Kaddu jhinga

Incorporate more veggies in your meals. Incorporate more veggies in your meals. Incorporate more veggies in your meals. Incorporate more veggies in your meals. Incorporate more veggies in your meals. Incorporate more veggies in your meals. Incorporate more veggies in your meals. Incorporate more veggies in your meals. Incorporate more veggies in your meals

So, this recipe is one of the dishes where I am trying to "Incorporate more veggies in my meals"

Kaddu jhinga (Bottle gourd with Shrimp Curry)

Kaddu Jhinga

Ingredients:

1. 12 oz large or medium shrimp peeled and deveined
2. 1 medium large bottle gourd peeled, cored and cubed
3. 1 cup chopped onions
4. 1 heaped teaspoon ginger garlic paste
5. 1 teaspoon salt divided
6. 1 teaspoon turmeric divided
7. 1 tablespoon oil
8. 1 teaspoon each of cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli powder

Marinate the shrimp with 1/2 of salt and turmeric and set aside. In the mean time peal,core and cube the bottle gourd.

In a heated pan fry the shrimp for 5 minutes, drain and set aside.

 Heat the oil in a pan and fry the chopped onions till they start changing to dark brown. Add ginger garlic paste and mix well. Add the bottle gourd pieces and all the spices and cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add the shrimp and cover and cook for 10 more minutes. garnish with a handful of chopped cilantro and enjoy with steamed rice

Squash Kheema

Kheema is nothing but ground meat...ground beef, ground lamb, ground chicken or ground turkey. Use whatever is your favorite ground meat for this recipe. It is super fast to cook and super great to serve with either rice or roti

Squash Kheema (Ground meat cooked with yellow squash)

Squash Kheema

Ingredients

1. 1 tablespoon oil
2. 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste or finely chopped garlic
3.  1/2 lb ground meat (any kind)
4. 1 large or 2 small yellow squash or zucchini cut into 1 cm cubes
5. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder
6. 1/2 cup chopped onions

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onions till they start getting dark brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and fry for a minute. Add the meat and cook with all the spices for 10 minutes. Add the squash or zucchini and cook for 7-10 more minutes. garnish with cilantro and enjoy with Chickpea Quinoa Rice

Quinoa Rice with Chick Peas

Quinoa being the latest fab here,people have been making different dishes with quinoa in it.
The latest is a one pot dish which is super simple to make and is super flavorful and delicious. So, here you go

Quinoa Rice with Chick Peas (Chickpeas cooked with rice and quinoa)

Chickpeas with rice and quinoa

Ingredients:

1. 1.5 cups long grain rice
2. 1/2 cup quinoa washed
3. 1/2 cup chopped onions
4. 1 heaped teaspoon finely chopped garlic
5. 2 cups chicken broth + 2 cups water
6. 1 can chickpeas drained
7. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin powder, chilli powder
8. 1 teaspoon salt, coriander powder, sumac
9. 1 tablespoon olive oil

In a pan heat the oil and fry the onion till they start getting browned. Add garlic and stir well. Add rice and stir well for 2 minutes. Add the spices and mix well. Add the liquid and bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes before adding the washed quinoa. Cook for 15 more minutes. Add the chickpeas and stir to combine. Garnish with more sumac if desired and enjoy

More Quinoa recipes
Quinoa pudding
Coconut Vegetable Quinoa
Quinoa Wheat Roti
Veggie Quinoa and Brown Rice
Chicken Quinoa Rice

Till ka khatta with Simple okra curry, okra fry

If you came here searching for "Till" or Sesame seeds recipe then you should also check out kaccha khatta . The kaccha khatta recipe is an amazing recipe and it is a staple in my house and this till ka khatta is an extension of it. I made a simple okra curry to go with it but I am also including my favorite okra fry recipe also.


 Simple okra curry (Okra stir fry with onions)

Okra curry

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb okra ends cut and cut into about 1 inch pieces
2. 1 medium small onion chopped
3. 1 green chilly chopped
4. 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
5. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, chilly powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric
6. 2-3 tablespoons oil

Mix the plain yogurt into the okra pieces and set aside for 30 minutes (This step will prevent the okra from getting slimy)
In a pan heat oil and fry the onions till tender. Add all the powders and fry for a couple of minutes and stir. Add okra and stir to combine. Cook covered for 20 minutes stirring occasionally until okra is cooked. Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice or roti


Till ka khatta (Sesame powder cooked in tamarind juice)

Till ka khatta

Ingredients:

1. 1 teaspoon sesame seeds dry roasted and powdered
2. 1 tablespoons oil
3. 1/4 cup chopped yellow onions
4. 1 green chilly chopped
5. 1/4 teaspoon cumin
6. 3 cups of juice from tamarind the size of small lemon
7. 1 tablespoon each of cilantro, mint chopped fine
8. 1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt
9. 2 red chillies broken
10. few curry leaves

Mix the sesame seed powder into onions, chilly pieces, cilantro and mint and add it to the tamarind juice and salt. In a pan heat oil and add cumin, red chilly and curry leaves and fry till they start to splutter. Add the tamarind water to it and bring to a boil and boil for 3-5 minutes. Cut the heat and cover and set aside. Serve after an hour or so for better taste


Simple Okra fry (Fried okra with cumin)

Okra fry

Ingredients:

1. 1 lb okra ends cut and cut into 1 inch pieces
2. 3 tablespoons oil
3. 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, salt, chilly powder, turmeric
4. 1 teaspoon coriander powder

In a pan heat the oil and fry the cumin for 3-4 minutes. Add okra, cover and cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Take care so as not to mash the okra. Add the rest of the ingredients stir and fry without covering for 10 minutes more. Garnish with cilantro and serve with with rice

Rajasthani Gatta Pulao

This is one of the very different pulao recipes. First of it has Gatte which are pieces of fried chick pea flour which have been boiled. Its is very different and quite awesome. My little fella just loved it and asked if he can pick up some form the rice and eat them, by themselves. That is a good sign.

