Taro Root Fry

We recently discovered an Indian grocery store very close to H's workplace. We've been living in this part of the world for almost 2 years now and H has been at the same office too for the same length of time, yet we had no idea that a store like this even existed! I was very happy to see a few vegetables here that I haven’t been seeing in the stores we normally go to. I bought a few taro root tubers from this place the other day.

Growing up, I don’t really remember my mother ever buying/cooking taro root (arbi in Hindi, chembu in Malayalam). I do however remember eating some kind of a sabji made with it by T maushi (aunty). T maushi was a lovely Maharashtrian lady who took good care of our family and cooked many a meal for us a long time back when my mother couldn't do much around the house since she was still recovering after major surgery. T maushi was an excellent cook and made very simple, yet tasty Maharashtrian fare in no time at all. The arbi sabji, one of her signature preparations, was something I just loved. Since then, every time I’ve seen arbi, I’ve always associated it with T maushi.

This particular recipe that I followed is not T maushi’s, but just something I came across on Shyamala’s blog. It sounded really good and I wanted to try it out.
I have only listed the ingredients I used. You can find the original recipe along with the exact amounts of the ingredients used here.

Ingredients:7-8 big taro tubers (arbi/chembu)
3-4 tbsp oil
Cumin seeds
Garlic powder
Asafoetida

For the spice mix:3 Tbsp chickpea flour (besan)
2 Tbsp rice flour
Red chilli powder
Coriander powder
Turmeric powder
Salt

Method:Cook and peel the taro tubers. Slice into 1/4-inch thick rounds.

In a large vessel, add the flours and the spices. Mix well.

Throw in the taro root rounds and coat with the dry spice mix. Dust off the excess.

In a large pan, heat oil. Add cumin seeds followed by asafoetida and garlic powder.

Place the spice-coated rounds in the pan and shallow-fry. Cook till a nice crust is formed and the rounds are crispy and golden brown on one side (takes about 4-5 minutes), and then flip over and cook the other side similarly.

Serve hot. This tastes great as a side dish with some steaming hot rice and sambar or rasam.

Radish And Spinach Sabji

I think I’ve fallen into a food rut lately. I find myself buying the same few vegetables week after week, and cooking them the same way, over and over again. Meals have become very boring and predictable.
I picked up a bag of radishes (again) this week and then proceeded to make this dish just like I had, last week too. I keep meaning to try out new dishes but always end up using it in a kootu or in a thoran or raita, or a simple stir-fry like this one.

This preparation is a simple and easy one and serves as a good accompaniment to rice and some plain yogurt. Also goes well with dal and rotis. I had the leftovers in a sandwich the next day.

Ingredients:
15-20 baby radishes, cubed
¼ cup frozen spinach
Salt to taste

To grind to a coarse paste:
4-5 red chillies
3 garlic cloves
½ medium onion, chopped into chunks (or 4-5 shallots)

For seasoning:
1 Tbsp oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp urad dal
A pinch of asafetida

Method:
Heat oil in a pan. Temper it with mustard seeds, urad dal and asafoetida.

Add the ground paste (chillies-garlic-onion). Cook till the raw onion-garlic smell disappears.

Add the radish cubes and cover and cook till they start to soften. (Don’t overcook or else they will lose their crunch and that lovely pink color.)

Add the frozen spinach. Mix well and allow the water (from the frozen spinach) to evaporate. Mix well. Serve hot.

Peppery Chickpeas

I’ve been frequenting my local library a lot during the weekends. Lately, I have been browsing through their collection of books by Indian authors/books set in India. I managed to finish 4 books in the last 3 months, which is more than I’d read in the last 2 years!

