Pulihora - Tamarind Rice

Pulihora or Andhra tamarind rice is often prepared during festivals and is offered as naivedyam to the gods. As Hindus consider turmeric powder a symbol of auspiciousness, this dish is cooked on almost all good occasions and festive days. Pulihora is also referred to as sour rice as Puli means sour taste .Cooked rice is seasoned with tamarind paste and other basic ingredients like curry leaves, peanuts, chilies and turmeric.  When this dish is made with tamarind then it is called PULIHORA and is called CHITRANNAM if made with Lemon. 

Pulihora stimulates the taste buds very nicely  with it’s sour, spicy, and salty taste as it contains ingredients like Turmeric, Green Chilies, Lemon, Asafoetida, Curry leaves. Pulihora, simply put, is rice flavored with a sour ingredient, tempered with mild spices, roasted peanuts & lentils but the main flavor comes from the tamarind.  The meal would feel incomplete without one of them. 

Cuisine: Andhra Pradesh

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves:2

Recipe Source: Here

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw cooked rice 
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 10 - 15 fresh curry leaves
• salt to taste
• large lemon sized tamarind (soak in a cup of hot water and extract pulp)
• 1 tsp Jaggery
• 1 tbsp channa dal
• 1 tbsp urad dal
• 1 tsp teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 3-4 medium dry red chilli
• 4-5 green chillis slit length wise
• 1 1/2 tsps finely chopped ginger
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida
• 1 1/2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds powder
• A fistful roasted peanuts
• 3 tbsps oil

Let's learn how to make Pulihora:

• Rinse and soak the rice for 30 minutes. Cook in such a way that each grain is separate and then  spread it to cool.

• Sprinkle turmeric powder, salt, a tbsp of oil and few fresh curry leaves to the cooked and cooled rice and keep aside.

• Heat the remaining oil in a cooking vessel, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add dry red chillis, cumin seeds, channa dal, urad dal and fry for a minute till light brown. Next add the slit green chillies, ginger, asafoetida and few curry leaves and fry for a few seconds.

• Add the tamarind extract and jaggery and cook till the raw smell of tamarind disappears for approx 5-7 mts. It will be a like a thick but flowing paste.Remove from heat.

• Add the cooked tamarind mix and combine well such that it’s spread all over the rice. Adjust salt. Finally sprinkle the roasted sesame seeds powder and roasted peanuts and combine well. Let it sit for at least 3-4 hours for the flavors to set in.

• Serve with yogurt and papad. 

This recipe has been developed as part of the Ugadi celebration event hosted by Jayashree who has a beautiful blog Evergreendishes.

Khichdi - A Feast of the Lord

To many, the humble khichdi or khichri  or Khechudi,  evokes a medley of emotions, by the mere mention of the name, one either loves or hates it. Almost every state in India has it's own name for Khichdi, and has it as part of regular meals. It is called khichuri in West Bengal, Adahengu khichdi( ginger-asafoetida khichdi) in Odisha which is a part of the famous Chapan Bhog of the Lord Jagannath temple, Pongal in Tamil Nadu, Bisi bele bath in Karnataka and Khichri in Bihar and UP.

This humble Khichdi which is a part of the famous Chapan Bhog of the Lord Jagannath in Odisha is cooked with rice, dal, seasonal vegetables and served with curd  to the devotees.This temple khichdi is the ultimate lesson in slow fire cooking where nine earthenware pots placed one atop another. The steam moves from one pot to the next, cooking the ingredients inside the successive pots.

   Ayurveda, the Indian wisdom of medicine, also recommends Khichdi for all body types as a cleansing regimen. Khichdi is also the first solid that babies are introduce to, Rice and Lentils are simmered till mushy, seasoned with Turmeric and salt, and fed to infants to introduce them to adult food as it is soft , easily digested, and has no spices. 

The khichdi  refers to a nutritionally balanced stew of rice and pulses, usually made with high quality grains, easily digestible lentils, fresh vegetables, exquisite spicing and homemade ghee, making it adequate, luscious and comforting.I, for one loves it and enjoy this soothing comforting bowl of earthy goodness. To cope with the blandness, khichri is usually paired with tangy and piquant partners, khichri ke char yaar, dahi, paapad, ghee and achaar.

