Pachcha Maanga Sambhar

Living in a gated community has, among other many benefits, the interaction with like minded people and more importantly, sharing experiences, ideas and food.  There are days when I am wondering what to cook for lunch or even breakfast, the solution comes from a neighbour who brings a bowl full of something, a variety rice or side dish. Sometimes the number of dishes are so many, that I save them in the refrigerator. As of now, inside my fridge are a variety of thokkus ,preserved chutneys and pickles from few of the people who put delicious food on their table everyday.

We have quite a few mango trees in the compound which are of different varieties of mangoes. Thus, come March, these trees yield fruits in different stages of ripening. One of our neighbours shared two tangy raw mangoes one day and asked me what I would be using those for, other than making a pickle. I requested her to suggest a recipe and she shared this Pachcha Maanga Sambhar. I made it the same day and we liked it very much.  The following is the quick recipe that is a good side dish to go with hot, steamed rice.

 

 

Pachcha Maanga Sambhar.

(vegan and seasonal recipe)

 

Ingredients:

Serves 2 people

1 medium raw mango (sour mangoes are best)(otherwise use a tablespoon of tamarind extract for sourness)

1/2 cup thur dhal (pressure cook to soft and mash)

2 teaspoons sesame oil (any cooking oil)

2 teaspoons sambhar powder

2 green chillis 

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/4teaspoon asafoetida powder

1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (optional)

1 clove garlic crushed (optional)

Salt to taste

For tempering:

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

2 sprigs of curry leaves

 

Method:

Cut the mango in big chunks. Use the stone also in cooking.

In a pan add 2 teaspoons of oil. When the oil is moderately hot, add turmeric powder, asfoetida powder, fenugreek seeds, garlic, slit green chillis and salt. Saute for a minute or two.

To the above add sambhar powder and 2 cups of water. Let it boil for about 10 minutes.

Once the raw  feel of ingredients has subsided, add the mango. Bring to a boil. Do not let it boil for long. The mango has to hold shape and let the  sourness blend with the liquid.

Add the cooked dhal and bring it all to a boil. Switch the heat off.

In another pan heat the oil for tempering.

Add the mustard seeds and let the crackle.

Switch the stove off and drop the curry leaves.

Add the tempering to the sambhar.

Serve with hot steamed rice.

 

Note: If the mango is not sour enough and you are adding tamarind extract, boil the extract in the first stage itself.

Poondu Mandi Kuzhambu - Spicy Garlic Gravy

On our recent visit to our daughter, we chanced to have lunch in an Indian restaurant that listed many Chettinad type of dishes in their menu. While we all ordered, the staff who served tried to detail to us about their dishes. I had then wanted to try their Poondu Kuzhambu that he suggested to have with steamed rice. That tasted very good and they willingly adjusted the spice level to our liking. Their serving portion was quite large and we packed the same with us.
This was a unique preparation that uses charred tomatoes as base and the water we usually discard after rinsing rice, the 'mandi' or 'kazhuneer' (as in rinsed starchy residue from cleaning rice) to tcook the gravy.
We liked it so much that we wanted to try making the same at home. I checked with a few friends who are from Chettinad, for the recipe. One of them guided me to a blog that had authentic Chettinad style poondu kuzhambu, but it was not the same. I found a video of the preparation, which was nearly the same; it had shallots in the recipe, which was not in the dish we had tasted. I then formulated my own recipe for the kuzhambu and tried to replicate the dish that we had tasted in the restaurant. I share that here today. This may not be an authentic recipe from the region, but a delicious dish, nonetheless.

Mandi is the residual water while rinsing and cleaning rice. Give one brisk rinse in the first round, not removing much starch away. Wash your second and third rinses thoroughly getting as much starch residue as possible. You need to collect this rinse in a bowl. The residue of rice starch will settle on the bottom of the bowl. You may not need all of the water. Carefully, strain some liquid without pouring away the 'mandi’. I will refer to this liquid (kazhuneer) as mandi in the recipe.

