Puliminchi /Tamarind gravy

Our generation, for the matter or parents' generation has not seen anything like this before. This Wuhan virus pandemic has been an eye opener of sorts. How many of us would have imagined sanitizers, disinfectant sprays, disinfectant wipes, toilet roll and water to disappear from the copious shelves of Costco, Target, Walmart and all other supermarkets? How many of us would have ever prepared ourselves to have kids attend school from home? How about staying home for weeks? How about everyone working from home? Wealthy countries fighting for cargo of masks and gloves and ventilators? air travel pretty much banned across half the world? Not many. But we are here, where sneezing, coughing is suddenly scarier than the idea of crazy gunman. The isolation under a lock down does not help either. It is now a dystopian world where neighbors, mailmen, delivery folks, staff at our favorite restaurants, supermarket clerks, smiley fellow commuters that we know by face, if not by name are all potential asymptomatic carriers and therefore dangerous. Hell, for all we know we might be one of them and might end up killing our beloved grandparents and parents if we are not careful.
How could we let this happen? This is not some nondescript corner of Africa. This is not even the backyard of a great political theater involving foreign drones bombing our towns and cities. Yet, we are here, living under fear, longing for life as usual. I stare outside the window. Far away, I see the top of a cherry blossom tree. The tree knows no Wuhan virus. So she has decided to bloom like every year around this time. She wears her colors with pride. She could care less but I miss walking on the pink carpet around her. I miss the touch of her delicate blossoms after all, she signals the end of cold winters better than Punxsutawney Phil and the blackbirds. I miss the luxury of having a well stocked pantry and refrigerator. I miss well stocked supermarket shelves. How much did I take everything for granted. How privileged I am to be eating well.  I feel guilty too, for being able to afford through price gouging while a whole lot of people have lost their jobs and do not know where their next meal is going to come from. I feel sorry for the families that have lost loved ones needlessly because someone else lied to us and our leaders failed us.

It is in these distressing times many of us seek familiar comfort food. Unfortunately, many stores around here have run out of cake/ cookie/brownie mixes,sugar, flour, chocolate chips, essentially everything associated with comfort foods. That throws another curve ball, yet another adjustment to a new normal...

It is one such day here, a nice bright spring day that I decided to make something special. This is my sister's recipe and family loves it. More than anything else, the ingredient list was fairly short and I had everything on hand.

We will need,

Spices to be toasted:
Cumin 1/2 tsp
Coriander seeds 2 tsp
Black pepper corns 3/4 tsp

Ajwain 1/4 tsp
Red chillies  preferably byadagi 5-6 (adjust according to taste)

Coconut  1/3 cup
Garlic 1 clove minced
Onion 1 small minced
Tamarind lime size soaked in warm water
Green chillies 1-2 (adjust according to taste)
Ginger minced
Turmeric
Salt to taste

Eggs(boiled, shelled and lightly fried in a few tsp of oil)  5-6  or
Mackerels (marinated in salt and turmeric, shallow fried lightly in a few tsp of oil)

Method:

• Heat a skillet at medium heat and toast the spices one at a time till fragrant and set it aside. Go for the chillies last and cut off heat, that way chillies will not burn and trigger the smoke detector. 
• Combine the toasted spices and coconut in a blender and grind the mixture into a fine paste. 
• Place the spice paste, minced garlic, onion, ginger, green chillies in a wide mouthed pot. Extract the tamarind juice and stir it into the spice + mixture. Thin the mixture with some water if needed and set it on medium heat. 
• Once the mixture starts bubbling gently, stir in turmeric, salt and let it cook till the gravy is fragrant. 
• Slip pieces of fish /eggs in the gravy, cover and simmer for a few more minutes till the fish is tender. Try not to stir the fish to avoid breaking them. Instead gently shake the pot.
• Remove from heat and set it aside for the flavors to combine. The gravy tastes better the longer it sits. Heat it right before serving and enjoy with a bowl of steamed white rice.

Chicken Biriyani Kannada Style

Running a series of non-vegetarian Kannadiga recipes has always been on my to- do list but some how it has not materialized. So going one recipe at a time rather than a series is perhaps more doable. Karnataka has a long history with vegetarianism. Jainism was very popular a few thousand years ago. Chandragupta Maurya is supposed to have died of Upavasa Sallekhana Vrata i.e fast unto death in Karnataka. Very small towns in Karnataka has Jain Basadis- temple. Jainism obviously meant vegetarianism. Subsequent Hari-dasa tradition, Veerashaiva movement all promoted vegetarian way of life. So Karnataka used to have a large population of vegetarians. But we do have non vegetarians and a repertoire of recipes. I am not really familiar with the non-vegetarian cuisines of say coastal, north or Malnad Karnataka. My familiarity ends with the plains- the Bayaluseeme.

In the Bayaluseeme area, I have noticed two distinct styles of non vegetarian cuisine one Muslim and the other Hindu style. By calling it the Hindu style I am referring to the cuisine of "Hindu Military" restaurants (I am yet to eat in one!!) and the classic Gowda style dishes like Saaru, Chops, Sukka.
After my sojourn to Lucknow I realize that the Sunni Muslims from our region did learn a lot from their cousins in Lucknow.  Think of chats in Karnataka, we have peas, they have peas too.. No Eid is complete without Muzzafar back home. Well no prizes for guessing! Muzzafar is a classic Awadhi dish. So does their Biriyanis. Muslim cooks do it the Dum - Lucknow style albeit using a lot less number of spices, much more heat and lot less rich than their Awadhi cousins. Food has always traveled well and will keep traveling.

