Kumbalakayi Idli / Sihi Kumbalakayi Idli / Savory Pumpkin Idli

Kumbalakayi idli is a traditional breakfast dish from the south Indian state of Karnataka. The pumpkin is called kumbalakayi in Kannada. As the title suggests, kumbalakayi / pumpkin is the star ingredient of the dish and hence use Indian variety pumpkin if available, for an authentic flavor. I have used the American one since that is what I get even in my local Indian store. 

Pumpkin idlis come in both savory and sweet versions and today I am sticking to the former though I made both. One can make both for breakfast to balance the flavors or can go with one version. Yes, the sweet version is also made for breakfast and not served as a dessert. These savory idlis I am posting today are an interesting and delicious option for those who are bored eating the regular idlis. Besides, it is an instant version for an added bonus. 

These are gluten-free, vegan and as I mentioned earlier, instant variety idlis. One can skip the usual rigmarole of idli making here which puts off many to try the idlis in the first place. One doesn't need to soak the ingredients, grind them or ferment them in this case. Rice rava is mixed with grated pumpkin, coconut and spices and rested for about an hour or less. The batter is then used to make idlis. There is no need to add any leavening agents here. Rice rava, though a traditional choice can be easily replaced with idli rava. 

These delicious idlis don't need any elaborate side dishes. A simple coconut chutney will be a perfect accompaniment. The leftovers can be refrigerated. They freeze well as well and when needed, just remove them from the freezer and microwave them covered in a glass bowl for few minutes and you will have hot piping idlis to serve.

Ingredients: (Yield 6 idlis)

1 to 2 tbsp. split chickpeas / chanadal / Bengal gram

1/2 cup rice rava / idli rava (I used idli rava.)

1/2 cup grated pumpkin (1/2 cup more can be added.)
1/2 grated fresh coconut (I added 2 fistfuls of coconut.)
1/2 inch piece of ginger
1 spicy green chili 
2 tbsp. minced cilantro
3/4 tsp. salt or to taste

Water as needed (I added about 1/4 cup.)

1/4 tsp. ground pepper (I didn't use any.)

Oil to grease idli plates

Directions:

* Soak Bengal gram in water for a couple of hours or until dal can be broken when pressed between thumb and forefinger. Drain the water used to soak the Bengal gram. (One can soak the dal the previous night and refrigerate to use it in the morning.)

* Rinse the idli rava and squeeze out all the water completely. Add it to a bowl. 

* Pulse the coconut, ginger and green chili to a coarse paste. (This is optional. (Instead one can add shredded coconut, finely minced chili and grated ginger directly to the rava bowl.)

* Add the soaked Bengal gram, ground coconut mixture, grated pumpkin, salt, minced cilantro and 2 tbsp. water to the idli rava bowl and stir well to combine.

* Cover and let the mixture sit for about an hour. If in an hurry, it can be soaked for 30 - 40 minutes.

 

* Check the consistency of the batter after the resting period. Add 1 - 2 tbsp. of water if needed. The mixture should look thick but if you squeeze it, some water should come out of it.

* Heat water in a idli cooker / pressure cooker / steamer base on medium heat.

* Grease the idli plates and fill the moulds with the batter and press them with fingers to shape them. 

* Place the idli stand in the steamer and close the lid. Don't use the pressure valve if using pressure cooker.

* On low medium flame, steam for about 20 minutes or until when the surface of the idlis don't stick when touched with moist fingers. 

* Turn off the stove and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

* Run a sharp spoon around the edges of idlis and remove the idlis.

* Serve them warm with ghee if desired and coconut chutney.

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Kumror Chokka ~ Bengali Potato - Pumpkin Curry

Kumror chokka is a simple vegetarian side dish prepared braising chunks of sweet pumpkin and potatoes, with some black chickpeas thrown in. I had included this in my Bengali lunch thaali that I had posted a few months back. This 'no onion or garlic' dish is popular in Bengali households and used to be a fixture on wedding menus until a few decades ago. Panch phoran, the blend of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, nigella seeds and fennel seeds is used in tempering. The addition of bhaja masala, a local spice blend and ghee make the simply curry a flavorful one. This dish pairs well with luchi / rotis. 

