The Versatile Cucumber - Part II.

 The Versatile Cucumbe Part II.

Tambli of Cucumber core and seeds.

 Entire spongy core of a cucumber including the liquid and all the seeds can be used to make a delicious and healthy ‘Tambli’. But make sure that the spongy core is not too bitter if it is to be used.  
 Ingredients.
 1) The solid part of the spongy core, kept aside.  2) The liquid part and all the seeds kept separately. 3) Coconut about 2 tablespoons.  4) Green chilli – one. 5) For final garnishing – mustard, red chilli, curry leaves.  6) Coconut oil for blanching and garnishing – about 2-3 tsps. 7) Salt as needed.  

Ingredients: Coconut, Green Chilli, Jeera, Seeds & liquid, Solid core part, Tadka Items, Asafoetida,
Curds and Coriander leaves (not in picture)
Method;
 1) In a kadai heat about 1 – 1 ½ tsp coconut oil, solid pieces of cucumber core, coconut, cut green chili for about 2 minutes on medium flame.
 2) Grind fine in a mixie and transfer paste to a serving dish. 
 3) In the same mixie, take the seeds and liquid and blend fine. Strain the contents on to the serving dish, discarding the solid part.  Add salt as needed.

 

                 The final product after tadka & coriander leaves to be added.

 
Blending seeds & liquid, it is strained into the the container with the main paste.

4) Garnish with mustard, red chilli and curry leaves in coconut oil.  
It is now ready to serve.
 Preparation time – about 10-12 minutes.
 Serves 4-6 persons at lunch. It is eaten with hot rice, mashed well and in small quantity as a sort of appetiser to tickle the taste buds.

UNDE Sutta’ Cucumber Huli / Sambar.

‘UNDE Sutta’ means bottom burnt. In this the Cucumber pieces with its peel are shallow-fried, almost burnt and thus cooked in making this special Udupi Sambar. No Toor Dal is used. With Cucumber we usually make standard sambar using pieces with its peel and make ‘Mor Kozhambu’ or ‘Majjige Sambar’ using peeled cucumber pieces. This particular variation has a different and nice taste; worth trying.
Ingredients.
 1) 10 to 12 or more large pieces with its peels, either fresh or freezer stored, with the fleshy part  criss crossed with deep knife cuts keeping the peel intact. 2) For the masala – a) mustard 1 tsp; b) jeera 1 tsp.  c) Red chillies 2 or 3. d) Coconut pieces or grated about 1 to 1 ½ tsp.  e) Coconut oil 3-4 tsp.  f) Turmeric powder ¼ tsp. g) Asafoetida powder ½ tsp. h) Coriander seeds 1 tsp. 3) Tamarind – about one small lime size.  4) Jaggery – one tsp.  5) Salt to taste. 6) Coriander leaves.

  

Ingredients: Coconut, Tamarind, Asafoetida, Jaggery, Turmeric, Jeera, Red chillies, Coriander seeds,Curry leaves & Cucumber pieces,  Next: Criss cross cutting of flesh.  And Shallow frying the pieces or 'Burning' the cucumber in a tawa.
Method.
 1) In a tawa roast with about 1-2 tsp oil, all masala items – mustard, jeera, red chillies, coconut, turmeric powder and finally asafoetida powder for 2-3 minutes.  Cool it and grind into a fine paste adding some water as needed. Keep it aside.
 2) In a tawa heat 2 – 3 tsp of coconut oil, arrange cucumber pieces bottom down on the tawa under high flame initially and later under moderate flame gently turning and mixing till the fleshy part starts browning and the peel tends to get ‘burnt’. This would take about 10 – 12 minutes.
 3) Cool and add tamarind juice diluted to about a cup; add jaggery and cook on moderate flame for about 4 to 5 minutes. Add salt and mix well. Make sure cucumber is cooked well, but not too soft and melted.    

 

                               Frying Masala Items.                       Adding masala to cooked cucumber.
                           Final Profuct - ready to serve. Decorate with Coriander leaves..

.

