Raw Mango Rice | Mangai Sadam | Mamidikaya Annam

I love all kinds of "variety rice" dishes of the South Indian kind, especially puliyogare and Indian coconut rice. When I came across this raw mango rice recipe in Cooking at Home with Pedatha, I was immediately drawn in by the fact that it has both raw mangoes (tangy) and coconut (yum!). Couldn't wait to get my hands on some raw mangoes the next weekend and try this.

Everything I have tried from Cooking at Home with Pedatha has been a success so if you haven't already, I would highly recommend getting a copy of the book. Simple South Indian vegetarian food for the win!

Raw Mango Rice | Mangai Sadam | Mamidikaya Annam

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 2-4
Recipe source: Cooking at Home with Pedatha

Ingredients:
2 cups of cooked rice
1 sour raw mango (a medium-sized one that yields one cup packed when peeled and grated)
� tsp of turmeric powder
Salt to taste
For the paste:
� tsp of black mustard seeds
� cup of grated coconut
2-3 of green chillies (adjust to taste)
1 small bunch of coriander leaves
For tempering:
3 tbsp of gingelly oil like Idayam (Indian sesame oil)
� tsp of bengal gram / kadala paruppu / channa dal
1 � tsp of skinned halved urad dal / split black gram / ulutham paruppu
� tsp of black mustard seeds
2-3 of dried red chillies (adjust to taste)
� tsp of hing / asafoetida / perungaayam
A few of curry leaves
3 tbsp of whole peanuts preferably with skin

Instructions:

1. Grind the ingredients 'for the paste' with not more than 2 tbsp water. I left it a bit coarse but you can grind it to a fine paste too.

2. Heat oil for tempering and add the peanuts, urad dal, and channa dal. When they are roasted and turn a golden brown, add the mustard seeds and let them pop.

3. Reduce the flame and add the rest of the ingredients 'for tempering'. Mix once to combine and roast.

4. Add the grated mangoes and the turmeric powder. Mix well and stir for 2 mins.

5. Add the paste and salt to taste. Mix again and stir for another 3-4 mins.

6. Turn off flame, add the cooked rice, mix gently to combine and serve hot with chips, padad, or vadaam.

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I absolutely loved the tanginess and the freshness of this one-pot meal. It comes together in no time and if you have cooked rice handy, it's a super quick weeknight meal that only needs some curd and papad to go with it.

Do let me know if you try this raw mango rice recipe.

Easy 10-Min Rasmalai | Diwali Sweets | Diwali Recipes

My mom-in-law makes a quick and easy rasmalai using milk powder. While that's great for days you don't have time to make the chenna from scratch, etc, there's another trick for making super easy rasmalai in 10 mins! This is perfect for festival days when you are making a variety of dishes and also have to cook your regular meals.

To make rasmalai from scratch: you need to split whole milk using a lemon, vinegar or curd, much like we make paneer at home. That cheese is then hung and squeezed dry, kneaded well, and shaped into balls which are then cooked in a milk base and soaked.

It's delicious and not as difficult as it is time-consuming but when you can get a similar result in 10 mins, I am not picking the longer route. I am just not that kinda girl!

Easy 10-Min Rasmalai Recipe

Preparation time: 3 minutes
Cooking time: 7 minutes
Makes 12 rasmalai
Serves 4-6 people
Adapted from: My Jhola

Ingredients:
12 rasgullas (I used canned Haldiram's rasgulla)
1/2 cup of condensed milk (adjust to level of sweetness preferred)
2 cups of milk (any fat content you prefer)
3 green cardamom seeds, powdered
A few strands of saffron (optional)
2-3 tbsp of chopped nuts like almonds, pistachios, cashewnuts or a mix of what you have in hand

How I Made It:

1. Drain the rasgulla from the can and squeeze to remove any extra syrup inside. I used a lemon squeezer to make the job easier (thanks to Jugalbandi for that tip!). Be gentle though, otherwise the rasgulla will crumble. You don't have to squeeze the life out of them, just get most of the syrup out so that our milk mixture can get in and soak up the ragullas nicely.

