American Chopsuey-A truly desi dish with a firangi(foreign) name

American chopsuey is probably one of the most ordered Indo-chinese dishes in India, after manchurians, hakka noodles and fried rice. Its crunchy texture mixed with the sweet-tangy sauce must make this dish an absolute favorite among the masses. There was a phase when everytime I stepped out for Chinese with friends/family in India , I would order this dish or convince another member in the group to order it and grab a few spoonfuls!

Surprisingly this dish isn’t available in America….how weird is that! I for one think the name could have been something like Cantonese Chopsuey or Indian chopsuey. There are an almost similar dish served in some restaurants across the U.S with a crisy noodle base with sauce on top but nothing compares to the American chopsuey thats served back home.

My mom once made this dish at home and it turned out great. I have been wanting to try this dish by myself  for a while now. And that’s what I did.

For the noodles:

Chang’s Veg noodles-2 packs

Cooking spray/Oil

Heat oven to 350 degree F. Line a baking tray(cookie sheet) with aluminium foil. Break up the noodles and spread it on the cookie sheet. Drizzle/spray oil on the noodles and toss well to cover all the noodles with oil. Bake the noodles for 5 minutes, remove from oven and toss the noodles again to bring the ones at the bottom to the top and bake for 5 more minutes or till slightly golden/browned. Keep aside.

For the vegetables:

Carrots, julienned-2 nos

Green Beans, an inch long pieces-1/2 cup

capsicum/bell pepper, medium, cut lengthwise-1 no

mushrooms, sliced-6-7 nos

cabbage,medium ,cut lengthwise-1/s no.

Garlic, chopped-2 nos

spring onion/scallions-5-6 nos

oil-1/2 tsp

salt-as per taste

pepper-2 tsps

Heat oil in a pan. Saute garlic and the white ends of the scallions. Add the carrots, beans, mushroom and capsicum. Saute for a few mins till they are cooked but still crunchy. Add the cabbage, salt and pepper. Stir and keep covered for a minute. Turn off the heat and keep aside. Reserve the green ends to garnish the chopsuey after assembly.

For the sauce:

Tomato ketchup-1/4 cup

soy sauce-2 tbsps

garlic chilli sauce-1 tbsp

garam masala powder-2 tsps

cornstarch/cornflour-2 tbsps

water-2 cups

In a pan, combine all the sauces, garam masala and water. Bring it to a boil. Dissolve the cornstarch in little water and add it to the mixture just as it starts to boil.

To serve, place the noodles in bowl, top with the vegetables and sauce. Garnish with the green end of the scallions.

Kathirikkai gothsu-The soulmate of Venn Pongal

Venn(white) Pongal is one of the most sought after breakfast items in most Tamilian homes. Nothing beats a breakfast of hot delicious venn pongal with hmm..chutney..yeah, alrite, sambar..uhh..okkay, what about gothsu? Oh yeah! Truly, pongal and gothsu is a divine combo. When my now-husband-then-fiance moved to the place I lived in, he had asked for the Pongal-gothsu combo for breakfast! When I served him his favorite breakfast that morning, a silence had descended over the table. There was a tension in the room-me with my fingers crossed about how he liked the food and my roommates standing behind the kitchen wall waiting for the final verdict. And at last, after 5 whole nail biting moments came the “Rombo nalla irukku”(its very good). A Wheh! escaped my mouth while a chorus of girlie giggles and “Ooooohos, Aaahaas”(an exclamation of praise but in this case said just to embarass the two of us!) emanated from behind the kitchen wall.

Anyhow, this winning combo has been served for years at home. It always evokes many fond memories about home and about dear ones. Here goes the recipe for what gives venn pongal its spunk 🙂

Awww...such a heavenly union, don't ya agree?

