Dum Parwal ( Pointed Gourd) & Flax Seed Flat Bread | Lunch Combo |

Hi!!

It was about 3yrs back, I was entering a new territory, a new job with new surroundings, new colleagues, new targets and pressures. I used to feel lost at times and my best friend in that hostile situation used to be the library, where I could spend a decent time reading various books, either work related or even others too.

Apart from the personal time that I used to spend in the library, I had to compulsorily use three quarters of an hour on records in the reference section. The reference section had books of all kinds, from literature and history to modern technology. And amongst all these books were a few cookbooks too which I could not touch during my officially allotted time but on other days, I could use them.

There were books on Cooking as a science and few cookbooks in the reference section. Amongst, all these books related to cooking, my favorite book was Nita Mehta’s Vegetarian Curries. This book has very nice collection of veg curries made using day to day spices. These are regular veggies cooked with a difference but no elaborate steps to follow. I started noting down recipes from the book into my diary and thought that I would try them one by one. But my job became very hectic, the day to day cooking itself had become very difficult for me but I managed somehow..and then one fine day we got our transfer orders and I had to quit my job and move..

Till recently, the recipes and my diary took a back seat for one or the other reason, one can see that from the number of blog posts per month. But about a few weeks back when I was cleaning book shelves, I landed on my old diaries and I started flipping through the pages, that’s when I landed on the recipes I had copied from Nita Mehta’s cookbook.

I was too tempted to try them at once and this particular recipe using the Pointed Gourd (Parwal) had taken preference as it used a pressure cooker for the ‘Dum Cooking’ making it a faster cooking method. Moreover, this particular recipe didn’t ask for any grinding or any exotic methods to try. The only thing required was chopping and thanks to my decent knife skills, I manage that well.

To go with the curry, which I realized might turn out a semi thick curry, I wanted to make a healthy flatbread. Recently, during a discussion on FB, a blogger friend asked what she could do with flax seeds and I had suggested that she could add it in the regular chapatis/ phulka. After mentioning her that I castigated myself as I also had a packet of the flax seeds which I had been postponing to use. I decided to use it immediately and it so happened that I also knew exactly what to cook with it..This was a recipe which had made a mark in my brain with it’s sheer simplicity and health benefits. It’s a recipe that I had read in Madhu Gadia’s The Indian Vegan Kitchen.

I must tell my readers here that the curry is not a vegan preparation but the flatbread is. The combination of the curry and flatbread turned out simply superb. My family enjoyed the lunch and S was simply happy with the preparations and the combo. The flatbread is good with the health benefits of flax seeds. What more do I need, a smile from the family after eating a hearty meal, that’s my bonus, that’s my increment.

Preparation Time: 15mins | Cooking Time: 20mins | Serves: 3-4 | Difficulty Level: Easy

Ingredients For Dum Parwal ( adapted from Nita Mehta’s cookbook)

5-6 Pointed gourd ( parwal) tippped, lightly peeled and cut into halves

4-5 baby potatoes, peeled or 1 potato, cubed

2tsp freshly made ginger garlic paste

2tomatoes, chopped finely

1large or 2medium onions, sliced

1/2 cup yogurt, smoothened

2tbsp oil + 2tbsp clarified butter (ghee)

1/2tsp cumin seeds

Dry spices:

1mace leaf (javitri) powdered

1tbsp coriander powder

1-1/2tsp chili powder

1/2tsp turmeric powder

1/2tsp garam masala powder

Whole spices

2-3 cloves

1bayleaf

2-3 black cardamom

2-3 small pieces of cinnamon

Method

Heat the oil and ghee together in a pressure pan and fry the pointed gourd and potatoes lightly, to a golden color.

To the remaining oil, which would be around 3table spoons, tip in the cumin seeds. Once the seeds crackle, add the whole spices. Do this process on a medium flame else the hot oil burns the spices.

Add the ginger-garlic paste and sauté to remove the raw smell. Add the sliced onions and sauté till golden in color.

Add the tomatoes and salt to taste. Cook till tomatoes are done. Add the dry spices and cook for a minute.

Remove from the fire and add the beaten yogurt and mix. Put back on fire and cook on low heat till the oil separates.

