Mushroom Ghee Roast with Alterations

 It’s the season - wintry cold air makes you want to cozy up with food that warms your belly and tastes nice and spicy. 

I love Biryani, rasam soup and other good heart and body warming dishes. My family doesn’t usually eat spicy , so I have to tone down a bit from standard recipes to get the whole family to share my favorites ! 

One of the spicy-yet-tasty recipes that my MIL introduced me to is Ghee Roast - I follow this receipe to make it  https://www.kannammacooks.com/mushroom-ghee-roast-recipe/ 

 But I alter the spice and the water quantity for soaking - the first time I made this dish as per instructions , it was very spicy, and the “masala paste” wasn’t a paste, with the water quantity mentiones, it became a smoothie and I needed to cook it down for literally an extra 40 mins . 

So I have the ingredients as - 

4 Byadgi Chillies, 2 normal chilies if you increase Byadgi to 6 also it’s fine. Alternately , sub with 4 Byadgi and 1/2 teasooon of chilli powder. 

In the hot water for soaking the paste mix - use just enough to soak the mix- the yogurt already has enough liquid- so 1/4 cup or less - even if you scale the recipe to 3x, don’t scale the water - use just enough to soak the spices - 

With that! Good Luck ! 

Palakura pappu

 Ingredients

Dal mix :

1:1/2:1/2 measure of toor dal : Yellow moong dal : masoor dal mix 

In this recipe - 1/2 cup toor , use 1/4 cup moong and 1/4 cup masoor dal 

2 medium Campari tomatoes

1/2 bag of baby spinach ( about 2 cups loosely packed ) 

1 green chilli ( Serrano ) 

Rock salt and table salt 

7-8 cloves of garlic - ( chopped fine ) or 4 tbsp of garlic powder

1 teaspoon- Chilli powder  

1/4 teaspoon turmeric, pinch for cooking dal

1/4 teaspoon coriander powder 

1/4 teaspoon - jeera powder 

Dime sizes tamarind ball - soaked in hot water and tamarind juice extracted 

Ghee for tadka 

Mustard seeds , white Urad, jeera, dried red chilies , for tadka

Fresh curry leaves for tadka , cilantro for garnish 

Oil for sauté 

 Method 

1. Wash and Cook the dal mix in pressure cooker for 25 mins with 2x water , tablespoon of rock salt and a pinch of turmeric. 

2. Once the dal is cooked keep aside and , start with the rest of the work - in a pot , heat 1 tbsp of oil , add garlic , sauté till aromatic, add chilli , cook till skin of chilli is blistered - add half the salt measure mentioned in ingredients 

3. Add tomato and sauté till it turns mushy

4. Add chopped spinach, table salt , chilli powders , coriander powder, jeera powder

5. Sauté till the spinach leaves all its water - about 10 mins on medium heat 

6. Add  turmeric and then the cooked dal mix, tamarind extract 

7. Slow cook for about 15-20 mins - the dal will be simmer boil. Not a rolling boil 

8. Taste and adjust spices if needed to your taste. Adjust consistency of dal to be as thin as you want. 

9. Take a separate tadka dish - add 1 tbsp ghee , add first Urad dal , then jeera , last mustard seeds and when mustard splutters, add red chilies , once they start to darken, add curry leaves and hing 

10. Pour the tadka mix into the dal. 

11. Boil on low for 5 mins and turn off. Let it rest for 10 mins before transferring to serving dish. Enjoy! 

Pro tips 

- I like to use instapot to cook dal in larger amounts to freeze and use during weekdays 

- use instapot slow cook option for even more flavorful dal. Slow cooking for 8 hours makes the proteins break different and gives a completely different yummy taste 

Mom’s Gutti vankaya - no gravy

Ingredients 

1/2 kg small brinjals

Masala ingredients: 

4 dried red chillies

1 tbsp dhaniya 

1 tbsp chanadal 

1 tsp cumin seeds 

Pinch of fenugreek seeds ( 6-7 grains) 

1/4 cup groundnuts 

1 tsp white poppy seeds ( khus khus) 

2 tbsp desiccated coconut ( add 1 tbsp more if nutty taste is desired) 

Quarter sized Tamarind ball to be soaked and extracted to paste ( or 1/2 tbsp readymade paste) 

10 garlic pods 

Method: 

