Simple dinner - Mooli Roti with Aloo Methi Sabzi

Tonight's dinner was a simple fare - Mooli Roti and Aloo Methi Sabzi. 

Aloo Methi Sabzi

The sabzi turned out just as I expected, the only shortcoming that was observed was that the potatoes had a slightly sweet taste. Some of us could not discern the sweet flavor in the background but for some it was quite pronounced. Very simple flavors and quite easy to make. Same goes for the Mooli Roti

Mooli Roti

Note that I call this particular version the 'Mooli Roti' and not Paratha. The reason is that I did not take the long route - make stuffing, prepare dough, flatten dough, stuff the vegetable mix, seal dough and roll out the paratha. On days when I am hard pressed for time(which is almost always) but still want the taste of mooli I go for this 'Roti'. This simpler process involves preparing the vegetable mix and then mixing it in the chapathi dough itself. 

I shall hopefully post the recipes for both the above dishes sometime soon. As of now I am relaxing on the couch relishing the after taste of my dinner :)

Atukula Payasam/ Poha Kheer- Easy Indian Dessert

Atukula Payasam or Poha Kheer

This is one of the simplest and delicious dessert recipes possible. 'Kheer' is the Hindi word for 'Payasam'. It means a milk based sweet dish with a liquidy  consistency. In the words of a traditional purohit - "Payasam ante paarutu vundali". Translates to " Payasam should flow". I like my payasams somewhere in between milk and condensed milk consistency. In other words I aim to make a payasam which cannot be drunk out of a glass without a spoon, at the same time my spoon need not cut into any solid surface to scoop up the deliciousness!

There are quite a few varieties of Payasams to be made. This is made of Atukulu (Telugu) - Poha in Hindi / Aval (Tamil) / Beaten or Flattened rice. It is made for Krishnashtami since Poha is one of Krishna's favorite snacks (traced back to the Krishna-Sudama story). The use of jaggery gives it a golden brown hue which I find more appealing than plain old white. Take a look for yourself

I think it looks quite alluring in a plain glass bowl without the need for any other background or adornments. OK, enough talk, let's get to the recipe.

Ingredients:

Atukulu/Poha (thin) - 1 cup (rice cooker cup)

Milk - 3-4 cups ( I used 2%)

Cardamom - 1 pod, seeded and seeds powdered

Jaggery - 1/2 cup, grated *

Cashews - 1 tbsp, broken into quarters

Raisins - 1 tbsp

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Method

1)  Take a thick bottomed kadhai (wok) or saucepan. Heat 1 tbsp ghee on medium heat and roast the cashew bits and raisins. These are ready when the cashews are a nice golden brown and the raisins are plump. Take these out of the pan and keep aside.

2)  In the same pan add the remaining 1 tbsp ghee and roast the Atukulu/ Poha. This needs to be roasted for about 2-4 minutes till the Atukulu lose their 'raw' smell and develop a slight yellowish-brown color. Take the Atukulu out and save in a plate.

3)  Now pour the milk into the saucepan and heat it (till bubbles start to form on the periphery of the milk surface).

4)  Add the Atukulu to the milk. Cook the Atukulu for about 10-15 minutes**, stirring regularly. The stirring is to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.

5)  To check whether the Atukulu are cooked, take some out with a spoon and press between thumb and forefinger. The individual grain should be soft like cooked rice. Caution - the payasam will be hot ;) so check carefully.

6)  Now add the cardamom powder and stir. Keep on heat for just 1 more minute so that the cardamom may release its essence, then turn it off.

7)  Stir in the cashews and raisins. 

8) The very last step is to add the grated jaggery and mix it in. The residual heat in the milk mixture will melt the jaggery. Caution - Do not heat the mix after adding jaggery or while the heat is still on. This may cause the milk to curdle

9) Transfer to bowls and serve warm.

* For people with sweet tooth or those desirous of Indian level of sweetness, the quantity of Jaggery should be increased to at least 3/4 cups

** The actual cooking time depends on the type of Poha used. The thin poha will cook faster than the thick kind. So keep checking for 'doneness' every couple minutes after the first 10 minutes are over.

Notes: 

 - Since this is not baking, the quantities are just a basic guideline and not strict rules. Feel free to increase the sweetness or eliminate the cardamom or even double the cashews if you prefer.

 - Using whole milk will give it a richer taste, hence is acceptable as a substitute but skim milk is not advisable since it will taste watery.

