Mixed Veg Korma | Vegetable Kurma Recipe : Karnataka Style Mixed Veg Sagu Recipe

This one is one of the simplest kurma recipe ever. This doesn't call for the cinnamon, clove and other garam masala spices. It's very unique and tastes awesome. Do try it and let me know.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients: 
Mixed vegetables : 3 cups (cut into strips or cubes), refer notes
Salt: As needed
Turmeric: 2 big pinches, divided use
Water: To boil the vegetables
Tomatoes: 2-3 nos
Oil: 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Onion: 2 tbsp, finely chopped, optional
Curry leaves: 4-6 nos, torn
Red chili powder: 1/2 tsp, or to taste
Kitchen king masala: 1 tsp
Milk: 1/4 cup

For the spice paste:
Cashew nuts: 2 tbsp, refer notes
Poppy seeds | gasgase: 2 tsp
Sesame seeds | yellu | til : 2 tsp
Cilantro: 1/4 cup (use it with the stem)
Green chili: 2 nos
Grated coconut: 2 tbsp
Onion: 1 small or 1/4th cup, roughly chopped
Ginger: 1/2 inch
Garlic: 1 large clove or 3-4 small ones

Method:

Soak the cashew nuts and poppy seeds in water for 30-45 mins.
Add about 1 cup of water, salt and a pinch of turmeric to the chopped vegetables. Boil the vegetables until they are cooked and yet firm.

Make a smooth paste of poppy seeds, cashew nuts and sesame seeds.
To that paste, add grated coconut, green chili, coriander leaves, onion, ginger and garlic. Add little water and make a smooth spice paste.

Heat oil in a wok or sauce pan. When oil is hot, throw in the mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
When seeds crackle, add the curry leaves and finely chopped onion. Saute till the onion becomes translucent and cooked.
To the same pan, add the spice paste and a pinch of turmeric. Cook the spice paste on a low-medium heat for 5 mins. This is to ensure that the spices are properly cooked and there is no raw smell. Keep stirring as the spice paste thickens very fast and can burn easily.
Meantime, make a puree out of the tomatoes. You could blanch the tomatoes, if needed. I normally do not blanch it for this recipe.
When the spices are cooked, throw in the red chili powder and mix.
Add the tomato puree and cook further for 3-4 mins. Ensure the tomatoes are properly cooked.
To this, add the boiled vegetables along with the water. Adjust the salt. Add kitchen king masala and milk.

Boil the kurma for another 7-10 mins until the spices are well blended with the vegetables.
Serve the kurma hot with roti, poori, chapathi or rice.

Notes:
The vegetables that I normally use are green beans (French beans), carrots, potato, chayote squash, and green peas or any other legumes.
Instead of cashew nuts, you could use almond meal or putani/daliya (roasted channa dal).
I have an another vegetable saagu recipe here.

Bendekai Gojju | South Indian Bhindi Curry | Indian Okra Sauce: Karnataka Recipes

...Okra in a sweet, sour 'n' spicy sauce....

Tender, fresh, light green colored, smooth skinned & small sized okra always tempt me to buy them. I'm also lucky to get fresh okra in the nearest Indian stores here. My son loves bhindi/okra & he always tempts me to buy them. He used to love the bhindi besan & nothing else from okra. This time I convinced him for this gojju & told him that it is amma's classic gojju recipe. He loved every bit of it. In the coming months, it will be only bendekai gojju at my home & you know why ;)

Bendekai gojju / Bendekayi gojju is a Karnataka specialty. It is spicy, sweet n sour & blends beautifully with the stir fried okra. Each & every member of my family/extended family prepare this gojju & I haven't heard from any of them not liking it.. Some love to eat them with akki rotti, some with white rice & some more with chapathi/roti. I love to eat them with all of them.

Preparation Time: 20 mins

Cooking Time: 20 mins

Serves: 2-3 

Ingredients:

Okra/Ladies Finger/Bendekai : 1 lb (around half a kilo)
Oil: 1 tbsp
Brown sugar/Jaggery/bella: medium lime sized
Tamarind paste: 1 tsp*
Salt: As needed 

For the spice paste:

Oil: 1/2 tsp

Gram dal /Channa dal /Kadalebele : 1 tbsp

Black gram dal/ Urad dal/Uddinabele : 1/2 tbsp

Sesame seeds: 1 tsp
Green chilies: 4 nos
Coriander leaves: 1/4th cup, tightly packed
Grated coconut: 1/4th cup, fresh or frozen

For the tempering:
Oil: 1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 4-6 nos, torn

Method:
Chop the okra into thin slices.(about 1/4th of an inch). If you are handling the okra for the first time, refer to the notes below before doing anything. It is that important!!

