Thotakura --Amaranth Leaves Curry

Thoratukura or amaranth leaves are the most popular greens in Andhra Pradesh. They are a very good source of vitamins and dietary minerals. Here in US it is found in Asian markets as red spinach and occasionally in Indian stores.

Today’s recipe is a simple thotakura curry with very few ingredients allowing thotakura flavor to be the highlight. Fresh thotakura sautéed along with onions, green chilies and is further cooked in milk to acquire a creamy delicate taste.

This recipe is great for those days when you want a very simple yet nutritious meal.

Ingredients:
1 big bunch of thotakura chopped
1 large onion chopped
3 green chilies cut vertically in half (adjust to taste)
½ tsp turmeric
¼ cup milk
Salt to taste
1 tbsp oil

For Seasoning:
1 garlic pod crushed
½ tsp mustard
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp urad dal
1 red chili
Curry leaves

Blanch thotakura leaves in 3 cups of water. It helps in removing a strong leafy taste. The drained water can be used as vegetable stock. Blanching is optional.

Heat oil in a sauce pan, add seasoning. When urad dal starts to change color add onions and green chilies. Sauté till the onions are transparent.

Add thotakura, sauté for couple of minutes. Add salt and turmeric.

Add milk and cook stirring every few minutes until the milk is well absorbed by the leaves.

This humble curry packed with loads of nutrition goes well with both rice and roti.

Quick n Easy Veg Pulao

Pulao is a very common dish in our house. Since we have unlimited variations of making pulao, though made often we do not need to repeat the same recipe for a long long time.

For this Sunday’s lunch I made a very simple and quick veg pulao which is wholesome and delicious, with a side of baked salmon, raita and sambhar.

Ingredients:
3 cups basmati rice
1 pack frozen mixed vegetables
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp pulao masala (4 cloves, 1” cinnamon, 2 cardamoms, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tbsp coriander ground into a fine powder)
3 green chilies
½ cup of chopped cilantro
2 red chilies
4 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Heat oil in pressure cooker or any other heavy bottomed vessel, add red chilies followed by green chilies and frozen vegetables. Sauté for 5 to10 minutes.

Add ginger garlic paste, pulao masala and salt. Sauté for couple more minutes.

Add washed and well drained basmati rice and stir gently for 3 to 4 minutes.

Add cilantro.

Add required amount of water and cook till the rice is done.

Tips: Water has to be one and half to two cups for each cup of rice, depending on how you are cooking. In case of pressure cooking one and half cups of water for every cup of rice is plenty.

Enjoy it with a side of raita which is extremely simple. Add finely chopped onions and cilantro to fresh yogurt with a dash of salt. Tomatoes can be added too.

Recipe for Baked Salmon

Recipe for sambhar will be posted soon :)

Chamadumpa Vepudu --Taroroot Fry

Growing up, I never tasted Taro root. I have no idea why mom never made it. I did see it at the vegetable vendor, and just considered it as something that did not deserve a place in our diet. After moving to US I passed by it in the grocery store with the same attitude. One day when S came back with groceries, among all other veggies I found Taro Root! I had no clue what to do with them. Back then internet was just budding, couldn’t just run to the comp and figure out like today. All S had to offer was it tastes good once made into a stir fry or pulusu. After a little contemplation, I decided to treat it as a potato. Peeled the skin chopped them fine and made a simple stir fry. It turned out to be a scrumptious dish. From then on Taro Root has been a regular in our home.

Every once in a while I feel like making a dish with as few ingredients as possible. Here is my taro root stir fry with just taro root and cumin.

Ingredients:
1 lb taro root skinned and chopped into thin slices
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp cumin powder
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp chili powder
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a kadai, add cumin seeds let them roast.

Add taro root and sauté till it is cooked.

Add salt, turmeric, chili powder and cumin powder.

Sauté for 2 more minutes.

Tastes wonderful with hot rice.

Vankaya Popu --Sautéed Eggplant

Eggplant / Brinjal is one of the favorite vegetables for me and S, but Vsh n Vn try to avoid it as much as possible. They seem to have no problem with baingan bartha where they don’t see the brinjal as it is mashed. That reminded me of vankaya popu that mom used to make occasionally. I altered it a little by replacing channa dal with black eyed peas as Vsh is allergic to channa.

Smooth texture of brinjal with soft black eyed peas cooked in tamarind along with crisp tampering and the aroma of fresh green chilies and ginger will make you relish every bite.


Ingredients:
15 – 20 small purple brinjals chopped thin and long
Fistful of black eyed peas soaked for 2 hours
4 green chilies and inch of ginger coarsely blend
Gooseberry size ball of tamarind
½ tsp turmeric
Salt to taste
2 tbsp oil

For seasoning:
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp urad dal
1 red chili
Curry leaves

In a sauce pan boil black eyed peas with a little salt. Do not let them loose shape or mush. Strain and set aside.

In a separate pan heat 1 tbsp oil and sauté chopped brinjal. Cook on medium to high heat covered. Stir frequently to make sure it is not burnt.

When brinjal pieces start to soften mash them with the back of the spoon. Add salt and turmeric.

