Veggie Thai Red Curry

This Thai curry has been a recent favorite at my place. We both are loving this, made quite often, with varying veggies, mushrooms, tofu etc. Thai cuisine is a close cousin of Indian cousin, with many spices used in common. Also use of coconut milk makes it especially closer to the South Indian cuisine. Eaten with sticky Jasmine rice or any other cooked ice, it makes a wholesome meal.

However, the combination of spices along with some not used in Indian curried and the method of cooking makes it quite different in taste from Indian curries. Most of the Thai curries are generally not vegetarian. And even the veggie ones often contain fish sauce, shrimp paste, making me hesitant to try one at restaurants.

So searching for recipes and experimenting on combinations, this is the one I have come up with and have stuck with it for quite sometime. We're happy with the taste of this customized, vegetarian home made Thai red curry. Here it is....

Veggie Thai Red Curry

Ingredients:
Coconut milk - 1 can
Bell pepper / capsicum - Chopped, 1 cup, a mix of red, green, yellow
French beans - a handful (optional)
Sugar snap peas - a handful
Baby corn - a handful
Firm Tofu - 200g, washed and drained, chopped into bite sized pieces
Eggplant - chopped (optional - i don't use it as i don't like it)
Carrot - 1, chopped (my addition)
Mushrooms - 1/2 cup, halved
Thai basil leaves - a handful
Soy sauce - 1 Tbsp
Sesame / any other oil - 2 Tbsp
Salt to taste - abt 1 tsp
Red curry paste

Red curry paste:
Dry red chilies - 3-4 (vary according to your spice tolerance)
Cumin- 1/2 tsp
Coriander seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon - 1/2 inch stick
Kafir lime leaves / bay leaves - 1-2
Fresh coriander leaves/stalks - chopped, a fistful
Brown sugar - 1/2 to 1 Tbsp
Fresh lemongrass - 2-3 Tbsp. minced
Shallots / red onion - 1/4 cup, sliced
Garlic - 2-3 cloves
Galangal / ginger 1 inch piece, grated
Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp
Lime / lemon zest - 1/2 tsp
Tomato ketchup / tomato puree - 2 Tbsp (optional)
Fresh lime juice - 2 Tbsp

Method:
For the paste:

• Boil 1/4 cup water and turn off the heat. To this, add the dry red chilies and let them sit for 5-10 min.
• After it is cool enough to handle, grind the soaked chilies with the rest of the ingredients for curry paste into a smooth mixture.
• This is the Thai red curry paste. This can be made ahead the previous day and stored in the refrigerator.

For the curry:

• Heat a heavy bottomed pan and add half the oil.
• Optionally marinate the tofu pieces in some soy sauce, salt and pepper powder
• Shallow fry the tofu in this till the raw smell is gone, sprinkle some salt if not marinated and keep aside. 
• In the same pan, add the remaining oil and fry the red curry paste prepared, on low flame
• Once the oil starts separating from the mixture, add the coconut milk, salt and bring to a boil
• Meanwhile add the chopped vegetables, mushrooms and let cook in the coconut milk curry
• Mix in the fried tofu as well and boil for a few minutes
• Add soy sauce and basil leaves
• Make sure the veggies are still crunchy and just cooked. Overcooking makes the veggies soggy.
• Serve hot with some piping hot jasmine rice and enjoy!

Notes:

• Some of the ingredients mentioned in the list may not be easily available in an Indian kitchen - like galangal, kafir lime etc. These I usually substitute with the mentioned alternative ingredients like normal ginger, bay leaves, etc. I don't see much of a difference.
• I add vegetables of my choice to this curry usually and do not always stick to the original Thai veggies.

Rajma Masala - Dilli wali style!

I had some colleagues in Bangalore who were from Northern parts of India and were cribbing about not finding good North Indian restaurants in Bangalore. Bangalore being a cosmopolitan city, at least in the last decade or so, I can never agree that there are restaurants serving some particular cuisine missing! Especially when the cuisine in question is North Indian - which has been there from the time i was a kid...

But then, it is a natural tendency for people to miss their native cuisine in other parts, as they will be looking for 'that particular taste, aroma and combination' that they are used to from years, and any small change in taste, one is not satisfied. But whereas for other cuisines, we are generally more forgiving - because we are not so used to that taste and small changes does not matter, as long as the dish tastes good on the whole.

Also, we just generalize food as North Indian, whereas that comprises of so many varieties of cuisines from different parts of Northern India... just like someone saying Neer Dosa is South Indian. Well, it is, but if you ask a Kannadiga, they'd say it is Mangalorean, to be precise :)

Well, coming back to Rajma Masala, the colleagues of mine always had high standards for it, and they regarded it as one of the simplest, most common but often spoilt dish! They'd never be satisfied with the quality of Rajma Masala anywhere else but in their homes and in some places in their home towns!

And all said and done, i tasted the Rajma Masala in a restaurant in Delhi when we were there for a visit, and then realized what my colleagues were saying!! It was the best rajma ever i had had!! And i was bent upon learning to make it the same way, taking tips and recipes from them/their wives! 

And now, this version has been certified as almost as good as a Rajma Masala made in Delhi! Here it is...

