Paella

Olive Oil - 3 tbsp.

Garlic - 3 cloves

Red Pepper flakes - 1 tsp

Rice - 2 cup

Tomato - 2, chopped

Saffron - 1 pinch, soaked in 1/2 cup warm Water

Bay Leaf - 1

Parsley - 1/4 cup, chopped

Chicken Stock - 4 cup

Lemon

Onion - 1, chopped

Bell Pepper - 1, chopped

Shrimp - 2 lb., shelled and deveined

Mussels - 1 lb., scrubbed and debearded

Salt & Pepper

Heat Olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the Onion, Garlic, Red Pepper flakes and cook over high heat, stirring, until lightly browned. Add the Rice and sauté for about 2 minutes. Add the Tomatoes, Saffron, Bay Leaf, Parsley, Chicken Stock and 2 cups Water to the pan and bring to boil. Season with required Salt and Pepper and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes.

Season the Shrimp with Salt and Pepper and add them to the pan along with the Mussels, nestling them into the Rice. Bring to a boil. Cover the pan and cook over low heat until the Rice is done, and the Mussels and cockles have opened, about 12 minutes longer.

Remove the pan from the heat and let the paella stand for 5 minutes.

Discard any mussels that haven't opened. Sprinkle the Fregola with the chopped parsley and serve right away.

Varutharacha Sambhar

for pressure cooking

• ▢ ⅓ cup tuvar dal (arhar dal, pigeon pea lentils)

• ▢ ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

• ▢ 1.25 cups water

for tamarind pulp

• ▢ ½ tablespoon tightly packed tamarind

• ▢ ⅓ cup hot water

for cooking veggies

• ▢ 1 tablespoon coconut oil

• ▢ 7 to 8 pearl onions or shallots (chote pyaaz), optional

• ▢ 1 medium tomato or ½ cup diced tomatoes , optional

• ▢ 4 to 4.5 cups chopped veggies or

• ▢ 1 cup chopped ash gourd

• ▢ 1 cup chopped brinjal

• ▢ 1 cup chopped pumpkin

• ▢ ½ cup drumsticks (saijan ki phali)

• ▢ ½ cup snake gourd (chichinda)

• ▢ ¼ cup chopped french beans (beans)

• ▢ ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

• ▢ 2 cups water for cooking veggies

• ▢ salt as required

for making varutharacha sambar masala

• ▢ ½ tablespoon coconut oil

• ▢ 1 teaspoon chana dal (husked and split bengal gram)

• ▢ ½ teaspoon urad dal (husked and split black gram)

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• ▢ 1 tablespoon coriander seeds

• ▢ 4 to 5 dry red chilies

• ▢ ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)

• ▢ ½ cup fresh grated coconut

• ▢ ½ cup water for grinding

for tempering

• ▢ 2 tablespoons coconut oil

• ▢ 1 teaspoon mustard seeds

• ▢ 1 to 2 dry red chilies

• ▢ 12 to 15 curry leaves

• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida powder (hing)

INSTRUCTIONS

pressure cooking dal

• Rinse ⅓ cup tuvar dal a couple of times in water. Add the lentils in a pressure cooker. Add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

• Add 1.25 cups water.

• Cover and pressure cook on medium flame for 7 to 8 whistles or for 10 to 11 minutes till the dal becomes mushy and soft.

• When the pressure settles down, open the lid and mash the dal well with a spoon. Cover and keep dal aside.

making tamarind pulp

• Meanwhile when the dal is cooking, soak ½ tablespoon tightly packed tamarind in ⅓ cup hot water. Cover and keep aside for 20 to 30 minutes.

• Later squeeze the pulp from the tamarind and add in the bowl. Keep the tamarind pulp aside.

cooking veggies

• Rinse, peel and chop all the veggies in slightly large pieces. Soak brinjals in water. If using plantains, yam or colocasia, then soak them too in salted water. You can chop the veggies and keep them ready before you cook the dal and make the sambar masala.

• Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a pan.

