Jackfruit Seeds Curry, Palakottai Varuval

          This year's jackfruit season is over, as much as I miss the fruits, I miss the seeds too. In fact my daughter doesn't like the fruit at all, but she likes the seeds very much, especially in the sambar that I make with drumstick and the seeds. Usually I'll buy a dozen jackfruit bulbs or the edible part of the fruit and always used the seeds for making the sambar. Once, I got a large quantity of the seeds alone and I wanted to try out a varuval ( curry ) with it, I made it just like the way I make potato curry. It's an easy dish and it goes very well with rice and dal/sambar..

Need To Have

• Jackfruit Seeds - about 2 cups
• Onion - 1 big, chopped
• Sambar Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Fennel Seeds Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Salt to taste

Method

          I have shown how to peel and clean the seeds, usually when you remove the seeds from the fruit, it has a slimy outer skin, remove that and let the seeds dry. Then remove the outer white skin, usually I cut the seeds into half, then peel the skin, it has another thin brown skin inside.

           Either you can use it as such, or soak the seeds in water for some time, then scrape the brown skin, cook the seeds with some water and salt till cooked.

          Now heat some oil, add the chopped onion, followed by the fennel seeds powder and saute till the onion turns pink. Now add the jackfruit seeds, turmeric powder, sambar powder, red chilly powder, curry leaves and salt and keep sauteing on low heat till the seeds are well roasted.

Note
The seeds should be soft to the bite but should not become too soft or mushy.
If you like pepper powder, you can add a little towards the end and roast, it'll give a nice flavor.

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One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes

 

 Pic courtesy Smitten Kitchen

Someone in my ward made me this when I had Caroline and I was blown away by its yumminess. It was my first experience with farro and I'm now a huge fan. It is so simple and so flavorful. I made it again last week and it was just as delicious as I remembered! Oh, and I tripled it for our family.

 One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes
from Smitten Kitchen 

Serves: 4 as a side, 2 as a hearty main
2 cups water
1 cup semi-pearled (pre-cooked) farro (I used Trader Joes 10 minute farro)
1/2 large onion (I usually use a white one, for mildness)
2 cloves garlic
9 ounces grape or cherry tomatoes
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher or coarse sea salt
Up to 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Few basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons
Grated parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
Place water and farro in a medium saucepan to presoak (I find just 5 to 10 minutes sufficient) while you prepare the other ingredients. Adding each ingredient to the pot as you finish preparing it, cut onion in half again, and very thinly slice it into quarter-moons. Thinly slice garlic cloves as well. Halve or quarter tomatoes. Add salt, pepper flakes (to taste) and 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan, and set a timer for 30 minutes. Bring uncovered pan (no lid necessary) up to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. When the timer rings, the farro should be perfectly cooked (tender but with a meaty chew), seasoned and the cooking water should be almost completely absorbed. If needed, though I’ve never found it necessary, cook it for 5 additional minutes, until farro is more tender.
Transfer to a wide serving bowl. If there’s enough leftover cooking liquid to be bothersome, simply use a slotted spoon to leave the amount you wish to behind. Drizzle farro lightly with additional olive oil (I left this part out), scatter with basil and parmesan. Eat immediately. Repeat tomorrow.
 

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Murungakkai Palakottai Sambar, Drumstick Jackfruit Seeds Sambar

          I like jackfruit seeds as much as I like the fruit itself, though it's a pain to peel these seeds, they taste delicious. We can make curries with the seeds alone, but I like this sambar made with these seeds and murungakkai/drumsticks more than the curries. The flavor from the murungakkai and also the tamarind added in the sambar adds more taste to the seeds. Serve it with rice and any vegetable curry..

Need To Have

• Tuvar Dal/ Split Pigeon Peas - 1/3 cup
• Jackfruit Seeds - 1 cup
• Drumstick - 2 big, cut into 2" pieces
• Onion - 1 small, chopped
• Tamarind - small lemon sized ball
• Sambar Powder - 3 teaspoons
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Urad Dal/Husked Black Gram - 1 teaspoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Chopped Coriander Leaves - 1 tablespoon
• Salt to taste

Method

          Pressure cook the tuvar dal with the turmeric powder and keep. Take the soft skin from the seeds while removing it from the fruit, the seeds can be left to dry overnight. Now the outer white skin will be dried up, I usually dice it into two and remove the outer skin, then you'll see the brown skin.

          Next, to remove the brown skin, soak it in water for sometime ( about 30 minutes, then scrape it out ).

