Ginger Chutey (Aalle Chutney)

I am a big Chutney fan especially Ginger Chutney or Alle Chutney; Alle in Konkani is Ginger. I was bored of eating the same chutney's with Red Chilli, just then this was one was thought of. My mom makes this Chutney with Chapathis or Rotis. This one is Mom's simple Ginger Chutney recipe.

For some reasons, I cherish the subtle undertones of Ginger in this chutney. Ginger has lot of curative properties and is excellent for digestive system maintenance. This chutney goes well with Dosa's and Roti's. Quick and easy one, aids in digesting oily, fatty and spicy food as well, so I prefer pairing it with Pakoras/ Bhajiyas as well.

Preparation time + Cooking time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients:

Grated Coconut (fresh) - 1 1/2 cup

Ginger (finely chopped) - 1" piece

Green Chillies (optional) - 1

Salt - as per taste

Asafoetida - Just a pinch

For seasoning -

Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Curry leaves - 4-5

Canola Oil - For frying

Red Chillies (optional) - 1 (cut into half)

Method:

Grind grated coconut, ginger, green chillies and salt together with little water. Mix to blend in the ingredients. Season with the tempering of Mustard seeds, curry leaves and red chillies broken into half, all of these sauted separately in a teaspoon of oil in a heated pan. Pour this seasoning on the chutney, mix well and serve with Dosa.

Suggestion: I prefer less spice at times, so I omitted red chillies and green chillies. Take your pick as per your palate , spice tolerance and taste.

Chattambado or Daal Vada

Chattambado or Daal Vada is quite a common fried food in my home. The best ones I have eaten are the ones made by my aunty, hence I chose her recipe for the Vade with a simple variation of adding onions and cilantro chopped for that extra zing. She fries them in Coconut oil for the extra flavour. Some also address it as Daal Vada. Typically, this was made at our home when we had guests as a tea-time snack. It was a matter of great pride and happiness if Chattambado was made. Needless to say, one needs to enjoy them hot from the frying pan and the disappear in minutes once transferred to the cooling plate. I see this dish slowly dwindling nowadays, very rarely someone makes it at home. I would not be surprised after 20 years this could become an ancient vintage dish. I have loved the one served at Mitra Samaj, Udupi and the small restaurants dotting Car Street - Udupi, which we devoured with cousins and friends with ample amount of giggles and laughter thrown in. After all, this was Ajja's (konkani for grandfather) treat and you would want to enjoy it to the brim.

You can say it is very similar to the infamous Maddur or Madhur Vade, this is a crispy palm-sized Vade which originate from a place called Maddur; its a small town located on Bangalore-Mysore express train strip. Once the train halts off for a quick pit-stop break at Maddur, you would see men and women carrying these hot Vade's in colorful buckets of blue and green strolling around in the compartment's hoping to find a seller for these home-made Vade's. If you end up buying one, a huge flattened Vade spread on a newspaper A4 sized paper if offered to you, costing only 6/- and tasting crunchy with the occasional bites and mish-mash of onions and daal. Ok, stop to wandering thoughts, digress and deviate and back to Chattambado. :)

Chattambado, the way its made at my home is a round mass, small and thick. These are much softer and give you ample chance to enjoy the core and the crust as well. Want it crispy, flatten them with palm and they come almost close to Maddur Vade. My Mom's version of Chattambado has Urad dal and Chana Dal in 1/2:1/2 proportion, I would save this recipe for another post. Serve with some coconut chutney and enjoy them with a cuppa Ginger Tea.

On a separate note, Konkani Foodie completes 2 years! Yay! Cannot fathom that I have come this far with the blog; Some highs and lows, the blog is marching on. Special thanks to all my blogger friends who played a pivotal role in this journey.

