Turkish Gozleme and Ayran

It is really amazing to know that the cuisines of the world are somehow related to each other.While browsing for Turkish recipes, I came cross this site that is a treasure trove of recipes from Turkey. I had bookmarked so many recipes but could prepare these two. I will surely be making the other bookmarked recipes soon.

Well,coming to the cuisines being related, when I saw the recipe for Gozleme , it sounded more like our Aloo paratha and Ayran like our lassi / buttermilk.

I learnt that Gozleme originated from the Turkish word ‘Goz’ meaning eye.It refers to the little spots that appear when this dish is cooked!!!Now to the recipes....
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Turkish Gozleme

Recipe source : Binnur's Turkish Cookbook

I used:

All purpose  flour - 1 cup

Salt to taste

For filling:

Potato - 1, large, peeled ,boiled and mashed

Onion - 1, peeled and chopped

Crushed pepper- to taste

Salt to taste

Oil-1 teaspoon

1. Take the flour and salt in a bowl.Add water little by little and knead to a smooth dough.Cover and keep aside for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile heat oil in a pan and put in onion.When it turns translucent, add the other ingredients under 'filling' and mix well. Cook for 2 minutes and remove from heat.[By force of habit I added a little mustard seeds once the oil was hot!] 
3. Pinch out a golf ball sized dough and roll out

 4.Place a little of the filling on the rolled out dough

5.Fold as follows.....

6.Heat a griddle and cook the gozleme till brown spots appear on both sides.

Remove from heat and serve.

Ayran

I used :

Fresh yogurt -1 cup

Water- 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

 Take all the ingredients in a blender and blend for a minute till frothy.Pour into a glass and serve.

This goes to Naina's Flavor's of Turkey hosted here....

Bon Appetit...

Bevu Bella

The final post for this edition of blogging marathon is a very simple one but a very important ' dish' for Ugadhi...


Bevu bella is a must on Ugadhi . Ugadhi or Yugadhi is the New year day.  Yuga means era and adhi is the beginning and is celebrated in Andra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Neem flowers[bevu] are mixed with powdered jaggery[bella] and a little honey.  

Bevu bella is a must on Ugadhi.After bath and prayers ,each and every member is given a little bit of this bevu bella by the eldest person in the family..It symbolizes that life has both joys and sorrows. Mom prepared this as a part of the Festive Thali - Ugadhi lunch.....

With an abundance of neem trees around our home, we had access to fresh neem flowers. If fresh flowers are not available, dried neem flowers can be used.....

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Bon Appetit...

Sonti Bella | Ginger Digestive

The memories of my vacations during schools days are still fresh in my memory. Each summer my parents used to drop me off at grandparents place.We lived in a hill station and they were in the plains.Every summer when people tuned to hill stations for vacations, I used to head to grandparents home. Though it is in the plains, it is as cool the place where we lived. Anyways, the days used to pass on without much excitement.In those days when the place was still a village, there was no cable TV and the regular transmission was not something to look forward to. I was not allowed to go out on my own.Grandpa used to take me out on small trips ,like the dam nearby or the crocodile farm near the dam, his friend's cotton industry once in a while..

My biggest time pass was chatting with my grandmom.As she prepared the meal, I would sit in the kitchen and listen to her talk about her childhood.Then there was my great grandmom who was in her late 80's sharing with me memories of  her childhood. Then both of them used to recollect the places they lived as a child,the functions and festivals they celebrated etc. I loved to listen to these stories.Great grandmom and I used to play ludo / cards in the evening.

The favorite part of summer vacations was the 'eating' part.Grandma used to dish out delicious food stuffs and I was always stuffed. Grandpa used to make sure I finished all the items on my plate before I could wash my hands. I had to take a nap no matter what.When I used to wake up after the nap, there was sure to be some delicious aroma wafting from the kitchen.Then there was a regular dose of Chyawanprash that was given to me every night.When it was time for the school to reopen , parents would come to pick me up and I would be in tears.Grandma would wave a teary goodbye and I would return home and look forward to the next summer....How I miss those lovely day....

