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This is a spice mix that I improvised. Stop. Made improvised karela (bitter melon/gourd) rice with it. Stop. Yummy. Stop. Karela rice recipe to follow. Stop. End of message. Stop. I mean it. Stop. Stop it! Stop. Stop! it! STOP.
Recipe for: Vegetable rice spice mix
Ingredients:
3 tbsp toor dal
3 tbsp chana dal
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (shahjeera if you have it)
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 petals of star anise
1/2" piece cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
4-5 cloves
seeds of 1 black cardamom
5-6 dried red chillies (optional)
3 tbsp mixed seeds (pumpkin seeds, linseeds, hemp)
Method:
1. Dry-roast the chana dal, toor dal, coriander seeds and red chillies together, till the dals turn a light brown and the red chillies turn darker. Set aside to cool.
Roast the mixed seeds over medium-low flame they are toasted. Set aside to cool.
Roast the remaining ingredients on medium-low flame till they turn colour and give off a nice aroma. Be very careful not to over-toast or burn any of the ingredients.
2. Grind all the toasted ingredients except the mixed seeds to a fairly smooth texture (like sand).
3. Then grind the pumpkin seeds/linseeds/hemp separately to a slightly coarser texture, being careful not to turn them to a paste.
4. Mix the two powders together and store tightly sealed. This should stay good for 2-3 weeks. Use as required to flavour dry vegetable curries or rice dishes.
RECIPE: VEGETABLE RICE SPICE MIX
Ingredients:
3 tbsp toor dal
3 tbsp chana dal
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (shahjeera if you have it)
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 petals of star anise
1/2" piece cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
4-5 cloves
seeds of 1 black cardamom
5-6 dried red chillies (optional)
3 tbsp mixed seeds (pumpkin seeds, linseeds, hemp)
Method:
1. Dry-roast the chana dal, toor dal, coriander seeds and red chillies together, till the dals turn a light brown and the red chillies turn darker. Set aside to cool.
Roast the mixed seeds over medium-low flame they are toasted. Set aside to cool.
Roast the remaining ingredients on medium-low flame till they turn colour and give off a nice aroma. Cool.
Be very careful not to over-toast or burn any of the ingredients.
2. Grind all the toasted ingredients except the mixed seeds to a fairly smooth texture (like sand).
3. Then grind the pumpkin seeds/linseeds/hemp separately to a slightly coarser texture, being careful not to turn them to a paste.
4. Mix the two powders together and store tightly sealed. Use as required to flavour dry vegetable curries or rice dishes.
This is the third recipe using redcurrants that I’ve tried. My overwhelming impression of these gloriously pretty little berries is that they’re enamel-shrivellingly sour. Lemons and limes have nothing on them. They don’t appear to have a flavour of their own, except for the sourness – did I say they’re sour? – which I might have mentioned before. A few times, even.
But used in judicious amounts as a souring ingredient, the redcurrant thokku I made as my first redcurrant recipe really came into its own. I’d been wanting to try a carrot thogayal recipe which I’d marked a few months ago, and instead of using tamarind paste, I added two tsp of the redcurrant thokku to, if I may say so myself, brilliant effect. If you don’t have redcurrant thokku, don’t worry – just cook 2 tsp redcurrants until the berries soften and break down, before adding your grated carrot, and all will be fine.
The redcurrant-carrot thogayal stays good for only a couple of days at room temperature. I didn’t refrigerate it, so I don’t know its shelf life when stored in the fridge. But acting on the general rule of thumb for thogayals, which is that refrigeration does not improve the taste any, I’ll go out on a limb and say it’s best to make the thogayal in small amounts and use it up while it’s fresh.
Recipe for: Carrot redcurrant thogayal
Ingredients:
1 cup carrots, grated
1 small tomato, chopped/2 heaping tbsp roasted tomatoes
2 small onions, sliced thin
2 tbsp redcurrants/2 tsp redcurrant thokku
1 tbsp urad dal
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1/4 tsp saunf (fennel) seeds
5-6 dried red chillies - or to taste
2-3 fresh green chillies (optional)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tsp oil
10-12 fresh or frozen curry leaves
a big handful of fresh coriander leaves
Salt to taste
Method:
1. Heat the oil and add the asafoetida powder, turmeric powder, urad dal, red chillies, fennel seeds, garlic and curry leaves.
Fry till the dal turns golden and the red chillies are a darker shade of red.
2. If you are using raw redcurrants, add them now and cook them on medium high heat until they break down - about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the sliced onions and fry till they start to become soft and translucent.
4. Now add the chopped/roasted tomatoes and stir them in, and let cook for 3-4 minutes till they become mushy.
5. Add the grated carrots along with the green chillies and mix well.
6. If you're using redcurrant thokku, add it now and mix in.
7. Let the carrots cook for 5 minutes or so, until they become soft. Then add the coriander leaves and mix in.
8. Let the cooked mixture cool completely, then grind to a coarse consistency. You will not need any added water. Add salt to taste and mix well. Serve with plain cooked rice, dal and a vegetable curry. Or serve as a side for dosas, idlis and so on, and to make sandwiches.
