Red chili paste ( Indian style)

Red chili paste is very easy to make and it gives a nice colour without adding any food colour especially in recipes like pav bhaji. I feel that it gives better flavor than its powder counterpart and the taste is delightfully distinguishable.

Red chili paste

Ingredients

Dried kashmiri red chillies                                                     30 nos
Water                                                                                       Just enough to immerse them
Lemon juice/ Vinegar                                                             1 tsp

Method

1. Add red chillies to a saucepan and add enough water just to immerse them
2. Add vinegar/lemon juice to it. Presence of acid helps extracting the colour from red chillies.
3. Let it come to a boil and cover the saucepan with a lid. Let it boil for 15-20 minutes in medium heat.
4. Grind it to a very thick paste. If there was any water left after boiling and if it is very little, use it in the paste. 

Red chili paste is ready to be used in anything that you want it to be used.

Kathirikkai thayir pachadi/ Eggplant raitha/ Aubergine yoghurt dip/ Aubergine raitha

This thayir pachadi is usually done and had with both sambhar saadham (sambhar rice) and rasam saadham (rasam rice).  It can also be had with plain tortilla chips as a dip or can be made into a fantastic taco along with some bean rice or cilantro rice to give it an Indo-mexican twist. It is a very simple pachadi/raitha/dip to make and takes very little time. Now to ingredients

Ingredients:

Kathirikkai or Eggplant / Aubergine                                 1-2 nos/ quarter aubergine
Salt                                                                                To taste
Red chilli powder                                                            To taste
Curd/ Natural yoghurt                                                      1 cup whisked

To temper

Canola/ Sunflower Oil                                                     2 tsps
Mustard seeds                                                                 1/2 tsp


Method

1. Dice kathirikkai or eggplant/aubergine as small as you can
2. Heat a flat pan on stove and add oil. Add mustard seeds to splutter
3. Add diced eggplant or kathirikkai/ aubergine to it  and mix well.
4. Add salt and red chilli powder and keep mixing. Leave it on the stove for 4-5mins or so to get roasted and cooked , mixing it occasionally in-between.
5. Add this to the whisked curd or dahi/ natural yoghurt and mix well. Add additional salt if needed after tasting. 

Kathirikkai thayir pachadi/ Eggplant raitha/ Aubergine yoghurt dip is ready to be had with sambhar saadham, rasam saadham or with tortilla chips or as tacos with bean rice or cilantro rice.

Channa pulav/ Fataafat channa pulav/ Easy channa pulav/ Easy garbanzo beans rice (pilaf)

This recipe will fall under the travel cooking/easy cooking series. I enjoy travelling a lot. being a vegetarian, all these self-concocted recipes tried on spot and was an instant success come in hand to enjoy a hearty meal without missing home. These recipes require very little ingredients and resources to make it happen and will have very less or zero prep time. It will involve an electric cooker  and a spatula and that's about it. Now to the ingredients to make channa pulav/  garbanzo beans rice

Prep time :

1 min


Ingredients:

Canned garbanzo beans/ Channa                       1 can (400-500gms)
Canola oil/ vegetable oil                                   1 tsp
Salt                                                                 To taste
Black pepper powder                                        1 tblspn (or according to one's spice level...                                                                                      minimum 1.5 tsps)
Basmati rice                                                     1.5 cups


Preparation:

Open the can of garbanzo beans and rinse it in water.


Method

1. Heat oil in the electric cooker.
2. When oil is hot add the rinsed garbanzo beans/Channa and mix well with a spatula. Add 5 cups water and let it come to a rolling boil
3. Add salt and black pepper powder and mix it well. Add basmati rice, mix well and leave it to cook until done and the switch in the electric cooker trips off.

Garbanzo beans rice is ready to have it by itself or with a pod of  natural yogurt and/or  salted potato chips. It becomes a satiating, filling meal with wholesome goodness. Yes, I have used canned garbanzo beans here as I cannot soak and boil beans while travelling , but still a self-made meal is the most hygienic and nutritious meal that can ever exist for me, as we know/can control what exactly goes in it.

Mung dhal (Maharashtrian Jain style)

I got this recipe from my friend when I was living in London. I tasted this dhal for the first time at his place and Ah! I became a fan of his cooking. He used to make great bhindi and everything I know he can cook.  I am sharing his home-style dhal recipe here for all. The fried masala powders in ghee  and pressure cooking mung dhal in pressure cooker with hing/asafoetida just gives a unique flavor and taste to this dhal. My kitchen just smells awesome after this dhal preparation each time and I never switch-on my vent fan to let the aroma linger .... LOL!

Ingredients

Split green mung beans/ Split green mung dhal                           - 1 cup
Turmeric powder                                                                          - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida/ Hing                                                                          - 1 pinch
Water                                                                                            - 3.5 cups
Salt                                                                                                - To taste


To temper

Ghee/ Butter                                                                    - 1 tblspn
Mustard seeds                                                                  -  1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds                                                                     - 1/2 tsp
Amchur powder (Dry mango powder)                            - 1/2 tsp
Ginger                                                                             - 1 inch piece grated
Red chilli powder                                                           - 1 tsp
Green chillies                                                                  - 4 nos


Method

1.)Pressure cook split green mung dhal/beans adding turmeric powder, water, salt and hing to it for 3 whistles.
2.) Slit green chillies and grate the ginger piece.
3.) In a  hot stir fry pan add ghee/ butter and let it melt and get heated. Add mustard seeds and cumin seeds to splutter.
4.) Add green chillies and ginger. Mix well and let it be for a minute.
5.) Add amchur powder (dry mango powder), red chilli powder, give it a quick mix and add the pressure cooked dhal to it and stir.
6.) Let it come to a boil and simmer it for 15 minutes.