2. Mix the milk and condensed milk and bring to boil. Add the cardamom powder and saffron and simmer for 3-4 mins. Then add the drained rasgullas and chopped nuts. Mix well and let it simmer together for another minute.

3. Remove from fire, let it cool down and refrigerate for a few hours. Serve chilled with more crushed nuts on top.

Yum! Any milk-based sweet is right up on my list of favourites but rasmalai does hold a special place in both TH's and my heart!

Hope you try this easy Rasmalai recipe this Diwali.

Paneer Pepper Masala | Pepper Paneer | Paneer Recipes

Except for the one time my sis shared her Blueberry Yogurt Muffins Recipe, I haven't really had guest posts in Edible Garden. I hadn't given much though to changing that fact either.

However, I have some really sweet readers, some of whom send me recipes that they think I will like. Recognising my love for paneer recipes, Vinitha Vasanth, a dear reader of mine who also actively engages in my Facebook page, sent me this recipe for Paneer Pepper Masala which she adapted from a pepper chicken recipe. She also attached a delicious-looking picture with a disclaimer that she is not good with food photography. Well, I beg to differ.

This looks pretty good, doesn't it?

I can literally smell the pepper and the masala mixed so harmoniously with the paneer. She shared this with me so I can try the recipe. I asked her if I can post her Paneer Pepper Masala recipe as it is on the site and she agreed. Thankfully! So here it is, from Vinitha and me to you all.

In her own words:

"Dear Nags, thought of sharing a recipe with you � Paneer Pepper Fry.
My father had asked me to make Paneer Pepper Fry for a change. I searched online for the recipe but didn�t find a satisfactory one. That�s when I came across the recipe � Pepper Chicken on the website www.mariasmenu.com. So, my paneer pepper fry has been adapted from Maria�s pepper chicken dish. It tasted nice. Moreover, the colour and aroma was awesome !
Sending you the recipe as well as a picture. Do check it out. I�m sure you�d like it."

I love it Vinitha, and will try it as soon as I can find some time to make paneer or buy some.

Paneer Pepper Masala | Paneer Pepper Fry

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 2-4
Adapted from: Marias Menu

Ingredients:
1 cup (250gm) of paneer cubes (Vinitha used Amul paneer - you can also make paneer at home)
3 onions, sliced thin
1.5 tsp of ginger-garlic paste
2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
1 1/4 tsp of whole black pepper, crushed
1/2 tsp of garam masala
1/4 tsp of fennel (perum jeerakam) powder
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp of soya sauce
2 tsp of tomato ketchup or sauce
A few curry leaves
1 tbsp of oil
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnish, chopped

How to Make Paneer Pepper Masala:

1. Soak frozen paneer cubes in lukewarm water for 30 minutes. Cut into smaller cubes / halves.

2. In a pan, heat the oil and add sliced onions. Fry till golden brown. Add green chilli and saut� for a minute.

3. Add the ginger-garlic paste. Let it cook till the raw smell leaves the paste (about 2-3 mins).

4. Add turmeric powder, garam masala, fennel powder, and crushed pepper. Saute for 1-2 mins.

5. Add soya sauce and tomato ketchup. Mix well.

6. Add 1/4 cup water and salt and mix well.

7. Add paneer cubes and mix well till the masala coats the paneer. Bring to boil.

8. Add curry leaves, cover the pan and cook on low flame for about 5 minutes. You should cook till the masala turns darker ( a deep dark brown/black) and dry with the masala coating the paneer pieces as in the picture above.

9. Add some finely chopped coriander leaves and mix well.

Serve hot with rice or rotis.

If you try Vinitha's Panner Pepper Malasa recipe, do leave a note with your thoughts and adaptations.

Methi Leaves Yogurt Curry | Vendhaya Keerai Mor Kuzhambu Recipe

I love pretty much all forms of mor kuzhambu (spiced buttermilk curry), especially the Kerala-style moru kachiyathu. It's extremely simple to whip up and tastes great with rice and a spicy side dish. This vendhaya keerai mor kuzhambu is unique, delicious, and has a wonderful blend of flavours that any mor kuzhambu lover would appreciate and enjoy.

