Spicy Potato Curry

Spicy Potato Curry

It’s an easy and tasty curry, goes well with Idli, Dosa, Puris and it doesn’t contain garlic and onion.

Serves: 3

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

½ teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)

¾ teaspoon red chilli powder

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

3 – 4 potatoes (medium size), cut into cubes

½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

½ teaspoon hing (asafoetida)

1 cup (200 ml) water

Method

Separately boil potatoes and keep aside.

In a small bowl, dilute red chilli powder and turmeric with 1 tablespoon water and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan on medium heat.

Add mustard seeds. When they start  to splutter, add jeera. Now lower the heat and add diluted red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Stir well on a low heat for 2 minutes until the water completely absorbed.

Add cooked potatoes, water, hing and salt to taste. Gently mash potatoes with the base of the ladle.  Then the curry will be thick and creamy. Cover with a lid and cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes. Serve with idli / dosa / poori..

How to prepare Kanji / Pejje in Pressure Cooker?

Kanji / Pejje is a famous , all time favourite porridge of Kerala. It’s made from Brown rice , contains carbohydrates which gives instant energy . Kanji goes well with Chammanthi / Cherupayar/ pickle / pappadam ( chuttapappadam / roasted is better/ ) and a dash of Ghee. 1 serving bowl kanji with 1/4 teaspoon salt is also very tasty (or uppitta kanjivellam).

Kanji's good infants also. For infants, one can make Kanji with milk and sugar. Easy for digestion and no side effects. A variation of this is called Paal – Kanji ( Paal- Milk ) in which the base is water , but a cup of milk is added and brought to boil. With sugar added to taste, this Paal Kani is liked / good for kids as well as senior citizens. Kanji is Paejje in Konkani cuisine. 

Serves: 3 - 4

Ingredients

1 cup / 200 ml Kerala brown rice (Indian standard measuring cup of 200 ml / 8 oz capacity) Please same measuring cup to measure rice and water

Water – 5 cups

Method

Wash and clean rice. Add 1 cup Kerala brown rice and 5 cups water in the pressure cooker and soak for half an hour (if we soak rice for half an hour, then it will cook very fast). Pressure Cook for 30 minutes (reduce the heat from high after 6 quick whistles and cook on a medium heat for 25 minutes) until done / soft. Do not open the pressure cooker lid immediately. Allow the cooker to cool naturally. Remove pressure cooker lid. 

Stir well. Cover with another normal lid and cook on a medium heat for another 15 minutes. 

Serve with Chammanthi (Tambeli) / Potato fry / Chawli humman / Cherupayar thoran / pickle / pappadam . Hot Kanji is very good for winter and rainy days.

Undi / Pidi Kozhukkattai

Undi / Pidi Kozhukkattai - It's  a delicious steamed dish in South Indian cuisine, made of homemade rice flour. Undi's best best with coconut chutney or tomato chutney ...

Here's the recipe of Homemade rice flour

Makes: 11 - 13 undis / kozhukkattai

Please use same measurement cup to measure rice flour and water

Main Ingredients

Rice flour, Seasoning (phann) and  3 tablespoon grated coconut

For  the seasoning:

1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon jeera (cumin seeds)
1/2 teaspoon urad dal
1 teaspoon chana dal
1 spring curry leaves or 6 nos
2 dried red chillies, broken into 2 - 3 pieces (optional)

Method

For the  seasoning:

Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. When they crackle completely, add jeera.  urad dal, chana dal, curry leaves and broken red chillies. Saute on a low heat for 5 minutes until fragrant and color changes. Keep aside.

Ingredients

1 cup (200 ml) rice flour

1 3/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon oil or ghee

Method

In a bowl, boil 1 3/4 cup water with salt and ghee or oil on a medium heat. Cover with a lid. 

When water boils vigorously, reduce the gas flame to low and add rice flour slowly and mix well with thick steel ladle until rice flour well combined with hot water and there's no trace of water / like porridge.  

Cover and keep aside for 10 minutes to cool naturally.

Transfer cooked rice flour into another wide bowl and mix with seasoning and grated coconut and make a soft dough.

Rice dough

Undis

Apply little oil on your hand and make small round undi / balls (11- 13 balls).

Apply little oil in a flat steel bowl and grease well.  Arrange these undis  and steam in a steamer or idli stand  or rice cooker and steam for 15 - 20 minutes on a medium heat until done and soft. Serve hot with Chutney ..

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients

1 cup ( 100 g ) coconut grated

2 dried red chillies or 1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder

1 tablespoon roasted chana dal (pottukadala)

1/2 teaspoon tamarind paste ( optional )

Salt to taste ( or 1/2 teaspoon )

Ginger - 1/2- inch piece

Method

Grind all the ingredients to a smooth paste with a little water. Adjust the thickness of the chutney with extra 2- 3 tablespoons water if you required.

For the seasoning (optional):

2 teaspoon oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon urad dal
1 red chilli, halved
1 spring curry leaves or 6 nos

Method

In a pan, heat 2 teaspoon oil. Add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add remaining ingredients. Saute well. Pour this over to coconut chutney.