• Add 7 to 8 pearl onions or shallots and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes on a low to medium flame.

• Then add ½ cup diced tomatoes and sauté for 1 minute.

• Now add 4 to 4.5 cups chopped veggies and saute for a minute.

• Then add ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder and mix well.

• Pour 2 cups water. mix well.

• Add salt as required and mix again.

• Cover and cook veggies till they are tender and done. Do not over cook them. Do check when the veggies are cooking. Cooking veggies on a medium-low flame takes about 20 to 25 minutes.

making varutharacha sambar masala

• When the veggies are cooking, you can make the varutharacha sambar masala. To make the masala, in a small frying pan, heat ½ tablespoon coconut oil.

• Keep the flame to a low and add 1 teaspoon chana dal and ½ teaspoon urad dal.

• Stirring often fry them till they become golden.

• Do stir often for uniform cooking of the dals.

• When the dals have become golden, add 1 tablespoon coriander seeds and mix well.

• Next add 4 to 5 dry red chilies (broken and seeds removed) and mix well.

• Now add ¼ teaspoon methi seeds and again mix.

• Then add ½ cup fresh grated coconut. mix again.

• Stirring non-stop roast the coconut till it becomes golden. Do not burn or over brown the coconut.

• Once the coconut has become golden, remove the pan from fire and keep it down on kitchen countertop. Stir so that the heat gets distributed and the coconut does not roast more. Let this sambar masala mixture become warm or cool down. If the veggies are cooked by this time, then switch off the flame and keep them aside.

• Add the roasted coconut+spices in a grinder jar.

• Add ½ cup water and grind to a smooth paste. Keep aside. 

making varutharacha sambar

• The veggies will be done by now. Check them if they are cooked and softened.

• First add the tamarind pulp.

• Then add the mashed dal.

• Next add the sambar masala paste. mix very well.

• Keep the pan on a low to medium flame.

• Simmer sambar till it comes to a boil. Stir at intervals. Then cover and keep sambar aside.

tempering varutharacha sambar

• Heat 2 tablespoons coconut oil in a small pan or tadka pan.

• Add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and let them crackle.

• Once the mustard seeds crackle, then add 2 dry red chilies and 12 to 15 curry leaves.

• Stir and fry till the red chilies change their color.

• Lastly add ⅛ teaspoon asafoetida powder. Mix and then switch off the flame.

• Immediately pour the tempering ingredients in the sambar.

• Cover and keep aside for some minutes for the flavors to mingle. Then stir and serve the sambar.

• You can serve varutharacha sambar with steamed rice and accompany a thoran and a pachadi by the side.

Brioche

Yeast - 1 1/4-ounce packet Buttermilk - 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp. (lukewarm) Bread Flour - 3 cup

Sugar - 3 tbsp. Salt - 1 tbsp. Egg - 5 Butter - 2 1/2 styicks, melted and cooled Canola Oil, for greasing

In a small bowl, whisk the Yeast with Buttermilk until it dissolves. Let stand for 10 minutes, until foamy.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, mix the Bread flour with Sugar and Salt. With the machine at medium speed, add the Yeast mixture, then add 4 of the Eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Drizzle in the Butter and beat for 10 minutes; the dough will look slightly greasy. Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Let the dough stand at room temperature for 1 hour before proceeding.

Lightly oil a 10-by-5-inch loaf pan. On a work surface, roll out the dough to a 10-by-8-inch rectangle. With a long side facing you, fold the dough in thirds and fit seam side down in the prepared loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 2 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425° and set a rack in the center. In a small bowl, beat the remaining Egg. Brush the top of the Brioche with some of the Egg wash and make a 1/4-inch-deep slit down the center of the loaf. Bake for 20 minutes. Brush the top again with Egg wash and bake for 20 minutes longer, until the top is deep golden and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the loaf registers 182°. Transfer the Brioche to a rack to cool for 30 minutes, then unmold and let cool completely. The Brioche can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and foil and kept at room temperature for 2 days.