Creamy Sweet potato & Coriander Soup

Sweet potato is a rarely used vegetable in many kitchens. Hailing from south of India, I have so far tasted only sweet potato palya. 

This is how I include sweet potato in my diet. I simply cook the vegetable. Peel off skin and sprinkle chaat masala, specially the kala chaat masala that my Delhi friend once gave me. Sometimes, I add the sweet potato puree to Kheer where ground coconut is added. I once made sweet potato puran poli.

Sadly, this nutritious vegetable is not commonly used in south India. To incorporate this nutrition rich vegetable, I try my best to create new dishes and this is one of them. Here, I prepared a soup where I coupled the nutty flavor of sweet potato with the flavors of the south - coriander and ginger. Obviously, this combination beat the flavor of sweet potato which is a good news to many people who have not developed a taste for sweet potato and still want to include that in their diet. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Sweet potato - 200 gms preferably organic

Red onion - 1 large

Fresh ginger - 1 inch

Coriander leaves - handful

Salt as required

Peppercorn - crushed or powdered - 1 teaspoon

Oil or Butter - 1 tablespoon

Milk - 1 cup

Method:

Pressure cook the sweet potato and peel off skin. Keep it aside.

Chop onion length wise.

Peel off ginger skin and wash well.

Wash the coriander leaves.

Keep aside 2 sprigs of coriander leaves for garnishing and grind the remaining leaves with ginger with just enough water.

Heat oil/butter in a kadai in medium heat.

Fry the onions until its tender. Keep aside a tablespoon of this onion for garnishing.

Now, pour the ground coriander and fry for a minute.

Add salt as required.

When its cooking, add the cooked sweet potato to the blender and grind with 1 cup water until the sweet potato becomes a smooth paste.

Add this to the boiling coriander and mix well.

Add peppercorn - crushed or powdered.

Allow the content to come to a boil.

Meanwhile, pour one cup milk into the blender and shake well.

When the soup comes to a boil, turn off heat and gently pour the milk and mix well.

This healthy soup is ready to be served. Garnish with fried onions and coriander leaves before serving.

This soup can be served cold too.

Regular milk can be substituted with coconut milk for an enhanced flavor.

Vegetable Pulao using Coconut Milk

Its not always that we have the time and energy to prepare elaborate meals. One pot meal recipes come handy especially during lazy weekends. Not just that, such one pot meals are a welcome dish when you have a surprise guest.

This Vegetable pulao/pulav is made using store bought coconut milk. I have used a pressure pan to make this pulao. This can be prepared in an electric rice cooker as well. Its an easy and healthy lunch box recipe.

Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

Basmathi rice - white - 2 cups - Washed and kept aside. No need to soak.

Coconut milk - Store bought tetra pack - 1 (200 ml)

(I used dabur homemade coconut milk)

Onion - 2 medium - chopped

Carrot, Green peas, Green beans - together - 2 cups - carrot and beans diced.

Mint leaves - handful - washed and chopped roughly

Oil  - 1 tablespoon

Ghee - 1 tablespoon

Green chilli - 1 or 2 - slit lengthwise ( adjust as per taste )

Bay leaf - 2 

Jeera (cumin seeds) - 1 teaspoon

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tablesoon

Salt as required

Cinnamon bark - 2 inch

Cloves - 3 to 4

Marati moggu - 2

Anise - 2

Method:

Combine coconut milk and water so that the total quantity is exactly 4 cups.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a Pressure pan or pressure cooker.

Add bay leaf, green chillie, jeera, cinnamon, cloves, marathi moggu, anise. When it sizzles, add onion.

When the onion is half cooked, add ginger garlic paste.

Fry for a minute and add mixed vegetables (carrot, beans and peas).

When the content heats up, add washed basmathi rice and fresh mint leaves.

Stir well and add diluted coconut milk.

Add salt to taste and when the content heats up, add a tablespoon of ghee.

If you are using a pressure cooker/pressure pan, cook for exactly two whistles and turn off heat promptly.

When the pressure releases, you can enjoy the delicious vegetable pulao with some potato chips.

If you are going to use an electric cooker (rice cooker), after adding ghee, transfer the content to the rice cooker and cook closed until done.

Garnishing the pulao with ghee fried cashewnuts is optional.

Set Dosa & Saagu

I bet its a winner recipe for set dosa. Perfect recipe to make fluffy, soft and tasty set dosas. Being holiday season, if you are looking for tiffin recipes for your kids, here it is. Prepare a tasty mixed vegetable saagu to go with these dosas. tadaa.....happy tummies :-)

NOTE: The original recipe is adding 5 measures of raw rice. My recipe is a little different but tastes delicious. In the recipe below, the 'measure' that I have mentioned can be a cup that's small or medium size. Even a ladle. The bigger the measure, the larger the quantity of the batter ;-) 

Here is the recipe for Set dosa followed by Saagu recipe.

Ingredients:

Raw rice - 3 Measures

Iddli rice - 2 Measures

Flattened rice ( Avalakki / Poha ) - 1 Measure

Turmeric powder - 1 teaspoon

Salt - as required

Cooking soda - half teaspoon

Oil to make dosa

Method:

Preparing the batter for set dosa:

Combine both raw rice and idli rice in a large bowl.