Also check out the green mor kuzhambu with coriander leaves.

I also love cooking with methi leaves (fenugreek leaves) and the lovely aroma it gives to the final dish. So when I saw this rural Andhra mor kuzhambu (called Thonthana in telugu) in Cooking with Pedatha that uses dal in the mix along with greens and yogurt, I was totally hooked until I tried it.

The flavours are simple, yet complex, and the end result is absolutely delicious.

Methi (Fenugreek) Leaves Yogurt Curry | Vendhaya Keerai Mor Kozhambu |

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves 4
Recipe adapted from: Cooking with Pedatha

Ingredients:
� cup of toor dal / pigeon peas
� cup of channa dal / Bengal gram
1 bunch of methi (fenugreek) leaves / vendhaya keerai (or 3/4 packed cup frozen methi leaves)
2 cups of thick plain yogurt beaten with 1 cup water
1 tsp of tamarind paste (or � cup tamarind water)
� tsp of turmeric powder
� tsp of hing / asafoetida
A few curry leaves
1 tsp of ghee
Salt to taste

For the paste:
� cup of grated coconut (I used coconut pieces)
2" piece of ginger
� cup of chopped coriander leaves
3-4 green chillies

For tempering:
1 tbsp of oil
3-4 of dry red chillies
� tsp of black mustard seeds

How I Made It - Step by Step Pictures: 

0. Pressure cook both the dals with enough water until soft. The toor dal will be cooked soft while the channa dal will be soft but most of it will retain its shape. This is perfect. Mash it up a bit.

1, 2. Grind together the ingredients for the paste with a little water until smooth.

3. Add this paste to the cooked dals and set aside.

4. Heat the oil for tempering in a large kadai / pan and add the mustard seeds, hing, and red chillies.

5. When the mustard seeds pop, add chopped methi leaves and stir well.

6. When the leaves start to wilt and give out a nice fragrance (in about 3-4 mins), add the turmeric powder and mix well.

7. To this, add the dal-paste mixture and mix well. Add tamarind paste and salt.

8. Add curry leaves, mix well. Let the mixture simmer for a few mins.

9. Now add the diluted yogurt mixture and stir well until the curry is heated all the way through. No need to boil beyond this point. Check for salt and adjust if needed.

10. Turn off the flame, add the ghee to the mixture and stir well to combine. Remove from fire.

Serve warm with rice and any curry of choice. I made a simple okra fry to go with this.

The combination of lentils, yogurt, and methi leaves is really amazing in this curry. It does take longer than the usual curries I make (I prefer to spend as little time in the kitchen as possible) but the extra time is totally worth it!

Try it!

UPDATE: a lot of you emailed and commented asking about the bowl I have used in the picture. It's from FabIndia and costs Rs. 750. I bought it about a year back so not sure of availability now. I also used it in my Punjabi Chole Masala Recipe :)

Jeera (Cumin) Moong Dal | Dal Recipes | 660 Curries

Jeera Dal or Cumin Dal is yet another super easy dal recipe from 660 Curries. There really isn't anything special or secret about the ingredients, yet following Raghavan's recipe lead to this great basic dal recipe that goes superbly with rotis or a simple pulao.

Being vegetarian (Amrith) and mostly vegetarian (me), lentils are an integral part of our meals and bringing in some variety always helps. This uses the same base (moong dal cooked to a mashed pulp) as the sweet and sour moong dal recipe but the taste is significantly different by altering a few of the ingredients.

Jeera (Cumin) Moong Dal | Basic Dal Recipes

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 2-3
Adapted from: 660 Curries

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of moong dal / split green gram
A pinch of turmeric powder
2" piece of of ginger, chopped
3-4 dry red chillies, torn into halves
1 tbsp of ghee or oil
1 tsp of jeera / cumin seeds
1/4 tsp of asafoetida / hing
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves, chopped, for garnish (optional)

How to Make Jeera Dal:

1. Pressure cook the moong dal with turmeric powder and enough water to cover it for 3-4 whistles. Mash the cooked dal until creamy and set aside. I use my immersion blender to puree dal for dal recipes. Makes the job super easy!

