samayalpista

samayalpista
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South India Special Sambhar aka Dal Masala Curry

Sambhar is one of the most preferred side dishes across India. Be it with rice, dosa, idly or roti, sambhar goes well with almost every other dish. Sambhar originated in South India and has its roots in Sri Lankan Cuisine. In South India Sambhar is prepared in different styles across the states and my favorite is the one which is prepared in Kerala. Usually, people use Sambhar Powder to prepare this gravy, but today I will show you a method of preparing it with our very own home-ground sambhar powder and I am sure you will relish it too.

Sambhar is usually made with Toor Dhal and loads of vegetables and is more like a diet gravy, as oil is used in limited quantity. The ground masala and asafoetida added to this gravy gives it a unique flavour. Sambhar derives its name from Sambhaji cousin of Thanjavur Maratha ruler Shahuji who had served this dish to the king with his experimental recipe which converted a normal dhal dish called amti into Sambhar. Shahuji liked it as he replaced kokum with Tamarind water for this dish. For people who dont know about Kokum, its a dried fruit which adds sour taste to food and is commonly used in Maharastrian cuisine.

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So, here is my recipe for making tasty South Indian Sambhar. Ingredients for Sambhar Masala: Cup Grated Coconut 3-4 Small Onions (Sambhar Onions) Small Lime Sized Lump of Asafoetida 4-5 Red Chillies Tsp Fenugreek Seeds Tsp Turmeric Powder 1 Tbsp Coriander Seeds 6-8 Fresh Curry Leaves 3 Tsp Oil (Preferable Coconut Oil) Main Ingredients for Gravy: 1 Cup Toor Dhal Tsp Turmeric Powder
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2 Ladies Fingers 2 Brinjals 1 Drum Stick 2-3 small pieces of Bitter Gourd (Optional) Small Piece of White Pumpkin Small Piece of Yellow Pumpkin 1 Large Onion 2 Tomatoes 2 Carrots Small Lime Size Tamarind . Salt to Taste. For Seasoning: 2 Red Chillies Few Curry Leaves Tsp Mustard Seeds Ghee for seasoning and Oil for frying.

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Masala Preparation: Heat oil in a pan, add a lump of Asafoetida (hing) and fry on low flame. Ensure that the lump does not get burnt; add red chillies, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds and fry further. Add curry leaves and fry further, add grated coconut and small onions and fry further. Dont brown the coconut and onion. Add turmeric powder and fry till the masala gets cooked. Now remove from flame, cool it, then ground it to fine paste and masala for Sambhar. You can add more red chillies if you like your sambhar spicy. Gravy Preparation: Wash the toor dal and cook in a pressure cooker along with turmeric powder and tomato. After the dhal is cooked, set it aside. Cut all the vegetables into medium pieces and cook in water. Make it a point to fry the ladys finger and brinjal in oil before cooking in water. Now, take small lime sized tamarind and soak it in warm water and extract the water and keep that aside. Add the soaked tamarind water to the cooked dhal and boil. Remember not to steer the gravy till the mixture comes to a boil. Add the ground sambhar masala and cooked vegetables to this mixture and cook further. Add salt to taste. Once the gravy is cooked give it a seasoning of mustard seeds along with curry leaves and red chillies.

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Your Sambhar is ready and can be served with hot rice and I am sure a dash of ghee will take the taste to a different level. Try it out and let me know your experience. Also note, that you can control the consistency of the gravy by adding water, however, usually, Sambhar tastes great when it is thick in consistency.

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posted on October 16, 2011 by samayalpista filed under Uncategorized

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Chicken Dhansak aka Chicken Dhal Curry

