Tag Archives: indian

Cauliflower and Broccoli Poriyal with Lentils and Coconut

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A poriyal is a beautiful, simple way to enjoy fresh vegetables. This south Indian stir fry (kinda!) usually involves tempering mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chillies and or curry leaves and then adding chopped vegetables - quick, easy and healthy.

I like to add some split mung beans or moong dal to my poriyals for extra body and protein. I also leave the broccoli and cauliflower slightly undercooked so that they are a tad crunchy; over cooking fresh vegetables just doesnt let their flavor shine through. Serve this with rice and pineapple rasam or collard greens dal.

Cauliflower and Broccoli Poriyal with Lentils and Coconut Recipe

serves 6-8 as a side dish

for the lentils
1/4 cup split mung beans (moong dal)
a pinch of turmeric

other ingredients
2 cups of broccoli florets
2 cups of cauliflower florets
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
2-3 dried red chillies, or according to taste
a few curry leaves
1/8 teaspoon asafoetida
4 tablespoon fresh grated coconut (I use fresh-frozen, grated coconut available at the Asian store. The ones from Thailand are good.)
salt

Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a pot. Add moong dal, turmeric and salt and let it boil till the lentils are cooked through but still holding their shape. Drain well.

Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into tiny florets as seen in the photos. Heat oil in a wok and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the dried red chillies, curry leaves, and asafoetida. Cook for about 30 seconds. Then add cauliflower, broccoli and salt. Cook on medium heat till the vegetables are cooked but still slightly crunchy. If needed, sprinkle some water while cooking the vegetables.

Add the cooked lentils and coconut, stir well, and turn off heat.

Masala Stuffed Okra

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Documenting recipes was a big deal in my family. (That’s probably where I get my interest in food blogging from). Every family recipe was carefully tested and documented on paper. It was a huge, and ongoing project in my parents’ house. As kids, my siblings, any visiting cousins and I were constantly put to work, writing and re-writing recipes in notebooks.

There is a mountain of old notebooks at my parents’ house in India, their yellowing pages full of hand written recipes. When I moved out, I photocopied every single page of every single notebook. I take my photocopied family recipes everywhere I go. No matter what country, state, city or house I am moving to, the first thing I pack is my huge stack of photocopies.

About 10 years ago, my mother decided to go hi-tech. She hired a starving college kid to type out, catalogue and save the thousands of family recipes on CDs. I was given a copy of all these CDs.

The CDs are better organized and much easier to use. But somehow, I keep going back to my Xerox copies of the notebooks. I like shuffling through my stacks of paper. The fading ink, the dog eared edges, all remind me of a sweltering childhood kitchen filled with the aromas of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
This is one recipe that will take me right back there. Served with rice and dal, it is my sister’s favorite.

A very small portion of my family recipes collection

We call this dish ‘nool katti vendakkai masala’ or string tied okra. The stuffed okra was tied with string and then deep fried. Tying the okra kept the stuffing inside it. My version of this recipe is a little easier. I don’t string tie the okra.

Notes

- Make sure you dry the okras very well before stuffing them
- Searing the stuffed okras on high heat initially will make sure they dont get slimy
-For a quicker version of this recipe, skip the roasting and grinding of spices; instead use chili powder, coriander powder and cumin powder

Stuffed okra is a common dish in India, but recipes vary from region to region. Aayi’s Recipes has a Konkan stuffed okra recipe using coconut. Hungry Desi’s stuffed okra boats recipe uses tomatoes. Sindhi Rasoi’s stuffed okra or dhaas bhindi or bharwan bhindi recipe uses spice powders.

 

Masala Stuffed Okra Recipe

serves about 4 as a side dish

For masala
½ teaspoon oil
3 red chilies
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
½ small onion, minced
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
¼ teaspoon turmeric
A pinch of asafetida
Salt

For the okra
½ lb fresh, tender Okra (about 30)
1-2 tablespoons oil

In a small skillet, heat the oil for masala and add red chilies, coriander seeds, cumin and fennel seeds. Fry on low heat just till the spices turn color and get fragrant. Remove the spices to a spice grinder and grind finely.

