ASH GOURD CURRY

 ASH GOURD CURRY

Ash Gourd, also known as White Pumpkin or Winter Melon is commonly available in India. We  call this  "Kuvale" in my mother tongue, Konkani. It is called, "Boodagumbala " in Kannada, "Petha" in Hindi, and "Neer Poosinikai" in Tamil.

It is rich in fibre and is good for health. 

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find other recipes for dishes made with Ash Gourd such as:-

• Ash Gourd Mor Kuzhambu
• Ash Gourd Pumpkin Coconut Stew
• Ash Gourd Kootu
• Puli Koddel

Today's recipe is for a side dish made with Ash Gourd which I make often. I have adapted this from Poosanikai Rasavangi in Subbu's Kitchen. A rasavangi is a thicker type of sambar.  To simplify matters, I have called this Ash Gourd Curry for many readers who may not be familiar with the intricate differences between sambar and rasavangi. 

It goes well with hot steamed rice. 

Ingredients:-

• Ash Gourd, 250-300 gms
• Chana Dal, 1 tbsp 
• Toor Dal, 1/2 cup 
• Turmeric Powder, 1/8 tsp 
• Tamarind, size of a lemon sized ball 
• Salt, to taste

To Be Roasted & Ground To A Coarse Powder

• Urad Dal, 2 tsp
• Chana Dal, 2 tsp
• Coriander Seeds, 1 tbsp
• Fenugreek Seeds, 1/4 tsp
• Byadgi Red Chillies, 6
• Oil 1 tsp for roasting above ingredients
• Coconut Gratings, 2 tbsp 
• Asafoetida,1/8 tsp 
• Curry Leaves, a few
• Oil, 1 tsp for roasting above ingredients 

For Seasoning -

• Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves, a sprig 
• Oil, 2 tsp

Method:-

Wash and peel the ash gourd, discard the core and seeds and cut into bite-sized cubes

Wash and cook the toor dal in adequate water with 1/8 tsp of turmeric powder in a pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles or till it gets fully cooked

Once the cooker cools, remove the cooked dal, mash it and keep aside

Soak 1 tbsp of channa dal in water for about 10 minutes

Soak the tamarind in warm water for about 10 minutes and extract the tamarind juice. Keep aside.

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and add the Urad Dal, channa dal, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds and Bydagi Red Chillies and roast till the dals change colour

Transfer to a small mixer jar

Heat 1 tsp of oil in the same pan, add the coconut gratings, asafoetida and a few curry leaves and roast till the coconut gratings turn a light brown 

Transfer this too to the same mixer jar

Grind these ingredients to a coarse powder. Keep aside 

Cook the ash gourd in adequate water in a vessel along with soaked channa dal and turmeric powder till it gets done. The ash gourd should be cooked yet remain firm

To this add the tamarind extract, mix well and cook for about 5 minutes till the raw smell of the tamarind goes

Now add the cooked and mashed toor dal, the freshly ground coarse powder and salt to taste and mix well

Bring to a boil, then lower the flame and cook for another 8-10 minutes

In a small tadka pan, heat 2 tsp of oil and on medium heat add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the curry leaves and sauté for a few seconds

Add this seasoning to the Ash Gourd Curry 

Transfer to a serving bowl

Serve with hot steamed rice 

THONDEKAYI (IVY GOURD) PALYA

THONDEKAYI (IVY GOURD) PALYA

One of the veggies that is often used in my house is Ivy Gourd. This is called Thondekayi in Kannada, 

Kovakkai in Tamil, Tindora in Hindi, and Tendle in my mother tongue, Konkani.

According to this article in Lybrate, Ivy Gourd has many properties that are good for our health.

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for other dishes made with Ivy Gourd, such as:-

• Tendle Talasani
• Thondekayi Yennegayi
• Kovakkai Kootu

Today's recipe is from my Home State of Karnataka. It is for a side dish called Thondekayi Palya. I have adapted this from the YouTube video for Thondekayi Palya from Sudha's Kitchen.

This dish is quite easy to make and goes great with rice or chapatis. 

