Mango Pulihora with Brown Rice (Mamidikaya Pulihora)

Pulihora or puliyodarai is a popular rice based dish in South India. It is tangy and spicy and can be made in several different ways. Today's pulihora is one such variation using brown rice and raw mango. I already have 2 versions of Mamidiakaya Pulihora here and here.
Good quality raw mangoes are in the market now and I try to buy at least a couple every time I'm at the Indian grocery. I love making mango dal and quick chutnies with them.

I saw this recipe on a Telugu cooking show and have made it a number of times already. I have started to use brown rice more than regular rice these days and this recipe was perfect with it. Using brown rice adds much needed nutrients and also nice nuttiness to the dish.

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Carrot Poriyal (Carrot-Kobbari Kura)

Here's wishing everyone a very Happy, Healthy & prosperous New Year -- 2015.
Hope everyone had a fun filled joyous holiday. Fun means lots of food in my book and I sure had lots and lots of fun for the past couple of weeks. After all the delicious bakes and holiday specials that I posted at the end of the year, I wanted to start the New Year with a healthy & simple dish.

I watched this recipe on a Telugu cooking show and loved how simple it was with very few ingredients. My mom makes dry carrot curry with coconut, but this recipe uses grated carrot along with some ginger and coconut making it a little different from what I'm used to. I bought a bag of shredded carrots from Trader Joe's for a shortcut, but shredding it yourself will be a good bicep exercise :-)

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Vegetable Rice for Festivals (Saakannam/ Shakannam)

Saakannam is one of the dishes that is made on the 7th of Navratri/ Dasara. Saakam (shaak) means vegetables and Annam means rice, so it is nothing but mixed vegetable rice. When making any dish on a festival day, we usually refrain from using onion, garlic, garam masala etc. Also using premade or store bought masalas is not preferred.

I tried looking for an authentic rice recipe that is made for festivals, but I couldn't find anything. I asked one of my cousins and she said she makes a simple mixed vegetable rice with ginger. I went with my instincts and made this dish with what I had in the fridge.

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Spicy Cabbage dry Curry

There are some vegetables that get treated the same way ALL the time. In our household, cabbage is one of them. I usually make a dry curry with grated ginger and coconut which tastes great but after a while I got bored of cooking it. So I bookmarked this recipe from the 'India Cookbook' by Pushpesh Pant.

This is a huge cookbook with 1000 recipes (out of which may be 500~600 are vegetarian) and since I'm borrowing it from the library, I don't have too much time to even go through the recipes in detail. Luckily there are pictures of the dishes at regular intervals in the book and I looked through them to find the dishes I want to try. Even with that I have more than 20 recipes to try and I think I can keep the book till the end of this month. I'll be happy if I can try at least half of what I bookmarked.

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Mashed Potato Poriyal (Urulaikizhangu Podimas/ Mashed Potato Curry)

My husband is a big potato fan and leave it to him, he can eat potatoes in any form for all meals. SO I'm always looking for interesting recipes with potatoes. I'm not sure why it took me this long to make this super simple curry from Dakshin by Chandra Padmanabhan.

This is basically mashed potato curry not unlike the one I make for dosas, but the addition of grated coconut at the end is new for me. I think this curry tastes good even with rotis.

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Mizoram -- Chhum Han (Steamed Mixed Vegetables)

Blogging Marathon# 39 - Indian States: Day 19
State: Mizoram
Dish: Chhum Han (Steamed Mixed Vegetables)

We are onto the 5th North eastern state that is one of the Seven sister states of the North Eastern India (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya being the other four that I explored already). Mizoram, literally means 'land of hill people'. It is a land of rolling hills, valleys, rivers and lakes. Majority of Mizoram's population consists of several ethnic tribes who are either culturally or linguistically linked. These ethnic groups are collectively known as Mizos.
Cuisine: The cuisie of Mizoram differs from that of most of India, though it shares characteristics to other regions of North East India and North India. Rice is the staple food of Mizoram and the Mizos love to add non-vegetarian ingredients in every dish. Fish, chicken, pork and duck are popular meats among Mizos. Most of the dishes are cooked in mustard oil. Meals tend to be less spicy than in most of India.
Today's Dish: With only limited vegetarian dishes in the Mizoram cuisine, I got really excited when I saw the mention of this steamed/ boiled veggie dish. It is called Chhum han and a little Google search brought me to this boiled fish dish. So I made the veggie dish based on that recipe.

