Friday, July 31, 2015

everyday subzi : achari kathal | baby jack fruit cooked in pickling spices


kathal ki achari subzi

Baby jack fruits sell like hot cakes in UP. At least in the eastern part of UP, baby jack fruits are the first jack fruits to appear in the local markets and they are lapped up by vegetarians who want to eat meaty vegetables. Jack fruit is the one meaty vegetable they depend upon the most.

Baby jack fruits are called as katahari or ledha kathal in UP and Bihar too. In Bengal it is known as Ganchh pantha, meaning meat growing on a tree.

baby jack fruit

It is a pity I have not shared many recipes of jack fruit here on this blog, although it is a very popular vegetable in Banaras and people cook it is many different ways. Of course each home has a different recipe but jack fruit is mostly cooked just like meats, using the same procedures of slow cooking, dum cooking and stewing etc to make the most of the meatiness it has.

This achari kathal is also a spin off of mutton achari. Normally it is cooked with loads of mustard oil and looks shiny and oily with oil floating in the bowl. I would of course make it more suitable for everyday consumption. You can see there is very little oil used to make this achari kathal.

jack fruit curry

We don't get baby jack fruits here in Delhi and I was talking about this to a colleague of the husband long back. And then someone rang up the bell early in the morning one day, we found the gentleman with 2 baby jack fruits in a bag at our doorstep. How sweet of him to bring baby jackfruits from his own orchards back in UP, from his visit.

I got them cleaned and cubed, then cooked this achari kathal and froze the rest. Will be coming up with more recipes soon.

ingredients...
(3-5 servings)

peeled and cubes baby jackfruit 300 gm
yogurt (dahi) 200 gm or scant 1 cup
hing (asafoetida) a pinch
mustard seeds 1 tsp
cumin seeds 1 tsp
nigella (kalonji) seeds 1/4 tsp
broken dry red chillies as per taste
fennel powder 2 tsp
ginger powder 1 tsp
turmeric powder 1 tsp
chilli powder 1 tsp or to taste
salt 1 tsp or to taste
mustard oil 1.5 tbsp

Normally the baby jackfruit cubes will be deep fried in mustard oil and then cooked along with a gravy but that becomes a really heavy subzi which is okay once in a while. I don't deep fry things much these days as I find it too heavy for my taste, more so because I want to eat more of the subzi.

So the low oil quick method is what I am going to share. The subzi doesn't look rich and oily but it is definitely tasty.

procedure...

Heat oil in a pressure cooker pan and tip in the hing, cumin, nigella and mustard seeds along with broken red chillies. Let them all splutter and get the chillies smoked a bit.

Add the cubed baby jack fruit and toss and cook for 5 minutes or so.

Mix all the powdered spices with the yogurt and whisk in the mean time.

Now pour the whisked yogurt spice mix, into the cooking subzi, stir to mix well, add 1/2 cup water and salt and close the lid with the pressure vent.

Let it cook on high till the first whistle blows. Then lower the heat and cook further for 10 minutes.

Cool the pressure cooker till the pressure gets down, open the lid and adjust consistency. I like it dry so I reduce the watery liquid.

Serve the achari kathal ki subzi hot, warm or at room temperature.

achari kathal ki subzi

Sometimes I empty the cooker (or pan) and quickly cook another vegetable in it with the remaining grease. The beans on the side were just added with a little salt and cooked till the pressure just starts building up. This way I get some greens too for the meal.

achari kathal

A multi grain paratha suits achari kathal the best. Make it crisp and see how it becomes a meal that you love.

I have shared kathal ka dopyaza, kathal ki sookhi masaledar subzi, kathal ki biryani in the past and am sharing kathal ki bhujia and more recipes with kathal soon. I have the pictures clicked when I cooked them but somehow couldn't share them here. I wish I could have more time to talk about these desi khana more and more.

Kathal is available all over the year in Delhi, it keeps coming to the market from some or the other part of the country and thanks to the varied geographic-climatic conditions we do get almost everything all year round. Not such a thing to boast about but it will be better if we eat the produce of our own country and not start jumping at imported produce. Carbon footprint is not something to be happy about.

Kathal is cool, red currants, blueberries and blackberries are not.


Monday, July 20, 2015

sookhi urad ki daal | skinned black lentil stew with chilli garlic




Sookhi urad ki daal is not the everyday daal in UP homes. The ubiquitous everyday daal in most UP homes is peeli daal or arhar ki daal or even a mix of masoor, mung and arhar daals (skinned mung beans, red lentils and pigeon peas) to make a yellow daal. Now even this yellow daal would be very different in each home with a favourite tadka, the consistency being thick or thin the way a particular family likes it. Urad daal (skinned black lentils) is not something people like eating everyday.

But then there are days when they want a break with peeli daal and some special daal will be made, not necessarily an elaborate recipe or a rich preparation, but a change in the routine is seen as special. This sookhi urad ki daal is one of those daals and often finds a place on party menus too. I am talking about the days when 'daal makhni' was not the only popular daal preparation for vegetarian menus.

This sooki urad ki daal also has various versions and home cooks keep innovating the tadka or the garnish but the cooking procedure of sookhi urad ki daal is considered a skill to be proud of. You might find people who criticize a sookhi daal in the way it looks. Whether each grain of the daal is clean or has got mushy or whether it is properly coated with ghee or not. Some people like each grain of daal coated with a red chilly infused ghee and some like loads of crisp fried garlic flakes interspersed with the daal.

In older days it was rare to use tomatoes in this daal but now some people add fresh tomato paste to the daal, I find tomatoes spoiling the real fun of this daal. It is best cooked with minimal additives but the tadka could be as loaded as you like. Here is my simpler recipe that can be a base to start adding your kind of flavours to it if you wish. Or just enjoy the way I like it.

