Curries & Stories

September 24

Today I am going to talk about a very easy preparation. Its actually a ridiculously easy preparation which you can prepare in 5 minutes flat. In its basic form Pickled onions is nothing but Onions soaked overnight in a brine of vinegar, salt and sugar. But the one that I am going to talk about is spiced with a few elements to jazz up the flavors. The desi name for this is Sirke wala peyaz. Sirka is nothing but Vinegar.

We didn't really grow up seeing a restaurant culture during our childhood. Food meant only home cooked preparations. If we wanted to have something special, we would request our moms to make it for us. And specials were reserved for special days - weekends, birthdays, anniversaries, guests at home or the festive season. Hence each special had a very valuable place in our heart. Like the mutton curries which were only made on Sundays were traditionally called as Robibarer Mangshor Jhol or the Sunday Mutton Curry. Or the Rice kheer which was specially cooked on someone's birthdays. Or the seasonal specials like Ilish Macher jhol ( Hilsa fish curry). Each of these dishes has a box full of precious memories attached to them and will be the fodder for the stories which we will be telling our next generation.

I grew up in IIT Kharagpur campus as dad was a professor there. During those days, like 20 years ago, the campus had only one shady food joint called 'Tikkas' outside the Institute premise where they served everything from breakfast to dinner. It was like the hangout mecca for both the Institute students, professors as well as kids of the faculty families. That was one place where there was no stature difference. The person sitting next to you in the table might be a day laborer and yet we didn't mind sharing the space with them. That place just had a different charm altogether in the non-restaurant era. So many innovations might have happened sitting on those rickety benches over cups of thick ginger tea and medu vada. So many love stories might have blossomed under the tin roof of the joint while waiting for the rain to subside during monsoons. And so many heated political discussions might have originated while munching on the piping hot samosas with the tangy imli chutney. We were happy with that. And we never felt that we needed some upscale, air conditioned space to elevate our moods for having a meal.

It was only during the college days that I was formally introduced to the concept of a proper restaurant. And that's when I first saw these tiny onions swimming in a pool of vinegar being served at the table and called 'sirke wala peyaz'. The first thought was, what have they done to the good old onions which I could have as salads. And then slowly I realised that this was a curated accompaniment quite common across all restaurants in the country. It took time for me to grow a liking for them. But gradually I did start liking them with a few homemade customizations.

The best thing I like about these pickled onions over the desi version is they are easy to eat and more flavorful. Since you cut the onions in slices and place it in the brine, all the parts of the onion are fully exposed to the brining process unlike the desi version wherein mainly the outer layer of the tiny onions are pickled better than the internal ones.

These things are very versatile. You can add pickled onions to pretty much anything and it will enhance the taste . They add a perfect, tart crunch to your rice bowls, burgers, subs, sandwiches, salads, nachos, tacos, bhel and really anything else you can think to add them to. They taste best when you give them a day to rest and soak up the brine. Also it is very easy to preserve, just put it in a closed jar and in to the refrigerator and it will be good for more than a week.

Preparation Time : 5 minutes

Pickling Time : Overnight

Serving - 2 to 3 serving

Ingredients:

Onion - 1 medium, thinly sliced
Garlic Pod - 2 fat , bruised
Dried Red Chilli - 2
Pepper Corn - 1/2 tsp
Star Anise - 1
Rosemary Twig - 2
Beet - 1 small, diced
Vinegar (Red, White, Apple Cider) - 1/2 cup
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 1 tbsp.
Water - 100 ml

Equipment:

Deep Pan or vessel
Air Tight Mason Jar

Method:

1. Combine water, diced beet, bruised garlic, star anise, peppercorn, sugar and salt in a pan or vessel and bring it to a slow simmer on heat. take off flame and let the solution come to room temperature

2. Meanwhile slice the onions in roundels and place them in a mason jar or any jar you have. Split the red chilies and add to the jar.

3. Now pour the above solution with all the ingredients into the jar till 3/4th capacity. I have taken a 150 ml jar.

4. Top it off with the vinegar and close the lid of the jar. Now give it a gentle shake to mix the vinegar in the solution.

5. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour before. Then you can refrigerate overnight for a good pickled effect on the onions. Drain the onions from the brine before using.

