Weekend Cooking

I've decided to start a new post section for Weekend Cooking. I usually try to cook a complete meal on Friday nights and Saturdays. The rest of the days it usually ends up being curry and roti, after a long day at work. Here is my first plate...



I made..
1. White Rice
2. Mango Dal (not pictured)
3. Simple Potato Curry (see below for the recipe)
4. Tomato Chutney (bought it in India)
5. Tomato Rasam
6. Curd/Yogurt (not pictured)
7. Papad (not pictured)

These can, of course, also be made on the week days, but I usually don't have the time or energy to make them :)

For the simple Potato Curry

INGREDIENTS

2 medium Potatoes - finely cubed
Turmeric
Salt
Red Chilli Powder
Oil

TADKA

Mustard Seeds
Jeera
Channa Dal
Urid Dal
Hing

PROCEDURE

Optional: Microwave the chopped potatoes for about 3 to 4 minutes in a microwave safe bowl, this will help decrease the cooking time.
At the same time, heat some oil in a cooking pan and add the tadka ingredients. Now add in the cooked potato pieces, a pinch of turmeric, salt and red chilli powder. Fry the pieces until they are a little brown and take it off heat. Ready to serve.

Mango Dal / Mamidikaya Pappu

Dal!!!! What a wonderful dish and so easy to make on those week days when you are tired from work and don't have the energy to stand at the stove. It is even easier with a pressure cooker, since you can just cook your rice and dal at the same time in about 10 minutes.



INGREDIENTS

1 Mango -- using a peeler, discard the outer green layer of the mango and scrap around the center of the mango, until you have thin shavings of the entire mango.
1 cup Toor Dal
1 1/2 cups Water
Turmeric
Red Chilli Powder (you can use 3 or 4 green chillies instead too)
Salt
Cilantro/Coriander

TADKA -- can be excluded if you don't want any tadka.

Mustard Seeds
Jeera
Channa Dal
2 Red Chillies
Hing
Oil

PROCEDURE

In a pressure cooker safe dish, wash the dal well and add in the mango shavings.
If you want to use green chillies add them now as well.
Add the water and a pinch of turmeric. Pressure cook the dal for about 3 whistles (the same time as it takes for you to cook rice).
Once the cooker has cooled, remove the dal dish and add salt and red chilli powder (if using).
In a separate tadka pan, heat about 1 tbsp of oil and add all of the other tadka ingredients. when the dal browns and the mustard seeds splutter, add the tadka to the dal and mix everything well.
Garnish with cilantro.
Serve with Rice or Roti

Arbi/Chamagadda/Taro Root Curry

I just love this stuff!! It's too bad we can only get it a few months out of the year. It's so easy to make into different varieties too. This is my all time favorite recipe with Arbi.



INGREDIENTS

6 Arbi
Red Chilli Powder
Turmeric
Salt
Oil

TADKA

Mustard Seeds
Jeera
Urid Dal
Channa Dal
Red Chillies

PROCEDURE

Boil the arbi in a pressure cooker until soft. You can also do this on a stove top or in the microwave. Peel off the skin and set aside.
In a pan, heat about 3 tbsp of oil and add in the tadka ingredients. When the dal browns and the mustard seeds splutter, add in the boiled arbi pieces. Break it up a little bit with your fingers. It will mash as it heats.
Add in the turmeric, salt and red chilli powder. Mix well.
You are all set to serve this with rice or roti.

NOTE: If you don't like mashed arbi, you can boil the arbi the night before, peel and refrigerate the pieces. The next day, chop as desired and fry until they are brown.

Simple Cooking -- Tomato Rasam

Ok, I'll be the first to admit that I'm not much of a fan for tomatoes. There's very few things I'll eat tomatoes in it. At the same time, I love rasam, but I always have to make sure I don't get any tomatoes in my rice. So, here's what I do....I use tomato paste, doesn't make a difference in the taste!!!

INGREDIENTS

2 big spoonfuls Tomato Paste -- I used the regular kind from Hunt's, but any kind will do
3 cups Water
3 to 4 Curry Leaves
1 tsp Tamarind Juice
2 to 3 tsp Rasam Powder
a pinch Turmeric
Salt
Red Chilli Powder
Oil

TADKA

Mustard Seeds
Jeera
Red Chillies
Hing

PROCEDURE

In a pan, heat oil and add in the tadka ingredients, when the mustard seeds splutter, add in the curry leaves, tomato paste and water. Mix well until there are no lumps.
Add in tamarind juice, turmeric, salt, red chilli powder, and rasam masala.
Let the rasam come to a boil and you are ready to serve! Garnish with a little bit of coriander leaves if you'd like.
Tastes great with rice.

