Murungai Keerai Pori Arisi Poriyal

How to make Moringa/Drumstick leaves stir fry

           While I was making this authentic keerai poriyal today, it brought back memories from my high school days. I was living with my grandparents for a few years... when all of a sudden, I was asked to fly solo for the very first time, with no time to prep. One fine day, my grandma had to attend a gathering and could not finish her cooking in time for grandpa. That Sunday, the responsibility of making this dish fell upon me. Having never made it myself; nobody to help me; no cookbooks or the internet (Gosh! I don't know how we lived back then) it took me a long long time & multiple attempts to get it right. 

            You probably wouldn't understand what the big fuss was all about - since you haven't met my grandpa a.k.a the food critique of the family, who also happened to be short tempered. Him being an ardent fan of the greens was definitely not working in my favor either, if I messed up the dish. I was sure that he would be able to pinpoint exactly what was missing in my cooking. To sum it all up, my first product was plain steamed greens with salt....Yikes!! Then I added the grated coconut, gave it a stir and turned off the stove again (second end product). Only to realize it was still missing something. After closing my eyes to imagine what a keerai poriyal looked like the last time I ate it, I made a tempering with mustard, urad dal & chillies and added to the cooked greens. 

            

               Although I wanted to be nowhere near the critique to hear his review, It was a situation that I was inescapable from. You see, in those days it was tradition to stand beside the person eating & serve them the food until they were done with the four (or six) course meal. After some nail-biting and heart palpitations, grandpa finally said that he liked it and ate all of it. I was surprised that he liked it and I was curious to taste it to see what was good with the overcooked keerai. He was not to be blamed for eating all of it, cos' between cooking, cooking & re-cooking, I ended up tasting so many times that there was barely any keerai poriyal for thatha to eat. LOL!!! Anyways, I was just glad that the stressful ordeal was finally over and I had learned how to make the keerai poriyal. 

            Hope you guys enjoyed reading about my very first cooking failure (turned) success. Note: This recipe can also be made without the roasted rice powder, but adding it, gives your final product a good texture & some crunchiness while eating. So, here you go - a very old recipe from my recipe diary. Sharing this story & recipe with my fellow bloggers at Sri Valli's CCC #48 Sep Week 3. 

Ingredients for 2 to 3 servings:

2 cups of drumstick leaves - picked, washed & drained

1/2 an onion, chopped (optional)

2 tbsp, grated coconut

1/2 tbsp, oil

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp, mustard seeds

1 tsp, broken urad dal

1 dry red chilli, broken

To fry & powder coarsely:

1 tbsp, raw rice, pacha arisi

1/2 tbsp, bengal gram dal/kadalai paruppu

1/2 tsp, black peppercorns (if you like it hot)

1/2 tsp, oil

Stovetop method:

• Pick the drumstick leaves, without any thick stems. Rinse & wash a couple of times and let drain.

• Heat a mini pan/kadai, add 1/2 tsp of oil and add all the ingredients to fry & powder coarsely. Let cool & powder. Do not powder finely.

• Heat 1/2 tbsp of oil in a kadai/wok, add the mustard seeds, broken urad dal, and broken red chilli. When they are all fried, add onions & saute with a little salt for quick cooking. 
• When onions are translucent, add the washed greens and salt, give it a stirring, cover & cook on low to medium heat for about three minutes.

• When the leaves are cooked, add grated coconut and the powdered ingredients - mix, let sit for another minute and turn off the heat.
• Serve with any south Indian meal platter. (We had it with raw mango sambhar & steamed rice.)

Cabbage Masala Poriyal

How to make Cabbage Masala Poriyal

              Continuing with last week's theme (cabbage), here is another spicy accompaniment for your Indian platter; be it with roti or rice. The speciality of this dish is in the ground masala with peppercorns, red chillies, coconut, cumin & coriander. You can substitute the channa dal with toor dal, if you like. Also, the same recipe can be used to make a dry curry or a kootu/wet curry according to your needs. I have tried both varieties & they are both excellent. You can check out other recipes that use cabbage as a main ingredient here. Sharing this delicious recipe with my fellow bloggers at CCC # 43 April Week 1. 

