Devasthana Saaru/ Vattunu saaru ( Temple Rasam with freshly ground spices)

We Mangalorean Konkanis swear by our temple rasam or Devasthana Saaru as we call it. "Devasthan" means "temple" in English and "Saaru" is the Konkani word for rasam. What is rasam?? Rasam is a spicy, tangy soup that is made with tomatoes and spices. It is usually served as an accompaniment to rice the same way dal is served with rice. People love to drink it too. It is also purported to be the perfect remedy for cough and cold. It not only clears your sinuses but also rekindles your appetite. 

So why is Devasthana Saaru so special?? It is because it is almost impossible to recreate the taste of it at home. This rasam is usually served with food at events in the temple. Why is food served at the temple? Well, like anywhere else in the world, food is the greatest motivator. Therefore during big religious events/activities in the temple, lunch/dinner is served afterwards. It also feeds many hungry people. Coming back to the rasam, this particular rasam is always made by freshly roasting and grinding the spices and then making it. A powdered version is never used. That is why this rasam is also called "Vattunu Saaru "which translates to "Ground rasam" or "Arachi rasam" as South Indians call it. The aroma and flavor of this rasam both as it is made and when it is consumed is unlike any other! You have to make it to believe it! 

For the longest I used to think that the task of making it was very tedious. But in reality it is not. It is actually quite easy and uses ingredients normally present in your kitchen. Do try it.. You will never buy rasam powder again! This recipe has been kindly shared by my very talented cousin Karuna who is also an excellent cook!

Servings: 6-8

Prep time: 15 mins Cook time: 20-25 mins Total time: 25-30 mins 

Ingredients: 

Coriander seeds: 2 tsp

Cumin seeds/jeera: 1/2 tsp

Chana dal ( split chick peas): 1 tbsp 

Urad dal ( split matpe beans): 1 tbsp

Pepper corns: 5-6

Methi/ fenugreek seeds: 4-5

Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves: 1 sprig

Hing/Asofoetida powder: 1/8 tsp

Salt: 1 tsp ( adjust as per taste)

Dried Red chillies: 5-6 

Tamarind pulp: 1 tsp 

Green chillies: 4-5

Tomatoes: 2 medium sized, chopped

Coriander leaves, chopped: 2 tbsp

Water: 1 Liter

For seasoning:

Coconut oil: 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp

Curry leaves: 1 sprig 

Hing: a pinch ( either powder or paste)

Method: 

Take 1 liter water in a pot. Add the chopped tomatoes, green chillies and salt. Bring it to a boil. Continue boiling for 10 mins. 

While the above mixture is boiling, 

dry roast the coriander seeds, cumin,  urad dal, Chana dal, pepper corns, methi, haldi, curry leaves, hing, red chillies. Once cooled add it to the blender. Add tamarind, little water and grind to a paste. 

Add this to the pot with boiling water and tomatoes. Continue boiling for 5-10 mins. Turn off the flame. Garnish with curry leaves. 

Tempering: 

Heat coconut oil in a small pan. Add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the curry leaves and a pinch of Asofoetida. Turn off the flame. Add this to the above pot. 

Serve hot with rice or drink it like a soup!! 

Enjoy!

I am bringing this delicious soup to Fiesta Friday #182 so that all our friends can enjoy something very Indian! Angie's cohosts this week are Liz @ spades, spatulas & spoons and Jenny @ Jenny Is Baking.

Cooking made easy:

Cleaning as you cook reduces the stress of cleaning after a meal. It also ensures that the kitchen is not messy. 

Tip for healthy living:

Try to incorporate atleast one vegetarian meal per week or per day whichever is feasible for you. It helps keep the system clean!