Here is the original recipe

Rajasthani Gatte Pulao (Rice with Gatta and spices)

Rajasthani Gatta Pulao

Gatta (Boiled chick pea flour logs)
Ingredients:

1. 1 cup chick pea Flour (Besan)
2. 1/4 teaspoon each of  Asafetida,Turmeric Powder, Red Chili Powder 
3. 1/2 teaspoon each of Salt, Cumin Seeds , baking soda
4. 1/4 cup Yogurt
5. 2 tablespoons oil 
6. 1 tablespoon Dried Fenugreek Leaves
7. Water, If Needed

Add asafetida, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, cumin,  baking soda, yogurt, oil, Kasuri methi and knead into a stiff dough. Use water 1 tablespoon at a time if needed.
Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and shape each portion into logs roll (wet your hands so that the dough doesn't stick to your palms)
Boil enough water in a pan. Add rolls to the boiling water and boil for 15 minutes.
Drain and set aside

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups Basmati Rice, Cooked with salt
2. 1 teaspoon each of Cumin 
3. 2 tablespoon Oil+ 1 teaspoon oil
4. 1 Onion, Sliced 
5. 1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder 
6. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt. 
7. Fresh Coriander Leaves Chopped
8. 2 tablespoons each of Peanuts, raisins
9. 1 medium carrot grated wide
10.  2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice

Heat 2 tbsp oil in pan. Add onions and fry till they turn golden brown. Drain and set aide.
Heat the remaining  oil in the and add cumin and bay leaf and let them splutter. Add peanuts and fry for 2-3 minutes. Add shredded carrot and mix well. Add raisins and mix.
Add cooked gattas and fry them for about 3-4 minutes. Add the cooked rice, fried onions, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and salt, and mix well. Cook covered on medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Add lemon juice and garnish with coriander and enjoy With Raita and Ground meat curry

Rajasthani Kheema

Kheema or minced meat, if done right is great. Every country, every region in every country has thier own way of making dishes with minced/ ground meat. This recipe is from one of the states in India...Rajasthan. Here is the  original recipe

 Rajasthani Kheema (Ground meat cooked in spices)

Rajasthani Kheema

Ingredients:

1. 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
2. 2 Green Cardamom
3. 1 inch Cinnamon
4. 2-3 Clove
5. 1 cup Onion Chopped
6. 2 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
7. 1 cup Tomato Chopped
8. 1/2 cup plain yogurtWhisked
9. 5-6 Green Chilli Slit Into half
10. 1 teaspoon each of 
11. 1/2 teaspoon each ofTurmeric Powder ,Black Pepper , salt, garam masala powder
12. 1 lb ground chicken or ground meat or ground lamb
13. 1/2 cup Mint Leaves Chopped
14. 2 tablespoons Kasuri Methi
15. 2-3 strands of  Greens onionsChopped
16. 2 inch Ginger Julienned
17. 2 tbsp Lemon Juice

Heat theoil in a pan. Add green cardamom, cinnamon and cloves. Add onion and fry until slightly browned. Add ginger garlic paste and fry until golden brown. Now add tomato and yogurt and cook for 5  minutes.Add all the spices and mix well and cook for 2 more minutes

Add chicken keema and salt and cover and cook until it is cooked.

Now add kasuri methi, spring onion greens, ginger, lemon juice and mix well.

Garnish with fresh coriander.

Serve hot with any Indian bread or with Rajasthani Pulao

Another Kheema recipe

Aloo Mutter Kheema

Brussel Sprouts with Nuts and Cranberries

Its the Thanksgiving meal time again and the search for that perfect side dish continues and I think I found it this time.
Brussel Sprouts are alright...they are not one of my favs. But the recipe by Alton Brown was great. Everyone in the house loved it.

The original recipe has only pecans in it, but since I did not have enough pecans on hand, I added some walnuts to it and it was great. Also I reduced the amount of butter. SO here is my take

Brussel Sprouts with Nuts and Cranberries 

Brussel Sprouts with nuts and cranberries

Ingredients:

1. lb fresh Brussels sprout, rinsed and trimmed
2. 1/4 cup each of chopped pecans and walnuts, cranberries
3. 1-11/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4. 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, fresh ground pepper

Half the Brussels sprouts and slice them. In a non stick pan toast the nuts on medium low until you smell the aroma...2-3 minutes.
Add the butter and stir to combine. Add the Brussels sprouts, salt and pepper and cook, stirring continually, until the color brightens and the sprouts are just tender, approximately 6 minutes.
Cut the heat, add the cranberries, mix to combine and enjoy