Vinku's upma

Fry cashews separately.  Keep aside.  Heat oil, burst mustard.  Add urad dal, slit green chilli, ginger, curry leaves.  Add hing and lots of tomatoes (3 tomatoes for one cup).  Once tomatoes are cooked, add 1 cup of rava.  Saute for a bit.  For the liquid, the ratio is 1 rava  : 2 liquid.  For the liquid, half cup buttermilk with juice of 1/2 lime, and the rest water.  Add salt.  Mix, cover and cook till done.  At the end, add cashews and 1/2 tsp ghee.  (Note:  the cup measure used here is a rice cup).

Found these recipes handwritten by mom with Vinitha in Austin.

Bagara Baingan

450 gms Brinjals
5 gm red chillies
115 gms coconut
15 gms coriander seeds
5 gms garlic
5 gms sesame seeds
225 gms onions
115 gms tamarind
5 gms jaggery
Mustard seeds
Turmeric pwdr
Curry leaves

Wash brinjal without breaking the stem.  Cut lengthwise so that brinjal still remains whole.  Heat oil and fry brinjal till the skin becomes brown.  Remove and keep aside.  Fry onions with the coriander seeds and red chillies.  Grind it with the coconut and garlic.  Extract tamarind pulp and add to the ground paste.  Roast sesame seeds separately and powder.  In a little oil, saute the paste well.  Add the brinjal and sesame seed powder.  Cover and cook till gravy thickens.  Add jaggery.  Tadka mustard seeds and curry leaves in ghee and pour over the curry.

This used to be one of our favorites growing up.

Basic Curry Gravy

2 finely chopped onions
2 medium tomatoes finely chopped
Curry leaves
Salt to taste

Grind to a paste:
3 cloves garlic
one piece ginger
3 dry red chillies
1 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
25 gms cashews

Heat oil and saute onions till golden.  Add masala paste and saute for about 10 mins, adding a little water if paste tends to stick to bottom of pan.  Add tomatoes and cook for 5 mins.  Add 2 cups water, curry leaves and salt.  Bring to a boil.


Is this the curry gravy that mom used to make with potatoes or the tomato masala recipe?

Dhansak

Turmeric pwdr 1/2 tsp
Tuvar dal 1/2 cup
Mixed dals (green gram, Bengal gram) 1/2 cup
1 large potato
1 Brinjal
2 onions
1 piece red pumpkin
2 carrots
1 piece ash gourd

Grind together:
1/2 tsp methi seeds
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp chilli pwdr
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 small piece ginger, cinnamon, one green chilli, coriander leaves
Grind these with one onion and tamarind.

Wash and soak the dals for 1/2 hour.  Cut the vegetables into small pieces.  Pressure cook veggies, dlas with the turmeric pwdr for about 25 mins.  Chop the second onion fine.  Saute till golden brown.  Add ground masala and fry well.  Add cooked dals and veggies, salt to taste, required water and mix well.  Simmer for some time.  Garnish with coriander leaves.