Tiffin Sambar

       

We make different kinds of sambar in Tamil Nadu. Typically, I only use one vegetable in the sambar that we eat with rice. I do not add onion or tomato in my sambar. That is how I learned from my mother. But, for Idly, Dosa or Pongal, I add lots of vegetables along with onion. Sambar for rice is usually made with toor dal. For Idly, I use mixture of dals, toor, masoor, and mung dals. This particular sambar is an easy one pot dish that has lots of vegetables and is made with mung dal without tamarind, unlike the usual Sambar. Idly, Dosa, Pongal, Poori are called tiffin items in Tamil, hence the name Tiffin Sambar.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon sesame oil or olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 green chili, slit

1 tomato, diced

1/2 carrot, peeled and diced

5-6 pieces of drumsticks /moringa (optional)

1 purple Indian eggplant, diced

2 Tablespoons peeled and diced potato

6-7 pieces of diced pumpkin (yellow)

1 Tablespoon Sambar Powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

                                     

For Tempering:

1 Tablespoon ghee

1 teaspoon mustard

5-6 curry leaves

1 pinch asafetida

Method:

1. Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in the pressure cooker. Add slit green chili, and chopped onion. Sauté for a couple minutes.

                                                          

2. Add Sambar Powder and turmeric. Sauté well for a minute, without burning. 
 

                                                         

3. Add the chopped vegetables. 

                                                         

4. Add washed mung dal. Add enough water to cover the vegetables, 2 cups or adjust.

                                

5. Cover the pressure cooker. Cook for 4 whistles on medium flame. Let the pressure release naturally.

                                                            

6. Open the lid. Add some water as the sambar will be thick. Turn the stove on to medium heat. Check for salt and add if required. Simmer for a minute. Turn the stove off.

                                     

7. Temper mustard, curry leaves, and a pinch of asafetida in 2 teaspoons of ghee. Stir this into the sambar. Tiffin Sambar is ready to be served with Idly or Dosa.

                  

Notes:

You can find sambar powder in Indian markets.

Sambar in Instant Pot:

1. Set IP in sauté mode. Follow steps 1 to 4. 

2. Cover the IP. Press cancel button. Now turn on the pressure cook mode.

3. Allow pressure to be released naturally.

4. Follow steps 6 and 7. 

Green Biriyani

My sister is the Biriyani queen of our family. She makes different types of rice dishes. This particular dish is a signature dish of her mother in law. She uses all the Indian country vegetables (naatu pachai kaigarigal), like Indian eggplant, cluster beans, broad beans, green peas, carrots etc. and lots of cilantro and mint. The biriyani looks green, hence the name.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup basmati rice or jeeraga samba rice, washed and soaked in water

2-3 Tablespoons peanut oil or ghee

1 bay leaf

1 inch cinammon

1 small carrot, peeled and diced into 1 inch pieces

1 small potato, peeled and diced into 1 inch pieces

10 cluster beans, cut into 1 inch pieces

10 broad beans, stringed and cut into 1 inch pieces

10 string beans, cut into 1 inch pieces

1-2 Indian purple eggplants, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 Tablespoons green peas

To be ground as paste (masala):

2 Tablespoons fennel seeds

1 inch cinnamon

2 cloves

1-2 cardamom

1 inch ginger

5 pods of garlic

4-5 green chili (adjust to taste)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small tomato

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

                                     

                                      

Method:

1. Take the ingredients for masala in a blender or mortar and blend to a coarse paste. Set aside.

                                                       

2. Heat oil or ghee in a large pot (uruli) on medium flame. Add bay leaf and cinnamon. Add the chopped vegetables. Sauté for a couple minutes.

                                                       

3. Stir in the ground masala. Add salt. Sauté for a couple minutes. Cover and cook for 6-7 minutes, until the vegetables are almost cooked. 

                                 

4. Add 1 cup coconut milk and 2 cups water to the pot. Bring to a boil.

                          

5. Drain the rice and gently stir into the pot. Lower the heat to low medium. Cover the pot and allow to cook for 10 minutes. 

                                   

6. Open the lid, fluff the biriyani and enjoy with onion raita.

Notes:

I always make biriyani in a pot. My sister makes in pressure cooker. Here's her method.

 Pressure cooker method:

Follow the steps 2 and 3 in a pressure cooker. Add coconut milk and water. Bring to a boil. Stir in rice. Cover the pressure cooker. Place the weight. Lower the heat to low medium. Cook for 2 whistles. Turn the stove off. Allow pressure to release naturally. Enjoy!

