Bread Upma

Bread Upma literally translates to scrambled (sauteed) bread. This is my childhood memory on a plate. A staple in south indian households, often a great after school snack for kids, and a great way to use day old bread.

This demonstrates the simplicity of good food. Served with mint chutney, this is my perfect supper.

Although often made with plain white bread, I used simple wheat to make it more hearty.

10 slices wheat bread (serves 4), crumbs removed and chopped into 2″ pieces
1 tbsp canola oil + 2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp channa dal (bengal gram lentil)
1 tsp urad dal (black gram lentil)
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder (popularly available brand is “L.G”)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 chillies, finely chopped (indian, thai or serrano kind
3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp lemon juice

Heat oil and butter in a pot, over medium heat. Just when the butter starts melting add mustard seeds and asafoetida. When the butter starts turning golden, add both lentils in. Fry for a minute until the lentils starts turning golden brown.

Now add the finely chopped green chillies and onions. Fry for 5 minutes until the onions soften and are cooked thoroughly. Sprinkle a teaspoon of salt, mix well and drop the heat to low while preparing the bread to add in.

Remove the crusts off the bread and chop once vertically across the middle and thrice horizontally to create 6 pieces out of every slice. Prepare all 10 slices similarly. Add the pieces to the onion mixture and mix well. Add the tablespoon of water so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. Mix this all together so the spice onion mixture coats all the bread pieces evenly. The volume of the bread will drop but, it will still keep it’s texture.

Leave on low heat for 5 minutes stirring once in  while. This will help the bread soak up all the flavor from the onion spice mixture. Add chopped cilantro and lemon juice, stir and serve hot with mint chutney.

The lentils stay crunchy, the spices with the little butter add a nutty savory flavor with the bread hearty and chewy. It really is a party in your mouth.

Simple Coconut Green Beans

Here is an authentic south-indian style green bean recipe. It’s delectable!

1 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed, washed and chopped into 1/4 inch pieces.
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
2 tsp whole black gram dal ( also known as urad lentil it is similar to the commonly available moong lentils)
3-4 dried red chillies, roughly crushed
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup freshly grated coconut ( fresh or frozen coconut available in most indian stores. This is not the dry sweetened coconut available in regular grocery stores usually used in desserts)

In a saute pan, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add mustard seeds and as soon as it starts spluttering, add the asafoetida and whole black gram dal. Fry for a minute until the urad turns golden brown. Add the slightly crushed red chillies and fry for 10 seconds and immediately add the chopped beans.

Add salt and cover and cook for 15-20 minutes over medium heat.

Uncover, check if beans are cooked through. If it is not cooked, cover and let cook some more. Once the beans are done, sprinkle the grated coconut and increase the heat to medium-high heat.

Saute for another 10 minutes and serve hot with steamed basmati rice.

Potatoes in Tomato-Fenugreek Gravy

Here is how I used some great south indian ingredients like fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and mustard seeds with potatoes and tomatoes. It makes a comforting and spicy side dish to any bread or steamed rice.

3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp split black gram dal (Urad dal)
1 tsp fenugreek(methi) seeds
10-12 curry leaves, chopped (leaves from 1-2 stems)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter + 1 tbsp canola oil

To make into a paste :

3 medium tomatoes, halved
1 ” piece ginger, rough chopped
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup grated fresh cocnut

Add the tomatoes, ginger, asafoetida powder, coconut, red chilli powder and salt. Grind together into a smooth paste and set aside.

Heat the oil and butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, as soon as it starts popping, add the black gram dal and fry until it starts to turn golden. Add the methi seeds, fry for 10 seconds and add in the chopped onions, half of the curry leaves and saute until the onions turns golden.

Add the pureed tomato-coconut mixture and a tsp of salt  to the onions stir well. Cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes until the tomato masala cooks through. Mix in the chopped potatoes, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are tender but not mushy.

Sprinkle rest of the curry leaves on top and serve with chapati or with steamed rice.

Fried Tomato and Onion Rice

I call this the South Indian risotto. It has the same comfort and warmth to it. On a cold day, this is one of my favorite things that I look forward to.

 

1 cup basmati rice (I used brown basmati rice)
2 tbsps butter
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
8 indian green chillies, split into two lengthwise
1″ piece ginger, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 large onions, diced
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
3 tomatoes, diced
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

Bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Add the cup of rice, cover and let simmer over medium heat for 35-40 minutes until all the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked. Remove from heat and let cool.

If using white basmati rice, follow the same procedure, just use 1 1/2 cups water per cup of rice and simmer for 20-22 minutes to cook completely.

