Spicy Sweet Squash (Meetha Kaddu)

This post has been languishing in my drafts for months, like many others. Today is one of those days when I am blissfully unaware of anything. Little S is napping and I am listening to Begum Parveen Sultana happy to have this  hour to myself. I skip from one beautiful, soulful singer to another and a sort of peace descends over me. 

These peaceful moments are very rare these days and I try to grab every moment I can. Just like in cooking, my son's choice of food dominates. There are days when  all we eat is varan-bhaat and call it a night and others when we gobble grilled cheese sandwiches and watch cartoons and enjoy ourselves. 

I like pumpkin/ squash a lot and try and make it when possible. It adapts itself wonderfully well to any seasoning, sweetish or spicy and is a treat to eat it in any avatar. Roll it in a fulka or enjoy with a dish of sabudana khichadi on days you fast. Or simply try it this method I have shown below. either way you have a tasty vegetable dish on your table.

1/2 lb. Red pumpkin ( I used Butternut Squash)
2 Tbs. Oil
Pinch Asafetida
1/2 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
2 Tsp Ginger, chopped
1 tsp. Green Chiles
1/2 tsp. Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Red chile powder
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Mango/  Amchur powder
1 Tbsp. Jaggery grated/ powdered
2 Tbsp Cilantro, chopped


Wash, peel and cut the pumpkin/ squash into 3/4 inch cubes
Cut the peel into 1 inch pieces
Heat Oil in a pan and add asafetida, fenugreek seeds and saute until golden brown (dark brown will result ina bitter taste)
Add ginger, green chilies, turmeric, red chili powder and cut peel and cook for 1 minute. Add the cubed pumpkin and mix.
Add salt to taste and 1/2 cup water. Cook covered on high heat, stirring occasionally until the water evaporates.
Uncover, add mango powder and jaggery, cook for a minute
Add cilantro, mix well
Serve hot with pooris/ roti.

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Masala Corn

Can one make excuses for slacking off? Can those be accepted as valid? When I look back on the last month, I can recollect smiling and grumbling, all the time. Is that silly?  Does seem like it!  I was smiling ( and still am) because I am one happy girl! I received a Kindle for  my birthday. I was thrilled, I've been craving for this fabulous e-reader for some time now. In fact, last year, on my India trip, there was a couple on the flight who were engrossed in their e-readers and I kept glancing at their kindles and sighing and wishing.

I finally got my wish and have been enjoying reading  all my favorite books ( starting off with Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and the rest of her works). 

I grumbled (a lot) because of  the heat, I must add here , I *hate summer*. I do, I do , I do! and so spent a good deal of time indoors in the soothing a.c  and curled up with my treasure! 

While others rejoiced in the blazing heat (~shudder~) by jogging or just spreading themselves like bedspreads by the poolside ( and not going into the water, which to me, is utterly ridiculous- that, people, is the point, hot day- cooling water, no?) I arched my eyebrows and wiggled my ears and fanned myself with a notebook that was at hand. A sheet of paper fluttered to my feet. Picking it up idly I scanned it, a recipe! Good Heavens! It looked like I have one tucked everywhere possible and forgotten all about it!

It was for Masala Corn. Scribbled in a hurry on a sheet of printer paper over a year ago.

Two days after I found the sheet, the weather broke and we had rain, a good amount of rain and I was overjoyed! 

Perfect to sit with a bowl of masala corn and watch (read , actually) the drama unfold as Anne Elliot and Captain Wentworth meet again after a gap of 8 1/2 years! 

This post got published before I could note the recipe, Thanks Shammi for bringing it to my notice. I had started on the draft and foolishly left it open on the laptop on the table. A nosy 3 year old wandered by and published it and I never knew! 

You Need: 

1 Cup Sweet corn ( I used frozen- thaw before use)

Oil to cook about 2-3 tbsp.

1 medium Onion, chopped

1 tsp. Ginge,r finely chopped 

1/4 tsp Garlic, finely chopped

1/4 tsp Red Chili powder ( adjust to your taste, I use Deep x-tra hot chili powder, so this is sufficient)

2 tsp Ground Cilantro

4 medium Tomatoes ( 1 tomato  grated and 3  tomatoes to be roasted and cubed - this is easy if you have gas, for electric stove, if you want to broil it, go ahead- I skipped the roasting pan, changes the taste, but by no means a bad option)

1/4 tsp. sugar

Salt

1/4 tsp. Garam masala

2 Tbs. Cilantro, chopped  to garnish

Heat 2 T oil, add the corn and cook for about a couple of minutes on medium  heat. Stir occasionally. Remove and set aside.

