Idichakka (Green Jackfruit) Biriyani

 Raw jackfruit is a fibrous vegetable that has a distinct taste. It is very commonly used in Kerala cuisine.  whenever I tell my best friend I made vegetable biriyani, she says it is pulav,  biriyani is made with meat. Some of my friends from Kerala tell me that green jackfruit can be used as a substitute for meat. I bought canned jackfruit a couple weeks ago and used it to make biriyani last week. I cooked the vegetable with spices, layered it with cooked rice and topped it with saffron infused milk, and dum cooked it for 30 minutes, just the way Mughals did. Oh what an aromatic and flavorful biriyani it was. I am sure my best friend would have been proud of me if she had tasted it (She lives thousands of miles away). 

Ingredients:

2 Cups Basmati rice, washed and soaked for 30 minutes

2 each of cardamom, and clove

1 20 oz. can of green jackfruit, drained and rinsed

1 inch cinnamon

2 cloves

2 cardamom

1 star anise

1 onion, sliced

1 onion, sliced

1 tomato, chopped

2 teaspoons crushed ginger-garlic

3 green chili, crushed (adjust to taste)

1 teaspoon  biriyani masala ( see below on note)

1-2 teaspoons red chili powder (paprika)

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 Tablespoons chopped mint

1/4 Cup yogurt

salt to taste

4 Cups water

10-15 strands of saffron, soaked in 1/2 cup warm milk

1 Tablespoon roasted cashew nuts

Method:

1.  Cut the green jackfruit into small cubes. Steam cook with 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder and a teaspoon salt. You can cook in pressure cooker for 2 sounds. Remove from stove and set aside.

2. Drain water from rice. Boil 4 cups of water in a saucepan. Add 2 cardamom, 2 cloves, 1 teaspoon salt, and  rice to the boiling water. Lower heat and cook rice until almost cooked. Drain water from rice. Fluff rice with a fork and set aside.

3. Take 1/4 cup yogurt in a bowl. Stir in chopped cilantro and mint leaves. Add 1 teaspoon salt and mix well.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in  a large heavy bottomed pot. Caramelize 1 sliced onion until crisp. Spoon it on a plate for garnish.

5. In the same pot, heat 2 tablespoons butter or oil. Add cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and star anise. Saute for a minute.

6. Add crushed ginger- garlic and green chili. Saute for a minute. Add biriyani powder and saute for a minute.

7. Add 1 sliced onion and cook till translucent. Add chopped tomatoes and cook till soft. Add turmeric powder, chili powder and salt. Cook for a minute.

     

8. Add steamed jackfruit. Mix well. Cook for 2 minutes, until flavors are infused.

9. Stir in yogurt mixture. Check for salt and add if required. It should be a little salty. Add 1/4 cup water. Mix well.

10. Spread the vegetable on the bottom of the pot. Gently layer cooked rice over the vegetable.

11. Evenly pour the saffron milk over the rice. 

12. Cover the pot with a lid. Seal edges with aluminium foil. Seal that with kitchen towel. 

13. Remove from stove for a minute. Place a griddle on the stove. Heat griddle on high. Place the pot with biriyani on the hot griddle. Lower the heat to low medium. Slow cook for 30 minutes, allowing the flavors to infuse. Open the lid. sprinkle caramelized onion and roasted cashews evenly on top of rice.

14. Remove from stove. Serve hot with salan (special gravy) or raita. You can see the slightly crispy bottom of the vegetable, then juicy vegetable layer and steamy rice layer on top.

Note:

1. Fresh green jackfruit can be used instead of canned. We do not find the fresh vegetable where I live. I buy frozen vegetable from the Indian stores or canned vegetable form Trader Joe's.

2. This way of slow cooking by sealing the lid is called dum pukht, which is letting the dish breathe in its own aroma and make the dish more flavorful by keeping the steam inside. 

3. Biriyani Powder:

Blend the following ingredients to powder:

2 cardamom

3 cloves

1 inch cinnamon

1 star anise (karan phool)

2 mace (javitri)

4 peppercorn 

Kuzhi Paniyaram

These tiny balls are called Kuzhi Paniyaram in Tamil Nadu. They are known as pancake balls or puff balls by the Dutch. The pan is called Aebleskiver in Denmark and Takoyaki pan in Japan. In Tamil Nadu the pan is called kuzhi paniyara kal. These pancake balls are made with pancake batter. In South India it is made with idly batter or a special batter prepared for this purpose. Paniyaram is known as appe in Konkani, paddu in Kannada, ponganalu in Telugu, and unniappam in Kerala. Paniyaram can be sweet or savory dish. I made the savory kind today. My kids love these tiny balls that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Idly batter or batter specifically for this purpose

For batter:

1/2 Cup Parboiled rice / Idly rice

1/2 Cup Raw rice

1/4 Cup Urad dal

1/2 teaspoon Fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)

salt to taste

For seasoning:

6 shallots, diced

2-3 green chili, chopped

1 Tablespoon chopped curry leaves

2 Tablespoons grated coconut

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 Tablespoon urad dal

1 Tablespoon channa dal

oil for making paniyaram

Method:

Batter:

1. Soak idly rice and raw rice together in a bowl. Soak urad dal and fenugreek seeds together in a different bowl. Soak everything for  4 hours.

