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

Curried Long and Kidney Beans - Srilankan Style

Toronto ranks as the second-best city among the world's "metro powerhouses" in areas of business opportunities, culture, livability and innovation, only beat out for the top spot by New York City and followed closely by surprise contender San Francisco a new report claims. As for me, I will tag Toronto as an cultural Icon. I'm always impressed by the feast of cultures its got to offer. And sure different cultures bring exotic flavours of different foods, Western, Mexican, Italian&Spanish, South Asian, Greek& other Mediterranean, Chinese, Japanese, Thai&Malai & other Oriental, Pakistani, Srilankan you name it...With all these captivating culinary skills we have a perfect gastronomic treat right here.

Today I'm blogging one of my favorite Srilankan Tamil curry made with Srilankan raw curry powder which is usually on the menu in most of the Srilankan Tamil take outs and their gatherings and special occasions. Somehow took a liking towards this vegan preparation that I gave it a try at home. Some of the Srilankan Tamil dishes follow the method to deep fry the vegetable and then add it to the sauce/gravy, which definitely grades high in taste if you comprise on health. Well once in a while is ok, but not on regular basis. I completely cooked in steam and it still turned out tasty.

Ingredients:
1 full bunch of Long beans, broken into 1 inch pieces
1 or 1/2 Can Kidney beans
1 Tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 medium onion sliced
3 small green chillies
8-10 curry leaves
2 Tbsp Srilankan Curry power or use the Spice powder mix(below)
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
Salt to taste
For the Spice powder mix:
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp fennel powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp fenugreek powder
1/4 tsp Mustard powder
1 tsp Chilly powder
1/4 tsp Black pepper powder
1/2 tsp Dhal powder

Preparation:

In a kadai, heat oil and allow mustard to mustard.
Add sliced onions, slit green chillies & Curry leaves and saute till onions are translucent.
If not deep frying, then add the broken long beans, salt and saute' .
Now add the Srilankan Masala powder and mix thoroughly.
Add tomato paste and mix again.
If required sprinkle some water and cook covered for 15- 20 min or till the beans are soft.
If you deep fried the beans, then before adding the fried beans add the spice powder to the sauteed onions and fry well.
Then tomato paste and a little water and cook till the sauce thickens, and then add the beans to the tomato spice mix gravy.
Cook for 5 to 6 mins till the beans absorb the sauce into them.
Now add the kidney beans and mix well to coat them evenly with all the masala, taking care not to mash them.
Simmer for another 2 mins and remove from heat.
Makes a hearty side dish for rice, idiyappam or parota.

Karela Khatta Meetha / Bitter gourd Sour & Sweet

---AKA Kakarakaya belam pulla Kura/ Pavakka Vellam Puli Kuttu---

It's been a wet spring so far. But thanks for the change that is about to stay. Environment Canada is predicting above average summer temperatures from coast to coast and an increase of a couple degrees here in Toronto. We mothers are fortunate to have been bestowed with a warmer and dry Mother's day weekend. Happy Mothers days to all mothers!!!!

Thinking of mothers sure puts food they cooked for us on the top of the list. We can't be grateful enough for all the delicacies they showered on us. Mother's cooking is in itself a comfort and name one comfort food for me, is this sweet and sour bitter gourd curry. Yes, off course Bitter gourd is one of my fav veggies. For those whom this vegetable is an introduction or who shy away from this veggie, I encourage them to give this recipe a try, you won't be disappointed.


Ingredients:
3-4 Medium Size Bitter Gourd (5-6 if small)
Oil - 1 tbsp
1/2 tsp Mustard
1 small Onion
3-4 Green Chillies slit
6-8 Curry leaves
Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
1 small lemon Size tamarind ball soaked in enough water
1 Tbsp crushed jaggery
Salt - to taste
Coriander leaves - a small bunch

Procedure:
Scrape, Wash and slit Bitter Gourd into four parts and then further cut those four sides into small pieces.
Now soak the pieces in salt water to remove excess bitterness.

Allow mustard to splutter in a kadai/pot after the added oil is hot.
Then add cut onions, green chillies, curry leaves and saute till onions turn slightly brown.
Add Tomato paste and fry for a minute or till raw smell is gone.
Add chilly and coriander powder and mix
Add Bitter Gourd pieces, salt, and mix well.
Sprinkle some water and cover with lid to cook the Bitter Gourd in steam for about 20minutes.
Keep mixing periodically and add more water if required.
Once the Bitter Gourd is almost cooked add the squeeze the tamarind juice into it and mix well.
Add jaggery and mix till dissolved.
Cook for another 5-7 minutes or till karela is soft.
Add finely chopped coriander leaves and remove from heat.
Serve this with hot rice and papaddam or dry fish or meat fry.

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.

Shallots in Tangy Stew or Small Onion Gravy

--AKA Sambar Vengayam kuzhambu/Chinna Ullipaya Pulusu--

Continuing the `Pulusu` special..this shallot gravy is yet another creation from my mom, which she use to frequent in my childhood. As a practise, I usually add shallots when I make sambar, but once in a while for a change I manage to make this spicy tangy onion gravy. The sweetness of  tendorly caramalized shallots is complimented by spice of red chilly powder and sour of  tamarind juice. The result one aromatic gravy that you can`t wait but to gobble with rice.

I must mention though, that the best sides for this gravy with plain rice are Boiled Stir fried Eggs, Fried dried salt Fish or if you don`t have them handy, our keeper papads/appalam would do. So friends and readers who have not yet attempted this south Indian, Andhra special gravy, don`t forget to pick a small bag of shallots when you grocer next, in an Indian/Asian store and try it for a change.


