spring roll with two dipping sauces

Spring rolls are sort of easy to make and are a favorite appetizer in our family. I just don't make it often as it involves frying, so, every time I make it I try to come up with some nice dipping sauce that makes it interesting :-)

As the dipping sauces kind of take center-stage, I leave the spring rolls plain and simple.

Ginger Garlic Chili Soy Sesame sauce
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp mirin
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp kecap manis
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Preparation: just combine all the above ingredients and stir well. Adjust to taste, if necessary.

Tangy Lemongrass Peanut sauce
1 Tbsp finely minced lemon grass
1 Tbsp finely grated ginger
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp peanut butter (I prefer chunky)
1 tsp brown sugar
4 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce

Preparation:

1. heat lemon juice, ginger, garlic, brown sugar and lemongrass in a pan till it reduces a bit; off heat, combine the rest of the ingredients, stir well and serve

Spring rolls
Ingredients:

Spring Roll wrappers (I prefer the frozen kind)
Filling - veggies of your choice - julienned or sliced fine - onions, carrots, spring onions, cabbage; pickled ginger, bean sprouts
salt and cayenne pepper to taste
oil for frying

Preparation:

1. combine the veggies, season with salt and pepper, set aside
2. keep a small bowl of water handy for wetting the wrappers
3. the package usually comes with instructions - just spoon some filling, roll up, wet with water to seal
4. deep fry in oil, serve warm with the dipping sauces
   

Paruppu Urundai Kozhambu

This is a kozhambu (kuzhambu) aka stew my mom makes when she runs out of fresh seasonal veggies to make sambar with and needs to make something healthy.

Paruppu=Lentils; Urundai = round/ball.

Kuzhambu is a spicy sauce-dish from South India which can be made with practically any of the lentils, grams and vegetables common to the region, and is typically served with plain hot rice.

So, instead of veggies, this kuzhambu has lentil balls. Toor dal is soaked and ground to a fine paste, shaped into balls, steamed and boiled in kozhambu spices to make this delicious dish, usually had with plain rice.

I reserve some of the steamed lentil balls for another dish called 'paruppusili' which can be made with veggies like snake beans, bunch beans, capsicum etc.



Ingredients

for lentil balls:
1 cup toor dal
3 dry red chilies
3 cups water

tempering:
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp urad dal
2-3 curry leaves chopped
1 Tbsp canola oil

for kozhambu:
4 Tbsp tamarind concentrate
4 cups water
1/2 tsp asafoetida (optional)
1 Tbsp oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp coriander powder
1 Tbsp cumin powder
1 tsp cornstarch (for thickening)
salt to taste

Preparation:

1. Lentil balls: soak the toor dal and dry red chilies in water for 30 mins; drain well; grind to a thick fine paste so as to be able to shape them into balls; add some salt to taste; shape them into balls about 2 inches in diameter; steam them till they are firm and cooked; set aside
2. heat oil in a pot, add the onions, asafoetida, pinch of salt and coriander+cumin powders; sauté well
3. add water, tamarind paste and brown sugar and let it come to a boil; lower the heat, add the steamed lentil balls one by one - as many as you'd like in the stew - gently into the pot and let them simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes or so
   
4. if it seems too watery, thicken with cornstarch: dissolve the cornstarch in a few Tbsp of water and slowly add it to the simmering pot and stir well till thickened; adjust salt to taste
5. in a small ladle or pan, get the tempering ready: heat oil in a pan, when the oils shimmers, add the urad dal, when they turn golden brown, add the mustard seeds, and when they pop and die down add the cumin seeds and curry leaves, off heat, set aside
6. when lentil balls seem to have absorbed the flavorful spices and feel like a loaded sponge, off heat, garnish with tempering, serve warm with basmati rice
   

Ridge Gourd Peel Chutney

Ridge gourd is one of those vegetables that reminds me of cactus: if nothing else seems like vegetation and this seems to be the only juicy thing around to cook and eat, of course, I'd relish it. But, fortunately for the ridge gourd, I love its peel as it makes a fantastic thohayal or chutney.