During my stay with grandparents, I also remember grandpa preparing this Sonti bella to be taken after a heavy meal.Sonti and bella in Kannada means ginger powder and jaggery.A small amount of this digestive kindles the digestive juices and the tummy is ready for the next meal.

We made this Sonti bella as a part of the Chitra maasa panaka poojay thali

You need :

 Ginger powder / Sonti Pudi - 1 teaspoon
Powdered jaggery - 1 teaspoon
Ghee- to mix

Take the ginger powder and jaggery in a bowl. Add ghee drop by drop and mix well so that the jaggery and ginger powder are well blended and it should have the consistency as shown in the click. A small quantity from this ball can be taken after the meal.This can be refrigerated for a couple of days...

Note :

• You can add a little more jaggery if you feel sonti bella is too spicy.But just remember that it should not be too sweet.You have to feel the spiciness from the ginger powder.
• Only a small quantity should be taken. The quantity in the click was used over a period of 4 days by three of us.

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Bon Appetit...

Gojjavalakki / Hunisayhannu avalakki | Tamarind flavored pressed rice

When it comes to 'fast food' , the first thing that comes to my mind is pressed rice / poha.Any dish with this ingedient gets done fast..Here is one of my favorite that was a part of the Chitra maasa panaka poojay thali

You need

Pressed rice / aval / poha – 2 cups

Tamarind – a small lemon sized ball

Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

For seasoning

Oil- 2 teaspoons

Mustard -1 teaspoon

Urad dal -1 teaspoon

Gramdal – 1 teaspoon

Red chilli – 2 broken into bits

Roasted groundnuts – 2 tablespoons

Curry leaves- a few

1. Soak tamarind in ¼ cup of hot water. After 10 minutes extract the juice and keep aside. Add a little more hot water and repeat the process till you get around ¾ cup extract.
2. Wash the pressed rice with water and drain completely.
3. Add the tamarind extract, turmeric  to the pressed rice and mix well.[see note below]
4. Let it stand till the pressed rice is soft to touch. When a few grains of pressed rice is pressed between the thumb and Index finger they must be completely soft. Else sprinkle a little water, mix well and cover and let it stand for some more time.
5. Heat oil for seasoning in a pan. Put in all the ingredients except curry leaves.
6. When the mustard splutters and dal turns brown, reduce the flame and add curry leaves.
7. Add the soaked pressed rice , salt and mix well.
8. Remove from heat after 2 minutes.

Note :

There are two varieties of Poha - the thick and thin varieties.

While adding tamarind extract to the washed pressed rice, it should be noted that the above mentioned varieties absorb the extract differently. Similarly different varieties of tamarind gives different levels of sourness. So add some ,check taste after sometime and add more if needed.If the sourness is right but the pressed rice is  not fully soft, sprinkle more water. If the sourness needs to be increased, sprinkle tamarind extract .

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Manathakkali Vatral Gojju | Tangy Blacknightshade Gravy

Manathakkali vatral or dried blacknightshade is my favorite. It is a little bitter but I love bitter veggies. Bittergourd is my favorite vegetable and I can even have it everyday.So when mom prepared Simple South Indian Lunch Thali,she was sure to include manathakkali vatral.

Today's post is a simple tangy stew to go with steamed rice. Drizzle a little sesame oilover piping hot steamed rice and mix a little tangy stew with it.Ah!!!What a delight!!And if there is a side dish of fried pappad, the meal is heavenly......

Mom used:

Manathakkali vatral - 1/4 cup
Tamarind  - lemon sized ball
Curry leaves - a few
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Uraddal-1 teaspoon
Gram dal- 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - a pinch
Jaggery powder- 1 teaspoon
Sesame oil-11/2 tablespoon
Salt to taste

Roast with a little oil and powder

Gram dal- 1 teaspoon
Urad dal- 1 1/2 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Peppercorns - 1/4 teaspoon
Asafetida powder- a pinch
Red chillies- 2