2. Heat the ghee or oil in a pan and add the cumin and red chillies. Fry until the cumin turns golden and the chillies turn almost black (take care not to burn them). Remove from fire and add the asafoetida and ginger. Saute until the ginger wilts in the heat and dunk the entire mixture into the dal. Add salt and chopped coriander leaves.

Goes really well with rotis or a mild vegetable pulao.

Instant Vegetable Noodles Recipe | Quick Snacks

In the interest of complete disclosure, let me tell you that this is just a fanci-fied Maggi noodles dish. During my childhood, Amma would make Maggi noodles once in a while but always stressed on the fact that it's.not.healthy. Especially the tastemaker masala that came with it which has MSG and for Indians, MSG is equivalent to cyanide in small doses. Who wants to feed that to their kids, right?

There are opposing views and different schools of thought on MSG (also knows as Aji No Moto after the brand that made it popular) but that's for another day. Let that not come in the way of us and this hot steaming plate of maggi noodles with vegetables.

I use frozen vegetables most of the time because this is a quick-fix snack or dinner for us but obviously, fresh vegetables are better if you have some handy.

Instant Vegetable Noodles Recipe | Quick Snacks

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 2

Ingredients:
3 packets of maggi (or any instant) noodles
1 sachet of spice packet that comes with the instant noodles
1 cup of mixed vegetables of choice (carrots, beans, corn, peas, etc)
1 of onion, chopped
1 tsp of soya sauce (I used dark soya sauce which explains the colour of my noodles)
1 tsp of green chilli sauce (or replace with 2 crushed green chillies)
1 tbsp of tomato sauce or ketchup
1 tsp of minced garlic (about 3-4 cloves)
Salt of only if needed
Coriander leaves of for garnish (optional)
1 tbsp of oil

How I Made It:

1. Bring a pot of about 4-5 cups of water to boil. Add the noodles and a few drops of oil to this. Cook until the noodles are softened yet firm. Take care not to overcook it otherwise the noodles will get totally messed up. If you insist on making a mistake, undercook the noodles please.

2. Heat the oil in a pan and add the garlic. Stirring briskly taking care not to burn it, add the chopped onion. Cook until the pieces turn soft and begin to brown.

3. Turn the heat up and add the soya sauce, ketchup or tomato sauce and green chilli sauce. Mix well for a minute and then add the mixed vegetables. Stir well to combine, add the spice mix, lower flame and cook until the vegetables are soft. Don't add water at any point.

4. Once the vegetables are soft, add the cooked noodles and mix well. Check for salt and add only if needed. The spice mix and the soya sauce are salty so I generally don't add any more. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with more ketchup.

You can also add 1-2 scrambled eggs to the noodles to make it Instant egg noodles. Delicious!

How do you like your Instant noodles? :)

Sweet and Sour Moong Dal Tadka Recipe

A sweet and sour dal recipe with moong dal, one of my favourite ways to cook dal and serve with chapatis or rotis.

Towards the end of last year, I decided to cook my way through Raghavan Iyer's 660 Curries. Then I decided to wake up and get a life. That project, if I'd gone through with it, would have killed me for sure. I did make over a dozen recipes from the book as a start and this simple sweet and sour moong dal tadka is one of my favourites which I've made repeatedly since the first time I tried it almost a year back. This moong dal recipe also uses no onion or garlic, perfect dal recipe during fasting or if you avoid onion and garlic from your diet. You may also like this simple jeera dal, tomato dal with no onion or garlic, and a simple dal with watercress leaves.

There are thousands (millions?) of different ways to cook with dal or lentils in India and I have my small collection going on here in Edible Garden too. Pick your favourites from all dal recipes here. 