Melt the butter in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add the mustard seeds and asafoetida. As soon as they start spluttering add garlic, ginger and green chillies.Fry for a minute, add the onions and turmeric powder.

When the onions start turning golden brown, add the tomatoes, salt and coriander powder. Mix well, cover and cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Uncover, add the cilantro and stir together.

At this stage, this makes a great side dish on its own, served with chapathi or naan.

Add this tomato-onion mixture to the cooked rice, mix well together and serve warm.

South Indian Stir Fried Lentils

A common dish from back home, this makes a filling and healthy snack. You could use a a couple of varieties of Indian Lentils or even the regular green lentils or puy lentils for this dish.

2 cups green lentils ( you could also use Split Bengal Gram(channa)  or Split Green Gram (moong) Dals)
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp canola oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp split black gram dal(urad dal)
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
4-5 dried red chillies, crushed
8-10 curry Leaves, finely chopped

Bring salted water to a boil. Add the lentils and cook until soft, around 10 minutes. Drain and let sit for 5 minutes.

In a nonstick pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and as soon as they start popping add asafoetida, salt, dried red chillies and urad dal. Fry until dal starts to turn golden. Add the curry leaves, salt and stir.

Add this mixture to the cooked lentils, toss together and serve warm.

Kosumalli

This is as authentic as south Indian food gets. It is a simple salad made with split green gram dal, carrots and a few spices. This dish is also very traditional and served in most south indian weddings and other special occasions.

Everytime I eat this dish, it brings back special memories of every wedding and other events I have attended back home in Chennai. It denotes festivities for me and makes the meal extra special!

1/2 cup yellow moong dal (split green gram dal)
2 medium sized carrots, peeled and grated
1/2 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
3 Indian green chillies, finely chopped (substitute 1 serrano or 1/2 jalapeno pepper)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp canola or vegetable oil

When preparing any Indian lentil, the first step is to wash them well. After washing, soak the moong dal in cold water for 1 hour. Drain the soaked dal, pat dry with paper towels and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add the grated carrots, salt, lemon juice and cilantro. In a small pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add mustard seeds and when they start popping, add asafoetida and green chillies. Fry for a few seconds and add this to the carrot mixture mix well and let sit for 5 minutes.

Add the soaked dal to the carrot mixture, gently toss everything together, check for seasoning and serve at room temperature.

Cauliflower and Potato Curry

This is a simple and typical south indian way of cooking vegetables. The combination of cauliflower and potatoes stir fried and slightly crisped makes one delicious meal served with hot rice, chapati or naan.

4 cups cauliflower florets ( I used fresh cauliflower, you could use frozen and thawed ones too)
2 large potatoes, washed and diced
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chilli powder or cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
1/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and as soon as they splutter add asafoetida and onions. Fry for 2 minutes until the onions are cooked and soft. Add the diced potatoes and let cook for 5 minutes stirring a few times.

Add the cauliflower florets, salt  and stir gently so they are mixed evenly with the onions and potatoes. Cover and cook for 7-8 minutes until tender. Sprinkle the turmeric, coriander and red chilli powders. Mix thoroughly together so the vegetables are evenly coated with all the spices.

Over medium heat let cook another 8-10 minutes uncovered stirring gently every 3-4 minutes so they get evenly browned. Add chopped cilantro, mix and serve with hot rice drizzled with ghee, or with fresh chapati or naan.

String Beans and Green Bell Pepper Rice Sauté

Using my South Indian spice mix I posted before, here is another easy one pot dish. Serve this with salted creamy plain yogurt and you have a delicious meal.

1 cup basmati rice
2-3 tbsp South Indian spice mix
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida
2 tsp salt
1 cup green beans (I used frozen cut beans)
1/3 cup frozen peas (Thawed to room temperature)
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
10 curry leaves (1-2 stems), finely chopped
2-3 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
2 cups water
3 tbsp canola oil

Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet and add the mustard seeds. When they start popping, add the asafoetida and curry leaves. Fry for a few seconds and add the green peppers, beans and peas. Add a tsp of salt and saute until the green peppers and beans soften, around 7-8 minutes. Sprinkle the spice mix and fry for a minute.

Add the rice and remaining tsp of salt. Mix well together and saute until the some of the rice kernels turns opaque, around 3 minutes. Add the measure water and bring to a boil over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low/medium and cover.

Cook for 20 minutes and check for doneness. Gently stir the rice to fluff it and check for seasoning. Sprinkle chopped cilantro, mix well and serve.

Rava Upma

Rava is the tamil name for powdered semolina. It is coarser than semolina flour but finer than small pasta. Upma is the tamil name of this dish, which can be made with rava, vermicelli, tapioca or cracked wheat.

