Homemade, Sun-dried Potato Chips

Like most of the Indian women, my mother used to prepare (& still does) different kinds of vadiyalu (papads, loosely translated), sun dried chillies, potato chips during the hot summer months. Our Kitchen's top shelf used to carry these sun dried items stored in big containers. My mother fried them whenever we felt like snacking on them or to perk up our meal. We kids always enjoyed the process of making them from the scratch with our mother and so, I thought of sharing the experience and of course, some home made goodies :) with the little ones. This month luckily I had a couple of weeks of warmer weather here in Chicago and made use of it to a good extent. I am planning to share some of them here and the first in the series is going to be potato chips. I know that every super market has a dedicated aisle for potato chips with all different kind of flavors but I thought of preparing some of my own for fun. This is my mother's method of doing potato chips. It is quite simple and takes less than 30 minutes excluding the drying time. What you need: Potatoes as many as you need Salt A potato slicer & gorgeous Summer sunshine :) How to make the chips: Wash and scrub the potatoes well. (Peel the potatoes if it is hard to get rid of the dirt.) Slice the potatoes into thin circles using a slicer. (Don't go too thin.) Mean while, boil water with a little salt (Use like a 1/2 tsp salt for 10 potatoes). The water quantity should be such that when you drop potato slices in it, they should submerge in the water. When the water comes to a rolling boil, turn off the heat and set the water container aside. Add the potato slices to it and cover it for about ten minutes. Then drain all the water. Spread the potato slices on a plastic sheet in the sun. Arrange them in such a way that they are not crowded. Get them inside in the evening and put them outside in the sun again the next morning. Repeat the process till the chips are completely dry. If you have a temperature of 80 - 90 deg F outside, they would be dry in 2 -3 days. After they dry completely, store them in an air tight container. They would stay fresh for at least an year and need no refrigeration. How to cook them: Take 1/4 tsp each of salt and chili powder and mix well. Keep the mixture aside. Heat oil in a small pan. Add a few dried chips into the oil taking care not to overcrowd it. Fry the chips, remove and immediately drain on paper towels. It would take only a few seconds for the chips to get fried. Sprinkle the salt-chili powder mixture on the fried chips. Post a comment

Palakoora - Mamidikaya Pappu

Translated from Telugu,
Palakoora - Spinach, Mamidikaya - Green Mango, Pappu - Dal, A lentil preparation from Andhra



If this would have been my MIL's blog, this would be her first post with out a doubt. Her adoration and jubilation towards the sour, green mango is unparalleled and was more than evident when she cooked during summers for us. Since mangoes are seasonal and appear during summers in India, our meals during th(os)e hot days certainly included green mango in one form or another (almost every day). It would be a pachadi, a pickle like avakaya, pulusu, mamidikaya pappu or (the most important one, which my MIL absolutely loves) pappu cooked with leafy greens like chukkakoora or thotakoora (amaranth). Though my MIL no longer cooks and I haven't eaten her food in a decade, the taste still lingers in my mouth when ever I think about this dish.
My assumption is that combining greens with green mango is common throughout the Andhra state since my MIL from Rayalaseema region did it and my maternal grand mother from the Kostha (Coastal Andhra) also used to cook the same way. Greens and mango each contribute their own flavors to the dal, making it one of the fabulous tasting dals from the region.
I have used spinach instead of my MIL's favorite chukkakoora as this is easily accessible to me

Ingredients needed:
1 cup toordal
1 small unripe, green mango or (about a cup of green mango cubes)
A bunch of spinach leaves (If using frozen, use about 5 Oz spinach)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
Salt as needed
2 tsp chili powder
3 Tbsp tamarind juice **
For seasoning - 2 tsp oil, 1 tsp each mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, asafoetida powder
**Soak about a lemon sized tamarind in water or nuke it in a microwave (of course, with half a cup of water added) for about a couple of minutes. Squeeze the tamarind using your fingers or passing through a sieve. Discard the seeds and fibre. Use the thick puree extracted as required and save the rest for later use.
If using the ready made tamarind paste, the quantity mentioned above varies.
How:
Prep work : Wash the spinach leaves and chop them roughly. Peel the mango and chop them into cubes.Wash the toordal and throw away the cloudy water.
Cooking: Cook toordal along with spinach, mango cubes and turmeric powder adding about 2 cups water in a pressure cooker.
When the valve pressure is gone, remove the cooked dal. Add salt, chili powder and tamarind juice. Stir well and let it simmer for about five minutes.
Do the tadka/seasoning in a small saute pan. Heat oil and add the rest of the tadka ingredients. When the mustard seeds starts popping and the cumin turns brownish, turn off the heat and add them to the dal and mix well.
Serve hot with rice and a spoon of ghee for a fabulous, Andhra style meal. We had a hearty meal with tindora chutney, rasam & yogurt along with the dal.


