carrot coconut stir fry

With the coming of hot days my thoughts always linger around old holiday rituals of going to movies with a friend to escape the sullen heat and stalling under a road side tree for a drink of cool coconut water on our way back.. even if we sometimes get the packaged water here, it doesn't compare to the freshness of a sip from the newly plucked coconut. Every now and then I try to make up for it by cooking something with this sweet tasting fruit.

Around three years ago I shared a recipe combining string beans and coconut here. Since then I have been meaning to write about another variation with carrots. I am sorry about falling off the wagon when it comes to cooking posts : /

This recipe tastes good on its own as a salad or as a side dish with rice while feeling light in the tummy. I hope you will try it sometime :)

serves 4.
Ingredients

Carrots - 6 (peel and grate finely or chop into tiny pieces)
Coconut (finely grated) - ¼ cup (if fresh)/2tbsps (if using dry coconut)
Green chilies - 2
Oil - 1 tbsp or little more
Kari leaves - a sprig (also often referred as curry leaves)
Red chilies - 1
Bengal gram (Chana dal) - 1 tsp
Split black gram (Urad dal) - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric - a pinch
Salt to taste
Garlic - 1 clove (optional)

seasoning and stir-fry

Take a wide skillet and set it on medium heat. Add oil. Once the oil is hot enough, add chana dal. When you notice that they are beginning to turn pink, add urad dal, red chilies. Wait a couple of seconds and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds. When the mustard seeds are beginning to splutter, add Kari leaves. Hold a lid or spatter screen over the pan so that the seeds won’t splatter all over. Put in a crushed or finely chopped garlic clove and sauté it for a second.

Now add finely grated carrot, salt, turmeric and green chilies. Mix well and stir fry on medium heat.

Once the carrot softens and loses its crunch, add coconut and continue to sauté for few more minutes.
Turn it off early to have it as a light salad or you can let this cook until it is almost dry and all the moisture evaporates for a nutty texture but don't let the coconut turn brown.

Variations

- You can follow the same recipe for finely chopped or shredded cabbage or even mix cabbage and carrot together. I guess if you like coconut, it will be perfect with any vegetable.
- You can also add sprouts of any kind in the end to make it more hearty and healthy.

Have a great week! ( ' u ' )

Dappalam (pumpkin stew)

Fall evokes warm fuzzy feelings and cravings for things cinnamony or sweet. And it sure does entice our thoughts toward ghastly looking creatures and plump pumpkins of autumn harvest.

…I guess it is time for a hearty pumpkin stew with chockfull of wholesome veggies that is sure to make our tummy, hauntingly happy!

Dappalam is a stew traditionally cooked with pumpkin along with bottle gourd, eggplants, sweet potato, okra and Drumsticks possibly because these are in season locally but it can be prepared with any vegetable at hand.

The sweetness of Pumpkin is perfectly complemented by the sour juice of tamarind and the heat of green chilies. And the rice flour added towards the end mellows the slew of flavors and brings out the earthiness which is signature of this dish.

For some reason, in all of our childhood stories – the ones which were told on dark starry nights, ghosts took up residence on tamarind trees... whenever we neared a tamarind tree the rush was indescribable as was the thrill of ghoulish adventures and the nightmares that followed. So, I felt it is apt to talk about tamarind in the Halloween month.

Unlike sweet Tamarind, the one that is meant for cooking purposes is pucker-inducing tart and imparts sharpness to the otherwise mildly sweet dishes. Tamarind pulp is an important ingredient in most of the south Indian recipes especially in dals and stews where as in the North, Amchur (dry mango powder) is the chosen ingredient for this use. Though they both taste sour, each adds its unique flavor. Amchur is easy to use in stir-fries because of its powdery form and has a slightly metallic tinge to it.

