We used to harvest 'n' number of pumpkins, cucumbers, melons and lemons during our summer holidays at my grandmother's place. The pumpkins would be man sized, huge and heavy and I remember my grandfather selling them to the wholesalers at the weekly farmer's market. Pumpkin fry would be on the menu list during our harvest festival's feast in the month of January. I have shared my grandmother's version of the recipe. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Butternut squash/pumpkin - 1 cup (cubed)
Green chilli - 2 (split lengthwise)
Oil - 1/2 Tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 Teaspoon
Curry leaves - 10
Urad Dahl - 1/2 Teaspoon
Channa Dahl - 1/2 Teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 1/4 Teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Method
1. Peel the outer skin of the pumpkin using the peeler and cut it into two and remove the seeds. Cube the pumpkin of your desired size.
2. Heat oil in a pan and allow the mustard seeds to splutter in it. Then add the green chillies and curry leaves followed by the Channa and urad dahl.
3. Add the cubed pumpkin along with turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt and sauté until the pumpkin becomes soft. (approx. 8 to 10 mins)
Pumpkin fry is ready to be served.
Note
* Do not overcook the pumpkin else it becomes too mushy and unpleasant to eat.
Gulab Jamoon is one of my all time favourites and I cannot resist with just one or two at a time. This soft, smooth and spongy dessert will literally melt in one's mouth. The ingredients are very simple but it turns out to be a very rich dessert. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Whole milk powder - 1 cup
Plain flour - 1/4 cup
Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) - 1/4 Teaspoon
Salt - 1/4 Teaspoon
Warm milk - 1/4 cup
Ghee - 1 Tablespoon
Oil - For deep frying
For sugar syrup
Sugar - 3 cups
Water - 3 cups
Cardamom - 4 pods (crushed)
Method
1. Mix the plain flour, milk powder, baking soda and salt along with the warm milk into a fine dough (like chapatti dough) and keep it aside covered for 10 minutes.
2. Make the sugar syrup by dissolving the sugar in water and boiling it for 15 minutes. Once it is done add the crushed cardamom pods to the syrup.
3. Now heat the oil for deep frying in a thick and wide bottomed pan on a medium heat.
4. Make small roundels out of the dough by touching the ghee now and then to avoid the stickiness of the dough.
5. Now drop a pinch of the dough into the oil, if it springs to the top in a second or two the oil is ready for frying.
6. Drop 8 to 10 roundels into the oil at a time, allowing enough space for each roundel to get cooked. Fry until the jamoons turn into a nice golden brownish colour (approx. 2 to 3 minutes) and sieve them out of the oil and place on the kitchen towels to absorb excess oil.
7. Allow 2 minutes for the oil to heat up and drop the roundels again.
8. Once the jamoons are cooled drop them in the sugar syrup. Leave them for an hour or two and serve the jamoons along with the syrup.
Note
* Oil should be only on medium heat else the roundels will be burnt outside and uncooked in the inside.
* Allow 2 minutes for the oil to heat up between each batch else the jamoons will break if the oil is not hot enough and start absorbing excess oil and become too crispy on the outside.
* Readymade jamoon mixes can also be used. I usually prefer MTR brand.
Red chilli chutney is one of my all time favourites which would obviously tease one's taste buds. It is a very very hot chutney which serves as a compliment with piping hot idlis and dosas. A hot tea or coffee after having this chutney will sure satisfy the palates which crave for hot stuffs. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Shallots - 15 to 20
Garlic - 3 pods
Dried Red Chilli - 20
Tomato - 1
Salt - to taste
For Seasoning
Gingelly oil - 3 Tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1 Teaspoon
Urad dahl - 1 Tablespoon
Channa dahl - 1 Tablespoon
Curry Leaves - 20 leaves
Method
1. Grind the shallots, garlic, tomato and dried red chillies along with salt into a fine or coarse paste by adding little or no water.
2. Heat oil in the pan and allow the mustard seeds to splutter. Then add the curry leaves followed by the dahls.
3. Now add the ground paste and cook for 5 minutes until the raw smell goes away. Stir constantly else the chutney will be splattered all over.
4. Turn off the heat, allow it to cool and store in a air tight jar. This chutney would stay for weeks if refrigerated properly.
Note
* Using gingelly oil will ease the take of the chillies in your tummy.
Beans are the good source of proteins but they should be cooked properly. Uncooked or half-cooked beans will be hazardous to our body. Here I have shared a tangy curry combining the red kidney beans and baby aubergines. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Egg plant - 5 (cut lengthwise)
Red kidney beans - 100 g (soaked and boiled)
Shallots - 10 - 15 (peeled)
Garlic pods - 10 (peeled)
Tomato - 2 (medium, puréed)
Curry leaves - 10
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Fenugreek seeds - 1 teaspoon
Dried red chilli - 2
Salt - as required
Tamarind juice - 2 tablespoon
Masalas
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 tablespoon
Sambar powder - 1 teaspoon (optional)
Method
1. Wash and soak the red kidney beans for aleast 8 hours. Pressure cook the beans along with little water and keep aside. It takes at least 8 whistles to get completely cooked.
2. Heat oil in a pan allow the mustard seeds to crack. Now add the fenugreek seeds followed but the curry leaves and dried red chillies.
3. Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the cut aubergines and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. Now add all the masalas along with salt and fry for a minute until the raw smell of the masalas go away.
