Morkhozumbu/ Majjiga pulusu

Since summer is here, I have been making dishes which shall cool the body. Butter milk, is a good coolant, either had directly or as a side dish to rice. This is one of the variants of morkozhambu or Majjiga pulusu. Try it out for lunch on a hot summer day.

Since summer is here, I have been making dishes which shall cool the body. Butter milk, is a good coolant, either had directly or as a side dish to rice. This is one of the variants of morkozhambu or Majjiga pulusu. Try it out for lunch on a hot summer day.

Ingredients

Buttermilk - 5 cups

Green chillies, slit - 4 to 5

Cumin seeds - 1 1/2 tsp

Coriander seeds - 2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 2 tsp

Coconut, shredded - 2 to 3 tablespoons

Salt to taste

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Oil - for seasoning

Water - for diluting the buttermilk if needed

Procedure

1. Add 1/2 tsp of turmeric to the buttermilk and mix well.Add water if the buttermilk is too thick.

Add salt and heat on a low flame till the buttermilk reaches room temperature.Take it from the fire and set aside.

2. Roast one by one, in a little oil, the coconut, the remaining turmeric,jeera, coriander and green chillies.Blend to a smooth paste.

3. Add this coconut paste to the warm buttermilk, put it back on the stove and heat for approximately

4-5 minutes.

4. Season it with mustard seeds and curry leaves.

Taste delicious when eaten with hot plain rice.Please note that this needs to be consumed while fresh and cannot be re-heated on direct fire again.

Lemon and Chilli pickle

Here comes one more quick to make pickle.

Ingredients

Green chillies - 400 gms.

Mustard seeds - 4 tsp.

Turmeric powder - 2 tsp.

Lime - 12 nos.

Oil - 400 mls.

Salt As per taste

Procedure

1. Grind mustard seeds to a coarse powder, after frying for 2 minute. Dont fry too much,else you will get a burnt taste.

2. Cut limes into eight pieces.

3. Slit green chilies and cut them into half inch long pieces.

4. Mix powdered mustard seeds, turmeric powder and salt with green chili

and lime pieces.

5. Transfer this to a sterilized glass bottle or an earthenware jar. Pour oil on

top and shake the bottle well.

This pickle can be had and enjoyed starting from 5th or 6 th day from the day of preparation

Mango pickle

Summer is fast approaching with it is approaching the mango season... I was happy see the raw mangoes displayed at the aisle in the supermarket and all the yummy dishes I could make with them, ran before my eyes in my imagination. Here is one recipe for mango pickle.

Ingredients

Raw mangoes  - 500 gms.

Fenugreek seeds -  3 tbsp.

Fennel seeds - 4 tbsp.

Red chili powder - 2 tbsp.

Turmeric powder - 2 tsp.

Mustard seeds - 3 tbsp.

Mustard oil - 350 mls.

Salt - as per taste

Procedure

1. Cut raw mangoes into half, remove seed and then cut ¾th inch sized

pieces.

2. Apply turmeric powder and salt, rub nicely and then keep it for half an

hour. Drain out excess moisture.

3. Grind fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds and mustard seeds to a coarse powder.

4. Heat mustard oil until smoking point, remove and let it cool.

5. Mix fenugreek seeds, fennel and mustard powder with red chili powder.Add half of the mustard oil to this mixture and rub this spice and oil mixture to the mango pieces. Mix thoroughly.

6. Put this into an earthen ware jar and pour the remaining mustard oil.Cover the jar with a muslin cloth and keep it in the sun for 5-6 days. 

7. Make sure you stir the contents of the jar for the first two weeks at least once a day. This is to ensure that the mango pieces are always in contact with the oil.

