A Definite Delight from the UK

I'm proud to announce that this blog is no longer an effort by just me. It has become...what shall I call it?....A family blog, so to speak. You must already have noticed that I had several recipes that are my sister-in-law's (that she obviously makes better than me). But now, I'm including recipes from all my other family - and this is so very exciting. Cheers to the family contributions, and calling for more!
This recipe made it's way here from the UK, from a very close cousin, Deepa. I've "Americanized" the recipe (i.e., converted Celsius to Fahrenheit, etc.), but it is still ALL her's. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 tbsp olive oil
3 large onions finely chopped
3 garlic cloves crushed
2 tsp cumin seeds
3 x 15 oz canned chickpeas (a.k.a, garbanzo beans)
1 egg, beaten
lemon wedges and parsley to garnish

For roasted vegetables -
Artichokes cut into chunks (I used runner beans instead as I didn't have artichokes)
Carrots cut into batons
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp clear honey
3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
grated rind (zest) of 1 lemon

Preparation:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put artichokes (or beans) and carrots into a roasting dish with olive oil, lemon juice, honey, lemon zest, some salt and pepper and roast for an hour.

2. To make flat cake, heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and fry onions gently for 10 mins. Add garlic and cumin seeds and fry for an extra 2-3 mins. Meanwhile process chickpeas in a grinder until ground. Remove the pan from heat and stir in chickpeas (garbanzo beans), egg, salt and pepper.

3. Put mixture in a lighly oiled round flan tin. Cover with foil and bake for 15 mins. Remove foil, add the rest of the olive oil and bake for an additional 10 mins till golden. Once done, cool and turn over and serve with roasted vegetables. Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley.

(The flat cake can be frozen for a month. When you need it just defrost and heat in a medium oven for about 15 mins to serve) And ofcourse, you can try different combinations of roasted vegetables each time!!

Let The Time Tikki By

Some evenings, I just need a hot and spicy snack with my tea. And as always, I don't like to slave in the kitchen for hours to satisfy the craving. It's got to be quick and tasty. Behold the bread-potato tikki. It's lighter than an all potato tikki, and just as delicious.


Bread - Potato Tikki (Cutlet)

Step 1) Precook potatoes

Microwave 2 small-medium sized potatoes for about 5 minutes (turning the potatoes in between); don't forget to poke some holes in the potatoes with a fork before you do this. Let the potatoes cool. Then peel the potatoes, cut them into large cubes and set aside.

Step 2) Prepare Bread

Soak about 10- 12 large slices of bread (you can use any bread you like - this is especially good with bread that's a little stale that you might throw away otherwise) in water for 2 minutes. Squeeze out the water completely and save the pulped bread. It should be very mushy but as dry as you can get it.

Step 3) Make Tikki Mix

Potatoes (from step 1)
Bread (from step 2)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon grated ginger, or ginger paste
3 green chillies, finely chopped
3 tablespoons coriander, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon red chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)

In a large bowl, mix the bread and potatoes. To this, add onions, ginger, green chillies, coriander, chilli powder, cumin powder, chat masala and salt. Mash all the ingredients together with a masher (or your hand). It will form a thick mixture.

Step 4) Fry Tikkis

Enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan

In a flat, shallow pan, heat oil over medium heat (The oil should just coat the bottom of the pan - you don't want to deep fry these since the bread will tend to absorb a lot of oil that way). Make lime-sized balls with the tikki mixture and then flatten them out with your hands till they are about 1/2 inch thick. Put the tikki into the oil - you can cook several at the same time. Turn them over after about 2-3 minutes. Take them out when they are a deep golden brown on each side. Drain the tikkis of oil on a paper towel.

Serve piping hot!! I love these with the Maggi Hot and Sweet Ketchup.

Makes: 12-15 tikkis

My Comfort Food

To me comfort food is warm, luxurious, and flavorfully spicy. This combo of dishes - coconut rice and tomato saar is exactly those things and so much more...it's a hug on a plate. Save this one for a gloomy, cold day....


Coconut Rice

Step 1) Pre-cook rice

Cook 1 cup of rice in about 2 cups water. Set aside.

Step 2) Prepare coconut rice

1 and 1/2 tablespoons of oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon urad dal
1 teaspoon chana dal
2-3 whole dried red chillies
2-3 small green chillies, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (or ginger paste)
3-4 curry leaves, torn up
Pinch of hing
1 cup grated coconut, or frozed shredded coconut
1/4 cup peanuts or cashewnuts
1 tablespoon salt (or to taste)

In a pan (large enough to hold your cooked rice), add oil. When hot, add mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal, red chillies, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves, and hing. Fry till urad dal and chana dal are a golden brown color. Then add coconut and nuts and fry on a low flame until the moisture from the coconut is almost all gone and the coconut starts to turn a light brown (the raw taste should have gone) - about 10 minutes or so. Add nuts and fry for another 2-3 minutes.
Then add prepared rice to this mixture, and salt. Mix well. Coconut rice is ready. For additional flavor, add 1/2 teaspoon of idly chutney powder (milagai podi).

