Rasam

September it is, monsoons are still here, its been raining all day. It's super cold. 

After this, come the cold winter days...

Rains + Cold + Spicy piping hot Soup = Winning Combo!!!

Rasam is perfect for all these cold rainy wintery nights.

Rasam or Tili Saaru or Tomato Saaru is a South Indian Soup that is a burst of flavor. It is spicy, it is tart, it is hot, it is hearty, it is cozy- everything you want in a soup. Generally, rasam is eaten as an accompaniment with rice across South India. But you can have it just like soup and you won't complain.

Rasam forms an essential part of tradition here in Karnataka. It is served at weddings and religious celebrations across Karnataka. In fact, a lot of times, a caterer is classified as good or bad based on the taste of the rasam he/she makes.

Rasam is made by boiling chopped tomatoes along with tamarind juice, then adding Rasam Powder and cooked lentils. Add a tempering of spluttered mustard seeds and crispy curry leaves. Garnish with chopped coriander, occasionally grated coconut is also added. And you have the hot spicy cozy Rasam. Rasam tastes awesome with rice with a side of crispy fried Papad.

Rasam is a regular when any of us has stuffed sinuses... it instantly clears them up. Also, when we are sick and food seems tasteless, we have to have rasam to wake up our taste buds.

But you don't need cold wintery nights or to be sick to have Rasam. Rasam and Rice is a part of daily meal for many of us here in South India. Try it out, and you will certainly love it.

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Corn Tomato Bharta - Indian curry made with grilled or roasted tomatoes and sweet corn
• Dal Fry - Dal or Pigeon Pea Lentils cooked in restaurant style.
• Tomato Soup - Spiced tomato soup.
• Lauki Soup - Soup made with bottle gourd and moong dal. Very nutritious and filling.

Rasam | Tili Saaru

Spicy tart South Indian lentil soup made with tomato and tamarind.

Recipe Type:  Main Course
Cuisine:          South Indian
Prep Time:     10 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:              3-4 Servings

Ingredients:

2 cup Toor dal(boiled)
1 large Tomato
1 lemon sized ball Tamarind
2 tsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
5-6 Curry leaves
1 Tbsp Coriander leaves(Chopped)
0.25 tsp Hing / Asafoetida
2 Tbsp Rasam powder
0.5 tsp Turmeric powder
1-2 tsp Red chilli powder
3 cups Water
Salt

Method:

Soak the tamarind in half cup of water for 10 mins.
Squeeze the tamarind so that the half cup of water is now tamarind juice.
Add this tamarind juice to a pan on the stove.
Add the chopped tomato and another ½ cup of water and cover and cook until the tomato is very soft and mushy.
Add the rasam powder, red chilli powder and turmeric powder.
Add the toor dal and the remaining water.
Add hing and salt and boil until the desired consistency is achieved.
Generally rasam is of very thin consistency.
In another small pan, heat the oil.
Add the mustard seeds. After they splutter, add the cumin seeds. Let them brown slightly, then add the curry leaves and immediately pour this oil into the rasam.
Rasam can be enjoyed as a spicy soup on cold days or as a curry with rice.

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Brinjal in Coconut Masala

Brinjal / Eggplant / Aubergines , call it what you want, is a favourite veggie across the world. Different names and cooked in myriad different ways. Wiki tells me that this was originally domesticated in India. So this was another gift to the world from us ;) Very easy to grow as well. I say this cause I have found success in growing brinjals :D. Brinjal is probably one the few vegetables cooked all across India, albeit in different ways. I myself make it in a couple of different styles. The recipe that follows is the twist on the traditional "Yennegai" or "Yenne badnekai" or the "Bharwan Baingan". The original recipe involves stuffing baby brinjals with the stuffing and frying in oil. I did not want to use too much oil and wanted it to cook sooner, so I cut the brinjal into smaller semicircles and fried them in very little oil initially and then added the masala. It was a perfect combination with the jowar roti or "Joladda rotti"

Brinjal in Coconut Masala

Brinjals cooked in a spicy coconut masala

Recipe Type:  Main Course
Cuisine:          South Indian
Prep Time:     20 minutes
Cook time:     40 minutes
Yield:              2-3 Servings

Ingredients:

