Re-creating the taste from Eden

Eden-One of the most frequented restaurants by vegetarians in Chennai. This unassuming place has stood the test of time and I must commend them for maintaining the consistent good quality and taste over the many years. I guess I went to Eden way back in 1998 for the first time. Not only did they have some really 'wow' food, but their offerings had some catchy names too. It might not sound like a great deal now. Back then, dessert names like "The last time I ever saw my waist" or "Death by Chocolate" was considered very fancy and Eden was a "hep" place to have a meal.

Well, the reason behind the whole prelude is that I was and am terribly impressed by one of their main courses called "Baby corn mushroom saute". Its a Tomato based Baby corn and Mushroom gravy served on a bed of herbed rice. And I was in a mood to re-create the taste in the confines on my kitchen because other than Eden, I havent found that entree in any of the other restaurants. And I remember the taste so well, after being a big fan all these years of this particular dish. So I took it up as a challenge and I was successful in recreating that taste, according to my palate though...:-)...So, without further ado, here we go with the recipe. [With a few little tweaks here and there...but the combined end result was as good...]

Sweet corn/Methi Pulav served with Tomato Gravy

Ingredients
Sweet corn-1 cup
Dried fenugreek leaves[Kasoori Methi]-1/2 cup
Onions-1, finely chopped
Clove-2
Cardamom-2 pods
Cinnamon-1 small stick
Green chillies-2, slit through the centre
Salt-As per taste
Basmati Rice-1 cup[soak for 10 minutes]
Water-2 cups
Oil/Butter-2 tbsp

Method

1. Heat Oil[and/or butter...I prefer adding a bit of both] in a wide mouthed vessel and add the cloves, cinnamon and cardamom. Wait for 5 seconds and add finely chopped onions, green chillies and saute until the onions are soft and pink.
2. The add the sweet corn kernels and saute for about a minute and then add the Kasoori Methi.
   
3. Saute them together for about 2-3 minutes and add 2 cups water and salt as per taste.
4. Once the water comes to a boil, add the Basmati rice and cover and cook for exactly 10 minutes in medium heat and switch off stove. Wait for another 5 minutes to open and check the cooked rice.

Note: I always cook Basmati rice only for 10 minutes, no matter what the recipe because that's the time it takes to cook anyways. The secret is the 10 minute soaking time that softens the rice a bit before cooking. Not only do you get a nice aromatic flavour, the grains also stay separate even after cooking.

For the Gravy

Ingredients
Onion-1, finely chopped
Tomatoes-5 or6, finely chopped
Green chillies-2, slit at the centre
Coriander powder-1 tbsp
Red chilli powder-1/2 tsp
Salt-as per taste
Thick Coconut milk-1/4 cup
Baby corn-1/2 cup, cut into long strips
Mushroom-1/2 cup, rough chopped
Capsicum-1/2, chopped into 1 inch strips
Oil-2 tbsp
Coriander-finely chopped, for garnish[optional]
Method

1. Heat Oil in a kadai/wok and add finely chopped onions and saute just until brown.
2. Add green chilli and saute for half a minute and then add coriander powder and red chilli powder and mix over stove for about 10 seconds.
3. Add the finely chopped tomatoes and salt and cover and cook on medium flame until the tomatoes are really squishy and resemble a gravy.
4. Saute the baby corn, mushroom and capsicum separately until they are cooked yet crunchy to bite into.
5. Add the sauteed corn/mushroom/capsicum mixture into the tomato gravy and cook for about 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the coconut milk to the gravy and cook uncovered for another 2 minutes.
7. Switch off stove and garnish with finely chopped coriander.
   

To serve
Make a bed of rice on a plate and create a well at the centre of the plate. Spoon in the gravy just before serving. This allows the gravy to sort of seep through the rice slowly and gives a rich flavour.
Note:
For doing a picture and because we were eating it only after a while, I have done the picture with the rice and gravy separately on a plate.

Apeit Buena!

Dosai amma Dosai...Amma panna Dosai...

My husband can be fed Dosai or Dosa[as the non-south Indians refer to it] as a meal anytime of the day and he will polish them off without any fuss. Well, obviously, because its his favourite food...snack...tiffin. Well, a dosa can be a fast food or a slow food, or a "fast" slow food, if you had the batter in the refrigerator. Store-bought batter also serves the purpose.

In my quest for the perfect Dosai, I finally mastered the art of making the batter a while ago. But I have started blogging my recipes only recently and hence am publishing it now. Besides, my 1 year old also loves the dosai for a meal. Hence the title of this blog.

