Aloo Posto

In an Oriya household - even the trult carnivorous ones - Tueday is a day of rest. It is the day when even the hardcore meat-eaters rest their laurels and settle down for vegetarian options. I do not actually know the origins of this austerity but from what I have been able to glean - Tuesday or Mangalbar is an equivalent of a sankrant day or a holy day. It is the day where satvik khana is the  that is food with no meat or egg or onions and garlic. I know that in our household, even red chili powder is considered to be in line of with non-vegetarian. Slightly crazy I know, but Indian culture and its cooking is defined by this unique quirkiness [and that is intended as an affectionate compliment].

 Luckily for me, my mother and my aunts have perfected the art of delicious cooking inspite of the ban. And their secret ingredient is - Posto or poppy seeds. The seeds are soaked in water all night and the next morning grinded into a paste that is still laced with some of the unblended seeds. That gives this dish its characteristic texture. Although it time-pressed, you can skip the overnight step but it is advisable that you soak it for at least two to three hours. This recipe has been worked at by my mother over the years and I can say that it has reached the pinnacle of its glory. Its versatility allows it to be eaten with anything - rotis, rice and dal, puris, paranthas and even toast. So you can make this dish with whatever you fancy. And you would be amazed at its cooking time. All you have to do is to take some time to boil your potatoes.

 

Ingredients:
3 medium potatoes, boiled
1/2 cup poppy seeds soaked in water
2 medium tomatoes
2tbsp cashewnuts
2tbsp nigella seeds or kalonji or kala jeera
2 green chillies, slitted
1tbsp turmeric
Salt to taste
3tbsp water
2tbsp oil for cooking

Method:
Make a paste with poppy seeds in water, tomatoes and cashewnuts. Dont worry of the little seeds that do not blend. It adds flavor. Keep your boiled potatoes ready.
Heat oil. When it is hot so you can see a line of smoke , add the spice paste. Fry for ten minutes.
Add a green chilly and turmeric. When the masala starts to stick, add the boiled potatoes and a little water. Fold in for five minutes.
Add the nigella seeds, the green chilly and salt to your taste. Cook for five minutes till all the masala has blended in.
I served this with hot matar puris which is a good combination for this subtle, slightly sweet, slightly hot curry.

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.

Egg Curry

So, writing the blog for how many months now and no proper egg curry as yet. I mean, yes, there was the curry toofani but that was more of a throwing together of ingredients. This egg curry is a systematic thought of buying ingredients and then going through the right steps. I have grown up with egg curry on the Wednesdays or Fridays served with hot rice, dal, salad and gobi pakoras. It is so delicious and for me the gateway to a complete lunch. The recipe has been one of my mainstays for a long while now.

This egg curry is ideal for a centerpiece for a casual lunch or late night dinner. While you make the curry you can throw in some moong dal into the pressure cooker to be whistled away. The curry is very versatile and can be served with any recipe that you want. If you are adventurous, you can make some omelets and add to the curry for another twist on this dish. The egg is such a blank canvas, ready for any dish that you can set your mind to and for me egg curry is a classic comfort - a remembrance of all those memories from childhood.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
2 medium onions
1 inch ginger
5 cloves garlic
4 dried red chillies broken
1tsp cumin seeds
1 cinnamon
1 bay leaf
1tsp red chili powder
1tsp turmeric
1tsp coriander powder
1tsp kitchen king powder
1tsp garam masala
3tbsp tomato puree
salt to taste
1/2 cup water
1 bunch coriander leaves
3-4tbsp oil

Method:
Fill a saucepan with water and add eggs. Put in on the stove to cook. Remember the proper boiled egg needs only 10-12 minutes. After that it has that grey tint over the yolk which is not very nice.
While the eggs boil, slice the onions and mince ginger and garlic. Heat oil in a wok.
Splutter the whole spices till they release the aromas. Add the onions with a dash of red chili powder and fry. This should around six-eight minutes.
The eggs will be done by now. Remove from saucepan and put it in a bowl.
Add the ginger and garlic to the browned onions. Cook for two minutes. Add tomato puree and a pinch of salt. Fold the ingredients together and then add the red chili powder, turmeric, coriander and kitchen king powder. Fry. Finally add the water and simmer. This should take eight to ten minutes in order for the flavors of the curry to cook itself.
Peel the eggs. Chop the coriander leaves.
Add the eggs to the curry along with the garam masala. Put the curry over the eggs so as to allow the gravy to seep into the eggs. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve with hot rice and enjoy.

