Curry With One Masala- Palak Soya Bean Curry

It's been gloomy and rainy for the past few days, somehow I don't feel like doing anything when the sun hides into the clouds and the day becomes gloomy.  No matter how tired and lazy I feel, still  have to fulfill few of my basic instincts, like eating.  I can go on with some take away or some snacks to munch on but that's definitely not going to satisfy the nutritional requirements for my body. 

So I'm forced by myself to cook and eat some healthy food and at the same time without too much chopping or cooking.  Thinking about some spicy food which is apt for this season, at the top of my head I could dream about poori channa, parotta chalna etc. Oh! no that requires quite lot of time.

 
 Alright, now having some soaked soya beans and fresh palak in my refrigerator, all I could think about is Palak soya bean curry. After palak panner, Murg Palak, we all love making Palak channa or Palak peas too, this is exactly the same category.  Although Palak Channa is the best for me, I love combining Palak with other pulses and beans too.

Note:
The same curry style can be adapted for Chickpeas or Peas instead of Soyabeans. Channa Masala can be found in any Asian or Indian Grocery stores

Serves 2
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:
Cooked Soya beans- 100 gm
Palak- 100 gm ( cleaned and chopped )
Tomato- 2 medium sized (pureed)
Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp
Cumin seeds- 1 tsp
Channa Masala powder- 2 tsp
Oil- 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:
Heat Oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds, then ginger garlic paste.  Stir it for 2 minutes until the raw smell goes away. Now add the tomato puree, stir well. Cover and let it simmer for about 3 minutes. When you open the pan, the colour of the tomatoes should be in bright red colour and the oil should start leaving the sides of the pan. 
At this stage add the cooked soya beans, channa masala powder, salt and stir well.  Cover and cook for a few minutes until the masala gets incorporated well.  Finally add the palak puree, stir well, let it simmer for 2 minutes. Switch off the flame. Serve warm withbread, chapathi's or rice.

To make the palak puree:
Blanch the washed palak in hot water for 2 minutes.  Drain the water and wash in cold water immediately. Puree the palak in a
blender into a smooth paste by adding little water.

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Prawn Theeyal

As a kid I have never enjoyed theeyal, particularly when it's only with shallots or vegetables.  As I always say, now it's the reverse as I grew up.  Now I love theeyal and shallots a lot, I even enjoy raw shallots or pearl onions.  Raw shallots so good for you, in those days when you have rice leftover in home, what they do is wash the rice well and add some more water to the rice and leave it overnight, not in a refrigerator.  The next day morning they drain the water and add fresh water or sometime use the same water.  Mash up the rice well with water, add a few spoons of yogurt, freshly chopped  raw shallots and some green chillies,curry leaves.  You won't believe this gives you unbelievable stamina for the whole day.
The starch from the rice  gives you this stamina and raw pearl onion or shallots adds up lots and lots of health benefits.  Raw shallots are rich in antioxidants,vitamins and minerals.

Shallots reduces the cholesterol level in your body, also it reduces the blood sugar level. Shallots are also particularly effective against liver cancer, since shallots remove the toxins from the liver.  Regular intake of shallots also reduces the infections from stomach.  Although peeling and preparing the shallots are bit time taking work, thinking of all the health benefits, I think it's worth all the efforts.  To read more about shallots click here and here.

Coming back to our recipe here Theeyal is originally a recipe from Kerala, which is almost a similar version of pulikulambu which is prepared in Tamilnadu.  Theeyal is a tangy and spicy curry prepared with a mix of vegetables or prawns.  Theeyal can be served with rice, idli's or dosas.  In case of Prawn theeyal, it can be served with chapathi's too.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 40-45 minutes
Serves  4

Ingredients:
Prawns ( shelled and cleaned )- 1/2 kg
Shallots- 12 ( peeled and chopped)
Tomato- 2 medium sized chopped
Tamarind- 1 lemon sized ball ( soaked in water and extract the pulp)
Chilly powder- 1 tsp
Coriander powder-2 1/2 tsp
Green chilly - 2
Curry leaves-10
Garlic-  4 pods chopped
Methi seeds- 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
Fresh grated coconut- 100 g
Oil- 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:
Clean and wash the prawns with little turmeric and salt.  Dry roast the coconut until it turns light brown in colour.  Mix the chilly powder and coriander powder along with the coconut, grind it to a smooth paste by adding little water.
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds when they start spluttering, add methi seeds,curry leaves and garlic.  Now add the onions and stir fry until it turns translucent.  At this stage add the ground paste and stir well with out sticking to the bottom.  Now add the tomatoes, green chillies and stir well.  Cover the pan and let it cook till the tomatoes get softened.  Now add the tamarind juice and water, let it boil for few minutes.  Finally add the prawns, salt,  cover the pan and let it cook till the prawns are completely cooked.  When the colour of the prawns are changed in colour,you know it's cooked.  Leave it till oil floats on top of the curry.  Take it off from heat and serve with hot steaming rice.

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Aatu Kaal Paaya ( Smoked leg of lamb cooked in a spicy sauce )

After removing the skin of goat or lamb, it can be used from head to toe.  Every single part starting from head can be eaten.  Head is used for head curry, even tongue and nose also used, it might bit dodgy if you are a vegetarian. The meat, intenstine, liver, brain everything is used for different preparation.  To be more clear, the blood is also consumed.  Paaya is prepared using the feet of lamb or goat.  When it comes to feet or leg , the skin cannot be peeled completely, so it's left out with a few hairy parts.

This feet or leg of lamb with hairy parts  cannot be used directly for any recipe.  Hence this is smoked or burnt completely until it burns out all the hairy parts outside .  This can be done only by butchers, not in home.  To read about this might be bit yucky,  but this is just a piece of information who have never heard the word paaya.  In case you have lost your interest after reading this, please don't.  This recipe bursts with flavours and also very good for your bones and joints.  Any non veg lover will love this,  appam with paaya or idyapaam with paaya is such a well known popular combination.  It does taste good with chapathi's and rice too.  So instead of your regular chicken or lamb curries and stews, try this for a change next time, you'll surely love it.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time:  45 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:
Smoked feet- 2 sets ( which means 2 feet and leg of lamb chopped into pieces)
Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp
Onion- 1 medium sized finely chopped
Tomato- 1 medium sized finely chopped
Cinnamon- 1/2 inch stick
Cardamom- 1
Cloves- 1
Bay leaf- 1 small leaf
Chilly powder- 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Freshly ground pepper and cumin- 1/2 tbsp ( take equal amount of pepper and cumin and ground it coarsely )
Coriander leaves- 1 tbsp finely chopped
Coconut milk- 100 ml
Oil- 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:
Wash the smoked feet well in water, rubbing the few burnt parts.  Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add all the whole spices, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and bay leaves.  Then add onions and ginger garlic paste.  Saute well until the raw smell goes and it looks light brown in colour.  Now add the tomatoes and saute till they look mushy.  Now add the chilly powder and coriander powder and mix it well.  Now add the leg of lamb and mix it well.  Add lots of water, until it looks completely immersed and the water level is well above the top.  At this stage add the freshly ground pepper and cumin.   Cover the cooker with it's lid, put the whistle.  Cook it for upto 10 whistles.
Generally it takes very long time to cook.  If it looks hard after 10 whistles, cook it for another 5 more whistles.  At this stage add coconut milk, coriander leaves and salt.  Cook it for another 3 whistles.  To check if it's cooked properly, when you touch it should be very soft and the meat should come of from the bone very easily.  Now you know it's ready, take it off from heat.  Serve while they are still warm with idiyappam, appam, rice or chapathi's.

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