Southern Sunday & dry grocery rants :)

While the idiot box ranted of why 'it's high time for Chennai Super Kings to reflect on their strategy' ... my mind was ranting on a different level. Far from the high octane IPL score table;  I was thinking South Indian food. Crazy what a cricket match could do!

The Turbanator ranted on... unaware this viewer had quietly slipped into a deep food coma at the other end of the globe. Chenai was washed by the Mumbai Indians (Noooo!!!) My man KD, being the Marathi Manus rejoiced at the other end of the room. He wasn't even looking at the TV screen... he was indeed shaving. Blades on his face and mind elsewhere. He was doing CRICKET in his mind. Dark comedy that is. Crazy what a cricket match could do!

While I grasped at the skewed comedy going under this roof: He quips-  'Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye...?' mouthing the words of his favourite hero.

 'Well', said I, 'insensitive I must say. Dhoni's team just lost!!'

 And so he begins his analysis of why Chennai lost.. (shaving foam still intact on his chin- he can't give away this opportunity to discuss cricket)... It goes on and on till he realises that all this time he was only talking about why Chennai lost... never once did he mention as to why Mumbai won! Point to be noted my lord... that's because he never expected Chennai's defeat (Huh!) thereby implying that perhaps Mumbai won it by fluke. Sounds like desperate logic to soothe my faltering morale. Anyways, I declared to him,'You know I would have supported Bangalore if they were playing today. Chennai is my second fav'.. Yeah! he said..

..........................

Later that day, we did some serious un-messing and de-cluttering- much needed bout of Spring Cleaning. What transpired from the back drawers in the kitchen were packs of dry groceries; lovingly bought at some time and forgotten until today..

Emerges pasta, pasta.. noodles x 4 packs, peanuts, a variety of lentils. Lasagna, noodles and more pasta-ish packs. I wasn't impressed. How did I manage to shove this lot at the back of the drawer. (In my mind I am thinking: when we have our own place; there will be no room for hollow drawers in the new house. Every nook and corner of every shelf and drawers will be visible- No more unloved packs of dry groceries! Implies either glass shelves or perhaps no shelves/drawers (huh, scary thoughts now; the mind being on its own trip!)). For now though, I am on the top of my grocery list  for the next few weeks at least.

Keeping such ethics alive... I turn my attention to this pack of coarse semolina (Sooji). 'This is such a good start,' I thought. Southern food after a match between Chennai and Mumbai! Lunch was sorted: this pack of Sooji would be lovingly restored to a delicious South Indian dish: Upma and a Coconut Chutney to go with it. The dilemma however, was that I had only dried desiccated coconut in the same drawer. So here it is, Coconut chutney with a twist... something I haven't dared to try before. Nevertheless 'Necessity is definitely the mother of invention'...

Recipe:

For the Upma:
Semolina/Sooji: 2 cups
Carrot (diced, finely) 1/2 cup
Fine beans (diced, finely)
Onion 1 (diced)
Ginger, grated 1 inch
Green chillies 2, chopped
Oil 1 tbsp
Ghee 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves 4-5
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tbsp Channa Dal
1/2 tsp Urad Dal
Lemon juice 2 tbsp
Peanuts 10-12
Raisins 10-12
Salt to season

Coconut Chutney:
To blend together- Desiccated dry coconut 1 cup, 1/2 tbsp dry roasted Chana Dal; Ginger 1/2 inch, Green chillies 2.
Soak everything in about 5 tbsp water for about 15 minutes and then wet grind. Adjust water to get a nice consistency-- not pasty; I like mine to be a little coarse, light and fluffy.

To temper the chutney: Heat 1 tsp oil. Add 1/4 tsp mustard seeds, 3-4 curry leaves, 1 red chili and a pinch of hing or asafetida. Once the mustard seeds splutter; pour this gently over the coconut chutney. Mix and set aside. Season with salt as per your taste and mix well before serving.

Coming back to the Upma: The method we'd use is the same as a creaming method. No wonder, the more post name for Upma is apparently 'Cream of semolina' (courtesy Goggle search). For now though posh-ness is not the thing playing in my mind. Taste should be a check rather than poncy inedible daffodil on top of my Upma!

Here's the way I did my Upma:

• In a wide mouth skillet, dry roast the Sooji. Do this on medium heat. This process is to seal the flavours and amazingly this process will up the health meter: Dry roasted things absorb less oil than tossing them directly to oil. This is true of Sooji for sure. Once you get this nice aroma and the grans are golden in colour- shift to a dish or something. 
• In the same skillet, heat the oil. Add in the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Next up, reduce the heat and toss in the peanuts, urad dal and chana dal. Make sure you toss them around... when everything has got this nice crunch and colour to it; add in the curry leaves, onion and green chilies. 
• Stir and add the fresh vegetables. Tip in about 4 cups of water. I usually use twice the amount of water to Sooji. Once the water's come to a boil, reduce the heat to minimum and add in the toasted Sooji. Mix well. For a creamy consistency: always use low heat in this process and mix well. If you find the dish to be getting dry; sprinkle water. But do take care to ensure there are no lumps. Remove from heat once the Sooji grains are all done. Add in salt to taste and mix again. Adding salt at the end to any dish will ensure moisture. 
• To serve add a dash of lemon juice. Voila! you have it... from the dark dingy corners of the drawers- Sooji transformed to this Southern beauty :)

..... Keep those mind rants going (IPL or otherwise).... & enjoy this one. Such a labour of a multitasking mind :)