The Popular Lasoon (garlic) Pickle.

I really don't know when I first made this pickle, or from whom I learnt making it. But this pickle was and is and has been associated with Pushpa Aunty, or Aajee,( my grand children call me that)

My eldest grandson Mehul phoned me about 4 months back, Aaje I need some of your garlic pickle urgently.. so I got down to work, first of all peeling the lasoon.

Ingredients: 1/4 kg. garlic nice big ones.

1 tsp haldi - turmeric powder.

1/2 tsp hing. ( asafoetida )3/4 teacup til oil (sesame )

2 table spoons dania powder ( coriander )

1/2 tablespoon red chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon methi seeds (fenugreek seeds)

2 teaspoons salt

Method: Heat oil, add hing and haldi, shut gas. Now add lasoon (garlic)and keep stirring till lasoon gets a glazed look.

When cool, add dania powder, red chilli powder, the methi seeds roughly

powdered and the salt.

Mix well - bottle after 2 days.

Til and Kadipatha Chutney

A few months back a friend from Delhi had come home and I was chatting to her while making snacks ready for her.Suddenly she said you know a couple of days ago Yamini had come home and before going she left a couple of recipes on your computer. I had forgotten all about it. Yesterday I needed a chutney very badly and I had overused all the ones I have..so I looked back to see what recipes Yamini had left for me .

The first one was a Kadi, a dall and hello! ... here is a chutney...Til and Kadipatha Chutney. I immediately made it and we all tasted it with parathas and ghee .. it was out of this world...it was so novel I speechlessly put pinches into my mouth and started savouring it...

I have given the recipe exactly as Yamini had given to me..

Ingredients for the Kadipatha Til Chutney:

1 cup curry leaves

4 teaspoons til

1 inch piece of tamarind

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup desicated coconut

2 tea spoons oil

1 tablespoon khus khus

1 pinch hing

1/2 teaspoon mustard

Method:

• Vagar the mustard in oil.
• Add a pinch of hing
• Add the curry leaves and fry crisp.
• They will turn a darker shade of green.
• Add the til and poppyseeds ad mix.
• Fry till aromatic.
• Now add the desicated coconut, and brown it a bit.,,,
• but dont burn it.
• Put off gas and cool completely.
• Then powder in mixer with Tamarind. salt and sugar.

Serve with any type of Bhakri or rice and ghee.

This was a new chutney in the house, so everyone wanted to taste it. The verdict was clear when the chutney container was empty..!...

Well that was a sucess... Now on to my next post.....

Tasty Brinjal {egg plant } Pickle.

This particular brinjal pickle is a life saver, when it is raining and you are left with a packet of bread slices., and who wants to cook on a lovely rainy day..?

This versatile pickle serves in many ways... with parathas, mixed with cooked rice, and a fried papad for company, sandwiches with buttered slices..with a layer of brinjal pickle, so...oo...o...tasty and satisfying.

The method: 600 grms brinjal, cut into half inch slices...

1/2 bottle vinegar.

1/2 bottle til oil...sesame oil.

1 tea cup sugar.

one table spoon mustard powder.

one and half tea spoon jeera....cumin seed.

one tea spoon methi

three and half red chilli powder

one big whole garlic flakes ...cut into halves...length ways...

6 green chillies

ginger juliennes...one tablespoonful.

2 teaspoon haldi...turmeric

8 to 10 whole black pepper seed.

salt to taste....

10 to 15 leaves of kadi patha

. Take a heavy bottomed vessel, put all the above ingredients into it.

Cook on a slow fire till the ingredients all gel together. about half an hour, to 40 minutes.

Your pickle is ready. Cool and Bottle.

Mixed vegetable curry.

Have you listened to a mother and her children having a war of words about the vegetables to be eaten... How tasty they are, how nicely made in the new blue dish the children love., and there are peas....lots of them !...and best of all there are no chillies......and have you watched how critically the children listen to their mother. well.... now they have been convinced... a little. The children stop muttering and look at their mother sceptically...Maybe she is telling the truth...they should taste a little of the vegetable...maybe it would taste good... so.... .... ....it goes on.

Today , Pushpalata one of my students came with the news that she had a lovely mixed vegetable that her children loved...Of course I was all ears.

So here goes.......
Take half a cup of carrot jullienes, half a cup of beans jullienes,.half a cup of potatoes, half a cup of cauliflower small pieces and a half cup of peas..

In a Kadai put in 4/5 spoonfuls of oil vagar a half teaspoon of jeera, one onion chopped, fry for two
minutes, add paste of lasoon and adrak. (ginger garlic) 2 half inch pieces of a green chilly and hing....two pinches. Add the vegetables and salt and haldi.

Stir well and sprinkle one hand full of water.. and cover and cook.

When done eat with pulkas, or rotis

A carrot and cucumber salad would be interesting.

Come on children, eat your vegetables. Hmm they are tasty...
..

Keerai Molakootal = Green Leafy Curry.

Green Leafy vegetables are recomended by Dieticians for inclusion in the daily diet... at least twice a week. Keerai Molakootal is a favourite in most houses in South India and mostly among the people of Kerala. Only it has a different name in different parts of S.India. Also the spices used vary from place to place.

1. First of all clean wash and cut one bundle of Leafs of Black Eyed Beans ( The well known spinach leaves can also be used.) Boil with little water and salt and haldi.

2. Next boil one small teacup of Toover dal.

3. In 3 tsps coconut oil fry 2 tsp urad dal, one red chilli. Then grind these two with quarter coconut and one tsp jeera. Grind roughly. (optional: in the grinding masala put one tsp rice powder)

4. Mix step 1,2,3 and boil.

5. In a little coconut oil, say 3 to 4 teaspoons, Season with 1/2 teaspoon of rye (mustard) and 1/2 teaspoon of Urad Dal


Now eat with hot rice and ghee Now pour some curry on the rice.

In the month of June ,I had given how to make Paripi Thoghail. This Thoghail would go very well with the rice and curry

You would also need some crispies like papadam, fryums, or crispies.

Do let me know how your family reacted to this dinner.

Happy Eating !.....

Until Next time,

Pushpa RIyer..