NOTE: I buy ready made tamarind paste from the Indian store and just mix it with a little bit of water, until it is runny. Otherwise, you can use fresh tamarind and soak it in water for a little bit and sqeeze out the juice.

Instant Dosa

I see so many different variations to the regular dosa, so I'm just putting up my version of the recipe I've seen else where -- the Rava Dosa.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Sooji
1 cup Rice Flour
a pinch Baking Soda
Black Pepper
Salt
1/4 cup Sour Curd
Water
Jeera
Oil

PROCEDURE

In a mixing bowl, add the sooji, rice flour, baking soda, jeera, salt, black pepper and dry mix everything. Now make a batter (should be similar to tomato sauce consistency) using the curd and water. Set aside for about 20 mins.
Heat a skillet, make sure it's pretty hot, probably about a heat setting of a 7 out of 10.
Pour two ladlefuls of batter onto the center of the skillet and using the back of the ladle, run the ladle along the batter in smooth circular motions. Pour a little bit of oil along the edge of the dosa and let it brown on the bottom side, turn the dosa over for a few minutes, until all of the batter is cooked.

Remove from heat and serve with your favorite chutney and sambar.

You can also add onion, green chilli, carrots, grean peas, tomatoes, just about any topping you would like to the dosa batter to suit your tastes.

Weekday Curries

Here are two easy to make curries that are great with Rice or Roti.

Potato and Capsicum Curry

Isn't it strange how no matter where we are we still refer to Green Pepper as Capsicum when it is referenced in a curry? Well, I find it odd anyway, I might just be one of those strange people! :)

Here's a simple every day curry that is easy to make on those nights when you don't have a lot of energy to cook.

INGREDIENTS

2 medium Potatoes -- cubed
1 Green Pepper -- chopped finely
1/2 medium Onion -- chopped finely -- optional
Turmeric
Salt
Red Chilli Powder

Garam Masala Powder
Oil

TADKA

Mustard Seeds
Jeera
Urid Dal
Channa Dal
Hing

PROCEDURE

Fill a microwave safe bowl halfway with water and add in the chopped potato and green pepper pieces. Cook in the microwave until the pieces soften. You can also cook the pieces in a pressure cooker.
In a pan, add about 2 tbsp of oil and add in all of the tadka ingredients.
Once the mustard seeds splutter and the dals brown, add in the chopped onion and let soften.
Now add in the cooked veggie pieces.
Add turmeric, salt, red chilli powder and garam masala powder. Mix everything well.
The curry is ready to be served.

Okra Fry (Bhindi/Lady's Finger Fry)

Another easy to prepare curry, especially if you buy the frozen okra. Then you don't have to worry about chopping the veggies even.

INGREDIENTS

1 package Frozen Okra -- probably about 20 to 30 Fresh Okra
Turmeric
Salt
Red Chilli Powder
Oil

TADKA

Mustard Seeds
Jeera
Urid Dal
Channa Dal
Hing

PROCEDURE

Run the frozen okra under warm water in a colander, sprinkle with some salt and set it aside.
In a pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil and add all the tadka ingredients.
When the mustard seeds start to splutter and the dals brown, add in the okra pieces, cover and let cook until the okra browns and it is no longer sticky.
Add in turmeric, some more salt (if the salt you sprinkled on top wasn't enough), red chilli powder.
Your okra curry is ready to go!!!


So the next time you don't feel like cooking or you have unexpected guests, try these curries will make it seem as if you slaved in the kitchen to get them done, but they are easy as 1-2-3.

Easy Breezy Cauliflower

I never really liked cauliflower, it's just a vegetable I eat if there is nothing else, but mom makes this a lot and I love it this way because you don't really taste the cauliflower too much.


INGREDIENTS

1 whole Cauliflower -- seperated into bite size florets
4 tbsp Besan
1 tsp Jeera
Turmeric
Salt
Red Chilli Powder
Oil

PROCEDURE

Add the florets and enough water to soak them, in a microwave safe bowl. Heat until the cauliflower florets are just a little soft. Took about 4 minutes for me.
In a pan heat about 3 to 4 tbsp of oil (the cauliflower and besan will soak up the oil, so you need a little extra than you would put in a regular curry) and add jeera. Once the jeera browns add in the cauliflower pieces. I like my curries a little crispy, so I let them brown for a little while.
Once the pieces are cooked throughly, add in the besan, turmeric, salt and red chilli powder to taste, mix everything well and cook until the raw smell from the besan disappears. Should take about 2 to 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and serve with rice or roti.