Preparation time: 4 hours

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Yield: 6-8 Vadas

Ingredients:

Chana Dal - 2 cups

Onions (chopped) - 1 cup

Cilantro leaves (chopped) - 1/2 cup

Green Chillies (chopped) - 2

Asafoetida - Just a pinch

Ginger (minced) - 1" piece paste

Curry Leaves (chopped) - 4-5

Salt - As per taste

Cooking Oil - For frying

Turmeric powder - 1/5th teaspoon

Red Chilli powder (optional) - 1/2 teaspoon

Water - As per requirement

Method:

Wash and soak Chana Dal for 3-4 hours in water. Drain the water out completely and grind to a coarse mixture. Keep in mind that the Vada has to have bites of Daal, bit ground and bit whole so do not grind it to a pasty consistency. The better your paste, the tastier the Vada. Add onions, cilantro, ginger, salt, curry leaves and turmeric powder. The batter has to be dry and should not have water in it. Make small patties - about 1 1/2 " diameter and flatten them. Heat oil in a deep frying pan, deep fry the vada's in batches till they have a crispy reddish brown crust. Adjust the flame on medium-to-low, don't overheat and overcook or vice-versa. Drain on a paper towel and enjoy them hot with Ginger Chutney (Aalle Chutney) or Coriander (Kothmiri) Chutney.

Horsegram and Chinese Cucumber Curry in Spicy Coconut Gravy (Kulitha Koddel with Magge)

Horse gram or Kulitha or Kulthi as its called in Konkani is a powerhouse of nutrition and goodness. This is a lesser known variety and I have seen very few families cooking it nowadays. This bean is cooked quite a lot in my home due to the health properties Horse gram empowers one with. Rich in iron, this is a very heat enduring bean. Ideal to eat during winters, the bean keeps the body warm, but should not be eaten in excess as well.Owing to the heat enduring nature of this bean, its always paired with a cooling vegetable to complement in my house. This was Granny's logic to combat and balance the vegetable and their natural properties and the generations to come have been following it for years now. The bean enables in elimination of kidney stones. I found them here in Asian grocery stores and they go by the name of "Kulthi". Chinese Cucumber or Magge you find in US are much smaller and all yellow in color.

In olden days, the boiled stalk remaining after boiling the beans was offered to cows, cattle reared at home and horses as a fodder. This stalk offered strength and stamina to the bones and made them more strong. I save the boiled stalk for next day to enjoy simple "Saaru". The broth has to be boiled till it thickens and then seasoned with sauted garlic and red chillies. Some even address it as Kulitha Kadi which is finding lot of local popularity as a healthy beverage served during weddings and family get together now. I found this cool when I came to know for a cousin's wedding this was served as a soup based welcome drink.

The curry is cooked along with different vegetable combinations like Horse gram and seasonal vegetables like Chinese Cucumber (Magge), Chinese Potato (Kooka), Drumstick (Shengaa) or Malabar Spinach stems (Bhaaji Dentu). The curry with Garlic seasoning is called "Koddel", if done with pulses its termed as "Bendee". I also came across another interesting theory for naming the curries; my cousins informed me that coconut-red chillies-tamarind based curries cooked with pulses, beans are termed as Bendee in Mangalore and Koddel if you are from Udupi. Its so fascinating knowing how our cuisines originate and the finer change which the cuisine undergoes with a subtle change in geography and locations. I am simply awed!

Preparation time: 3-4 hours for soaking the beans

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Horsegram or Kulith - 1 1/2 cup

Chinese Cucumber or Magge (chopped with skin on) - 1 1/2 cup

Grated coconut - 3/4th cup

Red Chillies - 4-5

Tamarind pulp - 1 teaspoon

Salt - As per taste

Coconut Oil - For frying

Garlic (crushed) - 4-5 pods

Method:

Pre-soak the beans in water for 3-4 hours. Pressure cook for 2 whistles or till the bean is completely cooked along with chopped Chinese cucumber pieces. Along side, roast red chillies and allow to cool. Grind to a paste along with grated coconut and tamarind. Bring to boil the beans and chopped cucumber, add ground paste and adjust salt and water. Simmer on low flame for 10-15 minutes till its completely cooked. In a separate pan, heat coconut oil, saute crushed garlic in it and pour this seasoning on the curry and cover the lid. Serve warm along with rice as a side dish.

Tip: Crush the garlic alongwith skin for better flavour to the curry. Horsegram is a tricky bean, sometimes even after soaking it could under boil or get mushy or overcooked, use your discretion and watchful eye while cooking the bean. The boiling point for the bean depends on various factors influenced by rain, time of harvest of crop, soft water or hard water quality. For better flavour, retain the skin of Magge or Chinese Cucumber. Its more flavourful if skin is retained.

