Rasam (with left over dali)

"Dalitoy" is the Kuldevu in Konkani cooking and I always have a little bit of left over in my refrigerator once every couple of days. For a change, I make this Rasam and it reminds me of "Devastana Saru". This Saru/Rasam served with plain white rice and vegetable "Upkari" (stir fry) is the best meal especially after eating out over the weekend.

Ingredients:

1/2 - 3/4 cup left over cooked dal
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 tbsp jaggery (brown sugar)
2 tsp sambhar powder
2 tbsp Coriander leaves
Salt to taste
oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 sprig curry leaves

How it's made:

To the left over dal add 1/2 cup water, tomato, jaggery, sambhar powder, corainder leaves and salt to taste. Boil on medium high heat for 10 mins. Season with mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Serves: 4

Papdi (Papri) Chaat

Papdi Chaat is an all time and any time family favorite in our household.

Ingredients:
Papdi ( I use Anand brand)
Boiled chick peas ( Garbanzo beans)
Boiled potatoes, chopped
Red onion, chopped fine
Coriander leaves, chopped
Thin sev
Chutney - green chutney ; tamarind/date chutney (recipe below)
Spiced yogurt (recipe below)

Method:

On a wide serving plate, place 6-7 papdis. Layer each papdi with chick peas , potatoes and onions. Spoon green chutney, tamarind chutney & spiced yogurt.  Top with sev & coriander leaves. Serve immediately.

How to make Green Chutney:
1 cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 green chilli
1 clove of garlic
1/2 tsp chaat masala
1 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste

Grind all the above ingredients to a fine paste with very little water & set aside.

How to make Tamarind/ Date chutney:
Golf ball sized Tamarind soaked in 1 cup water for an hour
1/4 dates, boiled for 10 mins (mainly to soften them)
1/4 cup jaggery (brown sugar)
1/2 tsp roasted jeera (cumin) powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder

Blend dates to a fine paste. Squeeze out pulp from tamarind & discard the fiber. In a sauce pan, add tamarind water, date paste, jaggery & spices. Boil on medium heat until sauce thickens. More jaggery may be required to adjust the taste.
This chutney stays well in the refrigerator for 10 days or more but I prefer to make it in bulk & freeze in small containers.

How to make spiced yogurt:
1 cup yogurt, whisked
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp roasted jeera (cumin) powder
a pinch of salt
1/4 tsp sugar

Mix all the above ingredients together. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Kooka Upkari ( Chinese Potato Stir Fry)

Ingredients:


3 cups frozen kook (available at most Indian grocery)
1 tsp oil
2 red chillies, cut into 4 pieces
2-3 tbsp grated coconut
salt to taste

How it's made:

In a "kayli"or heavy bottom pan, heat oil. Add mustard. When it splutters (cover pan with lid to make clean up easier), add red chillies. Fry for about 30 seconds on medium high flame. Add kook & salt to taste. Cover, simmer and let it cook for 10 mins. Add in grated coconut. Serve hot.

Serves : 4

Bisi Bele Bhath

Bisi Bele Bhath is a complete meal by itself.  I sometimes make the spice paste & store it in the freezer in order to cut down on cooking time.

Ingredients:

2 cups white raw rice
1 cup toor dal
1/4 cups carrots, diced into cubes
1/4 beans, cut into 1"pieces
1/4 cup green peas
1/4 cup cauliflower
2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
1 tsp haldi (turmeric) powder
6 cloves
1"cinnamon stick
1 tsp pepper corn
1/2 methi (fenugreek) seeds
6-8 dried red chillies
1/2 cup grated coconut
2 tbsp urad dal (black gram)
1 tbsp chana dal (bengal gram)
marble size tamarind
Seasoning:
2 tbsp oil/ghee
2 tsp black mustard seeds
6 green chillies, slit
cashew-nuts, handful
1 tbsp chana dal ( Bengal gram)
Curry leaves, 1 sprig

How it's made:

Wash tur dal & rice separately. Pressure cook until dal is well cooked. In a heavy bottom pot, add haldi & 6 cups of water to the rice. Let it boil, turn off heat. Add carrots, green beans, peas & cauliflower. Cover and set aside.
In the meantime, dry roast one ingredient at a time- coriander, jeera, cloves, cinnamon, pepper corns, methi, red chillies, coconut, urad dal and chana dal. Grind all ingredients to a fine paste along with tamarind.
To the rice & vegetable, add cooked dal & ground spice paste. Add salt to taste. Cook on medium high heat until all the ingredients are well blended together. ( maybe 10 mins). Keep stirring to avoid dal sticking to the bottom of pan.
In an iron griddle ( or non stick pan), add oil/ghee. When it heats, add mustard. Once it splutters, add green chillies, cashew-nuts, chana dal & curry leaves. Pour the seasoning on rice-dal mixture. Serve hot.
You can eat it just by itself or serve it with boondhi for a little crunch.

Serves: 10 people