PALAK chi PATAL BHAJI (Maharashtrian Spinach Curry)

Ingredients:

10-12 ounces of fresh spinach – trimmed, washed & finely chopped

2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp desiccated unsweetened coconut flakes
1/3 cup chana dal, soaked in enough water to cover for at least 1 hour
1/3 cup of Spanish peanuts, soaked in enough water to cover for at least 1 hour
¼ cup small pieces of fresh coconut
½ tsp turmeric (haldi)
½ tsp red chili powder, to taste
1½ tsp kala masala (also known as goda masala but you can use garam masala)
2-3 tbsp besan (gram flour or chickpea flour) mixed with 4-5 tbsp of water
1 tsp dried tamarind pulp, soaked in 1/4 cup hot water (or you can use 1 tsp tam concentrate
or 1 tsp tam powder)
1 tsp black mustard seeds
½ tsp fenugreek seeds (methi), coarsely crushed
3-4 dried red Indian chilies
4-5 large garlic cloves, sliced
6-8 fresh curry leaves
pinch of asafetida (hing)
salt & pepper, to taste
pinch of sugar, to taste
2 tbsp oil (vegetable or canola)

METHOD:

In a small dry skillet (with no oil) on medium high heat, toast the cumin seeds along with the
desiccated coconut flakes for just a few minutes until fragrant & slightly browned. Be careful
not to burn either the cumin or the coconut flakes. Remove quickly from the skillet, allow too
cool & then using a spice grinder or coffee mill – grind into a fine powder. Set aside until
needed.

In a large deep skillet on medium heat, add 1 tbsp of the oil. When hot, add the chopped
spinach leaves. Spinach cooks very quickly, so this will only take just a minute or so. Now
using the back of a ladle or wooden spoon, mash the spinach until it has a smooth and almost
pureed type of consistency. At this point, add the chana dal along with the peanuts and
coconut pieces. Stir and add the spices (turmeric, red chili powder, kala masala, sugar, salt &
pepper). Stir-fry and let the spices cook for a few minutes before adding the besan and water
mixture. The besan acts like a thickener, similar to cornstarch. Stir until all the ingredients are
well combined and then add in the tamarind. Stir until all the ingredients are well combined
and then reduce the heat to low. Cover & let cook for 4-5 minutes. *

In the meantime, heat a small saucepan on medium high heat, add the oil and when hot, very
carefully add the mustard seeds. When the splattering stops, add the fenugreek seeds. Reduce
the heat to medium and add the asafetida and curry leaves. Next, add the sliced garlic. After
about 30 seconds or so, carefully add this entire flavored oil mixture to the spinach. Sprinkle
the powdered cumin & coconut flakes liberally on top. Garnish with the freshly chopped
cilantro and serve with warm chapatis and fragrant Basmati rice.
VARIATIONS:

*Palak chi Kadhi is a similar dish that can be made by adding either yogurt or buttermilk to
the recipe above. After the spinach has cooked for 4-5 minutes, turn off the heat completely
and allow the pan to cool down for just a few minutes. Then add 1 cup of good quality yogurt
or buttermilk and mix well to combine. If you add the yogurt to a very hot pan, it will curdle.
Then proceed with the recipe as directed

KOKUM AND ANAR SLUSH

Uniquely flavoured icy beverage.
Preparation Time : 10 minutes
Cooking Time : 10-15 minutes
Servings : 4

INGREDIENTS
Kokum syrup
1 1/3 cup
Roasted cumin powder
2 teaspoons
Black salt (kala namak)
2 teaspoons
Sugar
8 tablespoons
Crushed ice
4 cups
Pomegranate pearls
4 tablespoons

METHOD
Blend kokum syrup, roasted cumin powder, black salt, sugar and crushed ice in a blender until
slushy.Pour into stemmed glasses and serve decorated with a sprinkling of pomegranate
kernels.

ROASTED ONION, GARLIC AND PUMPKIN SOUP

A refreshing soup with the fragrance of onion,garlic and
pumpkin.
Preparation Time : 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time : 15-20 minutes
Servings : 4

INGREDIENTS
Onions
2 medium
Garlic
2 whole pods
Red pumpkin (bhopla/kaddu), peeled and thinly sliced
700 grams
Oil
3 tablespoons
Salt
to taste
Fresh cream, optional
1/2 cup

METHOD
Heat one and a half tablespoons oil in a pan and add the pumpkin slices. Sprinkle some salt
over them and pot roast them on medium heat till well roasted. Place the onions and garlic
pods, without peeling, in a microwave oven and cook on HIGH for one minute so that they
soften. Heat the remaining oil in another pan and roast the onions and garlic pods on medium
heat till fragrant and the peels begin to loosen. Remove the peels and add the garlic cloves to
the pumpkin. Peel the onions and roughly chop them and add to the pumpkin. Add half a cup
of water. Cover and cook on medium heat till the pumpkin gets completely soft. Cool. Transfer
the mixture into a mixer, add quarter cup of water and grind to a smooth puree. Transfer the
puree into the pan, adjust salt and bring it to a boil. Add cream and stir. Serve hot.

