Kadag Ogre (one kind of tamarind rice)

This is a simple and quick spicy rice with tamarind flavor. It is predominantly made by Iyengars in Bangalore.

Ingredients:

For the paste:

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Dry red chillies - 4-5 (depends on spice level)
Tamarind - size of small lemon
Grated coconut - 1/4 - 1/2 cup
Hing (asafoetida) - just a pinch

For Garnish:

1. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
2. Hing - just a pinch
3. Urad Dal - 1 tsp
4. Ground nuts - one handful
5. Curry leaves - 5-6
6. Oil - 3-4 tsps

Preparation:

1. Grind all the ingredients above to a smooth paste with very little water.
2. Cook rice and keep it aside.
3. Heat 3-4 tsps of oil in a Wok.
4. Add mustard seeds. let it splutter. Then add Hing and ground nuts. When the ground nuts start to turn a little brown, add urad dal. When urad dal starts to turn brown, add curry leaves. Saute for few seconds.
5. Then add the ground paste.
6. Keep the wok open and saute the paste on medium heat for few minutes. When all the water content is gone and the oil starts to separate, add the cooked rice, salt to taste and mix well.
7. It is better to mix when the rice has cooled, so that it doesn't get mushy while mixing.

It is nice to eat with yogurt/rasam on the side (my taste :-) )

Arvi Curry

This is a tangy curry made with Arvi or Taro Root. It has a tamarind juice based gravy.


You need:


1. Arvi - Choose those with no nodes. Arvi is a root. It is hairy too. When picking, brush off the hair and see if it has too many nodes on it. When you boil the Arvis, the nodes don't get cooked and they form lumps. Something that you would want to avoid.


2. Rasam Powder - 2 tsps
3. Jaggery (Gur) - 1 tbsps
4. Tamarind Paste - 1 and half tbsps
5. Salt to taste
6. 2 tbsps cooking oil
7. Mustard Seeds
8. Hing
9. Turmeric Powder


Preparation:


1. First off, boil Arvi in enough water in a pressure cooker. Once the Arvi cools, remove the skin and keep aside. If you have picked the right kind of Arvi, the process of peeling the skin becomes very easy. One more thing, Arvi is very slippery, so be careful while handling them.




2. In a wok, add the cooking oil and once it heats up, add the mustard seeds and hing to make the tadka.


3. Now add a pinch of turmeric powder to the tadka. This way, when you add the Arvi to the tadka, the turmeric spreads out uniformly.


4. Add the cooked Arvi. If they too big, you can use a spatula to just break them into bite sized pieces. Stir in with the tadka. Saute for a few minutes. You can see parts of Arvi turning brown. That's the sign.

5. In the meantime, dissolve the tamarind paste in 2 cups of water. Once the Arvi are sauted, add the tamarind juice and mix in. Bring it to a boil. Lower the heat.




6. Add the rasam powder and mix in before it forms lumps. Now add the jaggery and salt. Cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When you see the oil floating on top, you know its done.



Enjoy with rice and/or rotis.