Chinnay Vengayam Goshtu (Stewed Shallots)

I love the flavour of the browned shallots with the tamarind in this curry. It's a really wonderful combination.

Iyer notes that this curry can also be made with red onions. If you do that, however, he recommends adding a clove of minced garlic to them to more closely mimic the shallot flavour.

Iyer also recommends serving this stew with uppama -- a savoury, spiced cream of wheat dish which incorporates green peas. I thought that sounded great, but didn't have the wherewithal to make it on the day, so I just served it over some brown rice alongside a couple other curries. Maybe I'll make it again sometime and try it with uppama to see what it's like.

Chinnay Vengayam Goshtu

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 3 1/2-7 tsp. sesame oil, divided
• 2 tsp. coriander seeds
• 1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
• 4-6 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chiles, stems removed
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/8 tsp. asafetida
• 2 c. thinly sliced shallots
• 10 fresh curry leaves
• 1 tsp. tamarind concentrate
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Heat 1 tsp. of the oil (1/2 tsp. for the calorie-conscious) over medium-high heat.
2. Add the coriander, fenugreek, and chiles and roast, stirring constantly, until the chilies blacken (1-2 minutes).
3. Transfer to a molcajete and pound until coarsely ground.¹
4. Heat the remaining 1-2 Tbsp. of oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add the mustard seeds and cook, covered, until the seeds have stopped popping (30-60 seconds).
6. Sprinkle in the asafetida and immediately reduce the heat to medium-low.
7. Quickly add the shallots and curry leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, utnil the shallots turn light brown around the edges (20-25 minutes).
8. Meanwhile, whisk the tamarind into the water and set aside.
9. Once the shallots are ready, pour the tamarind water into the pan.
10. Add the pounded spices along with the salt.
11. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the curry thickens slightly (~5 minutes).
12. Serve with uppama or substrate of your choice.

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¹ Alternatively, transfer to a plate to cool. Once cooled completely, transfer to a spice grinder and coarsely grind. ^Back

Kaleja Aloo Karhi (Liver and Potato Curry)

I'm always on the lookout for more good liver recipes. I love liver, but I like to have a few different ways of preparing it. Liver and onions is a classic, but I get bored of it pretty quickly. Liver fried rice is nice, but it's also very much a "once-in-a-while" thing for me, especially since I find it a bit fussy to prepare. And the tomato-y Burmese liver curry is alright, but it just doesn't sing to me most days.

This recipe looked interesting, but I have to admit, I was expecting that it would be on the same level as the Burmese liver curry for me: okay, but not great. Just another way to use up liver, without actually being a stand-out dish or something that I'd go out of my way for if I didn't have liver to use up.

I was pleasantly surprised. It was really good! I made a few tiny tweaks, but nothing major. And it produced a lovely, flavourful, harmonious curry that went great with a vegetable stuffed paratha and a bit of spinach-y rice (palak pulao).

Kaleja Aloo Karhi

Slightly adapted from One-Dish Meals of Asia by Jennifer Brennan

Ingredients

• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 1/4 c. unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2-4 Tbsp. water
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp. aniseed
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/4 c. ghee, divided
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 450g calf/beef liver¹
• 3 fresh green Thai, finger, or serrano chilies, minced
• 2-3 boiled potatoes, sliced into 1cm (1/2") thick discs
• 1 tsp. tamarind concentrate
• 1/2 c. hot water (or reserved potato cooking water)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 c. fresh or frozen peas
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine onions, garlic, coconut, water, cinnamon, cumin, aniseed, coriander, and cloves in a blender or food processor and process into a paste. You will likely only need 2 Tbsp. of water if using a food processor. The full 1/4 c. of water is likely to be required if using a blender. Set the paste aside.
2. Heat 3 Tbsp. of ghee over medium-high heat.
3. Add the mustard seeds and cook, covered, until seeds have stopped popping (30-60 seconds).
4. Add liver and cook until seared on both/all sides. Remove from pan with tongs or a slotted spoon and set aside.
5. Add potatoes and chilies to pan and cook until browned. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon.
6. Add remaining 1 Tbsp. of ghee to the pan and pour in the onion-coconut paste.
7. Cook, stirring occastionally, until water has evaporated and mixture begins to fry.
8. Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
9. Return liver, potatoes, and chilies to the pan.
10. Add the tamarind paste, water, salt, and peas to the pan and bring to a boil.
11. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
12. Stir in cilantro and cook for another minute or two.
13. Serve with rice, flatbread, and/or vegetable side(s) of your choice.

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¹ The recipe calls for cubing the liver, but I missed that instruction and ended up leaving it as two large slices. I'm sure it would be good chopped into smaller pieces. This would likely make it easier to get a uniform mix of potatoes, liver, and sauce. That said, I quite liked the approach I ended up taking. I found it easier to flip and manage the cooking of two big pieces vs. lots of little pieces. ^Back

Vengayam Mendium Kozhumbu (Onion in Tamarind Broth)

Iyer describes this as having a comforting umami-ness similar to French onion soup. He recommends serving it over rice with a little ghee swirled in. I can see where he's coming from with the French onion soup comparison, but I found it a little too tart to be a good analogue. I think next time I'd try cutting the tamarind concentrate back to just 1 tsp. (rather than 1 1/2). It's quite nice otherwise though. The onions really sing.

Vengayam mendium kozhumbu (top right), pictured with makkai nu shaak (bottom), garam masala murghi (left), and kala elachi pulao (centre).

