I love the rich sweet and tangy taste of tomatoes in rice and curries. This morning as I looked into my fridge my mind was made up about lunch – it had to be tomato rice. The weather outside was looking a little bleak and I desperately needed something that’ll dissipate the rapidly descending clouds of gloom. I have blogged about tomato rice before, but this recipe is another improvisation, both methods are good. I added whole spices to this tomato rice, omitted coriander and added bayleaf and curry leaves for extra flavour.

I usually make some sort of raita to go with tomato rice, something with cucumber and buttermilk, but today I was craving something creamier – but yoghurty. Enter my friend the Labneh. Labneh is a local cheese and is basically hung curd, thick and creamy. I love fresh country bread slathered with generous amounts of labneh, topped with thin slices of tomatoes and a sprinkle of cajun spice, yum… my favourite mid morning snack. So I pulled out a tub of Labneh from the fridge, got a cupful of chickpeas to soak, and went about chopping a smorgasbord of ingredients for my lunch.

for the tomato rice you need:

2 cups of basmati rice
3 3/4 cups of water
3 large tomatoes chopped
1 medium onion chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
3 pods of garlic chopped finely
1 inch piece of cinnamon
1 black cardamom, crushed
1 teaspoon of mustard seeds
1, 2 bayleaf
2 sprigs curry leaf
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 generous teaspoon sugar
salt to taste
2 tablespoons oil or ghee

Method

1. Wash rice and keep aside.
2. Pour oil into a preheated saucepan, crackle the mustard and add the spices – bayleaf, cinnamon and black cardamom.
3. Follow the spices with chopped ginger, garlic, onions, and curry leaves. Saute.
4. Add the tomatoes, give the whole thing a good mix, and after about a minute or so toss in the dry spices and seasoning – salt, turmeric, garam masala, paprika, coriander powder, and sugar. Combine.
5. Once the tomatoes have softened and the whole mixture begins to look like a chunky sauce, add the rice, and water. Stir to combine. And let the rice come to a boil.
6. Once the boiling point has been reached, mix once more and turn the gas down to really low, cover the pan and let the rice cook in solitude, giving it a mix after a good 5 minutes.
7. Basmati doesn’t take too long to cook, I didn’t really time it, but I think it was done in 10 – 15 minutes. When the water looks almost evaporated, but not completely, mix once, cover again, and turn the gas off. The rice continue to cook without becoming mushy.

While you are making the rice, you need to pressure cook the soaked chickpeas. Now usually you need to soak chickpeas for 5 to 6 hours, but since we don’t need very soft chickpea for a salad, just soak them in hot water for an hour or more. Put into a pressure cooker with double the volume of water and cook on high flame until the first whistle (the first time the steam is released). At this point lower the flame to a minimum, and cook for 30 minutes. Open the cooker only after all the steam has dissipated naturally. Open, drain the chickpeas and set aside to cool.

Other stuff for the creamy labneh salad:

1 potato boiled, peeled and chopped
1 carrot chopped finely, and steamed
1/2 cup shredded cabbage, (you need to soak this in 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1/2 cup water)
1 red onion chopped finely
ofcourse the chickpeas – about a cupful
dressing:
1/2 teaspoon of garlic flakes
200 gms Labneh
a little salt
lots of freshly crushed pepper
1/4 teaspoon carom/ajwain/bishop’s weed, lightly crushed (tastes like thyme)
a drizzle of olive oil

garnish (optional):

carrot shavings (I soaked the carrot shavings in a water, sugar and vinegar mixture for a kimchi-ish taste)
chopped fresh green spring onions for more oniony taste

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients for the salad in a large bowl. If the dressing is too creamy, you can lighten with buttermilk or laban. Serve on a bed of lettuce and garnish with carrot shavings and spring onion. The salad is luscious and hearty and can be a meal in itself, tastes great warm, and even better when chilled.

