Methi in my garden is now fully grown. Thanks to the frequent rains and pleasant weather we had for the past few weeks. I dug out few plants and plucked the fresh leaves and tender stems to prepare methi dal for today’s meal. I also added turai, because I thought mildly sweet turai would complement methi’s herbal flavor. Individually also they are best friends with toor dal. Together, methi and turai made an excellent team-toor dal day.

Methi is easy to grow in garden beds or in small containers, tastes good and known to balance blood sugar levels. If you have never tried growing methi, please do try this season. Go to an Indian grocery and purchase a packet of methi seeds. Soak some in water for a day. Wrap the soaked seeds in a wet muslin (cheese) cloth for a day or two. Seeds start to sprout. Plant the methi sprouts in soil where it gets sunlight. Water once a day. Within a month methi will be ready to harvest for dal, curry or roti.

Methi Turai Dal (Menthi Beerakaaya Pappu)
(for 2 or 4, for 4 to 2 meals)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup, toor dal (kandi pappu)
2 cups, fresh methi leaves and pinched tender stems
2 cups, turai pieces (peel the turai ridges and thinly slice)
1 small red onion or shallot. chopped
8 to 10, Indian or Thai green chillies, finely chopped
1 tablespoon, tamarind pulp
1/4 teaspoon turmeric

Method:
In a pressure cooker, take toor dal. Wash and clean the dal. Add the methi leaves, turai, onion, green chilli, tamarind and turmeric. Add about 2 cups of water. Mix. Close the lid and pressure-cook the dal to soft consistency. Allow the pressure to come down and then remove the lid. Add salt, about half teaspoon or to taste, and mash the cooked ingredients gently with a wood masher or a sturdy whisk.

Season the dal with garlic tadka. For garlic tadka, heat a tablespoon of peanut oil in a medium-sized pot. When oil is hot, add 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, 8 curry leaves, and a pinch each – cumin and mustard seeds. Saute the ingredients to fragrance. Add the methi-turai dal to this garlic tadka. Mix well and serve the methi-turai dal with rice or roti.

Methi-Turai Dal and Turai Curry with Rice ~ For Meal Today and
for Suma’s Delicious Dals From India Event

You know, when something is good, it becomes a classic. This potato sambar, for example. I remember two generations before me, my mother and grandmother, enjoying this delicious and hearty dish. Idly and potato sambar – “more amma…” I would always ask for more when I was a child. Who knew digging into the earth for potatoes would unearth all these precious memory jewels as well! Fresh produce patriotism plus the nostalgia – that’s what this potato sambar is for me now.

I realize that potatoes are not for everyone in this calorie-conscious atmosphere. But baby and new crop potatoes are truly wonderful, and I do think they are worth that extra mile walk.

Toor Dal Mash, Pearl Onions, Tomato and Red Potatoes for Potato Sambar

Potato Sambar
(for 2 or 4, for 4 to 2 meals)

Ingredients:
3/4 cup, Toor dal
2 medium sized, fresh potatoes. Cut into 1/4-inch thick rounds (no dice)
10 pearl onions, peel the skin and cut off the ends
1 ripe tomato, finely chopped
Half lime-sized tamarind
1 tablespoon, sambar powder
1/4 teaspoon each, red chilli powder and turmeric powder
1 teaspoon, salt or to taste
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves for garnish

For Curry Leaf Tadka:
2 teaspoons, peanut oil
One sprig of fresh curry leaves, 6 small dry red chilli pieces, 1/4 teaspoon each – mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and hing

Method:
Toor dal: In a heavy cooking pot or pressure cooker, take toor dal. Wash and clean the dal. Add two cups of water, quarter teaspoon of turmeric. Mix, cover and cook until the dal is soft and then mash it to smooth paste. Keep it aside.

Tamarind: Soak half lime-sized ball of tamarind in one cup of warm water for 15 minutes. Squeeze it out between your fingers to extract the juice and discard the pith and seeds.

Prepare the Sambar: In a big pot, heat to medium and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add the chillies, mustard seeds, fenugreek, hing and curry leaves and saute for 2 minutes. Add the onion and brown lightly. Add the potatoes and tomatoes. Cook, partially covered until potatoes are fork-tender.

Add the tamarind extract, mashed toor dal that was kept aside to the vegetables. Stir in sambar powder, red chilli powder and salt. Add a cup of water. Allow this to boil and then simmer for 10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro leaves and remove from heat.

