Kuzhambu and Fry

It always feels good when you recollect interesting nostalgic events. This interesting incident happened in my life during 8th standard. It was a weekend. My mom had to visit one of our relatives in the neighbouring town. My dad was working in the morning shift. My mom said she will return by the end of the day. She told me to take care of myself and left. I was reading comics all day long till I realized that I was hungry. When I went to the kitchen to grab something to munch, nothing was there. My mom also had not returned till then. But I desperately needed something to eat. So I had to make whatever possible. This was my starting point in my culinary expedition. I took some rice and potato and cooked in the pressure cooker. That was the first time ever I cooked a dish in my life. I soaked tamarind for kozhumbu and the hardest part was peeling the shallot skin. I hardly finished peeling one shallot and tears came rolling down my cheeks. Then I chopped some brinjals which was very difficult. Somehow I finished cooking brinjal kozhumbu and potato fry. By the time my dad came and I served him food. He finished the food silently and smiled at me. And then he started to watch TV. After sometime, my mom came back with some unexpected guests-my uncle and my aunt. My mom was surprised at first when I told her I cooked food. She was proud of me. When my aunt and uncle started to eat they were LOL. The kozumbu was watery and spicy. My mom told them not to make fun of me. She said that at least I tried to cook. Whenever I think of that incident, I smile. At that time it was hard, and now it's easy for me to cook these dishes.
Now I added black chickpeas and amaranth stems with brinjal.

Ingredients:
Brinjal (small) - 4
Black chickpeas - 1/3 cup
Amaranth stems - 1/4 cup (cut into pieces)
Onion - 1 (medium - thinly sliced)
Garlic - 3 cloves (crushed & chopped)
Tomato - 1 (diced)
Tamarind - lime size
Sambhar powder - 1 tsp
Salt (as required)
Sesame oil
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek seeds - 1/4 tsp (crushed coarsely)
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida powder - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - 10

Method:
Cut the brinjals and drop them into a bowl of water.
Soak the chickpeas overnight and pressure-cook them.
Cut the Amaranth stems about 1 1/2 (one-and-a-half) inch length.
Soak the tamarind in 2 cups of water for 2 hours.
Heat the oil in a pan.
To the oil add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds & asafoetida.
When the mustards crackle, add the garlic and fry.
Add the onion, curry leaves and fry.
Add the tomato and fry.
Add salt.
Now add the brinjals and fry. Then add the amaranth stems.
Add the sambhar powder and saute for a minute.
Now extract the tamarind juice and pour.
Mix well.
Let it boil.
When the gravy comes to half, add the boiled chickpeas .
Let it boil for another 5 minutes.
Serve with hot rice.

Potato fry:

Potatoes - 5 (medium)
Garlic - 4 cloves (finely chopped)
Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Salt
Oil
Sambhar powder - 1 tsp
Curry leaves

Method:
Cut all the potatoes into halves.
Boil them in a pressure cooker.
Peel the skin.
Cut them into any desired shape.
Heat the oil in pan.
To the oil add the mustard, cumin, fennel seeds.
Add the garlic and fry.
Now add the potato pieces and saute.
Add the sambhar powder, salt and mix well.
Finally, add the curry leaves .

This is sent off to Shama's "First Cooked Food Event".

Posted in: Kuzhambu, lunch, side dish, Veg