Hindu Culture - Indian Traditional Cuisine -3

Hindu Culture  - Indian Traditional Cuisine

 

Rasam Powder

The recipe for Rasam Powder and Rasam was long pending from my side. Now that I have a recipe for Rasam in place, I decided to quickly post one for the powder required for its preparation. One of my aunts gave me some insight into preparing this powder and I was happy when it came out very well.

The idea behind Rasam Powder recipe is quite simple – just dry roast the below ingredients and grind them into smooth powder. In just 20 minutes time, less than the time it takes to drive to the supermarket to get it, you have a home-made aromatic Rasam Powder ready. Make sure you store the powder in an air-tight container to keep it pure and fresh. When you need to prepare Rasam like the Tomato Rasam, just add 2-3 tsp of this powder to obtain good taste.

Also have a look at my recipe for Spicy Poha where I use this Rasam Powder to come up with a quick evening time snack. You may have more creative ways of using this powder as in say, a Palya or Poriyal preparation. Do let me know if you have tried something like this before.

Rasam Powder
Rasam Powder Ingredients:

Coriander Seeds or Dhaniya – 1 Cup
Cumin Seeds or Jeera – 1/2 Cup
Fenugreek Seeds or Methi – 3 tsp
Peppercorn – 1 tsp
Asafoetida or Hing – 1/4 tsp
Red Chillies – 20-25
Curry Leaves – washed and dried (No measurement)
Oil – 1/2 tsp

Time to Prepare: 20 min
How to Make Rasam Powder :

Dry roast the Coriander Seeds or Dhaniya in a pan until you obtain good aroma or until the color of the seeds changes slightly. Pour out the Coriander Seeds to a medium sized bowl; keep aside.
In a same pan, dry roast the Cumin Seeds or Jeera for 3-4 minutes and transfer them into the same bowl as the one used for Coriander Seeds in the previous step.
Pour Oil into the heated pan, add Asafoetida or Hing followed by Fenugreek Seeds or Methi and roast in Oil for a minute. Now add Peppercorn and fry for a minute.
Now add Red Chillies and roast for 2-3 minutes and finally add Curry Leaves and fry again for 2-3 minutes and transfer all these ingredients to the above bowl(in Step 2).
Leave the mixture to cool and finally grind them in a mixture grinder until you obtain a smooth powder.

Now the Rasam Powder is ready. Transfer the powder to an air tight container to retain the freshness and aroma of the powder. Use Rasam Powder as required when preparing Rasam soup.

Fruit Salad

Ever popular Fruit salad based on milk mixture. I sometimes prepare this when I see a sudden surge in fruit inventory at home. Great salad recipe that helps consume a mixture of fruits in a single serving. Loved by even those who are not into the habit of having fruits regularly, including children.

Update: I now also have a more simple and easy Fruit Salad recipe posted.


Fruit Salad Ingredients :

Banana – 4-5
Apple – 2
Green Grapes – 1/4 Kg or 0.5 lb
Orange – 2
Optionally add more cut fruits like Mango, Sapota/Sapodilla (Chikku), Sweet Lime/Mosambi etc.
Cashew nuts – 8-9
Raisins (Kishmish) – 10
Dates – 5-6
Milk – 1/2 litre or 17 ounces or 2 cups
Sugar – 1 and 1/4 cup
Saffron or Kesar Strands – 4-5
All Purpose flour or Maida – 1 teaspoon

Time to Prepare: 15 min

How to Make Fruit Salad:
Cut all the fruits and Dates. Add Raisins and Cashew nuts and mix it all well and keep it in refrigerator for 1 hr.
Take 1 tsp of All Purpose Flour or Maida and mix well in 3 tsp of cold milk with a spoon. Make it a paste and keep it aside.
Boil 1/2 litre or 2 cups (16-17 ounces) of milk in a vessel. Add sugar to the boiling milk. Stir well and allow the sugar to dissolve completely. Then stir the boiling milk for 15 minutes in medium flame till the milk becomes a bit thick and reduces to 1/4 of the original quantity.
Add Saffron or Kesar strands to the milk and boil for 5 more mins.
Add All Purpose Flour or Maida paste from Step 2 to this Milk mixture and keep stirring all the way while allowing this milk blend to boil for 10 more min. Now the whole mixture becomes bit thick (as thick as condensed milk). Remove from the flame.
Leave the milk blend to cool well for about 30 min. Then add cut fruits and nuts ingredients from refrigerator and mix well.
Keep the fruit salad preparation in refrigerator for 2-3 hours.
Before serving, garnish with Raisins and Cashew if needed.

