A Nut Gone Bad

Some times when we break open a coconut, we find that it has gone bad and we don't know what to do with it. My aunt gave me this wonderful recipe to make delicious dosas from the bad nut. All you need is raw rice, toor dal, tamarind and dried red chillies.
This dosa can be eaten as breakfast item or as a substitute for the usual dal-chawal dinner.

Ingredients :

Rice : 1 cup
Toor dal (Split Yellow Lentils) : 1/2 cup
Coconut(bad) : 1/2 no.
Tamarind pulp : 2 tsp
Red chilies : 6 -8 nos.
Salt : As required

Method :
Soak the rice and dal separately for 2-3 hours. Grate the coconut. Then drain the dal and rice, add the rest of the ingredients and grind to a coarse paste. Add water if needed to make dosa batter. Season to taste.
Heat an iron griddle on medium flame and add a teaspoon of oil to it. Let it heat and sprinkle a few drops of water on the hot griddle. Let the oil sputter, which will result in the oil coating the griddle evenly. Now add a ladle of batter to the griddle and spread this with the back of the ladle into an oval shape. Spoon a few drops of oil around the dosa and let it cook. Now turn the dosa over, add a few drops of oil around the side and let it cook. Serve the dosa hot with a chutney of your choice or with tomato ketchup.

Teekha Tawa Batata (Spicy Griddle-sauteed Potatoes)

There are a few dishes that become closely associated with our childhood. They evoke memories that transport us to simpler times: times when things were simpler, relationships were easier and our loves and hates were frequent but fleeting.

I still remember Saturday afternoons, when I used to come home from school, glad to be greeted at the door by my mom. As she was a working mom, these occasions were special and therefore treasured. She knew I loved her special potato tawa bhaji and used to make it on those days so I could enjoy it. The thali with steaming white rice, yellow Dal and the slightly burnt crispy potato bhaji was a combination that never failed to lift my spirits. No matter how bad the day might have been, finding mom home, making the potato bhaji was enough to make my day.

Life is indeed a series of such small pleasures. A steaming home-cooked meal, a cup of hot coffee on a rain-soaked evening, the smell of earth after the first showers, finding a good book after rummaging through stacks of used books - there isn’t much to compare these pleasures.

I remember the first time I made this dish by myself - my mom was ill and she had asked me to cook lunch for both of us. I was scared but also eager. I had watched my mom cook a thousand times and helped her in the kitchen as I could. But this was different. I had to make everything from scratch and not make a mistake. I kept running out to where mom sleeping and asking her every little detail that hadn’t seemed so important till now - how much water should I add to the Dal & how much in the cooker, how long should I cook the potatoes, how much salt is just right and how much chilli powder is too much. The questions never stopped and finally the meal was ready. I eagerly awaited mom’s verdict. She took the first mouthful and made a face. I was heartbroken….thank god, it was because the food was too hot. I finally gathered enough courage to ask her how the dish fared. She replied, quite oblivious to my mental state,” Very good! Tastes just like mine.” My heart did a summersault and I was hooked on cooking.

Now the recipe

Ingredients :

Potatoes : 8 medium sized

Groundnut Oil : 3 Tbsp.

Mustard Seeds : 2 Tsp.

Asafoetida (Hing) : a pinch

Turmeric Powder : 1/4 Tsp.

Red Chilli Powder : 2 Tsp.

Salt : To taste

Sugar : a pinch

Method :

Boil the potatoes till done and peel them. Cut the potatoes into 1/2″ (inch) dices. Rub the pieces with salt and sugar.

On an iron griddle, heat oil. Then add the mustard seeds, asafoetida and turmeric powder. When the seeds crackle, add the chilli powder. Now add the potatoes to this mixture and toss them with a spatula. Make sure the potatoes are evenly coated with the masala. Now spread the potatoes in a layer on the griddle and let the potatoes cook on medium flame till crispy on one side. Now turnover the potatoes and let them become crispy on the other side. If the potatoes burn a little, don’t worry. It gives a nice, smoky flavour to the dish.