Note: Use unripe, green mango and also the sourest kind you can find. Green mango gone ripe with a sweet taste doesn't work for this dal. Also the quantity of the tamarind used in the recipe depends upon the sourness of the mango used.

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Tindora Chutney / Dondakaya Pachadi (దొండకాయ పచ్చడి)

Andhra style chutneys, especially vegetable based ones are a norm in my kitchen. I prepare them regularly and to avoid the monotony, I keep trying different varieties. Tindora chutney is one of them, learnt from my mother. This tindora chutney perks up any boring meal and would entice all tindora lovers. If you haven't liked tindora before, try this chutney and I am sure you will fall in love with this gourd immediately. Though basically eaten with rice, this chutney would taste fabulous even with rotis and other breakfast items like dosas, upma etc. Tindora = ivy gourd/small gourd Ingredients: Tindora slices - 1 &1/2 cup (wash the tindora, trim the edges and slice crosswise into thin circles of about 1/4 cms thickness) Red Chillies - 8 (use a couple more, if more spiciness is preferred) Salt as needed 2 Tbsp tamarind puree ** For tadka - 4 tsp canola / peanut oil, 1 Tbsp Urad dal, 1 tsp mustard seeds, a pinch of fenugreek seeds, asafoetida & turmeric powder each. ** Soak about a lemon sized tamarind in water or nuke it in a microwave (of course, with half a cup of water added) for about a couple of minutes. Squeeze the tamarind using your fingers or passing through a sieve. Discard the seeds and fibre. Use the thick puree extracted as required and save the rest for later use. If using the ready made tamarind paste, the quantity mentioned above varies. The cooking part: Heat oil in a saute pan and add uraddal and mustard seeds to it. When the mustard seeds start to pop and urad dal starts turning reddish, add the fenugreek seeds, chillies, asafoetida and turmeric powder. When the fenugreek seeds also turn red, add tindora slices and stir all the ingredients of the pan once. Lower the heat, cover the lid and cook tindora till done / soften. Stir the ingredients in between. Turn off the heat and let the tindora cool. Grind the tindora coarsely adding tamarind and salt in a blender. Serve with hot rice and a little ghee. Comments

Loving Legumes ~~ Moong Beans With Veggies

In our family, Pushpa (M's SIL) prepares a lot of delicious moong dishes, which I have always enjoyed. I already posted her Moong bean khichdi. She prepares a couple of subzis with it, which I have devoured enjoying till the last bit. One version is drier while this one has equal amount of vegetables with moong. The moong is almost creamier and attains a melt in your mouth texture by the end in this dish. Serve this with a stack of rotis and some cooling yogurt / buttermilk for a hearty, healthy meal.

Ingredients required to serve generously at least six people:
1/2 cup green gram (moong beans/పెసలు)
Vegetables -1 carrot, 1 potato, 2 medium sized tomatoes, 2 medium sized onions, 10 - 15 green beans
4 -5 Serrano peppers - stems removed (or any other variety chillies can be used as needed)
A piece of ginger - 1inch by 1inch sized
1 tsp cumin and coriander powder
1.5 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin seeds and mustard seeds each
About 2 Tbsp canola oil

The work:
Rinse the moong beans well and throw away the water used. Soak moong beans in plenty of water overnight or at least for 4 hours. later, throw away the water used to soak.
Peel carrot and potato and chop into cubes. Trim the ends of the green beans and cut into 1&1/2 inch lengths.
Place the moong beans, carrot, potato and green beans in a pressure cooker and add water as needed. Cook till you hear three whistles. In the absence of a pressure cooker, add all the ingredients with water to a pot and cook till the moong bean is cooked well enough while still holding it's shape.
In the mean while, peel the skins of the onion and ginger. Place the onions, tomatoes, ginger and chillies in a blender and grind into a fine paste. Use 1/4 c of water if needed.
Heat oil in a saute pan (non stick is the best) and add cumin and mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to pop and cumin seeds turn brownish, add the ground paste and turmeric powder to it. Cover the pan and keep frying the paste on low to medium flame for about 10 - 15 minutes till all the raw smell of onion - chillie disappears.
The valve pressure of the cooker would have subsided by this time. Add the cooked moong - veggies to the saute pan. Reserve the liquid used to cook them.
Stir in the cumin-coriander powder and salt. If the mixture appears thick, a little quantity of reserved water can be added.
Mix well and cook on slow flame for a couple of minutes till all the flavors are mingled.
Squeeze half a lemon, if preferred.

