Cucumber Sweet and Sour Chutney

Or to call it by it's real name, Theeya Dhosakaya Pulusu Pachadi'.

We'll come back to the tongue twister in a bit! 

A few weeks ago, my friend Sujata had borrowed my copy of 'Cooking at Home With Pedatha'. Sujata is a fan of South Indian cuisine.... well, she is a huge fan of Idli-sambar, to be accurate. 

When her parents were visiting, she tried out this recipe and I had a share in it too. 

Interestingly, had I not tasted this chutney at her dinner table, I doubt I would have been in a hurry to make it, let alone blog about it.

To me, Cucumbers mean sandwiches and raitas/ koshimbir. Cooking cucumbers was a big no for me. I had tasted cucumber daal once and disliked it, somehow that experience left it's mark on my memory with a deep rooted dislike for cooked, gloopy, squish ( in Marathi, one would call it 'gilgileet') cucumbers. That was until Pedatha stepped in to rectify it! 

This  book is a treasure, I tell you ( yes, I am repeating myself) 

And this chutney is a keeper. The flavors mingle so well to create a tangy tango in your mouth and you want seconds in no time. I made this  last week, when Sujata and I combined forces for a Ganpati Potluck at her house. 

I kept thinking of my Father when I made this relish, he would have loved it. Maybe, if my parents visit us, I will get an opportunity to make this for them (among the ten thousand other things I want to feed them! )

 Try it, you will love it! Trust me. 

You need: 
2 medium Cucumbers
3Tbsp. Thick Tamarind Pulp (soak Tamarind in warm water and extract pulp, discard solids)
1/2 tsp. Turmeric powder
2 tsp. Sambar Powder
11/2 tsp Sesame seeds
1 heaped Tbsp. Jaggery
2 Tbsp. Chopped Cilantro
1 Tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Tempering
1 heaped tsp. Urad daal / split husked black gram
1 heaped tsp. Mustard seeds
2-3 red Chilies, nicked at the tail, stalks retained
2 Green Chilies, slit and stalk removed
5-7 Curry leaves
1/4 tsp Asafetida powder

Peel the cucumber and chop into thin 1 inch long pieces or 1/2 inch cubes
Dry roast the sesame seeds on a low flame until golden brown  and grind to a coarse powder
Heat oil in a wok/ kadhai, add the urad daal (gram daal), as it turns golden, add the mustard seeds. These will pop on contact. 
Lower the flame, add the chilies, curry leaves and asafetida.
Add the chopped cucumber and stir for a minute
Add the tamarind pulp, turmeric powder and sambar podi, powdered sesame seeds and jaggery
Cover and cook for a few minutes
Add salt just before switching off the heat. 
Garnish with Cilantro.
Serve as a side dish.


I enjoyed this side dish with warm rice and a tiny drizzle of ghee.
I also enjoyed it with Jowar bhakri and Masale Bhaat.

Some Telugu friends of mine, at my son's bus stop assured me that I had used the wrong cucumber and that Dosakaya meant this. I was confused, maybe you, my dear readers, can clarify and if you have used the yellow melon/ cucumber, please do leave me a comment and I will look it up on your blog.

Wrong or not, this is one awesome side dish you will not regret making. Cooked cucumbers never tasted this good! 

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Greens in Yogurt ( Akukoora Majjiga Pulusu) and a chance to make a difference!

One evening, we sat at the dinner table, my parents, Lisa (my friend) and I. I was talking about something and laughingly, Lisa said, "tu pagal hai! poori pagal!" ( you are mad, completely mad!) Turning to my parents now going into the living room to catch the news, she said, " She is SO unlike you". 

" I am , aren't I? but then, why won't I be? , Lisa, do you know my story?", I asked.

"Sure, sure, I know your stories" She said and burst out laughing

" No, no, not the stories  I tell to amuse.. I mean 'my' story" I insisted

"What do you mean?" She asked, intrigued

"Let me tell you" I said, arranging my facial expressions and launched into 'my story'

" One rainy night in July, Baba and Aai woke up to a terrible thunderstorm and rain.They stood in the  sheltered part of the patio and looked out, awed by the fury of the rain. It almost felt like the heavens were crying. as they stood looking out, Baba's eyes fixed themselves on some object  under the street lamp. "Poor puppy", he thought, stranded in this storm and then he heard a wail. He jumped like he was shot! A wail, on this rainy night! My Mother also looked shocked and both of them moved out into the patio, to get  a better look. And as they stood, looking for God-knows-what, the 'puppy' moved under the street lamp and revealed a tiny... hand?

