Baby Potato - Bihari Style

This is a recipe that I watched on a TV show presented by Chef Ajay Chopra, who said this was a typical Bihari dish.  It looked interesting enough for me to try.  The ingredients like Kalonji, Fennel are not normally used in South Indian cuisine and it has a different taste altogether.  And sometimes different tastes are appreciated as this one was.  We had it with rotis, but I think it would be great with a bowl of hot rice and dal.

The dish is simple to make except for the peeling of the little potatoes.  Reminded me of my time comic character Sad Sack peeling potatoes in the army :-)

Ingredients:
Baby Potato - 300 g

Methi (fenugreek seeds) - 1/4 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Kalonji - 1/4 tsp
Fennel seeds ( Somph) - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida (hing) - large pinch
Green chili - 1 large

Coriander powder  -1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
Chili powder - to taste
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnish

Oil -3-4 tbsp

Peel the little potatoes.  Parboil. ( cook till just tender - I went a little beyond )
Drain and keep

In a wok, heat the oil.
Add methi, cumin, kalonji, fennel and asafoetida.
Sauté .  Add the parboiled potatoes

Allow to fry with a slit green chili on low heat till turning golden.

In a small bowl, take the powders - coriander, cumin, turmeric, salt.  Add a little water and make a solution.
Add to the potatoes.
And the garam masala.
Mix. Keep covered a little while, stirring carefully now and then.  If required a little more oil.

Remove from heat. Place in bowl
Garnish with coriander leaves.

I think a squeeze of lime would also add a zing to the dish.

Capsicum Curry - With Garlic, but no Onion

This is a tasty capsicum curry.  Without onion, but with the flavour of garlic.  A bit of spice, a bit of coconut and some tomato.  Pretty simple to make.  I just loved it.  And let me tell you , I did not make it, but am taking the credit for it since it was in my kitchen :-)

Ingredients:

Capsicum - 4 medium size

Coriander seeds - (dhania ) - 1 ½  tbsp

Cumin seeds (jeera ) - ½  tbsp 

Dry red chilies - 2 big

Fresh / Frozen grated coconut - 1/4 cup

Garlic cloves - 6-8 nos ( these were small in size)

Oil - 2 tbsp

Tomatoes - 2 nos 

Dry roast the cumin, coriander seeds and the dry red chilies till you get that lovely roasted aroma

Grind coarsely with fresh/frozen coconut and garlic

In a wok, heat 2 tbsp of oil

Add cubed capsicum pieces.  Sauté

When the pieces are slightly tender add the ground masala.

Toss till the veggies are coated and the masala also gets another bout of heating.

Add about half cup water, and in the first boil add two medium sized chopped tomatoes.

Salt to taste.  

Keep simmering till you get a slightly dry consistency.

Just make sure the capsicum has a little bite left for a perfect curry

Aloo (Potato ) Kathliyan

This recipe is from  Lata Raja's Flavours and Tastes.  It is nice to find a potato recipe that looks different and still tastes good.  If you have a food processor or a gadget that makes even thin rounds of potato it will make the job easier.  Try it.

Ingredients:
Potatoes - 250 gms
Cumin seeds ( jeera ) 1/2 tsp
Carom seeds (ajwain) 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Garlic crushed - 1/4 tsp
Ginger crushed - 1/4 tsp  ( I added ginger-garlic paste)
Oil - about 2 -3 tbsps
Green chili - 1 small finely chopped
Red chili flakes - to taste - depending on spice tolerance
Chaat masala powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Asafoetida (hing) - large pinch
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves for garnish
Salt to taste
Lime juice - 1 tsp

Wash, peel potatoes and evenly slice them into thin rounds
Bring water to a boil .  Add turmeric powder .  Place the cut potato into the pan
Allow it to boil and simmer for a couple of minutes. The potato should be just soft and not overly boiled
Take a wok, add the oil
And the cumin and carom seeds
The curry leaves, ginger-garlic paste or crushed ginger and garlic, asafoetida, green chilies, chili flakes
Sauté
Add the potato slices, salt,chili powder (if you so desire a spicier product) and chaat masala.
Allow the potato slices to brown a bit - not necessary - but I like it better that way!
And all the spices to coat the slices
Be gentle to avoid breaking the slices.
Squeeze lime juice
Garnish with coriander leaves
Serve and enjoy !

