Curry Udon

Whenever I cook Japanese Curry, I like to serve it with flavored rice for one meal and use the leftovers to make the soup and serve with Udon. I love soups and this is one of my favorite ways to eat Udon. Udon is a thick noodle, mainly made of flour and has a chewy texture which sets it apart from other types of noodles. I usually buy the frozen kind so that I have it handy whenever I need them.

For the soup base, I usually like to make Kombu Dashi (Kelp Stock) and add curry and bring it to a boil but if I’m out of Kelp then I would just use water to make the soup.

Curry Udon

Serves: 1
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
1 – 3 inch piece of Kombu (Dried Kelp) – wiped clean with damp cloth
1 1/2 cups Water
1 1/2 cups prepared Curry (recipe here)
Salt to taste (optional)
1 serving of Udon – cooked per package instructions
1 Green Onion – thinly sliced or shredded

Directions:

1. In a pot, place Kombu and water and let sit for about 15 minutes.
2. Bring water to a boil and just before boiling, remove Kombu and discard.
3. Add Curry to the water, stir and bring it to a boil. Add salt if desired.
4. In a bowl, place Udon and pour the soup over. Garnish with green onions and serve hot.

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Eli Palat (Sour Dal with Salted Dry Fish and Drumsticks)

I'm not sure where the name 'Eli Palat' comes from and it seems likes every family has their own versions and names for this dish. At the end, when we describe the dish, we all know what we're talking about :). It is somewhat similar to Sambar (South Indian Dish) but has salted dried fish and we usually make it a bit sourer than Sambar. You can say it is a combination of Dal and Achin Hin. You can basically add as many or little variety of vegetables as you like but few of the ingredients are necessary for the distinct flavor of this dish. Ingredients such as salted dried fish (Ng Chaut in Burmese), eggplant and vegetable drumsticks are a must for this dish, whereas, vegetables such as okra, carrots, potatoes, winged beans, long beans, bottle gourd and white radish can also be added but will also work without them.

I have used frozen Drumsticks because fresh ones were not available at that time. Frozen ones come pre-cut, ready to use and do not need to be thawed. Drumsticks can be found in Indian grocery stores.

For a complete meal, we like to serve this with some Red Chili Pound, Fried chicken or Beef, Rice and some fresh cut vegetables such as Cucumber, White Radish or Cabbage.

Eli Palat (Sour Dal with Salted Dry Fish and Drumsticks)

Serves: 4 to 6
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
1 cup Chana Dal/Split Black Chickpeas
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons Oil
2 teaspoons Cumin Seeds/Jeera
1 teaspoon Brown Mustard Seeds/Rai
1/2 teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds/Methi
2 cups Onions - finely chopped
3 ounces Salted Dried Fish
1 large stem Curry Leaves (about 1/4 cup loosely packed)
2 cups Tomatoes - finely chopped
1 tablespoon Ginger - grated or finely chopped
2 tablespoons Garlic - crushed or finely chopped
2 teaspoons Red Chili Powder
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
1/2 teaspoon Cumin Powder
13 ounces Eggplant/Brinjal - cut into 1 inch cubes
12 ounces Vegetable Drumsticks (fresh or frozen) - if fresh scrape outer fiber layers with knife and cut into 2 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 cup Tamarind Pulp (adjust to taste)
1 Jalapeno or Any Green Chili - cut in chunks
1/4 cup Cilantro - roughly chopped
1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
4 Hard Boiled Eggs - shelled and cut in half

Optional Vegetables:
2 cups Long Beans - cut into 2 inch pieces
1 small Carrot - cut into 1 inch cubes
4 Okras/Lady Fingers - cut stem tip and cut into 2 inch pieces
*Combination of any other vegetables such as Potatoes, Winged Beans, Bottle Gourd and White Radish

Directions:

