Monday, July 26, 2010

Chutney podi


Chutney podi or molaga pudi and idli podi as it is known in Tamizh and Telugu, is a completely south Indian recipe. Called gun powder by most of the North Indians visiting Hyderabad and other parts of the south, chutney podi is a typical south Indian snack supplement. Probably every dining table in South Indian homes will hold a bottle of chutney podi on it.Spicy and yummy, the chutney podi is quite easy to make.

Preparation time: 30-45 mins

Ingredients:

Bengal gram (Chanadal/senagabedalu) 1cup
Black gram (Urad dal/minapappu) 1/4th cup
Fresh coriander 4-5 strands
Curry leaves 4-5
Tamarind 1blob
Dry coconut 2tsp
Red chillies 4-8
Mustard seeds 2tsps
Refined cooking oil 2 tbsp
Pinch of turmeric

Salt to taste


Method:

Wash and dry the coriander under the fan or let dry for around 5-10 mins.

Roast each separately in a tiny drop of oil and set aside to cool: Bengal gram, black gram, coriander, curry leaves, tamarind, dry and grated coconut & red chillies. (A Lemon sized lump of tamarind will do and the number of red chillies will depend on the spice required).

Once cool, coarse grind the Bengal gram and black gram.

Add the other ingredients i.e coriander, curry leaves, tamarind, dry and grated coconut, red chllies and salt to taste to the coarse ground Bengal and black gram and grind to fine powder.

Heat 1tbsp oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. As they pop add turmeric. Pour this seasoning over the finely ground powder and mix to ensure no lumps are formed and the powdery texture remains.

Shift to an airtight container and savor the chutney podi with idlis, dosas, vadas and even rice. The Tiffin box way of having chutney podi and idlis is to mix in a tsp of oil/ghee and smear over the idli. For dosas, the chutney podi can be served by the side with a drop of oil/ghee topping or can be smeared in the inner of the dosa while baking the dosa. With rice of course, chutney podi and oil/ghee are mixed with hot rice and enjoyed, or chutney podi is mixed with hot curd rice and polished off.

Chutney podi is indeed the secret and silent queen of all South Indian Kitchens.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Wheat Dosa/Goduma dosa


Dosas are synonymous with south Indian cuisine while wheat flour is generally used in North Indian food. A blend of both is what wheat dosa is all about. A quick recipe, apt when there is a need to make something soon and the hunger pangs are really loud.

Preparation time: 5-10 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
Wheat flour (Atta/godhampindi) 1cup (4 tbsp)
Rice flour (Biyyampindi) 1 tbsp
Green/red chillies 2
Curry leaves 4-5
Mustard seeds (aavalu) 1tsp

Salt to taste

Method:

Mix together 1 cup wheat flour, 1 tbsp rice flour, salt, mustard seeds, curry leaves, green or red chillies (as available and preferred) and water to make a semi thick batter of normal dosa batter consistency. Chopped onions, grated coconut, grated carrots, chopped tomatoes etc can also be added.

Heat the tawa/pan and pour a cup of the batter onto the tawa and spread in circular motion. Sprinkle a drop or two of oil and let the dosa bake. Flip once and leave to bake for another min or two.

Follow the above process for the remaining batter to make hot and crisp dosas or dosai.

Wheat dosas are already well spiced and have loads of options for fillers like onions and carrots. Wheat dosa tastes awesome as it is. However any of the chutneys and pickles will just add to the tongue’s satisfaction. So when really tired to enter the kitchen, make the simplest wheat dosa and fill yourself to the heart’s content.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Ennagai




Wow, another brinjal curry! Something we enjoy writing and gulping. Enne in Kannada means oil, so essentially the curry uses a bit more of oil. Another popular at most Kannada homes, ennagai is a must try for all brinjal lovers like us.

Preparation time: 20-30 mins

Serves: 2





Ingredients:

Brinjals ½ kg
Bengal gram (Senagapappu/chanadal) 1tsp
Black gram (Uddipappu/urad dal) 1tsp
Coriander seeds (dhaniyalu/dhania) 1tsp
Dry Coconut (Endu kobbari) 1tsp
Red chillies 5
Cinnamon stick (dalchinchakka/dalchini) 1 stick
Cloves (lavangam/laung) 4
Refined cooking oil 2-3tbsp
Mustard seeds 1tsp
Cumin seeds (jeelakarra/jeera) 1tsp

Salt to taste

Method:

Generally in Bengaluru white brinjals/green brinjals are abundantly available. Ennagai is made with these. However, the purples also go well in the curry.