Upma is a staple in any south indian home and my comfort food! It is typically eaten as breakfast but could also be eaten as supper.

I grew up eating this dish on most weekends and my mom is “THE” expert of making this. This is my humble attempt at being half as good a cook as her! Making this transports me to my mums kitchen in Chennai, India and makes my kitchen smell amazing!

A great combination is to fill Pesarattu with rava upma inside and eat for breakfast. But either pesarattu or upma on their own makes a meal by itself.

2 cups rava (also known as sooji or suji in indian stores)
1 large onion, diced
2 potatoes, washed and diced
1/2 cup peas (I use frozen peas thawed to room temperature)
You can improvise and add more veggies like carrots, corn, string beans.
5 dried red chillies (You could also use any green chilli you have in hand. You will need 4 serranos or 2 jalapenos, or 5-6 indian green chillies)
3 tbsp butter (you could use canola oil, butter makes it extra delicious)
1 tsp asafoetida powder
1 tsp urad dal (split black gram dal)
1″ piece ginger, minced
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp salt
4 cups water
3-4 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
2 tsp fresh lemon juice

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add the rava. We are dry roasting the rava, so no oil. Keep roasting the rava by stirring it continuously to prevent the bottom from burning. Roast for 5 minutes until some of the rava turns opaque/slightly golden. Remove and set aside.

Melt the butter in the saute pan over medium heat until it starts turning slightly golden. Add in the mustard seeds and just when they start to pop, add the urad dal and asafotida. Fry for a couple of seconds until the urad dal start to turn golden brown. Roughly break the red chillies and add them in. Saute for another few seconds and add the onions and ginger. Cook until onions turn slightly brown, around 5 minutes.

Stir in the potatoes and peas, add a tsp of salt, cover and cook for 7-8 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

Add the roasted rava and remaining salt to this and mix well together. Add in 4 cups water and keep stirring well until the water is well incorporated with the rava mixture. It is important to keep sitrring in this step to avoid any lumps. If you do find the rava clumping, then lower the heat and break all the lumps gently.

Cover and cook on low heat for 15-20 minutes. Uncover, stir the mixture gently to check if it’s done. The rava must be soft, creamy, slightly fluffy and importantly must not be sticky. If you think it is still a bit watery or too dense, then drizzle in some canola oil and stir well and cook uncovered for another 10-15 minutes.

Sprinkle chopped cilantro over the top, add the lemon juice, mix well and serve warm with any chutney you like. I had some Onion chutney to serve with.

I have entered this dish for the Food For Thought event hosted by Erin at The Skinny Gourmet.

South Indian Potato Curry

4 large all purpose potatoes, washed well, peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal( split black gram dal)
1 tsp channa dal(split bengal gram dal)
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 ” piece ginger, finely chopped
2 tsp salt
6-8 curry leaves, roughly chopped
5 dried red chillies, roughly chopped
4 tbsp canola oil

Heat oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat.  Add the mustard seeds and ginger. As soon as the mustrad seeds start spluttering, add in the asafoetida, urad and channa dal. Fry until the dals turn golden brown. Add in red chilli peppers fry for a few seconds and add the onions and turmeric powder. Sauteé for another 5-7 minutes until the onions start to brown. Add the curry leaves and fry for another minute.

Add the chopped potatoes, salt mix well, drop the heat to medium and cover. Cook covered for 5-7 minutes. Uncover, cook for another 10 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Serve with rice or Indian bread.

Eggplant Curry

This is a really quick and easy way to make delicious eggplant curry. If you have the spice mix before hand, this dish will take about 20 minutes to make.

1 large eggplant, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp south Indian spice mix
4 tbsp canola oil
5 curry leaves

Heat 2 tbsps oil over medium-high heat for a few seconds. Add the mustard seeds and asafoetida powder. As soon as the mustard seeds start spluttering, add in the onions. Fry until softened. Add the chopped pieces of eggplant and stir fry for 5 minutes until they just start turning soft. Add the salt, 2 more tbsps canola oil, drop the heat to medium and cook covered for 10 minutes.

Uncover and sprinkle the spice mix and curry leaves.  Mix well and let cook uncovered for another 10 minutes while stirring every 5 minutes.  Serve with rice or any indian bread.

Tomato Chutney

There are many variations to making tomato chutney, this is my south indian version.

3 Ripe Tomatos
2 indian Green chillies
2 Dried Red Chillies
1 tsp black mustard seeds              
1 tsp urad dal (also known as black gram dal)
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
1/2 – 1 tsp salt, depending on your taste
1 tsp coriander seeds 
10 curry leaves (1-2 stems)
1 tbsp oil 
1/2″ ginger piece

In a nonstick pan, heat the oil, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, ginger, coriander seeds asafoetida and both the chillies. Fry for 2 minutes until the urad dal is slightly browned.

