Beans and Potato Curry with Peanuts

Beans Potato Curry with Peanuts

Cut 1 lb potatoes into 1 cm size cubes and 1/1/2 lb fresh beans into 1 inch long pieces.

heat enough oil in a skillet to cover the bottom of the pan 1/2 canola and 1/2 sesame. Splutter mustard seeds and urad dal and 1 dry chilli. add the potatoes with 1/2 tsp turmeric and 1/2 ts sambar powder. and saute till just starting to brown. Microwave or steam the beans to hald cooked and add to potatoes and stir and sute to till the eband a cooked but firm.

At bottom of pan add 1 tsp sesame oil and add 2 tsp iddly or chutney powder. stir in with salt to taste and garnish with diced curry leave and shredded coconut or lime juice (optional)

Make this protein rich by adding 1/4 cup dry roaster peanuts immediately after spluttering spices and frying the peanuts in the oil for a minute before adding potatoes . Or add a cup of cooked chick peas or garbanzo beans tossed in lime juice at the end .

Thogaiyal; another spicy tapenade

One of my good friend's mother taught me this easy way to make thogaiyal. All you need is a good skillet and a blender. those of you who have a wet grinder with an attachment for grinding spices and such will have no problem.

Saute your choice of vegetables such as squash, onions( optional) eggplant, chow chow (chayote squash) and red and yellow or green pepper (capsicum) in some canola oil till they just start to be done. add a couple of ripe or green tomatoes, 2 or three green chillies, a few curry leaves, a bunch of cilantro. At the bottom of the pan make some room and add 1 tsp of tamarind paste, 2 tsp of iddly or chutney power and some turmeric and hing. A piec of fresh ginger is also optional. all a spoon of sesame oil to the spices and mix them all with the roasted vegetables and then allow to cool. grind in a magic bullet coarsely and add salt and fresh lime juice.

serve with iddly, dosai, vadai or adai . Or with rice.

My daughter loves this and will eat chappati with chutney.

Makes the best sandwiches with butter of one side, chutney on the other and thin slices of cucumber and tomato in between.

Grilled cheese sandwiches become special with a dab of chutney in the middle. Serve with slices of tomato drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Vazhaithandu Kosumalli ( Banana Stem Salad)

If you are lucky enough to be able to get tender stems, or have them grow in your back yard, this one's for you. My mother used to make these on the rare Sunday. I don't remember much except the flavor and the texture so you will have to experiment a bit. We all use to love it and there was never enough. The cutting can be laborious.

As a little boy I would be fascinated by the sticky net of fibers that would stretch out as my mother cut each slice. She would remove them with a deft twist of her finger and the fibers would wrap around her finger to be discarded.

Cut the stem into thin slices, taking care to remove the sticky fiber with a twist of your finger after each cut. Two to three cups of slices stems about the size of a 1/2 dollar coin would be ideal. Toss with lemon juice before they discolor.

Splutter mustard, cumin and urad dal in 1/2 canola and light sesame oil blend. Add 2 or three fresh chillies slit vertically, 1/2 tsp of turmeric and 1/4 tsp of hint. Allow the oils to cool a bit and add to the stems. Salt to taste just before serving.

Serve as an accompaniment to any traditional, South Indian meal. 

OR 
 Serveon a bed of bib lettuce with a dollop of low fat Greek Yoghurt and garnished with finely chopped cilantro and/or 2 or 3 curry leaves. A slice of crisp sourdough or rye bread would make it a meal.

Why Mince Curry Leaves?

Q. Why mince curry leaves?

I have started mincing or cutting curry leave into thin strips for all my recipes. It bring out the flavor better and a little goes a long way. Also most South Indians do not like to bite or chew anything except betel nuts and betel leaves. They will pick out and leave the curry leaves unaeaten on the side of their plates. Mincing them removes this option and even in pongal or uppuma the curry leaves are also consumed. I am told they are good for health. In most cases they are the only green vegetable eaten that day... So it's good karma for the cook too.:-)

Chilled Cucumber Soup

The perfect ending to summer evenings. One English cucumber peeled and chopped , one ripe tomato, a pinch of fresh ginger: just a hint. A few sprigs of cilantro and a few curry leaves OR a few sprigs of fresh full and Italian parsley , juice of one lime a few bits of minced unripe mango, one cup of non fat Greek yoghurt and one cup of plain yoghurt and salt to taste. Blend with a couple of ice cubes and serve garnished with lemon zest and plain pita chips. Sprinkle a few bits of dices unripe mango if you have some.

Potato Bondas (fritters) by Krishna Iyer

 There was a cook in my grandfather's house (Krishna Iyer) who used to make these, and almost everything else, to perfection. The key is to get the batter to the right consistency so it is not too thick but forms a crisp and flavorful coating.

Steam or boil Idaho or some floury type potatoes and peel and mash them with a bit of salt so they still have texture.

