Pudina chutney with Turai Jhinga Tamatar wala

The other day I went shopping I found the freshest bunch of mint and coriander and I had to take it. The auroma was hypnotizing. I love the smell of fresh coriander and mint. After I got it I had to make something out of it else the fresh mint will just get dark and wilted and spoil away. So I made Pudina Pacchadi.
            Ofcourse, Pudina Pacchadi is just a side so I had to make something else with it and I made Ridge gourd with shrimp and Tomato

Cilantro

Mint Chutney

Mint

Pudina Chutney (Ground mint accompainment)

 


Ingredients:

1. About 4 cups of mint leaves
2. 2 cups of coriander leaves
3. Tamarind the size of a small lemon, soaked in about 2-3 tablespoons of warm water
4. 1 teaspoon salt
5. 2 garlic cloves
6. 1 tablespoons sesame seed oil (or any other oil
7. 1/2 teaspoon cumin
8. 2 dried red chillies
9. 1 green chilly (optional-use if you like the chutney spicy)

Wash and dry the mint and coriander on kitchen towels. In a pan heat the oil and fry the cumin for a couple of minutes. Add red chillies, green chilly pieces and garlic and fry for 3-4 minutes. Add the leaves and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Add salt and tamarind pulp and cook for 5 more minutes. Let it cook and grind to a paste and enjoy with rice or Idli, Dosa etc

Turai Jhinga Tamatar Wala (Ridge gourd curry with Shrimp and Tomato)

Turai Jhinga Tamatar

Ingredients:

1. 2 large ridge gourd peeled and cut into quarters and sliced 1/4 cm
2. 1 large tomato chopped
3. 1 medium red onion chopped
4. 1/2 ln shrimp shelled and deviened
5. 1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric, chilly powder, home made ginger-garlic paste
6. 1 teaspoon salt divided
7. 1 large or 2 small green chillies chopped
8. 2 tablespoons oil

Sprinkle half teaspoon salt on the ridge gourd and set it aside. Use the peel to make Ridge gourd Peel Chutney

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions till tender. Add green chilly pieces and ginger-garlic paste and fry for a couple of minutes. Add tomato and cook covered for 5 minutes. Add salt, chilly powder and turmeric and stir to combine. Squeeze as much as possible, the ridge gourd pieces to remove water and add them to the pan and stir to combine. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add shrimp and cook covered for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and let the excess water escape. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy

Also try

 Aalu Turai

Bagara Kaddu aur Ambada

Ambada or Ambade ki bhaji is what Red Sorrel Leaves are called in Hindi. Gongura in Telugu. I forgot what Gongura was called in Hindi and so I started searching or googling it but I didn't find the hindi name and finally it just popped in my head AMBADA. I made Ambada with some lamb bones (less meat more bones) so it is not exactly Gongura Mutton.

Anyway, I made Bottle gourd peel chutney and I made a simple stirfry with the flesh of the bottle gourd which I grated. And served these two with white rice. Enjoy

Bagara Kaddu (Bottle gourd stir fry)

Bagara Kaddu

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium bottle gourd peeled , seeded and grated
2. 2 tablespoons oil
3. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, mustard, urad dal, chana dal (soaked in water for 5 minutes)
4. 3 dried red chillies broken
5. few curry leaves
6. Cilantro for garnishing
7. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and turmeric

In a pan heat the oil and fry the cumin, mustard seeds, urad dal and chana dal for 3 minutes. Add broken red chillies and curry leaves and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the grated kaddu and cover and cookf ro 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add salt and turmeric, stir to combine and fry for 5 more minutes. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy

Ambada (Red Sorrel leaves gravy with mutton)

Ingredients:

1. 1 big bunch sorrel leaves separated
2. 1 small onion sliced
3. 1/2 ln mutton (pieces with less meat)
4. 1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric, ginger-garlic paste
5. 2 tablespoons oil
6. 1 teaspoon each of salt, chilly powder

Pressure cook the sorrel leaves with 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and 1/4 sup water. Let the steam escape, open the cooker and grind the leaves to a smooth paste.
In a pressure cooked, heat the oil and fry the onions till translucent. Add slit green chillies and ginger-garlic paste and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except ground paste, cover and cook for 4 whistles. Once the steam escapes, add the ground paste to the meat, add a cup of water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve

Wheat Dosa with Bottle Gourd Peel Chutney

Lauki Chilka Chutney

When I make any of the recipes with the skins of the vegetables which we usually discard I think of how resourceful Indian used to be in the olden days. There used to be so much less waste in everything. But India is changing sooooooooo much. People are being very wasteful and boastful
           Anyway, I made this Dosa with Wheat flour which was called "Poola" in my house. My grandma useds to love it and it is, as a matter of fact pretty delicious and easy to make. And to go with it I made Chutney with Ridge gourd. Enjoy

Poola (Whole Wheat Flour Crepes)

Wheat Dosa (pola)