Tender tamarind sprigs which begin to bud with the arrival of spring are made into many beautiful dishes combined with either dals or vegetables or meat and are considered delicacies as these tiny first leaves are available for only a very short time in the year. Tamarind leaves too are sour and if we happen to pass by a tamarind tree, we reach for the leaves, pluck a few and nibble & relish just like candy!

Preparing tamarind extract

Tamarind pulp comes in a compressed bar form or is readily available as a concentrate or paste in a jar.
Break lemon-sized tamarind pulp from the bar into pieces. Rinse and soak the pulp in a cup of hot or warm water. And set it aside for at least 30min. This softens the pulp and makes it easy to extract the juice.
Squeeze out as much juice from the pulp as possible with your hands into a separate bowl. Repeat the process by adding more water to the pulp until there is no more juice left to extract.
Sieve the extracted juice into a fresh bowl. You could store this juice for up to a week in the refrigerator.

If you are using the concentrate, you can simply put the required amount directly in the stew when we come to that part.

serves 4.
Ingredients

Half of small pumpkin
Half of a small Bottle gourd
Onion – 1 medium
Okra - about 5
Egg plant – need about 1/4 cup to ½ cup of chopped egg plants
Sweet potato - 1
Drumstick - 2
Green chilies - 4 (slit length-wise)
Ginger - 1 tbsp (finely minced)
Tamarind extract - 1 tbsp (adjust to taste)
Salt - to taste
Turmeric - ½ tsp
Rice flour - 1 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp

for seasoning

Oil or ghee or butter - 2tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Red chilies - 1 (broken into pieces)
Fenugreek seeds - ½ tsp
Kari leaves - a sprig
Garlic - 1 clove (crushed)
Asafetida - a pinch

Preparing the vegetables

Pumpkin: cut in half. Remove seeds and strands. Peel the shell and discard.
Cut into medium-sized pieces.

in the pic, you can see the spongy part of the Bottle gourd piece which contains seeds is separated.

Bottle gourd: It is a summer squash shaped like a bottle. It tastes mildly sweet.
It is better to pick a smaller one which is tender with seeds and fiber not very mature.
Peel the skin and discard. If the squash is not tender, we can easily remove the spongy part along with seeds and discard. Cut into med-sized cubes.

Sweet potato: peel skin and cut into med-sized cubes.

Eggplant: cut into med-sized pieces.

Okra: Trim the stem & tail and discard. Cut 2 inch cross-wise pieces.

Onion: cut into medium sized chunks.

Drumstick: Scrape the skin slightly. Trim the ends. Cut cross-wise pieces which are about 3 to 4 inches in length.
Drumstick or munagakaya (as we call it) is a woody vegetable with translucent pods nestled in a soft green flesh in the inside. The outer skin is very fibrous. Tender drumsticks are prefered as the pods and flesh in them are baby soft.

The way we eat it after having cooked is to suck the sweet juice out of the drumstick piece… while it breaks open, scrape the soft flesh with teeth and eat it along with the pods. Then we chew on the woody outer skin until it’s pretty dry and spit out the pulp. It kind of feels messy, but it is one of those simple pleasures where time stops and you just forget everything else around you and indulge in for a wee little while.

I forgot to take a picture of the inside, but you can see it here and read more about this nutritious and medicinally rich plant.

We grew up with a huge Drumstick tree in our backyard and have many interesting stories around it, one being dodging the spiky caterpillars that cover every branch of this tree and lose their grip and take free falls from time to time… eeks!

cooking the vegetables

Heat the oil in a sauce pan. Add onion chunks and green chilies. Cover and cook until the onions are translucent but should still hold the shape.

Add all the chopped vegetables along with finely minced ginger. Sprinkle turmeric and salt.
Mix well. Cover and cook on low-med heat. Keep stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft. They usually get cooked in the water that oozes out of them. But if necessary add little water and let them cook until they are done.

Add tamarind juice and mix carefully to not mush the vegetables.
Adding the sour tamarind juice before the vegetables are cooked slows down the cooking process. That is why we add it later.

