Vetalai rasam- Kerala style

After dreaming for years about having an edible garden, I'm finally close to achieving the objective. Though I don't have much in the form of  vegetable plants, I do have the scope to grow stuff.

But one thing I do have is a betel leaf plant, so I looked online to find something I could make with it. This rasam is really lovely- garlicky, with the flavour of betel.

2 medium-sized tender betel leaves

1/4 tsp of turmeric powder 

1/2 tsp of jeera powder 

6 pods of garlic

1 small onion

1 medium-sized tomato

1/4 tsp of black pepper powder 

A small lemon-ball-sized tamarind 

2 sprigs of curry leaves 

1 generous pinch of hing

1 tbsp of oil or ghee 

3 cups water

Salt to taste 

Method:

Soak the tamarind in the water for a few mins. Extract juice and discard the pulp. Keep aside. 

Roughly grind the garlic and onion in small mixer. Keep aside

Heat oil in a pan and add some mustard seeds. When they stop spluttering, add the crushed garlic-onion mixture along with the hing. Fry for about a minute. 

Add the pepper powder, turmeric powder, and jeera powder, and fry for 30 seconds. 

Add the tomatoes and fry until soft.

Add the tamarind water with some salt and the curry leaves and bring to boil. After about 5 mins of boiling, add the betel leaves, each torn into four. 

Serve hot with rice. 

Imli-pudina chutney

We were relaxing one Saturday evening, when some friends called up and told us they were dropping in for dinner. Too late to really cook a well planned meal, I decided to throw together whatever I had and make do. Luckily there were some dahi vadas in the freezer, so all I had to do was whip up some imli chutney. Since I didn't have enough pudina for a green chutney, I added some to the imli chutney, to get my own imli chutney with a twist.

1/3 cup dates cut lengthwise
2 tbsp tamarind concentrate
1 sprig mint
3 tbsp jaggary
1/2 tsp Sonth/ Dry ginger powder
1/2 tsp jeera
1 tsp red chilli powder
3/4 cup water
 
Method
Boil the water, add the chopped dates, and simmer for about 10 minutes till the dates are really soft and can be mashed.

Meanwhile, roast the jeera separately, powder coarsely and keep aside.

Add jaggery and tamarind concentrate to the mashed dates, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt, red chili powder, roasted cumin seeds powder, and dry ginger powder.
Cool, add the mint leaves and grind till smooth. Pour it back into the pot, and give it one final boil.

Bell Peppers in Sweet-Sour Peanut Sauce

I bought a couple of bell peppers a few days back (literally a couple- one red, one yellow), intending to try out a bell peppers in peanut gravy that I had found. Unfortunately, however, I wasn't able to locate the recipe again, so mixed and matched a few recipes to come up with this dish. It tastes really good with rotis, and is a good dish to have in the repertoire for a time when you want to serve something other than paneer to guests.

1 bell pepper (or 1/2 and 1/2 as I used)
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup of peanuts, skins removed
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 lime sized ball of tamarind
2 tbsps of jaggery
2 cloves
1-inch cinnamon stick
1 tsp cumin (jeera)
Salt to taste.
Cooking oil

Method:
Grind the peanuts, jaggery and tamarind together to get a smooth paste
Heat the oil, temper the jeera, and when it stops spluttering add the whole garam masala and onions. When the onions start to turn transparent, add the chopped bell peppers, and saute for a minute.
Add the peanut paste, about 1/2 cup water, and salt, and mix well. Cook for about 10 minutes.
Tastes excellent with rotis.

Parupu shadam with Vatha Kuzhambu

Parupu shadam with Vatha Kuzhambu used to be a classic combination at my grandmother's place. Since she made the vatha kuzhambu with dried vegetables, it would be accompanied by cucumber pachadi. I used fresh drumsticks, so did without!

Thotakura Ava Pulusu- Amaranthus Stew from Andhra Pradesh

My love affair with Amaranthus started rather serendipitously. I've been seeing these greens in the market for years, but never thought to buy it. Then a couple of months back, I met a friend buying it at the vegetable vendor, and got the recipe from her. I made it, liked it, and mentally filed it with the other recipes that I could make "occasionally". Soon after, I asked my mother for my grandmother's keerai mashiyal recipe, and surprise, surprise, it had the same leaves too! When I bought a big bunch and used half to make alloo-saag Assamese style, I knew I had to experiment with a new cuisine with the other half. This Andhra dish is completely different from the other three, and I am quite in love with Amaranthus.
Guess the experiment also proves that if you go with an open mind, there are gems to be discovered in every part of India.

