Geetha's Kitchen

One of Paji's favorites! It is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser that no matter how much is made, just disappears in minutes. What's not to like? - deliciously crusty and spicy outside and tender and velvety inside. Do remember that all parts of arbi must be cooked very well (until soft) to render harmless the oxalate crystals that they contain. 4 Servings; but may serve only 2! Ingredients: 1 lb Arbi (taro root) or Potatoes 1 Tbsp Oil 1/2 tsp Brown Mustard seeds 1 pinch Asafoetida 1 sprig fresh Curry Leaves 1 Tbsp Rasam Powder or Sambar Powder 1/2 tsp ground Turmeric 1 tsp Paprika 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp Aamchoor (dried mango powder), optional Method: Wash the arbi/potatoes well. Steam or pressure cook until soft. Peel when cool enough to handle. Set aside to cool thoroughly. Cut the arbi/potatoes into large chunks - 1" cubes would work well - or as desired. Heat the oil in a seasoned kadai (wok) or a non-stick skillet; add mustard seeds and when the seeds finish popping, add asaf...

Cranberry Thokku With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I remember this delicious Cranberry Thokku and how much we enjoyed Amma's ingenuity. Upon meeting this new fruit, Amma decided to make thokku, a spicy and savory condiment. The tart and gorgeous deep red berries cook up into this delicious and beautiful relish. Cranberry Thokku has become a traditional dish at our Thanksgiving! Long after the Thanksgiving meal, we love using the thokku in many ways: in sandwiches; with Dosa , Adai , or other snacks; with everyday meals to spice them up a bit. Cranberry thokku lasts several weeks in the fridge; for longer storage pack in sterilized canning jars and process according to manufacturer's directions. Note:  Use regular brown sugar if Jaggery is unavailable; also adjust the amount of chili powder and jaggery according to your preference. Here is the original and cherished recipe from my mother. Happy Thanksgiving!! Ingredients: 1 bag Cranberries (...

When my little one asked for a second bowl of this salad for a snack, I knew it was a keeper! The crunchy broccoli, toasted nuts, sweet-chewy sun-dried tomatoes, and creamy cheese combine to make a very flavorful and tasty salad. It is a great salad to make year around especially when other salad veggies may be scarce. It is a great vegan salad as well if you omit the cheese. 4 to 6 Servings Ingredients: 1 lb Broccoli 1/4 cup marinated Sun-dried tomatoes (2 to 4 pieces), drained 1 clove Garlic, minced finely 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar 1 tsp of Lime juice Freshly ground Black Pepper salt to taste 2 Tbsp Pine nuts, Pecans, or Walnuts, toasted 2 oz. plain vegetarian Goat Cheese or Feta (Optional) Method: Toast the nuts by baking for about 7 or 8 minutes in a 350 degree F oven; cool. Wash and cut the broccoli into bite size pieces. Peel and use the stems also. Pour 1 teaspoon of the Olive Oil in a baking pan and toss the Broccoli with a pinch of salt....

Here is India's equivalent of the mashed potatoes - tasty without any butter or cream! It is a lovely gluten-free and dairy-free treat for a vegan meal as well. Podimas is a family favorite especially with children and is typically served with plain rice, sambar and/or any type of rasam , and papadams. Also, here is one of the few veggie dishes where turmeric is not used! Baking potatoes (like russet) are the best choice for this dish. Mature green plantains and/or bananas work well also to make podimas; just make sure that they are green and are without even a hint of ripeness in them at all. 4 Portions; But may only serve two people :} Ingredients: 2 large Potatoes Salt or to taste Thalippu/Tadka: 2 tsp Oil 1/2 tsp Brown Mustard Seeds 1 Tbsp EACH Urad Dal and Chana Dal 1 dry hot Red Chili 1 pinch Asafoetida (Optional) 1 Sprig fresh Curry Leaves Method: Steam, pressure-cook or bake the potatoes. Cool well. Peel if desired (I usually leave the peel on) and break up the pota...

Olan is perhaps the simplest of all Kerala recipes. The unique combination of the ingredients contributes to producing an amazingly delicious taste sensation leaving one longing for more! Olan is traditionally made with mathan (pumpkin), elavan or kumbalanga (winter melon or ash gourd), and fresh or dry cowpeas or karamani (Red Chori in Hindi) or dry black-eyed peas. No important feast is complete in Kerala without Olan - especially one served during the Onam festival. An important fact to note here is that Olan is one of the very few dishes where turmeric is not used!! That is indeed rare for an Indian vegetable dish! Olan with Kabocha squash and Red Chori Beans Olan can be made with a combination of the pumpkin and winter melon along with the karamani or black-eyed peas. At our home it was made using either the pumpkin or the winter melon but not both at once. I was very fortunate to have a volunteer pumpkin (Kabocha) plant growing (thanks to a little bit of pit ...

Ishtu? or is it Olan - that is the question! Both are stews made with coconut milk and scented with fresh curry leaves and fragrant coconut oil; but Ishtu is typically made with potatoes and onions whereas Olan is made with pumpkins/winter squashes and black-eyed peas or karamani (called Red Chori in Hindi). Another difference is that Ishtu often includes ginger; olan does not. Both are delicious served with other tangy/spicy dishes such as Mor Kuzhambu , Sambar , etc. Ishtu (perhaps a corruption of the word 'stew') a mild delicious stew, is often served with pancakes like Dosa or Aappam, or as a side dish. Ishtu with Idiappam (fresh Rice Noodles) is a traditional breakfast combo popular in Kerala. This is one of my favorite versions of Ishtu with mild leeks (look like green onions on steroids :D) instead of the usual onions, and zucchinis to boost the nutrition, good looks and taste. Sometimes I like to add a pinch of ground Turmeric to make "Golden Ishtu". ...