When the brinjal is well cooked and mashed turn off the flame and add the coarsely blended green chilies and ginger.

Add green chilies and ginger paste only after the brinjal is cooked. The fresh aroma of green chilies and ginger has to be retained.

Extract the pulp from tamarind. Set is aside. Try to use as little water as possible. Adjust the amount of tamarind to suit your palate. I use very little, to give a hint of sourness.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan, add mustard, cumin, urad dal, red chili and curry leaves. Sauté for few seconds.

Add cooked black eyed peas followed by tamarind pulp. Cook on high heat stirring constantly until the moisture of the tamarind pulp is evaporated.
Add cooked brinjal and gently mix everything together. Cook on low heat for another 5 minutes.

Tips: Black eyed beans can be replaced by channa dal or garbanzo beans.

Palak Tofu

Palak paneer is a very popular north Indian dish that one can see at almost all Indian buffets in US. Bite size pieces of paneer (indain cheese) cooked in rich creamy spinach and tomato puree not only melts in your mouth but its high nutrition content makes it a very satisfying meal.

I replaced paneer with tofu in this recipe. Tofu is no match to paneer when it comes to taste. But it is not a bad choice when you take into account its high nutritional value and its ability to absorb flavors of spices and marinades. Tofu is low in calories and has no cholesterol.


Ingredients:
1 large bunch of fresh spinach washed and chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
1 small onion chopped or about 3 tbsp of chopped onions
2 cloves garlic chopped
3 green chilies chopped (adjust to taste)
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 cup of one inch cubed firm tofu
Salt to taste
2 tbsp half n half milk or cream (optional)

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large pan, add onions, green chilies, garlic and sauté until onions are transparent.

Add tomatoes and spinach and sauté till they are tender do not over cook.

Blend it into a coarse paste once it has cool down.

Heat the remaining oil in a pan and sauté tofu for about 4 minutes or until the sides are lightly seared.

Remove them from pan and set aside.

In the same heated pan add cumin fry for few seconds, then add the spinach puree and cook on low for about 5 minutes.

Add tofu and cook for 5 more minutes.

Add little water if needed, to attain the desired consistency.

Remove from stove and add cream (optional).

Tips: I do not add any spices as I love the delicate taste of spinach and tomato. ½ tsp of coriander powder and ½ tsp of garam masala can be added before adding tofu.

Though Naan and roti are known to be great accompaniments to this dish, it tastes equally marvelous with hot rice.

Chicken Karahi

Tender pieces of chicken smothered with tangy tomato sauce and garnished with fresh ginger and cilantro melts away in your mouth while tantalizing your taste buds. Jalapenos add a wondrous aroma of peppers and a hint of spice.


Ingredients:
2lbs Chicken preferably with bone, cut into medium size pieces
1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp chili powder
½ tsp turmeric
Salt to taste
3 tsp lemon juice

4 tbsp oil
1 inch ginger and 1 tsp cumin seeds mashed
2 jalapenos or any other large green chilies cut into large rounds or large strips and deseeded
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
5 large tomatoes

1 tbsp of ginger chopped into thin long strips
1 tbsp of cilantro finely chopped

Marinate chicken with coriander powder, pepper, chili powder, turmeric, salt and lemon juice for half hour.

Heat oil in a large kadai, add mashed ginger and cumin seeds, sauté for a few seconds.

Add jalapenos sauté for a minute on high flame, do not over cook, jalapenos should not loose shape or color. Remove them into a plate.

Add ginger garlic paste and sauté for a minute.

Add marinated chicken and sauté until the chicken is cooked in its own juices and there is no more moisture left.

Add chopped tomatoes and sauté on relatively high flame until the tomatoes are tender and have coated the chicken well. Make sure to stir gently and not let it burn.

Add fried jalapenos and sauté for another minute.

Turn off the stove and garnish with ginger and cilantro.

Delectable with naan or roti. Can also be a side dish for mildly spiced pulaos and biryanis.

Charu --Rasam

Charu is a very common dish in our telugu homes. It is made almost as often as pappu. It is a clear tangy and spicy stew without which a meal is not complete. Ofen eaten with rice and dal, but can have it as a soup by itself. Especially craved for when one is down with cold or flu.

There are many versions to charu, and this is mine :)

Ingredients:
4 cups water
Walnut sized tamarind ball
1 tomato
1 tsp MTR rasam powder (can substitute with any rasam powder of your choice)
1 inch ginger mashed
½ tsp turmeric
Dash of pepper
Salt to taste

For Seasoning:
1 tsp oil
2 tsp chopped onions
½ tsp mustard
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp fenugreek seeds
1 red chili
Curry leaves
Pinch of asafoetida

Place all the ingredients in a sauce pan and bring it to a boil. Let it boil on low for 10 more minutes.

Let cooked tamarind and all settle in the bottom and gently pour the clear charu into serving dish. You can also filter it if you desire.

Heat oil in a pan, add seasoning followed by onions. Sauté till onions are roasted. Add it to charu.

Tips: Tomato is optional, increase or decrease the amount of tamarind to suit your palate. Onions in seasoning is optional too.