Food for thought:

Fortune is like glass-the brighter the glitter, the more easily broken. Pubilius Syrus 

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

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Curried Squash Lentil Barley Soup; Meatless Monday

The falling temperatures and the shorter days, not to mention the on & off cold and cough that accompanies the fluctuating weather, drive us towards food that is warm and comforting. In Fall, soups seem very attractive when compared to salads or anything else for that matter. Soups soothe the throat and rejuvenate the body. The Fall bounty of a myriad variety of squashes , gourds and pumpkin makes soups colorful and desirable. I love all vegetables with their festive colors.  In this soup, I have used butternut squash and pumpkin. I have added orange lentils for their protein and fiber and some barley to make it wholesome, balanced and a complete meal! I have to admit that the lentils took away the attractive appearance of the soup but the taste was delicious and filling!  Usually after drinking a soup, I feel hunger pangs in no time! This time however,  I wasn't hungry ! I also added ginger and a little curry spice for it's anti-inflammatory properties!
It is super-easy to make & freezes well. You can also use your slow cooker to make it. You can make a batch for the whole week! I took some to work and everyone loved it!

Servings: 8-10

Prep time: 30 mins + 30 mins for soaking barley.Cook time: 30 minsTotal time: 1 hour.

Ingredients:

Barley: 1/2 cup, soaked in 4 cups water for atleast 30 mins.
Orange lentils: 1/2 cup
Butternut squash cubes: 4 cups
Pumpkin cubes: 2 cups
Turnip cubes: 1 cup
Water: 2 liters
Ginger: 1 inch piece
Cumin powder: 1 tsp
Coriander powder: 1 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1/4 tsp
Black pepper: 1/4 tsp, freshly ground.
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Bay leaf: 1
Garam masala powder: 1/8 tsp ( optional).
Coconut oil: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Jaggery: 1/2 tsp ( brown sugar/ sugar can be used instead).

Method:

Cook barley in 4 cups of water until tender, around 20 mins. When the barley is cooking, prep the remaining ingredients.

Boil 2 liters of water in a pot. 

To this add the washed lentils, ginger and cook for 15 mins. Remove the scum that accumulates on the surface. 

Now add the  cooked barley, squashes, turnips, bay leaf, turmeric, cumin and coriander powder, black pepper, jaggery and salt. Cook until tender, around 30 mins. 

Add more water if you find the soup thick.

Heat 1 tsp coconut oil on medium heat. Add the curry powder and red chilli powder. Turn off the stove. Add this to the pot.

Serve hot ! Enjoy with some crusty bread if you wish! I had it as is!

Cooking made easy:

Any kind of lentil and any kind of squashes/gourds can be used in this soup. You can totally skip the use of garam masala powder. If you do that, just add the red chilli powder with the cumin & coriander powders.
You can use as less chilli powder as you wish!

Tip for healthy living:

As evident in this post and several other posts, it is totally possible to enjoy a hearty meal without any meat  in it. It is not essential that one has meat in all their meals! Meatless Mondays is a great initiative in this direction.

Food for thought:

Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. Henry Ford

Muga Saaru Upkari ( Mung Bean Soup) ; Meatless Monday

Today is Dr. Martin Luther King's Birthday. He believed in looking beyond himself. He worked for the betterment of black people . I decided to do something altruistic today too and bring to you a warm, hearty, protien-rich gluten-free, vegan soup and some information to face the flu season.

Did you know that January is Soup Month?? Well, I didn't know either, until recently! It does make sense though: not only is it winter and cold, it also happens to be flu season! Kids go back to school after the Christmas holidays and come home sick!! Is it any surprise that we seek comfort foods like soup??

Where I come from, soup is also used as a side with rice. So you could mix the soup with the rice and eat. Well, it would then be rice-bean soup! ;) Just kidding!  The soup-like sides that we make are called Saaru- Upkari in konkani. If I were to literally translate it then the word " saaru" means gravy and " upkari" means " sauté". So it could technically translate into a sauté with gravy. In reality is a soup. We make saaru-upkari of almost all kinds of beans. The bean of choice is cooked with 4-5 times water until tender. It is then tempered with either garlic and red chillies or red chilli powder or mustard, curry leaves, asofoetida and red chillies or chilli powder. Believe me when I say that it is delicious and a true comfort food. It can be eaten with rice as a side or as is like a soup with some bread. This makes for a filling weeknight dinner; both to cook and to eat!

