Lauki Ka Halwa

Bottle gourd is a vegetable that is available all over india and at all times. People, unaware of its benefits, always neglect it. I have felt that making halwa is the best way to have this in your diet. It is used to make curries like sambhar in South India, but I am sure, South Indians would not have tried a dessert  with this vegetable.

Basic info about the recipe

Cuisine                                                     - North Indian

Serves                                                      - 2 people.

Ingredients:

1.   Bottle gourd(grated)             - 2 cups

2.   Milk                                        - 1 cup

3.   Sugar                                    - 5-6 tsps

4.   Ghee                                     - 2 tsp

5.   Cashew                                 - 4 nos

6.   Raisins                                  - 7-8 nos

7.   Almonds                                - for garnishing.

Method: peel the skin and grate the lauki.

 In a pan, heat ghee and roast the cashews and raisins and keep aside.

  Transfer the grated lauki to this pan and cook till the water in it evaporates.

Add milk and cook till dry.

Add sugar and cook again to the halwa consistency.

Add the roasted nuts and raisins and mix well. Garnish with almonds and serve hot.

Note: Quantity of sugar can be increased as per your taste.

Cheera Avial

Red amaranth leaves is called cheera in Kerala.  Avial is an unavoidable item on all occasions. Normally, it is made with a variety of vegetables. Here, I am giving a different recipe which I learned from my mom-in-law.

Basic info about the recipe

Cuisine                                                                         - South Indian

Serves                                                                          - 3-4 people.

Ingredients:

1.   Red spinach                                            - 400 gms

2.   Coconut                                                   - half a coconut

3.   Turmeric powder                                     - ½ tsp

4.   Shallots                                                    - 4-5 nos

5.   Green chillies                                           - 2- 3 nos

6.   Oil                                                             - 2 tsp

7.   Salt                                                           - to taste

8.   Cumin                                                       - ½ tsp

9.   Curd                                                          - 2 tbsp

10.                       Curry leaves                                   - 4-5 nos

Method: Clean and chop the spinach.

Boil the spinach with turmeric powder and salt.

In a mixer, grind the grated coconut, shallots , cumin and green chillies.(do not make a fine paste)

Add this to the boiled spinach. Add curd and stir for 5 mts.

Switch off the gas and add a tsp of oil and curry leaves on top. Serve hot.

Note: Instead of curd, you can add a piece of raw mango or a tsp of tamarind paste.

Instead of grinding chillies, you can make a slit to them and add at the time of cooking spinach.

                                                         

Tomato Onion Chutney

Chutneys are great accompaniment with almost all breakfast items and snacks. Different varieties of chutneys can be made. Tomato- onion chutney goes well with idli, dosa, uthapam and vada.

Ingredients

1.   Onion                             - 1 large

2.   Tomato                          - 3 large

3.   Red chilli powder          - 1 tsp

4.   Salt                                 - to taste

5.   Coconut oil                    - 3 tsp

6.   Curry leaves                  - 6-7

7.   Coriander leaves          - few sprigs

Method: Fry onion, tomatoes, red chilli powder, coriander leaves and  curry leaves adding required salt,  in 2 tsp oil.

Grind them and transfer to a bowl.

Pour 1 tsp oil on top(optional). Mix well and serve.

Ada dosa

Ada dosa is also called ammiyar ada as it originated in Tamilmadu. It is a very tasty and nutritious dosa as it combines the goodness of rice with lots of lentils.It is served with sambar, white coconut chutney or gun powder.

Basic info about the recipe

Cuisine                                                     - South Indian

Serves                                                      - 2-3 people.

Ingredients                                    

1.   Idli rice                                   - 2 cups

2.   Udad dal                               - ½ cup

3.   Toor dal                                - one hand full

4.   Red lobia(vanpayar)            - ¼ cup

5.   Black chana                          - ¼ cup

6.   Moong dal                             - ¼ cup

7.   Asofoetida                            - a pinch

8.   Dry red chilli                          - 8-10 nos

9.   Curry leaves                         - 10-12 nos

10.                       Shallots                       - 10 nos

11.                       Cumin                         - ½ tsp

12.                       Ginger                        - 1 inch long piece

13.                       Methi seeds               - ¼ tsp

14.                       Salt                             - to taste

Method: Soak rice,dals, lobia and chana together. In another bowl, soak dry red chilli, jeera and methi(fenugreek) seeds together. Soak both for 5 hrs or overnite.

Grind the soaked items in a mixer. Add salt and ginger also.

Chop the shallots and curry leaves and add this to the ground mixture.

Add hing and mix everything well.

Heat a pan and pour a ladle of batter to the pan and spread in circular motion. Pour little oil on top. Flip to the other side and cook till brown.

Ada dosa is now ready to be served.