Sweet and Sour Moong Dal Tadka

Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Serves 4
Recipe adapted from: The Amazing Book - 660 Curries

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of split moong dal / cherupayar / paasi paruppu
2 tsp of ghee or oil
1/4 tsp of mustard seeds
1 tsp of cumin seeds / jeera
1/2 tsp of red chilli powder (adjust to taste)
A large pinch of turmeric powder
1/4 tsp of asafoetida / hing
1 tbsp of grated jaggery, brown sugar, or sugar
1 strand of curry leaves
Salt to taste
1 large tomato, chopped into small pieces

Instructions:

1. Pressure cook the moong dal with turmeric powder until soft and mushy. You can also cook it in a pot with enough water to cover the dal. This will take you much longer, about 45 mins to an hour, to get the dal mushy and ready.

2. Heat the ghee or oil and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the curry leaves and the jaggery (or sugar), cumin seeds, asafoetida, and red chilli powder. Keep roasting the tomatoes until they turn soft and mushy - about 3-5 mins. Add salt.

3. Add the cooked moong dal and mix well. Add more water and bring to boil if it's too thick. If too thin, let the dal cook on medium-high heat until the desired consistency is reached. Check for salt and remove from fire.

Serve hot with chapatis / rotis or jeera rice.

Raghavan's version doesn't have tomato added but I decided to add some to make the dal more tart. Tomato pappu with toor dal is one of my favourites and it really works well with moong dal too.

For this dal recipe in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, etc please use the Google translate button in the sidebar

Ganesh Chaturthi | Vinayaka Chaturthi Recipes 2012

Modakam or Vella Kozhukkattai is one of our favourite snacks back home, especially for my brother and I. In fact, we love pretty much anything made with jaggery. Although we don't restrict modakam to Vinayaka Chaturthi, it's a great time to make yours if you haven't already or are craving some.

Here are some easy recipes for dishes you can make this year to celebrate Ganesh (Vinayaka) Chaturthi this year. Click on the image or the links below to get to the recipes.

Vella Kozhukkattai | Sweet Modak

Sooyam | Susiyan

Ammini (Mini) Kozhukkattai - Savoury

Arisi Upma Kozhukkattai

Tamarind Rice | Puliyogare | Puliodhare

Kadalai Sundal

Medhu Vadai | Ulundu Vadai

Besan Ladoo

Maaladu | Pottukadalai Urundai

Paal Payasam | Rice Kheer

Semiya Payasam

Check out more Payasam Recipes for Ganesh Chaturthi (Ignore Onam in the title, those payasam recipes should work for any festival!). I am told milk-based payasam is the norm but nothing should stop you from what you want to make and prefer. 

Suyam | Susiyan | Suzhiyam Recipe - Tamil Nadu Style

I wasn't aware of this version of Susiyan until MIL told me about it. The suzhiyam, or suhiyan as we call it, made in Kerala is very different with whole moong dal and jaggery for filling and using maida as an outer cover.

I had also heard of making poornam (filling) with cooked channa dal, coconut and jaggery but using the same filling as vella kozhukkattai (which we make for Ganesh Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chaturthi) was new to me.

So when she offered to make it one day, I jumped at the opportunity to learn this new way, probably the method followed in Tamil Nadu, of making susiyam.

There are a few variations too, you can check notes. Also, I am not claiming this to be authentic or THE method of making susiyan, so no yelling at me over this, ok? Ok!

Suyam | Susiyan | Suzhiyam Recipe - Tamil Nadu Style

Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Makes 12 suyam, depending on size
Recipe source: My mom-in-law

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of whole urad dal, soaked for half hour (measure before soaking)
1/2 cup of grated coconut
1/2 cup of melted, strained jaggery (adjust to taste, we like it on the sweeter side)
3 of green cardamom seeds, crushed fine
1 tbsp of ghee
Oil of to deep fry
Salt of a pinch or two

How It's Made:

1. Grind the soaked urad dal into a thick batter without adding any water. If it's too thick, sprinkle some water with fingertips but only what's absolutely necessary. Add salt, mix well and set aside.

2. Prepare the coconut-jaggery poornam and when it's warm, make into lime-sized balls. Check out how to make poornam on the vella kozhukkattai post.

3. Heat required oil in a kadai and when it's hot (check by dropping a small amount of urad dal batter into the oil. If it sizzles and immediately rises to the top, the oil is ready. Otherwise, wait a bit longer) take one poornam ball and roll it gently in the urad dal batter. When fully covered, drop into the hot oil.