1. Pressure cook Dal over medium low heat with 3 cups of water and a pinch of salt for 4 whistles or 6 minutes after cooker starts steaming.
2. Turn off heat and keep aside until all pressure/steam has been released for about 10 to 15 minutes. Open cooker and stir with wire whisk to crush & smooth it out. Keep this aside.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large pot over high heat. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds and cook for few seconds until mustard seeds start to pop.
4. Add onion, salted dried fish and sauté for few minutes until onion is wilted.
5. Add curry leaves and stirring frequently, continue cooking until onion is lightly golden brown.
6. Reduce heat to medium and add tomatoes, ginger, garlic, red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and stir well. Cover and cook for few minutes until tomatoes are crushed.
7. Add eggplant and drumsticks along with long beans, carrots and any other vegetable (if using). If it is getting dry, add some water.
8. Stir well, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 10 minutes or until eggplants are soft.
9. Increase heat to high, add crushed Dal, tamarind pulp, and about 6 cups of water, cover and bring it to a boil
10. Once it comes to a rolling boil, add Okra and salt to taste.
11. Reduce heat to low and let it simmer partially covered for 15 to 20 minutes or until all vegetables soft and cooked through adding more water to adjust consistency as required.
12. Garnish with Jalapeno, cilantro and garam masala powder. Turn off heat and cover the pot and leave it covered for about 5 minutes.
13. When ready to serve, place couple of hard boiled egg halves in a serving bowl and pour over liquid & vegetables, and serve hot.

Note:

• To cook without pressure cooker, place Dal in a bowl and wash with few washes of water. Fill enough water to cover Dal by couple inches and let it soak for at least 4 hours. Wash one more time and transfer to a pot. Add salt and enough water to cover it by few inches. Cook uncovered over medium to low heat, stirring occasionally to make sure it is not scorching at the bottom of the pot. Cook until dal is tender adding more water as required.
• Amount of tamarind used for this dish will depend on the sourness of the tamarind itself and the amount of water used in making the pulp. Add few teaspoons at a time and adjust according to your desired sourness of the dish.  

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Dal

We made Dal at home quite often while growing up. My Dad always says that Dal completes a meal. This is a basic Dal that my Mom used to prepare. It is a versatile recipe and can be prepared in a variety of different ways. If you're short with some ingredients, you can still prepare Dal. For instance, you can use both tomato and onion to flavor Dal but if you're out of one, you can still prepare with the other.

We usually prepare it with a blend of four types of Dals but you can still prepare it by using only one type such as Toor or Chana Dal.  Keep in mind that Chana Dal takes much longer time to cook then Toor Dal. Curry Leaves give a very good aroma to the dish but if you're unable to find it, you can skip this ingredient. Curry Leaves can be found in most of Indian and Pakistani grocery stores.

I cook Dal using a pressure cooker so I do not need to soak them in water. However, without pressure cooker, you will need to soak and boil for longer time. I like to serve Dal with rice, some vegetable and meat dish.

Dal

Click on above image to enlarge

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
Dal Base
1/4 cup Oily or Palin Toor Dal (Split Yellow Pigeon Pea)
1/4 cup Chana Dal (Split Black Chickpeas)
1/4 cup Moong Dal (Split Yellow Moong Bean)
1/4 cup Masoor Dal (Red Lentil)
1 teaspoon Salt

Seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons Cumin Seeds
1 tablespoon Ghee or Oil
1 teaspoon Brown Mustard Seeds (Rai)
1 cup Onion - finely chopped
1 stem Curry Leaves – remove leaves and discard stem
1 cup Tomato – chopped
1 tablespoon Ginger – grated or finely chopped
1 tablespoon Garlic – crushed or finely chopped
2 teaspoons Red Chili Powder
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
1 teaspoon Coriander Powder
1/2 teaspoon Cumin Powder
1 large Jalapeno or any Green Chili - cut in big chunks
1/4 cup Cilantro - finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
Salt to taste

Directions:
Dal Base

1. Combine all Dals in a pressure cooker pot and wash with few washes of water. Add 3 cups of water, salt and pressure cook over medium low heat for 4 whistles or 3 to 4 minutes after cooker starts steaming.
2. Turn off heat and keep aside until all steam has been released for about 10 to 15 minutes. Open cooker and stir with wire whisk to crush and smooth it out.
3. Add 3 1/2 cups of water; stir and bring it to a boil.

Seasoning

1. While Dal is boiling; in a separate skillet over medium high heat, add cumin seeds and let it toast till fragrant and few shades darker.
2. Add ghee or oil and mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds pop, add onion and cook stirring frequently until onions are translucent.
3. Add curry leaves and cook until onions are lightly golden in color.
4. Add tomato, ginger, garlic, red chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and cumin powder. Stir well and add some water if it is too dry.
5. Continue cooking for few minutes until tomatoes are crushed.
6. Pour this mixture to the dal pot and mix well. Season it with salt, and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes adding more water (if required) for desired thickness of dal.
7. Garnish with Jalapeno, cilantro and Garam Masala Powder; turn off heat and cover pot immediately. Let it sit for 5 minutes covered. Stir well before serving.

