Avial ( A vegetarian specialty dish from Kerala in Southern India)

Ingredients :
Potato : 1 Large
Suran (Elephant foot yam – Amorphophallus paeoniifolius) : 300 Gms.
Red Pumpkin or  Bottle Gourd (Dudhi Bhopla) : 300 Gms.
Raw Banana : 1 no.
Carrot : 1 Large
French Beans : 200 Gms.
Green Peas : 100 Gms.
Drumsticks – Moringa oleifera (Soavagyaacyaa SoMagaa fruit) : 2 Nos.
Freshly Grated Coconut : 1 ½ Cups
Green Chillies : 5-6 Nos.
Cumin Seeds : 1 Tsp.
Curd : 1 Cup
Coconut Oil : 2 Tbsp.
Curry Leaves : 12 Nos.
Method :
Cut the vegetables into 1” inch cubes. Peel and cut the banana into cubes as well.
Cook the Elephant foot yam separately in salted water and when almost done,  discard the water. Cook the rest of the vegetables together in salted water with half the curry leaves. The water should just be enough to cook the vegetables. When the vegetables are 9/10th cooked add the cooked yam to them.
Make a paste of coconut, green chillies and cumin seeds. Then mix with the curd to make a smooth paste.
Add the paste to the vegetables and adjust the salt and the consistency of the gravy. Remove after one boil.
N.B. : There are some who prefer a tadka and some who don’t. I like to heat the oil and add the curry leaves to it and give this tadka to the avial. Some people prefer to add all the curry leaves while cooking the vegetables . When you have added the paste and removed it after one boil, they add the raw coconut oil into the avail and mix well.
Best served with boiled rice.

Bagara Baingan ( Hyderabadi Brinjal dish)

Ingredients :
Brinjals : 500 Gms.
Fresh Grated Coconut : 200 Gms.
Coriander Seeds : 60 Gms.
Dried Red Chillies : 10-12 nos.
Sliced Onions : 2 nos. large
Green Chillies : 3-4 nos.
Garlic Cloves : 8 nos.
Sesame Seeds : 4 Tbsp.
Turmeric Powder : 1 Tsp.
Tamarind Paste : 100 Gms.
Jaggery : 2 Tbsp.
Curry Leaves : 10-12 nos.
Black Mustard Seeds : 1 Tsp.
Chopped Coriander Leaves : 2-3 Tbsp.
Vegetable or Peanut Oil : As Required
Salt : To Taste
Method :
Cut the brinjals lengthwise almost into quarters; make sure you do not cut off the stem so as to keep the brinjal whole with a cross cut running the entire length.
In a Kadhai add enough oil to fry the brinjals till brown.
For the Bagara Masala Paste :
In 1 Tbsp. oil saute the sliced onions, coriander seeds, red chillies. Add these to the coconut and garlic. Dry roast the sesame seeds and add to the coconut mixture. Also add the turmeric powder and tamarind paste to the coconut. Make a paste of all these ingredients.
In a Tbsp. of oil add slit green chillies and add the paste and saute till the fat leaves the sides. Than add the brinjals, jaggery and salt to taste. Add water as required to get a sauce-like consistency. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes. This masala tends to stick to the bottom of the pan, so make sure that you keep stirring the pot every few minutes. Then add the chopped coriander leaves and remove.
Tadka :
In a small pan add 1 Tsp. oil and when hot add mustard seeds. When they start to crackle add the curry leaves and pour this over the curry. Mix well.
This can be served with Rice or Parathas.
P. S. – Vegetable Variation – You can make a tadka of mustard seeds, green chillies and curry leaves. To this add mixed vegetables like cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, green peas etc. Then add the bagara masala and salt to taste. Cover and cook till the vegetables are done. Then add chopped coriander on top.

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.

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.

Jirya Miryachi Kadhi (Coconut sauce flavoured with cumin and black pepper)

One of the first aamchigeli recipes i.e. one from my native place Udupi, that I loved has to be Jirya Miryachi Kadhi. The combination of the cumin and black peppercorns with the added fragrance of garlic was to die for. Especially during the rains, when one wants something really hot, spicy and fragrant, this is the dish in which I find succor. The rain splattering incessantly on the terrace roof, the sudden thunderclap and the cold and muggy weather of Mumbai starts to bring me down. I need comfort, warmth and that’s when I make this dish. The kadhi poured on steaming hot basmati rice is a combination that hits a spot. The ultimate comfort food! So today in my ongoing South Indian recipe series, I present -

Jirya Miryachi Kadhi

Ingredients :

Fresh Grated Coconut : 3/4 th

Dried Red Chillies : 6-8 no.

Cumin Seeds : 1 Tsp.

Black Peppercorns : 8 no.

Skinned Garlic Cloves : From one whole garlic pod + 1 extra garlic pod

Kokum (Dried Mangosteen Peals) : 4 - 6 no.

Coconut oil : As required

Mustard Seeds : 1 Tsp.

Salt : To taste

Method :

Saute the chillies, cumin, peppercorns and skinned garlic cloves in 2 tsp. of coconut oil and then make a paste with the grated coconut.

To this paste, add about 3 1/2 cups of water and salt to taste ( 1 Tsp.) and add the kokum. Bring to a boil and remove.

Tempering (Tadka) : Take 2-3 Tsp. of coconut oil in a tadka pan and to this add the mustard seeds and let them crackle. Now add the crushed garlic cloves from the other pod ( no need to skin these cloves). When the garlic cloves are brown, add this tadka to the kadhi. Mix well and serve hot with white rice.

P. S. : Do not boil the kadhi for too long as it tends to change the taste of the kadhi and also thins it.