MUSHROOM CURRY

 MUSHROOM CURRY 

Button mushrooms have become very popular in India over the last couple of decades. They are readily available and many have acquired a taste for them. At our home, we make dishes from mushrooms quite often as they are considered good for health in many ways. 

You will find many recipes for mushroom dishes elsewhere in this blog, including :-

• Mushroom Kurma, 
• Mushroom Mint Pulao,
• Matar Mushroom. 

Today's recipe is for a gravy made with mushrooms which I have adapted from Mushroom Curry in Swasthi's Indian Healthy Recipes

We had this with jeera rice and it was delicious! 

Ingredients:-

• Button Mushrooms, 200 gms
• Small sized Capsicum, 1
• Large sized Onion, 1
• Medium sized Tomatoes, 2  for the tomato puree  
• Turmeric, 1/4 tsp 
• Curry Leaves, 1 sprig
• Green Chilli, slit, 1
• Cumin Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Ginger Garlic Paste, 1 tsp
• Chilli Powder, 1 tsp or to taste 
• Kitchen King Masala, 1/4 tsp
• Kasuri Methi ( Dried Fenugreek Leaves), 1 tsp
• Oil, 2 tbsp
• Salt, to taste
• Coriander leaves, finely chopped, for garnish 

To Dry Roast and Make A Powder: 

• Peanuts, 2 tbsp
• Sesame Seeds, 1 tbsp
• Coconut Gratings, 1 tbsp

Method:-

Wash the button mushrooms, dab them dry and slice them

Chop the capsicum into cubes

Finely chop the onions 

Prepare a puree out of the tomatoes

In a kadhai, dry roast the peanuts till they change colour and give off a good aroma

Lower the heat, add sesame seeds and sauté till they splutter 

Switch off the gas, add the coconut gratings and sauté 

Allow the dry roasted ingredients to cool then transfer them to a small mixer jar

Grind them to a powder and keep aside 

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in the kadhai,  add the sliced mushrooms and sauté on high heat for 2-3 minutes in its own juices till it gives off a good aroma. Keep aside

In the same kadhai add the capsicum cubes and sauté till they get partially cooked yet remain crunchy. Take care not to overcook them. Keep aside

Heat the remaining 1 tbsp of oil in the kadhai, and on medium heat add the cumin seeds and when they sizzle add the curry leaves and sauté for a few seconds

To this add the finely chopped onions and the slit green chilli

Sauté till the onions become slightly golden 

Now add the ginger garlic paste, and sauté till the raw smell goes

Add the prepared tomato puree, salt and turmeric powder and mix well 

Cook on medium heat stirring from time to time till the raw smell of the tomatoes goes 

Next add the roasted peanut-sesame-coconut powder prepared earlier and chilli powder to taste

Saute for 1-2 minutes

Add 1 and 1/2 cups of water, mix well and bring to a boil

Lower the heat and and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes till the gravy thickens

Check for salt and add only if required

Now add the sautéed mushroom and capsicum and mix again 

Add the crushed Kasuri Methi and Kitchen King masala

Cook till the mushrooms and the capsicum get fully done but remain firm 

Switch off the gas and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves

Transfer to serving bowl

Serve with pulao, jeera rice or rotis 

INSTANT RAVA & ATTA DOSA

 INSTANT RAVA & ATTA DOSA

Dosas form an integral part of our South Indian cuisine. In my house we have them for breakfast quite often. Thankfully, there are ever so many types of dosas that we simply don't tire of having dosas for breakfast! 

Elsewhere in the blog, you will find recipes for some types of dosas such as:-

• Dosa
• Masoor Dal Dosa
• Moong Dal Dosa
• Paper Dosa 

These days with time being at a premium, we are always looking for dishes which can be made quite fast and save us some valuable time. I came across one such dish recently and tried it out.

For making dosas, usually we would make the batter and let it ferment overnight etc. In this recipe for Instant Rava and Atta Dosa, we can make the dosa quickly as the batter need not be fermented. 

Another advantage is that this dosa can be easily made on days when we want to avoid rice. It is also  convenient for those who wish to avoid rice in their diets. 

I have adapted from Instant Rava Wheatflour Dosa by Nisha Madhulika, the well-known cookery expert,We had this for our breakfast today and enjoyed it with chutney.

Since different types of rava/sooji are available, for today's recipe you should use the fine variety of rava.  In case you have a thicker variety, you can run it once in the mixer to make it more fine. 