 4) Now add the masala paste, mix well and cook and bring to boil – for 3-4 minutes. Test taste it and add
more salt or jaggery to it as per your preference.
 Transfer it to a serving dish and decorate with some coriander leaves.
 It is eaten as a main dish mixed with hot white rice at lunch or dinner
 Preparation time – about 30 – 35 minutes.
 Serves 4 – 5 persons.

Other standard items like Cucumber Sambar and Cucumber Mor Kozhambu are not described.

The versatile Madras Cucumber or Sambar Cucumber.

This all season vegetable, is very versatile and ripe cucumber can be stored for several months so that it would be available all the year round. Every part of the Cucumber, like the peels, the main fleshy part, the spongy core and even the liquid and seeds inside can be cooked and relished. The peels can be stored for a few days and used to make Chutney and the fleshy part with or without peels can be suitably cut and stored in the freezer for a few weeks or a month or two. The cucumber peels can be made into a special chutney called ‘Sambanda’. The pieces can be used to make standard sambar, a special ‘Unde sutta Sambar’ and ‘Mor Kozhambu’ or ‘Kai Huli’ or ‘Majjige Huli. The grated fleshy part is also made into a unique dish called ‘Saute Munchi’ or ‘Cucumber Munchi’.
                                           
     The Madras Cucumber/Sambar Cucumber                   Peels removed from half of it 

  The versatile Madras Cucumber or Sambar Cucumber.

                 

                  

      Cucumber cut into various parts                     Part of the perled portion grated or mixied.

  
FOUR types of  portions ready for storage in a freezer..

Cucumber Munchi.
‘Munchi’ means chilli or spicy in Tulu, a local language in Udupi, Mangalore area. This is a rare preparation using Madras Cucumber. For the spicy taste we add black pepper and hence the taste is ‘out of the way’, as it were.
Ingredients.
  1) Peeled cucumber flesh in grated form or pieces taken in a mixie and just a buzz given – about 1/2 cup or more.  2) Coconut pieces or gratings equal to 2 tablespoons.  3) Mustard – one tsp.  4) Black Pepper – about 10-12 , crushed slightly in a pestle/mortar.  5) Asafoetida ½ tsp.  6) Tamarind- about ½ lime size .  7) Curry leaves – little. 8) Cooking oil – about 1 – 1 ½ tsp.  9)  salt to taste  10) Coriander leaves - little.

         

 

Ingredients:   On left above. Cooking on low flame- middle. Final product - on right above.

 Method.
 In a kadai using about 1 ½ tsp coconut oil, roast mustard, black pepper and as it splutters add asafoetida, curry leaves and the grated or mixied cucumber. Add tamarind juice, salt and cook on low flame for 3-4 minutes. Transfer it to a serving dish and garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot; to be mixed with hot white rice and eaten.
 Preparation time 15 to 20 minutes.
 Serves 3 – 4 persons with the quantity indicated.  

Cucumber Peels** Sambanda or Chutney.

This ‘Sambanda’ is made by marrying (Sambandi means a relative by marriage and ‘sambanda’ means a relation) the Cucumber Peels with some coconut and some masala. The distinctive enjoyable taste is relished when it is

mixed with hot white rice and some coconut oil. 
Ingredients.
 1) Peels of one or half cucumber, cut into smaller peices.  2) Coconut grated about 2 tablespoons. 3) Red chillies – 2-3. 4) Jeera – One to 1 1/2 teaspoon. (VARIATION – instead of Jeera, one can add  2 teaspoons of Urad dal with or without 1 tsp of chana dal) 5) Tamarind about ¾ lime size.  6) Turmeric powder 1 /4 tsp  7) Jaggery 1/2 tsp  7) Green chilli – one. 8) For garnishing – mustard, curd chilli, curry leaves , split urad dal and oil. 9) cooking oil 3-4 tsps for frying masala and garnishing. 10) Salt as needed. 11)Chopped coriander leaves.

 
Ingredients: Peels, Green chilli, Tamarind, Red chillies, Jeera, Asafoetida, Coconut & Tadka items separately.

Method.

