Chole Masala

First of all, my sincere apologies for not catching up with any of your posts! Last weekend had been quite hectic because V had suddenly planned for a weekend trip to Venice and till the very moment I took the train, I was on my toes! And needless to say the after-math of the trip!! House full of clothes to be washed, shopping bags, clutters.. Yeah yeah! I partially attribute my absence to my laziness too ;)

I'd be back to my routine of blogging from tomorrow and this quick post is just to remind you (in case you've forgotten) that this poor soul still exists! :D And the most important part, I have not yet updated the recent awards my buddies have shared with me. So one more Sorry for that too! I'll post it soon dearies! :)

This easy Chole goes well with Bature (recipe will follow soon) or as a quick chat by itself. You can also use this for Chole tikki. I adapted this recipe from Manjula's Kitchen and tweaked it to my taste. I am sure most of us would have enjoyed her simple, yet delicious recipes. She makes even the complex of recipes in a simple way!

Chole MasalaChickpeas cooked in spicy gravy

What we need:

Kabuli Channa / Chick peas - 2 cups

Tomato puree - 1 cup

Chilli powder - 1 tbsp.

Cumin Powder - 1 tbsp.

Asafoetida - a pinch

Besan / Gram flour - 1 tbsp.

Garam masala - 1 tsp.

Ginger- Garlic paste - 1 tbsp.

Amchur /Dry Mango powder - 1 tsp.

Chat Masala - 1 tsp. Optional

Cumin (Jeera) - 1 tsp.

Oil - 2 tbsp.

Salt - according to taste

Water - as needed

Chopped Onions and Coriander - for garnishing

How to do:

1. Wash and soak the chick peas overnight or for 5 to 6 hours. Change the water and pressure cook the chick peas till soft. Drain and reserve the water.

2. Heat oil and add cumin and asafoetida. When they sizzle, add the ginger-garlic paste.

3. When they are done, add besan. Fry till the flour starts to turn brown.

4. Add the tomato puree, chilli powder, cumin powder, salt and stir well.

5. When oil starts to separate from the gravy, add the cooked channa and mix.

6. Now add the reserved water (in which channa was cooked) and mix.

7. When the gravy comes to a boil, sprinkle the garam masala, amchur powder, stir and remove.

Garnish with chopped onions, coriander and serve.

Notes:

1. Sprinkle some chat masala and dash of lemon juice to serve as a lip-smacking starter.

2. We can omit the garlic part on festive days or for the non-garlic eaters!

3. To serve as gravy, add one more cup of water and increase the besan accordingly.

4. To obtain a dark color for the channa, cook it along with a tea bag and discard the bag after cooking.

Happy cooking and happy blogging!

Milagu Kozhambu / Pepper Gravy

Milagu kozhambu is one recipe that would fall under so many categories like, instant recipe, pathiya samayal (food as medicine), spicy kozhambu, travel special, post-partum menu etc. So this kozhambu always has a special place in most of our menu cards and comes to the dining table often after a heavy treat. Needless to say, it also stays good in the refrigerator for a week.

This kozhambu will be served on the third day of marriage in Tamil Brahmin's community, i.e on the "Kattu Sadha Koodai". This day, usually in olden times, was the day people who attended the marriage, as well as the new bride and groom, would pack up and leave for their destination. Since they had to travel a long distance, food was usually packed and distributed, hence the name "Kattu Sadha Koodai" (A basket of packed food) which ideally consisted of long-lasting items like Idlis (smeared with Milagai Podi), Puliyodharai, Curd rice with appalams and Vadams (rice/sabudana crackers). And since the previous day would have called for a heavy treat, simple food is usually served on this day to ease the tummies. Milagu Kozhambu invariably does the trick, not compromising on the taste too.

Nowadays for the sake of convenience and time, in most marriages this Kattu Sadhai Koodai day is often opted out. But luckily in our marriage, this was on Saturday; so most of our relatives stayed back and we had the luxury of packing up in a leisure way. And since I was relocating in Chennai, but for some occasional sniffs, none of us were really crying or going through the usual post-marriage-we-will-miss-you thing. ;) Not to mention, we had this Milagu Kozhambu in our menu and V's grand mom indicated me that this is one of V's favorite dishes. I diligently recorded it in my mind, and here I am blogging my DH's fav! :)

Milagu Kozhambu
Pepper and Tamarind gravy for rice

What we need:
Tamarind - a marble sized ball
Pepper - 2 tbsp.
Dhania (Coriander seeds) - 2 tbsp.
Cumin (Jeera) - 2 tbsp.
Red Chilli - 2 or 3
Chana dal (Kadalai Paruppu) - 1 tbsp.
Toor Dal - 1 tbsp.
Asafoetida - 1 tsp.
Curry leaves - a sprig
Sesame /Gingely oil - 2 tbsp.
Mustard - 1 tsp.
Salt - as needed
Water - as needed

