Phataphat Chatpata Chaat-Aloo tikki Channa

Last weekend we had been to a friend’s place. Apart from the amazing fun we had watching movies, I happened to taste THE BEST Aloo tikki Channa(recipe from here) evah! She is one of the best self-taught cooks I have come across. And she never ceases to amaze me with her diverse and delicious menus. Visiting her home means a treat for our taste buds. The last time the menu featured chaat! I don’t even have to tell you what that means to me and my chaat  cravings!

A week later, with the memory of her heavenly dish lingering in my mind, I decided to try it with the ready made potato patties that were remaining in the freezer. I have these patties lying in my freezer almost year round as they make great back up-pack up lunches! Using these patties makes life much easier without having to fry the tikkis and make a great quick fix for a chaat craving or a wonderful impromptu evening snack for guests.

For 4 servings:

Potato patties-4 nos

Garbanzo beans/ channa(soaked and cooked)-1.5 cups

onions(medium, chopped)-1 no

tomato(medium, chopped)-1 no.

cilantro-5-6 sprigs

chole masala-2 tsps

kashmiri red chilli powder-1/4 tsp

chaat masala-1-2 tsps

mint chutney-2 tsps

tamarind chutney(I use the Maggi Tomato Chatpata Sauce!)-2 tsps

sev(optional)-1/4 cup

salt-to taste

oil-1/4 tsp

Heat oil in a pan. Saute the 1/4 of the chopped onions till translucent. Add 1/4 of the chopped tomatoes and saute till cooked. Now add the chole masala, red chilli powder and salt. Add some water, cover and cook on medium flame for 3-5 mins. Now, add the drained garbanzo beans and mix well. If the chole is very dry, add some water and allow it to cook(covered) for another 5 mins. Uncover and mash the channa a little before turning off the stove.

Heat the potato patties as per directions. Sprinkle chaat masala on each side of the pattie and cut them in half. Place 2 pieces of patties in a bowl. Cover the patties with a generous serving of the chole. Now, sprinkle a little of the chopped onions, tomatoes and cilantro. Drizzle some tamarind and mint chutneys on top. Garnish with some sev.

Aloo tikki channa served in a bowl

It sure can’t top what we had at V’s place but it was good enough to deal with my chaat yearning!

P.S: If you don’t have tamaring sauce/chutney, boil some jaggery with water. Add some amchur and chaat masala. Let the mixture thicken up. This works well too.

Low-Cal banana nut mini muffins

Now, that title is a mouthful! Weekends are always days of waking up late, eating brunches and lunners (No I didn’t make that up, the word exists!) and lots of ‘norukku theeni'(snacks)! This weekend was no different.

There was a VERY ripe banana lying around and I wanted to make use of it for breakfast that day, you ask how? Banana Nut muffins, of course. The only hitch-there was no butter,brown sugar,walnuts or egg substitutes at home. I knew that the only way I was going to pull this off was by making a low-cal version of it with what was available at home-oil,milk,sugar and almonds. Although I was skeptical about the end result from the word ‘Go'(after all, isn’t banana nut muffin supposed to be RICH in calories), I decided I had to try it. The result actually surprised me. The muffins turned out quite light and fluffy.

A healthy and delicious breakfast for a bright Sunday morning

To make 9 muffins

ripe banana-1
oil-1/4 cup
sugar-1/4 cup
milk-1/4 cup
vanilla extract-1/2 tsp
flour-1 cup
baking powder-1/2 tsp
baking soda-1/4 tsp
salt-1/4 tsp
slivered almonds-1/4 cup

In a large bowl mash the bananas.Add oil, sugar, milk and vanilla and mix well. In another bowl mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until combined . Fold in the nuts. The resulting batter will be quite stiff. Pour the batter into oiled muffin tins. Fill upto 2/3rds of a tin. Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes.

The end result had the same wonderful aroma as that of ‘PazhamPori'(banana fritters)!

Served with a steaming cup of chocolate malt drink

Start a lazzzzy weekend with these yummy little fellas!

