Vegetable Sagu

 

                                                

 Ingredients

Grated coconut – a cup

Onion – 1 large or 2 small - chopped

Whole spices – 2 cloves, small piece cinnamon, 1 cardamom 

Vegetables – carrot, beans, potato, peas – diced. 

Cashewnuts – 6 

Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp 

Corriander leaves – a bunch

Green chillies -2-3 as per spice tolerance

Poppy seeds – 1 tsp

Fennel seeds/ Somph – 1 spoon

Jeera (Cumin seeds) – 1 tsp

Turmeric powder

Curry leaves - few

Oil

Salt to taste

 

Make a paste of coconut, half the onions, green chilies, coriander leaves, cashew, ginger-garlic paste, whole garam masala and poppy seeds.  ( All this is raw)

Take oil in a pan/cooker

Add jeera, sauté onions – till it turns transparent, add in the curry leaves, turmeric powder

Then the diced vegetables, the paste and salt to taste

Pour in some water and cook till vegetables are done and gravy is fairly thick. 

Serve.

 (Recipe from Suman Ranganath Insta (22 Dec 2024).  Youtube channel – Sumanranganath1995)

Achari Bhendi

I like Bhendi/Bhindi fry (Okra), but then it can get a bit boring.  As usual a google search resulted in a good recipe from Priya's Versatile Recipes ( with slight variation).  It was different from the usual Bhendi Masala and the blend of spices gave it a different flavour altogether..

                

Ingredients:

Bhendi/Okra - 250 gms ( approx) - cut digit size

Onion - 2 nos  ( consider using one more to get a better consistency of the masala)

Tomato  purée - 3-4 tbsp
Ginger - garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Amchur (dry mango ) powder - 1/2 tsp ( I ran out of amchur and substituted it with chaat masala )
Red chillie powder - to taste
Salt to taste
Oil - 3 tbsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves for garnish

Tempering:
Red chilie - dry - 1
Bay leaf dry - 1
Fennel seeds ( saunf) - 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds (jeera) - 1/2 tsp
Ajwain - 1/4 tsp
Fenugreek (Methi) seeds - 1/4 tsp
Kalonji (Nigella seeds) - 6 nos
Asafoetida (hing) - pinch

Take a pan, add the oil, heat, shallow fry the bhendhi
Keep aside
In the same pan, add all the ingredients for the tempering and fry till brown , mustard crackles and  you get a nice aroma
Add chopped onions sauté and then the tomato  purée.  
Then the ginger garlic paste.  Wait till the raw taste is no longer there


Add the shallow fried bhendi
The spice powders of coriander, chilie, amchur, garam masala

Toss till the veggie gets coated with the masalas.
Remove off fire. Add the lime juice. Mix
Garnish with coriander leaves.

AVIAL

All ingredients are approximate.
Beans - 8-10
Carrots 2-3
Raw banana - 1 large
Potato - 2
Drumstick 2-3
Ash gourd - 1/4
Other vegetables that can be included - snake gourd, cucumber, peas.
All vegetables to be cut to equal sized pieces and boiled till just tender with turmeric and salt.
Grind to smooth paste:
One medium coconut
Green chillies 6-8 ( as per tolerance)
Jeera (cummin seed) - 2 tablespoon

Add the ground paste to cooked vegetables. Bring to boil. Add sprig of curry leaves while boiling. Add 1/4 cup beaten curd ( should not be very sour). This is optional. And keep on fire only for short while after adding curd. Remove from fire. Add raw ( i heat it for a short while) coconut oil. Serve with rice, puri, adai or just eat plain.