How to do:
1. Heat a tsp of Oil in the pan and roast Pepper, Cumin, Dhania, Red Chilli, Chana Dal, Toor dal, half of curry leaves till they emit a nice aroma. Take care not to burn them. Let them cool and blend it to a fine powder.
2. Meanwhile extract the tamarind pulp and set aside.
3. Heat Gingely oil and add the mustard, remaining curry leaves and asafoetida. When it starts to sputter, add the tamarind extract and salt.
4. When it begins to boil, add the ground powder and stir well. Reduce the flame to low-medium and simmer the gravy until it becomes thick and remove from flame.

Serve with rice, mixed with gingely oil and Sutta appalam!

Happy Cooking and happy Blogging!

Vazhai Poo Usli & Mor Kozhambu

Our lovely blogger buddy Kanchan is celebrating her birthday today! Let us all wish her a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY, with long-lasting happiness for years to come!

Happy Birthday dear!

Picture Courtesy: 123greetings.com

I believe I have told you all before in one of my earlier posts, that I used to be a very rebellious and fussy eater in my childhood (actually till I entered college!) Mom had a tough time with me always because I had a finicky taste and my preferences were limited to rasam, vendakkai poriyal (Okra Stir-fry), Dosa and Maggi! Almost every second day the lunch box will come back home as it was packed.

I don't remember when and how I became a foodie; probably during my college days, where my 3 best friends were those foodie types and they influenced my eating habits a lot. Thanks to them, here I am trying out new and traditional recipes each day and blogging about them! Mom would have never had even in her faintest idea that one day her daughter would become a FOOD BLOGGER (of all the other things!!!)

Usli - probably one of the most tried recipes that would be blogged over and over! Because no matter how many times we read about it, blog it or share it, every time Usli tastes as heavenly as the first time! More than the Usli itself, it is the Vazhai poo that fascinates me. I still remember those beautiful full moon nights, we all would go to the terrace and mom prepares the mixed rice, probably sambar or kozhambu (which otherwise is in the "untouchable" list for me)and serve it in the "Vazhai poo Madal" i.e the leaves of Banana flower, which she had reserved for me.

Before I get too nostalgic, let's go to our recipe!

Vazhai Poo Usli
Chana Dal and Banana flowers cooked with mild spices

What we need:
Vazhai Poo - 1, medium sized
Chana Dal / Kadalai Paruppu - 1 cup
Red Chillies - 3 to 4, according to your palates
Curry leaves - a sprig
Asafoetida - a pinch
Salt - according to your taste

For tempering:
Oil - 1 tbsp.
Mustard - 1 tsp.
Split Urad dal - 1 tsp.

We also need:
A cup of buttermilk to soak the cut vazhai poo. This eliminates the "tuvarpu" taste of the vazhai poo.

Preparing for the Usli:
Wash, clean and soak the Chana dal along with some red chillies for about an hour.

Meanwhile, switch on the TV or start a movie in your laptop and sit down with a bowl of buttermilk, little salt or oil, and the vazhai poo. It is a loooong process to cut and clean this flower. Apply a little oil or rub your hands with little salt because later you don't want to look like a mechanic who repairs the car!
Make sure you remove the "Kalan", inside every flower. It resembles a Match stick head. Also remove a fine glass-like layer inside the flower. Cut the flowers into small pieces and soak them in the buttermilk for about 30 to 40 minutes.

Chitra has given the clear picture of how the "Kalan" looks. Please click here to see her recipe.

How to do:
1. Grind the chana dal to a coarse paste along with the red chilli, salt, asafoetida and little or no water.
2. Mix it with the chopped flowers and spread the mix over a steel plate or the idlis plate creased with oil, and steam it for about 8 to 10 minutes. Let it cool and crumble it to coarse pieces.
3. Heat oil and add the mustard, followed by split urad dal and curry leaves. When they are done, add the dal-flower and mix well.
4. Adjust the salt according to your taste and remove from the flame.

Mor Kozhambu
Yoghurt soup simmered with coconut

What we need:
Thick yoghurt/curd - 2 cups
Fresh grated Coconut - 3 tbsp.
Chana Dal - 2 tbsp. Reserve some chana dal you soak for the usli.
Cumin (Jeera) - 1 tbsp.
Red/Green Chillies - 2
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Asafoetida - 1 tsp.
Salt - according to your taste

For tempering:
Coconut Oil/Cooking oil - 1 tbsp.
Mustard - 1 tbsp.
Curry leaves - a sprig

How to do:
1. Grind together the grated coconut, chana dal, green/red chillies, cumin.
2. Mix this ground paste with yoghurt, along with a pinch of turmeric powder, asafoetida and salt. Add water to achieve your desired consistency.
3. Heat coconut oil and add the mustard, followed by curry leaves. When they are done, reduce the flame to low-medium and add the yoghurt mix.
4. Stir well. It may start to splatter in a few minutes, that is when you need to remove it from the flame.