Ingredients:
1 Tbsp urad dal
3 Tbsp dry grated coconut
1/2 cup diced onions
6-8 curry leaves (optional)
2-3 cups ridge gourd peel, chopped
4-6 dry red chilies
¼ tsp tamarind paste -or- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp Apple cider vinegar
1 tsp brown sugar (optional)
salt to taste
1 Tbsp Olive oil
water as needed
tempering: (optional)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp urad dal
2-3 curry leaves chopped
1 Tbsp canola oil

Preparation:

1. heat 1 Tbsp canola oil in a pan, sauté the ingredients for the chutney
2. when cool enough to handle, blend in a blender or food processor into a fine paste, adding a little water at a time as needed; adjust salt to taste
3. tempering: heat oil in a small pan or ladle, when it is shimmering, add the urad dal; when it turns golden brown, add the mustard seeds; when mustard seeds pop and die down add the cumin seeds and curry leaves, off heat
4. garnish the chutney with the tempering; stir the tempering in before serving

Mango Rice

I remember roughly about a dozen or so varieties of mangoes that I relished in my childhood: some best eaten raw, some best when ripe and golden, each with quite a distinct flavor and texture. Some were stringy, some were soft and fleshy; some were way too juicy that i just had to poke a hole, stick a straw and enjoy the juice and discard the mango.

Summer was the mango season where I grew up. My mom used to make so many different dishes with mangoes - the raw green ones as well as ripe fruits.

Tiny raw baby mango pickle is still one of my favorites: my mom used to just brine a batch and have it handy for snacking on; and then a larger batch was brined and soaked in a blend of spices including extra hot chili powder and mustard - we either called it "maa vadu" or "kadugu manga" - a wonderfully addictive pickle/achar/side that I loved eating with yougurt or buttermilk rice. My mom had special porcelain/earthenware jars/crock to store these in and they last for over a year, if we don't eat it all up first, that is.

Plus, of course various mango chutneys, salads and pachadis. By the end of each mango season we kids would have gorged so much that we couldn't handle the sight of another mango! Those were the days!

Many south Indian dishes seem elaborate as they involve some form of spice paste, plus some form of spice powder, but, I have found that making extra and saving it for future use makes it seem effortless the next time :)



Ingredients
2 medium raw green mangoes - one diced, one grated finely
4 cups cooked basmati rice
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 Tbsp canola oil
salt to taste

spice paste*:
4-6 cloves of garlic
1" piece of ginger
4-5 green chilies

Spice powder:
1 Tbsp urad dal
1 Tbsp chana dal
1 Tbsp mustard seeds
1 star anise
1-2 bay leaves
1-2 2-inch pieces of Indian/Ceylon cinnamon bark (optional)

tempering:
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 Tbsp chana dal (optional)
4-5 fresh curry leaves (optional)
1 Tbsp oil for tempering

Preparation

1. Dice one mango (get as close to the pit as you can; and discard the pit) - i like to leave the skin on as it gives a certain texture and bite to the dish; alternately, skin and grate the mango, if preferred, instead of dicing; set aside
2. Roughly chop the other mango; again, remove the skin if preferred
3. Combine the chopped mango from step 2 and the spice paste ingredients in a blender or food processor and grind into a fine paste; set aside
4. Dry roast the spice powder ingredients, and when cool enough to handle, grind them to a fine powder; set aside
5. Heat the oil in a pan, add the spice paste and sauté till the raw flavor of garlic is gone and the spices release their aroma
   
6. Add the diced mango, turmeric powder, spice powder from step 4, some salt and sauté till the diced mango softens a little and is not too raw
7. Add the cooked rice, adjust salt to taste, stir till well incorporated
8. Tempering: heat oil in a small pan/ladle, when oil shimmers add the mustard seeds; when mustard seeds splutter and die down, add the curry leaves and turn off heat
9. Garnish with the tempering, serve warm with pappadam or vadaam.

I usually double or triple the quantities for the spice powders and spice paste and save a portion of them for later use. Spice pastes can be refrigerated for up to a month usually, and spice powders last even up to six months if stored in an air tight container.

While I prefer to make my own spice pastes and powders, I also try to have some store-bought ones to fall back on.

The quick and easy mango rice recipe here is adapted from Dakshin by Chandra Padmanabhan, with variations, as I cannot follow a recipe without personalizing/customizing it somehow.

Sprouted Moong Bean Salad

I like sprouting beans and seeds - something magical about the way the shoots emerge, reaffirming the beauty of life.

