What is that smell in your kitchen? How to make your pantry smell like an indian bazaar.

A few years back I moved to the US to attend school. When I boarded the airplane so did my large, refrigerator-sized suit case filled with a 20lb mixie (with electrical conversion kit) and bags of powder. Looking back, perhaps being the post-911 era we are in, this may have looked a little scary to the TSA screener.

Nevertheless, my palate is used to full flavors and my family wouldn't have me leave home without bags of our secret family masalas. So along came the bags of cardamom, sambar podi, peppercorns, tea, and more...my grandmom didn't want me to go hungry in the states.

Anyone visiting my apartment could smell the masala in air from the recent "family feasts" with my new-found friends. Open the spice pantry and you would be overcome with the powerful punch of cardamom and fine masala powder floating in the humid summer air.

I'm sure by now you've browsed some of the recipes and see that there are a lot of items that your local Piggly Wiggly or Jewel Osco does not stock. I recommend that you make a trip to an indian grocery store and stock up on some staple spices and ingredients.

• mustard seeds
• ulundhu (urad dhal)
• curry leaves (fresh are best, but dried are a good alternative to have in stock as backup)
• jeera (cumin seeds)
• dried red chilies
• coriander powder
• turmeric powder
• chili powder
• garam masala
• tamarind pulp (or concentrated paste)
• ginger garlic paste (if you prefer to use rather than ginger and garlic fresh)
• toor dal
• moong dal
• green chilies (fresh, thai chilies-last up to a month)
• bay leaves
• canola oil
• sesame oil
• Ghee (optional-clarified butter for taste enrichment only)
• cloves
• cinnamon sticks
• Kasury Meethe
• Seeragam (fennel seeds)
• Basmati rice

What is curry? [3 Main Podi's]

On occasion I run into someone who tells me that they have tried a curry dish at their local indian or asian restaurant. Unfortunately the resulting experience either deters them from sampling curries in the future or confuses them when they try curries at other establishments .

This leads me to seek out clarification on the basic question: "what is curry?".

Curry is a very generic term that used to describe a masala (or mixture) of a variety of spices used in indian or asian cooking. Curries are very regional and can vary dramatically from one community to another.

Most indian families have their own mixtures and "family secret masala's". Don't be afraid to take a recipe and vary the levels of the spices to create your own secret masala.

Three main podi's you will find in south indian dishes include:

1) Coriander powder (mostly)
2) Chili powder (based on desired spice level)
3) Turmeric powder (pinch)
*** Garam masala powder (pinch)-in some cases a 4th podi is added to the mix.

Keep these podi's stocked in your spice rack.

Iddly

To begin to familiarize yourself with the soft, pillowy, dome-shaped iddly cakes it is best to start off by using batter made by an expert until you understand the anticipated consistency and flavor. If you do not have a batch of iddly batter graciously donated from a fellow indian chef, than I highly recommend visiting an indian grocery store to purchase a fresh batch.

To make iddly you'll need iddly plates and cooker (may use pressure cooker). I recommend the Premier brand of iddly plates to go with the Prestige cooker.

Iddly

STEP 1:
-add 1-2" water to base of cooker (to create steam that cooks batter)

STEP 2:
-rinse plate, may need to add splash of water to batter (enough to get a thick, creamy batter like that of pancake batter),
-ladle batter into each iddly cup on plate up to rim (do not overfill)
-place plate in cooker

STEP 3:
-repeat step 2 with new plate
-align plates in cooker so that steam holes alternate over iddly cups, allowing steam to pass up to each plate (see pictures attached)

STEP 4:
-STEAM: close cooker, set burner to med-high or high, place time on :10min
-after :10 min turn off burner and set aside for 2min

STEP 5:
-remove iddly plates from cooker
-wet a large serving spoon with cold H2O and carefully carve out each iddly cake, wetting the spoon in between

SERVE & ENJOY

****tastes best when broken apart and saturated with sambar juices!

Tomato Chutney

This zesty, karam tasting condiment is a delicious and savory addition to your sambar and iddly dishes. It also pairs well with uttapam and other recipes to come.

Tomato Chutney

STEP 1: sauté the following ingredients in order:

-mustard seeds (1tsp-allow to pop in oil w/urad dhal before proceeding; be careful not to burn)
-urad dhal (1 tsp)
-curry leaves (5-6)
-green chilies (2-3)
-fennel seeds (1/8tsp)
-chili powder (1/2 tsp)
-turmeric (dash)
-coriander powder (1tsp)
-aesafaetida powder (1/4tsp)

STEP 2: add the following to the saute above:

-garlic cloves (3, chopped)
-onion (1 purple, chopped)

STEP 3: allow items above to saute and flavors to meld before adding

-tomatoes (2-3; grind in mixie** or food processor)
BOIL till the oil comes out and raw flavor of tomato is gone

STEP 4: add

-salt (to taste)
-fenugreek (1/4tsp, dry-roasted and ground/mixied)

**a great kitchen tool to use! Much more powerful and reliable than a food processor. A favorite of mine in the kitchen for smoothies, chutney, and much more. I recommend the Preethie mixie.