2 1/2 cups finely chopped Amaranthus leaves
1 big onion finely chopped
4 green chillis slit length wise
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
small lemon sized tamarind (soak in a cup of warm water and extract)
1-2 tsps jaggery or sugar
1 tsp rice flour
3/4 tsp mustard seeds + 1 red chili, ground to a coarse pwd
salt to taste

For tempering:
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp methi seeds
1 tsp split black gram dal (optional)
1-2 dry red chillis (tear into pieces)
5 garlic flakes crushed or large pinch asafoetida
10-12 curry leaves

Method:
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, add mustard seeds, let them pop, add the cumin seeds, methi seeds and let them turn slightly red. Add split gram dal and let it turn red. Add garlic, red chillis, curry leaves, chopped onions and green chillis and sauté till onions turn slightly pink (approx 3-4 mts).
Add the chopped leaves and stir fry for 4 mts. Add the turmeric pwd and salt and mix. Cover with lid and cook till the greens cook (approx 7-8 mts).
Add the tamarind extract and jaggery and mix well. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and cook for another 9-10 mts or till the rawness of tamarind disappears. Sprinkle the rice flour and mix and you will find that the gravy thickens. Cook for a minute, add mustard pwd and mix. Turn off heat.
Tastes best with dosas.

Imli ka panna

Aam panna is one of my favourite drinks, so when I saw a recipe for Imli ka Panna, I knew I had to try it at once. Specially since RK is one person who's recipes I trust implicitly. It was such a refreshing cooler on a hot summer day, that I know I am going to make it more often- maybe I should just make the masala in bulk, to make it easier!
Note to self- reduce ajwain and cardamon next time.

4 tbsp Tamarind Pulp
1 tsp Roasted Cumin Powder
1 1/2 tsp Black Salt (kala namak)
1/3 tsp Green Cardamom Powder
1/3 tsp Black Pepper Powder
1/2 tsp Carom Seeds Powder (ajwain)
6 tbsp Sugar
Salt to taste
5-6 Fresh Mint Leaves (crushed)

Method:
Take the tamarind pulp in a big bowl and add five
cups of water to it and stir well to mix.
In a mixer, grind together black salt, pepper powder, green cardamom powder,roasted cumin powder, roasted carom seed powder, mint leaves, sugar and salt into a fine powder.
Mix this grounded spices to the tamarind water and stir well. Refrigerate for some time.(you can seive the water at this point if required)
Take glasses and pour out the panna...Garnish it with mint leaves and a slice of lemon...... add some ice cubes n serve chilled.....

Vengaya Gotsu

Vengaya Gotsu is one of the man reasons why I developed such a craving for Ven Pongal. I have very pleasant memories of digging into the pungent accompaniment,savouring every last bit of it. Naturally, it placed high on the list of traditional Tamilian dishes that I wanted recipes for. Luckily, my mother's recipe is every bit as authentic as they come, and I've followed it to the letter.

For ground masala:
1 tsp dhania
1 tsp chana dal
4 red chillis

For tempering:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp methi seeds
a pinch of hing
2 red chillis
1 green chilli

2 onions, chopped (but not finely)
1 potato chopped into small pieces
1 lime sized tamarind ball, made into paste, and diluted with 1 and 1/2 cup water
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp haldi pwd
1 tbsp jaggary (powdered)
1 tsp rice flour, made into a paste with a tsp water
Til oil


Method:
Heat the oil, and fry the ingredients listed under 'ground masala'. Powder or grind and keep aside
Heat some oil in a pan, and add the ingredients listed under "tempering".
Once the mustard seeds stop spluttering, add the onions.
When the onions start turning translucent, add potatoes, tamarind water, salt, haldi pwd and jaggery. Mix well, cover the pan, and let it cook till the potatoes are well done.
Add rice flour mixed in a little bit of water. Once it starts thickening, add the ground masala and cook till you get the desired consistency.
Preferably, serve the following day with Ven Pongal.