Last week I sprouted some moong beans (aka green gram). Very simple method, nothing fancy - it has worked for me so far, so, I stick to it:
--Soak the whole green moong beans for an hour or so in lukewarm water.
--Drain.
--Place in a canning jar
--Cover the jar with a piece of cheesecloth (or any thin porous cotton fabric, or netting fabric) to allow breathing, and screw the ring on the jar
--Rinse once a day and leave it in a cool dark place for a few days
--Voila!


Sprouted moong beans can be refrigerated and used for about 5-7 days. I like to add a handful to salads and vegetable dishes for the crunch and nutrition.

Ingredients:
1 cup sprouted moong beans
2 cups grated carrot
1-2 green chilies chopped fine
3-4 Tbsp lemon juice
1 cup diced raw green mango (optional)
salt to taste

tempering:
1 Tbsp chana dal
1 Tbsp urad dal
1 tsp mustard seeds
4-5 fresh curry leaves (optional)
1 Tbsp oil for tempering

Preparation:

1. heat oil in a smallish pan/ladle till the oil starts to shimmer; add the tempering: chana dal first, when it turns golden brown, add urad dal and when it is golden brown, add mustard seeds; keep a screen lid handy as mustard seeds will try to jump out of the pan; when mustard seeds splutter and die down, off heat add the curry leaves and set aside
2. combine all the salad ingredients; raw green mango adds a certain zing to this salad, so, if i have it handy, i just throw some in
3. adjust salt and lemon juice to taste; garnish with the tempering from step 1
4. serve cold or at room temperature, with roti or rice; or, simply enjoy it as a starter salad :-)

Alternately, just omit the carrots, sauté the sprouted moong beans and add lemon juice and salt to taste; garnish with the tempering and Ta-Da! Another healthy salad/side ready:


Sometime I just throw a handful in any of my curries or even in sambar to up the nutritional value.

chayote squash koottu

Chayote squash is generally bland and watery and doesn't seem to have much of a strong flavor of its own. So, to me, it is ideal for using in several different dishes combined with different spices. I like its texture when cooked.

I grew up calling it chou-chou and loved the various dishes my mom made with it - like chou-chou more-kozhambu(aka more-kali), more-koottaan, chou-chou koottu, even chou-chou sambar.

The koottu recipe here is adapted from one of my favorite cook books for south indian foods: Dakshin by Chandra Padmanaban. This book is a gift from my husband and I treasure it because when the recipes are followed closely, they come out pretty tasty - sort of like how my mom makes them.



Koottu, to me, sort of refers to the gravy in the dish which is made with specific ingredients: if it has lentils and certain ingredients which i list below, then it is a Koottu :-) The vegetable in the koottu can be substituted for other seasonal vegetables - for instance, chayote squash in this recipe can be substituted with say, ridge gourd or ash gourd or yam or snake gourd and still have a delicious koottu.

Ingredients
for the spice paste:
2/3 cup dry(or fresh) grated coconut
7-8 dry red chilies (less, if you prefer)
1 Tbsp urad dal
1 Tbsp cumin seeds
2 Tbsp par-boiled rice (puzhungal arisi)

2 cups cooked toor dal
3-4 cups diced chayote squash (or any other vegetable in season)
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp brown sugar (optional)
salt to taste
2 Tbsp canola oil
some water
6-8 curry leaves*

tempering:
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp mustard seeds

Preparation

1. dry roast the spice paste ingredients and when cool enough to handle grind them to a fine paste with just a tad bit of water to get them all together; set aside
2. heat oil in a pan, add the tempering: chana dal first, when it turns golden brown, urad dal and when it is golden brown, add mustard seeds; keep a screen lid handy as mustard seeds will try to jump out of the pan
   
3. when mustard seeds splutter and die down, add the diced chayote squash, turmeric powder, curry leaves, some salt and some water; cover and let the chayote squash cook till soft
4. add the spice paste from step 1, and the cooked toor dal, brown sugar; stir well and let it simmer for about 5-8 mins till the flavors meld; add a little water if the gravy seems too thick; adjust salt to taste
   
5. off heat garnish with curry leaves; serve warm with rice or roti or naan.