Kannada style Biriyani draw a lot from Lucknowi Pulaos. But it is also way simpler than the rich,fragrant, refined and delicate Awadhi Biriyani just like the Kannadiga herself, very simple. The Biriyanis I tasted in Lucknow( all chicken, no meat for me yet) in the famous Tunde Kababi, Wahid Biriyani and a bunch of other not so famous but still delicious Biriyanis opened my eye to the amazing world of Biriyanis. It is indeed an art to cook Chicken and rice together and infuse the goodness into each morsel. How exquisite the Biriyani was. So much of flavor in each bite. I find the Hydrabadi style rich,royal but also spicy. I love that too, just that I have never been to Hyderabad so reserving my comments to a later day. Biriyanis in other cuisines, sorry I don't consider them good enough for kind words here. Kannada style is simple, unpretentious and very satisfying.
This is my Mother's recipe. She is a pure vegetarian and has never tasted her own Biriyani which have gotten rave reviews everywhere and every time she has made them. I sometimes find it strange that she should be able make the perfect Biriyani without ever having tasted it. But then she tells me that it is like making a Prasada, you just do not have to eat it to know it.

Like a true blue Kannadiga she makes sure to throw in handfuls of Methi leaves, so much so that one of her guests in Tamil Nadu, a doctor who was very fond of her biriyani used to call it herbal Biriyani. So here is Amma's herbal chicken Biriyani. Yes it is off white in color... again keeping with the simplicity of Kannadigas.

We will need,

Rice 3 cups preferable Basmati (rice cups)
Oil about 1/3 cup (enough to cover the bottom of the biriyani pot by 1/4")
Cardamon 2
Bay leaf 2
Star Anise 1 Chicken  1lb cubed, washed and patted dry
Onion 1/2 sliced
Garlic 1 whole head
Green Chillies 18
Ginger 2.5inches

Fenugreek greens 1 bunch, trimmed cleaned and stalks discarded
Coriander a fistful washed and chopped
Mint a scant fistfull washed and chopped
Cloves 6
Cinnamon 1"
Lemon juice and Salt to taste

Method:

• Wash rice in several changes of water and soak it in clean water.
• Heat oil in a Handi. Throw in the Cardamon, bay leaf and star anise. Once they are fragrant, throw in the chicken. Brown it carefully all over.
• Throw in the onions, a generous pinch of salt and saute for a few more minutes. 
• Combine the chillies, garlic and ginger in a food processor and pulse it into a paste.
• Throw the paste into the chicken. Stir well. Saute till the spices smell fragrant.
• Throw in the Fenugreek, Coriander and Mint. Saute for a few more minutes till the chicken is almost cooked.
• Add about 6 rice cups of water to the chicken. Adjust salt, lemon juice. The water should be a tad bit more on the saltier side, the addition of rice brings down the level of salt later.
• Cover and bring the water to a gentle boil. 
• Drain the rice well and throw it into the Handi. Stir gently and cover. Cook for about 20-30minutes on medium heat. Turn off the heat and keep it covered for another 15 minutes or so.  
• Serve warm.

Mutton Saaru Gowda style / Mutton curry

Well, I do not like to cook meat, nor do I eat it. But Honey is very fond of meat and I do not have a problem with that.I have cooked meat for him, after all I wanted to find a way to his heart, but it was always problematic. I was so averse to the idea of cooking and eating meat. But once I started a blog and identified myself as a foodie, my horizons broadened. After all it is food right. One man's delicacy is another's poison. The first question was, how do I look at the meat part of the food? Vegetarianism in India is pretty recent considering the length  of our history. There are instances in Mahabharata and Ramayana where meats/ games were served on various occasions. Bheema prepares a feast consisting of a variety of animals for the  coronation ceremony of Dharmaraya. Then the  Ashwamedhayaga where the butchered horse was roasted and consumed. Look at Sushrutha Samhita, it is full of remedies calling for venison, turtle and god knows how many more animals. It was only after the Ahimsa theory of Budhism and Jainism that vegetarianism started to become mainstream.  The Jains were so thoughtful that they refused to eat root vegetables which have been harvested after 'killing' the plant. But what about rice? or wheat or any other grain for that matter? Are they not living beings? We sure know they are, equivalent to the embryo in the animal world. So when ever we eat rice or any other grain, we are committing 'Himsa'. My question therefore is,is it alright to subject plants to violence and still be committed to Ahimsa in the animal world? Or do I stop eating all live foods and starve myself? How do I go about it? It is a dilemma. For a foodie like me, who loves to look, eat, write about, read about food, is it not a torture to go through such dilemma? I have not found a solution yet. I kinda brushed it down the carpet. The only way to be ethical and be committed to Ahimsa is to follow what Ayurveda suggests.

• 'Mita bhuksh' eat little -always eat only to fill half your stomach, fill the remaining quarters with air and water;
•  'Hita buksh' eat food at the right temperature neither too hot, nor too cold. Sorry ice cream you are out;
• 'Kshuta buksh' no idea what it is. got to call mom.
• 'Rutu buksh' eat what is in season. Basically it says eat local.

So lets gather everything  now. Eat fresh and local, eat food at the right temperature and eat moderately. According to me this is the best philosophy for a foodie. It is good for our own physical health, will reverse the epimedic of obesity, reduce carbon footprints, causes less 'Himsa', and brings no ethical baggage with it.

