Everyday Currys & Dals

Traditionally  in Indian cuisine, every aspect of ones daily requirement of fruits, vegetables, proteins and carbs are catered to in every meal. In the northern parts of India, the carbs are mainly from one or other form of bread referred to as roti or naan. The proteins are mainly from grams , pulses referred to as dal  & diary in the form of Yogurt  . In case of non-vegetarian diets, the proteins are additionally from some form of meat besides the dal. Fat in the diet is mainly from clarified butter or ghee. Vitamins and Minerals are from fruits and vegetables that are either consumed raw or cooked with different bases or masalas. Every ingredient thats used in cooking not just adds to flavor, color and aroma it also has acts as a healer in some form or the other . One such example is of turmeric that is used extensively in Indian cooking.

If you have followed my postings thus far, you would have noted the number of vegetarian dishes that  can be whipped up for a sumptuous meal . The next few postings are going to be everyday Currys and Dals. These are mostly accompaniments to the bread or Rotis and / or Rice.   

From Veena Sridhar's Kitchen

We all have some memories of people, places, food or an event from our childhood that we cherish. One such person from my childhood was my grandma's baby sister - Grandma Pattu.  Even though we visited Grandma Pattu often, I have very vague memories of her cooking.  But as they say "Grandma's recipes are grandmas recipe's . Theres all that stuff and then tonnes of love which is what makes that recipe extra special !". 

This particular recipe is apparently from her kitchen. And the one thats shared this with me (Veena) , is an amazing cook herself .  So here goes the recipe for Coriander Onion Chutney (Dhania Tohail). From Grandma and Veena's cookbook to my blog.

Coriander Onion Chutney (Tohail)

Ingredients:

Coriander 2 bunches, Onion 2 (medium) chopped roughly,  Tamarind pulp 1 tsp,  Green Chili pepper 2-3, Red Chili pepper 1,  Mustard seeds 1 tsp, Black Gram Lentil 1/2 tsp,  Asafoetida 1 pinch,  Salt to taste( about 1/2 tsp), Oil 1 tsp

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and Asafoetida. Once the seeds start to sputter add Black Gram Lentil and red chili pepper and saute until the lentil starts to turn golden brown . Add onions and green chilli pepper and saute’ till it is light brown. Dilute 1 tsp of tamarind pulp/paste in half a cup water. Add the diluted tamarind water to onion and bring it to boil on medium flame. Add salt to taste. Roughly chop 2 bunches of coriander leaves and add to the Pan and saute’ for additional 2 minutes. Take the pan off the flame and let it cool. Grind it all in grinder/food processor to a smooth paste consistency. If the chutney is too dilute add more coriander leaves and grind. Adjust salt according to taste.

This chutney is a great accompaniment with rotis, parathas, dosa, idli, and sandwiches. The shelf life of this chutney if refrigerated, is a couple of days .

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There is another variation to this chutney which I had learnt from another wonderful person a distant aunt and the recipe of that is as follows

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Coriander Onion Chutney

Ingredients:

Coriander 2 bunches, 1-2 Medium Onions chopped roughly,  1 bunch Mint, Tamarind paste 1 tsp,  4-5 Green Chili pepper , 1-2 inches Ginger (cut to small pieces),  Mustard seeds 1 tsp,  Asafoetida 1 pinch,  Salt to taste( about 1/2 tsp), Oil 1.5 tbs

Method:

Heat 1 tbs oil in a pan and add  Asafoetida.  Add onions and green chilli pepper and saute’ till it is light brown. Add tamarind paste , salt , Ginger coriander leaves and Mint leaves and saute for 3-4 mins until the leaves are cooked and the tamarind paste is uniformly absorbed. . Take the pan off the flame and let it cool. Grind it in grinder/food processor to a smooth paste consistency. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds . Once the seeds start to sputter,  mix in the paste.  Adjust salt according to taste.

The shelf life of this chutney is about a month if refrigerated in an airtight container.