Recipe source: Here

Ingredients:

A handful of black chickpeas, soaked overnight
1 big potato, peeled and cubed
1.5 to 2 cups cubed pumpkin
2 tsp. mustard oil or oil of your choice
1 tsp. panch phoran / Bengali five spices
1 red chili

1 bay leaf
A pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp. grated ginger / 1/2 tsp. ginger paste

Salt to taste

A pinch of turmeric powder

1/4 tsp. chili powder or to taste

1/4 - 1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. bhaja masala

2 tsp. ghee

Directions:

* Soak black chickpeas / kala chana overnight and drain the water in the morning. Pressure cook adding water for 3 whistles and keep aside.

* Heat oil in a pan / kadai and temper with five spices, red chili, green chili and bay leaf.
* Next add asafoetida and ginger. Stir for few seconds and add potatoes. Cook them on low flame until they are more than half way done. Next add pumpkin, salt, turmeric, chili powder and the cooked black chickpeas to the pan. There is no need to add any water to the pan. 

* Cover and continue cooking until both the vegetables are done, still holding the shape. Stir in sugar.
* Finally stir in bhaja masala and ghee and turn off the stove.

* Serve it warm with luchi / roti or parathas.

This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon with the theme 'Dry Side Dishes'. Check the link to find out what other marathoners are cooking.

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Mandyali Dham ~ Kaddu ka Khatta

 

Today's platter is a dham that is served in a thaali, after I failed disastrously to capture the iconic meal in leafy bowls and plates. A 'dham' is a traditional feast served in the state of Himachal Pradesh on festive occasions. The legend is that a Chamba king named Jaisthamba was fascinated by the idea of Kashmiri wazwan and ordered his cooks to prepare a vegetarian meal on similar lines to offer the Goddess. A menu thus created thirteen centuries ago slowly evolved into a 'dham'. As it was initially prepared in temples as prasad, the dham meal is completely 'satvik'. No onions, garlic, or tomatoes are used. The emphasis of cooking is mostly on pulses / legumes. Nowadays people have dhams planned for every auspicious occasion and gathering including weddings.

Winters are considered to be the best season to serve dhams according to this article which gave me sufficient info to plan for this dham. A traditional dham is always cooked by botis, brahmins who are hereditary chefs. The recipes are not handwritten and the secret recipes are passed down from generation to generation in the family. A dham preparation for a mid day meal begins the previous night. The food is cooked in a 6x2 feet trench using firewood. Thick copper and brass vessels with broad base and narrow openings are used to cook the dishes since metals are good conductors of heat and the narrow shape keeps the food warm foe longer period. The big iron kadai / woks are used to make the khattas. The guests sit on the floor in a line to eat which was originally meant to imbibe the feeling of equality among the local communities. The food is traditionally served in  biodegradable plates made with leaves.

The dhams cooked in each region of the state varies because of the diversity. Kangra dham, Mandyali dham, Chambyali dham and Bilaspuri dham are the famous ones among the lot. I chose to go with the Mandyali dham as my husband is somewhat attached to the place since his first job was in that picturesque town. Mandyali dham is known to follow the definition of a proper Ayurvedic diet. As per sage Sushrutha, a proper diet consists of six rasas, eaten in a particular order. One should start with sweet, followed by sour and salty food. Bitter and astringent food should be consumed at the end. 

Mandyali dhaam has six dishes served along with rice. 

1. Badaane ka meetha / Boondi ka meetha

Mandyali dhaam starts with a madhura rasa / sweet dish called boondi ka meetha or badaane ka meetha. Boondi or crisp, fried tiny balls of chickpea flour is cooked in sweet sugar syrup along with dry fruits. It is not shaped as laddu but the boondi is in a liquidy syrup and obviously I loved it.