Wash and cut the brinjals.

Dry roast separately each of these in a drop of oil: Bengal gram, black gram, coriander seeds, dry coconut, red chillies, cinnamon and cloves.

Grind all the above together to make a fine powder i.e. the masala.
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan/kadai (bandli/mookudu). Add mustard seeds and as they pop cumin seeds and as the tempering is done, add the brinjals.(If using an oven, microwave for around 3 mins all the above)

Mix, so that all the brinjals are oiled and add salt to taste, cover and cook till the brinjals turn soft. This may take around 8-10 mins on medium heat.(If using an oven,add the brinjals to the seasoning and microwave for 5-8mins on medium heat for brinjals to cook till soft)

Once the brinjals are cooked soft, add the above ground masala and half to three fourths tbsp of oil and mix well.(If using a oven, microwave for 2-4 mins after mixing the masala)

Ennegai is generally served with plain rice but makes a good phulka/tawa roti supplement too.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Mango drumstick dal/Munaga mamidikaya pappu


Raw mangoes! There is so much to write when raw mangoes are a part of the recipe. Munaga maamidikaya pappu is another from the typically traditional Andhra cuisine, a regular at most households in the region during the season between summer and the onset of rains. This is when the raw mangoes are tangy and a bit sour and the drumsticks are green and tender.

Preparation time: 20-30 mins

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Average sized raw mango 2
Drumstick 1
Pigeon peas (toor dal/kandipappu) 1 cup (150 gm)
Refined cooking oil 4tsp
Mustard seeds 1tsp
Cumin seeds (jeera/jeelakarra) 1tsp
Black gram (urad dal/uddi pappu) 1tsp
Curry leaves 4-5
Fenugreek seeds (methi/menthulu) ½ tsp
Fresh& chopped coriander (dhania/kotimeera) 2tsps
Red chillies 2
Red chilli powder 2tsp
Pinch of turmeric

Salt to taste

Method:

Wash, peel and cut the raw mango. Wash and cut the drumstick into finger long pieces.

Pressure cook up to 3 whistles 1 cup of pigeon peas, mango and drumstick, together with a pinch of turmeric. If using an open cooking pot, boil till the mango is soft and mashed i.e around 30 mins. If using the oven, microwave for as much time as it takes for normal pigeon peas to cook (that’s around 25 mins for us)

In a pan/kadai(bandli/mookudu), heat oil. Add mustard seeds and as they splutter, add the cumin seeds, black gram, red chilies, curry leaves, fenugreek seeds and chopped coriander.

Once the tempering is done, add the cooked mango, drumstick and dal mixture and stir. Add water as required. Add salt to taste and red chilli powder. Mix well and leave to cook till one boil.

Mango drumstick dal is ready to serve. Traditionally mixed with ghee topped rice and savored with the popular Andhra pickles, mango drumstick dal tastes good even with any of the Indian bread.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Vadas / Garelu





Ummm!! That’s what any one will say, when the word “vada” is heard. Crisp and yummy, they are a perfect rainy season delicacy. Served for breakfast, lunch or even as snacks, they make every eye drool! Popular on all refined cooking oil promoting advertisements, vadas do consume quite a bit of oil. So they are preferably once in a while for the calorie conscious and diet strict ones. But do indulge in them to make life feel crisp and beautiful.

Preparation time: 20-30 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

Black gram
(minapappu/ urad dal) 1 cup (200 gms)
Refined cooking oil 1cup
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash and soak the black gram for around half an hour. (Half an hour is maximum time, the more the soaking time, the more the oil that the vadas will absorb.)

Add to the blender, the soaked black gram, a pinch of salt and grind into a batter. The batter has to be smooth and slightly coarse. It has to be of semi-liquid consistency.

Heat oil in a deep pan/kadai (bandli/mookudu) (If possible, it is preferable not re-use used oil for making vadas, it is not healthy and the vadas will absorb the old oil taste and aroma.)