Tip in the garam masala and mace powder.

Add the fried veggies and a cup of water.

Pressure cook up to a whistle.

Let the pressure drop and then check for the consistency of the curry.

Preparation Time: 5mins | Standing Time: 10mins | Cooking Time Per Roti: 1min | Makes:8-10 | Serves: 3-4 | Difficulty Level: Needs Skill

Ingredients For Flax Seed Flat Bread ( adapted from Madhu Gadia’s Cookbook)

1-1/2cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup besan (Bengal gram flour) or Soya Flour
2-3tsp flax seed meal
water to knead
1/4tsp salt
2-3 drops oil
wheat flour for rolling

Method

Make a soft dough using the ingredients, apply oil and let the dough rest for 10mins.
Divide the dough into 8-10 portions. Make balls and flatten them.
Using dry wheat flour, roll the roti into a thin disc.
Cook it like a regular roti on a griddle and puff it directly on the flame.
Apply clarified butter on the flatbread/rotis (optional) else apply oil lightly. This keeps rotis soft for a longer time.
Serve hot as these flatbread/ rotis might become dry after sometime.

Sending it to my event ‘Only’- Cooking From Cookbooks guest hosted by Gauri.

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Ghol Bhaaji/ Doddagonni Soppu

 

Today I’m posting a very simple curry straight from Maharashtra. I had tasted this the first time when I had visited my father’s uncle in Nagpur and had completely fallen for it. Ghol is a green vegetable which resembles methi(fenugreek) leaves but are slightly thicker and has no bitterness. It has thick and succulent reddish green stems and the vegetable has a nice earthy flavour. It is called Kulfa in Hindi, Pachiri in Tamil and Purslane or Pigweed in English.

 

source Wikipedia

The only time required to make this preparation is in plucking, cleaning and chopping the leaves.The procedure for curry is very simple and resultant is simply tasty. My kid loved it and ate without any fuss. I can see the mom’s getting interested now..yes, it’s a great way to make kids eat greens. This curry tastes best when made slightly spicy. The curds added gives a tinge of sourness to the curry.

Ingredients

Serves-4

3bunches Ghol greens/ Kulfa

4green chillies

4-5tbsp oil for cooking

1tsp mustard

1-1/2tsp turmeric

1/2tsp red chilli pwd

2-1/2tbsp besan/Bengal gram flour

3-4tbsp sour curds

salt to taste

a large pinch of asafoetida (good quality)

Method

Remove the roots of the greens and separate the leaves and stems. Wash 2-3 times in water to remove the soil.

Chop the vegetable.

 

Heat oil in wide pan and add mustard seeds.

Once the seeds splutter, add green chillies and asafoetida, followed by half the turmeric.

Now add the chopped greens and salt, mix thoroughly. The salt helps the greens lose water and cook faster. Cover the pan and lower the flame. Cook the curry till almost done.

Add the curds and gram flour and mix fast avoiding lumps.

Add the remaining turmeric and red chilli powder. Mix.

Cover and cook for some more time, till the curry thickens.

Serve hot with Bhakri or rice.

Sending it to Indrani’s

and to Show me your HITS by Sangee Vijay of Spicy Treats.

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Dakor na Methi Gota/ Gujarati Style Fenugreek Fritter

Hi!

I  am on a green spree, using my greens in many innovative ways and at the same time I am also deep frying. I know I indulge rarely into frying and the rarity makes it more special. My kids are surely happy as they love fried stuff and with their high metabolic rates they burn those extra calories easily too.

Gota is a famous preparation from Gujarat. It’s a deep fried pakora/ fritter made with gram flour and usually fenugreek. The most famous Gota’s are from Dakor a village in Gujarat. These fritters are crisp and nicely flavored because of Fenugreek leaves, they make an ideal snack for one and all. I loved the taste and relished a plate myself.

Fenugreek leaves have an amazing flavor apart from that this wonder herb is rich in minerals like Potassium, Calcium, and Iron also have good dietary fiber and are abundant in Vitamin C and Vitamin K. 

The Gota’s are a perfect amalgam of health and flavor, to my delight these do not absorb much oil, a snack item surely not to be missed.

