Mysore Rasam Powder

Here's the recipe for the Rasam powder I used in this Mysore Rasam. Like I said in that post, I don't usually make spice powders from scratch. I know freshly homemade spice mixes add a lot of flavor to dishes but I get lazy to make them.

But when I saw this Mysore rasam in Dakshin cookbook by Chandra Padmanabhan, I was tempted to make the spice mix. Glad that I made it because this is one of the more flavorful rasam powder (I'm comparing it with the store-bought rasam powders).

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Vegetarian Xacuti

Blogging Marathon# 26: Week 1/ Day 1
Theme: Goan Cuisine
Dish: Vegetarian Xacuti with Meatless Meatballs

Today we start Blogging Marathon# 26 and my theme for this week is "Goan Cuisine". The only dish that  I have tried from Goa is the Vegetable Vindaloo. So when I saw this theme, I decided to try more dishes from this cuisine.

When I think of Goa, I think of scenic blue seas, beautiful churches and lush greenery. All this from watching a ton of Indian movies because I'm fortunate to visit this paradise on earth yet. Hopefully one day we can make this trip. When I think of Goan cuisine, I think of seafood and meat, because from movies like Saagar of the coast, the Portuguese colonization and the Christian population. But what I didn't know that there are vegetarian dishes that are unique to konkani region.

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Goan Mixed Vegetable Curry

Pressure cooker is a quintessential equipment in any Indian kitchen. I own 6 pressure cookers in different sizes, shapes and materials -- stainless steel, aluminum and hard anodized. Each one has its own purpose, one can fit the idli stand, one cooks for a crowd, one for 2 and so on. More than a couple of them have served me well for the past 12+ years. Fortunately I've never had an accident in my kitchen (touch wood).

So when Jaya posted about a cookbook author belittling my beloved kitchen equipment, I wanted to show my love to my pressure cooker by posting about it. Like any Indian, I cook rice, lentils, beans, veggie curries etc in the pressure cooker. In today's recipe I used the cooker to cook the veggies and give me a head start in making the curry. 

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Amti (Maharashtrian Dal)

Blogging Marathon# 25: Week 3/ Day 1
Theme: Cooking with Alphabets - A, L, F
Dish: A for Amti
My theme for this week of BM# 25 is "Cooking with Alphabets" and I picked "A, L & F". So for the next 3 days I'm going to make dishes that start with these letters. For the first day, I have "A for Amti".

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Khaman Dhokla for the Indian Cooking Challenge

This is the first official challenge for Indian Cooking Challenge and Khaman Dhokla is on the menu. I remember making it couple of years with a recipe from one of my Gujarati friends. Over-confident ME never wrote it down and thought I can re-create just from my memory.. hmmm.. So when I started making it, I completely blanked out on how much citric acid to add and I probably added about 2tbsp. It was soooo sour that it was practically inedible. I’ve never made these again until now and Srivalli‘s recipe is just perfect. Even with some mishaps on my part, they turned out just perfect.

Ingredients:
Batter: Besan – 1½ cups
Curd – ½ cup (not sour)
Water – ½ cup
Cooking soda – ½tsp

Seasoning for the batter:
Oil – 1tbsp
Turmeric – a pinch
Green chili – 2, coarsely crushed
Sugar – 1tsp
Citric Acid – ¼ tsp
Eno – 1tsp

Tempering:
Mustard Seeds – 1tsp
Coriander leaves – 2tbsp
Curry leaves – 6


Method:

• Mix curd with water. Add this to the besan and mix well to make a lump less batter. Add water, as needed to get the batter to pouring consistency as in idli batter. Set aside for 1 hour for rising.
  
• After 1 hour, add all the seasoning ingredients; oil, turmeric, green chili paste, sugar & citric acid.
  
• Bring some water to a boil in a pressure cooker.
  
• When the water starts to boil, add eno to the batter and mix gently. Sprinkle a little bit of eno on the steaming plate/ container. Pour in the batter and steam for 5-7 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for another 5-7 minutes. Then test for doneness by inserting a toothpick/ knife. Cover and let it remain on flame for another 1 minute.

• Then remove the plate/ container from the PC. Mix 3tsp water with 1tsp oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle this over the dhoklas.
  
• Finally add the tempering: heat 1tsp oil in a small saucepan, add mustard seeds and curry leaves; add to the dhoklas as soon as the seeds start to splutter. Garnish with coriander leaves.

For the Green chutney:
Ingredients:
Coriander leaves – ½ cup
Mint leaves – ¼ cup
Cumin seeds – 1tsp
Grated coconut – 2tbsp
Lime juice – 1tbsp
Green chilies – 2
Salt & Sugar – to taste

Method: Blend all the ingredients to a smooth paste. Enjoy with the dhoklas.