Cooking Masalas and Powders

As I had said in my other section, most times Masalas for specific Indian dishes these days, are available pre-made in any Indian /Asian grocery store. Amongst the pre-made Masalas I personally prefer the MDH brand for NorthIndian cuisine and MTR brand for South Indian cuisine. Its just a matter of personal preference. But then there are those special times when I grind my own masalas or cooking powders especially if Im having someone over for dinner.  Here are some of the recipes I use to make my masalas. 

The measurements are approximate as most times I don't use measuring cups and spoons . My grandmom used to say the best measuring cup is your hand. I personally believe if we put a little less of sugar, salt or spice we can always add it depending on how our taste buds dictate . Also I prefer not to taste the food Im preparing while doing so . The best taste is in its aroma . If it smells right it tastes right. Don't believe me? Next time try it while making your favorite dish  and you'll know what Im talking about. 

Sambar Powder:

Ingredients : 

For one batch of Sambar 2 tbs Bengal Gram lentil(chana dal), 8-10 red chili pepper, 2tsp Coriander seeds, 2-3 tbs Red Gram Lentil (toovar dal) , 2 pinches Asafoetida, 1 tsp cooking oil, 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds, 1/4 tsp black pepper

Optional items : 

Roasted coconut grating - to be added if making for same day consumption,  1 pinch ground Cinnamon (daalchini) - to be added to give a nice sweet aroma.

Method :

In a pan heat oil and roast all the ingredients to golden brown. Dry Grind to powder consistency after cooling it down. Sambar powder is ready. Typical shelf life of the dry ground powder is a little over a month. 

If it is wet ground i.e with water, then it has to be used immediately.  If more spice is needed then you can add red chili powder.

Rasam Powder

Ingredients : 

6-8 Red chilis, 1/2 tsp Coriander seeds, 1 tbs Red gram lentil (toovar dal), 1/4 tspPepper, 1 tsp Cumin seeds, 2 pinches Asafoetida. 

Method :

In a pan dry roast all the ingredients to golden brown with (optional) 1 tsp cooking oil (preferably vegetable oil). Cool and grind to fine powder. Shelf life of this powder (dry) is over a month. If more spice is needed then you can add red chili powder or increase black pepper.

Garam Masala

Ingredients : 

1/4 cup Cumin Seeds, 1/2 cup Coriander Seeds, 1 -2 inch Dry Ginger (or Ginger powder), 1 Nutmeg or 1/2 tsp Nutmeg powder, 7-8 Cinnamon Sticks or 1tsp cinnamon powder, 10 Bay leaves, 2 tbs Cloves, 2 tbs Green Cardamom , 10-12 Black Cardamom , 1-2 tbs Black Pepper

Optional items : 
Mace

Method :

In a pan,  dry roast each ingredient  individually except Ginger and Black Cardamom. Cool them together and dry grind them in a dry grinder or coffee grinder to fine powder. Store the masala in an airtight container to retain freshness for months.

Kala Masala

Ingredients :

Coriander seeds 1 cup, Cumin seeds 1/4 cup, White Sesame seeds 1/3 cup,  Cloves 2 tbsp, Black Cardamom 2 tbsp, Cinnamon sticks 2 tbsp, Black peppercorns 2 tbsp, Lichen 2 tbsp (skip it, if unavailable), Bay leaf 1/2 cup, Oil to roast the spices about 1-2 tsp, Star Anise 2-3.

Method :

In a pan or wok, heat the oil and roast all the spices together till they turn dark in color. The color should be very dark brown for the masala to get a good color.  Make sure the spices are constantly stirred to keep them from burning. Once roasted, let it cool before grinding it to a powder in a dry grinder. The proportion of coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom, and Cinnamon sticks (garam masala ingredients) is more in kaala masala. Also, the spices are toasted to a more darker color to make Kaala masala.

Generally, dried coconut (khobra) & sesame seeds are not used.  However Goda masala is slightly lighter in color than kaala masala and renders a different taste even though the ingredients are about the same.

