Baby Potatoes in Spicy Gravy

It was snowing outside and the tongue felt like tasting something spicy,and this month also happens to be as per JFI, Potatoes month,so spicy Potato gravy and chappathis it was going to be. I found this recipe browsing on The Hindu some 10 years ago and dutifully printed it out to be tried. And the few times I have cooked it the results have been tongue pleasing. The reicpe called for also adding mustard seeds for the paste, and I always thought that was an oversight and left it out and used mustard seeds just for the seasoning but after reading Sandeepa's article on Mustard Seeds and how popular they were in Bengali cuisine, this time around I was smart enough to add it while making the paste.





Ingredients
1. 10-15 Baby Potatoes boiled (cut in half if too big)
2. 1/4 red onion chopped fine
3. 2 tbsp lemon juice
4. Curry leaves
5. 1 Cup water
6. 1 tsp turmeric powder

Masala Paste
1. Soak 1 tbsp of poppy seeds and 6-8 cashews in a little bit of water

2. 15 pearl onions and 1/4 red onion chopped roughly
3. 6 garlic cloves
4. 1 inch ginger piece
5. 2 tbsp coconut
Saute 2-4 in a little bit of oil, add coconut last after switching off the heat

Dry Roast
6. 2 tbsp corriander seeds
7. 2 tsp of cumin seeds
8. 1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
9. 3 green chillies

and add
10. 2 tsp red chilli powder
11. 1 tsp curry powder (I added Chicken masala powder)

Combine all the Masala paste ingredients (1-11)and blend to a smooth paste.

The original recipe calls for blending all the ingredients into a paste and then sauteing them beofre adding in the potatoes and a liberal dose of ghee (1/2 cup), I took the shortcut and the heathier route.

Method
1. In a wide mouthed pan (kadai) heat a tsp of oil, saute the onion
2. Add the Curry leaves and
3. add the ground paste, turmeric powder and a cup of water(reduce water according to consistency required)
4. Add salt and the potatoes and let the gravy cook for 6-8 minutes.
5.Add the lemon juice give it a good mix and turn off the heat.

Serve with chappathis, tastes great with rice too.

This will be my entry to JFI Potatoes hosted by Vaishali of Happy Burp.

Vangi Bath - Kathirikkai Sadam - Brinjal Rice - Using Pressure Cooker

Can you believe this? I cannot not believe it myself, a self confessed Brinjal lover/addict could have gone all these years without trying Vaangi Bhath, this famous member of Karnataka Cuisine?

Cook Books
Everybody has their favorite cook books and depending on the time you started using them, some have a special place in your heart. Mrs S. Mallika Badrinath's series of cook books are dear to me, especially the 100 Rice Delights - Variety Rice/Mixed rice genre of rice dishes for the ease speed and defintely the taste. Simple, precise instructions no fancy pictures. The other one in Tamil "Pavaiyarkana Palsuvai Malar" published by "Tuticorin Magalir Mandram" very basic but with a lot of information from beginner cooks to experts.

I looked up recipes for Vaangi Baath and checked my trusted cook books and finally settled on this combination. All the recipes called for cooking the rice separately and adding to the spice mix but I cooked the rice in the spice mix.

Heat the oil in a pressure cooker and add the seasonings. Add the brinjals and saute till they get soft.
Saute the ingredients give under spice powder and make a powder and it to the cooking brinjals.
Add the soaking rice and saute for a few minutes. Add water and let the rice cook to about 3/4th of the way. Place the weight on the pressure cooker and cook for another 6-6 minutes.

Vaangi Bhath - Brinjal Rice
Preparation Time:15 minutes
Baking Time:25 minutes

Ingredients

1. 2 long Purple Brinjals or about 8-10 small purple brinjals chopped into small pieces (any brinjal would work)
2. 1/2 Red Onion Chopped fine
3. 2 Green Chillies Slit
4. Seasonings cumin, curry leaves, cinnamon 1/2 inch piece broken
5. 2 tsp oil, 1/2 tsp ghee
6. 2 cups Basmati Rice (washed and soaked for at least 20 minutes) (3 cups of water) (see note:)
7. 1 tbsp of sour curd (yogurt)
8. 2 tsp turmeric powder
9. 6-8 broken cashews fried in a little bit of ghee for garnish (leave out for nut free and use any oil for vegan)

Spice Powder

1. 2 tsp cumin
2. 1 tbsp corriander seeds
3. 2 Red Chilies
4. 1 tsp Peppercorn
5. few methi seeds
6. 2 tbsp grated fresh or frozen coconut
7. 2 tsp of Bengal gram (kadalai paruppu
8. 2 tsp of urad dal
Dry roast the above one by one in a tsp of oil other than the coconut and transfer them to the blender. Roast the coconut in a lower heat for a minute and transfer to the blender and powder it.

Method

1. In a Pressure Cooker, heat the oil and ghee combination, add the cumin, mustard leaves and cinnamon pieces when they start to brown.
2. When you are doing this put the required amount of water for the rice to boil in a separate pan/kettle.
3. Add the onion and fry till translucent, add the slit green chillies and saute.
4. Now add the egg plants and saute for a few minutes, add salt and saute till the skin starts to turn color.
5. Now add the spice powder and mix well, turmeric powder add the the yogurt and mix well.
6. Add the drained rice and fry it for 2 minutes.
7. Add the boiling water, check for salt and let it cook and when the rice is about 3/4 cooked give a good mix, close the lid, place the weight and cook in medium low heat for 6-7 minutes. Remove from fire immediately. (OR)
   
8. If not using pressure cooker, close the lid, lower the heat to below medium and let the rice cook for 6-8 minutes, check now and then to make sure the rice does stick to the bottom.



Note:

9. The amount of rice depends on the brand of rice being used. Most Basmati rice require water in the the ratio of 1 1/2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice. If soaked the amount of water can be reduced a bit.




10. If you are using ingredients in the rice that release water then adjusting the water is important else use the full amount of water like for this rice which does not have any water releasing components.

Sprinkle the fried cashews on top and serve with onion-cucumber raita.