Mambazha Morkuzhambu

I love pairing sweet curries with rice and some spicy vegetable on the side.Usually when I make sweet Pulisheri with Mango,Banana or Pineapple I make a spicy Potato roast on the side and it makes for a finger licking meal.So when I saw a similar recipe for Morkozhambu using ripe mangoes,I tried it soon after.It tastes a bit different than Pulisheri but I loved it.The tang from the curd and the sweetness from the mango along with the heat from the red chillies made it an explosion of tastes in the mouth.

This year,we've tried a variety of mangoes and loved them all.Usually we stick to Banganpally,Alphonso and Kalaphadi mangoes but this year there are so many varieties available and we tried most of them.I made this curry with Banganpally but you can use any pulpy,sweet mango.

Mambazha Morkuzhambu
Recipe courtesy - Malpat's Kitchen

Ingredients

Banganpally mango - 1,peeled and chopped
Fresh curd - 2 cups
Salt to taste
Sugar - 2-3 tsp(optional)
Coconut oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

For roasting and grinding

Coconut oil - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 1/2 tsp
Methi - 3/4 tsp
Red chillies - 2
Hing - 1/4 tsp
Grated coconut - 2 tbsp


Method

Cook the mangoes till soft.You can steam/Microwave it,I added a few tbsp water into a pressure cooker along with the mangoes and pressure cooked for one whistle.Cool it down and grind to a smooth paste.
Whisk the curd well so that there are no lumps.
Mix in the mango puree.Add salt to taste.
In a pan add oil and roast the ingredients till the coconut slightly changes colour.Remove from pan and let it cool down.Grind to a smooth paste.
Add this to the curd-mango mix.Cook the curry on a low flame for about 5-10 minutes or till it starts frothing from the sides.Take care not to boil the curry as it may split.
Make tadka with coconut oil and splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves.Add this tadka to the morkozhambu.

Step by step Pictorial

Cook the mangoes till soft.You can steam/Microwave it,I added a few tbsp water into a pressure cooker along with the mangoes and pressure cooked for one whistle.Cool it down and grind to a smooth paste.

In a pan add oil and roast the ingredients till the coconut slightly changes colour.

Remove from pan and let it cool down.Grind to a smooth paste.

Whisk the curd well so that there are no lumps.

Mix in the mango puree.

Add the ground coconut paste to the  curd-mango mix.

Add salt to taste - I added a few tsp sugar as well.

Cook the curry on a low flame for about 5-10 minutes or till it starts frothing from the sides.Take care not to boil the curry as it may split.

Make tadka with coconut oil and splutter mustard seeds and curry leaves.Add this tadka to the morkozhambu.

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Bisi Bele Bath | Easy Rice Recipes

I am not a rice person,give me roti-dal-sabzi 24/7 and I will be a very happy person.My family mocks me saying I was a Punjabi in my last birth:)But I do love a few rice dishes like this and this.Off late however I have switched to one pot meals because it is absolutely hot in Chennai and standing in the kitchen making elaborate lunches is just not possible.Add to that a playful toddler who loves spending time in the kitchen{read-taking out stuff from the shelves and pretending to be cooking as well}

I first tasted BBB,as it is fondly named, in Bangalore,when Ajay's mom had a get-together for her friends.At first glance,I admit I didn't like it much.How tasty could be a gloopy mass of rice-dal-vegetables is what I thought to myself when I put in the first spoonful into my mouth.I realized I was horribly wrong when I took a second helping skipping my other favorite-Shevige Bath.

I have so many bookmarked recipes for making BBB powder from scratch,which is what it gives the real punch I'm told,but lack of time and planning made me buy this ready mix powder by MTR.I followed instructions from this blog for making it taste better,than to follow the instructions blindly given in the back of MTR packet.

If you like BBB and can have it for breakfast,lunch and dinner:) and don't want to spend too much time in the kitchen,this recipe is for you.It tastes delicious and gets done in a jiffy.Add in vegetables of your choice and some crispy vadams or appalam to go with it and voila,you'll have people asking for second helpings :)

Bisi Bele Bath using MTR Masala
Recipe courtesy - Mysoorean

Ingredients

Rice- 1/2 cup { I used regular raw rice}
Toor dal - 1/4 cup { I used a mix of 3 dals,you could use only toor dal if so increase quantity to 1/2 cup}
Moong dal & Masoor dal - 1/4 cup
Mixed vegetables - 1 cup { I used beans,carrot,capsicum and green peas}
Grated coconut or Copra - 1/2 tbsp
Bisi Bele Bath Masala - 1 tbsp
Tamarind paste - 3/4 tsp
Jaggery - 1/2 tsp
Water - 4 cups
Salt to taste

For the tadka

Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing/asafoetida - 1/2 tsp
Dried red chilly - 1
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Cinnamon stick - 1' piece
Haldi/turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

For garnish

Oil/ghee - 1 tbsp
Peanuts - a handful
Curry leaves - a few

Method

Wash the rice and dals and soak in enough water till you get the other stuff ready.

In a pressure cooker add oil and splutter mustard seeds.

