Folks who know me well, know that I am not exactly a foodie. I am also a self-confessed 'average' cook. With that background, let me just say that I have impressed myself with my recent culinary skills. Here are some of my mom's recipes that I have successfully made in the past few weeks. I am not very good at accurate measures, most Indians can vary these to suit individual taste. And this is my first time writing recipes, so please....follow only if you are already a good cook and know how to vary measures!!
1. Tomato Rice
Ingredients:
- 4-5 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
- 2 medium sized onions, chopped
- Half a teaspoon diced ginger
- 2-3 garlic cloves chopped
- 3-4 tbsp groundnuts
- 2-3 green chillies
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- Asafoetida -a pinch
- Turmeric -a pinch
For the seasoning:
- 10-12 curry leaves
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp chana dal
- 2-3 tbsp oil
Others:
- 2 cups raw rice
Method:
Cook the rice in an electric cooker.Heat a tbsp of oil in a pan. Add the groundnuts and allow them to fry for about 2 mins. Add the mustard seeds, chana dal and curry leaves. Spread the cooked rice in a wide plate and put the oil/seasoning over it. Cool for about five minutes. Heat 2 tbsp oil in the pan. Add the onions, garlic, ginger and green chillies. Add the asafoetida and turmeric. Once the onions turn translucent, add the tomatoes and fry until they are done. Add salt and garam masala and cook for another minute or two and set aside to cool. Mix the oil/seasoning and the cooked rice with your hand. (This helps spread the oil over the rice). Now add the cooked tomatoes mixture to the rice and mix well.
I absolutely love this easy and simple recipe and it almost never fails. Can be eaten with plain yogurt/raita.
2. Mukkala pulusu/ Sweet vegetable and lentil stew
Ingredients:
About 4 cups of cooked vegetables. The more varied, the better:
- Onions
- Tomatoes
- Yellow pumpkin
- Bottle gourd
- Okra
- Carrots
- Sweet potato (optional)
- French beans (optional)
- Drumsticks- according to taste/preference
For the masala:
- Fenugreek Seeds ( 1 measure)
- Mustard seeds (3/4 measure)
- 2-3 red chillies (or according to desired spice level)
The recipe requires about 2 tbsp of the masala
For the seasoning:
- 2 tbsp oil
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 8-10 curry leaves
Others:
- Asafoetida -a pinch
- Turmeric -a pinch
- Tamarind - a small ball sized piece
- Jaggery/Gur- 3 tbsp shavings
- 1 cup cooked tur dal
- Salt to taste
Method:
Roast the fenugreek seeds on a low flame until you can smell the aroma. Once they are done, add the mustard seeds and roast. Finally, add the red chillies and roast. Let this cool for about ten minutes and grind to a fine powder. I used about 50 gms of fenugreek seeds to make the powder and store it for use in other recipes. Cook the tur dal with salt and keep aside. Chop all the vegetables and pressure cook for about two whistles. Ensure that the vegetables dont get mashed, you need them to be cooked but not mashed. Microwave the tamarind in water and extract tamarind water. Heat oil in a wide bottomed vessel. Add the mustard seeds, once they splutter, add the cumin seeds, curry leaves. Add the asafoetida and turmeric. Now add the cooked vegetables along with the water in which they are cooked. Add more water to achieve desired consistency described below. Add salt and the prepared masala and let it simmer for about 5 mins. Now add the cooked dal, the tamarind water and the gur (I dont follow any particular order!) Adjust the salt/spice/sweetness level according to individual taste. Sugar may be used in place of jaggery. Red chilly powder can be added for those who like additional spice. More tamarind water can be added for those who like a tangy taste. The consistency should of this should be slightly watery, so add more water and let it boil for about five minutes for all the flavours to mix.
Tastes absolutely great with rice and papads. I made this on Monday and savoured it...especially considering the amount of time and effort it takes to make :))
No comments:
Post a Comment