Rajma Masala

What do you do on a Wednesday night after you have had a long hard day? Open a can of kidney beans and make Rajma Masala. While the masala simmers, throw some rice into the cooker to steam. And voila, Supper is on the table, easy peasy. For a more elaborate meal which you might be inclined to making on Saturday nights or Sunday lunches, this recipe would be good side-dish that impresses. The trick is in the making of the curry base with just the right balance of the various spice powders.
Rajma masala or spicy kidney bean curry is an iconic dish that comes from North-India. The proper setting for partaking this delicacy would be sitting in one of the dhabas that line the roads of northern state of Punjab ladling generous servings on trays and a mountain of paranthas dripping with butter. There would be small bowls of slitted chilies, onion slices and lemon wedges alongside. But, after a hard day's work, a quick meal is the way to go. And this versatile dish becomes the epitome of that quickness.
The shortcut is a can of kidney beans and a squeeze packet of ginger-garlic paste available at super-markets. The only prepping needed to be done is slicing one medium onion and tomato and sliting two chilies[or one for the faint-hearted]. And, of course waiting for the rice to cook. But, bottom line-the food would be done in mostly around twenty-five minutes. About enough time to cleanse, tone and moisturize the day away.

Ingredients:
1 can of kidney beans
1 medium onions sliced
1 medium tomato diced
2 green chilies slitted
2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tbsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 small lemon
salt to taste
oil for frying

Method:
Heat a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan. Saute onions for ten minutes till slightly browned.
Add the ginger-garlic paste and tomatoes. Fry for five minutes till the tomatoes soften a little. If the masala sticks add a little water.
Sprinkle all the spice powders and fold everything together.
Add the kidney beans and the juices from the can. Sprinkle salt and let the masala simmer.
During this time put the rice in the cooker or if you have frozen chapathis put them on to heat. [You see how ridiculous slacking I am indulging in right now. I have no doubt that you understand the impulse]
The masala would need ten minutes to cook and then you can squeeze a little lemon on top of it. Keep the curry on till ready to serve.
Slice some onion, cut some lime into wedges and slit a few chilies if you have the time. Ladle hot rajma masala over steamed rice and get ready to devour.

Loveofmylife: Spot#3

Flaky oven-baked Roti and Murgh-e-jahangiri

[courtesy Karims, Chandni chowk-Delhi]
[Review to follow]

The Taste of Laughter and Memories

I think the first time I tasted peas pulao was when me and my friends were at some restaurant and wanted to order something different than the usual jeera or fried rice. The other dishes I forget but I still remember the taste of white steamed rice flecked with green peas and cumin and the way it meshed well with the curries and sides that we had ordered. I remember I had then gone back home, found the recipe from the internet and begged my mother to make it. She did, one Sunday lunch, with chicken curry, paneer makhani and dal fry served with assorted papads and salad. From then on, it became a family favorite.
That particular dish now, being so far away from home, has become flavored with those sunny days of play and no work when you did not have to worry about the next paper or conference. You could read all your beloved classics well into the afternoon until called to the family table - overflowing with food and where there was no dearth of conversation.

Now that winter is here, peas make an appearance back to the markets where you can see the green pods smiling happily among the shiny red peppers and cauliflowers and just essentially opening your mind to all those memories and with it culinary inspirations. So it was no wonder that I came back laden with a load of green peas for a light and I should say healthy dinner. What I did was divide the peas for two dishes - the favorite peas pulao and lightly spiced Aloo matar to go along with it. The pulao has been made simpler by the use of the rice cooker. While the rice bubbles away, you can toss spices, onions, potatoes and peas into a hot pan and voila! By the time the rice is done the curry side dish will be ready and everything will be served together instead of any sequential waiting around for the dishes to be finished.

Mise-en-place:
Shell peas. Slice onions. Slit chilies. Chop tomatoes. If using, boil potatoes with a little salt for twenty minutes.Otherwise, dice potatoes into small cubes. Boil peas[ for the curry] for ten minutes.

Peas Pulao:

Ingredients:
2tbsp mustard oil
1tsp cumin seeds
1 medium onion
1 slit green chilly
1 cup peas
1 cup rice soaked
2 cups water
salt to taste

Method:
This is a little tricky but making the rice in the rice cooker cuts down on so much cooking time.
Turn on the cooker. Add the mustard oil and heat for a minute.
Splutter cumin seeds. Add the onions and cook till they are translucent. The onions should not brown but should have just softened. This should take around five minutes.
Add the chilly and peas and fold everything together. Add salt to taste.
Drain the rice and then add to the cooker. Fold in. Add the water. Cover and let the rice cook. When the cooking button goes off, open the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.

Aloo Matar:

Ingredients:
2tbsp oil
1tsp cumin seeds
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
1 medium onion
2 slit green chilly
2 small tomatoes
2 large potatoes
1 cup peas
2tbsp ginger-garlic paste
1tsp Red chilli powder
1tsp Coriander powder
1tsp Garam masala
salt to taste
water as required

Method:
Heat oil in a frying pan. Splutter the whole spices.
Add onions and brown for fifteen minutes. Add the ginger-garlic paste and green chilies.
Cook for five minutes. Add the tomatoes and a little water in case the masala sticks to the pan.
Cook until the tomatoes have melded into the masala. Add the spice powders and the salt. Cook for two minutes.
Add the peas and potatoes and coat them with masala. If you are using uncooked vegetables, add 1/2 cup water and let the potatoes cook for twenty minutes. If using boiled ones then cook for five minutes to let the flavors soak into them. Adjust seasonings as necessary. The resultant curry should be somewhere between a dry and gravy dish with just enough sauce to coat the pulao.
The dining experience was heady with flavors and memories - definitely something to go back to and enjoy.

