Mushroom Methi

Nupur's Recipe Marathon: Day 2



I love Fenugreek Leaves or Methi and for some reasons cannot cook many Methi dishes since the Indian grocery stores here stock them up on an on-and-off basis. This turned out a lucky stroke in disguise as I got a crispy pack of Kasuri Methi leaves from India through a well wisher. Now, I store the packet in my spice rack and use them abundantly for any dish which requires a dash of Methi.

I made Mushroom Methi since hubby loves Mushrooms and so do I. I garnished the dish with Kasuri Methi leaves. The flavour cannot beat authentic Methi leaves but somewhat closer to the Methi aroma. The gravy was full of Methi flavour. I was pretty pleased with Mushrooms as they seem to blend well with any gravy or spice and render a unique taste to the dish overall.

Recipe Source: Ashwini
Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
Mushrooms - 1 packet ~ Whole Button Mushrooms
Onions (chopped) - 1 cup
Kasuri Methi powder - 2 teaspoon or Fresh Fenugreek Leaves (chopped) - 1/2 cup
Tomatoes (chopped or grated) - 1/2 cup
Ginger (grated) - 1/2" piece
Cumin seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Red Chillies powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - As per taste
Water - For gravy consistency
Oil/ Ghee - For frying
Coriander leaves (chopped) (optional) - 1-7 sprigs

Method:
Clean the Mushrooms thoroughly to remove dirt and grime. Chop into halves and keep them aside. In a deep dish thick bottomed pan, heat ghee/ oil and add cumin seeds. Once they begin to pop, add grated ginger and onions. Saute well and add tomatoes. Smash the tomatoes and onions lightly with the ladle to get a smashed up gravy consistency. Once the gravy gets cooked and become even, add the Masala's and stir well. Add Mushroom pieces and adjust salt and water as per requirements. Crush Kasuri Methi powder on the palm gently and sprinkle over the dish. Simmer on a low flame for 5 minutes. Check if completely cooked. Turn off the flame. Serve hot with Rotis.

Suggestions: 1. Add Mushrooms towards the end as they cook very fast.
2. If you do not want Kasuri Methi powder to have a coarse appearance in the dish, then lightly run in the Mixie for a minute and add to the dish.
3. I used Yellow Onions instead of Red and found a profound change in the flavour, it tasted better and more succulent.

Cold Milk Chocolate Fudge

Nupur's Recipe Marathon: Day 1

Bad weather and no net connection. Totally bad. I felt extremely disappointed since I''d signed up for Nupur's 7 Day Recipe Marathon. My net was totally going bonkers and the connection was off. Thankfully, today the connection was up and restored (thank God!). Sorry for the miss on 25th Nupur. I have backdated the post for 25th and will begin with full gusto for next few days till 31st. I had made this yummy Cold Chocolate fudge since I wanted a sugar rush after lot of salty diet for days together. I wanted to get rid of most of my pantry items before I usher into the New Year. So this was made on a trial-and-error whim. The taste was very good and hubby also appreciated the experiment. You can also see a Chocolate Fudge Piroutte sitting neatly on the stemware in the picture. Cheerz! We had an awesome Christmas lunch with friends and the festive spirit was all in the air.

Merry Christmas to all my friends!! Tis' the season of sharing and giving.

Recipe Source: Ashwini

Preparation time : 10 minutes

Ingredients:

Cold Milk - 1 cup

Sugar - 2 teaspoons or as per taste

Vanilla Essence/ Extract - 1-2 drops

Cinnamon powder - 1/6 teaspoon or just a pinch

Chocolate Fudge Pirouttes - 1

Method:

Take a glass of cold milk. Mix in the Vanilla essence, sugar and cinnamon powder. Stir well. Add the Chocolate Piroutte and crush a little bit to allow the Fudge of the Piroutte to blend in the milk. Leave some for the crispies to float around for that extra crunch while drinking. Enjoy the Chocolate-y drink during a cold winter evening.

Idlis in Jackfruit Leaves (Khotte/ Hittu/ Kadubu)

Idlis are always a savior when it comes to long trips and heavy duty breakfast required especially during festivals, travels, weddings. I love Idlis and much better if they come in Jack fruit leaves. Nothing to beat the aroma of steamed Idlis in Jack fruit leaves (Pansaa Paan). Initially, in cities when we wanted Jack fruit leaves we used to get shocked looks in return much to the amusement of folks. Well, very few houses had Jack fruit trees and getting the leaves was a big problem. You eat leaves??? Well! Ahem, no! Then we had to explain the whole story and then we got to eat Khotte.
Khotte is a Konkani way of steaming Idlis in Jack fruit leaves containers. These containers are hand made at home. Nowadays you get them ready made in Mangalore stores in Bangalore or even street vendors in Udupi and Mangalore. Mom makes the best looking Khotte containers. She stitches the leaves in a very cute, very less spillage and steams them to the perfect level. I am still on the learning curve but can make decent Khotte containers. 4 Jack fruit leaves (pre-washed and dried) are stitched together with thin Bamboo sticks (which are pre-soaked in water for atleast 1/2 hour). They are stitched together to form a container. One by one fill these containers with Idli batter, steam as usual (20 minutes to 30 minutes). Have some chutney to go along and you are set for a filling, heavy duty Konkani breakfast.