This can be made well ahead of time. It stores nicely in the fridge for about a week.

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20 September

Mutton Tahari recipe or the Tehari recipe is a very traditional and age old recipe. It is a one pot meal where all the components are cooked together unlike biryani, where the yakhni and the rice is separately cooked and then layered together and put on dum. Here the yakhni is cooked first and then the raw rice is added to it and let it cook on a slow flame or dum till it is flaky and has absorbed all the juices of the yakhni. Ideally at the final stage even Tehari is put on dum, but for a quick and easy way out, you can also pressure cook it together like any pulao. You can try and make this with vegetables of your choice as well and replace the mutton. pieces.

Just like pulao or biryani every region has its own tehari recipes wherein the core process remains the same but the ingredients might differ a bit. The one that I am writing about is a recipe from East Bengal. Its an easy and quick recipe compared to mutton biryani. So when you want to have something biryani like but want to cheat on the preparation hassles this should be your go-to recipe.

It might look like a Mutton Yakhni pulao recipe but note that the signature flavor of this tehari comes from the whole green chillies we use during the dum process in this recipe. Tehari is cooked either with potatoes or without varying from region to region. I love potatoes with my biryani and Teharis; it adds a little something to incorporate with the rice when you eat, apart from the meat itself.

The most crucial aspect of a good pulao/biryani/tehari is that the meat must be double the quantity of rice used. Don't get overwhelmed by the long list of ingredients. I have segregated phase wise so that its easy to read and remember.

Marination Time : Overnight

Cooking Time : 60-65 minutes
Serving : 2 Adults

Ingredients for Marinating Mutton (Overnight) :

Mutton - 500 gm
Garlic - 1/2 tsp paste
Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Curd - 2 tsp

Ingredients for Boiling Mutton:

Black Pepper Clove - 5, bruised
Garlic Clove - 3, bruised
Bay Leaf - 1
Phool Chakri/ Star Anise - 1
Cinnamon Stick - 1/2 inch
Black Cardamom - 1, bruised
Green chilli - 2, slitted
Salt as per taste
Water - 2 to 3 cups

Ingredients for Mutton Gravy Base:

Bay Leaf - 1
Cardamom - 1
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Potato - 2 medium, halved
Onion - 2 medium

Garlic - 1 tsp
Ginger - 2 inch grated or 1 tbsp paste
Coconut Milk / Normal Milk/ Milk powder mixed in hot water - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Sugar To taste
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Refined oil - 3 tbsp* [Will depend on how much fat the mutton has, more fat less oil]

Ingredients for Rice:

Rice - 250 gm
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Mutton Stock from boiling mutton - 500 ml
Sugar - 3 tsp
Salt as per taste
Garam Masala powder - 1/2 tsp

Ingredients for Onion Beresta:

Onion - 1 medium, sliced

Ingredients for Garnish:

Manaka/ Raisins - 1/4th cup
Green chilli - 3-4

Method:

1. Marinate the mutton overnight with mentioned ingredients

2. Thaw the mutton for 15 minutes before boiling. Now in a pressure cooker add everything and cook the mutton till tender [depends on mutton quality. I took about 9 whistles]. Let the mutton sit for a while till the steam is off. Now drain the stock and keep it aside, we will use it while cooking rice.

Tip: The traditional recipe is made by cooking the mutton on dum for more delicate flavors. But I am hereby using pressure cooking method to reduce the time by half. The taste at the end is very much same, because post boiling we will be cooking the mutton with the spices and masala.

3. Make a paste of one onion and slice one onion. Halve the potatoes with skin on.

4. Wash the rice and soak it in turmeric water for about 15- 20 minutes.

Tip: I added turmeric to the water to only give the rice a mild yellow color and not the mutton. You can simply soak it in plain water if you do not want a yellow hue.

Tip 2: If you do not have basmati handy, like me then you can use a trick method. Add any other fragrant rice with normal rice, like here I added half and half of Kolam and Indryani rice to have an aromatic effect even without basmati. I didnt fully use Indryani because its a sticky type of rice which would have made the whole pulav mushy.

5. In a heavy bottom kadai, add the oil and ghee. When the ghee is fragrant add 1 bay leaf, bruised cardamom and cinnamon. Add the onion paste and a pinch of salt. Cook on medium heat till the onion starts changing color. Now add the sliced onion. Also add the halved potatoes. Fry it till both the onions and potato are half cooked, occasionally stirring.