Here are a few books I’ve enjoyed recently. You might like them too.
Monsoon Diary: A Memoir with Recipes by Shoba Narayan
A Breath of Fresh Air by Amulya Malladi
The Mango Season by Amulya Malladi
Song of the Cuckoo Bird by Amulya Malladi
Serving Crazy with Curry by Amulya Malladi (Of all of Malladi’s books, this was my least favorite.)
I’m currently halfway through Rupa Bajwa’s The Sari Shop. Anita Rau Badami’s Tamarind Woman is next on my list to read.

I think I just might have rediscovered the joy of reading! I did not make any New Year's resolutions, but if had made one, it would be this- to read more.

During a recent visit to the library a few days back I picked up, among other books, a couple of cookbooks too.

This recipe for peppery chickpeas is something I came across in Maya Kaimal's Savoring the Spice Coast of India: Fresh Flavors from Kerala. It is a very simple recipe that can be prepared in a jiffy especially if you are like me, and always have a couple of cans of chickpeas on hand.

Ingredients:
(For almost 2 servings)
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 onion, finely chopped
¾ tsp pepper, coarsely ground
¼ tsp cumin seeds, roasted & powdered
½ tsp coriander powder
A pinch of chilli powder
A handful of coriander leaves, chopped
Lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Salt

For seasoning:
1 Tbsp oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds

Method:
Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin and mustard seeds. Add the onions and sauté till lightly brown.

Add the spice powders (pepper, coriander cumin, chilli) and cook.

Stir in the chickpeas and cover and cook for a couple of minutes for the spices to coat the chickpeas and for the flavors to come together.

Take the pan off the heat, stir in the lemon juice. Garnish with chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves.

This is my entry for JFI: Chickpeas. I’m also sending this across for the seventh edition of My Legume Love Affair.

A couple of other legume-centric dishes on this blog-
Chickpea Tikkis
Beans with Cheese and Basil
Edamame and Black Beans Thoran
Tomatillo Dal
Moth Beans Curry
Spicy Cannellini Bean Soup
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Kovakka Thoran (Ivy Gourd Stir Fry)

Ivy gourd (or kovakka as it is known in Malayalam) is one of my favorite vegetables to make a thoran with. Very rarely do I find fresh kovakka at my local Indian grocery store. I usually settle for the frozen ones without complaining since it’s far easier to cook with, and also since there’s hardly any difference in the nutritional value between the fresh and frozen ones. Frozen veggies make life so much simpler!

Here is a simple Kerala-style preparation that I make very often.

Ingredients:
300 grams kovakka/tindora/ivy gourd, cut into thin strips (I used the pre-cut frozen ones.)
4-5 shallots, finely chopped
Salt to taste

To be ground coarsely:
1/3 cup coconut
2-3 red chillies
1-2 garlic cloves
½ tsp cumin seeds

For seasoning:
1 Tbsp oil
½ tsp urad dal
½ tsp mustard seeds
A pinch of asafoetida
3-4 curry leaves

Method:
In a pan, heat the oil & add the ingredients for the seasoning (urad dal, mustard seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves).

Sauté the shallots, add the frozen ivy gourd and cook on medium to high heat till all the water evaporates and the strips are done, 5-7 minutes.

Add the ground paste (coconut, red chillies, garlic and cumin seeds) and mix well. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Serve hot with rice and rasam.

Radish- a thoran and a raita

Radish thoran
Ingredients:
20-25 radishes, chopped into small pieces
½ medium onion, finely chopped

For seasoning:
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp urad dal
A pinch of asafoetida
4-5 curry leaves
½ tsp red chilli powder
2 Tbsp grated coconut
Salt to taste

Method:
In a pan, heat the oil & add the ingredients for the seasoning (except chilli powder & coconut) in the order listed above.

Add the chopped radishes along with the chilli powder, mix, and cover and cook till tender, 5-7 minutes. The radishes would have turned a lighter shade of pink by now. Reserve about 4 Tbsp of this to make the *raita.

To the rest, add the grated coconut and mix well. Cook for another minute or so. Thoran’s ready!


