Of Soups and Souffles

Cabbage Thoran

Yields: 2 Servings

3/4 cup cabbage, sliced thinly

1/4 cup shredded coconut

2 medium-sized red onions, sliced thinly

6 green chilies

2 dry red chilies

1 small clove of garlic

1/4 tsp. turmeric

1/4 tsp. asafoetida

For tempering:

3 tsp. fragrant oil such as coconut or mustard

1 tsp. mustard seeds

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1 tsp. urad (split black gram) dal

1 tsp. chana (Bengal gram) dal

a few Curry leaves

Salt to taste

Grind 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, the green chilies, garlic, and coconut to a smooth paste. Meanwhile, heat the oil and temper the mustard seeds, the urad and chana dals and the remaining cumin seeds, along with the curry leaves and the red chilies.When the mustard seeds start popping, add the sliced onions and saute‘ until they turn translucent. Add the coconut paste and the asafoetida and saute‘ until the raw smell goes away. Add the cabbage, the turmeric, salt, and a dash (just a dash, mind) of cold water. Cover, and let cook for 5-6 minutes. Serve hot with rotis or steamed Basmati rice.

Amti

Yields: 4-5 servings

1 cup toor dal (yellow split peas), cooked
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 pinch asafoetida
4-5 curry leaves
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tsp amti masala
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp tamarind paste
1 tsp jaggery or brown sugar
1 tbsp minced cilantro for garnish

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a saucepan. Make a “tadka” of mustard seeds, jeera seeds and asafoetida. Add curry leaves, onion and fry till onion is transluscent. Add amti masala, turmeric, salt, chilli powder and fry for a few seconds. Now add the cooked dal and enough water to make it the desired consistency. Finally stir in tamarind, jaggery and bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes and your amti is ready. Garnish with the cilantro.

Sundakkai Vatha Kuzhambu

Prepare the Vatha Kuzhambu powder first:

Equal quantities of toor daal, urad daal, channa daal, and a few whole black peppercorns (apprx. 1 tbsp of each for a 1 quart pot)

1. Roast all the ingredients and grind them to a coarse powder.

1 tsp mustard seeds, 2 tsp toor daal, 1 tsp urad daal, 1 tsp channa daal, 1 tbsp dried sundakkai, 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds, a pinch of asafetida, a few curry leaves, 1 cup tamarind juice (using 2″ball of tamarind), 1 cup water (guideline), 2 tbsp of the vatha kuzhambu powder, 2 tbsp red chili powder, salt

2.Splutter the mustard seeds in sesame oil, add the toor daal, urad daal, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves. Roast till they are golden brown.

3. Add the sundakkai, vatral kuzhambu powder, and red chili powder, and mix.

4. Add the tamarind juice, and water.

5. Boil this until it becomes concentrated, and add salt.

Keerai

3 cups spinach, washed, torn

1 tsp mustard seeds

2 tsp urad daal

3-4 dried red chilies

1 tsp cumin

salt

a pinch of asafoetida

1-2 tbsp oil

1.Heat half the oil and toss the spinach in it till it wilts. Let cool, and blend to a pulp. I like to keep it a bit coarse here.

2.Heat the rest of the oil and temper all the seeds and chilies till they splutter.

3. Add the spinach pulp and stir. Simmer for about 2 minutes.

Serve hot with rice and Vatha Kuzhambu.

Chakhwi
Serves 3-4

12 oz. tender bamboo shoots

2 medium sized potatoes, washed, peeled, cut in cubes

6 oz. durian seeds

6 oz. green papaya

2 tsp baking soda

10 fresh green chilies

2 tsp fresh grated ginger

1 tsp turmeric

12 kaffir lime leaves

(apprx.) 2 cups of rice flour

oil

salt

Wash, peel and grate the papaya. Cut the bamboo shoots into 1-2cm pieces. Make a paste with the rice flour and some water. Heat up a little oil and saute the chilies and ginger in it. Add the potatoes and stir fry for about a minute. Add water and cook the potatoes thoroughly. Halfway through, add the papaya, durian seeds, bamboo shoots, baking soda, and salt. Let about 1/4 the water evaporate. (abt 20 min) Reduce to a simmer. Add the rice flour paste and simmer. When the stew thickens, add the kaffir lime leaves and continue simmering for another 3-4 minutes. Serve hot with rice.

