Aloo Kundri Pepper

The experiment turned out ok...And I need to pen down the recipe before I forget it...

Ingredients:

1. Kundri/TondeKayi/Kovakkai/Ivy Gourd - Around 150 g
2. Potatoes - 2 medium sized
3. Onions - 2 medium sized
4. Pepper powder - 2 tsp.
5. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp.
6. Salt - 1 tsp.
7. Oil - 1 tbsp.
8. Mustard - 1 tsp
9. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
10. Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Procedure:

1. Chop kundri length-wise ( One kundri into around 6 pieces). Chop potatoes into 2 inch long pieces ( around the same size as the kundri pieces). Chop onions finely.
2. Heat oil in a cooker and season with mustard,cumin seeds and curry leaves.
3. Add onions and saute for a minute.
4. Add the chopped potatoes and kundri and saute for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add salt, turmeric and pepper powder.
6. Add half a cup of water and pressure cook till one or two whistles.
7. After cooking stir well and cook for a minute on open flame.
8. Serve with rotis.

Rasam (Obbattu Saaru)

Many people I have met often ask me the recipe for rasam. Rasam does not have a single standard recipe and each person makes it differently. In fact the way a person makes rasam becomes her signature. Most cooks are judged solely by the quality of rasam they make. Apart from this, one more thing we need to understand is that there are at least around 20 varieties of rasam. I make a few of them at home, most of them improvised versions of the existing recipes.
This one is called obbattu saaru. My m-i-l makes it whenever she makes obattu (holige/poli). Obattu filling is made by boiling dal and grinding it with jaggery and coconut. The water drained after boiling dal is used to make this rasam. I really love this rasam and cannot wait for the day obattu is made for having it. So here's my version.

Ingredients:

1. Toor Dal - 1/2 cup
2. Garlic - 6-7 pods
3. Red chilles - 3-4
4. Pepper - 1 tsp.
5. Jeera - 1 tsp.
6. Tamarind - the size of a small lemon.
7. Oil/Ghee - 2 tsp.
8. Mustard - 1/2 tsp.
9. Salt - to taste

Procedure :

1. Boil the dal along with water in a cooker (can be cooked along with rice). If the dal can be completely mashed into a paste, mash it. If the dal is whole even after cooking, drain the water and use for rasam and use the dal for some other dish. This depends on the quality of dal.
2. Extract the tamarind pulp using warm water.
3. Roast pepper, jeera and red chilles in oil ( or dry roast them). grind them along with garlic pods. Add this masala to the above and boil until the raw smell of tamarind is gone.
4. Add dal/ dal-water to the above and add salt.
5. When the rasam boils, season with mustard/jeera in oil/ghee.
6. If this rasam is made along with obattu, we can add a lemon-sized amount of the obattu filling to the rasam. It will give it a sweetish taste. On other days, if you like the sweetish taste, you can add a small piece of jaggery.

Paneer Capsicum Bhurji

Ingredients:

1. Crumbled Paneer - 1/2 cup
2. Capsicum, Onion, Tomato - 1/2 cup each (very finely chopped)
3. Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp.
4. Jeera - 1 tsp.
5. Green chilles - 2-3 (very finely chopped)
6. Oil - 3-4 tsp.
7. Garam masala - 1/4 tsp.
8. Salt - as per taste

Procedure:

1.  Heat oil in a kadai. Season with Jeera.
2. Add ginger garlic paste and chopped onions and fry for 2-3 minutes.
3. Add greem chillies and chopped capsicum and cook for 5 minutes till capsicum becomes tender.
4. Add chopped tomatoes and cook further till the whole mixture turns slightly pulpy. Add a little water for cooking if required.
5. Add salt and garam masala.
6. Add the crumbled paneer and fry for around 5 minutes so that all the water evaporates and the raw smell of paneer is gone.
7. Serve with phulkas.

Basundi

The recipe is simple, but requires some time and patience. But other than that, it is not at all difficult. I got the recipe from my friend's wife Sowmya. I followed her instructions and it turned out much better than I expected. I attribute the success of this recipe to its simplicity.

Ingredients:

1. Milk (whole milk) - 1 ltr.
2. Sugar - 1/2 cup or as per taste
3. Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp.
4. Saffron - 10-15 strands
5. Pistachio (thin slices) - 1 tsp.

