Cheppankizhangu Karamadhu- (Colocasia Curry) - Iyengar style

Colocasia or Taro root family is a common vegetable in many cuisines. I thought it is common only in Chinese and Indian cuisines for I used to get this vegetable in the asian market in US. However, after reading the article in Wikipedia, on this vegetable, I was amazed to find out how popular it is all around the world, especially Brazil, Africa and Hawaii.

In India, it is popular all the way from North to the South. It is usually deep or shallow fried or made into a dish similar to mash potatoes after cooking it well. Due to its astringency, it is usually preferred to be cooked with tamarind (or lemon).

As given in Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taro

"In other Indian states, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, taro corms are known as sivapan-kizhangu (seppankilangu or cheppankilangu), chamagadda, or in coastal Andhra districts as chaama dumpa in Telugu, and it can be cooked in many ways, such as deep fried in oil for a side item with rice, or cooked in a tangy tamarind sauce with spices, onion, and tomato"

I am going to share with you my mother in law's recipe that my husband loves. It is simple to make and is healthier in that it doesn't use that much oil. Also, cooking it so, doesn't bring out much of the astringency you note with the vegetable.

Cheppankizhangu Karamadhu

Ingredients
Cheppankizhangu (Colocasia/Taro root) - 1 kg
Tamarind paste - 2-3 Tbsp
OR Fresh Tamarind - 1/4 cup  
Bengal gram (Chana dal) - 1 Tbsp
Black gram (Urad dal) - 1 Tbsp
Mustard seeds - 2 tsp
Turmeric - 1-2 tsp
Red Chilli - 3-4
Asafoetida - 1 tsp 
Oil - 1-2 Tbsp
Curry Leaves - 3-4
Water - 2 cups 

Directions
Wash the Cheppankizhangu well to remove dirt and put into a dish to cook well in the pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles. Add salt and turmeric powder to the root with 1 cup water. In contrary, you can cook it on stove top similarly, but the root needs to become very soft. Pressure pan cooking saves energy and time. 

Peel the skin off the root and cut into pieces. In a pan, heat oil, add the bengal and black gram, and the mustard seeds. Once the seeds sputter add the curry leaves and asafoetida and the red chillies. After the red chillies are saute (10-20 sec), add the cut taro root and tamarind paste dissolved in water (1/2 cup) and mix the entire batch well so the tamarind juice is mixed well with taro root and spices.

You can add 1/2 cup more of water (as needed) along with salt. Let it simmer and cook for 5-10 min in low heat. Serve it hot with Rice as side dish to any lentil soup that is not sour such as plain dal or Kootu or Molagootal (A typical Pallakkad Iyer recipe from Kerala, that I will share shortly).

Tips: If the taro root is cooked too much, it will become a mashed mass (like the one in the photo). If you prefer it as individual pieces, you just cook it less (less whistles in pressure pan), so the individual pieces (cut round) remains in this tamarind soup. The root is slimy and so it appears stringy (natural).

Shepu Paratha (Dill stuffed flat bread)

Dill as a vegetable was introduced to me by my husband who loves using it in making Dill Sambhar as he has grown up eating it in Bangalore where it is quite commonly used. In the US, I am used to buying it as Dill, so when I started shopping in Pune, I used to ask the owner of the corner vegetable market if he had any Dill... He would always smile.. for in Hindi, Dil (with one l) means "Heart", so it is quite funny when I ask him if he had Dil (heart).

Anyway, since two years he knows exactly what I mean by Dill.. and promptly gives me Shepu, commonly known in Maharashtra.  Here is an interesting read on various names of Dill in India.. thought you would love to know and appreciate the diversity of languages that we have in India.

Courtesy: Wikipedia
"In India, dill is known as shepu (शेपू) in Marathi and Konkani, savaa or menthulu in Hindi or soa in Punjabi. In Telugu, it is called methulu and Soa-kura (for herb greens). It is also called sabbasige soppu (ಸಬ್ಬಸಿಗೆ ಸೊಪ್ಪು) in Kannada. In Tamil it is known as sada kuppi(சதகுப்பி). In Malayalam, it is ചതകുപ്പ (chathakuppa) or ശതകുപ്പ (sathakuppa). In Sanskrit, this herb is called shatapushpa. In Gujarati, it is known as suva. In India, dill is prepared in the manner of yellow moong dal as a main-course dish. It is considered to have very good antigas properties,so it is used as mukhwas, or an after-meal digestive. It is also traditionally given to mothers immediately after childbirth. In the state of Uttar Pradesh in India, a smaller amount of fresh dill is cooked along with cut potatoes and fresh fenugreek leaves(Hindi आलू-मेथी-सोया). In Manipur, dill, locally known as pakhon, is an essential ingredient of chagem pomba – a traditional Manipuri dish made with fermented soybean and rice".