Heat 1 T oil in the same pan, add onion, ginger, garlic and saute till the onion is pink.

Add red chili powder and ground cilantro and mix

Add Tomato ( if you have grated as well as roasted cubed, add both at this stage) , add sugar  and cook till thick.

Add corn, salt, garam masala and cilantro leaves. Cook on high heat for a minute ( take care not to burn the corn).

Serve hot.

Enjoy the weekend folks! 

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You left us a year ago, but I still miss you... I always will. RIP, dearest Aaji.

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Paneer Butter Masala

When you have guests over for a lunch or dinner, what is the common dessert that comes to your mind? What did your Mom make? Let me simplify this even more. If you are a Maharashtrian, and you have guests coming over, what did your mom make  for dessert? 

We had Gulab jamun, mostly. 

Oh mom knew many desserts, but our hot favorite was gulab jamun to be sure.

Mom and  Dad ( team work)  made a great fruit custard and that was specially in summer  ( Mom makes the custard and Dad chops the fruit and gives me  little bits every now and then- specially mango-   coz I am daddy's  best  little helper).

But mostly Mom made Gulab jamun. Deep fried goodness, soaked n warm golden syrup  tinged with saffron. it was a favorite with children and grown ups  and there was nothing but a bit of syrup left over after the party. 

Not that Gulab Jamun has anything to do with this post..... I merely mention it to give you the background  as to why rasgulla or other related mithais never made it to our table when I was younger. 

In fact my first impression of paneer was , 'rubber'! My well meaning neighbor once came over in the afternoon and handed over a bowl of rasgulla'. I was puzzled. I had no idea why the gulab jamun was white, why it was floating in water. I was then in  the first grade. I asked her, " he kay ahe?" (what is this?). She said "Rasgulla, try it" and went  back home. I tentatively stabbed at a rasgulla and  put a piece in my mouth. For the next few minutes all I remember was a piece of eraser somehow had gotten entangled between my teeth and tongue and kept going round and round in circles. The sugar had played its part and journeyed on and now all I was indestructible, chewy rubber. I spat it out. Put the bowl in the fridge. That night I asked mom what rasgulla was  made of ( I still had my doubts about it being edible or in fact if the neighbor by saying try it had meant something else other than eat). Mom said paneer.  I hated it.  I vowed never to eat it and kept at it for a long time. 

I don't remember how or when I converted to a paneer lover, but I guess natural curiosity and a sweet tooth led me  to this glorious path! 

I am not particularly fond of those brick like bars of paneer in the store and  prefer making my own at home. 

To make Paneer at home:

Boil 1 gallon of whole milk. Keep stirring frequently so that it does not scorch at the bottom. 

When  the milk is at the boiling point, add about 1/4 cup of Vinegar ( regular vinegar that you get at any store for about $1). 

Keep a colander lined with a cheesecloth  ready  to strain the cheese. ( I keep a stock pot under the colander to collect the whey) 

Stir gently and keep an eye as the milk curdles and the cheese separates from  milky (a very, very pale green tint) whey.

Carefully tip the cheese and whey into the colander. Let the whey drip down and cheese rest in the cheesecloth.

I usually keep  the colander standing for a few minutes, then carefully collect the edges of the cheesecloth and twist it tightly round the cheese to remove all whey.

Place the cheese ( with cheesecloth twisted round it) in a container of your choice and place a heavy object on top ( like a can or a bottle of water) for anywhere up to 3 hours. This will firm up the paneer. 

Remove  the cheesecloth, use or place the paneer  in the container.

Paneer freezes well. Cut cubes and freeze if not using immediately. Thaw in the fridge  before using.

With my first batch of home- made paneer I made Paneer Butter masala. For the recipe I turned to Vah Chef who is very popular in India. 

The recipe is simple, quick and absolutely delicious!  A keeper! Try it.

