Pumpkin soup with oregano leaves

On a rainy chilly evening all you feel is to relish a cup of freshly made piping hot soup.

We all like ripe yellow pumpkin and it's mild flavour. 

Today I made a very light flavourful pumpkin soup which was quite comforting and filling.

Pumpkin soup

Ingredients

150 grams of ripe, yellow pumpkin

5-6 oregano fresh leaves

1/2 teaspoon of hand crushed peppercorns

Sea salt as required

4 cups of water

Method

*Wash, peel and dice the pumpkin into cubes 

*In kalchatti (soapstone wear) pour water, add chopped pumpkin cubes, sea salt, crushed peppercorns and oregano leaves. 

*Bring it to boil, reduce flame, cook till pumpkin cubes are tender.

* Use a hand blender to make a soup consistency. Adjust salt and serve hot with bread toast.

Notes

*You can add coconut milk if you like the creamy texture in your soup.

Kabuli chana sundal and Peanuts, black chana sundal (Navratri special)

Sundal is a South Indian snack,  a very popular snack made from boiled legumes, usually Bengal gram or other types of beans or peas, seasoned with spices and herbs.

We add grated coconut also in our Palakkad cuisine.

It's often served as an offering to the gods in temples or consumed as a snack. During 9 days of Navratri we make different types of sundal as offering to God and distribute with Haldi Kumkum to our friends and relatives.

Kabuli chana Sundal 

Ingredients 

2 cups soaked and boiled Chana

Salt required 

1 green chili

2 red dry broken chilies 

1 tsp mustard seeds 

1tsp chana dal 

1/2 tsp urad dal

1 tablespoon ghee or oil

2 tablespoon grated coconut 

A few curry leaves 

1 lemon extract 

Method 

In a large urli or thick bottomed pan pour oil or ghee.  

When it's warm add chana dal, urad dal and mustard seeds.  Let it splutter. Add broken dry red chili. 

Add ginger and green chili.

Add boiled Chana, salt mix well.  Add curry leaves,  grated coconut, mix well. Off the stove.  

Squeeze lemon and adjust salt.

Serve. 

Version 2

Peanuts and black chana sundal 

Yesterday I was in the kitchen, wondering what to make for breakfast.

I end up soaking whole moongdal for making pesarattu and then saw raw peanuts asking for some attention.

In fact I have already soaked black chana for pani puri,so a cup of cooked black chana was readily available for me in the morning.

I thought of making sundal for my daughter's breakfast. She loves tasty yet delicious food as breakfast.

So there you go, a cup of raw peanuts were soaked and I left the kitchen. Back to my writing and web series.

Morning I washed the peanuts and added more water, a little salt, enough water to soak the peanuts. Two whistles in the pressure cooker.

Well here is the recipe

Peanuts, black chana sundal

Ingredients

1 cup - Raw peanuts (soaked and cooked)

1/4 cup - black chana (soaked and cooked)

A few pieces of  tothapuri mango slices

1 red chili sliced

2 tsp of molagai podi

For tempering

1 tsp of peanut oil

1 tsp of mustard seeds

1/2 tsp of urad dal

2 dry red chili cut into halves

A pinch of heeng

A few springs of curry leaves

Method

* Wash, soak black chana and peanuts overnight, cook with salt and just enough water to cook in the pressure cooker for two whistles. Cool down, remove excess water. Keep aside.

* In a heated pan pour peanut oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, let the mustard seeds splutter. Add broken dry red chili, heeng once it release aroma,add cooked black chana and peanuts. Mix well.

* Since we have added salt in peanuts and black chana, we are not further adding salt.

* Add curry leaves, chopped red chili and chopped mango for that extra zing in the sundal add two teaspoons of molagai podi. Mix well and serve.

Notes

Adding molagai podi gives a special flavour and texture to the sundal.

You can add grated or chopped coconut if you wish alongwith mango.

Mirchi bajji / millagai bajji

Mirchi bajji/millagai bajji is a delicious snack prepared and enjoyed during rainy season when the chilies are available in abundance.

A freshly brewed cup of filter coffee and crispy mirchi bajjis with a dash of chat masala sprinkled and tangy green chutney calls for a celebration of bursting flavours in your tongue.