For the spice paste:
Heat the oil in a small pan. When the oil is hot, throw in the channa dal & urad dal. When they turn light brown, add the sesame seeds & broken green chilies. Turn off the heat after 30-40 secs. Let it cool.

Throw in the coriander leaves, grated coconut & the roasted dal + green chilies to a food processor jar. Add  about 2-3 tbsp water & grind it to a smooth paste.
In a broad pan, add oil & saute/stir fry the okra slices on a medium-high heat until the okra is soft & crunchy.
Transfer the fried okra to a bowl.

Take another sauce pan, to prepare the gojju. Heat oil. When oil is hot, add the mustard seeds & curry leaves to it.

When seeds crackle & leaves wilt, scoop in the spice paste, add the salt, jaggery, tamarind extract, and add around half a cup of water to it. Cook on a low-medium heat until the raw smell of the jaggery & tamarind disappears.

Throw in the fried okra to the sauce & boil it on a medium heat. Once it starts boiling, turn off the heat.

Serve it hot with rice, roti or akki rotti.

Notes:

• As okra is used in a sauce, it is very crucial to remove the slime from the okra. Below are some tips to remove the slime from the okra. 
• Never cut a wet okra. Keep the chopping board, knife & the okra completely dry. 
• After washing the okra, dry them on a kitchen towel & wipe them all dry again before using. 
• Use a broad pan to saute the okra. Add more oil & saute it on a high heat to remove the slime & keep the okra crisp. 
• Adding a pinch of amchur powder/mango powder (easily available at Indian Stores) while sauteing the okra does the trick of removing the slime too.
• My other tips on how to remove the slime could be found here. 
• Adjust the consistency of the sauce as preferred by your family. 

Cooking Tips: How to thicken the gravy/curry/stew?

We all, some or the other time end up with a thin gravy/curry instead of a thicker version. Here are some tips to thicken the gravy/curry. One of the these will do the trick for you!

• Mash boiled potato thoroughly & add it to the boiling gravy.  
• Add 2 tablespoons of potato flakes to the gravy & boil it.
• Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch/all purpose flour with 2 tablespoons of water. Ensure no lumps & add it to the boiling gravy/curry. The gravy should thicken slowly.
• If the gravy is coconut based, then grind together 2 tablespoons of fresh/frozen coconut with 1 teaspoon of rice to a smooth paste. Add this paste to the gravy & boil. You could replace rice with soaked cashew nuts too. 

Green Peas Masala: Side dish for poori/roti/paratha.

Lots of travel happening this summer !!  Had been to New York last weekend; came back tanned & tired! Though the trip was fun, the summer heat drained us to the core. Btw, New York, as rightly said, is a food lovers paradise. We were delighted that there was so many vegetarian options. I tried NY Style Pizza, Pretzels, Gelato & their bagels. After coming back from New York, we went to food coma! I cooked only basic meal with minimum varieties for the next 3-4 days. 

Time to stop my ramblings & get back to the recipe now! The Green Peas Masala is a great side dish for roti, poori or paratha (or for that matter any of the Indian breads).

Preparation Time: 15 mins

Cooking Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:
Frozen green peas: 2 cups
Oil: 1.5 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
Kitchen king masala: 1 tsp
Amchur powder/Mango powder: a big pinch, optional

Salt: According to taste


For spice paste:
Soaked almonds: 6-8 nos
Onion: 1 medium sized
Green chillies: 2-3 nos
Tomato: 2 nos
Coriander leaves: 1/4th cup, roughly chopped
Poppy seeds/Gasagase: 1 tsp
Ginger: 1/2 inch piece
Garlic: 2 pods

Method:

Make a smooth paste of all the ingredients mentioned for the spice paste. Add enough water to make a smooth paste. Keep it aside.

Heat the oil in a broad pan. When oil is hot, add cumin seeds. When seeds turn golden brown, pour in the spice paste. Cook on a medium heat until the raw smell of the paste vanishes. (Takes about 7-10 mins). 

Keep stirring in between to avoid burning of the spice paste. 
Add the salt, chilli powder, amchur powder & kitchen king masala to the cooked spice paste & cook again for a couple of minutes.
Meantime, thaw the green peas.  
Add half a cup of water & throw in the green peas.Cook on a medium heat for 5-7 minutes.
Remove from heat. Serve it hot with any Indian bread. 

** I served the green peas masala with methi poori


Notes:

• This recipe tastes best with dried peas. Soak 1 cup of dried peas in water for 4-6 hours. Drain the water. Pressure cook the peas by adding water, salt & turmeric powder. Use this cooked peas instead of frozen peas. One cup dried peas yield 2 cups of cooked peas. The dried peas will not be sweetish like the frozen or the fresh ones!
• Green peas could be replaced with other beans to make a similar curry. 