Tip: If you want you can cook the entire thing in ghee which will give more robust flavors. But I have done half and half of ghee and oil.

6. Remove the potato from the kadai, the rest of it we will cook along with rice.

7. Now add grated ginger, bruised garlic and fold in. Fry for about 2 -3 minute to let it incorporate. Take care so that the masala doesn't stick to the bottom of the kadai.

8. Now add the boiled mutton along with the spices used to boil it. Fold in. Now we need to cook on high heat. So make very sure that you are constantly folding in everything in the kadai, else it might burn. Cook the mutton with the masala till oil separates, about 15-20 minutes. Take it off heat.

9. Now in a separate kadai, add 1 tsp of ghee and let it become fragrant. Add the turmeric hued rice and on low flame fold in slowly. Keep tossing for a couple of minutes till they get a nice sheen, make sure to not break the rice in this process.

Tip: Frying the rice lightly will ensure the Tehari wont turn out mushy.

10. Now put the kadai with cooked mutton on the heat again. Measure double the amount of mutton stock to rice quantity and add to the mutton masala. Add the coconut milk at this stage. If you do not have coconut milk use normal milk or just make a mix of milk powder and warm water and add to the mutton. Let it come to a soft boil.

Tip: Adding coconut milk gives a nice rich texture. If you do not have fresh coconut milk, use the coconut milk powder and mix it in water and add.

11. Now add the lightly fried rice and carefully fold in everything. Adjust sugar and salt levels. Add the garam masala powder and give it a stir. Now let this cook on medium heat with lid on for about 5-6 minutes or till rice is 2/3 done.

Note: Bengali Polao or Tehari are usually made a little sweet. But you can adjust the sweetness as per taste.

12. Now keep a tawa below the kadai and lower the heat to minimum. We will keep the Tehari to cook to perfection on dum (slow heat cooking method). Open the lid and shove the fried potatoes inside the rice, sprinkle the manaka or raisin on top. Add a few slitted green chillies. If you have saffron you can soak it in some milk and add it at this stage. Now cover the lid and keep it on dum for 15 minutes. The lid should be tightly closed and if there are any steam passages they should be closed with tissue or anything suitable.

Tip: The tawa will evenly distribute the heat and not let the rice or mutton stick to the kadai while being cooked on dum.

Tip 2: You can seal the edges with whole wheat flour dough, or you can also cover the mouth of the pot with aluminum foil and then put the lid on.

13. Post the 15 minutes. Let the kadai sit like that undisturbed till you are ready to serve. Minimum 15 more minutes. The rice will cook to perfection after this time.

14. While the Tehari is cooking, take a wok and add oil/ ghee. Make onion juliennes and fry them in the wok with a pinch of salt and sugar till browned and crispy.

15. Garnish the tehari with a generous layer of beresta. Serve it hot with salad and raita of your choice.

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September 9

In this national nutrition week I was trying to incorporate as many healthy type of food and cooking method as possible. So when you want to have some nice potatoes for your lunch or dinner making oven roasted potatoes instead of frying them is the ideal way. They are crisp on the outside and nice and fluffy on the inside. Add the seasoning of your choice and voila you have a wonderful side to go with your meal.

Baked potatoes usually take about 45 to 50 minutes in the oven to get properly roasted. But when you have a little time crunch and want to still make a nice and crispy batch of roasted potato, then you can follow this method to make the roasted potatoes in half the conventional time.

What kind of potatoes to be used?

Well you can use any kind of potatoes including red skinned ones and even try it with sweet potatoes.

Do you need to peel the potato?

While you can peel the skin, I would personally recommend having the skin on. The roasted skin gives a nice crispy texture to the potato which I absolutely love! Not to mention the nice colour it adds to the potato especially if you are using red skinned ones.

Which potato size is ideal?

If using small potatoes then just halve them, if you are using medium then quarter them and if using large ones, then you can cube them up. In case you are using tiny potatoes just poke them with fork as a whole and use it.

What kind of seasoning to use?

Any seasoning of your choice - Italian, oregano, red chilli, bird's eyes, thyme, pasley, rosemary, cilantro - basically just put your thinking hats on and spin up any seasoning, it will go well with this recipe.