You need:

1 tsp  Coriander powder

1/4 to 1/2  tsp Garam Masala

1/4 tsp  Chili powder

1/4 tsp Kasuri Methi

1 tsp Tomato  ketchup

1 tsp Tomato Paste or 2.5 Tbs Tomato Puree

1 cup Milk

3 drops red food color (optional)

Paneer Cubes ( I used about 20-  2 inch cubes)

Fried onion (2 tbs if using store bought, or 1/2 large onion if making at home)

2 tsp Ginger Garlic paste

In a bowl add the coriander powder, garam, masala, chili powder, kasuri methi, ketchup, tomato paste/ puree , milk and mix it to make a slurry/ milk sauce

Heat pan, add a pat of butter, add ginger-garlic paste, add fried onions ( store bought or home made) 

Mix in the  'milk sauce' made earlier. Stir continuously while adding the sauce.

Cover and simmer for 3 mins ( slow flame)

Add salt to taste.

Cook well till oil separates

If the gravy is too thick, add milk slowly and mix immediately, ensuring it does not curdle. (you can use cream instead of milk to make it richer)

Add paneer pcs. bring to a boil. 

Serve with Naan / roti.

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Coconut cake

While I was a easygoing, fun loving, bubbly child, I had one big flaw, I had (and still have ) an evil temper. I was far likely to fly off the handle at the drop of a hat. I was never the person who took things philosophically and accept them, not without a fight at least.

There was this one rainy evening, I was , as always , out playing with a bunch of kids from  my building. We were playing in  wet, muddy, sludgy, squelchy dirt- a game that consisted of hurling a stick with force to see if it went beyond a certain mark. A nonsensical game that amused us and horrified our parents, all that wallowing in dirt like a bunch of piglets (squealing in delight, I must add).

My mark was off that day, I was hurling like a girl....... wait I am a girl! What I mean is, I was a typical tom-boy, fancied myself a boy, strutted like one as well and prided that I was as tall and as strong as one. 

Anyway,  as I said, my mark was off that day and I lost, every single time I hurled the darn stick, it seemed to have a mind of it's own and a pathetic sense of direction. Oh I was mad as a wet hen that day and had the evil glint in my eye. 

Watching this dirty game was Wadi ( that was his name, or at least what everyone  called him) . Harmless Wadi, who never hurt a fly in his life. He would smile benignly on everyone and had a vacant, happy look on his face all the time. 

He was a child with special needs. We always let him tag along with us. Never treated him differently, never teased him , but also made sure outsiders never ridiculed him, we were a bit protective of him and let him play with us as best as he could. He was a 'kuccha- limbu' in all our games. 

Now on that particular day, he was standing watching our game and chomping on some nuts. I lost and was fuming. Wadi laughed at me. I lost what was the last shred of my temper, hurled the stick at poor Wadi and walked away. Poor Wadi ! He never quite knew what hit him, but someone else did. My father happened to see all that happened and waited for me to come home. 

I never quite knew what hit me, then! 

I learned an important lesson that day. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Accept that. If you do not accept defeat, and throw a tantrum and get caught, a higher authority swiftly doles out punishment. A sore backside and  apologizing  to an idiot  are the two basic elements of a retribution. 

More than a tender backside hurt. 

I sulked at the whole episode. My Father, fair minded as he was, could not bear my sulky face for long. So one day, he came home with a lumpy parcel and gave it to me. Wicked that I was, I was all prepared to  ignore this friendly overture, but a heavenly smell wafted to my nose. It was sweet and the lumpy parcel was soft and my mouth was watering. The combination was too tempting to act sulky. I smiled benignly and ripped open the parcel to find thick slabs of cake, soft, sweet and rich! mmm - mmm- mmm! It was one amazing cake! 

A few weeks ago, I picked up a book at the local library and looked at all the recipes and the pictures. Drooled over all of them. But this cake recipe brought back memories that were locked up in one corner of my mind, collecting dust. 

I am not confident when baking. I envy the Daring Bakers. Every now and then, however, I venture into this realm and experiment. This was one successful experiment!

The last time I made a cake ,was a success and spurred by that I decided to experiment some more. I am glad I did! 

This cake is rich, soft, light, very moist and melt-in-the-mouth! And very easy to make. Anyone can bake it!  It won two thumbs up from all my friends :)

Source:  Here

1 1/2 Cup All purpose flour

2 1/4  tsp Baking powder

1/4 tsp Salt

2 sticks butter softened ( I used 1 scant cup oil)

1 generous cup  superfine sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten with

1 tsp Vanilla extract

8 oz/ 1 c grated coconut (fresh/ frozen)  - do not use dry shredded coconut

       

Allow the frozen coconut to come to room temp.