Ingredients:-

• Fine Rava /Sooji (Semolina), 1 cup
• Atta (Wheat Flour), 1/4 cup
• Fresh Curds, 1 cup
• Salt, to taste
• Baking Soda, 1/4 tsp or Eno1 tsp
• Oil, to make the dosas

Method:- 

In a bowl, mix together fine rava, atta, fresh curds, salt to taste, and water as required to make a batter which is free of lumps.We need the batter to be of the consistency used for the regular dosa. Cover and keep aside for about 15 minutes. 

After 15 minutes, you will find the batter has become thick by absorbing the water so add more water if required.

Now add the baking soda OR Eno fruit salt and mix well. The batter is ready to make dosas.

Heat a non-stick tawa,  and lightly grease it. Sprinkle a little water and wipe it off the tawa.

On medium heat, pour a ladle of the prepared batter and spread it in a circular motion to form a dosa 

Drizzle oil on top of and around the dosa and then cook on high flame till one side of the dosa gets done

Likewise, flip and cook the other side

Transfer the prepared dosas to serving plate and serve hot with chutney of your choice

Tips

* When making dosas, it is a good idea to spread the batter on low flame and then increase the flame to cook the dosa. It gets difficult to spread the batter of the tawa is overheated.  

* After making each dosa, sprinkle a little water on the tawa and wipe it off. This helps to make sure the tawa does not get overheated 

ASH GOURD KOOTU

 

ASH GOURD KOOTU 

During the summer months it is better to have more of vegetables that have a higher water content. One such is Ash Gourd, also known as White Pumpkin or Winter Melon. 

We  call this  "Kuvale" in my mother tongue, Konkani. It is called, "Boodagumbala " in Kannada, "Petha" in Hindi, and "Vellai Poosinikai" in Tamil. 

 Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for our Konkani style Kuvale Sasam, for Ash Gourd Mor Kuzhambu from Tamilnadu and for Ash Gourd Pumpkin Coconut Stew from Kerela. 

Today's recipe has been adapted from Vellai Poosanikai Kootu by Subbu's Kitchen. This dish does not call for the use of onion and garlic so can be made when you wish to avoid using these ingredients. 

We enjoyed this kootu with hot steamed rice and spicy rasam. 

Ingredients:-

• Ash Gourd, 250-300 rms
• Bengal Gram (Channa Dal),  1/4 cup
• Water, 1 cup
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Torn Curry Leaves, a few
• Coconut Oil, 1 tsp

To Be Ground To A Smooth Paste:-

• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1/3 cup 
• Green Chillies, 2
• Cumin Seeds, 1 tsp
• Soaked Raw Rice, 2 tsp

For Seasoning:-

• Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp
• Split Urad Dal, 1 tsp
• Red Chilli, broken into halves, 1
• Curry Leaves, a few
• Coconut Oil, 2 tsp

Method:-

Wash, peel and cube the ash gourd into bite-sized pieces

Wash the Bengal Gram (Channa Dal ) and pressure cook with adequate water for about 2-3 whistles. Once the cooker cools remove the cooked dal and keep aside. There is no need to mash the cooked dal. 

Soak the raw rice for about 10 minutes in a little water, then discard the excess water

In a mixer jar grind together the coconut gratings, cumin seeds, green chillies and the soaked rice, adding water as required, to a smooth paste and keep aside

In a vessel, cover and cook the ash gourd pieces along with 1 cup of water and a little turmeric on medium heat, till the ash gourd gets done but remains firm. Take care to see it does not get overcooked. 

To this add the cooked channa dal and the ground paste just prepared, salt to taste and mix well 

Add a few torn curry leaves, 1 tsp of coconut oil and a little water as required to adjust the consistency and bring this to a boil 

In a small tadka pan , heat 2 tsp of coconut oil and on medium heat add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the urad dal and sauté till it changes colour

Add broken red chilli and a few curry leaves and sauté for a few seconds

Pour this seasoning on to the ash gourd kootu

Serve as a side dish with steamed rice and rasam 

DOUBLE BEANS & POTATO CURRY

 DOUBLE BEANS & POTATO CURRY

Today's recipe is made with a vegetable popularly called Double Beans in India. The formal name for them is Lima Beans or Broad Field Beans. 

It is well-established that  Double Beans have numerous health benefits apart from being so tasty when used in dishes. 

