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Kaddu Sabzi (Spiced Pumpkin)

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Fall is here. The two apricot trees in my backyard have shed their leaves like a golden carpet. The market is flooded with pumpkins and conjures up images of Kaddu Sabzi Mama used to fix. Instead of trying to cut through the hard peel, the packs of washed and pre-cut pumpkin make it a quick fix. Our eldest sibling buys the whole squash and sticks it in the microwave. See notes. She knows I am fond of kaddu sabzi so will always give me some when she fixes it. Lucky me!

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Kaddu Sabzi (Pumpkin)

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
Pumpkin sautéed in a blend of spices that fill the home with a warm, delicious aroma on a cold, Fall day.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb kaddu (Peel top skin and chop into bite sized pieces or take the easy way out and buy the ready-made pre-washed and cut pack available at most grocery stores )
  • 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
  • ¼ tsp cumin seeds
  • ¼ tsp mustard seeds
  • ⅛ tsp fenugreek seeds
  • 1 tsp (heaped) tomato paste
  • 1 medium Serrano chili (or dried red chili, both optional, depending on how spicy you like your meal!)
  • ½ tsp Salt (or to taste)
  • 2 tbsp cooking oil
  • 2 tbsp fresh cilanto (finely chopped)
  • 2 tbsp cocktail peanuts (or raw peanuts (shelled and skinned) sautéed in a little oil)

Instructions 

  • Heat oil in a wok or deep saucepan on medium heat. When the oil is well heated, add  mustard seeds. Wait until the seeds start to splutter, then, add the cumin and fenugreek seeds. About 20 seconds.
  • Stir the seeds, and then add whole green chili or red chili powder (optional). If you like it chili hot, chop the green chili in half or dice them.
  • Add onions and sauté till half brown, about 7-8 minutes.
  • Add tomato paste, kaddu, salt and half of the cilantro. Stir till the tomato paste to coat the pumpkin evenly. Cover and cook on low until half cooked, approximated 5-7 minutes.
  • Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pumpkin is tender and starts to brown a little, approximately 5-6 minutes. At this stage, slightly mash it with the back of a cooking spoon  to get a chunky texture. Drizzle some oil along the edges of the sabzi. Stir a couple of times, making sure to scrape from the bottom.
  • Spoon into a serving dish. Serve garnished with sautéed peanuts or cocktail peanuts and the rest of the chopped coriander. 
  • Goes well with roti and, of course, plain rice and dal.

Notes

Our eldest sibling buys a whole Butternut squash and preps it this way.
Wash the squash and jab a few holes all around it with a knife. Then place it in the microwave and zap it on high for approximately 8 minutes each side till half cooked. Then split it in half and scrape the seeds out. Now scoop out the remaining flesh and use that to cook.  
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: kadu, pumpkin

Vegetable vendor, India – Photo by Mediocre Studio on Unsplash

 

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In Gluten Free

Kala Zeera Gajar Chawal (Black Cumin Carrot Pilaf)

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I first learned to make this dish when my husband, who was in the Air Force at that time, was attending Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, India. We were about 300 couples that were 30+ years old. It was a fun time for the ladies, though the husbands were kept busy studying. With dinner parties almost every other day, there was a great exchange of recipes and competitive cooking. Thank you, Mimi, for this recipe!

This is a good rice dish when inviting guests over as it is light on the stomach and goes well with vegetarian and non-vegetarian curries, curried vegetables, and dals.

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Kala Zeera Gajar Chawal (Black Cumin Carrot Pilaf)

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 4
A flavor-packed rice pilaf with spices and carrots.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups basmati rice
  • ½ carrot (peeled and coarsely grated)
  • 2 tbsp cooking oil
  • 4 cups water
  • Salt to taste

Seasonings

  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 small green cardamoms
  • 1 large black cardamom
  • 4-5 cloves
  • 1 small cinnamon stick
  • 1 whole green Serrano chili (optional)

Garnish

  • ½ cup thinly sliced onions (sautéed golden brown)
  • ¼ cup sautéed cashew nuts (optional)
  • 3 hard-boiled eggs (peeled and cut in half)

