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!

Kitchen Tools July 25, 2008




King Knife

I don’t know if anyone gets as excited about kitchen tools as I do. The one handy tool in any Indian kitchen, when I was growing up, was the trusted knife. In those days, the knife was sharpened by the Chhoori Wala (the knife sharpener..no, not the hand knife sharpening tool you find here in the US, but an actual human being who would roam the streets with his/her handy knife sharpening machine fixed to a bicycle. If my memory serves me right, this was a stone disc mounted vertically. The disc would be rotated and part of it would be immersed in some water so that as it rotated the entire disc would be wet and the knife would be moved against the rotating edge of the disc, at an angle so it would be sharpened, without the sparks that the action causes ). This handy knife would chop everything, peel fruits (I can’t do that without my trusted peeler), cut the rope-thread of the rice bag,open the milk packet-yes, we get milk in plastic packets in India and many, many more such applications. My mom would chop vegetables into tiny, even pieces for a salad, cubes for a gravy dish or cut greens finely for a stir fry (no, we don’t use terms like julienne, chiffonade, dice etc. in our simple form of cooking). Even now, when she’s around, she’s doing the chopping chore in my kitchen. I have my trusted Henckel’s knife set and a Chef’s knife with which I practice my knife skills. I use way more tools to do the various kitchen tasks that my mom would do with her one trusted knife.

Ginger Garlic Press

I know one can mince ginger and garlic with a knife, but I didn’t inherit my mom’s patience. So, I reach for my Ginger Garlic press for that- and I really love the one I got from IKEA not very long ago (alright, I know IKEA is no William Sonoma, but you can’t beat the design and functionality of its products). Its called the KONCIS and it minces ginger and garlic like a charm with no wastage. Other ginger garlic presses I’ve used would manage to get some juices out and destroy the integrity of the ginger and garlic without giving me any meat at the other end. With KONCIS, there is no wastage- you put a 1/2 inch piece of ginger in and you get a beautiful, minced 1/2 inch on the other side. I’ve used other ginger garlic presses (and not used them after I bought them because they waste a lot) and the KONCIS is the best one I’ve come across so far. And, the clean-up is a breeze thanks to the removable thimble (it looks like a thimble- they call the part an “insert”!)

The Hand Blender

Now this one is my second favorite after the ginger garlic press- your gravy too chunky? Just use the nifty hand blender to make is smooth. Make a nice bisque-like soup, if you don’t like the rustic texture of a chunky vegetable soup. And the best part is- you don’t have to waste time while you wait for something to cool- the hand blender can take the heat! My Cuisinart works like a charm….

Espresso Pot

I love filter coffee, but don’t have the time in the morning to boil water and wait for my filter to drip the decoction so I can use it. The Espresso Pot, an Italian invention, boils the water and makes the espresso (with your favorite filter coffee powder) in under 10 minutes. All you have to do is heat your milk and add the decoction to it. There’s tons of brands and options in the market (aluminum and stainless steel) in the market- I like the one I got from IKEA (again)- its called Trivsel- its stainless steel and is very reasonably priced. A Bialetti espresso pot goes for about $40-$50 (not my cup of tea, or should I say coffee???)

Silicone Tools

I commend whoever it was that discovered the alternate use of silicone- silicone cake pans, muffin cups and pans, and my final favorite kitchen tool- the Silpat baking sheet. Love it- cookies come of without any effort and fat (goes with my whole “healthy culinary point of view”)

Would love to hear what some of your favorite kitchen tools are….write me or leave a comment!!

Opening Pandora’s Box.. June 30, 2008

Alright, A-Kay, this post is for you Here are my 10 secrets, if you can call them that:

1. Writing posts that require me to bare my soul makes me extremely squeamish! This post qualifies…
2. If I see something yummy on TV or magazine, regardless of which part of the world the dish is from, I HAVE to try it. Right now, I have to find a place in the Bay Area that makes Arepas. Any ideas???
3. I love checking out new grocery stores or farmers’ markets. These qualify as “adventures” and “fun” in my book.
4. I love a simple meal of Dal-Chawal, especially on cold or rainy days or days I need some comforting.
5. If there ever was an award for eating vegetables (any kind- even veggies I’ve never eaten before), I’d be a strong contender for it. I love all veggies- even the dreaded Karela.
6. I enjoy witty repartees- not too good at them myself, tho…
7. Snakes send the chills down my spine- cannot look at one without screaming filmi style!
8. Travel is about experiences- nature, cities, food and people. I would love to live in different countries to experience them in their totality. Paris and Venice are by far my favorite cities in Europe.
9. I can watch food network or any channel with cookery shows endlessly. In fact, these days I watch little else…
10. Lastly, I do not like it when I’m given instructions or told that things HAVE to be done a certain way. 

Phew…this was hard!  One tradition I will follow is to pass this along- TC, Sreelu, Mythreyee and Mansi, you’re all tagged…

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!

Ajnabee, tum jaane pehchane lagte ho…. February 22, 2008

O Stranger, you seem familiar to me….The afternoon with fellow bloggers reminds me of this old Kishore Kumar melody. When I decided to go for theÊCA Bloggers meet, I saw it as an opportunity to meet new people. Having recently moved to the Bay Area, this was a great way for me to build my network. I’ve never done such a thing- go to meet complete strangers. In sharing what went through my head as the event approached,ÊI will echoÊThe-Cooker,ÊSreeluÊandÊmadras2madurai- will it be awkward meeting these strangers? I am new to the blogging world and I looked at all the blogs, saw the comments and the banter, and thought to myself- Oh my god, they’ve got such a rapport…will I be the only stranger in the room? And, I have to make someone else’s recipe- will that come out the way the author intended it to? The pressure was intense…I don’t think I’ve ever felt the pressure cooking as I did the days leading up to event. I decided to makeÊBeetroot PulaoÊfrom Chef Mythreyee- I thought it was a unique use of Beetroot! A week before the event, I reviewed the recipe, checked my pantry to see if I have the ingredients- made a trip to the desi store to get MTR Pulao Masala (I didn’t know there was such a product out there!). And, unlike me- I stuck to the recipe as the Chef detailed it. The only difference was in the equipment- I used my electric rice cooker, oh and I added some lime juice when I added to rice and vegetable mixture to the rice cooker (a family friend had given me that trick to ensure that rice doesn’t stick together). The result was this gorgeous rice delight, and it tasted…..soooooo gooood….even if it means I’m tooting my own horn (although the credit goes to the Chef- Thanks, Mythreyee!)ÊÊÊÊ So, I arm myself with the pulao rice, directions to The-cooker’s abode and I’m the first one there…….we got chatting and the doorbell rings and the others start coming in….and from there the chatter never stopped- here we were, meeting for the first time, sharing our experiences, talking about our favorite grocery store (good’ol Trader Joes!), our recipes, our experiences leading up to the meet, what we can do next, how do we continue the conversations- anyone looking on wouldn’t thought we’ve known each other for our entire lives! ÊTwo hours into chatting and munching on yummy eats that The-cooker and Sreelu had made, we Êrealized that we had stuff to do- Eat more! ÊWhat a fun day….thanks all for a wonderful event..can’t wait till the next one. Ok..enough of my rambling..time to let you hear from others that were there:ÊRevathi,Êthe torch is yours…Ê