Aloo Palak - Potato in Spinach Purée

Ingredients:
Potato - 3 nos
Palak - 1-2 bunches
Ginger - 1/4 "
Garlic - 3 pods  (or use paste of ginger-garlic)
Green chilies - 2 nos
Onion - 1 large
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Cream - 2 tbsp
Garam masala powder - 1/4 tsp
Kasuri Methi - 1/2 tsp
Oil for seasoning - 1 tsp

Parboil the potatoes in the microwave - for about 3-4 minutes. Peel. They should be firm to touch and semi-cooked.  Cut into about 6-8 pieces from each potato.
Blanch the spinach for 3-4 minutes.
Drain and keep the water aside for later use.
Grind the blanched spinach, ginger-garlic, green chillies to a fine paste.
Heat a wok.  Add the oil.
Put in the cumin seeds.  When they brown add the onions.
Allow to brown slightly.
Add the potato pieces.  Allow to cook.
Then the spinach paste and the water in which the spinach was blanched.
Add salt. Simmer till the potato is cooked but firm.
Now the pinch of garam masala and kasuri methi.  Simmer a little more.
Add the cream.  Blend in.
Remove from heat. Garnish with cream
Serve.

Mirchi ka Salan - Green Chilies in spicy tangy sauce

A bought these big green chilies. Mirchi ka Salan he said. And that too a VahreVah Chef Recipe.  So I found myself with the iPad and the recipe video and it was play and pause till I got all the ingredients in place. It did not have the thick layer of oil on the surface that is associated with this dish. But did taste good.
I quite enjoyed the iPad cooking experience.

Ingredients:
(Yes there is a long list, but if you get all the ingredients ready - then it is not that complicated)

Green chilies – large – 5-7 nos

Slit the chilies in the centre – half way through only – keeping the top/stem intact

Peanuts – 3 tbsp ( approx 50 gms)

Sesame Seeds – 20 gms

Coconut Powder – 2 tbsp or ¼ fresh coconut

Cloves – 2

Cinnamon – 1”

Red chilies – 2

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

Fenugreek Seeds (Methi) – ¼ tsp

Curry leaves – 6-8 nos

Onion – 1 large - chopped

Salt to taste

Turmeric – ½ tsp

Asafoetida (Hing) – large pinch

Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tbsp

Red chiie powder – 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder (dhania) – 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

Yogurt – ¼ cup (beaten well )

Tamarind pulp – big lime sized soak in water  or 2 tsp tamarind paste ( check for taste)

Jaggery/ sugar – 5-7 gms

Oil – 2-3 tbsp

Take some oil, add peanuts, sauté on slow fire, till it is done well.  Do not burn or undercook.
When done add the seasame seeds and roast till it changes colour. Be careful here also.

(it does not take too much time)

Add the coconut powder or fresh coconut and roast till slightly browned

Blend this mixture with some water to a fine paste.

Keep aside.

Take a pan add remaining oil in pan.  When hot add the cloves and cinnamon and allow to brown.

Add the whole red chilies and the mustard seeds.

Allow to crackle.  Add the cumin seeds and the fenugreek seeds.

Add the chopped onions and salt and allow to brown so that they form a paste as the cooking progresses.

Add a pinch of asafoetida and turmeric. 

Put in the ginger-garlic paste and curry leaves.  Mix till the raw smell of the mixture dissolves.

Add a little water and add the dry powders of chilie, coriander and cumin.

Cook till the mixture comes together and the oil seems to separate.

Add in the yoghurt, mix

Now the ground peanut-sesame- coconut blended paste.

Cover the pan with lid and let it cook (stirring in between) .  Bring to boil after a while

Now add the tamarind pulp and jaggery / sugar.  Allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

Aftre this add the slit whole green chilies. 

