Indian Style Tamarind Rice Paste or Puli Kaichal

At home, mother often makes Tamarind rice paste that can be stored and kept in the refrigerator for weeks. It is like a pickled spice paste with all the wonderful spicy tangy ingredients that can be prep up when you are in a hurry. When this paste is made a head, it can often be mixed with piping hot rice. It is a must to use gingerly oil or 'Nallanai' which we call in Tamil. This type of oil is available in any Indian store. The amount of oil, red chilies and salt used may seem to be quite a lot, but they work as a preservative and flavor enhancer that keeps well in the fridge without getting spoilt. Here I have given ingredients and method to make the paste. Some other day, I will post how to mix the paste with the rice with other extra ingredients. You may also like to visit my YouTube video on how to make this paste https://youtu.be/1vbXTq23UPs. I hope you will try this at home. 

Indian Style Tamarind Rice Paste or Puli Kaichal

INGREDIENTS: 

Tamarind - lime size

Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon

Water - 3 cups

Jaggery/ brown sugar - 1 teaspoon

TO MAKE SPICE POWDER:

Channa dal - 1 tablespoon

Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 teaspoon

Dry red chili - 1

TO TEMPER:

Gingerly oil - 1/4 cup

Mustard - 1 teaspoon

Urad dal - 1 teaspoon

Channa dal - 2 tablespoons

Dry red chilies - 15 (broken to small pieces) (reduce it if you don't like spicy food)

Asafoetida - 1/2 teaspoon

Curry leaves - 2 sprigs

METHOD:

1. First, take tamarind into the size of lime. Adding 3 cups of water to the tamarind and let it soak for 5 minutes. After that, squeeze tamarind in the water, and strain the tamarind water and discard the pulp.

2. In a pan, add a drop of gingerly oil, 1 tablespoon of channa dal, 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds. Roast the ingredients until golden brown. Lastly, add 1 dry red chili and fry for 1 minute only as you don't want to burn the chili. Grind it to fine powder. 

3. Heat a pan with gingerly oil, add mustard and allow it to sputter. Then, add urad dal and channa dal, allow them to become light brown colour. After that, add broken pieces of dry chilies, asafoetida and curry leaves. 

4. Immediately, add the tamarind water into the tempered ingredients. Let the tamarind water boil and reduce to half.

5. When it has reduce to half, add salt (I added 1 tablespoon), jaggery or brown sugar, turmeric powder and all the grind spice powder. Let the concoction boil and thicken further. At this stage, add another 2 tablespoons of gingerly oil. Boil for 5 minutes after adding oil. When oil starts floating on the surface and it has become semi- thick paste, switch off the flame. 

semi- thick paste

6. Cool this paste and store it in an air-tight container. Keep in the refrigerator. 

Thank you

Abby 

Homemade Clarified Butter / Ghee

One of my friends requested to teach her how to make clarified butter or ghee at home. This method has been followed by my mother for many years to make clarified butter or ghee at home. Give a try and leave your comment here. Thanks.

Homemade Clarified Butter / Ghee

INGREDIENTS: 

Good quality salted butter - 1 block

Black peppercorns - 1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Curry leaves - a sprig

Moringa leaves - a sprig (optional)

METHOD:

1. First, add a block of good quality salted butter, a teaspoon of each cumin and black peppercorns in a heated pan. Keep the flame low and gently stir it. 

2. It will take some time for the butter to melt, and start boiling and sizzling. Keep the flame low as you don't want the ghee to burn. 

3. When you see the the clarified butter is changing into light brown colour, you can add curry leaves or moringa leaves. You hear the sputtering noise, and when the sound has settled, and the leaves have wilted, you may switch off the flame. 

4. Remember to remove the pan from the heat after the clarified butter reach golden brown colour, and you may find the residue underneath the clarified butter has become brown in colour too.