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease pan, set aside

Sift the flour with baking powder and salt and set aside

Beat the butter and sugar until creamy and light in color

Lightly beat eggs with vanilla extract and then add to the mixture, little at a time, beating well after each addition.

Gently fold in the flour in 3 batches , then fold in the coconut and mix it just enough to  distribute  the coconut through out the cake

Bake in the oven for 35-40 mins. or until the cake is light and  golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. 

Cool on a wire rack.


Serve with a confident smile! 

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Corn pilaf

When I last blogged, I had no idea I was about to go on a break, a forced one, I must mention. Our old faithful ( laptop) valiantly survived many an attack at little S's little fingers. 

It withstood the plucking of it's keys, sticky fingers smudging it's face, sometimes even bearing  the weight of a toddler and most often, I  guiltily add, bearing the weight of the pictures I would keep adding. 

M kept reminding me, often, to take a back up, I'd nod  and go my way picking up this, cleaning that, chasing S, yelling at M to stop lecturing and get on with 'actually doing' something. 

I'd remember the back up late, late night and postpone it, I couldn't drag myself out of bed, I was too tired.

And then it happened, the old faithful gave up with a moan. I looked on helplessly  and quietly bundled it off into another room away from prying tiny fingers. It lay there, forgotten ... almost. Every few days I'd sadly glance at it, tsk, tsk,  hear a murmured " I told you.." from M and get on with life. I mourned the loss of my precious pictures, I had SO many waiting  to be blogged, blamed myself, to think I could 'atleast' have put the pictures on a post and saved it in the drafts! 

Then a couple of days ago, for no apparent reason, I picked up TOF (the old faithful) and trembling slightly plugged it in and powered it on, groan by groan the wretched thing started and thankfully I rescued a few pictures before it collapsed yet again.

Glad I had at least something, I spat on my hands ( well, not really... c'mon!) and got down to blogging! 

I had this recipe scribbled on a sheet of paper with no more than just that. Looks like it is an old  recipe that I had scribbled and forgotten  all about. 

Simple and delicious  describes this rice dish well and is an excellent idea for a lunch box or a potluck.

1 Cup Basmati Rice
1 Tbs Ghee
1/4 tsp. Black pepper
1 inch Cinnamon stick
1/2 cup Spring Onions chopped
1/2 cup Green Bell Pepper chopped
1 cup corn kernels ( I used frozen)
2 Cups Water
Salt to taste

Wash the rice thoroughly in 3-4 changes of water and soak in fresh water for 30 mins. Drain

Heat Ghee, add black pepper and cinnamon stick

Add  chopped spring onion (i used the greens as well) pepper and corn for half a minute

 At this stage I transfer the vegetable mix to my rice cooker and add rest of the ingredients and let it cook away.

For stove top method :

Add soaked rice, water and salt to taste, bring to a boil

Cover and cook  till water evaporates  and rice is cooked

Serve hot with pickle and papad. Enjoy.

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Gajar Matar Pulav ( Carrot- Peas Pilaf)

When I first visited Peoria, a small city in Illinois, I had no idea and no wish to call it home. I was happy and content living in Los Angeles, who wouldn't be? Sunshine, palm trees swaying to the breeze, everything close to home, a ton of friends. Life was great, like a jigsaw puzzle, all the pieces in their  place. 

The only thing that made me unhappy was that M had to travel  to work and  S and I missed him, a lot. Weekends were full of chores and that was not what I wanted. I wanted us to enjoy the beautiful weather and be together.

Well, I got my wish, almost........... we moved out of sunny LA and plonk, in the middle of cold city which looked and felt strange and with no friends, no smiling faces. Then I met a friendly girl and we  liked one another, but there was a snag, she was  going to India for a 2 month holiday. sigh!

Much as I had wanted this, this wasn't the exact thing I wanted. Make sense?  I felt just as jumbled as the sentence. 

We faced our very first 'snowy' winter, that in itself was not as bad ( huh?!!), the snow was a novelty, but as the snow stopped and we waited for spring, time hung heavily on our hands. S and I would long for fair weather when we could go out for walks. On one such walk I made a new friend. She was playing with her son, who looked my son's age or a tad older. I walked over and we smiled at one another and then things fell into place. Like a jigsaw. 

That day, it felt like spring. Things 'clicked' and  soon, just like my LA days, we formed a group and started meeting everyday. Potlucks, mixed lunches ( bring what you have and let's enjoy types)  became  necessary. Tea and tea time snacks, baking bread and  talking about anything and everything became  order of the day.