Rajma Masala

Ingredients:
Rajma (Red kidney Beans) - 1 cup, Soak overnight
Tomato - 3 medium sized
Onion - 2 medium sized
Cloves - 3-4
Cinnamon - 1" pc
Cardamom - 1
Green chilies - 2-3
Ginger - 1” cube
Garlic - 2-3 cloves
Garam masala powder - 1/2 Tsp
Red chili powder - ½ - 1 tsp, depending on taste
Jeera powder - ½ tsp
Coriander powder - ½ tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp, as per taste
Sugar - ¼ - ½ tsp
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp, chopped

Method:
• Soak rajma overnight in enough water.
• Tie the whole spices - cinnamon, cardamom and cloves in a muslin cloth and drop it into the pressure cooker along with the soaked beans.
• Pressure cook rajma and spices with enough water for 3-4 whistles, and then put it on sim for at least 30 more minutes. At the end of this time, the rajma beans should be cooked soft but not mushy.
• When cool enough to handle, remove the muslin bag and discard along with the spices in it. The beans would have the flavors imparted by now.
• Boil tomatoes in water till tender, cool and make puree
• Heat oil in a pan
• Add chopped onion and sauté for 2 minutes
• Crush ginger and garlic and add the paste and continue to sauté till the onions turn translucent
• Add all the spice powders and mix thoroughly so that no lumps are formed
• Mix in tomato puree, salt and sugar and bring to a gentle boil
• Add the boiled beans, and water if necessary to maintain a gravy consistency
• Let it boil for 5-10 minutes, till the beans absorb the taste and flavors from the gravy
• Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with steamed rice or rotis.

Notes:
• Cooking for at least 40 minutes ensures the rajma is cooked well - as my Delhi friends insist it should be :D
• The tomatoes can just be crushed well and added too, instead of grinding it to a puree, but i prefer grinding it.

Eerulli Gojju / No Grind, Tangy Onion Gravy

Here’s one simple and quick side dish with onions that requires no more than a few ingredients, and does not need grinding. It is a traditional recipe, I suppose, for I’ve picked it from mom and mil, both. It requires a readymade rasam powder; we use a home made version, but any store bought one like MTR works too.

Just chop a couple of onions fine, sauté it, add the other ingredients and boil. Add a tempering just before serving for that crispy lentil touch! How easy is that!

And the result is one tangy, spicy gravy, that goes well with rice, dosas, rottis, etc. Perfect one when your taste buds need a tickle, but you don’t have much time to spare!

Eerulli Gojju - No grind, tangy onion gravy

Preparation time       : 5 min

Cooking time             : 10 min

Serves                         :  4 -5

Ingredients:

Red Onion - 2 medium sized, chopped fine

Oil - 1 Tbsp

Rasam powder - 2 tsp

Tamarind pulp - 3-4 Tbsp

Jaggery - about 2 tsp when powdered; Can use sugar/brown sugar instead

Salt                  - ¾ tsp or as per taste

For tempering

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Chana dal - ½ tsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - from one or two sprigs

Green chilies - 1-2, depending on the extra heat needed

Method:

• Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a heavy pan
• Add the chopped onions and sauté till translucent  
• When done, add tamarind pulp, rasam powder, jiggery and salt and mix well
• Adjust the consistency with more water and bring to a boil; check for the taste and add more of rasam powder, sugar or salt to balance the tartness of tamarind
• Boil for a couple of minutes and keep aside
• In a small pan, make the tempering by heating oil and adding mustard seeds
• Once they sputter, add the dals, curry leaves
• In case you want an extra spicy version, add 1-2 finely chopped green chilies and sauté   
• Mix in the tempering just before serving so that it adds a crispy touch to the gravy
• Can be had as a side dish to rice, mixed with a spoon of oil/ ghee, for rottis, dosas, etc

Notes:

• This gravy when boiled well, stays fresh for about 4-5 days in refrigerator

Stuffed Capsicum Masala

I’m back! And with a bang now :)

Sorry folks, for having absconded for this long…. Well a lot of things happened and now here I am in Sweden, with D relocated here on work! I’ve taken a break from work and I’m a full time home maker… for now!

Well, life is full of contrasts, they say…. So true in my case as well! In contrast to the super busy life I had back in Bangalore, here I am, so relaxed and free, with all the time I ever needed! Just enjoying this break to the fullest… and I’m sure there will be a lot more posts coming up here as well!

Coming to this one, it was something I made back in Bangalore, recipe from a book written by mom’s friend. Makes a wonderful side dish to rotis/phulkas. The potatoes complement the capsicum beautifully well… Do try it out and let me know how you like it….

Preparation time       : 20 min

Cooking time             : 20 min

Serves                         :  4

Ingredients:

Green Capsicums        - 8 small ones

Potatoes          - 2-3 medium, boiled and peeled

Onions             - 3 medium sized, chopped fine

Tomatoes        - 2 medium sized, chopped fine

Green chilies   - 2, slit

Garlic              - 6-8 flakes

Cooking oil      - 2 Tbsp, split use

Salt                  - ½ tsp or as per taste

Ginger Garlic paste     - ½ tsp

Coriander pwd                       - ½ tsp

Garam masala pwd    - ½ tsp

Red Chili pwd              - ½ tsp

Method:

For Filling:

• Boil potatoes and peel them after cool enough to handle
• Mash it roughly and keep aside
• Heat 2 Tsp oil in a pan, and add ginger garlic paste and slit green chilies
• Add the cut onions and sauté till golden brown
• Add the cut tomatoes and cook till done
• Add red chilli powder, garam masala powder and coriander powder and salt and mix well
• Switch off the flame and allow the mixture to cool slightly.

Capsicums:

• Chop off the top part of the capsicums, making them into shallow cups
• In a wide vessel, bring enough water to a boil
• Add the capsicum cups and close the vessel with a plate
• Switch off the flame and let the capsicum cook slightly in the boiling water for a couple of minutes
• Remove carefully from water, drain out the water and allow the capsicum to cool enough to handle with hands

Assembling:

• When both the capsicums and filling are cool enough, take a capsicum and fill it with the prepared filling till the top
• Repeat with all the capsicums and keep aside
• In a wide pan, heat the remaining oil and place the filled capsicums one beside the other. Make sure to maintain a low flame.
• Add the remaining filling if any to the pan
• Cook covered on low flame till the capsicums are tender. You may need to rotate the capsicums in between for uniform cooking
• Serve it with rotis/phulkas/chapathis.