Firstly, let me wish each and everyone a Very Happy Dussehra and I hope everyone has a fantastic year ahead. During the same period, a few years ago, I was introduced to Parsi Cuisine in Mumbai where I was staying at Hotel Heritage which is one of the oldest hotels in Byculla. The hotel serves authentic, lip smacking Parsi food. Of all the dishes, Chicken Dhansak which caught my attention, was made with lentils and was entirely different from any of those chicken based gravies which I had had all my life. Chicken Dhansak aka Chicken Dal Curry is a traditional Parsi Food which is a combination of Persian and Gujarati cuisine. This dish is usually made with 3-4 different types of lentils and a special masala which adds to the taste of this gravy.
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This dish has a long preparation time and is usually made on holidays. When I first made this dish it was too tiring but the taste was awesome and the entire bowl was polished off by my guest in a few minutes. Chicken Dhansak is traditionally served with brown rice and Shami Kababs. Now, I present to you a simple way of preparing this amazing dish which I proudly call my style of Dhansak. Ingredients for Gravy : 225 Grams of Toor Dhal (Approx. one Cup) 225 Grams of Mixed Dhal (Gram Dhal, Moong Dhal, Val Dhal) 1 Kg of Curry Cut Chicken 1 Large Potato 1 Small Brinjal 2-3 Onions 1 Bunch of fresh methi leaves 1 small piece of red pumpkin 1 small piece of white pumpkin 3 Tomatoes
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Oil to Fry Salt to Taste Ingredients for Masala : Tsp Cummin Seeds Tsp Turmeric Powder Tsp Methi Seeds Tsp Mustard Seeds Tsp Black Peppers 1 Tsp Chilli Powder 1 Tsp Coriander Powder 1 Tsp Cummin Powder Few Mint Leaves 1 Tsp Chopped Ginger 8 Cloves of Garlic 1 Stick of Cinnamon 8 Green Chillies Few Fresh Coriander leaves 1 Tbsp Tamarind Water Masala Preparation: Grind all the ingredients under Masala with Tamarind water and set aside. Main Preparation: Wash and Soak Dhal in water and set it aside for some time. Chop all the vegetables that are meant for the gravy and keep those aside. Clean the chicken and mix all the chopped vegetable,
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add one chopped onion to this mixture. Now, add the soaked dhal and pressure cook the entire mixture. Once the vegetables and chicken have been cooked, separate the chicken pieces from the mixture and grind the cooked dhal and vegetables to a smooth paste and set it aside.

Take oil in a pan and add one finely chopped onion and fry till it turns light brown. Add three chopped tomatoes to this mixture and fry further till the mixture is cooked. Now, add the ground masala to this mixture along with a few mint and coriander leaves and fry further till the masala cooks and leaves oil from the side. To this mixture, add the ground dhal and vegetable paste along with pieces of Chicken which was set aside and cook further. Add salt to taste. Also, add water based on the consistency of gravy required; usually, I like this gravy thick but you can add water and make it thinner, based on your taste preference. Chicken Dhansak is ready to be served with white rice. You could also saut rice with a little bit of caramelised sugar which means your brown rice is ready and tastes awesome with this gravy.

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For Veggie lovers; instead of chicken, we could add chopped potato, carrots and green peas to this gravy. Try this dish and let me know your feedback

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posted on October 7, 2011 by samayalpista filed under Uncategorized

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Vegetable Kurma Aka Andhra Style Coconut Curry

Kurma is a versatile gravy which can be had with numerous accompaniments. Its commonly had with rice in Andhra. Kodi Kurma or chicken kurma as it is famously known in Andhra, also goes well with dosa, chapatti, pav bread and sandwich bread. As usual, this recipe was first taught to me by my mom, an expert in Andhra cuisine. You need a lot of patience to prepare this dish as it takes a lot of time. Kurma / Korma has its origin in South Asia & Central Asia. Each region has its own style of making Korma; in the north, they add yoghurt, cream, nut paste whereas in the south, it is prepared with coconut paste.

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The trick of preparing the best kurma is in the use of freshly grated coconut; some people tend to replace it with desiccated coconut which spoils the flavor of this dish. Watch out for the Chicken Korma recipe in one of my upcoming blogs. As of this week, we will relish and cook up Vegetable Kurma in Andhra Style which I can proudly call, my style of kurma. Coconut based masala is usually prepared in advance before we cook the main dish in this recipe. Ingredients: For Coconut Masala Paste: 1 Fresh Grated Coconut 2 Onion cut in Strips 5 Cloves 1 small bark of cinnamon 5 Green Chilies 3 Tsp Garlic Chopped 3 Tsp Ginger Chopped tsp turmeric powder 2 Tbsp Oil Salt to taste.
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Preparation: Heat the Oil in a pan, add the cloves and cinnamon fry for few seconds and then add garlic and ginger, fry a little more and immediately add chopped onions and fry till its light brown , Add green chillies and fry further for few minutes. Now add the turmeric powder and fry a little more till the masala leaves oil, Add coconut and fry further till the mixture attain a light brown colour. Now remove from flame and cool the whole mixture. Once Cool grind it into paste and add a little water if required for grinding. Coconut Masala paste is ready. Ingredient for Main Dish: 1 Finely Chopped Onion 2 Finely Chopped Tomatos 1 Bay Leaf 1 tsp chopped Garlic 1 tsp chopped Ginger 3-4 Cloves 2 Green Cardamoms Small piece of Cinnamon 1 Tsp Chili Powder Tsp Turmeric Powder 1 Tsp Coriander Powder Fresh Chopped Vegetables (Cauliflower, Potatoes, Beans and Carrot) 2 Green Chilies cut in strips Chopped Coriander leaves for dressing 1 Tbsp Oil Salt to taste.
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Preparation: Heat the oil in a Pan; fry all the spices like cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon, Bay leaf. Add ginger garlic and fry further for few minutes, add onions and fry till it turns light brown. Now add tomatoes to this mixture and fry further till the raw smell of the mixture disappears and the mixture leaves oil from the sides. Add all powdered masalas and fry till it is cooked. Add freshly chopped vegetables and fry for few minutes. Ensure the mixture blends well with the vegetables and its lightly fried. Add the prepared Coconut masala paste to this mixture and fry further for few minutes. Add water as per the gravy style you want and let the mixture boil on closed pan for few minutes. Add salt to taste and wait for vegetables to cook. Add finely chopped coriander to the mixture and serve it hot.

