Friday, March 20, 2009

Brinjal serwa

Being a lover of nature (just call me crazy, ha ha) , I have the habit of googling the images of many flowers and vegetables:). Lets say that is my only one way to quench my thirst. While doing so , I bumped into an interesting article about 'Mullu kathirikai',(meaning - brinjal with few tender thorn like attachment) a native brinjal grown in Vellore of TamilNadu. Guess it would be the most yummiest brinjal one can ever taste. I am also one among those luckiest people who had the chance to taste it, while I was in Chennai. That is a unique variety of brinjal with few thorns in its outer skin. But unlike all other brinjal , it will never show any bitter taste. After cooking we can compare the taste like that of a butter melting in the mouth:)
Then I googled again if I can find an authentic recipe with it. Interestingly the first link showed up belonged to Malar of Kitchen Tantra. The name of the recipe is 'Kathirikai serwa' and we can get this dish as a side dish along with Ambur / vellore / kushka biriyani in Madras. I have tasted it in restaurants but never knew the exact recipe. The end result was so good, that my hubby couldn't control himself on seeing his favorite dish.




The whole recipe belongs to Malar and here is the link for the original Vellore serwa recipe from her. She has a vast collection of unique Indian dishes. If you are a great Non-veg fan or looking for some authentic south Indian dishes , then I strongly recommend you to visit her blog.
(Original recipe Posted by Malar Gandhi at Sunday, April 27, 2008 )

Ingredients:
To Grind:
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 4 pods
Scallions - 2
Country tomato - 4 (1/2 lb)

To Powder:
Fenugreek Seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
(I added 1 tsp sesame seeds because I ran out of sesame oil. But if you are using the sesame oil, you can leave the seeds).

For Tempering:
Peppercorns - 1/2 tsp
Cumin - 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves few
Sesame oil - 1/4 cup

For Serwa:
Indian Eggplants - 1/2 lb .
Green chilies - 3 slitted
onion - 1 sliced
Salt
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Chili powder - 1 tsp
tamarind extract - 1 tbsp

Method:

Wash and clean the brinjal. Remove the stem, but retain the bracts.
slice them legthwise along with bracts (crown).

Dry roast the items given to powder and make a fine powder.
Grind the ginger, garlic , tomato , chopped onion (2 tbsp) together.

In an iron wok, heat up oil. Add tempering spices, followed by chillies and onions. Fry real good till onions turn golden. Add salt to hasten the process.

Now add ground ingredients and fry till raw odour leaves the pan.

Followed by sliced eggplants. Mix well.

Add Turmeric ,tamarind , salt and chilli powders . Cover and cook till the vegetables become tender and oil shows up on sides.

Then add powdered spices and bring to one boil, remove from heat. Care should be taken not to break the brinjal while cooking.

Serving suggestions:
Serve as side dish with biriyani , any rice or rotis.
Makes nearly 500 ml of thick gravy.
serves 5 generous helpings.
Time taken for the entire process: 30 minutes.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Curry leaf chutney (dipping )



Happy St.Patrick's Day!
I am very glad to post something green on this day.
I wish to make a post on some herb for Weekend Herb Blogging event started by Kalyn and now conducted by Halo . This week it is hosted by Yasmeen of Health Nut. Congrats dear!
The herb I have chosen is the curry leaf (Botanical name: murraya koenigi).
Hope this curry leaf chutney suits the event.

(courtesy : google images)
The curry leaf plant belongs to shrub variety and is a native of India ,Sri Lanka in Asia.
Where to find it? In all Indian stores. Globally they call it as curry leaf in English.
What is the price? Up to my knowledge , we can get a small pack of curry leaf (just enough to make this chutney) for one dollar in USA.
How to select them? Choose fresh and tender leaves.
Medicinal value:
It is used to treat kidney disorders, digestive disorders, premature grey hair, premature aged look, skin problems, nausea, vision disorders etc.
In case of a digestive upset, buttermilk enriched with the paste of curry leaves, common salt and cumin seed powder is recommended.

But the most popular dish recommended for diabetic patients, weight loss stimulant, beauty therapy is to make chutney / dipping out of it.
Because the curry leaves just like any other herb will tend to loose its medicinal value on overheating. Moreover each and every ingredient in this chutney will help our body to absorb the nutrients from the curry leaf.

Here is the recipe.

Curry leaf chutney / curry leaf dipping.


Ingredients:
Curry leaf - 15 sprigs (1 pack)
Shredded coconut - 2 tbsp
Tamarind extract - 1/2 tsp
green chilly - 3
cilantro leaf - a handful
garlic - 1 pod
cumin seed - 1/2 tsp
salt - 1/2 tsp

Method:
Remove the center stem in each brig and take the curry leaves alone.
Wash the cilantro and curry leaves in running water.
Remove the skin of garlic.
In a blender / mixer add all the above and grind them to a fine thick paste with very little water.
Curry leaf chutney is ready!

Notes: Do not temper the chutney as it may reduce the medicinal values.
We can add 3 drops of lime instead of tamarind juice.
Cilantro can be omitted , but it enhances the flavor.
Shredded coconut can be substituted by coconut milk, if you are using it as a dipping. But authentic chutney will have shredded coconut as the thickening agent.
Fresh garlic and cumin helps in absorption of the nutrients from the curry leaf.
Reduce the green chilly to suit your taste buds.

Serving suggestions:

In India it is Served as side dish / dipping for Idly , dosa, rice, roti.
It can also be used as spread on sandwiches and pizzas.
we can make it in advance and mix a pinch with buttermilk for a healthy drink.

If you want to know more about curry leaves , here are some links:
Medicinal values of curry leaf.
Curry leaf in Ayurveda.

curry leaf - other names.

Aval Pazham

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