Curry In Kadai ~ An Indian Cooking Blog

Happy Pongal everyone!! Hope you guys are busy preparing yummy goodies for the festival. First thing that comes to my mind when i think about Sankranthi are the Rangolis( muggulu ). Just after finishing our Half Early exams at school we get 10 holidays and those days were a great fun start in the new year. The very last day of our exams, we pack our luggage and head to grandma's house. I remember the house would be swamped with people( pinni, babai, atha, mama etc., ) uncles, aunts and cousins. During those ten days we make rangolis( muggulu ) everyday, dress pretty and eat good homemade festive food. Grandma used to make a lot of yummy sweets and savouries, like Ariselu( Sweet rice cakes ), Bobbatlu( Sweet lentil Breads ), KajjiKayalu( Fried Sweet with jaggery and lentils ), Paalakayalu( Crispy spicy small rounds ), Pappu Billalu( Crispy rice fritters ), Vada( crispy lentil fritters ), and of course Pongal along with special curries and rice dishes.

Here's a very well known protein packed festive savoury, Dal Vada with Spinach and Cilantro( Lentil Fritters With Spinach and Cilantro) Palakura Kothimeera Minapa Garelu.


You need:

• 1 cup Urad Dal( Minappappu /Black Gram )
• 1 cup tightly packed chopped spinach
• 1 inch ginger root
• Green chillies
• Cilantro
• Cumin seeds
• Oil for frying

• Soak Urad dal for about 4 hours in water
• Once soaked grind the batter to a paste( need not be very smooth, and do not add too much water, just add enough to grind )
• Heat oil for deep frying.
• To the urad dal batter( lentil batter ) add cumin seeds, chopped ginger, chopped spinach, chopped onions, cilantro and salt to taste.
• Drop into oil with a spoon or to make traditional vada( vadai ), use your palms this way. Take a small amount of batter in a ball shape, flatten lightly with fingers and drop it very gently into oil from the edges of the pan.
• My ammamma makes them in a very perfect shape and she dips her hands into water before making each vadai, and this needs of course some experience. Don't panic if you cant get vadas perfectly, its hard for me too to get them in perfect shape and size.
• Fry these vadas on both sides and drain on to paper napkins to remove any excess oil.

• MLLA - 19th Helping event hosted by EC
• CFK - Cooking For Kids hosted by Sara
  
• Food For Seven Stages Of Life 

This is my second recipe for Thotakura after Thotakura Pappu. This is my husbands favourite recipe since it has been passed down from his mom to me. This is a very nutritious and healthy recipe and it needs very little oil. You can eat the whole bowl of this Amaranth leaves Stir fry even without any rice or chapathi. Yep tastes that good!


You need:

• 4 cups of tightly packed chopped thotakura leaves/amaranth along with tender stalks
• 1 red onion or yellow onion julienned
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp chana dal( Yellow split chick peas )
• 2-3 tbsp oil
• a pinch of turmeric
• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 10 curry leaves

• Chop thotakura( amaranth leaves ) very finely. You can chop the tender stalks too but discard the tough stalks( You should remove the stalks skin like you do for beans )
• Bring 1-2cups of water to boil and add chopped amaranth leaves and channa dal
• Cook until the leaves are cooked( TIP: Add 1 tsp of sugar so the leaves retain their green color )
• Drain the leaves thoroughly( You can use the water to make chapathis )
• Heat oil in kadai and add cumin and mustard seeds
• When they start to crackle add curry leaves, turmeric and onions
• Fry onions till golden brown
• Add the boiled thotakura along with chana dal and saute until the the curry looks dry without any water.
• Add chilli powder, salt and sugar and saute 5 more min
• Adjust salt and spice to taste

Methi( Menthi Aaku ) aka Fenugreek is used as a herb( fenugreek leaves ) and also the seeds used as spice. Back home, we used to get very small bunches of just sprouted fenugreek leaves and they are very milder and juicier compared to the matured leaves. But the ones i get here in US are litle bit matured and are slightly bitter.

In Indian cooking, we use Fenugreek in 3 forms,

• The seeds in spice powders and curries
• The fresh fenu greek leaves( menthi kura) in curries, dals and rotis
  
• Dried fenugreek leaves called Kasuri methi to make breads and curries

I remember back home we used to wake up early in the morning, extract juice from the leaves( using mortar and pestle ) and apply to hair as we were told it aids in healthy scalp and hair growth. Some Sundays we would even apply ground methi seeds( fenugreek seeds ) which were soaked in yogurt overnight. Doing this way, it reduces heat from the body and makes hair dandruff free, thick and lustrous. Also, Grandma asks us to take Fenugreek seeds with water to control diarrhea.



Mom usually makes sumptuous Methi Dal, Fenugreek leaves with lentils and tomatoes but my mother in law makes this delicious simple Aloo Methi( Menthapukura Alugadda) which is a dry curry with Potatoes, peas and fenugreek leaves with a touch of sambar powder. My husnband loves this dish a lot and i joined him soon after the very first taste. I know it takes time to prepare the fenugreek leaves( methi ), but believe me all that hardwork pays off when you taste the curry. I would prefer fresh bunch, if its not available you can go ahead and use frozen blocks available in any Indian grocery, but the quality and taste is not that great but acceptable.

