Baby Potatoes Cooked in Tangy Tamarind Sauce (South Indian Style) AND a Tribute to my Mom!

Have I ever mentioned how good a cook my mom is??!?! Well, she is an amazing cook to say the least!!!!! She loves experimenting and trying out new recipes and cuisines. When my parents were newly married, about 30 years back.... they lived in Pune for a while and that was when she was introduced to North Indian food. I believe she used to collect Chaat recipes from the gaadi walaas or neighbors and try them at home without letting the elders of the family know about it.... Those were the times when eating onions was also considered a sin in an orthodox, south indian, brahmin family like ours!!! :D She's been into experimenting and trying out new stuff ever since.... She even bought a conventional oven about 15 years back and tried her hand at baking eggless cakes, chocolates, puddings.... She makes a zillion kinds of yummy juices, soups....and a lot more. Most of the recipes I have here on my blog are also hers!! My mom is not just a wonderful cook but also a wonderful human being. Shez always been there for me, supporting me when I needed her emotionally, listening to all my silly college stories after I got back home from college.... helping me choose the right ear-ring for that particular dress to wear to a party.... Standing and knocking at my bedroom door for long hours when I would shut the door at her after a fight....I remember the time when I got my first job.... She was as excited as me and she could listen to me for hours, about the 30 min interview I had just cleared !!!! She has been my best friend and companion ever!!! I fall short of words to express my feelings..... The least I could say is, Thank you for everything, Mom!!! Friends, please join me in thanking all moms for their sacrifices and the never ending patience 'n love that they show towards us........... I love you, Mom!! It doesn't have to be Mother's day or any other special occasion to thank your mom, does it?? :)

Coming to the recipe....... This recipe is also from my mom. Not too sure where she got the recipe from or what cuisine it is, but I relish it thoroughly!!! This dish can be served as a starter or aa a side dish with rotis. Its a very simple dish and takes very few ingredients that are commonly available in any south indian pantry. Here's the recipe.. Enjoi!

I just realized that Mansi of Food and Fun is hosting this event for Game Night Party Recipes and I will be sending across this recipe to her for this wonderful event... Thanx for hosting, Mansi!!

This one is also going out to Sia from Monsoon Spice for the Ode to Potato event!! You guys should check out this post of her's on potatoes.... Very informative, that one! Thanx Sia.

Ingredients:

8-10 Baby Potatoes (Choose smaller potatoes among the lot)

1 tsp Rasam powder (any brand that you have in your pantry)

3/4 tsp Tamarind paste OR lemon sized tamarind pulp

1-2 tsp Jaggery

1-2 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard/Jeera seeds

1/2 tsp Urad dal seeds

1/2 tbsp Finely chopped Red Onions

2-3 strands Cilantro finely Chopped

A pinch of haldi

Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Pressure cook baby potatoes in salt and water on medium heat until 1 whistle OR until completely cooked but still firm; Make sure you add enough salt while cooking.
2. Soak the tamarind in a small cup of warm water and keep aside for some time; Meanwhile, peel the cooked potatoes.
3. Heat oil in a heat bottomed pan and temper with jeera,haldi and urad dal. Add the cooked potatoes and saute well.
4. Add tamarind juice, rasam powder, jaggery; Simmer and cook covered for about 10 mins or until the potatoes are coated well with the masala. Saute once in a while; Add salt as required. Adjust the taste of tamarind and jaggery according to your wish.
5. Remove from stove; Garnish with chopped onions, cilantro and serve hot with rotis or as a starter!!

Serves: 2 people; Serving size: about 4-5 potatoes

Prep time: About 30-40 mins, including pressure cooking and my photo session!! ;)

Closer look at my all-time favorite dish....

Ellu Huli / Menaskai ( Coconut-Sesame gravy)

A Dakshina Kannada recipe for you guys this time! I remember the first time I had it at my in-laws place .... It was so good that I kept licking my fingers long after my plate was clean :D. Menaskai is usually made with pineapples or ripe mangoes. The speciality of this dish is its tangy 'n sweet taste... The fruits add to the flavor! Menaskai is usually made during special occasions like festivals and weddings. Here's the recipe...Enjoi!

