Roz Ka Khana

You’ve probably heard of writer’s block. But is there a term called ”a cooking block”? No, not the kind you’d find in a kitchen..you get the idea. Can you tell by the new phrases I’m coming up with that I have a serious case of a writer’s or whateveryoumaycallit block?

There are some days when inspiration is hard to come by and weeks go by without anything interesting to cook and hence without a new post. A cooking block in my case is also a writer’s block. When I started rozkakhana, the intent was to post a recipe a day, at least. That’s what it literally meant…roz, or everyday food. It’s not been that easy, as you can see with the spacing of the posts, but I’m trying to get myself to post at least one a week. Hmm..hafthe (week) ka khana? I did warn you about my writer’s block.

I’m faced with these blocks sometimes, especially when I’m stuck with an ingredient that only gives me enough enthusiasm to take it out of my crisper, stare at it, and put it back. Spinach is one of those vegetables that I cannot get creative with. Everytime I buy fresh spinach from the farmer’s market or the grocery store, the intent is to infuse some healthful bounty in my cooking. But it almost always leads to wilted spinach leaves in the fridge and the same dishes that I end up making out of desperation. I’ve tried Palak Panneer (spinach with cottage cheese) or Andhra style Palak Pappu (from Indira’s blog at Mahanandi that I make quite often), or boring(to me!) Keerai Koottu (Spinach Dal, Tamil style). Don’t get me wrong, there are days when keerai koottu with sambar or kozhambu (stew) is all I will crave for, but it does get tired that those are the only dishes that come to mind.

So it was perfect timing that I tasted this tasty spinach concoction at my friend Aparna’s house. I know, the inspiration sources from friend’s houses sounds redundant, but again, that’s how it almost always strikes.  I guess I’m just lucky to have such great cooks as friends. There it was…Aparna’s palak soya sabzi (curry) packed with all the goodness of spinach and the added protein boost with the soy granules. It was tasty of course, as with all of Aparna’s delicacies, but there was another incentive for me to try this dish the very next day. The fact that my son, Nikhil, asked for seconds! Spinach has never been his favorite as I’m sure with many kids, but here he was asking if he could take it for his school lunch. Here’s the recipe…quick, easy and very healthy.

Ingredients:

Fresh spinach leaves – a bunch

Red onions – 1

Ginger paste – 1 tsp

Garlic paste – 1/2 to 1 tsp

Soy granules – 1/2 cup

Chili powder – 1 tsp (or less according to taste)

Salt to taste

Oil – 2 tsp

1. Soak the soy granules in water for about 10-15 minutes. Drain and squeeze the water out.

2. Take the oil in a pan, add the chopped onion and saute for about 5 minutes.

3. Add the ginger and garlic paste, saute for a few more minutes.

4. Now add the fresh chopped spinach leaves. Stir fry for a few more minutes until the spinach looks wilted.

5. Add the soy granules, salt and chili powder. Cover and cook for a few minutes. Enjoy with chapatis or hot rice.

Optional: You could also add chopped tomato at the last step and cook for a few more minutes. I did not add it here but the dish I tasted at Aparna’s had tomatoes in it.

It’s true that people who have a taste for good food are also great cooks themselves. Or is it vice versa?  If you think I’m trying to toot my own horn.. well..maybe I am in a subtle kind of way;). I like to think that it’s all in the family, so I may be guilty of bragging a bit here.

It’s my husband I’m talking about, who is a big foodie himself. He’s a road warrior so one may think that all the travelling would have killed his taste buds, but I think it’s only helped grow his taste for all things food. He tends to have this sense for “sniffing” down the best eateries wherever he travels. Though I have to add that he is a little partial to Indian food, so a lot of his travel favorites tend to be Indian eateries. He has quite a database of favorites, which gives me an idea to to start a section on this blog of his restaurant reviews , to aid travellers looking for great eats. Coming soon..

Well, the good news is that Girish doesn’t just have a taste for good food, he is a great cook too…(notice the too there…didn’t I say I was bragging just a little bit)! All kidding aside, he has excelled at making some choice dishes which I will try to share here. Of course, that would mean he would need to cook more often so I think these mentions are a great incentive that will mutually benefit us.

I do have to add on a more serious note that he is the true inspiration behind this food journal. His drive and enthusiasm has been the force in getting this site up and running and to get me to do something I enjoy. Girish, this one is for all your love and support! Couldn’t have been better timing to include one of your entries in this blog. Roz ka Khana turned 2 months this week. Small achievement I know compared to some biggies out there, but thank you for coming along this far.

Here’s Girish’s recipe for Karuvepilai Kuzhambu, a Kuzhambu (soup or stew) variety that is a popular dish in Tamil Nadu. I have seen various versions of this recipe online, but here’s Girish’s original recipe that I think is the best;)

I do have to add a comment on the vessel that he used to make this dish. A kachitti as it is called in Tamil is a stone vessel, and is popular in Tamil Nadu to make all kozhambus. Like the eeyya chombu or the amalgamated metal vessel used for making rasam in my previous post, cooking kozhambu in a kachitti adds to the taste. It’s also said that a day old kuzhambu in the kachitti tastes even better. Let’s just say we’ve been there, done that and coudn’t agree more!

Ingredients:

15-20 curry leaves

20-30 Peppercorns

3 tsp jeera

Asafoetida (a pinch)

3 tsp sesame oil (Til Oil)

Tamarind pulp (Lemon size tamarind soaked in water and made into a pulp)

Salt to taste

Jaggery – a small piece

1. Take the curry leaves, jeera, peppercorns and some of the tamarind pulp and grind to a smooth paste.

2. Add some water to the remaining tamarind pulp (about 1- 1 1/2 cup water to 1 cup of tamarind pulp). The result should be a soup like consistency, not too watery, not too thick.

3. Take a heavy bottomed vessel or kachitti if you own one. Add the sesame oil to it and heat it on a low flame. After the oil gets hot, add the asafoetida first. Wait till it starts to smoke a little (make sure it doesn’t burn just enough to get an aroma), then add the jeera or cumin seeds.

4. After about 2 minutes, add the tamarind water, then add the jeera-peppercorn paste. Add salt to taste. Turn the flame to low and cook for about 10 minutes. The mixture will start to boil and thicken a little.

5. Add the piece of jaggery and boil for another 5 minutes. The kuzhambu should now resemble a thickened soup.

Enjoy with hot white rice and some dry vegetable and vadam(vadiyalu/ or chips.