Curried Minced Meat w/ Ridge Gourd

------AKA Kheema Birakaya/Birakankai Kheema-------

Kids back to school last week after that long summer break and though fall is going to officially start next week, it seems like winter is already here..And chill weather always calls for something soothing and comforting..and think about comfort food its always authentic dishes from home afar..One such comfort food for me is a cup of hot rice with this preparation of minced meat and veggie..

The combo of a non-veg and veg is always a hit and it got to be when it is an Andhra preparation. So here is yet another scrumptious dish straight from amma's kitchen. Being a Tamilian, my husband is not so used to these combos. Though he loves Andhra cuisine and by all means my cooking, the first time I mentioned I'm preparing Kheema(Minced meat) with Ridge gourd(Birkankai - Tamil) he had his eyebrows raised but totally got bowled with the result..


So for those who enjoy Indian cooking and don't mind eating meat, next time pickup a pkg of minced meat and a pack of Ridge gourd(readily available in most of the South Asian stores) when you grocer and let your kitchen be filled with the aroma of this side dish.

Ingredients:
2 to 3 long - Beerakaya/ Ridge Gourd / Beerkankai (De-skinned and chopped into small cubes)
1 to 1.5 lb Kheema ( Mutton/Beef)
2 tsp oil
2 medium Onions chopped
4-5 Green Chillies slit
A Few Curry leaves
1 Tbsp Ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1/2 tsp Red chilly powder
1 tsp Coriander pwdr
1/2 Cumin pwdr
1 tsp garam masala powder(Home Made)
Salt to taste
Finely chopped fresh coriander leaves to garnish

Procedure :
Heat oil in a pan/wok and add chopped onions, slit green chillies, curry leaves, and cook till onions are translucent.
Add ginger garlic paste and cook till rawness is gone.
Now add minced meat(kheema) and salt.
Add garam masala powder
Mix well.
Cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or till the kheema changes color, stirring occasionally.
Add chopped ridge gourd pieces to the kheema curry and cook till both are is fully done.

Sprinkle some water if too dry while the kheema is cooking.
Cook till the ridge gourd almost gets disappear in the kheema..much like the pic above..follow the pics anti clockwise..
Once the kheema is cooked and oil starts oozing from the sides add coriander leaves and remove from heat.
Serve hot with plain rice first and then with sambar.

Ivy Gourd in Green Chutney / Tindora Hara Chutney wala

Dondakaya Kothimiri Karam Vepudu / Kovakai Kothimalli Kara Poriyal

Cooking is all about experimenting with the ingredients you have ready at hand..I'm always open for cooking without a recipe or adding variations to the staple procedures. No wonder I'm a fan of Michael Smith from Food Network/Food TV and always admired his style in the program "Chef at Home", where he always emphasis on cooking without a recipe.

Today's recipe is one such which absolutely came from my heart when I envisaged the flavours of adding the green chutney to regular Tindora stir fry and whipped up the same.

Ingredients:

1 lb Ivy Gourd/Dondakaya/Kovakai/Tindora (Cut into thin discs or cut length wise
1 tbsp oil

1/4 tsp Mustard seeds

1 Onion small chopped
2 Red Chillies broken into small pieces
1/2 tsp Red chilly powder
1/8 tsp Turmeric
A few curry leaves
Few lemon drops
Salt to taste

for the Green Chutney:

A Small bunch of Coriander leaves, chopped
1 Garlic clove chopped
4 Green Chillies chopped
Add water to the above items and grind to a chutney. Keep Aside

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai or wok.
Allow mustard seeds to splutter.
Then add the red chillies, onions, curry leaves one after the other and fry till onions are translucent.
Add the turmeric powder.

Now Tindora and required salt, give it a nice mix to coat them well with the seasoning.

Sprinkle some water and cook covered with lid till the Tindora is 3/4 cooked.
Keep mixing in regular intervals.

Now add green chutney and mix thoroughly..