Ingredients

a cup and a half of chopped fenugreek leaves

3-4 tbsp chopped coriander

about 3/4 cup gram flour

about half cup urad dal flour (one can omit this and use only gram flour)

1/2 cup semolina

1-1/2 tsp ginger-green chili paste

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tsp whole coriander seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp red chili pwd

1/2 tsp citric acid crystals or 1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp garam masala

2 tsp oil

1/4 tsp soda bicarb or fruit salt

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp crushed peppercorns
oil for frying
Method
Mix all ingredients to make a thick batter and let it stand for 15-20 mins. The milk makes the fritters light, it was my personal choice of using it one can make the batter with water also.
 
Heat oil on a medium low flame and using hand put small portions for deep frying. Fry till golden brown and crisp and remove on a kitchen towel.

Serve hot with green chutney or tomato sauce.

I am sending this preparation to My event ‘ONLY’- Greens hosted by Saraswathi at Sara’s Corner. and to Dish Name Starts With D hosted by Akila. Sending it to my event ‘Only’ Street Foods of The World hosted by Archana of Mad Scientist’s Kitchen.

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Crackling Spinach From Mainland China

Hi!

As the name suggests that this preparation is from Mainland China. I was introduced to this recipe by S when he had taken us out for a dinner at Mainland China in Mumbai. Out of all the preparations that I tried there this became a favorite and I had always wanted to try this out ever since then. It was hard to believe that the spinach could taste so nice.

As the name suggests that this preparation crackles on eating, it crackles as it is very crispy so one can also call this crispy spinach. The preparation is very simple and can be an excellent starter for parties as it will surely catch any one’s attention. It needs very few ingredients and can be made very quickly if one has washed and dry spinach ready. This preparation is surely not for calorie conscious people or for people on diet.

I am sending this preparation to My event ‘ONLY’- Greens hosted by Saraswathi at Sara’s Corner.

Ingredients

about 45-50 spinach leaves

1 tbsp chili flakes

1 tbsp roasted sesame seeds

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp sugar

oil for deep frying

salt to taste

Method

Wash the spinach and pat it dry. Take 5-6 leaves at a time and lay one over the other, roll and chop into fine strips. Repeat the procedure for all leaves.

Mix corn starch to the leaves and deep fry the spinach in 4-5 batches till crispy and remove  on a kitchen towel.

Heat the sesame oil and add chili flakes followed by crispy spinach, salt to taste, sugar and roasted sesame and toss gently.

Serve immediately.

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Maatavaadi Palya

Hi!

Last few days were not very healthy for me, was not keeping well and my spirits were generally low. I did not feel like reading blogs as my eyes would hurt on trying that. The only thing I opened was my mails and my blog to moderate comments and then shut down my laptop. I would order out food for everyone and generally spend time taking rest and teaching the younger one Mathematics  and Science as he has to appear for his National Olympiads. But prior to falling sick I had bought my first batch of fenugreek greens of this winter and I was surely looking forward to cooking it. I had sorted and washed the leaves then dried and stored in the refrigerator to use them. As I did not cook for a few days so the day I started cooking I wanted to use the leaves before they got spoilt.

This particular version of fenugreek is a big hit in my family and is S’s favorite. We normally eat this with soft rice and saaru/rasam as a combination. It is quick to make, extremely tasty and takes no time to get over. It is a dry curry and should be  cooked with more oil else it tastes very dry. Oil provides it the softness that it can be mixed with plain rice and be eaten.

Ingredients

3 cups of finely chopped fenugreek leaves

5-6 green chilies finely chopped

1 tbsp of urad-chana dal mix

1 tsp mustard seeds

3-4 tbsp oil

5-6 tbsp of gram flour/ besan

salt to taste

Method

Heat oil and mustard followed by urad-chana dal mix.

Once the dals turn golden brown in color add the green chilies and saute for a few seconds.

Add the chopped greens and salt to taste, mix.

Cover and cook till half done. Sprinkle the gram flour and mix completely.

Cover and cook on low flame till cooked completely.

This tastes good either way hot or cold.

