Bhakshanam

Palak  – Spinach

The information i had in my mind about Dhaba was completely different from what wikepedia could explain.  In Bangalore, when you are on  a casual one day trip to near by places you can find so called Dhabas on the way, although we never ventured into it.  So far i have just visited once when we from NIIT batch took a two day crash trip to Coorg.  I hardly remember the place, as it was night.  All remember was eating roti and Palak Paneer.

Myself is all open to taste different kinds of curries, but my family mostly comfortable with south indian stuffs.  So there is a wide range of punjabi food i have never got a chance to taste.

Coming to Palak recipe, I have a habit of rechecking known recipe from different resources when i cook something different from our regular routine food. The reason being i am not cooking that particular dish very often.  But the Palak dish, i managed to do it on my own without any help from any of regular references.  I never googled,  checked cookbooks or asked friends. And i am making this dish in my own way since so many years.  So its a dish i feel,  i have ‘invented’ and is close to my heart. BTW, it tastes good.  Everyone likes this in my family.

The Palak remains the same, Paneer can be replaced with potatoes, peas or cauliflower florets.

(4 servings)

Ingredients,

Spinach(Palak)  -  4 bunches (approximately 300 gms cleaned leaves)

Onions – 2 large, cut into bite size pieces

Tomatoes – 2 medium, blanched and pureed

Ginger – 1″ or 2″

Garlic – 1 small bulb( 15 small pods)

Chilli powder – 1/2 tsp

Green Chillies -4  long ones

OR

Chilli powder – 1Tsp

Green chillies -  2 long ones, slit

Everest Kitchen King masala – 1 tsp

Garam Masala powder  – 1 tsp

Oil – 2 tbsp

Garnishing,

Butter – 1 tbsp

Lemon – cut squarely

Onion – cut your way(rings or chopped)

Green chilli – 1 or 2 slit

Potatoes – 2 medium sized, cut into bite size

Salt

Keep – ready,

Boil enough water in a big vessel along with little salt.  When water starts boiling cut the flame and add cleaned and washed Palak into the boiled water and close with lid.  Keep aside for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, grind onion, ginger and garlic into fine paste, keep aside.  Blanch the tomatoes to make thick puree.  Take out the Palak and immediately wash it with cold water to keep the green colour in it.

Start – cook,

Preferably use nonstick pan.  Heat the oil in the pan,  Add up Onion ginger garlic mixture.  Fry at medium flame till the mixture turns dry and lightly brown.  Add tomato puree to this.  Increse the flame and fry the ingredient till oil spearates.  Add Everest Kitchen King masla and chilli powder and little bit of turmeric.  Fry nicely.  Add  nicely ground spinach to it. Stir continuously so that Palak paste blends with the other ingredient.  Add 1/2 cup water.  Partially close the lid.  Keep the dish on sim for 10 minutes.  Add Garam masala powder and slit green chillies and mix well.

Shallow – fry,

Heat 2 tsp of ghee in a frying pan.  Add potatoes and keep sauteing till the potatoes are golder brown and cooked..  Add  potatoes into Palak gravy.

Garnishing,

Garnish with butter, green chilli and onions,

Take a bite with

Roti, naan, kucha, chapathis, poori or puttu.

Ragi – FingerMillet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger_millet

Ragi Muddey – Ragi flour cooked and shaped into balls

Bassaru – ‘Basida Saaru’- Filtered liquid curry

Chikkudu kayi – Chapparada avarey kayi- Indian Broad beans

Oggaraney – Seasoning

Ragi Muddey:

It has been a big break from the blogging.  But always kept updated about blog world, popped in my favorite blogs once in a way though never had time to comment on, cooked few dishes learnt from bloggers.  Some still keeping in touch, loads of thanks to them.

Coming back to namma Bengaluru(my Bangalore) much later after a forced  good stay at abroad, the memories are slowly unwinding, i would rather say my nostril are opening up with olden aromas, which is hard to believe that once Bangalore used to be the place where i could sense these smells.

I am not sure in this so called Bangalore metro anybody can feel these aromas any more, but sure to feel  it in country side if it has still not lost its innocent ambience. That was how my father taught me the ‘culture’ of picking  the aroma of hot Ragi balls that is being cooked outside a hut, as a food for poorer lot  especially while driving or riding back home late evenings.

It used to be kind of very tempting hot smell of wood fire, aluminum vessel and ragi flour getting cooked. Once the smell is sensed, you are assured of a family close by, though there are no lights to be seen anywhere around.  My father just survived on those Ragi balls for those many years and little rice.  Its amazing to know that in many parts of Karnataka, its still a staple food in most of the households,and people with same interest and respect  make those muddey.—————————————————————————————————————————-

For those of you, who are really adventurous foodies and would like to taste a bit of every part of India can try this making at home with little Ragi flour available in most of the super markets. Those of you who really liked the taste can go through the elaborate process of storing large amount of Ragi flour and add  up in everyday diet, as Ragi is rich source of calcium.

