South Indies: Balaka/Majjige Menasu - Marinated Sun Dried Green Chillies
When the sun is at its peak, why not make good use of it?? Atleast this is what my grandmom believed in. Of all the things that my grandmom made during summer, I particularly love Balaka - sun dried green chillies.
Though these are readily available in most stores, there is something very charming about home made stuff .. Go ahead & make good use of the sun.
These are usually made in bulk & are stored for over more than a year. And, these are fairly simple to make as compared to papads & the like. Though, a time consuming process, its totally worth the wait. These are perfect for monsoons, when one craves for something fiery & spicy.
You Will Need:
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50 Green Chillies
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3 cups Sour Buttermilk
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3-4 tsp Salt
How To:
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Wash & pat dry green chillies. Make slits halfway along, such that the chillies remain intact & do not open up. You could use a toothpick or a small knife for this
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In a huge bowl, mix buttermilk & salt
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Immerse the slit green chillies in the buttermilk-salt mixture. Keep them in the mixture for 3 complete days. Keep stirring the chillies atleast twice a day.
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Now, take a wide plate or spread a huge plastic sheet & sun dry the chillies. At the end of the day, transfer the chillies back to the buttermilk mixture.
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Repeat the procedure for about 3 days.
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Throw way the sour buttermilk & sun dry the green chillies for another 4 days until the chillies lose all moisture & are completely dry.
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Store in a air-tight container.
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Fry them for a few seconds, until golden brown.
Enjoi with a simple Dal Tadka , Majjige Huli or Curd Rice . . .
NOTE:
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You could also use these chillies to temper plain Dal Tadka & Green Mango Dal in particular.
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Those of you who are not used to spicy food may find this very fiery. So first, take a small bite to see if you can take the heat
Bhinda Ni Kadhi
have never been to Gujarat, But I think, it must be a Food Paradise. I love love Gujju Food The Dhoklas, Khakhras, Theplas, Handvo, Khandvi … I just can’t get enough of them. I had quite a few gujju friends in Mumbai, & as a South Indian, I was quite amazed to see the amount of farsans each Gujju household stocked.
I often did lunch at a Gujju friend’s house, & her mom made this yummy kadhi with okra. Many years later, I had this sudden urge to eat Bhindi /Okra kadhi. This was my lunch yesterday.
You Will Need:
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200g Okra/Bhindi - cut into 1 inch pieces
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2 tbsp chickpea flour/Besan
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2 cups yogurt
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1/2 tsp turmeric powder
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1 tsp grated ginger
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1 stick Dalchini/cinnamon
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2 cloves/Laung
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1 tsp mustard seeds
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1 tsp cumin seeds
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A generous pinch of Hing
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A few curry leaves
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3-4 broken red chillies
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2 tsp sugar
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Salt as per taste
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2 tbsp cooking oil
Method:
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In a large bowl, whisk together chickpea flour & yogurt such that no lumps are formed
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Meanwhile. in a skillet heat some oil & fry okra until it gets soft & set aside.
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In the same skillet, add some more oil, splutter mustard & cumin seeds, add hing, cinnamon sticks, cloves, grated ginger, curry leaves & red chillies.
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To this, add the chickpea flour-yogurt mixture & about 2 cups of water & mix well
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Add turmeric, sugar & salt. Stir continuously & bring it to a boil
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Add some more water if the mixture is too thick
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Add cooked okra & simmer for about 15 minutes
Serve HOT with Khichdi or plain steamed Rice. Enjoi !!!
NOTE: The apparent difference between & Punjabi Kadhi & its Gujarati counterpart is the addition of Pakodis. Also, Gujarati kadhi is on the runnier side & is slightly sweeter in taste because of sugar, You can add more sugar of you wish, I just struck to adding a couple of tsps as we aren’t that fond of sweets.
We ate this with Rice, But it tastes best when teamed with arhar dal ki Khichdi. Remember to serve this with a Dollop of Ghee !!
South Indies: Dry Cabbage Curry/Palya
Palya is a vegetable/ mixed vegetable stir fry typically served as a side dish with anna-saaru or chapatis, in most kannada households.
Cabbage makes way into my kitchen very often because, whenever I send my husband to buy vegetables, he comes back holding a large head of cabbage. Not that cabbage is his favorite, its just that he really finds it convenient to buy them. He wouldn’t really need to test it for its tenderness. Just pick it up, weigh it, pay for it, & he’s done with vegetable shopping.