RECIPE: CARROT REDCURRANT THOGAYAL
Ingredients:
1 cup carrots, grated
1 small tomato, chopped/2 heaping tbsp roasted tomatoes
2 small onions, sliced thin
2 tbsp redcurrants/2 tsp redcurrant thokku
1 tbsp urad dal
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1/4 tsp saunf (fennel) seeds
5-6 dried red chillies - or to taste
2-3 fresh green chillies (optional)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tsp oil
10-12 fresh or frozen curry leaves
a big handful of fresh coriander leaves
Salt to taste
Method:
1. Heat the oil and add the asafoetida powder, turmeric powder, urad dal, red chillies, fennel seeds, garlic and curry leaves.
Fry till the dal turns golden and the red chillies are a darker shade of red.
2. If you are using raw redcurrants, add them now and cook them on medium high heat until they break down - about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the sliced onions and fry till they start to become soft and translucent.
4. Now add the chopped/roasted tomatoes and stir them in, and let cook for 3-4 minutes till they become mushy.
5. Add the grated carrots along with the green chillies and mix well.
6. If you're using redcurrant thokku, add it now and mix in.
7. Let the carrots cook for 5 minutes or so, until they become soft. Then add the coriander leaves and mix in.
8. Let the cooked mixture cool completely, then grind to a coarse consistency. You will not need any added water. Add salt to taste and mix well. Serve with plain cooked rice, dal and a vegetable curry. Or serve as a side for dosas, idlis and so on, and to make sandwiches.
This recipe is totally inspired by – or rather, copied from - the lovely Nupur’s “samosas for breakfast” post. The filling I made has a few differences, of course, but the basic idea is entirely hers.
These tava samosas (as rechristened by me) are very, very acceptable stand-ins for the real thing, and they’re ever so much healthier for not being deep fried. Of course the flakiness of real samosa pastry can’t be achieved, because these are made with chapaties/tortilla wraps... but believe me, they taste wonderful all the same. I didn’t have the usual feeling of “damn, I wish I could get real samosas” after chomping down on one of these impromptu samosas – and that’s a rare thing.
I used a readymade – and unfamiliar to me - brand of samosa/kachori masala which I got free with some shopping expedition long back, and to my surprise, when the spices had had a chance to mellow in the filling, the aroma was pretty authentic.
Anyway, the samosas were absolutely delightful hot off the tava, but they were just as good at lunch time the next day.
I don’t think I’ll bother with making “real” samosas at home ever again. This is much easier, much quicker and much healthier. Plus, you get to use up leftover stale chapaties or wraps. It's all good!
Recipe for: Tava samosa
Ingredients:
2-3 chapaties, tortillas or wholewheat wraps (I used seeded wholewheat)
2 medium potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed coarsely into small lumps
1 medium onion , sliced thin
3-4 green chillies, sliced thin (option or to taste)
1/4 cup red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1/s tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp samosa/kachori masala powder (or garam masala)
2 tsp oil
Salt to taste
Thick paste made with 2 tbsp gramflour (chickpea flour) and some water
Method:
1. Heat the oil and toss in the cumin and fennel seeds, let fry for 30 seconds or till they turn a darker shade.
2. Add the green chillies if using and fry them for 30 seconds on medium heat.
3. Now add the sliced onions and cook them till they begin to turn soft.
4. Next, add the cooked green peas,
the sliced red bell pepper
and the garam masala.
5. Stir the masala powder in, then add the chick peas, crushing some of them lightly.
6. Add the boiled mashed potatoes now,
and the coriander leaves, along with salt and red chilli powder to taste.
7. Stir everything till the ingredients are well incorporated. Fry this stuffing for 3-4 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Let cool.
8. Cut the wrap/tortilla in half and put 2-3 tbsp of the stuffing in the centre.
9. Fold one edge halfway across, spread some of the gramflour paste, then fold the other corner, pressing lightly so that the paste acts as a seal. Turn the samosa over so that the seam side is underneath.
10. Drizzle 1 tsp oil on a non-stick frying pan and spread it over the surface. Place the samosas on it and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side on medium heat, pressing down gently with a spatula to help the tortilla/wrap brown nicely.
11. When the samosas are golden brown on both sides, remove them from the heat. Serve hot with tomato ketchup and/or green chutney.
I came across the recipe for taporia/besan mirch on Vyanjanaa by chance, fairly recently, and was hooked. For once I didnt just mark the recipe and sit on it for a few months waiting for my cooking instinct to grow up and become an adult - I acted pretty much rightaway.
G of Vyanjanaa says to use chillies that arent very hot, but I didnt have any such beasties - my choices were fiery long green chillies or the completely gentle bell peppers. Being too chicken to use just the green chillies for this recipe, I decided to use a combination of the chillies and a green bell pepper which, if I may say so myself, was a Very Good Idea.