A friend gave me a bag of semolina flour for making pasta. I had never made fresh pasta. So what else can one do with a bag of pasta flour? Well, make Dosa of course! This is a basic recipe that makes very good dosas. It is really quite easy and doesn't require planning ahead like the traditional dosa batter. You can make wonderful, light, lacy dosas with almost any flour such as whole wheat, corn, millet, etc. Ingredients: 1 Cup Whole Wheat or other flour 1/2 cup Rice flour 1 tsp Salt or to taste 1/4 cup Plain Yogurt /Buttermilk (Optional) 11/2 cups Water 1/2 tsp whole Cumin seeds OR 1/2 small onion, finely chopped Thalippu/Tadka: 1 or 2 tsp oil 1/2 tsp Brown Mustard Seeds 1 hot green chili, finely chopped A few curry leaves, finely sliced A few Tbsp Oil for cooking the Dosas Method: Mix the flours and salt. Add the yogurt/buttermilk if using and the water and mix thoroughly; let sit for about 30 minutes to hydrate the flours well. The batter should be smooth and have the...

The rice dosa is a gluten free treat (and casein free too if you omit the yogurt/buttermilk). This is a basic recipe that makes very good dosas pretty quickly when you don't have time to make the freshly ground traditional dosa batter. Rice flour, Urid flour (urid is a type of lentil), podi, pickles, etc are readily available at Indian markets. If urid flour is difficult to find, soy flour or soy milk may be used instead. Ingredients: 1 Cups Rice flour (white or brown) 1/4 cup Urid flour 1 tsp Salt or to taste 1/4 cup Plain Yogurt or Buttermilk (Optional) 11/2 to 2 cups Water 2 or 3 Tbsp Oil for cooking Method: Mix the flours and salt. Add the yogurt/buttermilk if using and the water and mix thoroughly. The batter should be smooth and have the consistency of thick buttermilk. Add water as necessary. Let sit for about 30 minutes to hydrate the flours well. The resting also eliminates any lumps. The batter can also be left to ferment for a few hours or overnight -- if so make su...

This is another one of Amma's recipes. It is a lovely pale green chutney and is delicious served with Whole Wheat Dosa, Bajji , Kunukku , Adai , Grilled Cheese Sandwich/Quesadilla , etc or any dish that would benefit a bit of spicing it up! Ingredients: 4 Hot Green Chilies 1 Small Onion 2 sprigs Fresh Curry Leaves and/or 1/2 cup Cilantro Salt to taste 1 Lime or lemon Method: Wash well, remove the stems from the chilies; cut in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and membranes if you like a mild chutney. Or leave them in a couple of the chilies or all according to your heat preference. Peel and cut the onion into large chunks; cook them if you do not care for raw onion taste - saute, microwave/steam, or roast and let cool. Squeeze the juice from the lime/lemon; discard the rinds. Combine all the ingredients in a blender container with a few Tablespoons of water and blend until smooth. Pour into a container; rinse the blender with a few tablespoons of water to extract all of the chutney...

Coconut chutney is the traditional accompaniment to Adai , Dosa , Idli (steamed rice and lentil cakes), Bajji, etc. Amma gave me this recipe along with a few others as I was getting ready to embark on a new phase of life as a wife. Those hastily written recipes were ever so helpful and now I am happy to rediscover them and pass on to a new generation to enjoy. Frozen grated or dessicated (dried unsweetened) coconut may be used instead of the fresh. Ingredients: 1/2 medium coconut, grated 1 tsp oil 2 Tbsp Chana Dal 1 tiny pea sized piece (1 pinch powdered) Asafoetida 2 fresh hot Green Chilies (Serrano/Jalapeno) 1 spring fresh Curry leaves 1 marble size ball of dry Tamarind pulp Salt to taste Thalippu/Tadka: 2 tsp oil 1/2 tsp Brown Mustard Seeds 1 Tbsp Chana Dal 1 dry hot Red Chili 1 sprig fresh Curry Leaves Method: Heat the 1 tsp oil in a small pan and roast the chana dal until lightly browned. Stir in asafoetida, sliced green chilies, and curry leaves. Cook until chilies are soften...

Parikkai Pitla is a classic South Indian stew which is a gentle and delicious introduction to Bitter Melon. Although we were not fans of bitter melon as young children, we loved the Pitla where the bitter melon flavor was quite mild. Initially we used to pick out every piece of the bitter melon; but as we got used to the taste eventually, grew to love the bitter melon for itself. This is another recipe from Amma. You can also use an equal mixture of toor dal and yellow mung dal; or use red lentils also known as skinless masoor dal. 4 Servings Ingredients: 1 tsp Oil for sauteing 1 medium bitter melon (parikkai) 1/2 cup Toor dal 1/2 tsp Turmeric 2 tsp Tamarind concentrate Salt to taste 1 Tbsp Jaggery (Brown Sugar) (Optional) Spices for grinding: 1/2 tsp Oil 1/2 tsp whole Black Pepper 1 Tbsp Chana Dal 2 tsp Urad Dal 2 tsp Coriander Seeds 1 small pea size chunk asafetida or 1 big pinch powdered asafetida 1/3 cup grated fresh Coconut or 3 Tbsp dry unsweetened ...