Serves: 3-4 people



Tomato Saar

Now, this recipe for tomato saar is from Maharashtra - and is unlike tomato rasam. It is creamier than rasam and the perfect match for coconut rice (or even just plain rice).

Step 1) Boil Tomatoes

5-6 small/medium sized tomatoes

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add tomatoes and boil for 3-4 minutes or until skin starts to peel. Turn of heat. Remove tomatoes and set aside to cool. Once cool, peel off the skin and set aside (the skin will come right off)

Step 2) Make Tomato Puree

Boiled tomatoes (from step 1)
2 garlic cloves, chopped into big pieces
1 teaspoon grated ginger (or ginger paste)
3-4 small green chillies, chopped into big pieces

Take boiled tomatoes and puree them in a food processor (or blender). To this puree in the blender, add garlic, ginger, green chillies. Puree again, until all the ingredients are well blended.

Step 3) Make Tomato Saar

Tomato Puree (from Step 2)
1/2 cup coconut milk (If all you have is shredded coconut, then puree it with the tomatoes in previous step)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt (or to taste)
A Pinch of sugar

In a pot over med-low heat, add the tomato puree. To this, add coconut milk, pepper, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil and then turn off.

Step 4) Garnish and Temper

1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon jeera
3-4 curry leaves, torn up
Pinch of hing

In a separate small pan, add oil. When hot, add jeera, curry leaves and hing. Pour this over the cooked tomato saar.

Serves: 4-5 people

Of Cos!

I had cabbage sitting around and was wondering what to do with it that I haven't done in a while. My mom suggested puli kootu, which is a cross between a sambhar and a kootu, and of cos, it was just great!

Cabbage Puli Kootu (Cabbage in a tamarind-dal base)

Step 1) Prepare Dal

1/2 cup toor dal
2 palmfuls of chana dal (just short of 1/4 cup)

Pre-cook toor dal and chana dal with water until dal starts to mash up. Roughly mash the dal and set aside. If you pressure cook, or microwave cook the dal, the ratio is 1:3. So, for 1/2 cup toor dal, you would use about 1 and 1/2 cups water. On the stove top, you'll need about double that amount of water to cook the dal.

Step 2) Prepare Tamarind Water

Soak one lime sized ball of raw tamarind in 1 cup of warm water for about 10 mins. Squeeze the juice out of the tamarind and discard pulp. You should have about 1 cup of tamarind water. Alternately, use 1 tablespoon of tamarind paste and mix in 1 cup of warm water.

Step 3) Prepare Puli Kootu

1 cup plain water
1 cup prepared tamarind water (from step 2)
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 small-med tomato, finely diced
1 and 1/2 tablespoon sambhar powder
1/2 of a small cabbage, cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon salt (or to taste)
prepared dal (from step 1)

In a pan (large enough to hold all of the puli kootu), add water, tamarind water, turmeric, tomato, sambhar powder, and cabbage. Start heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then with heat at about medium, close the lid and let the cabbage cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Then, add salt and the prepared dal. Mix well and let it simmer on low heat for another 5- 10 minutes.

Step 4) Garnish and Temper

1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon fenugreek (methi) seeds
3-4 curry leaves, coarsely torn up
2-3 whole dried red chillies
2-3 small green chillies, finely chopped

In a separate small pan, add oil. When hot, add fenugreek seeds, curry leaves, red chillies and green chillies. Then pour this tempering mixture over your prepared puli kootu. Serve hot with rice and papads. The consistency of the puli kootu is quite thick - definitely thicker than sambhar, and it had a more concentrated flavor, so a little on your plate goes a long way!

Serves: 5-6 people

I Make Thirty Minute Meals Too!

Actually, coming to think of it....I don't spend too much time in the kitchen, unless I'm experimenting or hosting a large party. Our daily meals are pretty simple affairs usually. Still, I try not to repeat menus often. So, I was looking for a quick lunch recipe one day and remembered the kadi pakoda that my mom makes. It was a treat for us, growing up, and my brother's very favorite dish. So, here's a blast from my past! (I don't know why I haven't made it more often...)


Kadi Pakoda

The original recipe came from some cookbook, I am sure - but it has been such a long time that even my mother really can't recall which one. But here goes....

Step 1): Prepare kadi

1/2 cup besan
2 cups warm water
3/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 and 1/2 teaspoons dhania powder (coriander powder)
1 and 1/2 cups plain yogurt

In a big bowl, add besan and mix it with a little warm water until there are no lumps. Then add turmeric powder, dhania powder, the rest of the warm water, and plain yogurt. Mix well and set aside.