Cuisine:Odia

Prep Time:30 minutes

Cooking Time:10 minutes

Serves:2

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Rice
• ½ cup  Moong Dal
• 3 cups water
• 1 tbsp ghee
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 green cardamom
• 1/2 inch cinnamon
• 1 or 2 dry red chilli
• 1/4tsp of cumin seeds
• 1/4tsp  asafetida
• 1tbsp grated ginger
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• salt as per taste
• for garnishing
• Fresh coriander
• Green chillies
• lime wedges

Let's Learn How to make this Khichdi:

• Rinse and wash Rice and moong lentils together. Soak both of them for 30 minutes in water.
• Heat 1 tbsp ghee in pressure cooker add cumin. When it starts to splutters then add bayleaf, dry red chillies, green cardamom, cinnamon,grated ginger and asafetida.
• Saute for 10 to 15 seconds and add the drained the rice and moong lentils to the pressure cooker. Stir for a minute .
• Pour 3 cups of water, turmeric powder and salt.
• Close the lid tightly and pressure cook the khichdi on a medium flame for 1 whistle. Once the whistle comes, turn the flame to low and cook for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and wait till the pressure is released and you can open the lid.
• Serve the Khichdi with ghee on top  and garnish with coriander leaves, green chillies and a wedge of lemon.
• This type of Khichdi taste  great with curd/yogurt, papad or pickles to balance the blandness.

 
Sending this recipe to 33rd Foodie Monday Bloghop theme of celebration of everyday cooking with #Rice

You may also try out other preparation made with rice from the following links:

KANIKA - FAMOUS ODIA SWEET RICE

Egg Biryani

Vegetable Yakhni Pulao

Vegetable Tehari

Brown Rice Biryani

Raw Mango Rice

HEALTHY FENUGREEK PULAO - METHI PULAO - METHI PILAF

HYDERABADI CHICKEN BIRYANI

EGG PULAO

 

 

















  

Dhokar Dalna ( Lentil fritters in Potato & Tomato gravy)

Dhokar Dalna (Lentil fritters in Potato & Tomato gravy) is a traditional dish from the Bengali Cuisine that's purely satvik, which was originally created by the Bengali widows who were not allowed to eat onion or garlic.  Dhokas are the fried chana dal fritters that are lightly spiced and then simmered in a gravy made with tomatoes and ginger, spiced with cumin and coriander called Dalna, a cooking term that means any vegetables cooked in a medium thick gravy seasoned with ground spices, specially with Garam masala and a touch of ghee.The dhokas are such a delight and the Dalna is so fragrant that you wouldn't even miss onion or garlic in here.

Dhokar Dalna is a part of traditional Bengali cuisine and is somewhat similar to the besan tarkari my mother does at home. The only difference I found is that she made those from the gram flour and this one is done with soaking the daal itself. The other difference is that my mom used onion and garlic in the paste whereas this one is done without onion and garlic. 

The lentil paste is cooked with  a few flavorful spices to form a cake. Then that cake is cut into pieces and fried. Finally the fried lentil fritters are cooked in an aromatic gravy. The long process associated with the making of 'dhoka' will not hunt you when you actually tastes the dish which is so good and unique that you won't mind the effort put into it.

Making dhoka is easy but there are few things to pay attention to. When grinding the dal, use just enough water to reach a smooth consistency. If the mixture is too dry, the patties will crack when you fry them. For spicier dhokar dalna, supplement the recipe with green chilies. You can also mix finely grated ginger in the dal paste.

Cuisine: Bengali

Prep Time: 5 to 6 hrs preferably overnight

Cooking time:40 minutes

Serves:4

Ingredients for the lentil fritters:

• 1 cup split gram (chana dal)
• Water for soaking overnight
• About 2 Tbsp water for grinding
• 1 Tbsp ghee or oil
• A pinch of pure hing powder
• A pinch of salt
• 1 tsp jeera seeds, dry roasted and ground
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• Oil/Ghee for frying

Ingredients for the gravy:

• 2 – 3 Tbsp ghee or oil
• 1 Tbsp grated ginger
• 1 small bayleaf
• 1/8 tsp pure hing powder
• 1/4 tsp kalonji seeds
• 2 medium size potatoes, boiled ,peeled and mashed
• 2 medium size tomatoes, pureed
• water as needed
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp jeera seeds, dry roasted and ground
• 2 green cardamom seeds, lightly crushed
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp salt
• Fresh Coriander leaves for garnishing

Let us learn how to make Dhokar dalna:

• Wash and soak the dal in plenty of water for about 5 to 6 hours or preferably overnight. Drain and keep aside. Add enough water to the dal to grind it in a food processor.

• Heat up the ghee or oil over moderate heat and sauté the hing powder for about 30 seconds and then scoop in the dal paste. Keep stirring it until it thickens for about 5 minutes. As it will stick to the bottom of the pan, keep stirring. It’s ready when it pulls away from the sides and forms a solid mass. Now add the roasted jeera powder, chilli powder and salt. Mix well and spread the paste in a oiled platter. When it cools down, cut it into diamond shapes or squares.

