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Hadjod chutney

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During our visit to a friend’s farm in Kerala, we saw this cactus like plant growing wild in a corner. Our friend told us that a lot of local people come and take twigs of the plant, which is supposed to be highly medicinal. The medicinal value, he was not aware of. My husband took a twig and planted it in our back yard.

hadjod

 

Then he contacted an Ayurveda group and was astonished to know what a treasure this plant was. It is known as bone setter or edible-stemmed vine. It has many names: Vajravalli, Hadjod, Mangaravalli, Asthisrinkhala, and Vajralatha. It resembles the shape of bones and joints in the body, and is indeed very effective in strengthening the bones and joints.

 

I was curious how it was consumed and a net search gave me the recipe for hadjod chutney here: http://samagni.com/2015/06/pirandai-thogayal-adamant-creeper-chutney/comment-page-1/

 

I added coconut scrapings as in Kerala, we like to have coconut in our chutneys.

chutney

 

Ingredients:

 

While chopping the hadjot plant, you have to take some precautions or you will get itching on your hands. Smear oil on your palms and fingers nicely. Remove all the joints from the plant, as also the ridges. The leaves are used. Wash and chop them into small pieces.

hadjod

2 tbsps of chopped hadjod

2 dried red chillies broken to small pieces

¼ cup Udad dal

2 tbsps black sesame seeds

¾ cup grated coconut

Salt to taste

A pinch of Asafetida

A small ball of Tamarind. This neutralizes the itchiness of hadjod

2 tbsps Sesame oil

 

Instructions:

 

  • Pour some oil in a thick bottomed pan and roast the broken chilli pieces. Transfer to a plate.
  • Add the udad dal and sesame seeds to the pan and roast till the color of udad dal changes and aroma comes.
  • Now roast the coconut and asafetida, till the coconut turns light brown in color.
  • Lastly, roast the hadjod till they shrink and change to light brown in color.
  • Let everything  cool a bit.

ingredients

  • Grind all the ingredients with salt and tamarind to a powder.
  • It can be eaten with steamed rice as it is, or made into thin chutney by adding water and served with dosa or idli.
Easy Recipes, Sides

Mango murabba

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Some of the mangoes from our back yard tree fell down when there was a heavy rain. They were half ripe mangoes, some had cracks. We were thinking hard how to utilize them. My husband decided that murabba was a good idea and he did some search on the net. And came up with this idea. The result was delicious.

Four

Ingredients

1 kg half ripe mangoes skinned, poked with a fork all over and cut into pieces.

1 kg sugar

Instructions

Mix the mango pieces with sugar and keep aside for an hour for the mangoes to leave water.

One

Two

Keep on slow fire and keep stirring.

When the mango pieces turn slightly translucent, remove from fire.

Three

Cool and bottle.

Five

It goes very well with either rotis or steamed rice.

 

 

 

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Thai Coconut Curry

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Thai Coconut Curry
Steamed Barramundi fillet with Thai Coconut Curry, Basmati rice and sauteed vegetables

I love South East Asian food. Something about the flavors of lemon grass, Thai basil, Kafir lime, galangal, the wonderful leaves…. oh and how can I forget the coconut milk! Recently when I was searching for recipes, I came across this one. I was actually in the mood to eat Thai red curry, and was only looking for interesting options, but this one swept me off my feet. I just HAD to make it!

So I sent my guy scurrying down to get the stuff. And boy what a delight this was. I write this recipe more because I want to have it on hand at all times than any desire to share. Use the sauce as an accompaniment to vegetarian or non vegetarian meals. I served it on top of a Barramundi fillet.

Makes enough for 4
Time taken: 30 min

Ingredients

1 tbsp dark sesame oil
2 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped scallions or spring onions
1 tsp garam masala or curry powder
2 tsp red curry paste
1/2 tsp ground cumin
4 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp palm sugar
2 tsp Asian fish sauce (I used oyster sauce)
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander or cilantro
Salt

Instructions

Heat oil in a wok, add ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add bell pepper and scallions; cook for another couple of minutes.

Stir in curry powder, curry paste, and cumin; cook 1 minute.

Add soy sauce, sugar, Asian fish sauce, and coconut milk; bring to a simmer (do not boil).

Remove from heat; stir in cilantro or basil if using.

Serve.

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Roasted Cauliflower

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Ingredients

1 medium size cauliflower
2 tbsp yogurt
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 tbsp oil
Salt

To be ground together for green chutney
2 cups chopped coriander or cilantro
½ onion, chopped
½ tomato, chopped
2 cloves garlic
¼ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp dried mango powder (amchur)
1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

  • To make the green chutney, grind together coriander leaves, tomato, onion, garlic, salt, sugar, cumin seeds, dried mango powder and lemon juice
  • Keep the cauliflower immersed in salt water for an hour. Take it out, wash under running water and steam it for ten minutes. Set aside to cool.
Steamed cauliflower
Steamed cauliflower
  • Mix together green chutney, yogurt, salt, and ginger garlic paste; apply this over the cauliflower and try to push it in between the florets. Let it sit for an hour or two to marinate.