Poondu Mandi Kuzhambu

Ingredients:
(makes 400 ml medium thick kuzhambu/ served us 4 good servings)
15 cloves of garlic
3  medium tomatoes
(if possible, char the tomatoes over a low flame and remove the charred skin. Not compulsory, but the taste is enhanced. I used the roti jali as mine had small perforations) (otherwise sauté the tomatoes in a pan to a coarse pulp)
1 medium red onion sliced finely
1 &1/2 cup +1/4 cup mandi (divided)*
2 tablespoons gingelley oil / nallennai
1/2 tablespoon coriander powder
1/8 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons raw peanuts (optional and you may replace by cooked chick peas)
Salt to taste

Grinding spices:
Soak in the *1/4 cup mandi the following for 10 minutes and then grind to a paste using the mandi (you may use some more from the 1&1/2 cups, if needed)
4 cloves garlic
4-5 dry red chillis (depending on heat of the chillis) (the kuzhambu is a slightly spicy dish)
1 small gooseberry size tamarind ( if the tomatoes are too sweet, up this a little)

While grinding, half way through, add the coriander powder and the tomatoes. Grind them to a smooth, thick liquid pulp. Keep aside.

Tempering:
 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds and curry leaves ; no mustard seeds are added
(since the cumin seeds are added in the beginning, it does not require extra oil)
Method:
Heat the oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add the cumin seeds. Toss a bit and add the cloves of garlic and sliced red onion. Sauté until onions are  transparent.
Add the peanuts (or chick peas)
Stir the mandi to mix the sedimented rice starch to a uniform liquid.
Add salt , turmeric powder and 1 cup of the mandi, cover and cook until the garlic are soft.
Add the ground pulpy mixture, adjust the liquid by adding some more mandi.
Simmer the kuzhambu for about 15 minutes so the raw taste of garlic, tamarind and red chillis in the liquid subside. 
Add the rest of the mandi and cook further  until the kuzhambu has thickened.

Add the curry leaves and chopped fresh coriander leaves to garnish.
Serve with hot steamed rice or as a side dish for Dosais and Idlis. This kuzhambu can be kept over and had for another day also. If refrigerated it can be kept for up to three days. To reheat, you may add some more of the rice rinsed water or plain water which will thin the consistency a bit.

Chinna Vengayam Pulikaichchal

Few days ago I picked up a big bunch of shallots, yes you heard it right, bunch - because the vendors gather them with lot of their dried stem roots still attached to the bulb and make a bunch. That is how they are sold in the local markets here. The shallots made a very colourful subject to photograph. I had just then got a wood carving man to make me a small container of sorts with a piece of broken tree branch. They both made a vibrant combination in the picture.

I shared the same on my Instagram feed and many suggestions were there to use them in delicious dishes. I cooked them in a few and was left with a rather large batch that I cannot finish before leaving for my holiday. I ended up making this pulikaichchal that is more preserve like and would stay fresh for days if refrigerated. It was reminded of this by my sister, who does not like and will not have onions and garlic; she would smell it however much we mask the taste.
My father's clients would bring produce from their farms and crops like groundnuts, tapioca and shallots used to be brought soon as they have been harvested. They will still be wet and soil soaked and fresh. My mother would then simply spread them on a newspaper in the corner of a room and use them in batches. She cleaned them as and when she was cooking them. She would often make this dish because it works well as a side for dosais, idlies, pongal and also rice. Painful as it may seem to peel and cut those fresh pungent shallots, the taste of the dish makes it all worth the effort.
When we did not have a refrigerator also, this dish used to keep good for days together, provided we are not careless in the use of utensils and serving spoons. Cooking it in some stoneware utensil will add to the flavour and one might simply store in the same too. I have, with me here, a very heavy bottomed stainless steel pan that is ideal to cook on even heat and slow cooking happens easily.




Chinna Vengayam Pulikaichchal 
 

Ingredients:
Makes 300 ml of pulikaichchal
200 grams of shallots/ Madras onions/chinna vengayam
2&1/2 tablespoons tightly packed tamarind bits
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon asafoetida powder (or a 1/2 centimeter square of asafoetida dissolved in little water)
1 heaped tablespoon coarse crystal salt (I use pink Himalayan salt) (adjust to taste)

1/4 cup gingelly oil (divided - to saute the onions and for cooking)

For the spice powder:
7-8 dry red chillis (adjusting to the level of heat tolerance and the heat of chillis)
(+3 Kashmiri chillis for the colour, because my red chillis are very brown)
3 &1/2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon channa dhal
2 teaspoons sesame seeds (white or black, cleaned)

For the tempering: 
1 teaspoon gingelly oil
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1 teaspoon channa dhal
1 teaspoon urad dhal
2 dry red chillis broken in small bits
15 curry leaves washed clean

Method:
Soak the tamarind in water for about 20 minutes and extract the pulp. I repeat the process to extract all the pulp and the last batch of water does not even get the colour.
Dry roast the ingredients given for the spice powder, each separately and on low heat so they are evenly done. Cool them and make a coarse powder. Keep aside.
Peel the shallots and cut them in small pieces.
Heat a few spoons of the gingelly oil and add the onions. Saute them until they are translucent, not very brown.
Add the tamarind extract, turmeric powder and salt. Top up the water just a little more and cook on low heat, to remove the raw taste of tamarind.

