Tzatziki

Tzatziki, pronounced zat-zee-key is one of the classic sauces from the Greek cuisine. This yogurt based sauce is often served with gyro sandwiches and it is creamy, delicious and flavorful. It can be served as a dip or as a sauce with grilled meats. It is another thing that I can just polish off a bowl of cool, creamy tzatziki with out needing to find something to dip in. Usually Greek yogurt is used to prepare tzatziki but in the absence of it, strained full fat yogurt can be substituted. 

Ingredients:
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 garlic clove chopped
1 small cucumber
Salt to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper corns to taste
1 tbsp. chopped fresh dill leaves (Mint / parsley may be substituted.)

Method:
* Follow this step only if using full fat yogurt. Line a colander with multiple folds of cheese cloth or  a thin cotton cloth and drain full fat yogurt in it for about 2 - 3 hours or until the desired consistency is reached. Place the colander in the refrigerator while draining the yogurt.
* Peel and remove the seeds from the cucumber. Chop fine or grate the cucumber and sprinkle salt over it. Leave the mixture in the colander for about 30 minutes or so to drain the water. If the cucumbers are cubed, pat with paper towels to remove any extra moisture. In case the cucumber was grated, just squeeze out any extra water using hands. 
* Add cucumber, garlic, lemon juice and chopped dill to a food processor and blend. Add this mixture and ground pepper to the yogurt and mix well. Taste and add salt if needed and stir well to combine.
* Allow it to rest for sometime before serving so that flavors can develop.
* If not using immediately, refrigerate the tzatziki. It can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 -3 days.

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Strawberry Vinaigrette

This post has been long due considering my husband's affinity towards vinaigrette dressings. Especially the raspberry vinaigrette that he absolutely loves, has inspired me to try this vinaigrette albeit with another berry as I had only those stowed away in my freezer.

According to wiki, the word 'vinaigrette' is the diminutive form of a French word meaning vinegar and was commonly known as French dressing during the 19th century. It is used as a salad dressing or cold sauce in classic French cuisine but commonly used as a marinade too. In general, a vinaigrette consists of  3 parts of oil to 1 part of vinegar whisked into an emulsion. Salt and pepper are the common additions while herbs / shallots go into when used as a sauce for cooked vegetables, grains and the like. 

I see my husband frequently preparing vinaigrette at home for his salads though my attention never has gone towards the preparation and it has never occurred to me to blog about it. When it is time for condiments this week, I thought of giving him a surprise with this strawberry based one besides having a post ready for this week's BM. This is one of the simplest and delicious vinaigrette that goes well as a dressing for a green salad. It was so yummy that I could have drank it straight out of the blender jar instead of using it as a dressing.

Ingredients: (Yield 1 cup vinaigrette)
8 oz. frozen / fresh prepared strawberries or about 10 large sized ones (I used frozen berries.)
2 - 3 tbsp. olive oil 
2 tbsp. cider vinegar
2 tbsp. honey
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste (I used about 1/8 tsp. crushed pepper.)

Method:
* Just whiz everything in a blender and use as needed.
* Refrigerate until use, if not using immediately.

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Mango Salsa

The word salsa though conjures up an image of a tomato based one, there are varieties of salsa that do not use tomato. The word 'salsa' is the Spanish term for 'sauce' which in turn comes from Latin meaning salty. One of the non-tomato based salsa happens to be this spicy, sweet mango salsa that goes well with nachos, burritos, burgers to name a few. This interesting salsa is a perfect addition for summer gatherings when you find ripe mangoes in abundance. This vibrant colored salsa is also used as a garnish on grilled fish / chicken according to wiki. Chose ripe but yet firm mangoes to prepare this salsa.

Ingredients:
1 cup peeled and cubed ripe mango
2 tbsp. finely chopped red onion
1/2 or 1 jalapeno chile, finely minced (Adjust according to the spice level preferred.)
2 tbsp. finely minced cilantro
1 to 2 tbsp. lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste 

Method:
* Combine mango cubes, onion, chile and cilantro in a bowl.
* Sprinkle salt and pepper and squeeze lemon / lime juice into the bowl. Toss the bowl to combine.
* Adjust the seasonings if needed and chill for few minutes before serving.

