Eggplant Potato Curry in Peanut Tamarind Gravy

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My recent adoption of a policy of minimalism with respect to stocking my refrigerator with vegetables makes for some interesting situations and some creative solutions. The idea behind sparingly stocking my veggie tray is to avoid any spoilage of vegetables which in turn helps in avoiding wastage of it. Since I am trying to avoid buying veggies until the ones in my tray are all complete, one day I found myself staring at a few small eggplants, the only vegetables left and a complete lack of ideas as to what I would be able to make with it. My pantry, as usual provided some potatoes and sweet potatoes, my favorite fall back plan in case I run out of ideas. In this case I was leaning towards making something with potatoes when I happened to come across this recipe  on Indosungod's site Daily Musings. The recipe intrigued me quite a bit and I decided to try this recipe immediately.

I tweaked the recipe a little, used tamarind juice instead of amchur powder to provide a mild tartness, scaled down the turmeric powder and changed the proportions of the vegetables a little.I also added a little sugar to bring out a contrast in the flavors of this curry. The curry turned out wonderfully with some really bold flavors and it was the perfect accompaniment for rotis. This is one of those curries that would have worked just as well served over a bed of plain steamed rice too.

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Ingredients and Method to make Eggplant potato curry

2 1/2 cups of small eggplant cut into 1 inch pieces 

3 cups of potato peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

2 1/2 tsp sugar

salt according to taste (approximately about 1 1/4 tsp)

gooseberry sized piece of tamarind soaked in 3/4 cup of water

handful cilantro/ coriander leaves for garnish (optional) ( cut very fine)

For seasoning

2 tsp oil

3/4 tsp cumin seeds

1/8 tsp asafoetida (hing) 

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

Spice Blend

1/4 cup raw or roasted peanuts

3/4 tbsp coriander seeds

2 tsp cumin seeds

3 red chillies ( or according to taste)

Dry roast each of the items mentioned in the spice blend until it turns a little reddish and keep aside. Skip this step for peanuts if you are using roasted peanuts instead of raw peanuts.

Cool this spice blend to room temperature and dry grind in a spice grinder until it turns into a fine powder.

Soak tamarind in 3/4 cup of water for about 15 to 20 minutes. To shorten the soaking time, just place the water with tamarind in the microwave and place on high heat for about 10 seconds. This makes the water just warm and makes it easy to extract the tamarind juice. Press the tamarind with thumb and fingers to extract juice from it. Strain the juice and remove the tamarind pulp and seeds. Repeat this step again to remove the entire tamarind juice.

In a heavy bottomed pan heat oil. Add cumin seeds to it, and when the cumin seeds splutter add the asafoetida and turmeric powder to it. Mix once or twice, then add tamarind juice to it. To the tamarind juice add potatoes and cut eggplants.

Let the tamarind juice boil for a little while about 5 to 10 minutes until the potatoes and eggplants are cooked but not mushy.

Add the ground spice blend to this and adjust salt to taste and add water to achieve required conistency.

Let the entire mixture simmer for a few minutes for the flavors to blend. 

Garnish with cut cilantro and serve hot with rotis/ or plain rice.

Serves approximately about 3-4

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Zucchini Chutney (Thogayal)

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I am sure that every body will agree that vacations are wonderful times. A stress free time when you can recharge and re energize and a great break from the daily grind. These are also times when I can get quite carried away with picture taking and take pictures of almost everything that looks interesting. Later when I take prints and place them in albums, I always think that at some future point, I will go through the albums and enjoy and recapture the mood or euphoria I felt when I was taking the picture. 

But the reality is that when I actually go through the albums I find myself skimming the pictures, especially the landscape only pictures,  and find myself focusing only on those pictures where there is someone I know in the picture. Does that happen to you too? do you find yourself taking pictures of random buildings or trees and plants and flowers because it feels so special but skim over them when these pictures are placed in your album and focus only on the ones with family members and friends. Do share your thoughts on your vacations and your special observations about them , I would love to hear from you and find out your thoughts on vacations and especially vacation pictures :-)

Moving on from vacations to foods I love to have when I get back from a vacation. All the outside food and hearty eating during vacations makes me crave something light, nutritious and tasty.This zucchini thogayal  definitely qualifies on all points, its light, fast to make, nutritious, low fat and extremely tasty. What more can we ask for from our foods? Did I mention it is also very versatile, scroll down to the bottom of the recipe for all the possible combinations this chutney / thogayal can be paired with, although these are by no way limited to the ones mentioned below and I am sure there are many more ways to use this chutney.