Notes:

• Do not overcook the capsicum in boiling water, let it be slightly crispy

Methi Malai Matar

It was decided that we’d be gathering for a pot luck lunch at a cousin’s place for a party. And I had committed on making a rice item. I was traveling the whole of the week before and returning home only on the previous evening, but I was anyway prepared to cook a Methi Peas pulav. So bought the greens on the way back and came home and picked and cleaned it too. Then the cousin’s wife calls up to say that she has prepared for a pulav herself as she didn’t want me to strain myself as I was traveling.

I had prepared myself for this rice and even my insistence didn’t help. She had even gotten ready for a side dish and chapathis. Then I thought why not make a second side dish and carry, as that would not go waste. I declared to her that I would be getting a second side dish and she couldn’t say no to it.

Since the ready ingredients at hand were Methi and Peas, my obvious choice was Methi Malai Muter. I had been wanting to try it out from a long time and remembered having seen it on Champa’s blog. So opened her blog from my phone and set out cooking next morning!
It did come out well, and everyone liked it. Thanks Champa, for a non-baking recipe. I had doubled the ingredients and made a larger quantity, but here I am using Champa’s quantities. I did make some variations, and here’s the recipe....

Methi Malai Matar

Preparation time : 15 min Cooking time : 15 min Serves : 5-6 Ingredients: Methi / fenugreek leaves - 1 big bunch cleaned and only leaves are picked and chopped Frozen green peas - 2 cups (If using fresh peas, use boiled and cooked) Red Onion - 2 big chopped to chunks Green chillies - 7 or more depending on your taste Cashews - 1/4 - 1/3 cup Garlic - 1 pod chopped Ginger - 1/2 inch piece peeled and chopped Cloves - 5 Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Cinnamon - 1" stick Oil - 3 Tbsp divided use Ricotta cheese / Cottage cheese - 1 cup (optional - to make a rich gravy) Cream - 1/2 cup Milk - ¼ cup or enough to thin down the curry to desired consistency Salt - to taste Method: • In a skillet, heat 1 Tbsp of oil. When hot, add cumin seeds. • When they splutter, add green chillies, garlic, ginger, cloves and cinnamon. • Sauté till the coves pop. Add cashews and let them toast well. • Now, add onions and stir. Let it cook stirring occasionally. • When they are cooked, take it out into a blender or mixie jar. • In the same pan, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp of oil. • When hot, add green peas and chopped fenugreek leaves. Sauté till peas are tender. • Meanwhile blend the ingredients in the blender. You can add a little bit of water to facilitate the blades. But don't make it too runny. • Add this paste and stir. • Add the ricotta cheese if using and the cream and stir well. • Adjust the consistency with milk • Add salt and let it simmer for couple of minutes and turn off the heat. • Serve hot or warm with rotis, naans, chapathis or even rice. Notes: • I skipped the ricotta cheese - may be it would have tasted richer with it • Red chili powder can be added to increase the heat

I'm posting this from one of my old drafts as i'm not able to spend time clicking pics and writing with with so much of work at home and at work. I've made this dish many times now, esp for parties and it is always a hit!

Southekai Hasi Gojju - Cucumber in coconut sauce

A weekday evening and you’re home late and tired. And not to mention, hungry too. You have little energy left, but still don’t want to compromise on a nutritious meal with some veggie. Add to it, whatever you make should go with rice and with chapathis for different people in the house. What is your option then?

Mine, definitely is this Southekayi hasi gojju - cucumber chopped fine and mixed in an uncooked coconut gravy. Why? Because it is the easiest and quickest thing I can make provided I have cucumber in the fridge. And you want to make it still easier? Then you can just grate off the cucumber instead of chopping! All it takes is 10-12 minutes to get this dish done.

It goes well with rice, chapathis or dosas too. And there is no guilt of eating a junk food as you can have a large quantity of water-filled cucumber.

This is an authentic Karnataka cuisine, that mom used to prepare along with rasam for a Sunday lunch, but I prefer making it on a weekday evening mainly because of the little time and effort it takes.

Try it out yourself and see how simple, yet tasty and wholesome it is...

Southekayi Hasi-Gojju

Making time : 15 min
Serves : 4

Ingredients:
Cucumber - 2, medium sized
Coconut - 1/3 cup, grated
Green chilies - 5-6, depending on taste
Fried gram dal - 2 tsp
Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Coriander leaves - 1 Tbsp, chopped
Cooking oil - 1 tsp
Jaggery - a small pinch (optional)
Tamarind - a small marble sized ball
Salt - ½ tsp or as per taste
Turmeric - 1 pinch
For Tempering:
Cooking oil - 1 Tsp
Curry leaves - A few sprigs
Mustard seeds - 1 Tsp
Asafetida - a pinch, powdered

Method:
• Wash the cucumber, and chop it fine. I like to retain the outer skin for that crunch. You may peel it if you don’t like it that way.
• Meanwhile, roast green chilies, curry leaves in a few drops of oil till they change color
• Allow to cool slightly and grind with coconut, turmeric, salt, tamarind, jaggery, coriander leaves, adding a little water if needed
• If you like to have more of gravy, add a tbsp of chopped cucumber and grind along
• Transfer the ground chutney to a serving bowl
• Mix the finely chopped cucumber
For tempering / tadka:
• Heat the oil in a pan, add mustard and allow to splutter
• Add curry leaves
• Garnish with tadka

Notes:
• Do not grind the spices too smooth – a little coarse consistency will give a better taste
• In place of fried gram, you can also roast an equal amount of chana dal and use
• Chopping fine is actually a simple task in case of cucumbers; just hold it perpendicular to the board and randomly hit with a knife perpendicular to it and then slice off the chopped portion; you’ll get fine chops easily this way
• If you want to make the process of chopping easier, you may even grate it in a big grater

Ennegai - Stuffed Eggplant Curry

This, as I said, is a ‘made in heaven’ combination for Jolada rotti. Nothing else tastes as good as this with Jolada rotti or vice versa. Being one of my FIL’s many favorites, this gets done on some special occasions, exclusively for him :)!

