A chutney powder (podi) with roasted horse gram, sesame seeds, and urid dal that goes well with dosa, idli, or even rice. Spicy, tangy, and has the goodness of roasted grains and seeds. I used black sesame seeds because it is more nutritious than the white ones. A different traditional variety of podi recipe is here.
Ingredients:
Horse gram – 200 gm
Urid Dal/White or black gram – 200 gm
Black sesame seeds – 100 gm
Dry red chillies – 10-12
Black peppercorns – 1 tbsp
Curry leaves – 1 cup
Asafetida – 1 inch piece
Tamarind – lemon size
Salt to taste
Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Makes 500 gm Chutney powder
Method:
Each grain has a different roasting time. Hence need to be separately roasted.
In a thick iron wok, dry roast horse gram and urid dal (SEPARATELY/Not together) in a low-medium flame until it turns color and you get roasted smell. Well-roasted horse gram starts popping. That’s also sign that it is sufficiently roasted. Remove and keep aside to cool.
Roast dry red chillies, asafetida, and peppercorns. Remove and keep aside to cool.
Sesame seeds are small and thin and hence need to roasted gently and carefully without burning them. If you are using a very thick iron wok that has already been heated sufficiently and is really hot at this point, turn off the fire and add the black sesame seeds. They start popping at the slightly heat. Even though the fire is off, keep stirring and be cautious about not burning them. Remove and keep aside.
Heat the pan and dry roast the curry leaves until they lose moisture content and turn dry. Remove and keep aside.
Add tamarind pieces to the hot iron wok. Keep stirring until it loses moisture content. Remove and keep aside.
Pulse all these ingredients together in the mixer to make a coarse powder. Taste and add sufficient salt. Adjust pepper if necessary.
Store in an airtight glass container. Will stay good for a month. For long term use, store in refrigerator and take out small batches as necessary.
Serve with dosa/idli or rice along with sesame oil.
Ingredients:
In the same kadai, add the pumpkin fibers and cook for about 5 minutes until the raw
Method: Chop garlic, onions, and tomatoes and keep aside separately.
Method: Peel and chop onion finely and keep aside. Cut the tomato into half. Scoop out the seeds and juice. Chop the outer flesh and keep aside. Chop coriander leaves finely. Slice the green chili and remove the seeds. Chop finely.
Use a fork and mash the avocado flesh to make a smooth paste. Add lime juice and salt. Mix well. Add finely chopped onion, tomatoes, and green chili. Mix well. Taste the guacamole and adjust seasoning if necessary. Refrigerate for half an hour to allow the flavors to blend in. Sprinkle coriander leaves just before serving. You may sprinkle jeera powder and black pepper powder also. Serve with chips. Dip your tapioca chips on the guacamole, scoop up, and relish.
Three days later, two bunches of Pirandai plants arrived at a home in Bangalore after having traveled in rickshaws, cars, buses, and trains across towns and hotels. The plants looked just fine. I was amazed by their resilience. I decided to try and plant these and selected 5 cuttings that looked like they might have a second chance. I just stuck them into the coco peat mixture. Now, one month later they are sprouting new leaves and doing very well. In fact, two weeks earlier, in an effort to propagate this medicinal plant, I carried one of them to my mother’s home. So 5 pirandai cuttings from Tanjavur/Srirangam are now thriving in Bangalore and Palakkad. What an amazing journey! Sometimes I wonder about the life of plants and animals. How we humans manipulate them, choosing to just cut and cook or nurture and grow them as we please! Okay, too much rumination, now moving on to the informative part.
As proven by my experience, it is almost impossible to kill this plant and hence also aptly named Adamant Creeper. As its Hindi name (Hadjor) suggests, this magical vine can join bones and heal fractures. It is also useful in treating gastrointestinal disorders, piles, scurvy, and irregular menstruation. In South India, it is usually cooked for the death anniversary meal (chatham/sradham) as thogayal. Thogayal is a thick chutney usually served with rice.
Ingredients:
Method:
Dill is an herb high in anti-oxidants and dietary fibers. It is rich in iron and helps reduce blood sugar and cholesterol levels. I have found this herb only in certain cities (Mumbai and Bangalore) where locals include it in various dishes, like akki roti, dal, dry subzi, roti, and so on.
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
Wash the eggplant and pat dry. Use a fork and prick the eggplant all over. Place on gas flame and roast it over a low flame. Turn the sides about every 30 seconds so that the eggplant gets cooked all over and completely. Remove from flame when the outer skin is charred and you get the smoky eggplant smell. This would take about 2-3 mins. Alternatively, you can use an oven to do this. But you will get a smoky flavor only if you roast it directly on fire. Wait for the eggplant to cool a bit, and then remove the stem and peel off the outer skin carefully. Chop the eggplant. If you feel that some parts of the eggplant is uncooked, cook the eggplant on a pan along with tablespoon of olive oil for about 3-4 mins. You may avoid this step if the eggplant gets fully roasted over the flame. Allow to cool.
In a mixer, grind the eggplant, garlic, salt, pepper, and jeera seeds, together. Add lemon juice and make into a smooth paste. Adjust pepper/salt/garlic as required. Garnish with dil leaves, parsley, or use the Italian pasta/pizza garnish. Drizzle olive oil. Healthy, delicious, and easy eggplant dip is ready to be served with crackers, bread toast, sliced cucumber, carrot, bell pepper slices.