Ingredients for 4 servings -

finely cut cabbage - 3 cups

chopped onion - 1 no:

boiled kadalai paruppu/channa dal -1/2 cup

tamarind paste - 1/4 tsp

salt to taste

cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

jaggery - 1 tsp (optional)

oil - 2 tbsp

curry leaves - a sprig

Grind together -

dry red chillies - 2 no:s

fresh/frozen grated coconut - 3 tbps

coriander seeds - 2 tsp

cumin seeds - 1 tsp

black pepper - 1/2 tsp

water - just enough to grind

Stove top method -

• Cook cabbage separately  in just enough water or steam till soft.
• Heat oil in a frying pan, add cumin seeds, curry leaves, onion & fry till golden.
• Now add the ground paste & cook until the raw smell disappears.
• Add salt, jaggery, tamarind paste, boiled channa dal and cooked cabbage. 
• Sprinkle water, is needed & let simmer for a few minutes. 
• Serve with roti or rice.

Notes:

• You can make this recipe as a curry/porial or as a kootu/gravy. For kootu, cook the cabbage & dal very soft & increase the quantity of water.

Kathrikai Podi Kari (Stir fried eggplant with lentils & spices)

How to make Kathrikai Podi Kari

                    This no onion-no garlic recipe is from my recipe diary, duly noted down from a tv show years ago. You can skip the microwave cooking & do it completely in your skillet. I find that the microwave cooking cuts down on the amount of oil used, & yet providing the same results for a dry curry. The coarseness of the ground spices can be your preference. I prefer the crunchiness of the lentils in a bite; some of you may like it better with finely ground spices. However you choose to make it, the spices definitely make it special. Sharing this recipe with my fellow bloggers at CCC# 38: November -- Week 2.

Ingredients:

Kathrikai/Eggplant - 250 gms, sliced

Salt - to taste

Oil - 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Ingredients for frying & powdering:

Perungayam/Asafoetida - a big pinch

Ulutham paruppu/Urad dal - 1/2 tbsp

Kadalai paruppu/Channa dal - 1/2 tbsp

Dry red chillies - 2 no:s

Grated coconut - 3 tbsp

Microwave + Stove top method:

• Slice the brinjals & let them sit in a container with water, until you are ready to cook them.
• Arrange the sliced eggplants on a wide plate, sprinkle salt & turmeric powder on them; cover with a wet paper towel/cloth & microwave on high for about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the cloth, take another plate of the same size - holding it tight on top of the hot plate; flip it quickly so the eggplants are transferred to the new plate, sprinkle a little more salt & turmeric powder on top, cover with a wet cloth/paper towel & microwave again for 5 minutes.

• Meanwhile, heat a pan on (low-medium heat) with a little oil, add the ingredients listed for frying in the same order & roast them in oil until aromatic & crisp. Let cool, powder & set aside.
• Heat the pan with the remaining oil, add the semi-cooked brinjal slices from the microwave, add required salt, turmeric powder, the ground powder & stir fry until well roasted.

• Serve warm with a meal platter. Goes well with Sambhar rice, Rasam rice.

Cabbage Thoran/Stir fry

How to make Cabbage Thoran / Stir fry

              When cooked right, the cabbage will not be criticized for its pungent, unpleasant odor and taste. These develop when cabbage is overcooked and hydrogen sulfide gas is produced. The addition of ginger also helps with the unpleasant odor. Overcooking also makes the cabbage lose its visual appeal - becomes limp & unappetizing. Try this minimalist Thoran (Dry curry from Kerala) and, enjoy with your next meal.

