Nombu Kanji (Ramzan Porridge)

 Nombu Kanji recipes have been popping on YouTube for the past week. This made me do some research into what Nombu Kanji is and when to eat it. It is a simple porridge that Muslims eat to break their fast in the evening during Ramadan. It is similar to kitchidi or pongal. Moog dal and rice cooked with meat or vegetables. I made this simple nutritious dish on Tuesday this week. It was very filling. Of course I made it with vegetables. I adapted Chef Dhamu's recipe.

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons ghee

1 Tablespoon oil

1 inch cinnamon

2 cloves

2 green cardamom

1 Cup raw rice

3/4 Cup moong dal

1 medium onion, sliced

1 medium tomato, diced

2 teaspoons ginger garlic paste

3-4 green chili (Indian or Serrano), slit

1/4 Cup each fresh chopped cilantro and mint

1 Carrot, diced

1/4 Cup diced green pepper

2 Tablespoons green peas

salt to taste

                                                 

Method:

1. Run rice in processor coarsely.  Soak rice and dal separately for 15 minutes.

2. Heat 1 teaspoon ghee and 1 Tablespoon oil in a stock pot. Add dry spices and sauté for a minute.

                                              

3. Add onion, sauté till translucent. Now add ginger garlic paste and quickly sauté for a minute.

                         

4. Add tomato, vegetables, and green chili. Cook till tomato is mushy.

                         

5. Drain and stir in moong dal. Sauté for a couple minutes. Pour 6 cups of water. 

                          

6. Add chopped cilantro, and mint. Cover and cook until dal is soft.

                           

7. Drain and add rice to the pot. Add salt. Cover and cook until rice is cooked. Add more water if required.

                                             

8. Delicious porridge or Nombu Kanji is ready in 30 minutes. 

                                            

Add a teaspoon ghee before serving. 

Instant Rasam Powder

 Another staple when I was in college was my mom's instant rasam powder. Quick and easy to make during finals or when I was not feeling well. Now I make this for my kids.

Ingredients:

5 Tablespoons Coriander seeds

2 Tablespoons Toor dal

1 Tablespoons Channa dal

1 Tablespoon Black peppercorn

1 teaspoon Cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon Fenugreek seeds

15 dried red chili

1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds

1 lemon size tamarind

1 Handful Curry leaves

1/2 teaspoon Asafoetida

1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder

salt to taste

For Tempering:

1 teaspoon Ghee

1 teaspoon Mustard seeds

2-3 dried Red chili, halved

10 Curry leaves

Method:

1. Dry roast coriander seeds, cumin, toor dal, channa dal, peppercorn, fenugreek, mustard seeds, red chili, curry leaves, and tamarind. Allow to cool

2. Powder the roasted ingredients in a blender. Mix salt, turmeric, and asafoetida. 

3. Temper mustard seeds, red chili, and curry leaves. Allow to cool and mix with rasam powder. Store in air tight container. 

To Make Rasam:

1. In a medium saucepan, mix 2-3 teaspoons of Instant Rasam Powder in 2 cups of water. Add 1 chopped tomato to it. Bring it to boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from stove.

2. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro. 

3. Serve over hot rice or in a cup like soup.

Instant Sambar Powder

 When my kids went to college, I made several ready to make Indian food, like pongal mix, lemon rice mix, coconut rice mix, tomato rice paste, tamarind rice paste. The best think my son likes is instant sambar and instant rasam. My mom used to make this for me when I was in college. Instant sambar powder has toor dal, tamarind, and all spices needed for sambar in it. You can make sambar within 15 minutes

Ingredients for making powder:

1 Cup Toor dal

4 Tablespoons Coriander seeds

4 Tablespoons Channa dal

1 Teaspoon Fenugreek seeds

4 Tablespoons dry coconut

lemon size tamarind 

Handful fresh curry leaves

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon asafoetida powder

salt to taste

Ingredients for tempering:

1 Teaspoon oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

Curry leaves

4 dried red chili broken in halves

Method:

1. Dry roast separately, toor dal, coriander seeds, channa dal, fenugreek seeds, tamarind, dry coconut, and curry leaves. Allow to cool.

2. Powder the roasted ingredients in a blender. Remove from blender. Mix turmeric powder, asafoetida, and salt to it.

3. Heat oil in a small pan and temper mustard seeds, curry leaves, and red chili. Allow to cool.

4. Add to the ground sambar powder. Store in air tight container in a cool place. 

To make Sambar:

1. In a medium saucepan, sauté the vegetable for sambar in 1 teaspoon oil for 5 minutes, until soft.

2. Add 1 cup water to the saucepan and bring to boil.

3. Mix 3 teaspoons Instant Sambar Powder with 1 cup of water. Stir this into the saucepan. Boil for 2-4 minutes. Add water if required. Taste and add salt if needed. 

4. Serve over hot rice. 

Notes:

1. You can use tamarind powder instead of tamarind.

2. You can use vegetables like pumpkin, Indian eggplant, or onion for making sambar.

Crispy Cauliflower (Harabara Gobi)

A quick snack that everyone would love, and could be made in 15 minutes. Cauliflower marinated in cilantro-green chili paste, and deep fried or air fried. 

Ingredients:

3 Cups cauliflower florets 

1/2 Cup cilantro

2-3 green chili (adjust to taste)

2 pods garlic

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 Tablespoon ginger-garlic paste

1 Tablespoon besan (chickpea flour)

1 Tablespoon corn flour

1 Tablespoon rice flour

salt to taste

oil to deep fry

Method:

1. Blend cilantro, green chili, and garlic to a paste. Keep aside.

                                                                   

2. Place cauliflower florets in a large bowl. 

                                                                   

3. Add ginger garlic paste. Sprinkle lemon juice. Add cilantro paste. Toss well.

                                                     

                                                     

4. 1 tablespoon each of corn flour, besan, and rice flour. Add salt. Mix until the florets are well coated. Add more cilantro paste, and flours if needed.