 - Sugar can be substituted for Jaggery in equal ratio

 - The consistency of end product should not be cause for worry- if it is not thick enough just serve it in martini glasses or coffee mugs. If it is too thick you can add more warm milk to bring it to desired state OR just rename it Poha Pudding and enjoy!!

Easy Nut Clusters or Fruit&Nut Chocolate

This post is another of my lazy foodie experiments. I had half a slab of dark chocolate left over from last year's birthday gift (CV was thoughtful enough to remember that I prefer dark chocolate, but that was the end of his thought process ;) Hence a big slab of dark chocolate which I was able to chip away at, a little piece at a time, but never got over)

The quality was good enough- 70% cacao, smooth on melting and made a nice 'snap' on breaking. Since there is a definite dearth of delicious fruit and nut chocolates in the market, I decided to use up the dark chocolate and whatever dry fruits I happened to have at home to make my own. In this case it was walnuts and cranberries. Most of the recipes I looked up combined dark chocolate with semi-sweet chocolate chips. Since my dark chocolate was almost bitter I substituted milk chocolate chips for the semi-sweet.

The results were not too bad. Take a look below

Gooey, chocolatey nut and fruit clusters hot off the stove

After cooling off in the refrigerator for 15 minutes

With a drizzle of caramel on top- a delicious variation

Look at all the walnuts - good for the brain too!!!

The delicious clusters were gone in two days! I don't feel sorry about it since the dark chocolate, walnuts and cranberries are so good for my health ( ;D) 

Garelu

Garelu, widely known as vadas, are an item made for special occasions in Andhra homes. In our home it is a staple for all festivals. And it is one of the simplest recipes. All it takes is a little planning ahead of time to get a good result. Moreover this can be made entirely spice-less which makes it a good choice for families with small children.

Ingredients
Urad dal (minapa pappu) - 2 cups (rice cooker cup)
Salt - to taste
Onion - 1 medium red, diced finely (optional)
Green chilies - 3, diced finely (optional, can be modified to taste)
Curry leaves - 1 sprig, chopped finely (optional)
Oil - for deep frying

Method
1) Soak the urad dal 5-6 hrs prior to when you intend to make the garelu.
2) Wash and grind to a soft paste. While grinding, add water sparingly otherwise it will be impossible to get the desired circle with hole shape. The paste should be light and fluffy, as shown below.

3) Transfer batter to a bowl. Prepare all the vegetables mentioned above, if using and add to the batter.
4) Heat oil in a kadai.
5) When the oil is sufficiently hot (approx. 350 F, should not be smoking), just before the frying process starts, add the salt to the batter. This will prevent the batter from turning runny and will allow the gare to hold its shape.
6) Take a small plastic sheet - I just use a quart size Ziploc bag since it is always available in the pantry. Take some water in a small bowl, to wet your hand and the plastic surface intermittently.
7) Wet your hand and wipe it over the plastic sheet. Take a small handful of the batter and place it on the sheet. Slightly wet your hand again and pat the top of the batter mound to flatten it. It should now resemble a flat disc. Use your finger to poke a hole in the center.










8) Lift the sheet with the gare in your left hand, slowly flip it over onto the right and let the gare come onto the hand.
9) Gently drop this into the hot oil. Fry till golden brown. Repeat with remaining batter.

10) Enjoy with delicious ginger chutney.

Pachchi Vadiyalu- Ash Gourd Vadis

Ash Gourd Vadis/ Budida Gummadikaya Pachchi Vadiyalu

Budida Gummadikaya vadiyalu or Ash Gourd Vadis are an Andhra delicacy. Vadiyalu are one of the many methods of preservation used by Indians. The essential element for the process is heat and bright sunlight. Since this criterion is met in most parts of the Indian subcontinent for at least 8 out of 12 months this is a fairly common recipe. 

Vadiyalu are generally used as an accompaniment to the main dishes in a meal or as evening snack item- depending on the variety. Sabudana vadiyalu are an example of the latter while Ash gourd vadiyalu are a classic example of the first category. 

This recipe is for Pachchi vadiyalu. Pachchi literally means "Raw". Being situated on the NE coast we have enough sunlight but not heat to make proper vadiyalu. So last time my MIL suggested we skip the drying part of the process and fry Pachchi Vadiyalu. That was the first time I had heard about this possibility. So we prepare the batter and omit the last step of drying in hot sunlight for 2-3 days. Instead fry the batter the same day and enjoy with hot ghee rice!!