Instructions 

  • Sort and clean rice of any grit. Place in a pot or bowl and wash 3-4 times, rubbing grains gently between your fingers. Cover with at least 2 inches of water and let soak for 15-20 minutes, then drain.
  • In a large pot, heat oil on medium heat. Add cumin, cardamoms, cloves, and cinnamon at once, stir for a minute, and add drained rice. Sauté carefully for 3-4 few minutes until most of the moisture is evaporated and the rice grains start to look translucent, approx. 5 minutes. (Do not brown!)
  • Add 4 cups of water and salt to taste, then cover and bring to a boil for 15 minutes.
  • When the water is half evaporated and you see little pits appearing on top of the rice, add the grated carrot, stir slowly and gently, then cover and let simmer on low heat for about 10-15 minutes. Keep a careful eye on it at this stage to make sure no rice is sticking to the bottom of the pot. You can test to see if it is done by taking a cooked grain and squishing it with your finger. If it is granular, it needs to cook a little more.
    You can also heat the oven to 180-200°F, and once you add the grated carrot, put the pot in the oven and let it cook for another half an hour. Make sure it is a pot that can handle oven heat—you don’t want melted handles on your best non-stick!
  • Serve on a rice platter or dish and garnish with boiled eggs, fried onions, and cashew nuts.
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: carrots, rice, spices

Photo by Indian Army – Wikipedia

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In Main Dishes

Lamb Curry

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I had a Tweet request for Lamb Curry, so this one is for you, my friend!

In India, sheep and goat breeds vary from region to region depending on agro-ecological conditions. We mainly ate goat meat, but since Father was in the army and moved all over India, we would eat lamb in some areas. This recipe should be good with any variety of lamb. To me, lamb has a stronger flavor than goat. Both meats are good for stews and curries and go well with Indian spices. I like to cook the curry with a couple of marrow bones or bones as it give the curry a great taste. They are a lot smaller than beef bones. When we were growing up, the marrow bone was prized amongst us kids. Bone marrow may sound to many like a terrible thing to eat, but it has tremendous health benefits and is a popular delicacy, particularly in German cuisine. Bone marrow has made a comeback in recent years and is served at trendy restaurants.

At home, since we were a family of 9, there were only a few marrow bones in a curry, so we would take turns and share. On our “Marrow Bone Day,” our place setting would have a marrow spoon. It was a long, narrow metal scoop about 5″- 6″ long that we used to scoop the marrow out. Actually, by the time the curry was cooked the tender part of the bone was soft enough to chew, but Dad frowned on such behavior at the table! But, being kids, we’d sneak into the kitchen and try on occasion to do just that. Cook was sworn to secrecy and would keep an eye out for Father! For those who have chewed on chicken bones and ribs, you know what I mean.

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Lamb Curry

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 6
A fragrant curry, simmered in spices, yogurt, tomatoes, and onions.

Ingredients

  • 1 large whole black cardamom
  • 2 small whole green cardamom
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 sticks (about an inch long) cinnamon
  • 5 cloves
  • 6 black pepper corns
  • 1 medium onion (finely chopped, about 5 oz)
  • 1 large potato (optional, peeled and quartered )
  • 1 small Serrano green chili (optional)
  • ½ tsp ground ginger
  • ½ tsp ground garlic
  • 2 tsp coriander powder
  • ¼ tsp red chili powder (more or less to your taste)
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • 3 tbsp fresh cilantro (finely chopped)
  • 1 tsp garlic salt (or regular salt if you don't have garlic salt)
  • 4 tbsp cooking oil
  • 1 tsp salt (or to your taste)
  • 3 cups hot water

Instructions 

Helpful Hint

  • To make things easier, have all the ingredients ready before you start cooking.  

