Courgettes curry

This is a simple vegetarian recipe. Courgettes simmered with onion, tomatoes and yoghurt in a fragrant mix of spices. This dish tastes good if served with chapathi but you can serve it with boiled rice, too.

Ingredients:

    Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp

    Onion - 1, thinly sliced

    Courgettes - 2 peeled and cut into circles

    Ginger+Garlic paste – 1 tsp

    Chilli powder – 1 tsp

    Turmeric – 1/8^th tsp

    Coriander powder – 1 ½ tsp

    Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp

    Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

    Tomatoes - 4, chopped

    Yoghurt – 2 tbsp

Method:

Heat oil in a large sturdy pan over medium heat.

Sauté onion until transparent. Add Ginger garlic paste and sauté everything. Add chopped tomatoes, mix and cook them until mushy by covering the pan with the lid.

Now add courgettes, salt, chilli powder, turmeric, coriander, cumin powder, garam masala and yoghurt and combine thoroughly.

Add about 100 ml of water, reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 10 – 15 min, stirring occasionally.

Potato / Aaloo Kurma

This is a must have recipe in each and every house of India whether it is Southern or Northern part. A nice companion for pulao rice / Biriyanis as well as chapathis. Adding fennel will give the unique flavour to the curry.

Ingredients:

Fresh Coconut grated / thin slices – 2 tbsp (heaped)

Khus khus / Poppy seeds / Gasa gasalu – 1 tsp (heaped)
Fennel Seeds - 1 tsp
Cashew nuts - 

Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tsp

Turmeric – ¼ tsp

Coriander powder – 1 tsp

Chilli powder – 1 tsp

Cloves – 3-4

Cinnamon stick – 1 inch

Cardamom – 1

Onion – 1 small chopped into small pieces

Tomato – 1 large chopped

Potato – 300gms

Salt

Oil – 2 tbsp

Fresh coconut, khus khus, Fennel seeds, green chilli, cashew nuts

Method:

Wash, Peel and dice the potatoes and keep them immersed in salt water

Fry the Khus khus, Fennel seeds, cloves, cinnamon under very low flame.

Allow them to cool down. Add enough water and grind them into smooth paste along with green chilli, coconut and Cashew nuts.

Heat a pan with oil. When it is hot enough, add mustard, jeera, curry leaves and red chilli

Add ginger garlic paste and fry for few seconds.

Add chopped onion along with a pinch of salt and fry until they are transparent.

Add the ground masala and fry until the oil gets separated.
Now add coriander and Chilli powder.

Add chopped tomatoes and potatoes.

Mix everything. Add some turmeric and required amount of salt.

Add some water and cook until the raw taste goes away and the potato is soft.

Shower  some chopped coriander and remove from the flame.

Dondakaaya Pallila koora / Ivy gourd curry

Ivy Gourd - Gentleman's toes. Isn't it interesting., It has got lots of medicinal values which controls diabetes. The leaves of Ivy gourd are applied on the skin for the wounds. 

We can make lots of recipes using these little wonders. Today, I have prepared a gravy variety which can be served with either rice or chapathi. The ivy gourd is sauted and cooked in peanut sauce.

For the peanut masala

Onion chopped and  fried in oil until transparent– 1 small

Roasted and skinned Peanuts – 3 tbsp

Roasted Sesame seeds – 1 tbsp

Green chilli – 3-4

Garlic – 2-3 cloves

Coriander powder

Chilli powder – 1 tsp

Aamchur powder -1/4 tsp (optional)

Salt

Grind all the above into smooth paste by adding some water

Slit the ivy gourds length wise by keeping one end intact.

Fill each one with the peanut masala.

Heat a broad pan with 1 ½ tbsp of oil.
Add 1/2 tsp of mustard seeds, few curry leaves and 1 tsp of chana daal.

Add the ivy gourd and fry them for a while by adding some salt and turmeric.

If you want, you can par boil them. As I like them crunchy., I have added them directly.

When they leave the raw aroma, add the peanut masala paste and fry for a minute.

Pour 1 – 1 ½ cup of water and cook under medium flame by covering the pan.

When the oil gets separated sprinkle some chopped coriander and remove from the fire.

Leave it for a while to get it thickened by covering the pan with the lid.
You can have this with rice or roti.

Ivy gourd in peanut sauce

Daalcha

This is a vegetarian version of Daalcha which brings a completely new scrumptious flavour in lentils. Lentils are cooked along with egg plant and tomato and sauted in cashew nuts masala. You can substitute vegetables with meet as well.

Daalcha

I learned this recipe from my sister-in-law during my last visit to India.