Patrode (Steamed Taro Leaves in Spicy Coconut Batter)

Patrode or Pathravadey is the most pampered Konkani dish I have come across. Making Patrode is a big ritual for those who are not used to it, primarily because its a labor intensive process, takes lot of time, patience and has finer steps to be followed till the completion. Surprisingly, many of my the ladies in my family are experts in making the tastiest Patrode. This is one dish which I can proudly say resembles my Mom's whenever I've made it. I follow her measurements accurately and its never failed me. Unlike some houses, we do not add Mong Daal to the batter but only use - Coconut, Rice, Red Chillies and Tamarind. This recipe has been followed by four generations in my family and has never failed us.

It is a must-have dish especially during Ganesh Chaturthi festival food preparation. I enjoy them with Paej/ Brown Rice soup and feel that best way to enjoy them would be when the rolls are piping hot. There are many versions of Patrode made at my home - Steamed Patrade, Phanna Upkari Patrado, Patradey Ghashi, Patrode Rava Fry.

Patrode has been a common dish at my home. My mother and me are big fans of these creamy spicy treats. Mom used to make these specially on Sunday lunches where elaborate conversations set the tone of the day. Patrode is made from Taro leaves which are a common sight to see in local markets particularly during rainy seasons where they grow in abundance on streets, marshy tree side, areas with vast foliage and fauna and damp areas.

There are two kinds of Taro leaves - One with green stem and the other with purple stem. Its a common belief that the one with purple stem causes less itchiness in throat while eating Patrode. Many refrain from eating owing to potential itchiness in trachea and throat region due to which you do not want to go through the ordeal. To tackle this, Tamarind is added to the batter. The main reason for itchiness in leaves is due to the presence of Calcium Oxalate crystals which is believed to reduce its impact after considerable amount of cooking.

Patrodo has 2 major parts - Getting the leaves deveined and getting the batter to be smeared ready which is also called as Peet in Konkani. The leaves mesh well with the paste to create a unique flavour which is one of its kinds. Various leaves used for making Patrode are - Marvala Paan, Tere Paan and Patrode Paan. While rest of them are available in plenty during the rainy season, Marvala Paan grows on trees and is very thick, rubbery in texture. My Ammama used to procure them from local farmers who used to rear their cattle into forests and pick them up from trees. Since they grow high on trees, one needs to be skilled enough to climb the tree and pick the right leaves.

Devour with some coconut oil slathered on top of each Patrode, you are set for a cool afternoon siesta. If some remain for the next day, dredge them in some Rava and pan-fry with little oil and they turn into crispy rolls. The Patrode taste even better the next day. :)

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 45 minutes maximum

Ingredients:

Taro Leaves/ Patrodey Paan/ Tere Paan/ Marvala Paan - 8-15

Red Chillies (Byadgi preferred) - 5-8

Rice (Sona Masoori) - 1/4 cup

Grated Coconut - 1 cup

Asafoetida - 1 tiny ball - use the edible gum and not the powdery one
Tamarind/ Bilimbi (any souring agent) - 1/2 tsp

Salt - As per taste

Water - For batter consistency

Coconut oil - For garnishing Patrodo

Contraptions used ~ Idli Steamer/ Pedaavan or Patrodo/ Sanna Steamer

Method:
1. Wash the Taro leaves thoroughly and flip them over on the non-shiny side and remove the veins with a knife. Soaking in water is believed to reduce the effect of Calcium Oxalate crystals which causes the itchiness. Pre-soak rice for 2-3 hours in water. Roast Red Chillies and once they are cooled down, grind to a stiff paste with grated coconut, salt, tamarind, asafoetida and rice. The paste must be stiff and tight, so add very less water while grinding the paste. The stickier the paste the better.
2. Add enough water in a steamer and transfer on stove to boil water with the lid on. Arrange the leaves in order of their size, this helps while choosing the leaves for applying the paste. On a work surface, take one taro leaf with the non-shiny side facing up and the stem side facing you. Smear the paste evenly on the entire leaf, place another leaf covering 3/4 of the previous leaf and smear the paste. Similarly add leaves and smear the paste till all leaves are done. Fold the sides and roll them over to a cylindrical shape, apply paste on all sides and fold the edges in. Once done, you could tie a string to hold them together, make slices of 1/2 a inch and place them in the steamer side by side and stack one upon another when one complete circle is done. Alternately, one could also pick the whole roll (known as Lollo in Konkani) and steam cook it. The steamer water should be boiling hot by now. Cover the steamer with a lid and let it steam on medium-to-high flame for 30-45 minutes.
3. Once done and completely cooked, scoop each of the piece and serve hot with coconut oil. Should they remain for next day, dredge them in rava and pan-fry with little oil and you have Patrodo Rava Fry.

