CAULIFLOWER GREEN CURRY

 CAULIFLOWER GREEN CURRY

Cauliflower (called Phool Gobhi in Hindi, Pookosu in Tamil,  Phulkobi in Marathi and Hookosu in Kannada) is used quite frequently in most Indian homes as it is a fairly versatile vegetable. All over India, you will find many dishes made using cauliflower- either singly or in combination with other vegetables. 

Cauliflowers are a good source of antioxidants and have numerous health benefits. 

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

• Gobhi Shimla Mirch
• Aloo Gobhi Stir Fry 
• Cauliflower Ambat
• Cauliflower Talasani

Today's recipe is for an easy to make yet yummy curry made with cauliflower.  I have adapted this from Cauliflower Green Curry in the YouTube video by Anushruti for Rajshri Foods.

We tried this for lunch today with hot chapatis and it tasted great. 

Ingredients:-

• Cauliflower,  400 gms approx
• Turmeric Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Juice of 1/2 Lime 

For the Ground Masala : -

• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1 cup
• Green Chillies, 4
• Ginger, 2 tsp
• Coriander Leaves, 1/2 cup
• Mint Leaves, 1/4 cup

For Seasoning:-

• Cumin Seeds, 1 tsp
• Cloves, 3 
• Green Cardamom pods, 2 to 3
• Cinnamon, 1 " stick
• Peppercorns, 5
• Oil,  2 tbsp 

Method;-

Wash the cauliflower and break into florets. Immerse the florets in a bowl of water adding a little salt and turmeric powder for about 10 minutes to get rid of the impurities if any

Wash the florets again in clean water and steam them till they are almost done. Make sure they are not over cooked

Crush the spices ( cloves, cardamom,  cinnamon and peppercorns)  lightly using a mortar and pestle 

In a mixer jar, grind together coconut gratings, green chillies, ginger, coriander leaves and mint leaves to a fine paste adding 1/2 cup of water. Keep this ground masala aside

Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadhai and on medium heat add the cumin seeds, when they sizzle add the lightly crushed spices and saute till they become aromatic

To this add the freshly ground masala and salt to taste and saute till the raw smell goes

Now add the steamed cauliflower florets, mix well, add water as required to get a curry like consistency and bring to a boil

Lower the flame and let it simmer for a couple of minutes

Switch off the gas, add juice of 1/2 a lime and mix well

Transfer to a serving bowl

Serve the Cauliflower Green Curry with chapatis

MORINGA LEAVES AND POTATO STIR FRY

 MORINGA LEAVES AND POTATO STIR FRY 

Years ago, many houses in India had Moringa/Drumstick trees in their garden and fresh moringa leaves were easily available. These days most houses don't have their own drumsticks trees but their leaves fortunately are available on line through Amazon etc ! 

You may be aware that Moringa Leaves are considered to be super healthy. Their health benefits are detailed in this article from PharmEasy. "Moringa Leaves- 16 Health Benefits You Should Know". They can boost immunity, control blood sugar levels, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, strengthen bone density and improve digestion. 

Moringa/Drumsticks Leaves, prized for their medicinal properties are called, "Murungai Keerai" in Tamil,  "Nugge Soppu" in Kannada and "Mashinga Palle" in my mother tongue, Konkani.

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find  recipes for dishes made with moringa leaves, such as:

• Mashinga Palle Sanna Polo 
• Nugge Soppina Rotti.
• Drumsticks Leaves Curry 
• Drumsticks Leaves Kuzhambu

Today's dish is an easy to make stir fry in which we use drumstick leaves and potatoes. I have adapted  this from Drumstick Leaves Recipe by Swasthi in Indian Healthy Recipes.

I tried this out recently. It tasted great- served as a side dish with hot steamed rice and sambar. 

Ingredients:-

• Moringa Leaves, 100 gms  approx 2 cups
• Potatoes, 3 
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Mustard Seeds, 1/4 tsp
• Cumin Seeds, 1/2 to 3/4 tsp
• Garlic Cloves, 3
• Split Bengal Gram ( Channa Dal), 1 tsp, 
• Asafoetida, (Hing) 1/8 tsp
• Green Chillies, 3
• Curry Leaves, 6-8 
• Salt, to taste
• Cooking Oil,  1 and 1/2 tbsp ( I used Coconut Oil) 

Method:-

Remove the moringa leaves from the stalks. Wash them in several changes of water. Drain them through a colander to remove all the water. Keep aside

Chop the garlic cloves, slit the green chillies

Wash and boil the potatoes, when they are cool enough to handle peel and cube them

Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadhai and on medium heat add the mustard seeds. When they splutter add the cumin seeds . When this sizzles, add the chopped garlic and chana dal and saute till the dal changes colour

To this, add the asafoetida, split green chillies and curry leaves . Saute for 1-2 minutes.