Brinjal, small, quatered-5-6 nos

Moong dal-1/4 cup

onion, medium, chopped-1/2 no

tomato, medium, chopped-1 no

green chilli, slit-1 no

curry leaves-5-6 nos

tamarind pulp-1/4 cup

sambar powder-1/2 tbsp

tumeric powder-1/4 tsp

mustard seeds-1 tsp

channa dal-1/4 tsp

hing-a pinch

salt-as per taste

oil-1 tsp

cilantro-few sprigs for garnishing

Cook moong dal in 3/4th cup water and a pinch of turmeric. Mash and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Crackle mustard seeds, add the channa dal, hing and green chillies. A minute later, add the onions. Saute them with a pinch of salt till they turn translucent. Now add the tomatoes and chopped brinjals and saute for a couple of minutes. Now add the sambar powder and tamarind pulp. Add water and cover for a few minutes.

Finally add the mashed moong dal. Boil for 2 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with pongal.

P.S: Chopping the brinjal just before sauteing is good. Also, keeping the chopped brinjal in bowl of water stops them from darkening.

Gobi Manchurian

Gobi Manchurian, fried rice, hakka noodles are probably some of the most sought after and extremely popular Indo-chinese dishes. In chennai, other than the specialty Chinese restaurants even the specialty restaurants in Southern Cuisine/ Northern Cuisine serve these dishes . As a kid, we rarely went to a Chinese restaurant or ordered chinese foods, thanks to the ajinotomo(MSG)-is-carcinogenic rumor of the 90’s in India. My mom insisted on making these dishes at home than having them at any restaurant so that she can control what goes into the dishes. Once in a while, when a cousin visited from abroad, all of us cousins would sneak out to Rangis or Dynasty(these were some of the very few specialty Chinese restaurants in the city in the early 90s) for a yummy Chinese Meal.

A couple of weeks ago, we were inviting some friends over for dinner and I decided I was going with a Asian-cuisine(Ind0-chinese and Thai) fare. The menu included Tofu-lettuce wraps,vegetable fried rice, gobi manchurian,thai spicy peanut noodles,green curry with veggies and tofu,sticky rice with mangoes and a non-alcoholic mangotini(mango martini). Food apart, the meal turned out be so much fun. I should admit that the mess in my kitchen seemed staggering but thanks to my hubby everything was set straight in the matter of minutes(or what seemed like minutes to me 😀 ). Although I came up with the menu, a dear friend helped me so much with the cooking(she made the fried rice and lent a hand in almost everything I made that evening). Thanks M…you are just amazing, girl!

Today I thought I shall post the recipe for gobi manchurian, although thousands of recipes for this dish have been posted, shown on TV, written in books-I felt I should share my version.

The time-tested tasty gobi manchurian

Cauliflower, medium sized, broken into individual florets -1

corn flour-1 cup

maida-3 tbsp

salt to taste

ginger garlic paste-1.5 tsps

kashmiri red chilli powder-2 tsps

Oil-3 tbsp

water-1/4 cup

Cook cauliflower florets in a pan filled with water. Sprinkle a tsp of salt in the boiling water. Drain and keep aside.

In a small, slightly deep pan heat oil(small,deep pans require less oil but of course take a longer time!). Mix all the above ingredients, except the cooked cauliflower, with 1/4 cup water to make a slightly thick batter(the consistency should be watery than that for bajji). Dip the florets in the batter and fry. Keep these aside.

For the gravy:

Garlic, chopped-3 nos

Green chillies, chopped-2 nos.

ginger-garlic paste-1/2 tsp

soy sauce-2 tbsps

tomato ketchup-3 tbsps

chiili sauce(Sriracha does a great job)-2 tbsps

water-1 cup

cornstarch-2 tsps

spring onion(scallions), chopped-3 nos

oil-1 tbsp

Heat oil in a pan. Saute garlic, green chillies, white end of the scallions. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute  for a minute. Now add all the sauces and water. Dissolve the cornstarch in 1 tbsp water. Add this mixture to the sauces. Just as it starts thickening, add the fried florets. Garnish with the chopped, green end of the scallions. Serve with plain or fried rice.