So I find myself making this palya quite aften as accompaniment with some simple anna-saaru. And, it sure does make an awesome comination with saaru. Simple & homely food that is.
You Will Need:
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2 cups cabbage - finely shredded
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1/2 cup grated fresh coconut ( Optional )
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2 tsp mustard seeds
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2 tsp cumin seeds
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A handful of curry leaves
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4- 5 green chillies - chopped finely
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1 tsp urad dal
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1 tsp chana dal
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1/2 tsp turmeric powder
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2 tsp cooking oil
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Salt as per taste
Method:
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In a heavy bottomed pan, cook shredded cabbage with about 1 cup of water. Add turmeric powder & a little bit of salt while cooking. Cover with a pan, & cook on medium flame, till the cabbage is soft. Add more water if the water has already dried up. But DO NOT add too much water as cabbage leaves additional water while cooking.
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Or simply, cook cabbage in the microwave. gets done pretty quickly.
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Once the cabbage is cooked yet crunchy, Add grated coconut. Temper with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, chana dal & urad dal.
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Check for salt, Mix well
Serve HOT with steamed rice/chapatis .. Enjoi !!!
NOTE: You can even do without adding grated coconut. If you do not like the taste of coconut, or if you are calorie counting, give it a miss. It will taste as great.
Beaten Coffee
What did you guys do this Valentine’s day & what did you get? Well, we don’t really attach too much importance to this, but I got a new cellphone from my husband. It was much needed because the old one was beyond repair. So now you see, how convenient such days are?
Valentine’s Day reminds me of our courtship period. Those days when we would endless hang around coffee shops to exchange those sweet nothings. We still frequent coffee shops, but its mostly with friends now
Anyways, in case you guys want to re-create the same ambience in your home, here’s a great recipe for some instant coffee
While I always love the classic South Indian Filter Coffee, this works well if you do not have the patience to brew coffee decoction. Or if you simply want a change. This tastes so much better than Instant Coffee. Believe me.
You Will Need:
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1 1/2 tsp of any instant coffee powder - I love Nescafe
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1 1/2 - 2 tsp Sugar
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1cup hot milk
Method:
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In a coffee mug, add instant coffee powder & sugar. To this add 1 tbsp milk & beat well for about 3 - 4 mins with a spoon until frothy.
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Pour hot milk into the mug & beat well for a minute until froth appears.
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Add a pinch of instant coffee powder on top & make swirls with your finger tips.
And, your Beaten Coffee is ready to Serve. Enjoi !!!
Spicy Bell Pepper & Tomato Rice
I heart Bell Peppers. All colors. I tend to include them practically in anything. From South Indian cuisine, to North Indian to Italian to Mexican. I can eat them raw, steamed, roasted, smoked .Yep, Bell peppers & I share a very loving relationship.
But Shankar, isn’t exactly fond of these beauties. You give him anything that has diced bell pepper, & he painstackingly discards them. Anyways, that doesn’t stop me from cooking bell peppers ..
You Will Need:
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1 cup Basmati Rice
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1 cup bell peppers - diced ( All colors - Red, Green, Yellow & Orange )
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1/2 cup Green Peas - fresh/frozen
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2 small onions - chopped finely
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2 large tomatoes - chopped
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1 tsp turmeric
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1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
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1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
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1/2 tsp Garam Masala
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1/2 tsp Kitchen King Masala
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1 tsp whole Garam Masala
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Salt as per taste
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Juice of half a lemon ( optional )
Method:
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Clean Basmati Rice in several changes of water. Drain & set aside for about 15 mins. Heat a tsp of desi ghee in a pan, Roast the rice for a couple of minutes. Pressure cook the rice with 1 1/2 cups of water. Once done, set aside & let it cool completely.
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In a heavy bottomed pan, heat ghee/oil. Splutter whoe Garam Masala. Add ginger-garlic paste.
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Saute onions till they turn pink. Add diced bell peppers, turmeric & red chilli powder & saute for about 5 mins. Add chopped tomatoes, Green peas & saute until the tomatoes are completely cooked & bell peppers are cooked yet form.
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Mix in Rice, Garam Masala, Kitchen King Masala, Salt & give a gentle mix without breaking the rice.
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Turn off the stove, add lemon juice & transfer to a bowl
Serve HOT with some onion-cucumber Raita. Enjoi !!!
I love this mainly because it has bell peppers in it. They give a nice twist to the otherwise plain tomato rice. Make this for your guests, if you are bored of Pulaos & Biryanis. Your guests will love it too.
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