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Sri Lankan Curry Powder

Event: Blogging Marathon #56
Theme: Condiments
My choice: Sri Lanka

I prepared this curry powder when I made the Sri Lankan curry. This is one flavorful, aromatic spice blend from Sri Lanka that gets used in both vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes there. It is on the lines of Indian garam masala and obviously we loved it when I used it in the Sri Lankan curry that I posted a couple of weeks ago. Apart from curries, I am seeing it's potential in jazzing up rice dishes as well.

Ingredients:
1 tbsp. rice
2 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1/2 tsp. black pepper corns
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds

2 cardamom pods
3 dried red chilli
3 inch cinnamon stick
10 curry leaves
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder

Method:
* Dry roast the rice until it turns golden in color and transfer on to a plate.
* Dry roast all the other ingredients individually except turmeric until fragrant or until they change one or two shades darker. Roast on low flame and stick around since the spices burn quickly. If any of the spices is burnt while roasting, discard them and start with the fresh ones.
* Let them cool and grind all the ingredients together into a fine powder.
* Store the spice powder in airtight container and use as needed. 

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Chettinad Chutney

 
Event: Blogging Marathon #56
Theme: Condiments
My choice: India

We are into third week of BM #56 after 'Combo dishes' and 'Indian States' themed weeks. And the dishes that are going to be showcased this week are condiments. According to wiki, A condiment is a spice / sauce or any food preparation that is added to food to impart or enhance the flavor or to compliment the dish. The word 'condiment' comes from the Latin word 'condimentum' meaning "spice, seasoning,sauce" and from Latin 'condere' meaning "preserve, pickle, season".

When one thinks about a condiment from an Indian perspective, the first thing that would come to mind is a chutney. It is a dish that compliments most of the Indian style breakfast dishes or goes along with the main course playing a flavorful part. And it is not an exaggeration if I say that chutneys are made in millions of homes across India on a daily basis. Obviously I am posting a chutney recipe today though I did not realize that it fit the 'condiment' category until I made a list of dishes that I prepared for BM and categorized them. I prepared it to go along with kal dosai and we were bowled over by the delicious spongy dosa - chutney combo.  This chutney is so flavorful that it has become a regular feature in my kitchen recently. I doubled the recipe when I prepared it but giving the measurements as in the original recipe.

Recipe Source: Veena
Ingredients:
2 onions - peeled and thinly sliced
1 tomato - chopped
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. oil
2 to 3 dried red chillies
2 tbsp. shredded fresh coconut
1 tsp. roasted split chickpeas / chutney dal
Salt to taste
1 tsp. mustard seeds

Method:
* Heat a tbsp. oil and add red chillies. Fry for few seconds and then add onion. Cook on low flame until the onion slices turn translucent. If in a hurry, the onions can be cooked on medium flame but try to stick around since they may get burnt faster. 
* Next add the tomato pieces and cook until it turns mushy. Turn off the stove and let the mixture cool.
* Add the cooked mixture, coconut, chutney dal and salt to a blender and grind fine. (There is no need to add water to grind the mixture.) Transfer the chutney to a bowl.
* Heat a tsp. oil in small frying pan and add mustard seeds. When the seeds start to sizzle and splutter, turn off the stove and add it to the chutney bowl and stir to combine.
* Serve with dosas / idli or any snack.
* Refrigerate any leftover chutney and use by the next day.

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Pachi Karam Dosa / Pacha Karam Dosa

 
Event: Blogging Marathon #56
Theme: Indian States
My choice: Andhra Pradesh

I am moving to my home state for the final day under this theme and I have saved the best for the last if you ask my husband. He is the reason why I chose to make dosas as part of this week's theme since he loves them to the core. Recently whenever I am doing blogging marathons, especially the mega marathons I am trying to incorporate dishes that are appealing to my husband and plan them when he is not traveling. He feels left out whenever he sees my blog posts and wonders aloud that why he didn't get to taste them or why those dishes were made when he was not around.  