The fruit salad prepared should taste really great. Fruits are good to health and fruit salad is a great way to consume as many fruits as possible at once.

Keep in mind that you are not required to consume the fruit salad in one go. Prepare in larger quantities; keep in refrigerator and consume over a period of 2-3 days. My husband loves to have Fruits Salad and we keep the salad in refrigerator for 2 days and consume them in the evenings.

Fruit Salad Serving
Note:
Do not add Custard powder when you have milk mixture prepared. If you are in a hurry, use custard powder instead of preparing the milk mixture. But the fruit salad prepared as per the directions above gives you the best taste.

Vegetable Kurma

Ingredients
2 cups water
2 nos. Onion,sliced
2 nos.Tomato
4-5 Beans
1 Carrot
1 Potato
1/4 cup green peas
2 Green chilli
1 tsp Ginger,chopped
3 tbsp Coconut
5 nos. Garlic
2 Cloves
1 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp Poppy seeds
1 inch Cinnamon stick
1 tsp Roasted gram
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp Haldi
Salt,to taste
1 tsp coriander leaves,finely chopped

Directions
Wash & Cut the vegetables in lengthwise of 1 inch.Beans,Carrot and Potato.Steam them and
Steam mutter seperately and add it at the end.otherwise it shrinks.
Soak poppy seeds in hot water for 10 min.
In a mixer,grind green chilli,ginger,garlic,cloves,fennel,tomatoes,Poppy seeds,Roasted gram and coconut.
In a Deep Kadai,heat oil and put the cinnamon stick.After it crackles,add the sliced onion and saute till it becomes slightly brown.
Then add the grinded paste and add haldi and fry till the raw smell goes.
Then add steamed vegetables and water.
Cook till the gravy mixes well with the vegetables and Bubbles starts coming up and becomes slightly thick and add green peas and salt.
Mix well and serve with parota or parathas or roti.

Vegetable Pulao

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked Rice
1 Onion (chopped)
1 tsp Ginger garlic paste
1 black Cardamom (coarsely ground)
2 Cloves
1 Cinnamon stick (small)
5 whole Black Pepper
1 Bay leaf
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
Diced Vegetables (carrot, beans, mushroom and anything your choice)
Some Soy nuggets (soaked in hot water and squeezed)
1½ tsp garam Masala powder
salt to taste
oil or ghee

Directions
Wash and soak rice for 15-20 minutes.
Heat oil in a cooker. Add cumin seeds, cinnamon stick and bay leaf. When it starts to crackle then add black cardamom, cloves and black pepper. Cook for 20 seconds.
Add chopped onion and ginger garlic paste and fry for couple of minutes or till light brown.
Add the cut vegetables and Soya nuggets.
Add garam masala powder and red chilli powder. Mix well and cook for 2 minutes(little water can be added if required)
Add drained rice and fry for 2 minutes. Add water and salt. Mix well and close the lid of the cooker.
Cook till done.
serve hot with curry of your choice.

Ragi Dosa

Ingredients
1 cup of Urad Dal
3 cups of Ragi Powder
Salt to taste


Directions
Soak Urad Dal for 3 hrs
In a grinder grind the dal nicely.
Now take the batter in a vessel and add ragi powder,salt and mix well.
Now the batter is ready to make Dosa.
Enjoy it with coconut chutney.

Note: If you are grinding urdal dal in a mixie then add only 2 cups of ragi powder

Masala Dosa

Ingredients
1 cup Black gram (split)
2 cups Rice
½ tsp. Salt
5 nos. Potato(large)
2 nos. Onion(large)
6 cloves Garlic
2 tsps. Ginger(grated)
4 nos. Green Chilies
1 tsp. Black gram (split)
½ tsp. Mustard seeds (black)
½ tsp. Cumin Seeds
1 piece Red Chilies(broken into bits)
10 pieces Curry Leaf
¼ tsp. Turmeric Powder
1 tsp. Vegetable Oil
Salt to taste

for chutney:
1/2 coconut, 4 green chillis, 1tsp Ginger, a bunch of cilantro, tiny piece of tamarind and Salt to taste

