Mushroom Masala with Coconut Milk

So, little sister swung by last week. It was days of shopping, Chinese lunches, talking late into the night and our usual dose of Lord of the Rings. And, of course treating ourselves with lots of home-made food. Her favorite vegetable of all time is the Mushroom and so yours truly decided to make an extra special lunch for her. The menu was lightly spiced moong dal, mushroom masala with coconut milk and steamed rice tossed with ghee. All these are particular favorites and so the enjoyment in making them was obvious.
The masala is made with the usual base of onion, ginger and garlic. The cheat used here is a carton of tomato puree so as to make the process quicker and also make a more smoother curry. The coconut milk adds another element of flavor to the curry that goes very well with the dal and rice. If you are making dal and sabzi make sure to cook them before beginning the curry itself. You can put the rice to cook as you start on the curry.

Ingredients:
2 medium onions sliced
1 inch ginger chopped
5 cloves garlic chopped
2tbsp tomato puree
1tsp red chili powder
1tsp coriander powder
1tsp kitchen king powder
1tsp garam masala
salt to taste
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup water
coriander leaves for garnish
Oil for frying
Method:
Heat oil. Fry onions till browned. This should take around ten minutes. Add the ginger and garlic so as to make chunky base. Cook for three minutes.
Add the tomato puree, salt, red chili powder, coriander powder, kitchen king powder. Fold everything together. Cook for seven to eight minutes. Remove from heat.
Add in the coconut milk and water. Adjust seasonings and simmer for five minutes. When the flavor is to your liking add the coriander leaves. Serve hot with the rice and dal.

Maida puris

The maida puri is definitely the dish that forms the backbone to the food served on any puja or festive occasion. Be it Ganesh puja, Saraswati puja or the sankrant , there would always be puris and aloo kasa for the before and after, the herald to the dishes to come. Have I mentioned that the Oriyas love their potatoes? I think I might have trumpeting it incessantly. We do love our potatoes. And it is the perfect accompaniment to the puris.

 This recipe is close to my heart. It reminds me with one whiff the times of my childhood. We would all have woken up early morning for ganesh puja, put on new clothes and come down to the puja room. The room would be decorated the last night and we would wait with anticipation for the face of the ganesha to be unveiled. As the puja  proceeds, smells of smoky oil, spices, frying onions and fresh coriander would be racing through the house coupled with the burnt ghee from the fire. These smells would always remind of the holidays when there is no school and the exciting prospect of Harry Potter movie later in the afternoon.
My adaptation of this home cooked classic is to add kalonji or kala jeera[nigella seeds] to the dough. Trust me it gives it a subtle lift that compliments the aloo curry very well. But, if you prefer, you can go ahead with the regular dough without any flecks of nigella seeds in them. The aloo kasa recipe has been put up in another post in the blog. Please do follow to serve a rich, spicy meal or if you like a lighter curry you can serve the puris with aloo matar. Whichever way you go, it is all good.

Ingredients:
2/3rd cup flour or maida
1tbsp oil
1tbsp salt
1tsp kalonji or nigella seeds
Water as required
Oil for frying

Method:
Sift the flour with salt. Add the oil and kalonji and rub through your fingers to make a crumbly mess. Add 1/2 cup of water and mix all the ingredients together. If required add a little more water in order to make a smooth, elastic dough. You know the dough is done when you push a finger at it and it bounces back. Cover with a wet towel and leave it to rise for half an hour. During this time you can make your curry to go with it.
Remove the towel and make balls from the dough. It should make about eight portions. If you require more, double the quantities. Dip the balls in some flour and roll out round puris.
Heat oil in a pan to the smoking point. When the puris hit the oil, they should sizzle and puff. Add the puris one by one. Fry until they become light golden in the middle and the edges. Serve piping hot.