Next add the potato cubes, turmeric powder and salt to taste. Mix well

Now add the moringa leaves and cook covered on medium heat stirring from time to time till they wilt

(If the moringa leaves are not tender, sprinkle a little water and cook covered on medium heat till they are done)

Switch off the gas and transfer the dish to a serving bowl

Serve the Moringa Leaves & Potato Stir Fry as a side dish with hot steamed rice and sambar or rasam.

SPICY SWEET POTATO FRY

 SPICY SWEET POTATO FRY

Sweet Potatoes are known as Shakarkhand in Hindi, Sihi Genasu in Kannada and Kannang in my mother tongue, Konkani. It is well-known that sweet potato has several health benefits. It is an excellent source for Vitamin A, Vitamin C, fibre, potassium and antioxidants. 

As a result, in my house, I make dishes with sweet potatoes from time to time. 

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for dishes made with sweet potato, such as;-

• Sweet Potato Masala Fry 
• Sweet Potato Podimas
• Sweet Potato Roast
• Sweet Potato Tikkis

Today's recipe is for a spicy side dish made with sweet potatoes. I have adapted this from Sweet Potato Spicy Curry in Subbu's Kitchen. The addition of the spice powder to the inherent sweetness of the Sweet Potato gives it a great taste. 

We tried this out a few days ago. It tasted great as a side dish with hot steamed rice and rasam. 

Ingredients:-

• Sweet Potato, 500 gms
• Turmeric Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Salt, to taste

For the Spice Powder:-

• Bengal Gram (Chana Dal), 1 and 1/2 tbsp
• Coriander Seeds, (Dhania) ,2 tbsp
• Byadgi Red Chillies, 3
• Cumin Seeds, (Jeera), 1 tsp

For Seasoning:-

• Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp
• Black Gram Dal (Urad Dal), 1 tbsp
• Oil, 1 tbsp

Method:-

Wash the sweet potatoes thoroughly

Cook it in a pressure cooker with adequate water for 1 or 2 whistles taking care to see it does not get overcooked

Once the cooker cools, remove the sweet potatoes and once they are cool enough to handle, peel and cube them. Keep aside

In a kadhai, dry roast the chana dal, coriander seeds, Byadgi red chillies and cumin seeds on medium heat till the dal changes colour. Allow them to cool then transfer them to a small mixer jar

Grind to a smooth powder. Keep aside

In the same kadhai add 1 tbsp of oil and once it gets heated, on medium heat add the mustard seeds and when they splutter add the urad dal and saute till the dal changes colour. Add a few curry leaves and saute for a few seconds.

To this add the cooked sweet potato cubes, turmeric powder and salt to taste. Mix well.

Next add the freshly ground spice powder and mix well 

Cook on medium heat for a couple of minutes 

Ensure that the sweet potatoes are well blended with the spice powder

Transfer to a serving bowl

Serve the Spicy Sweet Potato Fry as a side dish with hot steamed rice, rasam or sambar

DOSAS - TAKE YOUR PICK!

 DOSA 

If you check the popularity of breakfast items in South India, you will probably find our Dosa to be in the highest rank. It is now, of course, common all across India, if not the world ! They can be described as a breakfast crepe usually made with a batter of rice and black gram dal. Typically, dosas are served with sambar and chutney or chutney alone. 

Dosas come in many types and the large variety of dosas we make is truly amazing. Knowing to make different types of dosas comes in handy for the lady of the house! She is required to provide variety in the breakfasts she makes for the family. 

Today, I thought I would share the recipes of 5 types of dosas which my family and friends have enjoyed whenever I make them .