When it comes to dosas, erra karam variety are his favorite without a doubt.  Dosas that are smeared with onion paste aka erra karam, generously sprinkled with roasted chickpea powder aka pappula podi and with ghee drizzled liberally. Erra karam dosas are a specialty of Rayalaseema region from Andhra pradesh. Though these dosas are a popular breakfast / evening snack option there, they are not a part of fancy restaurant menus. These dosas are usually sold from homes or in those 'wall in the hole' kind eateries, where if three sit inside on the only bench present there, a dozen would be standing outside on the street enjoying the yummy, spicy dosas. They are also sometimes referred to as komativalla dosalu (at least in Kadapa town) since mostly Vysyas used to sell them. 
 
Erra karam refers to the spicy onion paste that is red in color because of the red chillies used in the paste. I have already posted two detailed versions of erra karam dosas here and here and the one with a potato masala here. There is another less known twin version of this dosa called the pachi karam / pacha karam dosa referring to the green chillies paste used in the recipe. Obviously this paste would be green in color and adds a spicy flavor to the dosas. For the basic version, pachi karam can be smeared on dosas and sprinkled with roasted chickpea powder. A besan chutney, regular chutney and potato curry on the sides would be an additional bonus. 

This dosa preparation may come across as a laborious one, especially if you are not used to dosa making. However most of the dishes can be prepared ahead and the basic version needs only the pachi karam that can be prepared ahead and the pappula podi that can be prepared ahead and lasts for months. I am posting the pachi karam recipe today and I have provided links below for the rest of the items.

Ingredients needed:
Dosa batter
Pachi karam
Pappula podi
Besan chutney
Potato masala
Chutney
Ghee / Oil to make dosas (I used canola oil.)

Preparation:

1. Dosa batter:
Regular dosa batter is used to make these dosas. One can follow any favorite dosa recipe of their own. My dosa recipe can be found here.
2. Pappula podi / Roasted chickpeas powder: 
Check recipe here. Just roasted chickpeas can be ground along with salt and red chillies. If you don't prefer the spiciness, red chillies can be omitted here since there is erra karam too spread on the dosas. Garlic and /or shredded dried coconut can also be added if preferred.
3. Bombai chutney (Besan chutney):
I did not apply besan chutney for these dosas and instead served it as a side dish. If you are planning to make a besan chutney to serve on the side, a detailed recipe is here. If you are applying it as a paste, follow the recipe as mentioned but omit the tadka, tomatoes, green chillies and cilantro. Just saute one finely minced small onion and turmeric in 1 - 2 tsp oil until translucent and then add besan, salt and water accordingly. Cook until besan is done. The chutney should not be very thick (as in the picture below) if applying it on the dosas. Also remember that the chutney thickens as it cools and so make it thinner.
 
4. Potato masala:
Recipe can be found here and here.
 
5. Roasted Chickpeas Chutney
Recipe found here.

Pachi Karam / Pacha Karam:
 
Ingredients:
6 onions, roughly chopped (about 2 cups)
3 green chillies (I used 3 large, spicy variety. adjust the quantity if needed.)
1 to 2 tbsp. cilantro (Very optional. I added for color and flavor.)
Salt to taste
1 or 2 tbsp. oil
1 tsp mustard seeds (optional)

Method:
* Blend together the onions, chillies, salt and cilantro if using. Garlic can also be added if preferred. Onions can be ground fine or to an almost coarse consistency where you find teeny tiny pieces of onion. (We personally prefer finely ground onions.)
 
* Heat oil and add mustard seeds. When the seeds start to splutter, add the ground paste. Cover and saute it until the raw smell of the mixture leaves.

