Cauliflower Sukke for JFI - Cauliflower

Konkani cooking has a basic masala with coconut, red chillies and tamarind, called "massolu". And many bhajis and curries and even dosas (polo) either use just the basic massol or include a few more ingredients like urad dal, methi seeds, coriander seeds, jaggery, asafoetida in varying combinations, to make delicious ghashis, sukkes & ambats. My MIL had made cabbage sukke when she visited us and I'd jotted down the recipe. Here it is, being recreated as cauliflower sukke for JFI-Cauliflower, hosted by the very talented Mythreyee of Paajaka. JFI was started by Indira of Mahanandi. Thank you both, ladies!



Here's the recipe -

2 cups of cauliflower florets
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp urad dal
1/4 tsp methi seeds
3-4 red chillies (or to taste)
2 tbsp shredded coconut
1/2 tsp tamarind paste
1 tsp brown sugar or jaggery
1/4 cup water
salt to taste
For tempering - oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida

Roast coriander seeds, urad , methi seeds and red chillies. Grind them with coconut, tamarind and jaggery.
In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and do the rai-curry leaves-hing tadka. Add cauliflower, water and salt. Cover and cook until the florests are well cooked.
Add the ground masala and adjust seasonings. Cover and cook on low for a few minutes until the flavors are absorbed.

Thai Tofu Cakes/Cutlets

I love to collect and browse through cookbooks but very seldom prepare any dish using them! Strange, right? Years and years ago when I stayed in a hostel, I used to jot down recipes that seemed interesting or clip recipes from magazines, when I did not even have a stove to cook nor had I cooked anytime at that point! But that collection of recipes did come in handy when I first ventured into cooking. So anyway, the reason I brought that up was because I finally made a dish using a recipe from a book called "The Essentials Collection - Thai" by Leslie Mackley. The recipe was for Thai Fish Cakes using cod but since I don't enjoy fish, I substituted it with tofu. Followed the rest of the recipe to the tee. The use of green beans in this intrigued me. It added a nice crunch, apart from boosting the nutritional element in the dish.



1 14 oz pack extra firm tofu, drained and crumbled
1 tsp red curry paste
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup green beans, chopped fine
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
salt to taste
4 tbsp oil for frying

Mix all the ingredients, except oil. Transfer to a bowl and chill for 30 minutes. Roll the mixture into balls, then flatten to make cakes/cutlets.

Heat oil in a skillet over a medium heat and cook the cutlets in batches, for about 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown & cooked through.

Garnish with lime wedges and serve on a bed of salad.

Sprouted Moong-Tomato-Cucumber Salad

No "recipe" as such here. Just threw in some diced cucumbers, tomatoes, sprouted moong (available in desi grocery stores!) & fresh cilantro and tossed them with olive oil, lime juice, salt and crushed pepper to make this salad. The colors looked so pretty, I had to post it! :)

Aloo Methi Rava Bhath

So, what do you do when you want to use up the aloo & methi in the fridge but don't want to eat them with rotis or in rice? You make Aloo Methi Upma, of course! Or Rava Bhath, as my Mom would've called it. The difference being that in a rava bhath, you'd use masala powders like vangi bhath powder or as in this case, garam masala.

Ingredients:
1.5 cups rava (roasted)
1-2 green chillies (or to taste)
1 onion chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp tomato puree (or 1 tomato chopped)
2 bunches of methi leaves, chopped
1 large potato (diced and nuked with salt water for 3-4 mins)
1/2 tsp each garam masala, dhania-jeera powder, turmeric powder
OR
1 tsp vangi bhath powder
3 cups water
Salt and lemon juice to taste

Tadka:
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp each mustard and cumin seeds
Asafoetida


Heat oil & do the rai-jeera-hing tadka. Add chopped chillies, garlic and onions. Fry for a few minutes. Add methi leaves and fry some more. Add tomato puree and yes, fry a little more. Then add boiled potatoes, salt, turmeric, garam masala and dhania-jeera powders. Cover and cook on low for a few minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil. Pour the roasted rava slowly and mix well. Cover and cook until done. Finish with lemon juice.