Kerala Stew- Dosa Style September 23, 2008

A few weeks ago, we went to Dosa, located in the Mission district in San Francisco. Dosa is a south indian restaurant with a difference: the ambience is unlike any other Indian restaurant you’ve ever been to. The interiors are modern with red and pale yellow walls. When you enter the restaurant, you see a dancing- Shiva’s statue to the right, near the bar. As you turn your eyes towards the back of the restaurant the mellow lighting and the red and yellow walls greet you. The restaurant is always bustling and full of people. Its walk-in and reservations are allowed only for parties more than 5 people. The first time we went to Dosa, we had a 15 minute wait but we could put down our name and leave our mobile number and take a walk. The second time we went there was on a weekday and were promptly seated. Food on both occasions was great- authentic, with the exact amount of spices that I would expect if it were made at home (we south indians are very proud of our sambars!). 

While the name of the restaurant indicates it serves Dosa ( a crepe made with rice and lentil), the menu has an eclectic selection of dishes from most of south india- Andhra Pradesh is represented by Spicy Mung Masala, Kerala is represented by a soup, a chicken dish, while most other dishes are from Tamil Nadu, including a myriad of dosas, idli, vada etc. 

I ordered Kerala Cauliflower Soup and Adai on my second trip. I was expecting the Kerala-style Ishtew (a stew made with potatoes, and other vegetables simmered in a mildly spiced coconut milk broth) which is traditionally served with idiappam or thin rice-noodles. The soup was similar, but spicier. The cauliflower and bell peppers were perfectly cooked with a crunch to them and the coconut milk broth was spiced so you would feel a tad bit of heat from the chiles. My adai was rolled with a vegetable filling and served with three spicy chutneys (one of them I distinctly remember had habanero in it as the staff and the owner specifically warned me that it was spicy)- it was, but not so spicy that a toungue used to Indian flavors cannot handle it. My mother-in-law ordered the beet soup which was mildly spiced with cumin powder, served with a little bit of creme fraiche- a very simple recipe with the flavors blended beautifully. And, look how beautiful it looked!

Dosa is the best south indian restaurant I’ve eaten at in the US- its modern, welcoming ambience and its unique blend of authentic south indian dishes served with a modern twist set it apart from the other Indian restaurants. If you live in the Bay Area, check it out the next time you’re in the City. If you’re visiting Bay Area, make Dosa a dinner destination!

I loved the Kerala-style soup so much that I re-created it:

What you need

• 2 Cups chopped cauliflower florets
• 1 Cup frozen edamame
• 1 Cup carrot
• 1/2 an onion
• 1 1/2 Tsp of cooking oil
• 1 Tsp cumin powder
• 1 inch piece of ginger
• 1/2 Tsp turmeric
• 1-2 Green Thai chiles (or 1/2 a jalapeno pepper)
• 1/2 a can of coconut milk
• 1 Tbsp of chopped cilantro
• Salt to taste
• Water as needed

How its done

1. Chop the carrots into cubes  (I used frozen parisienne carrots- they’re small carrot rounds).
2. Dice the onion
3. Heat the oil in a sauce pan and add the onions. Saute till translucent.
4. While the onion is cooking, microwave the cauliflower and carrots with a little bit of water and salt to partially cook it (3 minutes).
5. When the onion is translucent, crush the ginger with a ginger press and add to the onions. Saute for a minute
6. Slit the green chiles and add to the mix and saute for a minute. Add the cumin and turmeric and mix.
7. Add the partially cooked cauliflower and carrots, the coconut milk and salt to taste and let the mixture come to a boil. Add water to thin, as you think necessary.
8. Add the frozen edamame at this point
9. Simmer for 5-7 minutes to allow the spices and vegetables to commingle.
10. Garnish with the chopped cilantro and serve!

I served the stew with a whole wheat cous-cous salad with sprouted mung and red cabbage. This made for a healthy and hearty lunch!

Kale Carrot Kootu September 8, 2008

 

If only carrot were spelt with a K, that would be such a nice alliteration! It has a nice ring to it too, don’t you think? I like trying out different types of greens that are available in my local farmers market, especially at this stand that has a lot of chinese greens. All greens are very nutritious and provide a lot of minerals and vitamins in very little calories. Because I love Indian flavors, many times, my first attempt at a recipe is to use a traditional recipe and see if the ingredient works. Most often than not, it DOES work. I think a lot of the South Indian recipes are so versatile that if you keep to the basics, any vegetable tastes great. On my last trip to the farmers market, I got a bunch of Kale. I’ve used Kale in soups and thought it would be a perfect candidate for Kootu. Here’s what I did..

What You Need

• 1 Bunch of Curly Kale
• 3-4 Carrots
• ½ Cup of Tuar dal
• ¼ Cup of Coconut flakes
• 1 Green chilly
• ½ Tsp of cumin powder
• Salt to taste
• Water as needed

For Tempering

• 1 Tsp of Oil
• 3-4 Curry leaves
• ½ Tsp of Turmeric
• ½ Tsp of Mustard
• ½ Tsp of Urad dal
• ½ Tsp of Chana dal

How Its Done

1. Pressure cook the tuar dal.

2. Chop the Kale so the leaves are evenly sized (Get rid of the tough stems). Dice the carrots.

3. I steamed the Kale and Carrot in the microwave rice cooker (separately), but if you choose, you can boil them (as is done traditionally) after the tempering in Step 4, with a little water. 

4. Heat oil and add the mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter, add the Urad dal and chana dal and the curry leaves; Toss in the steamed carrots and kale, add turmeric, the green chilly cut in half, a bit of water and let the flavors meld for about 2-3 minutes. 

5. Add the cooked tuar dal, coconut flakes, cumin powder and salt to taste and cook for 5-7 minutes till it all comes to a boil. Simmer for a couple of minutes after it comes to a boil and then take it off the heat.

The dish is mildly spiced and pairs well with a tangy rasam or vetha kuzhambu (a dish made with tamarind and spices that is usually served with rice). The recipe takes less than 20 minutes to make. The above recipe will work well with zucchini and squash as well- try it!