Don’t cover the pan now. Let the veggies simmer and soak-up the juice for about 10 min.
At this point if you feel the stew is too thick, add water and adjust the salt & tamarind juice to taste. It is like a balancing act to get the sweetness, tartness and saltiness of the dish just right.

The best way to go about it if you are hesitant is to add everything little by little and balance until you get the desired results.

Mix a tbsp of rice flour in half-cup of water and stir-in. This serves as a thickening agent and gives the stew a creamy consistency. All-purpose flour or Besan (chickpea flour) can also be substituted for rice flour.

Let it cook on low-flame for about 5min. Sprinkle cilantro sprigs and remove from heat.

Seasoning the stew

Take a wide skillet and set it on medium heat. Add oil or butter or ghee. Once the oil is hot enough, add red chilies. After a couple of sec. add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and then cumin seeds and a crushed garlic clove. When the mustard seeds are beginning to splutter, add a pinch of asafetida and Kari leaves. Hold a lid or spatter screen over the pan so that the seeds won’t splatter all over.

Pour this mixture into the stew and mix well.
Serve with rice or enjoy a hot bowl of this stew with a toasted slice of bread on a chilly evening.

Notes
~ The acidity of tamarind reacts with metals like copper, tin or aluminum. So, it is better to store the juice or concentrate in glass containers.
~ Fresh Drumsticks can be hard to find it here. But frozen drumstick pieces are always available at Indian groceries.

Are you still with me? ( ' v ' )
It looks elaborate but once the vegetables are cut, it is very easy to make.
Hope you’ll give it a try with an assortment of veggies that are available to you.

Have tons of fun carving eerie eyes and wicked smiles too ( ^ w ^ )

green beans poriyal

Summer vacations have always been synonymous with mounds of mangoes strewn in a corner of the kitchen floor till they turn as golden as sun, heavenly scents of jasmine strands pinned atop our piggy tails, playing in the shade of coconut trees with tiny white flowers and little coconuts that drop every time a soft wind sways, making teensy dolls and other playthings with their shiny slivery leaves... not to forget the refreshingly cool coconut water that we used to enjoy almost every afternoon.

Coconut water tastes like nectar, looks as though a cloud has been churned and poured into the glass but as light & life-giving as water and is full of minerals. Tender coconut flesh in the meantime is very marshmallowy in its color, texture & sweetness and cool to the touch. It makes for a very soothing and protein packed summer snack. Some like to sprinkle spoonful of sugar to make it even sweeter ( " v " )

offerings of coconut and flowers to the river goddess

Coconut tree is termed as ‘kalpavriksha’ meaning a tree of boons as every part of it is useful in so many ways. Breaking a coconut and offering it to gods on special occasions and festival days is considered auspicious.

coconut leaves being woven as a canopy for a south-Indian wedding

At our Aunt's house the leaves were used to thatch the cow shed, and rest of the dried out fronds were stacked under the staircase till we had enough to make brooms. Then me and my cousins used to sit along side our grandmother to rip the spines and tie a huge bunch of them together with twine (made from coconut husk), needless to say we've always had a steady supply of brooms and meters of twine.

Until a few years ago I remember almost everyone using coconut husk to scrub the dishes and coconut shell as a soap cup. But these days like everything else we are relying more and more on man-made materials and ignoring bio-degradable treasures that nature provide us with so freely.

And coconut oil is the best moisturizer of all. Mornings usually start with a quick brushing followed by massaging a good amount of oil into the hair before taking bath. In winters, kids are smothered in warm coconut oil and left to soak in the morning sun… bliss!

Coconut is used in various recipes in its various forms… coconut milk, coconut slivers and finely grated coconut; either fresh or sun-dried & stored in jars to be used for a long long time.

I should troll through my recipe books and make a note of all the recipes that have coconut in them… could be countless! Most of the coconut dishes are from South-India or some coastal areas like Goa where coconuts are abundant in all seasons. It is rarely used as a condiment in Northern parts of India.

