Kattarikai Masala - Stuffed Egg Plant or Brinjal

KATTARIKAI MASALA - STUFFED EGGPLANT
My attai (father’s sister) was the first one in the family to go ‘out’ and live in the ‘North’ after her wedding. Later she came back with a wealth of knowledge about the north Indian dishes as she was an eager learner of variety cooking. We had never heard of ginger-garlic paste or grinding of onion for the masala until aunty started preparing for the family. She also loved to prepare a great many varieties of stuffed dishes. One among them is the stuffed eggplant. Mother too prepared this dish but at the most she would add only a small piece of cinnamon to the masala. She usually stuffed the vegetable with spice and then steam it in pressure cooker before lightly sautéing it in a little oil. My brother’s wife microwaves the stuffed eggplant and then sautés it in little seasoning. I like my aunt’s method as it keeps the vegetable intact, yet juicy.

INGREDIENTS
Eggplants – 10 (small)
Bengal gram dal- 2 tbsp
Coriander seeds – 2 tbsps
Asafoetida – 1 pinch
Red chillies – 12
Cinnamon – 1 inch
Onion -2
Tomatoes – 1
Salt -1 ½ tsp
Oil - tbsps
Cumin seeds -1/4 tsp

METHOD:
For the masala:
1. Peel onion and cut them into four pieces.
2. Chop tomato finely and keep aside.
3. Heat a drop of oil in a pan and add asafoetida., followed by the Bengal gram dal, coriander seeds, cinnamon and red chillies and roast till it is golden in colour.
4. Cool the roasted ingredients and dry grind them into a fine powder.
5. Now add the cut onions and salt to the powder and again run the mixer.
6. There is no need of adding water while grinding, since the juice of onion is enough to make a paste.

Prepare the eggplant
1. Wash and carefully slit eggplants from the top. Make eight segments (4 cuts), but leave the segments on the stalk, and don’t cut so far that the segment breaks away. Refer the diagram for the cuts.
2. Stuff the vegetable in the middle and in between the segments with the ground paste.
3. After stuffing all the eggplants heat oil in a pan.
4. Add cumin seeds and the chopped tomatoes.
5. Add a pinch of salt and sauté for one minute.
6. Arrange the stuffed eggplants in the pan and turn each of them gently to coat with oil.
7. Cover with lid and cook on low fire until it is done.
8. When the vegetable becomes tender remove lid and keep sautéing till it absorbs all the spice.
Enjoy with rice, chapattis or bread.

Ama Vadai - Fried Lentil Ball

AMA VADAI

Ama vadais and payasam are indispensable dishes in all festivals and feasts. Though there are varieties of vadai recipes. Ama vadai occupies the foremost position in a menu prepared for any festival. Ama vadai is prepared by frying a flattened ball of ground lentil and spice. Children and adults alike love to pop the vadais into their mouth, as and when they are fried. Many a time I have been left with no vadais to serve on the leaf at meal time. Old people love it when soaked in Rasam or Mor Kuzambu.

I have heard of a gigantic cousin of my grand father who used to consume a basketful of vadais at one sitting as he chatted with his friends. Just imagine the plight of the old aunt who had to grind the enormous quantities of the vadai dough in those ‘pre- electric mixer’ days.

INGREDIENTS:
Bengal gram dal - 2 cups
Red chillies - 4
Ginger – 2 inch piece
Asafoetida – 1 pinch
Curry leaves – a few
Fresh grated coconut- ¾ tea cup
Salt – 1 1/2 tsp
METHOD:
1. Soak Bengal gram dal with red chillies for half an hour.
2. Grind ginger, asafoetida and the soaked chillies with little of the soaked dal.
3. Now add the remaining soaked and drained dal and salt to the mixer and grind into a coarse mixture. Do not add water, as the mixture should be thick.
4. Mix in the grated coconut, and shredded curry leaves to the dough mix well. The vadai mixture is now ready.
5. Heat oil in a kadai.
6. Take a ¾ tablespoon of the vadai mixture and shape into a small ball, with your hand.
7. Keep the ball in the palm of one hand, and lightly press and flatten with three fingers of your other hand, giving the vadai the shape of a turtle’s back.
8. Drop it in hot oil and immediately decrease flame. Frying on a high flame, will cook the outer parts faster, and leave the insides uncooked.
9. When the vadai looks cooked, increase heat and continue to fry till it is golden red in colour.
10. Vadais can be cooked in batches of six or eight.
Enjoy them plain or savour it with mint or coconut chutney. While this is the traditional vadais prepared for festivals and as prasadam (offering for the Gods), one can add chopped onion, grated carrot, mint leaves and so on as per preferences.