Little tender purple eggplants, slit and stuffed with a spicy peanut based paste, cooked slowly to tender in a heavy bottomed pan, letting the eggplants absorb all the flavors from the masala... Tastes awesome-est with Jolada rotti. Also good with chapathis/rotis.

It does take some time to make these, but not too much either. Just a little extra time, than your routine cooking and you’ll be ready with mouth watering, king of gravies! Slow cooking of eggplants gives an extra good taste and texture to the eggplants. However, if you’re pressed for time and still want to have this, then the pressure cooker also does help! Of course you should take extra care not to make the eggplants too mushy-mushy, but otherwise, you end up with an amazing gravy.

Preparation time : 20 min
Cooking time : 20-30 min
Serves : 5-6

Ingredients:
Eggplants - 15-18 small ones, preferably purple ones
Onions - 1 medium sized, chopped
Garlic - 3-4 flakes, optional
Cooking oil - 2-3 Tbsp

For the Masala stuffing:
Dry red chilies - 12-15, (I use a mix of Byadagi and Guntur varieties for color and heat)
Peanuts - 2 Tbsp
Chana dal - 2 tsp
Urad dal - 2 tsp
Grated coconut - 1/3 - ½ cup
Coriander seeds - ½ tsp
Onions - 2 medium sized, chopped roughly
Salt - 1½ tsp or as per taste

Method:
• Wash the eggplant and pat dry
• Slit them one by one in a + mark - starting from the tip to ¾ the length, keeping the stem as it is
• Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and roast the dry red chilies, peanuts, dals and coriander seeds
• Once almost done, add onions and sauté till golden brown
• Cool it, add to it coconut and salt and grind to a thick paste, adding very little water, only to facilitate the blades
• Stuff the slit eggplants with this ground masala, filling each with about a table spoon of the paste and keep in a plate. Reserve the remaining masala for later use
• Heat the remaining oil in a another wide, thick bottomed pan - preferably non stick or a cooker
• Add the chopped onion, garlic, and sauté till golden brown
• Place the stuffed eggplants one beside the other, with the stem up, arranging in a single layer
• Cover and cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes, turning over the eggplants in between, till they are cooked tender
• Make sure the bottom doesn’t brown, by keeping the flame medium to low
• Add the remaining masala and adjust the consistency with sufficient water. The gravy thickens as it cools
• Taste for salt and heat and add more if required. If u need more heat, add some red chili powder at this time
• Cover and cook till the gravy begins to boil. Stir it occasionally, but very very gently so that the eggplants are intact
• Switch off the flame and serve it with Jolada rotti and enjoy. It’s a nice combination with usual chapathis / rice too.

Notes:
• This dish takes patience and time - the slower the eggplants cook the better the final dish is.
• Be very gentle when stirring
• Using no stick pan helps in reducing the quantity f oil used
• If you’re in a hurry, you can cook the whole mixture in a pressure pan for less than a whistle; but you need to be extremely cautious with the time, else you’ll end up with mushy eggplants
• Pick up little and tender eggplants
• Can also stuff and add capsicums along with eggplants

Sprouted Moong Masala

So as promised, here comes the healthy side dish that I had made to pair up with the healthy vegetable chapathi! Very simple to make, provided you have sprouted moong in hand, takes very little time, hardly any oil and makes a yummy side dish. And you don’t have to have a bit of guilt either, as it is almost fat free and protein filled.

Go ahead and make it... you’ll love its simplicity and taste.

Sprouted Moong Masala

Preparation time : 10 min
Cooking time : 20 min, including cooking Moong
Serves : 4-5

Ingredients:
Sprouted Moong (Green gram) - 2 cups
Onion - 2 medium sized, chopped
Tomatoes - 2 -3 medium sized
Coconut - 2 Tbsp, grated
Coriander leaves - 1 Tbsp, chopped
Cooking oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Salt - ½ tsp or as per taste
Green chilies - 1-2, vary depending on taste
Ginger - ½” cube, grated
Red Chili powder - ½ to 1 tsp
Method:
• In a pressure cooker, cook sprouted green gram and tomatoes, for less than one whistle. Make sure the gram is neither too hard nor overcooked
• Meanwhile, chop onions, slit green chilies
• After the cooker cools, remove the cooked tomatoes, grind it to a paste, along with half of the onions, coconut, coriander leaves and green chilies
• In a pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds and allow to splutter.
• Add the remaining chopped onion and grated ginger, and sauté till the onions turn translucent
• Add the ground paste, red chili powder and bring to a gentle boil
• Now add the cooked green gram and salt and let it boil well, for a few minutes, till the raw smell of onion disappears
• Serve with a chapathis / pooris / rice

Notes:
• Ensure the raw small of onion is gone.
• Be sure not to over cook or under cook the green gram. In my cooker, switching off just before the first whistle is blown, cooks the sprouted moong perfectly. Cooking in an open vessel takes a longer time and wastes more gas, so I avoid it.

Spinach/Palak and Moong gravy

This one is another of my mom’s recipe that she used to make as an accompaniment to pooris and sometimes chapathis. Recently when I was there, I asked her to make it again for pooris. She had also made her version of Ghee rice and loved the combination. She even packed it for me to take back home, so that I didn’t have to cook again in the night!

Very simple to make, filled with healthy ingredients like Whole green gram. Spinach and very little oil, this makes a good gravy as side dish. It is easy breezy to make too...