Step 2): Cook kadi

1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
1/2 teaspoon jeera (cumin)
2-3 whole dried red chillies
3-4 curry leaves, loosely torn
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger (or ginger paste)
1 and half teaspoons minced garlic (or garlic paste) [About 2-3 cloves of garlic]
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 tablespoon salt (or to taste)
Few sprigs of fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped

In a pan (large enough to hold the kadi mixture from step 1), heat oil over a low flame (It is important to keep the flame low, so that the yogurt doesn't curdle when you eventually add the kadi - so resist the temptation to speed the process up by upping the heat!). When oil is hot, add fenugreek seeds, jeera, red chillies, curry leaves, ginger and garlic. Fry for one minute. Ensure that the flame is on low, and then add the kadi mixture from step 1 to this tempering mixture. Add chili powder, salt and coriander leaves and let kadi cook on low flame until it is hot. Keep stirring in between. Switch off heat when kadi is at desired temperature.

This kadi can be had as is, with hot rice. But the pakoda adds the final special flavor and is much easier to make than it may seem.

Step 3): Make Pakodas

In a pan, heat oil for deep frying - over med-high heat.

1/2 cup besan
1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
2-3 small green chillies, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
Water to mix (about 1/4 cup) - eyeball this.

In the meantime, make batter for pakodas by mixing the following: besan, salt, green chillies, onion and water. Batter should be thick and not at all runny. Adjust with flour and water as necessary to achieve this consistency. When oil is hot, scoop up a little of the pakoda batter with your fingers or a teaspoon and drop batter into the hot oil. Fry till pakodas are a deep golden brown. This batter will make about 15-2- pieces of small pakodas (the size of strawberries). When all pakodas are done, put them into the kadi. Reheat if necessary on low flame.

Serve hot with rice and papads.

Serves: 3-4 people

Fried Green Tomatoes

Now, I've only had this on one earlier occasion - much to the disbelief of my American friends. At the time, I didn't quite even understand the big deal about green tomatoes....but this is really something else. For those who are in the same position that I was - green tomatoes are the tomatoes that didn't ripen by Fall time. They are slightly tart and tougher than regular tomatoes. So they hold well when they are fried. We had this for a tea-time snack.


Fried Green Tomatoes

1) Cut 3 medium sized green tomatoes into circles that are not too thick and keep aside.

2) Prepare dry ingredients

1/2 cup fine cornmeal
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

In one bowl, mix together the cornmeal, breadcrumbs, all purpose flour, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Set aside.

3) Prepare wet ingredients

1 large egg
1/2 cup buttermilk (you can use milk instead)

In a separate bowl, mix together the egg and buttermilk. Set aside.

4) Tomato Time!

Coat the bottom of a flat pan with oil (preferably olive oil, but anything will work). Dredge one slice of tomato first in the wet ingredients, and then put it in the bowl with the dry ingredients so that the slice of tomato is coated with the flour-cornmeal mixture. Fry the tomato until both sides are golden brown. Place on a paper towel to drain the excess oil. Serve hot. with side of choice. I made a quick chili mayonnaise by adding red chili sauce to 2 tablespoons of mayo.

Serves: 3-4 people

Mango-licious

Here's dal with a twist. If you ever have raw green mangoes sitting at home (or even semi-ripe ones), this is a good thing to do with them. The dal takes the taste of of the mango itself - I had mangoes that were just beginning to ripen, so they were still crunchy, but sweet and tart at the same time. That's exactly how the dal was too!

Mango Dal


1) Pre-cook Dal

Cook 1/2 cup of raw moong dal in 4 cups of water. I usually do this on the stove top - set aside when dal is cooked.

2) Put together mango dal

2 tablespoons oil
1 and 1/2 teaspoons jeera
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger, or ginger paste
2 green chillies, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced into thin strips
1 medium sized tomato, chopped into bite sized cubes
1 med-large raw (green) mango, peeled and chopped into bite sized cubes
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 and 1/2 teaspoons coriander powder
3/4 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Few sprigs of coriander

Heat oil in a pan (large enough to hold cooked moong dal). When the oil is hot, add jeera, garlic, ginger, and green chillies. Fry for a minute. Then add onions and fry till they turn golden brown. At this point, add tomatoes, mango and turmeric and fry for 4-5 minutes. Then add water till the mixture is just covered. Cover and cook for about 6-8 minutes (or until mangoes start to turn translucent). Then add chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala and salt - mix well. Add cooked moong dal to the cooked mangoes. Add water if necessary to thin out the dal. Squeeze lemon juice into the dal. Garnish with coriander leaves

Serves: 3-4 people