500gms Brinjal
2 medium Onion
2 medium Tomato
1 cup grated fresh Coconut
2 tsp Sambar powder
1 tsp Garam masala
2 tsp Red chilli powder
1 tsp Turmeric powder
1 Tbsp Urad dal
½ tsp Fenugreek seeds / Methi seeds
2 tsp Cumin seeds / Jeera
1 Tbsp Tamarind
A pinch of Hing
3 Tbsp Oil

Method:

• Lightly roast the urad dal and the methi seeds in a kadhai until the urad dal is slightly brown
• Grind together coconut, tamarind, sambar powder, garam masala, urad dal, methi, red chilli powder and turmeric powder into a coarse paste. Use 1 tbsp of water to grind.
• Heat 2 tbsp oil in a kadhai and fry onion until translucent in it.
• Add finely chopped tomatoes, hing and the ground paste and cook until the tomato is cooked
• Add 1 cup of water and cook on low flame for 8-10 mins or until the oil  separates
• In a different kadhai, add the remaining oil and fry the sliced brinjals until done. The brinjal should be cooked but still be firm.
• Add the fried brinjal to the masala and cook together for 2 mins
• Add more water if you want a thinner gravy or less water if you want a dry sabzi.
• Enjoy with hot hot phulkas or joladda rotti

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Black Bean Soup

This has been on my list to post for a long time but I guess only laziness prevented me from posting it. Black beans are pretty much unknown out here. I first ate them at Panera Bread. The black bean soup which was a Thursday regular was the low fat vegetarian soup option. It’s nice to know something tasty is also low fat, isn’t it? I came back to Bangalore and black beans were nowhere to be found L Then one day while walking around a supermarket I found canned black beans. Since then it has become quite a regular soup at home. Filling and very Indian in spices and taste, this works well with everyone at home. Rajma looks a lot like black beans but tastes quite different, so don’t mistake the two. This soup so full of bean, is also very filling.

Black Bean Soup

Vegan soup made using spices and black beans

Recipe Type:  Soup
Cuisine:          Mexican
Prep Time:     10 minutes
Cook time:     20 minutes
Yield:              2 servings

Ingredients:

1 can Black Beans
1 Tomato
1 small Onion
2-3 cloves Garlic
1 tsp Cumin seeds / Jeera
1 tsp Cumin powder / Jeera powder
1 tsp Red chilli powder
2-3 tsp Oil
Salt
Water 2 Tbsp chopped Coriander leaves (Optional)

Method:

• Wash and rinse the black beans as specified on the can.
• Finely chop the garlic, onion and tomato
• Heat oil in a large pan and add the cumin seeds
• Once the cumin seeds brown, add the garlic and onion and fry until the onions are translucent
• Add the tomato and cook until done
• Add the cumin powder and rec chilli powder and fry for 1 min
• Add the black beans, water and salt and boil for 4-5 mins.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves (Optional)
• Enjoy hot with crusty bread

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Wholewheat Tomato & Basil bread

I often miss having the Mediterranean veggie sandwich at Panera bread for lunch. Since we don't have any Panera Bread's out here, I cannot enjoy their tomato and basil bread. Which is what set me on a path to create my own. I found several recipes on the net, but I modified them to suit me. I am not so keen on cooking with maida(flour) so I use atta (whole wheat flour) more often. I also had no parmesan cheese as the recipes asked for. Also, I added the oats and the fennel just as an experiment which worked successfully. This was a yummy breakfast today morning with oodles of butter....



Tomato & Basil bread



Before first rise

After first rise

After baking

Crust & crumb

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour / Atta – 1.5 cups

Oats – ½ cup

Tomato – 1

Basil leaves – 10-12

Fennel seeds / Saunf – 1 tbsp

Olive oil – 1 tsp

Active dry yeast – 1 tsp

Red chilli flakes – 1 tbsp

Tomato ketchup – 1-2 tbsp

Water – ¼ cup

Salt – ½ tsp

Method:

Puree the tomato and mince the basil

Warm the water and dissolve the yeast in it

Add the tomato puree, basil, crushed fennel seeds, red chilli flakes, tomato ketchup, oats and salt and mix well

Add the flour and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. I kneaded for around 15 mins.

Grease a vessel with olive oil and place the dough in it. Turn the dough so that it is covered in oil. Cover the vessel and allow it to proof for 2 hours or until doubled in size.

Knead again for 1 min and place in the loaf tin or the baking sheet and allow it to rise for another 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 240 degree Celsius.

Bake for around 20-25 mins.