Sui/Butternut Squash Stew: Beginner Series

How do you feel when somebody calls you or mails you to get the recipe of a dish that he/she had tasted 5 years back? That is what I did to my hubby's aunt for the Sui recipe!I happened to eat Sui, a South Canara dish made with pumpkins many years before at my hubby's aunt's place. I loved it so much & after few days I completely forgot about it. After around five long years, I recalled about that dish & immediately called his aunt for the recipe. She was kind enough to give the recipe. I have made this many times after getting the recipe from her.

Don't go by the complicated name. Sui is a very simple yet amazingly flavorful dish. It is a perfect example of less is more! I do not know why it is called so. May be I should check with her again! 

Generally Sui is made with pumpkin, but I replaced with Butternut Squash.

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Butternut Squash: 3 cups, 1 inch cubed (peeled & de-seeded)

Water: 2 cups
Jaggery/Brown sugar: 1 to 1.5 tsp

Salt: According to taste

For spice paste:

Coconut: 3/4th cup
Raw rice: 1 tsp, optional (I did not add any!)

Cumin seeds: 1.5 tsp

Green chillies: 2-3 nos
For tempering:
Cooking oil: 1 tsp, preferably coconut oil
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: a sting
Asafoetida/Hing: a pinch
For garnish:
Coriander leaves/cilantro: 1 tbsp, finely chopped (optional)

Method:

Boil the cubed squash in 2 cups of water. Cook until tender & yet firm.

Meantime, make a fine paste of the ingredients mentioned for the spice paste. Add few tablespoons of water to make a smooth paste.

When the squash is almost done, add in the spice paste, salt & jaggery.

Reduce the heat to medium & cook for another 5-7 mins, until the flavors set in. Remove from heat.
Prepare the tempering. Add oil to a small sauce pan, when oil is hot, throw in the mustard seeds followed by curry leaves. When leaves turn crisp, turn off the heat & add the asafoetida. Pour this tempering over the stew prepared & cover the stew with a lid. This is to ensure that the aroma of the tempering is held inside the stew

Let is sit for a minute or two. 
Garnish with coriander leaves & serve with rice or roti.

Notes:

• Adjust the consistency of the stew according to your needs.
• Rice is added for the spice paste to make the stew thick.
• If you feel the stew has turned thin, add 1.5 teaspoons of rice flour to 2 tbsp of water. Mix thoroughly & add it to the boiling stew. Reduced the heat to low & cook for another couple of minutes. 

Palak Paneer (Spinach-Cottage cheese curry): Restuarant style

Spinach is one of the healthiest vegetables rich in vitamins & minerals. It also contains omega 3 fatty acids that is generally found in salmon, tuna, walnuts. Omega 3 fatty acids are one of the scarce nutrients in vegetarian diet. There is a debate to prove/unprove that vegetarian diet lacks in omega 3 acids. To know more about omega 3 fatty acids read here.

Coming to the palak paneer recipe, I have experimented a lot on this. I was somehow not able to get the taste that matches the restaurant style. Now after loads of trial & errors, I can say I make pretty decent palak paneer. Thanks to my friends who have provided numerous tips. 

Preparation time: 15mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

Spinach: 250gms (Big bunch) or blanched & pureed spinach: 2 cups

Paneer/Cottage cheese: 1 cup (Chopped into 1 inch cubes)

Tomato puree: 3/4 cup or 2 medium tomatoes deskinned & pureed.

Onion: 1 big (finely chopped or onion paste)

Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tsp

Whipping cream: 1/2 cup

Red chilli powder: 1 tsp 

Garam masala: 1 tsp

Cumin seed powder: 1 big pinch

Butter/Oil: 1 tbsp

Salt: According to taste

Method:

Blanch the spinach, puree the spinach & keep it aside.

Heat butter/oil in a broad pan. When butter is hot, add the paneer & saute them till slight brown on the edges. 

Drain the paneer on a tissue & soak the paneer in water for 5 mins.

To the same pan, add finely minced onion & saute till the raw smell of the onions vanish. 

Add the ginger-garlic paste & saute again for another 2-3mins.

Pour in the tomato puree, salt, red chilli powder, cumin seed powder & allow the puree to cook well on a medium heat for 8-10mins. 

The puree will thicken, leaves the edge of the pan & oozes out oil. At this stage, add the pureed spinach, cream & mix well. Allow this gravy to cook for another 3-5mins.

Add the garam masala, soaked paneer cubes & mix well. Cook on a medium heat for another 5 mins.

