Cabbage Upkari - Simplicity at its best

He : Honey..I am so hungry! Whats special for dinner tonight?
She: mm..Usual Rasam but I made Cabbage Upkari..(looking at him with happy bright eyes!)
He : Oh cool! Sounds new! Lemme take a taste.....
(comes into kitchen, scoops a spoonful of the upkari ...chews..chews some more and now there is a small frown in his forehead!)
He : Ok Ok..I am tired but not that tired to not even notice that you are trying to cheat me with the same old cabbage that you make by giving it a different name! Its the boring cabbage after all!
She (grinning) : yeah - This same old boring cabbage (for you that is!) that I made is actually called Upkari and its not boring! I love it..



....And thus goes the conversation/ Has it ever happened to you that what you thought was "your creation" actually exists with a name to top it off? It has happened quite so often. I have posted the other famous egg-in-a-hole which was supposedly my creation until I saw the same being made on TV!!!! I have been cooking cabbage this way ever since..mm..I started cooking and only last year, thanks to bloggers I got to know that it is actually called Upkari - a Konkani dish meaning "side dish" in that language. It is called so when any vegetables are cooked with coconut and in water. So much for my originality! (smirking!) Anyways here is my version(!Duh!)

Ingredients


• 1 medium sized cabbage, shredded
  
  
• 1 large onion
  
  
• 1 tbsp black gram (urad dal)
  
  
• 1 tbsp Bengal gram (channa dal)
  
  
• 2-3 dry chilli (as per taste)
  
  
• 1 tbsp mustard seeds
  
  
• pinch of turmeric powder
  
  
• 2-3 tbsp grated coconut (fresh/frozen preferable but dry coconut works too)
  
  
• pinch of asafoetida
  
  
• salt to taste and curry leaves to garnish
  

Method

In 1/2 tsp of oil, saute the lentils , chillies until lightly golden, add the mustard seeds



and once they start popping add the onions



Add the cabbage along with little salt, asafoetida and turmeric.



Saute for 2 minutes, sprinkle slightly with water (I dont like my cabbage too mushy!), close the lid and cook until the cabbage is slightly soft.



Add the coconut and curry leaves.



Cook for another 2 minutes in open flame and serve warm.

---

Am sending this over to Recipes for Rest of Us event hosted by my gal pal Siri

---

Bhagara Baingan - Stuffed Indian Eggplant in gravy

I have said it before. Hyderabadi's know to eat well! Their food reeks of delicious aromatic smells and appetizing rich plates. After the Biryani and bread pudding, the next thing I love about their cuisine is Bhagara Baingan. The Indian eggplants (small variety), stuffed with aromatic spices and immersed in a rich gravy is my kind of having fun while eating!



I love my mom's version which has pretty simple south Indian ingredients - but I also love Tarla Dalal's version which has more of North Indian spices. Since I couldn't decide between them, I made my own version which has a mix of these! Talk about hybridization! Choosing very small brinjals will help to reduce the amount of oil, used for cooking since they cook faster and need less oil. I choose the smallest ones, I can find among them. I know they look quite big in the picture, but they are not. :)

Ingredients


• About 10-15 small brinjals, slit into 4 with edges still attached
  

Spice Mix for stuffing


• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  
  
• 1 tbsp Urad Dal (split black gram)
  
  
• 1 tbsp Bengal gram (channa dal)
  
  
• 1/2 tbsp coriander seeds (daniya)
  
  
• 2-3 dried red chillies(or as per taste)
  
  
• 2 tbsp grated coconut (dried coconut works perfectly too)
  
  
• 1/4 cup peanuts
  
  
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  
  
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
  
  
• about 1/4 pinch of salt
  

For Gravy


• 1 onion, chopped finely
  
  
• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds
  
  
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
  
  
• 1 tsp tamarind paste (or as per taste)
  
  
• salt to taste
  
  
• few sprigs of cilantro to garnish
  

Method

Dry roast the ingredients for the Spice mix in low heat until aromatic.



Grind it into powder and stuff them inside the brinjals as shown in the picture. If the spice mix is left over, dont worry - it will be used for the gravy



In a pan, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan and once hot, place the brinjals inside on their sides. Close the lid and let it cook for 5-10 minutes.



Gently turn them on the other side and let them cook for another 5-10 minutes. The smaller the brinjals, faster these get done. Turn them gently until they are soft and done. Set aside.



In the same pan, add mustard seeds and cumin. Once they splutter, add the onions, ginger garlic paste along with tamarind. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes.



Add about 2 cups water and let it come to a boil Add salt. Take care with the salt since you have already some in the stuffing. Let it come to a boil and then add the remaining spice mixture. Usually this will help to thicken up the gravy.