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Meghalaya -- Vegetarian Jadoh (with Tofu)

Blogging Marathon# 39 - Indian States: Day 18
State: Meghalaya
Dish: Jadoh

We move onto the next North eastern state of Meghalaya today. The name means 'the abode of clouds' in Sanskrit. Just the name makes me think of beautiful sky kissing moutains and luscious greenery and breathtaking landscapes. Coming back to reality, about one-third of the state is forested and the forests are notable for biodiversity of mammals, birds and plants. It was previously part of Assam, but formed a new state in 1972.
Tribal people make up the majority of Meghalaya's population. The Khasis are the largest group, followed by the Garos and the Jaintias. Meghalaya is one of the 3 states in India to have Christian majority with 70.3% of the population practising Christianity (other 2 being Mizoram and Nagalan, also in the northeastern India).
Cuisine: Meghalayan cuisine is very unique and is quite different from the other states in the northeastern India. Staple food of the people is rice with spicy meat and fish preparations. Each tribe has its own variety of foods. The popular dishes of Khasis and Jaintia are Jadoh, Ki kpu, pickled bamboo shoots etc. Garos on the other hand eat almost any animal, but in day to day life they usually have a simple meal with rice and kapa (this can be made of either meat or vegetables and is cooked with special ingredient called karchi which is made up of filtered ash water).

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Vegan Kimchi with Ginger & Chiles

New Jersey is one state where you find large Indian population. In some towns it almost feels like Americans are in minority there. Most of the apartment complexes are filled with Indians and streets are filled with Indian stores, restaurants, beauty parlors, these towns look like mini Indias. 

But the town we live in has a majority of Koreans. Most of the stores are run by Koreans and stores have a lot of Korean vegetables and ingredients. Being around so many Koreans, I have always wanted to try Kimchi. It is a tradional fermented side dish made of vegetables and variety of seasoning. It tastes spicy and sour. Kimchi is Korea's national dish and is used to make other dishes like kimchi fried rice, kimchi pancakes, kimchi stew etc.

Our local Korean store has a whole Kimchi section. It's around the corner where fresh seafood is sold, so I never actually saw this side of the store in detail. When I decided to make kimchi and went to the store to get the ingredients, I took a few pictures to share with you guys.

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Upma-Pesarattu

Blogging Marathon# 32: Letter U
Theme: A-Z Vegetarian Dishes of Andhra Pradesh
Dish: Upma-Pesarattu

The final 6 letters were quite challenging to find dishes for. I had to play around with the names a little bit to come up with dishes to match.

Letter U stands for Ullipaya (onion), Uppudu rawa (idli rawa). I was kind of stuck for a long time on what to make for letter U. Then I thought of Upma, but upma is not Andhra special, pair it with Pesarattu, it definitely is Andhra special. So I finally settled with Upma-Pesarattu (hopefully the purists will forgive me for reversing the order in the name).

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Onion Pachadi/ Chutney

Blogging Marathon# 32: Letter O
Theme: A-Z Dishes from Andhra Pradesh
Dish: O for Onion Pachadi (Chutney)/ Ullipaya Pachadi

Letter O literally threw a curve ball at me. I couldn't think of a single ingredient or dish that starts with O. I had Ooragaya (pickle) written down in my list, but had no intentions of making any because I had so many pickles that had to be used up and I didn't want to make anything new.

Finally after contemplating on what to make, I ended with Onion Pachadi/ Ullipaya Pachadi (chutney) from the cookbook 'Cooking with Pedatha'. This is the first letter in the series that I had to use an English word :-(

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Undrallu with Allam Pachadi (Revisiting an Old Post)

Blogging Marathon# 26: Week 4/ Day 1
Theme: Revisiting Old Posts with New Pictures
Dish: Undrallu & Allam Pachadi (from June 2006)

Revisiting old posts with new pictures is something that I have been planning to do for quite some time now. But time seems to be of premium these days and since I can't even catch up with the present, past keeps waiting. So this week's theme is perfect as it lets me update some of my very old posts that are in dire need of better pictures.

When I started blogging almost 8 years ago, I didn't have any props and I didn't even think of buying any props for blogging. All I used to do was cook at night and click with the flash glaring right onto the plate. Didn't realize that food needs to be presented in an appetizing way. It was only recently that I started playing around with the props, settings and the camera.

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Potato Rosti and Tofu with fresh Tomato and Ginger Sauce

Its that time again for Jihva for Ingredients (JFI) and this time its being hosted by Rosie of What's the recipe today Jim? The ingredient for this month is Ginger.

My entry for the event is "Potato Rosti and Tofu with fresh Tomato and Ginger Sauce", thats a long name.. isn't it?? It also has various components, but it is not difficult to make and the finished results is well worth the effort. Make sure that the tofu is marinated for atleast one hour to allow it to absorb the flavors of ginger, garlic and tamari. (Recipe is from my 'The Greatest Ever Vegetarian Cookbook' edited by Nichola Graimes.)