From Srividya Deepak's Kitchen

In response to my request for recipes from my "Family & Friends", the very first one that came my way was from my very dear Srividya Deepak. So heres the recipe from her kitchen to (hopefully) yours. 

These Tortilla Rolls not just make for great finger food but are a meal by themselves and are sure to leave your family and guests licking their fingers and craving for more. 

Tortilla Rolls

Ingredients: 

 3 tbs Sour Cream, 2 tbs Cream Cheese, 2 large Carrots grated, 1  large Avocado- mashed, 1 large Onion chopped, 1-2 tomatoes chopped, fresh Cilantro & Dill leaves cut, juice from 1 lemon,  5-10 pack Tortilla, Salt  & Pepper to taste.

Procedure:

Take a mixing Bowl, Add 2 tblsp of cream cheese and 3 tbslp of Sour cream. Mix it well until it becomes a nice paste. Add the chopped cilantro, Dill, salt and pepper. Mix well and add the chopped onions and tomatoes (very finely chopped). Add 2 spoons of lemon juice and keep aside. Now take a flat pan and add the tortilla one by one and flip it so that it cooks on both sides. Once that is done, Apply a thin coat of the paste you made to the tortilla. Arrange the Avocado and Carrot on top of it and Roll it slowly. You can stick the ends easily since there is cream cheese in the spread. Take a foil and individually wrap these long rolls into it. Repeat the same with the rest of the tortillas.  Refrigerate these rolls for about 2 hours. Remove the foils and cut them into two inch pieces.  And arrange them on platter. 

Spunky Rasam Varieties

In the recent past a few people asked me for some of my recipes and I realized I hadn't updated my blog in a while... So while I am in the process of doing that, I figured I would include my family and friends on this journey of adding some mouth watering recipes to my blog. Cant wait to see what they have in store. Meanwhile to kick start this journey I am adding a few more recipes of my own .
Winter is here and most days all we need is some spunk in our food to warm the otherwise cold season.  If its simple to make then , its all the more fun. One such mouth watering simple food for the stomach is Rasam. 

As you would know thanks to wikipedia " Rasam or Chaaru or Saaru or Kabir is a South Indian soup , traditionally prepared using tamarind juice as a base with the addition of tomato, chili pepper, pepper, cumin and other spices as seasonings. Steamed lentils are added along with any preferred vegetables. Nowadays all the seasonings required are combined and ground beforehand into rasam powder, which is available commercially. It is eaten with rice or seperately as a spicy soup. Rasam has a distinct taste due to its own seasoning ingredients and is usually fluid in consistency".

Elsewhere in my blog I have the recipe for Medicinal Rasam . It is my goto Rasam when Im under the weather with a scratchy throat, fever or cold. However one of my most popular Rasam is actually a slight variation of the Maharashtrian Saar.

Saar

Ingredients : 

2-3 large beef stake tomatoes cut, 1 medium onion cut, 1tsp Ginger-garlic paste, 2 tsp Cumin seeds, 4-5 Green chilli pepper cut, few curry leaves , few coriander leaves 1/2 tsp Mustard, 2 tbs Clarified butter/ ghee, salt one heaped tsp., 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1 pinch Asafoetida powder.

Method : 

In a pan heat one tbs clarified butter/ ghee and saute' 1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, green chilli pepper & onion. Add ginger garlic paste, tomatoes , curry leaves, salt & turmeric powder. Cook on medium until it starts slightly browning. Remove from fire and let it cool. When its cools grind it into a smooth paste. 

In a vessel heat 1 tbs of clarified butter and sputter mustard, and the remaining cumin seeds add Asafoetida and the paste with 4-5 cups of water and let it boil for a few minutes. You can adjust the spice and salt by adding red chilli powder or ground pepper at this point. Season with Coriander leaves . 

This can be served as a soup or with rice. 

The next one is my hubby's favorite thing to make when he gets in to cook. And I have to admit , he makes one mean "Regular Rasam". The main ingredient that he puts in in his Rasam is love . If you follow this recipe and some love of your own, Im sure its going to be as wonderful as his dish.

