Poondu Rasam – a flavorful garlic soup with tomatoes and lentils

Background:

Poondu rasam is the somewhat distant cousin of the regular rasam I made. One that visited once in a blue moon. Being married to a person who’s definition of masala started with garlic, it is not easy to incorporate this pungent pod in most of my dishes. I would sneak it in sometimes in other stronger tasting side dishes. Rasam being the delicate soup it is was not one to mask the flavor of garlic rather the one to highlight it. On rare days when I felt the rebel in me peek out I made this.

Stuff you will need:

A marble sized ball of tamarind soaked and juice extracted
2 small tomatoes diced
1 green chilly slit
1 pod of garlic – crushed or finely diced
Salt to taste
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 pinch of asafoetida
1 handful thuvar dhal – cooked and mashed
1 tbsp ghee
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 handful coriander leaves chopped roughly

How to make it?

In a thick bottomed vessel add diced tomatoes, tamarind juice, salt, turmeric and asafoetida. Cook on medium heat till it starts frothing and raw smell of tamarind goes away. Add the cooked and mashed thuvar dhal and add water if volume is less. In another small pan heat the ghee and add mustard seeds till they start popping. Add the green chilly and the diced or crushed garlic. When done add this to the boiling rasam. Garnish with cut coriander and cover to lock in flavors.

Serve four

Special Notes:

This rasam does not call for rasam or sambar powder that is a staple of most paruppu rasams. However the green chilly may be substituted by 1 tsp of sambar powder.

Chaat – Bhel Puri a.k.a crunchy colorful spicy salad

Background:

Quick and easy. My favorite snack and at times dinner. Packs in goodness of colorful veggies and the crunch of desi sev and puris. Lends itself to infinite customization and can be made with as many or as less ingredients on hand.

Stuff you will need:

2 cups bhel mix or a combo of thin sev, murmura (pori) or even mixture
2 tbsp date/tamarind sauce (available at Indian stores)
2 tbsp mint or coriander chutney
1 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp chaat masala
2 carrots peeled and grated
2 handfuls sprouted whole moong
1 small onion peeled and chopped fine
1/2 inch ginger peeled and grated
1 green chilly chopped fine
2 medium tomatoes chopped fine
1 potato steamed and cubed
Coriander – chopped fine to garnish
Salted peanuts – a handful

How to make it?

In a large bowl combine all the chopped and grated veggies. Add the peanuts. Add the sauces and the chaat masala. Mix well. Add the 2 cups of bhel mix. Fold in. Mix well and serve garnished with chopped coriander.

Serves two

Special notes:

2 tbsps of thick yogurt may be added to give a different taste to the dish. Get creative by adding colorful peppers chopped well. Or pander to a sweet tooth by adding chopped apples or green apples.

Morkuzhambu – Buttermilk gravy spiced with coconut and cumin

Background:

Considering parupu usili is a favorite in our household and morkuzhambu is often spoken of in the same breath, it is only natural that I feel the need to record my way of making this no fuss side.

Stuff you will need:

Thick curds – 1 cup
Coconut gratings – 2 handfuls
Green chillies – 5
Ginger – 1/2 inch piece
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Bengal gram dhal  – 1 tsp pre soaked
Curry leaves – 1 sprig chopped
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Oil to season
Okra or pumpkin: 10 pieces each about an inch long.

How to make it?

Grind coconut, green chillies, cumin seeds, soaked bengal gram dhal to a fine paste using little water. Beat the curds to fine consistency and mix the coconut paste in. Add salt. If adding okra, fry it in oil till brown and add it to the curd coconut mixture. If using pumpkin cook it in little water ahead of time and add to mixture. Now heat this concoction on low flame stirring occasionally till the sides start to bubble. Turn heat off and garnish with mustard seeds tempered in oil. Add curry leaves and mix in.

Serves four

Special Notes:

If too much of coconut is not desired using a little more of the bengal gram dhal while grinding the paste. Morkuzhambu can also be made without any vegetables. Goes well with hot rice and parupu usili.

Homemade Thayir, Dahi, Curds or Yogurt in colder climes

Background:

As a new bride I struggled to make thayir like amma made. I tried to emulate what I had seen her do with drastically different results. Over the years, talking to old hands at this, I have discovered a way that makes my thayir almost as good as hers. This applies to colder climes.

Stuff you will need:

2% Milk – 1 liter
Left over thayir – 1 tbsp

How to make it?

Boil milk till it really is ready to boil over. Remove from heat and let cool till you can put your hands around the vessel and hold it there for 10 secs. At this point stir in the thayir. Close the vessel. If you are doing this overnight, let the microwave run for about a minute or two empty. When done, move the vessel containing the milk and close. Leave undisturbed for about 8 hours. Thayir is ready.