This is one such recipe with French beans and can be tossed in a spoonful of lime juice for a very light summer salad.

Poriyal, vepudu, bhuna… they all are an assortment of words in regional languages to define a dry vegetable dish or something that is stir-fried. It is usually served on the side to go with rice or roti.


Green beans with coconut
serves 4.

Ingredients
Green beans - 1 pound (trim the ends and finely chop)
Coconut (finely grated) - ¼ cup (if fresh)/2tbsps (if using dry coconut)
Green chilies - 3
Oil - 1 tbsp
Kari leaves - a sprig (also often referred as curry leaves)
Red chilies - 1
Bengal gram (Chana dal) - 1 tsp
Split black gram (Urad dal) - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric - a pinch
Salt to taste
Garlic - 1 or 2 cloves (optional)
Juice of half a lime (optional)

prepping

Fill a sauce pan with water. Add a tsp of salt for seasoning and let the water come to a boil. Add the green beans and cook them until they are just tender.

Drain the water using a colander and set aside.
(you could use this water in a stew or dal if it’s part of your menu for the day or enjoy this as a mildly sweet tasting drink).

Alternatively, you could steam the green beans.

for coconut + green chili paste

If you are using fresh coconut, either grate the coconut or cut into small pieces. Chop green chilies. Grind them together.

If you are using frozen coconut or dry grated coconut then simply grind it with green chilies. Set aside.

seasoning and stir-fry

Take a wide skillet and set it on medium heat. Add oil. Once the oil is hot enough, first add chana dal. When you notice that they are beginning to turn pink, add urad dal, red chilies. After a couple of sec. add mustard seeds and then cumin seeds. When the mustard seeds are beginning to splutter, add Kari leaves. Hold a lid or spatter screen over the pan so that the seeds won’t splatter all over.

The order of adding these ingredients is important because of their varying cooking times.

Then immediately add green beans.

Sprinkle turmeric and salt and sauté for few min. until the beans look almost dry.

Now add coconut + green chili paste and mix well. Keep sautéing in between until the coconut doesn’t taste raw any more, maybe 10 min. on med flame.

Remove from heat and at this point if you like, squeeze a wedge of lime and mix well.

Notes
~If you feel like it needs more flavor, add a clove or 2 of crushed garlic while adding the green beans to the seasoning.

~Frozen fresh coconut is available in Indian groceries. And grated dry coconut is commonly available everywhere. I use them often when I don’t have access to a fresh coconut or when short of time.

~You can prepare any kind of green beans in a similar way. It works for most vegetables too.

Later I’ll do a quick post on carrot/cabbage poriyal with coconut minus history ( ' u ' )

Baingan bharta (roasted eggplant with tomato)

On a simmering stove, the silky sweet pulp of roasted eggplant melts into the tart juiciness of tomatoes filling the kitchen and then the neighboring quarters with its piquant perfume... laced with cumin & coriander the smokiness of this relish lingers on the palate long after that first bite.

This is a north Indian dish and being from south I only tasted it when we were out one evening for dinner while living in Delhi. This burst of complex flavors took me by surprise and however much I tried I couldn’t break it down to figure out the list of things that went into it until a friend showed me how very few ingredients are actually required for this delicious confection.

Every time I make this recipe I think of my friend and the good times we’ve had together.

It tastes as good with a toasted slice of favorite bread as it does with roti (Indian bread) or rice.

Baingan is Eggplant and bharta refers to any dish where the ingredients are mashed either before or after the actual cooking.

serves 3.
Ingredients

Eggplant -1
Oil - 2 tbsp (olive oil works great)
Onions - 2 (medium sized) finely chopped
Tomatoes - 2 (chopped into small pieces)
Green chilies - 1 or 2 (finely chopped)
Salt (adjust according to taste)
Cumin powder – 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Cilantro – ¼ cup (finely chopped)

preparing eggplant

Rub Eggplant with few drops of oil. Prick it a few times using fork throughout (this is important because it prevents eggplant from bursting in the oven).