1. Soak the tamarind in hot water and extract thick juice and keep aside.You must have approximately 1 cup extract.Keep adding water and squeeze out the extract.Keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan and fry the manathakkali vatral till it puffs up and turns golden.Remove and keep aside.
3. In the same pan, add mustard, gram dal,urad dal,curry leaves,red chillies.
4. When it splutters ,add the tamarind extract, turmeric power and salt.Bring to boil. Let it simmer till the raw tamarind smell goes off and the tamarind extract reduces a little.
5. Put in the fried manathakkali vatral.
6. Dissolve the powder in a little water and pour into the pan.
7. Simmer and add jaggery.Let it cook for a couple of minutes.
8. Remove from heat and serve as a side dish with steamed rice.Be sure to drizzle a little sesame oil over the piping hot rice :)

 

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Bon Appetit...

Kongunadu Murungakkaai Sambar | Drumstick Sambar from Kongunaad Cuisine

It rained like crazy last evening.We were enjoying a piping hot bowl of Cream of Tomato Soup with a couple of toasts when the rain started.Then it continued steadily through the night. Winds were howling at high velocity and just as expected the power supply shut off. We were thankful that we had alternate backup. Things went on smoothly and we waited for the power supply to resume. But at 1am when the alternate power source gave up, we knew there was some major problem. Today morning when we opened the front door, the place looked like it was hit by a tornado. Leaves, twigs, branches and all sorts of rubbish lay scattered around.

The only consolation is that the temperature is much cooler now. The last few weeks were so hot that I thought I could just keep a pan of batter in the kitchen and it would get baked by itself!!!

The morning paper carried the news that almost the entire city was engulfed in darkness. Large number of trees had been uprooted and some of them fell over the power grids disrupting the power supply. After 20 hours, powder supply resumed and I am here presenting my post for the day....

**********

Here is  is a tasty recipe that my friend [who has lived all her life in Kongunad region]shared with me. This can be served as a side dish with any breakfast items or with steamed rice for lunch.This dish was a part of the meal that was served in the Kongunad breakfast thali

 

 You need:

Drumstick – 2 ,cut into 3” pieces

Toor dal – 1 cup

Tomato -1

Pearl onion- a handful, peeled

Tamarind extract- less than ¼ cup

Coriander powder- 1 teaspoon

Green chilli -2,split
Red chilli -1 

Mustard seeds-1 teaspoon

Curry leaves a few

Oil -1 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Roast and powder for spice mix

Channa dal – 1 teaspoon

Urad dal – 1 teaspoon

Fenugreek seeds -1/4 teaspoon

Red chillies - 2

1. Pressure cook toor dal and tomato together with enough water.
2. When the pressure releases and the dal is cool enough to handle, mash it.Do not drain the excess water from the dal.
3.  Remove the skin from the tomato and mash it roughly. Keep these two aside
4. Meanwhile cook the drumstick till almost done. You can do this separately in the pressure cooker or in the microwave. If it is cooked with dal, the drumstick will split. So it should be cooked separately for a short time.
5. Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard,red chilli and curry leaves.
6. When the mustard splutters, put in pearl onion and green chillies.
7. Saute till onion is soft.
8. Add the tamarind extract and bring to a boil
9. Simmer and add the coriander powder. Add a little water if the mixture is too thick.
10. When it comes to a rolling boil, add the spice mix and mix well.
11. Put in the mashed dal ,tomato,drumstick and salt.Add water if the sambar is very thick.
12. Simmer and cook for 5 minutes.Remove from heat and it is ready to be served

Note :

The green chili that I used was a little ripe, hence the orange/red color in the click :)

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Bon Appetit...

Cream of Tomato Soup for T & C

The first time I took part in Taste and create was in 2009.I have been a part of it ever since.Taste and create is an event started by Nicole of For the love of food.Each month bloggers sign up and a partner list is created and we have to create dishes from the partner's blog.The main idea behind this event is to create a community of bloggers who can try out recipes from other blogs and share the recipes and their thoughts about it.

This month I was paired with 3 sides of crazy.She has a lovely blog and the header alone was enough to interest me!I browsed through her blog and found some soup recipes that I thought I must try. This is one of the recipes I had bookmarked from section for soups where she has prepared soups from 'scratch' ingredients instead of opting for creamed condensed soup which has preservatives.