Preparation Time : 10 minutes
Cooking Time : 25 minutes
Serving : 2

Ingredients :

Potato - 2 big
Garlic - 1/2 tbsp minced (3 cloves)
Butter - 1 tbsp
Olive oil/ Refined oil - 1 tbsp
Italian seasoning/ oregano - 1 tsp
Red chilli flakes - 1 tsp
Ground pepper - 1/2 tsp
Salt as per taste
Parsley/rosemary - for garnish

Equipment:

Rimmed Sheet Pan
Parchment Paper
Pressure Cooker / Any big container to boil potato
Knife

Method:

1. Wash the potatoes well so that there is no dirt on them. Do not remove the skin of the potato. Now with a fork prick it around all the sides.

Tip: Making fork piercing will help them cook well to the core.

2. Take about 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker and put the pierced potatoes in the cooker. Cook it for about 2 whistles or till the time they are parboiled.

Tip: Roasting the boiled potatoes will shorten the roasting time to half. You can also parboil the potatoes in any pan instead of pressure cooker.

3. Take the potatoes out of the cooker and let it come down to room temperature. Now cube them with skin on.

4. Now in a mixing bowl take melted butter, oil, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, red chilli flakes, salt and ground pepper. Mix them well.

Tip: To melt the butter you can keep it at room temperature for about 15-20 minutes or you can put it in the microwave in a microwave safe dish for about 20- 30 seconds.

5. Preheat oven to 190 degrees. Take a baking pan and line it with a parchment paper.

6. Now add the diced potatoes into the mixing bowl and give it a good toss so that the potatoes are coated in the flavored oil nicely.

7. Transfer the seasoned potatoes to the baking pan and spread out into one layer. Roast for about 25 minutes on 190 Degree or till they are browning and crisp. Flip a couple of times while they are roasting to ensure even browning.

Tip: Make sure the baking pan isn’t crowded (to ensure they roast instead of steaming)

Note: The temperature should be set as per the power of your oven.

8. Remove from the oven, sprinkle some parsley or rosemary, adjust the seasoning and serve it hot.

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September 6

We are seeing a bit of strange weather from past couple of days. The daytime is unusually warm and humid, which is unlikely in Pune. And by the time it is around 6 PM, thunderstorm with heavy rain and gusty wind starts. It was so bad that it kind of reminded me of Nisarg from a couple of months back. Howling winds, rattling windows, rainwater entering the home and myself scurrying around the house with a mop in hand. I just hope Pune goes back to its normal weather where it rains but not like this.

From this weekend I started watching Bandish Bandits. It is a rare treat - a web series woven around Indian classical music, and revolves around the love story between Tamanna- a popstar, and Radhe- a classical music prodigy in Jodhpur. I know I am late and half of the world might have already finished it by now. But initially I didn't check it out as I thought it might be a little boring with classical music as the theme. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against classical music, in fact yours truly is certified in Indian classical music herself. But still I am not a exactly a connoisseur of classical music. But when I started watching this series I really liked it. The songs, especially the background score is particularly haunting. And some of the songs really feels good to hear especially when it rains. Mixing old world charm with peppy new age music, and the story line is also engaging. I am not a binge watcher and I like to savor the episodes at a slow pace, if I start liking any web series. That way I have good content at my disposal for days.

Now with good content to watch you also need some good thing to munch on to add to the mood. Since it is rainy season now, the most obvious option that comes to mind is pakodas (fritters).Rains and pakodas basically go hand in hand. But still I resist the temptation of having pakodas most of the time because its dripping in oil and deep fried. Now a days I feel all of us are taking extra precautions of our health and trying to imbibe all good habits into our daily routine including out food. Thus oil drenched food are something which at best should be avoided mostly.

But the cravings don't stop, so I decided to turn pakodas into a healthy avatar by baking them in the oven. They might not exactly taste like the fried ones, but it is delicious in addition to the fact that you don't need to feel guilty while gorging on them. Don't worry they do taste like pakodas because when you bake them in the oven they come out super crispy,

To double the health benefits I chose Moringa Leaves as the major component. Moringa has many important vitamins and minerals.The leaves have 7 times more vitamin C than oranges and 15 times more potassium than bananas. It also has calcium, protein, iron, and amino acids, which help your body heal and build muscle.The slight bitterness of the Moringa leaves is balanced by the nuttiness of the cashew and the heavy aroma of roasted garlic. I can feel many of you wondering, why cashew in pakoda, but believe me if you have never added cashew in your pakodas before do try it once. I can guarantee you will fall in love with it.