Wipe the skillet clean. Add a few drops of oil and fry the onions and garlic till onion is soft. Turn off heat. Add ground spices, turmeric, asafetida and salt to the onion mixture. Mix well. This is your stuffing masala.

Wash and dry the okra. Cut the tops off. Using a sharp knife, make an incision in the okra, starting from the top and stopping just before the tail. Do not cut all the way through the orka, it has to be one whole piece.

Place okra on a work surface. Using one hand, gently pry open the okra at the slit. (Careful not to tear it). Using your other hand, gently stuff a little masala into the slit and pack it down. Repeat for all okra pieces.

In a large, shallow non stick skillet, heat the oil. Add the stuffed okra, one at a time, stuffed side facing up, in a single layer. Cook on medium-high heat till the bottom sides of the okra are brown. Reduce heat to low, place a lid on the skillet, venting it a little, and cook for about 7 minutes or till the okra is tender. Then remove lid, carefully flip the okras over and cook 2 more minutes. Sprinkle salt all over. Serve hot with rice and dal.

Cold Spiced Buttermilk Drink with Cucumber

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Spiced, salted buttermilk drink, also called mor, sambaram, majjige or chaas, is a popular thirst quencher in India. At its humblest form, this drink can simply be buttermilk served with a pinch of salt. I’ve added a little twist by using some refreshing, crunchy bits of cucumber in this recipe. With all the ginger, cumin and asafoetida in this drink, its also a great digestive.

If you dont have buttermilk, you could use 1 part yogurt and 1 part water. Or just thin out yogurt to your liking.

Similar spiced buttermilk recipes:

Sambharam, majjige or mor recipe on Edible Garden
Spiced buttermilk recipe on Vegetable Platter
Majjiga or salted yogurt drink recipe on Sailu’s Kitchen
Spicy buttermilk on Aayis Recipes

Spiced Buttermilk Drink with Cucumber (chaas, mor, moru, majjige, sambaram) Recipe

serves about 2

2 cups buttermilk (or 1 cup yogurt diluted with 1 cup water)
1/8th teaspoon cumin  seeds
4-6 curry leaves
1 teaspoon sized knob of ginger, peeled
1 small green chilli or according to taste, optional
2 sprigs of cilantro
a pinch of asafoetida
salt

2 tablespoons finely chopped cucumber

Pour the buttermilk into a bowl and set aside. In a mortar and pestle, roughly pound the cumin seeds, curry leaf, ginger, chilli, cilantro and asafoetida. Add the pounded spices to the buttermilk and add salt. Stir well. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour so the flavors marry. Strain before serving and garnish with chopped cucumbers.

Pineapple Rasam and Tender Coconut Rasam (South Indian Soup)

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When I called my grandmother to get a pineapple rasam recipe, the culinary genius she is, suggested that the same recipe will also work with tender coconut. So here you have it – a pineapple rasam recipe and a tender coconut rasam recipe.

Roast and grind these ingredients for rasam spice powder & cook with sweet juicy pineapple

Rasam, also called charu or saaru, is a spiced, thin soup from South India. You can buy rasam powder at any Indian store; but I like home made rasam podi or powder better. Once you’ve made it, it will keep for months in an airtight container.

Serve rasam with rice or in cups like soup. There are several rasam recipes on the internet, the basic spices are the same, proportions and other additions vary according to family and region. This pineapple rasam recipe on Jugalbandi looks great, as does this pineapple rasam recipe on Veg Inspirations, Samayal Arai blog also has a pineapple rasam recipe.

  

If I want a sweet and savory rasam, I always turn to pineapple. I havent tried my grandmother’s idea of adding tender coconut pulp and coconut water to rasam; but I love the idea and if any of you try the tender coconut variation (see below) I’d love to hear how it turned out.