Luxurious Delights

As I made my way back from class my mind was on the bare essentials - the aromatics on which the curry base is build: onions, ginger, garlic and chillies and making a nice masala out of it. After all I had to celebrate publishing my first post and joining the ranks of bloggers. That is when the mind started playing tussle - do I go the simple route or do I celebrate? It wasn't really a difficult choice. The idea of making Paneer Butter Masala was really appealing.
Luxurious in Indian cuisine is certainly embodied by this dish. Marinated chunks of paneer fried and then mixed in a rich, creamy gravy - eaten hot with rotis, naan or pulao it brings to mind special occasions celebrated in posh restaurants with family where you would be dressed to indulge and all the thought of nutrition goes out of the window. Of course making it is an entirely different story. Intense minutes were spent researching the internet followed by rifling through the pages of cookbooks on hand. Forgot the cashew so had to go back and buy again. Then was called to attend a birthday party of a dear friend. So by the time the cooking was done we all gathered together for a midnight meal. But it was delicious and not at all bad for a first timer.
The recipe I have listed here is a mellow version with less oil and minus cream[as I do care about diet and stuff but by all means go all out and celebrate if you feel like it].

For the spice paste:

1 medium onion
6 cloves of garlic
1 inch ginger
1 stick cinnamon
1 dried red chilly
4 cloves
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 bay leaf
4 tbsp water
Chop onion and ginger coarsely. Crumble the dried red chilly, bay leaf and cinnamon. Blend all the ingredients together till smooth.
For the cashew paste:
7 cashew nuts
1 tbsp of milk
2 tbsp of water
Blend all the ingredients together.
For the paneer marinade:
1 block of paneer cut to bite size squares
1 tbsp red chilly powder
1 tsp turmeric
Marinade the paneer cubes in the spice powders and leave it for a couple of minutes.
And finally for the curry:
3 tbsp oil
the spice paste prepared above
3 tbsp tomato puree
3 tbsp yoghurt
salt to taste
1 tsp red chilly powder
1 tsp coriander powder
2 tsp garam masala powder
salt to taste
cashew paste prepared above
1 tbsp milk
2 tbsp water
Butter and coriander sprig for garnish
Heat oil. Fry the marinated cubes of paneer. Remove.
Sizzle a bay leaf. Add the spice paste and fry for five minutes. Stir in the tomato puree and mix in with the paste. Cook stirring continuously for ten minutes till the raw smell leaves. Remove from heat and stir in the yoghurt. Stir. Add in the salt and the red chilly and coriander powder.
Mix in the cashew paste, garam masala and the milk. Fold into the curry to achieve a creamy consistency with no lumps. This will take about fifteen more minutes. Add in the paneer cubes and the water if the curry is dry at this point. Simmer for five more minutes.
Serve with a dollop of butter and a sprig of coriander along with naan or roti and a bottle of Coco-Cola.

Beginnings

Vibrant colors, deep earthy aromas, the sheer generosity of food and spirit that leaves you wanting for more. In Indian cuisine one finds a mezze of various flavors and colors - spicy, creamy, smooth and crunchy combined with rich reds, greens contrasting with white come together in a medley of complex tasting notes.
And now that I have got the PhDiness out of my system I shall move on.
Indian food always has the memory of food slow cooked and lovingly prepared by mom and grandmom, of recipes handed down from generations to generations, of comfort and intense longing. I mean pickles has become the synonym for the diaspora desperate to catch the whiff of the home they have left behind[And she cant seem to get it out from her system].

So its my turn to embrace that tradition of long calls back home, of noting down recipes on post-its and recreating food that smells of home or most of the time at least. The time was right - it was the end of the month of kartik which meant balijatra back home and waking up early to go sail boats. And those times for me are best celebrated with an old fashioned Matar Curry and Rice. A staple in Oriya cuisine and a personal favorite it could not have been a better introduction for a simple curry lunch and the blog.

Ingredients:
1 cup dried yellow peas
1 medium onion
4 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
1 slitted green chilly
1 small tomato
2 tbsp oil
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
a pinch of amchur powder
salt to taste
3 cups water

Soak dried peas with 2 cups of water and leave it for around 6 hours or overnight. Pour into a pressure cooker along with salt and turmeric. Add water if necessary. Cook for 3 whistles or until slightly hard on the outside but giving way to smoothness once you bite into it. Keep it aside.

Chop coarsely ginger and garlic. Blend with 2 tbsp of water.

Heat oil. Add a slice of onion - if it sizzles then the oil is hot enough. Add the sliced onions. Fry till brown. Add the blended ginger-garlic paste. Stir for five minutes. Add the slitted chilly and press into the paste. If you dislike too much heat deseed the chilly and add. Fry the paste for 10 more minutes.

Add in a tbsp of water to prevent sticking.

Sprinkle all the powders except the garam masala. Add salt to taste. Cook for 5 minutes. 

Add the peas along with the water. Stir in the garam masala. Simmer till the aromas are released for about 15 minutes. 

Serve hot with plain steamed rice.