Servings: 2-3

Ingredients:

Dry Mung beans: 1 cup
Water: 4 cups to soak and 3 cuks to cook.
Salt: to taste

For tempering:

Coconut oil: 1/2 tsp ( any cooking oil may be used).
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig
Asofoetida powder: a pinch ( if using solution: 3-4 drops)
Red chilli powder: 1/4 tsp ( can be adjusted as per individual spice level).

Method:

Soak the dry mung beans in water for 4-5 hours or overnight. Drain the water, add fresh water ( 3 cups) and cook in the pressure cooker on medium flame until you hear 2-3 whistles. If you do not have a pressure cooker, you can cook it on the stove top on medium flame until the beans reaches the desired tenderness. The mung beans should be well-cooked but not over cooked. Open the pressure cooker only after all the pressure has been released. Add salt and mix well.

Tempering:

Heat coconut oil in a frying pan/skillet on medium heat.Add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add curry leaves and asofoetida powder. Turn off the flame and add chilli powder.

Add this mixture to the pot with the cooked mung beans. Mix well.

Serve hot as a side with rice of your choice or serve in a bowl as a soup with some crackers!

Enjoy !

I am bringing this to Throwback Thursday#22, Fiesta Friday # 103 and Saucy Saturdays. Angie's Fiesta Friday is being co-hosted by two of the very talented blogger friends, Sonal @ simplyvegetarian777 and Petra @ Food Eat Love.

Cooking made easy:

I usually plan my meals the previous day and put the desired amount of dry beans in water either at night before I go to bed or early morning before I leave for work. But in case you forget or suddenly have an urge to make mung bean soup for dinner, just soak the mung beans in hot water for an hour , keeping the pot closed and cook it in the pressure cooker.

This soup can also be made in a slow cooker.

Tip for healthy living:

Taking a leaf from Dr. Martin Luther King's book, I am going to do something altruistic and share with you some myths regarding the flu that is prevalent during the winter.These are not my views.This was shared by Christian Pickard from Bankers Healthcare Group.

I would however emphasize that the best way to keep cold and flu at bay is by observing good hand hygiene! Wash your hands every time you touch something that you think is unclean. When you are outside do not touch your eyes, nose or mouth. Imagine that you are wearing a face-mask!

Food for thought:

Life's most persistent and urgent question is " What are you doing for others??" Dr. Martin Luther King

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

Seafood Noodle Soup & Seafood Noodles; Thai style.

When you have the sniffles, your throat is all scratchy, the head feels heavy, the body is achy, it is cold outside...well, you want something that is comforting, something that is soothing. You definitely don't feel like cooking anything elaborate! So what do you want?? I found myself in such a predicament one evening and wanted to have soup for dinner. Soup that was flavorful, with lots of texture, spicy so that my sinuses could open up and hot and piping so that my throat could be soothed. I was remembering my good friend Arvind mallya's Manchow soup. That's what I wanted.  I took a mental inventory of my fridge and pantry and the best thing I could think of was Seafood noodle soup. I had a few veggies in the fridge that I needed to finish. I had some shrimp in the fridge which I could use. I had chicken broth in the pantry. Perfect. I set out making the soup as per Arvind Mallya's recipe and then as usual ended up experimenting by adding a little bit of this and a little bit of that and the end result was a delicious Thai style shrimp noodle soup that I ate soup style that night and the next night added some more cooked noodles, crushed peanuts and had it as Thai seafood noodles. Two delicious dishes with just one time cooking! Awesome!

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

Green beans:4-6, chopped fine
Carrot:1 medium sized, diced small
Cauliflower florets: 1 cup
Cabbage, chopped fine : 1 cupFresh baby corn: 1 cup
Onion: 1 small, chopped fine
Garlic: 2-3 small cloves, minced
Ginger: 1 inch, minced
Spring onions /scallions: 2-3, chopped fine.
Basil leaves, chopped: 2 tbsp
Cilantro leaves, chopped: 1 tbsp
Shrimp with head: 12-14, cleaned and marinated with salt, black pepper and turmeric powder.
Egg: 1, beaten in a bowl.
Chicken broth: 1 can ( you can also use vegetable broth).
Tom yum soup paste: 2 tbsp
Soy sauce: 3 tbsp
Oyster sauce: 1 tbsp
Hot sauce: 1 tbsp
Tomato ketchup: 1 tbsp
Sesame oil: 1 tbsp
Black pepper:1 tsp,freshly ground
Salt: as per taste.
Corn flour: 1 tsp, dissolved in 1/4cup water.