When this is simmering, heat the oil for tempering in another pan and add the ingredients listed under there. Once the mustard seeds have crackled and the dhals are golden, transfer this to the simmering mix.
Add the rest of the oil and the spice powder.
Cook for some more minutes blending them well.
Allow it to simmer and the oil will separate forming a layer over the pulikaichchal.
Remove from the stove and let it cool.

Transfer to clean glass bottles or bowls with lids for storing.
Serve as a side dish with dosais, idlis, pidi kozukkattais and arisi upma. You can mix with steamed hot rice and eat as a dish by itself too.

'Call it what you may' - Coondapur Spice Powder and the Thengaipaal Masala Kuzhambu

As a newly wed, I pictured myself  learning all dishes that my mother-in-law might cook and pick up skills. Such plans flopped as there was always a routine kind of cooking in the household and even on special days most things remained standard. This was because my mother-in-law had taken ill at a young age, the family took to eating simple meals that was easy on her - to cook and to digest. However, there is one 'special' kuzhambu that will be cooked when guests were around or on days neer dosa or shavige were the meal option.
It was an exercise that both my parents-in-law will take on and kind of make it an elaborate affair that I was in awe. My part was just to slice several onions that will go into the kuzhambu. It was a simple dish wherein she would toss the onions in oil and add a special spice powder and cook in thick coconut milk. I have tried checking if she made the powder herself, for I did not think that they ever bought it. She used to get in bulk from her sister and family and store very carefully and use frugally. I did not ever get to pick it up, thus. By way of conversation, she mentioned that one of her sisters had a recipe that she was making the powder in bulk. Now, I grabbed the chance to request her to get the recipe for me which she obliged. I scribbled it down while she dictated over the phone. The irony is that I  had the recipe listed as "Coondapur Powder" in the instruction manual cum cookbook of my old Sumeet mixer grinder. I just did not relate the recipe to my mother-in-law's birth town :) . I still call it Sumathi chikkamma powder after the aunt who shared the recipe. Call it what one may, this is a flavour packed spice powder that enhances the coconut milk's taste. For records, I shall keep it Coondapur Powder and the thengaipaal kuzhambu with the spice mix.
I usually do not add garlic to the powder as I can add or omit when I make the kuzhambu. The original recipes add the garlic while the spice mix is made and stored. I have added the garlic in this write up as an option.

Coondapur Powder
(Recipe as given by my mother-in-law's sister)
Ingredients:
Makes  approximately160 grams powder without addition of garlic and 200grams if garlic is added.
(I have given in weights and in volume)

50 grams/500 millilitres Byadagi variety dry red chillis (for deep red colour and moderate heat level)
40 grams/ 125 millilitres coriander seeds
40 grams/ 60 millilitres (heaped to make approximately 62&1/2 millilitres) black pepper corns
20 grams/  1/8 cup +1 &1/2 tablespoons cumin seeds
10 grams/ 1 tablespoon fenugreek seeds
4 grams/ 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
40 grams. 2  numbers large size whole garlic pods (optional)

Method:
Add few drops of castor oil or any cooking oil to the byadagi red chillis and roast them until brittle. Transfer to a flat dish and spread.
Dry roast, on medium to low flame, separately, the coriander seeds, black pepper corns, cumin seeds and fenugreek seeds until they waft aroma.
Transfer to the same dish and allow to cool.
Add the turmeric powder.
If you are using garlic in the powder, peel the garlic and ever so slightly toss it in the heated pan for a few minutes. The original recipe grinds the garlic raw with other ingredients.
Allow to cool a bit and blend the roasted ingredients to as fine a powder as possible.
Do not over grind if you are adding the garlic as the powder may become sticky lumps.
Use this powder in any masala gravies just as you may add garam masala.