Add hing,chilly,curry leaves,cinnamon and haldi.Saute for a few seconds.

Mix in the vegetables,rice,dal,bbb masala,coconut,tamarind,jaggery and water.

Add salt to taste.Cover and pressure cook for 4-5 whistles or till the vegetables and rice cook till almost mushy.
For the garnish,in a tadka pan add oil/ghee and saute peanuts till golden brown and curry leaves till crisp.Pour on top of bisi bele bath and serve hot.

Tastes delicious with some Papad or chips on the side.

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Punjabi Chole Masala {for Bhatura,Puri & Roti}

I have mentioned before how I am addicted to watching cookery videos.I never get bored watching the same videos again and again and was almost thinking to myself that I was a lone person when it came to things like these.I was pleasantly surprised to discover our friends' son,who is only 5 years old,watching 'Show me the curry' and 'Howdini' videos!

When our friends come over and he gets bored,he asks for the laptop to watch his favorite train videos.One day he wanted to watch ice-cream videos and somehow we ended up at SMTC's Mango Ice-cream video.He demanded that we make it for him and then hopped on to this Chole video.Then he was pushed aside and me and my friend sat watching it and were delighted to see the recipe,a simple one with few ingredients and looking like just how a 'real' Chole is supposed to be.

She tried it the very next day and was over the top with the results,it turned out just like how it was in the video and she has made it a couple of times ever since,every time telling me to try it myself.I don't know why I waited this long to try.It indeed is a keeper recipe.

I don't know how an authentic chole tastes,but this one is just like how it is served in restaurants with piping hot Bhatura.Dark brown chickpeas in a slightly tangy and thickish gravy goes perfectly well with roti or phulka as well.As H&A mentioned,it is a wonderful base for making some Aloo Tikki Chaat as well,hmmm.

Chole Masala

Ingredients

White chickpeas - 2 cups
Water - around 8-10 cups
Cardamom - 2 whole
Cinnamon stick - 1' piece
Bay leaf - 1
Tea bags - 2
Salt to taste

For the gravy

Oil - 2 tbsp
Hing/Asafetida - 1/8 tsp
Crushed tomatoes - 3-4 medium sized tomatoes pulsed in a mixie
Chole masala - 1 tbsp
Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Chaat masala - 1/2 tsp
Dry Mango/amchoor powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

For the garnish

Coriander leaves
Onion rings and Green chilly chopped

Method

Soak the chickpeas in enough water overnight or at least 6 hours.I discard the water used for soaking and use fresh water after rinsing the pulses.However,SMTC recipe says to cook the pulses in the water in which it was soaked.Use whichever method is convenient.
 
In a pressure cooker,add the soaked channa,enough water to cook it along with the bayleaf,cardamom,cinnamon and tea bags.Add salt to taste.
Cook at high pressure for 3-4 whistles and then simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
 
Open the cooker and drain the channa keeping the water aside,which would be used later in the gravy.Discard the tea bags.
 
In a thick bottomed kadai add oil and hing.Immediately add the crushed tomatoes and stir.Cover with a lid and cook the tomatoes for about 5-7 minutes or until oil starts appearing on the sides and the puree gets thick.
 
Mix in the dry spice powders - chole masala,red chilly powder,chaat masala,amchoor powder and stir well.
 
Now add the drained chole and mix well.Keep adding the reserved water little by little.Cover and cook.Repeat the process till all of the water is used up.Do not skimp on this step and be patient as the water is absorbed in low heat.This is what gives a rich,concentrated flavour to the dish.
 
Switch off the flame when the gravy is a bit thickish.The channa will keep absorbing it as it cools down.
Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves and sliced green chilly and onions.

Off this goes to Siri who is hosting My legume love affair this month,an event conceptualized by Susan and taken forward by Lisa.

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Paneer Kulcha | Easy Indian Bread Recipes

I was always a Butter-Naan person when it came to ordering Indian breads in restaurants.Yes,the dripping with butter and soft and fluffy naans to mop up the yummilicious Paneer Butter Masala would take me to food nirvana.No amount of teasing from Ajay about fat and calories would stop me from having it,in my defense I'd say we don't eat it daily!

I think it was during one of those rare days when I felt like ordering something new I tasted a Kulcha.When it reached our table it was hot and puffy and was all I hoped for and more.Soft and fluffy and slathered with butter and filled with a mixture of paneer and onions,what's not there to like?

I'd been wanting to try it at home since a long time.It doesn't require Yeast and is leavened using baking powder or baking soda.You can of course make it plain or stuff it with paneer or onions or spiced potato masala.It tastes great with any north indian curry,particularly Chole.I'd made Malai Kofta and should say it is indeed a delicious combination.

Paneer Kulcha

Ingredients

All purpose flour/Maida - 2 cups
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 3/4 tsp
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Yogurt - 1 tbsp
Milk as required to make the dough

For the paneer filling

Paneer - 100 gms,grated
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Jeera powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Fresh coriander leaves - 1 tbsp,chopped
Salt to taste

Method

For the dough 
 
Mix together all the dry ingredients and mix in enough milk and knead into a smooth dough.
 