Relish this dish and let me know how you felt about the taste. Now for non veg lovers you can easily replace the vegetable with your choice of meat. Happy Cooking
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posted on September 23, 2011 by samayalpista filed under Uncategorized

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Kadhi Pakoras aka Curd Curry

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During my frequent business trips to Rajasthan and Gujarat, I came across a common food dish which was quite tasty. Gujarati chefs made it sweet by adding sugar and Rajasthani chefs made it a little spicy by adding dry red chillies. The dish is called Kadhi Pakoras and i love it because of the fried pakoras which get added to Kadhi / Curry at the end. Pakoras (or Onion Bajji, as it is popularly know in South) is one popular dish which can be relished at any point of time in a day and it is again famous across the country. Kadhi Pakoras moved to North India where it is prepared in a different style. Try the Sindhi Kadhi which is again a similar dish made in a different style and recipe for the same will follow soon.

This dish can be relished with plain rice or jeera rice and is also easy to prepare apart from the fact that you will experience the heat when you fry the pakoras; no gains without any pains buddy. Yoghurt and Besan (Chick Pea Flour) forms the base in this dish. After noticing and tasting all these Kadhis, i decided to come up with my own style which would suit everybodys taste buds. So, here it is, Sris Own Kadhi Pakoras. Ingredients : For Pakoras 250 grams Besan (Chick Pea Flour) 1 Onions sliced in strips 2 Tbsp finely Chopped Coriander 1 Tbsp finely Chopped Green Chillies 1 Tsp Chilli Powder
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1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder 1/2 Tsp Cumin Powder Pinch of Hing (Asafoetida) Salt to taste Refined Oil for Deep Frying For Gravy : 2 Cups of Sour Curd 3 Tbps of Besan (Chick Pea Flour) 1 Tbps Ghee 1 Onion Finely Chopped 1 Tomato Finely Chopped 1 Tps Jeera 1/2 Tps Jeera Powder Pinch of Hing 4 Dry Red Chillies 1/2 Tps Turmeric Powder 1/2 Tps Chilli Powder 1/2 Tps Coriander Powder 1 Tsp Fine Chopped Ginger 1 Tsp Fine Chopped Garlic Salt to Taste
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Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves for garnishing. Preparation: Pakoras: Sieve the Besan first and then add water to the mixture , for 250 grams of Besan you can add approx 1 Cup of water. Ensure that the consistency of the mixture is thick. Add all the ingredients and set aside.

Heat the Oil , make small dumplings of this mixture and deep fry.

Cook the dumplings well and set aside. Now your pakoras or Bajji is ready.

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Kadhi: Take 2 Cups of Sour Curd, add 2 cups of water and then add besan to this mixture, preferably using a whisker and form a smooth paste. Take the ghee and heat it up in a pan, add broken dry red chillies, add jeera and fry. Then, add ginger and garlic; fry further. Now add onions and fry till its light brown and then add tomato and fry till the oil leaves the corner. Now add Chilli, turmeric, coriander powder to this mixture and fry further till the masala is cooked. Now add the gravy mixture to this and boil; you can further add hing and jeera powder and cook the Kadhi. Cook it on low flame and stir frequently to prevent lump formation. Add Salt to taste. Cook this mixture for 15 mins and the kadhi is ready.

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Now add pakoras to this kadhi and dress it up with coriander leaves. Yummy Kadhi Pakoras is ready to Serve.