Cook till the gravy absorbs the flavour of chilies and chilies are also cooked in the meanwhile.

Check for taste and add salt/tamarind pulp /spices to make the end product a nice tangy-spicy gravy.

Thickness of the gravy can be adjusted depending on what you are having.  If it is with pulao/biryani make slightly thinner and if it is with rotis make it thicker.

Egg Plant (Baingan) Bhartha

This was made by AG.  It was super-tasty and not like any bhartha that I had eaten before.  If you like egg plant then you should try this one.

Ingredients:
Brinjal (Egg plant) - 2 fairly large

Onion - 2 chopped

Oil - 2-3 tbsp

Cloves - 2

Bay leaf - 1

Ginger-Garlic paste - 2 tsp 

Jeera (Cumin seed) - 1tsp

Mustard - 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric - 3/4 tsp

Green chilies - 2 nos chopped

Red chili powder - 1  tsp - depending on how spicy you would like it to be

Tomatoes - 1 can chopped tomatoes or 3 large tomatoes 

Curry leaves - few

Salt to taste

Coriander leaves for garnish.

Roast the egg plant either over a flame till the skin browns and shrivels and it can be peeled off easily. ( or bake / scald over a pan )

Once peeled, chop and mash and keep aside

Take wok, add oil, jeera, mustard - allow to pop

Put in the cloves, bayleaf, chopped onions and cook till slightly golden brown

Add green chillies, curry leaves 

Add ginger garlic paste and turmeric. Sauté for 2 mins

Add jeera, dhania, red chilli powders.

Add 75 ml of water and cover and simmer on medium heat for 10 mins till you see the oil separating

Add a can of chopped tomatoes ( or regular tomatoes)

Cook again on a slow fire till it becomes a thick paste

Add the mashed egg plant to the paste, blend it in , add salt to taste, and allow it to cook in the mixture for a further 5 mins.  

Garnish with coriander.

Kadai Bhindi ( Okra curry)

This is a curry that I found on Vah-re-Vah site.  I could not imagine a curry with bell-peppers (capsicum) and okra (bhendi).  I thought and still think it is an odd combination.  So, I looked for other bhendi curries and found one on Rak's Kitchen which turned out to be an adaptation of the Vah Chef's recipe.  Having tried so many recipes from her site I had more faith in the outcome of the dish.  PS - you should check out Vah Chef Sanjay Thumma's site.  The videos are rather quaint and I read that some of them are actually taken by his mother!  

The recipe here has also been slightly modified.  I will give the recipe as I found it on her site with the modifications made ( minor) by me.

Ingredients:

Bhendi - 100 gms
Capsicum - One large or two medium - chop into medium sized pieces
Onion - 2 medium - chopped
Tomato - 2 medium - chopped  ( In additon I also added 3 tbsp of tomato  purée  )
Garlic - 4 pods
Ginger - 1/2 "  ( or substitute with ginger - garlic paste)
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 2-3 tbsp
Coriander seeds - 1 tbsp ( coarsely crush )
Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1 tsp
Red chilie powder - 2 tsp
Garam Masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Cashewnuts - 10-12 - grind to paste ( I omitted this and instead added 2-3 tbsp of cream)
Salt - to taste
Oil - 4-5 tbsp

Wash the bhendi and pat dry and cut into 1/2 " cubes.
Ideally deep fry these so that the stickiness is lost.
I heated oil in a pan and sautéed them - they should retain their colour - this process is to reduce the stickiness of the okra.  Somehow this did not totally happen but I think it did not affect the curry adversely at all.
Keep aside.

Take a pan, add oil and the jeera seeds.  Allow to brown.
Add the crushed coriander seeds
Next the chopped onions.  Allow them to get transparent.
Add the crushed ginger - garlic till the raw flavour disappears.
Followed by the tomatoes and salt ( tip by Rak - this helps getting the tomatoes mushy faster)
Add the garam masala, turmeric, chilie and coriander powder.  I even put in the extra tomato puree
If you are adding cashew paste - add it now
Put in the capsicum pieces, sauté a while
Add in the fried/sautéed bhedi 
Some water depending on how much gravy is required - cover and simmer till the right consistency is achieved
Check for salt, and spice content.  
Mix in the cream.
Remove.