Ingredients:

2-3 Mangoes ( small sized, ripe and sweet) OR 1-2 cups cubed pineapples

2 tbsp Grated coconut, fresh/frozen

2.5 - 3 tsp Ellu/Til/Sesame seeds

3 Dry red chilies, low to medium spiced

1/2 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Jaggery

1/2 tsp Tamarind paste

1-2 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

3-4 Curry leaves

A pinch of hing

Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Wash and cube the mangoes/pineapple; Cook with salt and water for about 3-4 mins or until done. Drain the water and keep aside. Keep the mango seeds too, if the mangoes are small. Note: I retained the mango skin this time. But the skin was a little bitter. So, you might want to peel off the skin , unless they are Indian mangoes.
2. Dry roast sesame seeds and red chilies; Grind with coconut , paprika and water to a smooth paste.
3. Add the masala paste to the cooked mangoes and boil well. You can add water to get the desired consistency. Add the tamarind paste, jaggery , salt and mix well.
4. Heat oil and temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves and hing; Serve hot with rice and enjoi!

Serves: 2 people

Prep time: About 20 mins.

Beetroot Soppu Mosaru Bajji / Beetroot Shoot Raita

Hey folks, I'm back!!! Missed blogging all these days :(

Anyway, tell me one thing.... What do you do with the shoots that come along with the beets?? I used to just chop them off and throw them away until one of my friends gave me a recipe with it. I tried it out few days back and it tasted fabulous!!! This recipe is very mild and soothing..... Perfect for the times when you wanna have something comforting, after all the heavy/festive spreads!! Okay, I'll stop blah blahing here and head straight to the recipe... Enjoi!

Btw, I just saw that Meeta from What's for lunch Honey? is hosting an event for Comfort Foods this month and this recipe goes all the way to her for the Monthly Mingle: Comfort Foods event. Thanx Meeta for hosting!

Ingredients:

1-2 cups Curds

Shoot from about 2-3 Beets

1-2 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1-2 Green chilies

3-4 Curry leaves

A pinch of hing

Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Wash and chop the shoots finely; Microwave with some salt and water for about 4-5 minutes or until cooked. You could even cook on stove top with some water and salt.
2. Beat the curds in a mixing bowl; Add the cooked shoots, salt and mix well; Add water if the raita is too thick.
3. Heat 1-2 tsp oil and temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chilies, hing and add to the raita.
4. Serve with steamed rice or as an accompaniment with Pulav or any other mixed rice. As simple as that!!! :)

Happy Sankranti!!!

Picture courtesy: www.bharatgreetings.com

Sankranti wishes to all my readers and fellow bloggers!!!!! Wishing you good fortune 'n happiness today and always......

Also wanted to let you people know that I am a little caught up with a couple of things and will resume blogging in a week or so. Thanx for checking on me!

Badanekayi Pudi Kuttida Palya / Eggplant Sabzi spiced with Home made Masala Powder

Pudi kuttida palya is a kind of sabzi made in Bangalore/Mysore parts of Karnataka. It derives it's name from the masala pudi (meaning powder) that is added to this sabzi.

Remember the masala powder we prepared while making Green Beans Bhaat earlier??!?! Well, we're gonna put it to use today! This palya gets done really fast if you already have the masala ready. Green beans,cabbage, methi leaves, green peppers (capsicum) can also be used instead of eggplants (brinjal).

Ingredients:

2 Eggplants . The long purple ones.... Not too sure what they are called

1-1.5 tsp Palya Pudi / Masala powder

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Urad dal/Chana dal

3-4 Curry leaves

1/4 tsp Tamarind paste

1/2 tsp Jaggery

1-2 tsp Oil

A pinch of hing

Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Chop the eggplants into thin strips of about 1.5in length and soak them in water so that they don't discolor.
2. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and temper with mustard seeds, chana/urad dal, hing and curry leaves.
3. Drain the water from the chopped eggplants and add to the pan. Cover and cook until done;Saute frequently.
4. When it's half done add salt, tamarind, jaggery, Masala powder and mix well; Add little water if required and cook until done.
5. Remove from stove;Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with rotis or rice.