For the raita -
Mix the cooked radish mixture (reserved from above) with 2 cups of yogurt that has been whisked well. Add 2-3 chopped green chillies and some salt. Mix nicely.

Chill well and serve.

Beetroot Thoran

Here's another thoran made just like the one in the previous post.

Ingredients:
3-4 medium beetroots, peeled and cubed
4-6 shallots, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
Salt

To grind together:
3 Tbsp grated coconut
½ - ¾ tsp cumin seeds
3-4 red chillies

For seasoning:
1 Tbsp coconut oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp urad dal
A pinch of asafoetida
4-5 curry leaves
1-2 red chillies

Method:
In a pan, heat the oil & add the ingredients for the seasoning. Add the garlic and shallots. Sauté.

Add the beetroot cubes. Mix, and cover and cook till tender, 8-10 minutes or so.

Add the ground coconut mixture. Mix well and cook for 3 minutes or so.

Serve hot. My favorite way to eat this is with some steaming hot rice, pulissery and pappadam.

A Thoran with Edamame and Black Beans

I had picked up a bag of frozen edamame from the Asian store without having any specific dish to use it for in mind.
A small amount went into a salad and the rest was made into a thoran.

This is what I did.

Ingredients:
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed well
2 cups frozen edamame
1 small onion, finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
Salt

To grind together:
3 Tbsp grated coconut
½ - ¾ tsp cumin seeds
3-4 red chillies

For seasoning:
1 Tbsp coconut oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp urad dal
A pinch of asafoetida
4-5 curry leaves
1-2 red chillies

Method:
In a pan, heat the oil & add the ingredients for the seasoning.
Add the garlic and onions. Sauté.

Add the frozen edamame and cover and cook till tender, 2-3 minutes. Toss in the black beans. Cook for a minute or so.

Add the ground coconut mixture. Mix well and cook for 3 minutes or so.

Serve hot with rice and sambar.

This goes to Sia for JFI: Soya.

Aloo-Methi Sabji (Potato-Fenugreek sabji)

Ingredients:
5 medium potatoes, cut into small cubes
½ medium onion, finely chopped
2 cubes frozen methi (you could use the fresh leaves)
½ tsp chilli powder
Salt to taste

For seasoning:
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp urad dal/ skinned and split white lentils
A pinch of asafoetida

Method:
Heat oil and add the ingredients for the seasoning followed by the onions. Sauté onions till transparent.

Add the frozen methi cubes and cover and cook for 2-3 minutes till the methi thaws in the pan. (I don’t thaw it separately.) Mix well and add the chilli powder.

Add the cubed potatoes. Cover and cook till tender, 10-15 minutes)

Serve hot with curd-rice.

Mushroom Thoran

Mushrooms are usually ignored during my trips to the grocery store. I guess it has something to do with its very rubbery, almost meaty texture, in addition to the fact that it is not easy to clean. (Gently wiping with a damp paper towel/dry cleaning, to me, does not constitute cleaning!)

Though I’m not a big fan of these, I do pick up a pack occasionally to make this thoran . All of the flavors blend very well to make a pretty decent dish.

Ingredients:
15-20 mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
½ tsp sambar powder
½ tsp coriander powder
2-3 Tbsp grated coconut

For the seasoning:
1 Tbsp oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp urad dal
A pinch of asafoetida
4-5 curry leaves
1-2 red chillies

Method:
In a pan, heat the oil & add the ingredients for the seasoning.

Sauté the onions, add the garlic and mushrooms and cook on medium to high heat till mushrooms are cooked.

Add the sambar and coriander powders and mix well. Cook for a minute or two.

Add the grated coconut. Mix. Serve hot.

Battle at Kruger & a stir-fry with Kale

I first came across this recipe here and then here. I have always ignored these greens during my trips to the grocery store as I never quite knew what to do with them.
Here is my way of preparing these healthy greens.