Let the Tindora absorb all the green chutney into it.
Keep stirring till all the water is evaporated and Tindora is dry but well coated with the green chutney masala.
Add a hint of lime and remove from heat.
Serve hot with Rice, Sambar or Dhal curry

Cabbage with Ground Coconut and Spices

---AKA Cabbage kobari Vepudu/ Cabbage Thenga Poriyal---

This dish is one among the first few in my after marriage culinary journey. Learnt it from an Aunt friend. No doubt I'm a big fan of this veggie.The ease in cooking and the pleasure in tasting makes this variety of cabbage preparation noticeable than ignored.

Shredded cabbage is cooked in a mixture of ground coconut, fennel seeds, garlic and our very own king of spices "green chilly". The aroma that emits when cabbage is cooking in this fashion is so enticing. I feel this is one the best methods to flavour up cabbage which otherwise has a raw pungent smell.

Makes a perfect side dish for roti along with any type of dhal or with plain rice and sambar.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Veg or sesame Oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 Tsp Urad Dhall (optional)
1/2 Tsp cumin seeds (optional)
A few curry leaves

1/2 Cabbage shredded
1/4 cup crated Coconut

To grind coarsely :

1/2 cup crated Coconut
1 Tbsp Fennel Seeds
4-5 Garlic cloves
4-5 Green Chillies


Method :
Grind the coconut mixture and keep it ready.
Heat oil in a non stick wide pan, allow mustard to splutter and then add urad dhall, after it browns a little add cumin, curry leaves and fry.

Now add the ground coconut mixture and fry till aroma is emitted.
Add cabbage and mix well till it is nicely coated with the coconut mixture.
Cover and steam roast till done.
Once the cabbage is cooked garnish with fresh grated coconut and remove from oven.
Serve with rice or roti and dhall.

Okra in Special Masala

--aka Bendakaya Miriyalu Vepudu/Vendakkai Milagu Poriyal/Bhindi Kala Mirch Masala--
And we did it!!! Cheers to Indians all over the world. Oh!! what a win it was!!! From a losing state at one point to a stylish unbeaten finish showing the world that we are champions and proving that dedication and determination along with God's will can always give us success with dignity. India, you earned and deserved this Victory. Yes it was not an ordinary win as it comes with a morale "No matter how tough the situation is, though you may have to face a storm, "Never give up", keep trying till you reach your goal" As NDTV says we will be celebrating this happiness not a week or a month but may be for the whole year and perhaps be talking about it till the next world cup. LOL!!!
Well! though we may not want our world cup fever to fade, IPL is round the corner to take us cricket fans to a next swing.

Coming to the recipe today, inspired by my cousin in US who suggested me to blog veg recipes for the Lenten days, I'm going vegan for this month. And my very first one is this Special Masala Okra.For those of us who subscribe or stream Sun TV Tamil, must be regular viewers of Guinness record holder Chef Jacob's "Aha Enna Rusi" program, which airs Saturday afternoons. This recipe is a courtesy from their local kitchen segment. They actually called it Okra Pepper Masala Fry.

Different spices like, garlic, red chillies, black pepper, coriander along with channa dhal are ground coarse to make a special masala for this green veggie packed with nutrients. Then it is add to the tempered okra and cooked till done.
Special masala : Grind the following into a smooth powder
1 Tbsp Channa dhal
1 Tbsp - Coriander seeds
1 Tbsp - black pepper seeds/powder
4-5 Red chillies
4-5 Garlic cloves

Others :
1 Tbsp - Gingely/Sesame/Vegetable Oil
1 Lb - Okra/Ladies Finger, Mustard seeds
1/2 Tsp - Turmeric powder
Procedure :
Wash okra and pat them dry with a towel.
Remove ends and cut into one and a quarter inch pieces.
Keep aside.
Heat oil in a kadai/wok/pan and allow oil, mustard seeds to splutter.
Now add cut okra, fry a little.
Add turmeric powder and mix.
Now add salt and the special masala and fry till okra is cooked but still crunchy.
Enjoy with hot rice and sambar or roti.

