Quick Aloo Paratha

Everyone loves Aloo Paratha.. Me... I like it only if it is well made, no thick edges, sumptuous and spicy filling. It requires certain expertise to please me. I rank my own efforts in this direction quite lacking and it looks like a long way for perfection. But then expertise is all about practice, besides Honey really likes them. Aloo parathas do take a while to prepare, here is a short cut version using boxed mashed potatoes.
This particular dish is out of bounds for me right now, i did suggest other breast feeding mothers to refrain from this dish as well. Boy o boy my son did not stop crying the day I had just half a paratha despite stiff objection from mom :(



Serves 4 ||  Calories per serving  229 Kcl || Protein 3.8 gm ||  fat 12.7 gm || Fiber 1 gm

For the filling,
Packaged mash potatoes mix -1
Chilly powder 1 tsp
Dhania powder 1 tsp
Amchoor powder ½ tsp or lemon juice
Coriander fresh chopped 2 tbsp
Garam masala a generous pinch
Salt

For the dough,

Whole wheat flour
Water
Oil
Salt

Method:
Mix whole wheat flour with water and a pinch of salt to form a soft dough. Set it aside.
Prepare the mashed potatoes according to package instruction substituting water for cream/milk called for in the instruction on the box. Mix in the chilly powder, Dhania powder, Amchoor powder, Garam Masala and coriander. Sit the prepared mixture on the counter for a few minutes till it is cool and firm. Pinch lime sized balls from the potato mixture.

Preheat a skillet. To make the parathas, pinch lemon sized dough and rolls it out slightly. Place the lime sized potato mixture in the center of the rolled out dough. Bring together the edges of the rolled out dough. Roll out the stuffed dough into 6 inch circles. Transfer the paratha on to the hot skillet. Cook for a few minutes till small bubbles appear on the edges. Flip the paratha. Drizzle oil or ghee generously over the parathas. Flip once more and drizzle oil/ghee once more and cook till the parathas are golden brown.
Serve hot with ghee, pickles and thick tangy yogurt.

Sending it out to think spice- think Amchoor event hosted by Bhagyasri started by Sunita .

Antinunde/ Edible Gum Ladoo

Breast feeding mothers need extra calories. But they should also be very careful as to what they consume because babies have a weak digestive system and are sensitive to a lot of common foods well tolerated by adults. In fact every day vegetables like tomatoes, onions, green chilies can irritate breast fed babies leading to colic. To increase nutrition and calorific value of the mother’s meal as well as making sure that the food contains no potential irritants is an ordeal in itself. Antinunde is one such dish. Consuming this rich food is supposed to strengthen back, aid recovery as well as help augment milk supply. I vouch of the potency of the food myself.It is simple to make and delicious to consume. In fact Honey has been having a merry time with these goodies all along.



Serves 25 ||  Calories per serving  225 Kcl || Protein 3.15 gm ||  fat 5.66 gm || Fiber 2.56 gm

Dates 2 cups

Almonds 2 cups

Raisins 2 cups

Edible Gum 1 cup

Poppy seeds 2 tbsp (optional)

Cloves 6

Nutmeg/ Jaikai grated ¼ tsp

Saffron a pinch (optional)

Jaggery 1.5 cups (coarsely powdered)

Ghee for deep frying

Method:

• Deep fry the edible gum in ghee in several batches till they are light and puff up. Drain on a paper towel and cool. When completely cooled pound them into a fine paste.
• Toast Almonds on a warm skillet until fragrant, about 4-5 minutes. Set it aside to cool. When cool enough to handle chop it into pieces similar in size to raisins
• Similarly chop dates. Toss them into a big mixing bowl along with the raisins.
  
• Toast poppy seeds and toss them into the mixing bowl.
  
• Add pounded edible gum, ground cloves and nutmeg to the mixture. Mix well and set it aside.
• To prepare the jaggery syrup which imparts sweetness as well as binds the mixture together, combine the jaggery, saffron and a little water in a thick bottomed saucepan. Cook the mixture unto ‘one thread’ consistency. i.e. dip the back of a spoon into the syrup. Test the mixture between moist thumb and moist fore finger. If the syrup is sticky between the fingers and can be stretched into a single thread, then the syrup is ready to go.This step takes some practice and the mixture will obviously be very hard and can scald. So one should be very careful at this point.
• Pour little syrup on the side of the dry fruit mixture. Tightly press them on the palm into small balls/ladoos. If doing a particularly large batch, make the syrup in small batches to avoid the chance of the jaggery syrup turning hard before the ladoos are done.
  P.S: Originally Antinunde is made using shredded dried coconut/ copra and cashew nuts. The idea is six cups of dried fruit and nut mixture for every cup of edible gum and 1.5 cups of jaggery. I am not a particularly big fan of coconut and cashew nuts in this dish, therefore Mom eliminated them for me.
  