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups wheat flour
2. 1/2-3/4 cup plain yogurt beaten
3. 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
4. 1 green chilly finely chopped
5. 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
6. water as needed
7. 1/2-3/4 teaspoon each of salt,
8. oil for frying

In a bowl sift the wheat flour with salt and mix the beaten yogurt. Add onions and green chillies and cilantro. Add water little by little until you get a thin pan cake batter. Heat the griddle and add a teaspoon of oil. Take batter in a ladle and star pouring in a circle from outside. Add some more oil at the edges. Let it get fried for 3 minutes or until the edges turn golden. Turn and fry for a couple of more minutes. Serve hot


Sorakaaya Thokku pachadi (Bottle gourd peel cooked and ground to paste)

Ingredient:

1. 2 cups Bottle gourd peel (Remove peel with any spots on it)
2. 1 large or 2 small tomatoes chopped
3. 2 green chillies
4. 1/2 inch ginger
5. 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt
6. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
7. 2 tablespoons oil
8. small lemon sized tamarind soaked in 1/4 cup of water water
9. 1/2 teaspoon each of mustard seeds, cumin, urad dal
10. 2 red chillies broken
11. few curry leaves
12. 1 heaped teaspoon dry roasted sesame (optional)

Heat the oil in a pressure cooker and fry the tomatoes and ridge gourd peels green chillies and ginger and cook for 3 whistles along with turmeric and tamarind puree and a little water. After the stream escapes open the cooker and grind it to a smooth paste along with the salt. In a pan the oil and fry the urad dal, cumin and musatrd seeds for a couple of minutes. Add red chillies and curry leaves and fry till they start to splutter. Add the chutney to it and cook for 5 minutes. Enjoy
The Chutney I made was a bit sour than what I wanted so I included the sesame seeds while grinding and it turned out to be sooooo good

You might also like Brinjal Chutney
                    Ridge Gourd Peel Chutney
                    Carrot Chutney

Rice Pudding

One of my favourite old time Telugu Movies is "Maaya Bazaar". A very old black and white movie and my favourite scenes is a scene which has all the items ready for a wedding feast. Here is the songs I simply love
Vivaaha Bhojanambu

And in this song there is the mention of this particular item "Chakera Pongali" and I finally made it...looks like its just a name for rice pudding . But this particular recipe calls for making a few changes and let me tell you with those changes the taste changes too. I think I am hooked onto this Chakera Pongali. You DO try it and let me know how you enjoyed it

Chakera Pongali (Sugar Rice Pudding)

Chakera Pongali

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup rice
2. 1/2 cup Urad Dal
3. 1/4 cup ghee divided
4. 1 cup sugar
5. 2 cups whole milk
6. 1 teaspoon rose water (for flavoring) or use Cardamom
7. a pinch Saffron
8. 1 tablespoon each of cashew, almonds, raisins

In a pan heat half od ghee and fry the dry fruits till golden brown. Drain and set aside. In the same ghee add the urad dal and fry until it turns light brown. Drain and pressure cook the urad dal and rice  with 2 cups of water for 3-4 whistles. After the steam escapes mash the rice and dal a bit and add milk and bring to boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. In a pan heat the reamining ghee and sugar and 2 tablespoons water and bring to a boil. Boil on low flame for 5 minutes. Add the rice and dal mix to this and stir well to combine. Add the dry fruits, saffron and any essence or cradamom and stir well and serve hot, at room temperature ot cold.
Enjoy Chakera Pongali

Saba Fish Curry

Back in India, when I was a little kid, my mom used to go shopping for fish on those special sundays and I used to accompany her sometimes. And boy I hated that stench. And sometimes when we used to go to Dhavaleswaram my mom would just stop my dad's official car and just buy fresh fish from the fish mongers by the side of the 5th largest river in India The Mighty Godavari . Now I know why the curries she used to make with them tasted so darn delicious- Cause they were fresh
                 Anyway, I made the most basic fish curry my mom used to make and I am serving it with Tomato Dal

Saba Fish Curry (Fish curry with onions and Spices)

Saba Fish Curry

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium sized Saba cut into steaks 1-11/2 inch thinck
2. 1 medium onion
3. 1/2 teaspoon cumin
4. 1/2-2/3 inch ginger
5. 2 green chillies slit
6. 2 garlic pods
7. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, chilly powder, turmeric, methi powder, coriander powder
8. 2 tablespoons oil

Marinate the fish with all the powdered ingredients and oil and set aside for 5-10 minutes. Grind the onions and ginger and garlic  and cumin to a fine paste. Heat a pan and fry the fish 3 minutes on each side, drain and set aside. Add one more tablespoons of oil and fry the onion paste until it starts getting dark. Add fish to it, add half cup and slit green chillies of water cover and simmer for 5 minutes. remove lid and simmer for 5 more minutes or oil floats on top. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy fish curry

