IDLI MASALA (JAIN) RICE & LENTIL STEAMED CAKE SAUTEED IN COCONUT & SPICES

IDLI MASALA (JAIN) RICE & LENTIL STEAMED CAKE SAUTEED IN COCONUT & SPICES

I’m not a huge fan of idlis but I love Idli masala. It can be made with fresh or leftover idlis. Since I love this, I sometimes purposely make more idlis so that they are leftover so I can make this and relish it on another day. This recipe doesn’t include onions or garlic, you can safely call this a Jain recipe as it can be made when the idli is fresh as well. No need to use the fermented batter. Jains usually don't use fermented batter or onions or garlic in their cooking. Jain or Non-Jain, do make this at home and enjoy into a different flavor altogether.

Ingredients

Idlis – 15

Mustard Seeds – ¼ tsp

Cumin Seeds – ¼ tsp

Bengal gram dal (Chana dal) – 1 tsp

Red Chilies whole  – 2

White Sesame seeds – 1 tsp

Peanuts – 1-2 tbsp

Coconut Shredded – 2 tbsp

Asafetida – a pinch

Turmeric powder – ½ tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Cumin powder – ½ tsp

Red Chilly powder – ½ tsp

Molagapodi – 1 tbsp (http://sukanya-keralaiyer.blogspot.com/2007/10/molagapodi-idly-dosai-chilly-powder.html ) - Click on the link for the recipe.

Salt as per taste

Curry leaves – 6-7

Coriander leaves for garnish

Oil – 4 tbsps

Method

Cut the idlis into 4-6 parts and keep aside. In a wok, add 2 tbsps oil. When the oil is hot enough, fry the peanuts and keep aside. Now add the remaining 2 tbsps oil, add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, Bengal gram dal, white sesame seeds and whole red chillies. Red chllies give a wonderful flavor to this dish. If you want more you can use. I use less of chilly so that the kids can enjoy as well.

Once the mustard seeds start to splutter, add the shredded coconut and sauté until a faint pink color and the aroma of the coconut starts to emanate. Now, you can add in the curry leaves, the fried peanuts and finally the idli pieces. Mix well. Now add the Turmeric powder, asafetida, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilly powder, molagapodi(you can refer to the recipe in my blog). Salt as per taste and toss everything well. Keep in a low flame and cook for about ten minutes, tossing regularly in between. Garnish with coriander leaves and toss and cook for another five minutes. Serve hot and enjoy this lovely idli masala.

PANEER MAKHANWALA (RESTAURANT STYLE)-BUTTER FRIED COTTAGE CHEESE IN A TOMATO GRAVY INFUSED WITH WHOLE AND POWDERED SPICES

PANEER MAKHANWALA (RESTAURANT STYLE)-BUTTER FRIED COTTAGE CHEESE IN A TOMATO GRAVY INFUSED WITH WHOLE AND POWDERED SPICES

Paneer Makhanwalla is known as Makhanwalla because not only butter also known as Makhan is used in this dish but also the gravy is creamy due to the addition of the fresh cream. My Punjabi neighbor told me that traditionally they didn’t use onions in the dish, but since my recipe is restaurant style, I thought I will go all the way and indulge in the onions which will add extra flavor to the dish. Although popularly thought of as a Punjabi dish, this dish is actually classified as a Mughlai dish as it is very rich with fresh cream and is a gift from the Mughals who invaded and ruled India. This dish is usually considered mild, as the fresh cream makes the dish mild and tones down the spice of the masalas. This is a hot favorite among Westerners who absolutely love this dish. The blend of the tomato puree, the fresh whole spices, the powdered spices and the fresh cream is a delight to anyone’s palate. This dish is usually eaten with Indian Breads (Roti’s, fulkas, parathas or naans) but my daughter loves this with Rice. She absolutely relishes the Jeera rice and Panner Makhanwalla combo. I guess kids enjoy it because it’s mild and creamy.

