Alasandalu Curry without Tomato ~ Lunch Box Series : LBS#82

For today's Cooking from Cookbook, I am going to share a new series that we have taken on ourselves. We refer to Amma and myself. Its a challenge to cook gravies, side dishes for both Rice and Roti, without using Tomatoes. 

Today's recipe is Black Eyed Peas Gravy without Tomato. Black Eyed Peas is called Alasandalu/ Bobbarlu in Telugu, Lobia in Hindi and Karamani in Tamil. Many years ago I started a series on ingredients and this was one of the main lentils that I did. 

Alasandalu are a staple ingredient in Andhra cuisine and especially in our household, its very frequently prepared. While the beans or the fresh pods are cooked as a vegetable in Tamil Nadu, the fresh and dried seeds are used in gravies in Andhra. So being used to both the cuisines, we use it in different ways.

Coming to the challenge, for allergy reasons, we have to avoid including Tomato in the diet for our family member. Cooking without Onion or without Tomato sounded just so much of a challenge for us. I simply can't imagine cooking anything without either of these two.

As always I asked Amma for ideas and we had to literally ponder on this for a while, before we could develop recipes that are tasty yet prepared without Tomato. We now prepare Rasam with just Tamarind, dal and Sambar without tomato, the sour factor being just Tamarind.

Then came the question of making side dishes for Rotis. This naturally meant experimenting again. Amma remembered couple of dishes that her Mom used to make. Those days, she said, they hardly used tomato. 

Based on those couple of dishes, we developed some more. So in this series, I will be sharing some of the recipes that turned out so delicious and we didn't even miss our Tomato.

Alasandalu Curry without Tomato

Ingredients Needed:

Alasandalu - Fresh or dried - 1 cup
Potato - 1 medium
Onions - 2 medium
Garlic crushed - 4 cloves
Clove - 1
Cinnamon - 1"
Curry leaves handful
Green Chilies - 2
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2 tsp
Roasted Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

For the paste

Fresh Coconut - 3 tbsp
Garlic - 3 -4 cloves

How to make the Alasandalu Curry without Tomato

If using dried beans, soak overnight. Change water and pressure cook with enough water, along with potato cubes. Keep it aside for the pressure to fall down.

Grind coconut along with garlic to a smooth paste.

Heat a non stick kadai with oil, add curry leaves, green chilies, cloves, cinnamon, and crushed garlic. Saute well.

Then add finely chopped onions, saute till it changes colour.

Now add the ground masala and all the spice powders along with the boiled beans and potato. Cover with lid and cook for 10 mins.

Then add water as required and bring to boil.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with rice or roti.

I have served it with both Rice and Roti and it makes a very delicious subji.

 Notes:

If using fresh black eyed peas, you can simply wash and pressure cook for a whistle. Dried beans will take couple of whistles.

If you want to avoid potato, you can simply leave it off.

This goes for the August Week 3, Cooking from Cookbook Challenge  Group.

Paneer Butter Masala, yet another form!

For the final week of BM#55, I picked up to do Bookmarked recipes. I know everyone would be having endless bookmarks, and with each edition of BM, my list grows bigger and bigger. Infact it has become so bad that I hardly ever refer my physical cookbooks. That's why I make sure I do the Cooking From Cookbook challenge.

Anyway coming to this week, picking up just three was so hard. So I went by what I feel is the best I can do. I picked up three that my kids enjoyed/ I knew they will enjoy!

First in the series is a classic rich Paneer Butter Masala from Padma. Padma had invited us for dinner along with few other BM members. I had taken my family to meet them all. So wanting to ensure the kids eat, she called up to ask what they like. I said what else, but paneer! I also said she should keep the menu very simple knowing it is going to be talking more eating less gathering.

Even then she had prepared quite a menu, and I remember she saying her next day cooking was also done..:) Anyway back to the dish she prepared, needless to say my kids loved it, so much that the next time I was supposed to make it, they only wanted Padma Aunty's Paneer Butter Masala. So my next stop was to check out the recipe and shared with Amma as well. Since then we have been regularly making this version as well, apart from our usual ones.

Paneer Makhani / Paneer Butter Masala

Ingredients Needed:

Paneer / Indian Cottage Cheese, cubes - 250 gms

For the Tomato Puree:

Tomato Puree - 2 - 3 big ones
Bay leaf - 2 small
Cardamom - 2
Nutmeg - 1/2"
Mace - 2 pieces

Wash and make a cross slit on the tomato tops. Bring a cup of water to boil, add the tomatoes, and simmer for 5 -7 mins. Once cooled, peel off the skin and chop fine. Cook these chopped tomatoes along with rest of the ingredients for 2 -3 mins. Once done, cool. Then grind to a smooth paste and strain through a colander. This puree can be refrigerated for a week.

For Roasted Coriander and Cumin powder

Coriander Seeds - 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 & 1/2 tsp

Dry roast the coriander and cumin seeds till they crackle, ensuring they don't get burnt. Cool and grind to a fine powder. This can be stocked as well.

For the gravy:

Onions - 1 big
Tomato Puree - 2 cups
Roasted coriander and cumin powder - 1 tsp
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Thick cream - 1/2 cup
Kashmiri Chili powder – 1 tsp
Kasuri methi - 1 tbsp
Cashew nut paste - 1 tbsp
Butter - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

How to make Paneer Butter Masala

If using store bought paneer, cube and soak in hot water, squeeze well. Roast in ghee till it turns golden. If using homemade, cube and roast directly.

Boil cubed onion pieces in a cup of water. Drain and cool the onion. Reserve the water for the gravy. Once cooled, grind to a smooth paste.

Dry roast Kasuri Methi and crush with your hand and keep it aside.

Hat butter in a non stick pan, add onion paste and fry till light brown color. Then add ginger garlic paste and stir for a min.

Now add turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander and cumin powder, garam masala powder and mix well. Simmer for couple of mins, then add cashew nut paste and tomato puree, salt to taste and cook till butter leaves from the sides of the pan. This takes about 10 mins.

Next add paneer cubes mix well, then add cream, Kasuri methi mix well and cook for 2 more min. and remove from the heat.

Garnish with chopped coriander and serve.

Serve with Naan/ Roti

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM