#47: Vankaya Kalchi Pachadi ~ Smoked Eggplant Chutney

When the days are freezing and cold,
and the evenings are dull and grey,
all you want to do is to stay home and sleep,
brave up and make this pachadi,
It is  sure to bring an instant cheer !

Ingredients

• 1 tsp Oil
• 1 Large Eggplant
• 3-4 Tbs Cilantro - Chopped 
• 2 Green Chillies
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1 tsp Tamarind extract 
• Salt 
• 1/2 Onion- chopped

For Tempering

• 1 tsp Oil
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• 2 tsp Urad Dhal
• 7-8 Dry Red Chillies ( more if you like it spicy )
• 1/8 tsp Asafoetida
• 1/4 tsp Fenugreek powder

Method:

1. Apply oil onto the eggplant and roast it directly on the stove on medium heat turning it from side to side. It will take about 20 min for the outer skin to become completely charred. The eggplant will cook and become tender on the inside. Peel the skin  and chop into bite sized pieces
2. For tempering-Heat oil, add mustard seed, let them splutter. To it add urad dhal, red chillies and fry until the urad dhal turns slightly golden. Add asafoetida and fenugreek powder and fry for a minute. Set aside
3. In a food processor/blender grind the tempering-red chilles, green chilles, cilantro salt together to coarse powder. Add the chopped eggplant pieces to it and blend to a coarse paste
4. Garnish with chopped onions if needed 
5. Serve with steaming hot rice and ghee

#46 : Beerakaya Kandipappu Kura ~ Ridge gourd Lentil Curry

Beerakaya / Ridge gourd is one of those vegetables I recently learnt to cook with. I would admiringly look at them at the Indian Grocery but would never buy it.  I always thought cooking with this vegetable was complicated! 

I remember as a kid I never liked it and would throw tantrum to eat it. I only now realize that I was not open enough to try it. Beerakaya / Ridge Gourd has a wonderful neutral- sweet taste to it and when cooked with lentils it blends in to give a very delicate flavor. This recipe I learnt from my mom-in-law is a definite keeper.

 

*****Tender Beerakaya/ Ridge Gourd once peeled and cut tastes mildly sweet.
If it tastes bitter discard immediately and don't cook with it  


Ingredients

• 1 tsp Oil
• 3-4 medium sized Ridge gourd / Beerakaya -Peeled and cut into bite sized pieces 
• 1/4 cup  Tur Dhal / Kandipappu / Split Pigeon peas / Lentils
• 1/4 cup water
• Salt to taste

For Tempering

• 1 tsp Oil
• 1 tsp Mustard seeds
• 1 tsp Cumin seeds
• 1 tsp Urad Dhal
• 2 Dry Red Chillies 
• 7-8 Curry leaves
• 1/8 tsp Asafoetida
• 2 tsp Red Chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

Method:

1. Wash and soak lentils for about 45mins. Drain away the water later
2.  In a wide pan heat oil, add ridge gourd pieces, lentils, 1/4 cup water and cook covered for 20mins until the vegetable and the lentils are tender. Keep adding more water if required to help with the cooking process
3. For tempering-Heat oil, add mustard seed, let them splutter. To it add cumin seeds, urad dhal, red chillies and fry until the urad dhal turns slightly golden. Add curry leaves, asafoetida, red chilli powder, turmeric and fry for a minute. Add this to the cooked vegetable-lentil mixture. Add salt. Mix well to incorporate the spices
4. Serve with hot rice

#45 : Badam Milk ~ Easy Almond flavored Drink

Its been a while since I wrote something soulful. The past few months have been very busy. Work takes up most of my available time. I wake up at 7 am  and keep working until midnight taking very short breaks to eat or spend time over the internet. 

Badam Milk  reminds me of Chennai / Madras ( a city in southern India ). This city holds a very special place in my heart. I went to college there, stayed away from my parents for the first time, made some awesome friends and experienced the joys of growing up. They were the most carefree days of my life. I have numerous memories of enjoying this chilled almond drink at my college canteen during the lunch hours. Let it be a long wait at the bus stop or a quick meal replacement option before exams this drink was always my first preference. I can still vividly remember the taste of it- the chilled glass bottles filled with thick saffron flavored milk mixed up with chucks of broken almonds. Oh! what joy...

This recipe is a quick-easy version of the almond flavored drink. This is low on calories and make a light refreshing drink. I like to enjoy it in lieu of dessert after a satisfying meal.

Ingredients
( Makes about 20 servings )

• 1/2 cup Almonds
• 1/8 cup Cashews
• 1/8 cup Pistachio meats
• 1/4 tsp Saffron

Method:

1. Blend all the above ingredients to a coarse powder ( Can be saved in an air tight container for 2 months )
2. For 1 serving -  (Glass of Milk)  - Bring milk to boil and add 2 tsp of the above ground powder. Stir well and add sugar as needed. Cool in a refrigerator for an hour. Serve chilled

#37 : Beans Kobbari Kura ~ Beans and Coconut Stir-Fry

Wow! time flies. It is September already. I still have a long way to go to complete this challenge.  When I first started it, I felt documenting 50 recipes was an easy doable task. Really? What was I thinking! :-) Life has been busy and I was not able to spend a lot of time on this blog. I did cook quite a bit and never found the patience to photograph and blog here. I hope to be more active in the coming months. I jotted down today's recipe  from my mom-in-law last year. I had  fallen is love with it as when she made this beans and coconut curry for lunch. Since then i have made it several times. Surely one of my favorites from her!

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound Green Beans - chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/4 cup Water
• Salt to taste

For Tempering

• 1tsp - Oil
• 1 tsp - Mustard seeds
• 1 tsp - Cumin seeds
• 1 tsp - Urad Dhal
• 2 Dry Red Chillies 
• 7-8 Curry leaves
• 1/8 tsp - Asafoetida
• 1 tsp Red Chilli powder
• 3 TBS dired desiccated coconut powder

Method:

1.  Pressure cook chopped beans in little water for 1 whistle. Set aside and let the the steam escape
2. In a medium pan -Heat oil , add mustard seeds , let them splutter . To it add cumin seeds, urad dhal, red chillies and fry until the urad dhal turns slightly golden. Add curry leaves, asafoetida, red chilli powder and dired desiccated coconut. Add the steamed beans and fry on medium heat and about 10 mins. Add turmeric and salt
3. Serve with hot rice 

#19 : Senagalu ~ The healthy Chickpea salad

Last week , I spent a good amount of time trying to plan healthy meals . We mostly ate soups and drank juices . Oh , there was this super easy spinach stir fry that turned up on the table very often . Life felt good , body and mind both energized and happy . Isn't that feeling really important ?  This snack of tempered chickpeas is usually made on festive occasions as prasadam ( offering to god ). It tastes great as a salad , snack or a side. Just squeeze a little lemon before eating and I promise you will enjoy it . Making this a few wonderful memories gushed in -  a little me running around in silk clothes with jasmine flowers in the hair , munching handfuls of this healthy snack :) Love !