Thengai paal Kuzhambu with Coondapur Powder
Serves 4

Ingredients:
4 large red onions sliced very fine and/or any vegetable of your choice
(I have used potatoes, turnips, carrots and tomatoes one or combined)
2-3 green chillis chopped
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 cup thick coconut milk
1/2 cup second extract of coconut milk
1 and1/2 tablespoon Coodapur powder
5 cloves of garlic
( Additionally you may use whole spices like cardamom, cloves, bay leaves and cinnamon for extra flavour)
Salt to taste

Tempering:
2 teaspoons cooking oil
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
2 sprigs curry leaves
5 shallots peeled and sliced fine

Method:
Heat the oil in a heavy pan. Add the sliced onions, garlic (other spices, if using) and chopped green chillis. Saute' until the onions are very pink and shiny.If you are using other vegetables, cook them first and then add them to the above.
Drop in the spice powder and toss then add the second extract of coconut milk. add the salt and cook for a while.
Pour in the thick extract and cook on a low flame until the raw taste subsides and the coconut milk thicken in a gravy.Take care not to curdle the coconut milk by over cooking.
Remove from the fire and transfer  to a serving dish.
Heat the oil for tempering in a pan, add mustard seeds. Once they crackle add the sliced shallots and toss until they are crisp. Drop the curry leaves and toss few more seconds. Add this to the kuzhambu.

This kuzhambu ideally pairs as a side for neer dosa, shavige and ghee rice.

Kush Rang Paneer

During our last visit home our tickets were booked such that we land New Delhi in transit and then fly home. We planned that on the return, we spend a few days there. With the itinerary fixed and bookings made, we had a great end of holiday time in Delhi and Agra. To top it, we were chosen the Guest of the Day by the management of The Gateway Hotel, Agra. It was a pleasant surprise to have some added services.
One such was to dine at their gourmet restaurant where a thematic menu was being featured. It was a good experience to be guided by their executive chef Mr. Sanjay Agarwal on the choices. We were fed until we truly could take no more. Upon request they obliged to share a few recipes which they printed out for me. I have tried them at home. Though with substitution of certain ingredients the ethnic flavours could not be felt, the dishes do taste good, very nearly as they serve.

 

I have not been very successful making paneer with the UHT processed milk at home. I was suggested to use milk powder to get better results. However, to my delightful surprise one of the Indian stores here had stocked up few crates of  homogenised milk, that I picked up. I made the paneer following a video from Sanjeev Kapoor's website. The resultant product was soft yet firm paneer that did not crumble.
The recipe here is adapted from the Awadhi Kitchens of The Gateway Hotel, Agra. I have only increased the vegetable quantity and cut them in larger cubes than juliennes. I oven roasted the onions for the brown onions. This is a rich and creamy gravy dish that was paired with a slice of flaky tawa paratta. I cut down that part of fat and we had it with normal phulkas.

Ingredients:
Serves 4 sumptuous portions

600 grams home made paneer cut in cubes
(or batons if you choose to)

2 large bell peppers (I have used one yellow and one red for colours)
1 small tomato
2 large red onions chopped finely
2 teaspoons shahi jeera (black cumin)
2 teaspoons red chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon coriander powder
1 &1/2 teaspoon white pepper powder
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 tablespoons cashew nuts roasted dry
2 medium green chillis
1" piece ginger
1 large onion sliced and pan/ oven roasted until browned (add a teaspoon oil and roast in the oven)
1/3 cup tomato puree
1/4 cup cream
3 tablespoons ghee
salt to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander for garnish ( I did not have any on hand)

 

Method:
Wash and cut the colour peppers.
Chop onions. Reserve some as juliennes for garnish.
If you are pan roasting the one onion for brown onion, heat a little oil and sauté the sliced onion stirring to evenly brown them. Alternately, you may choose to fry them in oil, drain and use. I rub a teaspoon of oil in them and spread on a plate. I allow them to sit in a moderate oven for 8 - 12 minutes. Though they do not caramelise or brown so much as deep frying, they are sufficiently done to be ground in a paste.
Grind the brown onions, roasted cashews, red chilli powder, curry powder and the white pepper powder to a fine paste. Keep aside. Rinse the adhering paste and add the water to the tomato puree.
Peel and chop the ginger. Deseed and chop the green chillis.
Heat the ghee in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the shahi jeera (black cumin), then the chopped onion. Sauté the onions until they start browning.
Add the turmeric powder, ginger and green chillis. After about two minutes, add the bell peppers. Cook them a bit before adding the paste and salt.
Allow them to blend while stirring to avoid charring the paste.
Add the tomato puree and sufficient water. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes.
Finally add the paneer cubes and allow the gravy to thicken on a low heat. add the cream and take off the heat.
In a separate pan, sauté the onion juliennes in a little fat.
Adjust the seasonings according to taste.
Transfer the gravy in a serving dish.
Garnish with a little cream, sautéed onions and the chopped coriander.
Serve hot with soft phulkas.