Ideal with rotis.

Would I make this again.  I would especially if you had some leftover bit of capsicum and a few bhendis not really enough for a curry separately.  The combination, which I still think is odd, actually works!! 

Methi Malai Peas & Potato Curry

This is a curry inspired by the Methi Mushroom curry on Veg Recipes of India.  V hates mushrooms.  The curry looked delicious.  I had some cream readily available and so I substituted it for the yogurt in the recipe. And peas and potato for the mushrooms  :-(   but nevertheless this was tasty too

Ingredients:

Peas - 100 gms

Potato - 1 large - boiled

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Chili powder - 1/2 tsp 

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Cream - 4 tbsp

Methi leaves - 1 bunch - clean and finely chop

Onion - 1 diced 

Tomato - 2 nos - or use 3 tbsp of purée

 Green chilies - 2 nos - paste

Garlic-Ginger - paste - 1/2 tsp

Garam masala - whole - use cinammon (1"), cloves (2), cardamom (1-2)

Oil - 1 -2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Heat oil. 

Add the whole garam masala.  Sauté 

Then the diced onions.  Allow to brown slowly. 

Followed by the green chilie - ginger garlic paste.  Sauté for a minute

Now add chopped tomatoes or the purée

Allow the tomatoes to get soft and mushy

Once that is done, add the turmeric, chilie and coriander powder.  

Stir and allow to simmer till the oil separates and the masala comes together 

Add the peas and boiled potato cubes and finely chopped methi leaves

Sauté 

Pour in 1/2 cup water.  Add salt to taste.  Cover and allow to simmer and cook.

Now stir in the cream and serve.

Can be had with roti.  I had it as a side dish with vegetable rice. Whatever was left, I had it plain :-)

Kovakka Curry (Dondakaya) with a spice powder

Dondakaya or Kovakka is made quite often at home.  Generally it is a stir fry.  The simplest way to make it. But this recipe at Ambika's Kitchen*  had a kovakka curry with a nice powder ( podi) and I was willing to put in a little effort today to make it different from the usual. Though the curry at AK was cooked before the addition of the podi, I stir fried the veggie.

Ingredients:
Kovakka - 250 gms

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida - a large pinch
Aamchur powder - 1/2 tsp ( if you are cooking it with a little water you can use tamarind instead)
Salt to taste


Seasoning:
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Oil - 3 tbsp

Podi
Coriander seeds - 2 tbsp
Chana dal - 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Red chilies - 6 nos
Coconut - 1/4 cup grated
Sesame seeds - 1 tbsp
Garlic - 2-3 pods
Curry leaves - few

Dry roast all the ingredients.
Grind to a powder - not very fine.
Keep aside.

Heat oil in a wok
Add the mustard allow to splutter
Proceed with the asafoetida.
And then the cut kovakka
Put in the turmeric and the amchur powder
Stir fry till done.
Add the podi, mix and keep for a little longer.

Serve with hot rice or rasam or have it with rotis.

Any extra spice powder or podi can be kept in a airtight container and kept in the refrigerator for future use.

*Ambika's Kitchen - link

Kakarkaya Pulusu - Bitter Gourd in Sweet and Sour Sauce

This is a dish that has all tastes - the bitter, the sour, the sweet with salt to taste!  If you do not like the bitter taste of the vegetable, this is ideal since the sweet kind of camouflages the bitterness.. not totally, but most of it.
This recipe is from Sailu's Kitchen.