Ingredients

Paneer - 250 gms (cut into cubes of 1 inch each)

Grated paneer or cheese - 1/2 tbsp

Tomato Puree – 200gms

Fresh cream – 200 gms 

Butter -1-2 tbsps

Onion - 1

Ginger paste -1 tsp

Garlic paste-1 tsp (optional, I don’t use garlic in my cooking, so I avoid it)

Bay Leaf - 1

Cinnamon (Dalcheeni) - 1" stick

Big cardamom black (Badi elaichi ) - 1

Cardamom - 2

Cloves - 2

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

Dried fenugreek leaves powder (Kasuri methi powder) - 1 tsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Cumin powder – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Fresh Green Coriander leaves (chopped) - 1/2 tbsp

Salt as per taste

Method

For the paneer

I used frozen paneer in this dish and I usually soak them in some hot water for about 15-20 minutes until they become soft like fresh paneer and drain the water after a while through a colander.

For the tomato puree

You can either use 3 big red, ripe tomatoes and make a puree in the blender. I have used the tomato puree from the can as they have a deep red color and I usually stock a few cans in the case of an emergency.

Grind the Onions, ginger and garlic(optional) to a paste.

In a Wok (Kadhai), add 2 tbsps of butter, lightly sauté the paneer and keep aside. The reason we sauté the paneer lightly in butter is to make it tough and not so easy to crumble inside the gravy.

In the same oil add the Bay Leaf, Cinnamon stick, Badi elaichi, Cardamom, Cloves and the cumin seeds. When the cumin gets fried. Add in the onion-ginger-garlic paste. After about 2 minutes, add in the tomato puree, let ir fry well for another 2-3 minutes with the onion paste, Now add in the Kasuri methi powder, Garam masala, Coriander powder, Cumin powder, Turmeric powder and Red chilli powder, mix well and fry until you see the oil come out of the masala. This is the indication that the masala is done. The masala should be cooked otherwise  the dish will have a raw masala smell. Now add 2 cups of water. Let it simmer on a low flame for about 5-7 minutes and let all the spices get marinated in the sauce.

If you feel you need more gravy add more water at this point, let it come to one boil then, add the lightly butter sautéd paneer pieces and with a light hand just mix well. Don’t use a heavy hand else you may break the paneer and it will get very crumbled. After about 5 minutes of cooking. Don’t over cook the paneer.  Add the fresh cream and cook for just 2 minutes till one boil appears. Put off the gas, remove the flame. Garnish with Freshly chopped green coriander leaves and grated paneer. You can also decorate the dish by dropping fresh cream in a pattern as a dressing like they do in restaurants.

Serve hot with Roti’s, fulkas, parathas or naans. Enjoy the Paneer Makhanwalla. 

ALOO BAINGAN (POTATOES & AUBERGINE CURRY)

ALOO BAINGAN (POTATOES & AUBERGINE CURRY)

This dish has some fond memories for me. Especially because I used to never like baingan(aubergine/eggplant), but baingan combined with aloo is truly awesome and likeable. This dish never forgets to remind me of the movie, “Sparsh” where Naseeruddin Shah played the role of a blind man and did such a wonderfully convincing act of it. He is an actor par excellence. The scene of the hostel where the blind kids sing, “ Hai re kaisi uljhan, fir se aloo baingan”.  I had made even a comic strip on this, a few years ago.

Click on the comic strip to see the larger picture.

Aloo Baingan

Ingredients

Aubergines (Eggplants/Brinjals) – ½ kilo

Potatoes – 1 big

Onion – 1

Tomatoes – 1

Mustard – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

Red chilly powder – 1 tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Cumin powder – 1 tsp

Asafetida – a pinch

Dry Mango powder (Amchoor powder) – 1 tsp

Salt as per taste

Oil – 1 tbsp

Method

De-stem the aubergines, Chop them into cubes and let them soak in warm water with some salt and turmeric for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and chop the potatoes into cubes. Chop the onions and tomatoes as well. Keep aside. Now the drain the water off the aubergines and rinse well.