It was threatening to rain last evening. The winds were howling away. It was the perfect time to prepare this soup. We had this soup with a couple of toasts and absolutely loved the flavor.

Cream of Tomato Soup

Source : 3 sides of Crazy

I used :

Tomato -2 large ,blanched and pureed
Butter - 1 tablespoon
All purpose flour - 2 tablespoons
Milk - 1 cup
Garlic salt to taste

1. Heat butter in a pan and whisk in flour.Simmer and cook till bubbly.
2. Add tomato puree and stir well so that there are no lumps.
3. Remove from heat and add milk.Mix well.
4. Return to heat, add garlic salt. Adjust the consistency by adding water.
5. Simmer for a couple of minutes or till it thickens a bit.
6. Remove from heat and serve hot.

Each month,it is fun creating dishes for  Taste and Create ...Would you like to join ? Just email Min @ cowgirlmin07@gmail.com with your name, blog name and a link to your blog to sign up.Hope to see you in the next edition of Taste and Create....


Bon Appetit...

Kongnadu Thakkali Masiyal | Mashed Tomato Gravy From Kongunad Cuisine

I know that blogging is therapeutic from personal experience.It is a great stress reliever.On the run apart from these, you get a whole bunch of friends who become a part of the family.Very true,isn't it..

Well, this week I just found out another reason to blog.With blogging marathon edition 15 running into the second week, I was quite engrossed in visiting my fellow bloggers. This time, I chose to do it in the morning while there is still some peace and quiet left. The kids are sleeping and I can get a few hours for myself. So armed with a mug of coffee, I sit in front of the computer and browse the blogs. As I read every article and recipe I feel like I am visiting a friend. Then I realize my tummy is growling and  the time is just 7am!Usually my breakfast time is around 8.30.But when I am blog hopping, the super clicks and the description of each dish is so appetizing that my system thinks it is time for breakfast. Mom is preparing breakfast earlier and she sure understands why I am hungry all the time :)

 *****

Now coming to today's recipe, this dish was a part of the meal that was served in the Kongunad breakfast thali

One of the best part of Kongu cuisine,as far as the vegetarian recipes are considered is the ease with which they can be prepared. Minimal ingredients that taste delicious when cooked. One such simple side dish is this tomato-onion side dish.

I used:

Ripe juicy tomatoes - 5
Onion- 1, finely chopped
Green chillies-3,slit
Chilli powder-1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves- a few
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil- 1/2 teaspoon

1.  Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add the mustard and curry leaves.
2. When the mustard splutters, add the onion and saute for a minute.
3. Add the tomato, green chillies,chilli powder,salt and mix well.
4. Cover and pressure cook for one whistle or 5 minutes.
5. When the pressure releases, mash the contents with a maththu or potato masher.Do not be tempted to pulse it in a mixie.Add a little water if needed.
6. Remove into a serving dish and serve along with a tiffin of your choice.

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Bon Appetit...

Kongunadu Chola Paniyaram

Doasa and Idlis are a part of South Indian breakfast. In certain parts of Tamilnadu, paniyarams find their place in the table. There are many versions of these and today's post is from the Kongunad breakfast thali.
 Paniyarams are a part of a  tasty breakfast as well as a delicious snack.


I used :

Idli rice - 1 cup
Sorghum / cholam - 1 cup
Urad dal - a little less than 1/4 cup

Salt to taste

For seasoning the batter

Oil - 1 tablespoon
Onion- 1 , finely chopped
Mustard - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves - a few

1.  Soak the rice, chollam , urad dal for 4 hours.
2. Drain and grind to a fine batter using a little water. The batter should be similar to dosa batter consistency.
3. Add salt and mix well.Let it sit for a couple of hours.
4. Heat oil for seasoning. Put in mustard and curry leaves
5. When the mustard splutters, put in onion and saute till translucent.
6. Pour this into the batter and mix well.
7. Heat a paniyaram pan [and grease the depressions with a little oil if not using non stick pan]
8. Fill the depression [3/4th] with the batter.
9. When the sides crispy, turn them over and cook for a few minutes.
10. Remove from pan and serve warm with chutney / sambar

Other types of paniyarams...