2. Sepu badi

The second one in the dham would be madhura amla rasa - sweet and sour sepu badi, a dish made with fresh spinach leaves and badi. This is one of the dishes which takes a little extra time for the preparation if you are starting from the scratch as I did. For badis, black gram / urad dal need to be soaked, ground, shaped and then cooked in water. Then they are cut into cubes and fried. The badis thus prepared are cooked in a spicy gravy of spinach.  

3. Kaddu ka khatta

Next is the turn of kaddu ka khatta, a sour and sweet tasting pumpkin curry that makes up amla lavana rasa - sour and salty.

4. Kol ka khatta

The fourth one is kol ka khatta which is literally sour tasting and made from kol aka horse gram. It is sour in taste and but because of the addition of mustard powder tastes pungent.

5. Mah ki dal 

Mah ki dal which is (triktapradran - bitter dominant) black gram cooked with spices.

6. Jhol

The final one in the series is jhol which is an astringent, prepared with yogurt thinned with the addition of water and ground corn in a clay pot. The locals believe that food is not digested without drinking a cup of jhol.

I am posting the recipe for kaddu ka khatta below. As the name suggests this is a sweet and sour tasting curry which falls under my favorite realm. The curry is a simple and quick one though the list of ingredients is a lengthy one. This delicious side dish can be enjoyed with rice / rotis or pooris.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. mustard oil (I used olive oil.)
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. coriander seeds / sabut dhaniya, slightly crushed

1/8 tsp. fenugreek seeds (methi)
A pinch of black peppercorns (optional)
2 green chilies. sliced
A pinch of  asafoetida / hing
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
1 cup peeled and cubed pumpkin
Salt to taste
Chili powder to taste
1 heaped tsp. jaggery or to taste
1 - 2 tbsp. thick tamarind puree
1/2 cup water
1/4 tsp. carom seeds / ajwain
Cilantro / Coriander leaves to garnish

Directions:

* Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek and peppercorns if using. When cumin starts to brown add green chilies and sauté for  few seconds. 

* Add asafoetida, turmeric and pumpkin cubes. Sprinkle salt over the cubes, mix to combine and cover the pan with a lid. 

* Cook pumpkin on medium flame for about five minutes and check. If the pumpkin has softened, add the jaggery, tamarind and water. 

* Crush carom seeds slightly between palms and sprinkle over the curry. Mix well and taste. Add chili powder if and as needed. (I added about 1/4 tsp. chili powder.) Cook until the mixture slightly thickens and turn off the stove. Garnish with cilantro before serving.

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A - Z Karnataka Recipe Series ~ K for Kumbalakayi Idli

So far in my 'A - Z' Karnataka recipe series,
A - Akki Halbai
B - Biscuit Roti
C - Congress Kadalekayi
D - Davanagere Benne Dose
E - Ellu Pajji
F - Field Beans / Avarekalu Payasa
G - Girmit
H - Hitakida Avarekalu Huli
I - Iyengar Bakery Style Masala Toast
J - Jolada Vade

There are plenty of Indian pantry staples and fresh produce that start with 'K' sounding Kannada names. I chose to go with a recipe featuring 'kumbala kayi' aka pumpkin for my 'K' recipe. Kumbala kayi or pumpkin idli to be precise, which happens to be a traditional dish from the state. These are gluten-free idlis which are an instant version. It doesn't involve any grinding and fermenting process making it an easy and fuss free preparation.

Idli rava and grated pumpkin are the main ingredients used in the preparation here. One can keep it basic or make it a spicier version with the addition of other ingredients like coconut, chillies and cilantro. There is also a version prepared using jaggery that is obviously sweeter. These make a tasty and quick alternative to regular idlis and pair well with coconut or peanut chutney.

Ingredients: (Yield - 7 idli)
1 cup peeled and grated pumpkin
1/2 cup rice rava / idli rava
Salt to taste
1/2 cup water
A handful of grated fresh coconut
1 green chillie, finely chopped
2 tbsp. minced cilantro


Directions:
* Combine idli rava, grated pumpkin, salt and water in a mixing bowl and leave aside for about an hour.