For those who are TOTAL wimps, omitting the chillies entirely and using just a green bell pepper will give you at least an idea of the taste of this really simple, quick recipe from Rajasthan.
Other than some more changes to the ingredients - omission of saunf (fennel seed) powder, increasing the quantity of besan, omission of red chilli powder as I know from experience that the green chillies I used are VERY hot - I followed G's cooking instructions to the letter. I have to agree with what she said in her post about this recipe: "simple ingredients, short cooking time and immense flavor and heat". I couldnt have put it better.
PS. G was going to get married in November 2007. Wherever you are, G, congrats and here's hoping that you have a long, happy and successful married life! I hope you'll come back to your food blog at some point.
Recipe for: Taporia with bell pepper
Ingredients:
3 tbsp besan/chickpea flour
5 hot green chillies, chopped into 1/2-cm thick chunks
1 large green bell pepper, de-seeded and cut into 1-cm pieces (about 1 cupful)
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp whole saunf (fennel) seeds
1/4 tsp heeng/asafoetida powder
1 tsp fennel powder
2 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp amchur (dried raw mango) powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
3-4 tbsp water
Method:
1. Dry-roast the gram flour in a heavy-bottomed pan for 4-5 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring it all the while. You'll be looking for the flour to turn slightly darker in colour - it will also smell nice.
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(Be very careful while roasting because the flour burns VERY quickly. Stir it thoroughly all the time.) Take the pan off the heat when the flour is done, and tip the flour onto a plate to cool.
2. In the same pan, heat the oil. Add the mustard seeds, cover, and let the seeds splutter. Then add the cumin and fennel seeds and let them fry for 20 seconds in the hot oil.
3. Add the chopped chillies and bell pepper and stir till the ingredients are well mixed.
4. Now add 2-3 tbsp water,
cover the pan, turn the heat back down to medium-low and let the peppers cook for 4-5 minutes.
5. Remove the lid and add the various powders now, along with salt to taste. Stir till they are well incorporated with the peppers. (Add another tsp water now if the vegetable looks very dry.)
6. After 3 minutes, add the roasted gram flour and stir it in.
It will absorb any excess water in the pan. Keep scraping the bottom of the pan while stirring to dislodge any gram flour that is sticking to it.
7. After a couple of minutes stirring, serve the taporia hot with chapaties or puris.
I love miniature potatoes - especially pan-roasted. They were not always available at the local market when we were kids, so it was good fun when they were being sold. I would help pick out the roundest, smoothest potatoes, trying to keep them as much of a size as possible. Once they were washed and scrubbed of all dirt, my mother would roast them in a big wok with the skins on. As far as I was concerned, the skins were very nearly the best part of the potatoes - slightly crisp, spicy and sort of tight, resisting being bitten into for just a fraction of a second before giving way.
Cooking baby potatoes this way means that the usual tempering of mustard seeds and urad dal would not "stick" but just rattle around at the bottom of the wok, getting burnt - so I evolved my own tempering powder. This time I was a bit lazy (and short of time) so I used the molagapodi I'd made earlier, but usually I make the tempering powder separately. It's worth it.
Recipe for: Pan-roasted baby potatoes
Ingredients:
1/2 kilo baby potatoes, skin on
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil
For the tempering powder:
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp urad dal
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2-3 red dry red chillies (optional)
1 tsp gram flour
1 tsp rice flour
1. Roast all the tempering ingredients (other than the gram flour and rice flour) until the chana and urad dals are a light golden brown. Set aside to cool.
2. When cool, grind them all to a powder that is the texture of coarse sand. Mix with the gram flour and rice flour.
3. In a wide pan, heat 1 tbsp oil. Add the potatoes and stir to coat. Cover and let cook for 10 minutes on low, or until the potatoes are just done.
4. Take off the lid, sprinkle on the prepared tempering powder and salt to taste, and mix well. Turn up the heat to medium-high and pour over the remaining tbsp of oil.
5. Let the potatoes roast, stirring occasionally to ensure they crisp evenly and dont burn.
6. Serve hot as a side with rice and any sambar/kuzhambu.
This masala powder is very aromatic and keeps for a few months if stored in an airtight jar. The measures I'm giving here makes enough powder to use twice, but the amounts can easily be increased proportionally to make more.
Clockwise from the top: Urad dal, cinnamon stick, fennel seeds, chana dal, coriander seeds, cumin seeds. Centre (from left): Cloves, cardamom pod, black peppercorns
Recipe for: Masala powder for carrot rice
Ingredients:
2 tsp urad dal
2 tsp chana dal
2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 inch stick cinnamon
2 cloves
1 cardamom pod
2 dried red chillies
5-6 curry leaves
1 tsp oil
Method:
1. Heat the oil in a pan and add all the items. Fry on medium heat, stirring frequently, until the dals turn golden and aromatic.
2. Let cool completely, then grind to a fine powder in a spice or coffee grinder. Store in an airtight jar for upto 6 months.