Note:
To cook without pressure cooker, combine all Dal in a bowl and wash with few washes of water. Fill enough water to cover Dal by couple inches and let it soak for at least 4 hours. Wash one more time and transfer to a pot. Add salt and enough water to cover it by few inches. Cook uncovered over medium to low heat, stirring occasionally to make sure it is not scorching at the bottom of the pot. Cook until dal is tender adding more water as required.

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White Radish Sour Soup

Achin Hin is a sour soup that can be made from variety of vegetables. It usually starts with an onion and tomato gravy with either dry shrimp or dry fish and later different vegetables are added. The taste of the dish as well as the name given will change depending on the type of vegetables used. Most types of Achin Hin will have tamarind pulp to make it sour but when vegetables that are naturally sour are used, tamarind is eliminated.

I love all types of Achin Hin and I like to pair it with some fried chicken or beef, tomato curry, red chili pound, rice and some fresh cut vegetables such as cucumber, white radish or cabbage. A lot of people eat Achin Hin as a soup dish for a meal but I personally like to pour lots of it over the rice and top it up with tomato curry, red chili pound, mix it all up and eat.

White Radish Sour Soup

Serves: 4 to 6
Preparation Time: 15 to 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons Oil
1 large Onion – finely chopped (about 2 cups)
3 teaspoons Dry Shrimp Powder
1 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper (optional)
2 medium Tomatoes – finely chopped (about 1 3/4 cups)
2 tablespoon Garlic – pressed or finely chopped
1 tablespoon Ginger – grated or finely chopped
2 teaspoons Red Chili Powder
1/8 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
3 tablespoons Fish Sauce
1 pound White Radish (Daikon/Mooli) – peeled, quartered and cut into 1/4 inch slices
2/3 cup Tamarind Pulp (adjust to taste)
8 cups Water or more as required
0.8 pound Chinese Greens (Yu Choy) - discard few inches off the bottom and cut into 2 inch pieces
Salt to taste
1/2 cup Cilantro
4 Thai Chilies or any Green Chili – slit with knife lengthwise; keep stems attached

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over high heat; add onion, a pinch of salt and sauté for about 4 to 5 minutes until onion is translucent.
2. Reduce heat to medium low, add dry shrimp powder, crushed red pepper and continue cooking for about 2 minutes until fragrant.
3. Add tomato, garlic, ginger, red chili powder, turmeric powder, stir and cook for about 2 minutes.
4. Add fish sauce, reduce heat to low, cover and cook until tomatoes are crushed, for about 4 minutes.
5. Add white radish, mix well, cover and cook stirring occasionally for 5 more minutes until radish is translucent. Add little water if it is getting too dry.
6. Once radish is translucent, add 8 cups of water, tamarind pulp, cover the pot and bring it to a boil over high heat.
7. Add Chinese Greens, salt and adjust soup consistency by adding more water if required. Bring it back to a boil.
8. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot partially and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until vegetables are cooked through.
9. Adjust sourness and saltiness to taste. Turn off the heat, garnish with cilantro & Thai chilies and cover the pot for about 5 minutes before serving.

Variation:
For Vegetarian and Vegan version, skip dry shrimp powder and fish sauce.

Note: Amount of tamarind used for this dish will depend on the sourness of the tamarind itself and the amount of water used in making the pulp. Add few teaspoons at a time and adjust according to your desired sourness of the dish.

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Broccoli Cheese Soup

Few years back, I found this Broccoli Cheese Soup online and ever since then, this has been one of our favorite soups. Since the weather is getting colder, it is a perfect time for a warm bowl of soup. It is rich, creamy and quite filling when paired with some crusty bread to be dipped with.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Serves: 4
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter plus 1 tablespoon for cooking onions
1/2 medium onion – finely chopped
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3/4 lb fresh broccoli – cut into small chunks
1 cup carrot - roughly chopped
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
8 ounces sharp cheddar - grated
Chopped parsley for garnish

Directions:

1. In a pot, melt 1 tbsp of butter over medium heat; add onion and sauté for few minutes until onions are translucent. Remove from the pot and set aside.
2. In the same pot, over medium heat, melt 1/4 cup of butter. Add flour and whisk for few minutes until flour is lightly golden color.
3. Slowly add half-and-half, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil stirring often and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 15 minutes.
4. Add broccoli, carrot and onion and cook over low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Use a blender or hand blender and blend the soup to your desire consistency. If using a blender, let cool a little and blend in separate batches.
6. Return the pot over low heat to heat it up and add grated cheddar and stir until cheese is melted. Garnish with parsley and serve in a bread bowl or with slices of bread on the side.

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