Baba grabbed an umbrella and rushed out and ran to the lamp post and stood there, the umbrella falling from his hands...

It was a tiny baby, wrapped in some cloth and abandoned under the lamp post. He picked up the baby and asked, "  koi hai?..arey, kiska baccha hai ye?..." (hello? whose baby is this?)  only to be met by silence and the pitter patter of rain.

He took the baby home and they both looked at the pretty face, now calm after being held and comforted.

Baba could not take his eyes off the baby and when he did, he simply said to Aai, " she is my daughter, now"

And that, Lisa, is how I became a part of this family."

By now Lisa's eyes resembled the dinner plates we had placed in the sink, " I.. I.... didn't know.." she faltered

I nodded, " not many do", I said.

She sat, her chin in her palm, frown on her face, brooding. 

Aai walked in and asked her why she looked so serious and out came the reason! My Mom burst out laughing! " kiski baaton mein aa gayi tum, Lisa!? Yeh to pagal hai, pura bakwas karte rehti hai, nautanki hai yeh ladki!" (Did you actually believe her? she is mad and  is always spouting some kind of nonsense, loves all kinds of drama) 

I was rolling on the kitchen floor, with laughter! HAH! she swallowed it!  Even if just for that one second! Her face! Oh! 

I made up that story on the spur of the moment, just to pull Lisa's leg, just to see a range of emotions flit across her face. But what if.............? What if any of this was true?

What if I had been abandoned? 

When I think of that possibility, my heart grows cold with fear. Not to have known parental love. nothing can be as harsh as that. Not knowing  why I was abandoned, why I was so unwanted or if I was saved from some tragic accident and was the only survivor, so many questions, no answers. 

At such times I look up and thank Him, for my parents, for their endless love and sacrifices  for me, for everything I have, for my little boy and for keeping me alive, so I can love him, the way I was loved.

But what of the many children who are orphans? Who have not known, what you and I, my dear readers, have know all our life and also at some point taken for granted? 

Take a look at the other side, read about how you can make a difference.

Take a minute to look at these cheerful faces, look into the innocent eyes and read the story behind each.  

Take 10 minutes out of your schedule and Chip in and show your support for Vaidehi Ashram.

There are prizes  that you could win for the contribution you make, apart from the 

warmth it spreads in your heart. 

Do your bit today.

And after your soul is satisfied with the good deed, come back to try this tummy satisfying offering I have for you today.

Source: Cooking at home with Pedatha 

1/2 cup Split Red Gram ( Toor Daal)
1/2 cup Bengal Gram (Chana Daal)
1 bunch Amaranth Leaves  or Spinach leaves, wash and chop finely
3 cups Thick Yogurt (plain), churned
1 Tbsp. Tamarind Pulp ( reduce amount if you are using Tamarind Concentrate)
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp.  Asafetida
3 Green Chillies , slit
1/2 cup Cilantro leaves , chopped fine
1 stem Curry leaves
2-3 Tbsp Ghee
3 Tbsp. Oil
Salt to taste


The Paste:
1/2 cup Fresh coconut, grated
2 inch Ginger piece
1/4  cup Cilantro leaves
3-4  Green chillies


The Tempering:
1 Tbsp Mustard seeds
6-8 Red chillies, nicked at tail, stalks retained


Cook the daals together in 3 cups of waater to a very soft consistency ( I use my pressure cooker). Add /2 cup water and churn well. Set aside


For the pastte, grind the ingredients to a fine paste, using  a little water.
Mix this paste into the  cooked daal and set aside.


In a  wok, heat oil and pop the mustard seeds. Lower the flame and add the red chillies


As the chillies  turn bright red, add the chopped greens. cover and simmer for 12-15 mins or until well done, stirring now and then


Add the tamarind, turmeric, asafetida and salt and simmer for a few minutes.


Add the churned daal mixture to which you have added the coconut paste, curry leaves, slit green chillies and cilantro leaves and continue to cook for a couple of minutes.


