Bisi bele bath..

This recipe from my MIL, is a extremely fragrant rice and dal based dish. Its a one pot meal, very satisfying and can be had with almost anything like chips or raitha or even some curds.


Serves 2-3 people

Rice ( sona masoori or Basmati rice) :   1 cup
Tuvar dal : 1/2 cup
Small onions : 1/2 cup
Frozen mixed vegetables : 1/2 cup
Coconut (freshly grated) : 1/4 cup
Tamarind paste   (mix with a 1/2 cup water) : 1 tsp
Salt : to taste
Jaggery powder : 2 tsp
Turmeric powder : 1/2 tsp

For masala paste:

Tuvar dal : 1 tsp
Urad dal : 1 tsp
Chana dal : 1 tsp
Red chillies (dry) : 2- 3 (to taste)
Asafoetida pwd :1/8 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds :1/4 tsp
Cardamom pods : 1
Bay leaf  :  1/2 leaf
Black pepper corns : 4 nos
Cinnamon stick: a small piece


For dry powder:

Dry coriander seeds : 1.5 tbsp
Red chillies : 1

For tempering:

Oil (coconut oil) : 1.5 tsp
mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp
Almonds or Cashew nuts : 6- 7 nos

Method:

Dry roast all the ingredients mentioned for 'masala paste' for a couple of minutes and grind it with the freshly grated coconut into a paste (add water if needed). Now dry roast and powder coriander seeds and the red chilli and set aside. Pressure cook rice along with the tuvar dal until done. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When the seeds crackle, add Small onions and fry them for a couple of minutes. when the onions become slighly golden in colour, pour tamarind water and add turmeric pwd, jaggery and Salt to taste. Add the frozen vegetables and mix. Cook for a couple of minutes. The tamarind water should be boiling. At this moment add the 'masala paste' followed by Rice Dal mixture and dry masala powder. Mix well and simmer covered for a couple of minutes more. In case your Bisi bele Bath becomes thick, all you have to do is to sprinkle some water. I like it when it has a 'pongal' like consistency. Enjoy eating this lovely dish with some potato chips or 'raita'.

Mango Pulisherri

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This is one of my favourite comfort foods. My Thati is an expert in making 'mor-kootaans' and this recipe is precisely one of the best dishes I have ever tasted. This is acually like mango 'mor- kootan', but a combination of sweet-sour-tangy tastes. I was invariably a bit nervous as to what it will turn out to be ...(I mean the recipe), but this, however came out surprisingly good!

This recipe serves 2 persons

So for the recipe you will need:

Ripe sweet mango : 1 nos
Sour yogurt (sour curds) : 1 cup

Turmeric pwd : 1/2 tsp

Salt : to taste

Green chillies : 3-4 nos (to taste)

Fenugreek seeds : 1 tsp

Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp

Asaphoetida pwd : 1/8 tsp (1 pinch)

Curry leaves : 1 tsp

Black pepper : 1/4 tsp

Coconut (freshly grated) : 1/2 cup

Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp

Whole red chillies : 1 nos

Water : 1/2 cup

Oil (I used Coconut oil) : 1tsp

Procedure:

Wash, peel and chop the mango into small pieces. Boil the mango along with some water, turmeric pwd, salt and Black pepper and cook it for some time. Grind coconut with green chillies and cumin seeds to a thick paste, adding sour curds instead of water. Keep this paste aside. Add the ground paste to the cooked mango when the mango is soft and pulpy. Bring this mixture to boil on simmer. Turn off the heat and mix in the sour curds and taste the pulisherri to check salt and spice and mix well. Now for tempering, heat some oil in a pan. When oil is hot, add fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds, asaphoetida, whole red chillies, and curry leaves. (try not to burn the fenugreek seeds). When the mustard seeds crackle, mix the tempering with the mango mixture immediately and stir.

Serve hot with rice. I served my 'pulisherri' with rice and 'podi kathhrikkai' . 'Podi Kathhrikkai recipe is coming soon!

Tomato Rasam

Rasam rice is undoubtedly my ultimate comfort food. Just try having hot Rasam with steaming rice, mixed with a spoonful of home-made ghee along with any 'thoran' or 'paruppu-usili'. Nothing can beat this meal on a rainy day.