5. Last step is to strain the clarified butter, and store in a bottle. You may keep this at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Thank you

Abby 

Beetroot Soup

This is a simple comforting beetroot soup. I have already posted beetroot soup in my blog before. But, the only difference is in the type of lentils that I used and the way I cut the beetroot. The procedure is almost the same. This soup is very light and refreshing. It can be taken with piping hot rice or even on it's own. Either way, it is still the best, especially in rainy days. 

Beetroot Soup

Ingredients:

Medium sized onions : 2

Medium sized ripe tomatoes : 5

Medium sized beetroot : 1

Small green chilies : 3

Toor dal : 1/4 cup

Curry leaves : a sprig

Turmeric powder : 1/4 tsp

Water 4 cups or more

Salt : as needed 

To Temper :

Oil : 3 teaspoons

Cinnamon stick : 1 (3 inches long)

Cloves : 6

Star anise : 1

Fennel seeds : 1 tsp

Whole black peppercorns : 1/2 tsp

Method :

1. First, rinse the toor dal 3 times until the water is clear. Cook the washed dal by adding 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder and 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil. You can add 4 cups water to cook the dal. Then, mashed the dal. Excess dal water will be used as a stock in the soup.

2. In a pan, add 3 teaspoons of oil. After the oil is slightly hot, temper all the ingredients under "To Temper" section. The color of fennel seeds should change to light brown.

3. Then, fry sliced onions till translucent and immediately continue the frying process with slitted green chilies, curry leaves, roughly diced beetroot, finely chopped tomatoes and salt.

4. After the tomatoes turn mushy and well cooked, now mix cooked toor dal or lentils which has been mashed well and 4bcups of dal water or more if you want thinner soup.

5. Let it simmer for 15 minutes.

6. Switch off the flame and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Thank you

Abby

Mung bean flour, Cashew nuts and Clarified butter SWEET Balls (Nei Urundai)

Mung bean flour, Cashew nuts and Clarified butter SWEET Balls (Nei Urundai)

We made Nei Urundai for Diwali, and it was delicious with the nice nutty smell of homemade clarified butter and bits and pieces of cashew nuts here and there. The sweetness of the balls are just nice for us as we don't have sweet tooth. The process of making this sweet balls is as easy as ABC. The only thing that I would emphasis is that please roast your store bought Mung Bean flour though it's stated roasted in the packet. The raw smell of the flour will never give you that impeccable divine aftertaste. I strongly suggest that you should never substitute cashew nuts with other nuts because Mung Bean and cashews are marriage made in heaven. They work magic in the sweet balls. My elaboration will raise the eyebrows of many, doubting the result of this too simple ingriedients based sweet. But, don't judge a book by it's cover, give a try. The only trouble you may face is while clumping the flour mixture into balls, and that's why the clarified butter has to be heated until it's hot enough. Practice makes a man perfect is well-said. Good Luck!!

INGREDIENTS: 

Green Mung Bean flour - 2 cups

Homemade clarified butter or Ghee - as needed to bind into balls

Organic brown sugar - 1 cup

Roasted cashew nuts pieces - a few

METHOD:

1. Here I am using store bought Mung Bean flour(BABAS brand). Although it is stated roasted in the packet, I kept the flame on low and started roasting it for a good 20 minutes to reduce the raw smell from the flour. This step is crucial.

2. Take 1 cup of sugar and powdered it fine. Mix the roasted Mung Bean flour and powdered sugar in a wide bowl. 

3. I am using homemade clarified butter which has been made into this form using Emborg Salted Butter. You can also opt for store bought ghee which is readily available in any Indian grocery.  Remember to heat the clarified butter until it is hot enough, but need not be boiling. Just heat it up until it's hot. In the same ghee, fry chopped cashew nut bits until golden brown. 