Mushroom Paneer Pepper Fry

 This spicy peppery mushroom with paneer is rich in protein and a delight to have for lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

7 oz. button mushroom, cleaned

7 oz. paneer, cubed (about 1 cup)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 medium size onion, chopped 

1 medium size tomato, chopped 

1 teaspoon mustard 

1 teaspoon urad dal

1/2 teaspoon cumin 

3 pods of garlic, minced

bunch of curry leaves

2 green chili, diced

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 1/2 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder( it is not spicy)

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

salt to taste

For spice powder:

1 Tablespoon coriander 

1/2 Tablespoon cumin 

1/2 Tablespoon fennel

1/2 Tablespoon black peppercorn

Method:

1. Heat a pan on low flame. Dry roast coriander, cumin, fennel and black peppercorn. Allow to cool.

2. Powder the spices to a coarse powder. You can powder them in a blender or in a mortar pestle. I used the mortar. This enhances the flavor. Store in an airtight container.  You can use it for another time too.

                                

3. Heat the same pan on medium flame. Heat 1 Tablespoon oil. Add mustard, urad dal, and cumin.

                                                        

4. When the mustard seeds pop, add curry leaves, chopped onion, minced garlic, and chopped green chili. Sauté for 4-5 minutes.

 

                              

5. Now add chopped tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Lower the flame and add turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder and salt. Turn the heat up to medium. Add some water and cook for couple minutes.

                                                       

6. Add the button mushrooms to the pan. Mix well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

                                                         

7. Stir in 1 Tablespoon (adjust to your taste) of the powdered spice. Add cubed paneer. Turn the heat up to high. Combine everything and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the stove off. Garnish with cilantro. Cover with a lid. 

                                   

 

                                                         

8. Serve hot with roti or rice.

                                                 

Dahi Waale Chole

This creamy tangy chole is an absolute delight to your taste buds. 

Ingredients:

1 small potato, boiled and peeled

1 large onion, chopped

2-3 green chili, chopped (adjust to taste)

1 inch ginger, diced

2 cups boiled chickpeas (chole), drained

1 cup thick curd (plain yogurt)

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon red chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon channa masala

salt to taste

Method:

1. In a blender place boiled potato, 1/4 cup boiled chole, and 1 cup yogurt. Blend to a creamy paste. Keep aside

                                                          

2. Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a pan. Add chopped green chili, and ginger. Sauté for a couple minutes.  

                                                          

3. Add chopped onion and sauté until translucent.

                                                           

4. Add turmeric, red chili powder, coriander and cumin powder and channa masala. Mix everything and cook for 3 minutes.

                                                            

5. Gently spoon the yogurt mixture into the pan. Stir well. Add 1/2 cup of water. Cook on low flame until oil separates, 5-7 minutes.

                                    

6. Stir in the remaining boiled chole. Add water and cook on medium heat for 6 minutes. Sprinkle kasuri methi. Mix gently. Remove from stove. Serve with warm roti or rice.

               

                                                       

                                                  

Cranberry Walnut Bread

 This simple no knead method yields the most tasty and crusty cranberry nut bread.

Ingredients:

3 cups + 2 Tablespoons bread flour or all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

2 teaspoons coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon instant yeast

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1 Tablespoon honey

1 1/2 cups warm water

Method:

1. In a large bowl using a silicone spatula, stir 3 cups of flour, salt, yeast, walnuts, and cranberries together.

                                                             

2. Mix honey and water together, and pour on top of the flour mixture. Mix to combine. The dough will be very sticky; don't add more flour, you want a sticky dough. Gently shape into a ball.

                                    

 

                                                           

3. Cover tightly. Set on the counter and allow to rise for 12-18 hours. The dough will double in size, stick to the sides of the bowl, and you may have air bubbles on the surface.

                                    

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface, and using lightly floured hands, shape into a ball. 

                                                                

5. Transfer the dough to a large piece of parchment paper (large enough to fit inside your pot or Dutch oven that is safe for oven. Place the ball of dough with parchment paper inside a bowl so it does not spread out as it rests. Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears, gently score an X into the top. Cover dough lightly with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for 30 minutes.

                                         

6. while the dough rests, preheat the oven to 475 degree F. Place the Dutch oven with the lid in the oven for 30 minutes so it is extremely hot before the dough is placed inside. After 30 minutes, remove the Dutch oven and carefully place the dough inside by lifting it up with the parchment paper and placing it all inside the pot. Cover with the lid.

7. Bake for 25 minutes with the lid on. Carefully remove the lid and continue baking for 8-10 more minutes until the bread is golden brown. Give the warm bread a light tap. If it sounds hollow, it's done.

8. Remove the pot from the oven. Carefully remove the bread from the pot, and allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing. Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for up to 1 week.

                                                

Notes:

1. You can use either bread flour or all- purpose flour. I used all-purpose flour for this recipe. You can substitute up to 1 cup of the flour for whole wheat flour. Using all whole wheat flour, as the bread would taste dense and heavy.

2. If you don't have instant yeast, you can use active dry yeast.

3. Dried cranberries or raisins are best for this wed dough. 

Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction