Tag Archives: Food

Recipe: Puli Inji aka Sweet Sour Ginger Chilli Sauce/Pickle

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img_6105An essential part of a Tamil brahmin wedding feast, Puli Inji is one of my favourite parts of the fest. Sweet, Sour and also slightly spicy, I love this dish, and always want more, though the servers would only put a small tsp in each banana leaf.

The other day, with a whole bunch of ginger at home, I was wondering what to make which will use the ginger up and then decided to make some puli inji. I make a slight change to the traditional recipe. In the traditional recipe, the chilli and ginger are chopped into tiny pieces, while I blended it up so the end result was more chutney-like than a gravy-like which is how it is usually made. This recipe can be stored for a couple of weeks when refrigerated.

img_6107Puli Inji aka Sweet Sour Ginger Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup ginger, peeled, chopped and ground into a rough paste
  • 1 cup green chillies, peeled, chopped into a paste
  • 1 lemon sized ball of tamarind
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2-3 tbsps of grated jaggery (more or less depending on the spice intensity of the chilli plus your spice tolerance)
  • Salt to taste

To be ground into a powder

  • 1 tbsp Urad dal (split black gram)
  • 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 5-6 curry leaves

For the seasoning

  • 1-2 tbsps Gingelly oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1/4 tsp asafoetida

 

Method:

  • Soak the tamarind in hot water and keep aside for 30-45 mins. When it cools, smash it well and extract all the juice. Throw the pulp and reserve the tamarind water. You can also use store-bought tamarind paste and use a couple of tsps for this recipe.
  • In a dry pan, dry-roast the urad dal, fenugreek seeds and curry leaves till they become brown and crisp. Keep aside to cool completely and then grind this into a fine powder.
  • In another pan, add the oil and when it warms up, add the mustard seeds and let them pop. Now add the asafoetida and stir for a couple of seconds. Next, add the ginger and let it brown. Now add the chilli and let that cook for a couple of minutes.
  • When the ginger and the chilli are brown, add the tamarind juice, turmeric powder, salt and let it come to a rolling boil.
  • Once the mixture is boiling, add the jaggery and the ground powder and let it come to the consistency that you want and switch off the flame.
  • The mixture will thicken as it cools, so do switch off the flame before it reaches the final consistency you want.

img_6106Yummy Puli Inji is ready. This is great as a side to any south Indian dish as well as a chutney for bread. You can also use this as a dip.

If you want a more textured dish, chop the ginger and chillies and then make it as per the recipe.

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Recipe: Avial

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One of the eponymous dishes which are common across South India, Avial is one of my favourite dishes. I remember when my mum used to make this dish, I would eat it the whole day, so much that what was supposed to be enough for both meals, would finish by the time we had lunch!

Both GG & BB love it as much as I do, S is quite indifferent to it. When S started working with us, she also started to love it and if we go a couple of months without making it, she will remind me to make it soon.

This dish is quite ancient and is said to be invented by Bhima, the second Pandava brother during their year in exile. Most vegetables used to make Avial are what we call local (Indian) vegetables. Some ‘English’ vegetables like potato, carrots, beans and peas are also used. Other vegetables like Yellow/Orange pumpkin, white pumpkin, drumstick, snake gourd, yam, raw banana are also used. You can use all of these or some, depending on what you have at home. The dish can also be made thick or thin – thick if you are not planning to eat it mixed with rice (like a gravy) or thin if this will be mixed with rice. In my home, if we make Avial, we don’t usually make anything else since it has all vegetables in it, we eat it with rice and some crisps.

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Avial

Ingredients:

  • 2 carrots, chopped lengthwise in 2 inch sticks
  • 2 potatoes, chopped lengthwise in 2 inch sticks
  • 2 raw bananas, chopped lengthwise in 2 inch sticks
  • 1/4 piece of yellow pumpkin, chopped lengthwise in 2 inch sticks
  • 7-8 beans, chopped 2 inch
  • 2 drumsticks, chopped in 2 inch sticks
  • 1 snake gourd, chopped lengthwise in 2 inch sticks
  • 1 cup yoghurt, beaten
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • salt to taste
  • 3-4 curry leaves (optional)
  • 1 tsp coconut oil (optional)

To be ground into a paste

  • 2 tsps cumin seeds
  • 6-8 green chillies
  • 1 cup grated coconut
  • 1/2 cup yoghurt

Method:

  • In a deep bottomed pan, add all the chopped vegetables and cook them with very little water and the turmeric powder and 1 tsp salt. Cook till the vegetables are al-dente, they should be still firm to touch.
  • While the vegetables are cooking, grind the coconut, chillies and cumin seeds, using the yoghurt as moisture. Grind the coconut till it is very fine.
  • Once the vegetables are cooked, add the coconut mixture to the vegetables. Stir well and add salt to taste.
  • From the remaining yoghurt, add as much yoghurt as you need to make it as thick as you need. If you need to make the avial thick, add very little yoghurt and more if you want to make the gravy watery.
  • When the avial comes to a nice rolling boil, add the coconut oil and curry leaves (if using) and switch off the gas. Cover the dish with a plate or cover to keep the fragrance of the curry leaves and oil.
  • Serve hot with rice and some crisps or papad.