* Add coconut, chillies and cilantro to the rava mixture. If one doesn't prefer to see chillies in the idlis then coconut and chilies can be coarsely ground and added to the mix.
 
 * Mix it well. Add a tbsp. or two of water if the mixture appears dry. However the mixture need not be of pouring consistency. 

* Heat water in a steamer / base of the idli stand or the base of a pressure cooker. 
* Grease idli plates and pour the mixture into the moulds.

* Place the idli stand in a steamer / pressure cooker filled with water. Close the lid and steam for about 20 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted at the center comes out clean. If using a pressure cooker, don't put the pressure valve on.
* Serve pumpkin idlis warm with coconut chutney / sambhar.

 
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Kaddu ki Subzi / Pumpkin Curry

Recently I had tried a couple of versions of pumpkin curry, north Indian style. This is one of those and comes from the Benaras region. And of course this is not the only way a pumpkin aka kaddu ki subzi is prepared locally. All you need to make this quick, easy and delicious curry is pumpkin and spices from your pantry. The original recipe used not so ripe pumpkin as mine was and also included some potatoes that I have omitted. The orange hued pumpkin lends a sweetness to the curry here which can be of course balanced adjusting the quantities of chili powder and dry mango powder to the desired level. This is a great accompaniment to go along with Benarasi kachori and aloo. Trust me, this trio, a signature breakfast of the region makes a lip smacking meal anytime.  

Recipe source: Here

Ingredients:

1 tsp. mustard oil / sarson ka tel

1 tsp. mustard seeds / rai

1 tsp. cumin seeds / jeera

A pinch of fenugreek seeds / methi ke daane

1/4 tsp. fennel seeds / saunf

1 tbsp. ginger / adrak paste

A pinch of asafoetida / hing

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder / haldi

2 cups pumpkin / kaddu cubes with the skin on (I peeled the skin.)

Salt / namak to taste 

Chili powder / mirchi to taste

1 cup water

2 tsp. dried mango powder / aamchoor or as needed

2 tbsp. cilantro / mint leaves (optional)

Directions:

* Heat oil in a kadai / pan and add mustard, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and fennel seeds. When mustard seeds start to splutter, add ginger, asafoetida and stir well. 

* Add turmeric and pumpkin cubes to the pan and stir for minute. Add salt, chili powder and water to the pan. Cover and cook until done on medium flame. If the curry is prepared without potatoes, the curry is done in no time. 

* Finally add dry mango powder and mash the curry a little, if needed. Add chopped mint or cilantro leaves, if desired to make it more flavorsome.

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Pumpkin Pie Overnight Oats

  
Remember the pumpkin pie pancakes I made from pumpkin pie? This pumpkin pie overnight oats is one more dish that I tried to finish off that left over pumpkin pie. And so, this one is not a pumpkin pie flavored oatmeal but literally uses the pumpkin pie. Alternatively, canned pumpkin pie filling or canned pumpkin puree + flavoring + sweetener can be used. 

This is a quick breakfast option as this is overnight oats recipe and flavor filled one for pumpkin pie lovers. For those wondering what I did with the remaining pie, I used the leftover filling to make some cupcakes and I broke the crust into pieces and baked them until crispy and used as a topping for some Indian chaat.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup to scant 1 cup milk
1/4 cup pumpkin pie filling from the pie
Roughly chopped pecans / walnuts to garnish 

Method:
* Mix the oats and milk in a bowl, cover and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
* Stir in the pumpkin pie filling and the walnuts before serving. 
 
This post goes to Blogging marathon #76 and check out the page to read what ot marathoners are cooking.

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A - Z Andhra Recipes ~ Y for Yerra Gummadikaaya Pulusu

I am doing 'Andhra Vegetarian Recipes' series this month, going in an alphabetical order, as part of the April mega marathon of our blogging marathon group. This month's challenge was called 'Journey through the Cuisines' and the recipe names were supposed to be in the regional language. Owing to the difficulty of finding recipes with regional names for certain alphabets, it was decided that we could use an exemption clause for any three alphabets of our choice and could go with English names instead. I had decided at the beginning that I would use that exemption card for the last three alphabets and so, I had cooked 'yard long beans' Andhra style curry, for today's post.