Note that this recipe will work with most vegetables like corn, cauliflower, onion, chilli or palak pakodas too. But it wont work with vegetables which has high water content like tomato, parwal etc.

Preparation Time : 10 minutes
Baking Time : 22 minutes
Serving : 1

Ingredients :

Moringa Leaves (Drumstick Leaves) - 1 cup packed, washed and air dried
Potato - 1 medium (grated)
Garlic Cloves - 4 (chopped)
Green Chilli - 1 (chopped)
Curry Leaves - 5 to 6, washed and air dried
Cashew Nut - 5 to 6 (chopped roughly)
Asafoetida (Hing) - 1 pinch
Baking Soda - 1/8th tsp
Chickpea flour (Besan) - 3/4 th cup
Rice Flour -
Kashmiri Red Chilli powder - 1 tsp *
Salt to taste
Olive Oil / Any refined oil - 1 tsp + 1 tsp

Equipment:

Rimmed Sheet Pan
Parchment Paper
Microwave/ Traditional Oven
Knife

Method:

1. Start by cleaning the Moringa leaves.

2. Take a mixing bowl and roughly grate the raw potato with skin on.

3. Add the moringa leaves, chopped green chilli, curry leaves, chopped garlic, chopped cashew nut, asafoetida, baking soda, chickpea flour, rice flour, red chilli powder, salt and 1 tsp of oil.

Tip: Chickpea flour often has lumps in it, so in order to avoid this clumping sift it in using a sieve. I sifted both the chickpea flour and rice flour together. The chickpea will bind teh fritter and the rice flour will give it the much needed crispiness.

4. Now use your hands to mix it all. Start kneading it with your hands, the moisture in the potato will help in binding the mixture together. Give it an occasional light press to release the moisture into the mixture. Knead it all into a sticky mixture

Note: Add 1 tsp of water, at a time, only if you feel mixture is too dry. Ideal consistent should be sticky and not runny.

5. Preheat oven to 180/200 degrees (depending on the strength of the oven).

Note: I baked this in convection mode in my microwave oven at 180 degrees.

6. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and put dollops of the mixture maintaining gap between two dollops. Slightly flatten the dollop with gentle press of fingers or spoon, somewhat like a patty. Now brush off the top of the dollops with pinch of oil.

7. Put the tray into the oven and bake for about 20-22 minutes, depending on the strength of your oven. Keep checking at every 5 minutes if you are doing it for the first time, so that you don't end up burning them.

Tip: After about half the time, flip the pakodas so that the bottom layer is also evenly cooked. Brush the top off with pinch of oil and put it back in the oven for 10 more minutes.

Carefully take the tray out as it might be extremely hot. Enjoy it with chai or any beverage of your choice.

Pro Garnishing Tip: Sprinkle some curry leaves podi powder on top and chopped fresh coriander leaves for that heightened zing in flavours! Have some sweet Imli (tamarind) chutney or tomato sauce in the side.

Check the Podi Recipe Here

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September 1

Today is the last day of Ganapati. Though this time the festival didn't have its usual sheen but still it feels emotional to bid Bappa goodbye. Our society had planned visarjan in the evening. This time it is supposed to be a low key affair unlike last time where people danced their heart out for about 4 hours straight. The idol was planned to be immersed in the tank created in-house. Fortunately today we didn't have any rains after like 5 days of continuous rain. So the visarjan happened quite seamlessly. Best part we could see it from our homes through Facebook live. The festive season has already started and it doesn't even feel like it is festival time. Now I am wondering what will be the fate of Durga Puja in the coming months. Even if it is organised I feel it will have the same set of restrictions as Ganpati considering the current situation. I am not expecting a miracle in two months.