1. Dosa

For those who may not much about Dosas, let's start with the traditional way of making the Dosa starting from making the batter. I have always maintained that the quality of the dosa really depends on the quality of the batter that goes into its making! 

https://www.cookingwithshobana.com/2013/04/dosa.html

2.  Masoor Dal Dosa: 

Masoor Dal Dosa is really delicious and good for health as it is made with Masoor Dal (Red Lentil). You can make them thin and crisp as in the above picture! 

https://www.cookingwithshobana.com/2014/03/masoor-dal-dosa.html

3.  Pancharatna Dosa

This dosa gets it's name from the five different dals (lentils) which are used in making the batter. 

https://www.cookingwithshobana.com/2015/07/pancharatna-dosa.html

4. Southekayi Dosa

It may interest many of you to know that Cucumber is one of the principal ingredients in the dosa. This is very popular in my Home State of Karnataka. 

https://www.cookingwithshobana.com/2020/02/southekayi-dosa.html

5. POHA DOSA

Soft and porous, this dosa is made with a batter of raw rice and beaten rice/flattened rice. It remains one of my favourites. 

https://www.cookingwithshobana.com/2013/10/poha-dosa.html

I hope this post will be of interest and use to many of the readers of this blog. Based on the response to this post, I would be happy to share recipes for more types of dosas at a later date. 

 

SWEET POTATO PODIMAS

 SWEET POTATO PODIMAS

Sweet Potatoes, the commonly available tubers, are known as Sihi Genasu in Kannada, Sakkaravalli Kizhangu in Tamil, Shakarkhand in Hindi, and Kannang in my mother tongue, Konkani. 

It is well established that sweet potatoes have many health benefits. I therefore use them in my cooking from time to time. 

Elsewhere in this blog, you will find recipes for dishes made with sweet potato such as:-

• Sweet Potato Stir Fry 
• Sweet Potato Tikkis
• Sweet Potato Roast 

Today's recipe is for an easy to make yet delicious side dish called Sakkaravalli Kizhangu Podimas or Sweet Potato Podimas.  In Tamil, "Podimas"  literally means "mashed ". A popular dish is Potato Podimas.  Today's dish is instead made with Sweet Potato. 

This dish goes great as an accompaniment with hot steamed rice and rasam/sambar.  We had this for lunch today and it was amazing!! 

Ingredients:-

• Sweet Potato, 750 gms 
• Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp
• Black Gram (Urad) Dal, 1 tsp
• Bengal Gram (Channa) Dal, 1 tsp
• Curry Leaves, a sprig
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Green Chillies, slit, 6
• Ginger, grated, 1 tsp
• Asafoetida (Hing) , 1/4 tsp
• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1/4 cup 
• Lemon Juice (juice of 1/2 lemon) 
• Salt, to taste
• Coconut Oil, 1 to 1 and 1/2 tbsp

Method:

Wash the sweet potatoes thoroughly. Snip off the two ends and cut each of the sweet potatoes into 2-3 pieces ( depending on the size of the sweet potatoes)

In a vessel, boil the sweet potato pieces in adequate water for about 20-25 minutes or till they are fully cooked. Check that they are done. 

Transfer the cooked sweet potato pieces to a plate and allow it to cool

Once it is cool enough to handle, peel off and discard the skin

Using a grater, grate the cooked sweet potatoes or crumble them using your fingers. 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, channa dal, slit green chillies, grated ginger and curry leaves

Saute till the urad dal and channa dal change colour 

Now add asafoetida and turmeric powder, salt and mix well

To this add the grated sweet potato and mix well 

Cook on medium heat till the seasoning gets well blended with the sweet potatoes 

Next add fresh coconut gratings, mix well and switch off the gas

Lastly, squeeze the lemon juice and mix once again

Transfer to a serving bowl

Serve the Sweet Potato Podimas as a side dish with hot steamed rice and sambar or rasam 

DOUBLE BEANS GRAVY KARWAR STYLE

 DOUBLE BEANS GRAVY KARWAR STYLE

We make rotis/ chapattis at home every day. I have to therefore make a side dish like a saagu, kurma etc to go with the rotis. I am always on the look out for new recipes to add to my list of such dishes.

Double beans - also known as Lima Beans - fresh off the plant are generally available only in the winter months. However, at any time of the year we can get double beans in a dry state from any department store. If you use dry double beans, there is an additional step in the cooking process- namely, having to soak them overnight for best results.

I use double beans often as they have numerous health benefits.

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

• Double Beans Saung
• Double Beans Ambat
• Double Beans Kurma 

I have adapted today's recipe from Sanjana Chipkar's YouTube video. 

We loved this for lunch today with hot rotis and I am sure you will like it as much as we did. 

Ingredients:-

• Double Beans/Lima Beans, 1 cup
• Onion, large-sized, 1
• Tomato, medium-sized, 1
• Jaggery, grated, 1 tbsp
• Salt, to taste
• Oil, 1 tbsp 
• Coriander Leaves, finely chopped, to garnish

To Be Ground To A Paste:- 

• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1/2 cup
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Roasted Coriander Seeds, 1 and 1/2 tsp
• Roasted Byadgi Red Chillies, 5
• Tamarind, the size of a small marble
• Garam Masala, 1/2 tsp

Method:-

Wash and soak the double beans overnight or for about 8 hours. Next morning, discard the water.