Procedure:

1. In a deep flat bottomed nonstick pan, heat milk on medium flame till the milk boils.
2. Continue heating the milk on low flame till the milk is reduced to 1/3 of its original volume. During this process, layers of cream will be formed. Keep stirring in these layers of cream into the milk.
3. Add sugar and stir till it dissolves completely.
4. Add cardamom powder.
5. Add saffron strands dissolved in 2 tsp. of warm milk.
6. Remove from flame. After it cools to room temperature, refrigerate. Serve chilled, garnished with pistachio flakes.

According to most internet sources, Basundi and Rabdi are the same. Somehow, I personally call this dish above Basundi. It is thick and creamy and can be served as a singleton dessert.
I do refer to Rabdi in some of my other recipes, where it is used as an accompaniment for Jalebi or Malpua or as a part of the recipe for Shahi Tukra or Rasmalai. According to my definition, Rabdi must not be extremely thick and creamy, but just slightly thicker than milk so that it can be kind of soaked in by the Jalebi, Malpua etc. For making Rabdi for these dishes, you can follow the same instructions as above, but instead of reducing the milk to 1/3, reduce it to half its original volume.

Tomato Gojju

This is probably the first dish I ever learnt to make from mom. Its quick and easy to make and tastes yummy. We generally make it when we are short of time or when we are traveling.
Ingredients:

1. Tomatoes ( chopped finely) - 6
2. Onions ( chopped finely or into thin long slices) - 2
3. Green chillies (slit into long pieces) - 3
4. Chilli powder - 1 tsp. (optional)
5. Dhania powder - 1 tsp. (optional)
6. Mustard - 1 tsp.
7. Oil - 3 tsp.
8. Coriander leaves for garnishing.
9. Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Procedure:

1. Heat oil on a kadai. Add mustard and allow it to splutter.
2. Add green chillies, curry leaves and onions and fry till onions turn translucent.
3. Add tomtoes and cook with closed lid on a low flame for 5 minutes.
4. Add chilli powder, dhania powder and salt. Cook for 5 more minutes. Stir well.
5. Garnish with coriander leaves and remove from flame.

This dish tastes best with chapatis. It can be had with dosa, ragi dosa and idlis too.
Variations:
Add finely chopped capsicum or brinjals or peas after onions and before tomatoes and cook for a few minutes for an enhanced taste.

Vendhaya Keerai Kozhambu

Ingredients:

1. Methi leaves - 2 cups (cleaned and chopped)
2. Tamarind - size of a lemon
3. Solid asafoetida - 1/2 inch piece
4. Red chillies - 2 or 3
5. Sambhar powder - 2 tsp.
6. Oil - 3 tsp.
7. Mustard - 1 tsp.
8. Corn flour - 1 tsp. (optional)
9. Jaggery - 1/2 inch piece (optional)
10. Salt to taste

Procedure:

1. Soak tamarind in one cup of water and extract the pulp.
2. In a kadai, heat oil and add mustard.
3. When the mustard splutters, add asafoetida, red chillies and the methi leaves and saute for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the tamarind pulp.
5. Add sambhar powder,salt and bring to a boil.
6. Keep boiling for around 5-10 minutes on a low flame.
7. Add corn flour or rice flour to very little water and make a light paste. Add this to the boiling gravy to thicken it. If you do not want the gravy to be thick, you can skip this step. Also you can add a small piece of jaggery if you like it.
8. Remove from flame and serve with hot rice and ghee/gingelly oil.

The same procedure can be used for Kozhambu with other vegetables. Replace methi leaves with thinly sliced onions, whole shallots, lady's fingers cut into 1 inch pieces or brinjals diced into 1 inch cubes. Add some methi seeds and curry leaves to the seasoning in this case.

Since this kozhambu does not use coconut or dal, it can be stored for upto a week when stored in the fridge.

Baingan Bharta

This is a kind of customized version of Bharta that I make - took a few recipes from the net, cut the complexities and tailored it for my kitchen.

Ingredients:

1. Brinjals (Large Purple) - 1/2 kg
2. Onions - 2
3. Tomatoes - 2
4. Green chillies - 2 or 3
5. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
6. Dhania powder - 1 tsp.
7. Oil/Ghee - 5-6 tsp.
8. Coriander leaves - for garnishing.

Procedure:

1. Smear the brinjals with oil, prick them with a knife and roast them over direct flame. Peel the burnt skin, add salt and mash the pulp. If needed, cook it for 2 minutes in a microwave.
2. In a kadai, heat oil/ghee, add finely chopped onions and saute till they turn translucent.
3. Add finely chopped green chillies and finely chopped tomatoes. Fry till a homogeneous gravy is formed and the oil separates out.
4. Add chilli powder, dhania powder and salt.
5. Add the mashed brinjal pulp and fry for some more time.
6. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rotis.