Puneists cook Shepu as Sukha Bhaji (Dry vegetable curry) with lentils and eat it with Chapathi. Today, I thought I will give a new use for Dill in making a stuffed Paratha similar to any leafy paratha. My maid servant was quite surprised to find me make Dill Paratha for breakfast today, for she never imagined using Dill in this application.. That is where my product development skills and thinking comes of use I guess.. to think out of the box in corporate language:)

So readers.. here is the recipe for Dill Paratha.. which could be used for making any kind of leaf based Paratha - may it be Methi (Fenugreek), Palak (Spinach) or Kothimbir (Cilantro).

Shepu/Dill Paratha/Flat bread

Ingredient
Whole Wheat flour - 2 cups
Salt  - 1-2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp
Garam Masala (spicy powder) - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 Tbsp for dough and as needed during making of the Paratha
Dill/Shepu - Finely chopped - 1 cup

Directions
Making the dough
Add the spices and salt to the flour along with oil and Dill and knead it well into a non-sticky dough. The oil will help remove the stickyness. Add less water than usual as Dill (vegetable) will give some water too. Keep it aside for 30 min or 1 hour covered.

Making the Paratha
Spread a ball of the dough using the bread roll and make a thin and flat bread. Use flour to help the dough not stick while spreading it flat. Take 1 tsp oil on a flat pan and cook the Paratha. Add oil on the sides and cook it well on both sides. Serve hot with Curd or pickle.

In North, people tend to eat it with green chilli and onion to give it the bite. The Paratha was flavorful and similar in consistency to Methi Paratha (thin and flavorful). It truly is a neat snack for the evening..

My little one has it for lunch today..lets see if the lunch box comes back empty..

Puran Poli / Obbattu / Bobbatlu/Boli - South Indian dessert

Puran Poli or Obbatu or Bobbatlu or Boli are various names for the same dessert in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu/Kerala, respectively. It is one of the signature desserts (Must Haves) made during festivals, may it be any New Year (Vishu, Gudi Padwa, Ugadi, Varsha-Porappu) or an occasion to break the fast such as Dwadasi after the fasting on Ekadasi.

It is usually made with tons of ghee (butter) and is loved by kids and adults alike. In Pune, I have seen Puran Poli made so thin like paper and they are huge in size that by folding it four times, it is the size of one roti. It is usually eaten with Aam Ras (Squeezed mango pulp) and Milk.

After my fast on Ekadasi this last Friday, I decided to make this dessert on Saturday morning as "Naivedyam" or offering to God Krishna. I served it with Milk. The recipe is pretty much something I learned from my mother and my in-laws. Being simple in its ingredients, the difficulty is in making the Obbatu.. so I have added photos that will show you how.

Puran Poli/Obbattu/Bobbatlu/Boli
Ingredient
Jaggery - 1 cup
Chana dal (Yellow split pea) - 2 cups
Maida (Refined wheat flour) - 2 cups
Turmeric - 2 tsp
Cardomon - 2-3 pods 
Oil/Ghee - 3-4 tbsp or as needed 
 Water - for dough and cooking as needed.

 

Directions

Making of the Puran/filling

Cook the chana dal in cooker with 3-4 whistles. The dal should not be over cooked. There are two ways of making the Puran (or the sweet filling).

1. I followed this method. Here you add the jaggery and the cooked dal along with cardomon into a blender and grind it into smooth paste by adding enough water.

2.Maharashtrian's follow this method, where in they manually grind the chana dal with help of mortar and pistle or a Chapathi making roll into a fine paste and add the Jaggery later.

In Method 1. Heat a pan and add ghee (1 tbsp) and add the jaggery/chana dal mix into the pan and keep mixing until it becomes hard and reaches a consistency of thick jam - 5 min.

In Method 2. Heat a pan, add ghee (1 tbsp), add the jaggery and let it become watery. Add the chana dal paste and let it cook until it become thick - 5 min.

Keep this Puran aside to make the Poli.

Making the Puran Poli
You definitely need Maida or refined flour rather than the whole wheat flour as the dough needs to pull and expand with the filling and should not break as short strands.

Make a dough with Maida and turmeric (yellow in color). Add 2-3 tbsp of oil in the dough and work the gluten so it stretches well. Art in making the Poli is to take very little dough and more filling, so you get to taste the filling more than the dough.

Spread a thin layer of the dough, add the Puran in the middle and cover it from four sides by the dough into a ball. Spread it gently (very gently) to make a round and thin Poli. If you press too hard, the Poli will break and the filling will ooze out.