P.S: Thanks SJ for the pictures, I didn’t even have to use Picassa to edit them. I think you are soooo ready for a SLR!

The green spring onions against the orange manchurian and the placemat make a beautiful pic, doesn't it?

On an aside, I found some interesting titbit about the origin of the Mighty Manchurian. It was the ingenious brainchild of the father of Indo-Chinese food, Mr. Nelson Wang(who runs an restaurant called China Garden in Mumbai). This dish supposedly came into existence in the mid 70’s in Kolkota. Read more about it here.

Gongura thokku with Pulicha Keerai(Sorrel leaves)

Like I had mentioned in my earlier post, finding different types of (familiar)greens in the place I live, is extremely difficult. But a bigger uphill task, for me, is making my husband eat it!

Last week, I found a small bunch of Pulicha keerai/gongura/sorrel greens at the neighborhood Indian store. Although I bought it thinking it was something else(I thought I was picking the pack of mint but mistakenly picked the pack of greens that was lying next to it), I was so glad I bought it. Pulicha keerai was made at home atleast once in two weeks in the form of masiyal or gongura thokku. Though we do get the Udipi Gongura thokku, its not the same as amma’s (no, not the brand!)homemade gongura thokku. Another thing that comes to mind when I think of Gongura thokku is Tirupathi(No,no the prasadam is still laddu). Every time we went to Tirupathi, a meal at Bhima’s was a must(like so many other devotees, I guess 🙂 ). And my dad especially looked for those little bottles of gongura thokku and gun powder(Andhra’s version of the hot and spicy paruppu podi) and devoured them under my mom’s stare!

When I wondered what I could do with the bunch of keerai, my mom suggested the thokku. The surprising part was my hubby ate it with relish…no complaints, no cringing but more spoonfuls. This thokku can be refrigerated in an air-tight container for upto a week and tastes as fresh.

Pulicha/gongura/sorrel greens-1 small bunch(about 3 cups of leaves)

channa dal-3 tsps

coriander seeds/dhania-3 tsps

fenugreek seeds/vendhayam-1/4 tsp

red chillies-4-5 nos.

garlic, chopped-3 cloves

salt to taste

oil-1 tbsp

Heat 1/2 tsp oil in a pan. Saute channa dal,dhania, fenugreek and red chillies till they turn golden. Remove from pan and allow it to cool down. Saute the greens till they wilt and reduce to almost 1/2 of its original volume. Allow the greens to cool down. Grind all the sauteed ingredients.

Heat rest of the oil and saute the garlic. Now add the ground greens+chillies+dal mixture. Season with salt and saute for 4-5 minutes.

Serve with hot rice, idlis or dosas and you will be surprised how the most finicky eater would eat this dish with delight!

Barotta-The south Indian Bread

Paratha/Parantha is the world famous bread that comes from Northern India. South India’s answer to this amazing dish is the equally delish Barotta(or as I call it-Parotta). As a kid, I used to look forward to the evenings when I came back from school to have a steaming, hot Parotta. Days when my mom packed idlis/curd rice for lunch, I knew something extra special awaited in the evening. My guess is that was her way of making up for packing such a vapid lunch! Later came the Parotta kurma of Saravana Bhavan. Although I consider this great, I came know through friends that the barottas served in கையேந்தி பவன் (road side eatery) were simply superb.

So here I was sitting one Sunday, after having had curd rice and pickle for the past two meals, wondering how I could make up for serving(and eating) such a bland, boring meal that it struck me-Parottas, of course! There are many sub-versions of this already yummy dish-my mom makes a version of it called Ceylone Parotta with eggs while I know one of the most-sought after dish at my MIL’s kitchen is the kothu parotta(minced parotta with vegetables although the traditional version is made with meat). Now coming back to my parottas-they turned out rather well considering how easily I had made mine(watch the video below to see catch my point-a la MichealMadanaKamaRaj)!