I made this chutney on a whim and was heartened at how successful it turned out to be at my place, my father and R both kept asking for seconds and my father who has never tasted zucchini before, and does not take very well to experimenting with food, was surprised at the taste and quite impressed that some unknown vegetable (at least to him) could taste this good.

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Ingredients and Method to make Zucchini Thogayal (Chutney)

2 Medium zucchini (ends cut off and cut into little pieces along with the skin)

2 tbsp chana dhal

4 tbsp udad dhal

4 dry whole red chillies

sprig of curry leaves (about 8-10 leaves) optional

1 tsp coconut oil

4 tbsp grated coconut (either fresh or frozen is fine)(see notes)

salt to taste ( I used approx about 3/4 tsp salt for this quantity)

2 thumb sized little pieces of tamarind (or according to taste)

salt according to taste

In a heavy bottomed pan, dry roast chana dhal and udad dhal on medium heat SEPARATELY until they turn reddish. Remove from heat and keep aside.

Add a drop of coconut oil to the same pan and add whole dry red chillies and curry leaves to it. Roast on medium heat until the red chillies change color, remove from heat and keep aside.

Add balance of coconut oil and add the grated coconut and roast until the coconut becomes slightly reddish. To this add cut pieces of zucchini and little pieces of tamarind and saute for a minute or two. On low heat, keeping the pan closed allow the zucchini to cook for a few minutes. There is no need to add any water. When the zucchini is cooked but not mushy, remove from heat and keep aside to cool slightly.

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Grind the entire mixture adding water if and as required until the mixture is ground to a smooth paste.


If you prefer, you can powder the lentils+ red chilies to a fine powder, then add cooked zucchini and tamarind and grind to a smooth paste

Add salt to taste and give the mixture another turn in the blender/ spice grinder.

Serve along with parathas/ rotis  or idlis / dosai  or rice and poricha kozhambu  or just mix a little of this chutney/ thogayal with a little cooked brown or white rice, add a few drops of sesame oil or clarified butter/ ghee to it and you have instant flavored rice.

Notes

If you plan to use frozen coconut, thaw it to room temperature and then proceed with the rest of the recipe.

Refrigerate the balance of unused chutney / thogayal and use within a day or two at most.

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Oat Coconut Chutney

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Having tried using oats in dosai / crepes and instant oat idlis/ steamed cakes successfully I wanted to try using it in chutney. On a busy morning, at the spur of the moment as I was getting ready to prepare a more traditional style coconut chutney as an accompaniment for dosai , this idea of using oats in chutney got into my head. Once the idea struck me I could not resist it and did not even want to wait to try it out, I immediately set out in trying the chutney with oats. 

Having made the chutney I was nervous while serving it to my father. I watched my father taste it with a great deal of anticipation. I was so glad that he was not able to detect the difference at all and thought the chutney tasted just like traditional coconut chutney that I normally prepare. I mentioned that I added oats to the chutney only after he was done having the chutney and he was a little surprised to know that he had something with oats and that it was not discernible at all. 

If you want to add a little more fiber to your breakfast or to anytime food,or you are trying to find new ways to include oats in your diet, try this chutney especially if you have picky eaters at home, it is a simple and tasty way to sneak in oats in your family's diet.

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Ingredients and Method to make oat coconut chutney

2 tbsp split black gram lentil (udad dhal)

2 tbsp split yellow chick pea (chana dhal)

1/2 cup 1 min oats ( I used Quaker)

1/2 to 3/4 cup grated coconut either fresh or frozen ( if you are using frozen use after thawing it to room temperature)

4 green chillies (small Indian or thai varieties) (cut into small pieces) (or according to taste)

10 curry leaves (optional)

salt according to taste

Dry roast the split black gram lentil and yellow chick pea separately in a heavy bottomed pan until reddish and keep aside. 

In the same pan, dry roast the 1 minute oats until it gets slightly brownish and keep aside.

Dry roast the curry leaves in the same pan if using and keep aside.

In a spice grinder coarsely powder the oats, lentils and curry leaves until it resembles bread crumbs.

To this add  the grated coconut and green chillies and grind adding water as required until the mixture is ground to a reasonably fine paste. Use lukewarm water if you are using frozen, thawed to room temperature grated coconut.

Add salt according and mix well.

Adjust water to achieve required consistency

Serve with dosai / crepes or instant oat idlis/ steamed cakes.

For something unique try this chutney in sandwiches or wraps or as an accompaniment for upma or pretty much any other dish.

Use immediately or refrigerate the balance and use within a day of making, as this chutney does not keep very long. 

Suggested Variations

Add two handfuls of cilantro/ coriander leaves chopped well to the mixture, skip the curry leaves and grind as well for a slightly different flavor to the chutney.

