Be A.W.E.D with Chile Relleno May 10, 2008

AWED is a great concept and kicking it off with Mexican food is even better…Kudos to DK for coming up with the idea. Mexico is only ONE latitude apart from India in the world map , and no wonder a lot of the ingredients we use in Indian food are also part of the Mexican cuisine. For example, tamarind or tamarindo, coconut (did you know that there is coconut candy similar to the coconut burfi?), cumin, cilantro or coriander leaves……. My contribution to AWED is a Chile Relleno with a Chipotle Black Bean sauce that G and I made a few months ago. We make this for our friends and they absolutely love it….Enjoy!

Ellukari- JFI for Love April 27, 2008

“Ellu” in tamil means sesame seeds. I wish I could give you a specific meaning for “kari” without resorting to the commonly misused term “curry” which is often used to describe the gravy or sauce of a dish. The problem I have with the over-generalization of curry as a sauce is that in Indian cooking the sauce is integral to the preparation of the dish and is not prepared or cooked separate from what the “star” ingredient is. Yes, there are some dishes such as Kofta and Kadhi that you can “assemble” before you serve. For the most part, the meat or the vegetable is cooked in the gravy from the beginning of the preparation. Enough of my tirade….

So, ellukari is a palakkad iyer specialty that was a staple in our home growing up, when Chenai (or Senai Kazhangu or Yam) was in season. The other, more prevalent preparations of chenai in the south is to fry it or “roast” in oil (this is a typical tamilnadu preparation) or Chenai upperi or mazhukuparatti (these are Kerala style preparations). This recipe of ellukari is my mom’s- I love the recipe for its simplicity and yet the complexity of the flavors it has..not to mention that a little bit is enough to get those taste buds going!!

My mom is a very creative cook- she finds uses for ingredients in Indian cooking that one wouldn’t think of- for example, tomatillos. It was my mom who started using tomatillos as a substitute for tamarind in sambar and rasam. I remember when growing up, we used to taste a different cuisine almost everyday- one day it would be a maharashtrian thalipeeth, the next day a punjabi kadhi and then a traditional south india meal. I think I’m inspired to tinker with recipes because of my mom, and get the passion for discovering a myriad of tastes from her…..Ellukari is my contribution to Pedatha’s JFI event- JIHVA for Love.

What you Need

1. 1 Pkt Frozen Yam 
2. 4 Dried Red Chillies
3. 1/2 tsp cooking oil
4. 2 T Urad dal
5. 1 cm piece of Asafoetida (or 1/2 tsp of asafoetida powder)
6. 4 Curry leaves
7. 2 tsp of black sesame seeds
8. 1/4 cup of coconut (optional) 
9. 1 Tbsp of Tamarind concentrate
10. Jaggery (optional)
11. 1/2 tsp of Turmeric powder
12. Salt to taste
13. 1/2 cup of water
14. For Tempering- 1 tsp of cooking oil (sesame oil will give additional flavor),1 tsp of mustard seeds, 1 tsp of Methi (fenugreek) seeds

How its done

• Defrost the yam and cut the pieces into smaller pieces (tastes better in small pieces)
• Heat the oil in a heavy bottom saucepan and add the mustard. When the mustard starts spluttering, add the methi seeds.
• Now, add the defrosted yam and roast for a few seconds. 
• Then add the tamarind, water, salt and turmeric and let boil till the raw smell of tamarind is gone- 3-5 minutes.
• In the meanwhile,in a small pan, roast in 1/2 tsp of oil ingredients 2 through 7 till the urad dal is light brown in color and a nutty aroma is emitted from the pan. If using coconut, add it at this stage, mix and turn off the heat. Grind this masala into a smooth paste.
• When the yam is half cooked in the tamarind water, add the masala paste and cook for 5 minutes till completely cooked. If using jaggery, add it after the yam is cooked and heat through for a minute before turning off the heat.

Ellukari is best eaten with rice, with a mild vegetable dish on the side. Its spicy and tangy and leaves you licking your fingers (please, do eat it in true desi style- thats the best way to taste the flavors of Indian food!). I made this as part of my sanjeevanam-inspired meal (seen in the picture). Enjoy!

My Sanjeevanam Experience April 23, 2008

During my recent trip to India, I discovered this restaurant  (a family friend took us for lunch) in Chennai called “Cholayil Sanjeevanam”. The food in Sanjeevanam is cooked by the Ayurvedic principles. The meal we had was the Rajakeeyam Lunch which is a satvic meal “eaten in an organized manner as the nutrients of fruits and vegetables should be absorbed by the system prior to the grains.” (Source: Cholayil Sanjeevanam placard placed on every table detailing the order in which the meal is served and should be eaten). After you are seated and fresh banana leaves (that serve as plates on which we eat) are placed in front of you, in true south Indian style, the waiter brings you a plate with slices of ripe banana with grated coconut. I do not like banana and never even touch it…but to maintain the integrity of the experience, I gulped mine down and hoped the next rounds would be different. Next came 5 little glasses (shot glasses) of juices to be consumed in the following specific order:

1. Date Juice- which is rich in minerals
2. Nuts Milk- which is rich in fatty acids
3. Vegetable Clear soup- which acts as an appetizer
4. Harita Buttermilk- which is buttermilk with cilantro (ground coriander leaves). This is a coolant.
5. Bran Rice Water- which is rich in Vitamin - B complex

Next, we’re served sweet red aval, and a row of uncooked vegetables ( a yogurt-coconut plantain stem salad and a mixed vegetable salad with beets & carrots in a tangy lemon dressing). Then came a row of semi- cooked vegetables (runner beans mezhukuvaratti was one of them), followed by a row of fully cooked vegetable dishes. By this time, we were beginning to fill up..thats when the rice was served- Red Rice (rich in Vitamin B-Complex, fiber,thiamin, riboflavin and niacin)…the cooked grains are thick and pink in color and have a wonderful nutty flavor to them. The rice is served with dal, sambar, morkozhambu, rasam and mor (buttermilk). Desert is penultimate- it was jaggery coconut milk payasam (what we call pradhaman in kerala). The meal is finished with a handful of honey, which helps digestion.