Bisibelabaath

1 1/2 cups rice
3/4 cup toor dal
1 cup mixed veggies-potato, carrot (diced/cubed); beans, peas
1 medium sized tomato
1 cup pearl onions, peeled
Essence of small golf ball sized wad of Tamarind, derived from soaking in warm (closer to hot) water
1 tsp Sambar powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
Salt
Spice Mix

Cook the dal and the rice separately. Saute’ the pearl onions in a tbsp of oil. When they turn caramel, add the tomato and fry for about a minute. Add the veggies and stir fry for about 2 more minutes. Add the tamarind essence and bring to a boil. Cook until the carrots are soft (15 min.). Note-if using frozen peas, add them only at the final 8 minutes. Be sure not to let all the liquid evaporate. Add the spice mix along with the rice to the cooked dal. Fold it in gently, don’t break up the rice too much lest it become gummy. Add the veggies in essence to this, with the sambar powder, turmeric, and salt. Mix thoroughly.

Serve hot with roasted papads and pachadi: Beat 3/4 cup of thick plain yogurt with some water (depending on how thick you prefer it). Add salt, thinly sliced red onions and chopped cilantro. If you like pachadi with tempering, splutter some mustard seeds with a dry red chili and a few curry leaves in a tsp of oil and add to the yogurt.

Khaman Dhokla

2 cups Besan

1 cup plain yoghurt

Salt

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp ginger, minced

1 tbsp green chillies, finely chopped

1 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp oil .

1 tbsp lemon juice .

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tbsp coriander, chopped

1/2 cup coconut flakes

Add beaten yogurt and warm water to the besan and whisk until no lumps remain. The mixture should be a little thick. Add salt and let sit, covered, to ferment for 3-4 hours. Grind the green chillies and ginger into a paste. When the besan and yogurt mixture has fermented, add the chillie/ginger paste. Add turmeric powder and correct seasoning. Grease a heavy-bottomed skillet and heat. In a small bowl mix the baking soda, 1 tsp oil and the lemon juice. Mix and add to the besan mixture. Pour the batter into the skillet and steam for 10-12 minutes. When a little cool, cut into squares and set aside. Splutter the mustard seeds in oil, remove, and pour over the dhoklas. Garnish with the coriander and coconut flakes, and serve with mint/tamarind chutney.

Chavli Amti

Serves 4

1 cup Whole Black-eyed Peas (Chavli), soaked overnight and boiled till tender
1/2 cup onion, sliced
1/2 cup tomato puree/1 tomato, chopped fine
1 tsp curry powder of your choice (garam masala/sambar masala etc)
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste

For tadka:
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
4-5 curry leaves
1/8 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp turmeric

For masala paste
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
3-4 red chillies
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 onion, chopped
3 tbsp grated unsweetened coconut

Make masala paste by frying all the ingredients in the oil till lightly toasted and then grind fine. Make the tadka by heating oil, then adding the rest of the ingredients and frying for a minute or two. Add the sliced onion and fry till well browned. Add tomato, salt, sugar, curry powder and masala paste and fry well. Add the boiled chavli, bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, then serve hot garnished with cilantro.

Taporia

3 tbsp besan (chickpea flour)

5-6 hot green chilies, chopped

2 green bell peppers, de-seeded and chopped into chunks

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1/4 tsp asafoetida

1 tsp fennel powder

2 tsp coriander powder

2 tsp amchur (dried mango) powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Salt

4-5 tbsp water

Dry roast the besan on a heavy bottomed skillet for about 4-5 min., stirring constantly. Keep an eye on the besan, for it roasts very quickly and could burn.

