Topic: Lamb / Chicken Kovalam - Please Help !!!

[slimboyfat]

Two of the recipes from the Prashad book ..........


VENDAKKA MASALA PACHCHADI
Okra simmered in a thick, coconut-flavoured, yoghurt-based gravy,


INGREDIENTS
800g Okra
Groundnut Oil to deep fry 3g/1 tsp Cumin seeds 4g/1 tsp Mustard seeds
20g/2 Tbs Urad dal 3 Whole Red Chillies 10 Curry Leaves 125g Onions 250g Tomatoes 5g/1 tsp Red Chilli powder 3g Turmeric 15g/1 Tbs Coriander powder
Salt
75g/1 cup Coconut 15g/2 Tbs Cashew nuts 100g Yoghurt
 


PREPARATION

THE OKRA: Slice off the ends (without exposing the tubes), wash, pat dry and cut into 1-inch pieces. Heat oil in a kadhai and deep fry over medium heat until crisp (approx 5-6 minutes). Drain and reserve the oil,
THE REMAINING VEGETABLES Wash curry leaves. Peel, wash and chop
onions. Wash and chop tomatoes.
THE LENTIL: Pick, wash in running water and pat dry.
THE COCONUT PASTE: Remove the brown skin and grate coconut. Split
cashew nuts. Put both in a blender, add 60ml/VA cup of coconut water
and make a fine paste.
THE YOGHURT: Whisk in a bowl.
 

COOKING

Heat 75ml of the reserved oil in a handi, add cumin and mustard seeds, urad dal, whole red chillies and curry leaves, saute over medium heat until the seeds begin to crackle. Add onions and saute until golden brown. Then add tomatoes, stir, add red chilli powder, turmeric, coriander and salt, bhunno until the fat leaves the masala. Reduce to low heat, add the coconut paste and bhunno for 2 minutes. Remove the handi, add yoghurt, stir, add water (approx 400ml/1 2/i cups), return to heat and bring to a boil. Now add the deep fried okra and simmer until napped in the gravy. Adjust the seasoning.

KERALA NANDU MASALA
A coconut-flavoured crab curry. Extracting the meat from the shell is an easily acquired art and that is half the fun of eating this mild delicacy.


 
INGREDIENTS
8 Crab (medium size) 100ml/ 7 llis Groundnut Oil 2g/ V2 tsp Mustard seeds 2 Whole Red Chillies 120g/2/3 cup Onions 50g/ 3 Tbs Ginger paste 50g/ 3 Tbs Garlic paste 3g/ V2 tsp Red Chilli powder 3g/ V2 tsp Turmeric Salt
400g/1 Vn cups Tomatoes 75g/1 cup Coconut 2 Green Chillies 10 Curry Leaves 20g/ Vi cup Coriander
 
PREPARATION

THE CRAB: Rinse in running water, remove and retain claws, cut each into 2 pieces.
THE VEGETABLES: Peel, wash and chop onions. Wash and chop tomatoes, dean and wash curry leaves. Clean, wash and chop coriander.
THE COCONUT PASTE: Remove the brown skin and grate coconut. Remove stems, wash, slit, deseed and chop green chillies. Put both ingredients in a blender, add 75ml/!4 cup of coconut water and make a fine paste.
 

COOKING

Heat oil in a handi, add mustard seeds, saute over medium heat until they begin to crackle, add whole red chillies and stir for 5 seconds. Add onions, saute until light golden, add the ginger and garlic pastes, stir until the liquid has evaporated. Then add red chilli powder, turmeric and salt, stir for 30 seconds, add tomatoes and bhunno, until the fat leaves the masala. Now add the paste, reduce to low heat, stir for 2 minutes, add crab, curry leaves and water (approx 300ml/1!4 cups), bring to a boil, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Adjust the seasoning.

TO SERVE
 
Remove to a bowl, garnish with coriander and serve with boiled rice and emon wedges.

[Secret Santa]

VENDAKKA MASALA PACHCHADI
Okra simmered in a thick, coconut-flavoured, yoghurt-based gravy,


INGREDIENTS
800g/P/4 lb Okra
Groundnut Oil to deep fry 3g/1 tsp Cumin seeds 4g/1 tsp Mustard seeds
20g/2 Tbs Urad dal 3 Whole Red Chillies 10 Curry Leaves 125g/% cup Onions 250g/ll cup Tomatoes 5g/1 tsp Red Chilli powder 3g/ xk tsp Turmeric ljSg'/1 Tbs Coriander powder Salt
75g/1 cup Coconut 15g/2 Tbs Cashew nuts 100g/'/2 cup Yoghurt

I don't often cook authentic recipes any more but I rather fancied trying this one as I love okra. There seems to be some errors in the quantities though, for example, 20g/2 Tbs Urad dal and 15g/2 Tbs Cashew nuts, the tbs and gram measures are different. Can you just confirm that these are right? Cheers.

[slimboyfat]

Sorry about that I scanned the book and used an ocr to paste it in to word hence all the typos  I have now altered it !

[spooner000]

THanks for that and the effore put in. I think im getting somewhere as 9 out of ten recipes that I'm narrowing it down to seem to have the cashew nut paste and youghurt, so this is more convincing now.
Im not so sure about tomatoes though. Not to worry I think I will defo try the okra recipe and see where it gets me.

Cheers

 

[slimboyfat]

For those that are wondering what Bhunao is ?this is the text form the book !

Bhunao is a combination of light stewing, sauteing and stir frying. It is the process of cooking over medium to high heat, adding small quantities of liquid water or yoghurt to prevent the ingredients from sticking, which also makes it necessary to stir constantly. Almost every recipe needs bhunao at some stage, very often at more than one stage.
At the outset it may be the spices and/or ingredients like onions, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, etc:, which require bhunao. The process would not only extract the flavour of each of the spices and/Or ingredients, but also ensure that they do not get burnt or remain raw. In fact, the masala must be fully cooked.
Subsequently, the main ingredient may also require bhunao. This ensures that the initial cooking is done in the ingredients' own juices. The process is complete only when the fat leaves the masala or the sides.
Bhunao is not a complete process in itself but a part of the process that helps to prepare a dish. It usually requires the addition of substantial quantities of liquid to complete the cooking process.
 

[Secret Santa]

also called bhonoing, bhunoing and bhunaoing!..It's transliterated from hindi (i think) so there are many versions... but it's what we know as bhuna or bhoona.