I started cooking recipes for this month series, going in a reverse order and so this week's dishes were cooked first. The problem with me is that when I cook dishes in advance, I start having second thoughts about my clicks or the recipes I choose. I always end up cooking other dishes and this marathon, I had cooked 2 to 3 dishes for many alphabets. The same happened with my initial recipe choice for today's post. I knew that the curry I was planning to post is prepared in a neighboring state as well making it not unique to the region. Besides, I wanted to see if I overlooked any vegetables that would fit my 'Y' criteria today. After giving the matter a little thought, I realized that I indeed forgot about one.
  
It was erra gummadi which happens to be pumpkin in English. I had noticed earlier, many bloggers referring to it as yerra gummadi as well and so, I had my 'Y' ingredient to work on. The reason I overlooked it in the first place is because it is never referred as so in our homes. Both ash-gourd / winter melon and pumpkin are called gummadikaya in Telugu, though with different tags. The ash gourd is called 'boodidha gummadi' where the word 'boodidha' literally means 'ash' in Telugu. Whereas pumpkin is referred to as 'theepi gummadi' (the sweet one) or 'manchi gummadi' in our homes. It seems that the same pumpkin is referred to as 'erra gummadi (also spelled as 'yerra gummadi') in some of the regions though I don't know where. It literally means the red colored one and even my mother didn't know it was called so. She was wondering why you call a fruit red one when it is of orange hue. However I noticed during this marathon that the pumpkin has the red tag in other Indian regional languages as well. And after, I realized that the word 'erra' can  be also written as 'yerra', I had other options as well to go with for my "Y' post today but I decided to stick with this yerra gummadi.

Now the next step was to decide what to prepare with it. I had already blogged about halwa and so that choice was ruled out. I had the option of preparing a koora / curry or a pulusu / stew using the pumpkin. My mother prepares curry using ash gourd but not the pumpkin. Besides, I wasn't even sure whether my husband could stand the sweet flavor in a curry and so I went with the latter choice. I prepared two versions, one using lentils and one without. The version I am posting today is without lentils and is called theeya pulusu in our homes. It is served with mudda pappu / cooked lentils in our homes, when a thinner version is made. My version today is thicker and can be served alone with rice and ghee. The pumpkin in the recipe can be replaced with green mango, sweet potato, bitter gourd, cucumber, eggplants, okra or even plain onions. This pulusu is prepared on the same lines as the wadiyala pulusu I posted earlier.
 
A pulusu is a stew from Andhra that can be prepared using lentils or without lentils. In coastal areas, a lentil and vegetable based pulusu (pappu pulusu) is one of the main dishes prepared on a daily basis in place of sambhar. It doesn't include any addition of spice paste or powders and would be a melange of balanced flavors. This is what I grew up eating and even now if I have a choice, my vote goes to pulusu among the Indian legume varieties. I wasn't used to spicy concoctions and had a really hard time adjusting to sambhar version after my marriage. When preparing a pulusu without lentils, we usually call it otti pulusu (otti means nothing and used here in reference to the absence of lentils) or theeya pulusu (sweet one) or even neella pulusu (watery stew). Theeya pulusu is prepared on death anniversaries too in some brahmin households, like my husband's for instance. However I keep the lentil less versions on a thicker side.

Whether a pulusu is prepared using lentils or without, the sweet, spicy and tangy flavors should be balanced. It may take a little experience to prepare a stew with perfectly balanced flavors. And it is hard to give perfect measurements / teach the balance through a recipe, since no two tamarind / jaggery taste the same. One can taste while preparing the stew and can adjust the seasonings as needed. I am used to this version of pulusu and kind of mastered it and my husband when bored of other dishes, asks me to prepare a pulusu.
 
