Potato spinach fry

Nothing much to say about this recipe, other than it’s yum. So, all together now...

YUMMMMM!

Recipe for: Potato spinach fry 


Ingredients:

4 medium potatoes
1 medium carrot
2 cups spinach, chopped

1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp crushed coriander seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder/hing/perungayam
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1-2 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Method:

1. Chop the potatoes and carrot into 1cm cubes and soak in a pan of cold water for 30 minutes. Rinse well in more fresh water, drain and reserve.

2. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan or kadai/wok. Add the turmeric powder, asafoetida, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and urad dal. Let the seeds splutter and turn a darker shade, and the ural dal golden.

3. Now add the drained potatoes and carrots and stir well.

Add 3-4 tbsp water, close the pan and turn the heat down to medium low. Let the vegetables cook for 10-15 minutes, or till done. The potatoes should be turning a crispy brown underneath.
Stir them about and turn the heat up to medium-high.
4. Let the potatoes brown some more, then add the spinach and stir well.

Cover the pan again and leave it for 5 minutes or so, until the spinach is wilted and cooked.

5. Add red chilli powder and salt to taste, and stir well. Leave the pan on the stove for 3-4 minutes more,then take off the heat. Serve hot with chapaties or with rice and dal.

RECIPE: POTATO SPINACH FRY

Ingredients:

4 medium potatoes
1 medium carrot
2 cups spinach, chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp crushed coriander seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder/hing/perungayam
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1-2 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Method:

1. Chop the potatoes and carrot into 1cm cubes and soak in a pan of cold water for 30 minutes. Drain well and reserve.
2. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan or kadai/wok. Add the turmeric powder, asafoetida, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and urad dal. Let the seeds splutter and turn a darker shade, and the ural dal golden.
3. Now add the drained potatoes and carrots and stir well. Add 3-4 tbsp water, close the pan and turn the heat down to medium low. Let the vegetables cook for 10-15 minutes, or till done. The potatoes should be turning a crispy brown underneath. Stir them about and turn the heat up to medium-high.
4. Let the potatoes brown some more, then add the spinach and stir well. Cover the pan again and leave it for 5 minutes or so, until the spinach is wilted and cooked.
5. Add red chilli powder and salt to taste, and stir well. Leave the pan on the stove for 3-4 minutes more,then take off the heat. Serve hot with chapaties or with rice and dal.

Flaxseed/linseed powder spiced rice

Why didn’t anybody tell me that linseeds (or flaxseeds, which is their other name) were so incredibly aromatic and tasty when roasted and powdered? All this while I’d been – well, not exactly put off by flaxseeds, but sort of avoiding them because they had this label of “health food”. The product information on the packs said I could add the seeds to salads or cereals or yogurt – none of which really appealed to me.

But I went ahead and bought a pack the other week, despite not quite knowing what to really do with the seeds. The first couple of times I added a tablespoon of the linseeds to my cereal, as per the suggestions on the pack. The seeds tasted ok, but I didn’t find them particularly moreish. Then I thought that perhaps roasting them would help – they tasted better, but there was no particular change in the aroma of the finished dish.

And then, while making a batch of paruppu podi, I decided to dry-roast some flaxseeds along with the dals and powder them. I knew that at the very least they wouldn’t add a nasty taste, and at best they would be an added health boost to a protein-rich powder. Again, no particular change in the aroma of the paruppu podi, not even when the dals and seeds were being milled into powder.

But when I had the podi with rice and a bit of ghee one night, I was completely surprised by the amazing taste! Yes, paruppu podi is an aromatic, tasty preparation, especially mixed with some ghee added to hot white rice... but this was something else again. I wasn’t entirely sure what I’d done for it to have the extra oomph, until I remembered the linseeds. Surely they couldn’t have been the reason?



Of course I had to double-check this... so I roasted 3 tbsp of linseeds with 3 tbsp coriander seeds (and I would have roasted 2 tbsp urad dal with this, but I had store-bought roasted urad dal powder to use up) and cooled and powdered them.... and ohhh yeah! The linseeds finally came into their own, with a flavour reminiscent of roasted sesame seeds, but not as strong.

I made spiced rice with this powder for Pete and me that night to go with our special egg curry dinner, and he absolutely loved it.

A latecomer I might be to the delights of flax seeds, but now that I’m finally on board, it's going to be flaxseeds, flaxseeds all the way!

