Garlic Methi

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh methi leaves, finely chopped

1 tsp oil

1/4 tsp haldi (turmeric powder)

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

2 tbsp dahi (curd)

1 1/2 tsp besan

1 tsp rice flour

pinch of hing (asafoetida)

3/4 cup water

salt to taste

Tempering:

8 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1/4 tsp haldi powder (turmeric powder)

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

2 green chillies, chopped

Method:

• Heat a kadai on a medium high flame.
• Add 1 tsp of oil and mustard seeds, when they crackle add haldi and hing, mix well. Add chopped methi. Stir well. Cover the kadai with the lid. Let the methi cook for 4-5 mins.
• Open the lid and stir. Once the methi is cooked, add besan and rice flour and stir well for a minute.
• Add dahi and mix well. Add water and salt and mix well. Cover the kadai with the lid for another 5 mins.
• In the meantime, heat a pan for tempering. Once the pan is hot add 1 tsp of oil, add the mustard seeds and let them crackle, add hing and garlic. Once the garlic starts to change colour add 1/4 tsp of haldi and mix well. Add green chillies and let it cook for 1 minute. Turn the gas off.
• uncover the kadai, mix well, add sugar, mix well, pour the tempering and cook uncovered for 2 mins. Serve

Tips:

• this is one methi recipe where the bitterness of methi is neutralized tremendously. You could increase the amount of besan and/or rice flour if you feel the bitterness of methi needs to be toned further.
• curd gives a very distinct flavour in this recipe, you can increase the quantity of curd.
• water in this recipe can be substituted with buttermilk.
• you could add tamarind/lemon instead of curd. However, if you use lemon add it after the tempering is mixed.
• jaggery can be used instead of sugar.
• instead of rice flour, coarsely ground rice gives this recipe a better texture and taste too.
• the quantity of hing can be adjusted to suite one's taste.
• this preparation tastes good with bhakri or rotis.

Vegetable Stew (Kerala Style)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup vegetables (french beans, carrot, potato, green peas,corn)

1 tetra pack of coconut milk

4-5 curry leaves

3 green cardamom

3 black pepper corn

3 cloves

1" cinnamon stick

1 tbsp ginger garlic paste

1 green chilli

1 tsp corn flour

1/4 tsp sugar

1 tsp of oil

1 cup water

salt to taste

Method:

• Mix All the vegetables and add into a microwave proof dish. Add salt and sprinkle 1/2 tsp of water. Microwave covered for 4 minutes.
• Heat a skillet and add oil. Add green cardamoms, black peppercorns, cloves and cinnamon stick. Add onions and stir well. Add ginger garlic paste and stir well. Cook the onions on flame. The colour should not change.
• Add the microwaved vegetables and mix well. Add the green chillies and curry leaves and mix well.
• Add the Coconut milk and mix well on low flame.
• Mix cornflour in 1/2 cup of water and add to the vegetable.
• bring to boil.
• Add salt and sugar and mix well.
• Serve hot with malabari paratha!!!

Tips:

• You add any veggies that you like.
• Addition of corn flour gives a good thickness and binding to the gravy you can avoid it too.
• you may cook the veggies in the coconut milk, however in such a case you must use the second milk of coconut to cook the veggies and then add the thick or first milk.
• You can use fresh cocnut milk too.
• Anything between 2-4 minutes is normally good enough to cook the veggies in the microwave.
• the colour of this gravy is white hence ensure that the colour of the onion is not changed when its cooking.
• You can add white pepper powder to increase the spice content.

Chatpati Gawar Phali (Spicy Cluster Beans/ Chitki)

Ingredients:

1 cup gavar phali

1 tomato

4 cloves of garlic

1" ginger

1 tsp oil

1/4 tsp jeera

1/2 tsp jeera powder

1/4 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp kashmiri mirch powder

1/4 tsp haldi

3 tbsp water

salt to taste

Method:

• Cut the cluster beans into 2 inch long pieces. Add salt and microwave covered for 3 minutes. Stir and keep aside.
• Grind the tomato, ginger and garlic into a fine paste.
• Heat oil in a kadai, and jeera and let it crackle. Add the tomato ginger garlic paste and let it cook. Once the tomato leaves the sides of the kadai, add jeera powder, coriander powder, kashmiri mirch powder and haldi. Let the masala cook well.
• Add the cluster beans and 1 tbsp of water and salt. Cover the kadai with a lid and let the cluster bean cook in the masala. Stir occasionally and keep adding 1 tsp of water at a time if required.
• Once the cluster beans are cooked and coated with the masala...its done!!! serve!!!

