Vegetable Thai Red Curry

2 cups of vegetables(broccoli, zucchini, carrots,mushrooms,babycorn)
1 cup extra firm tofu
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp cornflour
salt to taste
a few basil leaves
1 tsp lemon juice
a little lemon zest
1/2 tsp sugar


Red Curry Paste-
5 red chilles
1 clove garlic.
1 inch piece ginger
5 small red onions
5 stalks of cilantro
a few peppercorns
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
2 tbsp coriander powder
2 tbsp cumin seeds powder

Blend to a fine paste with a little water.

Method-

Heat oil, add the masala paste and fry till well done.Add the tomato paste, saute for a few minutes.
Add the cut vegetables, add salt and  and cook till almost done. You want the vegetables to remain crisp.
Add tofu and let the the flavors blend.
Add the coconut milk mixed with cornflour.
Cook on simmer till the curry gets thick.
Add chopped basil a little lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar.
Serve with rice.

Keera Kootu(Greens with Split Yellow Lentils)

3 cups spinach chopped or any kind of greens
1/2 cup cooked split lentils( yellow or red)
salt to taste
1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Spice powder-
1 tbsp chana dal
2 red chilles
6 peppercorns
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Dry roast all the above ingredients, and powder finely in a blender.

Tadka-
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp urad dal

Heat oil, add mustard seeds and urad dal, once the seeds pop, add spinach, cooked dal, salt, turmeric and the spice powder.
Add 1/2 cup water, cook till everything blends together, and spinach is cooked.
Serve with bread or rice.

 

Palak Paneer/ Saag Paneer

To make the paneer-

Boil about 4 cups of milk add 3 to 4 tbsps of lemon juice.

The curds will separate from the whey.

Then pour into a colander lined with a cheesecloth.

Pour cold water to cool the paneer down.

Place something heavy on the paneer to let it set.

This should take about 30 minutes.

Remove the cheesecloth and cut the paneer into cubes.

For the Palak Paneer-

4 cups of palak chopped or a 10 oz packet of frozen chopped spinach thawed

1 tomato

1 inch piece of ginger

2 green chillies

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp malai (top of milk)/cream

1 cloves

1 cardamon

1/4 inch piece of cinnamon

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 red onion chopped

1/2 tsp red chilli pwd

salt

2 tbsp ghee or more

Method-

Cook the palak with little water.

Grind in a Blender with the tomato, ginger, green chillies, garlic, malai, cloves, cardamon, and cinnamon.

Heat ghee, and pan fry the paneer till golden, add the fried paneer to half a cup of warm water and salt. This will keep them tender.

Using the remaining ghee, add more ghee if needed, add cumin seeds, add onions.

Saute till well browned, add the chilli pwd and then add the palak mixture and salt.

Cook till the palak mixture reduces and gets thick and creamy.

Squeeze the paneer out of the water, add to palak, stir well and remove from heat.

Serve with any kind of Indian bread.

Aloo Rasedar

Aloo Rasedar is a different kind of side dish to eat with puris, especially if you get tired of eating it with the usual Aloo Sabji. This is a popular dish usually served for breakfast, in places like the Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Actually good to serve for brunch, lunch or even dinner.

1 Potato boiled and broken into big chunks

1 large tomato chopped fine

1/2 inch ginger minced

2 green chillies minced

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

a pinch of hing

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp chilli pwd

1/2 tsp coriander pwd

1/4 tsp mango pwd

1/4 tsp garam masala

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

salt to taste

1 tbsp oil

Method:

Heat oil add cumin seeds and hing, let it splutter.

Add tomatoes, grated ginger, green chillies, saute for a minute.

Add turmeric, chilli pwd, coriander pwd, and mango pwd.

Keep stirring the tomatoes, add a little water if it starts sticking to the bottom or gets too dry.

Once the tomatoes are soft and the mixture looks like it's blended well add potatoes, salt and 1 cup of water, if you want a really watery gravy add more water.

I usually put this whole thing in the pressure cooker and cook for 1 whistle, but you can just cover it up and cook on low to medium heat and let it come together.

Once done add garam masala and coriander leaves, remove from heat.

Serve with puris, this will easily serve 2 to 3 people.