With this premise, I have stopped looking down upon meat eaters. Well it is one's choice. I am sorry that I bulldozed a dear friend's idea of bringing hamburgers for a barbeque party. (Not that I will allow it another time, but at least I am feeling bad about it!). Sorry Mr Zimmern cannot be your party either!

For now it is just mutton saaru the popular  gowda style courtesy a dear friend Shilpa . Shilpa and her hubby were at our place the other weekend for a friend's birthday (Sri, hope you are reading this). She was charming enough to dish up this rich and spicy gravy. Honey and Sunny boy enjoyed it very much. Imagine this, I wanted to raise Sunny boy a vegetarian!

 We will need,

Mutton 2 lbs
Ghee 2 tsp
Onion 1 medium
Green chillies 20 (ouch)
Garlic 7 cloves
Ginger 1/5"
Cloves 6-10
Cinnamon 1" piece
Coconut grated 1 cup
Cardamon 2
Coriander 1 bunch trimmed and ends discarded
Mint 1 small bunch trimmed and stalk discarded
Salt to taste
Sugar a generous pinch
Lemon juice for serving

Method:

• Wash and clean the mutton in several changes of water and set it aside.
• Place the ghee in a pressure cooker and heat it. Throw in the mutton and brown it for a few minutes. 
• Meantime, combine the rest of the ingredients except the  lemon juice salt and sugar in a blender and pulse till the mixture is smooth. Add a little water if necessary.
• Pour the spice mixture into the browning mutton, add more water and cover. Cook till the mutton is tender about 2-3 whistles.
• Remove from heat adjust salt, throw in the sugar and lemon juice.
• Serve hot with Ghee rice.

Vegan chilly Chicken -Karnataka style /Temphe Chilly

I am not a very big fan of soy products..'soy milk', I did say eww...Soy cheese I did say 'no thank you'. I did rather have my cup of milk-milk or 'cheese-cheese'. Tofu is still fine, nothing can beat Panner. Will I ever be a vegan? I do not think so, give me my yogurt, give me my cheese and I am as happy as a lark.  So what about this Temphe?

I have been reading about Temphe in most western vegetarian cook books. I was always curious to check it out. So a few months back we got a slab of Temphe. I did not do my home-work properly and replaced half the slab of Temphe in a recipe that called for Paneer..We all hated the Temphe then. It was absolutely tasteless and so much like eating a bitter cardboard. Even though first impulse was to trash it, I threw the remaining Temphe in the freezer after much deliberation.
And then I came across a recipe that called for Temphe and the recipe also called for it to be deep fried the first thing! So be it. I said and bingo this is how it was. This dish was such a hit, we polished it off straight off the Kadai.
My mother got me a Karnataka style Chilli Chicken recipe from her friend.. I substituted chicken with deep fried temphe. It was heavenly. Love it.

We will need,
Temphe 1/2 lb cup into strips.
Expeller pressed peanut oil to deep fry + 4-5 tbsp
Whole Red Chillies      4-5  (Byadagi variety prefered)
Garlic                           2 cloves
Ginger                          1/2 " piece
Tamarind paste            1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Fresh Coriander            a handful

Method:

• Bring 4-5 tbsp of water to a boil. Dump all the chillies and cover with a tight fitting lid. Set it aside.
• Deep fry Temphe strips in hot oil till golden brown and crisp. Drain it on paper towels. 
• Once all the Temphe is fried and good to go, start making the sauce. Grind the soaked chillies and the soaking liquid, garlic, ginger and tamarind into a smooth paste.
• Heat 4-5 tbsp of oil in a Kadai. Pour the spice mixture into the hot gently and carefully. Stir well and simmer.Cook it till the raw smell of the garlic and tamarind disappears.About 10-15 minutes. The sauce by now should be fairly thick. Add salt to taste.
• Toss in the fried Temphe and turn off the heat. Sprinkle some fresh coriander and serve immediately.

If preferred substitute Chicken/ Mutton for Temphe.

Temphe with Punde Pale / Mutton with Punde Pale aka Gongura

Our recent India visit meant a lot of good eating. My brother-in-law who disputes my argument that Karnataka is mostly known for its vegetarian cuisine treated us to this dish. My sister was a thorough vegetarian before her marriage and now she loves non-vegetarian. So, 'love' does change one's food preference :). My BIL, well I often refer to him as my cousin rather than the distant sounding 'BIL', has been very gracious sharing this recipe with me. He hails from Bellary which is in the northern part of Karnataka, so this recipe makes it even more exotic. Honey gorged on this one and called it manna from heaven. Despite repeated attempts I failed to eat.. i still feel vegetarian is the best. My sister's Toge+rice+ghee is the proof..Toge..That reminds me.. Got to get the recipe from her.

Vegetarians, the Temphe version follows....

Here it goes ...courtesy Sudhir my dear BIL..