Sambar

To make it easier on yourself, I highly recommend the use of a pressure cooker to soften and cook the dal and vegetables. You will not only love how this cooker melds flavors together, but it cooks food in a shockingly fast time, provides intense juiciness to meats and steams rice deliciously. I recommend the Prestige line of cookers.***

SAMBAR

STEP ONE: Place the following ingredients in the pressure cooker:

-carrots (2-4 large, chopped)
-veggies (I use 2 handfuls of spinach, chopped; feel free to experiment with your favorites)
-toor dal (1 cup, rinsed)
-onion (1/2 purple onion, chopped)
-tomato (1 small or 1/2 large)
-green chilies (2-3 thai chilies, chopped w/seeds; may use serrano which have less karam)
-fenugreek (1/4tsp)
-salt (roughly 1TB)
-H2O (3-4 cups)

allow to cook for 3-4 whistles to soften dal and veggies

STEP 2: sautee the following in order:

-canola oil (1TB, may use sesame oil)
-mustard seeds (1tsp) (wait for seeds to "pop" in oil w/cumin before proceeding-be careful not to burn)
-jeera (cumin) seeds (1tsp)
-astafatida powder (1/2 tsp)
-curry leaves (roughly 8-10, best if fresh from indian store)
-fenugreek (1/4tsp)

STEP 3: add the above (step 2) to the pressure cooker ingredients (step1).

STEP 4: add the following to the pressure cooker pot
-H2O (enough to get the sambar consistency)
-sambar powder (1TB)
-ALLOW TO BOIL

STEP 5:
-tamarind water (microwave golf ball-sized tamarind pulp in 1c H2O or add 1c. boiling water and allow to soak in; when cool use hand to mash tamarind in water to dissolve; strain through fine mesh sieve to create tamarind H2O. May use concentrated tamarind paste if desired)

STEP 6:
-end with addition of salt/pepper as desired

***whenever cooking with the pressure cooker, always make sure there is no blockage in the air vent/hole that allows the steam to come out the top of the cooker.

Start with the staples

One of the main staples of the south indian diet consists of sambar and iddly. Often enjoyed at breakfast and dinner, this savory "soup-like" dish is filled with a variety of vitamin-punching vegetables and a high protein lentil base.

In my kitchen, especially on a relaxing Sunday morning, I awaken to the kitchen filled with blossoming aromas of Sambar powder. A pressure cooker whistles a lovely tune that draws me out from underneath the covers, still in my night clothes to the sun-filled kitchen.

The table is piled high with white, perfectly dome-shaped little cakes of iddly; bowls of colorful, mouth watering, steaming sambar; and often a zesty and spicy side of chutney.

Start your south indian cooking experience with the following 3 recipes to get your first taste of my Kuchanur farmhouse kitchen:

1) Sambar
2) Tomato Chutney
3) Iddly

Before you know it, you'll find yourself craving the same pillowy-soft iddly soaked in masala and spicy-heat (karam) of chutney on your Sunday mornings.

It's time to open your palate

Americans grow up with fantasies of summers filled with watermelon, hot dogs, burgers, and steaks on the grill with country fries. Cold winters may elicit cravings for tater tot casserole, beef stew, chilli, or even a brat with a side of baked beans as you relax on your weekend off.

Meanwhile, the French savor cheeses, foie gras, escargot, and savory meats breathing flavors of thyme, rosemary, tarragon, sage, fennel, and marjoram. Italians proudly serve pastas, meats, and cheeses surrounded by capers, artichokes, tomatoes, and basil.

Each cuisine has a time, place, and occasion to celebrate the flavors. Each variety incites it's own unique sensation on the tongue.

.........but as Peggy Lee might ask, "is that all there is?"

I want to call attention to those of you who call the above your daily staples and awaken your taste buds to a whole other world of flavor. Fill your kitchens with the sweet smells of ginger, garlic, coconut, and indian masala. 

I invite you and those familiar with indian cooking to step into my Kuchanur farmhouse. Taste the freshness of the tomatoes, eggs, and freshly gathered buffalo's milk-yogurt. Smell the scent of curry leaves, mustard seeds, and cardamon pods aromatically making there way past the door stoop.