Ingredients:
Bitter Gourd - 1 large / 2 medium
Onion - 1 large chopped
Green chilies - 2-  slit along the length
Garlic - 2-3 nos - chop
Ginger - 1/2 "
Tamarind paste - 2 tbsp - dissolve in water and keep ready
Grated Jaggery or sugar - 2-3 tbsp -
( preferable to use jaggery and use less of tamarind and jaggery initially - you can always add more)
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves for garnish
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilie powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil - 2-3 tbsp may be required

Wash the bitter gourd. Scrape the skin if you wish ( optional)
Cut lengthwise and de-seed and then cut into one inch pieces
Put in a vessel with water and a little salt and place on heat - till veg pieces are half cooked
Drain the water and keep ready.

In a pan, take about a tbsp of oil.
Fry the bitter gourd pieces for about 5 minutes.  Keep aside.

In the same pan add the onion, garlic and ginger and  Sauté  till the onions are translucent
Grind to a coarse paste

Heat oil in the pan once again
Add the curry leaves and the green chilies. Sauté
Add the coarsely ground paste.  Sauté again
Then add the powders and the jaggery 
And now the bitter gourd pieces and the tamarind sauce and required amount of salt.

Taste and adjust the tamarind, jaggery and salt.
Simmer for a while

Take off fire. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Ideally eaten with rice to which ghee is added and spoonful of mudda pappu ( plain cooked roasted red gram dal which has been seasoned with salt) and maybe a few crispies

Tips:
Do keep the bitter gourd cooked just enough - there should be a bite left - do not overcook
The finished product should be fairly thick - so the sauce needs to be simmered till then and only after it is achieved, add the bitter gourd, combine.

Horsegram Saaru and Curry - Kulitha Saaru ani Upkari

Actually I went looking for Whole Masoor, and but ended up buying the wrong gram - the horse gram.  But this is a gram I knew I had eaten before and googled to find exactly what I was looking for at Aayis Recipes.  She mentions ( that was told to us as kids too) that this gram was generally fed to cattle, and is supposed to be very nutritious.  She does calls it a 'winter food', but I have always had it only in summer, since that was the only time we went to Udupi.  If I am not mistaken we would drive down all the way to Coondapur to pick up the thickened gravy of the water in which the gram was cooked.

Well, it was a nice journey back in time and we enjoyed it... and here is how it is made

But first - apologies for the pictures.  And you can figure out that I used the same spoon to pour the food into the containers ( which was part of the lunch box) - and so you will find coconut in the saaru and a piece of onion in the curry!!  Will replace with better pictures the next time I make it - I still have half a packet left.

Ingredients
1 cup horse gram - washed, soaked overnight and pressure cooked in three times the water for 5 whistles - or about 8 minutes on simmer after the first whistle

You will now have cooked gram in a whole lot of water.

The water will be used for the saaru and the gram for the Upkari or Curry

The Saaru
Horse gram broth
Green chilies - approx 2 nos - slit
Onion - 1/2 chopped
Garlic - 1 large clove - chopped
A little crushed cooked horse gram - this is for thickening the saaru ( optional)
Salt to taste
Oil or ghee for seasoning - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - few

Heat the broth, salt, chilies, onion.  Bring to boil and allow to simmer for about 8-10 minutes
Remove from heat.
Season with oil/ghee. garlic ( allow to brown) and curry leaves
This is a nice almost thin soup with a lot of flavour

Curry
Boiled horse gram
Coconut - grated 2 tbsp
Green chilies - 3-4 nos
Asafoetida - big pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for seasoning ( preferably coconut oil)
Red chilies (optional)

Take a wok.
Add the oil, asafoetida and the curry leaves/red chilies ( optional)
Add the cooked gram, salt green chilies, and grated coconut.
Mix well.
Keep for a few minutes, remove from heat

Have with hot rice.

Supposedly good for arthritis - joint pains.   

Kadala Curry - Kerala Style

This recipe is from Sankeerthanam. It looked great.  I saw a recipe in another blog earlier, but failed to bookmark - but I remember it was served with Idiyappam, and I thought it would be a good idea to try the same combination.
I had postponed my visit to pick up the veggies and provisions and so I had just half an onion, a small piece of coconut and no tomatoes,but a tablespoon of tomato purée .  In short, I had almost nothing. So I could not follow the recipe as it appeared, but it still was a good dish.  I like the taste of the roasted coconut.  Try it with the country cousin of the more popular kabuli channa.

