Poricha Kozhambu and Keerai Masiyal – 30 minute meal December 13, 2007

The thing about Indian cuisine is that making a meal takes time- about an hour, at least. I mean, by the time you’ve pressure cooked the dal for a sambar or even plain dal, 20 minutes goes by and then you have to wait for the steam to dissipate before you can open the cooker. Just that one part takes time. One trick I learned from my mom is to always cook extra dal- free the excess for use at a later date when you won’t have the time. I’m a  big fan of time saving and quick cooking tricks and techniques- other than the stove, the freezer and the microwave are my favorite appliances in the kitchen. I use frozen vegetables for the most part, and when I do have to use fresh veggies, I microwave them to cook them in a short amount of time (another trick I learned from my mom). Also, the microwave rice cooker- all these with some simple recipes from my mom help me get dinner ready in 30 minutes or less. I made such a meal yesterday as I had only about that much time between getting home from work and getting to an appointment. My menu- Ma’s Poriccha Kozhambu and Keerai Masiyal with rice.

What you need: 

For Ma’s Poriccha Kozhambu :

• 1/2 a daikon radish,chopped in cubes (her recipe calls for  or a cup of chopped yam (Chena), which I didn’t have on hand)
• 1.5 teaspoon of tamarind concentrate
• 1/2 a teaspoon of turmeric
• 1.5 teaspoon of sambar powder
• For tempering or tadka-1 teaspoon of cooking oil, mustard seeds, methi seeds, curry leaves, 1 tablespoon of grated/desiccated coconut

For Keerai Masiyal:

• 1 Pkt frozen spinach
• 1 cup of frozen cooked toor dal
• For tempering, mustard seeds, urad dal, whole red chilli
• 1 teaspoon of cooking oil 

How it is done 

1.  Chop the mullangi/mooli/daikon radish into small cubes and put in a microwave safe container, add a little water, some salt and microwave for a 2-3 minutes
2. In the meanwhile, heat a saucepan, add the oil for tempering and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the methi seeds, curry leaves and toast for a few seconds. Then, add the desiccated coconut and continue to toast till the coconut is a golden brown. Empty saucepan and keep the tempered masala aside.
3. Add the cooked radish to the saucepan, add some water and the tamarind concentrate and stir. Add the turmeric and let it come to a boil. While the radish is cooking, thaw the frozen spinach in the microwave.
4. Once the radish-tamarind mixture comes to a boil, add the sambar powder and salt and pepper and let cook for a few minutes covered so the flavors blend. 
5. Take another saucepan, and heat the oil and add the mustard seeds. When they start spluttering, add the urad dal and the “tear” the red chilli and add it too. When the urad dal is golden brown, add the thawed spinach, mix and cover to cook.
6. Microwave the frozen dal for a minute or so to thaw it. Now, you can use the microwave to cook the rice  (follow your microwave cooker’s instructions- mine takes about 12 minutes for 1 cup of rice).
7. The Poriccha Kozhambu should be almost done- adjust the salt and add the tempering you had kept aside earlier. If you want, you can add a bit of jaggery (about 1/2 an inch piece) now. Mix well and turn off the heat.
8. The Keerai should be almost cooked, but not fully done yet. Add the thawed dal, salt and let it all cook for about 5 minutes.

You’re done! Once the rice is ready, dinner is served!!

Quinoa Paella December 1, 2007

Paella is a spanish dish usually made with seafood and rice. I like to use quinoa (pronounced KEE_NWAH) and vegetables instead because I love the nutty texture of quinoa- and vegetables, the more the better!! When made with vegetables instead of seafood, its similar to upma. Quinoa is a Native American grain that has a high protein content  and other nutritional benefits. It cooks in 15 minutes and is very versatile (I use it in soups as well). You can read more about quinoa here

What you need:

• 1 cup Quinoa, rinsed
• 1/2 a Green Bell Pepper (capsicum), chopped in 1 inch strips
• 1/2 a Red Bell Pepper, chopped in 1 inch strips

(you can use frozen pepper strips as well- just thaw it in the microwave and dab out any excess water with a paper towel)

• 1/2 cup chopped carrots (frozen is fine- thaw, but don’t cook it completely in the microwave)
• 1 cup frozed edamame (green soy beans- they are a thinner looking version of Lima Beans)
• 1 generous pinch of saffron
• 1 can Chickpeas or Kidney Beans
• 1 1/2 Teaspoon tomato paste (or One tomato, chopped, microwaved with some salt, no water) (optional)
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil or Cooking oil (whatever you use at home)
• 2 cups Vegetable broth or Water
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder or 1/2 a green chilli, chopped fine (optional)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

How its done:

1. Soak the saffron in a small cup of warm water.
2. Heat a non-stick pan, big enough to hold everything, and add the oil.
3. When the oil is hot enough, add the garlic and saute for a few minutes (make sure you don’t burn it)
4. Add the carrots and saute for a minute and then add the chopped pepper strips and saute for a couple of minutes till the vegetables are half done (I like to add salt when I add them, so their juices are released)
5. Add the quinoa and saute till the quinoa is completely coated with the vegetable mixture and oil- a couple of minutes
6. Add the saffron, water or vegetable broth, tomato paste (if using), chilli powder, chickpeas (drained and rinsed) and stir. Add salt to taste (if you’ve added salt to the vegetables, adjust the amount of salt- for the rest of the ingredients)
7. Cover the pan with a lid and let cook for 10-12 minutes. You’ll know that the quinoa is done when the grains become translucent and a little white tail appears.

Serve it with warm with a tangy tomato chutney or by itself.