This morning while I was channel hopping, I came across a programme on Jaya TV which was titled Neengalum Samaikkalam (I think!). The presenter was demonstrating preparing the base for creating this 'saadham'. I did not watch the whole preparation but think saw enough of the programme to publish this post as the end product looked very similar to pulikaichal which I absolutely adore, but havent managed to cook for a very long time.
I am getting this post done before I forget the recipe, so do not have a photograph of the finished item to publish. I have not listed the quantity of ingredients as yet, but will prepare this myself and post this when it is done. I am sure there are many readers who would be able to recreate this dish based on this rough guide!
Ingredients
Dry masala to fry in a little oil and grind when cool
Channa dal
Red Chillies
Dhania (coriander seeds)
Curry leaves
Oil for tempering
Mustard
Channa dal
Red Chillies
Garlic cloves cut into big pieces
Thick tamarind extract
Salt
Cooked and cooled rice.
Roast the ingredients for grinding in a little oil and set aside. When cool grind to fine powder.
In a pan heat a little oil and temper adding channa dal, mustard and dried red chillies.
Once the mustard splutters, add the chopped garlic pieces and after a few seconds add thick tamarind extract.
Cook till the water content evaporates and it comes together into a dense mass.
Now add the ground powder and cook a few minutes till well mixed.
Add the cooked rice and your saadham is ready.
Sunday 13 November 2011
Sunday 13 September 2009
Peanuts and Celery Kaarakuzhambu (Curry)
I still remember the first time I spotted a bunch of celery at the supermarket, and marvelled at it as it was a vegetable I had read about, but never seen in all the while I lived in India. I did not have the guts to buy this vegetable as I thought I would not know how to use it.
Soon after we moved to the UK, we were invited to a friends house for a meal. Let me clarify here that the friend was a work colleague of my husband, a Yorkshire woman. This meal is one that I will not forget in a hurry as it was totally different to our typically South Indian dishes and style.
I could barely contain my amazement when the meal started with a slice of melon! Isn't fruit something you end the meal with?? There was more to follow - all of which served to show how ignorant I was when it came to cultures and food habits other than my own.
The meat we were served was slices of what looked like boiled chicken. The expression of disgust, no horror on my childs face when he had a taste of the meat - unforgettable. Part of the meal consisted of whole sticks of celery, which we were expected to eat with various store bought sauces... As you may have guessed, I avoided this as did the rest of my family.
Do you wonder then how it is that I have come up with this recipe?
I have always liked to experiment and try out different foods. How long can we keep eating the same old carrots, beans, cabbage and mushrooms? After a respectable period of time, I decided to give this vegetable another chance. Celery as a crudite is palatable, especially with hummous. The crunchiness of this reminded me very much of 'Vaazha thandu' which I must confess was not one of my favourites as a child. But I had come to love this vegetable as I grew older, appreciating its delicate taste, crunchy texture in the preparations my mum made - used as thin discs in sambar, and fine slivers in kootu.
This comparison with vaazha thandu, prompted my first experiment of using celery in sambhar. This worked well, and soon became a regular. Yes, I did use this in making kootu with celery which was equally scrumptious. Celery soon found a use in many of my recipes, be it a simple fried rice using peas and celery, or as a substitute when I found myself out of onions!
This recipe originated on one of the days when like Mother Hubbard I found my cupboard/fridge bare of vegetables save a few sticks of celery and some peanuts in the fridge. I had been craving some spicy kaarakuzhambu and hoped to find some peppers or brinjal in the fridge, but no such luck. I had to improvise and I did. I hope you like this as much as we all did.
Peanuts and Celery Kaarakuzhambu (Curry)
Ingredients
1 cup shelled raw peanuts
4-5 sticks of celery, peeled and cut into 1 inch lengths
2 tomatoes quartered
Tamarind extract from lime sized ball of tamarind soaked in ½ cup of water
1 onion chopped
1 onion grated, mixed with ½ teaspoon each of coarsely ground jeera and pepper
3 cloves garlic crushed (optional but recommended)
2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp turmeric
2 sprigs curry leaves
½ tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
½ tsp asafoetida powder
2-3 Tbsp of oil
Cover the peanuts with 1 cup of boiling water and leave aside for an hour. If rushed for time, once water is added microwave for 2 mins and use in recipe.
Heat oil, do the tempering or tadka using mustard seeds, fenugreek and asafoetida.