Besan wali Bhindi / Floured Okra Masala fry

------ AKA / Kadalama Vendakai Poriyal / /Senagapindi Bendakaya Vepudu ------

The new year has been nice so far..thanks to the good start... The excitement of new beginning makes me share something special and new too..

Inspired by Sanjeev Kapoor's besan wali bhindi this veggie dish is simply a melt in your mouth..Though I'm not a big fan of Bindi, I try to include it in my menu, because its rich in Iron. Growing up I was only used to a simply stir fry(Bendakaya Vepudu, Vendakai Poriyal) or a stew (Pulusu, Kuzhambu). I didn't want to cook these regular preparations this time..so googled for Bindi recipes and the first one to pop up was a video of Sanjeev Kapoor's "Besan wali Bind". I pretty much reproduced it here in taste and pictures!!! Though I played with the quantities a little, like I reduced the amount of garam masala so it won't overpower the other flavours, added a little chat masala, etc..Overall this has been a fantastic preparation satisfying the taste buds.

The fun part is that you don't need to use this as a side dish to Rice or Roti, it is so tempting to eat just like that!!! Good for me..I can save on some Carbs!!!

Ingredients:
1 lb Okra/Bhindi/Bendakaya/Vendakai
10 - 12 Shallots/Sambar Vengayam/Chinna Ullipayalu
1/4 to 1/2 cup Besan/Gram flour/Chenaga pinni/Kadala Maavu
1 tsp Kalonji/Onion Seeds
A few curry leaves - optional
2 Tbsp Sesame Oil

Dry powders for the masala :
1 tsp Crushed Fennel seeds
1/2 tsp of Garam Masala
1 tsp Amchur Pwdr/Dru Mango Powder
1/4 tsp Chat Masala(optional)
1tsp each of Cumin, Coriander and Chilly powders
1/2 tsp Turmeric Pwdr

Method:
Mix all the dry powders in a bowl along with salt and keep this masala aside.

Wash and dry okra(Bhindi) with cloth towel and slit in the middle.

Now stuff the slit okra with the malasa prepared and add a tbsp of oil to this and gently mix to coat all the bhindi with oil. Keep aside.
Heat the remaining oil in a kadai/wide pan, add kalonji(onion seeds), curry leaves and saute' till fragrant.

Now add shallots(small onions) and fry for a min or two.

Add gram flour (Besan/chengapindi/kadalamaavu) and keep stirring till the oil leaves the surface of the pan.

Now add the stuffed bhindi and mix to coat them evenly with gram flour.
Cover and cook on low heat stirring occasionally till the okra is cooked and turns crispy.

The picture puts all together.
Serve hot with rice, sambar or roti. As i said it can be eaten as a appetizer too....enjoy and have a wonderful year ahead!!!

Beerkaya Royyalu / Ridge Gourd Prawns Curry

Absolutely enjoying "Fall", specially when I jog my first grader to school in the morning. Trees with leaves changing colors, a blanket of fallen dried leaves on the ground, got to take the fullest of the season, before cold winter sets in.

Seasonal changes bring change in the way we cook food too. From outdoors BBQs to strict indoor dishes. Most of my indoor cooking is Desi style which requires preparation. Its not like you are hungry and you just sandwiched slices of buttered multi grain bread with a slice of ham, cheese with some lettuce. Your meal is ready to go. Indian cooking is all about intensity, flavour, spice, lots of ingredients and time to cook them up. But its worth the wait, because of the exceptional taste.

This is one Andhra preparation which puts all together with end result being irresistible. Its so strange that I have never tasted this dish whenever my mother cooked it growing up, in fact for some reason I was so averted towards it. but since its was known for its taste, after so many years I cooked it to see what comes of it..and honestly it lived up to its popularity. And this can just be eaten up with plain rice. But let me warn you for the temptation of over-eating here, which is why I don't cook this curry so often, it would disturb my diet of  keeping my serving of rice under one cup per day.

