The word "khana" in Indian Khana Made Easy means food. So come on, let's explore and cook some easy Indian food together including gluten-free and vegan dishes.

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May 26, 2018

A Healthy Mixed Vegetable Curry for Dosas


I love eating stuffed dosas with peanut chutney

However, none of the South Indian restaurants ever serve the dosas with this chutney. They always serve them with coconut chutney and sambhar and potato curry, which is stuffed inside the dosa. The curry is always bland. It tastes like they just boiled the potatoes, mashed them up and mixed with some spices. It doesn't complement the dosa at all.

It's been brought to my attention that peanut chutney is only made at home and never served at restaurants. I wonder why? It's so good. 

I was so sick of eating the "bland" potato curry, that my mom decided to make her own, better version. No need to give our money away to the restaurants who can't even make a decent curry. 


Dosas served with peanut chutney and mixed vegetable curry


My mom's version has more vegetables in it and it's much more tasty. Let's take a look at the ingredients for this dosa curry...



Ingredients / Serves 6-8:
- 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
- 2 cups of cauliflower, cut into small florets
- 2 large carrots, diced into ½” cubes
- 1½ cups of frozen French cut beans
- 1 large onion, chopped into 1" pieces
- 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
- ½ cup frozen green peas
- 4 to 5 green chilies, chopped per taste
- 3 Tbsp Vegetable oil
- ½ tsp whole mustard
- ½ tsp whole cumin
- 1 Tbsp urad dal (black gram lentil)
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 1 Tbsp salt (or as needed)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish (optional)

Procedure
1) Heat oil in a large saucepan, add urad dal, and fry for 1 to 2 minutes. When they brown, add mustard and cumin. When the mustard and cumin start to splutter, add turmeric powder, onions, and green chilies. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes and add tomatoes. Sprinkle a pinch of salt, mix well and allow it to cook under the lid for 2 to 3 more minutes. 


2) When the tomatoes are cooked, and form a gravy, add potatoes, beans (pre-cooked in microwave for 4 minutes), carrots and cauliflower. Then add salt and cook for another 12 to 15 minutes under closed lid mixing every couple of minutes.

3) When the potatoes are cooked or soft (can be cut easily with the spatula), remove the lid and allow any remaining water to evaporate. Mash the potatoes slightly for curry to come together. Taste to adjust salt and spice level.

4) Transfer into a bowl and garnish with chopped fresh coriander and serve hot with dosas either as a filling or alongside.

Quick Tips
- Potatoes can be replaced with grated paneer and will be added when veggies are half-cooked.
- Fry cashews and add to the curry in the end to give a crunchy taste.

April 29, 2018

Onion Relish for Sakinalu


I love chatting up my ammamma (maternal grandmother) on the phone. You know why? Because she tells the best stories. Stories about her childhood, about her hometown in Telangana (state in southern India), and her favorite dishes. 

She made the long journey from India to US and is currently staying with my family. I'm so happy because I can go visit her whenever I want to and listen to more of her stories. She always has something new to tell me. 

My favorite part of the conversations are always about food. She knows how much I enjoy cooking and trying new dishes and snacks. A popular Telangana snack is sakinalu.  

Sakinalu served with onion relish
Sakinalu is circular in shape (as shown above) and is crispy and crunchy. It is made with rice flour, some spices, sesame seeds, carom seeds, salt and is fried in oil. 

My ammamma used to get this snack especially made for us whenever we visited her in India. Her relatives made kilos of this snack, packaged it in gallon sized ziplock bags and distributed to all the family. It's best when eaten within a month's time otherwise it will go stale. 

Sakinalu can be enjoyed on its own or with onion relish or chutney (shown below).



The main ingredient or highlight of this relish is the onion, hence the name. It's best to use sweet onions but if those are not available, you can also make with regular onions as well. Check out the recipe for the relish below: 


Ingredients
1 large (about 4" wide) white or sweet onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp chili powder (adjust to taste)
1/4 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1-1/2 Tbsp dry coconut powder, grated


Procedure
Heat oil in a medium saucepan on low and add chili powder. Stir for 15 seconds and then add onions, brown sugar and salt. Continue to cook on low heat stirring frequently for 10 to 15 minutes or until the onion is well cooked and water is evaporated and the chutney comes together without sticking to the pan. Next add the coconut powder and mix well. Cook for an additional minute and remove from the stove. 




The spicy and sweet flavors in this relish pair well with the Sakinalu. Sometimes, I wonder...which do I love more? Sakinalu or the relish...especially since I put a teaspoon of the relish on each of the piece of the snack. At this rate, I usually run out...but I can always make more because now I have recipe. 

Whenever I eat this snack, I think of my ammamma and all of her stories...looking forward to seeing her again soon...

How do you enjoy sakinalu? What chutney do you eat it with? Drop us a comment.