                                                     

5. Heat peanut oil and deep fry cauliflower florets in batches until crispy.  Serve with a great cup of chai.

Air fryer version:

1. Follow steps 1-4. Preheat air fryer on 400 for 2 minutes. Place a parchment paper in the basket. Spray the basket. Place a layer of cauliflower florets on the parchment paper. Spray with oil. Air fry until crispy, tossing in between. Remove form the basket. Repeat process for remaining cauliflower.

   

                                       

Note:

Recipe adapted from Chef Venkatesh Bhat's Idayam thotta samayal

 

Skillet Roasted Plantain (Bathha Kari)

 Vazakai (plantain) bathha (slice) is a popular dish in Pondicherry, my childhood home town. Last week this recipe was trending on a You Tube channel I follow. The recipe was different from how I normally make. I followed the recipe by Chef Venkatesh Bhat and made it for lunch the other day. It was perfect, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. It is kind of healthy i guess, as it is shallow fired and not deep fried. Thin slices of plantain marinated and rolled in rice flour mixture, and slow roasted on a skillet.

Ingredients:

1 Plantain

Peanut oil for shallow frying

For Marinade:

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon ginger garlic paste

1 teaspoon salt

For Dusting:

2-3 Tablespoons rice flour

1-2 teaspoons red chili powder

3/4 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon asafoetida

salt

Method:

1. Cut the ends of the plantain, and peel. Using a sharp knife, slice at an angle to make 1/2 inch thick slices. Place in a large bowl.

                                      

2. Add lemon juice, ginger garlic paste, turmeric powder and salt to the sliced vegetables. Mix well to marinate. Set aside for 15 minutes.

                                                

3. Meanwhile, on a large plate, combine together rice flour, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala, red chili powder, salt, and asafoetida.

                                                

4. Carefully coat each slice of marinated plantain on both sides, and arrange on a plate.

                                               

5. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of peanut oil on a large skillet (thava). Place coated plantain in a single layer.  Cook undisturbed on medium low heat for 5-7 minutes. Gently flip each slice with a knife or thin spatula. Cook the other side undisturbed for another 5-7 minute, until both sides are crisp. Gently slide them one at a time onto a plate. Repeat process for remaining slices of plantain.

                                               

6. Serve these delicious plantain roasts for snack with a yogurt dip, or as a side for rice and rasam. I had it with pavakai pitlay.

                                               

Notes:

Make sure not to slice the vegetable too thick. The vegetables will not be cooked on the inside.

Make sure not to over coat the vegetables, just coat them lightly.

This recipe can be used to roast slices of Italian eggplant an potato. 

You can arrange roasted eggplants on a roll, top with marinara sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and make a quick no-bake eggplant parmesan sandwich.

You can place a few slices of roasted plantain or potato between 2 slices of bread, add Bombay chutney and crumbled paneer and make Bombay street food sandwich.

Using peanut oil really enhances the taste. 

Recipe adapted from Chef Venkatesh Bhat's YouTube Channel.

Mambazha Kuzhambu

 Mangoes, mangoes, mangoes everywhere! India comes alive with mango madness from late March to July. More than 1,000 varieties of mangoes are produced throughout the country. Each state has its own special variety. There are some country mangoes that are small and very fibrous. During my visit to India a few years ago, my sister in law made kuzhambu with these tiny mangoes. Whole mangoes cooked in tamarind water and fresh spice powder. We only get couple Mexican mangoes where I live. I found small champagne mangoes in the local farmer's market yesterday, and made kuzhambu ( mango curry) for dinner tonight. I was in heaven! The mango had the its own sweetness and  tartness of tamarind and spice from masala. Thank you for the recipe Akila manni!

Ingredients:

50 gm tamarind

2 Cups water

2 Tablespoons sesame oil

mustard seeds, channa dal, toor dal, and fenugreek seeds for tempering

2 teaspoons sambar powder

4 small mangoes

salt 

1/2 teaspoon brown sugar

Masala Powder:

1 Tablespoon coriander seeds

1 1/2 teaspoons channa dal

1/2 teaspoon peppercorn

1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds

4-5 dried red chili

1 teaspoon fresh grated coconut

                                                                  

Method:

1. Wash mangoes and  prick them with a sharp knife. Soak tamarind in 1 cup of water and take extract. Add another cup water. Keep aside.

                                             

2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Temper 1 spoon each of mustard seeds, channa dal, and toor dal, 1/4 teaspoon fenugreek seeds and 1 dried red chili. Add 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida. Lower the heat, and add 2 teaspoons sambar powder. Sauté for a minute.

                                                

3. Add mangoes. Stir for a minute.

                                                          

4. Add tamarind extract to the saucepan. Add salt and brown sugar.

 

                          

5. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, until mangoes are soft to touch, and change color.

                                           

6. While mangoes are cooking, dry roast the ingredients for masala. Allow to cool and grind to powder. Add 1 cup of water to it. Stir this into the kuzhambu.

                                              

7. Simmer for 10 minutes for mangoes to be infused with the spices.

                                              

8. Remove from stove. Temper 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, and 6-8 fresh curry leaves in a tablespoon of sesame oil to garnish.

                                       

9. Serve over hot rice and a dollop of ghee. You can eat the skin and flesh of the mango.