Note:
1. Coconut Oil enhances the flavor of the Mor Kozhambu by many folds. Inspite of using it for tempering, I also add a generous amount of coconut oil to the mor kozhambu after removing it from stove, and leave it undisturbed till serving time. It smells and tastes so good.
2. For those who don't have an aversion to Asafoetida, sprinkle it generously over the kozhambu and leave it undisturbed till you serve.
3. If you have some banana leaves to spare, cover the vessel tightly with the leaf and keep a lid over it. It increases the flavor and makes your Mor Kozhambu a sure hit!
4. To make a simple, instant mor kozhambu, please click here.

Serve together Usli and Mor Kozhambu with piping hot steamed rice drizzled with sesame oil!

Happy Cooking and Happy Blogging

It's raining Awards!!

I had posted earlier that my Diwali this time went by without any spark, it seems my blogger buddies have decided to compensate for it. It is raining awards!! Yay, I am so happy!!!! Thank you friends; your every word is a source of encourgament that pushes me to perform better than yesterday!

My lovely buddies Sandhya, Lakshmi and Vidya, Prasu passed on to me

Lakshmi and Vidya, Prasu also passed on

Lovely gals @ Collaborative Curry showered me with




Thanks a bunch buddies; I would like to pass on all the above awards to my lovely fellow bloggers Anupama, Sanjana, Sarah Naveen, A2Z vegetarian Cuisine, Tina, Shuba, Gethan, Dhanya, Ramya, Vrinda, Trish, Pari, Pavithra

My new buddy Sanjana has tagged me with


Thanks buddy; regarding the tag that comes with the award, I have already talked (a lot!!) about myself here and don't want to bore you all more!

Prasu also gave me


I would like to pass it on to some fantastic food bloggers, Vidya, Sandhya, Lata, Shanthi, Kamala, Sanghi, Priya, Nithya, Kanchan, Sree, Jeyashri, Ambika, Raje, Sushma, Collaborative Curry, Divya, Kitchen Queen!

Please accept it dearies!

Happy cooking and Happy blogging!

Baked Broccoli and Cheese Pasta

Once in a while, I get a sudden desire to indulge in something sinfully delicious without worrying about those extra calories, or the size 32 jean resting in the wardrobe that fits no more! I bet all of us do, don't we??? Yesterday was such a day when I started craving for something loaded with cheese! Unfortunately I didn't have any cheese left in my fridge. So I did a quick shopping, came home with that "devil-knows-why" smile, and today I made this delicacy and had it to my heart's content. Btw, yeah, I am still in shape. Round is a shape!!!

Without testing your patience any further, let's go our recipe :)

Baked Broccoli and Cheese Pasta
Serves 2

What we need:
Pasta, of your choice - 2 cups I have used Macaroni
Broccoli - a handful, steamed lightly (about 100 g) You can also do it in microwave.
Onion, medium sized - 1, thinly sliced
Green chillies - 2, finely chopped
Garlic - 2 or 3 pods, crushed
All purpose flour - 4 tbsp.
Mozzarella cheese - 50 g, torn into pieces
Grated cheese - 5 to 6 tbsp.
Butter - 2 tbsp.
Black pepper powder - 1 tbsp.
Dry Basil - 1 tbsp.
Salt - according to taste
Water - 3 cups

How to do:
Cooking the pasta:
Cook the pasta according to instructions on the pack. Drain, run through cold water, and set aside.

For the sauce:
1. In a wok, melt the butter and add onions, garlic, green chillies and salt.
2. When the onions turn soft, throw in the all purpose flour. Stir fast so that no lumps are formed.
3. Now add the pepper powder and dry basil and steamed broccoli. To this, add 3 cups of water and mix well.
4. Let the sauce thicken a bit, ideally 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Baking:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 250 degrees.
2. Meanwhile, in the baking dish, add the cooked pasta and spread.

3. Over this, pour the sauce and spread it evenly.
4. Add the Mozzarella cheese bits, and press it lightly so that it settles.
5. Over this, spread the grated cheese generously. Tap the dish lightly so that everything settles down evenly.
6. Bake it in the oven at 250 degrees for 15 minutes. You can also extend for another 5 minutes to get a brown crust of cheese!
Serve with your favorite bread!

One more entry to Saraswathi's "Say Cheese" event!
Happy Cooking and happy Blogging!