two

Marinated cauliflower
Marinated cauliflower
  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Keep the cauliflower in a dish smeared with oil, and pour some oil over the cauliflower. If you don’t want the cauliflower to dry out much, keep a small dish of water next to it, or you could cover it in foil.
  • Bake for 25 minutes.( You could also bake for 20 minutes and then grill for ten minutes too)

 

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Simple Kadala Curry (Black Chickpea Curry)

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Kadala curry served over idiappam
Kadala curry served over idiappam

Having grown up in a family with North-Indian as well as South-Indian influence, I always associated Kerala food with simple, easy to digest food. It was only recently when I visited some Mallu friends that I realised that Kerala food can also be very, very sharp and loaded with spices. To me, this was the way Kerala made kadala curry. Now I know that there is a much more complicated version similar to the Punjabi chole that is served with appams in many a Mallu household. Having grown up with this version, I’d say I’m biased. To me, nothing beats this simple, soothing kadala curry and the bliss it brings when paired with a soft appam. Enjoy.

Serves 4
Time taken: 25 min (Overnight Soaking Required)

Ingredients:
2 cups black gram (kadala/ black channa)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, chopped
5-6 cloves of garlic, chopped
1″ piece of ginger
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp coriander powder
2 sprigs Curry leaves
½ cup coconut milk (optional)

Method:

  • Soak the black gram overnight and pressure-cook for 10 minutes with salt and enough water. (If you like your kadala soft you may add a pinch of baking soda before cooking)
  • Take 2 tbsp of the cooked black gram, mash lightly and put it back into the curry.
  • Heat coconut oil in a pan and add mustard.
  • When the mustard begins to splutter, add the onion, garlic, ginger and curry leaves and stir on medium flame until soft.
  • Add the spices and stir well.
  • Add the cooked black gram and coconut milk.
  • Serve.

Goes well with: Appams and Puttu

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Thai Peanut Curry

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Thai Peanut Curry

I’m sure this sort of dish exists already, but this one is something I just whipped up on a whim. I love peanut butter, and I felt like adding it to the curry. And voila, what a yummy dish it turned out to be. Just like the Thai red curry, this is a super quick dish as well.

Time Taken: 20 min
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup sliced halved zucchini
½ cup sliced halved carrots
1 cup broccoli florets
½ cup halved baby corn
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
½ cup water chestnuts (optional)
a handful of kafir lime, lemongrass & Thai basil leaves (optional)

1 can (14 oz/ 400 gm) or 2 cups coconut milk
2-3 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 tbsp chopped galangal (substitute: ginger)
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp sesame oil
Salt to taste, a pinch of sugar

Method

Heat the oil and sauté the galangal/ginger and garlic for a minute.

Add the vegetables in the order of time required for cooking. So that means the carrots go in first, the baby corn and zucchini after a couple of minutes, then broccoli and water chestnuts, and lastly mushrooms and leaves. Cover and cook until nearly done, 3-5 minutes.

Mix the peanut butter, ¼ cup coconut milk, Thai curry paste and add it to the vegetables.

Add the rest of the coconut milk, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil, take off the heat and serve.

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Kerala Vegetable/ Egg Stew

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vegetable stew
Egg and vegetable stew with idiappam (string hoppers)

Stew is one of the most soothing, calming dishes I know of. Pairing it with a rice based item like idiappam or appam takes it to another level altogether, although it is also fine with chappatis.

It is wonderful on those days when you’ve eaten something too heavy or spicy and want something to help the body come back to balance. It is soothing, but filling at the same time.

Time taken: 20 min
Serves 3-4

Ingredients

1 big potato, peeled and cubed
1 carrot, peeled and cubed
1 cup cauliflower florets
½ cup peas
½ cup sweet corn (optional)
4 eggs, hardboiled (optional)
1 500 ml can coconut milk
2 tsp chopped ginger
1-2 green chilies, chopped
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp coconut oil
salt to taste

Method

Heat coconut oil in a wok, and add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the ginger, chilies and the curry leaves.

Add the potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, baby corn and peas.

Add salt, mix, then cover and cook. Stir occasionally and add a little water if it starts to stick to the bottom.

Check to see if the potatoes are cooked – they should be easy to poke through with a knife. Once they are done, add the coconut milk and bring to a boil.

Cut the eggs into pieces and add to the curry.

Take off the heat and adjust the salt if necessary.

Serve hot.

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Thai Red Curry

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Serve with brown rice for a healthy meal

It was during my visit to Thailand many, many years ago, that I fell in love with Thai curry. We ate it everyday, and when I got back to India, I figured a way to make it. We didn’t get curry pastes in those days, OR the recipes online, and I had to manage with substitutes.

And then it became popular and Thai restaurants sprung up all over the city. My favorite Thai curries have been at the Nobel House in Jayanagar 4th block, and in Yo China!. Making it at home is also very simple, so you don’t have to spend a lot of money every time you have a craving. I make it with whatever I have at home. So if you’re missing a few vegetables in the list, just increase the quantity of the others.