 

Alternatively, you can make the Poli as a "Modak" or a "Dumpling" in the sense, you make a cup out of the dough and add the filling in the middle of cup and cover it up with dough and make it a ball. Spread this ball into a thin layer of Poli. After the Poli is spread, heat a flat pan and cook it well with ghee /oil until the flour and filling is well cooked.


Practise makes a man perfect is true for cooking.. This is the first time I made Obbatu on my own (with no parental supervision) and my first Poli was not so great looking (as seen in the picture) with the filling popped out of the dough. I have however, added some more snaps of the Polis I made in succession and you can see that I had perfected in making them round, thinner, uniform in thickness and larger as seen in the last snap... So guys, don't loose heart if your first one doesn't come out to be perfect.. Keep trying and Voila.. you will succeed in becoming the Poli master!   

Serve hot with butter, milk or Mango pulp (Aam Ras)... enjoy!

Sabudana Khichidi (Sago/Javarisi/Tapioca Upma)

This last Friday was Ashada Ekadasi (one of the few Ekadasi that is very auspicious) and almost all of my colleagues and friends were observing fasting. Living with my mom, in-laws and my dad (ISKCON priest), who follow Ekadasi quite well, knew that I am allowed to eat only once in the day and end the fast with a sumptuous meal on Dwadashi (the next day). I could not eat any grains, but could eat anything from the roots, stems, fruits and vegetables. Here in Pune, many eat Sabudana (Javarisi) Khichidi (Upma) as it is from Tapioca root. My kids love this dish as well as they get it routinely in their day care. Just like any Upma, there is an art in making this.. and so here is my side of  the story on how to make this Upma.. or Khichidi..

Sabudana Khichidi

Ingredients
Soaked Sabudana - 3 cups

Peanuts - 1.5 cups
Curry leaves - 2-3
Cumin - 1 tsp
Green chilli - 4-5
Salt to taste
Refined oil or re fried butter (ghee) - 4-5 tbsp

Directions
Soak the sabudana overnight in a strainer. It is important to not soak it completely in water as the starch is lost. You have to rinse it well in water and drain all the water and let it soak in the residual water overnight or over a strainer.

Dry roast the peanuts until well roasted. In a blender add the roasted peanuts, chilli and salt and grind into a coarse powder. 

Take oil in pan and heat it. Add cumin seeds and when it sputters, add the curry leaves and the peanut mix and let it roast in low heat until golden brown for 2-3 min. Add the soaked sabudana into this mix and mix it well so every grain of sabudana is covered with peanut mix. This helps to make it less sticky. Otherwise, the entire thing will stick to each other into one big mass.

Let it roast and cook on low heat for 5-10 min until the whiteness of the sabudana is gone and you see glass transparency (that means the sabudana is cooked).

The khichidi is ready. Mine is a little more dark as I used re fried butter with its black sediment as I ran out of oil. Otherwise, once can make it light brown/white. One can also add red chilli powder instead of green chillies. The peanuts give the dish the signature taste of the Khichidi that you won't get from a regular south indian upma style of cooking.

As it is liked by everyone at home, there were no left overs and everyone enjoyed eating Upwas kha khanna (fasting food).

BTW, I observed complete fast on Ekadashi and only ate boiled potatoes, and sweet potatoes in the night for dinner after Abhishekham of our Laddoo Gopal (Lord Krishna). I ended the fast the next day with Puran Pholi (a dessert) as offering to Lord Krishna.. I will share this recipe in next blog.

 

 

Pav Bhaji - The classic mumbai chat item

My husband loves to eat chat items whether it is on the streets or in a restaurant setting such as Kalyan Bhel in Pune. His love of chat is definitely rubbed off to my kids who love eating any type of chat item, you name it (Pani puri, Bhel Puri, Vada Pav, Pav bhaji, Misal Pav, Aloo tikki, Papdi chat),  that too from a road side vendor - with Pani Puri and Bhel Puri being their favorites.

Pav (type of bread similar to burgen bun) is available in every corner bakery store in Pune is essential to this recipe. The bhaji is a spicy mix of potatoes, onion and tomatoes - quite simple to make. I used to use Burger buns when I was in US instead of Pav, and it used to be a hit among my friends during social gatherings.. especially in Madison..So here you go.. the classic Chat of Mumbai..