Today I got to know that National Nutrition Week is observed every year from 1st September to 7th September to make people aware about the importance of nutrition for the Human Body and well being of health. There are seven major classes of nutrients: carbohydrates, fats, dietary fiber, minerals, proteins, vitamins, and water. But whenever we think about healthy eating we get an impression that it will be bad in taste. But this post is specifically about clearing that misconcept. Healthy food can taste good too, just you need to put together things that you like or love.

I myself is not a salad person, but when I made this bowl I really loved it. It had amalgamation of all tastes - sour, spicy, salty and sweet. This is the kind of quick breakfast bowl that’s worth waking up for, take my word for it. And best part you will enjoy putting them all together in the bowl too.

Now a salad bowl practically can have anything and everything you like - leafy vegetables, fruits, grains, seeds, meat, egg, seafood - basically the whole horizon of food. But since I wanted this to be a breakfast bowl hence I limited the number of ingredients to 8.

The main ingredients I used are - Avocado, Chickpeas, Onions, Green Peas, Corn, Chillies, Lemon and Egg. Avocado is a powerhouse of many essential nutrients and minerals. It is rich in vitamin K, B5, B6, B3, E and C. They are also dense in potassium, folate, magnesium, manganese, copper, iron, zinc and phosphorous. Chickpeas are a rich source of vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber. The humble onions are rich in antioxidants and folic acid.Corn is rich is in Vitamin B12, folic acid and iron which helps in the production of red blood cells in the body. Green peas contain a decent amount of heart-healthy minerals, such as magnesium, potassium and calcium. Even red chilli has lot of health benefits. Red chillies are jam-packed with Vitamin C that helps in supporting the immune system and combat chronic diseases. It also prevents heart ailments. Eggs are rich in Omega-3. Lastly, Lemons are full of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants. The point is, just in a small bowl of salad you get all major health benefits in a natural way.

This is a quick satisfying breakfast loaded with all the essential nutrients your body seeks. Try it out and you wont be disappointed, in fact you might just start loving salad bowls.

How to remove the Avocado core?

Grip one side of the avocado gently on your palm. Using a sharp knife, slice through the avocado lengthwise until you feel the knife hit the pit/ seed. Then rotate the avocado, keeping the knife steady, to make a cut all around the pit. Twist the two halves apart and pull the top part slowly till it comes off clean.

Now remove the pit from the other half by scooping it out gently with a teaspoon. Run the spoon around and under the stone until it pops out.

Now use a spoon around the flesh and scoop out the avocado flesh like ice cream.

How to stop discoloration?

Drizzle the Avocado with lemon juice to stop discoloration if you do not plan to serve the avocado immediately.

Preparation Time : 5 minutes

Cooking Time: NA

Serving : 1

Ingredients :

Avocado (Ripe) - 1/2 medium
Chickpeas (Boiled or raw) - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1/2
Corn Kernels (Boiled) - 1/2 cup
Green Peas (Boiled) - 1/2 cup
Egg - 1
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Sesame Seeds (lightly toasted) - 1/4th tsp
Bird's eye chilli / Chilli flakes -
Lemon Juice - 1/2 tsp
Olive oil - 1 tbsp
Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Boil all the vegetables you don't want to eat raw like - corn, green peas and also chickpeas. I have made this salad both ways using boiled and raw chikpeas.

Tip: You can use frozen corn and peas in this recipe as well. Just thaw them and then I put them in a bowl of water in the microwave for about 4-5 minutes

Tip 2: You can basically add any type of vegetables you want in this bowl. I would have loved to add some lettuce and cherry tomatoes to this, but both of them were absent in my pantry today.

2. Next make the sunny side up egg. Crack the egg into a pan. Cover and cook on medium flame until whites are set and yolk is still runny, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.

Tip: Since avocado has a buttery texture so if you are planning to add any egg to this salad bowl then it is recommended you make a gooey egg with soft core. So you can either go for sunny side up or a half boiled egg with oozy center.

3. Remove the pit of the avocado and slice one half of the avocado into pieces. At this stage I like to add a little lemon juice and a pinch of salt and gently rub it all over the avocado slices. The lemon juice maintains the vibrant colour of the avocado.