In a wok, Add one tbsp oil, add the mustard seeds & cumin seeds, when the mustard starts to splutter. Add the onions, when the onions become transparent, add in the tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are soft, then add the potatoes and the aubergine cubes and mix well, now add the chilly powder, turmeric powder, asafetida, amchoor powder and salt as per taste. Mix everything well, cover with a lid and cook on a low flame. After every 5 minutes give it a stir, you will see that the vegetables have become moist. Always allow it to cook in its own juices. If you see that there is no water, add a bit and cook covered on a low flame. After about 10 minutes you will notice that the potatoes are cooked, check if cooked with a spoon, if not wait until the potatoes are cooked. Aubergines usually get cooked quite fast. Once it is done, serve hot with chappatis or u can have it with dal and rice. Enjoy the Aloo baingan.

VEGETABLE LEMON GARLIC CLEAR SOUP

VEGETABLE LEMON GARLIC CLEAR SOUP

This is my husband Yo’s favorite soup and he always loves to order this whenever we go to our favorite restaurants. I always wanted to make it at home as my 2 princesses are soup lovers as well. The problem was I didn’t know how to make it. So this time when I went to the restaurant I ordered for the soup and tried to savor my soup till I could recognize each and every ingredient just like how it is done in the Master Chef series. This soup is a cross between the Chinese clear vegetable soup and the lemon garlic soup. So I would like to call it the Vegetable Lemon Garlic Clear soup. It’s not thick as other soups. Its very light and refreshing. The tangy tastes of the lemon and the crunchiness of the different colors of vegetables is not only a visual treat but also a delight to the palette.

Ingredients

Onion – 1

Garlic – 2 cloves

Ginger - ¼  inch piece

Chilli padi- 1 small red chilli (1-2 according to taste)

Carrot – 1 thinly sliced into rectangles

Broccoli – ½ cup florets

Baby corn – 2 pieces

White Tofu (the soup tofu) – a few slices thinly sliced

Green Cabbage – a few leaves thinly sliced

Celery – ½ stick thinly sliced

Leek – 1 thinly sliced

Lemon – 1 big

Parsley – 2 tbsps chopped

Dill – 2 tbsps chopped

Coriander – 2 tbsps

Cumin powder -1/4 tsp

Pepper - 1/4 Tsp          

Soya sauce – ½ tsp

Corn Flour - 2 tsps

Any vegetable oil – 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Method

Dice the onion. Mince the ginger very finely and crush the garlic with the back of a knife, chop the red chilli padi finely.

Chop or slice all the above mentioned vegetables and tofu as mentioned above in the ingredients.

Heat the oil in a sauce pan, add the ginger, garlic and the chopped chilli to the oil, and add some salt. Stir for a couple of minutes till you smell of the ginger and garlic in the oil. Now add the onion and sauté till its translucent. After this, add all the above mentioned vegetables and stir and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Add the soya sauce at this point. Add about 2 cups of water, let it come to a boil.

The vegetables should be half done by now, still crunchy. Mix water with the corn flour ensuring that there are no lumps. Cook for some more time. Ensure that the vegetables are half cooked and crunchy. This way they retain the color and the soup looks colorful as well. Add the cumin powder and freshly grounded black pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes and then add the Parsley, Dill & Coriander and turn off the heat.

Now, add the lemon juice check for salt and spice, if needed, you can add it at this point. The lemon in the soup is very refreshing. Since we are using vegetables with different colors, the soup looks colorful and interesting to kids. You can add a dash of pepper to taste and serve steaming hot.

A TRIP TO SEREMBAN

I am introducing another new segment in my blog - A vegetarian gourmet travelogue. This will cover all the places I have visited & will be visiting and where and how to find vegetarian food there.

Being a vegetarian and traveling has never been easy. But it’s not fun to cook when you are traveling.

A TRIP TO SEREMBAN

I decided to accompany my husband (Yo) for a trip to Seremban since it was our wedding anniversary and he was traveling for work and we wanted to be together to celebrate our 10^th wedding anniversary which is a not to be missed milestone for us.

About Seremban

Seremban is the capital of the Malaysian state of Negeri Sembilan, located within the district of Seremban, one of the seven districts of Negeri Sembilan.

Seremban is situated about 30 kilometres inland from the coast. It is in the Linggi River valley, at the foothills of the Titiwangsa Range. The terrain is generally hilly, and the soil is mostly reddish laterite soil, suitable for the cultivation of rubber and palm oil, thus making Seremban the agricultural centre for the state.