Stuffed Karela

Karela or bitter gourd is my favourite vegetable. Karela dishes range from a simpl fry to stuffed karela. Eventhough, there are not very fans for this vegetable because of its bitterness, stuffed karela is a must try item as it’s bitterness is comparatively low.

Basic info about the recipe

Cuisine                                                     - North Indian

Serves                                                      - 2 people

                                         

Ingredients:

1.   Bitter gourd(small)                - 2 nos

2.   Onion                                    - 1 medium

3.   Tomato                                  - 1 medium

4.   Potato(boiled)                       - 1 no:

5.   Turmeric powder                  - ½ tsp

6.   Redchilli powder                            - 1 tsp for stuffing and ½ for batter

7.   Coriander powder                - 2 tsp

8.   Pepper powder                    - ½ tsp

9.   Cumin powder                      - 1 tsp

10.                       Salt                          - to taste

11.                       Oil                            - for frying

12.                       Lemon juice           - half a lemon

13.                       Besan                     - 2 tbsp

14.                        

Method: Peel the skin of the bitter gourd. Apply salt and lemon juice and leave for half an hour. Squeeze the water that has come out and wash in running water. This will reduce the bitterness.

Heat a tsp of oil in a pan and add onions and fry till golden brown.

Add tomato and fry till soft.

Add all the powders and potato and fry till done.

Let it cool for 10 mts.

Stuff this to the karela.

Make a batter with besan, red chilli powder and salt  and spread it on top of the karela.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the karelas till golden brown.

Stuffed karela is now ready to be served with rice or roti.

Karimeen Pollichathu

Pearl spot fish is called karimeen in Kerala.  Even though, many dishes can be made with karimeen, the most popular dish is karimeen pollichathu. This recipe can be tried with any other fish also. Karimeen pollichathu goes well with rice.

Basic info about the recipe

Cuisine                                                     - South Indian

Serves                                                      - 1 person

Ingredients:

1.   Karimeen                               - 1 no:

2.   Turmeric powder                  - ½ tsp

3.   Red chilli powder                  - 3 tsp

4.   Salt                                         - to taste

5.   Oil                                           - as required.

6.   Banana leaf                          - 1 no:

7.   Shallots                                 - 7- 8 nos

8.   Curry leaves                         - few sprigs

9.   Pepper powder                     - 1 tsp

10.                       Ginger  garlic paste         - 1. 5 tsp

11.                       Tamarind paste     - 1 tsp

                                                                

Method:  Wash and clean the fish. Skin should be removed.

Make slits on either side of the fish for the masala to enter the fish while marinating and cooking.

Marinate the fish with turmeric, 2 tsp red chilli powder and salt. Keep aside for half an hour.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the fish.( deep fry / shallow fry with little oil) till golden brown on both sides.

Add shallots, ginger-garlic paste, 1 tsp red chilli powder, pepper powder, curry leaves, salt and a tsp of tamarind paste to a mixer and make a paste.

Cut the banana leaf to the appropriate  size enough to wrap and cover the fish. Avoid the centre stem.

Wash the leaf and slightly smoke it over the flame in order to avoid the leaf from tearing.

Spread half of the masala as a bed for the fish on the bottom side and then keep the fried fish and spread the rest of the masala on the top of the fish. Place some fresh curry leaves on top of the masala which will enhance the flavor .

Wrap it with a small thread so that the fish and the masala does not come out.

Heat a few tsps of oil in a pan and place the wrapped banana leaf on it. Fry both the sides. The banana leaf will change its colour to light brown when the fish and the masala in it is cooked.

Open the wrap and serve hot.

Egg-Vegetable Rice

People try different varieties of rice items nowadays. Egg- vegetable rice is basically egg rice with a small twist, ie, the goodness of vegetables combined with the nutrients in egg. This is easy to make and I normally make it when I get bored of cooking normal dishes or there is shortage of vegetables in my fridge.  This can be had with raita or pickle.

Basic info about the recipe

Cuisine                                                     - South Indian

Serves                                                      - 2 people.

Ingredients:

1.    Basmati rice                         - 1 cup

2.   Egg                                        - 2 nos

3.   Carrot                                    - 1 medium

4.   Capsicum                             - 1 small

5.   Onion                                     - 1 medium

6.   Tomato                                  - 1 small

7.   Green chillies                       - 3 nos

8.   Oil                                          - 1 tsp

9.   Salt                                        - to taste

Method: Cook the basmati rice adding sufficient water and salt. Drain the excess water when cooked 80%. ( You can even pressure cook if you so desire)

Heat oil in a pan and add onion. Fry till golden brown.

Add tomato and green chillies and fry till soft.

Add eggs and salt and  keep stirring until its cooked.

Add chopped carrots and capsicum and mix well. Add a spoon of water and cover with a lid for 2 mts. Let the flavours of veg and egg combine together.

Add cooked rice to this and mix well.( Check salt)

Serve hot.