Serve potato sambar warm with rice, idlies or vada. Or fill a cup with sambar and sip with a spoon. However you serve, potato sambar makes a nutritious and satisfying meal.

Potato Sambar and Rava Idly ~ A Meal, Last Weekend

First Roses to Bloom ~ French Lace and Angel Face

I can’t believe that I am already into my second year of gardening. Last year was my first attempt at raised bed gardening. In retrospect, I have to say it went very well. It was a joy to see small seedlings budding into healthy plants and producing so generously many flowers, vegetables and fruits. We had great spring and summer season last year which contributed to the garden success, and it was more enjoyable because we had my mother and father in-law from Nandyala visiting us. They were enthusiastic, encouraging and very helpful towards my gardening hobby, and did a lot for the well being of plants. Thanks again Attayya and mamayya, if you are reading. I miss your kind presence and I wish you are here this year too.

2009 garden efforts produced a decent vegetable harvest. The plants that did exceptionally well were tomatoes, peppers, okra, brinjal, Indian broad beans, Indian karela, Turai and Red alasanda (asparagus beans). Gongura, Spinach, Chard, methi, mint and coriander also grew well. When it comes to fruit plants, they are still in establishing stage and the harvest was 3 pomegranates, 10 sweet figs and few strawberries and blackberries. We had some winter causalities due to unseasonably cold weather. Mango, guava, seethapalam (custard apple), curry leaf, jasmine varieties, nandivardanam, henna and banana plant did not survive the snowfall to my heartbreak. I can now understand the despair the farmers feel when the hard-earned money, effort and hopes of green future give up on them. I have gently laid plant losses to rest in the compost pile. My only comforting thought was to believe that those plants would live on through the feeding of the next generation by becoming the best compost possible.

I am glad spring is here, giving a new chance for life. Days are getting warm. Seeds are sprouting. It is so beautiful here, I am spending most of the time outdoors tending plant beds. Here are some plants I’ve planted for this year’s growing season.

Some good and old:
Alliums: Red onion and garlic
Beans: Green beans, Peas, Chikkudu(Indian Broadbeans), Okra
Fruits: Blackberries, Cantaloupe, Fig, Grapes, Jamaican Cherry, Mandarin Orange, Papaya, Pomegranate and strawberries (most of the fruit plants are planted last year)
Greens: Chard, Gongura, Fenugreek (methi), Kale, Lettuce, and Spinach
Herbs: Mint (spearmint), Marjoram and Rosemary
Squash: Turai, Lauki(Bottle Gourd), Silk squash, Cucumbers, Karela, Zucchini (yellow and Mexican squash)
Vegetables, Fruit: Corn, Eggplant (purple, long and round variety), Tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers.
Vegetables, Root: Potatoes (red), radish (red), Ginger

Some new:
I am planning to grow tamarind, turmeric, mango-ginger and vaamu(ajwan) because ever inquisitive mind wants to know how they fare in Houston weather.

Here are some photos from the backyard:

Tomato Plants …………. Brinjal Plants

Red Radish and Cantaloupe … Mint, Rosemary, Marjoram and Strawberry Plants

Beans, Cucumber, Grape …. Curbside Mint Around the Front yard Plant, Free for Walkers

My Garden Buddy, Dear Kittaya Enjoying the Greens and the Garden Breeze

What are you planning to plant this spring? Any new gardening tips and ideas? I would love to hear from you.

As I get older, like many of you, I am becoming thankful for our culinary heritage. I think our cuisine is the best kind diet out there, simply because it doesn’t need or depend on farm-raised animal and ultra-processed products for flavor and sustenance. Natural plant based ingredients have divine powers and most of the Indian recipes are based on that valuable khajana. Example is the following recipe. This lentil based chaaru is a frequent guest at family table, and all it needs is a fistful of chana dal, few vegetables and good, old spices. Chana dal is known to reduce and maintain blood sugar levels, plus it is a low calorie lentil. For those of you who are on diet, trying to control sugar levels or thinking of some new rasam, this chana dal chaaru is the best fit for a filling stomach.