Add chopped onions and fry a couple of mins.
Add curry leaves and crushed garlic, stir, add ground onion paste and cook till raw smell disappears.
Add dry spice powders, tamarind extract, peanuts, salt and tomatoes.
Let this cook covered for about five minutes.
Add 4 cups water and let this come to a boil. Let it cook on low heat for about 10 minutes
Add celery pieces, salt to taste and cook a further 5 minutes and remove so that celery still retains some of its crunchiness.
Serve hot with rice, or as an accompaniment for idlis, upma or uthappam.
Soon after we moved to the UK, we were invited to a friends house for a meal. Let me clarify here that the friend was a work colleague of my husband, a Yorkshire woman. This meal is one that I will not forget in a hurry as it was totally different to our typically South Indian dishes and style.
I could barely contain my amazement when the meal started with a slice of melon! Isn't fruit something you end the meal with?? There was more to follow - all of which served to show how ignorant I was when it came to cultures and food habits other than my own.
The meat we were served was slices of what looked like boiled chicken. The expression of disgust, no horror on my childs face when he had a taste of the meat - unforgettable. Part of the meal consisted of whole sticks of celery, which we were expected to eat with various store bought sauces... As you may have guessed, I avoided this as did the rest of my family.
Do you wonder then how it is that I have come up with this recipe?
I have always liked to experiment and try out different foods. How long can we keep eating the same old carrots, beans, cabbage and mushrooms? After a respectable period of time, I decided to give this vegetable another chance. Celery as a crudite is palatable, especially with hummous. The crunchiness of this reminded me very much of 'Vaazha thandu' which I must confess was not one of my favourites as a child. But I had come to love this vegetable as I grew older, appreciating its delicate taste, crunchy texture in the preparations my mum made - used as thin discs in sambar, and fine slivers in kootu.
This comparison with vaazha thandu, prompted my first experiment of using celery in sambhar. This worked well, and soon became a regular. Yes, I did use this in making kootu with celery which was equally scrumptious. Celery soon found a use in many of my recipes, be it a simple fried rice using peas and celery, or as a substitute when I found myself out of onions!
This recipe originated on one of the days when like Mother Hubbard I found my cupboard/fridge bare of vegetables save a few sticks of celery and some peanuts in the fridge. I had been craving some spicy kaarakuzhambu and hoped to find some peppers or brinjal in the fridge, but no such luck. I had to improvise and I did. I hope you like this as much as we all did.
Peanuts and Celery Kaarakuzhambu (Curry)
Ingredients
1 cup shelled raw peanuts
4-5 sticks of celery, peeled and cut into 1 inch lengths
2 tomatoes quartered
Tamarind extract from lime sized ball of tamarind soaked in ½ cup of water
1 onion chopped
1 onion grated, mixed with ½ teaspoon each of coarsely ground jeera and pepper
3 cloves garlic crushed (optional but recommended)
2 tsp chilli powder
2 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp turmeric
2 sprigs curry leaves
½ tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
½ tsp asafoetida powder
2-3 Tbsp of oil
Cover the peanuts with 1 cup of boiling water and leave aside for an hour. If rushed for time, once water is added microwave for 2 mins and use in recipe.
Heat oil, do the tempering or tadka using mustard seeds, fenugreek and asafoetida.
Add chopped onions and fry a couple of mins.
Add curry leaves and crushed garlic, stir, add ground onion paste and cook till raw smell disappears.
Add dry spice powders, tamarind extract, peanuts, salt and tomatoes.
Let this cook covered for about five minutes.
Add 4 cups water and let this come to a boil. Let it cook on low heat for about 10 minutes
Add celery pieces, salt to taste and cook a further 5 minutes and remove so that celery still retains some of its crunchiness.
Serve hot with rice, or as an accompaniment for idlis, upma or uthappam.
Pasta twists with mixed beans and cottage cheese/red onion/sun dried tomatoes
From Hob to Gob!!
Above title was a spontaneous contribution from my son whom I’d requested to take a photograph of the pasta concoction I had whipped up in a hurry using whatever was available in the fridge and store cupboard. I avoided adding any rich ingredients on grounds of health and watching our collective family’s weights!