Add the tomatoes and salt. Cook for about 7-8 minutes until the spices release their aroma and the tomatoes begin to breakdown and cook. Add the curry leaves and let wilt for a few seconds.

 Remove from heat and let cool completely before transferring to a blender. Grind it to a fine paste and serve with any savory dish. It would also make a great dip, you could serve it with toasted pita wedges or focaccia.

Coconut-Coriander Rice

2 cups basmati rice washed, soaked in water for 30 minutes and drained
4 cups water
1 tsp jeera( aka cumin seeds)
1 tsp black mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder 
1 red onion, finely chopped 
2 tbsp butter 

To make into a paste:

1 big bunch coriander leaves( aka Cilantro), washed and drained
20 curry leaves( approx 3 stems of leaves), washed and drained

4-5 Indian green chillies
2″ ginger piece
5 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup grated coconut( frozen or fresh, just make sure the frozen coconut is thawed and soft at room temperature)

Melt 2 tbsp butter over medium-high heat in a nonstick pan. Add in the cloves, cinnamon fry for a few seconds until the cloves just start popping. Now add in the cilantro, curry leaves, ginger and green chillies. (None of these are chopped because they are going to be ground into a paste). 

After a few minutes of wilting transfer into a blender, add the coconut and grind to a smooth paste with 1/3 cup of water. Set aside.

In a pan melt the remaining 2 tbsp butter, add in mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida and fry for a few minutes until the mustard seeds start spluttering. Now add in the onions and fry on medium-high heat until crispy and brown. 

Stir in the rice and keep stirring until it starts turning opaque. 

Pour in the ground coriander-coconut paste, add salt and stir for a few minutes.

Add the measured 4 cups of water drop the heat to medium-low and cook covered for 20-25 minutes. Uncover and stir gently and transfer to a a serving bowl let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with Raita.

Aaloo Curry (South Indian version)

Here is one of my all time favorite side dishes to serve with Pooris or any Indian bread. This was a standard Sunday feast my mum used to make when I was a kid. It brings back endearing memories and the smell of home whenever I make it.

3 large potatoes ( I use yukon gold)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 green chillies, finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1/3 cup curry leaves, finely chopped
1 1/2  inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp channa dal ( Bengal Gram Dal)
1/2 tsp Split Urad Dal ( split Black gram Dal)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Asafoetida powder
3 tbsp ghee
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp salt

Fill a large pot of cold water, salt liberally and add in the potatoes. Place over high heat and boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes or until fork tender. Drain, cool and peel them.

In a nonstick pan, heat the ghee over medium heat and add in the mustard seeds. Just when it beings to splutter, add in the channa dal and Urad dal. Let the dals slightly brown. Now add in the chillies, ginger, turmeric and asafoetida powders. Fry on heat for about a minute and then add in the chopped onions. Fry until the onions are translucent and just begins to brown.

Break all the boiled potatoes with your hands over the onion mixture. You do not want to mash the potatoes, just roughly crush them with your hands so that there are still big chunks of potatoes in the curry. Sprinkle the salt and stir everything well together. Be gentle, over stirring could make the potatoes mushy and break down.

 The mixture will be quite dry now, add in 1/2 cup of water to give it more of a gravy consistency.

Let it boil over mediumlow heat for 5 – 10 minutes just so that all the flavors blend in well together. Finally add in the cilantro and curry leaves, stir one final time and Serve with hot Poori, Chapathi or Naan

Potato Balls ( Eastern Indian style)

This is literally the easiest, tastiest and quickest potato dish that exists! It’s has very simple, clean and subtle flavors. Delicious is the word.

 

2 large idaho potatoes
1 tsp mustard seeds
3 indian green chillis, minced
2 tbsp ghee
1 tsp ginger, minced
1 tbsp cliantro, finely chopped
salt to taste ( 1/2 to 1 tsp)

Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Drain, peel and set aside.

Crush the mustard seeds in a small mixer ( or mortar & pestle if you have one) to a powder. Mince the chilli and add it to the mustard powder. Add the ghee, ginger and cilantro to the mixture and let it sit for a while until the potatoes cook and cool down. This will also help the flavors to blend together.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle (but still warm) Mash them, then sprinkle with salt and the mustard mixture. Mix well and shape into little balls.

The authentic recipe uses only the regular potatoes. As a variation I tried the same recipe with exactly the same ingredients but with sweet potatoes. It turned out to be very unique! The sweet-salty-spicy combination was fantastic!

Serve them room temperature. It makes for a healthy and tasty snack. I personally love to eat them with ketchup.