To Cook

  • Heat oil in a 4-5 quart cooking pot over medium-high heat.
  • Add bay leaves, cardamom, cinnamon cloves, peppercorn, and green serrano. Cook, stirring for about 30 seconds.
  • Add the chopped onions. Sauté, stirring frequently, for about 8-10 minutes until half caramelized (brown).
  • Add the garlic paste, ginger paste, as well as coriander, turmeric, and chili powders, (Alternately, you can mix the spice powders with the ginger-garlic paste and a little water before adding them to the pot). Stir for about a minute until fragrant, stirring and scraping the bottom, so it doesn't stick and burn. If it is sticking, just pour in a little hot water.
  • Add the lamb stew meat, 2 tablespoons of cilantro, and garlic salt (or salt). Cook on medium-high heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover, and let it cook in its own juice for another 5 minutes.
  • Uncover and cook until the moisture evaporates and the oil starts to surface on the sides. Be sure to continue to stir occasionally so that the masala does not stick to the pot and burn. 
  • Now add the tomato paste and about a quarter cup of hot water. Let it cook, stirring frequently, for another 4 minutes.
  • Pour the rest of the hot water and let it simmer until the meat is tender, about 25 minutes.
  • If you like to add potatoes to your curry, you can add them at this point. You can add a little more hot water if you like a thinner gravy, but do not let it get too liquidy!
  • Pour into a serving dish and garnish with the remaining cilantro.
  • Lamb Curry pairs well with rice, rice pilaf, naans, or rotis (tortillas). 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian
Keyword: curry, lamb
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In Main Dishes

Dal Rusum (Pepper Water)

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Sunday was our day for Pepper Water, a South Indian dish called Dal Rusum. Mama being from the south and Father from the North, coupled with the fact that we traveled all over the Indian subcontinents as Military brats, gave us a whole range of Indian cuisine to sample. Further, my husband being in the Indian Air Force enhanced that culinary adventure further for me.

Rusum was one of our favorite meals growing up. Cook would fix a whole lot of it under Mama’s tutelage. It was served with plain boiled rice and pepper chops. The combination was just plain yummy!

When fixing rusum, be sure to have two 5-6 quart pots and a sieve handy to strain the rusum. Also keep a large skillet or frying pan nearby for tempering. You will need them when boiling the lentil and when tempering it.

Cooking rusum can be tricky when making it the first time. To make things easier for you, have all your ingredients ready before you start. Separate the ingredients in steps 1-4. It will make things less confusing for you.

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Dal Rusum (Pepper Water)

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 6
Rusum (Pepper Water) is a South Indian dish made from crushed pepper, tamarind, lentils, and spices.

Ingredients

  • 1½ cups toor/arhar dal (pigeon peas)
  • 1 tsp tumeric powder
  • 1 heaped tsp tamarind paste
  • 1 small pod garlic (or 8 large flakes)
  • 20 whole peppercorns
  • 1½ tsp whole cumin seeds
  • 3 cups fresh cilantro (loosely packed cups)
  • 2 medium dried red chilies (broken into bits)
  • 1 tsp black mustard seeds
  • 8 curry leaves (add more less to taste)

Instructions 

Step 1: Preparing the Dal Water

  • Boil the dal in 6-7 cups of water with salt and turmeric until the dal is tender. Approximately 35-40 minutes.
  • Strain the dal through a sieve, pouring the dal liquid into another large pot. Set strained dal aside.

Step 2: Adding the Tamarind Paste

  • Add the tamarind paste to the dal liquid. Taste for tartness and salt. It should be tangy but not sour. Bring to boil for about 5-10 minutes. Turn heat off.

Step 3: First Tempering / Tadka  for Dal Water

  • Coarsely grind the garlic flakes, cumin, fresh green cilantro, pepper corns, and turmeric powder. You can use your chopper, blender, or pestle.
  • Heat about 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a fairly large saucepan or skillet.
  • Add the coarsely ground mixture and sauté for about a minute or until you can smell the aroma. It doesn't take long! Make sure to stir it often, so it does not burn.
  • Pour this into the dal water. Put the pot back on stove and return to boil. Let it boil for about 10 minutes.
  • Now strain the water again into the other empty pot, making sure to squeeze all the juice out of the tadka mixture so the essence of it is not lost. Your rusum is ready for the second tempering.