Apply oil to the left palm or onto a plastic cover/badam leaf/banana leaf and pat small lumps of the batter in circular motion into circular vadas. Make a small hole with the finger in the centre of the circle. Now deep fry the circles in pre heated oil till golden brown.

This process of patting the dough and making exact shaped vadas might feel cumbersome and difficult for learners like us. So just take lumps of the batter and drop into the pre-heated oil, or slightly press the batter in between fists to give a roll-shaped look and fry in pre-heated oil. This is more for people who are not particular about the shapes and are more interested in the taste and crispiness.

Whatever the shape, fry the vadas till golden brown on medium heat. This will ensure they are crisp as well. Remove onto tissues or clean napkins to remove excess oil.

Serve with any of the chutneys/pickles, or even the mango coconut chutney posted below. Vadas do taste good with sauces too, but chutneys are the traditional, ideal and the best combo. If kept for too long, sometimes the vadas become hard (when oil absorbed is less) and sometimes soggy (when oil absorbed is more), so it is advisable to serve fresh, hot and crisp. So get into the kitchen and enjoy the rain with crispy hot vadas and hot filter coffee in typical South Indian style.











Thursday, July 8, 2010

Mango Coconut Chutney/Kobbari Maamidikaya Pachadi

With the mango season almost done and the rains all over, mango coconut chutney is probably the apt recipe to write, more so as it goes well with the variety of snacks and south Indian Tiffin that we make on a regular basis in this season.

Preparation time: 10-15mins
Ingredients:
Raw mangoes (pachi mamidikaya) 2
Fresh coconut (Pachi kobbari/hasi kobbri) 1 cup
Fresh Coriander 4 strands
Refined cooking oil 2 tsps
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Black gram ( urad dal/uddi pappu) 1 tsp
Red chillies 2
Fenugreek seeds (methi/menthulu) ½tsp
Red chilli powder 2tsp
Curry leaves 4-5
Pinch of turmeric
Pinch of asafoetida (hing)
Salt to taste


Method:

Peel and cut the raw mangoes into cubes.

Grind to fine paste: Raw mangoes, fresh coconut, coriander, red chilli powder and salt to taste. Add a little water if required.

In a kadai/pan (bandli/mookudu), heat oil. Add mustard seeds and as they pop add the black gram, red chilies, curry leaves, fenugreek seeds and a pinch each of asafoetida and turmeric.

Once the tempering is done, season the above ground paste with this tempering.

Mango coconut chutney is done. Mango coconut chutney tastes well with dosa, idly, vada, poori or any other South Indian snack. It is also a good rice supplement.
Mango coconut chutney will stay good for around 5-6 hours, if refrigerated

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Pineapple gojju

Gojjus are sweet chutneys/curries, like you want to call them. Pineapple gojju is a popular gojju down south, more so in Kannadiga households where gojjus are quite popular. Assumed to have made their initial appearances in wedding menus, pineapple gojju is widely appreciated for the innovative, yummy taste and appealing looks.

Preparation time: 20-30 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

Pineapple 4 slices
Tamarind/Tamarind paste 1 blob/ 2tsp
Jaggery 2tsp
Mustard seeds 1tsp
Cumin seeds (jeera/jeelakarra) 1tsp
Black gram (urad dal/minappappu) 1tsp
Red chillies 4
Curry leaves 4-5
Red chilli powder (karam) 1tsp
Cumin powder (jeera pwder) 1tsp
Coriander powder (dhania powder) 1tsp
Refined cooking oil 2tsps
Salt to taste

Fresh and chopped coriander to garnish

Method:

Soak the tamarind and jaggery in 1:1 ratio in half a cup of water for around 15 mins. (If using 1 blob of tamarind, equal proportion of jaggery is to be used. And if using 2 tsps of tamarind paste, 2 tsps jaggery is to be used.)

Cut the pineapple. Now days pineapple slices are quite commonly available. They are cheaper, lesser wastage and also help to save time. 4 such slices are to be cut into cubes.

In a pan/kadai (bandli/mookudu), heat 2tsp oil. Add a tsp of mustard seeds and as they pop, add cumin seeds, black gram, curry leaves, red chillies and fry for 2 mins.

Add the pineapple cubes, soaked tamarind and jaggery with the water, salt to taste and cook till one boil. (While it is a normal practice to remove the tamarind pulp from the soaked tamarind water, we prefer not to do so, as the pulp will also get cooked and add a tangy taste to the gojju.)