5. Add the tomato purée and cook for another 3 minutes and add the cooked beans along with the water and add the tamarind pulp as well.
6. Add little water if required and reduce the heat to medium and cook until oil separates from the gravy.
Red kidney beans with baby aubergines curry is ready to be served.
Note
* This curry goes well with rice.
* Allow this curry to stand for atleast an hour after cooking to get better taste.
* Make sure the beans are completely cooked else they can be fatal.
Pepper mushroom is the favourite of my father-in-law. Unfortunately he is no more and never did I get a chance to prepare this dish for him. But whenever I prepare this dish it always reminds me of him. Here goes the recipe.
Ingredients
Mushroom - 500 gms (any mushroom of your choice, finely chopped)
Onion - 1 (Large, finely chopped)
Tomato - 2 (Medium, finely chopped)
Garlic - 3 pods (finely chopped)
Oil - 1 Tablespoon
Salt - to taste
Masalas
Turmeric powder - 1/4 Teaspoon
Red Chilli powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
Corinader powder - 1 1/2 Teaspoon
Final Seasoning
Onion -1/2 (cut lengthwise)
Curry leaves - 10
Crushed Black Pepper - 1 Tablespoon
Fresh Coriander Leaves - for garnishing
Method
1. Heat oil in a pan and fry the onions and garlic until they are completely cooked.
2. Add the masalas and cook until the raw smell goes away and then add tomatoes and cook along with salt for 4 minutes.
3. Add the mushroom and mix everything together and cook covered for another 5 minutes.
4. When the mushroom is cooked and the water is completely dried add the onions cut lengthwise and cook for another 2 minutes.
5. Add the crushed black pepper and the curry leaves, give a quick stir and cover the pan and turn off teh heat.
6. Open after 2 minutes and serve hot with fresh coriander garnished on top.
Note
* If you want the dish in gravy consistency increase the amount of onion ad tomato and add a cup of water.
* Pepper mushroom goes well with both roti and rice.
Kichidi is one of the quick one-pot dish recipes. The semolina is cooked with fried lentils and vegetables. It is served with coconut chutney and sambar. Cracked wheat can also be used as a substitute for the semolina. Enjoy the recipe!
Ingredients
Semolina - 1 cup
Onion - 1/2 (finely chopped)
Carrot - 1/2 (finely chopped)
Beans - 4 (finely chopped)
Peas - 2 Tablespoon
Green Chilli - 2 (cut lengthwise)
Ginger - 1 Tablespoon (grated)
Curry Leaves - 10
Tomato - 1 (roughly chopped)
Oil - 1 Tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1/4 Teaspoon
Channa dal - 1/4 Teaspoon
Urud dahl - 1/4 Teaspoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 Teaspoon
Water - 3 1/2 cups
Salt - To taste
Method
1. Heat a pan and dry roast the semolina in a medium heat until it turns slightly brown and keep aside in a plate.
2. Heat oil in the same pan and add mustard seeds, urud dahl and channa dahl and roast them. Then add the green chillies and curry leaves.
3. Now add the onions, ginger and tomato and cook along with salt and turmeric. Later add the rest of the veggies and cook covered for 4 minutes.
4. Add water and bring it to boil. Add the roasted semolina and stir thoroughly else lumps will be formed easily. Keep stirring constantly.
5. Check for salt and remove from fire once the semolina thickens to your required consistency.
Kichidi is ready to be served.
Note
* Kichidi also tastes good with sugar.
* Cracked wheat instead of semolina can also be used.
* Dried nuts can also be added.
We used to have dinner parties with my husband's office friends once every month and this time we were asked to prepare paneer peas masala for 30 people. I have never prepared this dish before. My husband browsed through the net and came up with this recipe. He cooked the dish with me helping him in the side. Paneer peas masala tasted excellent couple of hours after its preparation. Everyone liked the dish at the party and it was almost over. Here goes the recipe, Enjoy!
Ingredients
Paneer - 250 gms (cubed)
Peas - 1/2 cup
Onion paste - of 1 big onion
Tomato paste - of 2 big tomatoes
Ginger garlic paste - 1 Tablespoon
Double cream - 100 ml
Water - 1 cup
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 Tablespoon
Fresh Coriander Leaves - 1 Tablespoon (finely chopped)
Masalas
Cumin powder - 1 Teaspoon
Garam masla - 3/4 Teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 1/2 Teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 Teaspoon
Red Chilli powder - 1 Teaspoon
Method
1. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and fry the paneer until it turns golden yellow. Strain the oil and keep it aside.
2. Now heat another tablespoon of oil in the same pan and add the onion paste and fry until the raw smell goes off.
3. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry until the raw smell goes off and add the tomatoes and sauté for another 5 minutes.
4. Now add all the masalas along with salt and fry till the raw smell goes away. Add water and bring it to a boil.
5. Now add the paneer and peas , reduce the heat to medium and put a lid on the pan and cook until the oil separates. Do not forget to give a stir in between to avoid the paneer sticking to the pan.
6. Finally add the double cream, give a stir and turn the heat off and garnish with coriander leaves.
Paneer peas masala is ready to be served.
Note
* You can avoid frying the paneer in oil if you wish not to.
* A pinch of kasoori methi can also be added along with the masalas.
* This dish goes well with puris and parathas.
