Since Deepa is far away in London, and into the second month of her pregnancy and since we can’t all be with her and feed her as we would like to, I’m going to do the next best thing – share a recipe (since her craving at the moment happens to be for south-indian food) and hope that either she or her doting husband will take the time and trouble to cook it.

Mukkala Pulusu translates literally into “Pieces – Stew” and happens to be a stew of a variety of cubed vegetables. I like this definition of a stew which explains exactly what it is, “A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables (such as carrots, potatoes, beans, peppers and tomatoes etc.), meat, poultry, sausages and seafood. While water can be used as the stew-cooking liquid, wine, stock, and beer are also common. Seasoning and flavourings may also be added. Stews are typically cooked at a relatively low temperature (simmered, not boiled), to allow flavors to combine”.

The reason I happened to think of this for Deepa is that I think it is exceptionally suited to her condition – it is hot and tasty, is easy on the stomach because it isn’t heavily spiced and does not include dal, is extremely nutritious because you can add a variety of vegetables to it and mix in tamarind (which supposedly reduces the nausea experienced during pregnancy) and jaggery or gur (rich in iron)!

Here is how you make it:

Ingredients

• Mixed, cubed vegetables (2 tomatoes, 1/2 bottle gourd, 1 brinjal, 1 onion or 8-10 shallots, 1 drum-stick, 2-3 ladies-fingers)
• About 15 gms of tamarind
• 35 gms. grated or powdered gur or jaggery
• A pinch of turmeric powder and salt and red chilli powder to taste
• 3 tsp. besan or gram flour

For the tadka or seasoning: 2 tbsp. vegetable oil, 1 tsp. urad dal, 1 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds, 5-6 methi or fenugreek seeds, a pinch of hing or asafoetida, a few curry leaves and 1-2 whole red chillies

Method

Take the vegetables, turmeric, tamarind and salt in a pressure cooker with just enough water to cover the lot and give it one whistle on a high flame. Switch off and allow the cooker to cool. When all the steam is released, open the cooker and keep aside. In a bowl, take two tbsp. of water and mix in the besan and red chilli powder and add this mixture to the contents of the cooker (if besan is added directly to the vegetables, it tends to get lumpy). Add the gur and let the mixture simmer. After about 10 mins. prepare the seasoning on another burner – heat the oil in a tadka pan and when hot, add all the tadka ingredients starting with the dal and methi seeds. Pour the seasoning into the simmering stew and take the stew off the fire in 2-3 mins. The amount of water used to cook the vegetables in can be adjusted to suit the consistency you prefer – the besan adds a certain thickness to the stew in the absence of dal. Garnishing with fresh sprigs of coriander is optional.