You can also add a little yogurt instead of water to achieve a more creamier and slightly tart flavor to the chutney

Since this chutney got created entirely in my kitchen this chutney is off to the Original Recipe Event being hosted by Lore

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Thengai Podi ~ Thengai Molagai podi ~ Spiced Coconut Chutney powder

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Are you one of those people that avoid coconut and all coconut related products like the plague, believing it to be the ultimate source of saturated fat and a great diet buster. If yes, then you may find some of the facts in this post both surprising and interesting.......... Growing up, all and any information that got passed on about coconuts seemed to be about its saturated fat and how bad it is for the health and especially for heart health. So coconut oil that once featured regularly as a cooking aid disappeared from our homes at least with respect to cooking and was replaced by refined oil. But for the last year and more I have been reading about a lot of research on the subject of coconuts and coconut oil and it seems to me that this much maligned food from the past is getting touted as an amazing health food with a whole array of health benefits. A lot of research on coconut and coconut oil says it helps in a whole host of health issues from losing weight , to maintaining healthy functioning of thyroid and enzyme systems, to improving digestion and immune system to preventing gall bladder diseases and dissolving kidney stones. Coconut oil is even said to help in controlling blood sugar and in effective utilization of blood glucose thereby preventing and treating diabetes.

After reading about the health benefits of coconut oil and coconuts from multiple sources, I decided to cautiously re introduce it back in my kitchen but in moderation. I feel in moderation and in small quantities it cannot do much harm. If you want to learn more about the health benefits of coconut and coconut oil check out this link. I find it amazing that there has been such a reversal on the opinion of coconuts and coconut oil,what do you think, feel free to share your thoughts on this topic

The re introduction of coconut and coconut related products in my kitchen means that one of my childhood favorites has made a reappearance in my kitchen. Spiced coconut powder or  Thengai podi as it is known in Tamil ( a language spoken in southern India ) is simple to make and delicious. Literally thengai means coconut and podi means powder but this simple term does not do justice either to the versatility of the powder or to its multi layered taste. Traditionally this powder is served as an accompaniment with plain yogurt rice but this powder can be used in myriad ways and its usage is by no means restricted to south Indian cuisine. This powder works wonderfully in spicing up yogurt to make an instant dip, or in wraps and sandwiches or to spice up or flavor any bland food.



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Ingredients and Method to make the Spiced coconut powder (Thengai Podi)
3/4 cup grated coconut (either fresh or frozen) I used frozen thawed to room temperature
3 tbsp split yellow chick pea (chana dhal)
3 tbsp split black gram lentil (udad dhal)
2 little pieces of tamarind
1/2 tspn mustard seeds
4 whole dry red chillies salt according to taste ( I used approximately 1 tsp for this quantity)
drop of coconut oil ( optional)

Place a heavy bottomed pan on medium heat. Add a drop of coconut oil (if using) and roast the coconut scrapings on low to medium heat until the coconut turns reddish in color.

Remove from heat and keep aside. In the same pan roast the split yellow chick pea until it turns reddish in color. Remove from heat and keep aside.

Do the same process for the split black gram lentil and keep aside. In the same pan heat the mustard seeds and the tamarind together for a few minutes until the tamarind starts to change color. Remove from heat and keep aside.

Dry roast the red chillies until it starts to turn color too and keep aside.
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In a small spice grinder or in your regular blender/ mixer powder the lentils , mustard seeds, tamarind and red chillies coarsely.

Add the coconut to it and powder further until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.
 Do not over powder this as the powder needs to have a little texture to it. Add salt to this mixture and give it another little turn in the spice grinder.

Remove, cool thoroughly and store in an air tight container.This has a shelf life of about 10 to 12 days any longer and the coconut could get rancid. If you want to store longer you could probably refrigerate it, I normally do not have to worry about this part since it gets consumed pretty quickly at my place :-)

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Sweet Potato Paratha and a little fusion ( Indian flat bread stuffed with spiced sweet potatoes)

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Since I have learnt about the health benefits of sweet potatoes, this handy and healthy vegetable has graced my table in many forms. From curried sweet potato bites to spiced potato oat rolls to sweet potato roti, all variations of this vegetable have been appreciated and enjoyed. On a whim I decided to try using this vegetable as a stuffing in a paratha instead of the usual aloo paratha (potato stuffed Indian flat bread).

Having decided to use this as a stuffing I also wanted to try my hand at using some south Indian spices such as rasam powder to spice up this essentially north Indian preparation. The rasam powder gave this paratha an interesting and intriguing dimension and we thoroughly enjoyed this slightly sweet and slightly spicy preparation.