Tips:

• This is a dry vegetable, its almost like a stir fry vegetable coated with masala.
• You can add sugar to balance the flavours.
• You can temper with mustard seeds and ajwain too.
• You can add whole garlic too, it gives a good flavour.
• You can grate the tomato, ginger and garlic, incase its difficult to grind the tomato, ginger and garlic in the mixie.

Beans Poriyal

Ingredients:

1 cup french beans, cut into 2" long

5 tbsp coconut, grated

1 green chilli, slit into 2

2 tbsp moong dal

pinch of hing

1/2 tsp rai

6-7 leaves of karipatta

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp sugar

2 tsp oil

salt to taste

Method:

• Wash the french beans and cut into 2" long pieces.
• Wash the moong dal and soak in 5 tbsp of water.
• Heat a kadai on a medium high heat, add oil, add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the asafoetida powder and karipatta, add the drained moong dal and stir fry.
• When the moong dal begins to change colour, add the french beans and stir well. Add 2 tbsp of water and salt, cover and let the beans and dal cook on steam. Stir occasionally.
• Add the green chillies and cook till the beans are totally cooked.
• Add garam masala powder, coconut, sugar and stir well. Let it cook for 3 minutes.
• Serve hot!

Tips:

• You can also add whole red chillies in the tempering.
• You can use urad dal instead of moong dal.
• You can also use combination of urad and moong dal.
• This recipe does not have onion or garlic. You can also add onion and garlic to this recipe. In such a case you can skip the use of hing.
• You can use coconut oil for this preparation.
• Jeera can also be added in the tempering.
• At any time, if the french beans stick to the kadai add 1 tsp of water at a time.
• Serve this vegetable with rice and dal.

Kathal Tarkari (Jackfruit Vegetable)

Ingredients:

300 gms kathal

1 1/2 tsp dahi

1 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp jeera powder

1/2 tsp haldi powder

1/8th tsp chilli powder

1 1/2 tsp oil

1 medium sise onion, finely chopped

1 medium sized tomato, grated.

5 cloves of garlic, finely grated

1' ginger, grated.

2 cloves

1 dalchini

1 green cardamom

Cardamom, cinnamon powder and coriender leaves for garnish.

Method:

• Clean the kathal and cut the fruit and seeds into medium sized pieces.
• In a vessel add water, salt and haldi powder and the kathal pieces and boil.
• After the kathal has been almost 90% boiled, drain and keep it aside.
• In a kadai, add 1 1/2 tsp of oil, add the kathal pieces and fry till the kathal is totally cooked, remove it from the kadai and keep it aside
• Add 1 tsp of oil in the same kadai, heat it on a medium low flame, when the oil is hot, add green cardamom, dalchini and cloves, when they crackle, add the ginger, garlic and fry, add the onion, stir fry and cook till the onion turn pink in colour, add the tomato puree and mix well.
• Mix dahi in 2 tbsp of water.
• Add dahi in to the onion and mix well. Add jeera powder, coriander powder, haldi and red chilli powder, mix well. Cover the kadai with a lid and let the masala cook well.
• Add salt and sugar and mix well.
• Once the masala is cooked, add the fried kathal pieces and mix well. Add 3 tbsp of water and mix well till the masala coats the vegetable.
• Once done switch off the gas.
• Sprinkle cinnamon powder and cardamom powder.
• mix well and transfer to a serving plate and garnish with coriander.

Tips:

• Kathal is to be 90% cooked when it is boiled.
• If you cook the kathal completely when its boiled you can avoid frying the kathal...its healthy too!
• You can also deep fry the kathal, in such an case, you can avoid boiling the kathal.
• You can increase the quantity of dahi in this recipe.
• This recipe is a dry preparation.
• When cleaning the kathal apply oil to your hands and the knife it makes the task easier.
• For this recipe, I normally retain only the seed and the flesh of the fruit and not the periphery, however in some preparations I do use most of the fruit (will post it shortly).
• you can also use canned jackfruit.
• you can also add green peas to this preparation.