Jeerige/Cumin Chutney

Child birth in India is probably a celebrated affair like nowhere else in the world. So many rituals, so many festivities and such joy no wonder we are the second most populous nation on this planet!!
It is also a critical period for the newborn as well as the new mother. A grueling experience for the mother, she needs to be taken care of the first few postpartum months. Back home, pregnant women go back to their maternal homes for the delivery and stay there for months where she is fed with special meals, giving elaborate oil baths and plenty of rest. It is a time of life except for the dietary restrictions.
I find the dietary restrictions rather strange. In my family, permitted foods include vegetables like carrot, beans, beetroot, Methi, dill, and rice & toor dal. No ragi, no wheat no other cereals. In my friend's family permitted foods include tomatoes, brinjal, bread, chapati and Moong Dal. In my co-sister's family it is brinjal, Cluster beans, Ridged gourd, Ivy gourd. No beans, no carrots. So postpartum or 'Banati' foods typically vary substantially. Universally accepted postpartum foods include garlic and Ghee.
My mother also tells me that folks back home have so much more to follow like having to wear warm clothing, consuming betel leaves after meals etc. All these are followed for anywhere between three to nine months postpartum. I wonder what my grandmother has to say to women here in the USA going back to work two weeks after childbirth!!!

I will be posting for a series of recipes that are specially served to new mothers in my family. I am sure there are new mothers out there who will find these recipes useful. Of course other folks can try these as well, for it is definitely worth the effort.

We will need,

Kopra/ Kobbari/ (dry coconut) 1/2 cup grated
Tili Saaru Powder 1 tsp
Garlic 4 large cloves
Jeera 1.5 tsp
Mustard 1/4 tsp
Tamarind 1/2 tsp extract
Jaggery 1/2 tsp crushed
Ghee 1 tbsp
Curry leaves 6-7
Salt to taste

Method:

• Roast kopra and Jeera separately till fragrant.
• Combine kopra, Jeera, Jaggery, tili saaru powder, tamarind and 1/2 a cup of water in a blender. Pulse till almost smooth.
  
• Add the garlic to the same blender and pulse till smooth.
  
• In a wok heat the ghee, drop the mustard seeds. Once it stops spluttering, add the the ground mixture and bring it to boil.
  
• Simmer for a 15 minutes and turn off the heat. Serve hot with rice and ghee. To make a fab meal serve it with Rasam, Rice, pickles and Papads.
  

Herekai/ Ridge Gourd Chutney

Herekai or ridged gourd is one my favorite vegetables. Though not as versatile as say the ash gourd, it is definitely something to have regularly on my shopping list. It is a vegetable which is quite popular back home. In fact i remember it growing in many a backyards just like that. So for a quick fix meal, just hop to the back yard, pluck a plumy gourd and bingo! dish out something truly comforting. It is generally considered 'sheeta' or 'cold' food therefore out of bounds for me. ( postpartum/ Bananti) Rest of my folks nevertheless enjoyed it immensely.

We will need,

Herekai/Ridged gourd 1 lb
Green Chilies 2 -4( adjust according to taste)
Dry chillies 2 (adjust according to taste)
Tamarind extract 1 tsp
Jaggery 2 tsp (crushed)
Oil 2 tbsp
Curry leaves a handful
Hing a dash
Mustard seeds 1/4 tsp
Coriander fresh a handful
Salt

Method:

• Clean the ridged gourd. Give it a rough chop and set it aside.
• Heat oil in a wok. Throw in the mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves. Once they stop crackling throw in the chilles. Cook for a brief minute.
  
• Throw in the ridged gourd and cook covered till the vegetable is tender. Set it aside to cool.
• Once it is cool, combine it with the rest of the ingredients in a blender and pulse till the mixture is smooth.
  
• Serve hot with a dollop of ghee and rice or Mudde.
  

Apple Kosambari /Spicy Apple Salad

Fall is synonymous with apples here in New England. They grow so many varieties here I did not even know existed. For me apples meant Simla apples, small sweet and dull looking. (I also remember the Golden apples, but do not quite remember how it used to taste). But here apples are huge, shinny (because they are waxed and yucky), anywhere between maroon-golden-green in colour, very sweet to very tart, soft to kind of woody in texture. In fact Granny Smith apples can be so tart that it can practically be substituted for raw mangoes in most of the dishes. We make chitranna, tokku and kosambari as well. This is mom's innovation and we all loved it.

