Spunky vegetarian gravy and soups

Much against wanting to make this a food blog,  here  I am writing about food. Well in the recent past, I met with some old friends and made some new ones and when we started chatting up the conversation centered on food. Specifically on spunky Indian gravy or stew.. Here are a few of my super ultra favorites.. They are sure to please anyone in a party and you for sure will find it appetizing.

The first on my list is a dish from the Indian state of Maharashtra called Saar. This is my version of Saar. This is sour, salty and a little spicy all at the same time.

Saar

Ingredients : 

2-3 large (sour)Tomatoes, 1 medium Onion, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2-3 Green chili Pepper, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder, 1 pinch asafetida, few curry leaves, coriander leaves, salt (to taste which is minimum 1 tsp for this dish) , 1 tsp Clarified butter.

Procedure : 

In a vessel heat clarified butter, Sputter Cumin seeds and add asafetida, Green chili pepper, curry leaves, tomatoes , Onion, turmeric powder and salt. Sauté until its fully cooked. Remove from flame and let it cool down to room temperature before  grinding this to paste with a cup of water. Add 3 cups water to dilute it. At this point adjust taste by adding salt and black pepper if u need more salt or spice. Boil this mixture for 5 mins. Garnish with sputtered cumin seeds, mustard seeds and coriander leaves. 

Serving suggestion : Can be served with plain white rice or just as soup with chips.

The next on my list is the super ultra spunky Vatha Kozhambu (pronounced as Koyamboo) from the south Indian state of Tamilnadu. Its sweet, sour and mildly bitter (owing to Fenugreek) to the trained taste buds. Most people don't even feel the bitterness. All they feel is sheer bliss tasting this yummy stew.

Vatha Kozhambu

Ingredients : 

1 tsp mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1 pinch asafetida, few curry leaves , Onion (and or Okra, yellow gourd/ pumpkin, Eggplant), 2tsp Bengal gram dal(chana dal), 2 tsp Yellow lentil/ red gam dal (tur dal), 1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds, 3-4 Red chili pepper, jaggery (lemon size) powdered,  2 tbs peanut (optional), salt to taste, tamarind (I prefer concentrated tamarind paste) 1.5 tsp if concentrated or the size of a big lemon if raw tamarind is used, sesame (gingerly) oil 3 tbs, 1 tbs Rice flour.

Procedure : 

Soak Tamarind (unless you are using the concentrated paste) in a glass of warm water  for 10 mins. Squish the tamarind to get the flavor. Filter the tamarind out and transfer the flavored water into a big vessel.  Repeat tamarind squishing and transferring until there is no more flavor left in the tamarind. Boil the flavored water with asafetida until the raw smell of tamarind is lost . Alternatively if you are using Tamarind paste, simmer 5 cups of water, add paste and asafetida and boil until the raw smell of tamarind is lost.   Meanwhile in a separate heavy bottom vessel add 1 tbs of gingerly oil, mustard seeds & red chill pepper. When they start sputtering, add Fenugreek seeds,  bengal gram dal, yellow lentil , Peanuts and roast until they are slightly golden. Add a few curry leaves, Onion and or any other vegetable with turmeric and salt. Saute' until the vegetable looks half cooked. Add the boiled tamarind juice and let it boil for 5 mins. The vegetables take the flavor of tamarind. As its boiling add the powdered Jaggery and let it boil for additional 10 mins . If liquid quantity reduces, add water accordingly during this time. In a separate glass mix rice flour in 1/2 cup water ensuring there are no lumps add this to the boiling kozhambu / stew while continuously mixing it in with a ladle. Add the remaining Sesame oil and let it simmer for 5 mins. This should thicken the consistency of the kozhambu or stew. You know its done when you get an appetizing aroma. If in doubt let it simmer for 5 more mins. Garnish with a few fresh curry leaves.

Serving Suggestion : With Plain rice, Yellow lentil rice or Yogurt rice. My family usually loves this Vatha Kozhambu the following day when all the masalas get concentrated with time. The shelf life of this is almost a week. Im sure it will survive more than that provided you don't finish it in the first couple of days..!