You need:

• 1 bunch of Fenugreek leaves
• 2 red potatoes( boiling potatoes)
• fistful of petite green peas
• 2 tsp of any sambar powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder or to taste
• 2-3 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• sugar to taste
• salt to taste

Preparation:

• Pluck the methi leaves from the stems wash thoroughly add salt and keep aside. Since the methi leaves are bitter to taste, using salt removes the bitterness.
• Cook the whole potato in microwave using very less water. Do not use baking potatoes like Idaho, use boiling potatoes like red potatoes as these potatoes have to retain their shape when cooked in this curry. Let the potatoes completely cool. Once cooled, peel off the skin and cut into big chunks.
• Drain all the water from the methi leaves, wash again and drain off the water completely
• In a thick pan / kadai heat oil, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds, once they start to crackle, add the drained fenugreek leaves and fry till they are completely cooked and you can notice the leaves become dark and dry
• Add green peas and cook for a couple of mins
• Now bring on those peeled and chopped cooked potatoes saute for a min and then add any sambar powder on hand( or some jeera and coriander powder together ), red chilli powder, and salt
• Let the masalas coat the potato well, fry for few more mins and then add sugar, saute for few more mins until the sugar is completely absorbed
• You can adjust spice, sugar and salt to your taste

This sweet and spicy Fenugreek leaves with potatoes and peas tastes great with rice, rotis or even tortillas ..Even better you can finish it off just as it is, yep tastes that good!!

There's nothing like luxury of having close friends living 3 houses apart.. I can speak volumes about the fun and the times we spend together and never mention the food we share.. They are from Gujarat and we are pakka Andhrites. My husband loves any North Indian food, especially their chats, rotis, sev and curries.. So they make sure they pack freshly made food( chats , curries, pooris , Sev, Pav Bahjis etc..,) and bring our home exclusively for both of us... This is what i call "Luxury of having Friends near by"... We appreciate each others culinary expertise( hehehe ) so much.. These guys love my dosas, sambar, chutneys, pulaos, cakes and curries... My Friend she would just ask for my sambar in a big bowl,,, yep just some sambar nothing else!! Love them, they are like a family to us!! Here are some authentic Gujarati goodies auntie brought for us and i couldn't stop myself clicking them when she explained how labour intensive those dishes were -- yep you guessed it right! They are Patra and Handvo.


Patra is made from colocasia leaves, besan( chickpea flour ) and some aromatic masalas.. Here's what i remember - Make besan mixture with water and apply the paste on a colocasia leaf and then place another leaf smaller than the first one on top and spread some batter and repeat the same until 4-5 layers.. Roll it and then cut into equals parts.. Steam these packets and then she made some tadka and added some lime juice, sugar(or gur ), grated coconut, cilantro and some seasonings... They were so moist and i could finish them as they were.. So good... they are spicy and sweet at the same time,, has that chat-pata flavour too.. Thanks aunty... absolutely loved them.. Oh, my MIL makes something similar with Colocasia leaves and besan -- Chamadumpa Badeelu( a Pakka Telangana Dish )



Here comes the next authentic Gujarathi recipe Handvo which needs fermentation and expertise.. I remember, She said you need to ferment besan mixture overnight and then add grated Bottle gourd( sorakaya ) .. Just fold the grated dudhi and bake it.. Add toasted sesame seeds and seasonings on top... It was so Good....


Along with these she even brought Besan Sev and Spicy small pooris( Khatta Pooris with ajwain ).. Oh they were sumptuous!! I would try to make these myself soon..

Gongura aka Sorrel is called Andhra Maatha( Mother of Andhra Pradesh, India ). Serving gongura pickle(chutney) for any guest is like giving honor to him. Yes its that important. Gongura is full or iron and tastes very sour just like tamarind. Normally tamarind is a must in most of the indian / andhra pickles or chutneys, but this one with sorrel leaves is an exception. I find myself very lucky that day, if i find this one in indian grocery.


I am proud owner of this plant. Yes, I have gongura(sorrel) plant in my backyard now, and i made this chutney using the same. Theres a funny history behind planting this plant. Actually my husband doesnt eat any chutneys or pickles, the only green leafy indian vegetables he eat are Amaranth leaves and spinach. Since it was so hard for us to get amaranth leaves here, i bought some seeds saying ( paala thotakura ) Amaranth Leaves seeds and planted them.Once the tender leaves started to sprout i was surprised to find them to be Sorrel plant instead of Amaranth as it says on the packet. And now i am reaping the fruits of this plant. It was so funny, I shared this story whenever someone intrigues about the plant in my backyard.. The sorrel leaves have special distinct sourness which leaves you craving for more once tasted. It actually revives your taste buds, if u havent had anything lately that has special zing!

