Hyderabadi Mixed Vegetable

A nice blend of veggies, tasty with yoghurt and spices..
Ingredients

Vegetables needed :

1 cup beans
1 cup carrots
1 cup potatoes (peeled)
(above 3 items to be sliced in to thin strips (like Avial veggies)
1/2 cup long aubergines - cut in to round
1/2 cup cauliflower florets
1 small cup green peas
1 finely chopped onion
2 tsp garlic paste
1 tsp ginger paste
Half a lemon
salt to taste

Spices

1 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp clove powder

Oil for deep frying
1 cup of thick yogurt
A pinch of turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
Ghee for tadka

1. Microwave (Steam) the potatoes in a closed bowl for 3 minutes.
2. Along with the potatoes (After 3 mins), you may add the green peas and microwave for a minute.
3. Let it cool and keep it separately.
4. Heat the oil to the right temperature and quickly deep fry cauliflower, carrots and beans. ALL SEPARATELY, because the cooking temperatures are different for these veggies. Keep it aside.
5. Heat the Kadai, add 2 tsp of ghee, add garlic and ginger paste. Add the onions and fry it till golden brown.
6. Add the cup of yogurt, little turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder. Stir quickly for 2 minutes so that you get the creamy masala.
7. Add all the vegetables, stir well.
8. Add salt, juice of half a lemon.
9. Lower the flame and finish off with 1 tsp cardamom powder, 1 tsp cinnamon powder and 1 tsp clover powder.

Watch the spices giving off the yummy flavour.. Can be served as an accompaniment to Jeera Pulao or Phulkas.. Enjoy!

Mango Pachadi

Come Ugadi, aka Telugu New Year, this recipe is on the menu list of most of the Tam Brahm household. The other variation is the "Veppambu (Neem Flowers) Pachadi", which is also quite delicious.

Ingredients:

Raw Mango - 1
Round Jaggery, mashed - 1 cup
Oil - 2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Asafetida, salt, turmeric powder - a pinch
A sprig of curry leaves
Red Chilli - coarsely ground powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste.

Method of preparation :

1. Chop the mangoes in to sqaures.
2. Coarsely grind the dry red chillies in a mixie. This texture gives a unique taste when added to the pachadi.
3. Soak the jaggery in little water, make a puree out of it.
4. In a kadai, heat the oil and make a tempering with mustard seeds, cumin, asafetida, turmeric powder, curry leaves.
5. Reduce the flame, add the cut mangoes and saute for 2 minutes. Add half of the salt now.
6. When the mangoes are cooked, add the thick jaggery water and the coarsely ground red chilli powder. Let it cook for another 2 minutes. Check for salt.
7. When all the ingredients are mixed well and the jaggery water boils, you can see a sheen and the mixture thickens a little. At this time, switch of the flame.

The quick and tasty Mango Pachadi is ready and you can relish this.. With anything of your choice. It goes well with Khakras too!

Posto

This recipe “Ridge gourd Posto” is from my friend Sanchali.
She is a terrific cook ( Bengali, of course!) and always rustles up something tasty when I am around at Kolkatta.

This dish is made in a jiffy and the variation is of course, the popular Aloo Posto.

Posto means poppy seeds and for this recipe we need the following :

One medium onion
4/5 tsp Oil (Mustard oil replaced with our Refined oil) – (unless you have an acquired taste for mustard oil..)
Ridge gourd (Peerkangai) -1 (big) or 1 ½ (Medium) size
Black Cumin Seeds
Sugar – 1 tsp

To be ground into a thick paste :
Poppy Seeds – 2 big spoons
Garlic Pods – 2/3
Green chilly – 2

1. Dry grind poppy seeds, then wet grind with very little water alongwith garlic and green chilly. Do not use too much water, since the posto should be coarse and thick paste. Wash the grinder with little water and you can use this to cook the vegetables.

2. Slice onion in to thin slices, chop gourd in small pieces.

3. Heat oil, add cumin seeds. Fry the onion on a low flame, after 3-4 minutes add the gourd. Cook on a low flame.

4. Sprinkle some water. When its about 3/4th done, add the posto paste and the sugar. The dish should be semi-gravy, so just add in 2-3 tsps of water. Keep it on low flame throughout to retain the green color of the gourd.

The tasty dish is ready and have a go with rotis.. Enjoy!

Chole Nawabi

This receipe is adapted from an old magazine and been perfected and fine tuned...Just follow the measures and you'll breeze through.. You'll have the best and yummiest chole, cooked nice and soft with the right amount of masalas coated.. Try this and you will never go wrong with the pressure cooked Chole Nawabi..