Serves four

Special notes:

I have experimented with putting it in the oven and leaving the oven light on, the thayir sets no doubt but becomes sour quick.

Godhuma Dosai – Wheat flour crepes/pancakes with green chillies and ginger

Background:

Days when I have had enough of quick and easy upmas and pongals, I turn to this favorite. Easy enough to whip up and a novel change from the rice based dishes, K and I love it with a side of peanut chutney

Stuff you will need:

Wheat flour – 2 cups
Rice flour – 1 cup
Salt – 1-1/4 tsp
Asafoetida – 1 tsp
Buttermilk – 3/4 cup
Cumin seeds – 2 tsp
Black pepper – 2 tsp – broken into halves
Water – 6 cups
Green chillies – 1 – chopped
Ginger – 1/2 inch cube – chopped
Oil to shallow fry

How to make it?

Mix all ingredients and blend well with a hand blender. Let it sit for 30 minutes. On a flat tava or pan spread a few drops of oil and then ladle out two scoops of the batter in a random fashion. The batter being watery will form unusual patterns. DO NOT try spreading like you would do a dosai. Add drops of oil along the sides and cook on medium high heat till edges brown and the surface looks cooked. Turn over using a flat spatula and let cook for a couple of minutes before transferring to a plate.

Serve hot with chutney

Makes 15 crepes

Special Notes:

Curry leaves are optional. Experiment with Wheat flour/Rice Flour proportion to make dosais softer or crispier. Rice flour makes it crispy while Wheat Flour makes it softer.  To make peanut chutney roast peanuts and grind with salt, a pea sized bit of tamarind,2 read chillies and some water.

Lemon and rice make for a spicy lunch

Background:

Lemon rice for me is like a quick fix. A last minute resort when I can’t think of what to make to supplement what I already have. The dish I make when I have a get-together and get this sinking feeling food is not going to be enough.

Stuff you will need:

Rice 1 cup
Lemon/Lime – 2 – squeezed
Turmeric – 1 tsp
Urad dhal – 1 tsp
Bengal gram dhal – 1 handful – soaked for 30 mins and drained (optional)
Peanuts – 1 handful – dry roasted
Curry leaves – 1 sprig – chopped
Ginger – 1/2 inch cube chopped
Green chillies  – 2 slit
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Gingelly oil – 2 tsp
Canola oil – 2 tsp
Asafoetida – 1 pinch
Salt to taste

How to make it?

Pressure cook 1 cup rice with 2.5 cups of water. Once done add gingelly oil and spread out to cool. In a small pan heat canola oil , add mustard and when it pops add urad dhal, soaked and drained bengal gram dhal, asafoetida, turmeric, chillies, ginger, peanuts and curry leaves. When fried, remove from heat and add juice from the lemon/lime and salt to taste. Pour this mixture on top of the cooled separated rice and slowly mix in without mashing the rice.

Serves two

Special notes:

I soak and drain bengal gram dhal because it makes it softer. That step can be omitted. I usually serve lemon rice with vadam or any kind of poduthuval.

Rava upma – cream of wheat seasoned with mustard seeds and curry leaves

Background:

This is a staple in our home. If we are very hungry and really need to eat NOW, I make this. If we have plenty of guests at home and not all of them enjoy cereal or bread, I make this. It is versatile and most important quick.

Stuff you will need:

1 cup rava
2 green chillies – slit
Curry leaves – 1 sprig, washed and cut
Ginger – 1/2 cube shredded
Asafoetida – 1 pinch
Salt to taste
Mustard – 1 tsp
Urad dhal – 1 tsp
Bengal Gram dhal – 1 tsp
Cashews – 4-5 split, broken and roasted in ghee – (Optional)
Ghee/Oil – 2 tbsps
Lemon juice – 2 tsp

How to make it?

Roast rava in 1 tsp ghee till reddish brown. Set aside. Heat remaining ghee or mix of oil and ghee in a pan. Add mustard and when it pops add urad dhal and bengal gram dhal. Add asafoetida, curry leaves, green chillies and ginger. Saute. Add 2.5 cups of water and cover till it comes to a rolling boil. Add salt to taste and slowly add roasted rava in a circular motion stirring all the while so it does not form lumps. Lower heat to medium and cover and cook for 2 – 3 minutes. Spoon in a tsp of ghee and 2 tsp lemon juice. Mix in and turn off heat. Serve hot with chutney or eat as is

Garnish with cashews if using.

Serves two

Special Notes:

Vegetables like onion, carrot, potato, green peas may be added and sauteed with the seasoning before adding water to make kichidi.