The ridge gourd (Beerakaya in Telugu) forms a creamy base for the curried shrimp. A real match that you are so tempted to call heavenly. Well, ridge gourd is such a versatile vegetable that it embraces any other ingredient, be it veg or non-veg to be subtle and yet give a wholesome lift to the dish. More delicacies of ridge gourd I would be blogging are with Kheema, mutton, Channa dhal..

Now lets is the making of Prawns with Ridge gourd.


Ingredients:
2 big - Beerakaya/ Ridge Gourd / Beerkankai (De-skinned and chopped into small cubes)
1 to 1.5 lb Prawns / Shrimp (De-shelled, De-veined)
2 tsp oil
2 medium Onions chopped
4-5 Green Chillies slit
A Few Curry leaves
1 Tbsp Ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp Red chilly powder
A pinch of garam masala powder
Salt to taste
Finely chopped fresh coriander leaves to garnish

To marinate shrimp :
1 tsp red chilly powder
1/2 tsp each of cumin and coriander powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric
Little Salt
A splash of oil to put all together

Procedure :
Clean prawns and marinate with the marinade items..keep aside.

In a hot pan add oil and add the marinated prawns and stir fry them till all the water evaporates and a beautiful aroma comes out. Remove from pan and keep aside

In the same pan add some more oil, add chopped onions, slit green chillies, curry leaves, and cook till onions are translucent.

Add ginger garlic paste and cook till rawness is gone.

Add chopped ridge gourd pieces, salt mix together and cook covered, till ridge gourd is half done.

Then add the stir fried prawns, little water and cook covered till the gourd and prawns are fully done.

Add finely chopped coriander and remove from heat.

Serve it with plain cooked basmati, ponni or sona masoori rice.

Chicken Stir Fry with Vegies

Its a happening week here in Toronto..With the G8/G20 just days away and all that tight security in action, earth quake was the least expected in GTA(Greater Toronto Area). We were taken by surprise when a rare earth quake hit this afternoon, as our building shook, so did we..By God's grace no damage and we survived....

Hopefully all the pomp of G-summit will also end safely this weekend.

Coming to the recipe...this is one simple quick chicken stir fry with a few vegies thrown in. I usually stock up on frozen chicken breasts, to add in chicken soup, chicken noodles, chicken fried rice or to make chicken pakora. This time wanted to try out a stir fry with some vegies.

Ingredients :
2 Skinless chicken breasts (fresh or frozen)-cut into 2 inch strips
2 cups chopped Choice of vegies(Broccoli, Cauliflower, Bell peppers, Carrot)
1 tsp sesame or olive oil
1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
A few sprinkles of Soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Salt to taste(if necessary)

Procedure:
In a wok, add oil when hot and then add ginger garlic paste and fry a till raw smell is gone.
Add chicken strips and fry till chicken is half done.
Now add vegies and stir fry.
Sprinkle soy sauce and mix thoroughly.
Check for saltiness and adjust salt if necessary.
Add black pepper powder and fry till chicken is done and vegies are till crisp.
Remove from heat and serve with plain or fried rice.

Mango Dhal - Andhra's Favourite

Dhal with Sour Raw Mangoes,
Mamidikaya Papppu, Manga Paruppu, Aam ki dhal

Think of Andhra Pradesh(a state in India, speaking Telugu) food the things that flash are Gongura(sorrel leaves), Red Chillies and Mangoes..We Andhrites make the best use of Mango in all stages..Raw sweet Mangoes are used to make spicy delicious pickles, Sour mangoes are added with other ingredients like brinjal(egg plant), mutton etc or just cooked by themselves to make a yummy dish. Out of many mouth watering dishes that come to our mind..tempting Mango dhal is one. Toor dhal cooked with raw sour mangoes and tempered with spices in ghee..eaten with hot rice and spicy Andhra Mango pickle is something detectable..