Turn off the heat. Serve it hot with plain parathas, chapathi or any Indian bread.

Notes:

• If I find the paneer soft & good quality one, I do not fry them. I add them directly. It tastes good either ways.
• Baby spinach do not need blanching. 

Last note: My previous post is updated. Do check the post to know if you have identified it right!

Broccoli Capsicum Curry

I keep hoping everyday that my maid would have cooked something delicious for dinner.

Scene at home:

Me: Kya banaya khane ke liye? (What have you prepared?)

She(Maid): Aapne call nahi kiya na, isliye maine socha aap kuch banayenge, maine tho sirf aata ghunke rakha hai. (You didnot call me, so.., I thought you would be cooking. I just prepared the dough for rotis).

Me: (Trying to hide my anger..), teek hain, subziyan fridge se nikalo. Agar main call nahi karpayi, tho aaphi call karke pooch lijiye. (Fine, atleast keep the vegetables out & also, I may forget to call. It is better you only call & get the details for dinner)

She: Main batana bhool gayi.., sivaye pyaaz, tamatar...sabziyan kuch bhi nayi hain (Forgot to tell you, there is no vegetable except for onion & tomato)

Me: (Grrrrrrr...trying to smile again)Ok, let me have a quick look at the freezer.

Luckily on that day, I found some frozen broccoli, 1 old capsicum & some frozen peas. I started experimenting with that. I usually prepare 2-3 types of general gravies, that go well with most of the vegetables. I used one of the gravies for this dish & it turned out real good. I was very happy with the result. So, thought of writing down for your (rather our!!) reference ;)

Ingredients:

Broccoli: 1 medium sized (cut into medium pieces)
Capsicum: 2 nos(cut into 1 inch cubes)

Green peas: a fistful (I used frozen)

Green chillies: 4 nos

Onion: 2 nos

Tomatoes: 2 nos

Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tbsp

Cilantro: 1 cup or 3 strings (for the gravy)

Kasuri Methi: 1 tsp

Garam masala: 1 tsp (optional)

Amchur powder: 1 tsp (add according to your taste)

Red chilli powder: 1/2 tsp

Salt: According to taste

Oil: 2 + 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds: 1 tsp

Cilantro: 1 tbsp (for garneshing)

Method:

• Prepare a fine paste of tomato, onion, ginger-garlic paste, green chillies & cilantro.
• Heat a broad pan. Add 2 tbsp of oil to it. When oil is hot, add cumin seeds. When cumin seeds splutter, add the paste prepared in the previous step. Reduce the heat & cook it on a slow flame.
• Meantime, in a wok, add 1 tsp of oil & saute the broccoli until tender & yet crunchy (it takes around 5-6minutes). Set aside the broccoli & repeat the same with capsicum. Mix the vegetables & keep them aside.
• Ensure the raw smell of onion & tomatoes vanish away. The gravy starts oozing out oil. At this stage, add 1/2 cup of water, green peas, salt, red chilli powder, amchur powder, kasuri methi & mix well.
• Add the vegetables to the gravy & cook on a medium flame for another 5-7minutes. Add garam masala & remove the gravy from heat.
• Serve it hot with rotis.

Beetroot Gojju | Beetroot Chutney | Beets Curry

Children get attracted by the color of this gojju mixed with rice & believe me.., they finish their plate without much protest. Especially, if served with a papad. My kid & my niece are also no exceptions for this. Do try on your kids.

I learnt this from my co-sister. She knows a whole lot of recipes. She is from North Canara(Sirsi), Karnataka, India. So, she taught me to cook a totally new variety of dishes like appehuli, saasime, hashi. I'll post all of them. Keep waiting...

Beetroot gojju can be prepared in minutes & tastes good with rice, akki rotti (rice roti). This recipe was a boon for me when I was working. I used to prepare this atleast once a week for dinner.

Ingredients:
1 medium/big sized beetroot(grated)
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon amchur powder/tamarind powder/vaate huli pudi
1 tbsp rice floor
Water as needed
salt according to taste.

For tempering:
1.5 teaspoons oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp finely chopped garlic
3-4 curry leaves, torn

Method:
- In a kadai, add little water & grated beetroot.
- Cook the beetroot with little water for 5 mins in a low-medium heat.
- When beetroot is cooked, add chilli powder, amchur powder, salt & mix well
- Add about 1/4 cup water to the rice flour and make a paste out of it (ensure no lumps).
- Add this paste to the beetroot mixture and cook the beetroot mixture until it thickens.
- In a small kadai, add oil. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds. To that add garlic & saute for a minute. Finally add curry leaves & pour this oggarane(tempering/tadka) to the cooked beetroot.
- Gojju is ready.

Isn't that very simple??