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Then goes the following procedure of making muddey.

Try for one person, that is to try with yourself

Ragi flour – 100 gm

Water -  200 ml

salt – little or not required

Ghee- 1/4 tsp

Very simple procedure, but needs a li’l bit of practice.

Boil the water in a aluminum vessel along with salt and ghee and little powder.  Simmer it and add up Ragi flour, little by little simultaneously whisking the ingredient, with a wooden spoon or a small but thick stick, so that there should not be any lumps formed and slowly it gets thicker.

Close the lid and keep on low flame for about 2 min’s. Cook to desired consistency.  Put off the burner.  Take two big spoonful of  paste , place it on a wooden top and roll on it to make balls with wet hands when it is warm.  Eat with Ghee if you are not calorie conscious.  Ruchi also has a variation in ragi mudde preparation, check it out!!

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Bassaru:

This is typical village charu or saaru or watery curry which is cooked with one or more vegetables and lentil or whole moong with different kind of greens.  There is distinct combination when using vegetables for this curry.  What adds up to the curry is the combined flavor of vegetables and masala that goes together. This is a typical curry that goes very well with Ragi muddey.

Ingredients:

Toor Dal - Yellow Lentil  -  150gm

Cabbage  – 100 gms chooped

Chikkudu Kayi - broad beans – 100 gms chopped

The quantity of each ingredient varies according to the taste as some can prefer vegetables more or some may prefer lentil more.  But this  can give approximately 4 servings of dry fry.

For masala:

Coconut – 2 Tbsp

Tamarind – half lemon size

coriander leaves – half fist full

onion – one small chopped into two parts

huli pudi – sambar powder (home made or Shakthi Sambar powder) – 1Tbsp

Jeera – 1/4 tsp

curry leaves – two strings

Cooked toordal cabbage chikkudu – 2 tbsp

Pallya oggaraney - dry fry seasoning

Oil – 1Tbsp

Mustard – 1/2 tsp

Red chillis – 2 long one broken into halves

Curry leaves – one string

To start with:

Boil lentil with water in a vessel till Lentil get little more than half cooked.  Add Cabbage and Chikkudu and cover cook till the vegetables get cooked.  Drain the whole ingredient, so that the Lentil and vegetables are separated by thin kattu or liquid of dal water.  Keep aside both.

For Dry fry,

Now the dal and vegetables should be allowed to cool completely, make sure that dal is not over cooked.  Add pallya oggaraney.  Dry mix the vegetables for a minute or two along with salt and oggaraney.

For curry,

Fry one part of onion, cumin seeds and curry leaves in oil till transparent.  Add coconut, tarmarind,  hulipudi, coriander leaves and second part of raw onion. Blend all the ingredients to a fine paste. Add, 2 Tbs cooked toordal cabbage chikkudu mixture.  Grind again to fine paste.  Mix the paste with drained lentil water or kattu. Bring to boil.  Add salt.  Oggaraney with mustard and curry leaves.

No..No.. i am not back yet.  I was feeling sick that i missed Sailu’s JFI -Dal event. Yesterday, i just happen to pass through her blog, found that event is still waiting for the round up. Anyway, i know i am too  late, but i did it!!

Life has been little hectic and more chaotic …yes..guessed it right, it would have been better if it was really hectic and less chaotic… i dont know i am not seems to be systematic any more. Kitchen is all packed and set to move this week end (i.e Friday,). Somehow was feeling odd to cut a sorry figure to Sailaja for not participating in the event. Then, I just remembered long forgotten whole black gram still in my store, and went to a neighbour with a cup to get some Rajma(kidney beans).

Dal Makni in my kitchen was a disastrous project couple of years back with a potful of brown water and dive through to find some black dal at the bottom. The imporved rather a tasty(ofcourse, when i add two tablespoon of butter!) version of Dal Makhni, am contributing to Sailu’s JFI – Dal/Lentils.

Soak overnight

Whole Black gram(whole urad dal) 1 cup

Kidney beans 1/2 cup

Boil soaked beans mixture with 3-4 cups of water along with

Turmeric 1/4 tsp

chilli powder 1/2 tsp

till the beans becomes broken and mashy.

Grind

Onion 1/2 of medium size cut into chunks

ginger 2″

Garlic(Indian) 1/2 bulb

Splutter

Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp in oil 2 tbsp in a sauce pan.

Fry

Onion 1  medium finely chopped and ground ginger-onion-garlic paste till transparent.

Toss in

ripe tomato 1 medium chopped and 4-5 slit green chillies, and fry till the oil separates.

Sprinkle

Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp (preferably Kashmiri, if so 1tsp)

Coriander powder 1tsp

cumin powder 1/2 tsp

Fry the mixture for 5 minutes.

Pour in cooked dal mixture into the saucepan. Allow it to boil for 10 mins.