          Heat some oil, add the urad dal and mustard seeds and cumin seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the asafoetida followed by the green chilly and onions. Saute it for a minute, then add the jackfruit seeds and drumstick and saute for another minute.

          Add the sambar powder, salt, about 2 cups of water, cover and cook till the drumsticks and seeds are cooked. Soak the tamarind in 1/4 cup of hot water for 15 minutes and extract the juice, then add another 1/4 cup water and squeeze out. Add the tamarind extract to the cooked drumstick and seeds and cook another 10 minutes, then add the cooked dal and cook for 5 more minutes. Finally add the curry leaves and chopped coriander and remove.

Note
The drumsticks that we get in Chennai cooks so fast, but the ones that I get in Bangalore takes a long time to cook, so adding tamarind slows down the cooking even more, that's why I add it after the drumstick is cooked.
You can pressure cook the jackfruit seeds too, but not with the tuvar dal, cook it for only a whistle or two, the seeds should not become mushy.
Some people don't remove the outer brown skin, also the outer white skin is easy to remove ony when the seeds dry out, the seeds are slippery when you remove them from the fruit.

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Pumpkin Paratha

          Pumpkin is not a vegetable that I buy every other day, I cook something with it, might be, once or twice in a month. That's mainly because, I know and have tried only very few dishes with it, a pachadi, soup and sometimes added it to sambar/kuzhambu. This pumpkin paratha has been on the try out list for some time, and finally, I made it couple of weeks back. These parathas are not the stuffed version, in this one, we just add pumpkin puree along with other spices to the flour while making the dough. The parathas turned out very soft and I have also added some ajwain, sesame seeds and ginger which gave a nice flavor to them..

Need To Have

• Whole Wheat Flour/Atta - 1 cup + 1 tablespoon
• Besan Flour/Chana Dal Flour - 1/2 cup
• Pumpkin Puree - 1 cup
• Sesame Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Ajwain Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Grated Ginger - 1 teaspoon
• Green Chilly - 1, chopped finely
• Chopped Coriander - 1/4 cup
• Salt to taste

Method

          Take the flours, ajwain seeds, sesame seeds. green chilly, ginger, salt, turmeric powder and coriander, add the pumpkin puree ( cook the pumpkin pieces with a little water and grind it ).

          Bring everything together and make a soft dough, apply some oil and keep it for 10 minutes and then make small lemon sized balls.

          Roll them out into discs, cook them on a hot tawa/pan, applying a little oil, till you get light brown spots on both sides. Remove and serve it warm with pickles or any side dish of your choice.

Note
I have added that extra tablespoon of flour, because the dough was very sticky. it depends on how thick or thin the pumpkin puree is.
You can use ghee instead of oil for a nice flavor.
Also you can increase the amount of sesame seeds and ajwain seeds by another half or one teaspoon. 

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Chitranna, Karnataka Style Lemon Rice

          Chitranna, this is a slight variation from the lemon rice that we make in the Tamil cuisine, it's a Karnataka version. We make it in a very simple way, basic seasoning with green chillies for a little spice and then the lemon juice. But Chitranna, is even more interesting, with a paste with coconut and spices. We also add onions along with the seasoning, and this gives a nice crunch to the dish. Serve it with some avial or chips on the side..

Need To Have

• Cooked Rice - 2 cups
• Raw Peanuts - 2 tablespoons
• Urad Dal/Husked Black Gram - 1 tablespoon
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Onion - 1 big, chopped
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Dried Red Chilly - 1, broken into half
• Lemon Juice - 2 tablespoons
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Chopped Coriander - 2 tablespoons

To Grind

• Grated Coconut - 1/4 cup
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Green Chillies - 2

Original recipe here.

Method

          Coarsely grind all the ingredients given under ' to grind ', don't add water, remove and keep.

          Heat some oil, add the peanuts, once it's roasted, add the urad dal and mustard seeds. Once it starts spluttering, add the asafoetida, followed by the red chilly and curry leaves, mix for 1/2 a minute, then add the chopped onions and saute.

          Once the onions turn pink, add the ground masala and salt and keep sauteing till the raw mustard smell goes away. Now add the rice, mix and switch off. Finally add the lemon juice and chopped coriander and mix.

Note
The rice should not be hot or mushy.
Increase or decrease the lemon juice according to your taste.

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Red Cabbage And Banana Flower ( Vazhaipoo ) Poriyal ( Stir Fry )

          Everybody knows about the benefits of cabbage, especially the red one is even better than the white one. Whenever I bought this, I usually added it to a fried rice, but some time back, I made a poriyal with it, and I added banana flower ( vazhaipoo ), just because I had a little in the refrigerator. The combination tasted very good and now whenever I make red cabbage, I make it this way. Another big reason, my daughter who doesn't like both cabbage and banana flower separately, for some reason, likes this poriyal with both in it. I know most kids and even some adults don't like banana flower ( vazhaipoo ), next time, do try out this combo..

