RAW BANANA SPICY CURRY

 

 

I made note of this recipe in my recipe book,a decade ago. Then on,this has become my go-to recipe for raw banana curry. The procedure is simple and the ingredients are minimal,yet the taste of this curry is amazing. I have even tried this recipe with boiled potatoes and it tasted yum as well. Whenever I decide to prepare raw banana curry,my family insists on this balekai palya- Kannada word for raw banana curry.

 

 

 

 

 

 INGREDIENTS TO GRIND TO COARSE PASTE:

COCONUT GRATINGS-  2 1/2 TBSP

RED CHILLIES- 4 NOS

FENNEL SEEDS- 1 TSP

FOR SEASONING :

OIL-  1 TBSP

MUSTARD- 3/4 TSP

URAD DAL- 3/4 TSP

CURRY LEAVES- 1 SPRIG

OTHER INGREDIENTS :

RAW BANANA- 2

ONION- 2 NOS

MINCED GINGER- 1 TSP

TURMERIC POWDER-1/4  TSP

SALT TO TASTE

PROCEDURE :

1. Wash,wipe,peel and chop raw bananas to little bigger chunks and keep it aside.

2. Transfer the chopped pieces to a pan filled with water. Add turmeric powder and salt and boil till it softens.

3. Drain the excess water fom the boiled veggie and keep it aside.

4. Grind all the above cited ingredients to a coarse mixture without using water and keep it aside.

5. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds,urad dal. Add chopped onions over this along with salt and curry leaves. Saute till the onions turn translucent.

6. Now add in the minced ginger to this and saute for a couple of seconds and switch off.

7. Transfer the boiled veggie chunks,ground mixture over the sauteed onions and mix well in mild heat for a minute and switch off.

ASH GOURD KOOTU

                                         

Kootu is a lentil-based gravy and a main stay in South Indian thali. It is a combination of two or three veggies or any kind of greens. At times,even a single vegetable is used. This dish has a temperate flavour owing to the predominance of coconut and coconut oil. I have posted four different varieties of kootu on this blog.I always refer to this kootu as 'hotel style kootu' due to the distinct flavour. This dish can be paired with spicy preparations like kara kuzhambu or vathal kuzhambu or chapati,puri and phulkas. It even tastes good with steaming hot rice with a dollop of ghee.

 

 

 INGREDIENTS :

 

TOOR DAL-  3/4 CUP

ASH GOURD- 500 GRAMS

ONION- 2 NOS

TOMATOES- 2 NOS

GREEN CHILLIES- 2 NOS

CHILLI POWDER- 1/2 TSP

TURMERIC POWDER-  1/4 TSP

SALT TO TASTE

INGREDIENTS TO GRIND

COCONUT GRATINGS- 2 TBSP

CUMIN SEEDS- 1/2 TSP

GARLIC CLOVES- 3 NOS

 

 INGREDIENTS  FOR SEASONING:

COCONUT OIL- 4 TSP

MUSTARD- 3/4 TSP

CURRY LEAVES- 2 SPRIGS

ASAFOETIDA- 1/4 TSP

PROCEDURE :

1. Wash toor dal and keep it aside. Chop ash gourd into slightly bigger pieces and keep it aside. 

2. In a pressure cooker transfer washed toor dal and after adding water,cook for three whistles.

3. On cooling, remove the cooker lid and add chopped onions,tomatoes,slit green chillies and salt and close the lid and cook for two whistles and switch off.

4. Open the lid of the cooker and transfer the chopped ash gourd pieces,turmeric powder,chilli powder and cook for one whistle and switch off.

7. Now add in the paste to the cooked veggie mixture and simmer in mild heat for a couple of minutes and switch off.

8. Add the prepared seasoning to the kootu and mix well. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

SPICY CARROT CURRY

                                     



 

 As a passionate cook,I mostly watch only cookery shows on different channels.The other day,while fiddling with my T.V remote,I chanced upon a cookery show on one of the channels.I turned on the channel in the middle and hence couldn't guess the dish. But I jotted down the ingredients shown on the channel for preparing masala paste.To my dismay,it turned out to be meat-based dish,hence I switched off the show but retained the recipe for later use. I incorporated the above cited masala in preparing this spicy curry. The original recipe calls for shallots,since I was running out of the same,I substituted it with onion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 INGREDIENTS FOR GRINDING :

COCONUT GRATINGS-  1 1/2 TBSP

PEPPERCORNS- 1/2 TSP

FENNEL SEEDS- 3/4 TSP

CUMIN SEEDS- 1/2 TSP

CHILLI POWDER- 3/4 TSP

TURMERIC POWDER- 1/4 TSP

SHALLOTS- 5-6 NOS. 

Grind all the above cited ingredients to a paste using little water.