People who are diet conscious can substitute the pakoras with cooked vegetables like green peas, cauliflower, beans and potatoes. Try this recipe and give me your feedback.

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posted on September 19, 2011 by samayalpista filed under Uncategorized

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Chicken Butter Masala aka Murg Makani

Its common knowledge that the yummiest Chicken delicacies are those that are cooked properly. I have been in love with Chicken right from the times I was introduced to this meat in the form of Kurma. Obviously the first thing I learnt to make was the popular Chicken Butter Masala. According to history, this dish was created by a gentleman, Kundan Lal Gujral, a hindi punjabi from Delhi, who owned a restaurant called Moti Mahal, which today, is the best place to relish this dish. Originally a gravy dish made out of Onion Paste with loads of butter and spices, its considered to be the best accompaniment withNan, Roti and Parathas; at times with rice. However, as is the case with every other delicacy, post adoption, Chicken Butter Masala too got tweaked to suit varying tastes and styles of different regions. South India has its own version of the Chicken Butter Masala, which is quite popular at numerous Keralite food joints. It might surprise you that Keralites have it sweet; yes they add Sugar to it unlike the original. Although it has become a Keralite version of the dish, I suspect this to be a classic case of human error in remembering the recipe right, thereby leaving us with a different style. All is well that works well; people down South like this dish and relish it with loads of Kerala Paratha (Recipe for this will be published soon; stay tuned). When you become fond of a certain dish, you try making it and get to know more about it. Thats how I mastered this dish, added my Sri-Style to it and came out with a Recipe that my friends refer to as finger-licking good. If not for anything else, I am sure that they love me for this Try this recipe and youll see people going gaga over your culinary skills. Chicken Butter Masala: Ingredients: 1 Kg Cleaned Chicken cut to pieces for gravy dish 2-3 Tbsp of Ginger Garlic Paste 4 Onions ground to paste 2-3 Tomatoes ground to paste 1 cup of Curd 100 Grams Butter (Pasteurised Table Butter)
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1-2 Bay Leaves Spices: 6-8 Cloves 4 black Cardamoms Small Piece of Cinnamon Pinch of nutmeg powder (optional) Masalas: 2 Tsp Kashmiri Chilli Powder 1 Tsp Red chilli powder 1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder 1 Tsp Coriander Powder 1 Tsp Garam Masala Coriander Leaves finely chopped for garnishing Preparation: Marinate the chicken pieces in curd with all the powdered masalas, also add Ginger Garlic paste to this marination. Coarsely grind the spices and fry them in 30 grams of butter till it turns brown, also add bay leaves to this mixture and fry further. Add onion paste and saut till the paste turns light brown and starts leaving oil. Now add the tomato paste and cook further till the oil leaves the corner. Ideally there should not be any smell of raw tomatoes, once cooked.

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Add the marinated chicken into this mixture. Keep adding small quantities of butter every time you feel that the mixture is a little dry; always try and retain at least 30 grams of butter to be used at the end for garnishing. Cook the mixture on high flame for a few minutes and then simmer it down and cook on low flame for a period of 20-25 minutes, which is the usual time taken for chicken to cook. Also, remember to add salt to taste. Once done, garnish with chopped coriander and the remaining butter.

Your Chicken Butter Masala is ready to serve You could also try a variation of this dish by adding a little fresh cream and using Tandoori Chicken instead of raw chicken. And for my ghaas phus friends, you can substitute the Chicken with Paneer and call it Panner Butter Masala Go ahead and try it this weekend. Dont forget to write to me about how many fans you have made.
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Happy Cooking!

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posted on September 15, 2011 by samayalpista filed under Uncategorized
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South India Special Sambhar Aka Dal Masala Curry http://t.co/YxjNnQ1X 1 day ago Check out Dhansak Recipe on my blog http://t.co/x2ErboOz , this festive season make a parsi delight... http://t.co/VYk3v3YJ 5 days ago Chicken Dhansak aka Chicken Dhal Curry http://t.co/vZ3IPCpa 1 week ago Vegetable Kurma Aka Andhra Style Coconut Curry http://t.co/bS2RFgSf 3 weeks ago Kadhi Pakoras aka Curd Curry http://t.co/UeZ5EHu4 4 weeks ago

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Syndicating my blog content to Twitter using http://t.co/NfuGoWgS 1 month ago Chicken Butter Masala aka Murg Makani http://t.co/xbn0MpF6 1 month ago
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