Chana Dal (Sanaga Bedalu)
Chana dal Chaaru
(for 4 to 6 servings)

Ingredients:
1/3 cup of chana dal
1 small shallot or red onion, sliced thinly lengthwise
1 small ripe tomato, cut to small pieces
2 tablespoons – tamarind pulp or lemon juice
1 tablespoon, rasam or garam masala powder
1/2 teaspoon each – chilli powder and salt
1/4 teaspoon – turmeric
For Hing tadka: a tablespoon of peanut oil, one sprig of fresh curry leaves, pinch each – asafetida (hing), cumin and mustard seeds

Method:
1. Take chana dal in a pressure cooker. Rinse and add about 2 cups of water. Pressure cook the dal the soft. Mash the dal to smooth with a wood masher.
2. Add onion, tomato and tamarind to the mashed dal. Stir in rasam powder, chilli powder, salt and turmeric. Add about half cup of water. Partially cover the pot and simmer the chaaru for about 10-15 minutes on medium heat.
3. At the end, do the hing tadka and add it to the rasam. For hing tadka, heat peanut oil in a small pan or vessel. Add and toast curry leaves, hing, cumin and mustard seeds in that order. Stirring, toast to fragrance. Add this hing tadka to the simmering chana chaaru. Mix well.
4. Serve hot or warm over cooked rice with some papad or pickle. Or good as it is to sip like soopa.

Good for Diabetics, Chana Dal Chaaru for Meal Today and for
Home Remedies Event at Talented Ruchika Cooks

It is just not Thai but India also has a rich tradition of several, crowd pleasing pineapple preparations. For example, during our last India trip, we had this delicious pineapple curry at an Udipi restaurant. The curry looked like a beautiful lotus pond with golden pineapple pieces floating in thin coconut masala water, and tasted excellent with that memorable sweet-spice combination. Vijay and I liked it so much, I often prepare it at home now. This Udipi style pineapple curry is different from Thai version. No canned coconut milk, but we add fresh coconut masala paste that is typical to South Indian cooking. The recipe is simple, cooks quickly and it tastes great on its own or when served over rice/chapati.

Fresh Pineapple Pieces

Udipi Style Pineapple Curry
(for 2 to 4 for 2 to 1 meals)

Step 1: Start the preparation by making coconut masala first.
In a blender or mixer, take about 3 tablespoons of fresh coconut gratings. Add 6 cloves, one inch piece of cinnamon stick, seeds from one cardamom pod, 6 to 8 fresh or dried red chillies, quarter teaspoon of salt, and one inch piece of peeled, fresh ginger. Blend the ingredients, adding few tablespoons of water if necessary, until you have extremely smooth paste in the consistency of katuka or cream cheese.

Step 2: Prepare the fruit (pineapple) and vegetables (carrots and onions).
Peel, core and cut pineapple into 1×1/2 inch pieces. We need about 2 cups. Peel and dice carrot to half inch cubes, about a cup is required. Slice shallot or red onion lengthwise thinly, about half cup. I also add other vegetables like bell peppers and potatoes on some days or make it with only pineapple. It’s all good.

Step 3: Cook the Curry.
Heat a pan. Add a teaspoon of peanut oil and when it is hot, add a sprig of fresh curry leaves and a pinch each cumin, mustard seeds and asafetida. Toast to fragrance.
Add onions and cook to soft. Add carrots and coconut masala paste. Sauté, stirring frequently and when coconut paste starts to brown a bit, add about one to two cups of water. Also, quarter teaspoon turmeric, a tablespoon of grated jaggery and salt to taste. Mix and cover the pan, simmer on moderate heat for about fifteen minutes.
At the end, add pineapple pieces and cook for another five minutes on low heat. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves if you wish, and serve the pineapple curry hot or lukewarm with rice or chapati.

Upidi Pineapple Curry with Chapati ~ For Meal Today

Fresh fennel not only tastes great, on research I found that fresh fennel is low in calories, contains beta carotene and foliate. It is good for digestion and has a calming effect on the stomach. All the above makes fresh fennel a power food in my food dictionary. Needless to say I am enjoying being a follower to fresh fennel flavor. And, this is what I have made for dinner today with fresh fennel bulb purchased from last weekend grocery trip.

I paired the fennel with spinach and sun dried tomatoes. Pasta is the carbohydrates. Chickpeas and almond butter filled the protein need. I omitted the routine pasta fare, tomato sauce, oregano etc, instead experimented by adding some traditional Bharath masala. Fennel looked like it was in turmeric heaven and the meal tasted light and delightful.

