

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour – 1 cup

Maida – 1 cup

Onion – 1 finely sliced

Curry leaves – 10 leaves finely chopped

Red chillie flakes – 1 tsp

Green chillies – 3 finely chopped

Coconut grated – 1 cup

Thick Coconut milk – 1/2 cup

Oil – 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Water – 1/4 cup or as needed

Preparation:

In a big mixing bowl, add the grated coconut, finely chopped green chillies, onions, chopped curry leaves, red chillie flakes and mix well. In another bowl, mix both the flours separately and add it to the coconut. Add the oil, salt, coconut milk, water and knead it well.

The texture of the roti will change depending on the amount of grated coconut you add. The more you add, the more softer it will be but you may find it difficult to roll them out.

Incorporate all the items together and knead into a soft pliable dough. Apply oil to your hands, knead it again and keep it for an hour to rest.

After an hour, separate it into 10 balls and keep it aside. On a lightly oiled surface, take a ball and shape the dough into circles. You may use a roller pin to shape it into a roti. If it sticks to the surface, dust a little flour and try rolling it into the shape.

Heat a skillet/tava. When it is really hot, place the rolled roti on the skillet and allow to cook on one side. Smear a little oil on it and flip it to cook the other side. Apply a little oil again and cook until it is golden in colour.

Serve it with any of your favourite gravy.

Minced Meat Vada (Mutton Kheema Vada)

Non-Vegetarian

An excellent appetizer with kheema which can be served at a party. It can also be served with rice and dal as an accompaniment.

Ingredients:

Coarse Mutton mince – 250 gms

Onion – 1 medium very finely chopped

Mint leaves – 15 chopped (optional)

Coriander leaves – 4-5 sprigs (chopped)

Green chillies – 4 -5

Garlic-Ginger paste – 1 tsp each

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Roasted Bengal gram dhal (pottukadalai ) – 1/2 cup

Cloves – 2

Cinnamon – a small piece about 1/2 inch

Cardamom – 1small

Aniseeed – 1 tsp

Preparation:

Dry roast the cloves, cinnamon and cardamom in a pan, powder it and keep it aside. Next, powder 1/2 cup of roasted bengal gram dhal and keep aside.

Wash the mince meat well and squeeze out water.

In a pressure cooker, heat oil. Add the minced meat, saute and then add the whole green chillies and keep on stirring till the water dries up. Then add the ginger- garlic paste, green chilly paste (make a paste of the cooked whole green chillies), turmeric powder, salt and 3-4 tbs of water. Put the weight of the cooker and pressure cook for 4 minutes, if mince is coarse.

After pressure is released and it cools down, open the cooker and dry the mince completely if there is any water. This step is very important as the balls may break if it is wet and water is present in it . Next, take the mince and grind in mixie jar for 1 or 2 seconds . It should not be a paste but should be slightly coarse so as to get the flavour of mincemeat whilst eating.

Remove and add it to a mixing bowl. Then add the spice powder, finely chopped onion, finely chopped mint and coriander leaves, roasted bengal gram dhal flour 4 -5 tablespoons; check salt, mix well and form into small lemon sized balls and slightly flatten them in the middle.

Heat oil in a pan and deep fry the vadas. Do not crowd with too many vadas in the pan as they may break. Lower to medium heat, turn over when fried on one side and remove when done.Try with one vada – if it breaks, add white of an egg or beat an egg and add a little so that it binds with the mince mixture. Do not keep on turning. Leave it and turn only after it is done.

KFC Style Fried Chicken

Non-Vegetarian, Snacks

When a friend asked me to try this one, I never expected it to be so finger licking good….. Here, I have made some variation to suit my palette and the result was that it tasted as good as KFC, if not even better. The flavourful crust with the succulent pieces is so darn delicious.

Ingredients:

Chicken thighs – 1/2 kg

Egg – 1

Red chillie powder – 1/2 tsp

Buttermilk – 1/4 cup

Salt as needed

Oil for fying (sunflower or corn oil)

For the coating

All Purpose Flour – 2 cups

Garlic powder – 1/2 tsp

Red chillie powder – 1/4 tsp

Pepper powder – 1/4 tsp

Dried Oregano – 1/4 tsp (optional)

Dried Basil – 1/4 tsp (optional)

Salt

Preparation:

Clean and cut the chicken into medium sized pieces. Marinate the chicken in buttermilk, chillie powder, egg and salt. Mix it well and let it marinate for 2 -3 hours.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the ingredients for the coating together well. Do not add water to it.