Line a baking sheet with foil and then parchment paper - to avoid aluminum from touching the food… Martha’s tip ;-)

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Place the baking sheet with the eggplant in the oven and bake it for about an hour or until the skin is charred. Flip the eggplant every 15 min or so to allow it to roast evenly on all sides.

When it’s done, take it out and make a slit in the middle, lengthwise with a knife and let it cool.

Once it is cool, scoop out the seeds and discard.

Salvage as much flesh as possible. Scrape the inside of the skin if there is any pulp left.
Roughly mash it or give a few chops on the cutting board.

cooking the eggplant

Set a frying pan on medium-low flame. Add oil.


When the oil is hot enough, add onions. Sprinkle salt and saute’ until tender and the edges are beginning to slightly brown.

Add tomatoes and let it cook until tomatoes are well done.

Sprinkle cumin powder & coriander powder and mix well.

Add eggplant paste. Cook it until the eggplant takes on the color of tomatoes. Stir in chili powder.

At this point you can notice oil beginning to separate from the gravy (or bubbling around the edges of the pan). This is the clue for most of the dishes that they are done.
Sprinkle chopped cilantro and serve.

Notes
~This dish takes a little bit more oil than others. So I use Olive oil. I think it kind of gives an Italian touch too.
For an added twist you could sauté a tsp or two of finely chopped garlic along with the onions and sprinkle any fresh herbs you like, in the end.

~I used to roast the eggplant on stove top as ovens are not a commonly found feature in Indian homes. But here I bake it in the oven.

...and here it is, a tasty treat to go into your picnic basket on Mother's day ( ' v ' )
Have fun!

rice and dal

Many moons ago when I first came to U.S., my repertoire was fairly limited to few stir-fries and dals. At times when I felt lost and longed for familiar comforts of home, dal is something I used to make. And after a hearty meal of spinach dal with a smidgen of hot pickle and fresh cup of homemade yogurt, everything would start looking rosy again and I am *home* ( " v " )

Steaming hot rice topped with sweet-tangy dal effusing a slight hint of ghee(clarified butter) is so comforting any day… it doesn’t take long to prepare and is full of nutrients.

Green gram dal (Moong dal with husk), Masoor dal, Toor dal

Dal meaning lentil can be sweet or sour; wet or dry. And any number of scrumptious combinations can be rolled out using leafy greens, tomatoes and even some vegetables.

Dals naturally have a mild sweetness to them, each one with a distinct flavor of its own. Considering that most Indians are vegetarians, they provide much needed protein and are low in fat; high in fiber.

top row: mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric
bottom row: urad dal, chana dal, asafetida

Seasoning (infusing) the oil with spice seeds and red chilies is the base for many of the Indian recipes. For some recipes, it is the first step in the process while for others we add the seasoned oil in the end when the dish is done to give nutty texture and a smoky undertone to the otherwise soft stews and dals.

Depending on the dish you are preparing, the ingredients for seasoning slightly vary between mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal (Black gram), chana dal (Bengal gram), red chilies, turmeric, hing (asafetida) and curry leaves (rich in iron).

~Mustard seeds pop and curry leaves splutter. So please hold a spatter screen or a lid over the pan for safety. But do not cover the pan fully or else the seeds will become soft losing their crunchy texture.

Cumin rice (Jeera rice)
Serves 2.

Rice seasoned with cumin seeds & curry leaves is very fragrant and goes well with any of the accompaniments you wish to prepare.

First step is to cook rice.

Add a tsp of salt to the water while cooking the rice to season it.


Fluff the rice with fork and transfer it to a wide platter and spread it out so that the grains would air a little bit and remain loose.

for seasoning

Oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Coarsely ground pepper - 1 tsp
Green chilies - 2 (slice them lengthwise)
Red chilies - 2
Curry leaves - 5
Cilantro - 2 or 3 sprigs

Take a wide frying pan. Put it on medium heat. Add oil.