How to make dosas:
* Heat a tawa / griddle / non stick pan. To check whether the griddle is ready, sprinkle a few drops of water on the griddle. The water would sizzle and evaporate if the griddle is ready. 
* Pour a ladleful of batter on the griddle and spread it into a thin circle with the help of the backside of the ladle. Pour a tsp. of ghee / oil around the edges of the dosa.
* Cook on low - medium flame until the lower side turns golden brown. Spread 1 -2 tsp. of pachi karam over it and sprinkle some pappula podi.
 
* Fold the dosa and let it cook on both sides for a few seconds.(If desired a tsp, of besan chutney can be smeared lightly before the pachi karam is applied.)
 
* Remove the dosa with a spatula. Repeat the process with the remaining batter. 
* One can just eat the dosa as it is or serve with chutney / besan chutney. Or to make it more special serve with potato masala.

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Savory Poda Pithe ~ Breakfast From Odisha / Orissa

Event: Blogging Marathon #56
Theme: Indian States
My choice: Odisha

I came across poda pithe from Odisha region while searching for  pancakes made across India.  Poda pithe is not a savory breakfast pancake but instead is a sweet dish that is prepared on Raja Parba or Mithuna Sankranthi festival there. A batter of rice and black gram is prepared and fermented overnight. Shredded fresh coconut, jaggery/ sugar and cardamom are added to the batter just before preparing the pithe. The ground batter is poured into a thick bottomed vessel like a pressure cooker and cooked for almost an hour or so until it is set. Poda means burnt/charred in Odiya and the reference is probably towards the browned crust of the pithe. 
 
As I was more interested in a savory version than the festive sweet, I chose to go with this version, which fit my plan. However this dish seem to be exactly on the lines of Andhra's dhibba rotte. Not a surprise considering the proximity of the two regions. If you ever have tried and liked dhibba rotte, then you are going to love the spicy version of it. They are not made thinner like the other dosa versions. They are kept on a thicker side and take a considerable amount of time to cook each pithe since they are cooked on low flame.They are soft from inside with a crispy exterior. While dhibba rotte is kept on the simple lines, these pithe are spicier and taste yummy with a chutney on the side.

Ingredients for the batter:

1 cup urad dal / black gram

2 cups idli rava or 2 cups idli rice

Salt to taste

 

 Preparation:

* Soak urad dal and rava / idli rice separately for at least 3 hours.

* If using idli rice, grind urad dal and idli rice together until very smooth, adding only as much water as needed. The batter should be very thick like idli batter. If using rava, then grind urad dal adding little water very finely. Drain all the water from the rava and add it to the urad dal and run the grinder / blender for a couple of minutes to mix them together.

* Remove the batter, add salt and let it ferment overnight in a warm place.

Ingredients for the poda pithe:
2 cups batter prepared from the above step / idli batter
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. grated ginger
1 -2 green chillies, finely chopped (adjust the quantity according to the taste)
2 tbsp. fresh shredded coconut
10 curry leaves, roughly chopped
2 tbsp. oil

Method:

* Add cumin seeds, ginger, chillies, coconut and curry leaves to the fermented batter. Mix well to combine.

* Heat 1 - 2 Tbsp of oil in a kadai (or any concave shaped pan) or any thick bottomed deep vessel and pour about 2 cups of the batter into it. I think non-stick kadai works awesome for this recipe, especially for novice cooks.

* Cover and cook on low flame until the bottom side turns golden brown. 

 

* Flip it and cook for a few minutes more until the other side cooks too. 

 

(I was busy with something else in the kitchen and so went with  the lowest heat setting possible on my gas stove and it took me around 50 - 60 minutes to cook for this quantity batter.)

* Remove, slice into wedges and serve with chutney.

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Kerala Appam / Palappam

 
Event: Blogging Marathon #56
Theme: Indian States
My choice: Kerala

Now I am moving back again to south India for a batch of yummy Kerala appams. Appam is a pancake made with fermented batter of rice and coconut milk and is equally popular in the neighboring  state of Tamil Nadu and even Sri Lanka where they go by the name hoppers. They get their bowl like shape because of the appachatti, the concave pan in which they are made. 