When you are ready to fry, take a chicken piece from the buttermilk and make sure to drip the excess liquid and dust it well all over with the flour. The chicken should be well coated with the flour. Repeat the process for other pieces too.

Heat oil in a pan. When it is smoking hot, drop the chicken pieces into it. Reduce the flame to medium low and fry for about 5 minutes. When it is golden brown, flip it to the other side and fry well. Remove and transfer the chicken pieces onto a kitchen tissue or plate.

Mutton Curry

Non-Vegetarian

A simple gravy without tomato prepared with soft tender chunks of mutton which can be served with rice, rotis or any bread.

Ingredients:

Mutton – 1/2 kg

Red chillies – 5

Green chillies – 1 slit

Cinnamon – 1 inch

Cloves – 3

Peppercorns – 8

Cumin seeds/ Jeera – 1 tsp

Ginger chopped – 1 tsp

Garlic chopped – 1 tsp

Coriander Leaves – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Onions cubed – 1 cup

Onion – 1 big (finely chopped)

Yogurt – 1/2 cup

Salt – To taste

Coriander leaves – for garnishing

Water – 1 1/4 cups

Cashewnuts ground – 8 -10 (optional)

Preparation:

Marinate the mutton in yogurt and salt for 1 hour.

In a pan, add oil and heat it. When hot, add the cardamom, cloves, pepper, cumin seeds/jeera and saute. Then add the chopped ginger, chopped garlic, cubed onions and lastly the coriander leaves, turmeric powder, green chillie and saute well. Put off the stove and let it cool. Pulse this in a mixie until fine and keep it aside.

Meanwhile, in a pressure cooker, heat oil. Add the chopped onions and saute well. When it turns brown, add the marinated mutton, salt as desired and saute well for 5 minutes. Then, add the ground mixture and 1 1/4 cups of water. Close the lid of the pressure cooker with the weight on. Keep it on medium flame until you hear a whistle. After the first whistle, reduce the flame to medium low and let it cook for 10 -15 minutes depending on the tenderness of the meat. If the meat is a bit tough, you may have to keep it until you hear a second and a third whistle. Usually three whistles would suffice.

Open the pressure cooker and check if the meat is cooked. If you want the gravy to be of a thicker consistency, keep the gravy on fire for a few more minutes and stir often gently so that it does not burn and the gravy thickens.

Once done, serve garnished with coriander leaves. You may add ground cashewnuts for a richer gravy.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Desserts

This is a classic British dessert made with dates. A rich, sticky pudding doused with an indulgent toffee sauce will make your taste buds sing.

Ingredients:

Dates (Pitted and finely chopped) – 10

Baking soda (Bi-carbonate of Soda)- 3/4 tsp

Boiling water – 3/4 cup

Vanilla essence – 1/2 tsp

Softened butter – 6 tbsp

Eggs (large) – 2

All purpose Flour/Maida – 1 1/4 cup

Light brown sugar – 1/2 cup

Salt – 1/4 tsp

Baking powder – 1 tsp

Pecans/Walnuts chopped – 1/4 cup (optional)

Sauce:

Light brown sugar or Dark brown sugar – 3/4 cup

Butter – 8 tbsps

Heavy whipping cream – 1/2 cup

Kosher Salt or any salt- a pinch

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C. Lightly grease a 8 x 8 inch pan or 6 individual ramekins with butter/cooking spray.

In a bowl, stir together the dates, boiling water, baking soda and vanilla extract. Let the mixture sit for 15 to 20 minutes. Pulse it once in the mixer and keep it aside.

In another bowl, cream the light brown sugar and butter with a handheld mixer until it is combined well. Then, add the eggs and mix well.

In a mixing bowl, add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix it well. Add this to the wet sugar butter mixture and fold it lightly, until it is well combined.

Then, add the dates mixture and the chopped nuts to this mixture and fold it with a spatula. Do not overmix or beat it with an electric beater.

Spread the batter evenly on the 8 x 8 inch pan or spoon into individual ramekins.

For an 8x 8 inch pan, bake it for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the centre, comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely. For individual ramekins, baking time of 30 minutes should suffice.

Preparing the sauce:

Combine sugar, butter and salt in a pan and keep it on low heat. After about 3 minutes, when the sugar dissolves, add the heavy whipping cream and stir for another 2 minutes. The sauce should become smooth and silky.

Remove the cakes from individual ramekins and place it on individual plates. Drizzle the sauce over it. You can sprinkle pecan or walnuts on top of it. If you have baked in an 8 x 8 inch pan, cut square pieces of the cake and serve it on a plate.

You may also serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.