Finally, switch off the heat, stir in the ghee and yogurt *.


Serve with steamed rice.


NOTES:

• Substitute Spinach leaves if you do not have Amaranth leaves
• Use Chillies as per your tolerance level.
• *Take the wok off heat and then add in the yogurt. I let my curry cool a little before adding yogurt. I  manage to curdle yogurt in such cases and so am extra careful.  If you are unsure how to, just do what I did, let the curry cool.

Enjoy the weekend! Peace out.

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Theeyati Pulusu and a rant....

" Oh! It's so darn easy for you" she said, " one kid and nothing more to fuss about"! 

I was stung by this remark when I heard this from my friend a couple of weeks ago. There was a bit of truth in her remark, I admitted to myself, but I don't think I quite accept the so darn easy.. 

Here is how she sees herself, a mother of 2 (which I know is very challenging), lives in India, in a joint family (which I know is very, very challenging), the family is rolling in money and have servants of all kinds to do all they need, however, from her constant complaints- are hopeless and lazy and don't do anything and she has to do  so much..

She complains they are always gossiping, or lazy or want to go back to their village and she has to spend all her time 'counselling' them. Really? Do people actually counsel maids? as far as I understood things, if you don't like 'em, sack 'em! 'Counselling' them is such a waste of time and energy! I could sack 'em, save the time, energy and effort to direct it to doing chores and getting over with it.... 

The rest of her time, she says, is spent in getting her daughter to study ( and the child, apparently refuses to) and threaten her or spank her...  and left over time in taking care of the younger child and many a times in trying to resolve issues with her co-sister ( they are always at logger heads) and taking criticism from her in laws..... 

On the other hand, my life is so darn easy, one kid, no servants to deal with, no joint family. Hmmm... What would I have done in her situation? Would I have been any different? Would I do what I am doing today? get up and get going? 

I have less on my plate than she does, but I have my challenges too. For example, I have to handle everything on my own ( which is not a bad thing and surely something a 30+ woman can do), mostly without the husband ( he travels for work),plan, cook, clean, no elderly guidance, move every year or so ( and y'all know what that means, boxes and boxes to pack- without any help!)  handle illnesses  and so much more.

So why is is so darn easy  for me? Just because I live in a different country? Just because I do not live in  a joint family? 

 For a moment, my temper flared, I wanted to retort, "oh yeah! wait till you have a sink full of dishes to do, a child to drive to and bring from school, cook meals and clean the house, do the laundry when you have a skull- splitting migraine and a temperature and you feel woolly brained and blurry eyed.... and yeah, You are new  to the city, no friends to run to, no servants ( obviously) and no spouse by your side"

Instead, I kept quiet, I listened to her venting on and on about her problems, it was no use, I felt, telling her about my situation, she would not understand, maybe I could not understand hers as well, I am not in her shoes...  but I have lived in India most of my life and honestly, I did not think it was such a hardship, easier, if anything... sure everyone has issues with the help, but is that the focus of  the day? The school bus / rickshaw kaka comes to pick up kids and take them to school. If the domestic help bunks a day or 2, cook minimally and  order from outside. If you are so unwell, the Doctor comes home!  If you are still in a position to walk, the Doctors Clinic is very close, as far as I remember, many Doctors had their clinics in the building where one lives, just go down stairs /elevator or walk to the next building ( and given the space crunch in a place like Mumbai, the next building is  about 20 steps  away). 

Someone is there to make sure your child has good food to eat, what more do you want?  I remember, a few months ago, I was down with a temperature and my poor little boy sat by me, all the time, ran a tiny hand over my fevered brow and said, "it's okay, mommy"... I wept into my pillow, tired, miserable and angry , angry that I could not do much for my baby, and grateful that he in turn was my support. 

Oh well, all this has nothing to do with my recipe today, but just something I wanted to rant about and ask... do you all get into situations like these? What do you feel? How do you react? What do you think?

And now, let's move on to the recipe. This one is 'authentic' as a friend who tasted a bit of the tiny leftovers in a vati and  said, "jaldi recipe post kar iski" (post the recipe quickly) and so, P, this goes out to you. hope you try this and like it, just as much as you liked it at my place! 