Spinach/Palak and Moong gravy

Preparation time : 10 min
Cooking time : 30 min, including cooking Moong
Serves : 4-5

Ingredients:

Fresh spinach - 2-3 medium sized bunches
Moong (Green gram) - 1 ½ cups
Onion - 2 medium sized, chopped
Tomatoes - 2 -3 medium sized
Coconut - 2 Tbsp, grated
Coriander leaves - 1 Tbsp, chopped
Cooking oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Salt - ½ tsp or as per taste
Green chilies - 4-5, vary depending on taste
Ginger - ½” cube, grated

Method:
• Pick and wash palak, thoroughly, chop it
• In a pressure cooker, cook green gram and palak and tomatoes, for about 2-3 whistles. Make sure the gram is neither too hard nor overcooked
• Meanwhile, chop onions, slit green chilies
• After the cooker cools, remove the cooked tomatoes, grind it to a paste, along with half of the onions, coconut, coriander leaves and green chilies
• In a pan, heat oil, add mustard seeds and allow to splutter.
• Add the remaining chopped onion and grated ginger, and sauté till the onions turn translucent
• Add the ground paste, and bring to a gentle boil
• Now add the cooked green gram and palak, add salt and let it boil well, for a few minutes, till the raw smell of onion disappears
• Serve with a chapathis / pooris / rice

Notes:
• Ensure the raw small of onion is gone.
• Be sure not to over cook or under cook the green gram
• One cooked potato can be chopped and added too

Nimbe Hannina Gojju - Lime juice gravy

There are some traditional recipes that my MIL makes I can easily say they are her signature recipes. They’re usually the tongue tickling, spicy, tasty ones. When she makes them, they’re surely going to be a hit, every time... When FIL feels his taste buds need some rejuvenation, he often asks her to make one of them.

One such is this one - it is a gravy/chutney using lime juice mainly. it makes an amazing side dish, especially for rice with all the tastes on the higher side, making you crave for more. You’ll definitely end up eating more, as you cannot simply stop!

Coming to the recipe, it has two strange ingredients - at least strange to me. I had not made this myself till now. Every time I had it, it was my MIL who had prepared the dish before I was home, so I would just savor it without bothering on the details. I had assumed that it was the usual gojju, but with lime juice. But this time when she asked me to prepare it, giving the recipe, I was surprised to know that a tablespoon each of milk and curd goes into it, along with lime juice!! I was kind of confused and rechecked with her, when she said that addition of these two items is what gives the dish that unique taste, and sure it did.

When tried without milk and curd, trust me, it did not taste as good. It’s apparently a secret that was passed on to her from her in-law and now to me and of course to you all ;)

Here’s the recipe.... Ensure you make more rice than usual when you make this side dish!

Nimbe hannina gojju - Lime juice, Coconut gravy

Preparation time : 5 min
Cooking time : 5-10 min
Makes : A bowlful of gojju

Ingredients:
Lime - 4-5
Dry red chilies - 10 -12 (I use half of byadagi for color and the other half spicy ones)
Curry leaves - 10 - 15
Fenugreek seeds - ¾ tsp
Black Sesame seeds - 2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 ½ tsp
Coconut - 2 cups, grated
Cooking oil - 1 tsp
Turmeric - a small pinch
Jaggery - 2-3 big marble sized lumps
Salt - 1 tsp, vary acc to taste
Milk - 1 Tbsp
Curd - 1 Tbsp

For tempering:
Cooking oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Black Sesame seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - 15-20
Dry red chili - 1

Method:
• Squeeze out all the juice from lime and keep aside till needed
• In a small pan, roast urad dal, fenugreek seeds, red chilies and curry leaves for 1-2 minutes in a tsp of oil till they become aromatic
• Towards the end, add the sesame seeds and let it splutter
• Allow to cool slightly and grind with grated coconut, salt and jaggery, adding water if required
• To the lime juice, add the milk and curd (yeah, it sounds weird, but apparently that adds to the taste!!)
• Transfer the ground paste to the lime milk and curd mixture an mix thoroughly
• Add water if required to maintain gravy/chutney like consistency
For tempering
• Heat oil in a small skillet
• Add mustard seed and allow to splutter
• Add curry leaves and stir till they become crisp
• Add sesame seeds and switch off the flame after a few seconds; Do not allow the sesame to get overly fried
• Transfer this tempering to the gravy prepared
• Serve with rice with a tsp of oil, tastes just amazingly good

Notes:
• Since the quantity of lime is more in this recipe, the jaggery, salt and chilies also need to be higher than in normal gravies to balance the taste
• This can also be served as a side dish for akki rotti or dosa, etc

Simple Gravy

If you want to fix up a gravy for your Jeera rice or Veg Puloa or Ghee rice etc, and do not want to go for an elaborate one with veggies and other ingredients, here’s an alternative. It is very simple to make, does not need any vegetables, other than onions and tomatoes, of course, and goes well with some rice.

Here’s how to make it...

Simple, Plain Gravy

Preparation time : 10 min Cooking time : 15 min Serves : 4 Ingredients: Onions - 3 medium sized, chopped, divided use Tomatoes - 2 medium sized, chopped Green chilies - 2, slit Garlic - 6-8 flakes Cashew nuts - 2 Tbsp, divided use Cooking oil - 3 tsp Curd - 3-4 Tbsp, optional Salt - ½ tsp or as per taste Sugar - ¼ tsp Ginger Garlic paste - ½ tsp Coriander pwd - ½ tsp Garam masala pwd - ½ tsp Red Chili pwd - ½ tsp Grated coconut - 2 tsp Method: • Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and sauté half of the cut onions, garlic till golden brown • Add the cut tomatoes and cook till done • Cool it, add to it coconut and half the cashew nuts and grind to a puree • Heat the remaining 2 tsp oil in a another pan, and add ginger garlic paste and slit green chilies • Add the remaining cashews, chopped onion, and stir till golden brown • Add red chilli powder, garam masala powder and coriander powder • Now add salt, sugar and the ground paste prepared in 3 and bring to boil • Add water if the consistency is too thick and boil for 3-4 min, stirring intermittently. • Switch off the flame and add the curd if using and mix well. • Serve it with any flavored rice and enjoy Variations: • Curd is optional – It gives a different taste with and without it • Coconut can be omitted

Soya Manchurian

I picked up the pack of Soya chunks from the super market, and when we were home, little niece Hima asked to what it was. And D replied, it was what Chota Bheem ate and what made him that strong! And after that, for the next week I have lost count on the number of times she asked me to make ‘Chota Bheem’s food’ out of it!!! and I, incidentally was too busy at work that week and didn’t find time till the next weekend to make something out of soya chunks that she would eat.
Finally I decided to make Manchurian out of it, as D, me and Hima’s parents would love it, but for her I decided to give the fried soya chunks with just tomato sauce. And through out the cooking time I took, she has ran into the kitchen every 2 minutes asking if the ‘Chota Bheem food’ is ready!!
She ate it with delight and so we ate the Manchurian. It did come out pretty well, in a perfect consistency and taste.