Palak Corn Pulav

Greens were a must at lunch in India. They were served as kootu, poriyal or masiyal(cooked greens mashed with garlic and salt). I didn’t realize how much they had become a part of my palette until I started living by myself. And here the only green that looked familiar was Spinach. Although I tried cooking others like collard, tulip greens etc, I couldn’t get myself to like them as much as I liked spinach. So I made lots of spinach kootu. And then I got married. My husband stays away from anything that spells KOOTU! So how could I get him to eat spinach other than palak paneer and in Italian dishes? My mom suggested this recipe and it sounded good. I have been making this for a while and he not only eats it without a frown but actually ends the dinner with a “nalla saapad”(good dinner!) comment! Can’t get any better than that, right?

An artsy Palak Pulav 🙂

Basmati Rice-1 cup

spinach-1 cup

corn-1/2 cup

onions(medium size, sliced)-1 no

tomatoes(medium size, chopped)-1 no

green chillies-2 nos

ginger-garlic paste-2 tsps

cinnamon-1 inch stick

cloves-2 nos

bay leaf-2 nos

cardamom-2 nos

oil-1 tbsp

turmeric-1/2 tsp

salt-as required

water-1.75 cups

Soak the rice in water for 1/2 hr. Cook spinach and a green chilli in 1/4 cup water till tender. Cool and grind this into a smooth paste and keep aside. Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add the whole spices followed by the green chilli, onions and ginger-garlic paste. Adding the ginger-garlic paste directly to the oil makes its burn faster, so add it after the onion goes in. Saute till the onions turn translucent and the raw smell of the ginger-garlic paste vanishes. Now add the corn nibblets and then the basmati rice. Saute till grains of rice appear to stick together. Now add the spinach puree, turmeric and salt. Add 1.5 cups of water and pressure cook (I keep it for 3 whistles)till the rice is done. Serve with onion/tomato raita.The sweet corn nibblets give a good bite to the steaming pulav.

Served with tomato raita-A little bit of green, yellow and red makes a....nice spread!

Pramaadhamaana Poricha Kootu(amazing vegetable-lentil stew)

Its a marathon of recipes today. I keep drafts on the blog and publish them later. Today I realized there were quite a few recipes in the drafts that I hadn’t published. Hence I am bombarding the blogichen with my recipes!

My MIL is one of the best cooks I have come across. A wonderful lady with whom I had the joy of growing up, once told me what makes food especially tasty is the love that goes into making it. I find that extra ‘special something’ in my MIL’s food. I still remember her making polis for me ‘coz I had mentioned that my ammamma (who had passed away) used to make it just for my sake. Every day I spent at her place after my wedding was a melange of some of the best dishes I have ever tasted. That’s when I knew how my husband got his high standard of food and that I had a loooong way to go to reach those standards!Phew!

This is one of her classic dishes which features regularly on our menu. Since Chennai has scotching summers, we make this dish with vegetables that have high water content during the sweltering months. I use snake gourd, bottle gourd, pumpkin or even chowchow(chayote squash) when I don’t find gourds at the Indian store.

Saadham, kootu, curry-veettu saapadu madhiri varuma!(Nothing like our home cooked food!)

Vegetables(you can use gourds and pumpkin at the same time)-2 cups

Moong dal-a handful

Urad dal-3 tsps

peppercorns-8-10 nos

red chillies-1 no

coconut powder-1/2 cup(If using freshly grated coconut-1/4 cup)

turmeric-1/2 tsp

salt to taste

For the tadka:

Mustard seeds-1 tsp

curry leaves-5-6

hing-a pinch

red chillies-1

oil-1/4 tsp

Cook  the vegetables and moong dal separately with some turmeric. I pressure cook them in two different vessels. Its cooked separately so that the dal can be mashed without mashing the vegetables.

Fry the urad dal, red chilli and peppercorn in a little oil till the urad dal is golden. Once cooled, grind this mixture with coconut and little water into a smooth paste.

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and let it crackle. Follow this with hing, curry leaves and red chilli. Now add the  vegetables and mashed moong dal. Bring this to a boil along with the coconut paste. Season with salt and serve hot with rice.

Served with plain rice and kathirikkai masaal(Stuffed eggplant)

Madras Milagaipodi(Idli/dosa accompaniment powder)

When ignorance was bliss, all the podis(powders) like idli milagai podi, sambar podi, rasam podi etc., that were used at home in day-to-day meals always seemed to come out of nowhere! But obviously it wasn’t so. Later, my mom or my MIL always made sure our podis’ supply was replenished every now and then. Those dabbas(storage bottles) sure seemed like akshayapatrams(An Indian Mythological vessel that kept filling itself with food magically)! But recently, we ran out of idli milagai podi(or milagai podi, I call chilli powder milagai thool!) and neither of these wonderful women could send anything immediately. That’s when I decided to make some by myself.

