Tag Archives: Recipes

Recipes: Arachavitta Vellai Pooshnikkai Sambar or Ground White Pumpkin Sambar

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This recipe initially started its life as an experiment, but it was quite successful and the resulting sambar was so tasty, I was pleasantly surprised. While any arachavitta or ground sambar is yummy, the addition of the white pumpkin or Winter Melon or Ash Gourd as its called in English and Vellai Pooshnikkai in Tamil elevated this recipe. This recipe is perfect for the days you can’t use onions in your recipe. I have blogged about both Arachivitta Sambar and White Pumpkin Rasavangi and this is a lovely marriage between the two. So let’s go to the recipe.

Arachavitta Vellai Pooshnikkai Sambar or Ground White Pumpkin/Ash Groud/Winter Melon Sambar

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups white pumpkin, peeled, the seeds removed and cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 lemon sized piece of tamarind, soaked in hot water for 30-40 minutes
  • 1 cup toor dal
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 tbsp chana dal
  • 2 tbsps coriander seeds
  • 6-8 dried red chillies
  • ¼ cup fresh grated coconut
  • 1 tbsp sambar powder (optional)
  • 1-2 tbsp jaggery (optional)
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • In a small pressure cooker, pressure cook the toor dal with ¼ tsp turmeric powder till it is soft and the dal has broken down complety. This usually will take around 3 whistles in the cooker. When the pressure reduces, open the cover of the cooker and then whisk the dal well. Keep aside.
  • Mash the tamarind when it becomes cool to touch and then squeeze tamarind and drain the water so the fibres get separated and you have the water. Alternatively use 3-4 tbsp tamarind paste which you can get at any Indian store.
  • Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small pan and put the chana dal, coriander seeds and dried red chillies and stir a while till the chana dal starts to brown. At this point add the fresh grated coconut and constantly stir until all the water from the coconut dries up and you have a crisp brown coconut with no water whatsoever. Note that if there is any water left in this, your sambar may spoil later in the day.
  • Once this coconut mixture is cool, grind it to a fine paste using some water in a blender. Make sure the paste is as fine as you can make it.
  • In a large pan, heat the balance 1 tbsp oil and when the oil is warm, add the mustard seeds and when the seeds pop, add the chopped white pumpkin and cook the cubes for about 5 minutes.
  • Then add the tamarind water which has been thinned to suit your taste and add salt to taste. You can also add sambar powder at this point if you want. Also add the jaggery if you are using here.
  • Let the white pumpkin cook until it is cooked, but still has a bite to it.
  • At this point, add the ground paste and the cooked dal and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
  • Check for seasoning at this point before switching off the gas.
  • Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with plain rice, white or brown and a curry of your choice.
  • This is also very tasty with any South Indian food like Upma, Idli or Dosai.

Recipes: Bombay Tawa Pulao

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In Bombay or Mumbai, there are street stalls which sell Pav Bhaji and towards the end of the day, when the bhaji is almost over, they add some rice to the gravy and this is the origin of the Tawa Pulao. This rice works best with leftover rice, but can be made with fresh rice which has been cooled down. This makes a very good lunchbox recipe and if you cook the rice in advance, it’s a jiffy dish to make during the morning rush

Bombay Tawa Pulao

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Basmati rice which has be cooked and completely cooled. It’s best if you can make the rice a day earlier, but making it far ahead of time also works.
  • 1 carrot, chopped into bit sized pieces
  • 1 potato, chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 2-3 tbsp frozen peas
  • 2 medium sized onions, finely chopped
  • 2 medium sized tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 1 inch piece of ginger
  • 1 pod garlic, peeled
  • 4-5 fresh red chillies (or green if you don’t have red chillies)
  • 2-3 tbsp pav bhaji masala
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 2 tbsp coriander leaves, finely chopped
  • 2-3 tsp lemon juice (more or less as per taste)
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder (optional)

Method:

  • Blend the ginger, garlic and chillies into a smooth paste and keep aside.
  • Wash the chopped carrots, potatoes and peas and keep aside.
  • Heat 1 tsp oil in a pan and when the oil warms, add the cumin seeds and let them splutter.
  • Then add the turmeric powder and stir for a couple of seconds.
  • Now add the chopped and washed vegetables and a bit of salt and cook until the vegetables are almost cooked.
  • When the vegetables are almost cooked, remove the vegetables from the pan and keep aside.
  • In the same pan, add the balance oil and butter and when the butter melts, add in the blended ginger-garlic-chilli paste.
  • Let the paste cook a bit and then add the finely chopped onions and let the onions become translucent. Then add the finely chopped tomatoes and let the tomatoes cook and become mushy and break down.
  • Now add the pav bhaji masala and chilli powder if you want it spicer and salt to taste and cook till the mixture becomes slightly thicker.
  • Then add the cooked vegetables and also check for seasoning.
  • Add in the cooked and cooled rice and gently toss the rice to mix it with the vegetables till the rice is completely coated with the vegetables and the onion-tomato gravy.
  • Check for seasoning, remove from the fire and drizzle 1-2 tsp of lemon juice. Then garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with a yoghurt raita.

The children and S loved it and asked me why I didn’t make it earlier for school. You can also substitute garam masala if you don’t have pav bhaji masala. The taste will still be fantastic, but will not taste like how it’s made in Bombay. You can also add more vegetables like french beans, cauliflower etc if you are planning to make a larger batch. Remember, in this recipe, a little goes a long way.

Want to know how I make Pav Bhaji? Here’s how I make it?

Try it and let me know how you liked it!

Recipes: Methi Matar Pulao

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During this lockdown when we can’t go out much, sometimes, you have pretty much nothing left in the fridge to cook with. Last week was one of those times. I was staring at a an empty fridge and still had to make lunch. So I decided to make this Methi Matar Pulao with what I actually had which was an onion, some frozen green peas and dried methi plus some spices. It actually was super delicious and GG even said that this could have been eaten on its own though I paired it with some onion boondi raita and some potato chips or crisps. Do try and let me know if you liked it!

Methi Matar Pulao

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup basmati rice, washed well and soaked for 20-30 mins
  • ½ cup frozen green peas
  • 1 onion, sliced finely
  • 2-3 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves or Kasuri Methi
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 4-5 cloves
  • 4-5 cardamom pods
  • 1 inch piece of cinnamon
  • 1 green chilli, chopped into 1 inch pices
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced thinly
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tbsp oil or ghee

Method:

  • After the basmati rice has been soaked for 20-30 mins, drain the water from the rice and keep aside.
  • Heat the ghee or oil in a pan and when the fat heats up, add the cumin seeds and let them pop.
  • After the cumin seeds pop, add the cloves, cardamom and cinnamon and stir for a few seconds.
  • Then add the green chilli and ginger and stir for a few seconds. After this add the onions and stir until the onions are translucent.
  • Now add the frozen peas and stir. Once the peas have been coated with the oil, take the dried fenugreek leaves in the palm of your hand and crush it lightly to release the oils. Sprinkle this dried leaves over the peas and stir.
  • Add the drained rice and salt and stir well.
  • If you are using a rice cooker, pour this into the rice cooker, add the appropriate amount of water and cook until done. I generally use slightly less than 1 cup of water for every cup of basmati rice, but you can play with this depending on your rice.
  • If you are cooking on the stovetop, add slightly less than the water needed and cook covered. If you feel you need more water, add towards the end when the rice is almost cooked so you can control how much water you add.
  • When the rice is cooked, let it rest for at least 10 minutes before you fluff it up with a fork. Serve hot with a raita.

Recipes: Ajwaini Aloo aka Potatoes spiced with Carom seeds

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A very simple dish which I usually whip up for lunch, this dry curry pairs potatoes with ajwain or carom seeds.

Used quite widely across the Indian subcontinent, ajwain is said to counter gas in the stomach. Many communities have traditional recipes of ajwain water when you have an upset stomach and for this reason I like to pair it with potatoes because these tuber vegetables can give you a bad case of stomach bloating.

This is a very easy recipe and from start to finish took me less than 30 minutes, including cutting the potatoes. Eat it with rice and some dal or with any Indian flatbread. It is also yummy paid with a chutney and filled in bread as a sandwich.

Ajwaini Aloo

Ingredients;

4 medium sized potatoes

1 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp ajwain seeds

1/8 tsp asafoetida

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp amchur powder

Salt to taste

Method

Wash and scrub the potatoes well. If the skin is fairly thin, you need not peel it, otherwise peel the skin. Make thick slices and then sticks of the slices. Now make small and thin squares of the potatoes. Cut as thin as you like. The smaller the potato piece, the faster it will cook.