I somehow had the notion that appams are supposed to be pristine white and got carried away in the process. I did not realize until later that they are supposed to be a beautiful golden brown hued ones as I noticed on the blogs featuring Kerala cuisine. And besides, I didn't have the traditional pan and had to do away with my kadai in which twirling the batter was kinda tricky and so could not achieve perfect shaped appams. Sigh! Now when that is off of my chest, I must admit that besides all that, they do taste really yummy with a delicate coconut flavor and I am in awe at the variety of rice based dosas made in India.

Recipe Source: Kurryleaves
Ingredients:
1&1/2 cups raw rice
1/2 cup cooked rice
3/4 cup shredded fresh coconut
1&1/2 cup water
1.5 to 3 tbsp. Sugar
1/ 4 tsp. Active dry yeast
Salt to taste
Oil to make doss

Method:

* Wash rice with two exchanges of water and drain. Soak it in water for about 3 to 4 hours and drain.
* Grind together the soaked rice, cooked rice, coconut and 1 cup water into a smooth batter using a grinder / blender. (I added salt too at this point though the original recipe mentions to add after fermentation.)
* Add sugar, yeast and the remaining water and grind for a minute to combine. 
* Transfer the batter to  large mixing bowl (to facilitate the rising batter) and leave it in a warm place overnight or 6 - 10 hours depending upon the temperature outside, until it doubles in volume.

* After the fermentation, gently stir in the salt and leave it aside for another 30 minutes. The batter will rise a bit more and turns light and frothy. (I did not notice the second time rising and so have been adding salt while grinding now.)
* Heat appachatti / concave cast iron or a nonstick pan / cast iron or non stick kadai on medium high flame. Gently grease the pan with oil.
* Gently pour a ladleful of batter at the center and swirl the pan carefully to spread the batter into a circle. Cover and cook until the edges turn golden brown. 
* Repeat the steps with the remaining batter.
* Serve appam warm with ishtoo, kadala curry or any other vegetable curry or even a chutney.

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Soru Chakli Pithe

 

Event: Blogging Marathon #56
Theme: Indian States
My choice: West Bengal

When I chose to makes dosas this week, I was confident that I would get at least 4 savory versions from the south Indian states, them being the home of dosas. And by the way, for the uninitiated, dosas are rice - lentil based, Indian version savory pancakes. I planned to do a sweet version as well to post this week and was going back and forth to patishapta, the festive, sweet pancakes from West Bengal. That planning happened before my India trip and now considering the amount of binging we did in India, it is time to go on a diet rather than indulging in a pancake filled with khoya (milk solids) and coconut and dunked in milk syrup.

Patishapta seems to be the most favorite pithe prepared in Bengali households during 'Poush Parbon' or Makar Sankranthi. When I sat down to learn more about the dish, I realized that hoards of rice based dishes are prepared on the occasion including a savory version of pancakes called soru chakli. No wonder there considering that India was once an agrarian community and the festival was/is to celebrate the harvest season. However it was a moment of epiphany connecting it to the south Indian version of the festival though a dosa / pancake is never part of the festival in south though they are a staple breakfast in the region. A south Indian sankranthi meal revolves mainly around sweet and savory version pongal dishes while the Bengalis seem to have turned it into a culinary indulgence, celebrating the new harvested rice, jaggery and so on.

Soru chakli is prepared using rice and black gram / urad dal similar to the south Indian dosas but the batter is on a thinner side and grated ginger is added just before using it. And the good thing is this batter needs no fermentation. Majority of the recipes I came across mentioned that no fermentation is needed while some did. I did not leave the batter to ferment but left the batter to sit for about an hour before making pancakes and it was fine. Though the batter is not runny, it is thinner and the resulting pancakes are thin and softer like neer dosa, albeit redolent with ginger flavor.