Serves 4 ||  Calories per serving  143 Kcl || Protein 14 gm ||  fat 0.02 gm || Fiber 0.2 gm

Granny Smith apples 2 diced
Salt
Pepper
Chilly powder 1/4 tsp
Sugar 1/2 tsp
Lemon Juice to taste

Method

• Dice the apples into chunks. Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl.
  
• Toss well.Serve Immediately.

P.S : For an alternate dressing, substitute honey for sugar and sprinkle a pinch of Chat masala, it tastes heavenly.

This recipe goes to the FIL- fruits, Thanks a lot Sanghi for the idea :) Dedicating it to Mother dear because she is my 'personal mom'...

Tomato Saaru/ Tomato clear curry

It is fall here and of course the onset of eating season! This time I am not doing much of baking because I am supposed to keep away from all such goodies for the next few weeks. So my baking season this time starts when the holidays are over. Till then it is just warm comfort foods that is easy to digest. Topping the list of such dishes will be Rasams and Tili Saaru of all variety. For me they are the ultimate comfort food. Here is mom's version of tomato Saaru



We will need,

Tomatoes 2 large
Tamarind extract 1/2 tsp
Jaggery 1/2 tbsp (crushed)
Tili Saaru Powder 3/4 tsp (adjust according to taste)
Ghee 1 tbsp
Mustard 1/4 tsp
Hing a dash
curry leaves
Salt to taste
Fresh Coriander a handful

Method:

1. Rough chop the tomatoes. Combine it with crushed jaggery and tamarind extract in a glass dish and pop it in the microwave for 4 minutes or till the tomatoes are mushy. Else cook the contents on the stove top till mushy.
   
2. Remove and transfer the contents to a saucepan. Add the Tili Saaru powder and 2 cups of water. Bring it to a boil and simmer till the raw smell disappears, about 15 minutes.
   
3. Prepare the oggarane in another pan. Heat ghee, drop the mustard, hing and curry leaves into the hot ghee. Once the mixture stops crackling pour it onto the tomato mixture.
   
4. Simmer for a few more minutes, adjust salt and finish with fresh coriander.
5. Serve piping hot with rice, a dollop of ghee and Papad.
   

Averebele toge/ Split Hyacinth Bean Curry

Averebele is split dried Indian beans/papadi lilva/Avarekalu/Cow beans. It is such a delicacy back home that during winters (when the vegetable is in season) the vegetable finds its way into practically everything that comes out of the kitchen. During off season, the dried variety is used. Though the dried ones are no where close to the fresh ones in either flavour or taste, it is definitely something that can sooth a craving palate for the time being. I have never liked the dried variety despite my undying love for the fresh ones. That is till my mother made this dish.
She is visiting us from India. We are having a fun time here with all experimentation in the kitchen and of course long sessions of yapping.
I have been prodding her for old forgotten recipes. This is one of the results. I have a treasure trove to publish and hope I find time in between our yapping sessions to get on to my machine and do some writing!!!



we will need,

Avarebele 1/2 cup
For the spice paste
Garlic 2 cloves
Coconut 3 tbsp
Dry red chillies 4-5 (adjust according to taste)
Black pepper 1/2 tsp
Turmeric a pinch
For the Oggarane/Tadka
Oil 1 tbsp
Mustard 1/4 tsp
Hing a pinch
Curry leaves a handful

Method

1. Pick and clean the Avarebele washing it in several changes of water.
   
2. Drain the Avarebele and combine two cups of water and the Avarebele in a pressure cooker and cook till very soft. (About 5 whistles in my pressure cooker) Set it aside to cool.
   
3. Grind all the ingredients listed under the 'spice paste' into a smooth paste adding a little water.
4. Bring the spice paste to a boil and simmer till the rawness disappear about 20 minutes.
5. Mix in the cooked Avarebele and stir well. Add salt to taste and simmer.
6. In another pan, heat oil. Drop the mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves. Once they crackle, pour the mixture onto the simmer Avarebele-spice mixture. Mix and cover. Simmer for a few more minutes till the flavors are well combined about 10-15 minutes.
7. Finish with some fresh coriander. Serve hot with rice.
   