Cover the dough with a damp towel and keep aside for an hour.
For the filling  
 
Mix together all the ingredients.Divide into 5 portions and shape into a smooth ball.
Making the kulcha  
 
Divide 5 portions of the dough and shape into smooth balls.Starting with one roll into a thick poori sized shape.
Keep the paneer filling in the middle and close the sides carefully making sure the filling is covered from all sides.Shape into round discs and rest it for 10-15 minutes.Repeat the procedure with the rest of the filling.
 
Flatten the balls into thin kulchas using enough flour to dust,without giving much pressure so that the filling inside stays intact.
 
Heat a chapathi tawa and cook the kulchas till golden brown on both sides adding enough ghee/oil/butter to taste.The kulchas will puff up beautifully creating pockets inside which would make it fluffy.

 Serve hot.

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Instant Tomato Rasam | South Indian Tomato Rasam

For a long time I was indifferent to Rasam.I didn't understand what the fuss was about a water-like gravy with tomatoes and coriander leaves.To top it,whenever I tried making it,it didn't come out all that good.I mean,Rasam was supposed to be a very easy side dish,is it not?Now how hard can that be?

Apparently,Rasam is not a simple gravy spiced up with podis and tomatoes.To make a water-like gravy taste good there has to be a good balance of ingredients.I've tried many recipes for making rasam but this one comes close to what amma always made when there was a dearth of vegetables.One tomato,a handful of dal and coriander leaves and a tsp or so of Rasam powder,she even added sambhar powder sometimes,and a simple tadka of mustard and curry leaves and there it was-simple,quick and delicious!

I've tried to maker her version instant by cooking the dal and tomatoes in a pressure cooker,a method frowned upon by many but works like a charm.

Instant Tomato Rasam

Ingredients

Tomato - 2,chopped
Toor dal - 1/4 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Rasam powder - 1 heaping tbp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves - 3-4 tbsp,chopped

Method

 
In a pressure cooker add the dal and tomatoes(keep 1/4 of a tomato aside for seasoning) and cook for 4-5 whistles or till the dal is mushy and the tomatoes are cooked to a pulp.Using a potato masher or a spoon,mash and mix the dal-tomato together.
 
In a kadai add oil,splutter mustard seeds and add curry leaves.Mix in the reserved tomato and give a good mix.
 
Add rasam powder and saute for a minute.Pour the dal-tomato mixture into the kadai,add salt to taste and let it come to a boil.
Add coriander leaves and simmer for 3-5 minutes.Switch off the flame,add some more coriander leaves and serve with rice and urulai roast.

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Raw Mango Chutney - Ambuli Chutney

The only silver lining in this excruciating Chennai summer I would say is,the arrival of mangoes.The king of fruits can make the harshest of summers bearable with its mere name.So as I sat awaiting kilos after kilos of fresh,juicy mangoes,I got a huge bag of raw mangoes from a friends' farm.Now I was confused.

I love to eat raw mangoes as is,smeared with some red chilly powder,salt and coconut oil.I ate it too,till my teeth started shivering at the mere mention of raw mangoes.Then I started thinking of ways to use up the raw ones to make way for the ripe ones.Bottles of Chundo were made,instant pickles were made and bottled up and now what?

As always,amma came to my rescue by not giving one but two recipes for a chutney.Now how could I forget this one?Raw Mango sour chutney which goes perfectly well with a bowl of kanji or even with fluffy idli.I,of course,can eat the chutney as is.

Raw Mango Chutney/Ambuli Chutney/Pacha Manga Chammanthi

Ingredients

Raw Mango - 1/4 cup,peeled and chopped
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Green chilly - 1
Salt to taste
Coconut oil - to drizzle

Method

 
Grind together coconut,chilly and salt till coarse without adding water.
 
Mix in the chopped mango and pulse for 10-15 seconds till everything comes together.
Just before serving,drizzle some coconut oil on top.

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Cucumber Mint Raita

Once,while we were at a friend's place for dinner,I noticed the raita tasted different from the regular onion-raita.It looked just like a normal raita,onions and tomatoes with curd but yet something was different.When I knew what the reason was I had a grin on my face,now why didn't I think of it before?The very things I used to pick out and remove-coriander leaves and green chillies-were ground into a paste and mixed with curd which made the raita delicious in its own way.

Ever since I've been making raita that way.Remember my garden with fresh mint leaves sprouting?Well,I harvested those and they were threatening to wilt and how could I let my fruit of labour go waste,so mint raita was whipped up.This uses the same method,without coriander.You can of course serve this raita plain or add onions,tomatoes or cucumbers into it.Tastes great with a biryani or pulao.

Cucumber Mint Raita

Ingredients

Mint leaves - 1 cup loosely packed
Green chilly - 1
Yogurt/Curd - 2 cups
Roasted Jeera powder - 1/4 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Cucumber - 1,chopped finely

Method

 
Grind together mint leaves with green chilly,using 1-2 tbsp of curd to a smooth paste.
 
Add jeera powder,sugar and salt to the curd and whip well.
 
Mix in the mint paste and the chopped cucumber.
Serve with Pulao/Biryani.

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