Returning after a long summer break makes me feel like a stranger in my own home. Even the pots and pans in the kitchen don’t look particularly friendly… and it usually takes me a full week to fall into a familiar monotony. I was craving for some fries, perfectly feel good food as far as I am concerned, so made this version of potato wedges and a delicious tomato dip to go with it. Purrrfect…

for the wedges:
4 medium sized potatoes, washed & scrubbed
a large pot of water
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon chilly powder/paprika
1 teaspoon garlic paste
salt to taste

for the dip:
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
2 green chillies, chopped
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
salt to taste

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degree C.
2. Cut the potatoes into 6 wedges.
3. Place the potatoes in the pot of water, bring to a boil and then simmer until the potatoes look just cooked. Drain well, and pat dry.
4. Mix the oil, garlic, salt, garam masala, coriander powder and paprika in a roasting tray. Add the potatoes and coat thoroughly.
5. Pop it into the oven and roast for 20 minutes, turning sides after the first 10 minutes.
6. For the dip, heat oil in a saucepan, saute the onion and garlic, add the tomatoes and cook until soft.
7. Stir in the chilly, vinegar, salt and sugar. Cook for another 5 minutes on low flame until the mixture looks reduced. Serve warm with the potato wedges.

]]> http://www.eatwritethink.com/2010/09/spicy-potato-wedges-with-tangy-tomato-dip/feed/ 5 http://www.eatwritethink.com/2010/01/green-tomato-chutney/ http://www.eatwritethink.com/2010/01/green-tomato-chutney/#comments Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:48:27 +0000 Nina http://www.eatwritethink.com/?p=148 [continue reading → ]]]>

Green tomatoes – as a child, I thought they were a different plant altogether but over the years I wisened up to the fact that they’re just unripe or raw tomatoes.  Still, to me they are exotic, very different from their ripened selves – maybe the fact that they’re raw and hence younger lends them a reckless appeal [don't mind me that's just my pending mid-life crisis talking!]

Anyway, I bought a couple of kilos of green tomatoes and till I use them all, expect some green tomato recipes from me. The first being a chutney that keeps well for atleast a week in the refrigerator – it makes for a great accompaniment to a hot dosa, paratha, hot rice, dal and even as a sandwich spread.

Ingredients

About 1/2 kilo green tomatoes – washed and chopped

6 green chillies

a handful of fresh coriander leaves, washed and chopped

a tsp of mustard seeds

a biggish pinch of jaggery

salt to taste

a greedy handful of peanuts – roasted and skinned

Method

Heat a couple of teaspoons of oil and when it heats up, add the mustard seeds – when they begin to pop, add the green chillies and a few seconds later, the green tomatoes. When they are cooked [ dont over cook them] , pop them in your blender with the coriander leaves, jaggery , peanuts and salt. Don’t add any water. Blend to a nice chutney consistency.

Spoon into a bottle – I got two nice jars of this.

Variation The last time I made this, I used ginger and jeera instead of mustard seeds. That was great too [ yeah! how humble am I???]

Sometimes I lack inspiration in the kitchen, and that’s when cookbooks come alive in my kitchen. But I always adapt when it comes to vegetarian cooking, throwing in this or that or taking out a condiment I think unnecessary. And that is how a tomato palak stir-fry recipe got tofu for company. The original version is from a collection called ‘The Indian Vegetarian Cookbook’. Here’s my version:

Ingredients
Spinach roughly chopped – 1 bunch
Silken Soft Tofu chopped – 1/2 cup
Tomato chopped – 1 cup
Onion chopped – 1 small
Garlic sliced – 3
Ginger julienned – 2 tsp
Cumin – 1 tsp
Dry red chilly – 1 (or more)
Asafoetida – 1 pinch
Turmeric – 1/2 tsp
Chilly pdr – 1 tsp (optional)
Salt to taste
Olive Oil – 1 tsp

Method:
1. Heat oil in a wok, add the dry red chily, cumin, onions, garlic, half of the ginger julienne and the red chilly, turmeric and asafoetida pdrs. Fry for a couple of minutes.
2. Next add the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes, and then drop in the spinach/palak. Add salt, toss and cook covered over low heat for 5 to 6 minutes.
3. Now drop in the tofu cubes, cook covered for about a minute.
4. Serve hot garnished with the rest of the ginger.