Elsewhere in this blog, you will recipes for other dishes made with double beans such as:-

• Double Beans Saung
• Double Beans Curry 
• Double Beans Ambat 

I have used fresh double beans as I had some handy. However, if you do not get fresh double beans, you can use the dried ones after soaking them in water overnight and pressure cooking them for 3 whistles. 

This recipe has been adapted from Double Beans Curry in Rak's Kitchen. I have added potatoes which go well with double beans. Don't miss the drizzling of coconut oil in the end as it enhances the taste of the dish.

We enjoyed this dish very much and I am sure you too will like it! 

Ingredients:-

• Double Beans, 1 cup
• Medium-sized Potatoes, 2
• Medium-sized Onion, 1
• Turmeric Powder, 1/8 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Coconut Oil, 1-2 tsp

To Grind To A Coarse Paste:- 

• Coriander Seeds, 1/2 tbsp
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 2 tbsp
• Byadgi Red Chillies, 3
• Garlic Cloves, 2 
• Peppercorns, 1 tsp
• Cumin Seeds, 1/2 tsp

For Seasoning : -

• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Urad Dal, 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves, a sprig
• Oil, 1 tbsp 

Method:-

Wash and peel the fresh double beans 

Wash, peel and cube the potatoes

In a pressure cooker, cook the double beans and potatoes, with a little salt, and adequate water for 1-2 whistles 

Once the cooker cools, remove and keep aside

Peel and slice the onion length wise

In a small mixer jar, grind together coriander seeds, coconut gratings, dried red chillies, garlic cloves,  peppercorns and cumin seeds in pulse mode till the ingredients get crushed 

Add a little water and grind again to a coarse paste. Keep aside

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a thick bottomed kadhai and on medium heat add the mustard seeds

When they splutter add the urad dal and sauté till it changes colour 

To this add the curry leaves and the sliced onion and sauté till the onion becomes slightly golden 

Now add the cooked double beans and potatoes, salt to taste and turmeric and mix well

Add the freshly ground masala and cook on medium/low heat, stirring from time to time, till the excess water evaporates and the double beans and potato gets well blended with the masala

Switch off the gas and drizzle the coconut oil

Transfer to serving bowl and serve as accompaniment to the main meal, with rice or rotis. 

MINTY JALJEERA

 MINTY JALJEERA

With the advent of the summer the days become blazing hot and we yearn for something to cool off. Jaljeera is an age old drink which has the necessary cooling effect. The basic version of jaljeera is made with water ( Jal) and Cumin Seeds (Jeera). It is considered good for digestion and also improves one's appetite. 

This version in addition to water and cumin seeds, has mint leaves, coriander leaves and assorted spices.

I have adapted this from Minty Jaljeera by the legendary Tarla Dalal. I have not garnished it with "boondi" out of my personal preference. 

Try it out for yourself and you can enjoy it to beat the heat outside. 

Ingredients:-

• Mint Leaves (Pudina),  1/2 cup
• Coriander, Leaves, (Dhania), 1/4 cup
• Lemon Juice, 1/4 cup
• Sugar, 2-3 tbsp or to taste
• Ginger, (Adrak), chopped, 1 tsp
• Cumin Seeds, (Jeera), 1 tbsp
• Dried Mango Powder (Amchur) 1 and 1/2 tsp
• Black Salt, (Sanchal), 2 tsp
• Salt, 2 tsp
• Chilled Water,  3 and 3/4 cups

Method:-

Remove the mint and coriander leaves from their stems

Wash them thoroughly and shake off the excess water and chop them  

Dry roast the cumin seeds 

Roughly chop or grate the ginger 

Blend well together in a mixer jar the chopped mint and coriander leaves, dry roasted cumin seeds, lemon juice, sugar, ginger, dried mango powder, black salt and salt, adding 1/4 cup of water 

Strain this blended mixture through a sieve into a vessel

To this add 3 and 3/4 cups of chilled water and mix well 

Pour the Minty Jaljeera into 4 glasses, add ice cubes as required, and serve garnished with boondi 

IVY GOURD MASALA

IVY GOURD MASALA

A commonly available vegetable in India is ivy gourd which is called Tindora in Hindi, Thondekayi in Kannada, and Tendle in my mother tongue Konkani. This vegetable has several health benefits. 

I make dishes using ivy gourd quite often so elsewhere in this blog you will find recipes for dishes such as

• Tendle Talasani, 
• Tindora Coconut Stir Fry,
• Stuffed Tindora Masala.
• Garlicky Ivy Gourd Stir Fry

Recently I made one more dish using ivy gourd. This was Ivy Gourd Masala adapted from Thondekai Masala Curry  from Veg Recipes of Karnataka. 