Traditional Pidi Kozukattai and a Masala Variation - Rice and Lentil Dumpling

PIDI KOZUKATTAI - Rice and Lentil Dumpling The monotonous groaning of the stone grinder was enough to announce that we were going to be served with either rice uppuma or pidi kozukattai for the evening tea. The aroma of the rice and lentil being ‘broken’ would never fail to kindle a craving, even as we hurriedly got ready to return to school after a full meal. As we went out to the back yard to wash our hands, we would see Lingamma sitting with one leg outstretched, and turning the iron handle of the stone grinder, Her body - waist upwards- seemed to rotate along with the circular grinder as she went forward and backward, while feeding the ‘machine’ with rice and lentil with the other hand. This dance continued till she finished with all the rice which fell out from between the two circular stones, crushed or broken to the required texture. We always took a pinch of the flour and threw it into our mouths and rushed out, never waiting to listen to Lingamma’s whining for having moistened the flour.

PIDI KOZUKATTAI is yet another steamed rice & lentil dish that is filling as well as easy on the digestive system. It is very good for children as it is double cooked. ‘Pidi’ means ‘hold’ in Tamil. The dumplings are made taking some mixture in the palm of one hand and ‘holding’ or pressing it lightly with your fingers, as shown in the photograph.

This was dish was prepared often, especially when Machakottai or Avarekalu ( field beans) were in season. The addition of “kalu” or field beans to any recipe lends a distinct aroma to the dish which is adored by one and all.

INGREDIENTS:
Rice – 2 cups
Mung Dal (split green gram dal) – ¼ cup
Salt – 2 tsps
Red chillies – 4
Asafoetida – 1 pinch
Mustard seeds – ¼ tsp
Curry leaves – a few
Oil - 1 ½ tbsp
METHOD:
1. Dry grind rice and mung dal to the texture of semolina.
2. Wash the broken rice and dal mixture lightly, drain and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add asafoetida and mustard seeds.
4. When the mustard splutters add the broken red chillies and the curry leaves.
5. When the chillies become crisp, add 4 cups of water, and the salt, and bring to a boil.
6. When the water in the pan is boiling, add the rice and lentil mixture and stirring continuously until it forms into a thick uniform mass. Now switch off the flame.
7. While the mixture is still warm, dip your hand in ice cold water and take a fistful (pidi) of the hot cooked mass and quickly press it into an oval ball or kozukattai.
Note: You need to do this quickly, so that you do not burn your hands! If the mixture becomes cold, it is difficult to mould the mixture, and the k0zukattais will break.

8. In the same manner, shape all the mass into several kozukattais.
9. Steam the kozukattais in a pressure cooker without weight, for 10 – 15 minutes.

Serve hot kozukattais topped with a dollop of ghee, along with any gojju or chutney.
MASALA PIDI KOZUKATTAI VARIATION
My grandchildren love the kozukattais made with Basmati rice.

To make masala kozukattais, the same procedure as above is followed, after substituting the rice and seasoning. Use a good flavourful basmati rice instead of normal rice. Omit the asafoetida, red chillies, mustard and curry leaves. Instead use chopped green chillies and ginger shreds for the seasoning. Cumin seeds instead of mustard seeds will create a different flavour. One cardamom, one clove and a very small piece of cinnamon can be powdered (or a pinch of garam masala) and added while seasoning.

This kozukattai can be served with any North Indian masala sabji such as navaratna kurma, or paneer butter masala and so on, which are usually prepared with Palav or Rotis.