About 10 minutes before serving, drop the eggplants in the gravy. Be gentle, else the eggplants will break apart.



Garnish with cilnatro and serve along with some phulkas/roti

Black Eyed Peas (cowpeas) and Potato curry

Another staple in my pantry after Chickpeas is Black Eyed Peas. Since I have been on a pantry cleaning run, I saw a small handful of these left over in the packet. I wanted to use them but at the same time, I had few guests coming over and it sure won't be enough for all of us. Hence thought of adding some potatoes to make the dish more mealy and of large quantity. These are also known as cowpeas and are rich in protein, magnesium, iron and folate. They are also immensely versatile.



They can be used in multiple ways from soups, to yummy and crunchy snacks to main course dishes. They also help to fill one up faster thus making me to resort to these for salads etc. I am on an everlasting diet remember!!!!! This curry is very simple to make and has hardly any prep work. All you need is to soak these, chop few potatoes, dump them along with spices together in one pot and forget them for next 20-30 min and Viola! yummy curry ready.

Ingredients


• 1 cup Black eyed peas (cowpeas), soaked overnight
  
  
• 1 onion, chopped
  
  
• 1/2 cup tomato puree
  
  
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
  
  
• 2-3 small potatoes, chopped with skins on
  
  
• 1 tsp cumin
  
  
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
  
  
• 1 tsp garam masala
  
  
• 1 cup mix of mint and cilantro (Grind this into paste along with 2-3 chillies. You can add 2-3 tbsp of grated coconut too)
  
  
• salt to taste
  
  
• 1 Bay leaf
  
  
• curry leaves for garnish
  

Method

1.Saute cumin seeds in 1/2 tsp oil. Add onions, ginger garlic, salt along with bay leaf and spices.



2.Add the potatoes, saute them for 2-3 minutes and then add drained black eyed peas



3.Add the tomato puree and cook for another 1-2 min



4.Add sufficient water to cover the mixture - about 1 to 1-1/2 cups, close the lid and let it cook for 15-20 min.



5.Once the black eyed peas have been cooked, add the ground paste - cook for another 5 min.



Serve hot with Phulkas or rice.

Onion Tomato Uthappam - South Indian Savoury Pancake

During Breakfast
She: “Honey! What do you want for breakfast? Is idli ok?”
He: “mm..Dint we have Idlis just yesterday? I want toast today…”

Packing Lunch
She: “Would you like me to pack Idlis for your box?”
He: “What..(Sulking!) no..no..They will be cold! Ok Ok your hotbox may help..but I don’t like idlis for lunch!”

Dinner
She: “I feel so tired..What a day! I don’t feel like cooking either…How about Idlis?”
He: “What’s with you and idlis! Never thought you were idlyentric!” [that’s Idli + eccentric = idlyentric for you].
She: (Sign!) “No I am not Idly crazy or something! It’s just that I have lots of idly batter – Just wanted to use it that’s all.”



I am sure this situation would have been “been there and done that” in many of your homes. It’s the same in mine too. Become enthusiastic and grind lots of idly batter and then cope with the family who suddenly become idly phobic. Enter idly clones and you end up making different varieties of tiffin with idly batter – idly fry, idly upma, kuzhi paniyarams,idly roast and ..and..yes Uthappams.Uthappams are South Indian pizzas, or you may call it savory pancakes and are mostly made with leftover Idly batter. They are instant, quick, simple and utterly delicious – of course provided you have the idly batter in hand. But then going by the taste, having leftovers in this case is warranted!:)You want to have some left over idly batter – so you end up making more batter. Any topping of your choice accompanied with spicy chutney’s make the meal.

Ingredients


• Left over idly batter
  
  
• 1 onion, chopped finely
  
  
• 1 tomato, chopped finely
  
  
• 2-3 green chilies, thinly sliced (or as per taste)
  
  
• few cilantro sprigs for garnish
  

Method

1.If you have stored the batter, make sure you bring the batter to room temperature before cooking.



2.In a skillet, greased with approx ¼ tsp oil and rubbed with half sliced onion, pour out 1 ladle of batter in the center.



3.It should be like a pancake, thick and shaped into a circle and then top it with little onion, tomato, chilies and cilantro.



4.After 2-3 min, when done – you will know if you lift it with your spatula easily without it sticking to the bottom- turn it the other side. Cook for another 2-3 min. You can pour about ¼-1/2 tsp of oil if needed around the uthappams.



5.Remove and serve. The aroma that’s wafts is amazing. Serve it with suggested accompaniments.

Suggested Accompaniments

1.Spicy idli chutney powder

2.Coconut Chutney

3.Onion Chutney

4.Tomato Chutney