Splutter mustard seeds and urad dal and green chillies, cashew pieces and add diced onions and minced curry leaves. Add a few peas and when onions are clear add turmeric and Rasam powder and the potatoes and mix and add juice of one lemon. Set aside and roll into 1 - 11/2 inch diameter balls.

For the battter : heat a pan and lightly roast a cup or so chick pea flour with 2 tbsp of rava (semolina) and allow to cool. Add 1 tap chilli powder a pinch of hing 2 tbs rice flour and salt and 1/2 tsp cumin powder. Slowly add water and beat/ whisk into a batter that is like a light dosa batter. The consistency is very important. The batter should cling well to the potato balls without being too thick. A bit of sour yoghurt adds a nice flavor.

Dip the balls and fry them 4 at a time in a frying oil. I like peanut oil . Make sure they are crisp and drain on a paper towel. And serve hot with mint chutney .
 

Variation 1:

 Instead of Indian spices sauté onions and garlic and add fresh minced rosemary, parsley and sage to the potatoes and 1/2 stick of butter and juice of one lime. Omit the hing.

Variation 2: 
To a third of the mashed potatoes add 2 tbs of ricotta and 2 tbs of gruyere and 2 tbs of butter . Fold in and make 1 cm size balls. Cover them with the potato mixture from variation 1 and roll in seasoned breadcrumbs and dip in batter and fry. Your guests will never leave.

My Best Moment at Parties

My best moments at dinner parties are when traditional Indian women wearing saris and nose rings come up to me in the kitchen and casually ask me something like "Idu panninela vaanginela?" (Did you make this or buy this?) There are many variations of this question. But the bottom line is they liked it but are not sure if its real.

And this is the key to much of my cooking. I usually minimize the steps and keep some flavors intact. Add that unexpected flavor or ingredient in familiar dishes like sun dried tomato pieces in Tamarind rice. Perhaps this is the thrill a painter of fakes or a counterfeiter experiences when one of their creations escapes detection and is passed off.

I will include a few dishes in this genre as well. And for my friend Vaidyanathan, who, with ill concealed disdain, has been reading some of my recipes and tells me "that it's good that I have learned to like these ill prepared foods, I will add a special section of some traditional South Indian Recipes made the way my grandmother would make them. And you can make these easily if you respect the ingredients and visualize the taste you are trying to create. But they should never taste exactly the same twice.

Aval Uppama with vegetables (poha)

Splutter mustard, cumin a few black peppercorns, and urad dal in 1/2 canola and 1/2 sesame oil. Sauté onions, green chillies, chopped ginger. Add turmeric and sambar powder. Curry leaves, a few baby carrots cut into sticks and some potatoes cut into stick (small 1/4 inch by 1 inch) :-) . Chopped cilantro and a few mint leaves. Add 12 cherry tomatoes and cover an cook on low heat till tomatoes are soft. Salt and juice of one lime. Add 3 cups of washed thick poha (pounded rice - available at any Indian grocery store) and stir over low heat till warm. Garnish with fresh grated coconut and minced coriander.

Serve with lime pickles (cut into small pieces) and a yoghurt raita of your choice. 

Simple Potato Roti Dinner

Sauté onions and baby bell peppers with fresh cilantro and chillies. Add baby boiled potatoes and diced tomatoes. A few mint leaves and a cup of water and cook covered for ten minutes. Juice of one lime and salt to taste.

Serve with rotis, cucumber and mango raita . A good cabernet goes well with this meal.

Daanger Patchadi

I am not a daanger patchadi fan. But here is a simple recipe. I am sure some others will also share one by and by.

Dry roast a cup of urad dal for a few minutes and set aside to cool. Blend two cups of fresh yoghurt with one ripe tomato, an inch long piece of cucumber and 6 fresh curry leaves and one green chili. One tsp Tabasco sauce or chili sauce.

Dry grind the urad dal ( I use my magic bullet) and whisk it into the yoghurt mix. Add salt to taste and splutter some mustard and cumin seeds and a 1/8 tsp hing in some canola/ sesame blend and add on top. Add some fresh grated coconut as a garnish.

Purists will tell you this is not daanger patchadi. But try it and decide for yourself.

Rhapsody with lemons; South Indian pickle

Lemon Pickles

This is my tried and tested recipe heavily influenced by my grandmother. A simple method for making lemon pickles right in your kitchen. First concocted in fond memory of my grandmother - Rukmini Krishnamurti.

