Tamales

This is a corn based Mexican dish.

Ingredients:

Masa flour - 3 cups. Masa is the inside of a corn. The skin of the corn seeds is removed and the inside stuff is dried and powdered. You can get Masa flour at the grocery store.
Corn Husk - One packet. Usually contains quite a few. Very important while making Tamales. This is what gives the flavor.
Oil
Salt

For the filling:

You can stuff the tamales with anything you want. Curry fillings taste good and give a strong Indian flavor to the tamales. You can make a mixed vegetable curry with Garam Masala and use that to stuff the tamales. If you like non-spicy fillings, you can blanche your favorite vegetables with some salt and use them for stuffing the tamales.

We are using Potatoes - Beans - Green Peas - Tomatoes curry as the filling here. In addition to the vegetables, you will need

Jeera - 1/2 ts
Oil - 1 tbs
Salt
Garam Masala - 1 ts
Dhania Powder - 1ts
Red Chilli Powder - up to you
Turmeric - 1/4 ts

Preparation:

First make the filling, in this case, curry.

1. Heat 1 tbs oil and add Jeera to make the tadka.
2. Add cut potatoes and saute them for 2 mins.

3. Add the rest of the vegetables, dry masalas and salt.
4. Stir occationally until the vegetables are cooked.

5. Let the curry cool.

You might not like it as a curry, but remember this is a filling. We want the flavor of the masalas to show up when eating tamales.

Now the tamales.

First, soak the corn husks in warm water for 15 mins.

Then,

1. In a bowl, mix Masa flour, a pinch of salt, 1 tbs oil.

2. Add hot water to the mixture and knead the dough. The dough should be spreadable.

3. Take a soaked corn husk, shake off the excess water, and place some dough in the center. Spread the dough flat.

4. Place some curry in the center of the dough and cover it from all sides. Get some extra dough if needed.
5. Now wrap the corn husk around the dough. First wraps the left side, then right side, then bottom and then top.

6. In a pressure cooker, place the bottom plate of an idli stand to hold the tamales while steaming. You dont want the tamales getting wet.

7. Place the wrapped tamales face down in a circle. Once the circle is complete, place one on top of another.

8. Make sure you have enough water at the bottom of the cooker. Close the pressure cooker and steam the tamales for a good 20 minutes. Do not put the weight on. Just steam them like idlis.
9. Let them completely cool before serving.

10. Serve with the corn husks. Good by themselves. Good with any ketchup, pickle or sauce too.

You can make a large quantity of tamales and freeze them. When you are in a mood, just microwave them before eating.

Remember:

Tamales just out of the pressure cooker will be soft and a little wet. Once they cool down, they will become a little hard. Just like idlis.

Veggie Sushi Rolls

Ingredients:

Seaweed (Sushi Nori)
Cooked Jasmine Rice
Wasabi Paste
Vegetables (Cut into thin strips)
(Carrots and Cucumber)
Rice Vinegar
Sesame Seeds - lightly roasted
Soy Sauce
Salt
Sugar

Jasmine Rice is sticky when cooked. It helps form perfect sushi rolls.
A rolling mat is also needed to roll the Sushi Nori weeds.

Preparation:

1. Mix Cooked Rice, 1 tbs Rice Vinegar, pinch of salt, pinch of sugar and roasted Sesame Seeds, and keep aside.

2. Place the rolling mat on a flat surface and place one Sushi Nori weed on top of it.

3. Smear the Sushi Nori with some Wasabi paste. The Nori weed is delicate, so use light strokes.
4. Spead the rice mixture on the Nori weed from left end to right end. Leave 2-3 inches of space at the top end.

5. Place the thin strips of vegetables on the rice from left end to right end.

6. Start rolling the Nori weed now. Firmly press the mat when doing so.

7. Once you have the roll, you can cut it into smaller rolls of 1 inch thickness.

Serve with Soy Sauce and Wasabi Paste.

Dissolve some Wasabi Paste in Soy Sauce. Dip Sushi Roll and pop it into your mouth. Enjoy.

Rava Upma

Ingredients:

Bombay Rava (Fine Sooji) - 2 cups
Finely Chopped Vegetables - 2 or 3 cups
(Carrots, Green Beans, Green Peas, Capsicum etc.)
Green Chillies
Mustard Seeds
Hing
Oil - 2 tbs
Ghee - 1 tbs

Preparation:

1. Roast Rava with Ghee. You can tell by the aroma and the light brown tinge the Rava gets that it is done.

2. In a wok, make tadka by heating Oil and adding Mustard Seeds and Hing.
3. Add chopped Green Chillies.
4. Add the chopped vegetables and saute them.

5. Add 4 cups of water. Thumb rule: 1 measure of Rava takes 2 measures of water.
6. Add salt and bring it to a boil.
7. Now lower the heat and slowly add roasted Rava while stirring constantly.

8. Mix well to avoid lumps. The Upma becomes hard in a few seconds.

9. Cover the Upma and leave it on low heat for 1 min, stirring occasionally.

Good with any pickle or Rasam.

Rava Dosa

Ingredients:

Bombay Rava (Sooji - fine) - 2 cups
Rice Flour - 1 tbs
Besan (Gram Flour) - 2 tbs
Jeera - 1/2 ts
Green Chillies
Mustard Seeds
Hing
Yogurt - 1 cup
Salt
Oil

Preparation:

1. Mix Rava, Rice Flour, Besan, Salt, finely chopped Green Chillies, Jeera and Yogurt in a vessel.

2. Add water to bring the batter to a pouring consistency.

3. Make tadka by heating oil and adding Mustard Seeds and Hing.
4. Add the tadka to the batter and mix in.

5. Make dosas with the batter on a non-stick pan.

Keep the pan at medium heat, since the Rava Dosa batter solidifies very quickly while spreading.

Serve with chutney or your favourite pickle.

Stuffed Brinjal (Dry)

Ingredients:

Brinjals
Chana Dal - 1 cup
Urid Dal - 1/2 cup
Dhania - 1 tbs
Methi - 1/2 tbs
Red Chillies
Coconut Powder - 1/2 cup
Salt
Jaggery

Preparation:

1. Roast Chana Dal, Urid Dal, Dhania, Methi, Red Chillies in 2 spoons of oil.
2. Let it cool.

3. Finely powder the above.

4. Add Salt, powdered Jaggery and Coconut Powder to the powder above.

5. Slit brinjals to make an 'x' shape. Leave the crowns on the brinjals.

6. Smear the insides of the brinjals with some salt.
7. Stuff the brinjals with the powder.

8. In a large wok, heat 4-5 tbs of oil and add mustard seeds and hing to make the tadka.
9. Place the stuffed brinjals one by one into the wok.

10. Lower the heat and cover the wok.
11. Occasionally flip the brinjals inside the wok. In 20 - 25 minutes the brinjals will cook.

Good with rotis or rice. Remember, this is a dry curry. There will be no gravy.

If you have dry coconut instead of the coconut powder, make small pieces and roast with rest of the masalas.