Moru Appam - Savory rice dumpling from Tamilnadu prepared from leftover dosa batter.
Kuzhi paniyaram - A specialty dish from Chettinad

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Bon Appetit...

Coconut Raita

A simple and easy raita that can be prepared in a jiffy!!!! This was a part of the Simple South Indian Lunch thali



You need:

Fresh and thick yogurt - 2 cups
Freshly grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Salt to taste

Coriander leaves to garnish

To season

Oil -1 teaspoon
Mustard - 1 teaspoon
Urad dal- 1/2 teaspoon
Curry leaves - a few
Red chilli -1, broken into 2

1. Whisk the yogurt with salt.
2. Heat oil for seasoning and add the ingredients mentioned under 'to season'.
3. When it splutters and the dal turns brown,pour into yogurt.
4. Serve garnished with coriander leaves.

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Bon Appetit...

Saaka Vratha Udhin Pudi | Lentil Spice Mix

A simple spice mix that is mixed with rice. Since vegetables are not used during Saaka Vratha, lentil spice mixed like these give a variety to the meal. When people used to follow this fast on a regular basis, different kinds of spice mixes used to be kept handy. Some of them are Sesame seed spice mix,toor dal spice mix that are specially made for this period. I will share the other two spice mix recipe later. For today's post we shall see the urad dal spice mix that was a part of the Vratha thali.


One other interesting aspect of this spice mix is that it can be used instead of the regular kootu pudi to prepare kootu. It can also be used as a side dish for dosa / idli. So one powder, many uses!
.

You need :

Urad dal -1 cup
Peppercorns- 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

1. In a pan roast the urad dal and pepper together. 
2. When the dal turns light brown , remove from heat and cool.
3. Powder along with salt.
4. Store in an air tight container.

To serve, drizzle a teaspoon of sesame oil over hot steamed rice. Add a teaspoon or more of this spice mix. Mix well and it is ready to be savored.

Note :

• This spice mix can be ground to a fine powder / a little coarse depending on your taste.

Bon Appetit...

Chaitra Maasa Panaka Poojay Thali

This post is very special to me in many ways. The recipes in this post are apt for this month – Chaitra maasa / Chitirai thingal. As usual when mom and I were discussing what else we can put up for the thali series, mom [as usual] recollected a special custom that is performed during this month. Later, I called up my grandpa and asked him the details.

My grandpa is going to be 90 this month! He is an orthodox person who performs poojas and is quite religious. My grandparents still follow certain customs that have been long forgotten. These customs have health significance and since our ancestors wanted every one to follow it for a healthy living, named them as religious procedures, making it a compulsion. But these days many of us are put off by the term ‘religious procedures’ or don’t have time to follow them!

So when I spoke to grandpa a couple of days ago and told him I was going to write about   some special thali he was as enthusiastic as I am and immediately gave me the procedures and the details for this post.

So presenting to you today, the thali that is prepared during the chaitra maasa’s Panaka pujay.

Chaitra maasa is the first month of the Hindu calender and is followed in many regions in India. It is believed that that Lord Brahma created the Universe on this day and hence it is regarded as the first day of the Universe.

Before going to the actual post, here are some general things that are performed during this month. Throughout this month, a pot filled with water should be given as dhaana /  kind of donation to others. If it is not possible to give it on all days, at least one such pot must be given this month.

Similarly during this month, vedic scholars are invited home in the afternoon, sometime between 3-4pm. It has to be performed before 5pm. As soon as they arrive, their feet are washed. The lady of the house holds the pot of water pouring it gently into the cupped hands of the husband who holds them over the feet of the guests.

The guests are seated on straw mats and banana leaves are spread in front of them. Dishes that are apt for this pooja are prepared and served.

Now let us see the dishes that find their place in this panaka pujay.