2. Drain and grind urad dal into a smooth batter, using enough water. Take it out into a container. Drain and grind rice into a smooth batter. take it out into the same container as urad dal batter. Add salt and mix well. Leave it over night or for 8 hours to ferment.

Preparing batter for paniyaram:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds, urad dal and channa dal to temper.

2.  Add green chili and curry leaves, and 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida. Add chopped onion and saute for 2 minutes. 

3. Remove from stove and stir it into the prepared batter or idly batter. Stir in grated coconut. Batter is ready to make paniyaram.

 

                                  

Making Paniyaram:

1. Place the paniyaram pan on the stove to medium heat. Drizzle a few drops of oil (about 1/2 teaspoon) into the molds 

        

2. Gently pour 1/8 cup of batter into the molds. 

3. Cook paniyaram to golden brown. Turn them over gently using a tooth pick and a fork. A toothpick inserted in the center would come clean when the paniyaram is done. 

4. Gently remove the paniyarams from the pan. Repeat process with all the batter. Serve warm with coconut chutney and onion chutney.

Crispy Rava Dosa (Semolina savory crepe)

 My kids always bet on what dosa I would order when we go to any South Indian restaurant and win every time...Rava dosa. They know I'll talk about all kinds of dosa on the menu and end up ordering rava dosa. Oh the crispy crepe filled with onion, green chili, and cashew nuts, makes me salivate just writing about it. Last week I watched chef Venkatesh Bhatt on YouTube. He taught the art of making perfect restaurant style crispy onion rava dosa. I make pretty decent rava dosa myself, my friends would attest :) I followed Vekatesh's recipe and made the most awesome crispy rava dosa over the weekend. I also made a spicy mint chutney to go with it. My son just couldn't stop eating.

Ingredients:

1 Cup coarse rava (semolina)

3/4 Cup rice flour

3/4 Cup all purpose flour (maida)

5 Cups water

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon peppercorn

2 teaspoons broken cashew nuts

1 Tablespoon thinly sliced ginger

1 Tablespoon chopped green chili

1 Tablespoon chopped curry leaves

salt as required

1 teaspoon asafoetida

1 onion, very finely chopped

oil and ghee for making dosa

Method:

1. Measure 1 cup of rava into a  large deep bowl. Take out a handful of rava and keep aside.

2. Add 3/4 cup each of rice flour and all purpose flour to it. 

3. Add sugar, cumin seeds, peppercorn, cashew nuts, chopped ginger, chili, and curry leaves. 

4. Pour 4 cups of water, required salt and whisk well into a thin batter, until there are no lumps. Cover and keep aside for 30 minutes.

5. When you are ready to prepare the dosa, check for salt and add if needed. Add asafoetida and the rava that was kept aside. Add 1 cup of water and mix well. Adding little bit of rava before making dosa will give the crunchy taste to the dosa. 

6. Heat the griddle to medium heat. Drizzle 1 teaspoon oil in the center of the griddle. Sprinkle  a little chopped onion on the oil. 

7. Stir the batter well every time before pouring on the griddle. Take 1/2 cup of batter. Pour it on the griddle from the outside to the center into a thin crepe. Drizzle 1 teaspoon oil on top. 

8. Cook the dosa on low heat until you see dark brown spots. You can see the color change on the edges too. Be patient if you want a crispy dosa. Do not turn it over. When you think it is crispy, sprinkle some ghee;gently fold dosa in half and make another fold into  a triangle. Slide dosa onto a plate. 

9. Serve crispy onion rava dosa with any chutney. I made spicy mint chutney.

Note:

1. Adding sugar to the batter brings out the golden brown color to the dosa, the sugar caramelizes and brings out the color.

2. Adding the rava in the end brings out the crunchiness in the dosa. 

3. Just before folding the dosa, after sprinkling ghee you can sprinkle some milagai podi (gun powder) to make podi dosa.

4. You can add potato masala to make rava masala dosa.

5. Make sure that chutney is thick. Runny chutney will make the dosa soggy.

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

 

The strands of roasted spaghetti squash look like spaghetti noodles. This amazing vegetable can be incorporated into a variety of delicious dishes. The other day I made Burrito bowl from half of the roasted squash. Today, I used the other half to make lasagna. I used the squash as noodles instead of the pasta.  Oh it turned out delicious. It was light and filling.