Ingredients:
Black channa - 1 cup - should be soaked overnight or atleast for about 6 hours
Onion - 1/2 ( use more if you have!)
Green chilies - 2 sliced
Salt to taste

Pressure cook the channa with the above ingredients.  Once you hear the whistle - keep it on simmer for at least about 8 minutes to ensure well cooked channa.

What more do you need:

Tomato purée - 1 tbsp - a little more will be lovely -
( or substitute with a tomato - which can be boiled along with the channa)
Chilie powder - 1 tsp or to taste


Roast till you get a good aroma and grind to a smooth paste with a little water

Coriander seeds - 1 tsp
Coconut - ideally about 1/2 cup - I used about 1/4
Dry red chilies - 2
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp


Seasoning
Coconut oil ( or any oil) - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves - few
Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Add the paste to the cooked channa
Check for salt and add more if required.
Add tomato purée and chilie powder.
If required a little coriander powder - optional
Simmer till the mixture is well blended.

Season with coconut oil, mustard and curry leaves.
(What I did not have and will use the next time in the seasoning - shallots and diced coconut pieces)

Cabbage Zunka

Or Kobhi Zunka or Gobhi Zunka. Said to be a Maharashtrian dish.  If you like curries with the addition of gram flour, this one is definitely for you.  And to think that you can make a totally different curry out of cabbage is really nice.  V said in some ways it tasted like the South Indian Parupu Thogayal sorry Usli,  but that is more work and made with red gram dal, and requires grinding and steaming.  This is much simpler. Got the recipe at Vegetable Platter.  I also found that it can be made with spring onions and methi leaves. Oh, that would be yum too.  But for now, presenting the Kobhi Zunka

Ingredients:


Cabbage - 1 cup - finely shredded
Gram flour - Besan - 1/2 cup
Onion - 1 large - chopped ( should be finer that what appears in the pic above )
Oil - 2-3 tbsp
Mustard - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1tsp
Asafoetida - large pinch
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

First prepare the gram flour - In a pan, dry roast it till it changes colour slightly and you get the aroma of roasted flour - do it on a low flame, and you will know when to remove the flour. Just do not leave it unattended.

Prepare the cabbage - Nice tip from Vegetable Platter - Put a little water and put in the microwave for about 2 minutes. This will just about cook the cabbage and yet not make it soggy.  Drain any excess water and keep

Take a pan.  Heat oil
Add mustard allow to splutter and add the cumin seeds
Now add the asafoetida.
Followed by the chopped onion.  sauté till the onions become transparent.
Add the cabbage.  Sauté
Now the roasted gram flour.  
At this stage the flour might turn slightly lumpy since it absorbs moisture from the curry.  The trick is to powder the lumps with constant mixing. 
Add salt and chilie powder.
Keep till the gram flour is cooked totally.  The curry will be dry. You may need to add a bit of oil here to get it done


I also took the curry at this stage and put it in a microwave safe bowl and put it back in the MW for a couple of minutes, just to ensure that the flour is not raw.  


Serve.  

Tips:

Make sure your cabbage is only just cooked.

The gram flour roasted well at the beginning and ensure all raw flavour is totally absent by the time the dish is ready for serving.

Ridge Gourd in a Coconut-Garlic Masala

A dish made up on the spur of the moment by VK.  The garlicky/coconut/green chilies made the dish absolutely delicious.

  

Ingredients:

Ridge Gourd - 1 large - skin peeled - cubed - 150-200 gms

Onion - 1 sliced

Tomato - 2 chopped

Oil - 2 tbsp

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves ( missing here - few)

Masala

Green chilies - 3-4 nos

Coconut - 4 tbsp

Garlic - 6 pods

Grind the ingredients for the masala and keep ready

Heat oil. Add the mustard allow to splutter.  And then the cumin seeds

Followed by sliced onion.  sauté,

And then the tomatoes  - till they turn mushy

And the turmeric and the ground masala.  sauté, again

Now add the cubed ridge gourd.  sauté,  and add some water ( very little - as the veggie has high water content)

Keep till cooked.  

