Back To The Basics...

Wow, what an interesting week we had!

We were like thousands of residents in the Northeast who lost power due to the early snowstorm that left a path of destruction behind it. A lot of trees, branches, and power lines were down due to the weight of the snow, making it harder for the plow trucks to clear the area. It was all a big mess. On top of it all, we didn't get to celebrate Diwali the way we planned. Instead we spent it shoveling the driveway and packing all our food into ice boxes. Luckily we had a gas stove and were able to heat up the food and not worry about wastage.
So what did we eat during this whole week? I realized how much we relied on electricity for our everyday cooking. We used the microwave to heat up frozen vegetables for our curries or to speed up cooking time. Even something as simple as making rice turned into a project since we couldn't use our rice cooker. We made it over stove top by candlelight; watching over it to make sure it didn't burn. It was a good learning experience. We also made payasm (Vermicelli Pudding), pav bhaji (mixed vegetable curry served with bread), and simple vegetable curries which can be rolled up in rotis like Kati Rolls.

Update: Power was restored last night and keeping my fingers crossed that we don't lose it again. It was a hell of a week with no heating and light. We went to bed early praying, we would wake up in the morning realizing it was all a nightmare. Our heart goes out to all those who still have no power. Be strong!! 

Khichdi - Not Just For Sick People (Royal Style)

I've heard from a couple of my North Indian friends that Khichdi is prepared for people who become sick or ill. They told me that is made with rice and lentils and there aren't any spices so it is very bland and plain. The way it is cooked, it is easily digestible and I guess that is why it is preferred for sick people. When you are not feeling well, you want comfort food and food that won't make you run to the bathroom.

You know what, it is also the first solid food fed to babies. From all these information, I can understand why my friends aren't fans of this dish. Here's where I come in. I'd like to consider myself as someone who likes changing people's minds about things and steer them into the world of interesting cuisine. It's a talent I brag about a lot because you know what, You Only Live Once and There's so much food out there!

Anyways, I am here to prove my friends wrong about Khichdi. It's not just for sick people but anyone who loves to try new versions of an old recipe. My mom has this talent that reminds us all of why we love to eat. At least she does it for me and I'm not saying it because she's my mom. It's true. The updated or improved recipes of traditional recipes play with my palate in a good way. I can taste, sweet, sour, and spice in every bite. That's what food should taste like. Who wants to eat bland and plain food?

This Khichdi (rice and lentil dish) one such recipe. Give it a try and if I didn't change your mind about it...then let me know.



Let's start with the ingredients:

• 8 oz of Basmati Rice 
• 6 oz of Split Moong dal (yellow lentils) 
• 1 Medium Onion, chopped finely length wise 
• 2 tsp Ginger garlic paste 
• 4 Green cardamom pods, seeded and powdered 
• 3" piece Cinnamon bark 
• 5 to 6 Cloves 
• 2 to 3 Bay leaves (pulao leaf) 
• 1 tsp Turmeric 
• 2 tbsp Vegetalbe oil 
• ½ tbsp Salt 
• 2 Green chilies, split length wise 
• 2 tsp Butter, (optional) 
• 1 tsp Whole Cumin seeds

Procedure:
1) Powder coarsely cloves, cardamom and cinnamon together and set aside the garam masala powder (spice powder).

2) Heat oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan (2-4 Qrtz size), and add jeera, when they start to crackle, add the garam masala powder and fry it for 1 minute. Now add chopped onions and sauté them until golden brown in color and then add ginger garlic paste, green chilies and turmeric & mix well.

3) Add rice and dal into the sautéed mixture and fry for at least 5min or until the aroma from the rice comes out. Add boiling water (6.5 cups) into it and add salt & bay leaves and cook it on low medium heat (for approximately 15-20min) with closed lid. Mix the contents every few minutes until both rice and dal are soft and cooked not mushy.



4) Leave the lid open after the rice and dal are cooked to allow any extra water for quick evaporation. When done remove from heat and add butter on the top.

Nice N Easy Kheer

The Ultimate Coconut Grater came in handy for making the following dish. My mom likes adding shredding coconut for added flavor.

It's called Kheer or (Payasam in Telugu). It is a traditional South Asian dessert, made by boiling rice or broken wheat with milk and sugar, and flavored with cardamom, raisins, saffron, pistachios or almonds. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kheer).