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Sarson-Aloo ka Saag

Hi.

With the onset of winter one can see the market getting flooded with greens, though this year because of floods there’s no overflow of greens yet but one can see some sight of greens surely. So when my regular veggie vendor asked  me for mustard greens, I nodded happily and picked up a small bunch.

Sarson ka Saag and Makke di roti is one of the most popular searched items  from my space and I can assure you that the recipe is a winner and I have tried to explain the entire procedureit in great detail.  I will surely post another version of the saag later, but today, I post a simple combination of these flavorful greens with potato. This tastes best  again with  makke ki roti but also with plain steamed rice. I normally do  not add tomatoes to these leaves but for a change I used them and was extremely happy with the result, but of course I would not add them to my sarson ka saag. 

Ingredients

a bunch of mustard greens

2 potatoes cubed

1/2 tomato

2 onions chopped

4-5 garlic pods

4-5 green chilies

a piece of ginger

1 tbsp tomato paste

ghee for cooking

some cumin seeds

red chilies for tempering

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp coriander pwd

a large pinch garam masala (optional)

a pinch of asafetida

Method

Wash the greens and chop finely. Mix 3-4 garlic pods, green chilies and ginger and pressure cook with a cup of water. I was in a hurry so used the pressure cooker method. Best is to blanch the greens and then grind it to keep the green color intact, check out the sarson da saag post for that.

Cool and grind to a paste.

Heat a tbsp of ghee and add the onions and brown them.

Add the chopped tomato and potato. Add salt to taste.

Add the tomato paste and mix.

Add the turmeric and coriander pwd and saute for a few seconds. Cover and cook till potatoes are done.

Once the potatoes are done, mix the mustard greens paste. Add half a cup of water and some garam masala (optional).

Heat another tablespoon of ghee/oil and add cumin seeds, once they crackle add one finely chopped garlic, asafetida and 2 red chilies. Pour this tempering on the curry.

Mix and serve immediately.

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Mushroom-methi-matar .. A delectable curry

Hi.

One can confirm from my previous posts that ever since the onset of winter I have concentrated largely on greens. When we visit any North Indian restaurant Methi matar malai is normally seen in the menu card. I wanted to cook Mushroom. Now S is not a die hard fan of it, it’s kind of a compromise eating that. I surely try to make something interesting with Mushroom so that he can eat it pleasurably.

S loves Methi (fenugreek leaves) in any thing, so I had a good chance to experiment. As we all know that the greens reduce largely in volume on cooking..so does the Mushroom…that’s how peas came into the picture..err the curry.. to increase the volume.

Any curried vegetable tastes good if the curry/gravy is made to perfection. How one makes a good curry is an art and I guess all my blogger pals will agree to that….The perfect blend of spices along with the basic onion-ginger-garlic combination is what I have surely learnt, have been appreciated by many for my curries and  have taken tips for the same. While I was roasting the  masala for this curry my friend M had come to catch up with me. She entered saying what are you making, I can smell Methi and then she  entered the kitchen and said now I can smell Dalchini too. She quickly learnt what I had added to the gravy and said I am making this for sure..this smells so good.

In this curry even if I  had replaced the Malai from the Methi malai matar with the Mushrooms,  the curry was not rich  but surely it was delectable. It had the nice aroma of Fenugreek,  the Mushrooms had absorbed all the flavors and spices very well and the peas were placed elegantly in this trio. It’s  a perfect side dish for every day cooking and is worth enough to charm your guests. My children loved every bit and I did not see S fussing at all,  in fact I just heard…it’s very nice.

Ingredients
200 gm Mushroom chopped
a large handful of fenugreek/Methi chopped
a cup of peas boiled
To grind together
2 large onions roughly chopped
2 tomatoes
4-5 garlic pods
1/2 inch piece ginger
a small piece cinnamon
2-3 cardamom
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
5  tsp desiccated dry coconut
spices…
1/2 tsp turmeric
2-3 tsp red chili pwd
3 tsp coriander pwd
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cumin pwd
Method

Heat about 6-7 tbsp oil. Fry the chopped fenugreek leaves till crisp and keep aside. Frying  Methi helps reduce the bitterness to a great extent plus adds a nice texture. In the same oil add the ground paste and saute it till done and the oil separates. Now add all the spices except the garam masala and saute for  a minute. Add the mushrooms and salt and cook till done. Add  the peas and fried Methi and mix properly, check the consistency, if required add a little water. Just before turning the flame add the garam masala and mix. Garnish with some fresh cream and serve with Naan or Paratha.