Simmer further if you want a dry curry.  I liked it with a little gravy.

Raw Banana Curry

Raw banana gets bought each week. And these days you get huge ones!  It is as I mentioned some time ago, not one of the vegetables that I am fond of.  So I am always on the lookout for something different.  I found this recipe at Sharmis Passions   And I must admit, though I do not have the best pictures, this curry had a lot of flavour.  It was really different and I think the masala would be great with many other veggies too.

Ingredients

Raw Banana - 1 

Onion - 1 - sliced

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp - give the dish some colour.

Salt - to taste

The masala:

Coconut - fresh - 2 tbsp

Coriander - dhania seeds - 1 1/2 tbsp 

Pepper - 1 tsp 

Cumin seeds - jeera - 1 tsp

Red chilies - 2 nos

Garlic - 2 large pods

Grind all the ingredients for the masala to a coarse paste (all raw) with a little water.  Keep ready.

Seasoning

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard - 1/2 tsp

Urad dal - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - few ( missing from the picture on top)

Peel the banana.  Chop into 3/4" sized pieces.  Keep in water to avoid browning

Heat oil in a pan.  Add the mustard, when it splutters the dal and curry leaves.

And the sliced onions.  Sauté till brown

And now the paste.  Sauté.  

Put in the banana pieces and the turmeric and some water.

Cover and simmer till the veggie is cooked

Uncover. Add salt 

Simmer further till the curry dries up

If you wish to keep some gravy, you can do that. It still tastes as good.

Banarasi Dum Aloo

A variation of Dum Aloo that I found once again at Edible Garden.  I made a few variations - I did not deep fry the aloo, added some coriander powder ( somehow I cannot think of a recipe without this ingredient) , substituted cashew with almond.  And yet it turned out quite nice.  VK said it was like eating at a restaurant in Delhi.  I don't know if that is a compliment, but it indeed meant it was different!  And guess what - no onions - and yet a nice creamy gravy.

Ingredients:
Baby potatoes - 15 - boil and peel

Green cardamom - 6 nos - powder
Dry Kasuri Methi - 1 tbsp
Cream - 3 tbsp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnish
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Butter or oil  - 1 tbsp

For the gravy:
Tomatoes - 2 large ( or 3 medium) - quarter
Ginger - 1/2 " - chopped
Garlic - 2-3 pods - chopped
Red chillies - dry - 3-4 nos
Almonds - 7-8 nos
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1/2 tsp
Water - 1/2 cup or more

The interesting part is the preparation of the gravy.
Take a vessel. And all the ingredients listed under 'gravy'
Allow to simmer till the tomatoes turn mushy.
Cool
Blend to a smooth paste.

Then take a wok
And the butter or oil
And the powdered cardamaom
Pour in the gravy and allow to simmer for sometime or till oil separates.
Add the coriander powder
Then the boiled potatoes.  Prick them with a fork before you place in the gravy
Simmer a little more
Add the kasuri methi and salt.
And lastly the cream.

Banarasi Dum aloo is now ready for serving.  I made Bajra Puri ( since I had bajra flour that was lying around unused) a recipe I found at Kannada Cuisine.  Tasty but not as light as the regular wheat flour puri.

Vazhakai Podimas - Raw Banana Curry

 

I am not fond of this veggie at all.  But whenever I look the other way, two bananas mysteriously :-) appear in the shopping cart.  And so I keep thinking of different ways of making it.  I have made Podimas before, but in  different manner and it was just about edible.  And when I saw this recipe at Jeyashri's Kitchen I thought I should try it.  I made it with just one variation.

Raw Green Banana - 2 nos
Coconut - 2- 3 tbsp
Red chilies - 3 nos
Tuvar dal (Red gram dal) - 2 tbsp
Oil for seasoning
Urad (Black gram dal) - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - generous pinch
Curry leaves - few
Salt to taste.