 

OTHER INGREDIENTS:

 

CARROT-  400 GRAMS

SALT TO TASTE

INGREDIENTS FOR SAUTEING PASTE :

 

OIL-  1 TBSP

MUSTARD-3/4 TSP

URAD DAL- 3/4 TSP

CURRY LEAVES- 1 SPRIG

 

PROCEDURE :

1.Wash carrots thoroughly and wipe it using a clean cloth.Place the peeled carrots in the vessel and close the lid of the pressure cooker.Place the pressure regulator on the vent pipe and steam for one or two whistles and switch off.

 

2.Now chopping steamed carrots is quite easy and time saving.

 

3. Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds,urad da,curry leaves and transfer the paste over it. Add salt and saute till the raw smell evades completely.

 

 

4. Transfer the chopped carrots over the sauteed paste and mix in mild heat for a minute and switch off.   

 

INSTANT RAW MANGO PICKLE VARIETIES

 

 This is not the season of mangoes,yet I managed to post two mango-based pickle recipes. Yesterday,while skimming through the draft section of my blog,I chanced upon this post.I had saved the pics of these pickles in May and was totally oblivious of the same. Coming to the recipe,these are some of the instant mango pickle variants,prepared at my home.Bisi is Kannada word for hot,hence in this pickle,the mango pieces are sauteed in oil and spiced up with chilli and fenugreek powder.

This is my personal favorite and I finish it off within a couple of days. The another is the raw mango pickle and it has a short shelf life.  During celebrations or auspicious occasions,these instant pickles are integral part of the festive or wedding menu. The reason being- it is less- time consuming and cost-effective.

 

 MAAVINKAYI BISI UPPINKAYE

INGREDIENTS FOR PICKLE POWDER :

MUSTARD- 3/4 TSP

FENUGREEK SEEDS- 1 TSP

RED CHILLIES- 4-5 NOS

Dry roast all the above cited ingredients and make a fine powder and keep it aside.

 

FOR TEMPERING :

SESAME OIL- 1 TBSP

ASAFOETIDA- 1 TSP

MUSTARD SEEDS- 3/4 TSP

TURMERIC POWDER-1/2 TSP

 

OTHER INGREDIENTS :

 DICED MANGO- 1 CUP

SALT TO TASTE

PROCEDURE :

1. In a pan heat sesame oil and prepare the seasoning using above cited ingredients.Wash and wipe mango and cut it into bigger chunks with the peel and keep it aside.

2. Transfer the diced mango pieces over this saute after adding salt. Saute till the mango softens and turns slightly mushy.

3. At this stage sprinkle the prepared pickle powder and mix well and switch off the stove.

 

4.To prolong shelf life,store it in refrigerator for couple of days.

 

 

 

 

RAW MANGO PICKLE :

 

 INGREDIENTS

CUT RAW MANGO -  1 CUP

CHILLI POWDER- 1 TSP

ROASTED FENUGREEK POWDER- 3/4 TSP

TURMERIC POWDER- 1/2 TSP

SESAME OIL- 1 TBSP

ASAFOETIDA- 3/4 TSP

SALT TO TASTE

PROCEDURE :

1. Wash,wipe and cut mango into small pieces with and keep it aside. Sprinkle requisite salt over the pieces and mix well. Keep it covered.

2. Heat sesame oil in a pan and when it is hot enough,splutter mustard seeds,asafoetida,chilli powder,turmeric powder and fenugreek powder and switch off the stove.

3.Always maintain medium heat while preparing the seasoning,else the spice powder will get burnt.

4. Now pour the seasoning over the cut mango pieces and mix well. Raw mango pickle is ready to relish.

 

INSTANT PANIYARAM

                            

 

Paniyaram or kara kuzhi paniyaram is a shallow-fried savory snack comprising ground batter of rice and urad dal . For convenience, idli batter is used in preparing this snack. But the authentic paniyaram recipe differs slightly,as it involves sago,gram dal besides raw rice and boiled rice.  You can even substitute maida flour in place of wheat flour in this recipe. 

Curd and Eno imparts a nice spongy texture.For best results,its better to use non-stick pan. But I always prefer iron pan for its unique taste . I have posted a couple of paniyaram recipes on this blog,but this instant version is hassle-free and can be prepared in a jiffy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS :

 

RICE FLOUR-  1 1/2 CUP

WHEAT FLOUR- 1/2 CUP

SEMOLINA- 1/2 CUP

ENO SACHET- 1

SALT TO TASTE

CURD-  1 CUP

 

FOR THE SEASONING :

 

OIL-  4 TSP

ONION- 2 NOS

MUSTARD- 3/4 TSP

GRAM DAL- 1 TSP

CUMIN SEEDS- 3/4 TSP

URAD DAL- 1 TSP

GREEN CHILLIES- 2 NOS

CURRY LEAVES- 1 SPRIG

CORIANDER LEAVES CHOPPED

ASAFOETIDA- 3/4 TSP

 

 

 PROCEDURE :

1. In a bowl take rice flour,wheat flour,semolina,salt,curd and water . Whisk all the ingredients to a smooth batter and keep it aside for 20 minutes. 