My Amma is famous for her fragrant 'rasams'. The secret behind her 'rasam' is a 'mathhu' which is a simple wooden mechanism which helps to churn butter out of curd. I must say that this is an incredible device used in almost all the house-holds in southern India. Back at home, Amma is very particular about the 'mathhu' to be used, because she has two separate 'mathhu' - one for butter milk and one for 'rasam'. Anyway, lets make ourselves some lovely 'rasam'...

and for that you will need:

Ripe Roma tomatoes : 1 big or 2 small nos
Tur dal ( Arhar dal) : 1/4 cup
Rasam powder : 1.5 tsp
Tamarind paste : 1/2 tsp
Salt : to taste
pepper pdr : to taste (optional)
Turmeric pwd : 1/4 tsp
Garlic (crushed) : 1/2 tsp (optional)
Mustard seeds : 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds : 1/2 tsp
Asaphoetida pwd : 1 pinch
Ghee : 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves : 1 tbsp


Method:

Pressure cook Tur dal in some water with turmeric pwd till soft and mushy. Boil 3/4 cup water in a pan and add chopped tomatoes, salt, garlic, pepper pwd. Cook on slow fire. When the dal is cooked, add rasam pwd in the dal and mash with 'mathhu' as shown below.




Now stir in the tamarind paste in the cooked tomatoes and simmer for a few minutes. When it comes to a boil, pour the dal mixture into the pan with tomatoes. Add salt and stir. All the mixture to become frothy i.e. you will see bubbles on top of the 'rasam'.Keep the pan on low heat, keeping in mind not to boil the rasam any more.




The final step is to put 'tadka' or tempering. For this heat some ghee in a separate pan and add mustard, cumin and asaphoetida pwd. When the seeds crackle, pour it in the rasam. Garnish it with Coriander leaves and serve hot.

Hyderabadi Mirchi ka Salan

I am always tempted to pick a few giant banana peppers to make lovely 'bhajjis' during the rains. This weekend I changed my mind (as usual) and thought of a gravy recipe with Giant Hungarian Yellow peppers (thats how they call it in our Groceries).
I remember one of my Hyderabadi friend's mother, who used to make the most delicious Mirchi Salan I have ever tasted. Remembering her, I tried to recall the ingredients and came up with this splendid dish.

Ingredients:

Hungarian Yellow peppers - 5 nos
Roasted peanuts - 3 tbsp
Sesame seeds - 2 tbsp
Onion - 1 small (finely chopped)
Tamarind paste - 1/2 tsp
salt - to taste
Red chilli pwdr - to taste
Turmeric pwdr - 1/2 tsp
Whole coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
Red Chillies - 2 nos (optional)
Green Chillies - 1 nos (optional)
Coconut (grated) - 3 tbsp
Yogurt (plain) - 3 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon - 1 small piece
Clove - 1 nos
Black pepper - 2 nos
Cardamom - 1 nos
Bay leaf - 1/2 leaf
Zeera (cumin) - 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves - for garnishing (optional)
Sugar - 1 tsp (optional)


Procedure:


Pre heat oven at 350F for five minutes and bake the Hungarian Yellow peppers for about 10 minutes or untill they become soft as shown below.





Mean while, dry roast coriander seeds, clove, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf and Cumin seeds.



Keep that aside to cool. Dry roast sesame seeds and peanuts and set that aside as well.




Now heat a tsp of oil and fry chopped Onion, Ginger garlic paste, green chillies, turmeric and red chilli pwd.




Now grind the three batches of roasted ingredients, i.e.

1. onion mixture
2. peanut sesame seeds
3. whole masala mixture (coriander seeds, bay leaf etc)

while grinding the above mixture, add sugar, tamarind paste, yogurt and coconut.
Taste the gravy and adjust salt as required.





Simmer the ground masala (gravy paste) for 2 minutes. While doing that, discard the seeds and membranes of the chillies and cut them into big chunks. You can add the chillies into the gravy without chopping them also. Allow the chillies to soak in the gravy for a few minutes. Serve hot with chappathy or rice...


Have fun..

Olan

Olan is one of the most important dishes prepared for Onam sadya (feast). It is a delightfully mild and flavourful curry savoured in almost every Malayali household. Traditionally, the combination of Ash gourd and black eyed beans or yard long beans with Yellow pumpkin is used.Since I didn't have either ash gourd or long beans, I tried the same recipe using yellow pumpkin and black eyed beans. Surprizingly, it was really nice. Hope you like it too.


Ingredients:

Yellow Pumpkin - 1 cup (thickly sliced)
Black eyed Beans - 1/3 cup (soaked in water overnight)
coconut milk - 1/2 cup
salt - to taste
Green chillies - 2 or 3 (or to taste)


Procedure:

Pressure cook the black eyed beaks in 1 cup water, some salt and cut green chillies for two to three whistles. Set aside when done. Cook the pumpkin separately in 1/2 cup water and salt to taste. Combine pumpkin and beans in a wide mouth pan and remve from fire. Pour in the coconut milk and crefully stir the curry without squishing the cooked pumpkin. Serve warm with rice and spicy Pullisherry.