Fennel Farfalle Pasta
(for 2 to 4 servings for main meal)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon, peanut oil
1/4 teaspoon, fennel seeds
2 garlic cloves, skin peeled, sliced thinly
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 fennel bulb
4 cups of spinach, coarsely chopped
8 sundried tomatoes, sliced thinly
1/2 cup, cooked chickpeas
1 tablespoon, almond butter
1 teaspoon each – garam masala powder and red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon, turmeric
salt to taste
2 cups, farfalle pasta

Method:
Cut the fennel bulb in half. Remove the outer layer and hard core. Slice the fennel into thin strips. Cut and prepare garlic, onion, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 10 minutes, until just tender.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wide pan. Add the fennel seeds and garlic. Toast to fragrance. Add the onion and fresh fennel. Saute for five minutes on moderate heat to pleasant pink color. Add the spinach, sundried tomatoes and chickpeas. Saute, stirring frequently, until the leaves collapse.

Add the cooked pasta and about half cup of water pasta simmered in. Stir in the almond butter, garam masala powder, red pepper flakes, turmeric and salt. Mix well and cook on low heat for another five minutes. Serve the fennel farfalle immediately.

Fennel Farfalle ~ for Bhojanam Today

Fennel seeds need no introduction to this Bharath Bawarchi but when it comes to fresh fennel, I always wondered how they would taste. Thanks to Jihva Fennel, I found out that fresh fennel has a light licorice flavor which becomes more delicate when cooked.

For my first try, I placed the fresh fennel in a comfortable combination. I stir-fried the fennel with red onion and red bell peppers and seasoned with fennel seeds. The result was a vigorous vegetable medley with pronounced fennel sweetness.

I have to say that it was so easy to fall in love with fresh fennel in this Indian-inspired combination, and I recommend fresh fennel friendship to my fellowship.

Fennel Sandwich ~ India Inspired
(for four sandwiches)

1 fennel bulb
1 red bell pepper
1 red onion
1 green chilli
1/4 tsp each – turmeric, fennel and cumin seeds
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon, peanut oil

Slice the top off and remove the outer layer of the fennel bulb. With a mandoline or knife, slice the fennel lengthwise into thin strips about two inches long. Finely slice onions, red bell pepper and chilli into thin strips of the same length.

In a cast iron skillet, heat the peanut oil. Add cumin and fennel seeds and toast to fragrance. Add the onion and cook for two to three minutes. Add the fresh fennel, red bell pepper and chilli strips and stir-fry for about five minutes, until the vegetables are tender and start to get brown. Season with salt and turmeric and sprinkle some lemon juice if desired.

Serve warm over grilled or toasted bread or chapati for fennel flavored, filling meal.

Fennel Sandwich ~ for Meal Today, and
For JFI~Fennel at Lovely Siri of Siri’s Corner

The beneficence of the vegetables in gastronomical matters is well known. In ingestion, the well-treated vegetable pleases the palate and in digestion, it gives no cause for problems. In this Bharath inspired recipe, you can see that brussels sprouts are well treated. They are on intimate terms with herbs and spices, and they combine smartly with other glories. Yet they seem to believe wholeheartedly in their own importance. Resulting in a tasty dish that would delight the brussels sprouts believers.

Brussels Sprouts Borugulu
(serves two to four)

250 grams of Borugulu (Murmura or puffed rice) from Indian grocery
12 Brussels sprouts, cleaned and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 red onion, skin peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 carrot, grated, about a cup
1 cup, sprouted moong (mung)
2 tablespoons of minced, fresh green chilli
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons each- Fresh cilantro and roasted, shelled peanuts
For curryleaf tadka: a tablespoon of peanut oil, a pinch each -cumin&mustard seeds, a sprig of fresh curry leaves

Borugulu: Take a big pot and fill half of it with water. Add borugulu and with your hands push into water to soak them well. After about 5 minutes, take handfuls of borugulu and firmly squeeze the water out. Place them in a colander. This is done to clean the puffed rice. What must stay behind in water are any sand, dust and chaff of the puffed rice. To see this process in photos, click here.

Brussels Sprouts: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add and fry curry leaves, mustard seeds and cumin to fragrance. Add onions and sauté to brown. Then add the brussels sprouts, carrot and moong sprouts. Cook, until they are barely tender. Add green chilli, salt and turmeric. Sprinkle cilantro and peanuts. Stir and sauté turning the vegetables over and over again for about five minutes.