Tip: If you do not have the masala ready, you could use any store bought Vaangibhat or Sambhar powder!!!

Aloo Paratha - Oil/Butter/Ghee Free

I happened to be watching Sanjeev Kapoor's Khana Khazana the other day and guess what the theme was??!?!!!! Fat free/healthy cooking!!!! :). My regular readers would know why I'm so glad... for the others, eating healthy happens to be my New Year resolution!!! Anyway, coming back to the show... He made a couple of varieties of parathas and one of them was "Jammu ka Aloo Paratha". I modified the recipe a little according to our taste and tried it out immediately. It turned out really soft an tasty..... Better than the ones with oil or ghee!!!! My friends loved it too. So, here's the recipe.... Enjoi!

Ingredients:

For the filling:

1 Medium sized potato- peeled,boiled and mashed

1 Small sized onion, finely chopped

1-2 strands Cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 tsp Chaat Masala

1/4 tsp Chili powder

Salt as per taste

For the dough:

2 cups Wheat flour

2 tbsp Curds

1/4 cup Milk

Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the dough in a mixing bowl and knead well. Add water if the milk is not enough; Keep aside for about 15 mins
2. Meanwhile, mix together all the ingredients for the filling; Adjust the masalas and salt according to your taste. Make sure the potatoes are mashed well.
3. Pull out small lemon sized balls from the dough and roll them into small/mini rotis with a rolling pin.
4. Make a lemon sized ball out of the filling and place it in the center of the roti. Quantity of the filling should be the same as the size of the dough that you took in the previous step or a little more.
5. Cover the filling with the roti from all sides and seal well.
6. Roll into circular parathas with the rolling pin. Sprinkle dry wheat flour on the paratha if required. Make sure not to apply too much pressure.... the filling would ooze out otherwise.
7. Heat a tava and cook the parathas on both the sides until done. You don't need to add oil/ghee while cooking. The curds and the milk that we added while kneading the dough makes it soft enough!
8. Remove from tava and serve hot with curds/pickle or any other side dish of your choice.

Hesaru Kaalu Kosambari / Sprouted Moong Salad

Here goes my first post of 2008!! My resolution for this year.... Can't call it a resolution 'coz I don't have any hard and fast rules and I am open to exceptions, :D .... anyway, I plan to follow a healthy diet that is low on calories. So, here is one such recipe that is low on calories and high on proteins.

Kosambari is a kind of salad that is a speciality of Karnataka. The basic ingredient is usually a dhal. And the rest of the ingredients like cucumber, carrots, coconut etc are added according to personal taste and preferences. Trend in Bengalooru nowadays is to add dry fruits like raisins and cashews, fresh grapes and pomegranate seeds. Kosambari is usually made during festivals/ weddings and other special occasions. At my place, I make it quite often... about 2-3 times a month. Naveen loves it so much that he could have a whole bowl of it within no time!!!! Some of the other Kosambari recipes on my blog are here. Enjoi!

Ingredients:

1 cup Sprouted Moong/Hesaru kaalu (Soak in water for a day; then, drain out the water and let stand covered until they sprout)

1/2 cup Cucumber, chopped into small strips

2-3 strands Cilantro, finely chopped

1-2 tbsp Grated Coconut, fresh/frozen

1-2 tsp Lemon juice

1-2 tsp Oil for seasoning

2-3 Curry leaves

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1-2 Chopped Green chilies, medium spiced

A pinch of hing

Salt as per taste

Pomegranate seeds, chopped green grapes, dry fruits (Optional; quantity is left to you... As much as you desire)

Method:

1. Combine sprouted moong, cucumbers, cilantro, coconut, fruits/dry fruits and salt in a mixing bowl; Toss well.
2. Temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chilies and hing.
3. Pour lemon juice and mix well; Serve as a salad or side dish during lunch/dinner.