Cracked wheat (Dalia) upma – Wholesome and healthy

Background:

Broken wheat or cracked wheat has long been touted as a better grain for people with metabolism issues. Because it is a whole grain and has fiber, it is digested slowly and creates a fuller feeling when compared to an equivalent serving of rice or other carbs that get broken down faster.

So, given my slow metabolism I often use this as a substitute for rice or cream of wheat. I make upma out of it or just use it in place of rice.

Stuff you will need:

Broken wheat – 1 cup
Green Chillies – 3 slit
Ginger 1 inch cube – shredded
Curry leaves – a handful, minced
Black pepper – crushed 1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 2 tsp
Asafoetida – 1 pinch
Mustard seeds – 2 tsp
Urad dhal – 2 tsp
Bengal gram dhal – 2 tsp
Ghee – 2 tsp
Oil – 3 tsp
Salt to taste
1/2 lime – to squeeze at the very end

How to make it?

Roast broken wheat in ghee till it smells good.  Set aside. In a covered pan/small pressure cooker heat oil and add mustard seeds. When it pops, add bengal gram dhal, urad dhal, asafoetida, cumin seeds, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves. Stir till ginger looks fried. Add 2.5 – 2.75 cups of water (depending on the size of the broken wheat. If size is large go for 2.75 – 3 cups else 2.5 cups). Add salt and cover till the water comes to a rolling boil. Now slowly add the roasted broken wheat and stir it in without lumps. Cover/Pressure cook till cooked well.

Fluff up and garnish with squeezed lime if liked tart. This step is optional.

Serve with coconut coriander chutney, rasam or pickle.

Serves two

Special Notes:

The texture and flavor of this upma is similar to rice upma just that it is healthier. Feel free to innovate and add vegetables if inclined. For better flavor, add half a tsp of ghee when the water is boiling and before adding the roasted wheat.

Pulav – no onions nor garlic

Background:

Being married to a person who does not particularly relish garlic and overt presence of onions, I have over the years learned to make foods that I enjoy tailored to accommodate the significant other.

So today I as I made Pulav it occurred to me that I might as well jot it down for reference later.

Stuff you will need:

2 cups white Basmati rice
1 carrot – cubed
Green peas  – a handful
Green beans – a handful french cut into 1″ bits
1 inch cube of ginger shredded
Green chillies – 1-2 slit and sliced
Coriander leaves – washed, minced  to garnish
Ghee 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds/Jeera – 2 tsp
Cinnamon – 1/2 stick powdered
Cardomom – 5 peeled and powdered
Cloves – 5 powdered

How to make it?

In a wok heat a generous tablespoon of ghee. Just as it heats throw in the cumin seeds and the ground mixture of cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. Add the rice and fry it just so it gets coated with the ghee. Add the cut veggies to this mix and turn it over a few times.

Remove the contents to a rice cooker and add 4.5 cups of water and salt to taste before letting it cook. Once done, fluff up the rice with a fork and garnish with fresh cut coriander.

Serves four

Special Notes:

To go with his heavenly smelling rice shred four pickling cucumbers, squeeze the water out, add a tsp each of sugar and salt and two tablespoons of thick fresh curds. Mix well and serve with pulav

Maggi – not really 2 minutes but definitely tasty!

Background:

Weekends are usually times when I like to indulge in making breakfast of some kind. Not really healthy or quick. So, today I started out thinking I will make upma but quickly found I was out of every ingredient I could use to make upma. Scanning my pantry I found a pack of tomato maggi.

Growing up maggi was my comfort food of sorts. Not high nutritionally it definitely tingled my taste buds and was everything rice rasam sambar was not. Over the years I have graduated from making maggi as instructed on the pack to customizing it with veggies and other tasty add ons.

Stuff you will need:

1 pack Maggi noodles (Found in Indian grocers)
1 carrot – cubed
Green peas and  Corn – 1/2 cup together
Green beans – a handful french cut into 1″ bits
1/2 Green pepper – cut in 1″ bits
1/2 Red pepper – cut in 1″ bits
Onions – sliced and cut into 1/2″ bits
Green chillies – 1-2 slit and sliced
Coriander leaves – washed, minced  to garnish

How to make it?

Heat a little oil, temper a little bit of jeera, add onion, ginger and green chillies. Just as they brown add cut veggies. Saute them till they are half cooked, add a dash of salt, water and the taste maker. Once the mixture just starts to boil, add the pack of noodles and cook al dente.

Garnish with coriander and stir in a spoon of tomato ketchup. The end result is fabulously colorful and definitely yummy. Takes more than 2 mins though!

Serves two

Special Notes:

Any flavor of Maggi works but I love the Masala tastemaker best.