Heat the oil in a pan and when warm, add the cumin seeds and stir for a couple of seconds. Then add the ajwain and stir for a couple of seconds.

Now add the dry spice powders – asafoetida, turmeric powder and red chilli powder and stir. Add the amchur powder and salt and give it a good stir. Make sure the flame is low to medium so that you don’t burn the spices.

Next add the chopped potatoes and cook covered, stirring occasionally. Check for seasoning once the potatoes are cooked. I like to make this dish a little crisp, but if you don’t like it crisp, you can remove it from the flame once it is cooked.

Serve hot with rice, rotis or bread.

Recipes: Masoor Dal Fry

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Masoor or split red lentils are a powerhouse of nutrients. A mere cup of masoor dal has 230 calories, about 15 grams of dietary fibre and about 17 grams of proteins. It also has various positive impacts on one’s health and body.

This inexpensive dal does not need much time to soak or cook as it is a soft dal and cooks quickly. When cooked, masoor dal turns a soft golden colour and has a pleasant earthy flavour. With 26 per cent protein, these lentils have the third-highest level of protein, by weight, of any plant-based food after soybeans and hemp.

These lentils help stabilise blood sugar levels as it is low in glycemic index and slows the the rate of digestion and prevents sudden or unexpected raises in the blood sugar level. It also keeps the heart healthy by lowering cholesterol levels due to the large propotion of dietary fibre and is an effective weight loss remedy because it has the perfect amount of carbs, yet is low in fat content. Because it is a powerhouse of antioxidents, it has anti-ageing properties and being a rich source of vitamins and minerals like calcium and magnesium, Masoor dal nourishes your teeth and bones. For skincare junkies, if you are looking for a healthy, spotless, glowing and raditing skin, make and apply a face mask of ground masoor dal, turmeric and rose water and apply on your skin. Wash off when the mask dries up. You can also add some milk to this mask for hydrating benefits.

Growing up, my mum never made this dal because my father used to say it was not good for us. When I researched, I found that sometimes, this dal can be adultrated by missing it with another, similar looking dal called kesari or kultha dal which can cause nervous problems and issues with your limbs, especially for pregnant women if eaten in excess. Of course eating anything excess is bad for you and excessive consumption of masoor dal may lead to adverse effects such as kidney ailments, gas from potassium toxicity and side effects of large proportions of amino acids. It may also cause an allergic reaction in some people.

This simple dal fry is very easy to prepare and start to finish, takes around 20-30 minutes (including cooking the dal in a pressure cooker) and is very tasty to have for a homely lunch with rice.

Masoor Dal Fry

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup masoor dal or split red lentils, washed and cooked with turmeric powder till it is soft and completely broken down
  • 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
  • 1 medium sized tomato, finely chopped
  • 3-4 garlic pods, finely chopped or grated
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped
  • 1 green chilli, slit lengthwise
  • 1 tbsp ghee or oil
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp (more or less) red chilli powder
  • ½ tsp cumin powder
  • ½ tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp kasuri methi
  • 1 tbsp (or more) lemon juice
  • Salt to taste
  • Coriander leaves, finely chopped to garnish

Method:

  • Cook the masoor dal in the stove top or pressure cooker with the turmeric powder. Once the dal is cooked, whisk it with a wire whisk till smooth and keep aside.
  • In a pan, heat the ghee or oil and when it warms, add the cumin seeds and let the seeds splutter. Then add the garlic and stir for a couple of seconds. After this add the ginger and stir for a few seconds.
  • Now add the finely chopped onion and stir well and let the onions become translucent. Then add the chopped tomatoes and let the tomatoes soften and become mushy. Add a pinch of salt to help the softening process.
  • When the tomatoes are soft and mushy and oil starts to leave the sides of the pan, pour the cooked dal into this mixture. Add another cup of water and thin it to the consistency you want.
  • Let the dal boil in medium heat for about 5 minutes. Check for seasoning and then crush the kasuri methi in the palms of your hands and sprinkle it over the dal.
  • Switch off the flame and add the lemon juice as well as the finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish.
  • Serve hot with any kind of rice with a stir fried vegetable of your choice.