4. Pour this ghee along with the cashew pieces slowly into the flour sugar mixture. Keep mixing it with your hand, and try to clump or press it together into balls using one hand. I can't give you precise measurement for the ghee, but the thumb rule is to pour ghee little by little, along with the the process of clumping it into balls. If you pour a lot of ghee at one time, then it will become soggy and watery.  

4. The balls are then kept in an air-tight container at room temperature for a week time. 

Thank you

Abby

Sweet Dessert with Bottle Gourd (Bottle Gourd Halwa)

 

Sweet Dessert with Bottle Gourd (Bottle Gourd Halwa)

INGREDIENTS: 

Full cream milk powder - 3/4 cup

Fresh milk - 1 1/2 cup

Finely grated fresh young bottle gourd - 3 cups tightly packed

Brown sugar - 3 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons

Saffron - a small pinch

Cardamom - 4 pods

Chopped nuts - 2 tablespoons (optional)

Clarified butter or ghee - 5 tablespoons

METHOD:

1. First, rinse, peel and grate bottle gourd finely. Before you cook, taste the bottle gourd, if it has sour or bitter taste, discard it and don't cook it. Sour bottle gourd will curdle the milk and bitter bottle gourd will toxify your body. Always choose freshly harvested young bottle gourd and taste it before using.

2. In a heavy pan, add 4 tablespoons of ghee, after it has become warm, add grated bottle gourd. Using medium flame, keep stirring until all the moisture from the bottle gourd has evaporated. You have to cook bottle gourd in ghee until you don't taste the raw smell of the vegetable and also it has soften to perfection. This stage is crucial and don't take any short cut. It took me approximately 15 - 20 minutes. 

3. While frying the bottle gourd, I use another heavy deep bottom pan to cook the fresh milk, cardamom pods, saffron and I diluted 3/4 cup of full cream milk powder for extra richness and creaminess. I used low flame and continuously stirring the milk because I didn't want the milk to have any burnt taste at the bottom. I did the sautéing and boiling of milk simultaneously. The milk has to thicken and become half in quantity. 

4. So now, I have hot thickened milk and piping hot well-cooked bottle gourd. Now, pour the milk into the bottle gourd. Keeping both milk and bottle gourd hot is really necessary as to prevent the milk from curdling. 

5. Keep stirring the milk mixture on low flame until it thickens further and some moisture evaporates. 

6. Lastly, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of ghee and allow it to marry all the wonderful creamy flavor. The consistency of the halwa is slightly thick and it has to be eaten by spoon. 

7. Last step is optional. Scatter some silvered almonds and roughly chopped pistachio for extra goodness of nuttiness. 

8. Serve hot or cold. I like the combination of chocolate ice cream, potato chips and this halwa. It's a weird combo, but cocoa and salt work perfectly well as they cut down the creaminess of the halwa.

Thank you

Abby

Simple Stir Fried Shredded Cabbage with Cured Indian Chilies ( Stir Fried Cabbage with Mor Milagai)

This has to be the simplest and tastiest side dish that you can ever whip up a storm in no time. It's quick, hassle-free and simply budget friendly. What makes it so Indian is that we are using Indian pickled or cured dry chilies or we call 'Mor Milagai' in Tamil. You can buy it with all other tempering ingredients from the Indian grocery stores in your place. Pickled dry chilies are nothing but fresh green chilies like Jalapeno type to be mixed with curd/yoghurt and lots of salt, and later sun-dried for a couple of days. That's why it has to be fried in the oil until it changes to dark brown colour to release that exquisite pungent heat from the chilies. They can be pretty daunting spicy and salty, so you need to season with salt only if needed. As you cook, taste your food for salt and if you are mild spice eater go slow with the chilies. If you don't have that pickled dry chilies, you can substitute with normal dry red chilies. The taste would be slightly different, but that doesn't matter. My recipes are just providing an idea for you to come up with your innovative dishes. You can always improvise the recipes as per your taste. You just have to follow your instinct and stick to your gun when you are cooking in the kitchen. Good luck.