Here is the recipe

Mirchi bajji/millagai bajji

INGREDIENTS

5 large bajji (light green variety)

For the batter

1 1/2 cups of besan

2 tablespoon rice flour

11/2 tsp of spicy red chili powder

A pinch of heeng

1/2 teaspoon amchoor powder

Salt as required

1/2 tsp chat masala (optional)

Peanut oil for deep frying

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl add all the ingredients(for the batter) and mix well. Create a small well in the middle add small quantity of water at a time and make a lumps free thick batter.

 

2. Wash and dry green chilies in a kitchen napkin or towel. Use a knife to slit the chilies and de-seed.

3. Dip the chilies in the batter and coat all over with the batter. One or two at a time.

4  Heat oil in thick bottomed kadai, take a little batter put it in oil and test whether the oil is hot enough. When the batter floats it means oil is ready.

5. Now take the chili coated with batter and gently drop in hot oil.

6. Fry the bajjis in medium flame, golden brown and crispy. Spread the bajjis in kitchen napkin to drain excess oil. We will repeat the process until all chilies are done.

7. Cut into desired portion size sprinkle chat masala and serve with dates and tamarind chutney/ tomato ketchup/ green chutney.

8. We had it with masala chai.

Notes

You can stuff the chilies if you want, it's however optional.

Use fresh spices and green chilies for better results.

Hashbrown Potatoes

An easy anytime snack with Potatoes and a few more ingredients. It's loved by the family and children will definitely enjoy the treat.

Hashbrown Potatoes

Ingredients

3 large Potatoes ( Par boil potatoes, peel and grate) 

2 medium sized onions, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1/2' tsp crushed peppercorns

1/2 tsp oregano powder

Salt as required

2 to 3 tablespoon corn flour

Method

*Wash and cook potatoes in pressure cooker for one whistle, when done, open lid cool down, use a peeler to peel off the potatoes. Grate, keep aside.

* In a pan pour a tablespoon of peanut oil fry onions, garlic cloves, saute till they are brown

* In a bowl add sauteed onion, garlic to grated potatoes, add parsley, basil, pepper powder, origano and salt.  Mix gently and toss. Also add corn powder and mix it well.

* Take any mould, compact the mixture like patties and shallow fry in butter/oil till both sides are golden brown in slow flame.

*Serve hot

Recipe courtesy : Narayan

Photography by me

Paneer kalakand Modak

Kalakand is a sweet which is relished by all of us. 

A quick way to make kalakand with paneer/cottage cheese is such a blessing.

We can make this version of kalakand with minimal ingredients.

 Paneer Kalakand Modak

Paneer Kalakand Modak

Ingredients

500 grams paneer (cottage cheese) crumbled

Half a tin of condensed milk, I used Amul mithai mate

1 tablespoon milk cream (I used Amul)

1 cup almond flour or MTR almond flour powder which ever is available

1 tablespoon roohafza/rose essence/chocolate powder

4-5 crushed cardamom, remove the skin

2 tsp ghee

Method

Step 1

In a bowl crumble the paneer and keep aside.

Mix the condensed milk and rose essence/roohafza

In a thick bottomed pan pour ghee and cook paneer in very low flame for 3 minutes, slowly add small quantities of condensed milk and stir.

Add almond flour and further add small quantities of condensed milk. Gently stir. 

As you do it you will notice the entire mixture is slowly thickening. 

When the consistency is of shaping the kozhakattai off the stove. Cool it completely and use a mould to shape the kozhakattai.

Tips

If you are using MTR badam powder and roohafza, please remember both have already added sugar in them. 

I have used less quantity of condensed milk as I am using fresh paneer and milk cream for moisture.

Recipe 2

Paneer Kalakand

*In a pan add crumbled paneer, pour condensed milk and mix well. 

*Add crushed cardamom, milk powder, almond powder keep stirring.

*After about 3 to 4 minutes, you will notice the kalakand is thickening.

*In the meantime greese the plate.

*Gently start trasfering the kalakand into greesed plate. Gently pat and spread it evenly.

*Allow the kalakand to completely cool.

*Cut into desired shape and relish the dessert.

*I made about 20 pieces with the above quantity.

*Please try, share and comment.

Full video of the recipe is available on my YouTube channel.

https://youtu.be/2DmcCOl7m4M

Please share, like and subscribe.