Time no longer hung heavily on our hands, the boys play together or at least in the same room without any upheavals and we are happy once again! 

On one such potluck I made this gajar matar pilaf ( Carrot- Peas Pilaf). It is pure simplicity and tastes good. A minimum list of ingredients and comes together quickly and looks colorful. 

I serve this pilaf with kadhi and pickles (or papad) 

You need:

1 Cup long grained Rice- Basmati

2 Tbsp. Ghee

2 Cloves

1 tsp Cumin seeds

2 Carrots, peeled and cubed

1/2 Cup Green Peas ( fresh or frozen)

Salt to taste

Wash the rice in 3-4 changes of water, top with fresh water and keep aside for at least 20 minutes. Drain completely before using.

In a thick bottomed vessel, heat ghee on a medium high heat, add the cloves and cumin seed

Saute till the seasoning sizzles

Add the vegetables and then the rice and stir briefly to ensure the seasoning coats the vegetables and rice.** 

Add 2 cups water, salt to taste and cover and cook till rice is cooked through and is fluffy ( each grain is cooked and separate)

OR, I usually after ** this stage, transfer all the contents to the rice cooker and let it cook while I start on something else. Totally hassle free! 

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A simple Vanilla cake using Oil

How often have you seen a child straining at his/ her Mother's hand and demanding something .. anything? 

How often have you done that as a  child? I know I have. Almost every time I stepped  out of the house with my parents, something fancy (IMHO) and utterly useless ( in my parents opinion) would engage me, so much so , that I'd refuse to budge without claiming it as my own. I was around 3 or 4 years old then.

Shortly after our  home started bearing a very strong resemblance to a toy store, my parents took to warning me at the first sight of a demand rearing it's greedy head, " Asa vaglis tar police kaka dumm bhartil, oradtil  tula... chalel ka?" ( meaning: If you behave like this, that policeman will take you to task, do you want that?)

For some time, I was down ( but not out, oh no, no.... definitely not out! ). I would meekly walk on, after putting  my soul into my eyes and looking with undisguised longing at a toy and then very meaningfully at my Mother or Father. They remained unmoved and the 'police kaka' remained in his 'chowki' and peace in my parents hearts and minds and purses.


Until one day, I could no longer bear it, I saw one particular toy I wanted needed, it felt like my existence depended on it ( yeah, right!) Necessity like this makes heroes out of the meekest, and so when I began asking for the toy, my Mother simply pointed to the policeman sitting in his booth ( this booth was in  the apartment community we lived and  most of the time, the cops would sit idle), the policeman had nothing to do and so  looked at me  and wiggled his bushy eyebrows and  and said," aaann?" That was it, the last straw on the proverbial camel's back, I looked at my Mom and  then defiantly at the cop , and mustering all the courage a 3 or 4 year old could, told him , "aaaap"  and brought a trembling finger to my pursed lips, indicating that he put a lid on it.
The cop was shocked into silence and my Mother, thoroughly embarrassed and wanting a quick exit, bought me the toy and I beamed at the world with the trophy in my hand.


Now, why am I relating all this here? Because I occasionally adopt the age old technique of 'police kaka' with my son. He is yet to assert himself with one, but something  happened the other day. 
It was a beautiful day, cool crisp breeze , not really sunny, but not cloudy either, you know what I mean... in short a perfect day for a walk after the bad weather.Little S and I went out  for a small walk. The pattern is, I walk, he skips or jumps ahead of me, looking back every few steps just to make sure I am there and also sometimes seeking non-verbal reassurance that he is allowed to skip or run as long as he sticks to the side walk. 
On this particular afternoon, we were sauntering at our own pace and suddenly he stopped in his tracks and waited for me to catch up, there was a police car parked in front of one building. In a hushed tone he told me , "poos"(his word for police). His eyes wide, he glanced up at me, I smiled and affirmed that this was a 'poos car'. I looked at the car and at that precise moment I felt his tiny warm hand slip into mine. I clasped it lovingly and firmly and fell in step with him.  Reassured that  no one, not even a 'poos' can harm him when he is with Mommy, my little boy skipped , holding  onto my hand and a triumphant smile on his lips. 

Later, as he slept, I stole a kiss and decided to bake  him a cake, for his unconditional love and trust in me, for holding my hand and touching my heart .

Source: Kaboose

Makes Two 9-inch (23-cm) round layers or one 9- x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) rectangular cake.