Roasted Potatoes with Amma’s Curry Powder

I always have a stock of all kinds of homemade masalas made by my mom. I ran out of curry powder that we use in fried and sautéed dishes and I had to make it myself. Guess what it has only 3 ingredients and there is no roasting involved.

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Masala Egg Curry

This is another one of my MIL’s recipes. This masala gravy can also used to make mushroom or potato curries.

Ingredients:
Eggs – 5, boiled
Red Chili powder – ½ tsp
Lemon - 1

For the Masala:
Onions – 1 large, roughly chopped
Garlic – 6-7 cloves
Green chilies – 6-7
Peppercorn - 1tsp
Cinnamon stick – 1” piece
Almonds - 2 tbsp
Grated coconut – 2 tbsp
Coriander leaves – ½ cup
Mint leaves – ½ cup


Method:

• Grind masala with little water to a smooth paste.
• Heat 2tbsp oil in a pan, add the masala and fry till it turns lightly brown and does not smell raw anymore, about 12-15 minutes.
• Add about 1cup water and salt to the gravy and let it come to a slow simmer (add more or less water depending on the consistency of the curry). Slide in the eggs along with salt and red chili powder. Simmer on low flame for another 7-8 minutes. Squeeze juice of 1 lemon and serve with rice.

I'm sending this to Mansi's Healthy Cooking event at Fun and Food. Thanks Mansi for hosting this healthy event.

Punjabi Thali for RCI-Punjab

I finally made it before the dead line for the RCI-Punjab event hosted this time around by Richa of As Dear As Salt. I thought I was on top of it till the 15^th of this month and never realized it’s already the 23^rd.

So here is my Punjabi thali (in Anti-Clockwise direction) Tandoori Naan, Jeera Rice, Tandoori Gobhi, Paneer Makhmali and Mango milk shake.

Both the curry recipes are adapted from Tarla Dalal’s Swadisht Subzi recipe series. I served the curries with store-bought Tandoori naans and jeera rice (sautéed cumin (jeera), caraway seeds (Shah jeera), bay leaves and green chilies in 1 tsp oil and mixed this with rice).

For dessert I made thick mango shake instead of mango lassi, because my husband is not a big fan of yogurt and lassis. For the milk shake, I blended chunks of fresh mango with light cream and sugar till light and fluffy.

On the whole, this is not a very heart healthy thali, but definitely delicious and satisfying. (A 30 minute work-out might help you with the guilt)

Tandoori Gobhi

This can be served as a side dish for rotis, chapathis and naans or as an appetizer (with less gravy). This dish is my new favorite. All the masalas (spices) blend so well that it tasted nothing like I imagined and my husband didn’t even notice the yogurt.

Ingredients:
Cauliflower (Gobhi) – 1 small, cut into florets
Onion – 1 medium, thinly sliced
Green peppers – 1 medium, thinly sliced (I used half green, half red)
Cumin seeds – 1tsp
Salt – to taste

For marinade:
Yogurt – ½ cup, beaten
Besan (Chickpea flour) – 3 tbsp
Chili powder – 1 tsp
Ginger paste – 1 tsp
Garlic paste – 2 tsp
Kasoori Methi – 1 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp

Method:

• Microwave cauliflower in some water for 3-4 minutes or parboil on stove top.
  
• Mix all the ingredients for marinade thoroughly. Add cauliflower florets and leave for at least 15 minutes.
• Heat 1 tsp oil, add cumin seeds and after they splutter, add onions and peppers and sauté till transparent about 8-10 minutes.
  
• Add cauliflower along with the marinade and cook for 7-8 minutes or until cauliflower is cooked through. Season with salt and serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.
  

Paneer Makhmali

Slightly different take on our regular paneer recipe and tasted awesome with naan and rice.

Ingredients:
Paneer – 3 cups, cubed
Onion – 1 medium, chopped
Tomato puree – 2 tbsp
Garam masala – ½ tsp
Milk – 1/4 cup (I used light cream)
Salt – to taste

For the marinade:
Mint leaves – 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves – 2 cups
Green chilies – 3-4
Ginger paste – 1 tsp
Lemon juice – 3 tsp
Cashews – ¼ cup
Salt – to taste

Method:

• Grind all the ingredients for the marinade into a thick paste with little water.
  
• Marinate paneer pieces in this mixture for at least 15 minutes.
  
• Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan; add onions and sauté till pink. Add tomato puree and 1/4 cup water, cook covered for about 5 minutes.
  
• Slide in the paneer pieces and cook for 8-10 minutes.
  
• Add milk (or cream) and cook on medium low flame till the milk cooks and evaporates.
• Add garam masala and season with salt. Remove from heat and serve immediately.