Enjoyed this Mango dhal to the core growing up in Andhra every summer. Here though we get raw mangoes through out the year..we have to carefully pick the right green sour kind in stores..Its the sourness that really gives the that exceptional taste to the dhal. The flavour of this dish has to experienced than said...a must try.

Ingredients:
To cook the dal & Mango:
2 Sour raw Mangoes, skin removed and cut into small pieces, along with the seed inside.
1-1/4 cups Toor Dal
2-1/2 cups Water
4 pods Garlic
4 Green Chillies slit
1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp gingely oil
Salt to taste(To add after the dal is cooked)

For Tempering/Talimpu/Tadka :
1 Tbsp Ghee or Gingely(sesame) Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
4 Red Chillies broken
1 Small Onion cut length wise
4 Small garlic Pods with skin(Slightly beaten)
A few Curry leaves
A hint of Hing/Asafoetida

Method:
Wash dal and add cut mango pieces along with the mango seeds.
Pressure cook dal and Mango with all the other ingredients to cook the dal.
Mash dal adding required salt once cooked.
In a kadai heat oil and add all the tempering ingredients after the mustard splutters.
Fry a little and then add the cooked dal and mix it thoroughly.
Garnish with Coriander if desired.
Serve hot with Rice or Rotis.
Off late I started making this as an accompaniment for Lemon rice or Tamarind rice.
Tastes great.

Radish Tomato Curry

Mooli Tamatar/Mulangi Tamata kura/Thakali Mulangi Kuttu

Its being a challenging task to keep up with my weekly recipe posts with a new born at home. It just looks that I and hubby are on the go all the time. Living in the east coast where we experience the 4 seasons very distinctively..after an ever light winter in the history of Toronto, finally we can say "Spring has Sprung" and so to make life more busy, its time for a spring cleaning..packing up winter clothes, unfolding spring and summer ware. Finally I was able to type a recipe and make this post out.

Radish is one of my favorite root vegetables growing up. They are grown in many varieties and colors. Wiki says radishes, like other members of the cruciferous family (cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts), contain cancer-protective properties. They also help to maintain a healthy gallbladder and liver, and improve digestion. Radish greens are excellent source of vitamin C, calcium, and protein. Radishes are rich in ascorbic acid, folic acid, and potassium. They are a good source of vitamin B6, riboflavin, magnesium and copper. Also not mounting on calories, these can be diet friendly.

Fresh radish roots contain a larger amount of vitamin C than cooked radish roots. Due to its pungent flavour, I always prefered cooked radish, either add them in sambar(a sputh Indian lentil stew) or in my house mostly it is prepared in this method . Back home we get radish along with its green leafy stems(Daikon variety, white in color). I was not so fond of its stems so used to remove them from my plate and eat the root and leaves. Most of all I used like the flavour of this dish whenever my granny prepared it.
Ingredients:
Radish - 1 lb;
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard - 1/4 tsp
Onion - 1 small
Green Chillies - 3 slit
Curry leaves - 1 rem
Home made Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Tomatoes - 3-4 or Tomato Puree/Crushed Tomato - 1 cup or Tomato Paste 3-4 Tbsp
Salt - to taste
Coriander leaves - a small bunch

Procedure:
Gently scrape the skin on the radish and cut it into 1/2 inch cubes.
Add oil in a heated Kadai/Skillet, allow mustard to splutter and then add cut onions, green chillies, curry leaves and saute till onions turn slightly brown.
Add radish, chilly powder, salt, and mix well to give an even coat of all ingredients.
Sprinkle some water and cover with lid to cook the radish in the steam for about 15- 20 minutes. Keep mixing periodically and sprinkle more water if required.
Once the radish is almost cooked add the tomato puree, mix well.
Cook for another 5-7 minutes or till radish absorbs the tomato flavour.
Add finely chopped coriander leaves just before removing from heat.
Serve this with rice,

Potals/Parval Stir fry

Addressed as Pointed gourd in english, Parval in hindi, Potals/protons in south India, this vegetable is a must eat. Highly popular in North Indian as non-vegetarian sabji, parval lives up to that taste with its crunchy exterior and a full interior.

