Zucchini Majjige huli/ Moru curry/ Morkulambu/Majjige Pulusu (Buttermilk/Yogurt Curry)

Zucchini Majjige huli

Majjige huli is a popular curry in Karnataka. It's called "Morkulambu" in Tamil Nadu, "Majjiga Pulusu" in Andra Pradesh and "Moru Curry" in Kerala-just goes to show the similarities in cooking styles in South Indian cuisine.

'Majjige' is 'buttermilk' ,while 'huli' is 'sour' in Kannada. Usually majjige huli is made with one vegetable (like cucumber, eggplant, ashgourd, spinach,etc). I had a couple of Zucchinis in the fridge and decided to use it as the vegetable in the majjige huli. Since I've never made majjige huli before, I had to call up my mom for the recipe,so here goes:

Ingredients for the majjige huli:

• Zucchini: 2 small cut into cubes (or any one of the vegetables listed above)
• Coconut: 1 cup grated(fresh/frozen)
• Channa dal/split chickpeas: 1tbsp soaked in water for 1/2hour (optional)
• Green chillies: 2-3
• Cumin seeds/zeera: 1tsp
• Mustard seeds: 1tsp
• Yogurt/ curd: 1 cup (should be slightly sour)
• Water: 2-3 cups
• Salt: to taste

For the tempering:

• Mustard seeds: 1tsp
• Cumin seeds/zeera: 1tsp
• Urad dal: 1tsp
• Curry leaves:3-4 nos.
• Oil: 1tsp

Method:

1. Boil the zucchini in just enough water till half done.
2. In the meanwhile grind the coconut,green chillies, the soaked channa dal(optional), mustard and cumin seeds till you get a fine paste (add a little water when grinding).
3. When the zucchini is half cooked add the ground masala and a cup of water and let it boil.
4. Add salt, yogurt and another cup of water and cook for a minute or two.
5. In a separate pan, heat the oil and add the mustard,cumin and the urad dal. Wait till the mustard starts to pop, add the curry leaves , then pour the tempering over the majjige huli and mix.
6. Serve the majjige huli hot with rice.

Q: What is your favorite side dish to go with rice?

Collard Upkari (a Mangalorean style stir-fry)

Collard Upkari

"Upkari"(or stir-fry) is a very simple vegetarian dish which is a regular in most Mangalorean households. You can make 'upkari' with any vegetable (cabbage,beans,radish, string beans,etc) or with any green leafy vegetable. 'Upkari's' are traditionally made by adding the chopped vegetable/leaves to the tempering along with one or two slit green chillies and cooked till done. At the end, a garnish of freshly grated coconut(Mangalore is a coastal town and has an abundance of coconut trees,and hence the use of coconut in almost every dish) is added which gives it the characteristic flavor.
I've modified the recipe for the collard upkari by adding some chopped onions,some chopped ginger and a pinch of asafoetida(hing) as I like the flavor it adds to the dish.

Ingredients:

• Collard leaves: 1 bunch (chopped)
• Green chilly:1-2(slit length wise)
• Onion-1/2 medium (finely chopped) optional
• Ginger-1/2 inch (cut into long strips) optional
• Coconut: 1tbsp(freshly grated/frozen)
• Salt to taste

For the tempering:

• Oil: 1tsp
• Mustard seeds: 1tsp
• Urad dal: 1tsp
• Asafoetida/hing: a pinch(optional)
• Curry leaves: 3-4 (optional)

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds and urad dal.
2. When the mustard starts to pop, add the asafoetida and the curry leaves.
3. Add the chopped ginger,slit green chillies and onions and saute till the onions turn translucent.
4. Add the chopped collard (or any of the other vegetables/green leafy vegetables) and stir-fry for 10mins.
5. Then add a little water, salt to taste and cover and cook till done.
6. Garnish the collard upkari with the coconut scrapings. Serve hot with a dash of lime (goes well with dal and rice).

Note: You can add 1/2 cup of split moong(wash and soak for 15 mins-add at step 5 with the water) or cooked pulses(kabuli channa) to add some protein to the dish.

Q. Which is your favorite recipe with greens?

Chicken nuggets anyone????

Has anyone watched Jamie Olivier's "Food Revolution"? It's quite an eye opener. The program not only shows the loopholes in the recommendation for school lunches but also gives an insight to the ingredients and methods used by the food industry for packaged foods.
Here is the inside story of commercially prepared chicken nuggets:

To know more check out his website: http://www.jamieoliver.com/
Q: Would you buy a pack of chicken nuggets after watching the video?

Tandoori fish

Tandoori Fish

There are just a couple of seafood dishes that my husband is okay with,one of them being "Tandoori fish". He's a little particular that the dish doesn't "smell fishy" (?) so I need to buy fish which aren't too oily(that also unfortunately means less omega-3 in it) and also choose methods that doesn't make the dish smell fishy (fish curry is a strict "no-no"). Here's a list of fish that are HIGH in Omega-3's:
Bass(striped); Herring; Mackerel, Oysters(Pacific); Sablefish(also called black cod);Salmon; Trout(freshwater);Tuna.
The tandoori masala and the marination seem to camouflage the smell and the result is very tasty too!!You can pick up tandoori masala at any Indian store and if you are a little wary of the 'red color' you could opt for the organic version(with no added colors) or make it from scratch with garam masala, ginger-garlic paste,paprika, pepper powder and salt ( I'm not familiar with the actual proportions for each,it's usually trial and error when I make it). Tandoori Fish when baked or grilled is a healthy way of serving fish. Here are the ingredients for the 'tandoori fish':
Ingredients:

• Fish steaks/fillets (halibut/tilapia/tuna/salmon): 4nos.
• Tandoori masala: 1-2 tablespoon (use less for milder taste or more if you want it spicier)
• Yogurt: 2 tablespoon
• Vinegar: 1tsp
• Lemon : 1/2
• Onion : 1/2 medium (chopped into rings)

Method:

1. Wash the fish well (traditionally fish in India is washed in water,then some tumeric and lemon juice is applied to the pieces and kept for 1/2 an hour,and then washed off again).
2. Mix the tandoori masala, yogurt and vinegar and taste for salt. If required,add a little salt.
3. Coat the fish with the tandoori masala and let it marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or you could also shallow fry it in a pan till done.
5. Squeeze some lime juice over it just before serving.
6. Serve the tandoori fish with some lemon wedges and some onion rings.

Tandoori Fish

Q: What is your favorite method of cooking fish?