Goanese Potato a la Chellam

Yes, Goanese potato.. Now stop flipping through your cookery books, this is a different recipe[ kinda sorta maybe] and no the Chellam is not Trisha from Gilli or other movies featuring Prakash Raj, what can i do if this lady is called Chellam...

Anyhow, here is the post- go away, stop distracting me already....

Granparents wait for 6pm, for the power to return[ cos we have powercut between 4 & 6pm- yes, daily], and they attack the TV, well, actually the remote. Evening 6pm is time for the cookery show on Jaya TV[the earth may shatter and winds may blow, but if they are home, they are glued].. Everyday there is a different person hosting the show and my gramma's favorites are - Menu Rani Chellam, Anita Kuppuswamy and Revathy Shanmugam [in that order].

So, yesterday it was Chellam's show and she made a Goanese Potato dish, the minute i heard the name, i plonked myself on the sofa out of sheer curiousity. Mom makes a Goanese potato and it is yumm, and spicy and well, yumm..  This one looked different and so i stayed there for about 10mins.

Chellam is revered at home cos they all love her cooking, mom & few aunts have attended cookery classes conducted by her and they believe her recipes will not fail..

Today morning, i woke up and waltzed into the kitchen only to find gramma getting a whole bunch of ingredients ready, and subsequently she ordered[ well, you cant reallly order her anything... more of a request actually] the cook to grind them before she leaves.

And for dinner, without waiting for gramma to come[ she was reading the Bhagawad gita, daily evening ritual] and mainly because i dint want to miss the CSK IPL match against MI, i got about making the dish. Was almost done when she walked in and was surprised... :-) It was delicious and before i could take photograph, well, it was settling down in our tummies... :D

What you need:

Potato - 4 to 5 [ 1 small per person]- peel and slice like you would for French fries
Green chillies- 2
Cloves- 4
Cinnamon- 1 stick
Tamarind- 1 tiny piece
Turmeric powder- 1 tbsp
Red chilli powder- 1 tsp[ optional]
Salt- to taste
Oil- to cook
Water- to cook the potatoes in

For the masala paste*:
Red chillies- 2
Black pepper[whole]- 5 to 10
Fenugreed seeds[ Vendhayam] -1/2 tsp
Coconut- 1/2 cup
Rice- 1 tsp

How to make it:

1. In a pan, add oil, cloves, cinnamon, green chillies and the chopped potatoes.
2. After a few mins, add the Turmeric powder, salt and Red chilli powder
3. Once potatoes have sauted for about 5mins, add enough water to cook them [till they are soft]
4. In another pan, without any oil- saute the ingredients for the *masala paste. Allow to cool.
5. Grind all the ingredients to a paste [add water if reqd]
6.  in a 3rd pan, heat some water and add the tamarind to it - proceed to make a paste [1 tbsp]
7. Once the potatoes have cooked, add the masala paste and tamarind paste/water
8. Add salt if required
9. Allow to boil till flavours come together

I made myself a few rotis, but grandparents ate it with idli... It was yumm, quite spicy but lovely flavours~

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Celery Soup

Grandparents are always up for something new and today it was Celery soup. Gramma had bought celery and leek few days ago, inspired by a recipe she saw on a TV cookery show. Alas, she dint remember the process and as always decided to abandon the project. 

And there stepped in yours truly. Especially if it is something simple and interesting. An aunt had told me the celery soup recipe few years ago [she had made it for her mom who was ailing with cancer..].. and so i kinda remembered the process. Off i went to the kitchen to attack the ingredients and see what the soup tasted like.

Gramma who had tasted the celery sticks commented "it tastes exactly like onions, quite strong" [she normally does not eat onions or garlic and so this was quite a surprise for me]... 

Ingredients:

1 celery bunch- chopped roughly [there is a kind of a skin, make sure to peel that off, else you'll be picking out fibres with every mouthful]

1 potato- raw, cut into thin cubes

Garlic - a pinch

Salt, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

Oil or Butter 

Milk [optional]

Water- enough to boil the potatoes

Process:

1. In a pan, add some butter or oil

2. Add the chopped celery, potato, onion and garlic. Let the onion sweat for a few minutes 
3.Add enough water to cover the potatoes and allow it to cook for a few mins [10mins max]

4. Allow it to cool once potatoes are boiled

5. Blend in a mixer till smooth

6. Pour in the pan, add some water and allow it to boil

7. Add salt & pepper [and milk if you like]

Voila.. Enjoy the hot soup!!  It tasted quite rich and divine, not too strong, not too bland.. I was quite surprised.. We all enjoyed it...

You can also refer to the recipe by Jamie Oliver [pretty much same]

[Sorry no photograph, the soup was gone before i could locate my camera, shall make it once more and be sure to click and share]

reade more... Résuméabuiyad