Ingredients: (Yield 3 servings)
1 cup peeled and cubed pumpkin pieces
2 tsp. oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
A sprig of curry leaves
2 pinches of asafoetida
1/8 tsp. turmeric powder
2 tbsp. chickpea flour / senaga pindi *
1&1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp. chili powder
Salt to taste
3 tbsp. tamarind juice
1 to 2 tbsp sugar / jaggery (I used 2 gm / 3/4 tsp. Splenda)
( * or a paste made with 2 tbsp. rice flour and water can be used.)

Method: 
* Soak about a big lemon sized tamarind in water until it softens or nuke the tamarind and water in a microwave for 3 minutes. Squeeze the pulp and extract thick juice.
* Cook the pumpkin pieces with little water in a microwave, without turning them mushy.
* Add chickpea flour / rice flour and a few tbsp. of water to a small cup and make a smooth paste. I added 2 tbsp. of toasted chickpea flour instead. Rice flour or chickpea flour is used to thicken the stew here since lentils are not used.
* Heat 2 tsp. oil in a sauté pan and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. When mustard seeds start to pop, add curry leaves, asafoetida and turmeric. (If pumpkin pieces are not cooked in the microwave before, they can be added along with the water now and cooked until done.)
* Next add the cooked pumpkin pieces along with the water used to cook them, tamarind juice, jaggery, chili powder, salt, chickpea flour (or rice flour paste) and about 1&1/2 cups of water to the pan. 
* Mix everything with a ladle and check the consistency. It thickens while cooking and the final pulusu should be of pourable consistency like sambhar. Add extra water if necessary and bring the mixture to a boil. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed. There must be a balance between the dominant flavors of the dish.
* Lower the heat and simmer for a couple of minutes more. 
* Serve with rice and ghee, as part of a Andhra meal.

So far on my 'A - Z' Andhra Cuisine,
A for Alasanda Vada
B for Bellam Garelu
C for Chiyali
D for Dondakaaya Kaarapu Kaaya
E for Endu Kobbari Podi
F for Fine Biscuits 
G for Gongura - Mamidikaya Pappu
H for Halwa Holigalu
I for Idli Karam Podi
J for Janthikalu
K for Kobbari Koora
L for Lauzu
M for Matikkaaya Kaaram Koora
N for Nimmakaaya Kaaram
O for Ottotti
P for Perugu Vadalu  
Q for Qubani ka Meetha 
R for Ragi Sangati
S for Satyanarayana Vrata Prasadam
T for Theepi Dibba Rotte
U for Usirikaaya Pulihora 
V for Vankaya Kothimira Karam Koora 
W for Wadiyala Pulusu
X for Xtra Spicy Hot Andhra Aavakaaya

Check out the >Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 63.
 

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Panch Phoron Taarkari

Indian State: Tripura
Capital City: Agartala
Official languages: Kokborok & Bengali
Dominant ethnic groups: Bengali, Manipuris, Tripuris, Jamatia and others
Chief crop: Rice
Name: The name "Tripura" have variants like Twipra, Tuipura and Tippera. One of the suggestions is that the name "Tripura" may have come from two Kokborok words - "Tui" and "Pra" which mean water and near respectively, referring to the boundaries of the region that were once extended to the Bay of Bengal.

I found an interesting link here about northeast Indian tribes, while searching online for the region's cooking. Check it out if you are interested.