• 4 cups of tightly packed cleaned and washed sorrel leaves( just pluck the leaves, discard the stems )
• 1 large onion
• 5-6 green chillies
• 2 red chillies
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 2 tbsp urad dal / black gram beans
• 2 tbsp channa dal / yellow split chickpeas
• 1 tsp cumin seeds( jeera )
• a dash of hing / asofetida
• 10 curry leaves
  
• 1 tbsp oil
• salt to taste
  

• Heat kadai or pan and 1 tsp oil and roast urad dal, coriander seeds, red chillies, cumin seeds, hing.
• Dont brown them, fry them until the starts to release flavors and the lentils turn to golden hue.
• Once cooled down powder them and set aside.
  

• Pluck the leaves from the stems, wash clean and drain them and remove excess moisture using a kitchen towel.
• In the same kadai add remaining oil and sorrel leaves and green chillies
• Cook these leaves under low heat until the raw smell disappears( check the picture )
• Once the leaves are cooked thoroughly , the leaves color changes from green to nearly black switch off the flame and let it cool
• In a blender run the spices first and once powdered finely, add the greens and blend to a paste
• Chop the onions and add to the ground chutney
• Your sour leaves aka gongura chutney is ready to relish!
  

Palak Paneer is a popular indian dish orginated from Punjab( North India ). This mildly flavored curry is made with spinach(palak) and indian cottage cheese( paneer ). This is a delicious and super healthy dish. I know there are so many variations for this recipe, but the basic idea is not to overpower the dish with spices. I make palak paneer in 2 types., but this one is the tastier and easier of the two.



Ingredients:

• 1 box chopped frozen boxed spinach
• 2 big onions
• 2 tomatoes
  
• 15 - 20 1 inch paneer cubes
  
• 3 - 4 green chillies( please adjust spice to your taste, as the hotness of the chillies varies )
• 2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 2 tbsp coriander( dhaniya) powder
• 1 tbsp cumin( jeera ) powder
• 1 tbsp curry powder or garam masala
• 1/2 tbsp dried mango powder( amchur powder )
  
• 12 cashews( optional ) or 1/2 cup cream
  
• 1 tbsp red chilli powder( if required )
• 1 cup milk
  

• Cook the frozen spinach in microwave for 5 min
• In a chopper or food processor chop onions with green chilies very finely
• Chop the spinach similarly
• In a microwave blanch tomatoes and puree them
  
• Heat kadai( pan ) with little oil or butter and fry paneer( cheese ) cubes until golden brown
  
• In the same pan add jeera( cumin seeds optional )
  
• Once the cumin seeds are browned, add ginger garlic paste and saute until the raw smell fades
• Now all the powders and saute for 15 sec.
• Add the chopped onions and fry till the onions are browned
• Add the spinach paste and fry until the oil comes out from paste
• Add tomato puree and cook till the water evaporates
  
• To this add milk and cook stirring occasionally
• You can either add powdered cashew nuts paste or cream at this point
• Cook till done and adjust salt and spice to taste.

I, myself love green leafy vegetables or greens( aaaku kooralu ) a lot. I like to buy fresh greens from the vendor back home which were just picked looking so vibrant and full of life. My grandmother( and my mom ) made sure we eat any aakukooralu( greens ) atleast once everyday. Its really hard for me to buy greens here in US so when i find thotakura i buy a lot., boil and freeze for further use. I know its not the best way to eat greens but i dont see any other alternative.
And when i buy them i make stirfry( thotakura talimpu ) , green leaves and lentil curry ( thotakura pappu ) , green leaves in tamarind sauce( thotakura pulusu ), green leaves stalks stew( kadala pulusu) and green leaves chutney( thotakura pachadi ) and enjoy them the whole week.


I remember we used to get molakoora( these greens have very small and tender leaves compared to thotakura ) back home, but i do not think i can find them anywhere in the US.

• 1 cup tightly packed chopped amaranth leaves( thotakura ).
• 1/2 cup kandi pappu or toordal(tur dal, tuwar dal) Clean and drain the dal
  
• 4-5 green chillies( slit length wise)
• 1 onions chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1 big tomato chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 lemon sized tamarind( soaked in warm water )

• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds( jeera )
• 8-10 curry leaves
• pinch of hing
• 2tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp turmeric

• Please discard any hard stalks from the leaves. Only add the very tender ones chopped very finely. I store the remaining stalks and make stew ( kadala pulusu ). I will post it once i make the stew.
• Chop the leaves very finely( since it takes longer to cook than spinach ).
• I usually use pressure pan to make the dal since it takes very few minutes.
• Heat the pressure pan, add oil, mustard seeds, jeera( cumin seeds ), and hing.
  
• Once it starts spluttering add curry leaves and turmeric.
• Add onions and green chillies and fry for a minute or two.
• Add the chopped thotakura(green leaves ) and tomatoes and tamarind.
  
• Add tuwar dool and fry for a min.
• Add 1 - 1 1/2 cups of water.
• Mix well and cover with pan lid and put the whistle(weight).
• Cook on medium heat for 3 whistles.
• Open the cooker only when the weight comes out easily.
• Put the cooker on flame and cook to for 5 more min stirring occasionally.
• Switch off the flame., I will add some BUTTER or GHEE to enhance the flavor.
• Adjust salt to taste.