Ingredients
- 1 cup Basmati Rice
- ½ cup Sugar
- ¾ cup Shredded fresh coconut
- ½ cup loosely packed brown sugar
- 3 cups Milk (1 or 2% fat)
- 1 tsp Cardamon powder
- 10 to 15 Cashew nuts
- 10 to 15 Raisins
- 1 Tbsp Butter
- 2 Bay Leaf (Optional)


Procedure


1) Cook rice either in a rice cooker or stove top using 1-1/2 cups of water and 1 cup of milk.

2a) Transfer the cooked rice into a non-stick sauce pan and add remaining milk, shredded coconut, sugar & brown sugar, cardamom powder and the bay leaves.

2b)Cook on low-medium heat for 10 – 15 minutes until the mixture is thick and cooks well. Add water or milk if needed if the mixture is too thick. Remove from stove.

3) Melt butter and fry the cashew nuts until golden brown and add raisins and mix well. Transfer the contents into the pudding. Serve either hot or cold.



Quick Tips
- If you have some leftover rice, using it to make kheer from step-2 on wards is a good way to turn it into a hearty and healthy dish. And if you are worried about sugar calories, use a sweetener instead and adjust the measurements.
- Also for a rich texture and taste, whole milk can be used or evaporated milk can be added instead of water. Two tablespoons of condensed milk can also be used before removing from heat when the pudding is cooked with 1% milk, but reduce the sugar quantity accordingly.
- Not everyone is too keen on buying whole coconuts and figuring out how to grate the flesh inside. Freshly grated coconut is available in the freezer section in most Indian grocers such as Patel Borthers or Subji Mandi.

Pulihora (Tamarind Rice), Made Easy!

Happy Ugadi or Gudipadwa to all!

Ugadi/Gudipadwa is a Andhra, Karnataka, and Maharashtrian holiday which celebrates the arrival of the New Year, which also coincides with the beginning of Spring. This year it falls on a working day (3/16) and so my mom decided to make dishes that don't require a lot of time and happen to be our favorite. Yay for all.

The two dishes are Pulihora (Tamarind Rice) and Sooji Halwa (A Semolina Sweet). Both of these items are served as Prasad (offering to the god) at South Indian temples. Tamarind Rice is a very traditional delicacy which is often served at festivals and weddings.

One of the key components to making this rice dish so tasty, is Chaunk or Talimpu (seasoning). Also, traditional Tamarind rice making involves time-consuming method of soaking tamarind in water, squeezing the juice out, cooking it to make it into a paste, and then mixing it with rice. With semi-processed tamarind paste available these days, tamarind rice can be made in 10-15 minutes. It is a great way to turn your left over rice into a mouth-watering dish enjoyed by all.


Ingredients:
- 2 cups Basmati Rice

Ingredients for seasoning:
* 3 Tbsp Vegetable oil
* 1/3 cup Peanuts
* 2 Tbsp Channa dal (yellow peas)
* 1 tsp Mustard seeds
* 1 tsp cumin seeds
* ½ tsp (Asafoetida) Hing
* 1 tsp Turmeric powder
* 1 tsp Methi powder (fenugreek)
* 1 to 1-½ Tbsp Tamarind paste
* 6 small Green chilies, sliced into half  (3 Red chilies, broken into 1-inch pcs)
* 8 to 10 curry leaves
* 1-½  tsp Salt to taste
* ½ Tbsp Brown sugar (or gud)

Procedure:
1) Cook rice with slightly less water so that the grains are separated and not sticky. Then immediately transfer into a open dish, add a tbsp oil and spread it to loosen the grains.


2) In a small skillet add oil and heat it on medium heat. Hold your hand above the skillet and feel the heat. When hot, add peanuts and fry for 3 minutes. Add channa dal and continue to fry.


3) When peanuts and dal start to turn golden brown, add mustard and jeera and fry until the seeds start to splutter.
4) Add green chillies and a pinch of salt and fry for 2 min., then add hing, turmeric and methi powder. Add curry leaves and mix well.
5) Remove from the stove and add brown sugar. Transfer the seasoning onto the rice.

6) Add tamrind paste into rice and mix it well to a uniform color of deep yellow color. Allow the rice to absorb the seasoning for atleast 30min and serve.



4/26/2010:

Hey you all, just wanted to add that, you can also make this dish with rice noodles or vermicelli. Just follow the same recipe but with cooked rice noodles versus cooked rice:

To learn more about the spices used in seasoning, click here.