To make 12 parottas my way:

Maida(cream of wheat)-1.5 cups

salt-to taste

oil-3 tbsps

water-1 cup

Combine all the above ingredients and knead into a smooth dough. Allow the dough to rest for about 30 mins. Divide the dough into 12 equal sized balls. I have two ways of rolling them out:

1. Roll out the ball into thin rotis using a rolling pin. Spread 1tsp oil on the roti and start folding them from one edge like a fan(fold one end, starting at the edge underneath fold over till you reach the other end).Now roll the linear fan into a circle with the loose end tucked into the center. Roll this out (about 1/2 inch thick-don’t panic if you dont see layers yet). Cook on medium flame till golden on both sides. Once done, push the parotta together from either sides to fluff them up and bring out the layers.

2. Roll out the ball into thin rotis using a rolling pin. Spread 1 tsp oil at the center of the roti and make a well(hole). Stretch the hole from either sides elongating the roti simultaneoulsy till the roti tears into two ends making one long thin rope-like structure. Now swirl the long rope into a circle, flatten it out and roll it out(1/2 inch thick). Cook till golden on both sides and push the parotta together from either sides to fluff them up and bring out the layers.

Serve hot with onion, tomato raita and vegetable kurma.

Need I say how sa(u)ssy the combo looks! 🙂

P.S: Thanks M for talking about your wonderful parottas(over the sambar vadais, pooris,butter masal dosais etc), it reminded me about the posting my parotta recipe! 🙂

Thakkali/Tomato thokku

Every time my mom and I embarked on an overnight journey, foods that were packed included rotis/idlis and the thakkali thokku(spicy pickled tomato concentrate). The reson for this was these lasted long in the hot Indian summery days. And they tasted just as fresh and tasty all along. This wonderful thokku was also served at home as an accompaniment for thoor dal pulav and other breakfast dishes.

For me, this dish is special ‘coz this was one of the first dishes I ever cooked for my hubby and his ex-collegues when I visited him and got some great compliments. So recently when our friends and we decided to go to a nice little state park for a long weekend, I offered to make the thakkali thokku. And it was no different this time-while one got reminded of  her paati’s(grandmom) thokku, another got reminded of home sweet home in Hyderabad! What better compliment for one’s food than reviving fond ole memories :). This is one dish you cannot go wrong with.

Beautiful,summery tomatoes washed and ready to be cooked

For 2 servings:

tomatoes(medium, chopped/pureed)-3 nos

(Pureeing the tomatoes gives a smoother thokku than when chopped which leaves little lumps)

kashmiri red chilli powder-2.5 tsp

salt-3/4 tsp

mustard seeds-1 tsp

fenugreek seeds-1/4 tsp

sesame oil/gingely oil-1 tbsp

In a hot pan, saute the mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds till they mustard seeds pop and the fenugreek seeds give a wonderful aroma(don’t let them burn!). Cool and grind to a fine powder.

Heat oil in the pan and add the tomato puree. Saute on medium high for 5 mins till the puree thickens and leaves the sides of the pan. Add salt and chilli powder and cover. Cook for a couple of minutes on low heat till you see oil emerge around the mixture. Stir in the mustard-fenugreek powder and turn off the heat immediately. Serve with idlis, dosas or even rotis.

Tomato thokku ready to take a hike! No really..we went to a state park:)

Paruppu Usilli

I know, I know…google it and you would find thousands of recipes for this dish but this recipe comes as a request from a dear friend. She hails from the Sundara Telungu(in Tamil) desam and had never heard of the dish till I introduced it to her. This dish is special but common, tasty but healthy(S, reassure P that though it is tasty, it is good for you too!), simple but tedious..yes it is out very own Paradoxical paruppu usilli!