This recipe, like any, from Pedatha's cook book is awesome! The taste, as my friend, said is totally authentic and will have you licking your fingers and fill you with comfort. Try it, you will love it.

Source::Cooking with Pedatha


You need: 
100 gms Red Pumpkin
100 gms  Bottle Gourd (dudhi/ Lauki)
100 gms Sweet Potato
100 gms Brinjal  ( I did not use any)
100 gms Raw Mango
2 nos. Drumsticks
3 Tbsp Tamarind Pulp (reduce amount if you are using Tamicon or some strong concentrate)
2 Tbs Sambar Podi
11/2 Tbsp Jaggery
3-4 Green Chilies,slit
8-10 Curry Leaves
Cilantro , to garnish
2 Tbsp Oil
Salt to taste


The POWDER:
1 Tbsp Split Black gram, husked
1 Tbsp Bengal Gram
1 tsp Sesame seeds


The TEMPERING:
1tsp Mustard seeds
1tsp Fenugreek seeds
3/4 tsp Asafetida powder


Cut the vegetables into large chunks, retaining skin on all except the bottle gourd and sweet potato


For the powder, dry roast the ingredients till deep brown and then grind to a fine powder


Mix the above powder, tamarind pulp, sambar podi and jaggeryin 1- 11/2 cup water to make a thing smooth gravy


In a wok, heat oil for tempering, Add mustard seeds, once they pop, add the fenugreek seeds. Lower the heat with the browning of the fenugreek, add asafetida powder
Add chopped vegetables and , adding enough water to cover the vegetables to simmer


When the vegetables are done, add the prepared gravy, green chilies and salt and cook for 4-5 mins.


Finally, garnish with curry leaves and cilantro just as you switch off the heat.


Serve with hot steaming white rice.

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Ullipaya Pachchadi (Onion Chutney)

All my life, well, until I started blogging, of course, chutney was the one made in a typical Marathi household and the other was one we ate in a restaurant, rightfully termed as 'hotel chi chutney' ( back in those days, we called restaurant as hotel..) To my mind, the hotel chi chutney was a complicated blend ( bear with me, as a child I had fantastic ideas about anything and everything). So, the chutney made at home as green and the one in a restaurant was white-ish. and any other color ( ex: red = lasoon chutney or Bijapur chuney ) was dry , strictly that.
When I started blogging, I came across different varieties that boggled the mind. It reinforced the fact that Indians make chutneys out of everything!
( I am still of the opinion that a brinjal/ eggplant chutney is going a bit too far, but then, it takes all kinds to make the world!)


When I received my copy of Cooking with Pedatha I hungrily thumbed thru it and  fell in love with  all her recipes ( even the eggplant ones- for the husband - strictly) and  I kept going back to the Pachchadi section.
the cookbook showcases 13 pachchadis all with stunning pictures and in many recipes, there is a small note on the side which gives you a slight variation that can be made  to change the taste a bit, giving it a new avatar.  One pachchadi 2 ways! 
Out of  all the different varieties I chose to go with the Onion pachchadi first. I have seen variations of onion chutney across blogs but though interested, I was not willing to try them. I was a bit apprehensive about  the strong smell and I have somehow associated  that with a slightly bitter and unpalatable taste.


As I read the recipe, I realized this was different, at least from the ones I had read. There seemed to a harmonious blend of spices which would mellow the strong tones of the onion. Nor had I erred. try this recipe to see what I mean.
It goes very well with idli, dosa and plain rice. 

You need:


3 Onions ( roughly chopped) - I used Red onions
2 inch piece Fresh Ginger grated
2 Tbsp. thick Tamarind pulp
1 Tbsp Oil
Salt to taste


TEMPERING:
1 Tbsp Split black gram , huskd/ urad daal
2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp. Fenugreek seeds
8- 10 Red chilies nicked at tail, stalks retained
3-4 Green chilies 
1/2 cup Cilantro, roughly torn, chopped
6-8 Curry leaves with  stem
1 tsp Asafetida powder


In a  wok, heat oil for tempering.


Add the urad daal, as it turns golden add mustard seeds and then fenugreek seeds


Lower the heat with the browning of the fenugreek seeds, add the red chilies. as they turn bright red stir in the remaining ingredients for tempering.