I know I make it sound like a big deal when it isn’t actually. Its a very easy and simple process and the icing on the cake is that it lasts for a couple of months at least. Since I have sometime on my hands at the moment I planned to make enough of it to last for the next few months. Since idlis and dosas are made not-so-often at my place, it will last that long.

A very 'magalamaana'(auspicious) color scheme of ingredients

channa dal-1.5 cups

urad dal-1.5 cups

curry leaves-a handful(~ 30-40 nos)

red chillies-20-25 nos.

hing-1.5 tsps

oil-a few drops

Heat a few drops of oil in a pan. Add the channa dal and saute till  a good aroma arises. Now add the urad dal. Since the channa dal takes a little longer to cook and get crispy, I add it first and allow it to crisp partially. Keep sauteing till both the dals turn golden and emanate a wonderful aroma. Allow the dals to cool down. In the same pan, saute the red chillies, curry leaves and hing in some oil. Saute till the red chillies and curry leaves are crispy and brittle. Once cooled, grind the red chillies, curry leaves and dals with salt to a smooth or coarse powder depending on your liking.

Served as an accompaniment for Adai(lentil pancake) with a generous serving of nalennai(gingely/sesame oil)

Pasta with Mint Pesto and sundried tomatoes

Since the day I started watching Giada de Laurentiis’s shows, I have been fascinated by pesto. To me, it was the Italian version of chutney/chamandhi. I have always been tempted to pick  a bottle of basil pesto at the supermarket. My hand reaches out to it and then I look over my shoulder only to catch a glimpse of my husband glaring. He who hates packaged food tries to restrict me from buying such products but isn’t quite successful most of the time! During our last weekly trip to the Indian grocery store, I was delighted to find a bunch of pudina(mint)(yes delighted…almost all fresh herbs are a precious commodity around here). I also successfully managed (by avoiding his glares and promising to  use them up before their expiry date!)to get some sun dried tomatoes during our last trip to the supermarket and I was dying to use it in some dish. I love the heightened tangy-sweetness of these tomatoes.  After a week of Indian food, I decided it was time for Italian food. I wanted to deviate from the usual fare of pasta with marinara sauce/ lasagna. So I was going to try my hand at pesto with the fresh and fragrant mint and toss in some sun dried tomatoes and garnish it with pine nuts. M-m-m-m-M(that reads Tasty in Rachel Ray’s language)!!

A delish Italian supper

For 2 servings:

Farfalle/or any other pasta-1/2 lb or 225 gms

Mint leaves-1/2 bunch

cilantro (I used the stalks too)-1/4 bunch

garlic-2 big cloves

red chillies-3 nos (if using flakes-2 tsps)

fennel seeds-1/2 tsp

sun dried tomatoes-1/4 cup

lemon juice-1/4 cup

pine nuts-a handful

Dried herbs-1 tsp

Parmesan cheese-2 tbsps

salt-to taste

E.V.O.O(extra virgin olive oil..again Rachel Ray’s)-1 tbsp

Heat 1/2 tsp e.v.o.o(annoying huh?) in a pan. Add the garlic (you can add it as a whole), fennel seeds and red chillies/flakes. Add the mint and cilantro and saute till leaves shrink and the raw smell vanishes. Transfer the contents of the pan to a blender. Once cooled, add lemon juice, salt and the rest of the olive oil and blend to a smooth paste.Cook pasta as per directions. Drain the water. Toast the pine nuts in the pan or in the oven (@350 F for 10 minutes) till golden brown. Add the sun dried tomatoes, dried herbs, pasta, mint pesto and Parmesan cheese. Mix and serve.

Flavors and colors maketh a Bee-utiful dinner!

