Peas Pulao (Pulav)

The Christian Science Monitor website is one of my favorite websites for getting news. Though I have never been a subscriber of their newspaper, kind of sad to read that they are stopping their daily newspaper and shifting to a web based format only, from 2009. Nov 25 will be the 100th anniversary of the newspaper. On the other hand I am glad they plan to enhance the web site.

Winter seems to be here already though it is still Fall :( Old Farmer's almanac predicts a colder and snowier winter!

Pulaos in my mind have always been party dishes more than everyday kind of food. I tend to cook Briyanis lot more than Pulaos for some reason, does not make sense but thats how it has been. So what better way to start Pulao making than Peas Pulao. The Pulao requires a gravy side dish whereas Biryani is perfect with just a raita. We just had this Pulao with a bit of yogurt on the side and it was perfect that way.

Before I move on to the Pulao, I have had queries on how to use horsegram besides the chutney and rasam,if you are one of them head on over to Kay's One bite at a time for a taste of a very tasty Kollu Kulambu. I tried it and I am hooked.

Serves : 2-3
Ingredients
1. 1 Cup Basmati Rice, washed and soaked for about 1/2 hour [Rice:Water :: 1 : 1.5]
2. 3/4 Cup Fresh or Frozen Green Peas
3. 1/2 Onion Cut into thin strips
4. 4 - garlic cloves
5. 1 inch piecs of ginger
6. 6 green chilies (or according to taste)
[ Mince the garlic, ginger and green chilies in a food processor]
7. 2 tsp red chili powder (optional)
8. seasonings, cloves, small cinnamon stick, fennel seeds a few and cumin seeds
9. 1 tsp ghee, 1 tsp oil

Method
1. In a Pressure cooker heat oil abd add the seasonings when they start to brown add the onions and saute till translucent.
2. Add the ginger,garlic,green chili mince and saute till the whole mass turns slightly brown
3. Now add salt and the green peas and saute for a bit
4. Add the rice and mix it well.
5. Now add water check for taste. Adjust salt, heat. I added red chili powder at this stage because it was too sweet.
6. Let the water come to a boil and the rice 3/4th cooked and most of the water is gone.
7. Close the pressure cooker and cook on low medium for 7-8 minutes. Turn off heat and take the cooker off the stove and source of heat.
8. Open the lid when the cooker cools downs and fluff up the rice.

Serve with Vegetable Kurma in the recipe substitute beans, carrots, cauliflower for the peas.

Black Eye Peas with brinjal in tomato coconut sauce

I started to wonder what it was about this particular woman VP candidate that gets my goat. It surely is not just the betchas and gotchas that she sprinkles liberally in her speeches. It not her extreme right wing credentials either. What gets to me most is her dummification(as in dumb down) of the American electorate. Besides her utter lack of grasp of the challenges facing the country today she seems to suggest that the American people like her because of that. Though the dummification started 8years ago with the current occupant of the White House, she is seems to be a master at focusing on just that. She seems to propagate the myth that she is popular because she sounds dumb and portraying Americans to be dumb. Far worse is the tendency to cater to the baser instinct of human nature magnifying differences and ideologies all in the name of getting votes. Why do some of the countries run by right wing idealogues have problems? precisely because of what she is whipping up.

Growing up in India when you are old enough to understand politics and politicians you develop a healthy dose of cynicism for the political process and for politicians even worse contempt. So I was kind of surprised at how much respect Americans give their President and the office he holds. The lady is anathema to all of that.

The one that really gets to me is the utter disrespect for education and especially science education. Like the success and prosperity American enjoys today came without hard work and education and it is ok to be contemptful of anyone who who had the gal to get a good education. She might have required 6 different universites to get her undergrad from and she might not even care if her kids gets educated or not but for the majority of Americans it is by far the surest ticket to the American dream. Whats more is the hypocrisy of it all, do anything and say anything, everything else be damned.

Now that I have vented and cleared up my mind, we can move on to the recipe on hand in a better frame of mind.

Black Eyed Peas comes in very handy if you have run out of vegetables and forgot to soak those other beans overnight. Paired with Brinjal or any other vegetable like bottle gourd, zucchini it is a curry that comes in handy in a pinch.

Serves: 4
Ingredients
1. 1 Cup Black Eyed Peas soaked for an hour
2. 2 Medium sized brinjals chopped
3. 1/2 onion chopped
4. seasonings: mustard, curry leaves and cumin

To Blend
1. 2 tbsp grated coconut
2. small onions or shallots about 10
3. 2 tomatoes
4. 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds
5. 1/2 tsp cumin
6. Few pepper corns

Roast the above coriander, cumin, red chilies, pepper corn first in a bit of oil, set aside. Next saute the onions and tomatoes and coconut. cool and blend to a paste

Method
1. In a pan heat a tsp of oil, add the seasonings and saute the onion.
2. Add the brinjal and saute till the skin starts to turn color.
3. Now add the soaked black eyed peas and mix well.
4. Add the ground mixture with 2 cups of water and let it simmer in medium heat till the peas are cooked and desired consistency is reached.
5. Add salt when the peas are almost cooked.
Serve with rice or rotis.