* Curry Leaves are sort of special and I love to incorporate them into my cooking. When I was growing up in India, I noticed many of my friends and family sort of pick it out of their food and throw it away. What a waste. I have not found any substitute for the wonderful flavor they impart, and they are certainly not equivalent to bay leaves. Curry leaf chutney or thohayal is one of my favorite ways of getting all its goodness.

Colocasia (Chaembu)

Taro (chaembu, as we called it,or chaembu kezhangu -' ch' as in 'chair', not 'choir', ) was almost as ubiquitous as potatoes when I was growing up. My mom tried to use it in a few different dishes, including making taro chips, but, our collective favorite at home was this simple, quick and easy recipe here.

It cooks up like potatoes, but, is pretty starchy and slimy when wet, sort of like how okra gets when wet. So, to get it pan-roasted, try to steam it covered, with not much extra water, and then pan-roast it till it gets crisp on the outside.

Ingredients
8-10 medium taro
2 Tbsp canola oil
salt to taste
spice powders (adjust to taste):
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cayenne pepper
tempering:
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp mustard seeds

Preparation:

1. peel the taro just like potatoes, wash and pat it dry so it is not too slimy; dice them to fairly uniform size
2. heat oil in a non-stick pan, add the tempering: chana dal first, when it turns golden brown, urad dal and then mustard seeds
3. when mustard seeds splutter and die down, add the chopped taro, 1 Tbsp of water, the spice powders, some salt, stir well; cover and cook on medium-low heat till it is cooked through but not mushy
4. remove the lid, start pan roasting it on medium-high to high heat till they are fairly crisp on the outside
5. serve warm with rice and rasam or sambar, or even with roti.
   

Alternately, taro can be roasted in the oven just like potatoes. In a plastic bag, add some oil and spices, and some salt, throw in the chopped taro, shake well, dump them onto a roasting pan, single-layer, and roast them just like potatoes - maybe 350 F to 400F oven for about 35-45 mins or so, keeping an eye on it so it doesn't char.

Green Tomato Rice

We harvested the last of the green tomatoes which may not get a chance to ripen as we had to say good-bye to our vegetable garden for this year.

Much like green tomato dal/koottu, this dish came about as I was looking for a good way to use up the tomatoes.



Ingredients

For spice powder:
1 Tbsp mustard seeds
1 Tbsp urad dal
2 Tbsp chana dal
3 Tbsp coriander seeds
6-8 dry red chilies
1/2 cup dry grated coconut

3 or 4 large green tomatoes, chopped
4 cups cooked basmati rice
2-3 fresh green chilies, slit in half
OR - 2 Anaheim peppers
green beans (optional)
1 medium onion sliced thin
2 Tbsp golden raisins (optional)
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste

for garnish(optional):
2 Tbsp cashew nuts
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Preparation:

1. dry roast the ingredients for the spice powder, when cool enough to handle, grind them to a fine powder
2. heat oil in a pan, add the onions, green chilies, turmeric powder and green tomatoes; sautee till onions turn translucent and green tomatoes are softened a bit
3. add the rice, raisins, the spice powder from step 1, and some salt, stir till well incorporated, and sautee on low heat for a few mins
4. off heat, garnish with cashew nuts and cilantro, serve warm with raita or thayir pachadi, and, pappad or vadam

Butternut squash poduthuval

Butternut squash is a favorite winter squash - its texture and mild sweetness makes it quite versatile. It takes well to spices, but is also wonderful with a mild flavoring of coconut+green cilies, which is what I do here.

This is a simple side which can be served with rotis or rice and rasam or sambar.

This is a quick and easy recipe that is pretty much the same as my young green jackfruit recipe. Can substitute Pumpkins for Butternut Squash.

Ingredients
4-5 cups peeled diced butternut squash
1/2 cup dry grated coconut
3-4 green chilies (adjust depending on variety of chili)
salt to taste
1 Tbsp coconut oil (or canola oil)
water as needed

tempering:
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Preparation

1. grind the grated coconut and green chilies into a fine powdery paste and set aside
2. heat oil in a pan, add the tempering: chana dal first, when it starts to turn golden add the urad dal and when they turn brown add the mustard seeds and then the cumin seeds
3. when mustard seeds splutter and die down, add the diced butternut squash, some salt, the coconut-chili paste and stir well till it is coated with oil and tempering
4. add a few tablespoons of water, cover and let the squash cook a bit till it is soft but not mushy; stir once in a while
5. off heat garnish with cilantro or curry leaves, if available
6. serve warm with roti or steamed basmati rice
   

Young Green Jackfruit

This is another favorite dish from my childhood days in India and I like it best when made as in this quick and easy recipe here.

