beerakaya pappu koora /Ridge gourd curry with lentils

Ridge gourd has so many curries to its name yet very few people use it in their daily cooking. Its easy to cook and has very cooling effect on the body and can be given to young kids and toddlers too.

This is a very simple and easy dish to prepare especially when you are running to work and need to cook something. It takes great with both roti and rice making it even better.

This mode of cooking pappu koora or curry with lentils is popular in andhra and tamilnadu. This variety recipe can be made with other vegetables like cauliflower and cabbage. 

Ingredients:

ridge gourd- 1
channa dal - 1/4 cup
onion -1 big
salt
turmeric powder  a pinch
chilli powder - 1/4 tspn

Seasoning:
green chillies
mustard seeds
cumin seeds

Procedure:

1. Peel and cut the ridge gourd into small pieces .
2. Peel the onion and chop roughly.
3.  Add beerakaya ,channa dal , onion and turmeric and cook in pressure cooker for 3 whistles.
4. Alternatively this can be cooked with water on high flame in a wok but it might take more time to cook around 20  minutes atleast.
5. Once the vegetables are cooked keep aside and let it cool.
6. Add oil in wok and add seasoning and put this beerakaya mixture and mix well.cook for 10 mins on medium flame.
7. Add salt as need and use chilli powder is spiciness is not sufficient.
8. this is good to eat with roti or rice.

Broccoli Rice

Broccoli is said to be the most healthiest vegetable yet we eat it very less . We use it very rarely in our indian cooking . To make our kids and ourselves eat more of this veggie we have to adapt it into our cooking. A delicious and healthy recipe and very quick for the working people out there..

Ingredients:

Broccoli - 1
Onion - 1
green chillies - 3
garlic - 4 pods
cashewnuts - 3 tbspn or as per wish
rice - 1 cup
water  for cooking rice
oil - 2 tbspn

turmeric - 1/2 tspn
salt to taste
coriander powder - 1 tbspn
garam masala - 1/2 tbspn

Procedure:

Cook the rice in 1 cup rice: 2 cup water ratio and keep aside.
If using basmati rice then cook with 1 cup basmati rice: 1/2 cup water ratio.
Once the rice is cooked let it cool down so that it dosent turn sticky.

Parallely the broccoli can be cooked.

Slit the green chillies and keep aside. Smash the garlic and remove the peel.
Cut onions into thin slices .
Clean the broccoli and remove the florets from the bunch.
Chop the broccoli finely alternatively you can grate broccoli to get fine pieces .

In a wok add oil. Once heated add green chillies, garlic and cashwes and fry it.
Once the onion is transluscent add broccoli.
add 1 tspn of salt and mix it well and cook with closed lid for 15 mins.
Keep sauteing it every 5 minutes.

Once the broccoli is cooked add turmeric, coriander powder and garam masala and mix it well.
add the cooked rice and salt and mix well.
keep frying the rice for 10 minutes.

You can use ketchup to eat along with the rice.

Baigan ka Bharta

Ingredients:

Aubergine - 1 large
onions- 1
tomato -1
coriander leaves finely chopped - 1tbspn
green chillies - 2 finely chopped

for seasoning
bengal gram - 1 tbspn
mustard seeds - 1tspn
cumin seeds - 1 tspn
salt
oil - 2 tbspn

Procedure::

Clean the aubergine and heat it directly over stove/fire or you can smoke it.Change the positions to cook all sides. The skin might be slightly burnt but this is hows its supposed to be.Keep it aside for 5 mins before peeling the skin.
After peeling the sin slightly mash it with some pieces visible.

Add oil in a wok and add bengal gram,mustard,cumin seeds and green chillies. after the mustard seeds start to splutter add onions and fry till transluscent. add tomatoes and salt and cook with closed lid for 5 mins. add the mashed aubergine and coriander leaves and mix it well and cook for 2 mins.

This can be had as side dish either with chapati/roti/rice.

Palak Paneer

Palak/Spinach has been one of the favourite veggies to eat.Its really healthy and tasty. Palak paneer is an alltime classic dish which is served in every restaurant.

Ingredients:

Palak - 1 bunch

onions - 1

tomato - 1

paneer - 1 cup

garlic - 5 pods

ginger - 1 tspn

cashew - 5-6

green chillies - 3

Masala powders

salt - to taste

amchur - 1 tspn

garam masala - 1tspn

coriander powder - 1 1/2 tspn

cream/coconut milk - 1 tbspn

Procedure:

Clean the spinach and chop them.

finely chop the onions tomatoes and chillies.

In a wok add little oil and add green chillies, onions, cashews, garlic and ginger. Once slightly cooked add tomatoes and palak.

add a pinch of salt and mix it well.

Cover with a lid and let it cook for 5-8 mins in low- medium flame.

Once its cooked blend everything into a green smooth paste and keep aside.

Boil 2 cups of water and once boiled keep the boiled water aside and add paneer to it. This can be done paralelly while making the spinach paste.

In a wok add little oil and add the spinach paste add little water to come to the right consistency.

add all the masala powders and mix it properly.

add the paneer and let it cook with paneer for 10 mins in medium flame. 

add cream/coconut milk at the end and let it cook for 5 mins .