Nellikai (amla/gooseberry) Oorgai

Ingredients

• Nellikai (Amla/ Gooseberry)- 20 nos
• Tamarind- Lemon sized ball
• Garlic- 3 (full sized) OR Asafoetida (hing)- 1/2 tsp
• Turmeric- 1 tsp
• Red Chilli Powder- 50 g
• Water- 1.5 cups
• Dry Roasted Fenugreek Seeds Powdered- 1 tsp
• Salt- 2 tsp (for the soaking) and to taste (for the mixing with red chilli)
• Oil- 1/2L (could be sunflower/refined or groundnut)
• Lemon- 1

Seasoning

• Mustard- 1 tsp
• Dry Red Chillies- 4
• Oil- 2 tsp

Procedure

Wash the nellikai (amla/gooseberry) and wipe dry. IMP: There should be no trace of moisture left.
Cut into small pieces as shown.

• 20 nellikai(amla/gooseberry)

Add turmeric and salt to the cut nellikai(amla/gooseberry). Keep the mixture overnight. Next morning grind the mixture coarsely.

• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp salt

Put the above mixture in a wide bowl. Add some salt and red chilli powder. Keep aside.

• 50g red chilli (add more or less depending on the spice level you want)
• salt to taste (add more for more red chilli)

In a separate bowl heat 1.5 cups of water. Boil until 1 cup of water is left. Take the bowl off the stove and add the tamarind to it. Wait for five minutes. Now squeeze the tamarind and filter it out to make a thick extract. Keep aside.

• lemon sized tamarind
• 1.5 cups of water

Crush the garlic in a mortar and pestle. Do NOT peel. (If using asafoetida skip to next step)
keep 2 tsp aside for the seasoning

• 3 full garlic

Add the crushed garlic, tamarind extract and fenugreek powder to the nellikai (amla/gooseberry) mixture. Keep aside.

• crushed garlic
• tamarind extract
• 1 tsp dry roasted fenugreek seeds powdered
• nellikai (amla/gooseberry) mixture

Heat 1/2L of oil in a pan for 10-15 min on a medium flame. Add the hot oil to the nellikai(amla/gooseberry) mixture while stirring the mixture continuously.
The oil should float an inch above the nellikai (amla/gooseberry) .

• 1/2L oil (refined/groundnut/sunflower)

To season heat 2 tsp of oil in a bowl and add mustard. Once the mustard starts spluttering, add the red chillies and the 2 tsp of garlic kept aside. Once the garlic turns brown, put off the flame and pour the seasoning into the pickle. Keep aside for half an hour to cool. The pickle is almost done.
The pickle should have the consistency of a chutney. If it does not, add 1-2 tsp of hot water into it.

• 2 tsp oil
• 1 tsp mustard
• 4 red chillies
• 2 tsp crushed garlic

Add juice from one full lemon into the pickle. Voila! Its ready to be eaten with chapatti, dosai or rice :)

• 1 lemon

Mangai Injee Oorgai (Instant)

Ingredients

• Mangai Injee- 300 grams
• Green Chilli- 3
• Lemon- 1 medium sized
• Turmeric- 1/4 tsp
• Salt to Taste

Procedure

Peel off the skin of the mangai injee and cut into thin round slices.

• 300 grams of mangai injee

Finely chop the green chillies. Add the mangai injee, turmeric, salt and mix well. Add the lemon juice from the medium lemon and mix again.

• mangai injee from the previous step
• 3 green chillies
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1 medium sized lemon
• salt as per taste

Leave the mixture out in the sunlight for a day.

The mangai ingee oorgai is ready to be eaten. Serve with curd rice :)
Note: This oorgai is good for just two days

Patani Sundal

Ingredients

• Patani- 1 cup (boiled)
• Salt to Taste

For Masala Paste

• Onion- 1
• Garlic- 5 buds
• Green Chilli- 4-5
• Fennel Seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Salt - 1 pinch

For Seasoning

• Mustard - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin(Jeera) Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida (Hing)- 1/2 tsp
• Garlic- 5 buds (crushed)
• Urad Dal - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 2 tsp

Preparation

*Masala Paste- Grind the ingredients listed to a paste.

• Onion- 1
• Garlic- 5 buds
• Green Chilli- 4-5
• Fennel Seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Salt - 1 pinch

Procedure

Heat oil in a kadhai and put in the ingredients listed under seasoning. When the seasoning starts to splutter, add the *masala paste. Fry until the raw smell of the masala evaporates.

• Mustard - 1/2 tsp
• Cumin(Jeera) Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida (Hing)- 1/2 tsp
• Garlic- 5 buds (crushed)
• Urad Dal - 1/2 tsp
• Oil - 2 tsp
• *masala paste

Add the boiled patani and mix. Switch the flame off after two minutes. Note: To boil the patani- Soak overnight and then cook it in a pressure cooker for 2 whistles.

• 1 cup boiled patani

Our patani sundal is ready!! Have it on a rainy day with hot tea :)

Kaju Barfi

Ingredients

• Cashews - 1 cup
• Sugar - 1/2 cup
• Water just enough to dissolve the sugar
• Ghee- 2 tsp
• Cardammom - 3 buds(optional) OR Saffron- 2 strings(optional)

Procedure

Microwave the cashews for 1 minute on high to dry the moisture in them. Then powder them to a fine consistency. Note: If microwaving is not possible grind the cashews using short quick pulses. If you do not do either of these, the grinding will make a paste instead of powder.

• 1 cup cashews

Dissolve the sugar and water in a thick bottomed pan and heat until the sugar reaches a one string consistency as shown. For this, keep the heat on high for about two minutes. As soon as the consistency is reached move to the next step. (Its important to be quick)

• 1/2 cup of sugar
• water to dissolve the sugar

Reduce the heat to medium and mix in the cashew powder. Fold the mixture. Add 1 tsp of ghee and keep folding. The last picture shows what the final texture should look like.

• cashew powder from the first step
• sugar syrup with one string consistency
• 1-1.5 tsp of ghee
• 3 buds of cardamom powdered (optional)

Grease a foil with the leftover ghee. Place the dough on a greased foil sheet and press as can be seen in the pictures. Wait to cool.

• 1/2 tsp of ghee

Make a diamond shaped pattern with a knife and serve the delicious kaju barfis as dessert!

Nellikai Thair Pachiri (Amla Raita)

Ingredients

• Nellikai (Amla) - 3
• Green Chillies- 2
• Grated Coconut- 1 tbsp
• Cumin (jeera) Seeds- 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida (Hing)- 1/2 tsp
• Coriander Leaves- few
• Curd- 1/4 cup
• Salt- to taste

For Seasoning

• Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
• Curry Leaves- 5
• Oil- 1/4 tsp

Procedure

Steam the nellikai (amla) and green chillies. Now grind all the ingredients (EXCEPT the curd) into a coarse paste. Note: To steam- I keep the(nellikai (amla) and green chillies) in a vessel in a pressure cooker while I cook rice/ dal.

• 3 nellikai (amla)
• 2 green chillies
• 2 tbsp grated coconut
• 1/2 tsp cumin (jeera) seeds
• 1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing)
• few coriander leaves
• salt as per taste

Mix the prepared paste with the curd.

• paste prepared in the previous step
• 1/4 cup curd

Season with mustard and curry leaves.

• 1 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 5 curry leaves

Voila! We have our nellikai (amla) thair pachiri which is yummy with rice or quinoa:)