Vengayam Mendium Kozhumbu

Slightly adapted from 600 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
• 1/4 tsp. ground asafetica
• 1 onion, halved and sliced thin
• 1 Tbsp. Sambhar Masala
• 15 fresh (or frozen) curry leaves
• 4 c. water
• 1 tsp. tamarind concentrate
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add mustard seeds, cover, and cook until they've stopped popping (30-60 seconds).
3. Add fenugreek and asafetida.
4. Add onion and cook for 1 minute.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20-30 minutes.
6. Add sambhar masala and curry leaves and cook for 1 minute.
7. Add water, tamarind concentrate, and salt and stir to deglaze pan.
8. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
9. Boil vigorously until reduced by 25% (~15 minutes).
10. Serve over rice.

Muttai Kari (Garlic-y Egg Curry)

TF and I occasionally make a Burmese egg curry. It's very nice, but can be a bit fiddly to make. This one isn't as striking as the Burmese curry with it's turmeric-yellow eggs, but it is much quicker and easier to throw together. And the dark, garlic-y, tamarind-laden sauce is delicious!

Muttai kari (left), pictured with palak papad ki subzi (bottom), and moghalai aloo aur simla mirch (right), with some rice at top.

Muttai Kari

Slightly adapted form 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro
• 10 fresh (or frozen) curry leaves
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 1-2 fresh green Thai chilies, stems removed
• 1 c. water
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. tamarind concentrate
• 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 2 shallots or 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 4 extra-large or jumbo eggs (or 5 medium or large eggs), hard-boiled, peeled, and halved lengthwise
• 2 tsp. rice flour or cornstarch (cornflour)

Directions

1. Combine cilantro, curry leaves, garlic, and chilies and mash with a mortar and pestle until a paste is formed¹.
2. Whist salt and tamarind concentrate into water and set aside.
3. Heat oil over medium-high heat.
4. Add mustard seeds, cover, and cook until they've stopped popping (30-60 seconds).
5. Add the paste along with the shallots and cook for ~2 minutes.
6. Stir in turmeric.
7. Quickly add tamarind water and bring to a boil.
8. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, until thickened.
9. Carefully place egg halves in the sauce and cook until warmed through (~5 minutes).

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¹ I wasn't confident in my ability to fit that much stuff in my mortar, so I just minced everything very fine and called it a day. ^Back

Rasa Vadai (Lentil Fritters in Spicy Tamarind-Lentil Broth)

This curry has a lot of moving parts and definitely isn't something I'd want to attempt on a busy weeknight. It is quite tasty though and it's very satisfying to watch the fritters puff up as they fry. And it was a huge hit with the Kidlet. She wants us to make it all the time now!

Rasa Vadai

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries

Ingredients

Fritters

• 1 c. skinned split black lentils (mapte beans/urad dal)
• 3/4 c. water, divided
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• oil for deep frying

Broth

• 1/4 c. skinned split pigeon peas (toovar dal)
• 6 c. water, divided
• 1/2 tsp. + 1 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil
• 1 Tbsp. uncooked long-grain white rice
• 2 Tbsp. yellow split peas (chana dal)
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
• 2-3 dried red Thai, cayenne, or arbol chiles
• 1 tsp. tamarind paste or concentrate
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. ground asafetida
• 1 medium tomato, cored and chopped
• 15-20 fresh curry leaves
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

Fritters

1. Rinse the lentils several times, then cover with warn water and let stand at room temperature for 1-4 hours.
2. Drain.
3. Add to blender jar with 1/2 c. water and purée, scraping down sides of blender as needed.
4. Transfer batter back to empty bowl.
5. Pour 1/4 c. water into now empty blender jar and run blender to rinse out any residual batter. Add this watery mixture to the batter in the bowl.
6. Stir in salt.
7. Using spatula, vigorously beat batter for 2-3 minutes to work in as much air as possible.
8. Pour 2-3" of oil into a wok or Dutch oven and heat to ~180°C (350°F).
9. Drop teaspoonfuls of batter into the hot oil and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown all over. You can probably cook 8-10 at a time depending on the size and shape of your vessel. Try not to overcrowd the fritters though.
10. Once cooked, remove the fritters to a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Broth

1. Rinse the pigeon peas several times.
2. Combine pigeon peas with 2 c. water and bring to a boil, uncovered. Skim off any foam that forms.
3. Reduce heat to medium or medium-low and simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat 1/2 tsp. oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add rice, split peas, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, peppercorns, and chiles and cook until browned but not burnt (2-3 minutes). Immediately transfer to plate to cool.
6. Once toasted spice mixture is cool, transfer to spice grinder and finely grind.
7. Combine the tamarind paste with 4 c. water and mix well.
8. Add ground spice mixture, salt, turmeric, asafetida, tomato, and curry leaves.
9. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
10. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered for 15 minutes.
11. Meanwhile, tansfer cooked pigeon peas and any residual cooking liquid to blender and purée.
12. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil over medium-high heat.
13. Add mustard seeds and cover. Cook until mustard seeds stop popping (30-60 seconds).
14. Dump mustard seeds and oil into tamarind broth.
15. Stir pur&eacue;ed pigeon peas into broth.
16. Add cilantro.

Assembly

1. Once broth and fritters are all cooked, place a few fritters in a bowl or soup plate and ladle a generous quantity of broth over them.
2. Serve immediately.