Sambar (Sambhar) A South Indian Lentil Delicacy

I have already given the recipe for Sambar Masala Powder in an earlier post. Now it's time to prepare the sambar. South Indian need sambar as an accompaniment with a wide variety of dishes. Most are breakfast dishes like Idli, Dosa, Medu Wadai etc. It is also an important part of a meal. The taste of hot steaming rice with the fragrant sambar poured on top is an experience that cannot be put into words.
For some reason Sambar like Ma Ki Dal tastes better when a day old.

Ingredients :

Red Gram Dal (Tur Dal) : 1 cup

Fresh Green Chillies (slit) : 2 nos.

Tamarind : 1 Tbsp.

Turmeric Powder (Haldi) : 1/2 Tsp.

Red Chilli Powder : 2 Tsp.

Sambar Masala Powder : 2 Tbsp.

Vegetables :

Potatoes : 2 medium sized

Onions : 4 small, peeled and kept whole

Brinjals : 2 medium sized

Drumsticks : 2 nos. cut into 2" pieces

Red or White Pumpkin : 150 gms.

Cauliflower : 100 gms.


Fresh Coriander : 2 Tbsp.

For Tadka :

Oil : As Required

Mustard Seeds : 2 tsp.

Asafoetida (Hing) : a pinch

Curry Leaves : 8 - 10 nos.

Method :

Wash the dal and then add the slit green chillies to it and cook till done. Cut the brinjals, potatoes, cauliflower and pumpkin into 1" pieces. Then parboil the vegetables and drumsticks in salted water. Take care, so the vegetables are not completely cooked as we have to simmer them in the sambar. Soak the tamarind in warm water for 15 minutes and then strain it to remove any fibers and pits.
Now in a pot, take the dal and add the tamarind pulp to it. Make a paste of the turmeric, red chilli and sambar powders and add to the dal. Keep the pot on simmer and add the vegetables. Now simmer the mixture for about 10 minutes. Adjust the seasoning.

Tadka : In a tadka pan, add oil and heat it. When the oil is hot, add the asafoetida and mustart seeds and let them crackle. Then add the curry leaves and pour this tadka over the dal. Mix well and remove from heat.

P.S. : Adding a few drops of oil to the dal helps to cook it quickly.

Sambar Masala Powder

No South Indian feast is complete without the Sambar. The Sambar, according to Wikipedia, is a lentil and vegetable stew or a chowder based on a broth made from Tamarind and Toovar Dal.
The Mumbaiites are believed to have been introduced to the Udupi cuisine in the early 1930's with the opening of Cafe Mysore in Matunga, a suburb of Mumbai.The owners are from proper Udupi, as opposed to most other 'Udupi' restaurants, which are run by Shettys from or around Mangalore.
The difference in the Sambar from these Shetty-run restaurants is that the sambar has been modified to suit the taste buds of their local clientele. They have created a sort of sweet vegetable dal that is suitable for their local clientele. As a result, it has lost its authentic flavor. The Sambar that you get in Udupi is a lot more pungent, aromatic and flavorful.
In my house, sambar is made in a large quantity so as to last atleast 2 days. The first day is spent eating it with idli, dosa etc. The next day the taste of the sambar develops (matures) and all the subtle flavours come to the fore and vie for you attention. This makes it the perfect accompaniment to a plate of steaming white rice.
This is going to be a two part series as first I will put up the Sambar masala and then explain how to make the sambar.

So here goes -

Photo by Alaivani @ flickr

Sambar Masala

Ingredients :

Coriander Seeds : 250 Gm.

Dried Red Chillies (Sankeshwari + Bedgi = 50:50) : 250 Gm.

Turmeric Powder : 25 Gm.

Asafoetida (Hing) : 15 Gm.

Cumin Seeds : 75 Gm.

Black Peppercorns : 50 Gm.

Mustard Seeds : 50 Gm.

Split Black Gram / Black Lentil (Urad Dal) : 100 Gm.

Split Bengal Gram (Chana Dal) : 100 Gm.

Raw Rice : 50 Gm.

Fenugreek Seeds (Methi) : 20 Gm.

Curry Leaves : one bunch

Method :

Dry roast the ingredients individually and then powder them. Keep the masala in an airtight jar and use as required.