 

Pineapple Rasam Recipe

Serves about 4

for tempering
½ teaspoon ghee or clarified butter or oil
¼ teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 dried red chili
A pinch of asafoetida
A few curry leaves

for rasam
a small lime sized ball of tamarind pulp (about a tablespoon)
5 cups water
1 ½ tablespoons rasam powder (recipe below)
1 cup pineapple chunks (I used canned; make sure you buy pineapple chunks in 100% pineapple juice)
½ cup pineapple juice (from pineapple chunks can)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Salt

Heat ghee or oil in a deep pot. Add mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add all other tempering ingredients. Cook for about 30 seconds.

Soak tamarind in 1 cup hot water for 5 minutes. Squeeze the tamarind with your hands, extracting the juices.

Add tamarind juice, 5 cups water and rasam powder to the pot. Boil for about 7 minutes. Add pineapple chunks, pineapple juice, cilantro and salt and boil another 5 minutes.

Serve hot with rice or drink like soup.

Rasam Powder or Rasam Podi Recipe

makes about ¼ cup

for dry roasting
2 tablespoons whole coriander
½ tablespoon cumin seeds
½ tablespoon peppercorns
¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1 tablespoon toor dal or yellow lentils

for oil roasting
Few drops of oil
1 dried red chili, torn into small pieces (this will yield a mild rasam powder, use more chillies if you want it hot)

other ingredients
1/8 teaspoon asafoetida
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

In a small skillet on low heat, roast all the dry roasting ingredients one by one for about 1 minute each or till the spices are fragrant and turned color slightly. Place each ingredient in a coffee grinder as you finish roasting.

In the same pan, heat a few drops of oil, and roast the red chili for about 30 seconds. Add to the coffee grinder.

Add asafoetida and turmeric to the coffee grinder. Grind everything to a fine powder. Store in an airtight container. Rasam powder will keep for several months.

Tender Coconut Rasam Recipe

Use the pineapple rasam recipe above. But instead of pineapple chunks, use tender coconut pulp. Instead of pineapple juice, use tender coconut water. Add these right at the end of cooking.

Easy Potato Curry (Dry)

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The secret to this easy, vegan potato curry is Baba’s curry powder. Its a Malaysian made curry powder, and you can buy it online or possibly at a Asian/Malaysian foods store. My pantry is never without Baba’s meat curry powder and Baba’s fish curry powder.

Photo from www.babas.com.my

I highly recommend Baba’s curry powders. Although they are meant for meat, the curry powders themselves contain no meat and they are fantastic to add to vegetables, curries and lentil dishes.

Baba’s meat curry powder Ive used in this recipe contains coriander, fennel, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise and cloves.

 

Substitute Babas curry powder with sambar powder or any yellow curry powder. How much you will need to use depends on the brand and how spicy it is.

 

Notes:

- When chopping potatoes, keep them in a bowl of water to prevent them from discoloring

- If the curry gets too dry while cooking, sprinkle a little water

- Potatoes will cook sooner if you cut them into smaller cubes

Easy, Vegan Potato Curry or Potato Masala or Potato Poriyal Recipe

serves about 2

1 large potato (about 1 1/2 cups when cut into small cubes)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/8th teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/8th teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon urad dal (black gram)
a pinch of asafoetida
1 dried red chilli, or according to taste
a few curry leaves, optional
1-2 teaspoons Baba’s meat curry powder or sambar powder or any yellow curry powder (how much curry powder you’ll need depends on the brand you use)
salt

Peel and cut the potato into small cubes. Heat a non stick wok with the oil and add mustard seeds. When they pop, add cumin seeds. When they start to sizzle, add urad dal, asafoetida, red chili and curry leaves. Cook about 20 seconds or till fragrant. Add the cubed potatoes, curry powder, 2 tablespoons water and salt. Cook on medium heat till the potatoes are cooked, about 6 minutes.

Easy Israeli Couscous with Roasted Peanuts. Ready in 10 minutes.