Elissery- Pumpkin and Black Chana Curry

This is for you Rana, Sumitha and Seema, for enjoying all the Kerala dishes that I make. This is a dish that you would find at any Sadya or feast.

Yellow Pumpkin peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes, I used a big wedge about 2 to 3 cups when cut up.

Black Chana 1 cup soaked for a few hours and cooked till tender or use canned Chickpeas

Turmeric 1/2 tsp

Chilli pwd/ Cayenne Pepper 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

To Grind-:1/2 cup, 3 green chilles, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Tempering-: 2 tsp coconut oil, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp udad dal, 2 red chillies,

3 tbsp grated coconut and curry leaves

Method:

• Cook the pumpkin with chilli pwd, turmeric, and salt.
• When half cooked add the cooked black chana.
• Once the pumpkin is cooked, add the ground paste.
• Cook for a few more minutes, it should be a thick gravy not too watery and not too dry.
• Heat oil for seasoning, add mustard seeds, once they splutter add red chillies and urad dal, once they are golden add curry leaves and coconut.
• Brown the coconut till it's golden brown but be careful not to burn it.
• This is the most important part, once the coconut is the right color add to the pumpkin.
• Serve with rice or chapatis.

Cauliflower and Peas Stew

2 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 red onion chopped fine

1 medium potato cut into small cubes

1 tbsp ginger grated

2 cloves garlic crushed

1 green chilli minced

1/2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp sambar pwd( use curry pwd as a substitute)

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp tomato paste

2 tomatoes blended

salt

1/2 tsp sugar

2 cups cauliflower cut into medium florets

1/2 cup frozen carrots and beans (optional add fresh if you have)

1 cup water

2 tbsp sour cream

2 tbsp coconut milk

2 tbsp cilantro leaves chopped

1 cup frozen peas

Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients, I think coconut milk might be the only ingredient not in your pantry, use coconut milk powder instead. Most Indian home will have all these ingredients, because these are things you need when making any kind of Indian food. Sambar powder might be another ingredient that you might not have, just add curry pwd or a mixture of cayenne pwd and coriander powder. I had some frozen carrots and beans mixture so I threw those in too.

This dish was for a Potluck Dinner for a friend's baby shower. I was also taking some steamed rice and a raita with it.

So once you have assembled all your ingredients, this is what you do,

Heat oil, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.

Once they splutter, add onions stir for a few minutes add potatoes, and cook till brown on medium heat.

Then add ginger, garlic, green chilli, tomato paste, turmeric pwd, sambar pwd, garam masala and cayenne pepper.

Stir for a couple of minutes.

Add the blended tomatoes, stir well.

Add cauliflower, frozen carrots and beans if using, salt and sugar.

Add 1 cup of water, cover and cook for about 10 minutes or so or until cauliflower is tender.

Add sour cream and coconut milk, cilantro and frozen peas.

Stir well, and remove from heat.

You should have a thick gravy, taste and season if required.

Serve the stew with rice and raita, or any Indian bread.

Moru Kootan with Raw Mango (Yogurt Based Sauce)

Moru means buttermilk or thinned and whisked yogurt and kootan means a gravy or curry in Malyalam.

1 cup cubed white pumpkin

1/2 of a raw mango sliced lengthwise

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp chilli pwd

1 cup yogurt whisked

2 tbsp sour cream optional

Grind to a paste:

1 1/2 cup grated coconut

10 green chillies or according to your spice level

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Seasoning:

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 red chilli

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

a few curry leaves

Cook pumpkin and raw mango with salt, turmeric, and chilli pwd and 1 cup of water till tender.

Meanwhile grind the ingredients to a fine paste with 1 cup of water.

Once the vegetables are cooked add the ground paste and let it come to a simmer.

Remove from heat add the whisked yogurt, and sour cream.

Put it back on low heat, and let it come to a simmer. Remove right way do not let it boil as the yogurt could curdle. Check for salt add if required.

Heat oil for seasoning add mustard seeds, red chilli, fenugreek seeds once they splutter add curry leaves, and pour over Moru Kootan.

Enjoy with rice.

