Pudi for Vegetable and Rice (South Indian Garam masala)

The title must have got you wondering what Pudi is. Pudi is the generic South Indian name for any red, dry chutney powder that is an accompaniment to any of the south indian dishes like Dosas, Idlis, Appams, Curd Rice, Rice preparations etc. There are many variations to the humble Pudi and this one is slightly different.

This Chutney pudi is not the ones you would want to eat directly. I would call it the Garam Masala of the South, that you could use to add to any vegetable or Rice preparation and give it a classic twist.

We usually have this powder ready in a big jar, which lasts about two months. Some veggie combinations go really well with this masala, and I am too fond of the rice.


Simple to make and a great variation to the palette from the regular Garam Masala. Take my word, try this out.


Ingredients: 

{the main ingredients have been measured using a regular lunch bowl}

Coriander Seeds (Whole Dhania ) - 1 cup
Split Bengal gram (Chana Dal) - 1 cup
Split black gram (Urad Dal) - 1 cup
Grated Dry Coconut - 1 cup
Cinammom Sticks (Dalchini) - 3" long sticks - 4 nos
Dry Red Chillies - 25-30 - adjust to taste
Cardamom - 10-12
Cloves - 15


Method: 

1. Dry roast all ingredients separately. This is because each ingredient takes its own time to get roasted well and uniform roasting ensures that you will be able to grind this into a fine powder.
2. You can add a few drops of oil to the chillies and the Urad Dal while roasting them.
3. Let all ingredients cool completely. 
4. Finely powder all the roasted ingredients
5. You could keep a small quantity in a small jar for regular use and store the rest in airtight packing in the refrigerator. This preserves the flavour of the Pudi. 

Using this Pudi, you could give a neat twist to the while making dry vegetable dish with Potatoes, Ivy Gourd, Brinjals, Capsicum-Potato-onion combination, just to name a few.
This is the South Indian Garam Masala for sure!!!

Curry Leaves Chutney

Indian food - South-indian food, to be specific, is characterised by the presence of Curry leaves in the tempering. When this is so common, yet a chutney?

Well, the list of the benefits of curry leaves are endless. Just to name a few, Curry leaves can keep iron levels high, fights Diabetes, protects you from liver damage.

This chutney is anyway too yummy to be given a miss. Its simple to make and is an Andhra special. Spicy, tangy, healthy, all in one! This chutney stays well for about 2 weeks when stored in the refrigerator.

Ingredients:

Cumin - 1/2 tsp

The Ingredients for the Chutney

Corainder Seeds - 2 tsp
Curry leaves - 1 - 1 1/2 cups
Dry red chillies - 25
Tamarind - about the size of a lemon
Garlic - 15 cloves
Oil - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste

For the tempering
Musrard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 8-10
Garlic cloves

Directions:

Roasted Ingredients

1.  Roast the Cumin, corainder, dry red chillies, and 2 only cloves of garlic in a few drops of oil. The rest of the garlic will be used in the tempering. Ensure that garlic is browned well. 
2. Roast the curry leaves very well. 
3. Take all the roasted ingredients in a mixer jar, add the tamarind, salt and grind all of this into a fine paste. Use 1/2 a cup of water. It shouldnt become too runny.
4. Heat oil in a heavy round bottomed pan. Add the mustard seeds. After they sputter, add the curry leaves and the rest of the garlic cloves. Saute this well. 
5. Add the blended curry leaves paste to this and saute it really well for about 15 minutes. If youwish to preserve for longer, add some more oil and saute for a little longer. 
6. That's it! The chutney is ready! 

Preserve in a clean, air tight bottle. 

Garlic Groundnut Chutney

An easy chutney recipe that is done in under 15 minutes!! 

Surprised?? 

Well, this really gets done in under 15 minutes, given that you have some of the basic ingredients ready. 
At my home, we always have roasted and powdered ground-nuts ready. We use tis powder in other wet chutneys and some other preparations. 

The roasting, cooling, and skinning the ground-nuts is a time consuming process. The roasting should be done uniformly on medium flame. This is something you cannot hurry with. If the nuts have been roasted well, the skinning becomes an easy job. the nest step is to separate the skin from the nuts. 
We do small batches frequently, hence doesn't take too long. 

And groundnuts are a healthy vegetarian source of protein. So this is a must have. 

The dry chutney is really simple to make. 

What goes in: 


Roasted powdered groundnuts - 8 tbsp  
Garlic cloves - 8 - chopped into two 
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp 
Red chilli powder - 2-3 tbsp 
Salt to taste 


Directions

Take everything in a mixer bowl and pulse till fine and everything is mixed.Keep checking, as groundnuts could get oily if you pulse for a longer duration and you will ave an ioily mass instead of a fine dry powder.   Adjust the chilli powder and salt to suit your taste.

The dry chutney powder is ready.

This can go with Corn Dhoklas, Regular Khaman, Dhokla, on Bread, inside Roti Roll, Aloo Tikki, Vada Pav, Vegetable Fritters, Methi Paratha - with just about anything! 

Enjoy!

100% whole wheat and oats seeded bread

Bread baking is an art as much as it is a Science. 

The gluten development, how the yeast behaves in different climates is all a science. And it takes some practice to understand this perfectly. 

I have always baked whole wheat breads, and resist to try with APF. I'm no expert, am learning myself. 