Now lets move to the last northeast Indian state left in this marathon, the state of Tripura. My assumption that Northeastern Indian cuisine is relatively unknown among other Indian regions got strengthened when I went scouring for recipes online and in Indian cookbooks. Surprisingly, there are not many bloggers who are native to the region that can share authentic local cuisine, especially the vegetarian stuff. I already knew that the people from the region are predominantly non vegetarian but my notion that vegetarianism and non-vegetarianism go hand in hand in most of the Indian states was proved wrong as I kept learning more and more about their cuisine for this marathon. It was shocking to note that the native tribes of most of the regions consume anything that once walked, crawled or flew. As the rest of the Indian states use spices in their dishes, their recipes tend to add fish / meat in even vegetarian dishes. 
Keeping that aside, the vegetables and the ingredients used in their cooking are pretty much available only locally. For some states, I could only get the names of the dishes rather than the recipes itself . They all seemed so alien and it was hard to guess what went into them. And so even though I am not a great planner when it comes to these cooking marathons, I searched for recipes and finished cooking for 5 of the northeastern states well in advance and bookmarked for the rest. 
This panch phoron taarkari - a simple and tasty vegetable preparation using the panch phoron mix was one of them. Taarkari means vegetables and panch phoron mix being a whole spice blend using five ingredients - mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, cumin seeds and nigella seeds. The mix is typically used in east Indian cuisine and since ethnic majority of Tripura happens to be Bengalis, I thought this dish would be more suited to Tripura post. Even though it sounds cliched, I must admit that I had zero expectations when I cooked this but surprisingly it turned out very yummy. I liked manipuri khichdi and this curry the most among the northeast Indian cooking I have tried during this marathon. 
  
Ingredients:
1 - 2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds (rai)
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
1/2 tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
1/2 tsp nigella seeds (kalonji)
2 dry red chillies, broken into bits
2 bay leaves
2 green chillies, chopped
1 cup peeled and cubed pumpkin 
2 potatoes - peeled and cubed
1 brinjal - cubed
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp sugar
Salt to taste
2 tbsp milk

Method:
* Heat oil in pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, bay leaves and red chillies. When the mustard seeds start to pop, add green chillies and saute for about 20 seconds.
* Next add the vegetables, sugar, salt and turmeric to the pan and mix thoroughly with a spatula.
* The recipe said to add enough water and milk at this stage to cook the vegetables but I didn't find the need to add any. I cooked the vegetables in a non stick pan, covered it and found the oil I added was enough to cook the vegetables. I added the milk at the end.
* Simmer until the vegetables are done and the water/milk is absorbed.  
* Serve it with rice / rotis.

Check here to know what other marathoners are cooking.

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Dalma

After trying out more than a dozen deep frying / sugar laden recipes in the marathon so far, I thought it was time for some simple comfort food. And so it is dalma for today, which happens to be a popular, vegetarian home-style dal. It comes from the state of Odisha formerly known as Orissa, from the eastern coast of India. This dal was completely different to the ones I have grown up eating. The sweet-sour Andhra style pulusu or the spicy sambhar that uses tamarind or the north Indian style dals - This was none of those. It uses ginger - cumin and the panch phutana tadka that happens to be the signature seasoning of the east Indian cooking. The recipe uses no kind of souring agent, surprisingly and so I was missing the tang I naturally associate with the dals. Otherwise the dal was worth trying. 

Recipe source: Here
Ingredients: 3/4 cup toor dal / pigeon peas
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 cups mixed vegetables (Brinjal , green papaya, raw plantain, potato and pumpkin - Peel all veggies except brinjal and cut into medium sized pieces.)
1 tsp minced ginger
Red chili powder to taste
Salt to taste
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp shredded fresh coconut
Coriander leaves to garnish
Ingredients for tadka:
1 tsp ghee / oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds / rai
1/2 tsp black cumin / kala jeera
1/2 tsp fennel seeds / saunf
1/2 tsp cumin seeds / jeera
1/2 tsp fenugreek seed / methi ke dana

Method:
* Cook toor dal adding turmeric, ginger, vegetables and about 1.5 cups water if using a pressure cooker. If not using the pressure cooker and cooking toor dal in a sauce pan, add extra water as needed until the dal is cooked soft.
* If you think the vegetables may turn mushy in the pressure cooker, they can be cooked separately on stove top or in a microwave. 
* Dry roast 1 tsp cumin seeds and a red chili in a pan. Cool and grind them fine.
* In another pan, heat oil and add red chillis and the tadka ingredients. When the mustard seeds start to splutter, turn off the stove.
* Add the above tadka, salt, sugar to the dal and stir well. 
* Sprinkle cumin and chilli powders. Garnish it with coriander leaves and coconut. Serve with rice.

Check here to know what other marathoners are cooking.

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