Never knew how to cook pumpkin till I watched this cookery show and thought of adapting the recipe to my tastes.
Microwave the yellow pumpkin pieces cut into squares for 1-2 minutes.(Pumpkin is a water vegetable and cooks fast if the hard skin is totally discarded).
Take a tablespoon of oil in a non-stick pan. Add Red chillies,jeera(cumin),two cardamons, finely chopped onions, ginger garlic paste and saute.Add one tablespoon of finely ground peanuts(optional if you have nut allergy), two tablespoons grated coconut or dry coconut powder, and add water to it. Bring it to a boil. Add the pumpkin pieces, coriander leaves (dhaniya patta) , red chilly powder,lower the flame and let it cook till the gravy thickens.(if the gravy is not thick enough add two tablespoons of curd/yogurt) Add 1 teaspoon garam masala to it, mix and turn off the heat. Tastes very good with rotis.
You can make this curry with Lauki (gourd) too.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Celery fry
Celery is a salad vegetable in the US. But,I have tried a simple fry with this and now it is a favourite with my kids.
Celery is like cabbage, it tastes good only when it is not totally cooked but a little crunchy. So cut the celery into small pieces and micriwave them for 3 minutes with a little water.
Take a non-stick pan, add 2 teaspoons of oil to it. Add jeera(cumin) and finely chopped onions to it and saute till onions turn light brown. Add the cooked celery to it, add salt and chilli powder, according to taste and mix it in. Turn off the flame and add a pinch of chat masala to it. Tastes yummy with plain rice.
Celery is like cabbage, it tastes good only when it is not totally cooked but a little crunchy. So cut the celery into small pieces and micriwave them for 3 minutes with a little water.
Take a non-stick pan, add 2 teaspoons of oil to it. Add jeera(cumin) and finely chopped onions to it and saute till onions turn light brown. Add the cooked celery to it, add salt and chilli powder, according to taste and mix it in. Turn off the flame and add a pinch of chat masala to it. Tastes yummy with plain rice.
Monday, May 11, 2009
(Bangalore Vankai ) Chayote Korma
This is a very frequently available vegetable in India as well as in the US, the names may vary though. A lot of people use it in Sambhar and kootu or make a simple dry curry with either coconut or curry powder.You can also add sesame powder instead of curry powder to it to give it a different taste.But recently, I wanted to make something different with it, which could go with roti and voila! here's the recipe!!
After washing and peeling the chayote, cut it into small pieces. Microwave it for 2-3 minutes with a sprinkle of water.
Take a non-stick nan, add one teaspoon oil, (vegetables with water in them don't need much oil) . Add ginger garlic paste and saute. Then, add 1 finely chopped onion and finely chopped green chillies, as many as you can bear. Saute. Add 2 small chopped tomatoes.Add the parboiled Chayote pieces.Add 1/2 cup fresh grated coconut. Add one full cup of curd (plain yogurt), and salt and a little water. Cover and cook for 5 minutes on low flame. I add a pinch of garam masala at the end, but thats optional. Believe me, it tastes very good with Rotis as well as Rice.
After washing and peeling the chayote, cut it into small pieces. Microwave it for 2-3 minutes with a sprinkle of water.
Take a non-stick nan, add one teaspoon oil, (vegetables with water in them don't need much oil) . Add ginger garlic paste and saute. Then, add 1 finely chopped onion and finely chopped green chillies, as many as you can bear. Saute. Add 2 small chopped tomatoes.Add the parboiled Chayote pieces.Add 1/2 cup fresh grated coconut. Add one full cup of curd (plain yogurt), and salt and a little water. Cover and cook for 5 minutes on low flame. I add a pinch of garam masala at the end, but thats optional. Believe me, it tastes very good with Rotis as well as Rice.
Brocolli Tofu Massaman
Brocolli is rich in Iron. But if it is not available, this curry tastes good with Cauliflower too. Tofu is an extract from Soy and is very good for health. Buit if that is not available you could use Paneer.
