Its Vada, Dahi Vada!

Dear foodies,

With one major festival done, we have another one coming up soon, Deepavali/Diwali. The last few weeks I noticed a lot of searches for sweets, but hey you know I love the savories more, so how about some of that for you and me to enjoy. May be some medhu vada/ulundhu vada ? and may be some dahi vada too ? okay! So lets get started, shall we.... my mother made these when she was here this summer.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups - whole urad dal
• 1 tsp - whole pepper corns
• 2-3 - green chillies
• Salt to taste
• Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. Wash and soak the urad dal in water for about 45mins. Drain all the water and blend the dal along with the pepper and green chillies using as little water as possible.Wet your hands a little with water as you add the dal and add water only by the teaspoons as find the need. A watery dough absorbs a lot of oil and is hard to shape as well. This is a globby batter that you can shape into dumplings unlike the pouring consistency of dosa batter. Add salt to taste and mix vigorously with a spoon or your hand to make it fluffy. This makes the vada's light and crispy.
2. Heat oil in a shallow pan, check if its hot enough by carefully dropping a small drop of the batter into it. If it bubbles around the edges and raises to the top immediately the oil is ready. Wet your hands slightly, place a glob of batter on your palm, with the forefinger of the other hand make a hole in the center (donut style) and slide it into the oil, or pick flip onto the free hand and then slide. You could also use a plastic sheet or banana leaf as a base while shaping the vada. But if you are in no mood for all this, just drop round balls of the batter into the oil, the taste is still going to be the same :)

and hey, don't forget Jai's appam pan method for frying. Yes, you don't have an excuse anymore to make deep fried goodies any more.

For the dahi in the dahi vada, south Indian style, grind together

• 2 Tbsp - grated, fresh coconut
• handful of cilantro/coriander leaves
• 1-2 green chillies

with required water ( ~ 1/4 cup) and add it to 2 cups of beaten curds with salt to taste. When the vada's are ready, soak them in the yogurt mixture for 1hr allowing it to soften and absorb the dahi. But if you are in a rush, dip them first in some light buttermilk/water, squeeze lightly between your palms and then drop them into the yogurt mixture. This step softens them up allowing them to take in the yogurt mixture.

Serve garnished with some more chopped cilantro and a sprinkle of red chilli powder and chat masala :)

Other variations would be to soak the vada's in sambar or rasam instead of dahi/curd or adding a few chopped onions to the batter. But do make enough vada's to munch on by themselves, afterall, the crunchies are the best part of the vada right ? along with some coconut chutney or mango pickle...Off it goes now to Pallavi, who is hosting her first event, Yummy Festival Feast - Diwali! and I forgot a main event here JFI, started my Indira!! Sorry Srivalli :(, one extra special order of dahi vada to you for the Festival Jihva :)

I had some issues with blogger y'day with it not allowing comments on my posts, especially the previous one here. So if you had something to share, please do drop in a line today :)

Hoarding ?!

Dear foodies,

I am storing for the winter, like the ant, some blackberries and raspberries....

and a few weekday helpers, single portion servings of toor dal, a pack of curry leaves, chopped cluster beans (gorchikudukaya) and tindora (dondakaya). I also have some tomato chutney and chapati's that I wrap in foil (single serving count).

How do you prep your veggies, any time-saving shortcuts that save you time during the rush hours ?

Potlakaya Kootu - snake gourd with toor dal

Dear foodies,

Last weekend I went to the Indian store and got home some fresh veggies, but I was so lazy to do the prep work on a weeknight and took the easier route. I had a frozen pack of snake gourd or potlakaya that I was saving to share with you a special recipe that my roomie used to make. But I realized if I kept saving it for that one day when I finally make the dish, the pack would have outlived its shelf life! So out came the pack and along with it a portion of cooked toor dal. This one is really a lifesaver, everytime I use the pressure cooker to make dal, I make extra of it and freeze it in single serving amounts in a ziploc bag. So the next 3-4 times I can just thaw the dal and have dal, sambar or rasam ready in half the time and have no cooker to clean either. I made a kootu with these two ingredients, one cos I did not want the usual tomato dal and two, I was out of tomatoes :)

This is most definitely not the authentic kootu recipe, my mom would have to give me that. As far as I remember she use's moong dal for kootu, no onions and the spices in it would be crushed cumin and pepper seeds along with coconut and yogurt cured chilies/ mor molaga/uppu mirapakaya. Here is my version, which is still delicious and very close to the original in taste.