Ingredients:

3 Cups roasted strands of spaghetti squash

1-2 Tablespoons pesto 

2 Cups marinara sauce

1 Cup ricotta cheese 

1/3 Cup grated Parmesan cheese

6 oz. Shredded or grated Mozzarella cheese 

Method:

To Roast spaghetti squash:

1. Preheat oven to 375 deg. F.

2. Wash squash. Using a large, sharp knife, cut the vegetable into half from top to bottom. You can microwave the squash for a couple minutes to soften it. That will make it easier to cut.

3. Scoop out the seeds and fiber from the inside. Place the halves cut side down on a baking sheet. Spray little oil on the vegetable. Bake in the oven until soft to touch, about 40 minutes or longer if needed. 

4. Remove from oven. Allow to cool. 

5. Using a fork gently scrap the flesh from the inside of the squash. You will see strands like noodles. Use what is needed and refrigerate the rest up to 1 week.

Method for preparing Lasagna:

1. In a 1 3/4 quart square dish,ladle the bottom with 1 cup of marinara sauce.

2. Mix pesto with cooked spaghetti squash. Add salt and pepper as required. Spoon it evenly on top of the sauce in the dish.

3. Top it with ricotta cheese.

4. Sprinkle with half of the grated Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.

     

5. Add the remaining sauce and cheese in layers.

                                                      

6. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the edges begin to bubble. Uncover and cook for another 5 minutes. 

7. Serve hot with Italian bread.

Note:

I did not have ricotta cheese at home. I used 1 cup of cottage cheese.

I used fresh mozzarella cheese instead of shredded cheese. 

 

Idiyappam (String Hoppers)

Idiyappam, also known as string hoppers or sevai, is a steamed rice noodle dish from Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is also a popular dish in Sri Lanka. Idiyappam can be be turned into a variety of sweet and savory dishes. My favorite way to eat this dish is to dunk it in sweet coconut milk. I made lemon and coconut flavored idiyappam last weekend. Idiyappam is made from rice flour dough squeezed out in the shape of noodles and steamed. 

Ingredients:

1 Cup rice flour, roasted

1 1/4 Cup water (add more if needed)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon oil

sevai nazhi or noodle maker

Method:

1. Heat water in a large pot. Add salt and oil to it. Bring it to a boil. Reduce heat. Add roasted flour and stir constantly to form a dough, without lumps. Turn the stove off. Cover with a lid. Leave for 10 minutes.

2. Knead  the dough to a smooth dough. Keep it covered with a damp towel.

3. Fill a pressure cooker or idly steamer with 1 1/2 cups of water. Grease idly plates with little oil.

4. Open the noodle maker. Fit it with noodle disc, the one with tiny holes. Wet your hand and take a portion of rice flour dough. Shape it into a log and insert it into the noodle maker.

5. Screw the noodle maker with its top.

         

6. Squeeze noodle onto the greased idly plate, one on each mold. Fill all the idly plates.

       

7. Place the idly stand in the steamer. Steam for 5-7 minutes. Turn the stove off. Let it stand for couple minutes.

8. Carefully turn idiyappam out into a large bowl. Repeat process with remaining dough.

      

9. Serve idiyappam with sweetened coconut milk or with kurma. I made Lemon sevai and coconut sevai out of it this time.

Minestrone Soup

Veggies, beans, and pasta, all in one dish. It is a healthy and filling dish. My daughter, who left to go back to her place this morning wanted to learn to make it in the Instant Pot. 

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, seeded and diced

1 large onion, chopped

10 string beans, trimmed and diced.

1 bell pepper, diced

1 small zucchini, diced

1 carrot, peeled, and diced

1 small potato, peeled and diced

1 Cup dry navy beans / 15 oz. canned low-sodium beans

1/2 Cup macaroni pasta

1 Cup no-salt added canned diced tomatoes

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cups water (adjust accordingly)

2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon paprika powder

salt and ground pepper to taste

1/3 Cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

Method:

1. Set the Instant Pot to saute mode. Heat oil.

2. Saute garlic, jalapeno, and onion for couple minutes.

3. Add chopped vegetables. Saute for couple minutes.

4.Stir in diced tomatoes. 

5. Wash the dried bean. Drain and add them to the pot. If using canned beans, rinse and drain before adding.

6. Stir in broth and water. Add salt, oregano, basil and Italian seasoning. Stir in dry pasta.

7. Cover the pot with the lid. Change setting to chili mode. Cook for 30 minutes. Wait for natural pressure release. Open the lid. Add pepper and check for salt.

8. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving.  

Note:

This soup can be made on the stove top instead of Instant Pot. 

Soak and cook dry beans before adding to the pot. Or use canned beans. 

Add all the ingredients except pasta. Cover the pot and cook on slow medium for 1 hour. 

Add Pasta 15 minutes before removing from the stove.