Pacchi Pulusu

So this pacchi shall not be confused with the pacchi in aloo mattar recipe ;) the peril of being in a multi lingual family ! This pacchi is the Telugu pacchi means raw, while the Pacchi in all mattar recipe is Konkani for Aunt .

So this pacchi pulusu roughly translates to raw soup or cold soup , no cooking involved!!

Ingridients

Tamarind - small lime sized. Or 1/4 spoon of tamarind concentrate
1/2 Large onion or 1 small onion finely chopped
1 Thai chilli or half a jalapeño sliced or chopped into big pieces
Cilantro for garnish
Water 2 cups
Salt to taste.

Soften the tamarind and squeeze the juice out , add to water
Sprinkle some salt on the onions and chillies , and mix and let it rest for 5 mins.
This is important , because we are not cooking the ingredients, salt will sort of cleanse and disinfect if I can say, the ingredients.

Take the salted onions and green chillies and add them to the tamarind water , while adding , just give them a nice massage / squeeze, this will make the onions and chillies ooze out their juices and flavor the pulusu well.

The more you squeeze the more spicy it will turn out!! So watch out. But don't worry if it's too spicy just remove some water and add plain water with salt to Mellow it.

Garnish with cilantro. Adjust salt if needed.

As you see this recipe is more about technique than ingredients or proportion, so you can be flexible in quantities as per taste!

Whole Moong Khichidi

This recipe is adapted from Anupy Singlas slow cooker book.

Ingredients

1 cup whole moong dry
1/2 cup brown or white rice
1/2 cup Mixed veggies if desired (frozen)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon jeera seeds
1 teaspoon ghee
Optionally 1 tomato and 1/2 onion rough chopped
Salt to taste
4 cups of water

Recipe makes 5-6 cups of cooked Khichidi

Slow cooker :
Combine all ingredients in the slow cooker and cook for 3.5-4 hours.  Check the moong to see if the Khichidi is ready. Serve with raw onions or spicy pacchi pulusu and a tiny bit of ghee.

Pressure cooker

Soak the moong for 3 hours if possible , then combine all ingredients in a pressure cooker and cook for 1 whistle and sim for 2-3 mins and let it release pressure fully before opening.

Pacchi's Aloo Mattar.

Recipe from my Pacchi.

Serves 6-8

2 big onions
12 garlic cloves
1/2 inch ginger
6 big tomatoes
1 cup mattar
1 pack paneer of choice/quantity.
Salt
1 teaspoon chilli powder
2 tsp turmeric
4 tsp corriander power
1/2 spoon pepper
1/2 spoon kitchen king masala
1 pinch kasoori methi.


 Method:

•  Saute and Brown the onions
• Add mashed ginger, garlic.
• Saute. Add tomatoes, salt. Cover and  cook till oil separates.
• add masalas other than kitchen king and kasoori methi.
• Grind the mixture.
• Put it back in dish, add kitchen king masala , peas, water.
• Cook for few mins. Meanwhile roast paneer on stove top (light brown on each side)
• Add paneer to the curry. Finally add kasuri methi.
• Garnish with cilantro leaves before serving.

Punjabi Kadhi

Yogurt 1 cup
Besan 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Chat masala - 1 tsp
dry red chillies 1
Cilantro few sprigs
Onion sliced - 1/2 large or 1 medium.

For kadhi, whisk yogurt well and mix besan. Blend thoroughly so as to ensure that there are no lumps. Add turmeric powder, salt and three cups of water.

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a kadai. Add red chillies and roast. Add mustrard seeds and allow to crackle.

Add yogurt mixture. Bring to a boil and simmer on low heat stirring occasionally.

On the side saute the onions in 1 tsp oil and some chilli powder , carmelize it as much as your liking.

Once the yougurt mixture has come to a boil on lower the heat more and add the carmelized onions (and pakoras if you have them) and simmer for 5 mins and take off the stove.

Serve with warm rice.

Tingling Moongra

Moongra - a less known vegetable of India, looks like string beans with pointy tail and tastes like radish, some even call it rat-tailed radish - but it grown over the surface of earth unlike the radish.

When I first spotted it in the store I mistook it to be the japanese edamame, so decided to make a japanese like dish but then tasting it made me go another route and landed up in the amazing tasting recipe.

Ingredients :
Moongra or rat tailed raddish - about 1/4 lb
Chilli vinegar - enough for marination (about 4-5 tbsp)
fresh ground pepper - 2 tbsp.
oil for sauteing.

Preparation:
If the moongra has any stalks or stems on it, just pluck them out, let the pointy tails be as is.

Cooking:
1. Boil the moongra for 15-20 mins in medim-large pot (dont worry if it gives a fishy smell)
2. Once boiled take them out and drain the water.
3. In a pan heat about 1 tbsp of olive oil and when sufficiently heated add the boiled moongra and saute a bit.
4. Add the vinegar and a pinch of sea salt(add more vinegar if you want it to be more tangy and try sweet&sour vinegar for sweet sour taste)
5. Cover and saute for 10 mins until the beans turn into a dull green (dirty green) color.
6. Take off the stove and garnish with fresh ground peppercorns just before serving.

Ginger Lime Asparagus

Fresh Vegetables have a nice crunch and taste of their own that is unbeatable - Here's a great combination of summer veggies - asparagus,ginger,lime with cool cucumbers and yogurt.

Ingredients:

1 bunch - Fresh asparagus, thinner the better.
2 inch size ginger piece
1/2 key lime.
oil for roasting and salt to taste.
some paprika or Cajun dressing or cayenne pepper powder as much desired.
some sesame seeds (optional)

Preparation:

1. Wash the asparagus, shave a bit off the bottoms of the asparagus spears (peel 2 layers off may be) until it seems tender.
2. Cut the spears into two if you have a smaller pan.
3. Grate the ginger or cut in to small fine pieces


Cooking:

1. Pour some olive oil in the pan roast the sesame seeds.
2. Put in the asparagus , and roast them for 5 minutes covered.
3. Put in the ginger and spice powder and cook for another 5-10 mins stirring in between once. Don't fret about burning the asparagus or the paprika they both taste better when charred!
4. Take off the stove when tender and squeeze the lime on top.

Asparagus spears appear darker and softer when cooked, serve with rice pilaf or mashed potato with gravy.. or just eat with pita/naan with side of cucumbers and yogurt.


Enjoy!

Pudina Chutney

Variation 1
Pudina leaves
tamarind -small piece
redchillies 4-8
Ginger

Take little oil in a pan fry red chillies ,little jira ,ginger pieces keep them aside till u can fry before only without adding oil, fry pudina in the left over oil of red chillies u have fried before. Now put in a mixie add little salt haldi powder a pinch then grind it to a fine paste along with soaked tamrind . Now chutney is ready have it with hot hot rice.

Variation2 :lime juice extra.

Put pudina leaves in hot water for 5mts drain then put in cold water drain the water add green chillies add lime juice or tamrind juice grind to paste all raw then spread on bread and eat it will be tasty.the above pickle staysd for 4 to 5 days but the raw one may be two day if u put in fridge.