Chatti Masiyal/Peerkangai Masiyal(Bottle gourd in tangy sauce)

Peerkangai (bottle gourd) has never been on the top of my favorites list. My mother had to tempt me to eat this rather bland veggie using different dishes or just good combos that go well with this dish(so that she can coax me into eating this masked by the other nicer dishes around). Some of these dishes were kootu, thogayal(with the skin) or an occasional(oh by that I mean, once or twice a year!) deep fry with bengal gram.

Soon after my wedding, one morning my mother-in-law announced that she was making a dish with this vegetable.  I neither wanted to eat this vegetable nor tell her I didn’t like it , for the fear of hurting her feelings. So I decide to gulp it and put on a smiling face – till she served it on my plate. Boy oh boy, was this dish great or WAT! I was so completely in love with peerkangai from then on! But sadly, I forgot to get the recipe or even the name of the dish, during that trip.

Recently, when I started finding good(oh yeah, they are mostly in their stale dried best!) peerkangai in the nearby Indian grocery store, I decide to make this delightful dish. I thought I had to first ask for the name of the dish from my hubby before asking my MIL for the recipe for ‘that dish with peerkangai which was heavenly’! The name was-brace yourselves- ‘Chatti Masiyal'(Paste in a pot!). After a few mins of good laugh, I called my MIL and asked her for the recipe.

Here it goes:

Peerkangai, meduim, diced-2 nos

Bengal gram(kadalai paruppu)-2 tbsps

coriander seeds(dhania)-2 tsps

red chillies-4 nos

tamarind pulp-1/4 cup

turmeric-1 tsp

salt-as per taste

For tempering(thadka):

Oil-1/2 tsp

mustard seeds-1/4 tsp

curry leaves-5-6 nos

Asofoetida-a few dashes

Dry roast the bengal gram, coriander seeds and red chillies. Allow it to cool and grind it to a smooth powder. Pressure cook the peerkangai along with turmeric in some water till tender. Mash the vegetable a little. Add the ground powder along with salt and tamarind pulp and some water to get the consistency of thick sambar or pancake batter. Allow the sauce to simmer on medium heat. Heat oil and splutter the mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves. Add the tadka to the sauce and serve with rice and appalum.

A pukka tamilian meal complete with rice, masiyal, poriyal and appalum

P.S: For all ya sistah out there with an absolute distaste for this veggie, try this dish with the red chillies and tamarind turned up a notch than what’s given in the recipe – oh I can already hear you gushin’ about it!

Vegetable Puffs – The round-the-corner bakery delicacy

Evenings in Chennai were always  special. They marked hots days coming to an end welcoming the cool, gentle breeze from the sea. The hustle-bustle of kids coming back from school, men/women returning home to their family after a long day’s work, the sweet smell of freshly tied malli-poo(jasmine flowers), freshly brewed filter coffee(my neighbors ground and brewed coffee every evening at the stroke of 4!) and piping hot tea were a few things that made the evenings so memorable. Another distinct aroma that wafted through the crowded streets was that from the little bakery that was situated at almost every other street corner. Each served wonderful little cakes, pastries and these savory treats called vegetables puffs. We had one such ‘ginger bread house’ (my friend and I christened it so as they serve some amazing masala bread with a powerful ginger flavor) close to our house.

During my first year of undergraduation, my friend and I, went to this ginger bread house almost every evening and shared a puff. The reason was simple, we got off our college bus at 5.30 p.m , right in front of the bakery and that was when the baker pulled out a fresh batch of puffs from the oven every evening. Who could resist those crispy, flaky, tasty little bites..we didn’t have that kinda will power then (I still don’t!)?!

A few years ago, I discovered that we could make this perennial favorite snack right at home. And it turns out to be a hit every time I serve it. Its simple and superb and a party favorite! Need I say more? 🙂

To make 9 small puffs:

Pepperidge farm frozen pastry sheets, thawed – 1 sheet (of 1 pkg)

For the stuffing:

Potatoes, large, diced-1

ginger-garlic paste-1/2 tsp

carrots, diced-1

peas, shelled-1/4 cup

onion, medium, chopped-1/2

chilli powder-1.5 tsp

garam masala-1/4 tsp

besan(chickpea flour)-1 tsp

salt-as per taste

Oil-1/2 tsp

Preheat the over to 400F.