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Jhunka

Jhunka Bhakri is a simple but thoroughly enjoyed meal in North Karnataka. Jhunka takes hardly 10 mins to prepare and is a welcome substitute to the regular sabzi once in a while. So on Friday night, tired of cooking ,once again, and bored of eating out. once again. This was the quickest fix for dinner.

Jhunka

Quick Maharastrian curry made from chickpea flour/ besan and tomatoes.

Recipe Type:  Side
Cuisine:          Indian / Maharastrian
Prep Time:     10 minutes
Cook time:     20 minutes
Yield:              2-3 servings

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Besan / Gram Flour
1 cup Water
1 Tomato
4-5 Curry Leaves
2 Green Chillies
1 tsp Cumin Seeds / Jeera
2 tsp Oil
1 tsp Turmeric Powder / Haldi
Salt

Method:

Heat oil in a kadhai and add the cumin seeds
Once they brown slightly, add the curry leaves, chopped tomatoes and chopped chillies and fry for 2 mins
Add 1/2 a cup of water and cook until the tomatoes are soft
Add the turmeric powder
Mix the besan in the remaining water until it is a smooth paste
Add this to the kadhai and add salt
Heat on low flame until the raw taste of the besan disappears. Keep stirring to prevent the jhunka from burning
Add more water if desired
Eat with jowar rotti or phulka

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Tomato soup

In this cold Bangalore weather, a hot soup is soooo comforting. Everybody's favourite soup at home? Tomato, of course. It doesn't take too much time to make it either. The perfect weekday evening soup. Most store bought soup powders use cornflour or other flours to obtain the thickness, I generally add some other veggies or 2 tbsp of dal to do the same. Makes it healthy as well as thick. Potato is the general thickening agent people use at home, I avoid it and generally use cauliflower or sweet potato.

Ingredients:

Tomato - 3 medium
Carrots - 2
Sweet potato - 1/2 cup (peeled and cubed)
Onion - 1 small
Bay leaf / Tej patta - 1
Cinnamon / Dalchini - 1" piece
Black peppercorns / Kali mirch - 4-5
Clove/ Lawang - 1-2
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Pepper powder / Red chilli powder - 1-2 tsp
Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Water

Method:

Heat the olive oil in a cooker pan
Roughly chop the onions and fry for 1-2 mins
Roughly chop the tomato, sweet potato and carrot and add to the cooker
Add all the whole spices
Add water just enough to cover the vegetables
Add salt and pressure cook for appx 2-3 whistles or 5-8 mins
Cool the vegetables a little and puree them in a mixer
Pour the puree back into the pan, add a cup of water, sugar, red chilli powder or pepper and allow it to boil
Add more water if the soup is too thick.
Boil on low flame for another 8-10 mins.
Serve hot. The above recipe makes enough for 3 people.

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Dal Makhani

Friday nights call for something special. With the heavy rains, eating out was out of question. Who's ready to battle Bangalore traffic when it rains? So it was time to make something easy and special at home. So here comes Dal Makhani. Although the name suggests makhan aka butter, it really does not have too much. Infact, I made it without any butter. You can add a spoonful at the end.

Ingredients:

Whole black urad dal - 1/2 cup
Red kidney beans / Rajma - 2 tbsp
Tomato - 2 medium
Onion - 1 medium or 2 small
Ginger - 1" piece
Garlic - 1-2
Coriander powder / Dhania powder - 3-4 tsp
Cumin powder / Jeera powder - 1-2 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1 tsp
Oil - 3 tsp
Salt
Water

Method:

Soak the urad dal and the rajma for around 6-8 hours.
Pressure cook them in water until soft. Urad dal cooks very soon, around 3-4 whistles or 10 mins. Rajma, however, takes much longer. It took me around 45 mins on low
flame after 1 whistle to cook rajma.
Also, while cooking rajma, do not use the water that it was soaked in. Use fresh water.
Puree the onion along with the ginger and garlic
Puree the tomato
Heat oil in a kadhai and add the cumin seeds
Once they brown, add the onion paste and cook for 2-3 mins
Add the tomato puree and all the spices and cook on low flame for 10-12 mins. Add 1-2 tbsp water if it starts burning.
Add the urad dal and rajma.
Add salt and water.Adjust water according to the desired consistency.
Cook for another 5-7 mins.
Serve hot with rice or roti

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Gobi Mussallam

Gobi mussallam is actually an entire head of cauliflower or gobi cooked in a tomato and cream based gravy. I searched the internet for this recipe but nothing looked similar to the one I eat at a restaurant near my house. So I decided to use the ingredients mentioned and just make it with instinct. Well, that worked, and I got a yummy gobi mussallam. I did not use an entire head of cauliflower as I was looking at making a smaller quantity, so I just cut it into florets and used.