1. Fry chana dal , peanuts, khuskhus, cumin, red chillies , coconut powder in a tsp of oil on low heat, set aside.
2. Sauté garlic and onions in 1-2 tbsp oil  , with salt as per taste. Let them become brown. 
3. Add tamarind paste to the garlic-onion, and take the masala from step 1 , grind them all into rough paste, don’t add any water. 
4. Cut the brinjals with a cross on the smooth bottom , till half the length , keep the brinjals crown . 
5. Put them in salt water until ready to stuff. 
6. Fill brinjals one by one . 
7. Pan fry the brinjals with enough oil to coat the sides. Or bake them in the oven till all sides are crisped and inside is mushy. Do the frying in medium flame with a lid. Turn with a fork.
8. Transfer to bowl and garnish with coriander leaves. 
9. If any gravy is desired, make extra stuffing ( increase quantity by 1/4th) , grind this to more smooth paste, sauté in 1 tsp oil till it bubbles. Set aside in a bowl, then use the same pan to roast brinjals. Transfer to bowl with gravy gently. 

Enjoy this with Jeera rice, Ghee rice or any mild rice. 

Amaranth Chutney - Thotakura Thokku

Growing up, Rajgira or Amaranth seeds/flour were the healthier substitute for rice and wheat flours.
But the leaves of amaranth (Thotakura) were a yummy staple in a few South Indian households, including mine.

We would make dals, fried vadas, quick sautés, but my favorite was and still is the thokku ( mash/chutney). Rich in Iron, Vit-C,Vit-A amaranth leaves are as nutritious as they come and Mom’s recipe made it it a treat to eat.

The recipe has many variations ..
Some of the ones I personally recommend :

1. Adding a 1/4 cup of dry roasted peanuts or dalia before blending. 
2. Adding fresh raw mango as well when roasting the leaves
3. Using Green chilies instead of red ones
4. Using broth/whey instead of water while grinding 
5. Making it more thicker ( as my mom does, rather than saag like that my family prefers) 

The Original Recipe : yields about 2 cups of thokku ( saag consistency)

Ingredients:

• 2 bunches of amaranth leaves -washed  
• 2 tomatoes - chopped 
• 1 medium onion chopped 
• 6 -8 pods of garlic chopped
• 4 dried red chilies
• 2 tbsp oil for roasting , 2 more fur tempering
• Tamarind ( 1/2 inch ball) 
• Salt to taste

Tempering 

• Urad seeds
• Mustard seeds
• Methi (fenugreek) seeds 
• Curry leaves 
• Hing powder
• Dried red chilies
• Save a few pieces of garlic and onion for tempering 

The ingredients are simple , not many spices, as the idea is to highlight the flavor of the Amaranth.

Method:

1. Take 2 tbsp oil in a nonstick pot and let it warm up (not hot) , once warm , add the red chilies, garlic and a pinch of salt , roast till they are aromatic (no need to brown the garlic)
2. Spoon out the chilies and garlic in a  bowl or the blender directly, leave most oil back in the pot , to this add onions and tomato and sauté for 5 mins 
3. Once the onions and tomatoes are mushy add the amaranth leaves and mix them up , leave on medium-high for 2-3 mins till amaranth leaves wilt and shrink. Cook for a 1 min more. 
4. Take the mix into the blender with salt, tamarind and the garlic and red chilies that were roasted. You can add water to make it saag like or leave it out as make it paste like blend. 
5. In the same sauté  pot ( I am a cook-in-one-pot person) , add 2-tbsp oil , add all the tempering dry ingredients and wait for mustard to splutter and seeds to turn brown, add the curry leaves, and garlic and onion pieces
6. Add the blended chutney to the pot and mix well and let it simmer for 2 mins. 
7. Thokku is ready to be served! 

My Version Mirch ka Salan

Mirch ka Salan is a famous Hyderabadi recipe and a popular side for the famous biryani , however not being a meat eater and living with roommates who consumed only Satvik food or non spicy food made my recipe evolve over the years, I have returned to making the Salan with onion and garlic, however I have left some of the spicier ingredients to when my kid grows up!

It’s needless to mention, but I will anyway, the original recipe is my mother’s, and like every one in Hyderabad she also had her own recipe, likely that if you taste the famous Paradise Biryani Salan it won’t taste the same as mine or moms, but just as tasty :)

The Mirch ka Salan can be adapted to any vegetable Salan - I have seen eggplant, okra, zucchini.