If you have a lemon bush at home, add those leaves to the curry, it adds magic. If you don’t, well, just sow the seeds of the next lemon you cut, and you’ll have a little bush in no time 😉 trust me, it’s worth it!

Time taken: 20 min
Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 cup sliced halved zucchini
½ cup sliced halved carrots
1 cup broccoli florets
½ cup halved baby corn
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
½ cup red bell pepper chopped in squares
½ cup water chestnuts (optional)
a handful of kafir lime, lemongrass & Thai basil leaves (optional)

1 can (14 oz/ 400gm) or 2 cups coconut milk
1 tbsp Thai red curry paste
1 tbsp corn flour
1 tbsp chopped galangal (substitute: ginger)
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp sesame oil
Salt to taste, a pinch of sugar

Method

Heat the oil and sauté the galangal/ginger and garlic for a minute.

Throw the vegetables in, in the order of time required for cooking. So that means the carrots go in first, the baby corn, zucchini and bell pepper after a couple of minutes, then broccoli and water chestnuts, and lastly mushrooms and leaves. Cover and cook until nearly done, 3-5 minutes.

Mix the cornflour, ¼ cup coconut milk, Thai curry paste and add it to the vegetables.

Add the rest of the coconut milk, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil, take off the heat and serve.

Variation

For Thai chicken or prawn curry, substitute broccoli, baby corn and mushrooms with ½ kg prawns or skinless, boneless chicken. Also add 1 tbsp fish sauce along with the curry paste.

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Rajma Masala

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Rajma Masala with Jeera Rice
Rajma Masala with Jeera Rice

Rajma masala with jeera rice is one of my favorite combinations, and I haven’t met anyone so far who doesn’t like this dish. It is just so wholesome – tasty, nutritious, healthy.

Some recipes don’t call for grinding the masala. Now this, I have found, really pulls down the quality of the dish. I tried very hard to work around it initially, because I was too lazy to do all the grinding, but I have found that the difference is just too much to skip this critical step.

Time taken: 50 min (Overnight soaking required)
Serves 4

Ingredients

1½ cups rajma or kidney beans
4 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
2 tbsp chopped ginger
2 tbsp chopped garlic
2 green chilies

½ tsp haldi or turmeric powder
½ tsp lal mirch or red chili powder
2 tsp dhania or coriander powder
½ tsp garam masala powder
2 tsp kasuri methi or crushed dry fenugreek leaves

1 badi elaichi or black cardamom
1 tej patta or bay leaf
2 tsp jeera or cumin seeds
2 tbsp ghee (or mustard oil in the winters)
Salt to taste

Method

Soak the rajma overnight, atleast 8-10 hours. Drain.

Pressure cook the rajma with salt and 4-5 cups of water, for 15-20 minutes. When the pressure has come to normal, open and check if it is cooked through, or simmer for a few more minutes. (If you’re cooking without a pressure cooker, cook the rajma for about 1 to 1.5 hours). Drain the rajma and reserve the water.

While the rajma is cooking, heat 1 tbsp ghee and add the jeera or cumin seeds. Add the onions and cook until soft.

Now add the ginger, garlic, chilies and tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are soft and mushy. Take off the heat.

Once cool, grind this into a fine paste.

Heat the remaining ghee in the same pan and add the bay leaf and black cardamom. Add the onion-tomato puree and cook on medium heat with constant stirring, until the paste starts to release ghee. The sides of the pan start to glisten when this starts happening.

Add the spice powders – turmeric, chili, coriander and garam masala.

Add the cooked rajma to this paste, and add 2 cups of the reserved water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10-15 min without a lid.

Check the consistency of the curry and add more water if required. Adjust the salt if needed.

Garnish with cream or coriander leaves, depending on whether you want it rich or spicy. Serve hot with parathas, rice or jeera rice.

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Olan (Pumpkin & Black Eyed Peas Curry)

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Olan: A creamy, light, healthy curry
Olan: A creamy, light, healthy curry

It is quite easy to get me to like a dish. Just add coconut milk! I couldn’t stop eating this the first time I tasted it. And now it is the same story every time I make it.

This is another of those super healthy AND super tasty dishes. One may wonder where the taste even comes from, because there are barely any spices here. But make it once, and you’re hooked!

Traditionally, ginger is not added, but it is an addition I love.

Time taken: 25 min (Overnight soaking required)
Serves 2

Ingredients

1 cup lobhiya / van payaru or black eyed peas
1 cup cubed elavan/ ash gourd/ white pumpkin
2 green chilies
1 cup coconut milk
2 tsp ginger (optional)
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 tbsp coconut oil
Salt to taste

Method

Soak the lobhiya in enough water overnight, at least 8-9 hours.

Pressure cook the lobhiya for 8 min, or open cook until done.

Cook the pumpkin with a little water, salt, green chilies and ginger.

When done, add the lobhiya and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and simmer until it reaches the desired consistency. Check for salt.

Heat the coconut oil, add the curry leaves and pour it over the dish. Serve with rice.