We enjoyed this as a side dish with rice and rotis. 

Ingredients:-

• Ivy Gourd,  500 gms
• Large sized Onion, 1
• Tamarind, size of a gooseberry
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Curry Leaves, a few 
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 2 tbsp
• Coriander Leaves, finely chopped, 1 tbsp

To Be Roasted and Ground To A Paste:-

• Peanuts, 1/4 cup
• Coriander Seeds, 2 tsp
• Byadgi Red Chillies, 3
• Sesame Seeds, 2 tsp
• Large Sized Tomato, 1
• Coconut Gratings, 1/4 cup

Method:-  

Wash the ivy gourd, snip off the two ends and slice them length-wise

Finely chop the onion, tomato and coriander leaves

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

Cook the sliced ivy gourd in a pressure cooker with a little salt and very little water for 1 whistle

Once the cooker cools, removed the cooked ivy gourd and keep aside

In a pan, dry roast the peanuts, coriander seeds and red chillies on medium heat stirring continuously till the peanuts change colour 

To this add the sesame seeds and sauté till they splutter 

Now add the chopped tomato and coconut gratings, and sauté for a few seconds and switch off the gas

Allow this to cool, then transfer to a mixer jar

Grind to a smooth paste adding the required amount of water. Keep aside 

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a pan, add the chopped onions and curry leaves and sauté till the onions turn slightly golden 

To this add the cooked ivy gourd, salt to taste, turmeric powder, tamarind extract and the ground masala and mix well. Add a little water if required. 

Cook on medium heat till the ivy gourds get well blended with the masala 

Lastly, switch off the gas and garnish the dish with finely chopped coriander leaves 

Transfer to a serving bowl and serve the Ivy Lord Masala as a side dish with rice or rotis

YELLOW PUMPKIN DRY CURRY

 YELLOW PUMPKIN DRY CURRY

In our South Indian cooking, we make many dishes with yellow pumpkins. These are highly nutritious and strong in Vitamin A and other vitamins but have a low calorie count. This gives them many health benefits.

Yellow Pumpkin is called Manjal Poosinikai or Parangikai in Tamil, Kaddu in Hindi, Sihi Kumbalkai in Kannada, and Duddhi in my mother tongue, Konkani.

 I use yellow pumpkins in my menus from time to time. Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for Yellow Pumpkin Kootu, Mathanga Pulinkari, and Ash Gourd Pumpkin Coconut Stew.

Today's recipe is for an easy to make yet delicious side dish. I have adapted this from Yellow Pumpkin Dry Curry from Rak's Kitchen. 

You can either cube or slice the yellow pumpkin. I prefer to slice them for this dish. The addition of coconut oil as the last step enhances the taste of the dish.  

We enjoyed this as a side dish with steamed rice and rasam.

Ingredients:-

• Yellow Pumpkin, 200 grams,
• Turmeric Powder, 1/8 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Coconut Oil, 2 tsp for drizzling at the end 

To Be Ground To A Coarse Paste:-

• Fresh Coconut Gratings,  1/4 cup
• Byadgi Red Chillies, 3
• Cumin Seeds, 3/4 tsp
• Small Onions, 4, peeled and roughly chopped

For The Seasoning :-

• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Urad Dal, 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves,  a few 
• Oil, 1 tbsp 

Method:-

Wash and peel the pumpkin, discarding the inner core and seeds, 

Slice the pumpkin into thin strips or cube them as per your preference. Keep aside 

In a small mixer jar, grind together the coconut gratings, red chillies, cumin seeds, and baby onions on pulse mode adding 1/4 cup of water to a coarse paste . Keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a thick bottomed kadhai and on medium heat add the mustard seeds, when they splutter add the urad dal and sauté till it changes colour

Then add the curry leaves and sauté for a few seconds

To this add the sliced pumpkin and sauté for 1 minute

Add turmeric powder, salt and the prepared coarse paste and a little water and mix well

Cover and cook on medium heat for about 2-3 minutes till the pumpkin gets well cooked stirring from time to time 

(Take care to see it don't get overcooked as pumpkin gets cooked fast) 

Cook till the water evaporates completely

Lastly, drizzle with coconut oil

Serve Yellow Pumpkin Dry Curry as a side dish with steamed rice and rasam