Category Archives: Recipes

Recipe: Pooshnikai Kootu aka Ash Gourd Stew

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Another typical tambram food, which I made for the first time for the sumangali pooja. This was really good with a medley of tastes. A keeper which I plan to make often.

Pooshnikai Kootu aka Ash Gourd Stew

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Ingredients:

  • 1 medium sized pooshnikai or as gourd, chopped into small pieces with the seeds and fibres removed
  • 3/4 cup toor dal or red gram dal, cooked with a pinch of turmeric till mushy
  • 1/3 cup chana dal or bengal gram dal, cooked with a pinch of turmeric
  • 2 tsps coriander seeds
  • 1.5 tsps bengal gram dal
  • 6-8 dried red chillies
  • 4-5 tbsps grated coconut
  • a lime sized ball of tamarind, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and the pulp squeezed and the juice removed and kept aside. Alternatively use 2-3 tsps of tamarind paste
  • 2 tsps oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp urad dal or black gram dal
  • 4-5 curry leaves
  • 1/4 tsp asafoetida
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • In a large pan, take the chopped ash gourd and cook it with just enough water to cover the vegetable. Add some salt and turmeric powder.
  • When the ash gourd is half cooked, add the juice of the tamarind and let it cook till the raw smell of the tamarind goes away.
  • In the meantime, in another pan, with 1 tsp oil, fry the bengal gram dal,  coriander seeds, dried red chillies and the coconut until the coconut looses all it’s moisture and becomes dry. Blend this coconut mixture into a smooth paste. Add a bit of water if needed to do this.
  • When the ash gourd is cooked, add the cooked toor dal to the ash gourd and let it mix well. Bring it to a boil and then add the blended coconut paste and let it boil for around 5 minutes
  • In a seperate pan, heat the balance oil and when warm, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, asafoetida, curry leaves and red chillies and stir for a few seconds till the urad dal is brown the curry leaves are crisp.
  • Season the kootu with this and remove from the gas. Serve hot with a rice of your choice or any flatbread.

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Recipe: Pudalangai Kootu aka Snake Gourd Stew

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This is a typical tambram recipe which is made in perhaps every household at some point or the other. But surprisingly I had never made it before and so when I had to make it for the Sumangali pooja, I had to rely on my tambram cooking bible – Cook and See by Meenakshi Ammal. I am reproducing the recipe as it is published. Even though I was cooking it for the first time, it was yummy and I realised, I actually liked it a lot.

This recipe is pretty standard for a kootu, in that it has the vegetable, some dal and a coconut spice blend. What was different was that instead of chillies, the coconut was blended with black peppercorn, which made the difference in taste.

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Pudalangai Kootu or Snakegourd Stew

Ingredients:

  • 2 snake gourds
  • 1 cup moong dal, washed and cooked with a pinch of turmeric powder till it is mushy
  • 4-5 tbsps grated coconut
  • 1.5 tsps peppercorns
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tsp split urad dal
  • 2-3 dried red chillies
  • 4-5 curry leaves
  • salt to taste

Method:

  • To chop the snake gourd, slit it lengthwise first and remove all the seeds and fibre from inside. Then cut it in half lengthwise and then into thin slices horizontally.
  • In a pan cook the snake gourd with minimum water, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and some salt.
  • While the snake gourd is cooking, in a blender, blend the coconut, peppercorns and cumin seeds to a fine paste and keep aside.
  • When the snake gourd is cooked, but still keeping its shape, add the cooked dal to it and mix gently. Now add the coconut paste and add a bit of water if needed. Kootus are generally thick, but you can adjust the thickness of the dish as you like.
  • Check for salt and when it comes to a rolling boil, let it boil for five minutes and switch off the gas.
  • In a smaller pan, heat the oil and when it becomes warm, add the mustard seeds. When the seeds crackle, add the urad dal, asafoetida, curry leaves and dried red chillies and let the dal brown and the curry leaves become crisp. Pour this seasoning into the kootu and serve hot as an accompaniment to rice.

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Recipe: Gulkand Dry Fruit Barfi

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Around six months back, I brought a tub of Gulkand which is a kind of rose jam. To be honest, I was intrigued by its smell and texture and so decided to buy it. It was lying in my fridge all this time and I was wondering if I could do something with it for Diwali when I chanced upon this recipe from Archana’s Kitchen.

I made this recipe almost as it is mentioned on the page and it turned out more like a fudge rather than a barfi.It does not have any added sugars to it, with all the sugars coming from the dry fruit and the gulkand.