Now cook the double beans in a pressure cooker adding the required amount of water ( enough to immerse the double beans) for 2 whistles or till they are done. They should be cooked yet remain firm. 

Chop the onion and tomato

Finely chop the coriander leaves

Dry roast the coriander seeds in a kadhai and keep them aside once they become fragrant. Next, dry roast the Byadgi red chillies and keep them aside.

In a mixer jar, grind together the fresh coconut gratings, turmeric powder, roasted coriander seeds, roasted Byadgi red chillies, tamarind and garam masala to a fine paste adding the required amount of water. Keep aside

Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadhai and once it is hot, add the chopped onions

Saute the onions till they become translucent

Next add the chopped tomato and cook on low flame till it gets soft and mushy

To this, add the freshly ground masala paste and mix well

Mix in the cooked double beans along with the water in which it was cooked

Add salt to taste and the grated jaggery 

Bring to a boil then lower the flame and allow it to simmer

Switch off the gas and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves

Transfer to a serving bowl

Serve hot with rotis, chapatis etc 

DONNE MENANSINAKAYI MOSARU SASIVE

 DONNE MENANSINAKAYI MOSARU SASIVE

Capsicum ( called Bell Pepper in the United States) is a commonly available vegetable in India. In Hindi, it is called Shimla Mirch while as in Kannada, it is called Donne Menasinakayi.
We use this versatile vegetable to make side dishes, snacks, as well as raita.

As you know, capsicum/ bell pepper has several health benefits. 

We like capsicum a lot in my family,. So, it is not surprising that you will find many recipes for dishes made with capsicum in this blog, including:-

• Cabbage Stuffed Capsicum 
• Besan Wali Simla Mirch
• Capsicum Menaskai 
• Gobhi Shimla Mirch

Today's dish is from my Home State of Karnataka. It goes well with hot steamed rice and is made with capsicum/bell pepper and curds. The grinding of mustard seeds (called Sasive in Kannada) along with coconut gratings and chillies gives it a distinctive flavour which we love! I have adapted this from a YouTube video by Veg Recipes of Karnataka.

We loved this with hot steamed rice and rasam. I am sure you will like this too! 

Ingredients:

• Capsicum, large- sized,  2 
• Fresh Curds 1/2 cup
• Salt, to taste 

To Be Ground To A Paste:-

• Fresh Coconut Gratings, 1/2 cup
• Green Chillies, 2
• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp

For Seasoning :-

• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Urad Dal, 1 tsp
• Red Chilli, broken into halves, 1
• Curry Leaves, a few
• Asafoetida, 1/4 tsp 
• Oil, 1 tbsp

Method:- 

Wash the capsicum and remove the stalk, cut the capsicum and discard the core

Chop the capsicum into small pieces

In a mixer jar, grind together the fresh coconut gratings, green chillies and mustard seeds to a fine paste adding the required amount of water. Keep aside

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

When they start to splutter add the urad dal and saute till the dal changes colour

Add the broken red chilli, asafoetida and curry leaves and saute for a few seconds

To this add the chopped capsicum and a little salt. Saute on medium heat till the capsicum gets cooked  and a little roasted  ( take care this does not get burnt) 

Allow this to cool

In a bowl mix together the freshly ground paste and the curds

Now add the roasted capsicum and salt to taste. Mix well

Add water -only if required - to get the desired raita-like consistency 

Serve with hot steamed rice

NELLIKAI SAARU

 NELLIKAI SAARU

The other day at the dept store I came across some fresh gooseberries and was tempted to buy some.  These are commonly available during winter. Gooseberries are called Nellikai in Kannada, Amla in Hindi and Avalo in my mother tongue, Konkani. 

Traditionally, gooseberries have been valued in Indian cooking. This article explains the numerous benefits gooseberries have for our health.

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

• Nellikai Thuviyal 
• Nellikai Rasam 
• Nellikayi Chitranna

Today's recipe is for Nellikai Saaru which I have adapted from Nellikai Saaru in Santrupti Kitchen.

We had this with hot steamed rice for lunch recently and it tasted awesome!! 