This is the version I like with green chilies of the mild variety. You can use some hot green chillies and a little finely chopped green capsicum to get that effect if you wish.

ingredients 
(2-3 servings, this daal is normally served in small portions as a side dish)

for pressure cooking
skinned black lentils (urad daal dhuli) 1/3 cup
water 1 cup
chopped green chillies of the mild variety as much as you like, I used 3 large ones
salt to taste

for tadka
ghee 2 tsp or as much as you can handle
one whole dry red chilly
chopped or sliced garlic as much as you like
hing (asafoetida) a pinch

procedure..

Purists would slow cook the daal in a pan over gas flame and would strain all the cooking liquid as soon as the daal is soft but not mushy. Use more water if doing so. I just add everything in a pressure cooker and cook for 10 minutes after the first whistle. I like to retain whatever little cooking liquid remains in the daal.

To prepare the tadka heat the ghee in a shallow pan and tip in the hing and then the broken red chilly. Let the red chilly get almost burnt when you add the chopped garlic. Now let the garlic alos browned well and then add this chilly garlic infused and almost smoked tadka to the cooked daal. Cover for 5 minutes to let the flavours infuse.

Serve hot as a side dish. I like this daal even at room temperature and it often becomes the daal for lunch box for the husband.

This daal behaves very well with dhungar or smoking with the help of a piece of charcoal. If you want that kind of smoky flavour just place the charcoal over gas flame till it gets red, place a steel bowl inside the daal pot with little ghee and a red chilly in it. Place the red hot charcoal into this bowl and cover the lid, let the red chilly burn and the smoke infuse into the daal.

In my recipe I just let the red chilly get charred into the tadka and get the desired effect. The burn red chilly is removed after it does it's work.


The daal looks plain and white but packs a punch. Slightly hot with chillies but more flavours of the green chilly and garlic that makes this daal quite potent. You just cannot eat too much of this. Best enjoyed with ghee soaked rotis made of whole grain. I like this daal with jowar rotis the most, with some baingan bharta for company.

Do not add any dhaniya patta for garnish. Never.



Friday, July 17, 2015

karonde ki subzi (achari) | a pickled condiment



karonde ki subzi

Karoda is a very tart berry (Carissa caradas) that appears in the Indian markets in the last leg of summer and continues till late August. We had a huge bush of this berry back home and our dog use to chase the birds that used to nest in that bush. A lot of pickles, chutneys and jams used to be made using karonda in those days.

We have used these berries to practice targets and it's fruiting branches to decorate flower vases. Karonde ka murabba is a popular condiment in some homes and is used as substitute for tinned cherries to make cakes etc. I think you can still find karonde ka murabba in the markets of Banaras. We never cared for keronde ka murabba though.


karonda

This subzi is nothing but a simplified pickle which is cooked quickly and is refrigerated for a week, to be served with almost all the meals during that time. Back home there were several of such achari recipes that my dadi (grandmother) used to make. She loved such hot and sour condiments herself and used to love serving 3-4 such condiments with each meal.

In modern times such condiments are more convenient as we sometimes resort to simpler one pot meals and any such pickle in the fridge can jazz up any simple meal for sure. I am reminded of and have been craving for my dadi's stuffed green chillies that was always there in the fridge whenever she stayed with us.

I must add that I remember my dadi for so much more than just the food, but I would agree food was a very tangible connect that established so effortlessly and we tend to bring that back whenever we can. My grandmother shaped my life by default and she continues to do so even though it has been 16 years she is no more.

Whenever I cook or write about such recipes I do remember her earnestly.

Coming back to karonde ki subzi, I know it is a pain to chop such tiny berries. But once you get to chopping the beauties they don't disappoint. You could sit with them to watch TV if possible. This activity used to be a meditative exercise in older days as I understand. Women used to chit chat while chopping vegetables often and that must have been great stress buster and bonding activity.

karonde ki subzi

For this kaprinde ki subzi you have to peel some garlic and chop them too. Thankfully I have a maid who helps and I just cooked this subzi in about 5 minutes. Total time that karonde ki subzi needs after chopping them is just 10 minutes, so try and get it done if you are drooling at this subzi.

This subzi is called acahri for obvious reasons. It tastes like achar but doesn't keep well like 'achar'. Another quick karonde ka achar is made in season too that lasts a bit longer but if the pickle needs to be preserved for a year it needs some preservation either with vinegar or more mustard oil and salt.

karonde ki subzi recipe

So you see you just have to flash fry the karonda, garlic and chillies along with a tadka of hing, kalonji (Nigella seeds) and turmeric chilly powder mix, and the subzi is ready.

ingredients..

quartered karonda 1 cup
quartered garlic cloves 1/2 cup
chopped green chillies 1/2 cup
mustard oil 2 tbsp
hing 1 pinch
kalonji (Nigella seeds) 2 tsp
turmeric powder 2 tsp
red chilly powder 1/2 tsp
salt to taste

procedure...

Heat the mustard oil and tip in the hing and nigella seeds. Now make a paste of turmeric and chilly powder with 2 tbsp water and pour it in the hot oil. Let this mixture sizzle for a while till the oil separates or the mixture gets shiny. Add salt to taste.

Now tip in the chopped vegetables, toss and cook on high heat for 5 minutes. Cool and transfer to a glass jar or container. Serve as required.

Do let me know when you try this karonde ki subzi. You can make similar subzi with chopped raw mangoes which was called as aam ka kuchla back home. Some people would call this karonde ki subzi too as karonde ka kuchla.