Soya Manchurian

Preparation time : 20 min Cooking time : 20-30 min Serves : 4-5 Ingredients: Soya chunks - 2 cups Milk - 2 tbsp Crystal salt - ½ tsp Boiling water Oil to deep fry For batter: Corn flour - 2 Tbsp Rice flour - 1 Tbsp Maida - 2 Tbsp Orange food color - a small pinch, optional Red chili powder - ½ tsp Salt - ½ tsp Water For Manchurian sauce: Cooking oil - 1 tbsp Onion - 3 medium sized Capsicum - 1, slit into 1” thin strips Garlic - 4-5 cloves Green chilies - 8- 10 (I didn’t have chili sauce, so used chilies) Ajinomoto - 1 pinch, optional Salt - ½ tsp, vary acc to taste Vinegar - 1 Tbsp Soya sauce - 1 Tbsp Tomato ketchup - 2 Tbsp Pepper powder - 1 tsp, optional (adjust as per your taste) Corn flour - about 1 Tbsp, based on the required consistency Method: • In a big vessel, bring water to boil and when boiling, add crystal salt and milk • Dump the soya chunks into the vessel, cover and keep aside for 10 minutes • After 10 mintes, repeat the process in another vessel of boiling water for 10 more minutes. Check if they are soft, by breaking up one. • Drain the soya chunks and squeeze out the excess water. If needed, pat dry on a clean kitchen towel For sauce: • Meanwhile in a wide pan, heat 1 Tbsp oil and add chopped onion, garlic and green chilies • When done, add capsicum and sauté for a few seconds - don’t over cook the capsicum, retain the crunchiness • Add salt, sauces, ajinomoto if using and stir • Mix corn flour in water without lumps and add to the pan - adjust the consistency to your preference Frying the soya chunks: • In a skillet, heat oil for deep frying • Ina small bowl, mix the flours, salt and chili powder for batter and add water to make into a thin paste. It should be of running consistency - not too thick not too thin • Take the softened and drained soya chunks, dip it in the batter and deep fry in oil, 6-8 at a time on medium flame till golden brown • When done, keep on a kitchen towel to drain excess oil • Repeat with the rest of the chunks • When done, add these to the prepared sauce, heat slightly again • Adjust salt and pepper as per taste and optionally garnish with some more sautéed onions or chopped scallions and serve hot • Goes well with fried rice as an accompaniment, or as a starter as is Tips n Tricks: • The batter, if too thick makes the Manchurian balls hard, and if too thin, doesn’t get the crisp texture and may absorb more oil • The quantity of sauces used can be varied as per your taste - no hard and fast rule on the exact measures • Adding milk while soaking the soya chunks eliminates the odor in it

Green Grapes Gojju

Anu’s announcement of Lunchbots giveaway coincided with me having green grapes in bulk, and MIL asking to make some gojju out of it. And some of them were sour! So I knew my entry would be gojju with the sour grapes.
Gojju - means a dish with vegetables in mainly coconut gravy, prepared in South India, mainly Karnataka. Gojju is made with a variety of veggies, with variations. This can be had with rice or as side dish with dosas, chapathis, rottis, etc.
And now, a fruit - green grapes has replaced the veggies in the gojju, and makes it for a good twist :P
So here’s the gojju with a twist - with green grapes.

Green Grapes Gojju

Preparation time : 10 min Cooking time : 15 min Serves : 4 Ingredients: Green grapes - ½ cup, sour ones Green chilies - 8- 10 Curry leaves - 10 - 15 Coriander leaves - a small bunch Fenugreek seeds - ¾ tsp Channa dal - 1 tsp Coconut - 1 cups, grated Cooking oil - 1 tsp Turmeric - a small pinch Jaggery - 1 small marble sized ball Salt - 1 tsp, vary acc to taste For tempering: Cooking oil - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Sesame seeds - 1 tsp Curry leaves - 15-20 Method: • In a pan, roast channa dal, fenugreek seeds, green chilies and curry leaves for 1-2 minutes in a tsp of oil till they become aromatic • Allow to cool slightly and grind with grated coconut, salt and jaggery, adding water if required • Meanwhile in the same pan, heat oil and prepare tempering with mustard seeds, sesame seeds and curry leaves • Add the green grapes and sauté it for a minute or two till the grapes wither slightly • Transfer the ground paste to the pan, mix and let it boil for a couple of minutes • Adjust salt, and add water if required to maintain gravy like consistency • Serve with rice or akki rotti or dosa, etc Tips n Tricks: • Choose sour grapes for better taste

Burnt Eggplant in Coconut Chutney

This is one side dish that comes into my mind instantly when I see eggplant! I used to dislike this veggie earlier, but now with a wide variety of dishes that can be prepared with the eggplant, I actually started liking it. This is quite easy to prepare - cook the eggplant on stovetop till the outer skin is burnt, after which the skin is removed and the inner part is added to a ground coconut chutney. Tastes great with chapathis, rottis, esp Ubbu rotti, and even with rice.

