Bitter Gourd Pickle

Bitter Gourd (Karela / Pagarkai) initially was force fed (and mostly so for many) to me... However, with time, I did realize that it is one of the richest vegetables. So, was keen to know the various dishes possible such that one can relish it. Stuffed, fried, spicy gravy with tamarind, are some possibilities. One that I found recently was that we can also make pickle out of the same.

I did try & believe me it went down almost everyone's throats so easily :)

Ingredients: (As I used)

Bitter Gourd : 2 big size (4 medium size)

Small Onions (Shallots): 10 (cut into thin slices)

Garlic: 10 pods (per your taste; cut into thin slices)

Ginger: 2 inches (per your taste; cut into thin slices)

Curry Leaves: to garnish

Gingely Oil: 4-5 tbspn (this pickle doesn't need excess oil & needs to be refrigerated)

Turmeric Powder:  1 tspn

Salt: to taste 

Mustard Seeds: 1 tspn

Fenugreek Seeds: 1/2 tspn

Tamarind: 1 small lemon sized (soaked in water)

Jaggery: 1 small piece (powdered)

Green Chilli: 5 nos (slit)

Red Chillie Powder: 2-3 tspn 

Hing: 2 pinch

Method:

1. Clean, wipe, remove the seeds and slice them into 1/2 inch slices or desired shape (rings etc)
2. Place them in a bowl, add a tspn of salt, mix it and leave them for an hour
3. Pick the same mix and leave it in sun for a couple of hours to ensure they are dried
4. In a deep pan, add a few tbspn of oil and fry these dried pieces in small lots, till they turn golden brown 
5. Take them and place it on a plate with tissue papers to absorb the oil
6. In another pan, add 2-3 tbspn of oil. As it heats up, add the mustard seeds. As they splutter, add the fenugreek seeds. As it becomes reddish, add the curry leaves. Saute for a minute.
7. To this, add the slit green chilies, garlic, ginger, and onions. Fry them till they are cooked or become golden brown.
8. To this mix, add the tamarind extract (to balance between the bitterness and spice)
9. Add the red chillie powder, hing and allow it for a minute
10. Then add Salt and the fried bitter gourd pieces to this. Mix well, and allow it to cook on a small-medium flame for 5-7 mts (if you have not fried the pieces well enough, then you will need to keep it for 10-12 mts to ensure the pieces are well cooked)
11. Add the powdered jagery and mix well.
12. Remove from fire and allow it to cool
13. Pack it in air tight container & refrigerate it

You can serve this with hot chapatis and / or rice. Can also serve as dry subji if you make it less tangy and spicy.

Tips: Instead of tamarind, you can also use Lemon Juice or Vinegar

[Source: Customized from various online recipes]

Curry Leaves Gravy

Curry leaves (karuvepilai), is an inherent ingredient for most of Indian & Srilankan cooking, mainly because they grow well in tropical - sub tropical climate (thanks to encyclopedia :). It is high on minerals such as iron, calcium, phosphorus, and vitamins.

Mostly, it is used as a garnishing ingredient for its flavor and is mostly discarded (rarely does anyone eats curry leaves unlike coriander & pudhina). However, thanks to our grandmothers, we can make better use of these leaves & enjoy the full benefit by consuming them in better forms.

One such rich dish is curry leaves gravy that can be had with hot rice, idlis, pongal etc. You can store it for some time and refrigerate it for longer use. So, here you go...

Ingredients:

Curry Leaves : 2 cups (preferably fresh but you can use dried ones too)

Green Chillies: 4-5 medium

Small Onions : 10-12 finely chopped (some use small onions as is; if rqd, you can use chopped big onions)

Chili powder : 3-4 tspn (as spicy as you need it)

Coriander powder: 

Tamarind: Lemon Size (Extract juice)

Salt : To taste

Mustard Seeds: 2 tspn

Uradh dhal : 1 tspn (half white)

Jaggery : 1 piece (optional)

Gingely Oil (til ka thel): 2 - 3 tbspn (oil allows you to store it for a longer duration)

Asafoteida (Hing): 2 pinch

Method:

• Grind the curry leaves with green chillies to a smooth mix
• In a non stick pan (or better a mud kadai), add oil
• Add mustard seeds. As they crackle, add uradh dhal. Next, add the onions. 
• Fry till the onions turn pinkish.
• To this mix, add all spices, salt, and hing. Follow it up with Tamarind extract and curry leaves mix
• Add water to allow the curry leaves to cook till the raw smell is gone
• Stir and cook till the oil separates as a top layer
• Add the jaggery (if rqd) and remove from fire
• Allow it to cool before you store it in any dry air-tight container 

Note: If you have used high amount of oil then it can be kept outside, else, its preferred to refrigerate it. 

Serve it with:

• hot rice & gingely oil
• hot idlis / dosas
• spread on bread as S/W
• spread on rotis / paranthas 

Potato Spinach Dry Curry / Aloo Palak ki subji

Been attempting sweet dishes for a while now but me being a spicy person ;) had to balance it out with some spicy dishes. Potatoes are a given in anyone's kitchen and when you have some green fresh Palak (spinach) leaves, it will take just about 15-20 mts to make this medium-high spice dry curry.