Step 4: Second Tempering of the Rusum

  • Heat oil, and add ¾ teaspoon of mustard seeds. Be careful, as they splutter. Now add the 2 dry red chilies and the fresh curry leaves. Stir for about 10 seconds and then pour it over the pepper water.

Tempering / Tadkafor the Dal

  • Same as the rusum. Heat the oil and add the remainder of the mustard seeds, red chilies, and curry leaves. Stir for about 10 seconds and then pour over the dal. Toss gently into the dal.
  • Serve the rusum/pepper water and dal along with meat pepper fry and plain boiled rice.

Notes

To make your own tamarind paste: Take a golf-sized lump of freshly peeled tamarind, place in a cup of warm water, then extract the tamarind juice by squeezing the pulp out into a bowl, and then strain the thick juice.
Since different brands of Tamarind vary in tartness, start with a little less than the tamarind called for. If it’s not tangy enough for your taste, then adjust to your liking. If by some chance it gets too sour, don't panic. Just boil a half cup more of the lentil and add it to the Rusum.
I now prefer to add the strained dal back into the rusum after I strain the first tadka. That way, I do not have to temper the dal separately.
You may want to set the table with soup bowls and spoons for easier handling of the pepper water and rice.
You can also drink this as a spicy soup-especially when you have a cold or recovering from a bout of flu. The tanginess, garlic, cilantro and pepper takes care of any residual yukiness !! I remember mom used to have Cook fix it anytime we were recovering from being sick. It tasted so good!
 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Indian, South Indian
Keyword: pepper, rusum, tamarind

 

 

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In Main Dishes

Dals (Lentils)

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One of my favorite meals is dal, plain boiled rice and pickle. While growing up, Mama had different dals for each day of the week. Each dal had its own seasonings, and we children had our own favorite dal.

Dals (including the larger legumes and beans) are a staple in the Indian diet. They are easy to prepare and add protein to vegetarian fare. The dals are mostly boiled with ginger and garlic and then tempered or seasoned (called Tadka, Baghar, or Chaunk) depending on which part of India you are raised. Dals taste great spooned over rice or eaten with rotis or any other flat bread.

I remember our Peace Corps friends, back in the 60s, said they survived on dal and rice until they got used to the other spicy food. There were no fancy restaurants in the villages and small towns where they worked, and with their meager salaries, lentils were cheap, wholesome and easy to prepare.

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Dals (Lentils)

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6
Dals are a staple of Indian diet and are packed with protein and nutrients.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup lentils of choice
  • 4 cups water (or 6-7 cups, depending on dal)
  • 2 cloves garlic (chopped finely)
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger (chopped finely)
  • 1 whole green Serrano chili (slit half-way)
  • 1 tsp tumeric powder
  • 1 tsp salt (or to taste)

For Tadka / Tempering

  • 2 tbsp cooking oil
  • 1 medium tomato (finely chopped, optional)
  • ½ onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 tsp garam masala (optional)
  • ½ tsp red chili powder (optional, or to your taste)
  • 2 tbsp fresh cilantro (finely chopped)

Instructions 

  • Sort and clean any grit in the dal. Rinse well. A friend, Lilani who is a fantastic gourmet chef, suggested washing and rinsing through a strainer so that any little bits of grit get washed away. But make sure you sort through the dal so you don't have any tiny stones that can crack someone's tooth!
  • Ina deep saucepan or cooking pot, add the dal, chopped garlic, fresh chopped ginger, whole Serrano chili or a whole dried red chili, turmeric powder, and salt to taste.
  • Add water and boil until it resembles a thick soup.
  • Stir every 15 minutes. Initially, the scum(froth) will rise to the top, you can remove it with a spoon. Half cover the pot with a lid so that some steam escapes and the dal water does not overflow.
  • Cooking time will vary from 45 minutes to 3 hours depending on the size and type of lentil.
  • Set aside and use any of the following ways to temper the dals.