Rice noodles, cooked: 2 cups
Crushed roasted peanuts: 1/4 cup ( for garnishing).

Method:

Heat sesame oil in a wok upon high heat. Sauté ginger, garlic, chopped onions, white part of spring onions for a minute.

Now add the chopped green beans, baby corn, carrots, cauliflower and cabbage one after the other for a couple of minutes until slightly tender.

Add the chicken broth, Tom yum soup base, all the sauces, ketchup, salt, pepper, basil leaves and cilantro leaves. ( Reserve a little basil and cilantro leaves for garnish). Bring this to a nice boil. Taste the salt and adjust accordingly. Remember the sauces are all salty, so err on the side of caution.

Add in the shrimp and continue boiling until the shrimp turn pink ( around 3-5 mins). You don't want to overcook the shrimp. 

Add the cornflour-water mixture. Stir well.

Add the beaten egg in such a manner that it makes a stringy formation. Let it cook for a couple of minutes.

Turn off the flame.

Add cooked rice noodles to the serving bowl and ladle the hot soup on top of it. 

Garnish with spring onions, cilantro and basil leaves.

Enjoy!

To make the Thai Seafood noodles, add enough quantity of cooked rice noodles to the soup such that very little fluid is left. Mix well.

Just before serving, add crushed peanuts, chopped spring onions and cilantro.

Serve hot.

Enjoy! I am bringing these two amazing dishes to my friends at Fiesta Friday # 65.Effie @ Food Day dreaming and the ever bubbly and fun Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook are co-hosting.

Cooking made easy:

Asian cuisine is made more flavorful by the use of sesame oil. This is also true when you are stir frying vegetables on high heat. The use of iron wok and pans also makes the cuisine full of flavor.

Tip for healthy living:

Try to incorporate at least 3-4 colors into each of your meals. Each color indicates the nutrient that the specific food group is rich in and incorporating several colors ensures that you get the required daily amount of all nutrients through your diet.
References:

Food for thought:

Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier. Mother Teresa.

Spiced Butternut Squash Soup;Diabetes Friendly Thursday.

Creating Recipes with a Cause!I am a proud DFT blogger. To learn about DFT, read this link. To view more DFT recipes, Click here!

Sonal and a group of other dedicated bloggers have started this wonderful initiative called Diabetis Friendly Thursday, where in on Thursdays they post recipes that are appropriate for people with diabetes. I am proud to be a part of this group. I believe that this is a very noble cause as Diabetes is one of the leading health conditions that mankind suffers from and one that causes several morbidities. Diabetes is not only prevalent here in the United States but is showing a steep rise in developing countries like India. The primary cause for this may be the changing lifestyle with less exercise and altered food habits. Let me stop here for now and get back to the recipe at hand, as I tend to get carried away..

This group of dedicated bloggers try to have a theme for each week and this week's theme is Soup. Soup is something that is relatively easy to make, easy to consume for even the elderly, the sick and the debilitated. Soup is comfort food that not only soothes the body but nourishes it. Click here on Sonal's blog Simplyvegetarian777 for the list of all the appetizing soups this week.

I am bringing butternut squash soup. My little girl loved to eat butternut squash as a child. She still does. Butternut squash is abundant during fall and bring them home regularly when in season. Fortunately, these squashes have a long life even when store outside the refrigerator. Recently, when I was going through my pantry, I came across one that my husband had bought towards the end of last year. Well, since it was still very good, I decided to make a basic soup, but with an Indian twist. I spices it a little by adding ginger and instead of adding only black pepper, added green chilli. I didn't have any fresh herbs except cilantro, so went ahead and used cilantro. The end result was a hearty, delicious soup that left me licking the spoon !! I served it with some brown rice, quinoa, Amarnath,flax seed crackers that I had on hand. People who are not calorie-conscious can add a little heavy cream or sour cream to the soup just before serving.