To each their own is one saying that is especially applicable to cooking. The same dish can be prepared umpteen number of ways. I believe every individual lends a part of their personality to their cooking and that reflects in their food. Although most people make paruppu usilli the same way, differences do exist, some due to differences in taste palettes and some due to health reasons and time constraints. For example, my ammamma used both toor and channa dal for the usilli while my mom uses only toor daal as she believes channa daal is bad for the stomach and my aunt adds ginger to help in digestion but ‘ups’ chilli level a few notches. My MIL even has a recipe for avasara(quick/instant) paruppu usilli!

I do mine as per my liking, sometimes with channa dal and sometimes without, sometimes a little more hotter than the rest of the times and sometimes the actual way and sometimes the avasara way. The following is the recipe I followed when I served my friend the usilli.

Toor daal-3/4 cup

channa dal-handful

red chillies-3 nos

salt-to taste

vegetables like beans/avarakkai(broad beans)/karamani(long beans), chopped-2 cups

For tempering:

mustard seeds-1 tsp

curry leaves-5-6 nos

hing-a pinch

red chillies-1 no

oil-a few drops

Soak the daals and the red chillies for 2-3 hours in lukewarm water. Grind into a fine paste with little water and salt. Divide the mixture into 5-6 equal parts and steam cook in idli plates. Allow them to cool down. In a mixer, grind the steamed lentil cakes on pulse setting (pulsing it a couple of times will do the trick). This makes the usilli get the perfect texture. This can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days in a air-tight container.

Whenever needed, heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds. Once it splutters, add the hing, curry leaves and red chilles. Add the vegetable of your choice (or should I say what’s available) and salt. Cover and cook. Once the vegetables are done, add the paruppu usilli, stir well and serve with rice.

P.S: For avasara usilli, cook the vegetables and then add 2 heaped tbsps of readymade paruppu podi(daal powder that is used as an accompaniment) and mix well so that the vegetables get coated with the paruppu podi. This turns out great and is done in a jiffy!

Vegetable Stew or ‘ishtoo’

It has been a while since I blogged. I have been basking in the wonderfully pleasant sunny days. I am a sucker for sunny days(not the unbearably hot ones) who loathes temperatures below 20 F. I have been ‘soakin up the sun’ and enjoying sometime off from daily chores. Although I never really stopped cooking, I have slowed down on the clicking-pictures-after-every -meal-is-prepared part! My better half got a little bitter about flashing 😉 the camera during each meal. So I decided to let him enjoy respite from the camera! Time has come for my camera to re emerge from its little sojourn. What better dish to start with than the vegetable stew.

My wonderful mallu friends introduced me to this great tasting dish. There was just one hitch..I didn’t know it was The Vegetable Stew till I was all grown up. As a kid, I heard amma refer to it as ‘isht00’ and I assumed it was a dish by itself! Later when I went to ‘Malgudi Days'(a wonderful restaurant in Savera group of hotels)and was served ‘ishtoo’ with aapam, when the menu said the dish was Aapam with vegetable stew, I realized ‘ishtoo’ was actually VEGETABLE STEW! Now, for all those who have serious doubts about my aptitude levels, ditch the thought and read on for the recipe!!

The name ‘ishtoo’ however stuck on and now even my hubby calls it so! Is it just me or do you too think that it sounds like it originated from ‘ishtam‘ (like)? What better a name for a tasty dish that is so ‘endearing’!

Green chillies, slit lengthwise-2 nos

ginger, chopped-1/2 inch

vegetables(potatoes,carrots,beans), diced-1/2 cup

coconut milk-1 cup

curry leaves-7-8 nos

turmeric-a pinch

mustard seeds-1 tsp

salt-as per taste

water-1/2 cup

oil-a few drops(use coconut oil for that extra Zing)

In a pressure cooker, heat oil and crackle the mustard seeds. Add the green chillies, curry leaves and ginger. Saute for a few seconds. Now add the vegetables and turmeric followed by the coconut milk aand water. Season with salt. Cover and cook for 1 whistle. Serve hot with aapam, idiappam or rice.