Ingredients:-

• Thondekayi (Ivy Gourd), 500 gms
• Channa Dal, (Bengal Gram ), 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves, a few
• Green Chilli, chopped, 1 
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Tamarind, small gooseberry-sized ball
• Jaggery, grated, 1/2 tsp, or to taste
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 2 tbsp

Grind To A Coarse Powder:-

• Byadgi Red Chilles, 5
• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Coconut Gratings, 1/2 cup

Method:-

Wash the ivy gourd, snip off the two ends and cut lengthwise into thin strips

Soak the tamarind in a little warm water  and extract the juice

In a small mixer jar, grind together Byadgi red chillies and the mustard seeds till they are crushed

To this add the coconut gratings and once again grind to a coarse powder without adding any water 

Keep aside

Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadhai and on medium heat add them channa dal and the curry leaves

Saute till the dal changes colour 

Add the chopped green chilli and sauté 

Next add the ivy gourd slices and sauté on low flame for 1-2 minutes 

Add a little salt salt and turmeric powder and mix well

Cover and cook on medium/low flame stirring from time to time 

Once the ivy gourd is half cooked, mix in the tamarind extract and grated jaggery

Add salt to taste ( remember a little has been added before) 

Cook till the ivy gourd gets done but remains firm without getting overcooked 

Lastly, add the freshly ground powder of red chillies-mustard and coconut and mix well 

Transfer to a serving bowl

Thondekayi Palya is ready to be served as a side dish with rice or chapatis 

 

CHEFBOSS: "TIME TO CHEF IT UP. LIKE A BOSS"

 CHEFBOSS: "TIME TO CHEF IT UP. LIKE A BOSS" 

As foodies, my husband and I have been enthusiastic members of "Bangalore Foodies Club" a group for foodies on Facebook which has grown very rapidly in the last few years. There are more than 192, 000 members as of date. It is run efficiently by a team headed by our friend, Raunak Kundu. 

I would like to thank Raunak for having introduced me to products from ChefBoss. I had vaguely heard of this outfit so was keen to try out their products when he arranged to send across a hamper to us.

This had two products : Lucknowi Biryani Paste and Hot Garlic Cooking Sauce. 

Before getting to the dishes, a bit about what we learnt about ChefBoss. I liked the interesting line tossed up by them which goes, " Time To Chef It Up: Like A Boss" A visit to their website  shows their impressive and growing range of products. They describe their products of ready to cook pastes, gravies and cooking sauces as their culinary toolkit for you to explore Indian and international cuisine favourites.

 These, as of now, are in two streams : Indian and Chinese. 

I first tried out the Lucknowi Biryani Paste in which one can use either vegetables or chicken. The instructions are easy to follow. They claim the dish can be made in just three steps thanks to their paste which has all the ingredients needed to give a great taste. Of course, you do need to have cooked rice to start with. 

I made the Lucknowi Biryani using Vegetables and it came out fine. I used Basmati rice and Carrots, Beans, and Cauliflower, garnished with mint and coriander leaves. It was very tasty. I must mention here the distinct taste of Kewra and Rose Water ingrained in the paste. 

As lovers of prawns, I simply had to innovate and make another round of Biryani using the frozen prawns I had readily available and the Biryani Paste. 

This "Lucknow meets Goa" dish turned out to be delicious!

The Hot Garlic Cooking Sauce was aromatic and was great -paired with Fried Rice. This sauce can be made with Chicken, Paneer or Mixed Vegetables. I made this using Capsicum, Onions, Carrots, Beans and Cauliflower. This was garnished with chopped Spring Onion Greens. 

These products are a big time saver for everyone who values their time. The Ready To Cook Paste saves you the hassle of getting together all the ingredients and preparing them for the dish. 

Overall, I was happy with the taste and flavour of the ChefBoss products that I tried out. I plan to use more in the course of time.

SWEET POTATO ROAST

 SWEET POTATO ROAST

Sweet Potatoes are known as Shakarkhand in Hindi, Sihi Genasu in Kannada, Sakkarvalli Kilangu in Tamil, and Kannang in my mother tongue, Konkani. 

In addition to their distinctive flavor, we know that the sweet potatoes have several health benefits.

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find other recipes using Sweet Potato, such as:-

• Sweet Potato Stir Fry 
• Sweet Potato Tikkis
• Sweet Potato Masala Fry 

Today's recipe is for a side dish called Sweet Potato Roast. This goes great with our meal of rice and dal. In Konkani we call this Kannanga Bhajun Upkari.  

The special touch of adding dissolved asafoetida ( or what we call 'Hinga Udda" in Konkani) in the end is a must! 