Ingredients:

• 11/2 cup - Toor dal, cooked (with a pinch on turmeric and a few methi seeds)
  
• 1 cup - diced, Snake gourd (potlakaya)
• 1 tsp - black peppercorns
• 1 tsp - Cumin seeds/jeera
• 2 Tbsp - grated coconut (I used frozen)
  
• 1/2 tsp - mustard seeds
• 1/4 cup - sliced Onions
• 2 tsp - Oil
• 2-3 nos - salted chillies/mor milagai, fried
• Salt to taste
• Coriander leaves/cilantro for garnish

Method:

1. If you need to cook the dal, then get that going in the cooker, else place the frozen dal by the stove to thaw. Heat a pan with the oil and splutter the mustard seeds, add the onions and let them soften, about 3-4mins on medium heat. Microwave the snake gourd in the meanwhile and then add it to the pan.
2. Saute for a minute and add 1/2 cup of water, salt, cover and cook for 5-6mins. Using a mortar and pestle crush the peppercorns and jeera together while the gourd softens up.
3. Add the dal with another 1/2 cup of water, coconut, crushed powders and simmer for an additional 10-12 mins. During the last 2 mins, add the crushed, fried chillies and check for seasonings.
4. Garnish with cilantro and serve warm with rice/chapatis or bread.

The coconut and pepper/jeera combo are the highlight in this dal. They combine so well with dal giving a smooth, subtle flavor that is very comforting. And the chillies add all the oomph it needs. The onions are here only because I had chopped them even before figuring out what I was going to cook, so skip them if you please ;) Instead of snake gourd you could use broad beans, potatoes, peas, carrots, cabbage, ridge gourd, and well let me know if I missed any :)

Its been 20 days already, phew!! 20 posts in 20 days!! Can you believe that, the calender on the left sidebar has me stumped, I've never seen it so pink before :) So go ahead and cheer me on, please! :P

A comforting bowl of Lentil soup

Dear foodies,

As promised I bring you another simple dish using the lentils I used here, and this was no accident :) When the weather had turned cold, all I wanted to have was a warm bowl of soup like the one here and here, in the evenings. There is something about a soup that warms you up from the inside.

Spices such as ginger, garlic, cumin, pepper help warm your body from the inside making them your best friend through the winters. Add to them any mix of vegetables and beans and you have a complete meal. I brought out the Moosewood book and looked for a soup recipe using lentils, I adjusted the quantities to my taste but stuck to the basic cooking method.

So here's a bowl of warmth for you ...

Ingredients:

• 1 cup - red/brown lentils
• 4 cups - water
• 1/2 tsp - Vegetable base
  
• 2 nos - small, bay leaves
• 2 rounds of ginger root
• 2 nos - medium sized Carrots, diced
• 1/2 nos - Green pepper, diced
• 1 cup - Onions, diced
• 1 nos - medium sized, Tomato, diced
• 1/2 Tbsp - Olive oil
• 1 tsp - Cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp - Cayenne
• ~ 1 Tbsp - lemon juice
  
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Yogurt, Onions and Capers for garnish

Method:

1. Wash and sort the lentil and cook them in the saucepan with water, vegetable base, bay leaves and ginger. Once the water comes to a boil, lower the heat to medium, cover and cook.
2. When the lentils are half done, add the chopped carrots, capsicum, tomatoes, salt and simmer till cooked through. Add more water if needed.
   
3. Meanwhile in another pan, saute the onions in the oil until slightly browned. Add the cumin and cayenne, saute for a minute and add it to the soup mix along with the lemon juice, salt and pepper after removing from heat.
4. Pick out the bay leaves and ginger pieces and serve with a spoon of yogurt topped with some chopped onions and capers, yummm!
   

The soup is warm and comforting with the ginger and cumin powder adding the needed heat and spice. The original recipe also used garlic, but I don't like it that much in soups. Its flavor lingers long after you've had the soup and I hate that smell. Capers were my addition, I've added them to my soups before and I like the slight sharpness they have. A spoonful of the warm soup with a touch of yogurt and the crunch from the onions was just perfect!