Beginners find it easy to use APF for breads since it gives a great crumb and a soft and pillowy texture. But I do not use APF since it is not as healthy as whole wheat. As a result, Whole wheat bread that I bake is slightly more dense, but a lot healthier. Bread needs good quality yeast and perfect kneading. Whole wheat breads always are more dense than APF breads.

If the yeast doesn't become frothy, toss it. Good quality dry active yeast should get frothy in lukewarm water in 10 minutes. 

The water content depends on the climatic conditions. Dry and cold areas might need water slightly more than humid climate. That is why this is a science. Means after some trials (and may be errors) you will crack the correct technique!  

Here is the Recipe.

What went in

3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats (i used the instant variety)
1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
2 1/4 tsp dry active yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil ( I used Rice bran oil)
2  tbsp sugar
Seeds - 3-4 tbsp ( I used a mix of  flax seeds, sunflower seeds and black sesame seeds) Roast these well. 

Wheat flour for dusting 

Oil for greasing 

Milk for brushing on loaf top. 

Directions

1. Dissolve the sugar in the lukewarm water. Add the yeast, give it a quick stir and let it proof for 10 minutes. The mixture should become frothy.
2. Mix the flour, oats, salt and oil in a big bowl.
3. Add the proofed yeast-water mixture and mix exerything with a wooden spatula. It will look like a shaggy mass. Leave this for 10-15 minutes, which is when the wheat absorbs some of the water ( I did all this by hand and used up a lot of my energy (read calories)... you might want to use your Kitchen Aid or food processor ) 
4. After 15 minutes, the dough should look better and will start becoming one mass. ( I accidentally added more water hence had to add some flour) Start kneading it on a lightly floured countertop. Push it away with the heel of your hand and fold. Then repeat. Knead for about 10-12 minutes till it is smooth and elastic. Add the seeds till it gets uniformly mixed in the dough. Continue kneading. Kneading is complete when the dough bounces back when slightly prodded.
5. Once kneading is done, shape the dough into a smooth ball. Place it in a greased bowl. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in a dark place. The oven is a good place.
6. The dough should rise to double. It took 90 minutes and I let it rest for 30 more. This is the first rise. 
7. Take the dough and punch it and knock down on a wooden surface. This will release the air bubbles. Knead for a minute or two till it is soft and elastic. 
8. Grease the loaf pan and keep ready. Flatten the dough into a rectangle with the loaf pan as a guide for the measurement.
9. Fold one edge inside and fold the other edge on top of this just like you would fold a letter. Pinch the edges and sides so that it sticks well. This will prevent formation of carbondioxide pockets at the folds as the loaf gets baked. 
10. Place the log shaped loaf into the greased loaf pan and cover with cling film. Allow this to rest in a dark place. If you live in colder climates, you might consider covering the film wrapped pan with some thick kitchen towel as well. This is the second rise. Let this sit for one hour.
11. Preheat oven to 170 deg. Brush milk generously with a brush on the top of the loaf. This will make it soft. Sprinkle some seeds. 
12. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or so, or till the pan sounds hollow when tapped from outside. If you find that the top is browning fast, place an aluminium foil loosely on the top and continue baking. 
13. Once done, remove from oven. Brush some butter on the top. Yields a softer crust. Let the loaf cool for 10 minutes in the pan. Then unmould it and let it cool.on a wire rack completely. 
14. Slice after it cools completely.

Instant Corn Dhokla (Savory corn cake (steamed))

Corn is still in season (the american corn variety), and this Dhokla is a fantastic way of being able to enjoy corn in a different look.

This Dhokla is super easy to make, under thirty minutes, and there's no way this recipe cannot come right. Yes, that's what I can confidently say after trying and testing this recipe multiple times before posting this here.

Ingredients :

Shelled Corn - 1 cup
Semolina (Rava) - 1 cup
Thick curd - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp
Ginger - Chilli paste - 1 spoon  (Or chillies and ginger)
Salt - to taste
Tumeric - 1/4 tsp
Fruit Salt (Eno) - 3/4 - 1 tsp
Oil - for greasing
For the tempering
Oil- 4 Tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch
Sesame Seeds - 1 Tbsp
Curry leaves - 8-10

For a vegan version, cut out the curd, replace with 1/2 cup of water + 1 tsp of vinegar ( I haven't tried this, but logic tells me this should work perfectly and give similar results)

Directions:

1. Get a Dhokla plate and steamer ready on the stove. The right time to pour the dhokla batter is when the water in the steamer starts boiling. Keep the greased plate in the steamer so that it gets warm to hot. (Gujaratis do this, and their dhoklas turn soft always, so I see no harm in following this) Till this is ready, we can get to the other preps.
2. In a blender, fine grind the corn, curd, chilli-ginger. 
3. Pour this into a bowl, add salt, turmeric, Semolina, water and mix well. 
4. Add the fruit salt, and mix throrougly in quick movements.
5. Pour the batter in the greased dhokla plate 
6. Steam for 15 munites. 
7. Remove from flame, and allow to cool
8. Prepare the tempering - heat oil, add mustard seeds, allow them to sputter, add asafoetida, sesame seeds and curry leaves. Remove from flame. Allow to cool. 
9. Pour the tempering over the Dhokla, cut into squares and enjoy.
10. This goes well with Dry Garlic-Groundnut Chutney (recipe coming soon) and a glass of buttermilk! 

Enjoy!