Stir in 3 tbsp of Butter, (those weight watchers, pls… cant help, its Dal makhni!!), 2tbsp Kissan Tomato puree(taste enhancer), Garam masala powder 1/2 tsp, Salt to taste.

Garnish with 2tbsp finely chopped fresh Cliantro and 1/2 finely chopped onion.

Pantry notes: Kissan Tomato puree, gives that rich taste to the curry. You can omit this if you are adding fresh puree of 2 small tomatoes and have to fry in the beginning along with chopped tomatoes after frying  onions.

Tried and suceeded  – Ultimate experience!

When i thought of trying out co-blogger’s recipes, i assumed its going to be an expereince as same as, trying out couple of recipes from the net.  Believe me, it was so different. I cooked with at most keeness and enthusiasm, the recipes, turn out so homely and perfect.  Above all, was the feeling, as though i am having my breakfast, lunch or dinner in one of my friend’s(Priya, Ashwini or curryinahurry) house. As a matter of fact, i relished and enjoyed every bite of what i have cooked. Indeed, it was quite an experience for me. Here goes the list of yesterday,

Morning tea with Priya’s Bhakris

In the morning, it took sometime for me make Priya’s Bhakris. I even caught hold of my friend cum neighbour to taste this snacky dish. Being a Gujarathi, name was not unfamiliar to her, but sure the taste is! She has been eating Bhakris made of Wheat flour. Priya’s recipe was different taste for her.

Variations: I added 1/2 cup of shallots instead 3/4 cup as given in Priya’s(even with that, my cutie was smartly separating onions from Bhakris well with in her mouth!) and added a tsp of cumin seeds.

For original recipe and better results visit Priya

Noon lunch:  Ashwini’s Goan fish curry

My husband being a malabari, never got bored of everyday rice and fish curry lunch. That is all he needs with little curd preparation. It is a must for my little one. So far i never tried to deviate myself from traditional kannur style of cooking fish. Ashwini’s was real lip-smacking preparation. I served with Injithair(curds with coconut and ginger paste) and puzhukalari chor (boiled rice).

Variations: None

For original recipe visit Ashwini

Li(ti)ght Dinner: Green peas – potato kurma from curryinahurry

In the evening, I heaped up a cup of frozen peas and potatos for this filly meal for my dinner. It was very satisfying with hot and crispy puris. It goes well with almost any breads, rotis and Dosas.

Variations: I put a tsp of fennel seeds(saunf), instead aniseeds.

For original recipe hurry up to curry in a hurry

In plantain tree,  Each part of the tree is so much useful for something or the other and medicinal properties.  Its trunk, flowers, fruits and roots are used in making delicious food items.  Its leaves are used to serve food, a kind of olden days discardable paper plates. And for we Indians, relishing food served on these leaves is out of the world experience.  At least for me!!.  Any time of the year, even if a simple rice and sambar is served on this, will taste like feast to tongue.Banana flower is called Banana blossom has various medicinal properties and diuretic.

When we were in Bangalore and I happen to visit vegetable mandi i get to see this beautiful vibrant coloured unusual vegetable. But never had a clue that it is of Banana and can be cooked, eaten and so delicious.  Bahrain, where we lived for quite a few years and mostly keralites around, we used to get lot of Indian vegetables especially from Kerala.  I tried, failed and now seem to be good with this recipe.

I am not sure if this vegetable is available around the western world, still if you can find couple of them; look for the one with fresh tender flowers when you slip away those leaves that cover the outer part. The vegetable has to be bright magenta in colour.

What you need:

• One whole Banana blossom
• Red chilli Powder            1/2 tsp
• Turmeric                        Little less than ½ tsp
• Coconut                        2 tbsp
• Mustard seeds               ½ tsp
• Curry leaves                   one strand
• Onion                            half of medium size(chopped)
• Salt to taste

How to make:

Prepare:  Just remove the first two leaves that covers the vegetable, and to find a bunch of fresh flowers.  Chop those flowers and keep aside.  Cut ½ inch form tip of the narrow end.  Here most of the people shred the vegetable and chop into thin strands.  It goes messy all over.  Instead, Hold the mid part of the vegetable in the hand, just cut the edge into cross sections and then chop it along the length into thin shreds. (Hope I am clear).

When the chopping is done, mix it with turmeric, chilli powder, Onions, curry leaves and little bit of salt.

Cook:

Heat a spoon of oil and splutter mustard seeds in a round bottom vessel.  Slowly add the mixed ingredients to it and start frying.  Do not add water as the vegetable has enough water content if it is fresh.  If it is not, sprinkle handful of water just to avoid sticking to the bottom.  Loosely cover the lid, reduce the heat.  Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The quantity of the ingredient reduces once it gets cooked.  See to that it is cooked before removing it from heat. A Magnificent Magenta is turned to a healthy nutritious simple dish.

Notes:When it is chopped and exposed to the air the colour changes to dark brown.

Coconut  can be added after the vegetables are cooked.

Instead of Red chilli powder 2 medium green chillies can be used.