  1) Roast/blanch in about a spoon and half coconut oil, Jeera, Coconut, cucumber peels as pieces, turmeric powder and lastly tamarind. Roast on medium flame for about 2 minutes till nice aroma of jeera comes. Do not over roast.  

 2) Cool the above and grind it fine in a mixie adding jaggery and little water as needed. Add salt also.

 3) Transfer it to a serving dish, sprinkle asafoetida, garnish with mustard, urad etc and top it with chopped coriander leaves.

Now ready to serve. 
 

                    

Fry/blanch peels with other items and cool.  Grind to Chutney add asafoetida & Garnish & Coriander leaves.     

Preparation time about 12 – 15 minutes.
Serves 3-4 persons at lunch as one of the side dishes, if peels of half cucumber is used.

** Make sure that the full cucumber is thoroughly washed off all pesticides by spraying a vinegar based solution and after 10 minutes rub gently and wash under tap water.

P S : More special cucumber dishes in another post - Tambli  & Unde sutta Huli.          

Masala & Podi Idli

Masala & Podi Idli.

This is an ‘All in One’ Idli ready to eat and does not need any accompanying dish like Coconut Chutney or Sambar or Chilli Chutney Podi. Since it contains some vegetables as ‘Masala’ or ‘Palya’ and also looks different and colourful, children will readily eat and get more nourishment than a mere carbohydrate dominant simple Idli. Apart from its nice taste, this special idli is also quite suitable to carry along while travelling or while going on a picnic.

Ingredients.
 1) Standard fermented Idli batter.  2) Masala or ‘Palya’ that we prepare for ‘Masala Dosa’ or any other type of ‘dry’ vegetable preparation. 3) Chilli Chutney Powder of your choice.
Method.
 1) Grease the cups of the Idli mould with coconut oil.  2) Deposit only about 50% of the batter in each cup and gently spread it till its periphery. 3) Gently deposit with the hand one more layer of the masala as a second layer, leaving a little gap at the periphery. 4) Carefully deposit one more thin layer of the batter to completely cover up the masala.   5) Sprinkle generously one more layer of Chutney powder on each Idli.  5) Now steam it in an Idli cooker or rice cooker for about 10 – 12 minutes, as per your experience.    

   

 

1) Spread 50% batter .    2) Gently deposit masala .    3) Cover masala & sprinkle Podi.

Allow it to cool, take out the Idlies carefully – it is now ready to eat. DO NOT eat HOT IDLI.”
Pick up the warm Idli with your hand and bite and eat like a ‘Burger’.

                                    Masala & Podi Idli on your Breakfast plate with fruit juice.

Preparation time: With all ingredients ready, just 12-15 minutes is all it takes to make a full set of 16 or more Idlies.
Can serve 4-6 persons with one set of Idlies.

Special note: You may make more such Idlies at a time and store the extra Idlies in a plastic container and keep in the freezer for a couple of weeks. Take it out before reuse and reheat in a microwave or a steam cooker. 

Onion Rasam.

Onion Rasam.

There are any number of variations of the ‘Rasam’, which is almost a daily dish in all South Indian homes. Any vegetarian mass cooking programmes and functions would invariably have ‘Rasam’ as one compulsory dish. In many sit down banana leaf lunches it is one man item, mixed and mashed and enjoyed with hot rice, with a little ghee for flavour and while biting on crisp appalam. 

Onion rasam is one unusual variation and though time consuming and has many steps in making, is worth the effort because of its quite spicy taste and a distinctive enjoyable flavour. I picked up this recipe from a TV programme in 2011 while staying in Mysore.