• Heat oil in a kadai and deep fry till light golden. Drain on a clean absorbent kitchen towel or paper and keep aside. 

• Heat up the ghee or oil in a pot. When it’s, drop in the green cardamom, bayleaf  and once it starts to release its flavor, add grated ginger. When the ginger turns a  little dark, add the hing powder and kalonji seeds.

• Add the tomatoes and fry until they start to stick to the bottom of the pan, and the ghee or oil begins to separate from them. Add mashed potato, coriander powder, turmeric powder, roasted cumin p[owder, red chilli powder and sauté  for a minute. 

• Now pour in the water and salt. Cook until the gravy thickens. I have used mashed potatoes to make the gravy thick. Add the fried lentils to the gravy when it is somewhat thick. Remember that the cakes will absorb liquid; you may have to add some more water if the gravy dries up.So it is better to put the dhokas in the gravy just before serving.  

• Add garam masala and serve hot garnished with chopped fresh coriander leaves.

Recipe adopted from  Sunday Times Newspaper and this recipe is being sent to Cooking from cookbook challenge for the month of March.

                                        

Chaas/ Masala Chaas/Buttermilk -Summer cooler to beat the heat, desi style.....

Indian summercan get really mean. Being closer to the equator means it is bound to get really hot. For a couple of days the heatwave here makes the place feel like a hot furnace and one feels like grabbing a bottle of cola. Though the chilled bubbly drinks seems enticing for a moment,  but no one can beat the heat better than this desi cooler named Chaas or Buttermilk.

Chaas or buttermilk is one of the popular summer cooler made with yogurt, all over India with some variations. Chaas is made by churning yogurt (curds/dahi) and cold water together in a pot, using a hand-held instrument called madhani (whipper). This can be consumed plain or seasoned with a variety of spices like asafoetida, fennel, ginger juice, curry leaves or coriander leaves .

 

In North India, usually salted chaas is taken whereas in other parts masala chaas and pudina chaas which is flavored with mint leaves is more popular. Chaas can be made from fresh yogurt, and the natural flavour of such Chaas is mildly sweet. This type of Chaas is very close to Lassi, with two major differences: Chaas is more dilute (with water) than lassi and unlike lassi, Chaas does not have added sugar.

Although Chaas can be made from fresh yogurt (curds/dahi), it is more commonly made at home from yogurt that is a few days old and has become sour due to age. That’s why Chaas has a tangy, slightly sour taste which is considered delicious. A pinch of salt is usually added to it for further enhancement of taste, and other seasonings can be added also.

In India, the consumption of Chaas is associated with two major benefits: cooling and improved digestion. Both of these properties are improved by the addition of spices. The cooling properties of Chaas, which helps people to rehydrate and beat the heat of the Indian summer, is greatly valued traditionally. Chaas is considered as a cool drink which keeps the body temperature down in summer. An earthen pot is used to prepare chaas and store it for a few hours before consumption. The use of earthen pot makes the chaas cool even in summer. In the extremely hot desert areas of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh, people consume chaas with salt after getting exposed in the sun because this cools the body and aids in rehydration. 

Cuisine: Indian

Preptime:10 minutes

Serves:4

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup yogurt
• 4 cups cold water
• 1/4 tsp black salt
• 2 tsp roasted ground cumin seeds
• 1 green chilli finely chopped
• 2 tsp finely chopped mint leaves

DIRECTIONS:

• Combine all the ingredients together in a large jar and give it a good blend with your hand blender or just the conventional whisk. Yogurt needs to be broken down to a smooth texture and the mixture becomes frothy. If chilled water is not stored for use , make sure to refrigerate the prepared buttermilk for a while before serving.

• Pour chaas in glasses. Garnish with mint leaves and serve chaas immediately.
  
  
• Use chilled water preferably in this yummy spiced up butter milk. I Served it post lunch as an appetising and soothing drink to digest the heavy lunch we had.The whole work took me  not take more than 10 minutes.

Shrikhand-Creamy Yoghurt infused with custard apple and Cardamom

Shrikhand, creamy sweet hung curd, mildly flavored with crushed cardamom and saffron strands is  a  magical transformation of simple curd into a sweet delicacy befitting for GODs. That’s why "Shrikhand" is supposed to mean "Ambrosia of the Gods".  This traditional Indian dessert uses Low fat, rich and creamy Greek yogurt and involves no cooking and is a standard feature of many households especially in Gujrat and Maharastra. Shrikhand is generally flavored with saffron, cardamom or diced fruits and served with masala puri or as a standalone dessert. 