Burnt Eggplant in Coconut Chutney

Preparation time : 5 min Cooking time : 15 min Serves : 4 Ingredients: Eggplant - 3, medium sized, preferably purple ones Coconut - 1 cup, grated Green chilies - 5-6, depending on taste Channa dal - 2 tsp Curry leaves - 2 sprigs Coriander leaves - 1 Tbsp, chopped Cooking oil - 1 tsp Jaggery - a small pinch (optional) Tamarind - a small marble sized ball Salt - ½ tsp or as per taste Turmeric - 1 pinch For Tempering: Cooking oil - 1 tsp Curry leaves - A few sprigs Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Asafetida - a pinch, powdered Method: • Wash the eggplants, make sure there are no holes on the outer skin, which means there might be bugs inside • Smear a few drops of oil over the eggplant • Switch on the gas and place these eggplants directly over the flame • Turn it around every now and then and ensure an even blackening of the outer skin. This will take around 2 minutes per eggplant. • Poke the back of a spoon or a knife to check if it is cooked soft inside. • Repeat this for all the eggplants and set aside to cool • Meanwhile, roast green chilies, curry leaves and chana dal in a few drops of oil till they change color • Grind the above with coconut, turmeric, salt, tamarind, jaggery, coriander leaves, adding a little water if needed • Transfer the ground chutney to a serving bowl • Once the burnt eggplant is cool enough to handle, peel the outer charred skin. A thick layer comes out easily. • Mash this slightly or cut with a knife to get small pieces • Add it to the ground chutney and mix well For tempering / tadka: • Heat the oil in a pan, add mustard and allow to splutter • Add curry leaves • Garnish with tadka Tips n Tricks: • Do not make the chutney too smooth – a little coarse consistency will give a better taste • You can just bake the eggplant in oven too. But make sure to prick some holes all over, to prevent it from bursting inside the oven!

Carrot Baby corn Masala

The next few posts of mine will be some old dishes that I had saved as drafts but not posted. Some of them are even as old as last year, and now comes the time to post them all....

I’ve messed up with my camera, or rather Dee’s camera. I tried doing a favor for a friend by recovering her mistakenly deleted pictures and borrowed her card. Just as Dee was trying to stop me from inserting that card into his camera, I just inserted it, and whew.... the camera broke down :(. Now it can’t write on any card nor can we take pictures. I felt so so bad about it that I almost spoiled a couple of days over it.....
Now we should get it fixed over the weekend, and till then no way of clicking food pics. I don’t even have my other old camera here and may be if I get it, I can click some in the next week. So till then, no new recipes to post. But well, I have loads of them in drafts and will be posting them one by one!
This one is a dish I had tried out sometime last year, but hadn’t posted. Here it goes....

Carrot Baby corn Masala

Preparation time : 10 min Cooking time : 15 min Serves : 4 Ingredients: Carrots - 2, cut into 1’ x ¼’ pieces Baby corn - 8-10, cut into 1’ x ¼’ pieces Onions - 3 medium sized, chopped Tomatoes - 2 medium sized, chopped Green chilies - 2, slit Garlic - 6-8 flakes Almonds - 12-15, soaked in water for sometime Cooking oil - 1 Tbsp Salt - ½ tsp or as per taste Ginger Garlic paste - ½ tsp Coriander powder - ½ tsp Garam masala powder - ½ tsp Red Chili powder - ½ tsp Kitchen king masala - ½ tsp Method: • Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and saute half of the cut onions till golden brown• Add the cut tomatoes and cook till done • Once cool enough to handle, add soaked almonds and grind to a puree • Heat the remaining oil in a another pan, and add ginger garlic paste and slit green chilies • Add the remaining chopped onion, and stir till golden brown • Now add the chopped carrots and baby corn and cook till tender. Sprinkle a little water if needed. • Add red chilli powder, garam masala powder, kitchen king masala and coriander powder • Now add salt and the ground paste and bring to boil • Add water if the consistency is too thick and boil for 3-4 min, stirring intermittently. • Switch off the flame and garnish with chopped coriander • Serve it with rotis/phulkas/chapathis. Tips n Tricks: • Do not overcook the veggies, let it be slightly crispy

Jackfruit Seeds Gojju/Gravy

‘When life gives you lemons, make lemonade’, I read somewhere. And for me, it’s raining jackfruits this season! Well, I am a big fan of jackfruits. You get me a big ripe yum jackfruit and peel it for me (yeah, I can’t do it myself) and I’ll finish half of it before you even peel it fully!
This year, Dee is getting home jackfruits very often and I promptly do the honors :). And our next task would be to count the number of seeds to see if the amount we paid was worth it!

These seeds taste good when cooked with veggies and added in sambhar, which we do quite often. Other than that, this season, since the quantity of the seeds was more, we had to make something else to use it up, so here is a gojju with jackfruit seeds. It does taste good, with rice or chapathis.

Jackfruit seeds gojju

Preparation time : 10 min Cooking time : 15-20 min Serves : 4-5 Ingredients: Jackfruit seeds – 18-20 medium sized Cooking Oil - 2 tsp Turmeric - a small pinch Chana dal – 2 tsp Urad dal – 1 tsp Fenugreek seeds - ¾ tsp Red chilies - 10 -12, byadagi variety (use Guntur variety for spicier version) Coconut - 1 cup, grated Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Curry leaves - 15-20 Jaggery - 1 big marble sized ball Tamarind - 2 big marble sized balls, washed and soaked Salt - 1 tsp, vary acc to taste Method: • Peel and break jackfruit seeds. • Pressure cook with a little water and a little salt for 2-3 whistles or till cooked soft. • Meanwhile, in a separate pan, dry roast chana dal, urad dal, fenugreek seeds, red chilies and remaining curry leaves for 1-2 minutes till they become aromatic and golden brown • Allow to cool slightly and grind the roasted spices with grated coconut, salt and jaggery, tamarind pulp adding water if required • Add this ground paste to the cooked jackfruit seeds, and bring it to a boil • Add water to maintain gravy-like consistency • Put off the flame after 5 minutes of boiling • Make tempering with mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add to the gravy. • Serve with rice / rotis/ chapathis/ dosas Tips n Tricks: • To break the jackfruit seeds, hit it with a rolling pin or some heavy object. It breaks into smaller pieces, after which it is easy to peel the outer thick skin. Variations: • Green chilies can be used in place of dry red chilies