Tomato Cherry Pepper Tart

Fall is the season of Atlantic storms here on the East Coast of USA. That means a lot of rains. On one such rainy evening, I started craving for something rich but also spicy, also something that did not require me to stand in front of hot oil!! I did have a box pf puff pastry lying in my freezer and calling out for me!! What better day I though to bake some savoury puff pastry tarts.. We enjoyed this tart enormously



We will need,

Puff Pastry sheet 1 (or half a box)
Mozzarella Cheese ½ cup grated (or more if desired)
Cherry peppers in vinegar 2 diced
Tomato 1 medium diced
Onions 1 medium diced
Fresh coriander 2 tbsp Chopped
Green Chillies 1 minced (Optional)
Salt
Pepper to taste

• Follow the instructions on the puff pastry box, and thaw it on the counter for 15-20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 0 F. Spread the puff pastry sheet on a floured surface and cut it into six pieces.
• Lay the sheets on a cookie sheet. (grease the sheet if the instructions on the box calls for it)
• Spread the cheese on the pastry pieces, sprinkle the diced cherry peppers, tomatoes, onions, chillies and coriander on the cheese. Add a dash of salt and pepper on the topping and bake the Pastries for about 10-12 minutes. (Again follow the instruction on the box) Keep an eye on these tarts for they go too far very quick.
• Once the cheese is melted and the pastry is golden on the edges the tarts are ready.
• Remove from the oven and rest it for at least 5-8 minutes. Serve it with tomato/chilly sauce
  

Happy Deepavali

A very happy and prosperous Deepawali....

Hurana Kadubu/ Sweet Dumplings

More of Vinayaka Chaturti recipes…. It cannot be Ganesha Habba without Kadubu or a variety of them. Mom makes at least 3 of them for the festival. Me… well I did like to eat them all and more but making them on the same morning with the Pooja due, it quite a task and I did rather contend myself with just one variety… This time we had just one variety with the sesame/ poppy seed filling. I got the recipe from MIL.

We will need,

Rice Flour
Salt
Water 2 cups

For the filling (hurana):
Toor Dal 1 cup
Turmeric a pinch
Jaggery 3/4 cup (can use up to 1:1 Toor dal: Jaggery, but that will be too sweet for my palate!)
Cardamom 2

Method:

• To prepare the dough, bring the salted water to a boil. Dunk the two cups of flour into the hot water, stirring slowly. Reduce the heat and combine the flour and water thoroughly, cover and cook for at least 5-8 minutes till the dough when touch no longer sticks to the finger. Remove from heat and set it aside to cool. 
• Meantime for the filling, combine the dal, turmeric and about 3 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Simmer and cook till tender. Drain, save the stock and use it in curries. (We make Holige saaru , a delicacy in itself)
• Combine the drained dal, crushed cardamom and jaggery in a thick bottomed pan. Cook the mixture till the Jaggery has become molten and has combined well with the dal and the mixture is dry.Set it aside to cool.
• When cool transfer it into a food processor and pulse till the mixture is smooth.
  
• Pinch lime sized balls of dough. Roll it out into small Rotis. Spoon the filling onto one half of the Roti.
• Smear some water on the edges and bring the other side of the roti to the one with the filling and tuck both the sides.
• It is far more easy if you have the Kadubu mould. I do not have one and I had to do it by hand. The edges can be as ornate as your creativity permits. This is kind of a plain Vanilla product !!!
  Serve it with Kai Haalu and ghee

Kadalekalu Usli/ Sauteed Chickpeas

Vinayaka Chaturti or colloquially called Ganapathy Habba in my hometown used to be a so much fun. We kids would have a small Pandal in our street, and almost every street would have its own Ganesha complete with stereos blazing ‘Gajamukhane ganapatiye ninage vandane…’ In fact for me it is no Ganesha habba with out hearing all the songs on this particular tape. This time around I almost spent half an hour trying to search for the album and finally did manage to get it on Kannadaudio. Sometimes, it is the smells, sounds and sights that make festivities so much fun.
We lived in my home town Madhugiri for a couple of years when my father was posted there on request. Both my grand parents lived there, next to each other. Though they had some problems between themselves, it was a big happy family with both my paternal and maternal cousins around. My maternal cousin was pretty enterprising. He was the leader of all the kids on the street. He always had grand plans for Ganesha festivals. He would collect money for the show from far off places and get a big Ganesha to beat all most all Ganeshas in our area!! Of course Ganesha Pandal means pooja twice a day with the distribution of Prasad. As a good will gesture, my grandmother would chip in for the Prasad on one of the days. Other neighbours would take turns too. This Usuli would be one popular Prasada. And I have grown to associate Ganesha Habba with this Usuli. So it is a must for me. I absolutely love it and I can have it as a breakfast rather than an accompaniment.