Basic Tadka / Tempering for All Lentils

  • Heat oil in a small pan.
  • Add onions and sauté them until half browned. About 4-6 minutes.
  • Add tomatoes (if you like). Once they start to soften and curl, in about 3-4 minutes, turn off the heat and add the spice powders. Stir a minute or two and pour over the cooked dal.
  • Stir the dal and let the spices cook for another 3- 5 minutes to absorb the flavors of the tadka. Turn off the heat and let the dal rest for 5 minutes.
  • Pour the dal into a deep dish and garnish with chopped green Cilantro.
  • Serve with cooked white rice and a vegetable or a spicy meat dish and pickle.
  • The lentils are poured over the rice. If you are eating it with roti, flatbreads or bread, then pour the lentils into individual cup-sized dishes for easy dipping or the use of a spoon.

Notes

You can vary the seasoning by eliminating the onions or tomatoes and just season it with the spices.
I use different seasonings for different lentils, as you will see when you check my other dal recipes, but there are no hard and fast rules. The lentils should be the texture of a hearty soup, blended but not mushy.
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Indian, Vegetarian
Keyword: dals, lentils
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In Drinks

Sweet Lassi (Yogurt Drink)

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We are on our famous cross-country trip across the hot and heated summer plains of Northern India, making our way to the cool hills of Jammu and Kashmir. It has been a long ride from our night stop at Ambala in Punjab. It is only mid-morning, but the sun is bearing down strong and hard. Hot gusts of dust hit us from time to time. We plan to make a pit stop at Ludhiana, which is about 65 miles away from Ambala. The roads are rough and the going slow. It is a busy highway, with the laden public carriers (trucks with merchandise) swerving dangerously close. We call them Public Killers as there are involved in so many fatal road accidents.

Finally, we arrive at a much-needed stop. Mama orders us all tall glasses of sweet lassi, a yogurt drink from a Halwai. Loosely translated, a halwai is a confectioner who makes Indian sweets. Halwais come from the Vaishya caste whose contribution to Indian society is confectionery and making sweets (candies).

I watch the halwai  closely as he fixes the drinks. He takes big dollops of yogurt from the  large flat  earthenware pot, on which he has a block of ice to keep the yogurt cool. The ice is wrapped in a gunny sack to prevent it from melting. Those were the times when small restaurants and dhabbas  did not have  refrigerators. Things are different today.  The yogurt is so thick you can cut through it with a knife. He puts the yogurt into a large stainless steel jug. To this he adds sugar and iced water along with the juice of a couple of lemons. After he quickly blends together the ingredients, he pours the lassi into tall glasses.

Maybe I was hot, sweaty, and dusty, but it was about the best lassi I had ever tasted.

Lassi is a yogurt drink that you can make either sweet or salty or with fruit. It originated in Punjab, and was a smoothie in India long before the world caught up!

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Lassi (Yogurt Drink)

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 4
Originating in the Punjab, Lassi, is a refreshing, healthy yogurt drink that is common in India, and is now popular all over the world.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups plain yogurt (for a thicker lassi, use whole milk yogurt, but you can also use nonfat or low-fat)
  • 4 tbsp sugar (or sugar substitute)
  • 2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
  • 2 cups water
  • 2 cups crushed ice

Instructions 

  • Put all the ingredients with a ½ cup of crushed ice in a blender (or hand whisk) and blend until smooth. Taste for sugar. It should be sweet with a hint of tartness with the lemon/lime juice. Adjust to your taste.
  • Pour into tall glasses and serve. You can garnish with some mint leaves or lemon/lime wedges. Personally, I don't like mint leaves as their strong flavor tends to detract from the taste of the lassi.

Notes

Salted Lassi: If you can't have sugar or don't like the sweetness, you can substitute the sugar with salt (to your taste). Add a dash of cinnamon or roasted cumin powder and garnish with fresh, chopped cilantro (coriander) leaves.
Check my website for Mango Lassi, Raspberry Lassi, and Pineapple Lassi. You can also use flavored yogurt to make lassi, but I prefer the taste of lassi made from scratch.
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American, Indian
Keyword: lassi, salt, yogurt

-Halwai Photo by Tiago Rosado on Unsplash
-Lorry Photo by Siddhesh Mangela on Unsplash

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