Ingredients:-

• Sweet Potatoes, 3 or about 350-380 grams
• Mustards Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida, ( 1/8 tsp + 1/4 tsp to be dissolved in water)
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp 
• Curry Leaves, 1 sprig
• Salt, to taste
• Chilli Powder, 3/4 to 1 tsp
• Coconut Oil, 2 tbsp or as required

Method:-

Wash the sweet potatoes thoroughly 

Peel and cut them into thin strips

Immerse the sweet potato strips in water to avoid discoloration

Drain away the water and add salt to the sweet potato

Keep aside for 5 to 10 minutes

Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadhai and on medium heat add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add 1/8 tsp of asafoetida, turmeric powder, curry leaves and sauté for a few seconds

Squeeze out the water released from the sweet potato and add the sweet potato strips to the kadhai and sauté for a couple of minutes

Now cook this covered on medium/low flame, stirring from time to time, till the sweet potatoes get done

To this add the chilli powder and mix well so that it gets well blended

Check for salt and add only if required

At this stage if you want the sweet potatoes to be roasted even more, add a little more oil and cook till it gets further roasted as sweet potatoes suck up a lot of oil in the cooking 

Lastly, dissolve 1/4 tsp of asafoetida in a little water

Sprinkle this on to the dish and mix well. 

Switch off the gas and transfer to serving plate

VAALI BIKKANDA SASAM -Malabar Spinach & Jackfruit Seeds Curry

 VAALI BIKKANDA SASAM ( Malabar Spinach & Jackfruit Seeds Curry )

Today's recipe is for an old favourite from our Konkani GSB cuisine called Vaali Bikkanda Sasam. The name comes from the two principal ingredients, Vaali or Malabar Spinach, and Bikkand or Jackfruit Seeds. This is a mildly spiced coconut-based curry with a distinct taste of ground mustard (Sasam in Konkani). 

I thank my friend, Gowri Baliga for reminding me of this dish by her post in a food group in which we are members. 

After making dishes with the jackfruit, we also put the jackfruit seeds to use! Elsewhere in this blog you will find recipes for:-

• Ponsa Appo 
• Ponsa Polo
• Batate Bikkanda Humman

Malabar Spinach, called Vaali in Konkani, my mother tongue and Basale Soppu in Kannada, is particularly rich in Vitamin A. Jackfruit Seeds are rich in thiamine and riboflavin. 

We love this dish and I hope you will enjoy it too! 

Ingredients :-

• Vaali (Malabar Spinach), 100 to 150 grams
• Bikkand ( Jackfruit Seeds), 10-12
• Coconut Gratings, 1 cup
• Roasted Byadgi Red Chillies, 2
• Tamarind, a small piece 
• Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp + 1/2 tsp for seasoning 
• Raw Rice, 1 tsp 
• Jaggery, grated, 1 tsp or to taste, 
• Curry Leaves, a few
• Salt, to taste
• Ghee/Oil, 2 tsp

Method:-

Remove the spinach leaves from the stems. Cut the tender parts of the stem into 1 " pieces. Wash them thoroughly and roughly chop them. Keep aside

Remove the outer skin of the jackfruit seeds and soak them in water for some time

Lightly crush the jackfruit seeds

In a pressure cooker, keep the crushed jackfruit seeds in a vessel 

Cook them in adequate water for 1 whistle.

After the cooker cools, removed the cooked jackfruit seeds and keep aside

Ito this add the chopped Vaali and salt to taste

Cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes

In a mixer jar, grind together the coconut gratings, roasted dry red chillies, mustard seeds, tamarind and raw rice to a smooth paste adding just the required amount of water 

Add the ground paste along with the grated jaggery to the cooked spinach and jackfruit seeds

Mix well, add water as required to get a medium thick consistency and bring to a boil

Check for salt, and add if required

Lower the flame and allow it to simmer for 2-3 minutes and switch off the gas 

Heat ghee/oil in a small seasoning pan, and on medium heat add 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds, when they splutter add the curry leaves and sauté for a few seconds

Add this seasoning to the curry 

Transfer the curry to a serving bowl

Serve Vaali  Bikkanda Sasam as a side dish or as an accompaniment for steamed rice 

YELLOW PUMPKIN GOJJU

 YELLOW PUMPKIN GOJJU

Yellow Pumpkins are called "Sihi Kumbalkai" in Kannada. We call this Duddhi in my mother tongue, Konkani, and Kaddu in Hindi.

They are rich in antioxidants and vitamins. This article in the Ayushakti website speaks of the Seven Amazing Health Benefits of Yellow Pumpkin. 