Cabbage Olive Salad

Salad's are occupying a common spot in my kitchen now. I dished out this quick one after skimming through some delightful salad's on New York Times - Dining section. They have a delicious spread of salad recipes which are from the pantry ingredients and readily available ones. I recently sampled Red Cabbage and loved it to the core. This is a simple recipe when you don't wish for a heavy 3 course meal.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Cabbage (shredded) - 3 cups

Carrots (strip sized sliced) - 1 cup

Black Olive (Non-pitted, Kalamata Greek) - 1/2 cup

Salad Vinaigrette -

Vinegar - 2 tablespoon

Olive Oil - 1 teaspoon

Red Chilli flakes - Just a dash

Lime juice - 1 teaspoon

Salt - As per taste

Mixed herbs - 1/3rd teaspoon

Method:

Mix in the olive oil, vinegar, red chilli flakes, salt and mixed herbs. The vinaigrette has to be good enough to dress the salad. Give a good whisk. Add the shredded vegetables and toss well. Slather some lime juice and serve as a pairing with some warm bread.

Kitchen Tips: Home Made - Idli Rava or Rice Rava

Idli Rava in many a homes I know in my native place is made and created at home. This also reminded me of the days when Mom used to spend hours together with her little Grinding stone singing local folklore and the white rice stealthily getting pound, ground to a coarse perfection. The grinding stone has a central dent, where the rice is passed with a palm folded quantity, and then the metal handle is spinned away to glory, till the coarse rice powdered comfortably slips out on the side and perches around the lower slab of the stone.

Idli Rava is the coarse, powdered Rava added to the Idli batter. While there are times I have bought the store variety I prefer the home made one, simply because its-made-at-home. The Rava is quite easy to make and you don't have to sweat it out in kitchen for long. I also use this Rava for coating Fritters which I pan-fry. So just in case I am running out of Sooji/ Coarse Rava, I use this method to make Rava at home.

Preparation time + Processing time: 190 minutes

Ingredients:

Rice (Sona Masoori or Dosa Rice variety) - 2 cups

Water - For soaking

Contraptions used: Traditional Grinding stone or Blender

Method: Wash and drain rice till water is clear. Soak rice in water for 2-3 hours. Drain off the water and spread on muslin cloth or cheese cloth. Keep in a warm place with enough air to dry it off. Once water content completely goes off and each grain is dry (takes around 2-3 hours), grind in a blender to a fine powder. If you are using the Rava for coating fritters, ensure its coarse. If using for Idli, grind to a coarse to fine powder consistency. Store in a air tight container and use as per choice.

Traditional Konkani Grinding Stone (Daantey/ Zaatey/ Zaatuh)

Traditional Grinding/ Milling Stone or Daantey as its termed amongst Konkanis. This one which my mother uses even to this date is almost 50 years old. This is a traditional Grinding/ Milling Stone used and found in many a Konkani houses. Some of them use Blenders and Mixers nowadays out of sheer convenience. This stone is called Zaatuh in Marathi, Zaatey in Goan Konkani and Daantey in GSB Konkani. As much as I love these traditional contraptions, I cannot carry them with me back here in US. We use this contraption to make Idli Rava, Whole Urad Daal grinding and numerous other grinding/ milling purpose. The best part about using traditional mills is that you can control the granularity of your milled grains, pulses and lentils. They are more custom made and can be coarse or fine as per choice. Even to this date, Mom prefers the Idli Rava ground on this stone.