Ingredients :

1/4 kg of Kabuli Channa (pre-soaked in water for 6-7 hours)

Onions (big) - 2 (finely chopped)

Tomatoes (big) - 3 (chopped)

2 tbsp corainder leaves, 6-7 mint leaves

1 tbsp of oil, 1 tbsp ghee

1.5 cup of water, salt to taste

1 tsp of cumin seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp - red chilli powder

lemon juice - 1 tsp

Masala : (to be pounded coarsely)

Ginger piece - 2 " piece

Garlic - 3

Green chilli - 1

3 bay leaves

3 cloves

1 tsp garam masala

Method :

1. Heat the pressure cooker pan. Add the oil and ghee.

2. Add the cumin seeds, fry till they splutter and then add the coarsely pounded masala.

2. Add the diced onions, fry till light brown. Add the tomatoes and saute for a minute.

3. Add salt, turmeric and red chilli powder.

4. Add the kabuli channa, water and close the pressure cooker.

5. Put the pressure cooker weight on and leave to cook till about 15 whistles. Reduce the flame after 6-7 whistles.

6. After it is done, check whether the coating is thick enough.. if its a little watery, then pressure cook for some more time (Its worth the effort, you see!)

7. Once its done, transfer the chole nawabi in to a serving bowl, garnish with coriander and mint leaves, onion rings and lemon pieces. (alternatively add lemon juice)..

Your finger licking chole nawabi is ready to be served with puris or bhatura!

Radish Curry Dal

Dal, anytime favourite, with some veggies thrown in..


Ingredients

1 big cup of white radish, grated
1 cup of moong dal (cooked)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp garlic pulp
1 tsp green chilli
1 tsp ginger – chopped
1 cup spring onions, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp crushed red chillies
1 tsp Jeera
1 tsp Turmeric powder

1. Heat the oil in a kadai. Splutter Jeera.

2. Pound the garlic/green chilli and ginger coarsely. Add this to the oil.

3. Add red chillies, spring onions, turmeric powder and grated radish. Add salt and finally add the cooked moong dal.

4. Add required water and bring to a boil. Garnish with fresh coriander.

Tip : You can also pressure cook everything together. In the pressure cooker pan, prepare the tempering and add the veggies (except spring onions) and add the uncooked dal. Leave it for 2 whistles, toss in the spring onions and enjoy the dal with rice and some fried potatoes and lemon pickle!

Potato Methi Curry

Potato and methi leaves are a good combination for this curry. This goes well with Morkuzhambu or rotis..


Ingredients:

Boiled Potato – 4 (cubed)
Methi leaves – 1 cup (preferably larger green methi leaves, which is less bitter)
Onion – 2
Tomato (Nattu Thakkali) – 2
Green chilli (pounded )- 1
Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
Red Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Sugar – 1 tsp
Salt / oil
Ginger /Garlic paste (Optional)- 1/2 tsp
Lemon Juice (Optional) – 1 tsp

Method :

Heat Oil. Splutter mustard seeds, add cumin, fry onions,green chillies, add little ginger / garlic paste. When it turns golden brown, add tomatoes.

Cook for a minute, add chopped methi leaves. Add turmeric pdr, red chilli powder,salt, sugar.

After 3 minutes, add the boiled potatoes. Toss it over, check for salt / masala.

Leave it for 2 mins till the potatoes becomes a little soft and gets the masala coating.

Add lemon juice in case needed.

Could be served as a curry with rice or with rotis/phulkas.

Sorakkai - Tomato Sabzi

A quick sidedish for phulkas or Puris.


Ingredients

Sorakai (Green Gourd) – ½ kg, peel and cut into small cubes
Tomato – 4
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Bay leaves – 3 leaves
Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp
Red Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 tsp
Green coriander leaves – ½ cup for garnishing.
Ghee – 1 tsp

Method :

In a pressure cooker, boil tomatoes and Sorakai separately.
(Or in a microwave blanch tomatoes, cover & cook Sorakai for 4 mins separtely).

When cool, make a puree out of the tomatoes.

Heat oil, fry cumin seeds, bay leaves, add sorakai and the tomato puree.

Add all the masalas, required salt. Cook for 2-3 mins.

Add a tsp of ghee and remove from fire.

Garnish with fresh coriander. A good accompaniment for Rotis / Parathas..

Chilli Paneer

Easy to make and a lip-smacking subzi.. A perfect side dish for phulkas, this is my son's favourite!

Ingredients :

Paneer – 200 gm – sliced long
Bajji Molakai – 4
Onions – 2
Tomato –1
Red Chilli Powder
Garam Masala
Turmeric
Ginger / Garlic – Crushed
Green Chilli – 1
Salt / Sugar to taste
Elachi - 2
Oil – 2 tbslp


Heat Oil, sauté onions, add ginger garlic, green chillies.
Reduce the flame, add paneer and cook for 2 mins till it becomes soft.
Add turmeric, garam masala and elaichi.
Now add the cut tomatoes. Add salt and sugar.
Lastly add the Bajji Molaks (Sliced long), toss it till it absorbs the masala.
Garnish with coriander leaves.