Black eyed beans in Peanut Masala

It gets too boring with the same side dishes for chapathis in the mornings.... the same dal, the same gojjus or palyas...... Dee hates chapathis unless there is some interesting, or new variety of side dish.
Not every time when in-laws decide the breakfast menu as chapathis that I get to try out something new for side dish... So this time, I decided the previous night itself that to cook some peanut masala based lobia gravy, and soaked the beans. Peanut based masala is not something that I make regularly, so added ingredients on a fair guess.... it did turn out to be tasty. And definitely it is full of proteins..... we enjoyed the chapathis, courtesy this gravy!
Here’s how I made it....

Black eyed beans in Peanut Masala

Preparation time : 10 min Cooking time : 15 min, other than time taken to soak and cook the beans Serves : 5-6 Ingredients: Black eyed beans / Alasande kalu / lobia - 1 cup Onion - 2 medium sized Garlic - 4-5 cloves Ginger - 1” cube, grated Green chilies - 2-3, vary depending on taste Cumin seeds - 1 tsp Cooking oil - 1Tbsp Garam masala powder - 1 tsp Salt - ½ tsp or as per taste Sugar - ¼ tsp For the masala Tomatoes - 1 medium sized Red chilies - 3-4, vary depending on taste Channa dal - 2 tsp Urad dal - 2 tsp Peanuts - 1 Tbsp Coconut - 2 Tbsp, grated Coriander seeds - 2 tsp Method: • Soak the beans in enough water overnight • Cook it in a pressure cooker for just 1 whistle, or till cooked soft • Boil tomatoes. Tomatoes can also be boiled along with the beans in the cooker • Meanwhile, dry roast red chilies, dals, peanuts, coriander seeds till aromatic • Allow to cool slightly and grind it with tomatoes, adding water used to cook beans • Slit green chilies, and chop onions into medium sized pieces • In a heavy bottomed pan, heat oil and add cumin seeds, crushed garlic, ginger, slit green chilies • Add the chopped onions and sauté till they turn translucent • Now add the ground paste and cook for a few minutes till the raw smell of onion is gone. • Add garam masala, salt, sugar and mix well • Now add the cooked beans and bring to boil for a few minutes. Adjust the consistency with suitable amount of water. The beans should absorb the flavors and taste of the masala. • Garnish with chopped coriander • Serve with chapathis or rotis or rice Tips n Tricks: • If the gravy turns out to be too thin, then, just take out a tablespoon of the cooked beans, and grind it to a coarse paste and add it back to the gravy. This way, you get the right consistency and a creamy texture, without compromising on the taste

I'm sending this to MLLA 24, started by Susan and hosted by Diana here.

Channa Masala

As a kid, Channa batura used to be my all time favorite in some of the restaurants that we would visit. While ordering food for me, dad used to be quite sure always that my choice would be Channa Batura! The huge round poori and the fat kabuli channa cooked soft with a simple yet flavorsome masala would surely be a hit for all kids, and of course to the elders too! :)

We used to have this dish only at restaurants initially, and later mom started making it at home for us, which is definitely much healthier than what is available out at restaurants. And the oily Bhatura can be substituted with little healthier regular pooris. The channa masala, if made well, even tastes great with chapathis, making it best for people cutting down on oily stuff.

This is a slight variant of the authentic Channa masala, to suit our taste buds, learnt from my mom.

Channa Masala

Preparation time : 10 min Cooking time : 20 min, other than time taken to soak and cook the channa Serves : 5-6 Ingredients: For cooking Channa Kabuli channa - 2 cups Baking soda - a small pinch Salt - ¼ tsp For the masala Tomatoes - 3-4 medium sized Onion - 3-4 medium sized Garlic - 4-5 cloves Ginger - 1” cube, grated Green chilies - 2-3, vary depending on taste Red chili powder - ½ tsp Coconut - 2 Tbsp, grated Salt - ½ tsp or as per taste Sugar - ¼ tsp Coriander leaves - 1 Tbsp, chopped Channa masala powder - 1 tsp. If you do not have this, you can simply add about ¾th spoon of garam masala, and half a spoon of dhania-jeera powder Cooking oil - ½ Tbsp Method: • Soak kabuli channa overnight • Cook it in a pressure cooker with a pinch of soda and salt for 4-5 whistles, or till cooked soft • Boil tomatoes. Tomatoes can also be boiled along with the channa in the cooker • Meanwhile, slit green chilies, and chop onions into medium sized pieces • Grind the cooked tomatoes, half of chopped onions, coconut into a fine paste • In a heavy bottomed pan, heat oil and add crushed garlic, ginger, slit green chilies • Add the remaining chopped onions and sauté till they turn translucent • Now add the ground paste and cook for a few minutes till the raw smell of onion is gone. • Add Channa masala, red chili powder, salt, sugar and mix well • Now add the cooked channa and bring to boil for a few minutes. Adjust the consistency with suitable amount of water. The channa should absorb the flavors and taste of the masala. • Garnish with chopped coriander • Serve with baturas / pooris / chapathis Tips n Tricks: • If the gravy turns out to be too thin, then, just take out a tablespoon of the cooked channa, and grind it to a coarse paste and add it back to the gravy. This way, you get the right consistency and a creamy texture, without compromising on the taste Variations: • The onion can also be sautéed before grinding, to avoid boiling for a longer time later to eliminate the raw smell