Turnip kuruma

'Noolkol'or 'nookkal' is the Tamil word for Turnip or Kohlrabi. It can be used instead of potato in curries. The health benefits are many. It is good for potassium deficient days.

This curry is just another version of kuruma with whole garam masal made into a fine paste. There is no masal powder here except the turmeric. Shallot (sinna vengayam)adds a lot of flavor to this curry. It is a general practice to add potatoes and peas also along with this vegetable. Potatoes give a good flavor and texture to the kuruma.

I try to make something special for Friday nights and the ready made parathas come handy at that time.Parathas with this spicy turnip kuruma tasted wonderful:)
Noolkol korma is my mom's favorite too. As it was a rare vegetable in my home town at that time, mom used to buy this and would fondly tell us how she devoured this vegetable in Madurai, her home town....now I am recollecting hers:)

Turnip kuruma served with paratha.

Ingredients:

Turnip / noolkol / kohlrabi - 1 (250 gm)
Potato - 1 (optional)
Turmeric powder - a pinch
oil - 1 tsp
fennel - 1/2 tsp
cinnamon - 1/2 inch
curry leaf - 1 sprig
ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
cilantro + mint leaf - a handful (grind)
tomato - 1 (big)

To fry and grind:

Dry red chillies - 4
green chillies - 2
cinnamon - 1/2 inch
cloves - 2
cardamom - 2
black cumin - 1/8 tsp
fennel (sombu) - 1/2 tsp
shallot - 4 (1/2 cup chopped)
shredded coconut - 2 tbsp
coriander seeds - 1 tbsp
cumin - 1/2 tsp
cashew nut - 4
poppy seed - 1/2 tsp
oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

Wash the turnip, potato and remove the skin. Chop them finely into small cubes.
Cook it in a cup of water along with finely chopped tomato and turmeric powder.

Fry the above said ingredients in a tbsp of oil together. They need not be fried till brown, but we just need a good aroma. Let it cool completely and grind it to a fine paste along with mint + cilantro.

Heat 1 tsp oil in a wok. Add the fennel and cinnamon, let them get red. Put the curry leaves and fry a little. Immediately add the ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell vanishes. Now add the cooked vegetables along with the masala paste and bring them to a boil. Add salt, reduce the flame and cook in low flame for 10 minutes (till we get a nice kuruma flavor) and switch off.

Noolkol kuruma is ready!

Serving suggestions:

The above said quantity will yield a large amount of kuruma, sufficient for 6 people. Turnip is good at yielding good amount of curry. So reduce the vegetable quantity as per requirement.
Serve with paratha, poori, ghee rice, chapathi, roti, dosa etc.

Murugal dosai

I didn't realize the need for this post, until one of our friends asked . Dosa is the staple food for any South Indian family .  Just like many of you , the very sight of the dosa batter-container in my refrigerator always gives me a feeling of relief. It is the best friend at supper time, if I can't think much. So I always make a big batch of batter on Fridays, so that the weekends go smoothly :)

The paper roast dosai we get in restaurants is the yummiest version of all dosais. Mom used to call it as 'murugal dosai' (Murugal - crispy) and I like that name very much. Amma's kaipakkuvam (mom's touch) and the 'kalchekku' nallennai (Extra virgin sesame / gingelly oil) along with that perfectly fermented batter would make the house smell heavenly. Even now the same kind of flavor floating from some unknown chimney lifts up my spirit.

How to choose a dosa tawa and maintain it?

Many people add a teaspoon of channa dhal to get the golden brown colored dosa. Below ratio is the one we use. No harm in using whatever works out the best for you. But the real secret lies in the selection of the dosa tawa (dosa girdle).
Indian grocery stores or Indian vessel stores are the best places to get one. Buy an iron dosa girdle of at least 10 mm thickness and as large as 1 feet diameter. The thickness helps in uniform heating, which results in very thin crispy dosas. I am not good at non stick dosa tawas. But the non sticks are great for making soft doas (like pancakes).
Ok, as soon as we buy that thick dosa tawa, immerse it in a solution of rice washed water or water strained out while cooking for 24 hours. After that wash it and heat once uniformly apply a coating of sesame oil over it and put a lid on it. Switch off flame and  let it remain over night. The next morning, gently wipe off the oil and start making dosas.
The rule number one is never use that precious dosa tawa for making chapathi / roti or any other purpose like dhum biryani making etc:) This will spoil fine layers (at molecular level) of the dosa tawa and it will take a lot of time to get rectified.
Keep your dosa-turning spatula clean and sharp. Try to use an ever-silver spatula to turn the dosa, as they are always sharp.  Wipe off the excess batter after every use.

Dosa batter uniformly spread on the conventional dosa tawa.

Golden brown dosa after flipping.

Crispy Murugal dosai served with Coconut chutney.

Ingredients:

Idly rice - 3 cups
black gram dhal - 1 cup
(In India the urad dhal is very fresh so 1:4 ratio is enough. Other than that 1:3 works the best while using an aged dhal or Indian mixie. If using an Indian grinder the ratio can be 1: 3 1/2)
fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
salt - 3 1/2 tsp (1 tsp for each cup of rice and 1/2 tsp for a cup of black gram)
Sesame oil - 50 ml

Batter preparation:

Soak rice separately for 5 hours. Dhal and fenugreek seeds need to be soaked together for about 3 hours. After that grind dhal till it becomes very smooth and fluffy. The batter should be thick like softened butter. Transfer it to a big bowl. Then grind the rice to a very smooth texture.Do not add lot of water. Add salt and by giving several strokes.
Store this in a large vessel so that there is enough space for batter to rise. Grinding and storing of batter should be done the previous day, preferably in the night so that the batter would be ready the next day. The batter should be allowed to ferment for about 15 – 18 hours.
(If the outside temperature is below 85 deg C, then keep it inside a mildly warmed oven to get warmth). The next day, mix the batter well and it can be used to make idly or dosa.
Generally people prepare Idly with the first day batter and the remaining batter can be used to make dosa. Moreover dosa comes out very well if the batter is more fermented. we can add a dash of yeast to the freshly ground batter to enhance fermentation of the batter.The remaining batter can be preserved in tight containers in refrigerator.
A well prepared batter can remain good for almost a week.

Dosa preparation:

Heat a dosa tawa. Check the heat by sprinkling a drop of water. It should be sizzling hot. For the first dosa, Spread the sesame oil uniformly using the special wooden tool we use for spreading oil or a piece of fresh cloth. Wipe off excess oil. There should be almost no oil now.

Take a ladle of batter and pour it gently over the tawa and spread it to get crepe.
Keep the heat in maximum. Drizzle a tsp of sesame oil over the dosa. After it starts turning red, flip and take out immediately.

From the next dosa, start pouring the batter directly. No need to brush oil at first. But feed the dosa with generous quantity of sesame oil. Serve immediately, as it becomes soggy with time.

Murugal dosai is ready!

Serving suggestions:

Serve hot with sambar, chutney.
Makes 40 dosa.

Approximate calories:

(Click to see source)
1 large home made murugal dosai (10 inch dia)
From batter - 80 to 100 Kcal
from sesame oil (1 tsp) - 40 Kcal
Total 140 Kcal.