Later, while in Bangalore I came to know that they go by the name of Kadubu. Granny said that olden days families were huge and they did not have massive Idli containers to use. Trees and their leaves were made to good use by ladies and ecologically they were more degradable, healthy and consumed less water for cleaning. How smart?

Preparation time: 30 minutes (steaming Idlis) + 30 minutes (stitching Khotte leaves) = 1 hour

Ingredients:

Idli Batter - 10 cups

Jack fruit leaves - 4 x 10 = 40 leaves

Bamboo sticks or Curry leaves sticks (sun dried) - 10-15

Water - For steaming Idlis

Contraption - Idli steamer : Available in plenty in India at steel and utensil stores

Method:

Make Idli batter using the recipe for Idlis. Take 4 leaves at a time. Stitch them together to form a container. Make 10-15 similar containers. Let the Steamer boil. Place Khotte one by one and cover the lid tightly. Allow to steam for 20 minutes. Remove from heat once completely cooked. Serve with Byadgi Red Chilli chutney.

Suggestions: If the Jackfruit leaves are a big crispy and tight for stitching, soak them in water for some time and then stitch them. That way, it becomes easier. In some Konkani houses, the Khotte is served with a spoon full of Coconut oil and mixed vegetables pickle or any other pickle with broth on the side. This combination tastes very delicious.

Onion Gojju (Piyavaa Gojju)

A simple dish for rainy and cold winter days. I just love the simplicity of this dish. How do I describe Gojju?

"A simple concoction of vegetables - chopped, mashed, diced or boiled, add a dash of chosen appropriate seasoning - Mustard seeds and Curry leaves and you are set to enjoy this simple dish which packs lot of flavours. Vegetables I use for Gojju - Onions, Okra, Potato, Paasphanas, Raw Mango in brine. This is suitable and apt as a side dish. Gojju truly explores the simplicity and dexterity of vegetables".

I have grown up eating Gojju. A very simple dish when you quickly need a side dish say in 15 minutes flat. Quite a regular at my home. My maushi's are all adept at different varieties of these. Its a soupy side dish, the broth of the coconut and vegetables blend well to offer a unique flavour. The Gojju main ingredients (atleast in Konkani preparations) - Coconut grated, Green Chillies and Tamarind fuse to offer different flavours when tried with different vegetables.

Personally I like Onion Gojju and Okra Gojju; I feel it gels well as an accompaniment to Soupy Brown Rice or Ganjee. I have recently registered for Nupur's 7-day Recipe Marathon and cannot wait for my turn to dish out 7 recipes which go back to back. I am all set and excited about the Marathon.

A dear friend N from Chicago recently sent me excerpts of Gretchen Rubin's Book - The Happiness Project which is all set to hit the stands on Dec 29th. I cannot wait to get my hands on this long awaited book. You could read the excerpts here. Do skip through her blog if you get a chance. Her blog speaks about simple things which we often fail to think or retrospect upon. Personally, I find a lot of impact and depth in her simple tips and suggestions. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!!

Recipe Source ~ My Mom

Preparation time ~ 15 minutes

Ingredients:

Onions (finely chopped) - 2

Grated coconut - 1/ 2 cup

Tamarind pulp - 1/2 t

Coconut oil - 2 t

Water - for Gojju consistency

Green Chillies (chopped) - 2

Salt - as per taste

Asafoetida - 1/4 t

Seasoning (optional):
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Mustard seeds - 1/3 teaspoon
Oil - For frying


Method:
Take a serving bowl and crush the coconut, chillies, tamarind, asafoetida and salt together. Add enough water as per the consistency desired. Add chopped Onions and mix well. Garnish with coconut oil and serve as a side dish.
Some of the people I know also serve this dish with a seasoning. Just heat oil in a small container on flame, add mustard seeds and once they finish popping, add curry leaves. Do all this on low-to-medium flame. Pour this seasoning on top of the dish. This is an optional step.

Red Lentils Tadka Daal (Masoori Thoi/ Masoor Thove)

One of those lets-kill-time conversations with my favorite aunt S, I realised she is a treasure trove of recipes. I am not kidding. She dons the prized chef hat ala "Best Cook" in my maternal side. I cannot agree more with the jury and the critics. She dishes out restaurant style dishes and hold your breath, they are not limited to **Konkani** alone. She rattles off recipes from North to South, East to West, understands food science and nutrition, can cook a banquet for 50+ people without hiccups, knows many a rare cuisines which even the most knowledgeable ladies of my family fail to recognise and fathom.