Remove from heat and cool.

Heat the oil in the same pan and temper the seeds. Add the chilies and peppers and stir until well-mixed with the tempered seeds. Add the water. Cover and cook for 4-5 min. Remove lid and add the powders and the salt. Stir for 2-3 min. Add the roasted besan and stir it in. Keep scraping the bottom of the pan to dislodge any residue besan.

When it has browned a bit, remove from heat and serve hot with puris or rotis.

Dal w/ Greens

Collard Greens – 4 leaves, choppeda with stems
Moong dal – ½ cup
Tomatoes-2, chopped
Grated coconut – 2 tbsp
Green chillies 2
Cumin seeds – 2 tsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Curry leaves –a few
Turmeric powder – 1 tsp
Oil – 1 tsp
Salt

Cook the dal, collard greens, tomatoes, green chillies, cumin seeds and turmeric powder with 3 cups of water. Add coconut and salt to the cooked dal. Using a hand blender, lightly blend, till the greens and tomatoes are chopped into smaller pieces.

In a seasoning pan, heat oil, splutter mustard seeds and toast curry leaves. Add to the dal. Serve hot with any spicy sautéed vegetable and rice lightly drizzled with ghee.

Poricha Kootu w/ Purslane

Purslane – 3 bunches, chopped coarsely with stems
Roasted Chana Dal – 2 tbsp, powdered
Ginger – 1 inch piece
Garlic – 2 cloves
Green chillies – 4
Cilantro – ½ cup
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Urad dal – 2 tsp
Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
Oil – 1 tbsp
Salt

Blend ginger, garlic, green chillies and cilantro into a smooth paste with little water. In a pan heat oil, splutter mustard seeds and roast urad dal until golden brown. Add the greens, turmeric powder and cook covered until the greens are done. Add the ground paste and salt, and cook for additional two minutes. Remove from heat and add powdered gram. Serve with rice and vegetables.

Molagoottal

Toor Dal – 1 cup
Spinach – 1 packet or 4-6 bunches…. i use baby spinach….much tastier
Red Chilly whole – 3
Jeera – 1 tsp
Coconut – 1/2 cup
Urad dal – 2 tsp.
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp.
Salt – to taste

Oil – 1 tsp.

For tadka:

Oil – 1 tsp.
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp.

Cook the dal and keep aside. Chop the spinach finely and cook with some salt and turmeric.
Mash the spinach. Fry the red chilly and urad dal in a tsp. of oil and then blend it with jeera and coconut to a smooth paste. Add the above ground mixture to the dal and mix well and add to the mashed/pureed spinach. Keep medium-high heat and allow it to boil for 5 minutes. Add the tadka before serving.

Mor Kali

Serves 2

2 c Rice flour
2 c Plain Yogurt/Buttermilk
Water
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
a pinch of Asafoetida
1/4 tsp bengal gram seeds
5 pieces of mor milagai/3 dried red chilies
2 tsp oil

Mix the rice flour, buttermilk and water with salt into a thin but not very watery batter. Then in a kadai (preferably non-stick), temper the mustard, cumin and bengal gram seeds in oil.Add the asafoetida and cook for 2 mins. Now add mor milagais/red chillies and saute for 3 mins. Pour the batter onto the kadai. Stir continuously, while it’s being cooked. Continue to cook, covered, for 2-3 minutes. Let a golden brown kandhal form, and remove from heat.

Sarson ka Saag
Serves 4

1 1/2 lb mustard greens
1/2 lb spinach
1/3 C makki ka atta, (NOT cornstarch) or cornmeal
2 tbsp ghee (or unsalted butter)
2 tbsp grated ginger
1 C chopped onion
1 C chopped tomatoes
3-4 slit green chillies
salt
additional ghee for serving

Wash the greens, including the tougher stems, and chop very fine. Pressure cook with a little water till tender. Alternately, cook covered over gentle heat till tender. Mash, taking care to not make a fine puree. Continue to simmer. Stir in corn flour and cook till creamy.