Regular Rasam 

Ingredients : 

1-2  tomatoes cubed, 2 tsp Cumin seeds, , few curry leaves , few coriander leaves, 1/2 tsp Mustard, 2-3 tbs Clarified butter/ ghee, 1 heaped tsp salt , 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 1.5 tbs tamarind paste or 1 lemon sized tamarind (this would require you to soak it in warm water for sometime and get the tamarind essence), 1/2 cup Red gram dhal or lentil, 1-2 heaped tsp of rasam powder (recipe given elsewhere in my blog if you want to prepare it from scratch) , 1/4 tsp Asafoetida powder, 2 dried whole red chili pepper.

Prepreparation: 

In a pressure cooker add  the red gram dhal with 2 cups of water and turmeric and cook. In a separate vessel  boil 2 -3 cups of water with tamarind paste and asafotida for 5-10 mins.

Method : 

To the boiling tamarind water add cubed tomatoes and curry leaves and let it cook/ boil additional for 5-10 minutes. Whisk the pressure cooked lentil to a loose consistency with water.  Add Rasam Powder, Salt and add this to the boiling tomato tamarind mixture . Now let this boil for additional 5-10 mins  

In a pan, heat clarified butter / ghee and sputter mustard & cumin seeds with whole red chili pepper and season the rasam . Add coriander leaves also for seasoning at this point. 

This can be served as a soup or with rice. 

Cumin Pepper Rasam (Milagu Rasam)

Ingredients : 

1 Tsp each of Red Gram Lentil (tuvar dal), Cumin seeds, Coriander Seeds, 1 or 2 Red chilis, 1/2 tsp Black Pepper, 2 tsp Bengal gram Lentil (chana Dal) , Tamarind, 1 pinch Asafoetida (Heeng) , Salt to taste, Curry leaves , Coriander leaves, Ginger, Clarified Butter/ Ghee, Garlic, Turmeric, Mustard seeds , Cut Tomato (optional).

Method : 

In a pan, saute Red Gram Lentil , cumin seeds, Coriander seeds, ginger, Garlic, Bengal Gram Lentil, red chilis, Asafoetida, black pepper & curry leaves until the lentils turn golden brown.  Remove from flame. When it cools down sufficiently, grind to a paste. This is your Masala Paste

In a vessel boil tamarind paste with the salt and a lil asofitada. (you can add cut tomatoes to add some flavor at this point)

In a pan heat clarified butter and add mustard. When the mustard starts to sputter, add to the boiling tamarind juice . Also add the ground Masala Paste and let it boil. When it starts frothing put it on simmer and let it boil for some more time before switching off the gas.  Season with Curry leaves and coriander leaves.

The Four Elements

There are a plethora of posts out there regarding some of the most amazingly places to visit. This post is intended to highlight the salient features of  some such amazing places we visited, that have been preserved as  National Parks in the United States. To make it interesting I figured we'd categorize each place under one of the 4 elements .. Fire, Water, Earth & Air. 

Fire:

The topmost on our list is of course Yellowstone. It is one of the most amazing places especially for someone that loves nature . Nature can be seen in all its glory throughout Yellowstone in its flora, fauna and topography. Yellowstone is one of the largest volcanoes  that reveals itself on the surface in menacing ways with mud pots, with nauseous toxic gases and fumaroles that hiss with acid vapor. It feels surreal standing there in the heart of this super volcano with its super heated pools of water steam vents and Geysers that attract visitors galore .  Hundreds sometimes 1000's of tremors shake Yellowstone every year. The volcano is alive and active with a massive cauldron of magma. Speculation abounds but no one knows for sure when it would erupt but meanwhile it shapes a unique wilderness populated by wildlife. Extreme forces and raging fires shape the Yellowstone . There are many things that make this place special.