Gobi mussallam

Steam and fry the gobi

Fry onion, ginger, garlic paste along with the whole spices

Add tomato and all the powder spices and cook for 15 mins

Add milk and cook until desired consistency is reached

Serve hot with roti or rice

Gobi Mussallam

Head of cauliflower cooked in a tomato and cream based gravy. Vegetarian cauliflower curry.
Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            North Indian
Prep Time:     15 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2-3


Ingredients:

1/2 large or 1 small Cauliflower
3 Tomatoes
3 Onion
4 cloves Garlic
1" piece of Ginger
1/4 cup Cashew nuts (Optional)
4 tsp Coriander powder / Dhania powder
1-2 tsp Cumin powder / Jeera powder
1 tsp Garam masala
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder / Haldi
1 tsp Red chilli powder
1 Bay leaf /Tej patta
1-2 Clove / Lawang
1 Star anise
4-5 Peppercorns
1 small piece Cinnamon / Dalchini(about 1.5")
1 Cardamom / Elaichi
1 cup Milk
5-6 tsp Oil
Salt
4-5 Almonds (Optional)
A handful of Coriander leaves

Method:

Soak cashew nuts in warm water. If you don't have cashew nuts you can skip this.
Break cauliflower into large florets.
Soak cauliflower in hot water with 1 tsp of salt added to it for around 2 mins.
Steam or boil the cauliflower until almost done. It should not be completely cooked and it should still be crunchy. I steamed it for around 3-4 mins.
Remove the cauliflower and pat them dry using a kitchen towel
Heat 3 tsp of oil in a kadhai and fry the cauliflower until they slightly brown
Remove the cauliflower form heat and keep aside
Puree the onion, ginger and garlic in the mixer
Puree the soaked cashew nuts using a little water
Puree the tomatoes
Heat the remaining oil in a kadhai and add the onion paste
Add the bay leaf, clove, star anise, peppercorns, cinnamon and cardamom and fry until the onion turns slightly brown. Add more oil or a little water if the paste starts sticking to the bottom of the kadhai
Add tomato and cashew nut puree
Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chilli powder and garam masala and cook on low flame for 10-15 mins. Keep stirring to avoid the paste from burning or sticking to the bottom of the kadhai. I cooked for almost 15 mins.
Add the milk and salt and continue cooking on low flame until the gravy obtains the consistency needed. I cooked it for around 5-10 mins more.
Add the cauliflower and cook for 2 mins
Garnish with chopped almonds and finely chopped coriander leaves
Serve hot with roti or rice

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Spinach Dal | Palak Dal

Howdy!! How did the weekend treat you? Are you in mood for some piping hot Palak Dal and Rice?

The first time I had this Spinach or Palak Dal was when I was around 8 years old. My friend's mom, my next door neighbor made it. As we played in the kitchen, she cooked it right in front of us showing us how it is made. The moment she added the ginger-garlic and fried and the aroma wafted over to where we were playing, our mouths started watering and we did not leave the kitchen until the entire dal was made. I did not even go home for lunch that day, I ate at my friend's place.

Being from Mumbai, my friend's family was used to eating spicy and hot food. To my near bland palate, it was like an explosion in my mouth and I ate the dal while my eyes watered. But I loved every spoonful of it. I loved it so much, I ran back home and asked my mom to learn how to make Palak Dal.

I've since, learnt how to make it and it is regular occurrence in my house. While I have grown up, my palate is still not accustomed to extremely hot food, so I never add as much green chilli or ginger my friend's mom added, I only add enough to tantalize my tongue. If you are fond of hot food, feel free to add in more or if you prefer your food to be lighter in taste, you can remove the seeds of the chilli before grinding it into a paste.

For added flavor, you can add half a cup of dill leaves or suva sabzi to this dal as well. I add it at times if I have it and it gives this Palak Dal a different dimension. Highly recommended addition, I say!

I personally love dal with roti or naan as much as I love my dal rice. If you plan on eating this with roti, reduce the amount of water you add, to get a thicker consistency. To eat with rice, a thinner consistency is preferred. 