• 2 cups (500 mL) sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2-1/2 cups (625 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (250 mL) milk
• 3/4 cup (175 mL) vegetable oil
• 2-1/4 teaspoons (11 mL) baking powder
• 1 teaspoon (5 mL) vanilla

Cooking Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line two 9-inch (23-cm) round cake pans or one 9x13-inch (23 x 33 cm) rectangular baking pan with parchment paper. Grease the paper and the sides of the pan well.
2. In a large mixing bowl, with an electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs together until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Add flour, milk, oil, baking powder, and vanilla and beat for another minute, just until the batter is smooth and creamy. Don't over beat. Pour batter into the prepared baking pan(s).
3. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick poked into the center of the layer comes out clean. (A single rectangular pan will take longer to bake than two round ones.) Loosen the sides of the cake from the pan with a thin knife, then turn out onto a rack and peel off the paper. Let cool completely before covering with frosting, if desired.

Verdict:   
YUMMY CAKE! in Little S's words. 
This was the first time I had baked a cake with no butter, instead using oil. I was nervous, I am no baker, but this cake is really very simple and easy to make and very light and tasty. It is sweet, but not overly so, just the right amount of sugar. 
The only thing that did not stick to the recipe was the baking time indicated. My cake required about an hour, but this could be  my oven, so if you do try this, check the cake at the 30-40 minute mark.

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Kandi Podi aka Gun Powder!

Four cousins sat in a line with 'kelichi pana'  (Banana leaf used as plates) and chanted, "toop, mith, bhaat....... toop, mith, bhaat..." This was  standard behavior for us (cousins) when we met  at a family get together, we were a 'gang' of 4 and each spaced a year behind the other. It was natural that we stuck to one another, thru thick and thin and mischief. Our behavior patterns were also similar, we almost always got into trouble  at the same time and for similar reasons, resulting in punishments and timeouts. 

Our liking for food also seemed similar, for example, we went thru this 'tup (clarified butter), mith (salt), bhaat (rice)' stage for  a whole year, at every single family get together, we would sit in a line and chant the same thing, we totally ignored all other delicacies prepared and plowed our way thru mounds of soft, warm rice, drizzled generously with ghee (  toop/ clarified butter) and sprinkled with salt. 

Then came the metkut-bhaat stage, which to this day is my comfort food. When I was little , I would sit at the table near my father and wait till he mixed  rice with the spice powder, ghee (in his plate and then transfer it to mine, 'Baba mixing it in his plate' was the key, IMHO)  and savor every bite, ask for seconds and call it a meal.

For several years I was a confirmed metkut addict and knew only this one spice powder, that was until a certain guy came into my life and we tied the knot and he whisked me away to Bangalore.

He would praise (understatement) the food he ate and I would wonder how he liked eating out SO much ( I still do) , I mean, eating out once in a while is fun, but home food is home food, isn't it? Not quite! 

On my arrival in B'lore, M was very excited to take me around, the restaurants, that is. Now get this, the new bride that I was, I wanted to cook at home and show him my amateur culinary skills and he wanted  me to go to all his favorite haunts! Talk about clashing ideas at the beginning! 

But I gave in and we started our tour of Bhimas, Nandhini Palace, RR's, Madhuri, Gongura, a few among the hundreds of Andhra restaurants.

I had visited B'lore earlier and had a taste of my very first Andhra meal ( at Nagarjuna), but that was several years ago, while I remembered that the food was awesome, I did not particularly recollect eating Kandi podi, aka Gun Powder. And so, this time around, when we sat in one restaurant, and the server put a generous mound of rice and ladled ghee, yes, yes, ladled as far as I was concerned, M directed me to add the spice powder, 'gun powder' and dived into it with such an expression of happiness that I had no doubt, this *must* be dynamite! And it was. 

For me it was love at first bite, and the second and the third.. you get the general idea. We waddled out of the restaurant, replete and content. That was 5 years ago.

After I began blogging a world of recipes was opened up to me, I tried several things, liked so many things but somehow, M and I kept going back to our comfort food, metkut-bhaat and sometimes kandi podi- bhaat.  I have tried many versions and in my opinion, it is a flexible recipe, the star ingredient being Toor daal, don't mess with that. 

It was only after my parents tasted this spice powder and liked it as much as we do, that I thought of putting it on the blog

I googled several recipes and the final outcome, therefore was a mix, here are some of the sites I referred to.

