Flavors from different parts of India - Yummies from Blogosphere!!!

I am so happy to post two recipes for this week's edition of Yummies from Blogosphere...they can be served as a neat combo in a meal. The greatest thing about these two recipes is that, they represent two very diverse sides of Indian cuisine...and they also represent, I think, the essence of the blog that they were originally posted on...A2Z Vegetarian Cuisine...the dynamic duo, Muskaan and Sadhana, who are the creators of that blog, use their space to present the best flavors from Western and Southern Indian cuisine.

So I decided to try out two wonderful recipes from those two cuisines that could be paired together, last weekend...the result...a wonderful, flavorful meal that represented some of the best flavors from Indian cuisine!!!  After this successful meal, my family has urged me to do this kind of combo more often...pairing up dishes from different cuisines and cultures...shakes up things and a departure from the normal, humdrum routine is fun...dont you think???

I chose to make Vaghareli Rotli, a wonderful yoghurt gravy dish from Gujarati(western Indian) cuisine and Eggplant Gothsu, a tangy Southern Indian side-dish...I served this combo with hot rotis(Indian bread)...it was heavenly!!!The best thing was that this flavorful meal was not only tasty but also extremely simple to make...no prep-ahead...no sweat-ahead:)))

Of course, I followed the original recipes as closely as possible...but you know me:)) I did make some minor changes...thats just me!!! For the Vaghareli Rotli...I added some fennel seeds(saunf) and fenugreek seeds(methi seeds) to the items for seasoning...and to the Eggplant Gothsu, I added some tomatoes, for some additional tanginess.

Here are the original recipes as posted on A2Z Vegetarian Cuisine for Vaghareli Rotli and Eggplant Gothsu...Enjoy!!! Thanks, Muskaan and Sadhana!

Recipe for Vaghareli Rotli:
Ingredients:

6 Leftover Roti (Whole Wheat flat bread)
1 C Yogurt, preferably sour
2 tsp Besan ( Bengal gram flour)
Water to dilute
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 tsp coriander-cumin (dhana-jeeru )powder
lemon juice according to taste if yogurt is not sour
1 Tbsp Cilantro, Chopped
Salt to taste.
For tempering:
1 Tbsp Olive / Canola Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
2 Slit Green Chillies
Few Chopped Curry Leaves
1/4 tsp Hing (Asafoetida)


Method:
1. Mix yogurt and besan (gram )flour & add approximate of 1 Cup of water to dilute this mixture, whisk it nice to avoid lumps.
2. Heat oil in a wok, add mustard seeds, as it spluters, add cumin seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida, then pour above yogurt + besan mixture to it, while constantly stir it.
3. Bring it to boil, add the rest of the ingredients, stir it, and now with your fingers tear apart the flat bread you made (leftover roti) into medium small pieces just like size of potato chips, and put it in this boiling yogurt sauce.
4. Once you add flat bread pieces into this sauce, stir it and put the flame off. Let it sit for a while, as these bread pieces will soak up all the sauce, leaving behind some gravy. Thats perfect consistency.
5. Its ready to serve hot, with some sprinkle of chopped cilantro.

                      
Recipe for Eggplant Gothsu:
Cooking Time: 20 min

Preparation Time: 10 min
Serves – 4


Ingredients
Egg Plant (small) - 4 to 5
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Onion (medium) - 1
Curry leaves - few
Green chilly - 2 to 3 or to taste
Oil - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad Dhal - 1/2 tsp
Channa dhal - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - small piece
Tamarind - goose berry size ball.
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Rice Flour - 1 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste.
Garnishing:
Chopped Cilantro – 2 tablespoons
This is normally made by roasting the egg plant and peeling the skin and using the pulp inside. The eggplant I had was too small to roast and I didn’t have the time to bake it and peel and take the pulp out.


Method
1) Soak Tamarind in water.
2) Heat Oil and add mustard seeds, once they splutter well add urad dhal, channa dhal, and asafoetida.
3) Once the dhal browns a little add green chilly, chopped ginger, onion pieces and curry leaves.
4) Cut the egg plant into small pieces and add it to the above.
5) Now add turmeric powder and salt and cover it for a while till the egg plant gets cooked.
6) Once it is cooked squeeze out the tamarind pulp from the soaked tamarind using water and add it to the egg plant mixture.
7) This should be in-between consistency of rasam and sambhar, so add water accordingly.
8) Once the tamarind water boils well and the raw smell is gone, mix the rice flour in little bit of water and add the paste to this mixture.
9) Simmer for a minute or two till the gravy thickens and is not very watery and switch of and garnish serve with Pongal or Idli.

Comfort Foods Series #2 - Winter Delight Clear Orange Soup

I seem to be in a soup mode, currently...this is my second posting for a soup recipe in the last week. However, there is a reason to this (soup)obsession. We have been seeing a steady stretch of rains here in the Bay Area for the last couple of weeks. Nothing like "snowmageddon" in the East Coast, of course and our East Coast friends envy us Californians for that. But, be that as it may be...we still get some chilly 40 degree evenings:)) and that makes us turn to soups for our evening meal.

The inspiration for this soup comes from a friend who served it as an appetiser, that was much appreciated by all at a dinner she hosted. The cook  time is less than 10 minutes and the only real prep work is to juice the oranges needed for the soup. Of course, the key lies in choosing the oranges that yield the maximum amount of juice. For this, the tip I have found useful for selecting juicy varieties is that the thicker the skin, the more juice it yields and also, the stronger the scent that it has, the greater the quantity of juice yielded. Here in California, I have used both the Navel Oranges and Valencia Oranges with equal success for this recipe.

This soup I have here, is not a one-pot meal like most other soups I  make - lentils soups or veggie soups or pasta soups...it is actually more of a warm appetiser, perrrrfect for a chilly evening...so here is wishing warm and toasty evenings for our friends in colder climes.


This soup recipe goes to the Healthy Inspirations Event - Soups  hosted by Usha of  Veg Inspirations.

Recipe for Winter Delight Clear Orange Soup:
***********************************


Serves - 4
Prep time - 10 minutes
Cook time - 7 to 10 minutes


Ingredients:


Oranges - 8 to 10 (I have used both the Valencia and Navel Orange varieties with equal success for the quantity of juice)
Cummin(jeera) powder - 1tsp
Green chillies - 2 (cut in small pieces or slit in half, according to taste)
For seasoning: salt, black pepper,  cummin seeds(jeera) - 1tsp, cilantro(coriander) leaves, ghee(clarified butter) - 1tsp, sugar(optional)




Method:


Extract juice from the oranges(some pulp is okay in the recipe) and keep aside.


In a pan, add the ghee(clarified butter) and when it is heated, add the green chillies, cummin seeds and all the seasonings except cilantro(coriander leaves).


When the cummin seeds start to crackle, add the freshly squeezed orange juice.


Let the mixture boil for a few minutes till the soup starts to foam, just for 5 minutes or so.


Once the raw smell of the juice disappears, take the pan off the heat(do not overboil, since the soup may then turn bitter).


If the juice of the oranges is not very sweet, a little sugar would help.


Once off the heat, add the cilantro(coriander) leaves for garnish.


Serve piping hot.


This recipe is an easy - fix and the many health benefits of oranges( like the fact that they are loaded with Vitamin C - 116% DV, dietary fiber, folate and Vitamin B) are an added bonus, I guess.