Pasta twists with mixed beans and cottage cheese/red onion/sun dried tomatoes
Ingredients:
2 cups pasta twists (quick cooking type)
1 cup diced red onion
3 cloves of garlic peeled and cut into chunks
1 broccoli head, cut into small florets
½ cup cottage cheese
1 – 1 ½ cup of mixed beans (I used adzuki and cannellini beans)
3 halves sun dried tomatoes cut into strips
1tsp cayenne pepper powder
1 Tbsp Oil
Walnut pieces
Cook the pasta in a large bowl following instructions on packet. I added salt to the water.
Drain the water and set aside.
Microwave the broccoli for 4 mins on high (or steam for 6-8 mins) so that they retain their colour and remain crunchy.
Heat some oil in a pan, add onions and garlic frying till onions are golden in colour.
Add cayenne, stir fry.
Add beans, tomatoes and cook to warm the beans through.
Now add the cooked pasta and toss well to mix evenly.
Stir the cottage cheese in and then the broccoli into the pasta and serve sprinkling some walnuts onto each serving.
I have just realized that the photo for this recipe is with my son! Will add this to the post and update soon...
Above title was a spontaneous contribution from my son whom I’d requested to take a photograph of the pasta concoction I had whipped up in a hurry using whatever was available in the fridge and store cupboard. I avoided adding any rich ingredients on grounds of health and watching our collective family’s weights!
Pasta twists with mixed beans and cottage cheese/red onion/sun dried tomatoes
Ingredients:
2 cups pasta twists (quick cooking type)
1 cup diced red onion
3 cloves of garlic peeled and cut into chunks
1 broccoli head, cut into small florets
½ cup cottage cheese
1 – 1 ½ cup of mixed beans (I used adzuki and cannellini beans)
3 halves sun dried tomatoes cut into strips
1tsp cayenne pepper powder
1 Tbsp Oil
Walnut pieces
Cook the pasta in a large bowl following instructions on packet. I added salt to the water.
Drain the water and set aside.
Microwave the broccoli for 4 mins on high (or steam for 6-8 mins) so that they retain their colour and remain crunchy.
Heat some oil in a pan, add onions and garlic frying till onions are golden in colour.
Add cayenne, stir fry.
Add beans, tomatoes and cook to warm the beans through.
Now add the cooked pasta and toss well to mix evenly.
Stir the cottage cheese in and then the broccoli into the pasta and serve sprinkling some walnuts onto each serving.
I have just realized that the photo for this recipe is with my son! Will add this to the post and update soon...
Blitzed Broad Beans
In our family Broad Beans ranks only second to Brussel sprouts when it comes to most hated vegetables. Having said that, it cannot be denied there is a lot going in favour of broad beans nutritionally. In an attempt to make family members take to this vegetable, I have tried to prepare the beans after removing the thick outer skins which proved to be a hit! The beans were skinned and made into either a soup, tossed into pasta with walnuts, or steamed with minimal seasoning all of which proved to be popular with the family. Children did like the taste of bright green beans once the heavy skins were taken out, but all I could think of was ‘all that fibre going to waste’!I did want to convert my children into enjoying the whole of the bean, so came up with this plan of blitzing the cooked bean so that the skin was reduced into smaller pieces of pale green hidden amongst the bright green bean halves. Visual appeal of the beans was greatly improved, and the sweetness of red onions and coconut went a long way into making this a very palatable dish!
The preparation is very simple and takes no time at all, and I would urge you all to try this to convert other broad bean haters.
Blitzed Broad Beans
Ingredients
2 cups broad beans (I used frozen)
1 cup chopped red onion
2 Tbsp grated coconut
2 Tbsp ground roasted corn (optional)
Oil
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp chilli powder
Microwave beans for 4 – 5 mins adding a tablespoon of water.
Grind coarsely in blender or food processor.
Heat oil in a pan and when hot add fennel seeds.
Follow this immediately with chopped onions and fry till colour changes.
Add chilli powder salt, and sprinkle some water so salt gets evenly distributed in the onions.
Now add the coarsely blitzed bean mixture and stir to just combine. Do not overcook!
If using roasted corn, add it now to mix in – this gives an added crunchy texture . (This is the snack variety which is slightly spiced, similar to dry roasted peanuts which can be substituted)
Sprinkle grated coconut over and remove.
Ingredients
2 cups broad beans (I used frozen)
1 cup chopped red onion
2 Tbsp grated coconut
2 Tbsp ground roasted corn (optional)
Oil
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp chilli powder
Microwave beans for 4 – 5 mins adding a tablespoon of water.