Heat oil in a pan. Saute the onions with the ginger-garlic paste. When the turn translucent, add the besan and saute for a couple of minutes on low heat.

Now add the potatoes, carrots and peas. Cover and allow it to cook. Now add the salt, chilli powder and garam masala.Add water if the mixture is too dry. Cover for 2-3 minutes. Mash the vegetables a little till the mixture becomes a little ‘pasty’.

Lay out the puff pastry sheet and cut it twice along the folds (breadth wise) to get three strips. Cut each strip into three divisions(each piece almost forms a square). Place a little stuffing at the center of each pastry piece. Dab the edges of the piece with water and seal either forming a triangle (like a samosa) or a rectangle.

Place the puffs on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Serve these delectable snacks with tomato ketchup. All that you will hear, after serving these would be, ‘mmmmmmmmm’s!

Make it, serve it, flip you hair and go “Idhu eppadi irukku?”! (‘Howzzaat’-A dialogue made famous by the popular south Indian actor Rajnikanth.)

Kathirikkai Masala(Eggplant in gravy)

Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables. How do I like it served, you ask? Any which way, of course!I can eat it in the form of poriyal or sambar, kuzhambu, gothsu, stir fry, eggplant parmigiana or even baba ganoush! Now, if only the same applied to my better-half…life would be just perfect! Sigh, that’s not to be. So I gotta make the amazing vegetable such that he too eats it without a grimace. Thats why I started making this great dish.

Back home, my MIL makes a similar dish that’s as divine as this one, the only difference being, her’s is a dry dish(the masala is stuffed into the eggplants and then cooked).  This is close to the famous Hyderabadi Bagara Baingan. The only other time I have had this wonderful dish was at a Hyderabadi friend’s place (can it get more authentic than than!). It was her first time cooking for a large group (of 6) and her first time as a bride inviting friends and husband’s colleagues over to her place. But she amazed us all not just with her food(and the variety) but also her composure. I would have been a nervous wreck! You go gurl!

Recently we had friends over and I wanted to make something south Indian(and not the usual fare of sambar, rasam etc) so I decided to make this yummy dish (only to realise later that of all the 6 people gathered, 4 disliked eggplant!). I was glad atleast, they had the gravy to relish!

I love Kkkkkk...kathirikai masala(a la SRK in Darr, you silly!)

Eggplants, small, stem removed, slit in four-5-6 nos

coriander seeds-1 tbsp

channa dal-1.5 tsps

cumin seeds-1 tsp

Fennel seeds(saunf)-1/4 tsp

red chillies-4-5 nos

fenugreek seeds-5-6 nos

sesame seeds-1 tbsp

peanuts-1 tbsp (I used roasted salted ones)

ginger, chopped-1.5 tsp

garlic, chopped-1.5 tsp

onion, medium, chopped-1/2 no

curry leaves-6-7 nos

tamarind pulp-1/2 cup

turmeric powder-1/2 tsp

Salt-as per taste

Oil-2 tbsp

water-as required

Heat a few drops of oil in a pan. Roast the corianded seeds, cumin seeds, channa dal, red chillies, fenugreek seed(add this at the end as it darkens soon) and saunf. Allow it to cool down. In the same pan, roast the sesame seeds and peanuts(if they are raw). Add this to the coriander seed mixture and grind to a smooth powder. In the same pan, in a few drops of oil, saute the ginger, garlic and onion. Once this cooks and cools down, add it to the ground powder and grind into a smooth paste.

In the rest of the oil, saute the curry leaves and eggplants till they are almost cooked/tender. Add the ground paste to the pan along with turmeric powder and salt. Add water to loosen the paste and cover, allowing the eggplants to cook completely. Now add the tamarind pulp and bring to a boil.

Sambar, avial, kathirikkai masala and saadam make a superb southern Indian platter, doesn't it?

P.S: Sometimes I add a clove and a 1/4″ cinnamon to the masala to be ground. It just add to the ‘masala’esqu flavor of the curry. You can also add a little jaggery while adding the tamarind pulp to give it the edge!