Recipe for: Flaxseed/linseed powder spiced rice



Ingredients:

3 tbsp coriander seeds
3 tbsp golden flax seeds
2 tbsp urad dal
2 dried red chillies (optional, or to taste)
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 tsp mustard seeds
a few curry leaves (fresh or frozen)
1/4 tsp hing/asafoetida powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp oil
4 cups cooked rice

Method:

1. On medium heat, dry roast the coriander seeds, urad dal, flax seeds and red chillies till the seeds are a darker shade and the urad dal is golden.



Cool and powder finely. (If you are using ready-bought roasted urad dal powder like I did, mix 2 tbsp of this after grinding the roasted coriander-flaxseeds).



Reserve.

2. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the asafoetida powder, mustard seeds and curry leaves. Cover the let the mustard seeds pop.



3. Add the finely chopped onions and fry them on med-low heat till they are translucent and soft.



4. Add the cooked rice to the softened onions and mix it in carefully.



5. Now sprinkle 3 tbsp of the roasted flaxseed-coriander powder along with salt to taste on the rice



and mix till well amalgamated, taking care not to break the rice grains. Taste and check to see if more powder needs to be added.



Make sure the rice is thoroughly heated, then serve hot with a gravy curry, or with a dry curry and a raita, or even by itself with something crunchy on the side.

Two-dal vegetable kootu (stew)

I’ve always liked kootu with lots of dal in it, even when some of the kootus have plenty of cooked and mashed dal in them to start with. If any time my mother made vazhakkai kootu, for instance, which has cooked mashed tur dal to thicken it, I would still want lots of cooked-but-firm chana dal in it, as well as plenty of crunchy fried urad dal in the tempering. Nothing less would do.

I like lots of urad dal tempering in dry vegetable dishes too, and always have. And because I do my own cooking, I’m at perfect liberty to use vast quantities of any dal I like without anybody questioning the authenticity of what are meant to be traditional recipes.

Still, I’m not so wrapped up in my own quirks that I don’t realise that other people might not share my preferences, so I usually tone down the quantities of dals in the recipes I publish on this blog, in the hope that I (and my recipes) will come across as normal to readers. (I’m not entirely sure that the ploy works, though. Does it?)

This kootu is pretty simple, and you can use pretty much whatever vegetables you have at hand (but I wouldn’t recommend okra, fresh or frozen). I use a pressure-cooker to cook the vegetables and dal together, but if you don't have one, or don't like to use it, the dals can be cooked separately, the vegetables steamed or boiled separately, and then brought together from Step 7. I'd recommend the pressure-cooker, though - it makes things much simpler.

I personally feel that the dals make it not only nutritious but also very tasty. Have the kootu over rice, with a couple of microwaved appalam/poppadums and any pickle (I recommend mango thokku) and a cup of yogurt on the side, and you will discover one of the many ways to gain entry into my personal foodie heaven.

Recipe for: Two-dal vegetable kootu



Ingredients:

2.5 cups vegetables cut up small (I used cabbage, carrots, runner beans, potatoes and spinach)
1/4 cup chana dal
1/4 cup whole masoor dal
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 dried red chillies, chopped up fine
1 tsp oil
2 tbsp urad dal
2 tsp brown mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder (optional)
Salt to taste
About 2.5 cups water, or as required



Grind to a smooth paste:

3 tbsp grated fresh or frozen coconut (thawed)
4-5 green chillies (or to taste)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp rice flour

Method:

1. If using cabbage, shred finely. Chop up any other vegetables you're using into small even-sized pieces.



2. Wash the two dals in cold water.



3. In an appropriately sized vessel that can go in your pressure cooker, place the dals at the bottom, then add the "hard" vegetables (like potatoes, carrots, etc), and finally the easy-cook vegetables like cabbage and frozen peas. If using spinach, DO NOT add to the vessel at this point.



Top with the turmeric powder and add enough water to just about cover the vegetables.

4. Pressure-cook for three whistles, and let the pressure drop naturally before opening the cooker.



5. In a pan, heat the oil. Add the mustard seeds, chopped dried red chillies, cumin seeds, urad dal and asafoetida powder. Cover and let the mustard seeds pop (about 30 seconds). The urad dal should have turned a golden brown.



6. Add the spinach leaves now (if using)



and stir fry till it is wilted but still green.



7. Lower the heat and add the cooked dal + vegetables to the pan (the liquid will sputter, so be careful).



8. Pour in the ground coconut masala.



Add salt to taste and mix well. Add more water if required (the kootu can be thick or a bit runny, depending on your taste. I keep it thick if it's a side dish for rotis or chapatis, and a bit runnier if it's to be served over rice.)



9. Serve hot over plain steamed white rice, or with chapaties.