Indian Inspired Vegetable Soup/Stew

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup diced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ajwain seeds

15 baby carrots finely sliced
3 ribs celery, sliced thinly
2 cups diced green, red and/or orange peppers

Salt/pepper to taste

2 bay leaves

1 tbspn Cumin powder

2 tbspn Corriander powder

1/8 tsp turmeric powder

½ tbspn red chili powder

1 cup orzo pasta (or rice that doesn’t fluff up in soup)

6 cups vegetable broth

1 15-16 oz can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1 tsp dried basil

1 ½ cup small beans or lentils (not black beans)

Method:

Step 1:

Heat olive oil, add ajwain seeds, onions and garlic on high heat for 3-5 minutes (don’t burn).

Step 2:

Turn heat to medium, add carrots, celery, and peppers. Stir it up. Fry for 10 minutes stirring every two minutes.

Step 3:

Add all the spices. Stir and fry for about 5 minutes more on low heat. During this 5 minutes heat the water and start to make the pasta.

Step 4:

Add the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, parsley (if using dried, use 1 tbspn) and basil into the soup. Stir it up on high heat. When it boils, turn heat to medium, cover it up.

Step 5:

After 10 minutes add in the beans/lentils. Cover it again and let boil.

Step 6:

Heat for another 10-20 minutes to get firmness/softness of carrots and other veggies you prefer.

Step 7:

When veggies are almost the right firmness, add cooked orzo or rice. Turn off heat, let sit about 10 minutes and serve.

Will serve 4-6. Adapted from http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/food/1712

Originally posted on my other blog in 2007.

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Thank you for reading and spending your time here! Bon Appétit!

Sambar Inspired by Viji Varadarajan

A few months ago, on this blog, I introduced you to Tamil Brahmin Cookbook Author, Viji Varadarajan in the interview, Insights and Inspirations by Viji Varadarajan.

Viji has encouraged me since to not only continue to try her recipes in my own kitchen but has given me permission to republish some recipes on this blog. I will share the first recipe in this post, the recipe for Vengaaya Sambar as found in her book, Samayal: The Pleasures of South Indian Vegetarian Cooking (Winner Gourmand World Cookbook Award)


Sambar is a thick, lentil based vegetarian stew. I am translating 'sambar' as stew, because often it has a lot of lentils, and sometimes these lentils are cooked and mashed then placed into the sambar, creating a thick variety. Some sambar, however, is a bit thinner, still having dhal, but not as much, and not mashed in. (Incidentally, I have learned too that sambars with mashed dhal in it should be eaten quicker as if it sits longer as leftovers, it becomes thicker and thicker; almost pasty and hard to eat as a usual 'topping' to rice.) This thinner sambar is very watery, and could be considered a soup. Often this sambar is served with rice or idli. The thicker variety, I think would go well with rice or dosa. Some sambars, called kozhumbu, are thicker gravies that are often more tangy because of concentrated tamarind and a bit more spicy. Some eat this kozhumbu straight with rice. However, for me, who likes spicy, flavorful food, but may not be able to handle this 'straight on rice' because it is a bit more hot due to concentrated peppers (green and red chilies), love to eat this rather as a side with curd rice (thayyir sadham).

Lastly, it must be noted that all varieties of sambars and kozhumbus on my site are not only vegetarian but vegan, they contain no meat, meat broth or eggs. There are sambars and kozhumbus in India, particularly, I think in Chettinad cuisines that do contain meat products.

Now that your taste buds are tempted, here is Viji's recipe for Vengaaya Sambhar (shallot and gram gravy) as found on pages 16-17 of the book, Samayal: The Pleasures of South Indian Vegetarian Cooking.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup	Red Gram/Thuvaram Paruppu/Thuvar Dhal (Toor Dhal)
2 teaspoons	Thick Tamarind Pulp
1/2 kilo/250g	baby onions/shallots pealed
1/4 teaspoon	Asafoetida/ Hing powder
1 ½ teaspoon	Sambar powder*
a few	curry leaves/Karuveppalai/Kari Patha torn or crushed
½ bunch	cilantro/coriander leaves
½ tsp	Salt
For Seasoning (tadka)
¼ teaspoon	Mustard seeds/kadugu/rai
½ teaspoon	Black gram/ulutham paruppu/urad dhal (optional)
¼ teaspoon	Fenugreek seeds /Methi/mendhiyam
A few	Curry leaves/Karuveppalai/Kari Patha torn
1 tsp	oil

Method:
1. Soak the toor dhal in hot water for 15 minutes and cook in 2 cups of water to a very soft consistency. Or, pressure cook for four or five whistles.
2. Heat the hoil and pop the mustard. Stir in the urad dhal and fry for 8 seconds until brown. Now add the fenugreek sees/methi and brown.
3. Into this add the onions and stir for 1/2 minute. Add sambar powder and a cup of water. Cover and simmer on medium flame for ten minutes.
4. Add the tamarind pulp, asafoetida powder, salt and some curry leaves.
5. Simmer over a medium flame for a couple of minutes until the onions are soft.
6. Add the cooked dhal. When it thickens slightly, remove from fire.
7. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and remaining curry leaves.