4. Add 3-4 at a time depending on the size of your kadai. Take care not to overcrowd the pan otherwise the oil temperature will drop and your suyam will end up taking in more oil than necessary.

5. When the coating turns golden brown (takes around a minute or even less), drain and set aside.

Serve warm. When it's fresh, the outer coating is crisp and the inside is sweet and gooey. When it turns cold, the covering turns soft, which is very tasty too.

A great festival snack recipe that's easy to make and is a bit different from the regulars we always prepare.

Notes:

- I used jaggery from Kerala which explains the very deep brown colour
- You can add some cooked and mashed channa dal to the poornam if you'd like. You can also coat the suyam with idli / dosa batter or a maida mixture before frying. Urad dal made it really soft though so try with urad dal for the best results. The cover almost takes like medhu vada / mysore bonda

So what are your plans for Ganesh Chaturthi (Vinayakar Chaturthi) this year? :)

Lauki Kofta Curry Recipe | Lauki ke Kofte Curry | Step by Step

I love pretty much any kofta-based recipe and lauki kofta has been on my mind for ages now. Although lauki or bottle guard is quite easily available in Singapore, I'd never cooked with lauki (bottle gourd) before this. Since I really love any recipe with chow chow, I was positive this would be a good idea too. Decided to follow Sanjeev Kapoor's lauki kofta recipe as a base since he adds a small dot of tamarind in the middle of his koftas before frying. Interesting idea, eh?

Since the koftas are deep fried, I kept the gravy relatively simple yet creamy. Let them soak in the gravy for a bit and it tastes every better.

Also check out Aloo Paneer Koftas | Malai Kofta | Khadi Pakoda

Lauki Kofta | Lauki ke Kofte | Bottle Guard Kofta Recipe

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves 4
Recipe adapted from: Sanjeev Kapoor

Ingredients:
For Koftas:
1 medium-sized lauki / doodhi / bottle gourd
4-5 tbsp of besan / gram flour
1/2 tsp of red chilli powder
A pinch of hing / asafoetida
8 tiny pieces of tamarind (optional)
1/2 tsp of salt (or to taste)
Oil for deep frying
For Gravy:
2 tbsp of oil (just take a bit from the oil you used to deep fry koftas)
2 of onions, sliced
3 of tomatoes, chopped
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
2 tbsp of coriander powder
1 tsp of red chilli powder (adjust to taste)
Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing
Salt to taste
4-5 tbsp of plain curd/yogurt

How to Make Lauki Kofta Curry

For the Koftas:

1. Quarter the lauki and peel it. Remove the seeds inside and grate it fine.

2. Squeeze out all excess water and add it to a bowl with the chilli powder, salt, besan and hing. Mix well to combine.

3. Make small lemon-sized balls with this mixture and make a small dent in the centre to place the tamarind.

4. Cover it up and make the ball smooth.

5. Fry in hot oil until brown all over. Keep the flame to medium hot and keep turning to cook evenly.

6. Drain and set aside.

For the Gravy:

7. Heat oil in a pan add add the sliced onions.

8. When they soften and start to brown around the edge, add the turmeric powder, coriander, chilli powder and salt.
Cook until the masala smells nice and is blended well with the onions (about 3 mins).

9. Add the tomatoes and about 1/2 water.

10. Bring to boil and simmer until the tomatoes are soft (about 5-7 mins).

11. Puree this mixture in a blender and return to the pan.

12. Bring to boil, and add the yogurt and chopped coriander leaves. Mix well, adjust salt and remove from fire. Don't boil too long after adding the yogurt otherwise the mixture may split.

Add the koftas into the gravy and let it sit for an hour or so before serving. We had it with rotis but goes equally well with jeera rice or vegetable pulao.

For dinner, we added the gravy to chapatis, rolled them up, and enjoyed in front of the TV watching a favourite movie rerun!

By the way, feedback on the tiled step by step photo is appreciated. I thought it may be easier to scroll through recipes if the steps are more compact. Let me know if this works better or laying out each step picture one after the other.