Brussels Borugulu: Add the puffed rice to this hot brussels sprouts mixture. Squeeze some lime juice if you prefer. Combine well gently. Serve as soon as you prepare.

I also added some pappula podi at the end, for some extra ruchi. Vegetables, sprouts and borugulu, it was a simple yet wholesome, tasty meal.

Brussels Sprouts Borugulu ~ for Meal Today

Wakeup, Work, Watch. Wakeup to wintry silence.
Wakeup. Work. Watch. Work an endless whirlwind.
Wakeup. Work, Watch. Watch the world pass by.

In a rhythmic routine that revolves around night, dawn, noon, dusk, and night…, bed, work, prayer, table, TV …, sleep, work, eat, meditate and watch… once in a while, for a change, having a bowl of basmati… It’s a refreshing experience!

Brussels sprouts are in season right now and I wanted to cook something new. When I added them to biryani, these wintry, cute ‘cabbage mini me’s’ woke up wonderfully to the flavor warmth of Bharath basmati. Excellent recipe for that special occasion. Give it a try.

Brussels Sprouts Basmati
(serves four or six)

Recipe happens in four steps.

Step 1: Basmati
2 cups of good quality, aged basmati rice and 4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon, turmeric or saffron soaked in a tablespoon of milk

Take the basmati rice in a wide pan. Add water and turmeric or saffron infused milk. Mix, and cover the pan. Cook over medium heat until the rice is done to tender individuality.

Step 2: Ruchi
2 tablespoons, grated fresh coconut or cashews
1 teaspoon, grated ginger
1 plump garlic clove, skin peeled
2 sprigs, fresh cilantro
2 fresh green chillies
Take the above in a grinder. Add two cloves, 1-inch piece of cinnamon, a tablespoon of coriander seeds, quarter teaspoon each, cumin and black peppercorn. Grind the ingredients to silky-smooth paste. Add few teaspoons of water if necessary for easy blending.

Step 3: Brussels:
1 tablespoon, ghee or peanut oil
2 tablespoons, golden raisins
2 tablespoons, cashew pieces
1 red onion or 2 or 3 shallots, sliced thinly lengthwise
12 brussels sprouts, sliced thinly lengthwise
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon turmeric

In a skillet, heat ghee or oil. When it is hot, add the cashews and golden raisins. Sauté until golden. Add onions and cook until brown. Add the brussels sprouts and sauté to tender. Sprinkle salt and turmeric. And add the masala paste from step 2. Mix well and stir-fry, stirring often for about five minutes.

Step 4: Brussels Basmati
Spoon the brussels sprouts mixture on top of the cooked basmati rice in the pan. Cut and juice a lemon or a small sweet orange. Mix well and adjust salt to your taste. Serve hot with kurma or raita or with some boiled eggs for an excellent meal.

Brussels Sprouts Basmati in a Boiled Egg ~ for meal today

I made my grandmother’s recipe today. My grandma is about 80 years young, full of vitality, from Nandikotkur and now lives in Hyderabad with my uncle’s family. She used to (still does sometimes) prepare either sorghum or bajra roti for breakfast everyday when we were growing up. The leftover rotis are made into a roti-upma for evening snack. Roti-upma (or Rottupma) may sound unique, but it is pretty common in Nandyal and Nandikotkur areas of Andhra. The recipe is simple. Take rotis, preferably leftover and hardened. Break them into small pieces. Sauté with upma ingredients. Easy and tasty, I love my grandma’s roti-upma.

Sajja Rotte-Upma (Bajra Roti-Upma)

Bajra rotis – 3 or 4
Onion – 1 big one
Green chillies – 3 or 4
Fresh cilantro – 4 or 5 sprigs
Turmeric -1/4 teaspoon
Salt – 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
For tadka: a tablespoon of peanut oil and a pinch each – cumin and mustard seeds, and few curry leaves

Tear rotis into small, bite-sized pieces. Finely chop onion, chillies and cilantro to small pieces.

Heat oil in an iron skillet. To the hot oil, add curry leaves, cumin and mustard seeds. Sauté, stirring constantly. When seeds start to pop, add onion and green chilli. Cook until onion pieces soften and turn brown. Add the roti pieces, turmeric and salt. Sprinkle cilantro. Stir-fry for five minutes, mixing in-between. Serve the tasty roti-upma hot.