Ingredients:

Potato - 3-4 medium, boiled, peeled, & diced into cubes (ensure they are not over cooked)
Spinach - 1 cup (Cleaned & chopped)
Big Onion - 1 medium
Ginger - 1" slice chopped
Green Chillie - 1 slit (optional, only for flavor)
Chillie powder - 2 tspn (as spicy as you like)
Coriander powder - 1.5 tspn
Mango powder (amchoor) - 1 tspn (optionally, you can use sour curd)
Cumin Seeds - 1 tspn
Oil - 2-3 tbspn (as oily as you like it)
salt - to taste
asafoetida (hing) - a pinch



Method:

1. In a pan, add oil. As it heats, add the cumin seeds. As they crackle, add ginger, green chilly, and onion.
2. As the onion turns pinkish, add the powders, salt, hing and saute for a minute
3. Then add the spinach and allow it to cook till it turns tender by covering the pan (it will cook in the water from spinach itself)
4. Remove the lid and add the diced potatoes
5. Allow it to cook for a couple of minutes so that the spices mix with the potatoes
6. Garnish with coriander leaves or kasoori methi (dry methi leaves) or mixed dry herbs
7. Remove from fire; Serve hot with chappatis or rice

Some cook the spinach separately and add it to the end. You can make it as spicy or bland as you like it. A healthy yet tasty dish for kids as well.

Fig & Date Cake / Halwa

Dry fruits & Nuts prove to be a healthy and tasty ingredient for any many of your sweet dishes, baking, etc. I tried an interesting sweet dish suggested by great chefs like Tarladalal & Sanjeev Kapoor using Figs & Dates as the main ingredient. Turned out to be a healthy yet tasty sweet dish & the key being it doesn't require Sugar (unless you want to make it more sweety; even then you probably can try using jaggery rather than sugar)

Ingredients:

Figs : 12-15

Dates: 12-15 (seedless)

Almonds: 15

Cashew: 12

Pistachio: 12

Raisins: 5-10 (optional)

Desiccated Coconut: 2-3 tbspn (optional)

Ghee - 1/4 cup 

Method:

1. Soak figs & dates separately in a bowl of hot water for 10-15 mts
2. Drain and make a puree using very less water (Separately & ensure dates are de-seeded)
3. Chop almonds, cashews, raisins, and pistachios. You can chop them or coarse grind it in a mixer 
4. In a pan, add the ghee. To it add the fig and dates puree. Stir well and cook in medium heat till the moisture is gone (10 mts ~)
5. Then add the chopped ingredients. Continue to stir and cook for another ~ 10 mts. 
6. Add the desiccated coconut and stir. Cook for another couple of minutes. As the mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan, remove from fire.
7. In a tray or glass vessel grease some ghee. Remove the mixture from fire and pour it into the tray.
8. Spread evenly and allow it to cool (about an hour)
9. Cut it into desired pieces and serve 

Happy since it was approved by my 'Aman', a 7 yr old :)

Alternate Method:

1. Chop the dates & figs very finely (1 cup). In a pan, add a tbspn of butter / ghee. Then add 1 tbspn of condensed milk
2. To this, add the chopped ingredients and fry them for 2 mts
3. In another kadai, I fried the remaining dry fruits & nuts (cut into fine pieces), 2 tspn of desiccated coconut in a spoon of ghee
4. After 2 mts (Step 2), remove from fire. Add the fried ingredients. Add 1-2 spoon of powdered sugar (if rqd).
5. Allow it to cool a bit & make it to the desired shape. Easy to make them as ladoos.

Gujiya : Sweet Dumplings, North Indian Style

Gujiya is a widely consumed snack from North India, most predominantly made during 'Holi' celebrations. But this is such a simple yet delicious dish & so easy to make that we can have it any time! I have always wanted to try these @ home and finally here I am!

I had last posted on Dumplings : Indian style. Gujiya is exactly similar to that but for the base ingredients used. Let me share what makes a Gujiya and allow you to try it on your own :)

Ingredients:

For the cover

• Refined Flour (Maida) : 1 cup
• Sooji (Semolina / Rav): 2-3 tspn 
• Ghee:  3 tbspn
• Oil:  For Frying

For the stuffing

• Khoya (Mawa) : 2/3 cup grated  (Click khyoa @ home recipe)
• Sugar : 1 -1.5 cups (powdered)
• Raisins : 15-20
• Cashew : 15
• Almond: 10
• Any other dry fruits of your preference like Fig
• Cardomom Powder: 1/4 tspn
• Coconut: 2 tbspn (Desiccated or if fresh, grate & fry it till brown)
• Water: 1/4 cup (cold water)

Home-made Khoya (Mawa)

Method:

To make the dough for the Cover: Sift the flour and add it in a vessel. To this, add ghee and with fingertips mix it to make it like breadcrumbs

To this mix, add the water and knead it to a smooth dough (don't beat it much). Cover it with a damp cloth and leave it aside for a while.

To make the stuffing: 

1. If you are using fresh grated coconut (instead of desiccated), then first fry them to golden brown and keep aside.
2. In a non-stick pan, add the khoya (mawa). Saute it for 2-3 mts and remove it from fire. To this, add all dry fruits and coconut. Mix it and then add the powdered sugar. Mix it to make the final stuffing.

To make gujiya:

• Make small balls of the dough. 
• Spread each one to a poori-size. After you make 4-5 of these start filling them and frying. (Don't make all of them and allow them to dry in the air)
• Place the stuffing on one side of the poori. Moisten the edges of the poori with water. 
• Now, cover the stuffing with the remaining half of the poori to a half-moon shaped gujiya (Alternatively, you can use the mould available in market). Ensure the edges are firmly closed

• In a deep frying pan, heat oil. Ensure the oil is not very hot. Should be medium hot to fry gujiyas. Fry each till golden brown.
• Place them on a plate with tissues because they are deep fried in oil. Cool them & store them in air-tight container.

[Thanks to @Chef Sanjeev Kapoor for this recipe]