Potato Corn fry with Tomato Dal

My Bade Ammi or my mom's eldest sister was one of the few cooks I really liked besides my Ammi and my Daadi Ammi. My Bade Ammi had a very different style of cooking than what my mom and my grandmother used to make. And I just loved eating lunch at her place. Mainly because the rice she used to make was soooo not very sticky-cause she used to make Basmati Rice for everyday meals
             The Tomato Dal I am making here is my Bade Ammi's recipe and I simply loved it. The way my mom used to make Tomato Dal is different and here is the recipe for Tomato Dal Ammi Style

Potato Corn Fry (Simple Potato and corn stirfry)

Potato Corn Fry

Ingredients:

1. 2 medium russet potatoes peeled and cubed small
2. 1 cup corn kernels (thawed if frozen) (I used sweet white corn kernels)
3. 1/2 cup red onions diced
4. 2 tablespoons oil
5. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, chilly powder, turmeric
6. 2/3 teaspoon each of salt, mango powder (optional)

In a pan heat the oil and fry the cumin till they start turning brown. Add cubed potatoes, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Until they become tender and slitly browned. Move the potatoes to one side and add chopped onions and cover and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the rest of ingredients, reduce the heat, cover and cook for 5 more minutes. Garnish with mango powder and cilantro and enjoy

Tomato Dal Bade Ammi Style

Tomato Moong Dal

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup yellow moong dal dry roasted
2. 2-3 tomatoes finely chopped
3. 1/2 teaspoon each of turmeric, cumin, mustard seeds
4. 1 teaspoon salt
5. 1 tablespoon oil
6. 3-4 dried red chillies broken, few curry leaves

In a pressure cooker add the dal with tomato and turmeric and 2 cups water and cook for 3-4 whistles. After the steam escapes, open the cooker and mash the dal and add 2-3 more cups of water and salt and bring to a boil. In a pan heat the oil and fry the cumin, mustard seeds, broken chillies and curry leaves and fry for 5 minutes or till the cumin become dark in color. Add this to the dal and bring to boil and boil for 5-7 minutes. garnish with cilantro and enjoy with white rice

Goat Liver Rice with Scrambled Tofu

Goat or lamb liver is one of those things which has the highest iraon content and is highly recommended for pregnant women especially if your iron content is low like mine was. So the doctor ordered me to increase the iron in my diet and I was searching way to do just that
                   SO this is one of those good dishes you should eat and I made scrambled tofu to go with it. The combination was just perfect

Goat Liver Rice (Goat liver is cooked in Indian spices and then simmered with rice)

Goat Liver Rice

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups uncooked rice

2. ½-2/4 lb goat liver chopped into small cubes

3. 4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth or water

4. ½ teaspoon salt, chili powder, turmeric, cumin, coriander powder

5. 1 medium small onion finely chopped

6. 2 small or 1 big green chili chopped

7. 1 teaspoon ginger-garlic paste

8. 2 tablespoons oil

9. 1 small green bell pepper chopped fine

10. 2-3 bunches of green onions chopped fine

11. ¼ cup chopped cilantro

12. 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

13. 3 cloves, a cinnamon stick

14. 1 teaspoon butter

Cooking rice

• In a heavy bottomed pan melt the butter and fry the rice for 5 minutes. Take care not to burn it. Add the 4 cups broth or water with ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes till rice is cooked. Set to cool

Making the liver curry and rice

• In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions till they turn golden brown. Add cumin and green chili pieces, cloves and cinnamon stick and fry for a couple of minutes. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for a couple of more minutes. Add liver pieces and fry for 5 minutes. Add ½ cup water all the spices and cover and cook till liver pieces become tender or for 1 whistle in a pressure cooker
• Simmer the curry until the gravy become a bit thick. Now add the rice and bell pepper and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low (2 or 3 setting of the stove), cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add green onions, lemon juice and cilantro stir to combine once again, cover and continue to simmer for 5 more minutes.
• Serve hot with scrambles tofu and vinegar onions

Scrambled Tofu (Tofu Scrambled in Indian style)

Scrambled Tofu

Ingredients:

1. 10 to 12 oz soft Tofu
2. ¼ cup finely chopped red onions
3. 1 small tomato chopped fine
4. ½ cup chopped frozen spinach (optional)
5. 1 tablespoon oil
6. ½ teaspoon salt, chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder
7. ¼ teaspoon turmeric

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions till tender. Add chilli pieces and fry for 1 more minute. Add tomatoes and fry till they become pulp. Add spinach if using and cover and cook for 5 minutes. Crumble tofu with hand into the pan and add all the spices and stir to combine. Cook on medium heat till excess water evaporates.

Serve with roti or rice

 

Vinegar Onions (Onions in Vinegar :D  )

 

Vinegar Onions

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup white vinegar
2. 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
3. 1 green chilly finely chopped (less for less spicy)
4. 1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix all the ingredients together and set aside for 30 minutes. Serve