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!

“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!!

Vegetable Fried Rice January 26, 2008

 A rainy, cold day like today deserves something spicy and piping hot! My sis had sent this recipe to me a few weeks ago and it was a perfect One Pot Meal to try tonight. Its simple and takes as long as a cooker (electric rice cooker or pressure cooker) takes to cook.

What You Need

• 1 tsp of Ghee (or Butter)
• 1 tsp of Olive oil (my modification- I ran out of ghee
• 1 Cup Basmati Rice
• 2 Cups of water
• A medley of vegetables (beans, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, potato- any vegetable except the squishy, gooey kind like okra will do well); True to form, I used frozen asian stir fry mix comprising mushrooms, snap peas, water chestnut, edamame etc.
• 2 Tbsps of Tomato paste or puree
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• 1 tsp Chaat Masala
• 1 tsp Amchur
• 1-2 chopped green chillies or 1 tsp of red chilli powder (if you want it spicy)
• Salt to taste
• Topping- cubes of home made paneer¬†
• 2-3 Green Onions

How its Done

1. Heat the ghee and oil in the pressure cooker pan (or a wok or fry pan, if using electric rice cooker)
2. If you’re using fresh vegetables, add them to the oil first.If you use frozen, microwave thawed vegetables ( as I did), add the rice first and saute till almost transluscent ( ensures that the rice is coated with oil/butter that will keep it fluffy and separate, rathe than sticky). Then, add the thawed veggies and saute for a few minutes.
3. Add the tomato paste or puree, mix well. If using pressure cooker, add the water, all the masala powders (garam, chaat, amchur), stir and cover with pressure cooker lid and whistle till it starts hissing with steam. Reduce heat and let cook for 5-8 minutes and then turn off heat. If using, electric rice cooker, transfer the veggie-rice mix to the cooker pan, add water and the masalas, cover and switch to “cook” mode till done.
4. While the rice is cooking, heat a non- stick frying pan and add a tad bit of olive oil to heat. Chop the green onions finely and add the white part to the hot oil and stir fry. Toss the paneer cubes with some garam masala and lime juice and add it to the sauted green onions and cook till the paneer browns a little (in a non-still frying pan, the cubes need to sit undisturbed for a few minutes to form the brown crispy cover). This makes a fun topping to the fried rice.
5. When the rice is done, mix it while taking care that you don’t break or mash the rice grains.

Serve hot with the paneer topping, chopped green onions and a cool cup of yogurt on the side. The spiciness of the rice meal is perfectly complemented by the yogurt.

Tomatillo Garlic Rasam and Beans Usili January 20, 2008

This is a quick weeknight meal- takes less than an hour to make start to finish. Again, hail microwave! That has to be the greatest discovery in the 20th century (or is the internet the greatest discovery….I guess the jury’s still out on this one!). Anyway, getting back to my south indian meal. The recipe for Beans Usili is from my mother in law. G loves usili and the first time I made usili was in 2004, after observing G’s mom make it. Now, usili has to be part of a meal with rice and a gravy dish to be enjoyed (although, it tastes really yummy with a cup of curds(yogurt) as well) and I usually make it with rasam (or vethakozhambu- something tangy to complement it). The idea of tomatillo rasam was inspired by my mom. She uses tomatillo as a substitute for tamarind ( tomatillos are tangy and sour and are usually used to make salsa verde; you can read more about it here), and makes sambar, pulinkarry etc. The Tomatillo rasam is also a comforting soup on a cold, winter day!!

What You Need

For the Usili

 

• 1 16 Oz pkt of frozen french cut beans (frozen regular cut beans will also work well)

 

• 1/2 cup of tuvar dal (Yellow Lentils)

 

• 2 dried red chillies

 

• 1/2 tsp of asafoetida powder or a 1 mm piece (if using the block kind)

 

• Salt to taste

 

• 1 tsp oil for tempering

 

• 1 tsp mustard seeds

 

• a few curry leaves

 

 

( Tip: If you want, make extra usili mix and freeze it. You can also make usili with cabbage, kottavarangai (or guar), or long beans).

For the Rasam

 

• 6 tomatillos

 

• 1 1/2 tsp of Rasam Powder

 

• 1/2 tsp of asafoetida powder of a 1 mm piece (if using the block kind)

 

• Salt to taste

 

• Cilantro (coriander leaves), finely chopped

 

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

 

• 2¬†cups of water

 

• 1 tsp of canola oil

 

• 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds

 

• 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds

 

• 1/2 tsp of methi seeds

 

• 1 dried red chilli

 

 

 

For the Rice

 

• 1 cup of rice

 

• Microwave rice cooker

 

• 1 3/4 cups of water

 

 

How its done

 

1. First, take the tuvar dal, add enough water to barely cover the dal and nuke it in the microwave for two minutes (you can also just soak it with the red chillies for about 15 minutes but since I’m in a hurry, and its cold here in the US, I prefer to microwave). Add the red chillies and asafoetida and let soak for 5-10 minutes.

 

2. Lets get started on the rasam. Cut the tomatillos into quarters, add to a microwave safe bowl with some salt and water. Cover and microwave for 2 minutes. In the meanwhile, heat a tsp of oil in a saucepan and add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the cumin seeds, methi seeds and red chilli and roast for a minute. Now add the microwaved tomatillos, the water, rasam powder, salt and let simmer till it comes to a boil.

 

3. While the rasam is simmering, microwave the frozen beans to thaw and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Then grind the soaked dal with chillies, asafoetida and salt to taste with very little water. Transfer to an oiled microwave safe flat container and microwave for 3 minutes. Let cool for a minute. While that is cooking in the microwave, heat a frying pan, and heat the oil, add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add the beans and salt and saute for a few minutes. Crumble the cooked tuvar dal mix and add to the beans. Mix well and let cook for a few more minutes, till the flavors are all combined. The rasam should be boiling by now. Add the minced garlic and let simmer for a minute. Then turn off heat. Add the chopped cilantro (coriander leaves) to the rasam.

 

4. Now, you can turn your attention to making the rice. Rinse the rice, add enough water (a little less than double) and follow your microwave rice cooker’s instructions for the perfect, fluffy rice.

 

 

While the rice is cooking, the flavors in the rasam and the beans will become more concentrated……..A perfect dinner on a winter night- steaming rice, with tangy rasam and spicy beans. The garlic flavors in the rasam complement the simple flavors of the beans usili…I had three helpings of this today!

 

Moong Dal January 1, 2008

One of my favorite comfort foods is Dal- Chawal. I usually make yellow dal but the other day I felt like having sabat moong dal. I love green moong dal and most recipes I’ve seen use onion and tomatoes. While that tastes great, sometimes I just like to taste the dal without too much masala. I made this dal the other day and it tastes great with rice or chappati.

What You Need

• 2 cups of green moong dal
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/2 a teaspoon coriander powder
• 1/2 a teaspoon cumin powder
• 1/2 a teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 a teaspoon methi powder
• 4 cups of water
• Salt to taste

How its done

1. Rinse and drain moong dal
2. Heat the pan of a pressure cooker and add the moong dal to it. Toast the moong dal for a minute.
3. Finely mince garlic and add to the dal- add all ingredients, stir and cover and cook and until the cooker reaches a constant steam pressure, reduce the heat and cook for a further 6 minutes.
4. Once the steam in the cooker is completely released, open the lid and whisk the dal. If you want, you can do tadka- heat some oil, add cumin seeds, red chillies and add to the dal.