Need To Have

• Shredded Cabbage - 3 cups
• Chopped Banana Flower - 1 cup
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Urad Dal/Husked Black Gram Dal - 1 tablespoon
• Asafoetida - 1/4 teaspoon
• Green Chillies - 2, slit
• Grated Coconut - 4 tablespoons
• Curry Leaves - 10
• Salt to taste

Method

          Heat some oil, add the urad dal and mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering, add the asafoetida, green chillies followed by the curry leaves and mix for half a minute.

          Then add the cabbage and banana flower and salt, mix, cover and cook on medium heat till done. Add the grated coconut, mix and remove.

Note
Don't overcook the cabbage.
This curry goes well with rice, sambar, or even as a dry curry with rotis.

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Begun Bhaja, Baingan Bhaja, Bengali Style Eggplant Fry

          Begun Bhaja, Baingan Bhaja, another dish that I had tried from the Bengali cuisine, some time back. It's a simple and tasty dish, we use the big eggplants for this, the slices are marinated in spice powders, dusted with some rice flour and shallow fried. It tastes very good with rice and some dal/lentil curry, but of course it can be served with rotis too..

Need To Here

• Eggplant - 1 medium size
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Amchur, Dry Mango Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Garam Masala - 1/2 teaspoon
• Rice Flour - to coat the slices
• Salt to taste

Original recipe here.

Method

          Slice the eggplant and leave it in water for about 1/2 hour. Then remove the slices, add the turmeric, chilly, amchur powders, garam masala and salt, mix it and leave for about 15 minutes.

          Then take the rice flour in a plate, coat the eggplant slices on both sides with it.

          Shallow fry the slices till golden brown on both sides, drain the excess oil on a napkin and serve it hot.

Note
We can fry the eggplants without the rice flour too, but the rice flour gives a crispy texture.
This tastes best when served hot, the crispiness is lost as it turns cold.

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Fresh Lobia ( Karamani, Black Eyed Beans ) Curry

          Today's dish, a curry with fresh lobia/karamani/ black eyed beans is another dish that I had made sometime back. Though dried lobia is available easily, fresh karamani is not found every time, so whenever I find fresh beans like this, I always buy and stock some. We can make all the dishes that we make with dried beans with these fresh ones, no need of soaking and of course they taste awesome. I have added some capsicum for some flavor and also a paste of coconut, small onions and fennel seeds to make a thick curry. We had it with rotis, but the curry would go very well with any kind of pilaf too..

Need To Have

• Fresh Lobia/Black Eyed Beans/Karamani - 1 cup
• Bay Leaf - 1 small
• Black Cardamom - 1
• Cloves - 3
• Green Capsicum - 1 medium, chopped
• Toamto - 1 medium, chopped
• Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
• Red Chilly Powder - 1 teaspoon
• Coriander Powder - 11/2 teaspoon
• Garam Masala - 1/2 teaspoon
• Chopped Coriander - 2 tablespoons
• Salt to taste

To Grind

• Grated Coconut - 2 tablespoons
• Small Onions, Shallots - 5
• Fennel Seeds - 1 teaspoon

Method

          Wash and keep the fresh lobia beans, grind together all the ingredients given under ' to grind '.

          Heat some oil in a pressure pan, add the bay leaf, cloves and cardamom, when it starts sizzling, add the capsicum and tomatoes and saute for a minute. Add the turmeric, chilly and coriander powders and mix.

          Then add the salt and the fresh beans along with 1 1/2 cups of water, cover and cook for 2 whistles, then reduce the heat to low and cook for another 7 minutes and switch off.

          Once the pressure is released, open the pressure pan, add the ground paste and garam masala, mix and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. Finally, garnish with the chopped coriander and serve.

Note
The same curry can be made with dried beans.

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Karuvepillai Kuzhambu, Curry Leaves Curry/Gravy

          Curry Leaves/Karuvepillai, I can't imagine South Indian cooking without this, we season most of our dishes with it and use it in chutneys, podis, we just love the flavor of these leaves. This kuzhambu has been on my do list for so long, I have followed Mallika Badrinath's recipe, it's simple and delicious. We can serve this kuzhambu with rice, idlis and dosas, it's spicy tangy and very flavorful..