Tendli Vangi Masala Bhat (Gherkin and Eggplant Masala Rice)

Ingredients:

1 cup rice

3 baby brinjal (egg plant/ baigan)

6 tendli (kundru/gherkin)

3 baby potatoes

1/2 cup green peas

1 medium onion, sliced

1 tsp jeera powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp haldi

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

1/3 cup grated coconut

2 tbsp coriender leaves finely chopped

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp ghee

2 tsp oil

salt to taste

Method:

• Wash rice and soak it in water.
• Slit the brinjal, baby potato and tendli into two keeping the stem (or eye) intact, so that the coconut stuffing can be filled in the slits.
• For the stuffing, to the grated coconut, add coriander powder, jeera powder, haldi, red chilli powder, garam masala, salt, sugar and coriander leaves.
• Stuff the coconut stuffing in the brinjal, baby potatoes and tendli.
• In case there is excess of the stuffing, keep it aside.
• Place a presure cooker on a medium high flame, add the oil and ghee. When the oil and ghee is heated, add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to crackle, add the onion and mix well and cook for a minute. Place the stuffed brinjal, baby potato and tendli and stir fry gently on medium high flame. Add the green peas and remaining coconut stuffing and gently stir fry.
• Drain the rice and add to the vegetables and mix very gently. Add water and salt, give one good gentle stir and cover the lid of the cooker. Cook on high till one whistle. Turn the gas off. Let the pressure drop by itself.
• Once the pressure drops transfer the rice in a serving dish and serve immediately!
  
  

Tips:

• This rice preparation is a traditional Maharashtrian rice. You can also add peanuts to this recipe. You can also replace green peas with peanuts.
• You can make this preparation as only tendli bhat or even only brinjal bhat.
• You can add hing if you like the taste.
• I do not keep any vessel in the cooker i just cook the rice directly in the cooker hence i give only one whistle on high, which is normally sufficient and makes the rice cook to perfection.
• Mix the stuffed vegetables and rice with a gentle hand otherwise the stuffing may leave the slits and spread and the rice may break.
• You can use only ghee or oil, I prefer to use a combination as ghee gives taste and oil gives the gloss to the food.
• Ghee also has less resistance to heat hence the addition of oil increases its resistance.
• If you do not have baby potatoes, you can use normal potatoes, cut them into thick slices and then slit each slice so as to add the stuffing in the slit.
• You can make this rice preparation for any fasting, avoid onion in that case.
• Serve this rice with curd or have it just like that,it tastes divine!

Sitaphal Tarkari (Pumpkin Vegetable)

Ingredients:

200 gms sitaphal (pumpkin),cut into big cubes

2 tbsp raw rice

3 tbsp grated fresh coconut

1 tsp oil

1/4 tsp panch phoren

1/4 tsp jeera powder

1/4 tsp coriander powder

1/4 tsp haldi

1/2 tsp sugar

1 green chilli

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

salt to taste

water

Method:

• Wash and soak rice in 5 tbsp of water.
• Soak mustard seeds and green chilli in water for 5-7 mins. Drain and grind to a paste.
• Heat a kadai. Add oil and heat it on a medium low heat, add panch phoren. When the panch phoren crackles add the sitaphal and mix well. Add rice (after draining the water) and mix well.
• Add haldi powder, jeera powder, coriander powder, sugar and salt and mix well.
• Add 3 tbsp of water, cover the kadai with the lid and let it cook on sim. Occasionally stir and keep adding 1 tbsp of water at a time so that the rice is done. Approximately 4-5 tbsp of water would be required.
• Once the rice is almost done, add grated coconut and stir. Cover and cook for 2 mins. Add the mustard and chilli paste. Stir and cook for 1 minute.
• Garnish with eliachi powder and cinnamon powder and serve.