Cut the banana into four pieces.  Cook in pressure cooker with skin on in a container with a little water
Peel.  Chop into small pieces.  Or grate as in Jeyashri's version.

Roast in a little oil the tuvar dal and the red chilies.
Grind to a powder along with the coconut.

Take a wok.  Heat oil.
Add mustard allow to splutter
Then the curry leaves and the urad dal and asafoedtida.
When the dal is just beginning to brown add the chopped banana
Sauté a while and then add the ground powder.
Keep till it gets together and just gets a slight crisp brown exterior ( optional)
Serve

Good accompaniment for rice and hot rasam.

Sautéd Potato with Fresh Spice Powder

Another recipe from Tasty Palate.  This is a variation to the usual shallow fried potato curry that I make generally with rasam and hot rice.  The freshly made spice powder adds to the taste.

Ingredients:
Boiled potatoes - 4 medium
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Spice Powder - roast and grind to a coarse powder 
Black gram dal  (urad) - 1/2 tsp
Bengal gram dal - (chana) - 1/2 tsp
Coriander (dhania) seeds - 1 tsp
Red chilies - 4

Seasoning
Oil - 2-3 tbsp
Curry leaves - few
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida - large pinch
Cumin ( jeera ) - 1/2 tsp

Heat oil in a wok
Add the mustard, allow to splutter, add cumin, asafoetida and curry leaves
And then the potatoes, turmeric, spice powder, salt
Toss till well coated.
Fry for a while till the potatoes get a golden crust

Spicy Baby Potato Curry

The original recipe here was titled Aloo Masaledar. I am not sure about that, since I find many different variants for the recipe. But it was good. And was it SPICY!  So, I cut down a bit of the spice. Taste before serving and that can be adjusted with more spice if necessary.

Ingredients:

Baby Potatoes – 20

Tomatoes – 3-4 medium chopped ( better to use tomato  paste 4 tbsp– I think that will give a smoother texture)

Onions – 2 medium finely diced

Green chilies – 2 finely diced again. ( original recipe called for more – but use at your discretion)

Ginger – ½ tsp grated

Turmeric – ½ tsp

Cumin – ¼ tsp

Chili powder – to taste

Garam masala – ¼ tsp

Curry leaves – break into smaller bits

Coriander leaves – chopped finely

Oil

Salt to taste

Boil potatoes till just done. Peel

Shallow fry in a little oil till slightly brown.

In a pan heat oil, add green chilies, cumin, ginger and onions. Sauté on low heat for about 10 minutes

Add the tomatoes/paste, turmeric, chili powder, garam masala, curry leaves, coriander leaves. Simmer.

Prick the potatoes and add.  Mix well. Add salt to taste Simmer for a few more minutes

Capsicum Curry with Peanut Gravy

A recipe from Mitho Limdo

I was looking for a different way to cook the bell pepper when I came across this recipe. Quite like the Hyderabadi Mirchi ka salan I think.  And is a nice accompaniment to rotis or rice

Ingredients:

Capsicum -2 – cut in medium size pieces.

Onions - 2 small cut in small pieces ( not diced)

Tomato - 1 chopped

Ginger – ¼” grated

Turmeric – ¼ tsp

Salt to taste

Oil for seasoning

For the sauce

Oil – 1 tsp

Peanuts – ¼ cup

Red chilies – 4-6

Coriander seeds – 1 ½ tsp

Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

Black gram dal (Urad) – ½ tsp

Bengal gram dal ( Chana) – ½ tsp

Sesame (Til) – ½ tsp

Cloves – 2

Tamarind paste – 1 tsp

Jaggery – small piece

Fry the ingredients for the sauce.  Make sure you fry the dals separately otherwise they will tend to get burnt ( it happened in my case – hence the word of caution)!

Cool

Grind to a smooth paste with  little water.

Take a wok.  Heat oil

Sauté  the chopped capsicum and Onion

Add the chopped tomato or tomato paste. Cook further

Add the peanut masala

Salt to taste

Enough water to make into a semi-thick gravy.

Simmer for 5-8 minutes.

Serve!