February, 2021 - Vinaya's Culinary Delights

Garlic Kulcha

Posted on February 13, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

Kulcha is a soft bread which though traditionally made with Maida/ all purpose flour, is now made with wheat flour which is healthier. One can make a variety of Kulchas, plain and stuffed, but the most popular is the Garlic Kulcha which is fragrant because of the roasted garlic. I thank my friend Krithiga Sathya Narayanan for this lovely recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cups wheat flour

Salt

1/2tsp baking soda

3/4th tsp baking powder

4 tbsps curd/ yoghurt

Other ingredients:

25 garlic cloves chopped fine

5 tbsps coriander leaves chopped fine

2 tsps Black sesame seeds or Nigella seeds. Either one can be used.

Ghee to brush the Kulcha.

Method:

Mix the baking soda, baking powder, salt and the wheat flour in a bowl. Tip in the curd and adding a little water at a time, mix all the ingredients to a smooth and soft dough.
Cover with a cloth and keep it aside for two hours as it has to rise.
Knead the dough again and pinch a medium sized ball of dough. Roll it into a little thick circle of about six inches in diameter. Apply a little water on the surface of the Kulcha facing upwards and sprinkle chopped garlic, coriander leaves, and the Nigella or sesame seeds. Run the rolling pin once over them so that they adhere to the Kulcha.
Heat an iron tava/ skillet. Gently place the Kulcha over it . Sprinkle a little water around it and place a lid over it. Cook over medium flame for a few minutes. Flip. Apply a little ghee. Roast the other side too and serve hot with a blob of butter.

This proportion makes 7 Kulchas.

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Chole Palak/ Chickpeas with Spinach

Posted on February 13, 2021February 13, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This recipe is a really old one , dating back to the times of undivided India. People from Punjab (Lahore, Karachi which is now in Pakistan) used to relish this dish, and even though it is still loved, it’s kind of forgotten as it has been replaced by the more popular Chole Bature. I thank my friend dear Rama Ananth for sharing this traditional recipe with me.

Ingredients:

2 cups Chickpeas/ Kabuli chana

3 tbsps of Yellow Split peas

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1 bunch Spinach

2 tsp of Lemon juice

2 Onions chopped fine

3 Green chillies chopped fine

12 cloves of Garlic, chopped fine

1 inch piece of Ginger chopped fine

1/2 tsp of Turmeric powder

Salt

1/4 tsp sugar

1 tsp Garam Masala

Ginger jullienes for garnish.

For tempering:

3 tsps oil

1 tsp of Cumin seeds

1 small Bay leaf

1/2 inch piece of Cinnamon

3 Green Cardamom crushed

Method:

Pressure cook the Kabuli chana and the split peas with turmeric and salt to four whistles or till they are done.

Boil sufficient water in a pan and add the spinach. Blanch it for just half a minute. Drain and transfer it in a bowl filled with cold water or running water (this helps to retain the green color of the spinach)

Drain water and drop the blanched spinach in a blender along with salt, sugar, 1 teaspoon of lime juice and grind it to a fine puree.

Heat oil in a pan. Drop in the cumin seeds and whole spices. Toss. Add the ginger, garlic and green chillies. Toss. Drop in the onions and roast till translucent. Add the spinach puree and the remaining lemon juice. Drop in the cooked chickpeas and the garam masala.

Mix well. Cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Switch off and keep aside for about ten minutes for the flavours to infuse before serving.

It goes well with Parathas, Roti and any Bread.

Serves six.

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Potato and corn toast

Posted on February 12, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This was, is and will always be a favourite. Aloo corn toast has been a favourite since childhood, when I first ate it at a birthday party hosted by one of my school friends. Sandwiches those days were a rarity. Today though it’s available at every outlet, the way it is made totally differs from person to person. Posting the recipe of a Potato corn toast which my friend Anita A Burde shared with me.

Ingredients:

1 loaf of Bread either white or brown

5 potatoes boiled, peeled and mashed

A fistful of corn boiled and drained

Salt

Butter

3 tbsps All purpose or mint chutney. Recipe link given below.

https://vinayasculinarydelights.com/all-purpose-chutney-recipe/

Method:

Add the All purpose Chutney or the mint chutney and boiled corn to the mashed potatoes. Mix and check for salt. If required add some. Do remember to be careful as the butter too has salt. ( If you are using the store bought one).

Apply butter on one side of the slice of bread. Place the potato and corn filling on the unbuttered side and place another slice of bread on top with the buttered side facing upwards. Transfer this to a toaster and toast it till it turns a nice golden brown. Serve it with some tomato ketchup and mint chutney.

