Veggie Thai Curry - Customized!

Thai cuisine was as new to me as the country itself. Not that I have ever been there, but coming to the US sure did give me scope enough to hog on different types of cuisines. I heard that making Thai food at home was pretty easy. Besides, considering preparing our Indian food itself is so elaborate, I knew it could not get anything more detailed. So, I called up my friend Sathya who happens to love to explore new dishes and has loads of cook books and recipes (Sath, you really should start blogging!) and borrowed this recipe from her. Thai food, just like Indian, has many flavours working simultaneously - making eating a feast in itself!

Although the orginal version called for a lot of peanuts, I slightly customized this recipe as per my family's needs since my hubby is not too fond of these. I have mentioned where exactly you toss those nuts in, so that you wont be missing out on a single thing!

 

Ingredients
Choice of vegetables - Washed and chopped/julienned (I have used brocolli, carrots, cauliflower. You could add tofu as well. I did not have it on hand so I went ahead without it)
1/2 Onion (Medium sized) - Julienned
1 Cup/8 fl. oz - Coconut Milk
2-3 Whole dried red chillies (Use more if you want to increase the spice quotient)
1 tbsp Cumin seeds
1 tbsp Coriander seeds
1 inch stub of Ginger
6 Cloves of garlic
1 tbsp peanuts, skin-off (I have not used this)
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp Oil
And, of course, some salt to taste!!

Method
- Steam your veggies until soft. I had to fully cook mine to make sure my little son was able to eat! You could even opt to microwaving or boiling the veggies depending on how well cooked you want them to be.
- Grind together, in a blender, the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, ginger, garlic, red chillies, onion and peanuts into a fine paste using minimum water
- With your blender running, slowly pour in coconut milk to make a smooth gravy like fluid
- In a non-stick sauce pan, heat oil and pour the gravy
- Allow it to reach a  rapid boil and then simmer for a few seconds
- Toss in the cooked veggies and salt. You could also add raw veggies at this point instead of cooking them beforehand and allow them to cook in the gravy itself
- Add the lemon juice
- Serve hot with a fresh tub of steamed white rice or try it along-side Asian Style Fried Rice, like I did.
Heaven on your plate!

SERVES 2-3

Maratha Style Ambat Kadan (Sour and Spicy Gravy)

Just a word of caution before you start reading this introduction to the recipe...I am going to delve into a little bit of history. Yes! So, if you are interested ONLY in the recipe I would suggest that you jump to it right now. But if you want to know a little more about how this dish came into existence, continue reading up.

India is well known for its variety of foods which is the outcome of the diverse regions with their varied terrains, food habits and customs. Some of them are very well known and very distinctly identified, but there are loads of them that are existing as overlapping layers between two states or regions. Marathas too, are one such group of people. Here, I share my two cents on Marathas.

We Marathas are a set of people who speak Marathi but do not reside in Maharashtra. This spread of Marathi speaking people, mostly into South India, happened under the reign of Chatrapati Shivaji Bhosle, who fought for the independence of Marathas from the Mughal Empire and then became the King of the Maratha Empire. We mostly comprise of Kshatriyas (Warriors) and Rajputs who share surnames that are very Maharastrian sounding ones. My surname for instance is Pawar. My maternal surname was Moray. And then we have Bhosle, Jhadav, Chauhan, Kadam, Rao, Mohite, Ghatge, Ghorpade to name a few.

All of these Marathas speak different accents of Marathi, which in most cases is a mix of the local regional language in which the Marathas reside. For instance, (as in my case) a Maratha in Karnataka would speak Marathi with Kannada intonations and words. So, when we Maratha's meet people we end up telling this whole story which can be extremely confusing for people who have one sturdy foundation/background from which they hail.

So, now why did I get into all this? Because the point that I wanted to drive here is that since there is so much of a mix up of cultures that happend over the generations, it is most evident that even our cuisines got fused. Here, what I term as Ambat Kadan is made on the similar lines of Bas Saaru which is a dish from Karnataka. You first make the side dish called Shepu Chi Bhaji using this recipe and then proceed to making the gravy and finally devour the entire thing with steaming hot white rice. How yum is that?