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I am blessed to I have friends whom Ive known since childhood. These are the people I can be myself with and I know will support me through anything.

One such friend is Vidya. As children, Vidya and I hung out in each others’ houses all the time. We’ve shared much, and had a lot of fun together. And through the years, no matter where in this world we were, we’ve kept the close friendship going.

A few winters ago, Vidya drove up from North Carolina to visit me. She came bearing a tub of marinated olives and a delicious merlot. We sat in my kitchen late that night, talking, eating, drinking and watching the snow fall. We were warmed by friendship and wine.

Vidya then made us a midnight snack – Israeli couscous with cumin and roasted peanuts. We chatted and sipped wine as Vidya cooked the nutty, chewy, cumin scented dish. There we were, old friends, in the middle of a winter’s night; cooking, laughing and enjoying the sisterhood of a 20 year old friendship.

Thankyou Vidya, for so much more than just this recipe.

Vidya’s recipe for israeli or pearl couscous is a shortcut version of Indian sabudana or sago kichdi. The traditional recipe uses sabudana (tapioca pearls). But I like Vidya’s version with israeli couscous, its easy to make and you really cant mess it up. This is a great, 10 minute vegan snack or side dish.

Israeli couscous, also called pearl couscous or mograbiah or ptitim is a type of pasta from the Levant region. If you dont have pearl couscous on hand, sustitute with cooked orzo or tapioca pearls.

Check out this curried Israeli couscous (mograbieh) recipe on gourmet sleuth. Vegan Yum Yum has a simple, vegan recipe for lemon pearl couscous.

But its this  couscous and mograbhia (israeli couscous) recipe on Dana Treat that really reminded me that I havent made this israeli couscous recipe in a while. Dana said she has a big load of israeli couscous and is always looking for recipes. Dana, this is for you :)  

I use 1/2 cup peanuts in this recipe, which is on the peanutty side. Thats how I like it. If you feel this is too much, reduce the amout of peanuts to upto 1/4 cup.

Israeli Couscous (Pearl Couscous or Mograbiah) with Roasted Peanuts Recipe

serves about 4 as a side

for the couscous

1 tablespoon oil
1 cup israeli couscous or pearl couscous, uncooked

for sauteing

1 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
a few curry leaves, optional
2 green or dried red chillies (or according to taste), chopped. Use jalapenos instead if you dont want it too spicy.
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, crushed lightly (this will be on the peanutty side, reduce the amount of peanuts if you wish)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
salt

Heat oil in a large non stick skillet. Add couscous. Stir the couscous on low heat till it turns color and becomes light brown. Add 2 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover the skillet and simmer till all the water is absorbed, 5-7 minutes. Couscous should not be mushy. 

While, couscous is cooking, take a wok, heat the oil and add cumin seeds. When they start to sizzle, add the curry leaves, and green or red chillies and cook for about 15 seconds. Add the cooked israeli couscous, peanuts, lemon juice and salt. Stir well. Turn off heat. Adjust lemon juice according to taste. Add cilantro. Serve warm.

Tandoori Grilled Broccoli and Cauliflower Kebabs

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A tandoor is an Indian clay oven. Marinated meat, cottage cheese (paneer) or vegetables are skewered and cooked in the oven. The result is smoky, charred skewers of tandoori yumminess.

 

Make sure you soak the skewers before grilling, otherwise they will burn on the grill. If you dont have a grill, you can place the skewers in the oven and broil them till brown and slightly charred. Then flip the skewers and broil the other side.

The tandoori marinade recipe I give you is very versatile, you can use it for paneer, tofu, potatoes, even seitan.

I like to blanch the broccoli and cauliflower before marinating. This reduces grilling time and also makes it easier to thread the skewer into the broccoli and cauliflower.