2. Brush oil inside the paniyaram pan and fill oil in all the molds and heat it.

3. Prepare the seasoning,by heating a oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds,ursd dal,gram dal and cumin seeds. When the lentils change colour,add chopped onions,salt and fry till the onions turn translucent.

 

4. Now add in green chillies,curry leaves,asafoetida and fry and switch off the stove.

 

5. Add the seasoning to the  batter and mix well. Cut open the sachet and mix with 2 tsp of water and add this too to the batter and mix gently.

6. Heat the paniyaram pan and with the help of a small spoon or ladle,fill batter in all the molds.

 

7. Always maintain medium heat while cooking paniyaram. When the base is cooked gently flip it to other side and cook till it turns crispy.

 

SPRING ONION / SCALLION GRAVY

                                             

 

 I have used spring onions in manchurian,noodles and other dishes,but never prepared a main dish involving the same.There is nothing special in this curry, except for the distinct flavour of spring onions,which heightens the flavour profile.Always use fresh spring onions,for best result.You can pair it with chapati,puri,naan,kulcha and plain rice.

 

INGREDIENTS  :

 

SPRING ONION-  1 BUNCH

 ONIONS- 2 NOS

TOMATOES- 2 NOS

GRAM FLOUR- 2 TSP

RED CHILLI POWDER- 1/2 TSP

CORIANDER POWDER- 3/4 TSP

GARAM MASALA POWDER- 1/2 TSP

TURMERIC POWDER- 1/4 TSP

GINGER GARLIC PASTE- 1 TSP

CORIANDER LEAVES CHOPPED

OIL- 1 TBSP

CUMIN SEEDS- 3/4 TSP

SALT TO TASTE

 PROCEDURE :

 

1 . Wash wipe and chop the green tops of the spring onion and keep it aside. Chop the bulb portion and keep it separately.

2. Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds. Add chopped onions,chopped bulb portion and saute after adding salt.

3. Add chopped tomatoes over the sauteed onions and saute till it turns mushy.

 

4. Now incorporate all the spice powders and fry till the raw smell evades completely.

 

5. Add some water over the mushy mixture and transfer the chopped spring onion pieces to it and boil for a couple of minutes.

6. Make a slurry of gram flour and water and add it to gravy and boil for a minute and switch it off.

 

7. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DONDAKAYA PACHADI ( Coccinia chutney )

 

 

 

 

 

 

An authentic Andhra meal is never complete without pachadis,podi and pickles.This pachadi too is an Andhra recipe involving ivy gourd.My mother learnt this recipe from her friend, many decades ago. My mother doesn't incorporate lentils,but I preferred it for the volume and texture. This is my personal favorite and love to have it with steaming hot rice with a dollop of ghee.

 

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS :

 

 

COCCINIA-  250 GRAMS

 

URAD DAL-  3 TSP

 

GRAM DAL-  3 TSP

 

RED CHILLIES-  5 NOS

 

CUMIN SEEDS-  1/2 TSP 

GARLIC CLOVES- 5 NOS

TAMARIND- SMALL PIECE

SALT TO TASTE

OIL-  4 TSP

FOR TEMPERING :

OIL-  2 TSP

MUSTARD- 3/4 TSP

CUMIN SEEDS- 3/4 TSP

ASAFOETIDA- 3/4 TSP

 CURRY LEAVES- 1 SPRIG

 

 

PROCEDURE  :

 

 

 

1. Wash and wipe the veggie and trim off the ends with a knife.

2. Slit the coccinia into two halves and keep it aside.

3. In a pan heat 2 tsp of oil . Roast lentils,cumin seeds,red chillies till crisp and allow it cool. On cooling,grind to a  coarse mixture.in a mixer jar.

4. In the same pan,add remaining tsp of oil and saute the slit veggie pieces,tamarind and garlic cloves. Add salt over it and saute till it becomes soft.  

  

5.Now transfer the sauteed veggie pieces to the mixer jar containing the coarse lentil mixture and blend it.

6. Sprinkle water inbetween while grinding,if required. Don't grind it to smooth  paste.

 

 

 

7. Prepare the seasoning by heating oil in a pan. Splutter mustard seeds,cumin seeds,throw curry leaves and sprinkle asafoetda and switch off.

8. Add the seasoning to the pachadi and serve.

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