Avusu (A Regional Kitchadi)

I think this is a regional tiffin item that my amma frequents for dinner; technically speaking it is a type of dry Kitchadi. I remember, it is my brother’s favourite and amma prepares it whenever he comes home from hostel. My pattama prepares it slightly different from how amma prepares it and seems like my mother in law’s preparation is also not exactly like my mom’s; so I just conclude there could be multiple variants of this dish. What I tried is proper mom-style avusu as she had hand held me while doing this.

Serves: 3

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1.     Raw rice – 2 cups

2.     Split green gram – ¾ cup

3.     Onion – 1 large

4.     Carrot – 2

5.     Green chili – 1

6.     Dry chilies – 2

7.     Curry leaves – 1 sprig

8.     Urad dal – 1 tbsp

9.     Bengal gram – 1 tbsp

10.            Mustard seeds – ½ tsp

11.             Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

12.             Asafoetida – 1 pinch

13.             Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp

14.            Oil – 2 tbsp

15.      Ginger - 2"

Method:

Step 1: Dry roast the picked rice and split green gram.

Step 2:  Boil enough water with salt to cook both rice and dal and add the rice-dal mixture to it. Let in cook in simmer and stir it occasionally.

Step 3: In parallel, heat oil in a kadai, temper with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, Bengal gram, curry leaves, dry chilies, chopped ginger, green chilies, asafoetida and sauté chopped onions in it. Then sauté chopped carrot and other vegetables of your choice to it with some salt and turmeric.

Step 4: Once the rice-dal is cooked, add the vegetables to it and mix well. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes more before turning off heat.

Step 5: Serve hot with plain curd or coconut chutney.

Mango Phirni

The other day Kundan came home describing about a divinely dessert, maampazha koozh that one of his colleagues had brought for lunch. The very next day my parents had come home with so many ripen mangoes and so he wanted me to try that recipe. I tried browsing for the recipe with the ‘maampazha koozh’ and related keywords but din’t find anything matching; alternatively I happened to hit this ‘mango phirni’ recipe and tried it. I could not appreciate it much as I was expecting something like a mango mousse but what turned out was something like a mango rabadi. Kundan liked it though and surprisingly even his colleagues seemed to have liked it.

Serves: 5

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1.     Ripe mangoes – 3

2.     Raw rice – ½ cup

3.     Milk maid – ½ a tin or more as per taste.

4.     Milk – 2 cups

5.     Cardamom powder – 1 pinch

6.     Cashew nuts chopped – 2 tbsp

Method:

Step 1: Soak rice in water for few hours and grind it into a smooth paste.

Step 2: Peel, chop and puree the mangoes.

Step 3: Boil milk and add rice paste to it by stirring continuously.

Step 4: Once the milk thickens well, add milkmaid to it and then the mango puree. Stir well until it comes to boil.

Step 5: Turn off heat and add cardamom powder and stir well.

Step 6: Let it cool down and then refrigerate it.

Step 7: Serve garnished with chopped cashew nuts.

Aloo Mattar Subji

The other day I asked Kundan to get some frozen green peas; little did I expect that in the freezer box they would have stored sprouted dried peas, he got it thinking it as fresh green peas. Once he got bottle gourd when I had asked him for radish. He is so familiar with vegetables… ;) I had used these sprouted peas in a simple aloo mattar subji instead of fresh peas.

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1.     Sprouted peas – 1 ½ cups

2.     Potato – 3

3.     Tomato – 3

4.     Onion – 1

5.     Ginger garlic paste – ½ tbsp

6.     Butter – 2 tbsp

7.     Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

8.     Red chili powder – 1 ½ tsp

9.     Garam masala – 1 tsp

10.            Salt to taste

Method:

Step 1: Boil, peel and cube the potatoes, cook the sprouted peas and puree onion & tomatoes and keep aside.

Step 2: Melt butter in a pan, splutter cumin seeds, sauté ginger garlic paste and then the puree in it until the butter starts to separate.

Step 3: Now add chili powder, garam masala and salt to the spice mix and add 1 ½ cups of water.

Step 4: Once it comes to boil, add cooked potatoes and peas and adjust spices and consistency.

Step 5: Cook for another 3-5 minutes and turn off heat.

Step 6: Garnish with chopped coriander and serve with rice or roti.