4. In a small bowl mix the oil and salt.

5. Lightly dry toast the sesame seeds on low flame till a little fragrant.

6. Now it is time to assemble everything - chickpeas, corn, green peas, avocado and sliced onions. Now drizzle the oil over the vegetables and spread it a bit. Squeeze some lemon juice all over the salad. Sprinkle cracked pepper and red chilli flakes. Place the egg carefully on top and sprinkle some salt and cracked pepper. At last garnish it with toasted sesame seeds and enjoy!

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August 28

Nearly a decade ago I was first introduced to the concept of dry chutney. My roommate in Atlanta was from Andhra and she brought homemade dry chutneys - Karela, curry leaf, ghonghura leaves etc. It looked like powder to me when I saw it first, but I felt quite amused when she referred to it as chutney. I was like how can something dry be called a chutney. But slowly I made peace with the fact that even a dry powder can be called chutney because it was so yummy. It would just zing up the taste of anything you had it with.

During all these years I never tried making it though I missed and remembered the taste of those lovely powders. Then lockdown happened. And I started binge buying things out of sheer panic.

So on one such day I had about two bunch of curry leaves with only space to store one bunch of them in dried state. I was speculating what can I do with the rest as I didn't want to throw them away just like that. That's when I saw picture of Curry leaves podi somewhere on a food group in Facebook. I knew what I wanted to do with the extra leaves I had on me. It had to be curry leaves Podi.

Pudi or podi is a generic south Indian term that refers to powder. This is a real quick and flavorful powder. People with a different palate can also try this out once, its such a versatile powder that I am sure you would can easily pair it with your preferred cuisines.

Drying the Curry Leaves

This recipe demands dry curry leaves. So you need to wash the curry leaves properly first and then lay the leaves on a newspaper and sun dry or air dry it for 3-4 days. You can use them just after the extra water has dried off but I prefer using them when they are fully dry. This makes the podi texture also dry and will preserve better and longer.

Alternatively you can let the leaves lay on the newspaper till the water has dried and then microwave it for 30 seconds and take them out. This will dehydrate the leaves super fast and also retain the beautiful green color. When you take it out of the microwave it will be hot so be careful while touching them. Bring them out and let them rest in room temperature for sometime before using them.

Preparation Time : 2 minutes

Cooking Time: 8 minutes

Serving : makes about 50 gm powder

Ingredients :

Dry Curry Leaves - 1 cup tightly packed
Shredded Fresh Coconut/ Desiccated coconut - 1 tbsp
Dry Red Chilli - 4 to 5 (variable)
Cumin (Jeera) - 3/4th tsp
Sesame Seeds - 1 tbsp
Urad Daal - 1 tbsp
Chana Daal - 1 tbsp
Coriander Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing - 1 pinch
Oil - 1/2 tsp
Lemon Juice - 1/2 tsp
Salt as per taste

Method:

1. Start by dry roasting both the daal on low flame on a tawa for about 2 minutes. Add the red chillies and jeera at this point. Toss them around for another 2-3 minutes. Take care not to burn them.

Tip: Vary the chilli quantity and type according to your heat tolerance.

2. Now add the shredded coconut and sesame seeds. Toss it along with the rest of the elements on the tawa for about 1 minute. Switch off the heat and toss it for a couple of minutes more till everything starts to brown a little. The heat from the pan will help in roasting them. When they are fragrant, take them off the tawa and keep them to cool down

3. Now in the same tawa take a spoon of oil, heat it on medium. Once the oil is heated a bit add the dried curry leaves. Lower the heat. Toss it around for 30 seconds. It will sizzle and give off a nice aroma. The leaves will start turning crispy. Now add the coriander seeds. Toss them around for about a minute and take off the heat.

Tip: Always take fresh, mature curry leaves without any infestation. The mature leaves are more fragrant. This recipe demands

Tip 2: If you want you can add one clove of garlic here. Saute the garlic in the same oil till fragrant.

3. Make sure all the ingredients are completely cooled before grinding. Now take them all in a grinder and add salt as per taste, a pinch of hing and lemon juice. Now pulse them and make it into a fine powder.

Tip: Some prefer adding tamarind. For me the lemon juice worked fine.

Store this in an airtight jar, preferably in a glass jar. This powder if made with all dry ingredients has a good shelf life. I made it last month and still the fragrant and taste is same.

This goes well with just about everything. You can have it along with idli, dosas, upmas or even along with rice and daal. It piques the taste of anything it is added to.

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