Serve hot with steamed rice, kootus, and avial and karis, and assorted tiffens.

Tasty tip: This dish can be prepared with okra, eggplant, radish, brussel sprouts, turnips, capsicum, carrot, potato, bitter gourd, cabbage or spinach. You can also prepare a kadamba (colorful) sambhar adding a few of the vegetables of a much lesser quantity. Each vegetable still retains its own flavour.

*Viji has her own homemade sambar powder recipe in the book that she refers to for this recipe. However, you can use ready made sambar powders from the store also. You may want to experiment with the amount you want to use by adding what she's recommended, and taste throughout and see if you get a good flavor. It should be flavorful, adding more should not make it more hot spicy unless the sambar powder has as it's first ingredient red chili. Try and taste for yourself!

I have made this sambar as above and with my own flair, to be posted soon!



Other related links:
Link to Viji's Profile on Alaivani, with links to all her cookbooks, fan page and more!

Link to Padmini's Profile on Alaivani with links to insightful and inspirational articles on Indian culture and spirituality.

Related Posts/Sites:
Sambar Varieties - Recipes
Vathhal Kozhumbu
Besan (Chick pea flour) Sambar
Savory Sambar
Mysore Sambar
Homemade Sambar Powder
Eggplant Sambar

tags : "cookbook authors", "south indian food", "tamil brahmin", "tamil food", "vegetarian samayal", traditional cookery "indian cooking" vegetarian "Indian vegetarian cooking" "pure vegetarian cookery' sambar stew vegan vegetarian gravy

Keera Molagootal – Flavorful Spinach/Mixed Greens and Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

10-16 oz bag spinach or mixed greens (keera)
¾ cup Toor dal

1 ½ cup water
1 tspn turmeric

1 pinch asofotedia (ing) (optional)

1/2 tsp salt

¼-1/2 cup grated coconut (per taste)
1 tbspn (or more) oil
¼ tsp mustard seeds

2 tsp urad dal

1 dried red chilli, broken
½ tsp cumin powder
salt to taste

Photo right: Krishna Kumar
In the photo, the dish being prepared in this post is the green pastey side dish. The other dishes are a potato stew (isthu) to the right of the keera molagootal, chapati, the flat bread on the plate, and yogurt soup/curry (mor kozhumbu) in the small bowl.

Method:

Step 1:

Drop greens in boiling water. Wilt greens. Drain and cool.

Step 2:

While spinach is cooling, place dhal, water, turmeric, asofotedia and salt in a pressure cooker. Pressure cook it for three whistles.

Step 3:

Put 1 tbspn oil in a pan, heat pan. Add mustard seeds, urad dhal, and red chili. Fry until mustard seeds pop. Add cooked dhal and fry it until it turns color (pinkish). Cool dhal.

Step 4:

Place spinach, dhal, grated coconut all in a blender and blend into a paste.

Step 5:

Rewarm and eat with rice or chapati.

Could be eaten like a curry or a thick, eccentric soup!

Adapted from: Ammupatti's recipe found at her blog.


Original Post- 21st Post on Alaivani

Thank you for reading my blog!

Indian Inspired Vegetable Soup/Stew

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup diced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ajwain seeds

15 baby carrots finely sliced
3 ribs celery, sliced thinly
2 cups diced green, red and/or orange peppers

Salt/pepper to taste

2 bay leaves

1 tbspn Cumin powder

2 tbspn Coriander powder

1/8 tsp turmeric powder

½ tbspn red chili powder

1 cup orzo pasta (or rice that doesn’t fluff up in soup)

6 cups vegetable broth

1 15-16 oz can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, chopped
1 tsp dried basil

1 ½ cup small beans or lentils (not black beans)

Method:

Step 1:

Heat olive oil, add ajwain seeds, onions and garlic on high heat for 3-5 minutes (don’t burn).

Step 2:

Turn heat to medium, add carrots, celery, and peppers. Stir it up. Fry for 10 minutes stirring every two minutes.

Step 3:

Add all the spices. Stir and fry for about 5 minutes more on low heat. During this 5 minutes heat the water and start to make the pasta.

Step 4:

Add the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, parsley (if using dried, use 1 tbspn) and basil into the soup. Stir it up on high heat. When it boils, turn heat to medium, cover it up.

Step 5:

After 10 minutes add in the beans/lentils. Cover it again and let boil.

Step 6:

Heat for another 10-20 minutes to get firmness/softness of carrots and other veggies you prefer.

Step 7:

When veggies are almost the right firmness, add cooked orzo or rice. Turn off heat, let sit about 10 minutes and serve.

Will serve 4-6. Adapted from http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/food/1712

Original Post - 12th post on Alaivani