LEMON AND CORIANDER SOUP

An herbed flavour tangy soup.
Preparation Time : 1 minutes
Cooking Time : 15 minutes
Servings : 4

INGREDIENTS
Lemon juice
2 tablespoons
Fresh coriander leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons
Oil
2 tablespoons
Onion , chopped
1 medium
Spring onion bulb , chopped
1 medium
Ginger, chopped
1 inch piece
Garlic, chopped
5 cloves
Gram flour (besan)
2 tablespoons
Vegetable stock
4 1/2 cups
Cabbage, chopped
1/4 small
Carrot, cubed
1 medium
Black peppercorns, crushed
7-8
Salt
to taste

METHOD
Reserve the stems of coriander leaves. Heat oil in a pan. Add onion, spring onion bulb, ginger
and garlic and sauté till translucent. Add gram flour and continue to sauté till you get a nice
aroma. Add vegetable stock, coriander stems, cabbage and carrot cubes and bring to a boil.
Add crushed peppercorns and continue to boil. Add half of the chopped coriander leaves and
cook for five to ten minutes. Strain and keep aside cooked vegetables. Heat the strained
soup. Add salt, lemon juice and bring to a boil again. Season with the remaining chopped
coriander leaves and serve hot.
Sprouted Moong

Author : supriya...
Preparation Time: 7 min
Cooking Time : 25 min
Yield : 4 (4 servings)

Description : Sprouted Moong Recipe made easy, learn how to make

Sprouted Moong Recipes at home.

Recipe of Sprouted Moong

Ingredient Name Unit Quantity

cumin seeds tsp 1

curry leaves number 10
dried red chillies, roasted number 4
fresh coconut number 1/2
green chillies number 2
hing pinch
oil tbsp 3
roasted coriander seeds tsp 1
salt tsp 1 1/2
sprouted moong beans grams 200
tamarind pulp tbsp 5
turmeric powder tsp 1/4
water cup 2 1/2

Directions | How to make Sprouted

Moong
Wash sprouted moong. pour enough water to cover the sprouts and add chillies. cook gently over low
heat until tender but crisp. add the ground paste & salt. mix well & simmer over low heat until done
(ensure moong stays crisp & crunchy & doesn't get overcooked & mushy).

heat oil. add cumin seeds & add hing & curry leaves. pour over the boilded sprouts & mix well. serve
hot.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Spiced Curry Leaves Powder ( Karvapillai Podi )

Share
Curry leaves are aromatic dark and shiny leaves used in Indian
cooking and is an integral part of a lot of curries, hence the apt
name, curry leaves, I guess :-) For generations Indian families have
used these leaves for their digestive properties as part of home
remedies for digestive disorders. These leaves are also said to help
in preventing premature gray hair and various sundry health
benefits.

When I was younger, I used to carefully remove the leaves that

were used as part of seasoning in a curry and keep it aside even
though I was told they were good for me, I never really seemed to
care for it very much. But now as with many other spices and herbs
I avoided earlier, I find myself re-looking these leaves too and they
have become a constant part of my kitchen now, in one way or the
other they find a presence in a lot of my dishes.

I knew that a spiced curry leaves powder was made in my home

when I was younger but I never got around to making it since it
requires a large quantity of curry leaves and finding them in such
quantities in Indian stores is quite difficult, not to mention pricey.
So the other day when I was shopping for groceries at the local
Indian store I happened to see dried curry leaves being sold there,
reasonably priced and definitely more long lasting then the fresh
ones I usually buy. I bought that and have been using it in my
cooking for a while now and do not find any discernible difference in
taste from the fresh ones.

Spiced curry leaves powder is a dry powder that has a long shelf
life. It is versatile enough to be used as a side with some rice dishes
like yogurt rice, or it can be mixed up with a little bit of cooked rice,
add a few drops of clarified butter/ ghee or sesame oil and voila you
have an instantly flavored healthy rice dish. This powder can also be
used to spice up yogurt to create an instant dip, or to spice up
curries. Simply put, this versatile and healthy powder manages to
find its way to the dinner table one way or the other almost each
day.
Click here for a printable view of this recipe

Ingredients and Method to make Spiced Curry Leaves Powder

( Karvapillai Podi)

2 1/2 cups of Dried or Fresh Curry leaves ( I used dried) ( Also

known as karvapillai/ curry patta)
1/4 cup split chick pea ( chana dhal)
1/4 cup split black gram lentil ( udad dhal)
Dry Red Chillies about 30 ( or according to taste)
1/8 tsp Asafoetida / hing (optional)
salt to taste

Dry roast each of the lentils seperately until it turns reddish, keep
aside seperately.

Dry roast the curry leaves (yes even the dried ones) until the it
turns a little brownish and you can hear them make a crackling type
of sound when they are stirred and keep aside

Dry roast the red chillies until they turn color and keep aside.