Dishes

Kesari – A delicious dessert made from semolina, sugar and ghee

Kosambari – seasoned lentils

Gojjavalakki / hunisayhannu avalakki - Tamarind flavored pressed rice

Mosaravalakki - Pressed rice seasoned and soaked in yogurt

Beverages

Neer more – Seasoned buttermilk

Panaka – A concoction of jaggery, ginger powder and cardamom

Tender coconut water

Sonti bella – It is a digestive that is prepared with powdered ginger, jaggey and ghee.

Fruits

Seasonal fruits like mango, jackfruits are also served.

This time when I wanted to make this thali, I could not find mangoes! Yes, it is supposed to be in season now but I was told that mango crop has gone down this year. The places that are famous for mango cultivation has produced very less mango and maybe they were are sent away for exporting. Anyway, I was not able to find any decent looking mango and those shops which boasted of selling mangoes had something that did not even resemble a mango! They were so small and shriveled!

So I have used the other fruits like guava, sapota, grapes and banana.

After the meal they wash their hands. Later they are seated and given thamboola. Thamboola consists of betel leaves, betel nuts, bananas, dhakshanay[money]. In this thamboola there are certain specifications too. Betel leaves must be placed in even numbers. So are the betel nut and banana. In olden days, INR 1.25 was kept as the , dhakshanay. But nowadays since  it has no value, the amount placed depends on the capacity of the person giving it off. But it should be one of the following- INR 11 / 51 / 101/ 501 / 1001 etc. The people in the household fall at the feet of the scholars and receive their blessing

What is the significance of doing all this you may ask? Let me explain…

The dishes that are prepared for this pooja are having high nutritive value. The pressed rice, jaggery used in the dishes is rich in iron. The curd used in pressed rice recipe , neer more, panaka, kosambari, tender coconut are all body coolants .Fruits are rich in vitamins and minerals. More over since they are seasonal fruits, they are not expensive.

Food is one thing that makes people happy and it is the only thing in the world that satisfies the senses of man. No one can keep on eating no matter how delicious the food. A person says ‘No’ only to food as he can never be satisfied with other worldly things.When his tummy is full he is happy and the person who serves the food is also happy.

In our scriptures, serving each of these things have a special meaning. It is said to give us blessings and free us from karmas [ an action whose effect is experienced as a future consequence].

These days, not many perform this panaka puja at home. Some temples in South India perform this puja in their premises during Sri Rama Navami. Those who like to perform this pujay can pay the puja fee and partake in it. Before offering these dishes to the scholars, they are offered to God as Neivedhyam[sacred offering]

It took us[mom and I] 2 whole hours to get the recipes ready for this post. These dishes are very healthy.

The credit for this post goes to my dear grandpa for sharing this wealth of knowledge with me and to mom who prepared the majority of the dishes for this post.

Here is the post for today - Neer more

Hope you enjoyed this thali...

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This is off to Srivalli's Thali mela

Bon Appetiti...

Neer More

This one is a super easy body coolant. This is nothing but buttermilk that is seasoned and garnished with coriander and curry leaves.

 In many places in South India, 'Neer More Pandhals' are set up during summer.  This pandhal is usually a thatched stall that distributes free buttermilk to one and all.

This can be easily prepared at home too....

I used:

Yogurt -1 curd
Ginger -1 " piece ,minced
Salt to taste

To season

Oil- 1 teaspoon
Mustard - 1 teaspoon
Green chiili- 2 ,slit and seeds removed
Asafetida- a pinch

Curry leaves - a few
Coriander leaves - a few

1. In a large vessel take yogurt, salt and around 3 cups water. Churn with a wooden maththu / hand churner[seen in the click]. Or beat it in a mixie jar.
2. Heat oil for seasoning and put in asafetida and mustard and green chiliies.
3. When the mustard crackles, pour into the buttermilk.
4. Add the ginger and garnish with chopped curry leaves and coriander leaves.

Note :

• It tastes best if it sits for sometime before serving as the flavors blend during that time.
• This is called neer more because of its consistency. [Neer - Water / watery].So the quantity of water added is more than what we add for preparing regular buttermilk
• If you like you can add curry leaves with the seasonings.

Bon Appetit...