The recipe is no different from a regular tamarind gravy/pulusu/kuzhambu recipe. It more an idea of making the gravy with the main ingredient as the whole shallots.
Ingredients:
1/2 lb or  a small pkt of Shallots/sambar vengayam/chinna ullipayalu
1 Tbsp - oil
1/2 Tsp - Onion seeds/Kalonji
3-4 Green Chillies
10-12 Curry leaves
2 Tbsp -Tomato Puree
1 tsp - Red Chilly powder
1 tsp - Cumin powder
1 tsp - Coriander powder
Soak Lemon size Tamarind/Puli/Chintapandu ball in 2 cups hot water
Finely chopped coriander leaves - a small bunch

Method :
In a pan or kadai, add oil, when heated add Onion seeds.
Fry a little and then add the green chillies, shallots, curry leaves and keep stirring till onions turn their color.
Now add the tomato puree and cook for about 1 - 2 minutes.
Add all the masala powders, mix and cook another 2 minutes or till the mixture leaves the container.


Now squeeze the Tamarind/Puli juice from the soaked tamarind & water into the cooking mixture.
Mix this well and bring it boil,
Once the gravy seems to attain a good consistency add the coriander leaves and remove from heat.

Methi Masala / Fenugreek Leaves Gravy

AKA Menthukura Pulusu / Venthaya Keerai Kuzhambu.....

Regular calls to Amma(mom) back home, are not complete without an exchange of a recipe or what was the menu that day, how my Father liked it, or how my visiting brothers enjoyed her dishes. So much so that the making of this dish is totally inspired by her. Nearly every time she cooked it and my call came in, she would say how good it turned out and that I should give it a try.

Well, this is a common gravy/pulusu in Andhra, but somehow I always throw methi into dal to makes things easier rather than cooking it separately. But honestly this is one gravy you would really want to try if you havent' yet especially if  hail from Desh and love the combination of sour and sweet. The flavour is enhanced by adding fenugreek seeds and to the tangy tamarind gravy a hint of sweet is added to balance the taste that your taste buds will remember. Too bad that I end up eating extra rice when this is on my menu :(


Ingredients :
1 Bunch Fenugreek leaves /Methi
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp Fenugreek seeds
3-4 Garlic cloves, cut thin.
1 medium onion
2-3 Green & Red chillies each
8-10 curry leaves
1 smal lemon size Tamarind ball
2 Tbsp tomato puree
1/2 tsp each of chilly, coriander (CC)powders
1 tbsp crushed jaggery, you can substitute with sugar too
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves to garnish


Directions:
Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup warm water for about 1/2 hour. Squeeze the juice into 2 cups of water. Keep aside.
Separate the fenugreek leaves from their stems, wash and chop them . Keep aside.
Heat oil in a wide pan/kadai, allow mustard to splutter, add fenugreek seeds, wait for a few seconds till a little color change and roasted fenugreek aroma comes out.
Add garlic and saute' till color changes slightly.
Add both the chillies, curry leaves, saute'
Add onions, and fry till translucent.
Now add the tomato puree, and cook till raw tomato smell is gone.
Add the CC powders and mix well and cook for 2 minutes
Add the chopped methi(fenugreek leaves), saute' for a minute, add salt and cook till greens are almost done.
Now add the tamarind juice, and bring it to boil.
Add the jaggery or sugar to the boiling gravy.
Here is the step by pictorial demo.

Once the gravy is thick enough like the last picture in the above grid, you can remove the gravy from heat.
Add coriander leaves if desired.
Serve with hot plain rice, biryani, roti, paratha or chapathi.
Don't forget to include crunchy papadams when eating with rice.


P.S. If you are unable to make egg plant gravy as a side dish to Biryani, I found out that this gravy goes too good with any type of biryani.

Potals Tomato Curry / Tamatar wale Parval

Yet another recipe from Grandma Bhanu's collection, is this Potals Tamato Curry. Don't know about rest of the family but I use to ardently love this curry whenever she made. No doubt I use to experience the warmth in her serving. Regular readers of my blog would know how I brag about her in some of my posts which are straight from her kitchen. Well, can't help it..she is that dearly special person to me. The memory of her cooking is so fresh in my mind that I got to let it out now and then. Okay, before I side track to emotion, let my focus return to the recipe.

For those who have missed my first post of this vegetable, here is the sneak peek. The best part with this dish is it doesn't need a stew or a condiment to be served along, just enjoy it with plain rice or roti, pita bread or tortilla. Unlike the sleek cut that we give to this when stir frying, here we just have to cut each potal into four or six pieces depending upon the size. The recipe is pretty much simple.

Ingredients:
1 lb Potals/Parval
1 Tsp Oil
1 big Onion cut length wise
2 large Tomatoes or 1 cup Tomato puree
3 Green chillies slit
8-10 Curry leaves
1 tsp Red chilly powder
1/2 tsp Coriander powder
Salt to taste
Finely chopped Coriander leaves

Method :
Heat oil in a Pot/Skillet and add sliced onions, green chillies, curry leaves and saute till onions are cooked.
Add cut vegetable pieces, give it a stir.
Add chilly and coriander powders, salt, and mix well to evenly coat the potals
Sprinkle some water and cook covered in steam till potals became soft, say about 15-20mins
Occasionally open the lid and mix.
Sprinkle more water if needed.
Once the vegetable is soft add the tomato puree or mashed tomatoes, mix well.
Cook for another 5-7 minutes or till all the tomato is absorbed by the vegetable and the raw smell is gone.
Add coriander leaves, mix and remove from heat.

Serve this with hot rice or chapathi.

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!!!