This Grinding Stone was gifted to my mom by my Grandmom. It is one of our prized possessions and probably the most ancient vintage Konkani contraptions we have in our household. This rocky, smooth stone grinder is very heavy and easily weighs between 10-12 pounds.

Shan Chicken Keema Curry

Shan Masala has been one of my favorite out here in US. I love utilizing local masala's because they add the much needed flavour especially for meat dishes. I had a packet of ground Chicken and wanted to make apt use of it for some curry. Thought Chicken Keema curry would be an awesome pairing for some warm Malabari Paratha. This recipe is simple and followed the recipe on the packet to the T. Nice warm curry for cold winter dinners.

Recipe Source: Shan Masala Recipe

Preparation time + Cooking time: 30-45 minutes

Ingredients:

Ground Chicken - 1 pound

Shan Keema Mix Masala - 2 tablespoon

Onions (chopped) - 2 cups

Ginger-garlic paste (finely minced) - 2 tablespoon

Green Chillies (sliced) - 2

Salt - As per taste

Oil - For frying

Cilantro (chopped) - 1/4th cup

Method:

Thaw the ground Chicken in microwave for a minute or keep out on room temperature for 30 minutes. Heat oil in a deep dish saucepan, saute onions which are chopped to a caramelised texture. Add ground chicken and cook on a low-to-medium flame. This is a long process and takes lot of time, almost 15-20 minutes; You need to smash the meat till it wilts and becomes flaky. Once its cooked, water and fat completely oozes out, you will notice that the water content evaporates. Add the masala, add minced ginger-garlic paste and adjust salt as per taste. Add enough water for gravy consistency. Bring to boil and simmer on low flame for 10 minutes. Turn off flame, garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve warm with Parathas or Rotis.

Sprouted Desi Chori Beans Curry in Spicy Coconut Gravy (Kirla-ailey Bagde Aambat)

Kirla-ailey Bagde Aambat or Sprouted Desi Chori Beans in Spicy Coconut Gravy is an epic dish amongst Konkanis. The reason I term it as epic because this dish is one of its kind, the sprouting process takes around 4 days, which means it requires great deal of planning. The sprouts have to be peeled off the skin; this is a painstaking process and used to demand lot of "distribution of labor". In my house, each of us were given our share and we were supposed to peel off the skin so that the burden does not fall on one person. No wonder the dish tasted really well, after all it was hard work contributed from everyone!

Kirla-ailey Bagde or Chori Beans in Konkani implies Sprouted Beans; Kirla in GSB Konkani implies sprouts, hence sprouted Chori Beans. This is a local delicacy loved a lot by all my family members. Although its quite difficult to finish the sprouting and peeling process, the taste makes your forget all the hard work required for this dish. The beans can be found at Asian stores across US.

The first day once you soak the Bagde beans (konkani term for Desi Chori beans) in water for 8 hours till they swell up in size. Remove them from water, keep in a warm oven and leave for the night. Next day you would see the seeds swollen up, all plump and thick. Soak them again in water for 8 hours. During the night, drain the water and keep the Beans in a warm oven or on a warm stove top. Next day around you will notice long sprouts shooting out of the centre point of the bean. Keep them out for the day to allow the sprouting to complete. Before you begin use, keep them in water again for 3-4 hours for the skin to come off. Once ready to peel, drain water completely and peel them off the brown skin. Throw away the skin, retain the white plumpy bean. Some of them will not sprout and they are aptly termed as Chor Bagdo or the sproutless ones. I enjoy Garlic Usal with Goda Masala or Saaru with Garlic tadka of the sproutless ones. Both taste nice. Retain or discard Chor Bagdo as per choice. Discard the peeled skin. Cashew nuts and Onion seasoning provide the extra zing to the dish.