I LOVED the food and the experience- we ate a lot but the food didn’t leave you feeling stuffed.The food was kerala style and a lot of dishes were familiar to me, as my Mom makes them at home. The cool revelation to me was the fact that they need to be eaten in a certain order to derive the full benefit.

The meal has 26 items, making a perfect blend of nutrients- for example, the Red Rice (I’ve already detailed its wealth of minerals); the plantain stem (or banana pith) salad acts as a diuretic and is helpful in preventing and treating kidney stone. The meal is rich in antioxidants as well. There are 4 Cholayil Sanjeevanam’s in Chennai and 3 in Kerala…if you’re anywhere near one of these and like healthy food. When I got back, I made a meal inspired by my Sanjeevanam experience (not with 26 items tho..that would be beyond my quick-cooking style)…will post it soon- keep watching!

Ricotta Cheese Spinach and Artichoke Pie April 22, 2008

Before leaving for my three week vacation to India, I had to finish this fat free ricotta cheese I’d bought with the intentions of making cheesecake. I knew I didn’t have enough time to finish the cheesecake and so decided to use the Ricotta for a dinner entree. I found this 0 Trans Fat pie crust in Safeway and thought of making a savory pie for dinner.

What You Need

For the Pie

1. 1 Pie Crust
2. 1 Small Tub Fat Free Ricotta cheese
3. 1 Cup Eggbeaters
4. 1/2 a packet Frozen Spinach, thawed and excess water drained
5. 1/2 a packet Frozen Artichok, thawed
6. Chili flakes to taste
7. 1-2 tsp Lime juice
8. Salt & pepper to taste

For the sauce:

- 3 ChoppedTomatoes - 1 Fire roasted red bell pepper, chopped - 1/4 Can chipotle pepper in adobo sauce - salt to taste

How its done

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
2. Mix the pie ingredients 2 through 8.
3. Prepare the pie crust as per instructions on the package and the put the mixture from step 1 and bake for about 20- 30 minutes till you see it browning on top.
4. While its baking, make the sauce. Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the chopped tomatoes to it. Once the tomatoes are semi-cooked, add the fire roasted bell pepper and the chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. Simmer for 5-10 minutes till the flavors meld. Turn off heat and blend with a hand blender.

Cheese and pastry- it has to be good….it was really good with the spicy sauce!!

“Congress” Pulao and Khatte Dal April 12, 2008

I was nostalgic about my hostel food the other day……you’re laughing!! Its true, the LSR Hostel food was really good….its more than a decade since I left it but I still remember the Rajma Chawal with Kaddu ki sabzi on thursdays, Aloo parathas for lunch on sunday and vegetable and meat biryani with dal for dinner on sunday! I had half a cabbage, some carrot and four tomatillos in my fridge this last sunday and thought…I need to use these up…I feel like eating vegetable biryani with dal, just like we did on sundays in the hostel…..here’s where the north meets south idea came to me. “Congress curry”, I learned when I married G, is the poriyal made with cabbage (the white of the Congress flag), carrot (the orange aka saffron of the Congress flag)and peas (the green of the Congress flag). And I’ve recently discovered Pulao masala..this shouldn’t be a difficult meal to make, I thought…and it wasn’t

What You Need

For the Pulao

• 1.5 Cups of Basmati rice
• 2 Medium Onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 a Cabbage, thinly chopped
• 1 cup of shredded carrots
• 1 cup of frozen Edamame
• 2.5 Tsps of Garam Masala
• 1.5 Tsps of Pulao Masala
• 1.5 Tsps of cooking oil
• some lime juice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2.74 cups of water

For the Dal

• 4 small tomatillos
• 1 cup yellow moong dal, cooked
• 1 Tsp of cooking oil
• 1 Tsp of cumin seeds
• 1/2 an inch piece of ginger, finely minced
• 2 green chillies, chopped
• 3 Tbsps of chopped cilantro

How its done

1. Wash the rice and set aside while you chop the vegetables and prepare for the pulao.
2. Heat the oil in a non-stick fry pan and when it heats up add the onions and saute till the onions are transluscent.
3. Add the rice and continue to saute for a few minutes till the rice changes color slightly.
4. Add the chopped cabbage, carrot, garam masala, lime juice, salt and pepper and mix.
5. Transfer to an electric rice cooker and let it cook (or if using a cooker, add water, close the lid, and cook till steaming, turning the heat down when it reaches full steam and switching off heat in 2-3 minutes after that).
6. Now lets turn our attention to the dal- chop the tomatillos and microwave covered with salt for 2-3 minutes till they are mushy and cooked.
7. Heat oil in a sauce pan and when heated add the cumin seeds.
8. Then add the chopped ginger and chillies and saute a minute or so.
9. Add the cooked tomatillos and the cooked dal, add water if too thick. Season with salt and pepper and cook till it comes to a boil.

The tangy dal is a perfect compliment to the spicy pulao…hmmmmm!!