She informed me about this quick and easy way of cooking Masoor Daal especially when you want the side dish in 20-30 minutes flat. Masoor Daal is sparingly cooked in our household when I was a child, it is believed to cause joint pain if consumed in excess. Red Lentils cook faster and hence works well for less than 30 minutes cooks. I tried this recipe, very similar to Daali Thoi, flavour is much milder and sharpened a wee bit with Red Chillies tadka. Thanks Aunty! You are the best!!

Preparation time: 20-30 minutes

Ingredients:

Red Lentils (Masoor Split lentils) - 2 cups

Red Chillies - 2-3

Salt - As per taste

Lime juice - 2 teaspoon

Oil - For seasoning

Water - For boiling lentils

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Mustard seeds - 1/2 t - For seasoning

Method:

Wash the lentils multiple times till water is clear and non-cloudy. Bring to boil in thick bottomed saucepan, once done mash the daal fervently. This takes around 10 minutes. Adjust salt. Pour a seasoning of mustard seeds and curry leaves and serve hot with lime juice.

Teasel Gourd Fries (Kantola Fries/ Phaagila Phodi)

Phaagil or Teasel Gourd is a favorite amongst most of the West Coast foodies in India. I was introduced to this vegetable during my early childhood days. We used to get these in plenty in Goa and Mumbai. Best consumed when the vegetable is tender and the seeds are not formed. Teasel Gourd is known as Phaagil in Konkani. Some like this vegetable a lot and some hate it. But out and out favorite at many a homes I know owing to the yummy fries dipped in Rice batter. For best results, the fries have to be made from tender Teasel gourds. When I visit India, Mom knows that this one has to be there. I love the fritters fried to crispy red perfection.

This vegetable primarily grows during the rainy season in abundance. It grows best in marshy areas and well watered habitats. In Konkani homes, the Teasel gourd finds prominence during festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi when 5 types of Phodis are made as an offering to Lord Ganesha.

More often than not its used to make Phodi - Pan-fried or Deep fried. Mom makes Phaagla Saasam which is another delicacy we used to cherish during Sunday lunches. The fries are very delicious and make a great side dish.

Serves: 2-3 individuals

Ingredients:
Teasel Gourd or Phaagil (sliced into thin slices of 3-4 mm each) - 8-15
Salt - as per taste
Oil - for frying

For Batter:
Rice (pre-soaked) -1 Cup
Red Chillies - 6-10
Asafoetida - 1/10 teaspoon
Water - For accomodating grinding consistency

Method:
Pre-soak washed rice in water for 5-6 hours. Grind it to a batter after draining water along with red chillies and asafoetida, salt and very less water.
Apply salt to Gourd slices/ pieces and set aside for 1/2 hour. Heat oil in a deep dish pan. Once oil heats up (should not be smoking hot as fries would burn) dip the pieces in batter and deep fry. Serve hot along with rice and curry.

Soupy Brown Rice/ Ganjee/ Paej

Paej ~ The name itself strikes a chord of emotional nostalgia for me. Have grown eating plateful of this soupy Brown Rice delight. Some houses including that of my grandmothers has a norm of 11:00 tiffin with Paej as its called in Konkani. A special kind of rice called as Ukhdo Tandool (Brown Rice ~ very similar to Rosematta Rice available in US) in Konkani is used for the same. Silly I may sound! But hold it and do not stop me this time around. Fistful of Brown Rice washed and washed in tap water till its clean, non-cloudy and the red and white color sparkles at your face. Boil a pot full of water, we used to follow 1:4 proportion, which means for 1 cup of rice 4 cups of water. This Rice is eaten with the soupy starch and pickle, pappadams and vodee on the sides. Specially prevalent during those days when ancestral houses were full of kids and after a hiatus of early morning breakfast all the starving tummies used to yearn for a morsel of this humble nutritious delight.

Some also address it as Ganjee Utaa in Kannada. In Konkanis its known as Paej. Initially I felt a silly blogging about it but could not stop myself after thinking about all the wonderful times I have had eating spoons and spoons of this soupy rice during summer vacations at Udupi at my Grannys place. Paej along with Pickle, Vodee and Papads suffice as a one pot dish. Some serve Upkari of choice on the side.

I had a small bag of Rice I had bought from my India trip. Curiosity kills as they say! Could not hold my taste buds and plunged some into boiling water to enjoy this on a cold winter afternoon with Lime Pickle and Red Chilli Papad. Tastes best when served with Salt, dollops of home made Ghee and some spicy pickle. Happy Winter!!!

Preparation time ~ 30 to 45 minutes

Ingredients:

Brown Rice/ Parboiled Rice/ Ponni Rice ~ Ukhdo Tandool or Rosematta Rice (US) - 1 cup

Water - 4-5 cups

Method:

Wash rice multiple times till the rice is super clean and devoid of mud and grit. Boil 4-5 cups of water and once water begins to boil, add the washed rice. Give an occasional stir. Turn to a low flame and allow to simmer. Keep stirring occasionally. Once rice is cooked and done completely, turn off the flame and serve hot with ghee, salt and pickle on the side.