Preparation time: 120 minutes of peeling off the brown skin of Chori Beans

Cooking time: 45 minutes for curry

Ingredients:

Desi Chori Beans or Bagdo - 2 cups

Onions (finely chopped) - 1/2 cup + 1/3 cup for garnishing

Cashew nuts (chopped) - 1/2 cup

For the Gravy -

Red Chillies - 3-4

Grated coconut - 1/2 cup

Tamarind pulp - 1 teaspoon

Salt - As per taste

Oil - For frying

Water - For gravy consistency

Method:

Boil the white beans which are peeled off the brown skin with onions in water good enough to soak the beans (approx. 1:1 ratio). Once cooked completely, grind the gravy ingredients and add to the curry. Add chopped cashew nuts bits as well. Bring to a boil and simmer of low flame for 10 minutes. Pour a seasoning of onions chopped, sauted and caramelised in oil on the curry. Serve hot with Urad-Rice dosa or plain white Rice.

Calcutta Egg Roll/ Kathi Rolls

I first sampled the Egg Rolls or Kathi Rolls at a friends lunch party in Bangalore. My friend A, makes lot of yummy Bengali dishes. I wanted to ask her the recipe but then sooner or later, it got buried. The taste still lingered in my mind. I later sampled the Rolls in one of the Calcutta joints in Bangalore. I like the Calcutta food especially the lighter food items like Ghoogni- a pasty dish of Chickpeas cooked in mild spices, Jhaal Mooree - puffed rice with spices, onions and cilantro, Lebu Chaa - lemon tea which is soothing and subtle, Puchkaa - the good old Pani-Puri Calcutta style et al.

The other day when I was blog hopping, I came across Sandeepa's blog of Bong Mom's Cookbook fame. I was blown away with the recipe of Egg Roll. Much to my amusement, I also found Kawan - Malaysian Paratha for binding in the roll at local Asian grocery store. The final outcome was very tasty, aptly coupled with a Coke Can! Now, we regularly munch on Parathas and snack big on different variations of this roll. Thanks a lot Sandeepa. I tweaked the spice and stuffing; this recipe is a saviour when you want to snack on something easy, quick and tasty.

Recipe Source: Bong Mom's Cookbook

Preparation + Cooking time: 30 minutes ~ 4 rolls

Ingredients:

Paratha Stuffing -
Kawan Paratha - 4
Onions (sliced) - 1/2 cup
Tomato Ketchup - As per taste
Mozzarella Cheese - 1/2 cup
Chaat Masala - 1 tablespoon
Lime Juice - 4 tablespoon
Green Chillies (chopped) - 2

Egg Topping -
Egg (beaten with 1 tsp milk each) - 4
Salt - As per taste
Pepper powder - 2 teaspoon
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Foil - 4 strips to hold the wrap

Method:
Take an individual Kawan Paratha from the freezer and fry immediately on a heated pan. This requires no oil and can be used straight out of fridge. One need not thaw the Parathas before use. Pan-fry the Paratha evenly on both sides till the dough is cooked and fried on both sides.
Separately, break an egg; whisk with salt, pepper and a teaspoon of milk. Beat well to make it fluffy, spread this mix on side of the the Paratha and flip over till the eggs gets cooked on both sides.
Transfer to a plate with the Eggy side on top. Add the topping of onion slices, chaat masala, mozzarella cheese (shredded), green chillies, tomato ketchup, some salt and pepper. Finally, squeeze fresh lime juice and roll half the Paratha with a foil. Serve hot with desired beverage.

Taro Root Fritters (Kaale Alvaa Maddi Phodi)

I am always on the pursuit of adding age-old recipes which I believe would be easily buried down and under as generations progress.Taro is known to all for the leaves used to make Patrado, a popular Konkani pin-wheel roll steamed with a paste of flour and spices. Taro Root is a kind of Yam quite familiar to Asian communities. The root of Taro is also consumed with relish. Taro Root Fritters or Kaale Alvaa Maddi Phodi is my dad's favorite. In laymans terms in Konkani we address it as "Maddi or Maaddi". Much better if the Maddi is obtained from Black-stemmed Taro leaves and not the green-stemmed ones. The meat of the Taro root is extremely delicious and one of its kind. This should not be confused with Sooran or Surnu or Yam. Sooran is a different root vegetable, is compressed, circular in Asian regions and short about 1 foot sized, little bit tall if grown in Carribean or South American regions.