Add the onion and ginger. roast for  4-5 minutes  until the raw smell of the onion disappears


Grind along with tamarind pulp and salt into a coarse paste. Do not add water when grinding.


Serve with Idlis, Dosa  or mix into plain white rice with a dollop of ghee.


VARIATION:


Add a medium sized tomato, chopped and roasted in oil along with the onions for a tasty  variation.

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Rava Ladoo, learning with Pedatha!

A while ago I ordered my copy of Cooking at home with Pedatha the award winning cookbook that won the best vegetarian cookbook in the world 2006 . I had heard so much about it and also the cover drew me like nail to a magnet, I can say it very emphatically in this case- judge the book by it's cover, you will not be let down.

Visit the website of the authors Jigyasa and Pratibha to see this cookbook of traditional Indian recipes and the second one of healthy Ayurvedic recipes.

The eager wait for the book finally ended one fine afternoon as I almost snatched it out of the postman's hand and my impatient fingers fumbled to open the careful packaging. I got it! I felt like my 3 year old when he fetches his ball and holds it aloft triumphantly and yells, I got itttttttttttt!

There is something about a brand new book and the ownership of it that intoxicates me! Does it happen to you too?

With the little one napping and my work done, or almost, who cared then! I sat down on the sofa, legs tucked under me and opened  the book to peruse the contents.

The description, the  page of contents and then the recipes.... the first thing that strikes you is, she makes them look so simple! 

I was transported to my Grandmother's home, when I was a child and watched her bustling about in the kitchen... I felt like I almost was in Pedatha's kitchen and she was instructing me, like a loving Grandma, who knows everything.

I have tried a few recipes from the book- so stay tuned for some authentic Andhra magic,  but I am posting about these awesome ladoos first. It is only fitting that I introduce Pedatha's  stellar recipes with a sweet offering for this festive season! 

The other reason I  chose to  start off with this particular recipe is because I have always heard everyone ( including my Mother) saying that making rava ladoo is difficult! One needs to make the perfect syrup, the dreaded one string consistency... something I have never accomplished, maybe because of the fear factor. I made excuses for my failure , you see I have an electric stove, the horrible coil, that is the reason why it will fail. Strangely, nothing else failed, but I was un- willing to admit the obvious to myself. It was the coil.

Well, I admit to myself and you all, I was wrong, I just did not know and I needed to know when to stop, andaaz in this case was not useful.

And enters Pedatha in my kitchen and lovingly and gently guides me to making my first successful  batch of rava-naral ladoos. 

One bite of this delectable ladoos  and you too will assert, like I did (quote from the book),

whose food I eat, her song I sing!

1 Cup Semolina/rava ( I used Fine) 

2 Cups Fresh Coconut, grated ( I used frozen coconut, thawed)

1 1/2 Cup Sugar 

8-10 Cashew nuts, broken in bits 

8-10 Raisins ( I used Golden raisins)

Pinch Saffron / kesar

Pinch Cardamom powder

1 cup  Ghee

Dry Roast the Semolina on a low flame for a couple of mins

Mix with grated coconut and set aside for 1 to 2 hours

Heat 1 tbsp. ghee and fry the cashews till olden, remove and set aside,  no in the same ghee, saute raisins till puffed up. Set aside

Prepare the saffron by rubbing it in 1 tsp. warm milk to infuse color. Set aside

Add a little more than 1/4 cup water to the sugar and bring to a boil. Strain to remove scum, boil again for a couple of minutes. When the syrup starts bubbling, switch off the flame and set aside

In a wok, heat ghee and roast the semolina- coconut mixture on a low flame  for 5-8 mins or until the mixture turns a light pink

Switch off the flame and add the mixture to the sugar syrup. Add the cashews, raisins, cardamom powder and saffron

When the mixture has cooled a little, make lemon sized balls. Rava-coconut ladoos are ready!

WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS  DIWALI.

MAY THE FESTIVE SEASON LIGHT UP YOUR LIVES AND SHINE ALL YEAR ROUND!

Sending off this Diwali sweet  to Sukanya at Saffron Streaks for the Healing Foods event by Siri 

and also to Priya who is hosting Veggie/Fruit A Month - Coconut

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