Thayir sadam with manga thundam (Curd rice with spiced raw mango “bits”)

One of my favourite dishes, this is a true South Indian culinary masterpiece. The spiced raw mango has a fusion of hot, sour, bitter and pungent flavours and the pairing with cool, creamy curd rice is unbeatable. I like to rub the mango pieces with a little salt before adding the remaining ingredients to make the mango bits more tender and juicy. For seasoning purposes, I prefer to add kala namak/black salt as it combines well with raw mango but you do not need to use it if it is unavailable or if you do not like the taste. 

Servings: 2-3
    

Ingredients

For the thayir sadam:

Cold cooked rice (whole-grain rice is works well in this combination; I used a mixture of white and red rice, as you can see by the slight reddish tinge the rice has in the photograph)

For the manga thundam:
2 medium raw mangoes

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon salt

To taste:

Salt, preferably kala namak/black salt

Chilli powder

Asafoetida powder

Roasted, powdered fenugreek seeds

Method
To make the manga thundam, chop the raw mangoes finely and rub well with the 1 teaspoon of salt, till the mangoes release some liquid. Toss with the spices (except for the mustard seeds) and salt. I suggest adding just a little of each spice at this point. Heat the oil in a ladle or small pan and fry the mustard seeds until they splutter. Add the mustard seeds along with the oil to the mango bits. Taste and adjust the amount of spices if necessary.

For curd rice, take the desired quantity of rice and mix with it enough yoghurt to obtain a consistency that you like. I prefer the consistency obtained by from a ratio of approximately 2:1 of volume of rice to yoghurt.  Serve with the manga thundam.

Imam bayildi (Turkish stuffed aubergine)

The name of this traditional Turkish recipe means the imam fainted. Various explanations exist as to how the dish obtained the name. There are also many variations of the dish itself, in terms of cooking method and flavouring. In the many of them the aubergine is slit and stuffed with a spiced tomato and onion mixture but some recipes, including this one, also cook the aubergine along with the other ingredients. Olive oil is an important flavouring ingredient in the recipe and some recipes call for much more olive oil than others.  My version is fairly sparing with the olive oil but I have added some spices so it does not lack in flavour.

 

Servings: 2

     

Ingredients
1 large aubergine/eggplant

4 medium tomatoes (substitute with a 400g/14oz can of tomatoes if needed), diced

1 medium onion, diced

3-4 cloves of garlic (depending on size – I used 3 large cloves), chopped

4 tablespoons chopped parsley, plus more to garnish if desired

1½ tablespoons olive oil

1 stick of cinnamon

1 pinch each:

Cumin seeds

Coriander seeds

Salt to taste

Pita bread or other flat bread or crusty bread to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 180ᵒC.  Halve the aubergine and make criss-cross cuts through its flesh (see below), taking care not go to too close to the skin. Use a spoon to scoop out the flesh, leaving a thin layer next to the skin. Keep the shells aside. Heat a non-stick pan over a low heat and cook the aubergines over a low heat until fairly soft (about 10 -12 minutes).

Meanwhile coarsely puree half tomatoes and set aside. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan over low heat and add the onion and garlic. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, then add the cumin seeds, coriander seeds and cinnamon. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the onions begin to soften (about 8-10 mins).

Add the chopped tomatoes (but not the puree) and cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes are soft. Now add the cooked aubergines and the tomato puree. (If using canned tomatoes add the tomatoes and aubergines at the same time, after the onions have begun to soften) and half of the chopped parsley. Cook for 15-20 minutes over a medium heat or until some of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is fairly thick but still moist. Add the remaining parsley, season to taste with salt and cook for 2-3 minutes longer, taking care that the mixture does dry out. Add a couple of tablespoons of water and mix well if seems too dry.

In the meantime, heat the non-stick pan again over a medium heat and cook the aubergine shells skin-side facing down for about 3-4 minutes until it begins to blacken. Then lift the shells and lean top part against the side of the pan so that the fleshier lower part of the base can cook (about 5 minutes). Now turn over the aubergines, placing the flesh-side down on the pan. Press them against pan and cook for 7-8 minutes or until the insides start to brown. 

Place the aubergine shells on a baking tray. Spoon the mixture equally into each shell. Carefully re-shape the sides of the shell around the mixture to hold it. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Serve hot or, as it is traditionally served, at room temperature, with bread, and garnished with more parsley if desired.

Chocolate and banana pancakes

Served warm and freshly made, these pancakes are fluffy and melt in the mouth. Be sure to use bitter chocolate in this recipe, otherwise it will be too cloying. I used non-dairy hazelnut milk in the recipe, which was lightly sweetened so if using unsweetened milk, you may wish to add ½ teaspoon of sugar or other natural sweetener, although I have made it before with unsweetened milk and there is little difference in taste.

Servings: 2-3
    

Ingredients
1 large ripe banana

1 cup/125 ml milk

¼ cup/125 ml water

¼ tsp natural vanilla extract

½ cup jowar/sorghum flour

½ cup rice flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ tsp cinnamon

2 tablespoons dark chocolate chopped into small chunks

Method

Mash the banana in a bowl until no large chunks remain, add the milk and vanilla extract and mix well. Add the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, chocolate and then water and mix until fully incorporated. The batter should be of a consistency that is easy to drop from spoon. If it is too thick mix in a little more water.

Heat a non-stick frying pan or suitable pan over a low heat. If you don’t have non-stick pan, lightly oil the pan. When the pancake is hot, drop tablespoonfuls of the pancake batter onto the pan and cook for about 2-3 mins or until the batter has bubbled and started to dry. It should peel off with a thin spatula and the underside should be golden brown. Flip over and cook for 1-2 mins on the other side until it has browned and dried and can be lifted from the pan. You can test a pancake to determine if the pancakes are cooked inside. Serve immediately or they will become heavy.

Mango ice-cream with blueberries

This is a very easy recipe with only two ingredients for the ice-cream. There is no added sweetening as the mango and cashews are sufficiently sweet. The cashew nuts also provide a rich creamy texture. Blueberries complement mangoes well but substitute with other berries or chunks of mango if you wish.

Servings: 1-3
    

Ingredients
1 large ripe mango, peeled and cut into chunks

½ cup cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours

Blueberries or other fruit to serve

Method

Coarsely grind the cashews in a food processor/blender. Add the mango and blend till very smooth. Spread the mixture thinly on a foil lined baking tray and freeze for about 1 hour. The mixture should be solid and peel off the foil but not rock hard. Break the mixture into pieces and blend again till smooth and creamy. You may have to scrape down the sides and stir the mixture a few times in between blending to obtain a smooth texture. Serve topped with blueberries (or other fruit).

Zingy green drink

Another quick recipe with greens. Ginger, lime, chilli and coriander add spice and zest to this healthy, refreshing drink.

Servings: 1-3
    

Ingredients
2 handfuls of green leaves (I used half spinach and half lettuce)

1 stick celery

½ a green pepper/capsicum

½ a green chilli, chopped

1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger

1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander/cilantro

Juice of 1 lime or lemon

A pinch of salt

Method

Chop the green leaves, celery and green pepper coarsely, into chunks. Add them to a blender/food processor along with the remaining ingredients and blend with adding water until quite smooth and liquid. Then add about 1 cup/250 ml of water and blend again to fully incorporate the water and obtain a fairly thin consistency. It should be more like a juice than a smoothie. If it is too thick, add more water and blend again. Serve fresh.