Use to enjoy this vegie growing up whenever mom or granny had in on the menu. It was usually a couple or more ways in which they use to make it..a stir fry, or a curried style or a tamatar version. Whatever way it is done I absolutely adore this vegetable.

For those who are not so familiar with potals, this is how they look like in raw form.

In South India, we were not so fortunate to have this vegetable so regularly, guess it was seasonal one too..Here in North America, off late I was overjoyed to see these in Indian and Asian stores.

A simple stir fry of this vegie is easy to make and satisfies the taste buds with its crunchy texture.

Ingredients:
1 lb Potals/Parval, (Washed and cut into thin slices lenth-wise, as shown in the pic)
1 tbp oil
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1 Onion cut length wise
2 Red Chillies broken into small peices
1/2 tsp Red chilly powder
1/8 tsp Turmeric
A few curry leaves
Coriander to garnish
Salt to taste
If interested add 1 tsp of Home made Curry leaf powder for more flavour. (I will post the method to make curry leaf powder soon)

Method:
Heat up oil in kadai/wok/skillet. Add mustard seeds.
After mustard splutters, add cumin seeds and fry a little.
Then add red chillies saute, and add the onions, curry leaves and fry them till onions are translucent.
Add the turmeric powder, saute.
Now add the cut potals and salt, give it a nice mix to coat them well with the tempering.
Sprinkle some water and cook covered with lid till the vegie is cooked stirring in regular intervals so that it won't stick to kadai and get charred.
When it is almost cooked , add the chilli powder and curry leaf powder, mix, garnish with coriander leaves and remove from heat.
Serve hot with Rice and sambar or dal.

Badami Ande / Egg Korma w/ Almond Infusion

I discover the making of this dish, when I was desperate for some rich gravy to go with my Biriyani. I ignored to pickup some Eggplants to make Eggplant masala during my regular grocery shopping, and also ran out of tomatoes to at least make some tomato chutney to compliment with biriyani. The only thing that came to my mind was eggs..sure eggs come to our rescue as i always mentioned in my previous egg posts. This time instead of just making a tangy egg gravy..to cut the spiciness of biriyani..I decided to experiment something different. Also I had that big packet of almonds sitting in my pantry...so decided to make use of them..so was born the "badami egg korma" With the regular korma ingredients like ginger garlic paste, coconut paste there was an addition the almond paste too..so no doubt this turned out to be a keeper dish.

Ingredients :
5-6 Hard boiled eggs
1 Tbsp Oil
2 - 3 Onions (over medium size, sliced length wise, or made into puree)
4 -5 Green chillies slit
1 Tbsp - Ginger garlic paste
2 tbsp Tomato puree
1/2 tsp each of Red chilly powder cumin & coriander powder.
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 Tbsp garam masala power
1/2 tsp tamarind paste
1/2 cup Coconut paste/puree (add little water to the grated coconut and make a puree)
1/2 cup Almond paste/puree (add little water to the soaked, blanched almonds and make a smooth paste)
1/2 cup half and half cream
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves (finely chopped)

Procedure :
In a Kadai/pot/pan, allow oil to become hot and add sliced onions or onion puree, green chillies and saute' till cooked.
Add ginger garlic paste and saute till the raw smell is gone.
Add tomato paste and fry till cooked.
Add turmeric, spice powders, and salt and mix thoroughly.
Add half of the garam masala powder and mix again.
Add half cup of water, mix and allow to boil with closed lid.
Now add the hard boiled eggs and mix.
Add almond paste, coconut paste and tamarind paste and allow to cook for 5 minutes.
Add the remaining garam masala and cook for another 2 minutes.
Just before removing add the cream and mix.
Add coriander leaves and remove from heat.
Serve hot with any seasoned rice, biriyani, or roti, naan or paratha.

Since this makes a very apt gravy to go on side with naan or paratha, I'm sending this egg gravy to Srilekha's EFM - Parathas and Gravies event