A vegetarian dish which is simple to cook and delicious to eat, describes Ras kalaan, which originates from the southern state of Kerala, inspite of not containing any onions, garlic or ginger, is yet so pleasing to the palette.
In today’s recipe I have added drumsticks, sweet potato, broccoli and green peas. Normally it is made using tubers like yam or potatoes. I like adding different vegetables to this, and at times, have even used mushroons, babycorn etc . Do try this recipe which comes together very quickly.
KALAAN, A name which was so unfamiliar to me years ago, until I stumbled upon it by chance when south Indian food was a big mood with me, it was that particular year when I was cooking a lot of south Indian food. Having been born and brought up In India, I love the regional food which our great country has to offer.
Back to the KAALAN, which is basically a keralite preparation, made with fresh coconut and yogurt. Its fresh and tangy taste is so refreshing , making you want to make it it often. The ideal pairing for this vegetable is rice, though I prefer having it with a roti adai(rice flour roti)or paratha.
Many of us have a image about south Indian food which probably consists of Dosa, Idli, Uttapams etc. Reality is that its a vast platter of numerous dishes which delight the palette. So, on to the recipe. Feel free to replace any vegetables with your favourites.😊
Ras Kalaan
Ingredients
4 drumsticks..scraped,cut into 4 to 5 pieces , and boiled.
1 small sweet potatoe, boiled and cubed
1/2 cup green peas( I used frozen)
1 cup broccoli flowerlets, par boiled.
(Roughly about 200 gms mixed vegetables)
1 cup fresh grated coconut
4 dry red chillies
2 cups fresh yogurt
1 tsp methi seeds (fenugreek)
1 tsp raw rice(washed)
2 tbsps palm sugar( gur) jaggery
1 or 2 green chillies
FOR TEMPERING
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 dry red chillies, broken into pcs
1 tbsp chana dal
1 tbsp urad dal
Few curry leaves
Salt
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Method
1. Heat 1 tsp coconut oil in a pan and add 1 tsp methi seeds and 2 dry red chillies(broken). Saute for 2 mins.
2. Grind 1 cup grated coconut, 2 cups yogurt, 2 green chillies, 1 tsp raw rice, the sauted methi seeds and dry red chillies. Grind to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
3. Heat 2 tbsps coconut oil in a pan, add 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tbsp chana dal and 1 tbsp udad dal, curry leaves. Saute for a while till fragrant.
4. Add the vegetables and coconut paste along with turmeric powder, salt, 2 tbsps palm sugar and half cup of water.
5. Cook for 5 to 10 mins. Untill oil seperates.
Serve hot with steamed rice, or parathas.
Tag: mustard
The cold sandwich cake
The cold sandwich cake
When sandwiches are mentioned everyone has thier own favourites. Sandwiches eaten during our school days in the Seventies , were very basic, as every Indian school going child will remember. Mostly white bread with butter and jam, or if you were lucky cheese and butter.Cheese was a luxury which not everyone had, especially in India. If you were lucky and had relatives staying abroad, then you would recieve small tins of kraft cheese😊. Of course Amul cheese cubes were already around, but were a little out of reach for an average middle class family. Back to sandwiches, my grandfather always had a slice of bread with green corriander and mint chutney as his evening snack. Those were the days when chutney was made using a grinding stone. The aroma of fresh mint and corriander leaves being crushed with green chillies and garlic is till today etched in my memory..
Whoever has lived in Pune, even for a short time will surely know about the Marzorin sandwiches. Soft crustless bread, filled with chicken, eggs, tomato and chutney… I crave these sandwiches even today…and they are a must on all my visits to Pune.
Todays recipe is a mixture of all my childhood memories..
Credit for the chicken pate filling goes to my friend hilda mascarenhas, who writes a wonderful food blog, hildastouchofspice.com. Do visit her food blog .
The cold sandwich cake
Basically you will require 3 types of fillings, and 16 slices of crustless bread
Ingredients..for chicken pate.
1 chicken breast
3 to 4 tbsps mayonaise
1 tbsps mustard paste
1 tsp honey
2 tbsps grated cucumber( helps to keep the filling moist)
Salt, pepper.
1 tbsp chopped celery leaves.
Method…
Boil the chicken in water which has been seasoned with salt and pepper.
Dispose the chicken bones, and put the meat in a food processor along with chopped celery..Pulse it and transfer the shredded chicken to a bowl, and add mayonaise, mustard, honey and cucumber. You should have a moist mixture. Keep aside.
Ingredients for second layer
4 Boiled eggs, sliced.
Sliced tomatoes
Sliced cucumber
Butter
Ingredients for 3rd layer
1/ 4 th cup mayonaise
1/ 2 cup basil leaves
2 green chillies
2 cloves of garlic
Juice of one lime
Salt
4 slices of cheese.
