Olan(Red Pumpkin Curry) & Cauli-Pot-Peas Upperi

Left - Red Pumpkin Curry-Olan, Right - Upperi or Dry Subzi of Cauliflower,Peas and Potatoes


I have modified the traditional Olan which requires fresh coconut milk by substituting it with coconut powder. The traditional one also calls for main ingredient Ash Gourd, my family loves the Red Pumpkin one, my version is a time saver too.

Olan

Ingredients for Olan :
3 cups cubed (washed,peeled n deseeded) Red Pumpkin (400 gms)
1 cup coconut milk thick (3 tbspn coconut powder dissolved in warm water)
2 cups coconut milk thin (1 tbspn coconut powder dissolved in warm water)
2 green chillies OR 1 tsp red chilli powder
salt
4-5 sprigs curry leaves
2 tbspn coconut oil

Method for Olan :
In a pan, place 2 cups of thin milk and cook covered on a low flame along with the cubed Red pumpkin, salt and green chillies or red chili powder. Check for done-ness...simmer it do not let it boil. It is done when cooked but in shape too. Add the thick coconut milk, mix it well. Warm the coconut oil alongside. Add the curry leaves to pumpkin curry, put off the flame. Pour warm oil over the curry and curry leaves, cover the lid for flavours to mingle. Serve with rice.


Upperi/Subzi

Ingredients :
1 small cauliflower (appr. 500 gms )
2 medium potatoes
1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
1 small tomato
1/2 tsp + 1 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala (optional)
1 tsp mustard seeds (rai)
1 tsp cumin seeds ( jeera )
Oil

Method :
Wash and cut the cauliflower florets, place in warm water with 1/2 tsp haldi for 15 minutes. Wash,peel and cube the potatoes and tomato. If frozen peas, place in a mw safe bowl, mw on high for two minutes, to soften the peas. In a kadhai/wok, heat a tbspn of cooking oil, crackle rai, splutter jeera, add potatoes, fry them for two minutes, add cauli-florets, fry for some time. Cover the lid and allow to cook in steam on a low flame for around 8-10 mins. Check if cooked. Then add the chopped tomatoes -let cook uncovered. Add haldi, red chili powder,mix well. Combine peas and lastly adjust salt. Just a minute before the flame is put off, add garam masala powder. Put the flame off, mix well, cover for 5 minutes. Serve with chappatis or as a side dish for rice.

Several variations can be tried like adding an onion and a tsp of ginger-garlic paste too.
I learnt this dish from my M-i-l.


Quite filling on a cold winter night!

Batatya Upkari Ani Daalitoy (Potato Curry and Daal-South Canara Style)

Batatya Upkari (Left Hand Side) Daalitoy (Right Hand Side)

Speaking of Konkanis and to be more specific, at my place, this is the most sought after meal.
Some of them swear this Daal to be their 'Kul-Dev', while the other lot prefers to simply slurp it down tossed with melted ghee! The accompaniment is dry curry which is generally called 'Upkari' and can be made of several veggies, but our fave is either Tendley(Gherkins) or Batato ( Potato).
The potato curry is usually garnished with freshly scraped coconut, but I have skipped that.


Batatya Upkari :

Ingredients -
6 medium sized potatoes
1 tsp rai
5-6 red chillies (bydagi)
Salt
Oil

Method -
Wash the potatoes thoroughly. The potatoes are not peeled. Cut into french fries style mini pieces. (As shown in pic). Heat around a tbspn of cooking oil in kadhai, pop the mustard seeds, halve the chillies and add till glossy with oil. Next add the cut potatoes, stir till coated uniformly with oil, cover the lid, allow to cook in its own steam, stir in-between so that it doesn't stick to the bottom. Add salt to taste. Cook for 10-15 min or until done. It should get cooked but not mashed, the shape should be intact. Cover till serving for flavours to blend. Garnish with a tbspn of freshly scraped coconut if desired.