The fragrance of the fresh mint with the crunchiness of the pine nuts is definite to earn you a “Grazie, principessa!”(Ok..thats my limited italian, from the movie “Life is beautiful”)

Spicy Thai peanut Noodles with vegetables and tofu

I, like some of my girl friends, have food cravings (Our spouses shudder to think what they would be put through when the ‘actual time’ comes for food cravings). One of my recurring cravings is for thai food. I just love, love, love thai cuisine. I assume its because of its similarity to Kerala cuisine with the amount of coconut milk used! So, when these cravings kick in and I want to make something quick, I make this.

Its my take on the thai peanut noodle salad, just that this ain’t a salad. I also try to give it a little bit of ‘Indianness’ to the recipe with some ingredients. Its a hearty standalone dish that is appetizing to the mouth as well as the eyes. Tofu (bean curd) is a family favorite and one is sure to find a pack of tofu in my refrigerator all the time.  I add it to this dish to give it the extra dimension. After all, isn’t cooking all about infusing flavors and textures?

To make 2 servings:

Spaghetti-1/4 pack(100 gms)

Firm Tofu(cubed)-1/2 pack(80 gms)

carrot(julianne)-1 no.

broccoli-7-8 florets

green pepper(julianne)-1 no.

mushrooms(thinly sliced)-4-5 nos.

cilantro-4-5 sprigs

spring onion/scallion (chopped)-2 stalks

ginger-garlic paste-1 tsp

soy sauce-2 tbsps

chilli-garlic sauce-1 tbsp

tomato ketchup-1.5 tbsps

honey-1 tsp

chilli powder-1 tsp

garam masala-1 tsp

coconut milk-1/4 cup

crunchy peanut butter-2 tbsps(you can use crushed peanuts instead)

Oil-2 tsps

Cook pasta as per directions. Drain, rinse in cold water and keep aside. Marinate tofu in 1 tsp soy sauce for 20 mins. In 1 tsp sizzling oil, saute the tofu till they tun golden on each side. Keep the tofu aside and heat the remaining oil. Saute the white base of the scallions with the ginger-garlic paste for a couple of minutes. Add the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes. Add the sauces, honey, chilli powder and garam masala. Follow this with the coconut milk and peanut butter. Allow the vegetables to get coated with the sauces. Toss in the tofu and the spaghetti. Garnish with cilantro and the rest of the scallions. Stir well and serve hot.

A spicy and splendid supper for a special someone- YOU!

The all Season Soup

All of us have had those lazy, slow days when all we want to do is curl up on the couch and have someone serve a plate of great food. That’s one luxury I have missed the most since I started living outside India. I still remember the morning after I came here following our wedding. I wasn’t teary eyed at the airport about leaving home or on the flight but the next morning it hit me…I wouldn’t have anyone cooking for me till my next visit! Not that my husband doesn’t cook, he does and does it well when he WANTS to and that wanting doesn’t come by very often. 😦 Its like the famous (or should I say the infamous) dialogue from the Jen-Vince movie, I want you to want to do the dishes (in my case cooking).

I rarely complain about it ‘coz I love to cook but sometimes, like the song goes, girls just wanna have fun!! No seriously, I was quite bugged this week after loads and loads of work from the previous week. I just wanted to take some time off. So I decided to make the quickest, easiest and wholesome soup which happens to be a one-dish, nutritious (if you use whole grain pasta, that is 🙂 )and great tasting meal-the minestrone soup. My first ever minestrone soup experience was in a restaurant called ‘Little Italy’ in Chennai. It was good but didn’t really catch my attention. Later, when I came here and had the Minestrone soup at one of our friend’s place, I knew this was one dish that was going to feature quite often in the menu at our place. I got the ‘You-should-get-that-recipe’ look from my hubby and our hostess was more than happy to share it with me. Thanks R!

We get some great Minestrone soup at Olive garden too and I can vouch that this soup is just wonderful at anytime of the day and any day of the year. Hence the name of the post. The sweetness of its tomatoes combined with the crunchiness of the vegetables and the softness of the pasta makes its extra special. I usually serve it with toasted bread rubbed with garlic and olive oil .

Sprinkling some cheese on the soup gives it the glamour quotient that it rightly deserves!