Grind coarsely in blender or food processor.
Heat oil in a pan and when hot add fennel seeds.
Follow this immediately with chopped onions and fry till colour changes.
Add chilli powder salt, and sprinkle some water so salt gets evenly distributed in the onions.
Now add the coarsely blitzed bean mixture and stir to just combine. Do not overcook!
If using roasted corn, add it now to mix in – this gives an added crunchy texture . (This is the snack variety which is slightly spiced, similar to dry roasted peanuts which can be substituted)
Sprinkle grated coconut over and remove.
Saturday 5 September 2009
Paal Kootu - Quick n Easy
Today being a Saturday meant this was a vegetarian day, and cooking vegetarian food for just the two of us is easy.
I had a glut of tomatoes from my last visit to the poly tunnel. Quite a good harvest really which was - two bowls of red cherry tomatoes, a small punnet of black cherry toms, and loads of green tomatoes! Reason for the glut of green toms, is cos I needed the space in the veg bed for planting my winter veg of chinese cabbages, some florence fennel and kohlrabi. As there is only so much space in the polytunnel I had to free up the space by sacrificing my green tomatoes. I knew they wouldn't have a chance of ripening on account of the lousy weather and shortening days.
I had a glut of tomatoes from my last visit to the poly tunnel. Quite a good harvest really which was - two bowls of red cherry tomatoes, a small punnet of black cherry toms, and loads of green tomatoes! Reason for the glut of green toms, is cos I needed the space in the veg bed for planting my winter veg of chinese cabbages, some florence fennel and kohlrabi. As there is only so much space in the polytunnel I had to free up the space by sacrificing my green tomatoes. I knew they wouldn't have a chance of ripening on account of the lousy weather and shortening days.
Green tomatoes is not an ingredient I cook often with, in fact I do not know anyone in our circle of friends who does. The last time I had green tomatoes was almost 10 years ago, when I was at work in India. One of my junior friends would have his lunch delivered to the workplace, and this was from a 'mess'. This meant he had a huge tiffin carrier, each compartment filled with rice, sambar, rasam, poriyal, kootu, puli kuzhambu, moor kuzhambu, pickle, pachadi etc. with a fresh rolled banana leaf, and appalams everyday! Course he couldn't eat it all by himself could he? We were all too happy to help him finish it.It was during one such lunch time - we all shared what we had as was the norm! that I had a taste of a kootu made with green tomatoes. It was the first time I had eaten the preparation and liked it a lot, and regret to say that I have never thought of making it till now!
Ingredients
Ingredients
1 cup gram dal
2 cups green tomatoes
1 ripe red tomato or 2 - 3 tbsp tinned chopped tomato
1 cup onions finely chopped
4 green chillies slit lengthwise
Mustard, jeera and oil for tadka
1/4 spoon asofetida
Curry leaves a sprig
2 Tbsp grated coconut, roughly ground
1/2 cup milk (or more)
Let me describe how I made it. I washed and soaked the dal for a half hour and cooked with the green tomatoes in the pressure cooker till done. After the pressure was reached, I reduced the heat and let it stay on heat for 10 mins and then removed from the stove.
I left the cherry tomatoes whole, using a knife to make a slit down one side. To all appearances the tomatoes seem whole, and they retain this shape when cooked as well.
In a pan, heated some oil, added the asofetida, mustard and jeera. When they started to pop added the chopped onions and slit green chillies and curry leaves. Fried these for a few minutes, removed half and transferred to the mixer and crushed this coarsely.
To the onions in the fry pan, I added the chopped red tomato, some turmeric covered the pan and let it cook for a few minutes. While this was cooking, ground the onion mixture and added to the pan along with the ground coconut and fried briefly.
Finally added the cooked dal and once the mixture came to a simmer, I poured the milk and let it cook for a further couple of minutes.
This kootu needs to be of a consistency such that it can be mixed with rice and eaten. So adjust the water content accordingly. The amount of milk too can be altered to suit individual taste. When serving children, I find they like it when I increase the quantity of milk. Not only is this tasty, but v nutritious as well.
I served this with plain boiled rice and a lovely keerai poriyal - made with Black Tuscan Kale which I had brought from ? Yes you guessed it from the polytunnel!
My husband likes this preparation very much and says that it reminds him of the Muringai keerai we used to get when in Madras. I will post this recipe another time!
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