Tips:

• Panch phoren is a mixture of equal quantity of 5 seeds viz: rai (mustard seeds), methi (fenugreek seeds), saunf (fennel seeds), kalonji (nigella seeds) and jeera (cumin seeds).
• In Bengali cuisine rai (mustard seeds) are replaced with radhuni. Radhuni has a peculiar fragrance and imparts its distinct taste and flavour to the food its added to. Since the above recipe is Bengali, you can also add radhuni.
• Mustard paste/ sauce can also be added instead of ground mustard.
• You can grind the mustard in a mortar and pastle.
• The sitaphal should not be peeled, the skin should be retained.
• Do not add all the water together, add the water in parts and cooked covered on sim. Sitaphal (pumpkin) should retain its shape.
• The quantity of green chilli can be altered according to taste.
• The above recipe is for two servings.
• This is an everyday recipe hence is prepared in less quantity of oil, you can increase the quantity of oil if you so desire.

Dahi Bhindi

Ingredients:

5 medium sized bhindi (okra/lady's finger)

1 tsp of oil

1/4 tsp salt

4 tsp water

for the tempering

1 tsp oil

1/2 medium sized onion, finely chopped

1 red chilly whole

1/2 small sized tomato, finely chopped

1/4 tsp urad dal, washed and soaked

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

5 curry leaves

1/4 tsp haldi

for the paste

5 cashew

1/4 cup grated coconut

1/4 cup dahi

1/4 cup water

salt to taste

Method:

• wash the bhindi and pat dry. Cut each bhindi horizontally into 2 to get 10 pieces.
• wash and soak the urad dal in 1 tbsp of water for 10 mins. Drain before using.
• heat a kadai and add 1/2 tsp of oil. Heat the oil on a medium flame. Add the bhindi and stir, turn the flame on sim and close the lid, stir occasionally and keep adding 1 tsp of water at a time if required. Once the bhindi is cooked, turn the flame off.
• grind together cashew and coconut into a fine paste.
• mix curd to the cashew and coconut paste.
• heat a kadai. Add 1 tsp of oil. Add black mustard seed, when they splutter add the whole red chilli, urad dal and curry leaves. Cook till urad dal changes its colour. Add onion and saute. Add tomato and haldi and cook for two mins on medium low flame.
• once the tomato is cooked turn the gas off. Add 1 tbsp of water and mix well. Add the curd and coconut paste and mix well for a min. Add 1/4 cup of water and mix well.
• switch on the flame and cook the gravy on a low flame. Add salt to taste.
• cook the gravy to desired consistency. Add the fried bhindi, simmer for a minute. Switch off and serve hot.

Tips:

• you can also add hing to the tempering.
• you can also add garlic and ginger paste along with the onion.
• if the dahi is sour tomatoes can be avoided.
• it is very important to mix cashewnut paste to the curd, this prevents the curd from cuddling.
• this gravy thickens when it comes to room temperature, accordingly switch off the flame at a slightly thinner consistency than you actually desire.
• it is very important to get the pan off the flame and add a little bit of water before you add the curd mixture. This helps to prevent curd from cuddling.
• if you want a thicker gravy, reduce the amount of water added to the curd. Alternatively, you can increase the number of cashewnuts.
• you can 1/4 tsp of sugar to balance the flavours.
• you can also deep fry the bhindi. Add 1 tsp of cornflour to the bhindi and deep fry, it will result in crispy bhindi.
• you can keep the bhindi soft or crispy as per your taste.
• if you keep the bhindi crispy then do not cook the crispy bhindi in the gravy instead mix it with the gravy just before serving.
• you can sustitude the bhindi with fried brinjal,cauliflower, potato etc.
• this gravy tastes good with rotis, paratha or malabari paratha!

Perval Bhaja

Ingredients:

4 perval

1/4 tsp haldi

1 1/2 tsp oil

salt to taste

Method:

• peel the perval with a blunt knife.
• cut the sides of the perval and make incision of cross mark on it.
• make incisions on the perval (i make leaf designs on it as it makes it more appealing).
• apply salt and haldi on the perval and let it marinate for 15-20 mins.
• heat a flat non stick pan to medium heat. Add oil and place the perval on the pan. turn the flame to sim and cover the pan with a lid. let the perval cook on a slow flame, turn occasionally.
• once the perval is done turn off the flame and serve these juicy perval.

Tips:

• ensure that the slits are deep so that it marinates the flesh of the perval.
• the perval can also be deep fried.
• you can add other spices like jeera, coriander and red chilli powder after the perval is half done.
• you can get your creativity running, make incisions of any design to make the perval look appealing!