Ingredients for 4 -5 servings:

1 small cabbage - shredded
1/2 cup, chopped shallots/onion
1/2 cup, fresh grated coconut
A few curry leaves
2 Tbsp, pure coconut oil
1/4 tsp, Mustard seeds/kadugu
1/2 tsp, Cumin seeds/Jeera
1 tsp, Ginger paste or grated ginger
Salt to taste
2 to 3 no:, Slit green chilies
1/4 tsp. Turmeric powder

Manoli Kadle (Mangalorean Ivy Gourd)

How to make Manoli Kadle (Mangalorean Kovakkai/Tendli)

          Having lived in Bangalore for so many years, has a strong influence on me. Don't  get any ideas, now - I've never been 'under the influence'; but I'm fondly drawn towards Kannada cuisine. Here is one such recipe, for you to enjoy. The combination of the Ivy gourd & Chickpeas, might be new to many of us but, It is a lip-smacking dry curry, to enjoy with your rice platter. Sending this recipe to SriValli's CCChallenge #14 Nov-week 2. This recipe is from Mallika Badrinath's - Classic Lunch Recipes.

Pindi Chole (Dry Version of Punjabi Chole)

How to make Pindi Chole

            A variation of the popular Channa Masala, this is different from the regular preparation in terms of texture and color. The tea leaves in this recipe imparts a beautiful brown & earthy tone. Although it does not have a lot of gravy, it has the right amount of moisture in it; which makes it versatile. There are so many ways to serve this Chole, just make sure you don't forget to serve raw onions on the side - it goes with Milk Puri's , Roti, Batura, Cutlet, bread or rice. I even made quick samosas with this as the filling which turned out delicious.

Chettinaad Kathirikai Vathakal (Sauteed Brinjal)

How to make Kathirikai Vathakal/Sauteed Brinjal

                      Brinjals are one of the versatile vegetables, don't you think? Anyway you cook it, they adapt to your ingredients & method. Those are some of the reasons, why I use them a lot in my kitchen. This recipe requires no Onions or Tomatoes, so I ended up making this when I ran out of most of the groceries & had just the ingredients needed for this recipe; which i found in a book that Mom had given me. Just in time for the CCChallenge, I had signed up for! This was so good to eat by itself  that half of, what i made, got over even before our meal time. That made me think it could even be served on tooth picks :) A recipe so simple shouldn't be left out, without trying!

Chow-Chow Poriyal/Curry

How to make Chow-Chow Poriyal/Curry

(Chow-Chow is also known as Chayote Squash or Bangalore Brinjal)

            The Chow-Chow is usually used in Sambar or Kootu in South India. This is not a usually prepared in south Indian homes, but is a very tasty recipe. I would say, the ingredients & the way it's used in the recipe, bring out the flavor of this squash, best. The flavor of the chillies and spices hit your taste buds first, and when you bite into it, you find it mildly sweet & juicy. The peel can be saved to make a chutney, if you like; that can be an accompaniment for Idli, Dosa & Upma varieties.

Aaloo Gobhi (Spiced Potatoes & Cauliflower)

How to make Aaloo Gobhi (Spiced Potatoes & Cauliflower)

          This simple combination of Potatoes, Cauliflower & a tasty blend of spices is a traditional North Indian accompaniment. Although this is not a gravy, it is aptly moist to accompany any variety of Roti or Rice. Very little oil is used in the making of this dish, hence making this a healthy option for people of all age groups.

Vendakai Poriyal / Sauteed Okra /Bhindi Sabji

How to make Vendakai Poriyal

           Okra or Bhindi (in Hindi) as we know it, has been my most favorite vegetable since childhood; not because of its qualities but because of how my mom used to make it for us. If you are thinking of Okra as a slimy vegetable, you will have to try this recipe & it will change the way you think of it.

Pudalangai Poriyal /Snake Gourd Curry

How to make Pudalangai Poriyal/Snake gourd Curry

              The Snake Gourd (Pudalangai in Tamil) was not on my favorites list until I tasted a variation of this vegetable at my friends (Ms.U) place. That reminds me, I should try to get that recipe from her. If you or anyone in your family is like most of us, then you should definitely try this recipe. This is a very easy & tasty recipe which needs just a few simple ingredients.