I also added a cup of sprouted moong beans at the end to increase the nutritional value and make the meal substantial. Millet and Moong sprouts, that’s good food.

Sajja Rotte Upma ~ For Meal Today

Bajra rotis are available at Swami Narayan Mandir for interested Houstonians.

“You remember the potluck party on Saturday evening? I am making a list of the dish each of us will bring to the party. What should I put your name on?” …My friend on the phone.

“Let me think for a minute. mmm… Malai kofta. How does that sound?”

“Perfect for the holiday mood. Love it.”

I don’t know what prompted me to say malai kofta. Even though, malai kofta is my all time favorite dish, I rarely make it at home. To prepare it from scratch, some serious work is involved and if I do all the work, I feel like the romance is gone from experiencing this delicious dish. I prefer to keep it as a standard order for an indulgent mood at an Indian restaurant. Well, whatever prompted me to say malai kofta, I was glad I offered it. I had a chance to make it after longtime. The good thing is it came out well and we had some fun time at the party.

This is how I made the malai kofta on Saturday morning.

Malai Kofta for a Potluck Party of 25

Ingredient List:

For koftas (25×2=50 koftas):
1 gallon, whole milk and 2 limes- to make fresh paneer
5 russet or red potatoes, medium-sized
2 big carrots, grated
1/2 cup, cashews
1/4 cup, golden raisins
1 teaspoon, salt
1/2 teaspoon, chilli powder
To deep-fry the koftas:
1 cup, chapati flour
3 cups, peanut oil

For Malai Sauce:
2 red onions, jumbo sized
10 roma or vine ripe tomatoes, big size
2-inch ginger piece, skin peeled
2 plump garlic cloves, skins removed
1/4 cup, finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup each, cashews and golden raisins
1/4 cup each, fresh paneer and grated fresh coconut
1×1-inch, cinnamon stick
6 cloves
1 tablespoon, coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon each, cumin and fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon each, black pepper and turmeric
2 teaspoons, salt
1 teaspoon, chilli powder
1 cup, whole milk or 1/2 cup, cream

Method:

To prepare malai kofta from scratch, for a party of 25, it would take at least two hours, four burners of heat and decent amount of concentration. We need to make a minimum of 50 koftas and enough malai sauce to accommodate them.

Step 1 – Preparation for Paneer and Sauce: Prepare the ingredients for koftas and for malai sauce by placing four pots on four burners. Cook simultaneously for energy and time efficiency. Here is how I did it.

Burner 1 for Paneer: Pour one gallon of milk in a big, wide pot. Bring the milk to boil. Cut and add limejuice from 2 limes to the boiling milk. Milk starts to cuddle immediately. Stir continuously. When the white, fluffy clouds of paneer get big and separated from watery whey, pour the entire contents into a muslin cloth lined pot. Twist and squeeze the cloth several times to strain the paneer completely whey-free. Hang to drip-dry if possible. Divide the paneer into two parts – 3/4 (for koftas) and 1/4 part (for malai sauce).

Burner 2 for Potatoes: Wash and cut each potato into two. Take potatoes in a pressure-cooker. Add just enough water to cover them. Cook to fork tender. Drain the water. Peel the skins and mash the potatoes coarsely.

Burner 3 for Tomatoes: Place a pot on the stovetop and add a cup of water. Bring water to boil. Add tomatoes and cover the pot. When tomato skin starts to break, turn off the heat. Remove the cover to cool.

Burner 4 for Onions: Peel the skin and cut onions to chunk pieces. Heat a tablespoon of oil in an iron skillet. Add onion, and sauté to brown on high heat, stirring in-between.

Step 2 – Preparation for Koftas and Malai Sauce: Grind the prepared ingredients for koftas and for malai sauce. Connect a food processor and a Sumeet style mixer into power outlets and follow the procedure.

In food processor, add paneer, mashed potatoes, grated carrot, salt, chilli powder, cashews and golden raisins. Pulse few times first and then run the processor to combine the ingredients well. Remove the mix to a bowl. This will be shaped into koftas.

Clean the food processor. Put the tomatoes and blend. Add the water tomatoes simmered in for smooth run. Remove the tomato puree to a bowl.

To the food processor, add roasted onions. Blend into fine paste. Remove the onion paste to a bowl.