Sending this to…
EC’s MLLA-19 the brainchild of Susan ,
Arundhuti’s Gourmet affair .

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Baked Fusilli in Marinara and Healthy-Spinachy Bechamel Sauce

Hi friends.

The word Italian brings in the thought of Pizza, pasta, risotto, wine….and Cheese to my mind. Ritu Dalmia who is a famous Italian Chef and her show Italian Khana is never complete without the description of the famous Italian wines. Now I am surely not a person who has any knowledge and inclination for wine but I surely have an interest for the cuisine so I do watch the show for the food and the humour.

Today I take you to the world of baking with a very tasty and healthy Italian recipe. Italian cuisine has become very popular amongst the young and the old so how can my family be spared. We were planning to enjoy an Italian buffet in a place called Fresco but our plans have got delayed and postponed. I had not baked for a while and the upcoming baker in me was asking me to bake and I surely wanted to cook Italian for my elder one as he is quite fond of Italian cuisine. So one of these days I made this recipe to please everyone and the baker in me.

The journey of cooking this was satisfying as the baked dish surely smelled good. My elder one who kept asking me questions through out his eating…which sauce is this, what have you put in that, which cheese have you put in that? The not so confident me kept answering his questions and then at the end I asked him, why are you asking me so many questions? It’s very nice Mummy, that’s why,  is what I heard. So I was all collar’s up at the end!!!!

Now that I have boasted so much about the recipe and myself let me tell you the ingredients and the method..

Ingredients

2 cups boiled Fusilli (the screw shaped pasta, I used made Durum wheat pasta)

100 gm grated cheese

for Marinara sauce……

1 large onion chopped

3 garlic pods

1/2 inch piece ginger

2 tomatoes chopped

5-6 tbsp tomato puree

1/2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp freshly crushed pepper

1/2 tsp chili flakes

salt to taste

evoo for cooking

for spinachy- bechamel sauce (white sauce)…

25 leaves of spinach blanched

7-8 spoons of whole wheat flour

about a cup of milk

1/2 cup of water

salt to taste

freshly crushed pepper

4 tbsp home made butter

Method

Boil the Fusilli in 6-7 cups of water with some salt and a few drops of oil.

For the Marinara sauce..

First take the onions in the pan and then pour EVOO over it, this avoids overheating of the oil and it losing it’s valuable properties. Saute the onions and add crushed or finely chopped ginger-garlic. Cook till the raw smell disappears.

Now add the tomatoes, salt and sugar.

Once the tomatoes are cooked add the tomato puree and the herbs. Mix and switch off the flame.

 For Spinachy- Bechamel sauce

In a pan take the butter and add the wheat flour. Roast for a minute but do not let the colour change. Mix the water and milk and add this to the wheat flour stirring continuously so that no lumps are formed. This process has to be done fast so I could not take the pics. Unlike the white sauce made with APF this sauce does not thicken a lot on cooling so one must keep that in mind while making the sauce and checking it’s consistency. Season with salt and black pepper.

Blanch the spinach leaves.

Grind the leaves and add it in the bechamel sauce.


Now we start the layering.
Grease a baking dish. Spread the first layer ..that’s the marinara sauce.

Above the marinara sauce spread the second layer..that’s of fusilli.

Now comes the third layer …spinachy white sauce/ spinachy bechamel sauce.

Finally the cheese..spread the layer of processed cheese or cheese of your choice.

Bake the dish at 200C for about 15 mins or till the top layer melts.




Sending this healthy and tasty preparation to Arundhuti’s Gourmet affair as this was made and served with loads of love to my family & to CFK-Creative food for picky fussy eaters hosted by Sara’s corner and the brainchild of Sharmi, as I found this a very healthy way of adding spinach and other veggies to their diet.

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