Ingredients:-

• Nellikai (Gooseberries), 3
• Bengal Gram Dal (Channa Dal), 1 tsp
• Coriander Seeds, 1 tsp
• Black Pepper, 1 and 1/2 tsp
• Green Chillies, 2
• Cumin Seeds, 1/2 to 3/4  tsp
• Ginger, 1/2 " piece
• Curry Leaves,  a sprig
• Tomatoes, 2
• Jaggery, grated, 1 tsp
• Coriander Leaves, chopped, 1 and 1/2 tbsp
• Turmeric Powder, 1/4 tsp
• Salt, to taste
• Ghee, 1 tsp

For Seasoning:

• Mustard Seeds, 1/2 tsp
• Asafoetida, 1/8 tsp
• Byadgi Red Chilli, broken into halves, 1 
• Ghee, 1 tsp

Method:-

Wash the gooseberries, take out the seeds and discard them. Chop the gooseberries into pieces 

Chop the tomatoes and the coriander leaves

In a small pan, heat 1 tsp of ghee and on medium heat add the channa dal, coriander seeds, black pepper and green chillies. Saute till the dal changes colour and it goes off a good aroma

Next add and saute the chopped ginger, and curry leaves. Then add the chopped gooseberries and tomatoes. Saute for a 1- 2 minutes. Remove from the pan and allow this to cool.

Transfer the above to a mixer jar and grind to a smooth paste adding the required amount of water

Next transfer the ground paste to a vessel, add the water from the mixer jar and adjust the consistency by adding more water as required to get a saaru-like consistency

Add turmeric powder and salt to taste, grated jaggery, mix well and bring to a boil, stirring from time to time. 

To this add the chopped coriander leaves and a few torn curry leaves and switch off the gas. 

In a seasoning pan, heat 1 tsp of ghee and on medium heat add the mustard seeds

When they splutter add the asafoetida and the broken red chilli and saute for a few seconds

Pour this seasoning to the Nellikai Saaru

Serve with hot steamed rice 

SNAKE GOURD BESAN FRY

 

SNAKE GOURD BESAN FRY

The main ingredient for today's recipe is Snake Gourd.  In my childhood I remember many houses in Bengaluru had kitchen gardens. These invariably had vegetables growing in them including the long snake gourds.

Snake Gourd is called Poddale in my mother tongue, Konkani; Padavalkayi in Kannada, Pudalangai in Tamil, and Chichinda in Hindi.

The health benefits of snake gourd are well documented in many ancient texts as described in this article in Netmeds. 

If the seeds of the snake gourd are tender, you can use them to make Snake Gourd Seeds Dosa. 

Elsewhere in this blog you will find recipes using snake gourd such as:-

• Pudalangai Paruppu Usli
• Stuffed Snake Gourd 
• Podalangai (Snake Gourd) Kootu

Today's recipe is for an easy to make side dish made with snake gourd and besan (Bengal Gram Flour).  I have adapted this from the YouTube video Snake Gourd Besan Curry by Padhu's Kitchen.  

I tried this out recently and we enjoyed this dish for lunch with hot steamed rice and rasam. 

Ingredients:

• Snake Gourd, 300-350 gms
• Besan (Bengal gram flour), 1/2 cup
• Chilli Powder, 1 tsp or to taste
• Turmeric Powder, 1/2 tsp
• Salt, to taste

For Seasoning :-

• Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp
• Urad Dal, 1 tsp
• Dry Red Chillies, 2, broken into halves
• Asafoetida, (Hing), 1/8 tsp 
• Curry Leaves, a few
• Oil, 2 tbsp

Method:-

Wash the snake gourd and snip off both the ends

Lightly scrape the skin off the snake gourd and cut length wise

Remove the seeds and chop the snake gourd

Mix the besan along with chilli powder,  turmeric powder  and a little salt

Dry roast this in a kadhai on medium heat till the besan gives off a good aroma

Switch off the gas and transfer the roasted ingredients to a bowl and allow it to cool 

In a thick bottomed kadhai, heat 2 tbsp of oil and when it gets hot add the mustard seeds

When they splutter, add urad dal, broken red chillies, asafoetida and curry leaves and saute till the dal changes colour

To this add the chopped snake gourd and salt to taste, sprinkle a little water and cook covered until the snake gourd gets done. Ensure it does not get overcooked. 

Now add 1/3 cup of water to the roasted besan mixture

Mix well taking care that no lumps are formed 

Add this besan slurry to the cooked snake gourd and cook on high heat for a few seconds

Next, lower the heat and cook for about 10 minutes till the water evaporates and the dish becomes dry 

Switch off the gas and transfer the dish to a serving bowl

Serve Snake Gourd Besan Fry as a side dish to the main meal