If like flavored yogurt, then  this homemade  flavored yogurt – Shrikhand will surely satisfy your taste bud . The main ingredient for Shrikhand is hung curd. For shrikhand your curd needs to be thick and no water in it. For this, you have to tie the fresh curd in a cotton Or linen cloth to let the water droop down from the cloth. Keep tied for 3 to 4 hours Or overnight. Let the whey flow down. Now unwrap the cloth to use your hung curd. Hung curd is known as chaka in India.

Hung yogurt is like a blank canvas and you can paint it with the flavors you want. If you like a fruit based shrikhand, just add the puree or the pulp of the fruit after blending the hung curd and blend everything again. You can add any fruit, dry fruits with sugar and yogurt to make your fruits shrikhand. One of its most popular variations is  aam Shrikhand or Amrakhand where mango puree is added to this dessert . I have already posted Amrakhand recipe earlier.

As winter bids adieu and summer is fast approaching, this festival of colour known as Holi is round the corner which has many dimensions to it than only colours. From celebrating the change of season, get together with families and friends and preparing delectable sweets and savories, this festival reminds us that there is no bigger and vibrant festival than Holi. To celebrate the #Festivalofcolors, the Foodie Monday BlogHop theme for this Monday was Colors associated with Holi and I have decided to keep my canvas blank and fill it with all the colors of Holi by making Cardamom flavoured Shrikhand and present it with a thandai based tart and topped it with fruits of my choice to represent the true colors of Holi. 

Ingredients for the Thandai based tart.

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 1/8^th tsp baking powder

• a pinch of salt

• a pinch of nutmeg powder

• 1/4th cup grated coconut

• ¼ cup thandai powder/ syrup

• 5 tbsp cold unsalted butter

• 1/4^th cup powdered sugar

• cold water if you are using Thandai powder

Ingredients for Cardamom filled custard apple Shrikhand;

• 400 grams hung curd

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 cup custard apple puree

• 1 tsp cardamom powder

• few pistachios for garnishing

For the garnish

• Assortment of fruits like, banana, kiwi, grapes, red apple, orange, pomegranate, cherries etc.

let's learn how to make this Shrikhand:

• To make the thandai tart,  add all purpose flour, baking powder, nutmeg powder, salt and sieve well in a bowl.

• Mix sugar and butter together till smooth and creamy add the thandai powder, grated coconut and mix well, add the all purpose flour, baking powder ,salt and nutmeg powder mix and make a dough using very little cold water. Water is not required for the dough if you are using thandai syrup. Cover it with cling film and keep it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

• Preheat the oven at 180 degrees . line a parchment paper in a 7" tart mould . Take out the dough from the fridge and place it between two parchment paper. sprinkle some flour on it and start rolling it in a circular motion. Make a circle larger than your tart mould and take out the top most butter paper from it. Now carefully invert the dough over the tart mould and remove the butter paper. Press the dough as per the tart mould and place some cheakpeas over it which helps in retaining the shape and it won't puff up  and blind bake it the oven for 40 minutes.Take out of oven and keep on a wire wrack to cool.
• Place yogurt in double layer cheesecloth/muslin cloth, gather up the sides and put the bundle in strainer over the deep bowl. Put in the fridge over night to drain.
• Put drained yogurt, cardamom, sugar in the food processor. Mix well and adjust for sweetness.Add the custard apple puree to it and keep in the fridge to cool for 30 minutes or till you are ready to serve.
• Pour the yogurt mixture over the crust and tap the pan gently on the counter to release any air bubbles.
• Top the tart with your choice of fresh fruit or berries before serving.
• Sprinkle nutmeg powder and pistachios on it and enjoy this fruity flavoured Shrikhand.

Going by the color of the Holi , I have given a twist to the normal shrikhand by adding the subtle flavor of oranges, do give it a try and share your feedback.

For Orange Shrikhand

• 400 gms frsh thick curd

• 11/2cup fresh orange juice

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 tsp orange zest

• 10 seedless dates

• To make Orange Shrikhand, add  orange juice, sugar in a sauce pan and bring to a boil  at medium heat for 15 min or till it gets a thick syrup consistency. To thicken it add dates puree to it and stir continuously during the boiling process. Turn of the heat and let it cool down. Once cool, grind to a fine purree.

• For hung yogurt, tie the yogurt in a muslin cloth and hang it for about 2-3 hours or overnight in the refrigerator till all the water drains from it. Grind hung curd and orange puree at low setting till it you get a  smooth texture. 

• Transfer the mixture in to an airtight jar and  keep it in the fridge for 2 hrs before serving.You can keep this orange Shikhand in the fridge for later use. Serve on small tarts and decorate with grated chocolate.

Sending this to 32nd Foodie Monday Bloghop theme of ##Festivalofcolors.....

Have a safe and colorful Holi....