Cooking recipes: berry

Showing posts with label berry. Show all posts

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Chundakkai Pachadi or Sundakkai pachadi Turkey Berry hot and sour gravy

Anybody from chettinad, who were blessed to live there for sometime (many from chettinad now are in a category as very rare visitors during functions) would have tasted this curry prepared with atmost care by their grand mother or mother. I had my childhood days in kerala and I have seen this plant on the road side grown as a wild shrub because of its rapid spread as a weed in disturbed lands,I don’t think there was any taker for this wonder vegetable there. The tamilians there would have used it. But this was a very special vegetable in chettinad and the cooks at home used to make tasty pachadi out of it when we visited chettinad during the holidays.
More than the taste of this curry, It has got wonderful medicinal value. I have to mention one thing here, coming to home remedies whenever I tell my mom that somebody is having cough at home she will tell fry chunda vathal powder it and mix it with hot rice and give.If I tell some body is having stomach problem, the same remedy. If I tell her any of us is aneamic again she will tell take lot of chundakkai.I used to think Oh God Amma has only this answer for all ill. But as we are used to listening to our parents without much question on these home remedies, I too used follow what she told.

But when I started browsing I understood that she is correct and that it is used in many Ayurvedic treatments as a medicine.It is used in the treatment of cough and as a tonic of liver.It is very good in controlling blood pressure .In Tamil Nadu, the fruit is consumed directly or as cooked food like Sundakkai Sambar, Sundakkai Poriyal, Sundakkai pachadi. We all have seen sundakkai vathal used in vatha kuzhambu.After soaking this veg in curd and drying, the final product is fried in oil as Sundakkai vattral.

I am not sure whether this vegetable is available in the market in all places. But it is very simple to grow this in our kitchen garden if you manage to get the seeds of this plant or a small plant itself.
Morethan for its medicinal value, all in my home love its taste.It should be cooked with much care and dedication to bring the full taste. Tender sundakkai is to be used for pachadi.The tough ones can be used for making sambar.

Ingredients
Sundakkai-1 cup(tender ones)
Small onion chopped-20
Tomato-1
Sambar powder-1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder-1 teaspoon
Tamarind paste-1 teaspoon
Cooked Thoor dhal-1/4 cup
To season
Musrad seed-1 teaspoon
Small jeera-1 teaspoon
Curry leaf-little
Corriander leaves to season

Procedure
Select tender sundakkai while cutting. Split into 4 and put into water. Mince onion and tomatoes. Cook thoor dhal one whistle less than you cook for sambar. Keep the kadai in the stove. Season the pachadi with the items given in to season in 1 table spoon of oil.Add the onion and tomatoes and saute for 3 minutes. Now add the cut sundakkai and saute in medium fire for 5 minutes.If sauted nicely,there will be no bitter taste in the curry. After sauting add the water that is there on top of the cooked dhal.(If there is not much water in your cooked dhal, add a cup of water into it, mix it lightly and take out that water.).Add turmeric powder. Half close the kadai and cook for 6 to 7 minutes in medium fire till the Sundakkai cooks soft. Now add little more dhal water and sambar powder.cook for 3 minutes. Add the salt needed and the tamarind paste now. When the curry boils add the cooked thoor dhal left and cook for 5 more minutes. You should not cook long after adding dhal as the curry will turn very thick. Garnish with coriander leaves. This gravy will be semi solid .This can be mixed with rice as well as used as a side dish for curd rice.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Three Birthdays One Tart Recipe for Baked Yogurt Berry Tart

Its lovely when a plan comes together perfectly. Aparna, Arundati, Arundhati, Arundathi (yes, they are three different girls with same name and different spellings) and me, started a little baking group to egg each other to bake and write about it, not that Aparna needs any egging on. Weve christened it The Sisterhood of The Traveling Cake Tins and each month we bake something together.

Behind the beautiful posts, what you wont see is some frantic activity on our (secret) FB group page, where each of us spams recipe links, where to source ingredients, what to substitute, what to do when something seems to be going wrong and of course, pictures and commentary at every stage of the recipe. This time was no different. Also, seeing my post about this exciting group, Monika asked to be a part of it too and now we are six of us.

We decided to bake something to commemorate the legendary Julia Childs 100th birthday. In my early years of food blogging, I won the book My Life in France for showcasing the best marketplace, and this foodblogger shipped this book to me all the way from Switzerland. Ive read the book many times and its never failed to inspire me on how Julia found her lifes calling in her 40s, how she had never been interested in cooking until then, how she went on to write the most applauded cookbook of her times and went on to make the most watched cookery show of her time.

This is a simple recipe, by French cooking standards. I used a simple mix and press-into-tin and bake crust recipe over one that needs resting and rolling. The filling itself it extremely easy-just good yogurt, eggs, sugar, flour topped with fruit and nuts of your choice. I was telling my fellow group members how this makes a perfect breakfast recipe, minus the crust.

Coming to the other two birthdays, it is the husbands birthday today and we did a little cake cutting ceremony over our morning tea and had it for breakfast. It is also Indias 65th Independence Day which makes this dessert fit three special occasions beautifully.

Recipe for baked yogurt berry tart with oatmeal crust
Serves 12-16

For the oatmeal crust:
Adapted from here

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup oatmeal flour (lightly roasted and powdered the oats)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
100 grams butter, melted and cooled (but still liquid)
1 egg beaten-to seal crust once nearly baked

Line a 9" pie tin with a detachable base or a regular pie tin lined with foil. Grease the foil.

In a large bowl, mix the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt till combined. Add melted butter and gently bring together everything. Tip this onto the pie tin and smoothen with fingers to line enter base and the side of the tin, pressing down with a flat bottomed cup to even it out and chill in the fridge or freezer for 10-15 minutes.

Preheat oven at 170 C (325 F).

Place a rack in middle of oven and bake this crust for 20 minutes, until nearly golden.
Remove and brush with beaten egg all through and bake again for 5-7 minutes. This prevents the crust from becoming soggy.

While the crust is baking, prepare the filling.

For the filling (adapted from Julia Childs recipe for Tarte Au Yogurt)
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3 eggs
2 cups yogurt (I used Danone-regular fat, after lightly tipping out any whey on the top, no need to drain)
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup all purpose flour

1.5 cups berries or sliced peaches or nectarines (I used dried wild blueberries and cranberries, rehydrated and drained)
1/3 cup chopped nuts (I used almonds)

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar for 3-4 minutes till pale and thick. Lightly fold the yogurt and vanilla extract into this until mixed. Sieve the flour into this gently, folding it into the mix in batches. Once the crust is baked, pour the mix into it, it will reach almost to the top of the pan. Once you arrange the fruits in the center and nuts around the circumference, the tart is ready to go into the oven for 40 minutes at 170 C (325F), until lightly golden around the edges.

Unmould with the foil or from the detachable base and chill in the fridge for 2 hours or so. Peel off foil and place on a cake tray, slice into wedges. Once such tart will yield 16 slices.

PBS is celebrating Julia Child’s 100th birth anniversary with a “Cook For Julia” right through this week and you can join them by cooking any one of Julia Child’s recipes. The deadline to join the party is 15th August, Julia’s birthday.

Posts by the others in my baking group:

Aparnas Yogurt Tart with Orange and Pistachios

Arundhatis Cherry Berry Yogurt Tart