Since the establishment of Seremban, the Linggi River has played an important role in the development of the town.

During the boom period of tin mining, the Linggi River was the major transportation route for tin traders. Today, it is one of the major sources of water for Seremban and Negeri Sembilan.

Transportation

Negeri Sembilan is one of the two states in Malaysia that are not accessible via air transportation (Perlis being the other state). However the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) is less than a 30 minutes drive from Seremban, essentially making the airport closer to Seremban rather than Kuala Lumpur.

Weather

The climate of Seremban, like most parts of West Malaysia, is generally hot and humid (tropical) with a mean temperature of about 27-30 degrees Celsius. Most rainfall is experienced during the inter-monsoon periods of April and October. The weather remains generally dry for the rest of the year with occasional showers.

Economy

The state, which been home to a number of multinationals from Japan, South Korea, the United States and the European Union. The manufacturing sector today forms the backbone of the state economy, contributing almost half of the state’s gross domestic product (GDP), followed by services and tourism (40.3%), agriculture (6%), construction (2.2%) and mining (0.3%).

Shopping

Jusco Seremban 2, one of the premier shopping destinations in the town was the only outlet operated in the state. Besides this there are many shopping outlets are concentrated in town centre. Wisma Punca Emas, KM Plaza, Parkson Seremban Parade, The Store, Terminal 1 and Era Square, Giant Hypermarket, Tesco Extra, Econsave and Carrefour.

Apart from shopping complexes, Seremban has designated numerous zones in the city to market locally manufactured products such as antiques, textiles, fabrics and handicrafts.

Cuisine

Seremban is famous for its special delicacies comprising Malay, Chinese, and Indian cuisine. There’s not much of vegetarian food available is what I thought, but I was surprised to find an Indian pure vegetarian restaurant in the heart of Seremban city. The name of this restaurant was Vasantha Bhavan.

VASANTHA BHAVAN

Speciality: Srilankan & Indian Vegetarian Food

Landmark: The location is opposite peoples' square or city square in town center, neighbour is Chevrolet car shop,

It’s a bit difficult to find, VB is the one with yellow signboard in between car and bike.

Parking: You can park car at behind, approximately 150 meters walk able distance from Carlton Star Hotel.

Menu: The menu of Vasantha Bhavan has many Indian vegetarian dishes and many varieties of beverages.

While I was waiting for my order, I saw many Seremban locals (Indian and Chinese) come and take away food.

The staffs are very friendly I spoke to the guys working there and they told me that it is the only Indian vegetarian restaurant in Seremban and it’s popular because they serve mock meat and food with local flavors in it other than the traditional Indian dishes.

There is a fair amount of Indian population in Seremban, “that” coupled with the fact that tourists like us who visit this restaurant is what keeps it running is what the friendly waiter told me.

I asked them if they provide delivery to the hotels nearby. They said as of now they don’t provide any deliveries.

The food was fresh, the prices were very reasonable, the ambience simple & practical with some wooden table and chairs and some colored plastic chairs.

My husband Yo ordered a Masala Thosai RM 2.50 only and it was very yummy.

The royal Bintan Hotel

ROYAL BINTANG HOTEL

We stayed at the Royal Bintang Hotel which is a 4 star hotel and suggested as one of the best in Seremban. The city and national train station was just a 15 minute walk away. It overlooks the beautiful and serene view of the Seremban Lake Gardens.

Beautiful view from our room

Seremban is the centre of the Minangkabau culture in Malaysia. Minangkabau, derived from the Malay word menang kerbau, which means "winning buffalo", are famous for their unique roof architecture which resembles buffalo horns.

A view of the lake at night from our room

A walk by the lake in the late evening

The lake at night

What I liked about the place was the friendly & helpful staff and the free wi-fi that they provided, which kept me occupied while my husband was working.

Breakfast- We were provided complimentary breakfast at the hotel. The breakfast is a buffet, with a mix of Western and Asian dishes. There aren’t much of vegetarian dishes available, but when I made a request the chef was kind enough to rustle up some vegetarian noodles without egg (please mention not to add in eggs if you don’t eat eggs)

The restaurant also serves a buffet dinner. The hotel has a well stocked bar with a band of Filipino singers crooning some very melodious songs and also sing songs on request providing a soothing ambience. All the staffs were friendly and helpful. The hotel is only a few minutes walk into the town.