Directions
Wash thoroughly and soak black gram and rice separately for six to eight hours.
Grind them separately into very smooth paste and mix them together adding salt.
Allow this dough to ferment overnight during winter and 4 to 5 hours in summer.
To prepare the stuffing (masala) boil potatoes and chop onions.
Ginger, garlic and green chillies may be finely chopped or made into paste.
Heat oil in a broad pan and add a tea spoon black gram, mustard and red chilli.
When mustard seeds splutter add cumin seeds, onion pieces, ginger garlic and green chilli (finely chopped or ground), turmeric powder, curry leaves broken into pieces and fry till transparent.
Meanwhile peel the boiled potatoes and cut them into medium size pieces.
Add them to the frying onions, mix well, remove from fire after about five minutes and set aside.
Make the chutney by grinding together 1/2 coconut, 4 green chillis, 1tsp Ginger, a bunch of cilantro, tiny piece of tamarind and Salt to taste into fine, thin paste, adding water.
Heat a flat pan and make thin dosas by spreading the dough on the pan with a ladle.
Spread oil all around the dosa and when the edges turn golden brown, don't over turn the dosa but place two table spoons of the prepared masala on the dosa and first fold one side over it and then the other side and remove from pan and serve.
Repeat the procedure for the next dosa. The secret of crisp dosas lies in the amount of oil spread around it.
With chutney these masala dosas make great eating.

Chai

Ingredients
1 cup Milk
1 tbsp. Tea leaves
1 tbsp. Sugar
piece Ginger(small piece)

Directions
Heat a cup of water in a pan, add sugar to taste, add tea leaves and ginger.
Boil for a minute and add milk. Continue boiling for about a minute.
If you want lemon tea then squeeze some lemon. you will get a hot sizzling tea for your after noon

Instant Tomato Pickle

Ingredients
6 large tomatoes
1tsp mustard
1/2 tsp asofoetida [hing]
1tsp red chili powder
1tsp methi
3 tsp jeera
1pinch turmeric powder
1/4 tsp sugar
5-6 green chillies
salt to taste.

Directions
Roast Methi & Jeera in a pan until it gives good aroma then cool it then grind it into fine powder [ can be stored & used as & when preparing pickles ]
Chop tomatoes & green chillies separately then keep it aside
Now in another pan add oil let it heat for few seconds then add mustard,Hing,turmeric powder & then the methi jeera powder to it roast it until it gives good aroma then add the chopped chillies & tomatoes to it. Fry for 2 mins.
Add chilli powder, salt & sugar to it fry until it is completely done the tomatoes should look pulpy & then it leaves out oil then it is ready to serve.

Mango-Ginger Pickle

Ingredients
3 Raw Mangoes - chopped fine
50 gm Ginger - chopped fine
2 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp Fenugreek seeds(powdered)
1 tsp Asafoetida powder
1 tsp Mustard seeds(powdered)
2 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Lemon juice or vinegar
1 tbsp refined oil
few curry leaves(optional)

Directions
Mix salt with chopped raw mango and ginger and leave it for 2 hours.
Then mix all the other ingredients with this and microwave this for 2 mins on high.
That's all!.

Paani Puri

Ingredients

For Puris :
1 cup wheat flour (atta)
1 cup maida
5 cups rava /Sooji
salt to taste

For Pani :
mint
greenchillies
blacksalt
lemonjuice,
tamarind
panipuri powder

Directions
Make a dough using clubsoda (not water) to chapati consistency.
Make into tiny balls. Press small balls as like puris and Fry in very hot oil..
Grind mint, greenchillies, lemonjuice, tamarind, panipuri powder with 2 litres of water.
Boil potatoes, moong beans mash and mix together.
Make a hole on one side in each puri and fill it with a teaspoon of the potato mixture.
Top with a little mint and tamarind chutney.
To serve, dip each pani puri into the prepared water and serve

Masala Puri

Ingredients
2 Cups Fresh Green Peas (Boiled)
1/4 cup Cilantro (Coriander leaves)
3 Green Chillies
1 tblsp Vegetable oil
1 tsp Red chilli powder
1 tsp Garam Masala powder
1 tsp Chat Masala
1/2 tsp Black Rock Salt
1/2 tsp roasted Cumin powder (jeera)
1/2 tsp Black Pepper powder
2 tblsp Sweet Tamarind chutney
1/2 cup Yogurt (Curd)
1 Onion chopped
1 Tomato chopped
15 nos. Papdi puris
1 cup Sev
Salt to taste

Directions
Grind one & half cups of boiled Green Peas with Cilantro & Green chillies with water to a fine paste. Keep aside remaining Peas for garnishing.
Heat Oil in a kadai & add the ground paste. Bring to a boil.
Add Red chillie powder, Salt, Garam masala, Pepper powder & Cumin powder. Mix well & allow to boil for 4-5 mins. Add extra water to adjust the consistency to medium thick. Remove from heat.
On a serving plate, break 5-6 puris. Add the boiled liquid, few boiled Green peas, Sweet chutney, Chat masala, Black salt, little yogurt, Onion & Tomato.
Sprinkle Sev generously all over the plate, top with chopped Cilantro & serve immediately.