Ingredients:
1 cup rice
1/2 cup urad dal / black gram
Salt to taste
1 tbsp. peeled and grated ginger 
Oil to make dosas

Method:
* Wash rice and urad dal thoroughly and soak them in water for at least 3 hours or overnight.
* Drain the soaked water and grind it into a smooth batter adding salt and enough water. The batter should be thinner than the regular dosa batter. (I added about 1&1/2 - 1&3/4 cups of water to grind.)
* There is no need to ferment the batter to make soru chakli. However it is totally fine if you decide to do so. Add grated ginger to the batter and mix well with a ladle.
* Heat a non stick or an iron griddle to make pithe on moderate heat.
* Gently grease the pan with oil. Pour a ladleful of batter at the center and gently swirl the pan in a circular motion so that the the batter spreads thinly into a circle.

* Cover and cook for a minute or two or until the edges start to leave the pan. Flip, cover and cook the other side too. Remove the pithe with a spatula.
* Grease the pan again and repeat the pithe making.
* Serve warm with your choice of curry. I served with potato masala.

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Neer Dosa / Pan Pole ~ Breakfast from Karnataka

Event: Blogging Marathon #56
Theme: Indian States
My choice: Karnataka

I chose to go with Karnataka today, a state which is dear to me and where I have spent a major part of my life. I had planned to go with dosa recipes for this week's theme and when it comes to Karnataka, there is no dearth of dosa recipes, that are unique to the region. The famed masala dosa comes from the region and there are of course the yummy Mysore masala dose, Davanagere benne dose, set dose to name a few. I chose to go with neer dosa, a specialty of the Mangalore region for it's simplicity and the ease of preparation.

This post has been long due considering how frequently these are made in my kitchen. I always used to forget to note the amount of water used in the recipe and hence the procrastination. The consistency of the batter happens to be the key to achieve a perfect neer dose. The word 'neer' in the neer dose means water in the local languages of Kannada & Tulu, a reference to the watery consistency of the dosa batter. They go by the name pan pole (pronounced pun-polay) in Konkani language, 'pan' meaning leaf and 'pole' meaning dosa. It is probably a reference to leafy thin consistency of the dosa or the way they served folded, shaped like a leaf. 

Like the other traditional versions, a neer dosa recipe doesn't use any form of lentils and are made using just rice and coconut. The batter does not need any fermentation and so they are quicker to prepare than a regular dosa. The coconut lends a great flavor to the batter and these taste fabulous. A cast iron griddle / henchu or henchina kallu as called in Kannada is traditionally used to make these lacy pancakes. However it is easy to mess up and so one can go ahead and use a non stick pan in case of lack of expertise and be sure to get decent neer dosa. Perfectly made neer dose are light, soft, lacy and are white in color. They are as thin as you probably can get, if not an exaggeration and so one ends up eating more than their usual share. They can be served with any spicy chutney of your choice. And any leftover batter can be refrigerated and can be used the next day.

Ingredients: (Yield 15 dosas)
1 cup rice (Any short grain rice will do.)
1/2 cup fresh shredded coconut
Salt to taste
1 & 1/2 cups water
Oil to make dosas (I used canola oil.

Method:
* Rinse rice thoroughly with water twice and drain. Soak rice in water for about 3 hours or overnight. 
* Drain the soaked water and add the rice, coconut, salt and water to a grinder / blender and grind them to a smooth batter. The batter should be one of a flowing consistency, like the buttermilk. (Adjust the water quantity if needed.)
* Heat a non-stick skillet / shallow pan with a tsp. of oil. Pour a small ladleful of batter at the center of the pan. Immediately hold the (handle of the) pan and gently swirl it so that the batter spreads into a thin circle, covering the entire pan.
* Cover and cook on moderate heat for a minute or so. Once done, the edges of the dosa start leaving the pan. There is no need to brown the dosa or flip it. Fold the dosa twice and serve immediately. 
* Repeat the steps with the remaining batter and remember to stir the batter each time a dosa is made.
* Serve immediately with coconut chutney.

Note:
1. The consistency of the batter is the key in making a perfect neer dosa. A thicker batter will not spread and doesn't yield the characteristic thinner version.
2. Do not stack the hot dosa since they get stuck to each other. 
3. They are best eaten warm.

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