Daalitoy or Toay :

Ingredients -
1 cup tuvar daal
1 pinch hing powder / lapsi sized crystal of hing
2 green chillies
1 tbspn coconut oil
1 tsp rai
5-6 red chillies (byadgi)
Ghee while serving

Method -
Pressure cook daal along with green chillies with double the amount of water for upto 3 whistles.
In a vessel take salt and hing (dilute the crystals if using those with warm water) pour the daal in it, churn it a little. (At this stage add more water if you like it liquidy or let it just be if you like it thick.) Throw away the cooked green chillies. Simmer the daal again on gas top, medium flame. In a tadka pan, heat coconut oil and pop the mustard seeds, add the halved byadgi chillies till glossy and pour it over the boiling daal. Put the flame off and cover with lid for flavours to blend.

Serve hot rice, top the rice with ghee, pour Daalitoy and relish it with Batatya Upkari!!


(PS: This is how the dish is made by my mother, there are variations and combinations that people like and I am representing only my family's taste here.)


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Warna / Waran Bhaat

Hubby dear and few fellow bloggers pressed on me to post authentic recipes, i.e not what I cooked from others blogs but what I have grown up eating, cooked by my mother, my mother-in-law and those traditionally handed over dishes!

Hence I thought of trying to begin by posting this simple daal also called 'Waran' in Konkani and Marathi. This is perfect for any meal, noon or night and goes well with rice or chappatis!

This simple yet delectable daal is flavorful - spreads an aroma of fresh coriander , jeera and tomato! At my place we used to have this with Pappodu, vodi and any upkari!

Ingredients :
1 cup tuvar daal
2 green chillies
1 pinch hing (asafoetida)
1 medium tomato
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
Salt

1 tsp Jeera
Oil

Method :
Pressure cook the daal , tomato and hing with double volume of water upto 3 whistles or until done. Pour in another vessel, add the coriander leaves and simmer. Add salt to taste.
In a tadka pan, heat oil and splutter the cumin seeds (jeera) add to this daal. Cover the lid allowing the flavours to blend.

I call this daal a 'Bachelor's Daal' as it is pretty fast to make and any bachelor longing for home food can easily make this...




Serve with rice or chappati along with any side dish of your choice and pappad goes very well!

Gajar Ka Halwa

New Year brings lots of sweet memories and here is a sweet which reminds all of us of these Hindi lines :
Son : "Maa mein aa gaya!"
Ma : "Beta, tu aa gaya!" (I guess he just announced his arrival dear screen mom)
" Beta mu-haat dho lo..tumhe bhook lag rahi hogi! AAJ maine tumharey pasand ka 'GAJAR KA HALWA' banaya hai!!! (Taaddaaaaaa)
Son : " Maa tumhe kaise pata mujhe gajar ka halwa bahut pasand hai (Arey Director ney bata diya..aur tum Maa ko screen mom -one-movie-mom hone ka ehsaas kyon karva rahe ho, bevakoof, Mums know frm the birth of their childs fave food ..so curb on silly questions n gulp down that halwa to satiate your hunger while the noble people shall gulp down a bowl of daal and rice!)
Yes..from our good old number of Hindi Movies esshtyle!

But no, this was made as dessert! My MIL makes awesome gajar halwa...the pain in the neck(shoulders and arms literally) is grating them manually!
When I saw Indian Red Juicy Carrots, I longed for this halwa as I don't prefer halwa out of the orange unsweet carrots. There are many versions and after trying many of these, I have settled for below recipe.

How to make this ---

Ingredients :
1 tbspn ghee
5 cups grated carrots
2 1/2 cups milk
3/4th cup sugar
1 tsp cardamom(elaichi) powder
10 cashews + 5 for garnishing
10 almonds + 5 for garnishing

Method :

Cut the cashews and almonds lengthwise. In a deep kadhai, heat ghee, add the cashews and almonds, fry till transculent. To this add the grated carrots and stir well till uniformly mixed with ghee. (I pressure cooked the grated gajar with milk upto two whistles just enough so that it doesn't get over cooked, for saving time) Add milk and keep stirring in between so that it doesn't stick to the bottom. Once all the milk evaporates, add sugar, stir till the mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Put off the flame, add cardamom and mix well. Cool it, garnish with cashews and almonds. Serve.




Ready to be digged in!! Ek bowl se mera kya hoga?? :D

HAPPY SANKRANTI AND HAPPY PONGAL TO U!