Wash well and Soak in water adding the turmeric.

In another container, wash the flattened rice (avalakki / poha) once and soak in water separately.

Soak both for over night or minimum 7 hours.

Drain water and grind the rice preferably in a wet grinder.

Add the soaked flattened rice / poha / avalakki, to the rice when its grinding.

Use water as required to make a batter with medium consistency - smooth - not too thick not too thin.

Transfer the ground batter to a large container.

Mix in required amount of salt and a pinch of cooking soda.

Mix really well and keep it closed.

Allow the batter to frement for at least 5 to 6 hours.

Preparing the Set dosa:

Heat a Tawa, preferably the old fashioned iron tawa.

If you are using iron tawa, rub the center with oil.

Mix the batter and make sure its in pouring consistency.

When the tawa is hot, pour a ladle full of batter in the middle and let it spread evenly forming a medium circle.

Oil the sides and cook for about a minute or two.

Cooking closed minimizes the cooking time.

Slowly, flip the dosa to the other side and cook for a minute.

Then, transfer it to the serving plate.

Serve it with hot and spicy saagu.

You will see that the soft and fluffy set dosa with numerous holes, will have a yellow hue because of turmeric that was added while soaking.

Saagu recipe:

Ingredients:

Mixed vegetables - 2 to 3 cup ( diced - potatoes, carrots and chopped beans)

Onion - 2 medium chopped (optional)

Oil for seasoning

Salt to taste

Cloves - 5 to 6

Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 teaspoon

Green chilli  - 2 ( or as per taste)

Coconut - half cup ground or 1 tetra pack coconut milk.

Method:

Usually roasted gram is added to the recipe but my recipe is a little different. Its a tasty saagu cum mild kurma.

Cook the mixed vegetables in a pressure pan (exactly one whistle) or kadai, with water that just immerses the vegetables. Add salt while cooking.

Heat oil in a kadai and temper jeera, green chillis and cloves.

Add chopped onions and fry until colour changes.

Now add the mixed vegetables and allow it to cook for one boil.

Add required amount of salt. Add only little as the vegetables are already cooked with salt.

Now add ground coconut or coconut milk.

Allow the content to cook for a boil and turn off heat. Garnish with cilantro (coriander leaves).

Serve this for Set dosa or Chapathis.

Tri colour gravy - Easy mixed vegetable kurma using readymade coconut milk

I wish all my blog readers advance Independence day wishes. Jai Hind !!

Every Independence day, I try exhibit my patriotism by cooking something that is tri colour - saffron, white and green. I would like to share one of those recipes to all my patriotic readers. I am posting this recipe a couple of days before the Independence day, as you can buy the necessary ingredients in advance if you are going to try this recipe.

This is a simple, quick and delicious kurma that's totally vegan. This is a very versatile gravy, so, depending upon the quantity of kurma needed, you can adjust the quantity and choice of vegetables as per your taste. 

Ingredients:

Coconut milk - 200 ml

(I used  one 200 ml carton - Dabur coconut milk)

Mixed vegetables - 2 to 2 and half cups

---saffron colour - diced Carrots

---white colour - diced Potatoes and/or Cauliflower florets

---green colour - Green peas and/or chopped Green beans

Medium red onion - 2 chopped (optional)

ginger garlic paste - 1 tablespoon (optional)

Ripe red tomatoes - 2 medium chopped (optional)

Oil for seasoning - 1 tablespoon refined oil

Spices - 1 bay leaf, 1 inch cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, seeds from 2 green 

cardamom

Green chillies - 2 if it is too spicy - vertically slit

adjust spice level as per your taste

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Salt as required

Water as required

Coriander leaves chopped - for garnish

Method:

1. Wash the cauliflower florets and add them in boiling water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes and turn off heat. drain water and keep it separately.

2. Heat oil in a non stick kadai. Temper the cumin seeds and add bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom seeds, cloves, green chillies and fry for a minute.

3. Add onions and fry till its translucent and add tomato and cook for a couple of minutes. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Skip onion or tomato or ginger garlic paste if you are not using. 

4. Now add the mixed vegetables except cauliflower florets and fill with water to just cover the vegetables and add required amount of salt and cook closed until the vegetables are tender.

5. Just when the vegetables are cooked, toss in the cauliflower florets and give a quick stir.

6. Now stir in the coconut milk and wait till one boil and turn off heat. Garnish with coriander leaves.

7. Serve hot with Appam / Roti / Phulka / Chapathi / Parotta / Set dosa or Basmathi rice that's cooked in coconut milk.

Alternative method:

Cashewnut paste can be added to the gravy for a rich flavour. Grind a handful of cashewnuts to a smooth paste using little water and add to the gravy just when the vegetables are well cooked. Then, pour the coconut milk. Cashewnut paste and Coconut milk reduces the spice level. So, adjust the green chillies accordingly. 

The other tri colour recipe in this blog is Capsicum Paneer Tikka