( Massaman Curry (gaeng matsaman) is a Southern Thai curry which has a lot of Indian influence. Massaman is an old way of saying "Muslim", for many of the dry spices were carried to Thailand by early Muslim traders. Like Indian curries, this curry is heavy on dry spices and very aromatic. It’s typically served with rice or roti)
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons curry paste (method below)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil/sesame oil
1 cup tofu cubes
1/2 cup boiled potato pieces
1 cup Broccolli/Cauliflower florets
1 cup onions or peeled whole shallots (sambhar onions)
4 cardamom pods whole
1 tablespoon palm sugar
1" piece of cinnamon stick
2 dried bay leaves
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons tamarind paste
Curry paste
10 big dried chilies roasted,
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns roasted
1 teaspoon coriander seeds roasted
1 teaspoon cumin seeds,
roasted 2 cloves,
roasted 2 cardamom pods,
powdered nutmeg (not roasted)
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
1 cup coconut cream / 1 cup coconut milk/1 cup grated fresh coconut (any one is good)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon rind
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 tablespoon coriander leaves
1/4 cup onions
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
Method of preparation
Dry roast the dry spices in a pan on medium heat until fragrant, about 2-4 minutes. It’s best to roast each thing one at a time until fragrant. The chilies should be browned. Grind all the curry paste ingredients including the roasted spices into a paste.
Cut the potatoes and onions into bite-sized pieces and wash the broccolli and break the florets.
Add the oil to the pan and turn on to medium high. Fry 4 tablespoons of the paste until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn.Add the Broccolli pieces.Then,add Tofu pieces. Fry about 2-3 minutes.Add the potatoes, and onions . Simmer for a few minutes.Add the cinnamon, cardamom seeds, bay leaves. Mix well.Simmer (and stir well) until the mixture browns and a good deal of oil comes to the top. About 15-20 minutes. If it gets too dry, add some water. Add the soy sauce, palm sugar and tamarind juice at the end. Serve with rice or roti.
( Massaman Curry (gaeng matsaman) is a Southern Thai curry which has a lot of Indian influence. Massaman is an old way of saying "Muslim", for many of the dry spices were carried to Thailand by early Muslim traders. Like Indian curries, this curry is heavy on dry spices and very aromatic. It’s typically served with rice or roti)
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons curry paste (method below)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil/sesame oil
1 cup tofu cubes
1/2 cup boiled potato pieces
1 cup Broccolli/Cauliflower florets
1 cup onions or peeled whole shallots (sambhar onions)
4 cardamom pods whole
1 tablespoon palm sugar
1" piece of cinnamon stick
2 dried bay leaves
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons tamarind paste
Curry paste
10 big dried chilies roasted,
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns roasted
1 teaspoon coriander seeds roasted
1 teaspoon cumin seeds,
roasted 2 cloves,
roasted 2 cardamom pods,
powdered nutmeg (not roasted)
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
1 cup coconut cream / 1 cup coconut milk/1 cup grated fresh coconut (any one is good)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon rind
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 tablespoon coriander leaves
1/4 cup onions
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
Method of preparation
Dry roast the dry spices in a pan on medium heat until fragrant, about 2-4 minutes. It’s best to roast each thing one at a time until fragrant. The chilies should be browned. Grind all the curry paste ingredients including the roasted spices into a paste.
Cut the potatoes and onions into bite-sized pieces and wash the broccolli and break the florets.
Add the oil to the pan and turn on to medium high. Fry 4 tablespoons of the paste until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring so it doesn’t burn.Add the Broccolli pieces.Then,add Tofu pieces. Fry about 2-3 minutes.Add the potatoes, and onions . Simmer for a few minutes.Add the cinnamon, cardamom seeds, bay leaves. Mix well.Simmer (and stir well) until the mixture browns and a good deal of oil comes to the top. About 15-20 minutes. If it gets too dry, add some water. Add the soy sauce, palm sugar and tamarind juice at the end. Serve with rice or roti.
Dondakai (Tindora) curry
Tindora or dondakai is a very commonly available vegetable. A fry with this cut into small pieces or thin circles is very common, but this is a very spicy and delicious dish. This is the only vegetable which has an abundance of Vitamin A and so should be used regularly.
Cut the washed vegetable into circles , microwave it for 2 minutes to parboil it.
Take a non-stick pan and add two teaspoons of oil to it. Now add jeera, finely chopped 1/2 inch ginger, finely chopped green chillies, one onion finely chopped or grated , two cloves, one bay leaf and saute till onions look pink. Add one big tomato or two small tomatoes chopped to this. Let it cook till tomatoes can be mashed well and oil appears . Now add the tindora parboiled pieces, salt and add a little water to this. Cover and cook for 4 minutes on low flame. Add coroiander leaves to it and turn off the flame and cover. Tastes good with roti or rice.
Cut the washed vegetable into circles , microwave it for 2 minutes to parboil it.