Have it with rotis, or rice, I had the palak bhaji with Makkai ki roti. And if you’re making for kids, just reduce the chilly. Its nice and tomatoey!

For the original recipe click here, and for Arundhati’s version click hhere. Now somewhere between rolling out the dough and spreading the spring onions, creativity got the better of me – how? Keep reading… but first let me begin with what I did to the dough.

Dough = 3 parts maida/all purpose flour and 1 part atta/wholewheat flour

Next I threw in some ajwain/carom seeds and 1 tsp of salt and proceeded according to the original recipe except for the oil – no oil in my dough.

Next the filling = Chopped 2 bunches spring onions + one small onion. Then I sautéed the onions, added a pinch of salt and after taking off the burner dropped in the spring onions just to wilt them a little.

Next the pancake was rolled out and filling put and rolled. Here’s when things started spinning out of control, I though why not twist them like Kerala parathas/lachha paratha? And so I started rolling out each ball of dough as thinly as I could – dusting with flour as I went along (no oil), roll, fill, twist, roll, fill, twist.

Next step, I brushed each portion with oil and rolled out like a parantha/flatbread. Then I heated the non stick skillet and cooked the paratha on each side – till brown spots appeared and all that.

Verdict = very yummy, a little dense though – perhaps because such little oil was involved, but definitely a keeper.

For next time = I’ll use more wholewheat and less all purpose (maybe 3 part atta and one part maida). I’ll also remember to add a little oil while mixing the dough and not dust so much flour while rolling out the paratha/flatbread. I think that should make it a lot softer, than this time round!!

Next up! Mum’s Tomato Chutney,

My mum makes this chutney as a quick fix, its tasty and takes very little time to prepare and jazzes up seriously bland meals! She also makes this for us – to take back, or to carry on long journeys, as it keeps well too.

Ingredients:
Tomatoes – 4 large
Onion – 1 medium
Green Chilly – 3
Ginger – 1 Tbsp
Garlic – as many as you like
Turmeric – 1 tsp
Red Chilly pdr – 1 tsp
Garam Masala – 1 tsp
Cumin – 1 tsp
Mustard – 1 tsp
Kalonji/Nigella – 1 tsp
Sugar – 1 Tbsp
Oil – 2 Tbsp
Curry leaves – 10 leaves
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Finely chop the tomato and onions and keep aside. (My mum purées the tomatoes when she plans to bottle the chutney, for longer).

2. Chop and coarsely pound the ginger and green chilly.

3. Peel garlic cloves, if the cloves are large then just slice them in fat chunks, if small then just leave them whole.

4. Heat oil and give a seasoning of mustard, cumin & nigella, then add the ginger, chilly mixture.

5. Add the onions and garlic and when it turns translucent, drop in the tomatoes and curry leaves. Fry on high flame for about a minute.

6. Lower the flame and add the dry ingredients – turmeric, garam masala and/or chilly powder, salt and sugar. Mix well and cover to cook.

7. Let the tomatoes sweat it out a bit, when they begin to loose form, open lid and cook on medium high flame till the raw taste disappears, and all the seasonings seem well bound.

8. If you’re planning to store this chutney for awhile, then cook it till it is almost dry and the oil starts to leave the sides. Then cool and refrigerate in a sterile jar. It can even stay in room temperature for about a week.

Well, the small print is that Onion Pancake/Parathas taste yummazing with my mum’s tomato chutney.

For the simple, simple pleasure of eating a quick, yet deeply soul satifying meal, all you need is a fridge overflowing with tomatoes and a husband who thinks the world of your cooking. Though spicy, for me its a great summer meal, especially washed down with a can of beer, and for that reason alone it works well in the winter as well! Here’s my take on Takkali Saadam or Tomato Rice for the uninitiated.

