Flavourful spuds!

This dish is everyday fare in a lot of  North Indian homes. It is simple to make and very flavourful. I have used dried fenugreek leaves which come in cartons all year round. But, if you do have access to the fresh variety you have to use that instead. It takes slightly longer but definitely well worth the effort!

Aloo Methi (Potatoes cooked with dried fenugreek leaves)          Serves 4

Oil                                                               2 ½ Tbls

Potatoes                                                      ½ kg, scrubbed, peeled, diced and soaked   

                                                                        in salted water for 30 minutes

Dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi)           3 – 4 Tbs

Salt to taste

Chilli powder                                              2 tsp or to taste

Dried mango powder (Aamchur)                  ½ tsp

Ghee                                                            2 tsp

Method:    

Heat the oil gently in a heavy bottomed wok.

Drain the potatoes and sauté until ¾ cooked and brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside. Reserve the oil.

Wash the dried fenugreek leaves in several changes of water until totally free from grit. Drain and squeeze the water out completely.  This has to be done just prior to adding the leaves to the oil.

Reheat the reserved oil and fry the fenugreek leaves for a bit. Add the sautéed potatoes along with the salt, chilli and dried mango powders.

Fry on low heat until the potatoes are completely cooked and fragrant. Add ghee and remove from heat.

Serve with rotis or as an accompaniment with dhal and rice. 

Note:

This dish can be made with fresh fenugreek leaves as well.

Pick and wash the leaves until completely devoid of grit. Drain well. Chop leaves coarsely and use instead of the dried fenugreek leaves as suggested in the recipe.

Sauté the leaves until dry and aromatic before adding the potatoes.

Potato tip: I always soak potatoes in cold water for about 15 – 30 mins after peeling and chopping them. This will prevent them from clumping together during the cooking process as most of the starch is removed while soaking.

The heat is on. It is Mango time in India!

These pages seem almost alien to me. No excuses! Just got caught up with everyday living kind of activities. Summer has set in with a vengeance. Temperatures are soaring and no AC seems cool enough. Food prices have hit the roof and to top it all , there is a water shortage. My biggest preoccupation these days seems to be lecturing my hundred year old mother about conserving water. I am fighting a losing battle! She is convinced that I am bonkers!  Our water bill is amongst the highest in our building. So be it. My mother is happy!!

The light at the end of the tunnel though, is the appearance of the ubiquitous mango in the markets. Of course, the best is yet to come but what we have now is enough to set ones taste buds racing. The best way to gorge on mangoes is just that, as they are.  It goes without saying that they have to be of premium quality to get the best out of them. However, one can still enjoy the early birds in various ways.

I like to make a Mango Fool with the first of the season. The elders in our family have always maintained that the first mangoes of the season should be consumed along with milk, in order to avoid upset stomachs. Mango Fool is definitely the answer.

Mango Fool                 Serves 5 - 6 

Mangoes                        5 med will yield about 4 cups of puree

Sugar                             1 cup.

You might need a bit more if the mangoes are not sweet.

Milk / Cream                  ¾ cup.

More if you want to make this dessert like a smoothie.

I like to make mine mousse like.

Since I make this dessert very often during the mango season, I use milk most of the time. Cutting calories being the obvious reason!!

It goes without saying that a special occasion definitely calls for cream!

A sprinkling of Cardamom powder if the mangoes are not flavourful enough.                                                             

Method

Wash and peel the mangoes. Remove all the flesh from the kernel. Discard the kernel. Blend together the mango pulp and the sugar until smooth. If you are using a fibrous variety of mango, you will have to pass the puree through a fine sieve.

Return the sieved puree to the blender and add the milk or cream a little at a time, until the desired consistency is achieved.

You need to flavour the mango fool with cardamom powder only if you use a non descript flavourless mango. Hard to come by in India!

Serve chilled. Enjoy!

Wholesome food!

This dish is what I choose to make on days when I do not want to spend too much time in the kitchen.

It is simple to make, wholesome and very satisfying. Definitely one of my comfort foods!

Kerala stew with chicken and vegetables           Serves  4 – 6

Ghee                                        1Tbs

Coconut oil                              1 Tbs

Onions                                     1 large, sliced thin, ½ a cup

Green chillies                           4 –6, slit and seeds removed if desired

Ginger shredded                      1 ½ Tbls

Curry leaves                             3 to 4 sprigs

Peppercorns                             2 tsps

Cumin                                      1 tsp

Aniseed                                   1 tsp

Cinnamon                                1” piece

Cloves                                     6 – 8

Green cardamoms                             2

Boneless chicken                     250 gms, cut into bite sized pieces

Shelled peas                                      100 gms

Carrots                                    1, cut into dice

Potatoes                                  100 gms, peeled and cut into dice

Cauliflower                              75 gms, cut into small florets

Vinegar                                    1 Tbls + ½ to 1 Tbls more if required

Salt                                          to taste

Thin coconut milk                    1 ½ cups

Hot water                                ½ cup if required

Thick coconut milk                  1 ½ cups

Flour                                       1 Tbls for thickening the gravy

Coconut oil (opt)                     2 tsps

Method

Heat the ghee and the coconut oil gently in a heavy bottomed pan. Sauté the onions, green chillies, shredded ginger and half the quantity of curry leaf until soft and fragrant.

Pound the next 6 ingredients in a mortar and pestle roughly. Add to the sautéed onion mixture along with the bite sized chicken pieces and a sprinkling of salt. Continue sautéing for 3-4 minutes until the chicken pieces start turning colour.

Now add the prepared vegetables and the vinegar to the pan and cook for a further 5 –6 minutes stirring all the time.

Gradually pour in the thin coconut milk, and the rest of the curry leaves. Blend well and simmer gently until the chicken and the vegetables are cooked.

At this stage if you feel that a little more gravy is required, you could add the hot water.

Blend the flour into the thick coconut milk and add to the gently simmering stew. Wait for the curry to thicken, check seasoning and remove from heat.

Always simmer gently after the thick coconut milk is added or else the gravy is likely to curdle. Flavour with coconut oil if you wish.

Serve hot with plain boiled rice or with crusty bread.

I served the stew with rotis made with rice flour.

Note: Sometimes, I make this dish with hard boiled eggs in lieu of chicken. My Mallu friends might frown at my innovation but do give it a try. It’s pretty good!

The vegetarian version is very good as well. Omit the chicken and the ingredients pounded in the mortar and pestle. Carry on with the rest of the recipe!