Any Comments?

Lime Sevai and Some Laughter

Lime sevai is a quick and light dish fit for any meal of the day. The following ingredients serve about 3 -4 people.

 

Ingredients required :
Rice Vermicelli / Sevai - about 5 OZ / 150 gms
Juice from 2 small limes (lemon juice can be substituted)
For tadka -
2 Tbsp oil, 1 Tbsp peanuts, 1 tsp chanadal & mustard seeds each, few curry leaves, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder, 5 Red chillies broken into little bits (green chillies can be substituted but the quantity depends upon the heat preferred)
1 tsp salt
About a Tbsp of finely chopped cilantro leaves (optional)

The cooking part:
Heat about a quart / 4 cups of water in a sauce pan. (Water quantity should be more than required to cook the sevai). Break the sevai into bits. Or skip this step and do it after it is cooked. When the water starts to boil, add the sevai and cook it till it is done. (It took me about three minutes to cook the above mentioned quantity). It is very easy to overcook the sevai and ruin the dish. Paying close attention while cooking sevai is recommended. Immediately drain the sevai (or the sevai keeps cooking) and keep aside. Now heat oil in a pan and add the peanuts, chanadal and mustard seeds. When the peanuts and chanadal turn reddish, add red chillies, curry leaves and turmeric powder. Stir once and turn off the stove. Then add the drained sevai, salt and cilantro. Mix well. (If not done initially, the long strands of sevai can be broken with a spatula while stirring). Serve hot.

And now for the laughter part - recently M's nephew forwarded this mail -'Murder of English'. Some of these are hilarious and I thought of sharing them. If you haven't heard them before, enjoy. Since English is not the primary language spoken at homes across India and people come from different backgrounds, such funny incidents do happen. BTW, the following incidents are said to be true ones. Once again, this is just for fun and not to judge / ridicule anyone.

Some leave applications:
1. 'Since I have to go to my village to sell my land along with my wife, please sanction me one -week leave'.
2. 'As my mother-in-law has expired and I am only one responsible for it, please grant me 10 days leave'.
3. Leave letter from an employee who was performing the 'mundan' ceremony of his 10 year old son - 'As I want to shave my son's head, please leave me for two days'.
4. Leave letter from an employee who was performing his daughter's wedding - 'As I am marrying my daughter, please grant a week's leave'.
5. Another employee applying for half day leave - 'Since I 've to go to the cremation ground at 10'o clock and I may not return, please grant me half day casual leave'.
6. 'I am suffering from fever, please declare one day holiday'.
7. 'My wife is suffering from sickness and as I am her only husband at home, I may be granted leave'.

Leave letters to the head master:
8. 'As I am studying in this school, I am suffering from headache. I request you to leave me today'.
9. 'As my head ache is paining, please grant me leave for the day'.

Covering notes:
10. 'I am enclosed herewith...'
11. 'Dear sir,: with reference to the above, please refer to my below.'

Letter writing:
12. 'I am well here and hope you are also in the same well'.

A candidate's job application:
'13. This has reference to your advertisement calling for a 'Typist and an Accountant - Male or Female".. As I am both (!!) for the past several years and I can handle both with good experience, I am applying for the post. :) :) :)

I thought 13th one was the best.

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Chayote Payasam / Seema Vankaya Payasam

 

Source: My own, inspired by sorakaya payasam.
Chayote payasam was an experiment on M's birthday which turned into a delectable experience. When I prepared sorakaya payasam for the first time, the idea of substituting chayote in the recipe struck. I knew it would work since chayote has a delicate sweet flavor and I was not wrong. At last, I could make this last month and it was a hit among our guests. As M's nephew mentioned, it was very unique and a special treat though the preparation was quite simple and quick.

Ingredients required:
1 Small chayote (or 1 cup of grated chayote)
Sugar as needed
2-3 cups of whole milk 10 oz evaporated milk (or add one more cup of milk)
a pinch of cardamom powder
2 Tbsp ghee
1 Tbsp of raisins and cashews

The cooking part:
Peel and quarter the chayote, remove the center core and grate it. Fry the grated chayote using a Tbsp of ghee for about five minutes on low - medium heat. Add the milk and cook the chayote till it is done. Keep stirring in between. Then goes in the evaporated milk, sugar and cardamom powder. Cook till all the sugar is melted and turn off the stove. In another small pan, heat a tbsp of ghee and add cashews and raisins to it. When cashews turn slightly brown and raisins become plump, remove the pan from heat and add the contents of the pan to the cooked chayote payasam. Tastes good warm or cold. 