Ingredients:
Rice – 2 cups
Water – 4 cups
Really ripe Tomatoes – 4,5 big ones
Onion – 1 large
Garlic – 6 pods
Ginger – 1 Tbsp
Green chillies – 2
Turmeric – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Garam Masala – 1 Tbsp
Dhaniya (coriander) pdr – 1 tsp
Red Chilly pdr – 1 tsp
Sugar – 1 Tbsp
Coriander – 1 generous bunch
Oil – 2 Tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Wash the rice well and keep aside.
2. Cut the tomatoes, onions, garlic, ginger and the green chillies lengthwise.
3. Chop up the coriander leaves finely. (I use leaves, stem and all – better flavour, more fibre.)
4. Heat oil in a deep skillet and drop in the cumin, fry. Now add the onions, chillies, garlic and ginger – sauté well – until some of the onion starts caramelising.
5. Add the tomatoes – fry for about a minute till all the liquid oozes out.
6. Now one by one add the dry ingredients and keep stirring as you go along. That is, the turmeric, chilly pdr, garam masala, coriander pdr, salt and the sugar.
7. Point to note is that if you like it spicier increase the chilly pdr or the amount of green chillies. And just don’t add any – if you have a problem with spicy!
8. Let the dry flavours mix in well with the tomato mixture – after about a minute or more lower the flame and stir in the rice followed by double the water (4 cups water for 2 cups rice, as in this case). Mix well. Taste for salt and the rest of the seasoning. The taste does mellow a bit after the rice cooks.
9. Cover the skillet and let the rice cook on slow flame. Stir once in a while and turn off heat when the rice is almost done & garnish with coriander leaves – don’t worry it’ll be perfect while you fix yourself a drink, and get the rest of the eats ready.

Considering the number of buildings coming up and so many people contributing to the local economy, welfare of residents should be of some priority. Ideally every block of apartments should have one shared park with a separate play area for toddlers. My guess is – no one’s listening.

This weekend was different – friends we hadn’t bonded with for months – were coming over for dinner. So I woke up extra early, read 2 AM, and finished the weekly scripting job that I do for a local TV channel. By 6 I was through with that and spent some ‘me’ time with my favorite Friday paper, a cup of steaming chai and a peanut butter & jam sandwich. A sugar kick that lasted me the whole day.

The dinner menu was Paneer Makhani, Baingan Fry, Chicken Curry and Carrot Raita, besides Vegetable Biriyani and Roomali rotis to wipe the plates clean. And for dessert there was a fruit custard and orange jelly trifle. Here’s a little something from the dinner. If you’re like me and love a good tomato fix, this one’s for you.

No Cream – Paneer Makhani

Ingredients

Amul Paneer Block – 2
Ginger – one nice chunk
Tomatoes – 4, 5 large
Cashewnuts – 2 Tbsp
Raisins – 2 Tbsp
Black Cardamom – 4 pods crushed
Black Pepper – 1 1/2 tsp
Garam masala – 1/2 tsp
Kashmiri Chilly pdr – 1 tsp
Turmeric – 1 tsp
Kasoori Methi – 2 generous Tbsp
Oil – 2 Tbsp
Salt to taste

Method

1. Blanche the tomatoes in boiling water, puree and keep aside.

2. Cube the paneer block or slice them and cut into triangles.
3. Meanwhile soak the cashewnuts and raisins in some hot water, later make a paste in the mixie.
4. Julienne the ginger.
5. Heat Oil and drop in the crushed cardamoms, then add the tomato puree plus the ginger and cook till the oil leaves the sides.
6. Add the pepper, chilly pdr, garam masala, turmeric, and salt and stir for about a minute.
7. Now add the cashew, raisin paste. Mix well and let it cook for about a minute. Add some water and let the whole thing boil well to a nice thickish gravy.
8. Drop in the paneer cubes, followed by the kasoori methi, stir and cook covered – on low flame for about a minute or so.
9. Garnish with some grated paneer and serve with roomali roti or any bread of your choice.

Though the dish is rich thanks to the nut paste it is reasonably healthy since I don’t use butter or cream. Besides its so so yummy, that honestly you wouldn’t care!!!