Pundee Pale (Gongura)     3 bunches 
Chuke pale             1 Bunch (I cannot get a more familiar term for this..May be it is a regional specialty)
Sabakshi pale (Dill leaves)      1 Bunch
Green Chillies          7-9
Mutton                  ½ Kg   (Temphe 1/2 lb will do cut into strips)
Onion                    1 big
Turmeric powder    ½ Spoon
Salt                    to taste
Expeller pressed Ground nut oil  3-4 tbsp
Fresh ground Paste of coriander leaves, Garlic and ginger 3 tbsp


METHOD:

• Coarsely chop all the three leafy vegetables and dump it in a thick bottomed pot along with green chilles. Add a cup of water and cook on low flame. When the mixture is through cooked,  mash it using a { Dal gotni (device used to mash the dal)} a masher.
• Take freshly cut mutton pieces in a vessel. Add oil, turmeric, sliced onion and Ginger-garlic-coriander masala. Cook on low for about 15 minutes (stir occasionally).
• Add one glass of water (200 ml) and allow it to boil. Simmer and cook till the meat is tender. Add more water if all the water has evaporated and the meat is still tough.
• Once the meat is cooked and tender, add the mashed paste of leafy vegetables. Simmer on low flame for 10 mins.
• Serve it hot, goes well with plain rice and jawar rotis.

Note; If the mutton in not tender and water is hard use raw or dried Papaya flowers and   pre cook mutton  oil, turmeric, sliced onion and Ginger-garlic-coriander paste with little water in a pressure cooker for 2 to 3 whistle.


Vegetarian version with Temphe:

Pundee Pale (Gongura)     3 bunches 
Chuke pale             1 Bunch (I cannot get a more familiar term for this..May be it is a regional specialty)
Sabakshi pale (Dill leaves)      1 Bunch
Green Chillies          7-9
Temphe                 1/4 Kg   ( cut into 1/4 " strips)
Onion                    1 big
Turmeric powder    ½ Spoon
Salt                    to taste
Expeller pressed Ground nut oil  3-4 tbsp  + oil for deep frying

Method:

• Deep fry the Temphe till it is golden in colour, remove from heat and drain on a paper towel.
• Coarsely chop all the three leafy vegetables and dump it in a thick bottomed pot along with green chilles. Add a cup of water and cook on low flame. When the mixture is through cooked,  mash it using a { Dal gotni (device used to mash the dal)} a masher.
• Heat oil in a thick bottomed pot throw in the turmeric, sliced onion and Ginger-garlic-coriander masala. Cook on low till fragrant about 15 minutes.
• Stir in the mashed paste of leafy vegetables. Simmer on low flame for 15 minutes.
• Toss in the fries Temphe. Mix gently. Bring it to gentle boil and turn off the heat.
• Serve hot with Jowar roti..

Mavinahaaina goojju / Mango curry

My sister is married to a wonderful man from Coorg. Coorg is known for its coffee estate and of course fabulous non-vegetarian food. This recipe is courtesy bro-in-law. This recipe calls for both raw mango and sweet ripe mango. Initially I was hesitant to try the mixture, more so, because it also called for shrimp! But lo behold, the curry was exceptional. This one makes it to my bucket list. Ah...it is a treat to the senses and I strongly urge all the skeptics to give it just one shot to get hooked.
I made a vegetarian version and added shrimp to a separate small portion of the curry. I am sure Panner/ Tofu/ Broccoli makes a good addition to the vegetarian version. The curry is just fabulous without any vegetables or protein.
Honey's verdict....ummm...ah......yummm...

We will need,

Shrimp/Tofu/ Panner   1/2 lb
Green chillies               2 slit
Coriander fresh            a handful
Oil                               3 tbsp
Mustard seeds             1/4 tsp
Curry leaves                 a handful
Pearl Onions                4-5 (optional)
Sweet ripe Mango       1 big (I should yield a little over one cup of mango pulp, extracted without any addition of water)

For the masala paste:
Tart Raw mango         1 medium cut into pieces
Dry red chillies            4 Byadigi chilles (for the colour)
Dry red chillies            2 Guntur (hot version)
Ginger                         1/2"
Garlic                          2 cloves
Dhania seeds               1.5 tsp
Cumin seeds               1 tsp
Fenugreek                   1/4 tsp

Method:

• On a heavy skillet, toast all the whole spices listed under the 'Masala Paste' till fragrant. 
• Combine the toasted spices and all the other ingredients for the Masala paste with some water and pulse till smooth.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pot. Throw in the mustard and the curry leaves. Once the cracking stops, pour in the Masala paste. Simmer till oil floats on top.
• Once oil floats on top, pour in the sweet mango pulp, 1/2 cup of water. Bring it to a boil.
• Toss in the shrimp/ panner/ tofu/ vegetables.Cover and simmer till it is done. 
• Just before serving, heat the remaining oil in a pan. Throw in the fresh coriander, onion and green chillies.Saute till the onion is golden. Pour this over the simmering curry. bring it to one last boil and serve immediately with steamed rice.

Koli Saaru /Chicken Curry

Susheela Aunty gave us this bowl of heavenly chicken curry that Honey demolished in minutes. It is a typical Gowda style curry that goes very well with Mudde . This recipe goes on to show that Karnataka has some very good non-vegetarian recipes to offer. Watch out for more such recipes...it is on the way.