 

 

Ingredients
12 – 14 fresh lemons
2 large segments of tender fresh ginger
12 fresh jalapeno peppers
16 fresh Serrano or Thai peppers
18-20 tsp sea salt or table salt
4 cups virgin raw sesame oil (light)
2 tsp mustard seeds
6 dried chillies
6 tsp turmeric powder
16 tsp coarse chili powder
3 tsp asafoetida (lightly fried and ground)
3 tsp fenugreek seeds (toasted dark and then ground)
2 tbsp white sugar

Ø Cut the lemons, ginger and chilies making sure to use a clean and dry knife and surface.
a. First slice off a bit near the stem
b. Then into 8 segments each by cutting each into half and then each half into four quarters.
c. Peel, slice and cut the ginger stems into 1cm pieces.
d. Slice the jalapeno’s lengthwise and remove the seeds
e. Chop the Serrano’s into 5mm pieces

• Layer the lemons, chilies and ginger into a large glass or ceramic bowl sprinkling the salt liberally over each layer.
• Allow this to marinade for five days on a cool shelf. Keep it covered but stir once a day with a clean and dry spoon or spatula
• Heat the sesame oil in a large heavy bottom 6 quart sauté pan
• Add mustard seed and allow to sputter for a few seconds
•  Add dried chillies broken into large pieces and stir
• Add the turmeric and asafetida. As soon as they are fried add all the other dry ingredients and stir for about 1 minute.
• Add the cut ingredients and heat over a medium flame while stirring gently and frequently until the mix comes to a boil.
• Add sugar and stir in.
• Remove from heat and allow to cool uncovered.
• Spoon into canning bottles.
• Refrigerate
• Send a jar or two to Shankar

Use the freshest possible ingredients.
Get the tenderest bits of ginger you can find and the freshest of chilies.
If you do not have asafoetida pieces use powder but increase amount by one tsp.
Use best quality sesame oil but for a lighter taste you can use half sesame and half canola oil.

Lemon and Lime Afficionados

I belong to the school of cooking that holds that a little bit of lemon or lime makes every dish better. Well, maybe not everything . But I like lemon in potato curry and beans curry, kovakkai curry : even rava kesari tastes wonderful with a bit of lemon zest or candied lemon rind garnish. So go ahead and experiment with lemon and lime and share your ideas.

More Rasam; a spicy yoghurt sauce with tomotoes

My mother used to make this stew/soup when the kitchen was a bit bare. As a school boy I began to enjoy it and have improvised a number of variations over the years for the American kitchen.

Cook a few vegetables in an inch of water with a tsp of rasam powder and 1/2 tsp turmeric powder. Potatoes, chayote squash, zukini, pumpkin, any squash cubed, and a couple of tomatoes will work. Snow peas, spinach... you name it. A piece of fresh ginger and some chopped cilantro for flavor.

Splutter mustard and cumin seeds 1/4 tsp fenugreek and two fresh chillies and a pinch of hing and add when the vegetables are cooked. (for South Indians - manathakkali vaththal would add that home flavor). allow to cool and add two cups of yoghurt frothed up in a blender and stir. salt and pepper. Warm over low heat and serve with dry toast or french bread or rotis.

Ratatouille for a Peasant

This is a ratatouille to die for.  Make sure you have good tomatoes and fresh herbs. Serve over long grain rice with grated Ementhaler and Gruyere cheeses.

Sauté three crushed cloves of garlic and one crushed dry chili with your best olive oil. Fresh rosemary and herbs de Provence. Add  a cup of diced shallots and onions. When these are clear add a cup of 1 inch pieces of red and yellow peppers. When pepper gets seared add a 2 cups of whole cherry tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve on a bed of al dente rice and sprinkles with grated cheese melting on top. Or fresh whole grain baguette or rosemary bread .

A full bodied Cote du Rhone or a creamy merlot.

A Summer Lunch

Spring mix, green apple and strawberry slices drizzled with olive oil lime juice, salt and pepper.

Followed by steamed baby golden potatoes dressed with cold Greek yoghurt, tomatoes and cilantro blended with salt and a green Serrano pepper . A bit of fresh lime squeezed all over.

A Clean Chardonnay.

Sit out back and watch the butterflies dance in the summer breezes.

Rustic Bread Uppama

Here's a quick meal you can toss together with a few left overs form the fridge.
 
Saute left over red and green peppers with two green and one dry chili in butter, a pinch each of turmeric and hing and 1/4 tsp rasam powder. Diced left over boiled potatoes go in and 3 slices of stale sourdough bread cut into 1 inch squares. Salt to taste. Sauté till bread gets a bit crispy.

Serve with yoghurt or over rice and with a side of  sliced beefsteak tomatoes withs alt and pepper and  drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

A quick meal with Rice, Quinoa and Spinach

Cook a blend of 1/2 quinoa and 1/2 rice in the rice cooker with 2 parts water and pinch of salt

Splutter mustard seeds and cumin with 2 dry chillies, 1/2 tsp turmeric and hing. Add a pound of fresh baby spinach and sauté and add salt to taste. 6 cherry tomatoes . Cook on low till tomatoes and spinach are tender. After  it cools, add 2 cups of plain yoghurt blended with a sprig of cilantro and a fresh tomato green chili. Stir and serve will the rice quinoa mix and your favorite dal.