The simple,  humble , delectable dhal is ready to be had with hot phulkas and rice.

Kandathippili rasam / Papal / Long pepper rasam

Kandathippili Rasam

This amazing, aromatic, divine rasam is my grandmother's gift to posterity.  It is usually made on the days we have hot oil baths and is had with the meals after the bath. Kandathippili/ Papal/ Long pepper is highly medicinal and has a unique earthy flavor to it, which enabled it to be used as a spice too. This rasam can be made on cold days to ease aching muscles and on days of hard work. It is great when had during cold/flu times.


Ingredients:

Puli / Tamarind pulp/ Tamarind paste                                       1 lemon sized ball/ 1.25 tsps
Salt                                                                                             As needed
Asafoetida                                                                                  1 pinch
Sambar powder / Rasam Powder                                               3/4 tsp - 1 tsp

To powder:

Thuvaram paruppu/ Toor dal                                                     1 tsp
Kandathippili/ Long pepper/ Papal/  Piper longum                 1 stick   ( 1.5 inches long)

Kandathippili/ Papal/ Piper Longum

Red chilli                                                                                    1 nos
Dhaniya / coriander seeds                                                           1/2 tsp


To temper

Ghee / Clarified butter                                                                 1 tsp
Mustard seeds                                                                               1 tsp
Karuveppilai/ Curry leaves                                                           1 sprig


Method:                      

1.  Extract syrup from the tamarind pulp, about 2 cups worth . If  working with tamarind paste, dissolve  the paste in 1.25 cups of warm water to make the syrup.

Tamarind pulp in warm water

Tamarind syrup with sambhar powder, salt and asafoetida


2.  Boil the syrup with asafoetida, salt and sambhar powder for 10 minutes in medium heat.

3.  Simultaneously in a small flat pan, dry roast all the ingredients to be powdered  until the dhal/ paruppu is golden brown and powder it finely.

     4. Mix the powder well in the boiling rasam and add more water to reach its original level, lower            the heat to low setting and let rasam froth.

     5. In a small heated stir fry pan , add ghee, add mustard seeds to splutter and  then curry leaves/              karuveppilai to splutter too. Add this to the frothing rasam and turn off the heat.

Serve this yummy, delectable rasam with hot rice and any vegetable side dish.

Veppampoo ( Dry Neem flower) rasam

This is the recipe from my paternal grandmother. She used to make this awesome very healthy rasam  very often. I happened to watch her when she made this one time and from there I remembered this recipe to make it now.

Ingredients:

Dry neem flower                                                                   1 tsp

Tamarind/ Tamarind paste                                                    1 Lemon sized ball/ 1.25 tsps
Red chillies                                                                            1 nos
Mustard seeds                                                                         1/2 tsp
Oil                                                                                          1 tsp
Asafoetida                                                                              1 pinch
Salt                                                                                         As per taste


Method

1.) Extract tamarind syrup ( 2 cups worth) from the pulp. If using tamarind paste, dissolve it in 2 cups of warm water.
2.) Boil the tamarind syrup with salt and asafoetida for 10 minutes. Bring the heat to low and add 1/2 cup water.
3.) Add oil to a small heated stir fry pan, mustard seeds to splutter. Add red chillies and  dry neem flowers to it and mix well until the neem flowers turn black. Pour it on top of rasam and let it froth in low heat.
4.) Remove it from heat and serve it with rice and potato/senaikkezhangu/vazhakkai roast.

Dhal Bhanjari

Dhal Bhanjari is a rajasthani delicacy. It is a very hot and spicy dhal made of black split urad dhal served during the times of the kings and queens, espescially when the king comes back from a long hard day after hunting. It is too elaborate a procedure for making a dhal and drinks up a lot of your time to make it, but the end product is worth every pico second of what it has swallowed to be made. Just DEVOUR it!

Serves: 4

Time:  11/2 to 2 hrs

Ingredients

Black urad dhal split/ karuppulundhu udaitha paruppu                                    1 cup

Red onion                                                                                              1 nos
Green chillies                                                                                         3 nos
Ginger                                                                                                   4 inch piece
Red chillies                                                                                            2 nos
Clove                                                                                                     1 nos
Turmeric powder                                                                                     1 tsp
Asafoetida                                                                                              1 pinch
Red chilli powder                                                                                    1/2 - 1 tsp (                                                                                                       depending on your spice level)
Salt                                                                                                        As needed
Ghee/ Clarified butter                                                                               1 tbsp
Cumin seeds                                                                                            1 tsp
Mustard seeds                                                                                          1 tsp

Method

1. Cut green chillies to very small pieces, add it to cleaned urad dhal, add turmeric powder and asafoetida and water and pressure cook until, the dhal is completely cooked
2. Dice red onions as small as possible
3. Grate 2 inches of the 4 inch ginger piece and keep it aside.
4. Heat a stir fry pan and add ghee in it. 
5. Add cumin seeds to splutter, clove and broken red chillies to it and let it turn brown and add grated ginger and mix well until the raw smell goes away to a lingering aroma of spices. 
6. Add diced onions to it and stir fry until the onion turns golden brown in colour
7. Add pressure cooked urad dhal to it and add water and salt and mix thoroughly well.
8. Bring it to boil in medium to high heat and add chilli powder and mix well. Once it starts boiling vigorously, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 45 minutes. The more stove time one gives it, the more tasty it becomes. If dhal becomes too thick, add water and let it boil. Stir occasionally to avoid burnt dhal at the bottom.
9. Cut the remaining 2 inch portion of ginger to very thin toothpick-thick fingers and add it on top of the dhal just before switching off the stove. Remove from heat and serve it with hot rotis.