Note: Adjust Green chillies accordingly.

Dahi Puri

Ingredients

For Puri:
¾ cup rawa
1 tbsp maida
A pinch soda
Ice water for kneading
½ tsp salt
2 tsp oil
6 puris
3 tbsp fine sev
1 boiled potatoes mashed or chopped
1 tbsp fresh pomegranate seeds
1 tsp chaat masala
1 tsp bedgi red chilli powder
1/2 tsp jeera powder
1/2 tsp kala namak(black salt)
1 tbsp finely chopped onion
1 tbsp coriander leaves
1 tbsp tamarind dates chutney
1 tbsp Green chutney
Salt
1 tbsp sugar

Directions
Puri: Mix rawa,soda,salt,maida with ice water and knead the dough to sightly elastic consistency. Apply oil and cover and keep aside for 20 min.
Make a big round shape with the rolling pin and press round shaped small lid or bottle cap & make more puri shapes.Around 45 puris u can make.
Deep fry the puris to fluffy, light brown & crispy.Remove them and drain them on the tissue paper. Don't keep puris one above the other. spread them. After it cools down,store it in air tight container.
In a pan mash the potatoes and add salt.it.Mix them.
Beat the yoghurt with sugar,a pinch black salt and refrigerate.
Take 6 puris in a plate.Make a hole in the centre and add a tsp of mashed or diced potato,sprinkle red chilli powder, jeera powder, chaat masala, a pinch kala namak, chopped onion, green chutney,a tsp of yoghurt,pomegranate seeds,sweet and sour chutney,
Again yoghurt on top with fine sev and coriander leaves and a pinch of spice powders.
Serve immediately so that it will be crispy inside.

Note: Katta mita chutney: Soak lemon sized tamarind,10 dates & 2 red chillis in hot water.Grind them by adding ½ cup water and to a smooth paste.11/2 cups water can be added after grinding and sieve them and Add 1/4 cup jaggery,1/2 tsp dry ginger powder,1/2 tsp jeera powder and boil them till it thickens.(not too thin or thick).1/2 tsp.kala namak can be added to the sweet chutney.u can store the chutney in air tight container in the fridge.Jaggery depends on the sweetness of the dates.can be stored in airtight container in the fridge.

Green Chutney:1/2 cup mint leaves,1/2 cup coriander leaves,1/2 inch ginger,2 green chilli,grind them to a smooth paste by adding little water.Add salt and ½ tsp lime juice.Chutneys can be stored in airtight container in the fridge.

Sev Puri

Ingredients
1/2 Kg Flat Sev Puris or small jeera puris
1 bowl finely chopped onion
1 bowl finely chopped tomatoes
1 bowl mashed boiled potatoes
1 bowl yellow sev (Its a gujrati farsan)
Some finely chopped corriander
1 tbsp of chat Masala powder (Everest company)
1tbsp of finely chopped raw mangoes

For the Sweet Chutney:
A small lemon sized ball of tamrind
3-4 pieces of dates
A small piece of jaggery.
water

For hot Chuntey
1/2 bunch of green corriander
3-4 sprigs of mint leaves
4-5 green chillies
3-4 garlic pods
1/2 tsp of jeera
salt to taste
water

For the red hot chutney:
4-5 whole red kashmiri chillies
1 tsp of whole corriander seeds
3-4 garlic pods
salt to taste
water


Directions
Boil together tamarind, dates and jaggery in little water and extract pulp. It should be of medium consistency. Not too thin nor thick.
Grind together all ingredients for the hot chutney with little water.
Grind together all ingredients for the red hot chutney with little water.
Now layer the puris in a flat plate not over lapping them.
On each puri set some mashed boiled potatoes, chopped onions and tomatoes.
Now pour on it all the three chutneys........as per taste.
Now finally sprinkle good amounts of yellow sev to cover the puris.
lastly garnish the puris with chopped coriander and pieces of raw mangoes.
Can also sprinkle some little chat masala.

Om Tat Sat

                                                        

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