Vegetable Uppama with Quinoa

Vegetable Uppama with Quinoa

Heat 2 tbs oil or ghree and splutter mustard seeds, cumin and, urad dal. One dried chili. Add half a Cup quinoa and roast for a couple of minutes. Watch out! They will spit at you .Add one cup of coarse semolina and sauté over a medium flame till it all just starts to brown. Make space in the center and add 1 tbs ghee and 1/2 tsp turmeric, some Rasam powder and two chopped green chillies, a tsp of minced fresh ginger, 1/4 tsp hing. Stir and add 6 cherry tomatoes, and 1/2 cup of frozen peas or snow peas. Add three cups of hot water while stirring briskly with a whisk so the semolina doesn't form lumps. and cover. Simmer on low flame for 5 min. Squeeze a fresh lime and garnish with chopped cilantro and minced  curry leaves.

Serve with lime pickles and a yoghurt dip 

Emily's Brown Rice Waffles

This recipe is from Emily who made these exquisite waffles with brown rice. They probably taste best eaten in sunny California though there's much to be said for living in a place where the earth stands still and wild fire is just a weed.

Brown Rice Waffles1 1/2 cups brown rice1 - 1 1/2 cups water Grind rice in just enough water to create a vortex. Grind for about 2 minutes until a grainy texture is achieved. Allow to sit over night in the refrigerator.Grind for an additional 1 - 2 minutes in the morning to achieve a smooth texture. Add the following:2 Tablespoons neutral oil like Canola1 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon salt,Vanilla extract. Grind briefly to incorporate.Pour into a well oiled hot waffle iron.

Thogaiyal ; a vegetable tapenade

This another recipe from my friend's mother. It has been simplified so even I can make it.

INGREDIENTS

1.5 cups pumpkin or squash cubes or zukini and eggplant cubes or Chayote squash with skin

1/2 cup chopped onions and red and green peppers

1/2 bunch of cilantro with stems chopped roughly

7-12 curry leaves

1 or 2 chopped green chillies

1 tbsp grated coconut (unsweetened)

I tsp chopped fresh ginger

salt and lemon to taste

Saute the vegetables in 2 or 3 tbsp of cooking oil and 1 tbsp sesame oil till cooked and soft
Add cilantro,chillies and curry leaves and stir for a minute or two
add 1 tbsp of chutney powder, ginger and grated coconut, stir and remove from heat and let cool
Grind coarsely in a dry grinder or food processor - don't make it too smooth.

Serve with steamed rice and ghee, or as an accompaniment to dosai. Also goes well as a spread on crusty bread with a good fontina cheese and a decent red wine. Add olives, and small tomatoes.... on the side . Serve sprinkled with some chopped dry roasted macadamia nuts if your waistline and budget permit.

Lazy Lowfat Potatoes

Boiled or microwaved potato cubes lightly salted and topped with a blended sauce made of 0% fat greek yoghurt with fresh coriander, a slice of jalapeno, slice of fresh ginger, fresh lime juice. low fat. lots of vitamins and calcium. filling . Tastes great. Quick. cleanup is a snap. wow!

Revathi's Tomato Chutney

I tasted this delicious tomato chutney at a friend's this weekend. Delicious, simple and a great accompaniment to dosai, idli , pongal or even chapati.

In a medium heavy saute pan fry mustard seeds, cumin seeds and hing with 3 tbs of oil. Add 1 tsp chili powder and immediately add chopped green chillies and diced green and red peppers (optional). add 1/2 tsp turmeric. Add 3 cups of coarsely chopped tomatoes and stir till cooked. Salt to taste.

Kovakkai (Tindora) Curry

My daughter loves dry kovakkai (tindora) curry. Except for the time to cut them it's really quite simple. Rinse and cut 11/2 pounds of tindora into four quarters lengthwise. Cutting them lengthwise makes a big difference to the way they cook and the moisture content in the curry. This is one time when I think it's worth the effort to spend more time cutting.

In a heavy bottomed skillet Splutter mustard seeds and urad dal in the usual half sesame half canola blend. Add 1/2 tsp turmeric, a 1/4 tsp hing and 1/ 4 tsp chilli powder. Add the cut kovakkai and stir for a few minutes and lower the heat and let it cook till they are nicely caramelized and have reduced in size. Salt to taste . Serve with Rasam and rice or Sambar and rice.

 

 

Sambhar Powder by Saraswathi

Saraswathi Varadarajan of New Mumbai has contributed a wonderful recipe for making sambar. I share it here again in case any of you missed it.