Word of caution- Be alert with your handbags or personal belongings if you go for a walk in the late evening, the hotel staff warned me about a gang of purse snatchers on a motorcycle (bike) operating in the city.

Lunch /Dinner – On request the chef can cook for you vegetarian noodles or fried rice.

SHAN KAFE VEGETARIAN CUISINE   

317, Jalan S2 B13, Uptown Avenue, Seremban 2  +606-6017424

Chinese, Take-out

SEREMBAN RED TEA GARDEN SDN. BHD. (紅茶园素食店)

AddressNo 2-D Jalan Temiang, 70200 Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia

Telephone(60) 06 7670887

Chinese vegetarian

FAST FOOD RESTAURANTS

There are a lot of fast food restaurants like McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut etc. You can order for burger minus the meat patties, French fries, potato wedges etc or a freshly baked huge vegetarian Pizza with fresh ingredients.

Who says you can’t be a vegetarian when you are traveling. If there is a will there is a way.

I stayed for 2 days in Seremban and enjoyed the Malaysian hospitality and also indulged in some luxuries which I would love to mention about. While you are in Malaysia in a manicure, pedicure – A special mention to the Doctor Soho’s foot spa which was the best foot spa I ever had. My feet felt like that of a baby, supersoft, I couldn’t help touching my feet and enjoying the softness.

Yo and me also called for the in house masseuse @ Royal Bintang who was a specialist in cracking sprains in your body. The massage was pretty painful, but after it was done you felt very free and relaxed.

Myself and Yo also got a facial done at the Inner Sense Beauty & Wellness Spa at Jusco Seremban 2, Seremban, Negeri Sembilan(this is something most tourists don’t miss). This place is very crowded.

I also got a hair treatment at the Loreal parlor. All these royal indulgences were priced very reasonably.

Stay safe

Seremban is a pretty safe town to travel to. Crime rate is amongst the lowest in Malaysia. Just take the usual precautions when travelling to any town/city: avoid carrying large amounts of cash, wearing excessive jewellery & leaving valuables visible inside one's vehicle

Day 3 - I was off to Kuala Lumpur (KL) one of my favorite places to visit. I went by Taxi and the hotel staff warned me that since I was traveling alone, I must take a taxi from the hotel and chose a driver with the cab company which has its booth at the hotel, as the driver would register all their details with the hotel before they pick up the passenger. The staff also advised me to preferably travel during the daytime. I preferred to listen to them. I left in the afternoon and Yo joined me after work. He took the train to KL and said it was great and light on his pocket as well. I am going to try the train the next time too.

Bye!!! Seremban – I would love to come back here again!!!!!!

COOL CUCUMBER & SWEET PINEAPPLE RAITA (YOGURT)

COOL CUCUMBER & SWEET PINEAPPLE RAITA (YOGURT)

I am not a raita fan but Yo (my husband) likes raita. One such day when I was cooking up a storm for him, I decided to make a special raita for him. Everybody makes a cucumber raita or a pineapple raita. I thought why not combine the two. And lo and behold we had such a refreshing new dish to savor.

Cucumber is very cooling for the system and is good for our skin and eyes.

Pineapple is one of the most popular tropical fruit. Pineapple is rich in vitamin C, it also has fibers, and enzymes that are good for the digestive system and helps in maintaining ideal weight and balanced nutrition.

You can use either fresh or canned pineapples for this dish. But I decided to use the canned ones as they are softer and sweeter (as they are stored in a sugar syrup). If you are using canned pineapples, kindly rinse them under running water once you remove them from the syrup. We don’t want the sugar syrup in our raita.

A CLOSE-UP COOL CUCUMBER & PINEAPPLE RAITA 

Ingredients

Yogurt – 2 cups

Cucumber – 1 big one

Pineapple – 1 cup diced , save some for garnish.