To make two servings:

chopped garlic-2 pods

tomatoes -2 (if using small ones, make it 3)

chopped onion- 2 tsps

pasta (I used bow-tie, you can use any small pasta)-1/2 cup

red kidney beans-1/2 cup

mixed vegetables (carrots, beans, zuchini, asparagus)-1/2 cup (you can add spinach too but I don’t)

dried herbs – 2 tsps

Pasta sauce-3/4 cup

salt to taste

pepper powder-3 -4 tsps(4-5 if you prefer it spicy)

chopped cilantro-5 sprigs(parsley is the original ingredient but we love the flavor of cilantro)

water-1 cup

oilve oil-1/2 tsp

Cook the pasta as per directions. If you are using raw red kidney beans, soak them the previous night and pressure cook it just before making the soup. I use the canned variety so that life is a little simpler! Heat oil in a pan, add the dried herbs (crush them between your palm and fingers to bring out the flavor) and garlic followed by the onions and saute till the onions turn translucent. Add the vegetables and saute for a 2-3 minutes. Since we like them a little crunchy, I don’t saute it longer. Add the chopped tomatoes and saute till they turn soft. Now add the cilantro and saute for a few seconds. Add the pasta sauce, water, salt and pepper. Allow this to come to a boil and then add the cooked pasta and the red kidney beans. Check the consistency, add water if its too thick. Simmer the soup for a couple of minutes and turn the heat off. Serve with some garlic bread.  I had seen Giada make some great pamesan poppers that afternoon so I served mine with them!

Minestrone soup served here with some parmesan poppers

If I had to make a list of my top ten comfort foods, this is sure to bag a place among the top 5!

Sunday Special-Aappam

Its been a while since I blogged. Its not because I didn’t cook too often(well, that too) but mostly because last week was one of the most busiest weeks of my life in the past six months. So last week, food from various restaurants and a little bit of kannavanin kaimanam(roughly translates to husband’s handiwork) featured on our menu list. I was craving for some steaming home cooked food by the end of last week. After a day of hot rasam saadam, I decided it was time to make one of my favorite south Indian breakfasts-aappam.

If one were to ask me or my cousins what we would have for breakfast on a Sunday, the reply would be, “Duh, aappam!”. Yes, it was a given that Sunday mornings started with hot, fluffy aappams(rice pancakes) served with thengai paal(sweetened coconut milk). It was a tradition at home(I guess my ammamma started it and all her children and some of her grandchildren still follow it!). Usually, the fact that it was a Sunday dawned on me only on seeing the white, soft aappams. It kinda set the mood for the day. When I left home, the tradition too stayed behind. Although I craved for it sometimes, I never tried making it by myself. I thought I could satisfy my craving at Saravana Bhavan in CA or NJ but alas, it wasn’t to be! So after asking my mom repeatedly for the recipe, she finally wrote it down for me when she visited me. And I, after a week of Italian, Thai, Mexican and American cuisine, decided to go back to my roots!!

When I mentioned to my hubby that I was making aappam and thengai paal for dinner, he gave me the women-sure-are-from-Venus-in-their-taste-palettes look. So I decided to make it with vegetable kurma as a side. This combo was served at home occasionally viz., the first Sunday of my Summer vacation or when my dad asked for it-which almost never happened(he stays away from coconuts for health reasons)! But tonight, not only did I relish this wonderful combo, my husband loved it too.

A hot, white, fluffy aappam

To make 10-12 medium sized aappams:

Boiled rice-1 cup

Raw rice-1 cup

Urad dal-1.5 tsp

Fenugreek seeds-1/2 tsp

salt to taste

water

oil-a few drops

Soak the rice and the dal with fenugreek seeds separately for 8 hours. Add water and grind the ingredients to make a smooth batter. Add salt and let the batter ferment overnight. The consistency of the batter should be rather thin(a la watery sambar!).

Spread oil in a Kadai(preferably non-stick), add two ladles of the batter and rotate the pan clockwise till the batter spreads around the kadai forming a hemisphere. Allow a little batter to remain in the center to form a thick and fluffy center. Cover and let it cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Uncover, check if the center is cooked and remove slowly using a spatula. Serve with piping hot kurma or sweetened, cold thengai paal. Ensaay-the tamilian way of saying Enjoy!

Aappams served with vegetable kurma

Here’s hoping ammamma’s Sunday aappam tradition continues for generations to come!

Tip: Although this recipe yeilds soft aappams, to get extra soft and tastier aapams, substitute water with coconut water and add 1 tsp sugar…that’s right, that’s why aappams served in Kerala are just GREAT!