When the oil is just hot enough, add red chilies.


After a min. add cumin seeds.

Cumin seeds burn quickly, so as soon as you see the seeds turning slightly brown, add curry leaves and green chilies. And sauté’ them once.


Then add rice and sprinkle ground pepper over it. Mix it with the seasoning taking care not to mush the rice. Stir fry for 3 min. on medium-low flame. When the rice is evenly coated with the seasoning, sprinkle the cilantro twigs and remove from heat.


Notes
~ Do not leave rice open for long as it dries out quickly. Transfer it to the platter just before you are ready to season it.

~You can easily adapt this recipe with your favorite herbs and any kind of chili peppers that you happen to have at hand.

Moong dal
Serves 2.

Moong dal (green gram) is easy to digest and very cooling to the body, making it suitable for the coming summer days.

~As Moong dal cooks very quickly we don’t have to soak it before hand like we do for other dals.


Ingredients

Oil – 1 tbsp
(Yellow split lentils) Moong dal - ½ cup
Water - 2 cups
Small onion – 1 (thinly sliced, lengthwise)
Green chilies – 2 (slit lengthwise)
Grated ginger - 1 tsp
Turmeric - a pinch
Salt - ½ tbsp (adjust according to taste)
Chili powder – 1 tsp
Lime juice from half a lime

for seasoning

ghee or oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Red chilies - 1 (break into pieces)
Curry leaves - 5
Asafetida (hing) - a pinch (optional)

Check for any tiny stones or twigs in the dal.

Heat a frying pan. Add Moong dal and dry roast on low flame until the lentils turn pink and begin to give out a sweet scent.

before and after

(This step is not mandatory but I find that it removes the raw smell and makes the dal more flavorful)

Take water in a pan and add roasted dal. Cover the pan with a lid but leave it slightly ajar for the steam to escape. This avoids boiling water from spilling over.


Cook it on medium heat until soft. If necessary, add more water.


Mash it for a velvety smooth consistency (if you like some texture, you can leave it as it is).
Set aside.


In a small sauce pan, heat oil. Add onions, green chilies, grated ginger, turmeric, salt.

Sauté the onions until they are tender and translucent. Add dal.
If the dal is too thick, add ½ cup of water. Stir well.

Continue to simmer for 10 mins.


Sprinkle chili powder. Add chopped cilantro and remove from heat.

Stir in lime juice.

~Dal thickens some more even after we turn off the heat. So, it’s better to leave it slightly runny.

Seasoning the dal

Take a small frying pan and heat oil.


Add red chili. When its color is slightly beginning to deepen add mustard seeds and cumin seeds. After a min. or so, the mustard seeds will begin to pop and splutter.

Then add curry leaves and hing. Remove from heat right away. Do not let the seeds burn or brown too much as they turn bitter.


Now pour the seasoning over cooked dal.
Mix well.


Serve with rice ( ' u ' )

Variation
Add ½ cup of chopped tomatoes after the onions are tender and sauté them until soft.
Then add dal and proceed as before (you can skip lime juice here).

Notes
~Since we infuse the oil with spices, a neutral flavored oil like vegetable oil works well with Indian recipes.

~Turmeric tends to leave stains on clothes. Please be careful while handling it.

~We add asafetida in dals to aid in digestion. It has a pungent smell which can be overpowering. So, don't add more than a pinch.

~Red or green chilies are added to give heat to the dish. As they are incredibly hot, don’t bite into them. Leave them on the side.

Please feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions. I'm more than happy to clarify (* u *)

Happy cooking!

p.s. My friend Thanu is from Bangalore and she shares recipes from her home town at Thanu’s kitchen along with the ones she’s been collecting over the years.
I had the pleasure of savoring mouthwatering concoctions that Thanu whips up in her ‘real’ kitchen and each time I end up completely stuffed and plonk down on her couch with droopy eyes ^ . ^