I remember back in the days, jackfruit ("chakkai", as we called it at home) was available in loads during the season. Many prefer the ripe jackfruit. But, my mom used to incorporate young green jackfruit, as well as the large pit inside the jackfruit, into many different dishes. Also, she used to make a sort of jam with ripe jackfruit and jaggery which to this day makes my mouth water.

Young green jackfruit is available canned or sometimes fresh in season here at asian markets. I prefer the canned version as it saves a lot of cleaning and preparation time. I haven't found jackfruit pits in my local stores here in Portland so far.



Ingredients

2 cans young green jackfruit,usually packed in water and some salt and preservatives
1/2 cup dry grated coconut
3-4 green chilies (adjust depending on variety of chili)
salt to taste
1 Tbsp coconut oil (or canola oil)

tempering:
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds


Preparation

1. grind the grated coconut and green chilies into a fine powdery paste and set aside
2. drain the water from the canned green jackfruit, chop or crush the chunks coarsely to the texture you prefer - i like it sort of as in the picture above :-)
3. heat oil in a pan, add the tempering: chana dal first, when it starts to turn golden add the urad dal and when they turn brown add the mustard seeds and then the cumin seeds
4. when mustard seeds splutter and die down, add the coarsely chopped/crushed green jackfruit, some salt and stir well till it is coated with oil and tempering
5. add the coconut-chili paste from step 1 and stir till well incorporated; serve warm as a side with rasam or sambar and rice.
   

buckwheat injera

Injera is one of the favorites in my family, almost right up there with Dosai, as my wee one likes it too. I've wanted to incorporate more buckwheat in our diet and this seemed like a good recipe for that.

This is very much like the other all-purpose flour injera recipe I have, with slight difference.

Ingredients
2 cups buckwheat flour
2 tsp rapid rise yeast
4 cups lukewarm water
salt to taste
a pinch baking powder
some oil

Preparation

1. combine buckwheat flour, yeast and water and stir well till no lumps exist, cover and let it ferment in a warm place for 2 days; stir once a day
2. when ready to make, add salt to taste and a pinch of baking powder
3. the batter sort of has the texture of latex paint - it is a bit sticky/gooey, so, adjust water as needed
4. heat a non-stick pan, brush some oil as needed, pour a small amount of the batter and swirl it around till it is in a thin layer
5. remove when holes form on the top surface and injera looks cooked; can also flip and cook the other side if preferred
6. serve warm with mint chutney, or mesir wat, or gomen

Quick and Simple Yakisoba

Jokes about the name notwithstanding ("Is it Yucky-Soba today, Mama?"), kids do manage to eat the yakisoba noodles no matter what combination of flavors I end up using (as long as I don't go overboard with the chilies).

Stir-fried noodles is usually a quick-to-cook dinner but can get boring over time. One way to change it up a bit is the combination of flavors, and the type of noodles. Buckwheat soba is a staple since all of us at home like it.

Yakisoba sauce here, while not quite earth-shattering, came about as an unusual combination of flavoring ingredients. Sometimes, add in some ketchup, sambal, even habañero mustard for a bit of a bite.




Ingredients
1 pkt buckwheat soba noodles
1 medium onion, sliced thin
plus any other veggies of your choice - cauliflower, carrots, green beans, broccoli, sugar snap peas
1 Tbsp hazelnut oil (or sesame oil, or mustard oil)

for the sauce:3 Tbsp light or citrus soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp Japanese rice vinegar
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 teaspoon cane sugar
1 teaspoon sambal oelek
1 teaspoon habañero mustard (optional)

Preparation

1. cook the noodles per package directions, drain, set aside
2. combine the sauce ingredients; adjust the quantities to suit your taste; set aside
3. heat the oil in a pan, sautée the onions and other veggies
4. add the noodles and the sauce, stir gently till well coated; serve warm