We will need,

Chicken         1 lb cut into 1cubes
Peanut oil       3 tsp
Salt to taste

For the masala paste:
Garlic             3 cloves
Ginger            1" piece
Cloves           3
Cinnamon       1/2" piece
Poppy seeds   2 tbsp
Chilly powder  2-3 tsp or there about
Dhania powder 2 tsp
Coconut           1/4 cup grated
Onion               1 medium
Coriander fresh   a handful

Method:

• Heat a pan. Toast the poppy seeds in the pan till fragrant. Remove from heat and crush coarsely. Set it aside.
• In the same hot pan, toast chopped onion till golden in colour.
• Combine the toasted onion, poppy seeds and all the other ingredients for the masala paste and grind till smooth.
• Heat oil in a thick bottom pot. Drop the chicken cubes and brown the cubes on all sides.
• Pour over the masala paste and enough water to cover the chicken very well. 
• Cover and simmer till the chicken is cooked through and the masala is well cooked, about 30 minutes. 
• Adjust salt. Chop and sprinkle some fresh coriander on top of the curry if desired.

Vindaloo

Honey loves non vegetarian food. When were about to get married, his cousin was offering his sympathy to Honey that he is marrying someone who is not a meat-eater.. 'ega en madtiyappa' which roughly translates into 'so what next buddy? how will you get your favorite food?' But then what he did not know was that it is not difficult to cook non vegetarian, if you know the basic cooking techniques.

Simple, what is the big deal, just think you are cooking potatoes! There was a time when I used have problems with the smell, I do not now. When ever i cook non vegetarian, I do it with so much love that I hardly go wrong. It is a different issue that Honey can eat anything non-vegetarian with may be a pinch of salt and a pinch of chilly flakes. (May be there is nothing much with my cooking skill there lol) So at least once every month, I diligently make him non-vegetarian food of choice, Curry, Pulao and other experimentation. If I am not all that enthusiastic, I would just put in what ever I can lay my hands upon and call the resulting product as something exotic. One fine day Honey said he wanted to eat Vindaloo. So be it. I made him some vindaloo. He loved it, the gravy looked so rich. Generally pork is the meat used to make Vindaloo, but of course it is good with chicken, lamb or any meat of choice. I tried it with an egg and potatoes for me, the result was pathetic, not quite what i expected it to be.



You will need

Chicken/ Pork/ mutton 1 lb (preferable bone-in thighs for chicken)
Garlic 6 medium cloves
Red Onion 1 small diced
Cloves 6-7
Turmeric 1/2 tsp
Red Chillies 6-7 depending on the variety as well as taste. I use an unidentified Chinese variety!!
Vinegar 1/4 cup (I used red wine vinegar that was lying in my pantry)
Pepper 1/2 tsp
Cumin 1 tsp
Oil 2 tbsp

Method:

• Heat about 1 tsp of oil in a pan. Throw in the onions and cook till they are deep brown. Set it aside.
• Grind the red chillies, cumin, clove, garlic and pepper corns into a coarse paste with little water. Set it aside
  
• Heat the remaining oil in a wok. Throw in cubed pieces of chicken. Sear it on all side till sort of golden brownish.
• Pour the ground paste. Stir well, scrap the wok if there are any bits sticking to the bottom.
• Toss around quick and throw in the browned onions. Add more water if needed cover and cook till the chicken is cooked and the gravy is nice rich and brown. About 45 minutes to an hour I should say.
  
• Stir in the vinegar. Cook it for a few more minutes. Remove from heat. It is supposed to taste better the next day. So it is a great make ahead meal for those planning parties.
  
• I served it with Paddu, goes well with idlis and rice.

Mutton Saaru / Mutton Curry

I had never in my life ever thought I did be cooking meat in my kitchen. It has been a long journey. There was a time, when i could not stand the smell of meats even when cooked. But I have overcome some certain barriers. Now I do cook mutton because my honey loves mutton! So this is my way of pampering my honey!! This is a very popular meat recipe in Karnataka.

Last sunday, we got some lamb from one of the halal shops. We had no idea that in India mutton mostly meant goat and not lamb. So for the sake of information, people trying to buy mutton here in USA should go for goat instead of lamb unless they know what they are buying! We got to know about the goat-lamb difference from a more knowledgeable friend only after having got lamb!


Lamb/Goat 1 lb
Salt
Oil 1 tbsp (optional)

For the spice mixture
Copra/ Dessicated coconut 2 tbsp
Garlic 2 big cloves
Ginger 1/4 "
Cloves 4-5
Cinnamon 1/4"
Green chillies 8 and above
Black Pepper corns 12-14
Coriander fresh 1 small bunch
Mint a handful
Onion 1 small


Method:

• Toast the dry coconut on a hot tawa for less than a minute till fragrant. Set it aside to cool
• Grind the ingredients for the spice mixture into a smooth paste.
  
• Heat a wide bottomed pan. When the pan is smoking hot, drop the lamb pieces and do not disturb it for at least 10 minutes.
  
• Turn the pieces over after 10 minutes and sear the other side for about 10 minutes. There will generally be a lot of grease right in the meat and it will not require any extra oil. But if the meat appears dry add a tablespoon or so of oil.
• Now add the spice mixture and cover. Simmer for at least two hours adding water in between.
• The meat easily falls off the bones when done. Serve hot with steamed rice.
  

Fish and Stew

Giada De laurentis's every day Italian happens to be one of my favorite shows on the food network. the other day she was showing a recipe with fish and a vegetable broth. I had to try it! But my way! So this is what i did. The taste was unbelievable. I had never had a more delicious stew or so perfectly moist but crisp on the out side fish ever! This makes a complete meal, filling and wonderful. I am just waiting to make it again!