Pav Bhaji
Ingredients
Onion - 2 (finelly chopped)
Tomatoes - 5-6
Boiled peas - 1 cups
Boiled potatoes - 4-5 medium size
1/2 cup Coriander leaves - finely chopped
Pav Bhaji Masala (Everest): 2-3 tbsp
OR
Garam Masala - 1-2 Tbsp
Oil - 3-4 Tbsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Directions

Heat oil and add the cumin seeds and mustard seeds, once they sputter, add the onions and let it saute for 2-3 min until brown.
Add tomatoes, and masala powder and let it mix well with the mix
Add the chilli powder and salt and let it cook until oil slicks out. Add the peas and the potatoes and mash them well in the mix with a flat spatula. Let the entire mix cook for 5-10 min in low heat. Add water if needed to bring a thick gravy consistency. Serve hot with Pav (slightly grilled in butter) after garnishing on top with chopped onion and cilantro leaves.

Matki chi Usal -Another Pune delicacy

Matki or Moth bean was introduced to me once I started living in Pune. Matki's Usal and Misal are signature  dishes innate to the Maharashtrian cuisine. Usal is actually a name given to a vegetable dish made with variety of grains sprouted (it could be green gram, chick pea, black eyed pea and matki). Matki Chi Usal is a very common dish served with Chapathi (pholi) and my daughters love it being introduced in their day care. Matki is also very rich in protein, and when sprouted, it is very nutritious excellent for growing kids and diabetics and heart patients.


In Pune, you will find sprouted Matki sold in a grocery store but have to pay premium price vs. buying dry beans and sprouting it yourself. The sprouting process is an art in itself and so thought I will share some nuances on that as well.


Matki Chi Usal

 Ingredients
Matki (Moth bean) - 500 g
Finely chopped Onion - 1
Finely chopped Tomatoes - 2
Cilantro - 1 bunch finely cut
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Refined oil - 3 Tbsp
Red chilli powser - 1 Tbsp (or more)
Salt to taste

Sprouting the Matki

Matki is soaked overnight in water (12 hours) and next day when the seeds are almost ready to germinate, you wrap it up in wet cloth (muslin cotton) that has some holes to breath. You soak the cloth wet and keep it aside for an entire day (24 hours). The seeds will germinate and become sprouts. You could leave another 12 hours to get the sprouts to become longer. Otherwise, you can use them in the dish immediately. If I soak the Matki on Day 1 night, I can use it on Day 3 morning.

Cooking the Usal
Heat oil in pan, add the mustard seeds, once they pop, add the onions and saute until brown. Add the tomatoes, salt and red chilli powder and let it cook until soft. Add the sprouted Matki and saute the entire mix for 5 min until Matki is shallow fried and half cooked. Then add water and let it cook for 10 min or until the dish is dry (no water). Garnish with cilantro leaves on top and serve with hot chapathis.

Pesarattu (Whole green gram dosa) - An Andhra delicacy

Whole grains, especially green gram is very nutritious and easy to digest. It is recommended for many diabetics for its fibre and nutrition. Today I am going to give you the recipe for a "dosa" or "crepe" made with whole green gram, soaked and grinded to a coarse batter. It is very simple to make and very nutritious.

This is one of the signature dishes from Andhra Pradesh where I grew up. The other components used are ginger, onion and green chillies that add the unique taste to the dish.

Pesarattu - Whole green gram dosa
Ingredients
Whole green gram (Akha Moong)
Onions
Green chilli
Ginger
Salt to taste

Directions
Soak the green gram overnight. Next day, decant and grind it using a blender into a coarse batter. The outer shell of the green gram brings the coarseness to the batter. You can grind some ginger, chilli and salt in this batter or leave it for later to add from top.

Finely chop the onions, ginger and green chilli and keep it aside for the stuffing of the dosa.

Making the Pesarattu (dosa)
Take a ladle and spread the batter smoothly on the flat pan into a circle. You could either take just enough batter to spread it thin OR shave the extra batter off the pan by the spatula (as shown in the picture).

If the layer is thick, you need to cook the dosa on both sides. If it is spread thin, you could cook only on one side. Even if you flip the dosa, the other side should only be half cooked.

Spread the onions, chilli and ginger mix on the half cooked side of the dosa and make a sandwich by placing the other side on top. Squeeze the spatula on top of the dosa so the layers join together and make a good sandwich. If the batter is completely cooked, the sandwich will not stick together and cook and the onions will come out. Roast both sides well and serve with hot chutney or gun powder or dosa molagapodi :-) 

 

Gun powder (Spicy dosa powder)
Ingredients
Black gram dal (urad dal) - 1 cup
Yellow split pea (chana dal) - 1 cup
Sesame seeds - 1/4 cup
Red chillies - 10-12
Salt to taste

Dry roast above ingredients and grind into fine powder. To serve with oil with snacks such as dosa and idli.