Sambar powder as I make.
You may change the quantity of red chillies as per your spice limit.
1 tbsp methi seeds
1cm cube hing block
1 cup approx 150 gm Chana dal/ kadalai paruppu.
Equal portion red chillies ..the long red ones
2 cups dhania seeds

Take 2 tblsp gingelly (sesame) oil... Nallaennai. Puff roast the hing,add methi seeds till it splutters and becomes dark brown. Add channa dal ,roast it till it turns red and add red chillies and dhania and roast it non stop till the flavor of dhania comes out. Cool in a plate and grind together it into a powder .
Variation for working people/ Bachelors....you may dry roast puli - tamarind about 300 gms after taking the threads and seeds from the lump, and powder it along with the other ingredients. This is how my Sis in law sends it for her US settled son!

Making the sambar:
Boil the sambar vegetables ( mixed/ onion/ drumstick) in tamarind extract water and 1 tsp turmeric powder)if using podi with tamarind boil in plain water) when the vegetables are cooked ,add 3 sambar powder to cup cooked tuvaram paruppu/ toor dal , mix well and add to the cooked vegetables. Let it boil . Temper with mustard seeds curry leaves in gingelly oil. Add fresh finely cut kothamalli (cilantro) on top and switch off the heat.

Variations: add 1 tbsp grated coconut ground up with one ripe tomato and 2 tbsps of sambar powder

Shankar's note:
You may substitute 2 tsp of hing powder if you don't have a brick of hing.

Left Over Soup

So I was hungry. I had had coffee for breakfast and lunch. Good coffee mind you. And then when I got home I raided the refrigerator and I found some soup I had made a few days ago. So into the microwave it goes in a large soup bowl. There wasn't enough soup after I heated it so in went some very ripe cherry tomatoes. And some vegetarian cheddar cheese slices on top.

I was not ready for the contrast of the hot soup, the slowly melting cheddar and the cold crisp juicy tomatoes. Wow! Where's the Tabasco sauce?

Ginger Lemon Mushroom Soup

I think this is a Thai recipe and years ago I got a packet of the mix and made the soup. it was delicious and warming. I have tried to come up with a simple variation without the chemicals and preservatives and have taken a few liberties.

Extract the fruit of small lime size ball of tamarind and remove the strings and seeds leaving a cup of tamarind extract. Alternately use two tbsp of tamarind extract (not concentrate). Heat in a large saucepan with 2 inches of fresh ginger thinly sliced. 2 or three pieces of lemon grass, 1/4 tsp of ground black pepper, 1/2 tbs jaggery or brown sugar, 1 clove of slice garlic, salt to taste. Add three diced ripe tomatoes and one two three green chillies sliced done the middle and simmer for 15 min. Strain out the ginger, lemon grass, chillies and garlic pieces.

Add 2 cups of thinly sliced button mushrooms and turn off the heat. Juice of one lime. Serve immediately with finely minced cilantro garnish and a thin slice of lemon floating on top with dry toast.

Rasam Powder

I am taking a big risk with this but my friend Andy has asked for a rasam powered recipe. Many of you have family recipes and would scoff at this simple recipe. Please share your variations. It would be wonderful have have 5 or 6 or even a dozen different rasam powder recipe.
 
As a little boy I remember going to the "machine store" in Adyar with my mother with all her ingredients f

Add caption

or sambar and rasam powder including turmeric root and getting them ground in one machine while the wheat would be ground in another. The powders would come out of these tall grinders in a cloth sock right into the tin or vessel we had brought with us. My nose would tingle with the whiff of chillies wafting in the air. The man who worked there would have a fine brown dust on his hair and on the top of his ears. My mother and I would wait in the outer room; my mother would hold her sari pallu over her nose... Today I think these "shops' still provide this milling service. They were called the "machine kadai." 

http://www.hindu.com/2008/10/26/stories/2008102658640300.htm

 

 

1 cup each or toor dal, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and two tbsps of black pepper, 10 - 12 dry chillies, and 12 - 16 fresh curry leaves .
Dry the curry leaves in a sunny window or by microwaving them briefly between two paper towels till they are crisp and dry. Dry roast the toor dal over a medium heat until golden but not brown. Dry roast other seeds separately till they are hot but do not become brown. Grind the toor dal, coriander, cumin and chillies and pepper together till they are ground coarsely and add the curry leaves and grind the blend to the consistency of fine semolina. Add two tbsp of fresh turmeric powder. Keep in an airtight jar. Stays fresh for a month or two.

 

Hint :

 

Saraswathi Varadarajan If I may suggest ... the rasam powder is awesome when you add the "perungayam"hing""asafoetida.. the most important spice for the rasam.. Though we add it while making the rasam.. it is even better to puff roast it and pound it along with other ingredients..

 

A Friday Dinner with Friends

Friday Night Dinner with good friends

Roasted Vegetable & Mint tapenade with pita chips and a
2009 Saint-Veran to die for

Lentil tomato soup followed by
Steamed asparagus with yoghurt cilantro dressing
Potato Curry South Indian Style
2010 Bishops Peak Cabernet

Sour Dough Crisps with butter and Strawberry Mango preserves
Ginger Tea

Adai

My daughter loves Adai and I make it almost every week now, thanks to the recipe given by my friends RC and Vijaya and the wet grinder schlepped all the way from India by Subra and Revathi.