Its a seasonal produce and the harvest usually results in Taro Roots coming to the markets in October-December in India. I have seen them in local markets in Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore, Udupi and Mangalore. The raw Taro roots appear as shown in the picture. Some who do not eat regularly, would not know the actual taste of this vegetable. Its delicious and soft. Sometimes, after consumption you would find an itchy sensation in your throat, but its out and out tasty and one of its kind vegetable. To combat the sensation, ample amount of Tamarind or a souring agent like Bilimbi is added. So as you conclude from the habits, in Konkanis we make abundant use of seasonal vegetables and produce.

I got this picture of Taro Root from a local market in India. As you see from the picture, the root is huge and bulky. The pink snout on top of the Taro can be saved by green thumbs to plant and grow more Taro leaves. I did that as a kid, got two tiny leaves, which Mom used for Patrodo, also got three tiny pieces of Maddi, which we pan-fried with spices. Time to time I used to check on the growth and progress of the sapling. The memories are still vivid and bring a smile to my face.

More often than not, we cook it to at home to make Fritters or Fries or Phodi. One can also make Alvaa Maddi Gojju, just boil them, mash them, add spice powders crushed in Coconut (grated) and green chillies and garnish with coconut oil. My mom makes this often and taste is nice and subtle, very earthy so to say. The chopping process of a Taro Root entails chopping off, of the sides of the root to get a white meat in the centre. The ridges can be chopped off in strips with a knife. Sometimes, your hands could itch, so its advisable to wear kitchen gloves while chopping them. After chopping off the ridges, the white tube shaped stem is chopped into desirable pieces. Macerate the vegetable in spices powders of choice and pan-fry them.

Preparation + Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

Taro Root or Maddi - 6-10 pieces

Red Chilli powder - 1 teaspoon

Salt - As per taste

Turmeric powder - 1/3rd teaspoon

Asafoetida - 1/4th teaspoon

Garam Masala powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Tamarind pulp - 1 teaspoon

Oil - For frying

Rava or Sooji (coarse) - 3 tablespoon

Water - For steaming vegetables

Method:

Take a Taro stem and chop off the ridges on the side which are thick and sturdy. Wear Kitchen gloves to prevent any itching sensation while chopping the pieces. You will find the white meat inside. Cut them into bite sized pieces. You could boil them in water for 20 minutes before applying the spice rub. One of my Pacchi does it that way and the taste is very soft and tender. You could also directly macerate in the spice powders for 30-45 minutes.

Dredge them in Rava and pan-fry with oil on the sides. Once fried turn them over, add oil on sides. After couple of minutes sprinkle water and cover with a lid. Allow to roast on low flame. Check if the pieces are completely cooked. Once done, turn off flame and serve hot as a side item.

Peanut Masala

Peanut Masala - I tasted this first in Bangalore. Loved the flavour, but did not gather how to recreate the dish at home. Years later, one day my sister made this for me and I was like, "What is the recipe?". Nice flavour, nutritious and great for tea-parties and get togethers. I later found out that its quite a prominent dish in Bangalore. It is also known as Raja Masala in Bangalore, infact some places serve the best ones I know, only in Bangalore.

Its raining Awards at my blog. Supriya, a sweet fellow blogger from My Kook Book fame, has gifted me with some blog awards. Thanks Supriya. Its humbling and a nice gesture. Feels great when someone takes the effort to recognise you and makes your day! Yayy!!

Preparation time + Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Peanuts (roasted) - 3 cups

Onions (finely chopped) - 1/2 cup

Cilantro or Coriander leaves (finely chopped) - 1/4th cup

Chaat Masala - 1/2 teaspoon

Oil - 2 teaspoon

Red Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Tomato (chopped) - 1/4th cup

Lime juice - 2 tablespoon

Salt - As per taste

Method:

Roast Peanuts for 1 and 1/2 minute in Microwave. Allow to cool or pan-roast on medium flame for 3-4 minutes. Allow to cool. You will notice that the peanuts are little soft upon roasting, allow them to cool, because they tend to get more robust and firm once they cool. Give a shake gently with hands and take off the peanut skin. It is a painstaking process but worth it because the skin interferes with the final taste. I was in a hurry so chose to retain the skin. Add all the ingredients and mix well. If you are adding Tomatoes, you need to serve immediately as the tomato juice would make the peanut texture soft, less tasty and tangy. Add Lime juice while serving. Garnish with chopped Cilantro.