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Ingredients and Method to make the sweet potato paratha
For the dough
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup water
3 tsp oil


For the filling
2 medium sweet potatoes cooked and mashed
1/4 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (or according to taste)
1/4 tsp ginger powder
salt according to taste
1/2 tsp rasam powder (or substitute with any garam masala powder or curry powder)

In a large bowl add whole wheat flour and salt and mix well. Add oil and water as required (for this quantity I used about 3/4 cup) and knead to make a soft, pliable and non sticky dough. Keep covered and let sit for at least 30 minutes.

Place the sweet potatoes in the microwave with skin and cook on high power until the sweet potatoes are soft. Cool thoroughly and peel the sweet potatoes and place them in a large bowl
and mash them completely and keep aside.

Alternatively you can peel the sweet potatoes, cut them into cubes and place them in a microwave safe bowl and cook for a couple of minutes or for time required until cooked and soft.Then mash them completely and keep aside.

When the sweet potatoes are a little cooler, add all the spices mentioned in the filling to it and mix well.

Roll into little lime sized balls and keep aside.

Roll the dough into equal number of large lemon sized balls and keep aside.

Using a little flour if required roll out the dough into a pancake sized circle.

Place filling in the center and pull the ends together until it looks a little like a pouch.

Gently flatten the dough and roll it out again into a thickish circle, with the help of a little flour if required.

Continue with this process until all the dough and all the filling gets used up. Then heat a griddle/tawa / flat pan.

Place the rolled out dough on it and cook each side until light pink spots appear on it. Apply a little ghee or oil on each side and cook each side further for a minute or so

Remove the stuffed flat bread and serve hot with a side of yogurt and pickle or dhal and curry.

Yielded about 8 parathas.

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Aloo Paratha ( Indian flat bread stuffed with spiced potatoes )- With Stepwise Pictures.

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Aloo paratha is a famous and well known Indian flat bread stuffed with spiced potatoes originating from Northern India. This delicious and filling dish needs a little knack and patience to make and this causes a lot of people to get turned off and avoid making this dish. One of the secrets to gettting this right is to get the consistency of the dough correctly, once the dough is made right the rest of the recipe is pretty simple and fool proof.

 

Initially I struggled to get this dish perfectly, but with trial and error, I learnt the correct consistency for this dough and it has been smooth sailing every since.Try this if you haven't....... this soft, melt in your mouth bread will not disappoint. Traditionally this is served with a little plain yogurt on the side and a little pickle , but you could even serve it with some curry or dhal to make it more filling and to make it a complete meal.



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Ingredients and Method to make the Aloo Paratha

For the filling
3 medium white potatoes (aloo/urilakizhangu) (pierced all over with a fork and cooked in the microwave) or cooked in the pressure cooker.
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (Jeera/ jeeragam)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi/ manjal podi)
1 tsp salt (or according to taste) (namak/uppu)
1/2 tsp chilli powder (mirchi powder)
1/2 tsp cumin powder (jeera powder)
1/2 tsp coriander powder (Dhania powder)

For the dough
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (atta/ godumai maavu)
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup water
3 tsp oil

A little extra clarified butter (ghee/ nei) or any other oil to shallow fry the paratha (about 2 tsp for the entire batch of this size) (use oil for a vegan version)

Place the flour and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Add water and oil and knead till it becomes a soft , pliable and non sticky dough. Keep covered and let sit for at least 30 minutes.

Pierce potatoes with skin all over with a fork and place in the microwave and cook on high heat for about 3 to 5 mins until done. Keep aside and let cool a little. or place potatoes in a pressure cooker and cook until soft. It usually takes me about 3 to 4 whistles in mine to get done.

Peel the skin off the potatoes and mash it in a large bowl.

Add all the dry spices mentioned for the filling and mix well.

Roll the potato mixture into even small lime sized balls and keep aside. ( This quantity yielded me about 8 balls )

Roll the dough into equal large lemon sized balls and keep aside. ( This quantity yielded me about 8 balls)
With the help of a little flour if required, roll the dough into a small pancake sized circle. Place the spiced potato mixture in the center of the rolled out dough and pull the dough from all sides into the center and form a pouch with the dough and then press in the center to flatten it a little.

With the help of a little flour roll out the dough into a small circle of desired thickness and keep aside.
Proceed with the rest of the dough and the spice mixture in the same manner and keep aside.

Heat a griddle/ tawa/ flat pan on medium high and place the stuffed rolled out dough on it and cook for a minute. Flip it over and cook the other side, apply a little clarified butter (ghee) on one side, turn over and apply clarified butter on the other side and cook for an additional minute until light brown spots start to appear on the bread.

Remove and serve hot with plain yogurt and pickle or dhal and curry of choice.
Yields approximately 8 parathas.

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