Bhaingan Bhartha

Ingredients

Eggplant/Bhartha Brinjal - 1 large
Onion - 1 medium  finely chopped
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup chopped
Tomatoes - 2 ,chopped finely
Green chillies - 4,chopped finely
Green peas - 1 cup cooked
Dhania-jeera ( cumin -corainder) powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tsp
Aamchoor(mango powder) - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Sugar - 1 tsp
Cooking oil - 3 tbsp

Procedure

1.Rub 1/2 tsp oil on the eggplant and microwave till the skin shrinks and liquid starts oozing out of the
vegetable. This takes around ten minutes.Alternatively, you could hold it over open fire, over the gas stove, turning it occassionally till the outer layer becomes burnt and can be easily peeled off.
2. Take it out of the oven and peel it.
3. Mash the baigan and add the salt to it.
4. Heat the remaining oil and add the chopped onion.
5. Fry till the onions turns translucent.
6. Add the green chillies and the tomatoes and fry till the mixture becomes gooey.
7. Now add all the spices and the sugar and fry for a minute.
8. Add the baigan and mix well.
9. Now add the peas and fry for a couple of minutes.
10.Add the chopped coriander leaves and some water to get thick consistency.Mix well.

Serve when hot with as a side dish to plain rice.

Alternative version

This I call the lazy vesrion or bachelors'recipe of Baingan bhartha. You need fewer ingredients here and undoubtedly lesser time.

Procedure


1.Rub 1/2 tsp oil on the eggplant and microwave till the skin shrinks and liquid starts oozing out of the
vegetable. This takes around ten minutes.Alternatively, you could hold it over open fire, over the gas stove, turning it occassionally till the outer layer becomes burnt and can be easily peeled off.
2. Take it out of the oven and peel it.
3. Mash the baigan and add the salt to it.
4. Add chopped green chillies, onion, coriander leaves, and mix it well.

Serve as a side dish for rice.

Medu Vada

Ingredients

White urad dal - 1 Cup
Crushed black peppercorn - 1 tsp.
Asafoetida - ¼ tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Curry leaves - 8-10 nos.
Oil for deep frying 
Salt - to taste

Procedure

1. Wash and soak urad dal for 6 hours.
2. Grind into a fine paste.
3. Add salt, asafoetida, curry leaves, cumin seeds and crushed peppercorns
to the batter and mix well.
4. Heat oil in a Kadhai.
5. Wet your palms and take batter into the palms. Shape into a ball and
make a hole with the thumb in the center.
6. Deep fry the vadas in medium hot oil until golden brown and crisp.
7. Serve hot with Sambhar and Coconut chutney.

Tomato Soup(Shorba)

Ingredients

Tomatoes -  600 gms.
Chopped ginger - 1 tbsp.
Chopped garlic - 1 tbsp.
Whole garam masala - 1 tbsp.
Bay leaf - 2 no.
Chopped green coriander - 1 tbsp.
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Sugar (optional) - 1 tbsp.
Oil - 1 tbsp.
Green chili - 2 no.
Salt As per taste

Procedure

1. Wash and cut tomatoes into quarters
2. Cook tomatoes with chopped ginger, garlic, green chilies cut into two and Whole Garam masala. Add 5 cups of water and bayleaf. Bring to a boil.
3. Simmer for twenty minutes on a slow flame until tomatoes are mashed completely.
4. Strain the mixture with a soup strainer.
5. Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds, let them crackle. Add strained tomato liquid and season with salt.
6. Bring it to a boil, add sugar if it is very sour.
7. Serve hot, garnished with chopped green coriander leaves.

Masala Vada

Ingredients

1 cup yellow gram (chana) dal
1/2 cup onion finely chopped
1/2 cup coriander finely chopped
1/2 cup dill leaves finely chopped (Optional)
3-4 green chillies finely chopped
1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
oil to deep fry

Procedure

Wash and soak dal for 3-4 hours.

Keep 2 tbsp. dal aside, grind the rest,coarsely.
Mix all other ingredients, including whole dal.
Add 2-3 tbsp. hot oil to the mixture.
Heat oil, make patty shaped rounds with moist palm.
Let carefully into the hot oil.
Fry first one side then the other till golden brown.
Serve hot with green chutney,red chutney, or tomato ketchup