Add a tsp each of cumin powder, coriander powder and red chilli powder and mix well. Cook for around 5 mins till the gojju thickens to semi-gravy consistency.

Garnish with fresh and chopped coriander and serve. Pineapple gojju is traditionally a rice supplement but makes a good Indian bread supplement, a surprise on the menu, especially when the guests have a sweet tooth.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Chikkudukaya kura

Chikkuddukaya or flat beans in English are one of those vegetables that are green and nutritious. Probably on every Andhraite’s fav list, this is a simple curry.



Preparation time: 20-30 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

Flat beans (Chikkuddukaya) ½ kg
Refined cooking oil 4tsps
Mustard seeds 1tsp
Cumin seeds (jeera) 1tsp
Black gram (urda dal/uddipappu) 1tsp
Curry leaves 4-5
Green chillies 2
Salt to taste

Fresh coriander and fresh and grated coconut garnish


Method:

Wash and cut the flat beans. Remove the fibrous string while cutting.

In a pan/kadai (bandli/mookudu), heat oil. Add mustard seeds and as they pop, add cumin seeds, black gram, curry leaves, green chillies.

As the tempering is done, add the flat beans and sauté. Add salt to taste, required water, cover and leave to cook on medium heat for around 15 mins.

Once the beans are cooked the curry is done. Garnish with fresh coriander and fresh and grated coconut before serving.(While coconut is used in Karnataka, Andhraites prefer the curry without it)

Chikkudukaya curry is a traditional rice supplement but does make a good combo with phulkas too.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Bengaluru Onion Pakoras



Yum! The name itself is so mouth watering, need we say more? Here’s a quick recipe:

Preparation time: 20-25 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
Onions (ullipaya) 2
Flour (Maida) 3 cups
Gram flour (Besan/senagapindi) 1cup
Rice flour (Biyyampindi) 1 cup
Red chilli powder 1tsp
Curry leaves 4-5
Rasam powder 1tsp
Refined cooking oil 1cup
Pinch of cooking soda
Pinch of asafoetida (hing)

Salt to taste

Method:

Chop the onions fine.

Mix to make thick batter: Flour, gramflour, rice flour, redchilli powder, rasam powder, curry leaves, pinch of cooking soda & asafoetida, chopped onions and salt to taste.

In a kadai/pan, heat oil. Drop lumps of the batter into the oil carefully. Fry till brown.

A tip for crispy pakoras: Do not leave much gap or space between the pakoras while frying in oil. The lesser the gap, the crispier the pakoras. Since we have used rice flour, there is also a chance of the pakoras turning brown too soon. Thus, it’s advisable to fry on medium heat for crispier results.

Remove and serve hot with any of the chutneys or sauces. The tomato dhania chutney below is an ideal match for this one.


Tomato kothimeera pachadi/Tomato and coriander chutney/Tomato dhania chutney

Tomato Dhania chutney is a cool and spicy recipe. Almost the fag end of summer in India while we here are still burning under the sun. So this recipe cools the system in summer and is a spicy one for the rainy season.

Thank you Suma for the recipe.

Preparation time: 20-30 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Tomatoes 6
Coriander (Dhania/kotimeera) 1 bunch
Refined cooking oil 4tsp
Mustard powder (Aavapodi) 1tsp
Cumin powder (jeera powder) 1tsp
Redchilli powder 1tsp
Pinch of turmeric
Salt to taste




Method:

Wash and cut the tomatoes and coriander.

Boil the diced tomatoes and the chopped coriander, a pinch of salt and turmeric on medium heat for around 10 mins. Set aside to cool

Once at room temperature grind to smooth paste.

Heat 4 tsp oil. Add the above ground paste, a tsp each of mustard powder, cumin powder and red chilli powder. Keep stirring till the oil separates on all the sides and the chutney has thickened to the required consistency. (This will depend on what the chutney is going to supplement).

Tomato dhania chutney goes well with rice or any of the Indian bread. It is also a fresh supplement for yummy pakoras and a quick sandwich spread. It is also an easy home made salad dressing. If stored in the refrigerator, it shall last for around 2-3 days.

If the sun is smiling at you, have the chutney with curd rice and if you are smiling at the rain, have it with some yummy bhajiyas and hot tea.