Ingredients ( serves 4)

4 jalapeños, deseed if you want no spice
1/2 onion finely chopped
1/4 cup peanuts with skin
1/4 cup desiccated coconut, sub fresh grated coconut if not available
1 tsp poppy seeds (khus  khus)
1/2 tsp cumin ( jeera)
1 tbsp sesame seeds.
1tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 nickel sized tamarind
Garam masala powder ( 1/2 teaspoon)
Cinnamon powder ( optional) just a dash
Oil ( coconut or peanut)
Salt

Method :

In pan take about 2 tbsp oil, coconut oil is what I always use, it elevates the coconut taste in the dish. But you can use any other oil.

Submerge the peanuts in water and microwave for 2 mins to soften them.

Add jeera and roast, add ginger garlic paste and roast for a min

Add onions and salt and sauté till it softens

Add poppy seed, sesame, Garam Madala, cinnamon powder , piece of tamarind

Add the softened peanuts sauté for 3-5 mins on med flame.

Cool and grind to a smooth mixture - this is very important, the mixture should be a smooth paste with no gritty peanut pieces.

In the same pan, add 1/2-1 tbsp of oil and add the slit and deseeded jalapeños
Roast till they are charred on all sides and become slumped ( my mom usually roasts on fire, but it’s not an option with the smoke alarm going crazy, but you can roast in the regular oven or a toaster if you want)

Put the jalapeños aside ( add them at the end to the mix)

In the same pan, take another tsp of oil and put some more jeera seeds, turmeric powder, add the ground mix, with a little water and stir.

At this point if you want more spicier Salan add the jalapeños into the gravy or leave them out till the last min.

Keep the flame on low, cover the Salan and boil for atleast 10-15 mins to let the tastes blend in.
Keep stirring in 5 min intervals

Add jalapeños if you haven’t already - adjust consistency, salt or sour or spice if needed and garnish with cilantro

Serve hot!

Enjoy!

Sweet Peppers chutney

Sweet peppers chutney is a wonderful sweet-sour-salty chutney. The ingredients themselves add the sweetness, so no need to add any additional sugar! Goes well with dosas and idlis!
If sweet peppers are not available, sub with 2 bell peppers ( red or orange) , red works better.

Ingredients: (makes about 8oz of chutney)

10 mixed color sweet peppers. ( I get mine from Costco) chopped
1 Onion chopped
1 Roma tomato chopped fine
1/2 teaspoon ginger
Nickel sized tamarind
Oil
Salt

Tempering

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon urad dal
1-2 dry red chilies
2-3 curry leaves.

Method:

In a pan, heat abou 2 tbsp oil, add the ginger and chopped onions and sauté till they turn brown.

Add the chopped sweet peppers , tomato and salt, sauté till all the peppers are well roasted and soften, if you prefer more sweetness then char the peppers, add tamarind and mix in while the peppers are hot, so it blends in.

Let it cool completely, then coarse grind the mix. Try not to add any water.

In the same pan before, take another tbsp of oil and add the tempering mix, wait till the mustard splutters, then add the coarse ground mix, and sauté for 5 mins, this will reduce the water in the chutney , bringing all the chutney together.

Serve hot or cold, garnish with cilantro if desired.

Vegetable Curry Noodles

A Family favorite! And quick to make!

Ingredients  (For 3 people)

1/2 (6 Oz) packet - egg noodles ( I used Fine Egg Noodles)
1 cup - Matchstick cut carrots ( you get it in any grocery)
1/2  bell pepper julienned
1/3 onion thinly sliced ( scallions work better if you have )
1/2 cup cabbage
2 tbsp kitchen king masala or Japanese curry powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp chili powder
4-5 tbsp olive oil for sauté
Salt to taste

Method

1. Boil water and cook the noodles according to the packet but leave it al-dente ( little under cooked, this is important, else the noodles won’t sauté well)
2. While the noodles cook, in a wide mouth vessel , ideally a wok, heat the oil
3. First put in the onions and bell peppers , when slightly transparent , add other veggies
4. Sauté for a couple minutes then add salt and garlic powder
5. In the end add the kitchen king masala, chili powder  and sauté , adjust salt as needed
6. Cover and cook for 5 mins on low- med
7. By now the noodles would be cooked, drain the noodles and add to the veggie mix
8. Toss till all the masala has covered the noodles , at this point the heat should be on medium high or high , partial crisping is good thing to have! Sautéing for 2-3 mins on high while tossing is good enough.
9. Cover till ready to serve!

Sriracha Mayo is a popular side for the dish, but it’s wonderful as is!!

Enjoy!