Servings: 2-3 medium bowls

Ingredients:

Butternut squash: 3 cups, peeled and diced
Carrots: 2 small, peeled and diced
Onion: 1 small, diced
Spring onion: 1, diced
Cilantro( coriander leaves), chopped: 2-3 tbsp.
Green chilli: one, chopped
Ginger: 1 inch, minced.
Black pepper: freshly ground, pinch
Salt: as per taste
Vegetable broth: 3 cups
Coconut oil: 1 tbsp ( any cooking oil can be used)

Method:

Heat oil on medium flame in a large pot. Add onions, spring onions, carrots and let them sweat a little until the onions are transparent.

Now add the diced butternut squash, green chilli, ginger, cilantro and sauté for 5 mins.

Now add the vegetable broth , bring it to a book and cover and cook until the butternut squash is tender ( around 20 mins).

Turn off the flame and let it cool down. 

Once cooled down, immerse a hand blender and blend it to the consistency of the soup.You can also blend it in a regular blender.

Heat it before serving and serve it hot with toast, crackers or just plain.It is extremely filling and won't leave you feeling hungry.

Enjoy.

Cooking made easy:

Cutting squashes and gourds is a daunting task to most people. The best thing to do is to peel it using a regular peeler. Once peeled, cutting the soft meat is a breeze!

Tip for healthy living:

Butternut squash is a very nutrition-dense food that is also rich in dietary fiber. It would therefore be perfect for diabetics as it is not only low calorie, fat-free, it is filling and provides a plethora of vitamins and minerals.
Click here for nutrition facts about butternut squash.

Food for thought:

The best things in life are unexpected -because there were no expectations. Eli Khamarov

Kothambari Saaru ( Cilantro soup/ coriander leaves soup); Meatless Monday

Have you ever heard of soup made out of cilantro leaves??? Well, believe it or not, it is a very traditional recipe where I come from. Cilantro is known as coriander leaves in India why because coriander seeds come from cilantro. See?? Didn't know that did you? In Kannada and a few other languages, coriander is known as kothambari. We Indians don't like to eat rice dry just like that. We always need some sort of gravy to go with it. We make a variety of plain gravies to go with it. These gravies are similar to the soups that westerners have. For example: bean soups, lentil soups, tomato soups etc. Where I come from, we call it "saaru".  So, soup made out of cilantro leaves is called "kothambari saaru". This is super easy to make and super-tasty! While we eat it with rice, you can sip it just like that! This dish, if made thick can be used as a chutney/ dip to be eaten with dosas or idlis or in sandwiches.

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients:

For grinding:

Coriander leaves(Cilantro ): 1 medium bunch
Freshly grated coconut: 1/2 cup
Green chillies: 2-3 medium ones( adjust as per individual spice level)
Tamarind pulp: 1/4 tsp
Salt: 1/2 tsp
Water: 1/2 cup + 2 cups

For tempering:

Coconut oil: 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 sprig

Method:

In a food processor/mixer-grinder/blender, grind together coriander leaves, green chillies, freshly grated coconut, salt, tamarind and 1/2 cup water to a fine paste.

In a pot/ saucepan, dilute this paste with 2 cups of water. Bring it to a boil. Turn off the flame.Now temper the soup as described below.

Tempering:

Heat coconut oil in a small frying pan. Add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add Curry leaves. Turn off the flame. Add this tempering to the above pot.

Serve hot with some nice hot steamed rice.

Kothambari saaru served with squash upkari , matta rice and fried fish.

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

While making cilantro chutney or soup, make sure you use only the leaves. The stems are bitter an therefore if ground will make the chutney bitter. You could save the stems and chop it and use it in dishes like sambar, rasam or tomato saaru. It will emanate a nice aroma to the dish.

Tip for healthy living:

Cilantro is a herb with several medicinal surprising nutritional properties. It is also one of the richest sources of vitamin K.It is also rich in vitamin A,vitamin C, beta-carotene, folic acid, riboflavin and niacin. It is also rich in anti-oxidants, essential oils and dietary fiber.It is also rich in minerals like iron, potassium,calcium, manganese and magnesium.

Food for thought:

If life had a second edition, how I would correct the proofs. John Clare