Need To Have

• Urad Dal/ Husked Black Gram - 2 teaspoons
• Mustard Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
• Small Onions, Shallots - chopped, 3/4 cup
• Salt to taste

To Grind

• Poppy Seeds - 11/2 tablespoon
• Tamarind - 2 small lemon size
• Grated Coconut - 4 tablespoons
• Curry Leaves - 11/2 cups
• Green Chillies - 3 long, big ones
• Dried Red Chillies - 6
• Garlic - 10 cloves
• Ginger - 11/2 " piece

Method

           Dry roast the poppy seeds and soak the tamarind in a little warm water. Heat some oil, saute the dried red chillies and remove.

          Then add the garlic, green chillies and ginger, saute for 2 minutes, then add the curry leaves and saute for 3 to 5 minutes and remove. Grind all the sauteed items with the poppy seeds, tamarind and coconut into a paste and keep.

          Heat some oil, add the urad dal and mustard seeds, when it starts spluttering add the chopped onions and saute till golden, then add the ground paste.

          Saute the paste for 5 to 7 minutes, then add salt and about a cup of water, bring it to a boil, then reduce and cook it on low heat for about 5 to 7 minutes, till oil floats on the top.

Note
The taste should be spicy and tangy with a nice flavor.
I like to use gingelly oil for making this kuzhambu, it gives a nice flavor.

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Thakkali Dosai, Tomato Dosa

          How many times I make dosas at home, at least 3 or 4 times a week, starting from plain dosas, rava dosa, ragi and other millet dosas, today's dish is another dosa, Tomato Dosa. I have tasted this dosa a couple of times, and usually it's done with freshly done batter, without fermentation, but this dosa today is made after fermenting. When we use fermented batter to make the dosas, it's much easier, just pour and spread like regular dosas. The dosas come out very crispy and tastes very good with coconut chutney and sambar..

Need To Have

• Idli Rice - 2 cups
• Urad Dal/Husked Whole Black Gram - 2 tablespoons
• Fenugreek Seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Dried Red Chillies - 6
• Garlic Cloves -6
• Fennel Seeds - 2 teaspoons
• Tomatoes - 2 cups, chopped
• Salt - 2 teaspoons

Method

          Wash and soak overnight the rice along with the urad dal and fenugreek seeds. Next day morning grind it along with the red chillies, garlic cloves, tomatoes and fennel seeds into a smooth batter. Mix it with the salt and let it ferment for at least 10 to 12 hours.

          Just before making the dosas, mix the batter, it should have a pouring consistency ( like a thin pancake batter ). Pour a laddle ( big one ) of batter, spread it out, add a little oil around the edges, cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, till you see brown spots, flip it, cook on the other side for a minute or two and remove.

Note
The batter will not rise that much like the regular dosa batter, but you'll see very small bubble like texture on the top.
Also when you spread the dosa batter, bubbles should break and holes should be formed, that shows the batter has fermented well.

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Date And Cocoa Truffles - Guest Post

           Who doesn't like a sweet or dessert that doesn't need any cooking and at the same time, healthy too, well when I saw these cocoa and date truffles here, I simply wanted to try it out right away. They just need a couple of ingredients, some good quality dates and cocoa powder, no added sugar, the sweetness from the dates is more than enough. Mix them both and roll it in more cocoa powder or as I did, with some chocolate vermicelli..

          This is a guest post for Usha who blogs at Mahaslovelyhome, she is a very sincere blogger and a very straightforward person, thanks Usha for letting me share a post in your lovely space. Check out here for the complete post with stepwise pictures..

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Paruppu Thogayal, Lentil Chutney

          As I had mentioned in my last post, today's dish is the simple and tasty Paruppu Thogayal or Lentil Chutney. When I say Paruppu/Lentils, I mean tuvar dal or arhar dal or split pigeon pea and the thogayal needs just 3 more ingredients along with the dal. An easy and flavorful chutney that makes a perfect combination with the Sundakkai Vathal kuzhambu, serve it with some hot white rice, drizzled with ghee or sesame oil and some sutta appalam ( pappads ) for a simple and delicious lunch..

Need To Have

• Tuvar Dal/Split Pigeon Pea - 1/4 cup
• Dried Red Chillies - 2
• Grated Coconut - 1 tablespoon
• Asafoetida - 1/8 teaspoon
• Salt to taste

Method

          Heat a little oil ( about 1/2 teaspoon ), add the tuvar dal and red chillies and roast them till the dal turns golden. Remove, cool and grind it with the coconut, asafoetida and salt, adding as little water as possible. Remove and serve.

Note
Thogayal should be thick and slightly coarse, not a smooth paste.

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