Blog
A Morning with Madhur Jaffrey
February 11, 2013

I was so thrilled when my good friend Usha invited me over to her beautiful home to meet Madhur Jaffrey.  Usha was going to showcase some Palakkad dishes to Madhur, and I was a part of the small group of friends who had the privilege of meeting and eating with the famous actress and celebrity chef, Madhur Jaffrey.  What followed was a lively demonstration of the dishes by Usha, with the rest of us learning, mingling and chatting.  We were treated to a delicious, fresh, home-cooked, comforting meal which all of us slurped our way through.

 

 

 

 

I’m sharing one of the recipes that Usha made –
Pulikatchal (tamarind pachadi)
Ingredients –
Tamarind – size of a golf ball
Green chillies – 5 or 6, chopped
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Sesame (til) oil – 3 tsp
Ginger – 1 inch piece, chopped fine
Sesame seeds – 1 tbsp
Jaggery powder – 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Orange peel – 1/2 cup, chopped
Raw rice – 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Method of preparation –
Soak the tamarind in hot water and extract the pulp. Roast the rice and sesame seeds till it lets out an aroma, and powder the mixture. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, green chillies, turmeric and chopped ginger. Sauté and add the orange peel. Add the tamarind pulp, cook till the pulp thickens a bit. Add salt to taste. Add the sesame and rice powder, jaggery and allow it to simmer for about 5 minutes.