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Mamidi Kaya Pappu/ Mango Dal

Posted on February 12, 2021May 19, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

Mamidi Kaya Pappu is a popular Dal from Andhra Pradesh which makes use of raw mango as a souring agent instead of the usual lemon, tamarind or Tomato. The addition of the raw mango makes it extremely flavourful. Though raw mango is chopped fine to facilitate cooking, I prefer slicing it as I love the feel of the slices while eating . My heartfelt thanks to my dear friend Manjula Pai who shared this recipe with me.

Ingredients:

1 cup/ 250 gms Toovar Dal/ split pigeon peas pressure cooked with a pinch of turmeric and a spoon of Ghee/ clarified butter.

Half of a small raw mango sliced.

Salt

For the tempering:

1 tbsp Ghee

1 tsp Cumin seeds

5 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 sprig of curry leaves

Method:

Mash the pressure cooked Dal and tip it into a container. Cook the slices of raw mango separately. Once done tip them into the Dal along with the water in which they are cooked. The Dal should be of pouring consistency. Add salt and allow to simmer on a gentle flame. Heat the Ghee in a pan. Drop in the cumin seeds . After they splutter add the garlic . Once the garlic turns a golden brown add the curry leaves. Toss and pour the seasoning into the simmering Dal. Serve hot over rice with a dollop of Ghee.

Serves four.

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Peas Pulao-2

Posted on February 12, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This variety of Peas Pulao is a Sattvik one. I have already posted one which makes use of onions in this website. Today’s recipe was shared by my friend Usha Nayak and it is every bit as flavourful as the one with onions. Be sure to be a little liberal with the whole spices as this Pulao doesn’t have green chillies as well. The original recipe is the one made in a pressure cooker. I prefer cooking the rice separately as there’s no fear of it getting mushy which does happen if it is not matured rice. Sharing the link below of how to make the perfect rice for Pulao.

https://vinayasculinarydelights.com/recipe-to-make-the-perfect-rice/

Ingredients:

1 cup/ 250 gms Basmati rice cooked and ready.

1/2 cup or 125 gms of frozen peas

3 tbsps Ghee/ clarified butter

2 Inch piece of Cinnamon

3 green cardamom

1/2 big Cardamom

1 star anise

1 large Tej Patha

4 cloves

15 cashewnuts halved

Salt

Method:

Heat the Ghee in a pan. Drop in the spices and the cashewnuts. Roast on a gentle flame till the cashews turn a lovely golden brown. Add the frozen peas and salt and saute for about three minutes. If using fresh peas, make sure you cook them beforehand. Once the peas are done, add the cooked rice, mix well and check for salt. Heat on a gentle flame till the Peas Pulao is heated well. Serve with a mixed vegetable raita.

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Dadpe pohe/ flattened rice recipe

Posted on February 12, 2021February 12, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

Dadpe Pohe Recipe is a delicious Maharashtrian recipe made with flattened rice. The poha or flattened rice is not cooked in this recipe, instead it is mixed with raw onions, tomato, grated coconut, coriander leaves and salt. It turns soft due to the juices released from the vegetables and coconut when salt is added to them. The thin variety of poha or flattened rice is used for this recipe. I thank my friend Vidya Baindur for this lovely recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cups Poha (Flattened rice) thin variety

1 Onion finely chopped

1 Tomato finely chopped

1 tbsp Coriander leaves finely chopped

3 tbsps grated coconut

1 tsp Sugar

1 tbsp Lemon juice

Salt

Ingredients for the tempering:

1 tsp Mustard

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/4 tsp Hing/ Asafoetida

1 sprig Curry leaves

2 tbsps Raw Peanuts

1 Green chilly finely chopped

2 tsps Oil

Method:

Sprinkle just a little water on the poha . Do not make it mushy and keep it aside.

Tip the chopped onion, tomato, grated coconut, lemon juice, sugar and salt in a bowl. Mix it well, crushing the mixture a little. Keep aside a tbsp of this mixture to garnish the Dadpe pohe just before serving. Add the poha to the remaining mixture and set it aside to soak in the juices for 10 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the peanuts and when they are half roasted drop in the mustard seeds cumin seeds, asafoetida. After they crackle drop in the curry leaves. Toss. Add the green chilly , give a quick stir and drop the seasoning over the softened poha. Garnish with finely chopped onion, tomato, coconut and coriander leaves.

Note: I have not used peanuts as the family prefers the Poha without them.

Serves two.

