Raw Turmeric Pickle (Haldi Pickle)

Turmeric with its bright yellow color and distinctive flavor is a very important part of our spice box. It is added to almost all the curries,sambar,rasam and rice dishes. Its anti-bacterial and anti fungal properties are very beneficial for common cold, cough and more dangerous diseases like cancer etc. The west is discovering turmeric and its benefits now and  I have seen people adding it to their salads and soups in raw form. There are drinks like "turmeric latte" in the market !  In North India a person who is hurt physically is immediately given "haldi ka dudh" which is turmeric mixed with milk as it helps with healing and inflammation.

Last week when I visited Indian store ,I noticed  some ladies buying raw turmeric which looked like ginger. I asked them what are they going to do with it and one of them gave me the recipe of haldi pickle. I tried it for 2-3 times in small batches and liked this recipe the most. I believe this is a healthy pickle  which is good for daily consumption and most importantly the kids love it!

Ingredients

I bought two types of turmeric- one plain and the other bright orange in color also called "amba haldi"

Raw turmeric-- one cup (both types finely chopped)

Salt- 1 1/2 Tbsp

Sugar -- 1 Tsp 

Pickle masala - 3/4th cup

Lemons --3-4 

Oil--1/4th cup

Hing--A pinch

Recipe

Take the chopped turmeric pieces in a bowl and salt , pickle masala, lemon juice ,sugar  to it and mix for 2-3 minutes. Heat oil on a medium flame and turn off the stove when oil become hot. Cool the oil and add it to the turmeric mixture along with hing and mix well. Store in a airtight container.

Raw Turmeric 

Pesarattu

Pesarattu is a protein rich breakfast  which is very popular in the "Andhra" part of South India. It is often paired with Upma and made to order fresh at carts selling these early morning. Pesarattu tastes good when it is very hot and paired with coconut chutney. Honestly I never liked it and  considered its cousin Dosa to be far superior in texture and taste. I never ever made it until I tasted it at my SIL's place. She made these thin Pesarattu's which were crispy and very tasty and so unlike the image in my mind! So I promptly took the recipe and tried them at home, they were easy to make and loved by everyone in the house. 

Ingredients

• Whole green gram (moong dal)-- 1 cup
• Rice (Brown or white)-- 1 Tbsp
• Onions -1 (chopped finely)
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
• Green chillies to taste 
• Cumin powder-1/2 tsp
• Coriander leaves
• Salt  to taste
• Grated Coconut--1 tbsp

Recipe

Soak Green gram and rice together overnight or for 6-7 hours. Drain the water and grind it in the mixer along with ginger-garlic paste, green chillies, salt,   to a thin paste. Rest the batter for 4-5 hours. Add chopped onions , freshly grated coconut and some cumin powder when you are ready to make it. Heat the Tava and pour a ladle of batter in the center. Spread it in circular motion evenly and drizzle a spoon of  oil on it. Flip it over when it starts getting brown and crispy. Cook it for 2-3 minutes till it is crispy and serve hot .

Curry Leaf Podi

Curry leaves are a vital part of  Indian cooking and a fully grown curry leaf plant is precious, as it  is very difficult to grow it here in USA. When I harvested my 8 yr old plant getting ready for summer I was happy to a decent basket full leaves!!  Decided to try out the long pending podi with them which is spicy, tangy and couples so well with Dosa or just plain hot rice. Try it with store bought curry leaves and it will just turn out fine. 

Ingredients

• Curry leaves- 2 cups
• Channa dal (Bengal gram)--3 Tbsp
• Jeera or cumin seeds--1 Tbsp
• Pepper--1 Tsp
• Dry red Chillies--5-6
• A fistful of Tamarind

Recipe

Wash the curry leaves throughly and dry them on a clean cloth. Take a pan and heat a tsp of oil, roast all the ingredients except curry leaves until brown. Now add the Curry leaves and keep roasting until the leaves are crisp and change shape. Take the ingredients out on a  plate and let it cool. Grind to a fine powder . Serve with hot rice and ghee !

Store the powder or podi in an airtight jar or refrigerate for a long shelf life.

Mawa Roti (Khavyachi Poli)

Khavyachi poli is a traditional Marathi recipe and is prepared on special occasions and relished by one and all. It is rich in taste and the grainy texture of mawa or khava makes it one of my favorites. I had it in one of the weddings back in India and asked my mom to make it at home. We had some leftover mawa at home so tried this recipe and it turned out better than what I had in the wedding! Try this recipe on a festive day or a party when you are in a mood for something sweet and rich in flavor.

Ingredients

• Will make around 4-5 rotis
• Khava or Mawa --1 cup
• Sugar- 1/2 cup
• Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
• Water and salt.

Step 1

Knead  the whole wheat flour with water to make a firm dough. The dough should not be sticky, add a little oil and keep aside for about an hour

Step 2

Take a pan and add the Mawa or Khova to it mix in the sugar and roast it until the sugar is well blended and the Mawa become firm and not sticky for about 10 minutes. Cool it completely before use.

Step 3 

To make the roti roll the dough like a poori or the shape of a golf ball and place the mama in the center , gathering the sides to the center over the stuffing so as to cover it . Now place the stuffed side down and sprinkle some flour on it , roll this stuffed ball gently into a round roti. Place it on a tawa/griddle and cook on a medium flame. Flip it when one side is done and cook it until it is crisp just like you would cook a paratha. Serve with a scoop of ghee on top or just plain.

Vegetable Kabab

Whenever you think of kabab you think of delicious food with smoky smell to be enjoyed with a bunch of people on a lazy evening. For me it reminds me of narrow alleys in Hyderabad where kababs are roasted over coal and enjoyed during Ramzan.  Kabab or Kabob were originated in the Middle east and are originally made with meat. I was delighted when I found this vegetarian version which is packed with protein and very easy to make. It is a great addition to kids lunchbox as it feeds them with the goodness of spinach and other vegetables.

Ingredients

• Potatoes(boiled)--4(medium size)
• Spinach -3 cups
• Garbanzo beans or Chole boiled--2 cups
• Bread crumbs--1 cup
• Corn Flour--2 Tbsp
• Ginger Garlic paste--1 Tbsp
• Chat masala-1/4 tsp
• Garam masala--1/4 tsp
• Amchur powder(dry mango powder)--1 Tbsp
• Green Chillies chopped fine
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying

Recipe

Cut the Spinach roughly and blanch them (put them in boiling water and take them out in about 2-3 minutes)drain them and keep aside. Mash the potatoes and the boiled garbanzo beans and mix it all together with spinach. Add Ginger garlic paste,Bread crumbs,Corn Flour,Chat masala,Amchur powder,Garam masala and salt to taste. Add chillies and shape them with your hands gently. Shallow fry in oil on a low flame. Serve with chutney or ketchup.Enjoy!