The final ingredients I used are: 

10-15 Dry Red chilies ( use the mentioned quantity IF the chilies you have are mild- adjust as per your level of heat tolerance) 1 cup Toor dal ( regular, not the oily kind) 1 cup Dalia (Roasted Gram Dal) Approx. 1 tbsp. Cumin / Jeera 3-4 garlic cloves About 2 sprigs Curry leaves 1 tsp of Asafetida/ Hing

Heat a griddle on med- high,( the ingredients should be dry roasted) add Toor Daal, toss in the cumin seeds and reduce the heat to medium, roast until the toor daal is a couple of shades darker add the curry leaves and dry red chilies. Add in the garlic and asafetida and roasted gram daal/ Dalia.

DRY roast all these ingredients well. By now the spices should be very aromatic.

Take the griddle off the heat and transfer contents onto a plate to cool ( keeping the mix in the hot skillet will over roast the daal and spices and may burn them, if not over roasting may lead to a bitter taste)

Once the spice is cool, grind to a fine powder. 

Store in an airtight container.

To enjoy kandi podi, serve along with hot, steaming rice, drizzle with ghee, add salt as required , mix and eat. 

My Andhra friends tell me that they  serve thinly slices raw onion  along with this rice-ghee and gunpowder mix, I have personally never tried it, but if you do, let me know how you like it.

*Notes:

-You can substitute regular Chana daal instead of Roasted Gram Daal

- You can add red chili powder instead of whole dry red chilies, only add the powder when grinding the roasted mix

- You can add moong daal (yellow) as well, halve the roasted gram daal and include 1/2 cup moong daal.

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Kairi (Raw Mango) and Jaggery Chutney

My Mother makes this AMAZING chutney. Have I said that before?? Well, then this is another AMAZING chutney she makes.  This is a must in every summer, when raw mangoes hit the Indian streets and  it is the season to make pickles  and panha. 
I bet almost every household has a version of Kairi Chutney and this is my Mom's version, with it's roots in Bijapur and my  paternal Grandmother who may have passed it on to her.
The definition of chutney (A pungent relish made of fruits, spices, and herbs) was probably drawn from this type of recipe. 
Taste, texture you name it, this has it. Raw mango is mouth puckeringly tart and the jaggery balances the sour to seduce your taste buds and make you crave more.

You dip idlis, dosa and wada morsels in it, not content mix it with rice ( plain or with yogurt rice) and you still long for more and slather it on a slice of bread and gobble it up. 
This is one chutney that  may not find it's way in the fridge or if it does not for more than 24 hours ( summer heat makes the coconut smell rancid, so it is safer to keep any leftover chutney in the fridge  after a meal)

My Mom made this very frequently when I visited India last year. I am planning on using frozen raw mango slices to re-create the magic. 

Has anyone used frozen raw mango? Is it as good ( well, as good as frozen can get) or should I say, as tart as fresh raw mango? Do share any tips you may have.

1 Raw Mango / Kairi  (Peeled and cut into small pieces)

1/2 tsp Fenugreek /  Methi seeds

1/2  Coconut scraped / shredded fresh coconut

2 Tbsp. Urid  Dal

1 ½ cup Byadgi Red dry chilies (these are not so hot and  lend color, if using any other variety of dry red chilies, use about 4 and add a teaspoon of 'kashmiri' red chili powder)

Few Curry leaves

1/2 tsp. Asafetida/ Hing

Jaggery ( the amount of jaggery depends on how tart the raw mango is, the quantity must make the chutney sweet-n-sour)

Salt

Put 1 teaspoon oil in a pan
Add fenugreek seeds / methi and when the seeds are golden brown, remove and keep them aside to cool down. 
Add  some more oil and roast Urid dal , when it becomes golden brown, remove and keep it aside to cool down. 
Roast Curry leaves in the same oil. 
Roast lightly Red dry chillies in same oil (add 1/2 tsp if needed). Keep it aside to cool down.

Take  the shredded coconut, add  Salt, Asafetida/hing,  Jaggrey, raw mango  and  all  the above  roasted items and blend to a  paste in the blender using water as and if needed ( use a Tbsp.  and add as required)
Serve as an accompaniment to idlis, dosa, wada. 

And now we move on to Sambar. This has to be the BEST sambar ever. I have experimented with loads of sambar recipes and different masalas- the bunch, but trust me this, is the REAL deal! 