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Lemon leaves Vepilakatti/ dry Chutney

Posted on February 11, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

This fragrant dry Chutney made with fresh ,tender lemon leaves is not only a good digestive, but also stays good for a couple of months. All the ingredients are carefully roasted and ground to a fine powder and then shaped into balls. This is usually served with Curd rice in place of a pickle. This recipe was generously shared by my friend Meena Venkatsubban.

Ingredients:

A large fistful of tender lemon leaves

7 dry red Byadgi chillies

A lemon sized ball of tamarind

1/4 tsp Ajwain/ Carom seeds

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

A kidney bean size piece of Hing/ Asafoetida

A sprig of curry leaves

Salt

1 tbsp oil

Method:

Wash and pat dry the lemon leaves. String the thick vein in the centre. Tear them up roughly and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin and carom seeds, asafoetida, and allow them to splutter. Immediately drop in the dry red chillies and roast them too. Add the ball of tamarind and roast it for a minute. Finally drop in the lemon leaves, curry leaves and salt. Roast till they wilt a bit. The whole procedure should be carried out on an extremely gentle flame to avoid burning of spices. Allow the mixture to cool and then grind it to a coarse powder. Form balls of required size and store in an airtight container.

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Palak Pakora/ Spinach fritters

Posted on February 11, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

These fritters can be served with a tomato ketchup at get togethers or as a quick snack when children have their friends over. A variety of preparations are made using Palak/ spinach, the most popular being Palak Paneer, Palak and corn subzi and even the Lahori Palak Chole…… but who doesn’t love fritters? This is a quick and simple recipe shared by my friend Amruta Prabhu.

Ingredients:

A small bunch of Palak washed, dried and chopped

1 cup Besan/ chickpea flour

3 tbsps rice flour

1 tsp Cumin seeds

5 flakes of garlic minced

1 tbsp Kashmiri chilly powder

1 tbsp crushed coriander seeds

Salt

Oil for frying the Pakora

Method:

Tip the chopped Palak leaves, salt, chilly powder, minced garlic, cumin seeds into a bowl. Mix well and allow to stand for a few minutes. The palak releases a little water. Add the besan and rice flour and mix well. If required just sprinkle a few drops of water to help bind everything together. Heat oil in a pan. Drop in lumps of the mixture and fry on a medium flame till they are crisp. Serve hot with tomato ketchup and mint chutney.

Serves two.

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Strawberry yoghurt

Posted on February 11, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

Fruit yoghurts are relatively new to India. The traditional ones using saffron and mango are called Shrikhand and Amrakhand respectively. With the introduction of a variety of fruit yoghurts from the west, India is fast catching up on this concept and Indian companies are coming out with a number of these yoghurts. These can traditionally be made at home. The only requirement is thick curd or hung curd. Posting the recipe of a strawberry yoghurt today which my friend Jayashree T Rao shared with me.

Ingredients:

1 cup / 250 ml hung curd

5 strawberries chopped

2 tsps sugar

Method:

Spread a cheesecloth or a muslin cloth over a bowl. Tip in 300 ml or 1.5 cups of yoghurt into it and tie the ends of the cloth tightly. Allow the water in the yoghurt to run off into the bowl. After a couple of hours all the water would have drained and what is left behind is hung curd which is approximately around 250 ml. Tip this hung curd into a mixer along with the strawberries and sugar. Using the pulse mode, whip it up till the strawberries and yoghurt have blended well. Chill and serve.

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Paruppu Thogayal/ Split pigeon peas chutney

Posted on February 11, 2021February 11, 2021 by vinayaprabhu2

Every region in India has their own traditional chutneys, but the plethora of chutneys that one finds in Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh are amazing. They are usually served as an accompaniment with rice. This recipe of Paruppu Thogayal which my friend Janaki Hrishikesh shared with me goes amazingly well with rice and Rasam. In fact I enjoyed it with a simple curd rice as well.

Ingredients:

100 gms/ half cup Toovar Dal/ split pigeon peas

7 Byadgi chillies

A kidney bean size piece of Hing/ Asafoetida

3 tbsps grated coconut

1 tbsp oil

Salt

Method:

Heat the oil in a pan. Roast the dry chillies till they turn crisp. Remove and keep them aside. Saute the Toovar dal till it turns a nice golden yellow. At this stage add the Hing and keep roasting for a couple of minutes till the asafoetida releases it’s flavour and the dal turns a deep golden yellow. Allow to cool. Drop all the ingredients into a mixer jar along with the salt and grated coconut. Grind to a coarse powder. Add a little water to ease grinding it into a thick chutney. The consistency of the Thogayal is thick and never watery. Serve it with hot rice with a dollop of Ghee.

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