Ingredients:
Extra Firm Tofu - 1 14oz. package, cut into 1cm/ 1/2" cubes
Potatoes - 4, large, peeled

For the Marinade:
Tamari or dark soy sauce - 2 tbsp
Fresh Ginger - 11/2" piece, grated
Clear honey - 1 tbsp
Garlic cloves - 2, crushed
Toasted Sesame oil - 1 tsp

For the sauce:
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Tomatoes - 8, halved, seeded and chopped

Method:

• Mix together all the marinade ingredients in a shallow dish and add the tofu. Spoon the marinade over the tofu and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Turn the tofu occasionally in the marinade to allow the flavors to infuse.
• To make the rosti, par boil the potatoes for 10-15 minutes until almost tender. When cool, coarsely grate and season well.
• Take a quarter of the potato mixture in your hands at a time and form into rough cakes.
• Heat a frying pan with just enough oil to cover the base. Place the cakes in the frying pan and cook for about 6 minutes on each side until nice and golden.
• Preheat oven to 400F.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove the tofu from the marinade and reserve the marinade. Spread out the tofu on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden and crispy.
• Meanwhile make the sauce. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan, add the reserved marinade and the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down.
• To serve, place a rosti, scatter the tofu on top, spoon over the tomato sauce and enjoy!!!!

Serve with a simple mixed leaf salad dressed with lime juice and sesame oil.

Vankaya-Chikkudukaya Kura (Eggplant-Indian Broad bean curry)

This is one of my many favorite eggplant dishes. Before the beginning of summer (usually in January and February), eggplants taste the best in India. In summer, they tend to get bitter and seedier (not sure if that’s the right word, but you get the point). My mom makes at least a dozen different dishes with brinjals (eggplants are called brinjals in India). This dish needs young, good tasting brinjals since the dish is seasoned with just ginger and green chilies with no other masalas. Small Indian eggplants (brinjals) taste the best for this dish.

Ingredients:
Brinjals (small eggplants-green or purple) – 10, chopped
Indian broad beans – 2 cups, chopped
Green chilies – 6, chopped
Ginger – 1” piece, chopped fine
Red chilies – 2
Curry leaves - 4
Cumin seeds – ½ tsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Salt – to taste


Method:

• Heat 1tbsp of oil in a pan on medium-low flame, add cumin and mustard seeds, red chilies and curry leaves. Fry till the seeds splutter.
• Add green chilies and ginger, fry for 1 minute.
• Add chopped brinjal and broad beans, mix well, cook covered until the veggies are tender for about 10-12 minutes.
• Season with salt, cook for another 2 minutes. Serve with rice.

Undrallu & Allam Pachadi

Undrallu, savory ones, are made as naivedyam (offering to god) for Lord Vinayaka especially on Ganesh Chathurthi day. Sweet undrallu are also made and you can find Indira's delicious sweet undrallu here. But in our house, we make undrallu not only as an offering, but also as a quick snack and dinner item.
Couple of years ago, for Vinayaka chavithi, I was looking for a recipe for Undrallu.. I googled for hours and couldnt find one for savory undrallu. Then I got this authentic, tested and tried recipe from... duh.. should have asked her in the first place.. my mom.. The main principle is to make upma (porridge) with rice rawa, make them into balls and then steam them. It is quite simple and low fat (You can make them no fat too).

 

Ingredients:
Rice Rawa (Biyyapu rawa) - 1/2 cup
Jeera - 1 tsp
Chana dal (Senaga pappu) - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Method:

• Soak chana dal in water for atleast 10minutes.
• Heat about 1tsp of oil in a saucepan and add jeera.
• Add 1 cup of water (1: 2; Rawa: water ratio) to the pan and bring to a boil.
• After the water starts boiling add salt, soaked chana dal and slowly add rawa. Stir continuously to make sure that there are no lumps.
• Cook until the mixture comes together and looks like upma. Consistency should be neither too wet (if this is the case cook a little longer) nor too dry(add little water).
• Let this mixture cool till it is easy to handle.
• Make lemon size balls of the mixture and steam them for about 10-12 minutes in a pressure cooker.
• Serve hot with any chutney. We had our undrallu with ginger chutney (allam pachadi).

 

Allam Pachadi (Ginger Chutney)
Ingredients:
Ginger - 3"piece chopped into small pieces
Jaggery - 1/4cup
Tamarind - small lemon size ball
Salt - to taste

Seasoning:
Red chilies - 3
Chana dal (senaga pappu)- 1tbsp
Urad dal (minapappu)- 1tbsp
Jeera - 1tbsp

Method:

• Heat 1tbsp oil in a pan, add the seasoning and fry till the dals turn golden brown.
• Turn the heat off and add ginger, tamarind and jaggery.
• After the mixture cools completely, grind into a smooth paste adding little water and salt.

Allam pachadi is delicious with the sweetness from jaggery, tanginess from tamarind and special zing from ginger. It also goes well with idlis and dosas.