Cumin powder – 1 tsp (freshly roasted and powdered is best)

Salt as per taste

Sugar – ½ tsp

Red chili powder – 1-2tsps

Chaat Masala – 1-2tsps

An Aerial view of the cool cucumber and pineapple raita

Method

Peel and dice the cucumbers into small pieces in a vessel. Drain the water that seeps out of the chopped cucumber, we don’t want our raita to be very watery.

Use thick chilled yogurt, ensure that there is no whey else the raita will be watery.

If the yogurt is not thick, hang it in a cloth, so you can get the thick yogurt.

In a bowl add the yogurt, salt, sugar, cumin powder, 1tsp of red chilly powder and 1 tsp of chaat masala and stir well till the mixture becomes smooth and fluffy. Add in the diced cucumbers and pineapple chunks. After you prepare this keep it refrigerated.

Garnish with some red chilly powder and chaat masala powder before serving.
Serve the cool cucumber and sweet pineapple raita chilled, topped with a few chunks of pineapple. Enjoy this cool delight with your lunch/dinner.

A bowl of the cool cucumber and pineapple raita

ALOO DHANIAWALLE (POTATOES INFUSED WITH FRESHLY ROASTED AND GROUND CORIANDER SEEDS)

ALOO DHANIAWALLE (POTATOES INFUSED WITH FRESHLY ROASTED AND GROUND CORIANDER SEEDS)

Potatoes are an all time favorite with my kids and I like to try new recipes with this vegetable. My friend usually cooks this and sent some for me to sample and I told myself I must try this. I do add coriander powder when I usually make potatoes, but this recipe had loads of freshly roasted and coarsely ground coriander seeds. The aroma was magical and so was the taste. Do try this recipe and enjoy some hot Aloo Dhaniawalle with some hot and fluffy fulkas.

ALOO DHANIAWALLE

Ingredients

Potatoes – 5-6
Green Peas - 1/2 a tea cup (optional)

Ginger paste – 1 tsp

Green chilly paste – 1 tsp

Freshly roasted coarse coriander powder – 2 tbsps

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Cumin powder – 1 tsp

Garam Masala – 1tsp

Dry mango powder (Amchur) – 1 tsp (optional)

Anardana powder (Pomegranates seed powder)- 1 tsp (optional)

Asafetida – pinch

Oil – 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Lemon – ½ a lemon juice (optional)

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves for garnish

Another closeup

Method

Wash, boil and peel the potatoes. Mash them and keep it aside. Don’t mash the potatoes into a paste, just crumble them. If you are not good at mashing well, just dice them into chunky cubes. It works both ways.

Freshly dry roast 2 tablespoons of coriander seeds and coarsely grind them.

In a Kadhai (wok), heat some oil add the cumin seeds, once it starts to fry, add the ginger paste and chilly paste and let it fry well. Keep the gas on sim and then add the freshly roasted coarse coriander powder(1 tbsp), coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala and amchur powder, you can add anardana powder as well(optional, I haven’t used this in my recipe as I didn’t have it at home), asafetida, and salt as per taste, then add the green peas and let it cook for a while after which add the mashed potatoes. Mix well, check for salt, if less, add now and mix. While mixing don’t mash the potato just turn it gently. Ensure the masala is evenly mixed. Let this cook covered for a few minutes.

Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and the freshly roasted coarse coriander powder(1tbsp). Yopu can squeeze some lemon on top if you like. Mix well and serve hot with Poori/ chappati or hot rice and sambhar/rasam/dal.

A serving for you

PEERKANGAI THOGAYAL (RIDGE GOURD CHUTNEY)

PEERKANGAI THOGAYAL (RIDGE GOURD CHUTNEY)

Thogyal’s are an integral part of “Tambram”(Tamil Brahmin) cuisine. Life without thogayals would be life without spice for a south indian.

Thogayals add that extra zest to a bland meal, an extra flavor and an extra zing to your palate.

Thogayals are made using different vegetables, but ridge gourd is one of the very popular vegetables added to the conventional thogayal.

Ingredients

Ridge gourd – 1

Skinless split Black gram (Udad dal) - 2 tbsps

Bengal gram (Chana dal) – 1 tbsps

Dried red chillies -2-3

Tamarind – small lemon size

Asafetida (Hing) - ½  tsp

Curry Leaves – 8

Salt as per taste

Method

Heat oil in a Wok (kadhai), Add the udad dal, chana dal and the red chillies and roast until the dals turn pink and the chillies turn plump. Keep aside on a plate.