Cool all the ingredients thoroughly before proceeding to powder

them
Powder the split chick pea until slightly coarse, then add split black
gram lentil to it and continue to powder until they get the bread
crumb type look, keep aside.
The copyright of this content belongs to Veginspirations.com
Powder they curry leaves into a fine powder and keep aside.

Powder the dry red chillies with a pinch of salt if required until
reasonably fine and keep aside.

Now mix all these powdered ingredients together in a blender, add

salt and asafoetida and powder until fine.

Store in an airtight container and use as required to spice up your

rice, yogurt or curries

Suggested Variation

Dry roast a small piece of tamarind and powder and add to the
spiced powder and mix well.

Alternatively add about 1/4 tsp of amchur powder (dry mango

powder)( or according to taste) to the final powder and mix
thoroughly, this imparts a slight tartness to the final powder
IF YOU ENJOYED THIS POST SIGNUP FOR FREE UPDATES AND HAVE
EACH POST ON THIS SITE DIRECTLY DELIVERED INTO YOUR INBOX.

Tendli Sukke (Tindora in dry coconut curry)

Published On 24 Sep 2008 By redchillies. Under Coconut based Curries, Entrees
Vegetarian / Side Dishes, Konkani Recipes.
Konkani Sukke is a dry coconut curry that has roasted coriander seeds and urad
daal while making the masala along with coconut, tamarind and red chillies. This
recipe here is only a method and can be used as a basic guideline; use any other
vegetable of choice like okra, beans, raw banana etc instead of the Tindora/ Ivy
Gourd based on your preferences and taste.
Before my marriage I was exposed to predominantly North Kanara and
Maharashtrian style Konkani cooking. We used terms like Ambat, Ghashi, Kadi,
Patal Bhaji, Suki Bahaji etc to denote different variations of coconut based curries.
But then after my marriage I got exposed to South Kanara cooking and learnt more
terms like Sukke, Sagle, Koddel, Sasam etc.

So far so good, you say, you learn new terms, new dishes, and new concept right?
Right. But then starts the confusion as our definition of Ghashi, Ambat is not the
same as theirs, each of their coconut masala (‘maasolu’) for Sukke, Sagle, Koddel has
such subtle differences that sometimes one does not know what they are cooking. My
MIL must have explained the differences many times, but unfortunately I did not
make any notes then.

Now that I have developed a deep interest in cooking I set out to understand the
differences and asked Dear Husband for guidance. But alas, I managed to confuse
him even more and he said as long as the taste was good, he did not care what it was
called. He continued to add “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”!
Anyway, my quest did not end there.

I found some very useful information about all the different ‘maasolu’
here.

This is my Entry to RCI – Konkani hosted by Deepa of Recipes n More.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of chopped Tindora/Ivy gourd

• Mustard seeds
• 4-5 Curry leaves
• Jaggery for taste
• Salt
• Oil

To make the coconut masala

 • 1 1/2 cup shredded coconut (fresh/frozen)
• 1 Tbsp coriander seeds
• 1 Tbsp urad daal
• 1 Tbsp tamarind paste
• 3-4 red chillies

Serves:

3-4 people

Method:

• Wash the Tindora thoroughly and cut into long strips. Keep aside.
• Roast the coriander seeds, urad daal and red chillies in little bit oil and roast
until it turns brown.
• Next make the coconut masala, by grinding the coconut along with red
chillies, salt, tamarind, water, urad daal and coriander seeds. The masala
should be slightly coarse, thick so do not add too much water.
• In the meanwhile heat oil in a thick bottomed pan. Add the mustard seeds,
allow to splutter and then add the curry leaves.
• Add the chopped tindora, salt and fry until it turns light brown and is cooked.
• Add the coconut paste and cook until the raw smell of coconut is gone. Check
for taste and adjust the seasonings if required.
• Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Lentil soup is one of those recipes that should be in every cook's repertoire. Lentils are
available in most grocery stores and are high in protein, healthy and very cheap. This
vegetarian lentil soup recipe uses plenty of spices to perk up the soup. Enjoy this
traditional and warming dish! You may also want to try this crockpot lentil soup
recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp vegetable oil

• 1 onion, diced
 • 1 carrot sliced
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup dry lentils
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• dash salt
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Preparation:

In a large pot, sautee the onions and carrot in the vegetable oil for 3-5 minutes until
onions turn clear.

Add the vegetable broth, lentils, pepper, thyme, bay leaves and salt.

Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until lentils are soft, about 45 minutes. Remove
bay leaves and stir in lemon juice before serving. Makes 4 servings of lentil soup.

Nutrition Facts One serving provides approximately:

Calories: 230, Calories from Fat: 27
Total Fat: 3.0g, 5% Saturated Fat: 0.7g, 3%
Cholesterol: 0mg, 0%
Sodium: 852mg, 36%
Total Carbohydrates: 33.0g, 11%
Dietary Fiber: 15.6g, 62%
Sugars: 4.6g
Protein: 18.7g