Peas Saagu

This is my entry for

hosted by the Lovely Asha from Foodie's Hope. I have also taken the liberty of adapting one of her recipes. It turned out delicious, thanks Asha.

The Regional Cuisine of India (RCI) is a great idea of Laksmi of Veggie Cuisine. It has certainly given me a chance to try dishes I hadn't even heard of. Thank you Laksmi for the idea. Thank you Asha for hosting the Karnataka Cuisine. I now know where it is on the map!

Ingredients
1 cup dried peas; soaked overnight (I let the peas sprout for 3 days); boiled
3 potatoes; boiled and chopped
1tblspn oil
1 medium onion; chopped finely
2 tblspn sour cream
coriander for garnish
Masala Paste
1/4 Cup fresh grated coconut
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1/2 tbsp Cumin Seeds
2 tsp black peppercorns
2 tbsp roasted peanuts (Asha used roasted chickpeas; but I did not have any
2-3 6reen chillies
2 tbl chopped coriander
1 inch piece cinnamon
3-4 cloves
1/2 tspn turmeric




Method
1. Grind the dry ingredients, poppy, coriander and cumin seeds, peppercorns, peanuts, cinnnamon and cloves.
2. Mix in the coconut chopped coriander and tumeric and grind until you get a smooth paste, keep aside for later.
2. Heat oil in a pan, and add the onions, fry until golden brown, add ground masala, cook until nicley toasted.
3. Put in cooked peas with the water they were cooked in and potatoes, bring to boil, add sour cream and coriander, mix
4. Simmer gently for a few minutes and serve with chapati, puri or parotha.

Hyderabadi Vegetable Biryani

This is my entry for Latha of Masala Magic's Andhra Pradesh Event Hyderabad is the capital of Andhra Pradesh and is reputed to be the Biryani capital of India (Lucknow may compete for this title).

Biryani, is traditionally made with lamb or chicken. For this entry I wanted to make a vegetarian biryani. This is Shaheen's recipe, and like all 'good' Indian cooks I tweaked it a bit. It is the best Veggie biriyani I have ever tasted, TRY IT, and see!

Ingredients
12 medium sized button mushroom; quartered
2 red peppers; cut in chunks
2 courgette - zuchini cut into quarter chunks
a handful of green beans, topped and tailed and cut into 2 inch pieces
2 leeks; green parts cut into 1 cm chunks
white part, sliced into fine rings
1/2 cup chopped methi (fenugrek leaves)
1/2 cup yougurt
3 cloves garlic; minced
2 inch ginger; grated
3-4 green chillies; minced
2 heaped tspn coriander and cumin powders
1/2 tspn tumeric
2 and 1/2 cups basamati rice; washed and soaked in water
6 large tomatoes; blanched, peeled and chopped
1 heaped tspn cumin seeds
3-4 cloves,
2 sticks cinamon
6-8 peppercorns
3 cardomom pods
1/2 tspn saffron
1 teaspn garam masala
1 tablespoon of vegetableoil

for tarka / tempering
1 tspn cumin
for topping
1/2 tspn saffron soaked in some warm water


Method
1Heat the oil in a large saucepan, fry the whole masala; cumin, cloves, cinnamon, peppercorns, and cardomom, fry until they pop and splutter, add the sliced white part of the leeks. (You can use onions instead)
2. Fry the white part of leeks until transluscent.
3. Add the mushrooms, fry for a few minutes, add the methi (fenugrek leaves) and fry for a few minutes
4. Add the peppers, courgettes beans and green part of the leaks, stir, cover and let it cook for about 15 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli pastes. mix well
5. Add the tomatoes, yougurt and tumeric, coriander and cumin powders, cook for aobut 10 minutes. Add the garam masala.

5.Meanwhile parboil the rice in lots of water, strain and wash with cold water
6. Place half the vegetable mixture in an oven proof dish, place half the rice on top of it.
5. Fry the cumin in the oil
6. Pour half the cumin / oil mixture on the rice, pour half the saffron mixture on the rice.
7. Layer the other half of the vegetable mixture. Top with the other half of the rice
Pour the the other half of the cumin and saffron on the rice.
8. Place in a moderate oven for 15 minutes.
5. Serve with a green salad

Uppuma / Upma

This is my entry for Tamil Cuisine RCI - April 2005 hosted by Lakshmi of Veggie Cuisine


Uppuma in Tamil is: "Maavu" means "flour" (of any kind); uppu+maav according to Wikipedia.
I first tried this dish only very recently at Sakoni in Wembley, they serve at the breakfast / brunch buffet. It is quite unusual for my family because semolina usually means seero to us which is a sweet dish with nuts and raisons (made in much the same way).
Ingredients
1 cup semolina
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup green beans
2 tomatoes; diced
1 tbspn oil
1 tspn mustard seeds
4-5 curry leaves
2 cloves garlic; minced
3 inches ginger; grated
2 green chillies; minced
1/4 tspn tumeric
2 table spoons sunflower seeds
21/2 cups water


Method
1. Dry cook the semolina, until it is golden brown, with a sweet aroma, remove from heat and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a pan, add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and sunflower seeds.
3. As soon as the sunflower seeds begin to brown, add the vegetables; garlic, ginger and the green chillies cook for a few minutes, and add the tumeric, mix and add the water.
4. Bring the water to boil, add the salt; when the vegetables are cooked add the semolina.









I used sunflower seeds instead of cashew nuts, this made really nutty and cruncy!