Ingredients.
The spiciness is due to black pepper and green chillies and one can decide on the quantity and proportion as per your preference. If you want more of pepper flavour, add more of it and balance it with lesser green chillies. The red chillies used is Byyadgi (or Ghattada Menasu), which produces the bright colour, but very little spiciness, as compared to ‘Guntur’ red chillies which are more spicy but colour of the dish is dull.
 1) Items for special rasam powder are a) Mustard – 2 tsps. b) Jeera – 2 tsps. c) Black pepper ½ to 3/4 tsp. d) Byadgi chillies – 3 to 4.  2) Menthe (methi seeds)- ½ tsp. 3) Green chillies -  2+1.  4) Toor dal – 2 tablespoons.  5) Tomato – one large.  6) Onion – one large or 2 smaller. 7) Tamarind – about 1 lime size.  8) Turmeric powder ¼ tsp  9) Asafoetida – ½ tsp.  10) Curry leaves – few.  11) Cooking oil and Ghee – a tsp or two. 12) Salt as needed. 13) Jaggery – optional – about a tsp.  14) Coriander leaves –a little.

Ingredients: Tomato, Onions, Pepper, Red chillies,Mustard, Jeera, Methi, Turmeric powder, Green Chillies, Asafoetida, Tamarind, Curry leaves and Toor dal.
Method.
 Step I:  Pressure cook toor dal, mash well and keep it aside. I use cooked ,mashed dal stored in the fridge.
 Step II:  In a kadai in 2 tsp of coconut oil and 1 tsp of ghee, fry the finely chopped onion till it browns slightly and keep it aside.
 Step III: In the same kadai without adding any more oil or ghee, roast mustard, jeera, pepper and dry chillies on medium heat for about 2 minutes. Don’t over roast. Cool it, and powder it in a mixie and keep it aside.

 

Step III: For special Rasam Powder. Step IV: Frying,adding tomato & other items & Tamarind Juice.

Step IV: In the same kadai roast ½ tsp of menthe, some curry leaves and 2 finely chopped green chillies. In about 30 seconds as the aroma of methi comes, add chopped tomato and mix and cook for 3- 5 minutes till it gets soft and mushy. Add turmeric powder, salt as needed for the rasam as a whole, asafoetida powder and mix well. After it cools pour thin tamarind water and as much water as you wish the total quantity of rasam to be and boil well for a few minutes till the raw smell goes.
 Step V: Then strain the contents on to another vessel, add the onions, the special rasam powder, mashed dal and add any more water if needed. I added one more green chilli obliquely cut into 4 pieces. Heat and bring it to boil for 2-3 minutes, addling some pinched curry leaves. Optional: add about a tsp of powdered jaggery to balance the spiciness*. Test taste it and add either little more salt or jaggery as per your preference.  Sprinkle some chopped coriander leasves optionally. Rasam is now ready to serve.   
 * In many Udupi dishes, jaggery is usually added.

             

Step V: Strain contents add fried onion, mashed dal, i green chilli and special rasam powder.

 
Final product: To garnish with coriander leaves just before serving. 50% for next day.

 Preparation time:  About 25-30 minutes if precooked dal is used or 10-12 minutes more if dal is freshly pressure cooked. I use only one induction stove and hence all heating and cooking has to be one after another and not simultaneously.
 Serves 4 – 6 persons at lunch as the main dish.

P.S: Doing this Onion Rasam for the second time in the last 10 years. Had put 2 green chillies finely chopped, about ¾ tsp black pepper and one more green chilli obliquely cut in the last stage. Used 1 tsp jaggery. It was too spicy. Additional green chilli could have been avoided; only ½ tsp of pepper would do and little more jaggery, I would have liked.

Horse Gram/ Huruli kaalu Othappam.

 Horse Gram/ Huruli kaalu Othappam.

Unlike Urad dal often used in Dosas, Idlies, Othappams etc. Huruli or Horse Gram is used less often. But it is quite nutritious and there are some exotic preparations using this pulse, like Huruli Saaru or Kudu Saaru for one.  Horse gram Othappam is yet another with a different taste, which you may get to like. With very few steps to prepare the othappam, it is very easy to make. Please try and see.

