Announcing Serve it Series: Serve it ‘Preserved’

 Serve It Series
Apr 302012
 

Contemplating the themes for this summer month of May, Krithi and I arrived at Preserved. There is an abundance of fruits and veggies during summer, and most of us are trying to save this extra abundance so that we can savor it for the rest of the year.

It was a summer tradition at our grandmother’s house to make loads of preserved foods. All the grandkids were gathered for the summer holidays and the women of the household were also busy with a preserved specialty of her own. My grandmother was the vathal/vadagam queen – she made so many varieties and of such large quantity – and packed them all for us, as we left her house after a fun filled vacation.

Grandma would elaborately plan the varieties of vathals to be made, with a week long schedule. This would involve murukku vathal, javvarisi vathal, koozh vadagam, vengaya vadagam and vegetable variations such as kothavaranga vathal, sundaikkai vathal, maa vathal etc. The cooking of the vathal batter was done early in the morning and while we woke up lazily during the holidays, we would hear her putting out the vathals/vadagams in large cloths/plastic sheets on the terrace for it to dry in the scorching sun.

While it was vathals for grandma, it was pickles/puli kachal/thokku for my aunt and jams/squash for my mom.While being treated to delicious drinks, spicy pickles the kids were given only one task: watch for crows coming to eat the drying vathals, and drive them away. The irony of it is that the drying vathals were eaten by the kids more than they were by the crows. :) Somehow the taste of half dried vathals, still lingers in my mind.

In memory of  many such good times in summer, we have dedicated this Month of May for  ”Preserved” entries.

Do check out our summer theme of 2011: ‘Serve it – Chilled‘ and also last month’s theme of ‘Pressure cooked/Slow Cooked’

Here are the guidelines for the event:
1. You may send in any entry that is  PRESERVED. The dictionary defines preserved as: “to prepare food or any perishable substance so as to resist decomposition or fermentation”. Your entry MUST meet this definition.
2. Examples include Jams, marmalades, Squash, Sherbet (not to be confused with sorbet), Pickles, Thokkus, Puli-Kaichal (ready to make tamarind rice mix), Sauces, Salsas, Sambal, Pesto, Home made ready to fry-Fryums (Vathals/Vadagams), dried fruits/veggies. Recipes for canned fruits/veggies and posts explaining the canning process are welcome.
3. Dry Spice powders are not allowed in this theme.
4. The entries should have a shelf life or refrigerator life of minimum 2 months.
5. Both Vegetarian and Non-vegetarian entries are allowed.
6. Please link back to this announcement page and also to Krithi’s page here.
7. New entries are appreciated, however if you are sending archived entries, please re-post as latest (with a date in May 2012) and update with both the links to the announcement page and logo.
8. Usage of links and logo is mandatory.
9. Last date for submission of your entries is May 31, 2012.
10. To submit your entries, just link your entries using the linky tool below.
11. Non-bloggers also can send their entries with a picture to the below email-id.
12. If you have a problem in linking email us your problem to serveit[dot]series[at]gmail[dot]com. We will try to resolve it.
Note: If the entries are inappropriate to the theme, we would have to remove the entries from the linky sans notification. If there are other issues like link or logo missing we would definitely notify through email.

Slow cooker Dum Aloo

 Curries/Masalas, Potato, Slow cooker/Crockpot, Yogurt
Apr 262012
 

Dum Aloo is a creamy curry, usually made with baby potatoes, were the potatoes are slow cooked in a spicy sauce in a sealed vessel. This cooking method is referred to as ‘dum’. The vessel is closed with a tight lid and sealed with a dough made of wheat flour and water, hence making the vessel airtight. The steam created in the dish condensates into water, thereby cooking the potatoes and the slow cooking process lets the potatoes absorb all the flavor from the curry.

I had planned on making this dish for quite a while now, but I didn’t want to go through the dough making/sealing process, and decided to use a slow cooker instead. I secured the lid of the slow cooker with pieces of tape, so that it was air tight. Traditionally, the potatoes are fried prior to being cooked in dum, either shallow fried or deep fried. But I added the potatoes raw, since I cooked it on low heat for about 8 hours. Yes, I set it up at night, before I went to bed and had it ready next morning. Packed it for lunch with some rotis and it was yummy.

The process is very simple and literally hands free. The slow cooker is my best friend to make atleast one meal during the weekday. I make all kinds of things using it. Here are some ideas for using a slow cooker to make Indian meals.