Ingredients:

Toor daal – 1 cup
Brinjal / egg plant – small variety – 4
Milk – ¼ cup
Cashew nuts – 4-5
Tomato – 2
Onion – 2 (Cut 1 into chunks and 1 into thin slices)
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Chilli powder – 2 tsp
Green chilli – 3 slit length wise
Garam masala – ½ tsp
Tamarind – ½ lemon size

Method:

Wash and soak toor daal in 2 cups of water
Cut 1 tomato and egg plants into large chunks and add to the daal.
Add ¼ tsp of turmeric and boil them till soft.

Daal, Egg plant and tomato

Heat a pan. Add milk, cashews, onion and tomato chunks and cook until the milk gets evaporated.

Grind everything into smooth paste.

Heat apan, add 2 tbsp of oil. Add thinly sliced onion, green chilli and ginger garlic paste. Fry
everything. Add coriander powder, chilli powder and garam masala. To this add the ground paste
and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the mixture to the cooked daal. Add tamarind water and bring it to boil.

A nice companion for pilau rice.

Goruchikkudu kaaram / Cluster beans curry

I learnt this from my co-sister when I visited her in India. So simple to make and with less oil. I call it as double dhamaaka as it is a mixer of two proteins, cluster bean and peanuts and both belongs to legume family. I have added a bit more chilli in order to suppress the sweetness of the peanuts.

Goruchikkudu kaaram

Ingredients:

Cluster bean - 300 gms - tear them into 2 inch bits

Chilli - handful (Depending on your taste)

Tomato - 2

Onion - 1 thinly sliced

Salt

Oil - 2 tbsp

Cluster bean, Green chilli, sliced onion and tomato

Method:

Coarsely grind the raw peanuts

Coarsely ground peanuts

Coarsely grind green chilli and cluster beans by adding salt.

Heat a pan with oil. When it is hot enough, add sliced onion and fry for a minute. Now add chopped tomato and toss it once. After a minute add the ground chilli and cluster bean.

Mix everything and cook for 2 minutes by covering with lid.

Now add the ground peanuts, mix it and cook for 2 more minutes

Now add about 1 1/2 - 2 cups of water and cook until the cluster beans are well cooked.

You can have it with rice or roti. My choice is rice.

Kheema / Minced meet curry

My deeply flavoured kheema is an all time favourite of my family. I have used lamb meat mince to make a nutritious, hearty and iron-rich meal. Unlike other non-veg recipes, be cautious in using oil as the minced meat itself oozes out more oil.

Ingredients:
Minced Meat – ¼ kg
Onion – 2 medium
Tomato – 1 large
Green chilli - 2 cut lengthwiseGinger + Garlic Paste – 1 tsp
Turmeric – ¼ tsp
Chilli Powder – ½ tsp
Yoghurt – ½ cup
Garam Masala – ½ tsp
Coriander powder – ½ tsp
Cumin Powder – ¼ tsp
Salt
Oil – 1 tbsp

Method:

Heat a pan with oil. Add the minced meat and fry it until it looses the raw colour.

Remove it and keep it aside.
In the same pan add another 1 tbsp of oil.
Add onion and pinch of salt and fry for a while.

Now add Ginger garlic paste and turmeric.  Fry for another minute.

Now add the semi cooked minced meat. Mix everything.

Add tomatoes, green chilli and yoghurt. Stir and cover the pan.

10 minutes after, add chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and garam masala and cook for another 20 minutes or until the meat is tender.

Kheema curry

Sprinkle some chopped coriander and remove from fire.

Matar Paneer / Green peas with cottage cheese

Green peas and Paneer are cooked together into a delicious gravy. This is one of the most popular curry found in all over the world.

Ingredients:
Paneer – 250 gms
Mattar / Green pea (Boiled)- ½ cup
Onion – 1 large
Tomato – 1 large
Cashews – 5-6
Turmeric – ¼ tsp
Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
Cumin Powder – ½ tsp
Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Oil
Salt
Cream – ¼ cup
Garam masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
Fresh or dried methi - hand full

Method:

Heat a pan with 1 tbsp of oil

Add cashews, chopped onion, Ginger garlic paste, large pinch of salt and fry for 2 minutes.

Add tomato and cook till they turn mushy.

Allow it to cool down and grind into smooth paste.

Heat another pan with 2 tbsp of oil. Add chopped green chilli. Saute for a minute and pour the onion tomato mixture.

To this add turmeric, garam masala powder, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and kasthuri methi. Cook for 2 minutes by sautéing continuously.

Add green pea, mix them and pour ½ cup or required amount of water and cook them for 4-5 minutes or until the peas are tender.

Add paneer and cream and cook for 4-5 minutes under reduced flame.

At the end splash some coriander and serve warm.

Delicious matar paneer

Bottle gourd with Sesame seeds powder / Sorakaaya nuvvula mudha koora

I know the name of this vegetable sounds funny, but we can make some interesting things with this along with some recipes. When I was a child, there used to be a beggar coming to our street with a musical instrument playing some melodious songs. When I observed keenly, it is made up of the dried bottle gourd. Not only that, we can also make some nice crafts with it and do some paintings on the dried bottle gourd.