In a mixer, take cashews and grind to smooth paste. To this paste, add coconut, paneer, ginger, garlic, fresh cilantro leaves, golden raisins, black peppercorn, cumin, fennel, coriander seeds, cinnamon, and cloves. Grind the ingredients to fine consistency. The masala paste has to be extremely smooth. So run the blender for at least 5 minutes, adding few tablespoons of water when required.

Step 3: Simmer the Malai Sauce and Fry the Koftas

Simmer the Sauce: Place a wide, deep pan on the stove-top. Add and heat a tablespoon of oil. When oil is hot, add the roasted onion paste, masala paste. Saute for five minutes on medium heat, constantly stirring. Add the tomato puree, turmeric, milk or cream and 2 cups of water. Combine well. Have a taste and add salt and chilli powder if required. Cover and simmer the sauce on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring in-between. Avoid high heat and take care not to blacken the sauce at the bottom of the pan. When the sauce starts to thicken, turn off the heat.

Make Koftas: In another burner, place a skillet suitable to deep-fry. Add and heat peanut oil. While oil is getting hot, shape the koftas from the paneer mixture into small rounds of 1-inch diameter. Roll the paneer rounds into chapati flour, lightly coating the surface. This will keep the koftas intact during deep-frying process and prevents any breaks or spillages into hot oil. Prepare them all this way and line them in a tray.

When oil is hot, add the paneer rounds in batches and deep-fry to gold color. Remove and place them on a paper covered tray.

Step 4 – Serving Suggestions:

Keep the sauce and koftas separate in two containers until the party time. Because koftas are so delicately made, they tend to disintegrate when soaked in sauce for long period of time. When the food is arranged on the table and just before mealtime, gently place the koftas in rows in malai sauce. Warm the tray in oven for ten minutes on lowest heat setting, if required. Serve with chapati, paratha, naan or rice.

Malai koftas are without a doubt one of the best tasting Bharath recipes out there for parties, and I was glad to have a chance to enjoy them with friends during this holiday season.

I did manage to take few photos of the process. Here they are:

Grated Carrot, Mashed Potato, Freshly Made Paneer, Cashews and Golden Raisins ~ Ingredients for Koftas

Tomato Puree, Masala Paste and Roasted Onion Paste ~ For Malai Sauce

Blending the Ingredients for Koftas in a Food Processor

The Blended Mixture is Shaped into Round Koftas and Covered with Chapati Flour

Deep-fried Koftas

Malai Kofta, Mingling with Others at a Potluck Party

Malai Kofta, One Among Many, Finding its Place in Someone’s Plate

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

What can be better in a bittercold winter than a bowl of hot, savory rasam! I like rasam and I also enjoy experimenting. The result is today’s recipe. To a traditional toor dal based rasam, I have added lemongrass. The bright, lemony herbal flavor of lemongrass could really cheer up casual rasam, I thought, and it did. Recipe is easy. Simmer the cooked dal with lemongrass and other regular rasam additions. No tomatoes, but ghee tadka is incorporated at the end to harmonize everything. Serve the rasam hot in a bowl and sip. Heaven must taste like this.

Lemongrass Rasam
(serves 4)

Ingredients:
2 fistfuls of toor dal and 2 cups of water
1 shallot, finely chopped lengthwise
1 tablespoon, finely sliced lemongrass
1 tablespoon each, tamarind pulp and jaggery
1 teaspoon each, salt and rasam powder
1/2 teaspoon, chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon, turmeric
few sprigs of fresh cilantro, finely chopped

For Ghee Tadka:
1 tablespoon, ghee
1 small sprig of fresh curry leaves
pinch each, cumin, mustard seeds and asafetida

Method:

Take toor dal and water in a pressure cooker. Cover and cook until the dal is tender. Gently mash the dal to smooth.

To the cooked dal, add shallot, lemongrass, tamarind pulp and jaggery. Also stir in salt, rasam powder, chilli powder and turmeric. Add a cup of water. Partially cover and simmer for additional 10 minutes until you see froth coming up on top of the vessel. Switch off the heat and garnish with cilantro leaves.

Meanwhile, heat the ghee in a small skillet. Add curry leaves, cumin, mustard seeds and asafetida in that order. Saute, stirring constantly. When mustard seeds start to pop out of skillet, pour this sizzling tadka over lemongrass rasam. Mix well and serve immediately. Sip the rasam or eat mixed with rice. Comforting and nourishing, the rasam experience will warm the wintered soul.

Warm Bowl of Lemongrass Rasam ~ for Meal today

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.