Phew, that was one exhaustive intro!



Ingredients
1/2 Cup Coconut - Flakes/Grated (I have used frozen coconut flakes)
3/4 Medium Tomato, Cubed
1/2 Medium Onion, Diced
1 tbsp Tamarind Pulp
1.5 tsp Sambar Powder (I use what we make at home. You can use store bought powder, too)
4-5 Garlic pods, slit
1 tsp Jeera (Cumin seeds)
Water left from making Shepu Chi Bhaji
1 tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
3-4 Curry Leaves
And, of course, some salt to taste!

Method
- Dry roast the jeera, garlic, onions and coconut until fragrant
- Once cool, toss the roasted ingredients into the mixer/blender
- Add the tomatoes, tamarind pulp and sambar powder and grind to a smooth paste (masala) and set aside
- Now heat oil in a saucepan
- Once hot, add mustard seeds and allow to splutter
- Add curry leaves and stir about 30 seconds
- Lower the flame, pour the ground masala and stir
- Now add salt and pour the water that was left from making the shepu bhaji
- Allow to boil for about 2 minutes or until the raw masala smell goes away
- Add more water if you think the gravy is still too thick. It should be of sambar like consistency and not too thick or too watery
- Slightly cover and simmer for another 1 minute
- Serve hot with white rice and shepu bhaji

SERVES 4-5

Neer Dose and Vegetable Saagu

Making dosas was once a very skillful task for me. Soaking various dals and rice in the right proportions. Then, grinding it to a fine mixture and then allowing the concoction to ferment to the right level. And as the grand finale, pouring the perfect dosa on the griddle - All seemed like a humongous task. Not that I am an expert now, but I have learnt the simple tricks of the trade to end up with some lip-smacking ones. In fact, it has been only about two years now since I have started making idli and dosa batter at home. Among the umpteen number of dosa recipes I have seen/eaten I think my personal favourite is the Neer Dosa, which if I am not wrong is an authentic Mangalorean dish. Back in India, I had a friend from Mangalore who lived in the same apartment building as us, where I used to eat this dosa very often. It pairs amazingly well with non-vegetarian and vegetarian gravies alike. I had almost forgotten this childhood favourite of mine...but Madhuri posted a different version of the same on her blog, which refreshed my memory. In this post, I've whipped up vegetable saagu that is normally served along with puris in South Indian hotels as the famous Puri-Saagu combo. The crispy yet soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture of the Neer Dosa beautifully compliments the entire experience of eating this side dish.

Ingredients for Neer Doses
1 Cup Rice, soaked for one hour (I have used Soona Masoori. You can even use Basmati)
2 tbsp. grated coconut
A pinch of baking soda
Water
And, of course, some salt to taste!

Method
- Grind all the ingredients to a smooth paste in the blender/mixer
- Add about 2 glasses (16oz) more water to the ground paste to make the batter watery
- On a hot griddle/tawa, first sprinkle water to cool off temporarily
- Once the water evaoprated, on a high flame, spread oil and pour the batter in a sprinkling action to form a complete circle
- Turn the flame to medium, hold on to your patience and wait for the dosa to cook. It will slowly form the net a net-like texture and come off from the sides indicating that it has cooked on the lower side
- Flip and fry the other side
- For every subsequent dosa, repeat by cooling off the griddle/tawa by sprinkling water and then spreading oil before you pour (sprinkle) the dosas
- Serve hot with vegetable saagu or any spicy gravy/chutney


Now that we've mastered the Neer Dose, let's discover the Vegetable Saagu recipe.

Ingredients for Vegetable Saagu
For the Masala
1/2 Cup Coconut (I used frozen coconut slices)
1/2 Cup Channa Dalia (Phutane)
2 Green chillies
2 tbsp Ginger-garlic paste (You can substitute for fresh grated ginger and garlic)
3/4 Cup Coriander/Parsley
1 tsp Jeera

For the Gravy
2 Cups choice of vegetables - Boiled (I have used potatoes, carrots, green beans and peas)
1 Cup Tomato - Finely chopped
1 Cup Onion - Finely chopped
2 tsp Tamarind pulp
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Asafoetida/Hing
6-8 Curry leaves
Oil
And, of course, some salt to taste!