Method…
Blend basil leaves, chillies, garlic, lime and mayonaise together to get a pretty green spread, season with salt and a pinch of sugar.
Other ingredients are, finely sliced radishes, shredded carrot, shredded lettuce leaves, alfalfa sprouts and mayonaise.
Method
Keep 4 slices of bread on a serving platter, in a neat square.
Apply butter thinly, and add the chicken pate, level till all the 4 slices of bread are covered.
Cover with 4 slices of bread, and apply butter lightly, top with sliced tomatoes sliced eggs, and sliced cucumber…season with salt and pepper.
Cover with 4 slices of bread, apply the basil mayonaise and top with 4 slices of cheese in a single layer..
Lastly, top with 4 slices of bread, whose underside is spread with basil mayonaise.
Press down gently, and apply mayonaise all over the sandwich, covering it from all sides.
Gently press shredded lettuce, carrots all over sides and top…decorate with radish slices, cucumber slices, and alfalfa sprouts.
Chill thoroughly, cut into wedges and serve
A beautiful centerpiece is ready for your parties..
SARSON(MUSTARD) PANEER AND PEAS WITH CHILLI OIL KULCHA
This recipe which is a fusion recipe, combines the tanginess of mustard and the smoothness of coconut milk. East India merges with south India. Mustard is one the most important spice in Bengali cooking, whole mustard seeds, or paste of mustard seeds are happily incorporated into daily cooking, used liberally to coat fish and wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. I have also used Panch phoran to temper this dish, panch phoran is a combination of 5 spices, mustard seeds, onion seeds or kalonji as they are called in hindi, cum
in seeds, fenugreek seeds, and fennel seeds are mixed together and used whole to temper the oil in the beginning of the cooking process. The use of mustard oil here imparts a nice nutty flavour. I love using mustard oil , coconut oil or ghee in all my Indian cooking , these oils bring out the true regional flavours of dishes from all over India. The use of coconut milk in this recipe balances out the tartness of mustard and vinegar used.
Paneer, or cottage cheese is so widely used in India, more so in the western, northern and eastern states. We Indians love our paneer in different forms, paneer pakodas, shahi paneer, paneer parathas, paneer bhurji, rosgollas, or kalakhands. Most Indian gatherings or parties will surely have a paneer dish on their menu. I remember, when my mom magically transformed curdled milk into a delectable sabji, just by adding a paste of green chillies and corriander leaves and some garlic. Paneer has been very subtly introduced into the chindian cuisine in place of tofu, paneer chilli fry and paneer manchurian for example. My love for paneer started with a cold paneer sandwich which was served in Greenfields restaurant in main street way back in the seventies when I was a very young girl, this awesome sandwich had thin slices of paneer sprinkled with only salt and pepper, sandwiched between 2 slices of white bread, slathered with mayonn
aise and topped with crisp lettuce. Sadly, this restaurant shut its doors long ago. Puneites will surely remember this restaurant fondly.
Do try this recipe, and serve it with chilli oil kulchas, recipe of which i will be sharing here.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups of diced paneer
1/2 cup of green peas.( I have used frozen peas)
1 big onion, finely chopped
4 green chillies ,finely chopped
5 cloves of garlic. roughly chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, sliced
3/4 tbsp mustard seeds
2 tbsps vinegar
2 + 2 tbsps mustard oil
1/2 cup thick coconut milk
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp paanch phoran
salt to taste
1/4 tsp sugar
PANCH PHORAN..( 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp fennel (saunf) seeds, 1/ 2 tsp fenugreek seeds and 1/2 tsp onion seeds.. mix. Use as required.) In this recipe I have used 1 tsp.
METHOD
1.. Heat 2 tbsps of mustard oil, add the mustard seeds, when the seeds stop crackling, add chopped green chillies, ginger and garlic. saute for a while, shut the gas, and cool this mixture. When it cools down add 2 tbsps of vinegar and grind this mixture to a fine paste. add water if required, keep aside
2. Heat 2 tbsps of mustard oil in a pan, add 1 tsp of paanch phoran and wait till seeds splutter and there is an amazing nutty fragrance in your kitchen, now add chopped onion and saute till light brown, add the paste of green chillies, garlic and ginger. saute for another 5 minutes.
3. Now add the chopped paneer and green peas, season with salt, sugar and turmeric. and add the coconut milk.
4.. Add half a cup of water and cover, cook till a thick gravy is left. about 5 minutes.
serve garnished with grated cheese and chopped corriander leaves.
CHILLI OIL KULCHAS
Ingredients
1 cup flour
100 gms boiled and grated potato
1/4 cup yogurt
1 tbsp chilli oil
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp chilli flakes
1 tsp shah jeera..(caraway seeds)
METHOD
Mix all the ingredients to form a dough.
Divide into 8 balls and roll out the kulchas.
Roast each kulcha on a hot tava
Finally brush with chilli oil .
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