Now add the coconut, salt, curry leaves and asafetida and roast until the coconut is light pink in color and a lovely aroma is emanating, allow this to cool down as well.

Now, run the roasted dal mixture in the dry mill of your blender to a coarse powder consistency. Keep aside.

Then run the coconut mix and keep aside.

De-skin the ridge gourd (you can add the skin as well provided it’s not very sharp and stringy). Chop the peeled ridge gourd. Meanwhile in the same wok, add some oil, once it’s hot, add the chopped ridge gourd pieces and the ridge gourd skin as well incase you are using and a pinch of salt.

You will notice that the ridge gourd mixture becomes watery, sauté until all the water evaporates. Keep aside.

Once it cools down, run in the blender. Then add this paste with the blended coarse dal and coconut powders.

Check for the salt, if required, add at this stage Run once more in the blender with some water (about 4-5 tablespoonful), this time don’t run the blender too much, just one spin would be enough. Just remember, don’t make it a fine powder. The mix should be coarse. 

This should be coarse as shown in the picture not too fine.

If you grind all the ingredients together and not separately as directed then you will notice that the dals don’t get powdered and if you run it too much to ensure that the dals get powdered then the mixture will be too fine and not so tasty.

All the ingredients get grounded at different levels hence it has to be done separately.

The best way to grind it is always using a stone manual grinder and if not you can achieve the similar taste if you grind in the wet/dry automated grinder which we use nowadays to grind idly/ dosa batter.

GREEN DHOKLA / HARA BHARA DHOKLA

GREEN DHOKLA / HARA BHARA DHOKLA

Schools have started and so has the daily grind for me with 2 little school going children and it is very important for me to ensure that the children eat a balanced diet which includes vegetables and greens.

I hid some greens (Spinach leaves, dried fenugreek leaves powder and coriander leaves), in my children’s favorite snack “dhokla”, my kids were enticed by the lovely fresh green colored dhoklas and ate them with delight.

I think it’s a nice way to make kids eats vegetables. Do try this steam cooked recipe packed with nutrition

HARA BHARA DHOKLA / GREEN DHOKLA

Ingredients

Besan (gram flour) - 1 cup

Semolina (Rava) - 1 1/2 tablespoons

Spinach leaves (Palak) – 10-12

Kasuri methi powder – ¼ tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Cumin powder – 1 tsp

Sugar – 1tbsp

Ginger paste - 1 teaspoon

Green chilly paste - 1 teaspoon

Garlic paste – 1 tsp (optional)

Citric Acid (Nimbu ke phool) - 1/2 teaspoon or Lemon juice – 1 tsp

Eno Fruit salt or Soda Bicarb – 1 ½ tsp

For the tempering

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

White Sesame seeds (til) – ½ tsp

Green chillies – 2-3

Curry leaves – A sprig

Asafetida (hing) - a pinch

For the garnish

Freshly grated Coconut – 1 tbsp

Coriander leaves – 3-4 tbsp

A CLOSE UP OF THE HARA BHARA DHOKLA

Method

Rinse the Spinach leaves and 3 tablespoons of coriander leaves in a colander. Make a fine puree of the leaves in a blender without adding water.

In a big bowl add in all the ingredients except the Eno fruit salt and mix well using water to make a thick idli like batter. Let this rest for 10 minutes.

Add in the Eno fruit salt or Soda bicarb, Add little water and mix well.

You will notice that the mixture rises. Don’t wait too long once the batter rises.

When you see that the batter has risen immediately pour it onto a greased thali and steam, else your dholkas won’t turn out puffy and nice.

Remember the batter should’nt rest after adding the fruit salt.

Once the batter is poured into a deep greased plate, steam for about 10 - 15 minutes in a pressure cooker without the whistle or in a steamer.

When it’s done in a pressure cooker, keep it for about 10 minutes after you hear the whooshing sound of steam coming out through the top nozzle.

