Asparagus Curry (Indian Style)

As mentioned in the previous post, I had made asparagus subzi last week. Here is the recipe for it.

Ingredients:
To Soak:
1.5 Tablespoon Tuvar Daal,
1.5 Tablespoon Chana Daal

To Grind
3 Dried Red Chilies,
1 Teaspoon Hing (Asafoetida),
1 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
4-5 Curry Leaves,

Curry
1/2 bunch (about 10-12 Spears) Asparagus, Cut into Small Pieces, [see my post here to see how to remove woody ends of asparagus]
2 Tablespoon Oil,
2 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
1 Tablespoon Urad Daal,
1 Tablespoon Chana Daal,
Salt As Required
Water as Required

Method: 
Soak 1.5 Tbsp of tuvar daal, and 1.5 Tbsp chana daal in 1/2 cup water for 1 hour. In the meantime wash and cut the asparagus.
After an hour, drain the water (save it) and transfer the daals into a grinder jar. Add Asafoetida, curry leaves, turmeric powder and red chilies and grind into a thick paste. Add just a little water at a time if needed. The paste should be quiet thick here.

Heat oil in a thick bottom pan. When it is hot, add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds stop spluttering, add the chana daal and cook on medium low flame until the daal starts turning light brown. At this time, add the urad daal. Cook again for 2-3 more minutes or until both daals have turned light brown. Now add the ground daal paste. Make sure that the stove is set at medium or medium low. Sprinkle some water over the daals and cook covered for 7-10 minutes stirring frequently and sprinkling water as needed. If the temperature is too high,  and/or the the mixture gets dry, it will stick to the bottom. So make sure that you sprinkle some water every time you stir and make sure that the stove is not set to high.

Add the asparagus, and salt and mix well. Cover and cook for 5-7 more minutes or until the asparagus is tender. You don't want to over cook the asparagus. It should still have a bite to it.Switch off the stove and serve hot. I served it with rice and daal. The crunch of asparagus and cooked daal in the subzi was a good addition to the daal and rice combo.


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Oven Roasted Asparagus

The weather has started to warm up here. Summer is approaching. Which means less trips to grocery stores and more trips to local farmer’s markets. You get to know where your food comes from, who grows them and how it was grown. (Organic, non-organic, no pesticides etc).

Every year when I go to the local farmer’s markets, I talk to the farmers in order to know more about the produce I would be buying from them and learn something from them. 

Last year some farmers told me that they are not certified organic growers, but they are on their way to get the certification.  Which means that they should not use any types of synthetic pesticides for three consecutive years.  When they are in the midst of the process, they can’t  label their food as “organic”, but they also can't use pesticides. Since the produce is not “certified” organic, they sell it at a little cheaper price than other “certified” organic produce. Which is good. You get produce grown with no pesticides at a cheaper price. Anyways, enough of farmer’s market lectureJ. 

I bought a big bunch of young and tender asparagus from my local farmer’s market last week. In the past, I have made asparagus soup, and oven roasted asparagus. Both are equally delicious. This time, I wanted to try something new. Since I had a big bunch, I thought of oven roasting some of it, and making Indian curry out of the rest. Both of them turned out good. Here is the recipe for simple oven roasted asparagus. I will post the Indian curry recipe in the next post.

Ingredients:

10-12 Asparagus, Cut into two inch long pieces,

1 Clove of Garlic, Chopped Finley (If you like more garlicky taste, go ahead and use two big cloves)

Coarse salt to taste,

Black Pepper to taste, (I used 1/4^th teaspoon),

1-2 Teaspoon Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon Parmesan Cheese,

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Method:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

To prepare asparagus, wash thoroughly. Hold the tip with one hand and the base with the other. Gently bend it until it snaps. Usually it snaps in the center. Discard the woody base portion and use the snapped tip portion for the recipe. Cut the snapped tip ends into two inch long pieces.

Transfer the cut pieces into a deep bowl. Add the olive oil, crushed garlic, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese on top. Gently mix with all the ingredients such that the asparagus pieces are covered with oil and seasonings.

Line a baking tray with aluminum foil or silicone mats. Transfer the seasoned asparagus to the tray and lay them in one layer. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until just tender. It should still have a bite to it. Do not overcook it otherwise it becomes mushy.

Take out of the oven and add the lemon juice. Serve immediately.

Notes: 

Since I had thin spears of asparagus, I didn't have to discard half of each spears. In fact, I was able to use almost 3/4th of each spear. The base portion was too woody to even cut with a knife, so i discarded them. When buying asparagus for grilling or roasting, buy thin spears. This way, there is less waste.

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Carrot Chutney

I made this Chutney along with the tomato chutney two days back. We all liked both chutney but the carrot chutney was my and my husband's favorite. Try both of them and see which one you like better.

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Onion, Chopped
2 Medium Carrots, Thinly Sliced,
1 Tablespoon Chana Daal,
A Pinch, Asafoetida
3 Dry Red Chilies,
1/2 Inch Piece Ginger, Grated
2 Tablespoon Coconut, Grated (I used Frozen),
2 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
Salt to Taste,
1 Tablespoon Oil
Water as required

Method:
Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add the chana daal, and turn the heat to medium-low. Roast for 5 minutes or until the daal turns golden brown. With the help of a slotted spoon, scoop out the daal from the pan. Turn the heat to medium now. In the same oil, add asafoetida, onions and red chilies. Cook until the onion turns light pink. Now add the ginger, carrots, coconut and salt. Cover and cook for 7-8 more minutes or until the carrots are cooked. Stir once or twice to mix all the ingredients while cooking the carrots. Take off the heat. Add the chana daal to the carrot mixture and mix well. Let the mixture cool completely. Transfer to a mixer/grinder jar and blend to make a smooth puree. Add water if needed. The consistency of this chutney is more like a thick paste, so be careful while adding water. Enjoy with idly or dosa.

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Tomato Chutney

My daughter loves ketchup. She prefers to eat ketchup with paratha, dosa, muthiya, dosa etc. I don't think its good for a two years old to eat packaged food such as ketchup everyday. So, I have been thinking about giving her some alternative "Ketchup" for a while. That is when I thought of making Tomato Chutney at home for her. Most of the south Indian restaurants here serve tomato chutney with dosa, and my daughter eats the chutney happily. So, I made this chutney past weekend. She hasn't tasted it yet because it turned out a little hot for her taste, but all the adults in the house liked it:).

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Onion, Chopped
2 Medium Tomatoes, Chopped,
1 Tablespoon Chana Daal,
A Pinch, Asafoetida
2 Dry Red Chilies,
1/2 Inch Piece Ginger, Grated
2 Tablespoon Coconut, Grated (I used Frozen),
Salt to Taste,
1 Tablespoon Oil
Water as required

Method:
Heat oil in a pan. When hot, add the chana daal, and turn the heat to medium-low. Roast for 5 minutes or until the daal turns golden brown. With the help of a slotted spoon, scoop out the daal from the pan. Turn the heat to medium now. In the same oil, add asafoetida, onions and red chilies. Cook until the onion turns light pink. Now add the ginger, tomatoes, coconut and salt. Cover and cook for 5 more minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked. Stir once or twice to mix all the ingredients while cooking the tomatoes. Take off the heat. Add the chana daal to the tomato mixture and mix well. Let the mixture cool completely. Transfer to a mixer/grinder jar and blend to make a smooth puree. Add water if needed. The consistency of this chutney is more like a thick paste, so be careful while adding water. Enjoy with idly or dosa.

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