A few weeks ago I was on a searching spree for a sambar that reminded me of the Udipi restaurants in Mumbai. 

I had sworn off sambar for months now and the urge to down a bowl full of spicy-tangy goodness was overwhelming. My search was rewarded ( and how) when I landed in Padma's kitchen. 

I was lucky that I had all the required ingredients in the fridge and set to work immediately. 
Here is her recipe with my modifications.

Source: Adapted from Pachakam

Cuisine: South Indian, Karnataka

Prep time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Makes: 5-6 people ( in my case 2 )

Ingredients:

1 cup Red gram dal/toovar dal/

2 cups mixed vegetables of your choice (Drumsticks/Eggplant/Yellow pumpkin, etc diced or cubed)- (I always have frozen drumsticks on hand, very convenient)

6-8 whole shallots/madras sambhar onions, peeled

1 plum tomato, cut into large chunks ( I used Roma and other times 2 canned whole peeled tomatoes - I puree the tomato)

3-4 green chillies, cut lengthwise-slit

2 tsps tamarind pulp (I used the readymade one here)

1 sprig of curry leaves (optional)

2 tsps of cilantro/coriander chopped¼ tsp turmeric powder/haldi

1 tbsp jaggery, grated

salt as per taste

for tempering /tadaka:

½ tsp mustard seeds

2-3 dry red chillies

¼ tsp asafetida

2 tsps cooking oil

Dry roast and grind to fine paste:

2 tsps of black gram dal/urad dal

2 tsps of cumin seeds/jeera

3 tsps of coriander seeds

½ tsp of fenugreek seeds/methi

4 dry red chillies

¾ cup fresh or frozen (thawed) grated coconut (I used frozen shredded coconut and reduced the quantity to 1/2 cup- personal preference) 

water as required to make smooth paste

Method:

Cook the dal with a pinch of turmeric and a tsp of oil in a cooker upto 3-4 whistles, mash it and while its still hot/warm and keep as side.

Meanwhile heat oil in a deep heavy bottom pan to make the sambhar

Add asafetida followed by shallots/madras sambhar onions, green chillies and half of the curry leaves off the sprig, and sauté until the onions become transparent and start to leave the juices.

Add the vegetables of your choice, tomato pieces and turmeric powder, if not adding any vegetables then add more shallots/madras sambhar onions.

Cook covered until the vegetables are cooked with enough water to cover the veggies, take care to retain their shape/texture.

Once thoroughly cooked add the tamarind pulp and cook covered until the raw smell of the tamarind goes off, approx 5 mins.

Add the ground paste, jaggery and salt to taste. Sambhar should not be too thick nor too watery, so add more water if necessary. You will notice that your kitchen is filled with nice aroma of this sambhar.

Once the mixture comes to a boil add the cooked dal, mix well and check for salt.

When the sambhar just begins to boil, switch off the stove. Make sure you don’t boil the sambhar after adding the dal coz the dal will lose its soft texture.

For tempering/ tadka:

Heat a tsp of oil in a small kadai, add the mustard seeds, when it starts to splutter add the dry red chillies, curry leaves and asafetida. fry for a min and pour over the sambhar.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with idlis, dosas, or plain rice.

The first time I made this sambar, I followed the recipe as it is and ended up with 2.5 liters of sambar. I was honestly taken aback! 2.5 liters, how many days would that last us? What if I have bungled up the recipe? what  am I to do if it does not taste as good as it should?

Well, I had no reason to worry, none at all! At the end of the meal, and I kid you not, I was washing the empty sauce pan. Yes, we had finished ALL of the 2.5 liters, every last drop! 

M voted this as the BEST sambar ever and it is an absolute favorite. I burped this update on Facebook and many of my friends wanted the recipe and have had the same results as I did after I forwarded the link on Padma's blog to them. Thank You Padma, for this wonderful recipe.

I served this  Sambar with 'Button Idlis'. these are the regular Idlis, just using a small  tiny molds. The idlis are the size of a quarter and strictly one bite. Perfect for a 2.5 year old, who is currently fascinated by all things small ( like this tiny jeep which zoomed into the picture taking area with a giggly "uh-oh")

And finally, Tahemeem has very generously shared a lovely award with me.Thank you so much! There are however, a few rules and  I apologize that I cannot fulfill the remaining 2 rules  in this post. I will   carry them forward to my next post and  complete  what I am leaving unfinished here. Please bear with me. 

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