There are many many recipes and techniques for making Adai and I have gotten it down to one my daughter and I like. I have served it to at least one Sangeetha Kalanidhi, a number of Padma Sri and untold numbers of Kalimamani and have gotten way with it. So it must be good.

So here goes by special request for Lakshmi Sudha;

Rinse 1/2 cup of toor dal and 1/2 cup of chana dal and a handful of urad dal and 1 cup of white or brown rice and soak them over night in water with 2 or 3 dry chillies.

Grind the dal and rice in a wet grinder with the chillies and 1/4 tsp whole pepper corns and 1 tsp salt. Grind to a coarse rawa texture and to a tooth paste consistency. This batter can be stored for up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge in the US. You will have to experiment and see how long it lasts in hotter climes.

When making adai I like to add 1part sour idly or dosa batter to 10 parts of adai batter. It adds a tangy sourness that I like.

Add finely minced curry leaves. Fresh ginger may be added as well as green chillies. Add 1/2 tsp of hing and mix thoroughly just before making the Adai. Finely chopped onions could be used as well.

Make the adais 6 - 8 inches in diameter on your favorite griddle over medium heat. I use a blend of canola/vegetable and sesame (nallennai) and a tsp of ghee. Make sure the adais are golden brown and crisp. The iddly batter will help the adai cook well. You should see little air pockets form. Drizzle oil into them and in a small hole in the center.

Serve with thogaiyal, jaggery, and butter (yes butter, I use Irish butter) and one more accompaniment like iddly powder, fresh home made pickles or Vathakuzhambu. Pulikachhal. I was told once that this was how it was served in the home of the late Maharajapuram Santhanam.

I also serve a cup of fresh plain yoghurt.

  Don'ttell yourself it is healthy. Just enjoy it.

I once tried putting some grated carrots in the adai for my daughter when she was three. To this day when I ask her if she wants adai she says " Seri. Anaal Carrot podathai..."

Try this Variation submitted by Saraswathi Varadarajan :

Saraswathi Varadarajan If you want your adai to be crispier and taste like Anjaneyar kovil vadai" try this.
Wash nicely 100 gms of urad dal with its black skin , instead of white urad in your recipe. Drain it in a colander and let it remain for at least half hour. By the time you grind the rest- powder the black urad in your mixie/ spice grinder and add it on top of the adai batter . Just before pouring on the tawa mix it well and make your adai with a hole in the centre, pour ghee/ oil through the hole. You will make a really crisp adai.
Add a big lump of home made butter and sugar/ or butter and idli milagai podi.... It is YUMMy...

Puliyodharai / Puliyogare - Spicy Tamarind Rice 1

Tamarind rice is another one of those ubiquitous rice dishes popular in South India.  It is as much a part of picnics and travel as potato salad is in the Midwest. There are also a number of variations and regional recipes. Many temples make and offer tamarind rice, wrapped in banana leaf, to pilgrims. That unique aroma of tamarind and hing is associated with incense, kumkum and the smell of a burning oil lamp. An odd form of aroma therapy no doubt but then aromas do help us recall our cultural memories. I will be publishing a number of these recipes as the become available. My own started off with an instant mix and I have refined it over the years and found acceptance and pleasure in serving it with little bits of sun dried tomatoes. Please contribute your own recipes and add to this collection.

Cook 1/2 white and 1/2 brown rice with 2 cups of water per cup of rice. Add a 1/4 tsp of hing and 1/4 tsp of turmeric to the rice. just five minutes before the rice is done add some salt to taste and bite size pieces of sun dried tomatoes. Let the rice finish cooking a let it sit for a few minutes.

In a large flat bottom put, heat a cup of cold pressed sesame oil ( nallennai/gingelluy oil) . Add 1tsp od mustard seed, 6 - 10 whole dried chilies, 2 tsp urad dal, 1 tsp chana dal (rinsed and dried), 1/3 cup of dry roasted unsalted peanuts. After the peanuts have become golden (1 min of frequent stirring add 1/2 packet of MTR puliyogare mix powder and mix briskly and turn of the heat.

Add the hot rice to the pot and mix by folding the rice into the paste without mashing it too much. Add some mince curry leaves.

Get rid of the MTR packet (:-) and serve in a large bowl. If you have a banana left, line the bowl with the leaf and ad the hot rice on top. The heat will let the banana leaf impart that exquisite aroma which reminds me of my childhood but may remind some of you of Hawaii...

Serve with fried pappadams aor kettle fried potato chips and a yoghurt patchadi or a tossed tomato salad.

Spicy Okra Curry South Indian Style

Spicy Okra Curry South Indian Style

My daughter and I both love Vendaikkai (okra). She and I made curry today.

Splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds and urad dal with 1/2 dry chill, a pinch of hing, 1/4 tsp turmeric and 1/8 tsp chilli powder in canola oil.

Add 1/4 inch pieces of Okra and sauté over a medium flame for a few minutes and then salt and sauté on a low flame until it is no longer sticky and is past golden brown.

Try sautéing it longer and decide how you like it. My father liked it almost black and crunchy and that's how my mother would make it.

Obviously you can increase the spiciness with more of the chilli powder. Goes well with just about any rice dish. Is a lovely garnish on yoghurt or on a clear ginger mushroom soup (recipe later).

Tomato Lentil Soup

Saute onions in olive oil and butter. Add carrots, zukini and red pepper and saute for 10 min. add thyme, marjoram, sage and curry leaves. 1/2 tsp of turmeric and 1/2 tsp ground cumin. Add 1/4 cup toor dal and 1/4 cup moong dal. Add 10 cups of water and bring to a boil and simmer covered on low flame for 30 minutes. 

Add fresh red and yellow tomatoes and one entire bunch of parsley chopped coarsely. Simmer for 5 min. Salt and pepper and a shot of tabasco sauce to taste with two tbs of butter to finish. Strain and puree the vegetables and add them back. Stir in one cup of milk. 

You could also add pumpkin and nutmeg for that holiday flavor or butternut squash.  Make it as hearty or as light as you feel that day.

Roasted Onion Dip

Another low fat low cal dip by special request. Sauté 3 chopped onions in a little bit of canola or vegetable oil until they start getting brownish and caramelized. Add a crushed red dry chili and a bunch of fresh coriander, some curry leaves and a few mint sprigs. One or two methi leaves if you like. Add a couple of chopped tomatoes and two green chili and sauté till the fresh herbs are wilted. Grind in a mixi with a cup of low fat or non fat yoghurt and juice of one lemon. Salt to taste . Serve with chips and any warm breads or rye crisps.

Spaghetti with Mushrooms and Tomato Sauce

Spaghetti with Mushrooms and Marinara Sauce

My daughter and I made dinner today. If you ask her how she made the sauce she will tell you that you must first heat the pan and put oil and then dad will put a chilli and I will put the onions ... And she would be right.

Add the onions and garlic with a few chili flakes to good olive oil. As the onions begin to clear, add half a green pepper or capsicum diced along with a dozen whole button mushrooms. Add two ripe diced tomatoes and cook together over low heat till tomatoes are done. Add mint, oregano, and thyme : dry or fresh.

Salt and pepper to taste and jar of your favorite organic Marinara sauce or can of diced tomatoes. drain half the liquid form the can for a thicker sauce.

Serve over half whole and half regular spaghetti cooked al dente. Garnish with a good mozzarella or cheddar cheese or shavings of Parmesan : (vegetarian)

We had steamed asparagus with lime juice and salt and pepper and olive oil drizzled on top. You could use butter and/ balsamic vinegar. Try serving with a bit of lemon pickles on the side. many vegetables would work instead of asparagus. Squash, spinach, Keerai thandu, cauliflower.

We had lemonade but you could serve a good Beaujolais .

My daughter loved it and chomped up the button mushrooms with relish . She had helped me choose them at the market. So she was committed to liking them perhaps.

Lemon Rice

Time for an easy rice dish. More complex ones will show up from time to time.

My daughter loves lemon rice. And this was very common picnic and travel food in my family when we were growing up in India. It is easy to make and doesn't require refrigeration. Pack with a banana leaf and newspaper and a piece of string and take it with you. Lemon rice at school, on train journeys, at the beach and on family picnics.That pungent lemon, hing turmeric aroma ; I can smell it now as I think of it. The banana leaf would add a wonderful flavor. Never had nuts in it though...:-0

Cook 1 cup white and 1 cup brown rice together in your usual method with a pinch of hing, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp turmeric. In a saute pan, heat 1/2 sesame and 1/2 canola oil and splutter mustard seeds and urad dal. Add 1 tbsp chana dal rinsed and dried on a paper towel. 1 dry chilli and 1/4 cup of dry roasted peanuts or pine nuts or add a few cashew pieces for richness of taste. 2 or 3 green chillies slit down the middle and another 1/2 tsp turmeric and 1/4 tsp hing. Add a few curry leave and 12 grape tomatoes. stir till tomato skin split. Turn off the heat and add the rice and stir till evenly blended. Add juice of 1 to 1/2 limes or lemon to taste. Serve with a garnish of cilantro and a yoghurt patchadi from an earlier recipe or potato chips (if your waistline can take it) And mango pickles.