Nutritional profile of Horse Gram.
Horse gram seed contains carbohydrate (57.2% w/w), protein (22% w/w), dietary fiber (5.3% w/w), fat (0.50% w/w), calcium (287 mg), phosphorus (311 mg), iron (6.77 mg) and calories (321 kcal) as well as vitamins like thiamine (0.4 mg), riboflavin (0.2 mg) and niacin (1.5 mg) per 100 grams of dry matter.
Ingredients.
  1) Horse Gram – ½ cup.  2) Dosa rice 1 cup. 3) Items for Voggarane or Tadka – mustard, curry leaves and red chillies. 4) Cooking oil and salt as needed.
Method.
  1) Soak Horse Gram and Rice in water for 4- 8 hours. Grind to a fine paste adding water as needed, add salt required to make in dosa consistency and allow it to ferment overnight.

    

Ingredients: Horse Gm, Rice & Voggarane (red chilli not shown).            Fermented batter next morning.

2) Heat on medium flame the dosa tawa, deposit in the centre, coconut oil about 1 – 1 ½ tsp and on it put about ½ tsp mustard, few fine pieces of red chilli and cut pieces of curry leaves. As it begins to splutter gently spread it to the full diameter of the proposed othappam.
 3) Now carefully deposit the batter in a close cork-screw fashion over the area of voggarane without leaving any gap and making a round shape. If you make it the usual way depositing all the batter in the centre and spreading thin in a corcular facshion, the voggarane gets pushed to the periphery. Cook for about 3/4 minutes with cover until well cooked. Then transfer it to serving plate.
It is now ready to eat with one or more varieties of chutnies and /or chilli chutney podi with oil.

Voggarane spread in circular fshion.                             Batter carefully deposited in corkscrew shape.

              Served for breakfast, one on right turned to show voggarane on its back side.

Preparation time.
 Takes about 10-12 minutes to grind soaked items, and 7-8 minutes to make each othappam.
Serves about 3 – 4 persons, with 2 othappams each.

Udupi Kadubu or Jackfruit Leaves Idli or Kotte Kadubu.

 Udupi Kadubu or Jackfruit Leaves Idli or Kotte Kadubu.

This is a delightful variation of making Idli by cooking it in a pouch made of Jack fruit leaves. The "Kadubu" as it is called gives an entirely different flavor and is eaten with a variety of side dishes. It is a very handy method of carrying on one's travels, as it keeps for 24- 48 hours. It is a very handy method of carrying while travelling and can be eaten in the opened leaf pouch itself and pouch disposed off.

Ingredients: 
 #  1) Standard Idli batter - made of one cup urad dhal and 2 cups boiled rice rawa.
 #  2) Jack fruit leaves ( not too tender and not too mature) - say 40; 4 needed for each pouch.
 #  3)New broomstick - take individual sticks for making the Kotte or pouch. Or pick them directly from Coconut leaves.
    Alternately one can use staplers.
Method: 

Idli Batter:
 Urad dhal soaked for 4 hours is ground well ideally in a wet griender or even in a Mixie-grinder to a nice consistency. Soak boiled rice rawa also for few hours and squeeze out all water and add to urad dhal batter. Add salt as needed and ferment over night.
Making Kotte:
Fix 4 jackfruit leaves as a cross; then fold and make into pouches using small medium thin coconut leaves stem or stapler. Trim the stalks and extra long leaves, keeping one only for holding and lifting.
 IMPORTANT - to soak leaves in water after plucking and after making Kotte till just before use to make idli. Otherwise the leaves will dry up and would be unsuitable to use.  

   

Steaming Kotte Idli: 
 Keep Idli cooker or rice cooker ready & pour and heat required amount of water till it starts steaming. Fill the  Kottes with the batter, a little more than half full and arrange them on an Idli moulds stand. Steam for 10-12  minutes. It is ready for serving.

                                        
Serve hot with various side dishes - coconut chutney, any other chutney, Idli podi with oil, Kai Huli or Mor Kozhambu, Tender mango pickle juice after sprinkling coconut oil.
 With one cup of urad dhal and 2 cups of rawa we can make 15 - 20 kadubus of small size. Can serve 5 - 7 persons at breakfast or lunch, 2 to 3 kadubus each. Each Kadubu will be equal to 2 standard idlies.

With prepared Batter and Kottes the previous day, cooking time 15-20 minutes. And additional time for making side dishes.