NOTE: I use sour cream to give it a little better consistency as I use homemade yogurt made with lowfat milk. This yogurt does not withsatand heat well, hence the sour cream. But if you are using store bought yogurt or whole milk yogurt you can eleminate the sour cream.

Sambar

1/2 cup Tuar Dal

Brinjal, Okra, Pumpkin, Drumsticks all together cubed about 2 cups

1/2 tsp turmeric

Salt to taste

1 tsp tamarind paste

1/2 tsp jaggery

2 tbsps chopped coriander leaves

Masala for grinding:

1 tsp oil

1 tsp fenugreek

1 tbsp coriander seeds

2 red chillies

1/2 tsp hing

1/2 cup grated coconut

2 tsp sambar powder( I use 777 Sambar Pwd)

Seasoning

1 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 red chilly

1/2 tsp hing

1 tbsp shallots minced

a few curry leaves

Cook the dal till tender, I use a pressure cooker.

Cook the vegetables with salt and turmeric and 1 cup of water, once cooked add tamarind paste.

Let it boil well.

Meanwhile make the ground masala, heat oil add fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds, red chillies, and hing, stir till golden, do not burn.

Add coconut, stir for a few minutes add sambar powder, and remove from heat.

Grind to a fine paste with about 1/2 cup water.

Add this paste to the boiling vegetables.

Add the cooked dal, and about 1/2 cup water check the consistency add more water if required.

Remove from heat once the sambar comes together, add coriander leaves.

Heat oil for the seasoning, add the mustard seeds, red chilly, hing, curry leaves, and shallots.

Fry till golden brown, pour over sambar.

Serve with rice.

Vegetable Kuzhambu

I decided to make Vegetable Kuzhambu to clean out my fridge, as I had bits and pieces of different vegetables. This curry is easy to make no coconut to grind or dal to be cooked. The prep work is in cutting the vegetables.

A mixture of whatever vegetables you have cut into cubes, I used:-

White Pumpkin

Carrots

French beans

Suran/Yam frozen

Drumsticks frozen

Padwal/Snake Gourd frozen

all together I would say about 2 cups of vegetables

4 pearl onions cut into half

3 green chillies slit

1 small tomatoes chopped

1 tsp tamarind paste

1/4 tsp hing

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp chilli pwd

2 tsp coriander pwd

1 tsp cumin seed pwd

1 tsp sambar pwd

salt to taste

1 tsp gingelly oil

1tsp rice flour mixed in 1/4 cup of water

Tadka:

1 tsp gingelly oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

2 red chillies

1/2 tsp udad dal

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp methi seeds

Curry leaves

Heat 1 tsp oil, add the pearl onions and green chillies.

Saute for a few minutes.

Add all the dry spices, hing, turmeric pwd, chilli pwd, coriander pwd, cumin seeds pwd, and sambar pwd.

Stir then add all the vegetables and the tomatoes.

Stir well for a few minutes then tamarind paste and some water.

Add salt and cook the vegetables, I just cook it in the pressure cooker as it's faster.

Once the vegetables are cooked add the riceflour paste and cook till there is a nice gravy.

Then get the tadka ready:-

Heat oil, add mustard seeds, red chillies, udad dal, cumin seeds, and methi seeds,

once the mustard seeds splutter add the curry leaves.

Pour this over the kuzhambu.

Goes well with rice of course, or chapathi or dosa.

I served mine with rosemata rice and cabbage thoran.

Aloo Dum

I have been craving some good restaurant food, and there is not a lot of choice or variety in Denver compared to the California or Dallas. We don't eat out a lot, so it had to be something that I could cook, and wanted something spicy and comforting. Here I was surfing the blogworld to see if there was anything exciting that I could cook, and chanced upon Bong Mom's Cookbook and the aloo dum recipe.

That was it, I was going to have Aloo Dum for dinner, so here is my recipe hot with puris.

10 round baby potatoes

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 green cardamom

1 inch cinnamon

2 cloves

1/4 tsp saunf

2 red chillies

1 onion chopped

1 tomato chopped

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp garlic

1 tsp red chilli powder

2 tbsp plain yogurt

1/4 tsp hing

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp sugar

salt to taste

1 tbsp cream

1 tbsp cilantro leaves chpped

4 tbsp oil

Method:

Peel the potatoes and cut into big cubes.