I am sending this bowl to Sra to help her with her love affair :) She is hosting this month's Legume love affair event that was started by Susan.

Weekend Funnies - Hide n Seek

Dear foodies,

Here's an amazing video featuring some incredible underwater creatures...


Aren't they just incredible! I wish I could camouflage too, it would be soo much fun!

Weekend Funnies - Interactive interfaces

Dear foodies,

Bored of your desktop ? May be you'll like this



and another one


I can't wait to be able to use these new technologies, they look really exciting and promising. And while you're there, check out the other video's on that site. They are some incredible talks from inspiring speakers on a variety of topics.

Enjoy your weekend :)

may be some more ?

Dear foodies,

The view was excellent

but just one bench ?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

May be you should just stand ....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

and look at this ...
(helps if you are color-blind!)

umm, 1,2,3..5 pillars you think ? :D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

but these guys, naahh, they just weren't interested,

TGIF!

more here and here

Tempeh - barbecue style

Dear foodies,

Remember the post when I told you I had bought a slab of tempeh and sent it into long-term storage ? Ya, that was still there until a few weeks back. I was then having a tough patch with my cooking, nothing I made came out the way it was supposed to and I had a tough time swallowing the food I made. I filled most my days with soup from Panera bread and simple bread sandwiches (luckily the bread came out well) that did not lead to any complications. The other step I took was to follow a recipe to the T and not use my brain, it worked most times and this was one of them.

It was a lazy Saturday afternoon and I was feeling hungry with nothing at home. I had borrowed another Moosewood's book after the previous success and so started flipping thru thier sandwich section to see if anything interested me and if I had everything needed to make it. The first recipe I saw was for a tempeh sandwich and it sounded really good. This was my first time tasting and cooking tempeh and I am glad it worked out well. A first attempt failure usually puts me off things for a long long time. The ingredients list is the same as that in the book, but the quantities are not.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 pack of thawed Tempeh, cubed ( ~15, 1" cubes)
• 1/2 nos - red bell pepper, sliced
I used a couple of cherry peppers
• 1/4 cup - Onions, sliced
• a clove of garlic, chopped
• 2 tsp - Oil
  
• 1/2 tsp - coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp - fennel seeds/saunf powder
  
• 1-2 tsp - Tabasco sauce, adjust to taste
  

• 1 Tbsp - Tamari/soy sauce
• 1 1/2 Tbsp - Tomato ketchup
• 1 Tbsp - brown sugar/molasses
• 1/4 cup -water

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a pan and saute the onions and garlic for a few minutes. Next add the peppers and cook for a few more minutes until they soften.
2. Add the cubed tempeh and saute on medium heat until it browns around the edges (add more oil if needed). Meanwhile, mix together the sauce ingredients (last 4 listed separately) and adjust the quantities to suit your taste. Ground the coriander & fennel seeds if you don't have them in the powdered form.
   
3. Sprinkle the spice powders over the tempeh and stir to coat well, pour the sauce in next and simmer for 5-7 mins until the sauce thickens. Add the tabasco sauce and check for seasonings.
4. Serve with crisp lettuce as a stuffing in pita pockets or on bread as a sandwich.

This was quick to make and super tasty I tell you. I did not have any form of lettuce but did not miss it that much since the tempeh was delicious with the crusty, toasted bread. I absolutely loved the sauce too, I usually don't like barbeque flavored snacks due to the smokiness I think, but this one was just right for me. The tempeh did not taste as funky as it looked :D It had a soft texture which you could may be equate to a dense and chunky paneer piece ?! This was a whole grain tempeh, and was spotted with flax seeds here n there. It could be because of the sauce but I did not get any strong flavors from the tempeh itself.

I liked the sandwich so much that I immediately used up the rest of the package of tempeh and made a slightly thinner sauce a.k.a munchurian style using cubed onions and green peppers and this time made delicious hors d'œuvre's on toothpicks, lip-smackingly good, especially when you are enjoying a book and can conveniently pop a few of these into your mouth as you flip through the pages. Do try this recipe when you get a chance.