Stir Fried Cabbage with Mor Milagai

INGREDIENTS: 

Finely shredded cabbage - 10 cups

Finely sliced big red onion - 1

Chopped garlic - 1 clove

Grated coconut - 6 tablespoons (optional)

Salt to taste

TO TEMPER:

Oil - 1 tablespoon

Mustard - 1 teaspoon

Urad dal - 1 1/2 teaspoons

Curry leaves - a few

Pickled dry chili (Indian Mor Milagai) - 3 broken into pieces

METHOD:

1. Heat a pan with vegetable oil, add mustard and allow it to sputter, then add urad dal and broken pieces of pickled dry chilies (Indian Mor Milagai). Wait for the urad dal and pickled dry chilies to change to brown colour. 

pickled dry chilies (Indian Mor Milagai)

2. Next, chuck in sliced onion, chopped garlic and curry leaves. Sauté lightly and add shredded cabbage. 

Sliced onion and curry leaves

Shredded Cabbage

3. Give a stir with some salt added. Once, the cabbage has cooked well. Switch off the flame and sprinkle some freshly grated coconut. Mix together and serve as a side dish with any of your favorite meal.

Thank you

Abby 

Yoghurt with Full Cream Milk Powder

My mother has been making yoghurt from Full Cream Milk Powder for forty years now. She has never run to the grocery to get a carton of yoghurt. It's always available in our fridge. This is a staple food for us. We never liked thick and creamy yoghurt as we are using it almost everyday. Our yoghurt is neither too thick nor too runny. But, this is never like the Greek yoghurt. This is just a simple rustic homemade version of yoghurt which is always tastier than the store bought one. Plus, I personally find store bought yoghurt to be having artificial thickness, you know, like added flour...    Once you start making yoghurt at home, you will find the yoghurt making process to be fun, easier and satisfying. This is also a budget friendly food to make at home. The milk powder has to be Full cream not skimmed or low fat. When you add more milk powder and less water, you get thick and luscious yogurt. When the water is more and milk powder is less, the yoghurt is a bit runny.. 

Yoghurt making may sound too simple, but I warn you it is never the way it seems to be. I have tried this for many times, sometimes, I succeed and some other times I flop very badly. The amount of starter used, the right warm temperature and frothiness of the milk make lots of difference. This recipe works for me. Besides that, when I measure milk powder and other ingredients, I use the measuring spoons and cup measurement for precision. For this recipe, I have taken a heap of milk powder for every tablespoon. I wasn't skimping on that.  The water has to be boiling. The pouring and pulling method is necessary to give the frothiness and volume to the yoghurt. Too many rules to follow? No. You just have to play with the ingredients and follow your intuition.  Do give a try and let me know..

Full Cream Milk Powder Yoghurt

INGREDIENTS: 

Full cream milk powder - 10 tablespoons (heaped)

Boiling water - 1 1/2 cups

Starter Yoghurt - 2 teaspoons

METHOD:

1. In a bowl, measure out 10 tablespoons of full cream milk powder.

Full cream milk powder

2. Gradually, pour 1 1/2 cups of hot boiling water onto the milk powder. 

3. Quickly, use the pouring and pulling method with two bowls or cups. You can do this process five times, and this form frothy milk which is really good for making super yoghurt.

Milk after the pouring and pulling method

4. Then transfer the milk into a glass bowl, ensure the milk in neither too hot nor cold. It has to be warm to touch when we add starter yoghurt. The warm heat helps to active the yeast in the starter. You may add 2 teaspoons of the starter yoghurt. If you add a lot of the starter yoghurt then your yoghurt will become too sour.

5. This milk will turn into yoghurt within 8 hours time. Put a lid to the glass bowl and leave it outside at room temperature. But sometimes, if you live in hot and humid country, it takes less than that hour for it to set. Once, after it has become yoghurt, keep it in the fridge. 

Thank you

Abby