We usually eat these grilled kebabs with either brown rice, rotis or pita bread and some raita. Here are some recipes on Veggie Belly that will make great accompaniments to these kebabs:

Walnut raisin rice

My grandmother’s multicolored raita

Tamarind Jelly

Tandoori Grilled Broccoli and Cauliflower Kebabs Recipe

serves about 2 as an entree

4 bamboo skewers (about 10 inches long)

1 small head of broccoli
1/2 small head of cauliflower
1 small red onion, cut into 4 wedges
1 large tomato, cut into 4 wedges

for marinade
3 tablespoons chickpea or garbanzo flour (besan)
1/2 cup yogurt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 tablespoon garlic paste
1 tablespoon ginger paste
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
Salt

Soak bamboo skewers in water for atleast 30 minutes, to prevent them from burning on the grill.

Cut the broccoli and cauliflower into large florets. You should have 6 florets (about 2 cups) each of broccoli and cauliflower.

Bring water to boil in a medium pot. Add plenty of salt. Add the broccoli and cauliflower florets. Bring back to a boil. Cook for 20 seconds. Then turn off heat and drain the broccoli and cauliflower. Rinse under very cold water to stop the cooking. If the tap water is not cold enough, dunk the broccoli and cauliflower in a bowl filled with water and ice cubes, then drain. Pat dry with a towel. Make sure the vegetables arent wet, if they are they will dilute the marinade.

Whisk all marinade ingredients together in a bowl. Add the broccoli, cauliflower, tomato and onion pieces to the marinade. Mix gently so the marinade coats all the vegetables. Cover and refridgerate for about 30 minutes.

Heat an out door grill to 400f. Skewer the broccoli, cauliflower, onion and tomato pieces. Place on grill and cook till one side of the vegetables is slightly charred, about 1 minute. Then using tongs, flip the skewers and cook the other side. If you dont have a grill, broil the skewers in the oven.

My Grandmother’s Multicolored Mixed Vegetable Raita

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My two grandmother’s could not be more different.  One has a PhD, was a career woman and takes pride in the fact that she ‘cant boil a kettle of water’. She is a connoisseur of fine food, but never enters the kitchen herself. My other grandmother works miracles in the kitchen. She can effortlessly turn out simmering pot after pot of the most delectable sambars, kuzhambus, rasams, poriyals, and kootus. She instilled in me a love for cooking; and not a week goes by when I’m not on the phone with my grandmother asking for recipes, techniques or clarifications. As different as they are from each other, both my grandmothers are remarkable women, and I continue to learn so much from them.

 My grandmother (the non-cooking one!), grandfather,  father and aunt. Late 1950s

 

 

 When its too hot to cook, I always turn to this mixed vegetable raita. Its cool, refershing and there is no cooking involved. I am happy just eating a huge bowl of this for dinner. But this colorful raita will be a great accompaniment to and Indian dinner of rice, roti and curry.

Its easy to remember this recipe – just remember the 6 Cs- cucumber, capsicum, corn, carrot, curd, cherry tomato. Then add pomegranates. Thats it! I didnt use pomegranate seeds in this recipe because I couldnt find any; but I highly recommend you use them!

My grandmother adds salt to the raita only just before serving. If you add salt any sooner, it will draw out the moisture from the vegetables and make your raita watery. And make sure you let the raita sit in the fridge overnight, it tastes much better than eating it right away.

My Grandmother’s Multicolored Mixed Vegetable Raita Recipe

serves about 10 as a side dish

1 large seedless cucumber, the kind with the plastic wrap or 4 small cucumbers (about 3 cups when chopped)
3 medium carrots (about 1 1/2 cups when chopped)
1 small green pepper (about 1/2 cup when chopped)
1 small orange pepper (about 1/2 cup when chopped)
1 cup cherry tomatoes
2 cups drained canned sweet corn
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (I didnt use, because I couldnt find them)
3 cups yogurt
salt

Peel the cucumber and carrots, and chop into very small pieces. Chop the peppers into tiny pieces as well. Cut each cherry tomato into 2 or 3 pieces.  Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, except salt. Place the raita in the fridge. Raita tastes better if it sits over night. Add salt just before serving and stir well. Serve chilled.

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