Monsoon Recipes

Food has been a network of relationships which has evolved over time in a geographical context! Traditional food recipes have woven in folk wisdom drawn from observing and relating to a context. Thus, it enables  the body to adjust to changes in the seasons. Cooking and eating  seasonally grown vegetables and fruits adds to one’s physical  well being  because seasonal fruits and vegetables contains the nutrients needed for that particular season. It also makes ecological sense!

Here are a few monsoon recipes to keep you healthy.

Colocasia Gravy (Stem with Leaves)

Ingredients:

1. 1 tbsp rice (soaked)
2. 1 tbsp dal (soaked)
3. 4 tbsp moong dal (soaked)
4. ¼ tsp methi (soaked)
5. Stem & leaves of colocasia- 8
6. Coconut oil- 5tsp
7. Juice of lime – 3 big lemons (or) Tamarind pulp- 50gm
8. Garlic – few pods (Optional)
9. Salt – to taste

Masala for grinding:

1. Dry chilli- 4 big (Bydegi)
2. Curry leaves- 15
3. Grated coconut -1/2 cup
4. Jeera- 5 tsp
5. Coriander seeds- 4 tsp
6. Poppy seeds – 4 tsp
7. Turmeric – 1/2tsp

Method:

1. Remove the top skin of the stem. Wash and clean the stem and leaves. Chop them fine.
2. Cook them with garlic and very little water. Mash the cooked leaves and stem into coarse paste.
3. Pressure cook all the soaked items and  keep aside.
4. Grind all the masala mentioned in the ingredient list.
5. Add the ground masala powder to the colocasia paste and cook it with lime juice/ tamarind pulp.
6. Add salt and 3 spoon of coconut oil. Boil it till the raw taste disappears.
7. Remove from fire, pour coconut oil over it and stir well.

** Please add good amount of lime juice/ tamarind pulp to avoid the itchiness in throat.

Jackfruit Sweet Idly

Ingredients:

1. Pods of Jackfruit- around 10 big and over ripe
2. Rice rava- 1 cup
3. Finely chopped coconut pieces- 2 tbsp
4. Jaggery according to taste
5. Salt to taste
6. Cardamom powder – 3 pinches

Method:

1. Soak 1 cup of rice rava for an hour
2. Grind pods of jackfruit to get a cup of puree
3. After an hour mix all ingredients together to a idly batter consistency
4. Pour it in idly moulds and steam  it

This can be eaten with ghee.

Variation: Same batter can be poured on to a banana leaf, folded and steamed.

 

Hurul Saaru (horse gram)

Ingredients:

1. 1 tsp horse gram
2. ½ cup grated coconut
3. A marble size tamarind
4. 2 pinches asafoetida
5. A pinch of turmeric powder
6. 1 tsp saaru powder (instructions given below)
7. 2 green chilly
8. 2 tsp chopped coriander leaves
9. Salt to taste

For seasoning:

1. 1tsp mustard seeds
2. 4 broken pieces of red chilly
3. 8 curry leaves
4. 2 tsp oil

Method:

1. Roast horse gram in a frying pan till the colour changes
2. Grind this to a fine paste with grated coconut and saaru powder
3. Add turmeric powder , tamarind juice and jaggery to 4 cups of water and bring to boil
4. Add the ground masala, asafoetida, slit green chillies and salt. Boil for 5 minutes
5. Garnish with coriander leaves and season

Saaru powder

Ingredients:

1. 100 gms red chillies
2. 75 gms coriander seeds
3. 25 gms fenugreek seeds
4. 25 gms cumin seeds
5. 4 sprigs of curry leaves
6. 100 gms coconut oil

Method:

1. In a frying pan, fry red chillies, cumin seeds (until it splutters), coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds(till golden) and curry leaves separately in oil
2. Powder to a fine consistency

** Saaru powder can be stored for 7 days.

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I M Pushpa

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