Goda Masala Pulao with Kokum Kadhi

Blogging Marathon# 25: Week 2/ Day 3
Theme: Cooking from a Book
Dish: Goda Masala Pulao with Kokum Kadhi
Cookbooks are great resource when you are looking for a recipe with a specific ingredient. It can be an ingredient that is used daily and needs to be transformed into something new or a completely new ingredient that you are not familiar with and need ideas for a dish. I recently saw "Goda Masala" at the Indian grocery  and bought it on impulse with no specific dish in mind. As I was looking through the cookbook "Sukham Ayu" for a dish to make this week, I saw this one pot dish "Goda Masala Pulao" and made it right away to use the new spice powder I bought.
This is a mildly spiced rice dish with mixed vegetables. Yam is used instead of potato which I thought was interesting and delicious. I used frozen yam cubes that I had and it turned out yummy. To go with the pulao, I made Kokum kadi, also from Sukham Ayu.   Goda Masala Pulao Ingredients: Basmati Rice - 1cup, washed, rinsed and soaked for 10 minutes Onion - 1 medium, thinly sliced Carrot - 1 medium, cut diagonally Green Beans - 10, cut diagonally Green Peas - ¼cup
Yam - ¼cup of 1"cubes
Goda Masala - 1½tbsp (Recipe follows, but I used store bought masala)
Yogurt - 1tbsp, whisked
Grated Coconut - 2tbsp, preferably fresh(I used dry coconut and it worked fine)
Salt - to taste
Cilantro - for garnishing
For Tempering:
Mustard Seeds - ½tsp
Shahjeera - 1tsp
Curry leaves - 8-10
Turmeric powder - ¼tsp
Asafoetida powder (hing) - ¼tsp
Method:

• In a pressure cooker, heat 1tbsp ghee and add the mustard seeds and once the seeds start to splutter add the shahjeera and once they start to crackle, add the curry leaves, turmeric and asafoetida.
• Add onions and saute for 3-4 minutes. Next add the other veggies and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Add rice, goda masala, yogurt, coconut and salt. Mix well; add 2 cups of warm water and pressure cook for 1 whistle.
• Allow steam to settle down completely before opening the lid. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with Kokum Kadhi.

  Goda Masala
Ingredients:
Sesame seeds - ¼cup
Dry coconut - ½cup
Cloves - 1tbsp
Cinnamon - 4 sticks
Bay leaves - 3
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Fenugreek seeds - ¼tsp
Coriander seeds - 2cups
Dry red chilies - 25-30
Asafoetida powder - 1tbsp
Turmeric powder - ½tsp
Method:

• Dry roast sesame seeds and grated coconut separately on low flame until golden brown. Set aside.
• Heat 1tbsp ghee and add ingredients from cloves to dry red chilies until they turn light brown. Add the asafoetida powder and turmeric and roast for 1-2 minutes.
• Grind all the ingredients into a fine powder. Store in an airtight container.

Kokum Kadhi Ingredients: Dry Soft Kokum - 6-8 pieces Wheat Flour - 1tbsp Toor dal - 1tbsp, powdered Green Chilies - 2 Jaggery - 1tbsp Cilantro - 1tbsp, finely chopped for garnish Salt - to taste
For Tempering: Mustard Seeds - ½tsp Cumin seeds - 1tsp Asafoetida/ Hing - ¼tsp
Red chili powder - ½tsp
Method:

• Wash and soak kokum in ½cup water for half an hour. 
• In a pan, make a smooth paste of the wheat flour and powdered toor dal with ½cup of water.  Add the kokum along with the soaking water, green chilies, jaggery and salt along with 3 cups of water. Churn lightly and bring to a boil, stirring till it thickens. Lower the heat and allow to simmer for 8-10 minutes. Strain the mixture to remove all the whole pieces.
• In a wok, heat 1tsp ghee for tempering. Pop the mustard and add the cumin. As the cumin crackles, add hing and red chili powder.
• Pour the tempering into the kokum mixture. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with the pulao.

Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked up today for BM# 25.