Dosai can be eaten plain, with "molaga podi/ennai or ghee/nei", with chutney, sambhar, thokku, "nei sakkarai" or with all of these for each mouthful. And after having relocated out of India where the only place you can enjoy a dosai is at home, barring a few restaurants which serve pancakes masked as Dosai, eating crispy dosai becomes an even more enjoyable thing to do. So here we go, with the recipe for making Dosai, Coconut chutney and Sambhar...yummmy, my mouth waters even as I type this blog because thats the dinenr today and it is ust awaiting a diner. So here it is:

Dosai
Ingredients
Boiled Rice/idly Rice-4 cups
Urad Dal[ulundu]-1 cup
Salt-1 tbsp Method

Method

1. Soak rice and Urad dal separately overnight[because it is easier...but 3 hours is enough soak time]
2. Grind the Urad dal to a fine paste first and transfer to a vessel. Add ust about enough water so that Urad dal paste is not too light. You must be able to make a soft ball with the paste.
3. Grind the rice into a fine paste and transfer it to the same container as the Urad dal paste.
4. Add 1 tbsp salt and blend them well.
5. Allow to ferment overnight for making crispy dosais next morning.
6. If you stay in a country where overnight is not enough time for the batter to ferment, allow it to stand for 1 day and 1 night. That is usually enough.
7. Put the pancake girdle on the gastop and wait until it has heated up well.
8. Ladle one big portion of the batter to the centre of the pan and ladle a pancake size dosai on the girdle.
9. Add a bit of oil to cook the dosai. Turn it to cook on the other side, after one side of it is cooked to a nice brownish color.
10. Continue to do as many dosais as you need.
11. Serve with Molaga podi/ennai, chutney and/or sambhar.

Note: In case you want to make smaller portions of the batter, just remember the ratio 4:1 for Rice: Urad Dal. Some do 3:1 and some do 5:1 as well. But then 4:1 is what I follow and it has worked fine for me each time. Some also add Methi/Vendayam/Fenugreek seeds to the Urad dal to enable the batter to get fluffy and nice. The Kitchen is yours. Indulge in your fancies.

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients

Coconut-1 cup
Green Chillies-3 numbers
Groundnut/Odacha Kadala-1/4 cup
Salt-taste wise
Kothamalli/Green Coriander-small bunch[optional]

For Seasoning
Oil-1 tsp
Mustard-1/4 tsp
Asafoetida-a pinch
Curry Leaves-10 numbers

Method

1. Blend the all the ingredients in a mixie and voila! the coconut chutney is done. Adjust the ingredients as per your taste and choice and so you can make it spicy, medium or not-so-spicy.
2. Heat oil in a kadai. When smoking hot, add the mustars, asafoetida and curry leaves and fry until the curry leaves are crisp. Then add it to the chutney.

Note: Adding the Kothamalli gives a nice green colour to the chutney. Else, the Kothamalli looks off-white.

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Dosai is best served with Sambhar for an accompaniment. And I must thank "Kala", my dear household help in Chennai for being a saviour and helping me with this recipe. One day, I had run out of Tamarind and was cursing myself for not buying it when I had been to the supermarket just a few minutes before. And Kala saw that I was not happy with something and asked me what was wrong. I casually mentioned to her saying that there was no Tamarind and hence I can't make Sambhar. She had a quizzical look on her face because she found it to be funny. Now, that reaction was something I hadn't expected. So, I asked her about it. She said, I never use Tamarind to make Sambhar. Now, it was my turn to give that "funny look". What I had thought was impossible all this while, was not an issue at all for her. Making Sambhar without tamarind. She just went on to make the Sambhar using her method that day, to prove her point. Boy, was I pleased! Not only did she come as a saviour with her Sambhar recipe for dinner that day, but also has changed my Sambhar making process forever, well, almost! Except on rare occassions, I only make this Sambhar and it is time-saving and easy too. You can never go wrong with this method. So, here we go with the recipe.

Sambhar

Ingredients
Toor Dal-1 cup
Onion-1, finely chopped
Tomato-4, finely chopped
Garlic pods-4 numbers
Green Chillies-2 numbers, slit vertically
1 tsp of black pepper, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds combined together
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Water-4 cups

For Taste

Asafoetida-1/4 tsp
Sambhar Powder-1 tbsp
Salt-as per taste

For Seasoning

Oil-1 tsp
Mustard-1 tsp
Curry Leaves-10 numbers
Coriander leaves-1 small bunch
Ghee-1 tbsp

Method

1. Pressure cook all the ingredients in the cooker for 7-8 whistles.
2. When cooled, Mash the pressure cooked items well and add the asafoetida, salt and sambar powder. Add a pinch of sugar/jaggery to give it a tangy taste. Check the taste and add/adjust the salt, sambhar powder accordingly.
3. Boil the sambhar well.
4. Heat oil in a kadai and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and fry until the curry leaves are crisp and add the seasoning to the sambhar. Then add a dollop of ghee and top it with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Note:

1. You can microwave any of the following vegetables for about 4 minutes and saute it lightly in oil and add it to the sambhar before boiling it-Beans, carrot, ladiesfinger, red/white pumpkin cut into 1 inch pieces.
2. I add a dollop of ghee to Sambhar because it gives a nice aroma and twist to the sambhar. In case, you are literally counting your calories, you can avoid this.

Enjoy your Dosai, Chutney and Sambhar and do let me know your feedback and comments.

Cheers!