I cook this dal entirely in the pressure cooker, partly because it is quicker and partly because I am lazy to wash many dishes. If you do not have a pressure cooker, you can use a kadhai or a sauce pan with a lid to make this Palak Dal. You will find that this does not alter the taste or texture of the Palak Dal, however, it does take longer to cook the dal. And that means you have to wait longer to eat this awesome curry!!!

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Pancharangi Dal - Curry made with 5 different types of lentils.
• Heerekai Tove - Dal with ridgegourd pieces.
• Dal Makhani - Creamy and rich dal made with black lentils.
• Dal Fry (restaurant style) - Plain simple dal made in restaurant style.

Spinach Dal | Palak Dal

Spinach Dal or Palak Dal is a spiced dal made from pigeon pea lentils (toor dal) and spinach. 

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            North Indian
Prep Time:     20 minutes
Cook time:     40 minutes
Yield:                Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

5-6 cups chopped Spinach (Palak)
1 cup Pigeon Pea Lentils (Toor Dal)
1 Onion
2 Tomato
3-4 pods Garlic
1" piece Ginger
1-2 Green Chilli
1 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
3 tsp Oil
Salt to taste
Water

Method:

Boil the toor dal with 2.5 cups of water in a pressure cooker. Remove the dal and clean the pressure cooker for re-use.
Wash and chop the palak leaves.
Chop the onion and tomato and keep aside.
Grind the ginger, garlic, and the green chillies into a paste.
Heat oil in the pressure cooker, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter.
Now add the cumin seeds and let them brown slightly.
Add the chopped onions.
Fry the onions until translucent.
Add the ginger-garlic-chilli paste and fry until fragrant.
Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add garam masala and mix well.
Add chopped palak and stir for 1-2 minutes.
Add the boiled dal, turmeric powder, salt and 1 cup of water.
Close the pressure cooker and cook for 1-2 whistles or around 5 minutes after the pressure builds up.
If you want it to be thinner in consistency, then add more water.
Serve hot with rice.

Note:

If not using a pressure cooker, you can just use a regular deep sauce pan with a tight lid. There will be no difference in taste or texture, however, it will take longer to cook the Spinach Dal.

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Tomato omelet or cheela

This is another easy to make breakfast or evening snack. It is filling and yummy. Not unhealthy at all. Unless of course you decide to eat it with butter like me :)...

Ingredients:

Besan or Gram flour or Kadle hittu - 1 cup
Tomato -1 large ( finely chopped)
Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp (chopped)
Green chilies - 2 (chopped)
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder or haldi - 1/4 tsp
Oil
Water
Salt to taste

Method:

Add 1/2 cup water to besan and mix until there are no lumps. Add the tomato, cumin seeds, coriander, turmeric powder and mix well. Add salt and chili powder according to taste. You may also add chopped onion if you like, I generally don't.
You may add more water to achieve a pouring consistency.
Grease and heat the tava.
Pour the batter from a ladle.
Spoon a tsp of oil on the omelet.
You may cover it with a lid or leave it open.
Once the underside is brown, flip it over for 1-2 minutes and then remove from tava.
It can be served with butter or chutney or ketchup or pickle or just eaten plain.
A restaurant in Bangalore makes a sandwich out of it by placing the omelet between slices of buttered bread.
This recipe makes 3-4 small tomato omelets.

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Lauki soup / Bottle gourd soup / Sorekai soup

Lauki or Gheeya or Bottle gourd is a low calorie vegetable and a good ingredient for soup. I learnt this recipe from my sister who seems to love it and apparently this aids in digestion. I was tired of the same old tomato soup and the instant soups are worse, they all taste so synthetic, so I decided to try this out. It is one of the easiest soups to make and full of fibre too...

Ingredients:

Bottle gourd - 1/2
Tomato - 1
Moong dal - 1/4 cup
Ginger - 1/2" piece (Optional)
Pepper
Salt

Method:

Peel and core the bottle gourd.
Cut it into 1 inch cubes
Pressure cook the bottle gourd along with the tomato and dal until soft and the dal is done. Around 4-5 whistles or 10-15 mins in the pressure cooker
Let it cool
Blend the cooked bottle gourd, tomato, dal and ginger in a blender.
Transfer the soup to a kadhai or sauce pan and heat. Add salt and freshly ground pepper.

This soup served 2 people in medium sized bowls.

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