For preparing the tadka, heat the ghee, add ginger, followed by chopped onions, and cook till the onions are transparent. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring constantly over medium heat, till the tomatoes are mushy and the fat has risen to the surface. Add slit green chillies and stir. Add the cooked greens and salt, and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Serve hot with makki ki roti.

Makki ki Roti

3 C makki ka atta (or fine cornmeal)
salt
very hot water

Take all the ingredients in a bowl and add hot water. Mix with a wooden spoon. Keep covered till it is cool enough to be kneaded by hand. Knead for a few minutes. Hot water helps obtain a softer dough that doesn’t fray at the edges when rolled. Divide into 8-10 portions. Roll out, one at a time, into 1/8 inch thick circles 5-6 inch diameter. Cook on medium heat on a cast iron griddle, with a brushing of oil, ghee, or butter.

Aloo Tikki

6 – 8 medium size potatoes
1/2 cup (frozen/cooked) peas
1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
1 green chili, finely chopped
cilantro, freshly chopped
1 – 2 tsp red chili powder
salt
3 – 4 tbsp bread crumbs
1 – 2 tsp garam masala
Oil for cooking

Cook the potatoes, mash them finely. Mix with all the other ingredients. Flatten small balls of the mixture, one at a time, between your palms. Heat a non-sick pan or iron skillet and drizzle some oil. Cook the patties on medium flame. Once golden brown, flip to cook on the other side. Add more oil as needed.

Serve with Chutney, or Maggi sauce.

Bhindi Masala

1 lb okra
1 medium onion
1-2 ripe tomatoes
2-3 tbsp oil
1 tsp ghee
a pinch of mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
few pinches ground black pepper
1/2 tsp amchoor
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Clean the okra with a damp towel, and slice each pod into thin rounds, discarding the ends. Slice the onion thinly and chop the tomato finely.

In a large wok, heat the oil and ghee, and add mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add the cumin and fennel seeds, followed by onion, and saute for a minute. Add turmeric and okra and saute till it starts to change color slightly. Let it cook for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes and chili powder, and continue to stir-fry on medium-low heat until everything is cooked, which should take about 5-10 minutes. Add salt, and the remaining spices, and keep cooking for a few more minutes on low heat, stirring if required. Garnish with cilantro.

Uppadam

Okra 10, cut into 1 inch pieces
Tamarind extract – 1 ½ tbsp
Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp
Red chillies – 5
Green chillies – 2
Rice – 3 tbsp
Manathakkali/Sundakkai vathal – 2 tsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Salt
Oil

In a dry skillet, roast the rice, red chillies and ½ tsp of the fenugreek seeds, each separately. The rice should release its aroma, fenugreek seeds and red chillies should turn dark brown. Allow them to cool and grind them to a fine powder. Transfer this to a bowl and mix it with 2 cups of water making sure there are no lumps. Set aside.

In the same skillet, heat a tsp of oil. Splutter mustard seeds. Add fenugreek seeds, okra and green chillies and the vatha,l in that order. After the okra turns bright green, add tamarind paste, 1 cup of water and salt. Boil till tamarind doesn’t smell raw anymore.

Now add the prepared rice paste to the skillet. Boil for 10 minutes on low flame, while the sauce thickens. Serve with plain rice.

Pepper Curry

2-3 green, red, orange & yellow peppers (bell or a mixed variety), chopped
1 small onion, sliced
1 tomato, diced

For the base:-

1 cup of peanuts, skins removed
1 tsp red chilli powder
2 tbsp tamarind extract
2 tsp of sugar
2 cloves, 1 small cinnamon stick

1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt.
Grind all the above into a smooth paste with water.

Temper the cumin and mustard seeds in oil. Add the cut bell pepper, tomato and onion pieces and saute. Add the prepared peanut paste and half cup of water and mix them together. Don’t dilute the gravy too much. Add the sugar, salt and red chilli powder if needed. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes on medium flame, covered, stirring occasionally, till the bell peppers become tender and the gravy thickens.