Enjoy…..

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Recipe: Peanut, Ginger & Sesame Chutney

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IMG_6059Most Thursdays we cook without onions and garlic as this is S does not eat these as part of his religious belief. Most Thursdays, lunch is not a problem, but dinner takes some thinking. We usually make idlis or dosas for dinner, but chutneys without coconut which do not have onions or garlic is a bit tricky.

This week, I also ran out of some coconut, and found I had just a few tablespoons of peanuts, so I came up with this chutney which incorporates ingredients I found in my pantry.

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Peanut, Ginger and Sesame Chutney

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsps raw peanuts
  • 1 tbsp chana dal
  • 2 tbsps white sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsps ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 5-6 dried red chillies
  • 1 lemon sized ball of tamarind
  • 5-6 curry leaves
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Water to blend the chutney

Method:

  • In a dry pan, dry roast the sesame seeds and keep aside.
  • Put ½ tsp oil in the same pan and when the oil heats, fry the chana dal and the peanuts until the chana dal becomes slightly brown and the peanuts crisp. Remove and keep aside.
  • In the same pan, heat the remaining oil and fry the mustard seeds, curry leaves, ginger, dried red chillies and the tamarind and fry until the curry leaves becomes crisp.
  • Let everything cool down completely and blend until smooth in a blender or mixer. Add water to help you blend.
  • Salt the chutney according to taste and serve with idlis, dosas or even as a dip.

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Recipe: Mor Kozambu aka Buttermilk Gravy

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IMG_6069A very traditional south Indian dish, this is our version of Kadhi, a yoghurt based gravy, which is found almost all over India, in various avatars – the kadhis which you have in Gujarat and Punjab and the pitla from Maharashtra.

This is a very easy dish to make with minimal ingredients, which you can make with not much effort.

IMG_6071Mor Kuzambu or Buttermilk Gravy

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups yoghurt, thinned to a pouring consistency
  • 5-6 ladies fingers or Okra, cut into long pieces
  • 3-4 tbsps grated coconut
  • 5-6 green chillies (more or less depending on the spice intensity or your ability to take the heat)
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tbsps oil (any vegetable cooking oil)
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • In a pan, warm the oil and add the mustards. When the mustard seeds pop, add the chopped ladies finger and turmeric powder and let it cook till it is crisp. You can also add a tsp of salt to lightly salt the okra.
  • When the ladies finger becomes crisp, switch off the gas and keep aside.
  • In a blender, add the coconut, chillies and the cumin seeds and blend until smooth. Use the yoghurt to add moisture to blend.
  • When smoothly blended, add it to the fried okra and let it cook.
  • Add some more of the thinned yoghurt to bring it to the consistency you like (think or thick) and once the whole gravy comes to a rolling boil, switch off the gas and remove from the flame.
  • Serve with rice and a vegetable of your choice.
  • Enjoy yummy Mor Kozambu

Notes: Instead of Okra, you can also use orange pumpkin, white pumpkin or even potatoes to make this gravy.

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Recipe: Semiya/Vermicelli Payasam (Dessert)

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IMG_6073This sweet is the favourite of everyone at home, especially the children and is my go-to recipe when I need to whip up a sweet for any festival. GG & BB love it so much that I have to hide some for S, otherwise, he won’t get any when he comes home from work! This is a very easy recipe but takes a little bit of time stirring if you want to get the rich taste.

IMG_6072Semiya/Vermicelli Payasam

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup vermicelli
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1-litre milk (full cream is the best for taste)
  • 10-12 pieces cashew nuts (chopped into half)
  • 2 tbsp raisins
  • ½ tsp cardamom powder
  • 2 tbsp ghee

Method:

  • In a deep bottom pan, heat the ghee and when it warms, fry the raisins till they plump up and keep aside in a kitchen towel.
  • In the same pan, fry the cashew nuts until they turn brown and crisp and remove into the same kitchen towel.
  • With the remaining ghee, fry the vermicelli till it becomes brown and starts to develop an aroma.
  • At this point, pour 1/3 to half a litre of milk and let it come to a rolling boil. Reduce the flame and let the milk and vermicelli boil until the vermicelli is completely cooked. This will take between 15-20 minutes. If at any point, the milk reduces, add some more milk to cover the vermicelli.
  • When the vermicelli is completely cooked, add the remaining milk and let it come to a nice rolling boil.
  • Now add the sugar and let it boil for a while until the sweet has thickened.
  • Add the sugar, cardamom, saffron and the nuts and let it boil for another 5 minutes.
  • Remove from the flame and let it cool before serving.
  • This sweet is very tasty both hot or cold, but we prefer to drink it cold. A few hours in the fridge really improves the taste dramatically.

Tips:

  • If you want to increase the proportions, just remember to put the sugar and vermicelli in a ratio of 1:1.
  • I prefer to use a pestle and mortar to grind my cardamom on an ‘as I need it‘ basis. I feel that grinding a whole bunch of cinnamon at the same time makes the smell of the spice go away after a while. You will need the pods from 5-6 cardamoms to make up ¼ tsp of the powder.