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for dishes with Yellow Pumpkin such as:-

• Yellow Pumpkin Chutney
• Yellow Pumpkin Dry Curry 
• Yellow Pumpkin Kootu

Today's recipe is for a side dish made with yellow pumpkin which has been adapted from Sihi Kumbalkai Gojju by "Simpleallagi Ondu Aduge", a popular Kannada cookery channel on YouTube. 

It does not call for the use of onion and garlic. Many may find this useful during days when they wish to avoid these ingredients.

Ingredients:-

• Yellow Pumpkin, 500 gms 
• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Curry Leaves, a sprig
• Asafoetida, 1/8 tsp
• Turmeric Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Tamarind, size of a small gooseberry
• Jaggery, grated, 2 tsp, or to taste 
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 1 and 1/2 tbsp 

To Be Ground To A Smooth Paste 

• Coconut Gratings, 3/4 cup
• Red Chillies, 6  ( 4 Byadgi + 2 Guntur) 
• Asafoetida, 1/4 tsp
• Fried Gram, (Hurigadle), 2 tsp 
• White Sesame Seeds, 2 tsp 
• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp 

Method:-

Wash and peel the pumpkin and cut into bite sized pieces, discarding the core and seeds. Keep aside

Soak the tamarind in warm water and extract the juice. Keep aside. 

In a pan, first dry roast the white sesame seeds, then add and dry roast the red chillies ( 4 Byadgi + 2 Guntur)  

In a mixer jar, grind together the coconut gratings along with the dry roasted red chillies and sesame seeds with fried gram and mustard seeds to a smooth paste adding just the required amount of water 

Keep aside 

Heat oil in a thick- bottomed kadhai and on medium heat add the mustard seeds

When they splutter add the asafoetida and curry leaves and sauté for a few seconds

Add the turmeric powder and the cubed pumpkin and sauté for about 2 minutes

To this add 1/4 cup of water and cover and cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes stirring from time to time

(Remember that pumpkin gets cooked very fast) The pumpkin should get cooked yet remain firm

Add the tamarind juice,  the freshly prepared ground paste, salt and grated jaggery to taste and mix well 

Add 1 cup of water or as needed to get the desired consistency 

Mix well and bring to a boil 

Reduce heat and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes stirring from time to time 

Switch off the gas and transfer to a serving bowl 

Serve Yellow Pumpkin Gojju as a side dish with steamed rice or chapatis 

KELE UPKARI (RAW BANANA STIR FRY)

 KELE UPKARI (RAW BANANA STIR FRY) 

In my house, I make it a point to make dishes using raw/green bananas from time to time. They can be used in a variety of dishes and also have numerous health benefits.

Today's recipe is for a simple yet tasty side dish called "Kele Upkari" in my mother tongue, Konkani.  Green Bananas are called Vazhakkai in Tamil, Baalekayi in Kannada, and "Kachcha Kela" in Hindi. 

"Upkari" is nothing but a stir fry in Konkani. 

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes using green/raw bananas such as :-

• Swadisht Vegetable Rolls, 
• Vazhakkai Varuval
• Kele Koddel 

For Kele Upkari, more commonly we do a seasoning of mustard seeds, red chillies, asafoetida and curry leaves.

Sometimes, for a change, I prefer to use garlic cloves for seasoning as it gives, I feel, a better flavour to the dish. This is a matter of individual taste. 

Ingredients:-

• Raw/Green Bananas, 3 or about 500 gms
• Red Chillies, 3-4, broken into pieces
• Garlic Cloves, 8-10
• Coconut Oil, 2 tbsp
• Salt, to taste
• Coconut Gratings, 2 tbsp, for garnish

Method:-

Wash the raw bananas, snip off both the ends, peel and cut them into cubes

Immerse these cubes in water to avoid discoloration

Lightly crush the unpeeled garlic cloves 

Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan and on medium heat add the lightly crushed garlic cloves

Saute till they turn golden and give off a good aroma

Next, add the broken red chillies and sauté for a few seconds

To this, add the cubed bananas (after draining away the water) and salt to taste

Saute till the raw bananas get well blended with the seasoning

Cover and cook on medium/low flame, without adding any water, stirring from time to time till the raw bananas get done

Remember that raw bananas get cooked very fast

If you want the Kele Upkari to be more crisp you can roast for longer time adding more oil

Switch off the gas and transfer to serving bowl 

Finally garnish the Kele Upkari with coconut gratings

Serve hot as a side dish with the main meal of rice and rasam