We will need,
Black Channa/ Chickpeas 1 cup soaked over night
Oil 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds ¼ tsp
Hing a dash
Curry leaves 8-10
Green Chillies 3-4 minced (according to taste)
Coconut 3 tbsp grated
Lemon juice 1 tbsp (according to taste)
Fresh Coriander a handful chopped
Turmeric a generous pinch
Salt to taste

Method:

• Combine the soaked Channa with salt and turmeric in a pressure cooker. Cook till done about 3-4 whistle. Set it aside to cool.
• Once cool, drain and save the stock to make Rasam or soups.
• Heat oil in a pan, throw in the mustard seeds, hing, curry leaves followed by the chillies and coconut. Stir and cook for a few minutes. Throw in a small pinch of turmeric if desired.
• Throw in the cooked drained Channa. Adjust the lemon juice and chopped coriander. Take it off the heat and serve warm or at room temperature.
  
  This also goes out to MLLA 15 started by Susan

Nucchina Unde/ Split Pigeon Pea Dumplings

This is a steamed spiced lentil dumpling most commonly prepared during Vinayaka Chaturti. It makes for a hardy breakfast as well. But somehow I associate it only with Vinayaka Chaturti. Literally ‘Nucchu’ means broken cereals or pulses, Unde means dumplings or balls. Back in the days when Toor dal was cultivated mostly for domestic consumption, households used to end up a lot a broken Toor Dal and this is a creative way to use up such broken Dal.

We will need,

Toor Dal 1 cup washed and soaked overnight
Onion 1 medium finely chopped (optional)
Coconut 1/4 cup grated
Dill ½ cup washed and chopped
Green chillies 4-5 (Adjust according to taste)
Ginger ½” grated
Salt
Clove 3-4
Cinnamon ½”

Method:

• Set up a steamer. I use my prestige pressure cooker with about 2 inches of water and a small piece of tamarind (or lemon peel to keep the cooker stain free). Cover and bring the water to a boil.
• Mean time, drain the soaked Toor Dal. Combine the dal, green chillies, ginger, clove and cinnamon in a food processor and pulse till the mixture is well combined but coarse.
• Remove the mixture into a bowl. Stir in the chopped onion, coconut and dill. Adjust salt.
• Pinch small balls and roll them into desired shapes, say flat like vada, small spheres or elongated Sheek Kabab like shape. I prefer mine in the shape of vada so that it fits my Idli mould perfectly.
• Arrange the rolled dal mixture on a greased plate/ Idli mould and steam in the steamer/ pressure cooker (without the weight of course) for about 8-10 minutes. To check if it is done, pierce a fork into the dumplings and it should be springy but firm.
• Serve hot with a chutney of choice

This is my entry to
MLLA 15 hosted by Sia, started by Susan ...

Kai Haalu/ Coconut sweet sauce

Kaihalu is a sweet sauce that is consumed with anything from vermicelli, Holige to Kadubu. I am not a big fan of Kai halu but Honey is. Basically this dish is very popular in coconut growing regions of south Karnataka. I have seen folks from the Coconut belt of Tumkur-Hassan-Chitradurga considering it a sacrilege to serve Holige or Obbattu without this Kai haalu on the side! It is not too elaborate and I made a double batch for Janmastami, froze half of it for Vinayaka Chaturti for I knew Honey would definitely want it with the Kadubus!
There are several versions of this dish, a few recipes calls for only three ingredients, while a few calls for as many as 10!! The one I went ahead is my MIL’s recipe and I kind of liked it. Also, it is a good idea to use fresh coconut instead of frozen ones in this recipe. The fresh coconut makes the dish sweeter and tastier.




We will need,
Coconut 1 cup grated
Jaggery ½ cup (more if you like it sweeter)
Milk 1 cup
Poppy seeds 1 tbsp
Sesame seeds 1 tbsp
Cardamom 2

Method:

• On a dry toasting pan, toast poppy seeds and sesame seeds separately till they become fragrant and start popping. Set them aside to cool.
• Grind the coconut with milk into a very smooth paste. (In fact coconut milk can be extracted and all the residual fibers discarded for a smoother consistency, but I prefer mine to be a slightly coarse)
• Now grind the cooled poppy and sesame seeds with the cardamom into a smooth powder. Mix it with the coconut milk mixture.
• Combine the mixture with Jaggery and some water and bring it to a gentle boil. Turn the heat off when the mixture is well combined and fragrant.
• Serve it hot or cold with fresh Shavige or Kadubu or Holige.