For the fish:

Tilapia 1 fillet ( i serves two)

Olive Oil (upto ) 2 tbsp

Chilly powder 1 generous pinch

Italian herb blend 1 pinch

Dhania powder 1 generous pinch

Salt

For the stew:

Vegetable stock 1 can

Cannellini beans 1 can

Chilly flakes 1 generous pinch

green chillies 2

Garlic 2 cloves

Mushrooms 3 big diced

Tomato 1 big diced

Red Onion 1 medium diced

Olive oil 2 tbsp

Parmesan cheese

Method:

Mix all the ingredients for the fish except fish. Pat the fish dry. Smear the mixture on the fish evenly on both sides. Set it aside for at least 30 minutes. Heat a grill pan/Tawa. Place the fish on a really hot Tawa. Do not stir till the edges are charred. Turn it just once and cook it till done.

For the stew:

Heat oil in a pan. Add the chilly flakes and garlic. Immediately add the onions and mushrooms. Stir for a minute. Mix in the tomatoes, green chillies. Cook for a few more minutes. Drain the cannellini beans and wash all the brine. Add the beans to the vegetables. Mix in the vegetable stock. Simmer till most of the stew is thick as desired.

To serve, ladle the stew into a bowl, grate some Parmesan cheese on top. Place half of the fish fillet. Serve warm!!!

We loved it! I just loved the look on my better half's face after the first mouthful!! Something i will have to repeat .. may be on a day when we have an ugly fight!!!

Al la Greece

In my quest for food from different parts of the world, there is something in recent days that I really liked! It is the Greek food. It is so curious to see that all ancient cultures have a common under current running..a similar blend of spices and carbohydrates constituting the meal, of course the creative use of vegetables and limited importance of meats!!!
Food from Greece, Ethiopia, South Asia, East Asia, Rome,Persia, Hindukush.....are all so similar in theme... extensive use of spices. (Not necessarily chillies.. but other spices like clove, cardamon, cumin etc) My palate craves for spices and chillies of course and I end up liking food that is abundantly seasoned with spices!
A few weeks back we checked out a dinner. I found that many of these dinner (which are American equivalent to Bangalore Darshinis- cheap but really good and filling) are actually run by Greek community. So most of the dinners have a very good selection of Greek food. We tried this dish called Chicken al la Greece. I ended up eating the vegetarian part of it, my better half more than gladly finished the chicken part of it for me!!! I was very eager to try it at home with Shrimp (i do eat shrimp and fish ...strange!!!). So this is what i did and it did turn out really good.



We will need

Basmati Rice 3/4 cup
Vegetable Stock 1 1/2 cup
Shrimp 6-8 (Mushroom can be substituted for a vegetarian version)
Tomatoes firm 2 diced into big chunks
Capsicum /Green Peppers 1 diced into big chunks
Onion 1 cubed
Butter 2 tbsp small pieces
Olive oil 2 tbsp
Green chillies 3+ (this is my addition!!!)
Pepper
Salt
Italian Herb blend 1 +1 pinch ( I buy this as i find it economical.. instead of buying oregano, thyme, basil etc separately)
Feta cheese crumbled /mozzarella will work fine too
Fresh Coriander/Cilantro 1 cup

Method:
Mix olive oil, 1 pinch herb blend, salt and pepper. Divide the mixture into a quarter and three quarters. Toss in the diced tomatoes, capsicum and onions in the three quarter olive oil mixture. Toss the shrimp in the quarter olive oil mixture. Set it aside for a while.
Heat the stock in a pot.Add salt, green chillies and pepper. Wash rice and drain it well, add the rice once the stock boils. When the rice is half way done, Mix in the butter, cover and cook. Set it aside.

Heat a griddle pan/ Tawa/ Place the shrimp and cook turning once till it turns pink. Grill all the vegetables till slightly charred on the edges but still firm.

Spread the rice on a plate. Place the grilled vegetables and shrimp on the rice.Crumble the feta/mozzarella, cilantro on top. Serve warm.

Kalmi Kabab

Kalmi Kabab is essentially chicken drumsticks marinated in yogurt and spices and cooked in a tandoor. Well I do not have a Tandoor but an ordinary oven is not bad. I also managed to recreate the onion relish usually served with kababs in north India. It is a easy crowd-pleaser but requires planning ahead!

We will need,

Chicken drumsticks 5

Full fat Yogurt 1/2 cup

salt

Chilly powder 1 tbsp

Dhania powder 1 tbsp

garam masala 1 tsp

Chat masala 1 tsp

for the onion relish:

red onion 1 medium

lime 1

salt

Chat masala 1 generous pinch

Method:

• Beat the yogurt till smooth.(if the yogurt is a bit tart, the kababs will be better) mix in the spices and salt. Wash and clean the drumsticks, pat it dry. Marinate the chicken in the yogurt marinade, preferably overnight.
• Turn the broiler on. Arrange the marinated chicken on a roasting wire rack. I just use my wire rack on a oven proof baking dish and broil it for 15-20 minutes. Take it out and turn, baste it with the yogurt marinade. Pop it into the broiler again. Cook till the meat comes off the bone.

For the onion relish:

Thinly slice red onion and mix in salt, lime juice sprinkle chat masala. Let it stand it for at least 30 minutes and serve it with Kalmi kabab.