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Methi Chole

 

Methi Chole = a protein packed, mouth watering side dish. Give it a try, if you haven't already. When I came across this recipe thru other blogs, I had to try it because of my methi - love. I am glad that I did. It seems to be a Rajasthani dish. Though I am not sure, I am assuming a Marwari connection because of the absence of onion & garlic and usage of ghee in the recipe. Of course, I have tweaked the recipe to suit my taste buds.  

Ingredients:  
1 cup Kabuli chana / garbanzo beans 
1 bunch of methi leaves / fenugreek greens - leaves plucked and chopped roughly 
One each: tomato & onion - chopped 
2 tbsp. besan / chick pea powder  
1 tsp chili powder 
1 & 1/2 tsp salt 
1 tsp chana masala powder 
1/4 tsp turmeric powder 
For tadka /popu: 
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
 a little asafoetida (hing)  

The 'how' part:  
* Soak the chana overnight and cook it with enough water in a pressure cooker.  
* Heat oil in a wok/saute pan and add cumin seeds. When they start to sizzle and turn brown, add asafoetda and turmeric powder. Then add onion and fry till it turns translucent. 
* Next add tomato and saute for a couple of minutes. Then add methi leaves. Keep frying till the tomato turns mushy.  
* Unlike other chole recipes, the besan (not the ground chole) takes care of the gravy part in this version. Add 3-4 Tbsp of water to the besan and make a paste. Pass this through a sieve and add it to the veggies. 
* Then add the cooked chana, chili powder, salt, chana masala powder and a cup of water. Let it simmer for about ten minutes and turn off the stove.  
* Serve warm with rotis. Post a Comment

Happy Ugadi

Virodhi nama samvathsaraadi subhakankshalu. Post a comment

Kala Chana Sprouts Salad

• A tadka of mustard seeds, chanadal, curry leaves and red & green chillies.
• Addition of a cup of kala chana sprouts, a finely chopped tomato & onion each, a grated carrot and salt to taste.
• Mixing & sauteing the ingredients for a couple of minutes.
• Adding a tbs of lemon juice or accordingly.

These simple steps would result in a protein rich snack / meal.

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Methi Thepla With Cucumber Raita

Though the smell of the thepla dough reminds me of the face pack (besan+yogurt+turmeric) I ocassionaly use, The theplas are nothing to complain about. They are ideal to take on picnics or long journeys. These rotis from the state of Gujarat are softer than the usual ones. The yogurt content keeps them softer for longer periods unlike the rotis prepared with the flour available here. That's enough reason to try them out if you haven't done so. They can be served with a spicy pickle and some yogurt. 



Ingredients to make 15 methi theplas:
A small bunch of methi leaves / fenugreek greens (or about 3 cups of leaves)
 3 cups atta* + some for dusting
1/2 cup besan / chickpea flour
Scant 1.5 cup yogurt
1/2 tsp each - chilipowder, cumin seeds, salt
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 Tbsp ghee / oil (optional)
Oil to fry
(* Wheat flour used to make rotis, usually available in Indian grocery stores.)

Method:
Pinch the methi leaves and discard the stalks. Wash and roughly chop the leaves. Combine all the ingredients except the yogurt & the oil (used to fry) in a bowl and mix well. Add the yogurt gradually as you make the dough. The dough should be soft but easy to roll into a ball. Cover and set aside for about 30 minutes. Divide the dough into 15 balls or make lemon sized balls. Coat them with flour and press slightly to flatten them. Roll each into a thin circle of about 5 inches diameter, flouring the board as necessary. Heat a tava (cast iron, flat griddle) or a shallow frying pan over medium heat. Place the rolled thepla on the pan and cook until the surface appears bubbly. Turn around and add 1/2 tsp oil around the edges and the surface. Press the edges down with a spatula to cook evenly. As soon as the brown spots appear, the thepla is done. Repeat the process. For a detalied pictorial presentation of how to make rotis, look here. 



Cucumber raita:
I served these methi theplas with cucumber raita which can be prepared in a jiffy.This refreshing, cool cucumber raita is simple to make and can be a nice accompaniment to any meal. Raita recipe: Whisk about 2 cups of yogurt slightly. Grate a peeled & deseeded small cucumber. Add about 1/2 cup of grated cucumber, a tsp each of salt and cumin powder to the yogurt and stir well. Use it immediately or refrigerate until used. 



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