Once you turn off the gas, let the dhoklas rest for a while. Check with a knife, insert into the cake, if it comes free your dhoklas are done.

If not, steam cook for some more time.

For the tempering, heat the oil in a small pan and add the mustard seeds, when the mustard seeds crackle add in the cumin seeds & sesame seeds. Fry 2 -3 whole green chillies with the stalk, Add the curry leaves, Add in some asafetida and pour this over the steamed dhoklas.

Garnish with Finely chopped coriander leaves and some freshly grated coconut.

Cut into pieces and serve with coriander chutney or tamarind and date chutney.

I would like to pack some of my Hara bhara dhoklas to Priya Sreeram’s Fast Food Not Fat Food event.

This event was originally started by Priya Mahadevan 

OLAN (ASH GOURD AND BLACK EYED BEANS IN A MILD COCONUT MILK GRAVY)

I love revisits and I would like to revisit this post of mine posted on the 4th of July 2006. I love this dish, its simple, not too spicy and nutritious. Enjoy this post with new pictures.

OLAN (ASH GOURD AND BLACK EYED BEANS IN A MILD COCONUT MILK GRAVY)

Olan is the one of the simplest dishes of Kerala. I think this dish is very unique to Kerala. The speciality of this dish is it has no spices at all except a little green chillies to add some punch to this otherwise bland dish.

The dish is made with Pumpkins and black eyed beans in coconut milk gravy and the seasoning of curry leaves in coconut oil gives it a totally Kerala feel to the dish.

The dish is extremely nutritious and healthy, it is supposed to be very easy to digest and light on the stomach. This dish is low in calories.

The Brahmins usually eat a lot of Pumpkins as they believe it is good for the brain.

The White Pumpkin is rich in calcium and vitamins B and C and has a high fibre content. The Orange Pumpkin is rich in Vitamins A and B, protein and calcium

The Black eyed Beans (Lobia) though a high calorie food is rich in protein, calcium and vitamins A and B.

Olan is prepared by Kerala Iyers in their weddings, Upanayanam (thread ceremony), for festivals, It could be easily said that no Saddhi (Feast) is said to be complete without the olan.

It is a must try dish, the aroma of the coconut milk and the taste will make u crave for more. Below is the recipe of this “tasty” health food.

Ingredients
1 cup Black-eyed beans (Lobia or Van Payaru)
1 cup White pumpkin / Ash Gourd (Elavan)
1 cup Orange Pumpkin (Matthan)
3-4 nos. Green chillies (preferably slit)
11/2 cups Coconut milk (refer to tip)
5-6 nos. Curry leaves
1 tablespoon Oil (preferably coconut oil)
Salt

Method
Soak the Black eyed beans overnight. Pressure cook it the next day till 3/4th done. Don’t cook it completely else it will get mashed in the olan.
Remove the skin of the White Pumpkin and Orange Pumpkin (the skin of the orange pumpkin can be retained as it gets cooked, provided the skin is tender, if very tough to cut then please de-skin it) and cut it into small square pieces. The chopping of the vegetables is also very important in Olan. It has to be cut into square pieces only.
Cook the vegetables and the half done black eyed beans with salt and the slit green chillies in a little water. When the pumpkins and the beans are completely cooked (don’t overcook the pumpkins, take in a spoon and see if it is soft, that means it is done, don’t cook it to the level that it gets mashed), To the cooked pumpkins and beans add 1cup coconut milk i.e. your second milk (refer to tip) and boil. When it thickens well, add ¼ cup of your first coconut milk.
Bring this to a boil and remove from fire.
Season it by frying curry leaves in 1tbs coconut oil.
Mix well and serve hot.

Tip : Grate ½ a coconut. Squeeze out 1/4cup of the milk from the coconut without adding water, this is known as the first milk which is very concentrated. Grind in a mixie with little water and take one more cup of milk from the coconut.

Nowadays, we can buy coconut milk in a tetra pack, even the ready coconut milk can be used, but incase of using the ready coconut milk, no need to follow the first and second milk etc. just add the coconut milk as per the measure given and follow the method.

**Olan can be prepared with just one type of pumpkin also, that is either the White Pumpkin or the Orange Pumpkin.