Heat 2 tbsp oil fry onion chopped, ginger, garlic once browned add coriander seeds, black pepper, cuminseeds, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and saunf.

Add tomatoes abd chilli powder and let it cook down.

Add yogurt cook till well combined.

Remove from heat.

Blend in a blender, till smooth.

Heat the remaining oil add hing and turmeic add the potatoes and fry till they are browned

Add the blended sauce, salt, and sugar and put it in a pressure cooker and cook for one whistle. Add cream and cilantro leaves.

Serve with puris.

Baingan Achaari/Eggplant Pickle

Eggplants are such a versatile vegetable, and it can take on any avatar, and still tastes great. They have a special place in every cuisine of India as well as internationally.

Eggplant is one vegetable which absorbs a lot of oil, I wanted to make the Achaari Baingan without a lot of oil. So instead of frying it directly nuking it in the microwave seemed to work well. Here is my contribution to JFI event for July hosted by Sangeeta from Ghar ka Khana.

6 small brinjals

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp kalonji(onion seeds)

1/2 tsp hing

1/2 tsp turmeric

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp chilli pwd

1/4 tsp fenugreek pwd

2 tomatoes pureed

1/4 tsp sugar

salt to taste

gingelly oil

2 green chillies slit

1 tbsp coriander leaves

Slit the baingan into four keeping them whole.

Sprinkle salt on the baingan and microwave them for about 5 minutes.

Heat 1 tsp oil and fry the baingan till light brown.

Heat another 2 tsp oil, add mustard seeds, fennel seeds, kalonji seeds, hing, and turmeric.

Stir well add garlic, stir lightly add chilli pwd and fenugreek pwd.

Add tomato puree, sugar and salt.

Keep stirring till thick add baingan and green chillies. Cook till a thickish gravy clings to baingan. Add coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Kuruku Kalan

From the top Vazhaka mezhuvaratti(Raw plantain fry), Muringa ela kootan(Drumstickleaves curry), Kuruku kalan, and Rice

I had a lot of sour curds in the fridge, and what else can a Mallu make with sour curds but kuruku kalan. I could also make moru curry or puliserry,but I was feeling nostalgic, and kuruku kalan would be the perfect remedy for my homesickness. In this recipe the curds are cooked and evaporated till it reduces to almost half and can be stored in the refrigerator for a long time. I usually make it with 2 cups of curd, so I have enough evaporated curd to make kalan twice. I learned to make this dish from my mother-in-law, who is from Puthcode. This curry is very different from Moru kootan where raw curds are added to the dish and then cooke. Whereas in kuruku kalan the curd is cooked and exaporated first and then added to the dish and cooked again. This is the traditional way it is made for sadyas, weddings or festivals.


To make the kuruku or evaporated curds
2 cups sour curds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp black pepper powder
1/4 tsp salt

Kuruku or evaporated curds

Cook this down to 1 cup on medium heat, keep stirring ocassionally. It will look like yellow cottage cheese. Store this in the fridge till you are ready to make the kalan. you could make more kuruku just increase the quantity of sour curds. I sometimes microwave the whole thing it take about 15 minutes. Keep cooking it at 5 minute increments till it reduces to half.

To make the kalan:
1/2 cup of the kuruku from the above recipe
1/4 cup white pumpkin
1/4 cup chena/yam
1/4 cup raw plantain
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp mehti powder
salt to taste

Grind to a paste
1 cup coconut
6 green chillies if using jalapenos use 1 or 2
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 cup water

Seasoning
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp mehti seeds
1 red chilli
4 curry leaves

Cut the vegetables into one inch cubes.
Cook with a cup of water and salt and turmeric.
Grind the ingredients for the paste.
Add to the cooked vegetables.
Add the kuruku or evaporated curd to this mixture.
Once it boils and thickens, add mehti powder.
Remove from heat and keep aside.
To season heat oil add mustard seeds, once they splutter add red chilli mehti seeds, and stir.
Add curry leaves, pour over kalan.
Serve as a side dish with rice and muringa ela kootan or any dal based curry.