KATHRIKAI KOOTUU (EGGPLANT DHAL)

This picture had been lying in my draft for a long time. I made this dish during those days when I used to make a dish and post it on the same day with the date on the picture. I found this out today as I was going through the old pictures. I guess its better late than never :) This is a recipe of my friend. I learnt this dish from her during my early marriage days when we were in Hyderabad. She usually prepares this as a side dish for idlis and dosas rather than with rice. This is more or less similar to kothsu and the moong dhal added here is very less compared to the regular kootus. I think this kootuu must go well with rice too though we have not yet tried it with rice. Here goes the recipe:

INGREDIENTS:
Moong dhal, ¼th cup.
Eggplant, a big one if bigger varieties like Japanese eggplants are used or 4-5 if regular small-sized ones are used.
Small onions, 1 cup.
Tomatoes, small, 2.
Chili powder, 1 teaspoon.
Coriander powder, 1 teaspoon.
Sambar powder, ½ teaspoon (optional).
Garlic, 2 cloves.
Mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon.
Cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon.
Asafetida, 1 pinch.
Salt as per taste.
Vadakam ½ teaspoon, (optional).
Turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon.

PREPARATION:
Wash the moong dhal. Chop the eggplants and tomatoes into small pieces. Peel the onions and crush the garlic coarsely. Take a pressure cooker or a pressure pan and put the washed moong dhal, chopped eggplants, tomatoes, peeled onions, crushed garlic, turmeric powder, all the powders, salt as per taste along with 1-1/2 cups of water. Pressure cook for about 10-15 minutes up to 3 whistles. Transfer the cooked dhal to a vessel when the pressure is released. The eggplants will be well mashed up at this stage. If they are still whole, mash them with a spatula. Meanwhile heat a small pan with 1 teaspoon of oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds start to splutter, add the cumin seeds, vadakam, asafetida let them fry for 30 seconds and switch off the stove. Add the seasonings to the kootuu and mix everything well and serve hot with idlis, dosas, rotis, or rice.



Thanks to the Food Buzz team for sending me Nature’s Pride Breads as a part of their TasteMaker’s Program. We have never brought Nature’s Pride breads before and I like the texture of these breads particularly the 12-grains bread. We have been having these as a simple peanut butter and jam sandwiches. I am planning to try something different with these too like a bread pudding for the weekend.

SPLIT PEAS VADAIS OR FRITTERS

Split peas vadais are similar like the regular peas and channa dhal vadais. I had some split peas in the pantry after making some split peas soup, so thought of using them in vadais instead of regular peas. These fritters came out pretty well. We had this as a side dish with rice and vathakuzumbu. These fritters can also be had as an evening snack with some ketchup. I have grinded the vadai batter into a smooth paste since I like the vadais to be crispy on the outside and soft inside. For crispier vadais, the peas can be ground into a coarse paste. For this consistency, run the blender for just one or two pulses.

INGREDIENTS:
Split peas, 1 cup, soaked for 2-3 hours.
Fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon.
Rice powder, 1 tablespoon.
Garlic, 2 cloves.
Ginger small pieces.
Green chilies, 3.
Salt, as per taste.
Red onion, medium-sized, 1.
Curry leaves, a handful.
Cilantro, a handful.

PREPARATION:
Wash the soaked split peas and grind them along with the fennel seeds, chilies, garlic, and ginger without water. Chop the onion, curry leaves, and cilantro into small pieces. Add the chopped onion, curry leaves, cilantro, rice powder, and salt to the ground split peas and mix everything well. Heat a kadai with 1 cup of oil. When the oil is hot, take a small amount of the ground mixture and flatten it with the palm of the hand and drop into the hot oil. When the vadais rise up and turns golden-brown, remove the vadais from the oil and drain the excess oil with a paper towel. Serve the hot vadas with ketchup.

FISH MANCHURIAN

I tasted this dish for the first time in a restaurant in Chennai and wanted to try this at home ever since. Since manchurian dishes are usually deep fried, I have been putting it off for a long time (the original version of this dish is a deep-fried version where the fish sticks are coated with a cornflower batter, fried, and then mixed with the sauces).Then the idea of baking the fish and adding everything to the sauce struck me and I think it turned out pretty well. I even tried this dish with tandoori chicken and that was awesome too without the extra calories from the oil. I have used salmon here. Any types of fish works well in this dish. Even baked shrimp can also be used.

INGREDIENTS:
Salmon, around, 2-3 slices with the skin removed.
Red onion, 1.
Green, yellow, and red bell peppers, ½ of each.
Chili powder, 1-1/2 teaspoons.
Food color or paprika powder, ½ teaspoon.
Salt as per taste.
Lemon juice, 1 tablespoon.
Ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon.
Garlic, 2 cloves.
Aji-No-Moto or MSG, 1/4 teaspoon, (optional).
Tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon.
Soy sauce 1 tablespoon.

PREPARATION:
Cut the salmon into bite-size pieces. Add 1 teaspoon of chili powder, paprika powder or food color, ginger-garlic paste, salt, and lemon juice to the fish and mix well. Let it marinade for 30 minutes. Arrange the salmon pieces on a baking tray and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes until the fish is cooked and a brown crust is formed on top of the pieces. The fish can also be cooked in a regular flat pan or cast-iron pan with a little oil. Meanwhile cut the bell peppers and red onions into the long, thin strips and chop the garlic into very small pieces. Heat a pan with some oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the bell peppers, onions and crushed garlic and sauté everything for a minute. Then add 1/2 teaspoon of chili powder, salt, Aji-No-Moto, soy sauce, and tomato sauce and mix everything well and sauté for 5 more minutes under low flame and switch off the stove. Then add the baked salmon into the mixture and mix everything well. Garnish with spring onions on top and serve hot with fried rice or briyani.