Ingredients:

Ash gourd/ Budida gummadikaya - grated or finely dices, 4 cups

Urad dal - 1 cup
Green chillies - 2 (may be modified to taste)
Jeera - 1 tsp
Salt - 4 tsp (may be modified to taste)
Oil - for deep frying
Method:

1) Apply 2 to 3 tsps of salt to the diced ash gourd. The best way is to use both hands and thoroughly rub the salt into the pieces. The purpose of salting the gourd is to remove as much of the moisture content from the vegetable as possible.
2) Transfer the salted gourd into a cheese cloth. Tie into a knapsack and hang from a hook/ nail. Place a vessel under it to catch the drained water. In case you do not have the facility to hang the bundle - put the firmly tied bundle in a standing colander. Place this on top of a vessel to catch the drained liquid from the gourd. Place a heavy weight (like a molcajete set) on top of the bundle to make sure all the liquid is forced out.
3) The above step takes 8-12 hours to complete (simplest would be to do this overnight). At the end of this duration, squeeze the bundle well to extract the last possible liquid/moisture content from the gourd.



4) Soak the urad dal for 3-4 hrs.
5) Wash and grind the Urad dal in a mixer-grinder. Use as little water as possible. The paste should not be coarse. It should turn out soft and fluffy, like medu vada/garela batter.



6) Grind the green chillies and jeera to a coarse paste (one turn of the mixie is fine)


7) Mix the ash gourd, urad batter and chilli-jeera paste in a bowl. Add salt to taste and mix thoroughly.
8) Heat peanut oil in a kadai. When the oil is sufficiently hot, drop the batter in and fry till golden brown. If not familiar with making fritters with hand, you may use a table spoon measure to scoop the batter and gently drop it in the oil.


9) Drain on paper towels. Serve with hot rice and ghee or as an accompaniment to pulusu.

Notes - Below notes are based on the observations/ mistakes I made the first time around. These are added here so the reader can avoid the same:
1) Do not mix all the Urad batter into the gourd at one go. First add 1/2 cup batter and mix. The batter is a binding agent- use just enough to coat and hold the grated/diced gourd together. If needed u can add more batter sparingly so as not to overwhelm the gourd's taste.
2) Grated gourd will release the moisture more efficiently than diced pieces
3) Add salt to the Gourd-Urad batter just before frying otherwise batter will turn runny/ liquidy and will not have right texture

Easy Pumpkin Sabzi/ Gummadikaya Teepi Kura

Back from a long hiatus! But my passion for good food is intact. The only thing different now is in addition to being a lazy foodie is the aversion to some very common ingredients, viz. onions and garlic. So I thought I might start blogging about the recent experiments in my kitchen with a conspicuous lack of the above said bulbs.

Today's post is a simple recipe utilizing Pumpkin which is available year round in the USofA. It is called Gummadikaya in Telugu and Kaddoo in Hindi. This particular kura (literal meaning vegetable dish) goes well with plain rice or chapathis.

Gummadikaya Teepi Kura/ Easy Pumpkin Sabzi

Ingredients:

3 cups of Pumpkin- peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes

1 sprig Curry leaves (Kari patta)

3 tbsps Jaggery (Gur), grated. 

Seasonings:

2 tsps oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds (rai)

1 tsp split Black gram dal (dhuli urad)

2 small dry Red chillies, broken into halves

Pinch of Asafoetida (Hing) - optional.

Salt to taste

Method:

Steam the cubed the pumpkin pieces either in a pressure cooker or using a steamer basket. If you do not have access to either, then put the pieces in a microwave safe bowl and nuke it for about 3 mins. Check it halfway through and stir once and finish microwaving. The aim is to get 'al dente' pumpkin without turning it mushy or watery.

Put a thick bottomed pan or kadai on medium heat. Add the oil and wait till it is hot. Put in the Mustard seeds and wait till majority have spluttered, then add the Black gram dal and saute till the white dal turns to a light brown color. Now add the broken dry Red chilly pieces, Asafoetida and Curry leaves. **Caution - move slightly away from the pan while adding the Curry leaves since they splutter horribly due to high water content.**

Immediately put the pumpkin cubes into the pan. Give a gentle stir. Sprinkle salt as per taste, give another stir, cover and let cook for about 3-5 minutes. Uncover pan and sprinkle the jaggery. Sugar or brown sugar may be substituted for the jaggery but taste will be compromised. 

Stir gently and cover. From this point on, you may cook the pumpkin to a desired state of doneness. I like it where the pieces still hold shape but have partly turned mushy (as shown in the picture above). But if al dente is preferred then turn off the heat as soon as the jaggery has dissolved.

Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with hot rice.