Take a non-stick pan and add two teaspoons of oil to it. Now add jeera, finely chopped 1/2 inch ginger, finely chopped green chillies, one onion finely chopped or grated , two cloves, one bay leaf and saute till onions look pink. Add one big tomato or two small tomatoes chopped to this. Let it cook till tomatoes can be mashed well and oil appears . Now add the tindora parboiled pieces, salt and add a little water to this. Cover and cook for 4 minutes on low flame. Add coroiander leaves to it and turn off the flame and cover. Tastes good with roti or rice.
Raw Banana Kofta Curry
A lot of people don't use raw banana for cooking or rather don't know how to. And some make crispy fry with it. This is a recipe which I borrowed from a TV cooking show and added some more ingredients to it.
Peel the banana, cut it into pieces. Cook it with water, or steam it in the cooker or microwave it in a microwavable bowl with a sprinkle of water. Mash the cooked banana to a fine paste. Add finely chopped green chillies, finely chopped garlic, 2-3 tablespoons of corn flour, salt and pepper. Make kofta balls with it.
For the gravy, take a non-stick pan, add two tablespoons of ghee, then one cup of milk and a little baking soda in it (this is optional, I add this so the milk doesn't get churned). Bring it to a boil. Make a cup of cashew paste and add to this.Add salt and pepper according to taste. Boil a little till the gravy thickens. Add one small spoon of garam masala for that 'exotic' smell.
Add the koftas to this gravy and mix it in , lower the flame for 2 minutes. Switch it off , add coriander leaves to it ,cover it and set aside. Goes well with rotis as well as with any kind of masala rice(fried rice, biryani, peas pulav,tomato rice,etc).
Peel the banana, cut it into pieces. Cook it with water, or steam it in the cooker or microwave it in a microwavable bowl with a sprinkle of water. Mash the cooked banana to a fine paste. Add finely chopped green chillies, finely chopped garlic, 2-3 tablespoons of corn flour, salt and pepper. Make kofta balls with it.
For the gravy, take a non-stick pan, add two tablespoons of ghee, then one cup of milk and a little baking soda in it (this is optional, I add this so the milk doesn't get churned). Bring it to a boil. Make a cup of cashew paste and add to this.Add salt and pepper according to taste. Boil a little till the gravy thickens. Add one small spoon of garam masala for that 'exotic' smell.
Add the koftas to this gravy and mix it in , lower the flame for 2 minutes. Switch it off , add coriander leaves to it ,cover it and set aside. Goes well with rotis as well as with any kind of masala rice(fried rice, biryani, peas pulav,tomato rice,etc).
Asparagus fry
Never thought that I would use Asparagus to cook until one of my friends said that she does make a fry. It was more of a bengali way of fry, but I tried it differently.Asparagus is very good for health.
Take one tablespoon of oil in a non-stick pan. Add jeera, chopped garlic and finely cut onions. Saute for one minute. Then add Asparagus cut into small circles. Do not add any water, but close it with a lid for 5 minutes. Then remove the lid, saute a little on high flame for half a minute, add salt, turmeric and red chilli powder mix well. Turn off the flame. Tastes good with rice.
Take one tablespoon of oil in a non-stick pan. Add jeera, chopped garlic and finely cut onions. Saute for one minute. Then add Asparagus cut into small circles. Do not add any water, but close it with a lid for 5 minutes. Then remove the lid, saute a little on high flame for half a minute, add salt, turmeric and red chilli powder mix well. Turn off the flame. Tastes good with rice.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Carrot dry curry
Everybody makes carrot halwa but not many use it to make curries.It is very good and very essential for our health, especially for kids.What better way to make them eat it than a curry with hot rice!!
Grate carrots or cut them into fine small pieces. Take one onion and finely chop them along with green chillies . Take a pan and add a little oil to it. Add cumin seeds,curry leaves, green chillies and then the onions. Saute. Then add the grated carrot, a pinch of salt,a sprinkle of water,cover and cook till the carrot is done. It should not be mushy but dry.( You could even just microwave the carrots and add them to the sauted onions and make it faster). Now add a little fresh grated coconut, a dash of garam masala(optional) and a lot of finely chopped coriander leaves(dhaniya patta). Serve with rice with a dash of ghee.
Grate carrots or cut them into fine small pieces. Take one onion and finely chop them along with green chillies . Take a pan and add a little oil to it. Add cumin seeds,curry leaves, green chillies and then the onions. Saute. Then add the grated carrot, a pinch of salt,a sprinkle of water,cover and cook till the carrot is done. It should not be mushy but dry.( You could even just microwave the carrots and add them to the sauted onions and make it faster). Now add a little fresh grated coconut, a dash of garam masala(optional) and a lot of finely chopped coriander leaves(dhaniya patta). Serve with rice with a dash of ghee.
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