Ingredients:
1 bunch Kale, chopped fine
½ onion, finely chopped
½ tsp ginger paste
2-3 green chillies
½ tsp sambar powder
½ cup of coconut powder (I was out of fresh, frozen coconut)
Salt to taste

For the seasoning:
1 Tbsp oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
½ tsp methi seeds
A pinch of asafoetida/hing
1-2 red chillies

Method:
Heat the oil in a pan & add the ingredients for the seasoning. Sauté the onions. Add the green chillies & the ginger paste followed by the sambar powder.

Mix in the finely chopped kale, stir well & cook for about 8-10 minutes.

Add the coconut powder & mix. Cook for anther 2 minutes or so till all the water evaporates. Add salt to taste.

Serve hot with some rice.


On a totally different note, here is something I came across while I was wilfing on the web. If you have a couple of minutes to spare, do watch the entire thing. It is about 10 minutes long.
I have never seen anything like this before! Do watch this incredible footage captured by an amateur at http://youtube.com/watch?v=LU8DDYz68kM

Lotus Root/Kamal Kakri sabji

I had actually never bought or tasted lotus root before. Though I have seen this vegetable in the frozen section of the Indian grocery store, I have never been bold enough to experiment something totally new. But thanks to blogging, I am now involved in cooking like never before and look at food in a completely different light.
I bought frozen lotus root over the weekend simply because it looked so pretty!
For those of you interested in knowing more about the nutritional value of lotus root, please see here.

After doing a little bit of research, I gathered that it was not the easiest of vegetables to cook with and I found the root to be almost tasteless by itself with no aroma.

This was the way I ended up preparing it.

Ingredients:
3 cups frozen lotus root
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 Tbsp ginger garlic paste
½ tsp red chilli powder
A pinch of turmeric powder
½ tsp coriander powder
2 tsp Punjabi garam masala
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ cup yogurt
1 Tbsp oil
Coriander leaves for garnishing
Salt to taste

Method:
Boil the lotus root cubes in water for about 15-20 minutes till tender. (This could take longer too as they don’t get cooked/soft that easily). Drain & set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds followed by the ginger-garlic paste.

Add the onions & sauté till transparent. Add all the spices followed by the chopped tomatoes and cook.

Add the lotus root cubes & cook covered for about 5-7 minutes.

Stir in the yogurt & mix well and cook for a minute or so.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.


To conclude, the great thing about lotus root was its appearance & crunch. The dish turned out to be good with the lotus root retaining its crispy texture and taking on the flavors of anything added to it.

Plantain/Raw Banana stir fry (kaya thoran)

Ingredients:

2 raw bananas

For the seasoning:

1 Tbsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp urad dal

A pinch of asafoetida

4-5 curry leaves

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Grated coconut

Method:

Peel, wash, cube & cook the plantain pieces in a little water along with some salt & turmeric powder till it is soft to touch but not mushy.

In a pan, heat the oil & add the ingredients for the seasoning (except chilli powder & coconut) in the order listed above.

Add the boiled cubes of the plantain to this along with the chilli powder & cook for 5-7 min on medium heat keeping the pan covered.Remove the lid and stir.

When the plantain cubes are fully done, season with grated coconut ( I used frozen coconut which had been thawed )

Serve hot as a side-dish for rice with some sambhar!

Broccoli-fenugreek /methi sabji

Ingredients:
3 cups broccoli florets (I used the frozen ones)
½ cup onion, finely chopped
1 cube frozen fenugreek/methi, thawed before use.
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
A pinch of garam masala
½ tsp chilli powder
Salt to taste.

For the seasoning:
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp urad dal
½ tsp methi seeds
A pinch of asafoetida/hing


Method:
Microwave the broccoli florets.

Heat oil in a pan & add all the ingredients for the seasoning.

Add the chopped onions, sauté for a bit, add the ginger-garlic paste followed by the methi, chilli powder and garam masala. Stir well.

Add the broccoli florets, mix well & cook covered for about 5 minutes

Serve hot.

Aloo Gobi