Ingredients:

Bottle gourd pieces - 1 cup

Chana daal / Bengal gram / Senaga pappu - 1 tsp

Onion 1 chopped into small pieces

Green chili - 2-3 slit length wise

Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

Chili powder - 1/2 tsp

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Salt

Oil - 1 /12 tbsp

For Sesame powder - 

Roasted Sesame seeds -  1 tbsp

Roasted peanuts - 1 tbsp

Dry coconut - 1 tsp

Grind all the 3 ingredients into fine powder.

Method:

Heat a deep pan with 1 1/2 tbsp of oil. When it is warm enough, add chana daal and roast for few seconds. Add chopped onion and green chili. Fry them until the onion just gets transparent.

Add chopped bottle gourd and fry for a minute.

Add salt, chili powder, turmeric and coriander powder. Stir every thing and cover it with lid for a minute.

Now add about 1/4 cup of water and cook the vegetable until soft.

At the end add the sesame seeds powder, stir every thing, reduce the flame and cover  it with lid.

Cook it for 2-3 minutes and remove from the fire.

Serve it with roti

Potato curry for poori

This curry is prepared by cooking the potato and green pea in gram flour sauce. This can be served with either poori, chapathi or even dosa.

Ingredients:

Onion – 1 (Cut length wise)
Tomato – 1

Potato – 2 medium, boiled and mashed

Fresh or frozen Green pea – boiled 1 cup
Gram flour (Basin / Senagapindi) – ¼  cup
Water – 2 cups
Turmeric – ¼ tsp
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Green chili – 2 chopped into small pieces (You can also use Chili paste)
Curry leaves

Oil – 3 tbsps
Salt

Method:

Mix basin + salt with water and whisk it well with out any lumps and keep it aside.

Heat a tawa with oil and when the oil is warm enough, add mustard, cumin, curry leaves one after the other and when they start splattering, add green chilli, onion, tomato and fry for 2 min or until the onion becomes transparent.

Now add chopped tomatoes and stir again and cover it with lid for 2 minutes. Stir again and mash the tomatoes.

Now add the basin mixture and stir continuously by reducing the flame.

Slowly the content becomes thick and leaves a nice aroma. Now add the mashed potato and green pea.

Reduce the flame and allow the vegetables to absorb the flavours, for about 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Though it looks bit watery when it is just done, it will become thick once it is cool.

Poori with potato curry

Note: Do not cover the pan with lid whilst cooking any basin recipes as the basin will get split and gets separated from water. This will make the curry watery

Boondhi curry

I have learned this from one of my friend's mom. Boondhi curry is a sort of chewy side dish and acts as a best companion for rice. Nothing is quicker than this curry. I have added a bit of Ginger Garlic paste to give the curry flavour to the recipe.

Boondhi curry

Boondhi – 1 cup
1 large Onion – Chopped
2-3 Green chilli – Chopped
Ginger garlic paste – ½ tsp
Cashew nuts – 10 to 15
Oil
Coriander chopped – 1 tbsp

Plain boondhi, chopped onion, chopped green chili and cashews

Method:
Heat a pan with 2 spoons of oil. When it is hot enough, add the cashew nuts. Roast them slightly and add chopped onion, green chilli and ginger garlic paste.

Fry every thing until the onion turns colour. Add the boondhi , stir every thing and cover it with lid.

Allow the boondhi to absorb all the flavours and get semi soft.

Bindi curry – Bendakaaya mudda koora

This is in between the gravy and dry variety. This can go well with either rice or roti.

Ingredients:
Okra – 250 gms
Onion – 1
Tomato - 1
Aamchur powder – ½ tsp
Coriander powder – ½ tsp
Chili powder – ½ to 1 tsp
Roaster peanuts – 1 tbsp
Grated dry coconut – 1 tbsp
Garlic – 2 cloves
Salt

Method:
Cut each bindi into 3-4 pieces.
Cut onion into big cubes. More or less the same size as bindi.
Grind 1 tbsp of desiccated coconut and 1 tbsp of roasted peanuts along with 2 garlic cloves.
Heat a wide pan with 2 tbsp of oil. When it is hot enough, add chana daal, cumin, red chilli and curry leaves. Now add onion and fry for a minute.
Add okra and fry for 2 minutes. Now add chopped tomato, stir and cover the pan with lid. Allow it to get cooked with the steam for about 5 minutes.
When the okra is half done, add salt, chilli powder, coriander powder, salt, aamchur powder add the ground coconut and peanut powder. Sprinkle some water, about 4-5 tbsp, stir every thing and cover it.
Cook the curry until okra is tender and the curry becomes thick.

 Bendakaya mudda koora with rice