Asparagus celery soup with curry leaves

Asparagus Celery Soup with Curry Leaves

Saute red onion diced in olive oil with one red dry chilli. Add I celery diced 1 cup of carrot diced and sauté. Add a pinch of marjoram, sage and basil. 1/2 tsp turmeric and ground cumin. Add 3 or 4 plum tomatoes and 8 cups water . Bring to boil . Add a pound of tender asparagus and 1/2 cup of toor dal and let simmer for 45 min on low heat. (You can use precooked dal if you prefer or you have left overs. The quantity  is optional.)

Add 1/2 stick of butter, fresh pepper and salt. Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon and puree them

with 6 curry leaves and two cups of milk. Add 12 cherry tomatoes to the liquid stock and let them cook for 2 min. Add sprig of fresh thyme. Stir in the puréed vegetables. Serve with warm French baguettes or sourdough bread.

A Word About Soups

There are as many soups to make as there are colors in the spectrum. The combination and endless variety of vegetables, legumes and herbs and spices is a starting point. The. Texture, puréed or textured or clear and proportions of ingredient. No two soups are ever the same. A cold front came through last night and temperatures have dropped.

The time for making soups is at hand. Like a painter, you too can let your imagination go to work with locally available ingredients and create your works of art which will be displayed briefly at the table.

Don't forget to add the unexpected ingredient or flavor and think of how you will create that hint of South Indian in your soups. In mine last night, There were the curry leaves but also at the end I served the soup with a pinch of karuveppilai podi as a garnish instead of the obilgatory pepper.

Unlike other visual arts, yours will be a feast not just for the eyes, but also for the nose, the tongue and the palate...

Mashed Potatoes South Indian Style (Podimaas)

I thought I had posted this recipe earlier but I couldn't find it in this timeline. It's a childhood favorite of mine and my father and my sisters, so here it is again just in case. Very easy to make, but for some reason my mother would only make it on rare occasions. The lemony flavor made it the perfect accompaniment to rasam and rice.

Steam or boil your choice of potatoes (quartered) and peel them. Choose potatoes that have a fluffy or floury texture rather than waxy. In the US Idaho potatoes are a good choice and better for this dish than red potatoes.

In a large saute pan splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, hing. Turmeric powder is optional (my mother did not use it for this dish). Add three or four chopped green chillies and diced curry leaves. Add the potatoes and mash them up with salt to taste till they still have 1cm bits of potatoes in them. Finely chop a tsp of fresh ginger and marinate in juice of one fresh lemon or lime and some finely minced cilantro. Add and mix.

Serve with rasam and rice and fire roasted appalam (not fried).

Peanut or pine nuts could be added when frying the spices for some crunch and that special (my father in law has come to visit) taste.

I still remember how my sister, my father and I would all sit on the floor and eat dinner together. We didn't have a dining table in those days. We each had our own stainless steel plate; my sister's was round with a rim, mine was oval, my fathers was a large round one without a rim and my mother's was a smaller round one without a rim.

Its Almost Always Better with Lemon and Lime

I belong to the school of cooking that holds that a little bit of lemon or lime makes every dish better. Well, maybe not everything . But I like lemon in potato curry beans curry ; even a  rava kesari tastes wonderful with a bit of lemon zest or a candied lemon rind garnish. So go ahead and experiment with lemon and lime and share your ideas.

Potato Curry (boiled)

Cut golden potatoes roughly into 1" cubes and boil or steam them till tender. Strain use the potato stock in  soup or sambar.
Heat canola oil and splutter mustard and urad and 1/3 cup of peanuts, add turmeric, chili powder and rasam powder and some hing. Add the potatoes and stir and sauté over low heat stirring every few minutes to keep creating crispy edges. Squeeze juice of one lime and salt to taste. Serve sizzling hot from the pan. The potatoes should be audibly sizzling on your plates...

If you grind your own spice masala mix and use it instead of turmeric and rasam powder, the aroma will draw your neighbors over for a quick taste.

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South Indian Vegetarian Cuisine; it's art now.

 
I focus on recipes that have high return on effort, fresh ingredients and lip smacking flavors. My sister-in-law suggested I start a blog and share some of my recipes.  The response has been gratifying and its been fun too. I got off to it with facebook page. Soon discovered that the chronological organisation has its limitations hence this blog. I'm going to try and keep both going for now. And use this blog to organise recipes and pictures into useful genres while still using facebook for the quick share -on the go - conversational informality - for which I love its versatitily and ease of use.

I'd like to make this a place to share easy to make recipes for South Indian vegetarian dishes and some fusion cuisine born of years of cooking in the US. Easy doesn't mean boring or basic. Make tasty healthful (and not so healthful) dishes that will wow your friends and family. Mami's in silk sarees will quietly ask for your recipes. Keep it simple, reduce clean up and enjoy.

The time for South Indian Cuisine is now. We need no longer hide or sneak off to consume our idlis in packets or thair saadam. Share and celebrate the many flavors of South India while adding something new and healthful. Lots of vegetables and beautiful colors... South Indian Cuisine; It's Art Now.