Dhaba style paneer masala

Paneer can be made into different styles, with gravy, bhurji, palak paneer, paneer makhni and so on.

Today we have tried making dhaba style paneer and enjoyed the process.

It's a flavourful side dish and your family will surely like it.

The recipe for dhaba style paneer is bit time consuming.

Ingredients

400 Grams fresh cubed paneer pieces

2 large tomatoes(chopped and coarsely ground)

3 medium sized onions (chopped and coarsely ground)

A small piece ginger grated

3-4 cloves of garlic(chopped)

2 tablespoons of coriander, chopped

Spices for tempering

3-4 green cardamom

4 cloves

1 inch cinnamon broken into small pieces

2 tablespoon peanut oil/butter/ghee

(I used butter)

Dry masala powders

1 tsp kashmiri lal mirch

1/2 tsp kasuri methi

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp crushed peppercorns

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp jeera powder

1/2 tsp garam masala

Dry masala for marinating paneer

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp degi mirch(kashmiri lal mirch)

1/2 tsp salt

4 tablespoon curd

Method

*In a bowl add paneer, garam masala,degi mirch, curd and salt, mix well, keep aside for about half an hour.

* Wash, peel and chop onion, garlic and tomatoes. Make coarse puree with onions and tomatoes. Keep aside. 

*Grate ginger

* In a thick bottomed pan pour oil/ghee/butter. Add jeera, green cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves. Allow it to emit it's aroma. 

*Add coarse onion puree, cook it until it's golden brown, add dry masala powders, mix well, cook further, add coarse tomato puree, mix well, close lid cook it for about 3 minutes.

*Now keep the flame high cook for another 5 minutes. Add chopped coriander leaves.

You will notice the ghee/oil/butter is coming out of the gravy.  

*In the meanwhile, In another pan add ghee, quickly mix in the marinated paneer for 3 minutes, the paneer will turn into extremely soft in texture

*Add the paneer to the onion tomato masala. Mix well. Adjust salt if needed.

*Mix well, let paneer be coated with the masalas, cook for two minutes. Off stove.

*Garnish with chopped coriander leaves

*Serve with naan, garlic naan, roti or rice.

I am sure you will enjoy this absolutely delicious dhaba style paneer masala..

*Notes

*Make the dhaba style paneer masala just before serving as the taste of got, soft paneer taste good when it's served immediately. 

* Make sure you use fresh paneer for best results.

 

Jackfruit jam. (chakka varatiyathu)

Jack fruit jam (chakkai Jam)

Jackfruit jam. It's probably the most difficult and laborious jam. But it's taste divine and all efforts taken to make this delicious traditional jam is worth try. I have used about 30 to 40 pieces from a large big ripe jackfruit.

Jack fruit jam (Chakkai jam)

Ingredients

30 to 40 jackfruits florets(chakka chulla)

500 grams of jaggery (approximately two jaggery oval shaped ones)

1/2 to 1 cup ghee

5 to 6 green cardamom (Peeled and crushed)

For melting jaggery

1 glass of water

Method

* Jackfruit pieces (chakka chulla) 30 to 40 remove seeds and outer layer of seeds. Use a large vessel, cook the jackfruit florets in pressure cooker by adding grid and water. Grind pr smash jackfruit pieces to a smooth paste. Keep aside.

* In a pan add two large pieces of black or golden jaggery, crush it into big cubes, add a glass of water and bring to boil. Use a strainer to remove impurities from jaggery.

* In a large pan mix in jackfruit and jaggery extract and blend well, add ghee 2 tablespoon and stir. 

*Keep the flame very low and allow jam to slowly cook into a soft consistency by evaporating any excess water. 

*Add two more tablespoon ghee gently stir in so that it doesn't get burnt or get stuck in the bottom of pan. 

*This task is most difficult as you need to keep stirring and be extremely cautious. 

*The jam starts leaving ghee and becomes like a soft halwa consistency. 

*You can off stove and when it reaches room temperature store in air tight containers.

Notes

*We make chakka pradhaman by adding coconut milk an integral part of feast. Jackfruit jam is served with adai or with rice adai.

*Shelf life of this dish is one year or until it lasts! It generally gets over in 3 months for us. 

*We keep jackfruit jam in small air tight containers and keep it refrigerated.

My recipe appeared on chef at large an year ago. 

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