Stir fried veggies & brown rice

Dear foodies,

Weeknights are usually for quick meals. I don't indulge in anything that involves a lot of prep time or needs constant attention. More often I cook so I can take a boxed lunch and look for dishes that are easy to carry. I like dishes that are all-in-one where I don't have to carry multiple boxes to work, and this fried rice fits the bill perfectly. This summer I indulged in the bounty fresh snow peas in the market. They are good to go with hardly any cooking, and a perfect snack or a salad with a few extra flavorings added to it. One of my favorite ways of eating them was in this burger, the other way is to blanch them in salted water for just a few minutes and then saute them in some oil with chopped garlic. This was my dinner for quite a few nights the past months and a very good one at that.

I still do find snow peas in the stores but they are not as tender as they used to be and have a tough string around them that needs to be removed. I find that a little cumbersome when I am dealing with a whole bag of these, but the fresh taste of the beans makes it worth all the time spent. I end up eating most of the beans once they are done blanching and the rest goes into the saute. This time I added some fresh crunchy carrots to the mix, few more of my favorite flavors and came up with a lunch I was waiting to have..

Ingredients:

• 2 handfuls - snow peas
• 2-3 medium carrots
• 1 cup - Arugula or baby bok choy
• 1 Tbsp - Tamari/soy sauce, adjusted to taste
• 1 Tbsp - sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp - garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 tsp - Red chili flakes
• 1 tsp - Oil
• Salt to taste
  

• 2 cups - brown rice, cooked
  
• 1/2 Tbsp - tamari/soy sauce
• 1/2 -1 tsp - freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Wash and de-string the beans if required. Boil some water in a saucepan and salt it. Add the snow peas and blanch for no more than 5 mins. They must still be crunchy and a bright green when you take them out. I usually drop them into cold water or place them under the running tap water at this point so they stop cooking.
2. Wash & peel the carrots, cut them first into 2 inch pieces and then slice them thin, length wise. Similarly cut the snow peas about the same size as the carrots, roughly into thirds.
   
3. Heat a pan with the oil and add the garlic and red chili flakes while the oil is still cold. As the oil heats up it will absorb their flavors. On medium-high heat, toss in the sesame seeds and carrots, saute for 3-4 mins , next add the snow peas, arugula and tamari ( or soy sauce). Saute on high heat for a few more minutes until the veggies are well coated with the flavorings and the arugula wilts down.
4. Transfer this to a bowl and add the brown rice to the pan. Add some more soy sauce and black pepper to taste, mix well. Cook for 1-2 mins, turn off the heat, add the veggies, stir and let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

This was really good fried rice. I ate quite a bit of it right from the pan under the excuse of tasting and checking for seasonings. The veggies are still crunchy and the sesame seeds just make it better. Garlic and red chilli flakes give it the kick but don't overpower the dish with spices. The brown rice is a perfect pair for these veggies with its nutty texture making it a component of the dish and not just a filler base. For me black pepper in fried rice reminds me of Indo-chinese fried rice and I absolutely love its flavor. All in all it was a wonderful meal and I was looking forward to lunch all morning :)


Looks like this will be perfect for Srivalli, the mela queen's Rice Mela, perfect timing I say. I wish I had even a tiny share of the enthusiasm she has for holding events!

A taste of color

Dear foodies,

Fall is here! Fall is here! The colors y'day on my way to the office were soo vibrant I just wanted to continue driving all day! I think Fall was at its peak over here yesterday and that also meant it was going to stay that way only a little longer. I took my camera to work today and headed out to a Metro park near-by on my way home.

There was every single shade of yellow and red around me, and not to forget the greens. I spent two whole hours trying to absorb as much of the beauty around me. I wish I could stay there all day.. life.

The leaves were already falling off the branches with the slightest of winds though. I was glancing out of the windows in my office looking at the trees losing leaves and fearing that there might not be any by the time I got out of work!

The trees will soon look like this one .... :(

I am going to go back to the park tomorrow to savor the scenes again....I need them to help me get through the terrible winter that's fast approaching. Go out to a park today if you can and spend sometime just sitting there enjoying the beauty around you, its completely refreshing.

Enjoy your day!