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Gulkand Dry Fruit Barfi

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups dry figs (anjeer), chopped
  • 2 cups dates, chopped
  • 1/2 cup almonds
  • 1/2 cups cashew nuts
  • 1/2 cups walnuts
  • 1/4 cup pistachios
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 2-3 tbsps gulkand
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder
  • 1 tbsp ghee

Method:

  • Soak the chopped figs, dates and raisins separately in bowls of water and let them soak for around 30 minutes.
  • Strain the water from the dates, figs and raisins and grind them to a smooth paste. I added some water as my mixer was not a very strong one, but if you can do this without adding water, that is better.
  • In a food chopper, chop the cashew nuts, almonds, walnuts and pistachios into small pieces and keep aside.
  • Grease a tray with some ghee or butter and keep aside.
  • In a non-stick pan, heat the ghee and when the ghee gets warm, add the fig, dates and raisins paste and mix well and saute it for a while.
  • Now add the chopped nuts, gulkand and nutmeg powder and combine well.
  • Stir well for a couple of minutes until the mixture starts to leave the sides of the pan.
  • Once this happens, pour the mixture into the greased tray and level it well.
  • Cover the tray and when the mixture is cool, keep it in the fridge for around 30-45 minutes to firm up.
  • Cut it into smaller pieces and serve.

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Recipes: No Onion No Garlic Matar Paneer

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Another recipe I made during the nine days of Navratri when I do not use either onions or garlic in my cooking. Again I replaced onions and garlic with a cashew and sesame paste and we did not miss the onions at all. This was a very quick recipe and I made it in less than 30 minutes, start to finish.

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No Onion, No Garlic Matar Paneer

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup frozen paneer, refreshed in hot water for 15 minutes and then drained. Keep the water for the gravy
  • 1 cup frozen green peas
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 8-10 cashew nuts, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes
  • 1 tsp white sesame seeds
  • 3 medium sized tomatoes
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin seed powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala powder
  • 3-4 tbsps beaten yoghurt
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tsps oil
  • Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Blend together the cashew nuts and sesame seeds into a fine paste and keep aside.
  • In the same blender, chop the tomatoes and blend well till it becomes a fine puree and keep aside.
  • Heat the oil and when warm, add the cumin seeds. When it starts to splutter, add the cashew nut, sesame paste and let it fry for a minute. Then add the tomato puree and let it fry for a minute.
  • Now add all the dry spices – turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, salt and garam masala and stir well. Add a bit of water if needed and let the masala fry well till the oil starts to come out and it becomes a bit dry.
  • Now add around 1 cup of water (here, add the water used to soak the paneer and the cashew nuts) and let it come to a rolling boil.
  • When it starts to boil, add the frozen peas and let it continue to boil and cook. The peas should be cooked in around 5-7 minutes and at this point add the paneer.
  • Let it cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Check for salt and seasoning and add as required.
  • Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or any rotis.

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Recipe: No Onion No Garlic Ajwaini Aloo Shimla Mirch aka Potatoes and Bell Peppers

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Another no onion no garlic recipe made during Navratri. This one has some ajwain or carom seeds in it. Carom seeds help in digestion as they facilitate the release of the e gut juices and thymol which is an essential oil from these seeds has local anesthetic, antibacterial and antifungal properties. These seeds are also very rich in fiber, minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants.

Ajwani Aloo Shimla Mirch

Ingredients:

  • 3 large potatoes, cut into long fingers (like french fries)
  • 2 green bell peppers, cut lengthwise
  • 1 tbsp carom seeds (ajwain)
  • 1-inch piece of ginger, grated
  • 2 tomatoes, puréed
  • 1/2 cup yogurt, whisked until smooth
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1-2 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala or sabzi masala powder
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • Heat oil in a pan and when the oil is heated, add the cumin seeds and let it splutter.
  • Add the carom seeds and let splutter and then add the grated ginger and cook for a couple of seconds.
  • Add the potatoes and a bit of salt and cook till it is half done. Add the bell peppers and cook for a few minutes.
  • Now add the puréed tomatoes and the dry spices – red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder and coriander powder and cook till the moisture evaporates from the tomatoes and the oil separates.
  • Now add the yoghurt and salt (if needed) and the garam masala/sabzi masala and cook for a few more minutes until the gravy comes to a rolling boil.
  • Garnish with coriander and serve hot with a flatbread or rice of your choice.