The Yellowstone plateau sits in the Rocky Mountains  and the continental divide runs through the southwest side of the park. It has the largest high altitude lake in North America and the largest petrified forest.  This beautiful place boasts of many waterfalls  that can only be  experienced by trekking through the interior wilderness that I believe is not for the faint at heart. Its seemingly pristine wilderness is shaped everyday by the super volcano, that is Yellowstone.  Yellowstone also holds the unique & prestigious position of being the first National park. The park beckons me back.. and I would go, this time not for the nauseous gases, fumaroles or streaming hot pools but for the pristine wilderness and the path unexplored by any as Yellowstone has something new for everyone. 

 

Water:

Where there is fire there is a need for this element -Water. The biggest National Parks in the United States that boast miles upon miles of this element are in Southern of Florida and Virgin Islands. The reason I said National Parks (plural) instead of park is because there is a toss up between the Everglades National Park, Biscayne National Park , Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida and the watery world of Virgin Islands Coral Reef Monument. 

 

The Everglades National Park is the largest sub tropical wilderness in the United states that boasts of rare and endangered species. It has been designated a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve and wetland of International importance, significant to all people of the world.

 

Within sight of downtown Miami, yet worlds away, Biscayne National Park protects a rare combination of aquamarine waters, emerald islands, and fish-bejeweled coral reefs. Here too is evidence of 10,000 years of human history, from pirates and shipwrecks to pineapple farmers and presidents. Outdoors enthusiasts can boat, snorkel, camp, watch wildlife... or simply relax in a rocking chair gazing out over the bay.

Almost 70 miles (112.9 km) west of Key West lies a cluster of seven islands, composed of coral reefs and sand, called the Dry Tortugas National Park. Along with the surrounding shoals and waters, they make up Dry Tortugas National Park. The area is known for its famous bird and marine life, its legends of pirates and sunken gold, and its military past. Parts of this island is protected from human intervention as sea turtle nesting sites. And if you are lucky you might just see these endangered reptiles.

Virgin Islands Coral Reef Monument includes federal submerged lands within the 3 mile belt off of the island of St. John. These waters support a diverse and complex system of coral reefs, and other ecosystems such as shoreline mangrove forests and sea grass beds that contribute to their health and survival.

Air:

One of the most important elements, that keeps every organism living and breathing is also responsible for shaping the topography of these beautiful National Parks in our list  The Badlands National Park" in South Dakota and "The Arches National Park" in Utah are wonderful examples of how this element shaped and continues to shape these vast landscapes with every passing day. Formed by the geologic features of deposition & erosion, of Sandstone and tiny Grains of sediments such as sand , silt and clay that have been cemented together in sedimentary rocks this landscape is ever changing. 

 

 

Land: 
Last but definitely not the least this is an essential element  for the sustenance of most of the species dwelling in this wonderful planet we all call home, is highlighted in the wonderful "Grand Canyon" in Arizona , Olympic National Park in Washington and Redwood National Park in Northern California . These three National parks are vastly different from each other yet showcasing the same thing.. how beautiful and diverse our planet is. 

Considered one of the natural wonders of the world, the Grand Canyon with its unique combinations of geologic color and erosional forms decorate and overwhelm our senses as this powerful inspiring immense landscape. A few Million years ago, by the action of the tectonic plates the whole region was uplifted resulting in the high and relatively flat Colorado Plateau. The Colorado river began it downward journey eroding and widening the canyon for millions of years. The strength of this river is at play even today chiseling away at the exposed limestone. The exposed geologic strata of Schist  and limestone represent one of the most complete records of geological history that can be seen anywhere in the world.

Olympic National Park spanning a million acres is three parks in one. A land of beauty and variety with mountain vistas to meadows and rain forest to Ocean tide pools. The park encompasses within it  geology, climate, isolation and history. Its sheer size protects this relatively intact ecosystems making it a priceless living laboratory for both flora and fauna .

The Redwood National Park is home to the worlds tallest trees, the icons that inspire visions of primeval forests. These giant redwoods have  stood  around for thousands of years and watched time go by like no one else on this planet.. If only they could talk, we would have first hand account of everything that science is estimating of from centuries gone by. This park also supports vast prairies, river ways, woodlands and a rich mosaic of wildlife diversity.