Method
- Grind all the Masala ingredients to a smooth paste
- In a deep saucepan, heat oil
- Add mustard seeds and allow to splutter
- Toss in the asafoetida and the curry leaves and stir a few seconds
- Add the onions and fry until translucent
- Add the chopped tomatoes and stir until done
- Pour the ground masala and stir well
- Cook for about a minute, stirring occasionally
- Add the chopped vegetables (along with the water in which you boiled it to retain the goodness) and salt and cook another 3 minutes (keep an eye and stir, as it may boil and fly all over your stove)
- Pour the tamarind pulp and simmer for about a minute
- Stir again and if needed, add water to adjust the consistency of the saagu if it is to thick (It should not be too runny, too)
- Garnish with fresh coriander sprigs and serve hot

SERVES 4 (Makes a good 15-20 dosas. You can comfortably tuck in about 4 dosas for breakfast!)

Shepu Chi Bhaji (Dill and Lentils)

While in most parts of the world Dill is considered a herb and is used sparingly only in salad dressings, sauces and vinaigrettes, in India it is used as a vegetable. Surprised? Don't be. In fact, it is one such 'vegetable' that is used very regularly in many Indian cuisines. At home, we often prepare Shepu Chi Bhaji, which is a common Maharastrian/Maratha/South Indian dish. Try this once, and it will be among your top choices when eating healthy!

Ingredients
2 bunches - Dill, chopped
1/2 cup - Lentils (I have used Toor Dal/Split Red Gram)
1/2 tsp - Turmeric powder
4 tbsp - Onions, finely chopped
2 cloves - Garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp - Mustard seeds
3 Red chillies
Oil
And, of course, some salt to taste!!

Method
- In a large saucepan, heat some water and add salt and lentils
- Allow the lentils to cook almost completely
- Now, add the dill and boil until the dill gets fully cooked
- Let cool, and drain the water into a bowl and set aside if you intend making Ambat Kadan. If not, you can retain the water for the essential nutrients it carries.
- In a wok/kadaai, heat some oil
- Add mustard seeds
- Once they splutter add the red chillies and fry for a few seconds on a medium flame
- Now, add the onions and fry further
- Toss in the cooked dill and lentils
- Stir-fry continuously until the water evaporates

Noteworthy Notes
1. You can opt to use the pressure cooker to cook the dill and lentils, but I find that it makes the lentils too well cooked and mushy.
2. Another alternative would be to steam the lentils for a few minutes before you put them in the water. This considerably reduces the time required for them to cook up on the stove-top.
3. It is not required that you use only Toor dal/split red gram. You can also use Mung Dal/Green gram or any other lentil that you like.

Serving Suggestion
Serve hot with soft rotis along side dal fry OR hot white rice and Ambat Kadan.

SERVES 2

Bhindi Sabji

This is again a dish that I make very often. It goes very well with phulkas or chapathis. The only drawback of course is the long time the bhindi takes to give up its sticky-ness during prep-work!!



Ingredients

1lb Bhindi (Okra/Ladies finger) - Thinly sliced

1/2 Tomato - Finely chopped

1/2 Onion - Finely chopped

1 tbsp Chillie powder

1 tsp Dhania powder

1 tsp Turmeric powder

Oil

And, of course, some salt to taste!!


Method

- Fry the sliced bhindi in oil until all the sticky fibres disappear. This takes a while. Be patient!

- Now in another vessel, heat oil and add the chopped onions.

- Fry until translucent

- Add the tomatoes and fry until it blends well with the onions

- Add the fried bhindi

-Toss in the turmeric powder, chillie powder, dhania powder and salt and stir well. There is no need to worry that the bhindi will break up. In fact that adds further taste to the preparation

- Cover and cook on a low flame (Stirring occassionally to avoid burning) until the bhindi becomes soft.

Serving Suggestion
Serve with hot phulkas or chapathis

SERVES 1