  • Dals/Legume based curries
  • Sambar
  • BisibeleBaath – one of my favorite recipes for slow cooker
  • Arisi paruppu sadham – a cousin of bisi bele bath
  • Paruppu Payasam(Lentil jiggery dessert)
  • Carrot halwa

I will post the recipes for these very soon. But here is the recipe for dum aloo using slow cooker:

Ingredients:
10-12 baby potatoes(or as many as can fit your slow cooker in one layer)
1 large onion, sliced
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp raisins(optional)
1 tbsp kasoori methi
4 green chillies, slit
1 tsp oil(optional)
1 inch cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp asafetida/hing
1/ 3cup water
1/2 cup yogurt
Salt to taste
Cilantro, chopped for garnish.

Method:
Scrub and peel the baby potatoes. Prick all over with a fork. This step is important so that the potatoes absorb all the flavors of the curry.

Add a tsp of oil to the base of your crock pot and brush it on all the bottom and sides. This is optional  – to prevent the curry from sticking and to aid the potatoes in getting a sear. You can spray with a non stick cooking spray instead, or just omit this step. Add the potatoes in a single layer on to the bottom of the crock pot. Turn the crock pot on HIGH and leave it on until you prep the rest of the ingredients.

Slice the onion, ginger, garlic and green chillies. Layer this on top of the potaotes. Top this with the whole garam masala: cinnamon, cloves bay leaf. Top this with the spice powders: garam masala, chilli powder, turmeric powder and asafetida. Add 1/3 cup of water and top.

Close the lid of slow cooker, set it to low, tape the lid such that it is airtight and cook for 8-10 hours.

Switch off the slow cooker and carefully remove the lid. Add the raisins, kasoori methi and the yogurt and mix to combine. The residual heat from the crockpot will cook the yogurt. No need to keep it on. If kept on, the yogurt may curdle when added. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve with roti or pulav.

Verdict: The curry was creamy and potatoes were cooked to perfection. The potatoes had absorbed every bit of flavor from the spices during the slow cooking  of 8 hours and tasted fabulous. The taste of the curry itself was well balanced with the tartness of the yogurt with the sweet bite from raisins and the mild bitterness from the kasoori methi. A easy dish to place on a table for a party. 

Mushroom Asparagus Frittata

 Asparagus, Breakfast/Brunch, Diabetes Friendly, Egg, Mushroom, Phase 1, South Beach Diet
Apr 192012
 

Once you discover the ease with which you can make frittatas, you will make them a regular part of your dinner menu. Yes, I said dinner. Who said frittatas are for breakfast only. I almost always make them for dinner. They make a very filling and protein rich meal. Here, I have combined whole eggs along with egg whites, to reduce the fat and bump up the protein. You may add any veggies you like, but I find mushrooms are great in frittatas.I have used cremini mushrooms, or baby portobello mushrooms along with asparagus. You may use any veggies you have on hand. Here is my recipe:

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup liquid egg whites(or 3-4 egg whites)
2 tsp olive oil
2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
1 cup asparagus cut up into 2 inch pieces
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt, pepper to taste

Method:
Take a pan with nonstick surface and an oven safe handle. Heat the oil in the pan over medium heat. Swirl to coat the pan with oil evenly. Add the garlic and the asparagus. Cook until slightly soft. Add in the mushrooms. It will appear that there is a lot of mushrooms. But, it will cook down and shrink. Don’t salt the mushrooms as it will draw out the moisture. Meanwhile, Whisk the eggs, egg whites, thyme, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper in a bowl.

When the mushrooms are cooked, keeping the heat at medium. pour in the egg mixture into the pan. let cook for about 10 minutes. Preheat the broiler. Once the bottom of the frittata is set, but the top is still a bit runny. Place the pan 3-4 inches from the broiler. Keep an eye on it, because it will be done within 1-2 minutes and if left longer will burn. Remove and slide onto a serving platter or cutting board. Cut into wedges and serve for brunch, lunch, dinner or breakfast. It goes well with a simple side salad. If serving for lunch, spoon some marinara sauce over a wedge of frittata, top with a grating of cheese and serve. It tastes very much like pizza. :)

Verdict: Smooth, earthy and very filling, this is one of my favorite frittata recipes. Once you know the basic frittata version, you can pretty much vary all the components from the veggies to the cheese, to create a completely new dish. Check out my Greek Frittata, for a mediterranean flair to this.

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