A's fish curry and kaalan

We have this wonderful neighbours and we meet for dinner parties often. (It is sad that one of our friends is moving to California.we will miss them) So the last time our friend invited us for dinner she had made this wonderful fish curry- Malayali style. Of course, if it is a malayali and fish, it makes a winning combination. But its not just the fish curry but something along with the curry that really took my heart. Its called Kaalan. (I hope i am right, i tend to make a mistake with its pronunciation and ends up calling the dish a malayali eqvivalent of BULL)

Its a perfect combination of spice and tart. Goes vey well with rice. So here is the recipe, coutesy my friend...( i have altered the recipe ever so slightly just to make it a one pot wonder!!!)

Fish Curry

Tilapia fish 1/2 lb cleaned and cut into pieces

coconut milk 1 cup

Dhania 1/2 tbsp

Red Chillies 6 and above

Tamarind extract 1/2 tsp

Turmeric 1/2 tsp

salt

Curry leaves

Oil

Shallots 2 chopped

Green chillies 2 (optional)

Method:

Toast the dhania and red chillies and pound it into a fine powder. Mix the spice powder, turmeric, tamarind, coconut milk. Set aside.

Heat oil in a pot ( a clay pot will work perfectly for this curry) drop the curry leaves, green chillies and the shallots, keep stirring. Pour the coconut milk mixture into the pot. Cook on a gentle heat till fragrant. Drop the fish pieces. Cover and cook till done.Serve with Kalan and steaming rice.

Kaalan:

This is a simple yogurt based curry which is very very tasty.

Yogurt 1/2 cup beaten

Oil 1 tsp

Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp

Red chillies dry 2-3

Tomato 1 diced

Turmeric 1 pinch

Curry leaves 4-5

Chilly powder 1 pinch

salt

Fenugreek powder 1 pinch

Method:

Heat oil in a pot. Drop the mustard seeds, curry leaves, chillies, turmeric, chilly powder tomatoes and fenugreek powder. Stir well cook the tomatoes. Reduce heat. Mix in the yogurt gently and heat it through. Do not heat it for a long time, the yogurt will curdle. Serve it with fish curry.

Chicken Curry/ Koli saaru

Honey loves Chicken Curry. Something I do not make very often. I find it rather cumbersome to make this curry for him and then something else for me..... I did rather make a vegetarian curry and chicken on the side to go along. Besides, watching food network has prepared me well enough to make such chicken side dishes!! Finally I made Chicken Curry. This is one of the most popular recipes for Chicken Curry in south Karnataka.
Chicken 1 pound (The 'curry-cut' chicken is generally with bones and innards. This is the best choice for a curry. The bones and skin somehow seem to add to the taste of the curry. However Boneless Thighs work fine. Since i cook for Honey and he has cholesterol problem, I use low fat chicken breast and use an additional tablespoon of vegetable oil in the curry.)




We will need,

Cloves 6-7

Star Annise 1

Cinnamon 1/4 inch

Cardamon 3 whole

Mint leaves chopped 3 tablespoons

Coconut fresh 3 tablespoons

Poppy Seeds 1/2 tablespoon

Red Chillies 6 and above

Coriander seeds 1/2 tablespoon

Coriander leaves 3 tablespoons (chopped)

Onion 1 big

Tomatoes 2 medium

Garlic 5 cloves

Ginger 3/4 inch

Oil 1 tablespoon(2 more if using chicken Breasts)

Method

• Roughly chop onions and toast it on a hot skillet till translucent and charred at the edges. Also toast the red chillies and Coriander seeds.  
• Grind the toasted onion, red chillies, coriander seeds, clove, Cinnamon into a fine paste. Set aside. Also grind coconut tomatoes and poppy seeds into a smooth paste. (Toast poppy seeds and crush it in a mortar pestle to get this mixture into a fine paste)
• Heat a thick bottomed wide pot. Drop the chicken pieces and salt.Do not stir it. Turn it over after 10 minutes. And cook for 10 minutes.
• After the 10 minutes and most of the water from the chicken is evaporated, add the spice mixture. Stir well to coat the chicken. Simmer it for 20 minutes.
• Add the coconut mixture and cook for 30-40 minutes till the chicken is cooked through and the oil floats on top. 
• Adjust salt and finish with coriander leaves on top. Also if not watching the waist line a tablespoon of ghee can be added just before serving.

RR Style Chilly Chicken

Back home in Bangalore one of the most popular cuisines is the Andhra-styled cuisine. There are tons and tons of Andhra style hotels through out Bangalore.... My firm belief is like any other style this is also highly influenced by the local culinary tradition. For hard core non-vegetarians, Andhra style means spicy chicken and mutton dishes. My husband's favorite joint happened to be a very popular hotel called RR somewhere near Church Street Bangalore..I myself have never been there. Nor have i ever tasted its famous chicken. But i was able to reproduce my own version of the dish based on my husband's inputs.. The wonderful taste-master he is, i was able to reproduce it pretty close...(that's what his verdict was!!!!)

Chicken (boneless thigh 1 to 2'' cubes) 1 lb
Green chillies 10
Long hot peppers 5
coriander leaves 1/2 cup
mint 2 tablespoon (chopped)
Garlic 4 small cloves
Ginger 1/2 '' piece
Clove 5-6
Cinnamon 1/2''
lemon juice
pepper 1/2 tablespoon
Oil for deep frying
Method

• Combine lemon juice, salt and pepper in a bowl. Toss the chicken cubes in the lemon juice marinade and sit it for at least 30 minutes. Pat it dry. Deep fry the cubes in hot oil till golden brown.
• Grind coriander, mint, green chillies,ginger, garlic, cloves and cinnamon to a smooth paste.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan. Drop the slit long hot peppers and saute for a minute. When the spluttering stops add the ground spices. Keep stirring once in a while for 7 minutes.
• Drop the fried chicken pieces and simmer for 30 minutes till well done and gravy is just thick enough to coat the chicken.

Fish Biriyani

Yesterday me and my husband felt like eating a biriyani. Did not feel like eating veggie biriyani cos i had made it a couple of days back.. Chicken was ruled out cos that means i will have to make something for my self, though my husband would have loved it...so we decided to give fish a try.


I had a couple of tilapia fillets lying in the freezer so that was about it i conjured up some mouth watering fish biriyani... i urge everyone to try this. Its simple and heavenly!!!

Basmati Rice 1 cup

Tilapia 1 big fillet

Onion

Garlic and ginger paste 1 1/2 tablespoon

Green chillies 6-7

Cloves 5-6

Cinnamon 1/4'

Cardamon 2

fennel seeds 1 teaspoon

Star anise 1

Turmeric

Corriander 1 big bunch

Mint 1 small bunch

Egg 2(optional)

Shrimp 4 cooked large(Optional)

Oil

Method

Make a marinade for the fish by mixing some oil, salt and chilly powder. Heat a tawa and sear the fish on both sides and set aside. Soak the rice for half an hour and cook it with a little less than 2 cups of water till it is almost cooked about 80%, set aside.

Grind the green chillies, turmeric, mint, corriander, cloves and cinnamon to a smooth paste.

Heat oil in a Pot with a thick bottom and tight fitting lid. Drop cardamon pods, star anise, fennel seeds and chopped onion. Saute till fragrant. Mix in the green chilly paste. Cook till the oil floats on top. Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and stream the egg into the pot scrambling it in the process. Fold in gently the semi-cooked rice into the spice mixture. Adjust salt. Place the seared fish fillet on top and cover. Cook on low heat for about 15-20 minutes till rice is fully cooked.

Garnish with a few cooked large shrimp and serve it with lemon juice.

Its a delicious dish and i m sure its worth all the efforts...

Fish Curry

Fish is such an interesting food, so versatile and of course people either absolutely adore fish or abhore fish.. I belong to nowhere and my partiality depends on how well the fish is cooked. My cousin happens to be a wonderful cook when it comes to Fish and i will gobble up a couple of pieces if she has cooked it!


Unlike my Bengali and Malayali friends, i am not a born fish eater..my first tryst with fish i can remember is from the Dasara exhibition in Mysore where the fishery department used to have a stall. My father used to get me fried mackerels and feed me careful least i fiddle with the thorns. I also remember how my mother used to get repulsive at the very smell of fish being a pure vegetarian. My actual love affair started when my cousin settled in Kerala and learnt the prepare wonderful dishes that were not smelly but aromatic and lovely...


This curry that tastes better as it gets older. In fact this curry and the aroma of the curry reminds me of Andhra Bhavan in Delhi. As a student in delhi Andhra bhavan was the most inexpensive south Indian restuarant. Their fish curry was excellent, the curry so much better than the pieces of thorny fish.

Fish ( I used tilapia, least smelly therefore most convinient.) 1 Lb cut into pieces

sesame seeds 1 tablespoon

fenugreek seeds 1 teaspoon

Dry coconut 1 tabelspooon

chilly powder 1 tablespoon

dry chillies 3-4

Dhania powder 1/2 tablespoon

Garam masala 1 teaspoon

curry leaves 5-6

mustard

oil

onion medium chopped

tamarind extract 1/2 tablespoon

Salt

Ginger garlic paste 1/5 tablespoons

cloves 4

cinnamon small piece

Corriander leaves

Method

• Clean fish pat it dry. (If using a robust fish like king fish, sword fish, the fish can be marinated in a paste of oil chilly powder, ginger garlic paste and salt.
• Toast sesame seeds, fenugreek seeds and coconut one after the other and grind it into a smooth paste with little water along with cloves and cinnamon.
• Heat oil in a pot. (earthern pots make very good fish curry but any non stick pot would do)
• Combine mustard seeds, curry leaves and dry chillies. Drop the chopped onion, a pinch of salt and ginger garlic paste. saute till they are golden brown. 
• Add the coconut paste and fry till aromatic. Mix the tamarind extract with 3 cups of water and mix it into the aromatic paste. 
• When the mixture comes to a boil and oil starts floating on top, drop the fish pieces. Cover for 5-8 minutes. Sprinkles garam masala, corriander and salt. Do not stir the curry the fish will break. Shake the pot gently instead. Cook for a few more minutes and let the curry sit for at least for a couple of hours before serving.

Prawns my style

Prawns or Shrimps as they are known in the US is not very common in interior Karnataka. Of course the coastal Karnataka has plenty of it, where they are generally simmered in thick coconut and spice gravies. I like mine a little lighter and of course for me recipes should be easier. Here is a easy way to cook prawns without compromising on the taste..

Prawns/shrimp 10 large
garlic 1 big clove minced
Pepper powder
salt
Coriander (Cilantro) 1 cup chopped
oil 2 tablespoons
Garam Masala 1 pinch

Heat oil in a pan. Saute minced garlic of about 10 sec and no longer. Arrange the prawns in a single layer in the pan. Add salt, pepper, garam masala and Coriander. Increase the heat and do not stir the prawns till they turn pink. Turn them once and finish cooking on the other side or till all the liquid is evaporated. Serve on a bed of steaming rice.