Sorakaya Pulsukura (Bottle guard gravy curry)

 Bottle gourd is extremely popular for reducing high blood pressure and keeping heart healthy. It has a lot of vitamins and minerals and extremely popular for weight loss as well.

This is very simple and easy dish to make especially when very tired . It tastes delicious with both roti and rice.

 This type of puluskura is very popular in Andhra and can be made with other leafy vegetables like gongura &Thotakura (Amaranthus)



Recipe:

Ingredients:

 Bottle gourd (size: medium )
 Tomato            - 1
 Onion              - 1 (Big)
 Green chillies - 3 big

 Seasoning:
 Mustard seeds - 1/2 tspn
 Cumin seeds  - 1/2 tspn
 fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tspn
 Split urud dal - 1/2 tspn
 Channa dal  - 1/2 tspn
 Hing (Asafoetida)

 Turmeric - a pinch 
 Oil     - 2 tspn
 Tamarind juice - 2 tspn
 whole wheat flour - 1 tspn

Procedure :

• Chop green chillies.

• Cut Bottle gourd and tomato into small pieces

• Chop onions fine and long , so they are visible in the bottle gourd pieces.

• In a small pressure cooker , add 2 tspn oil. Once heated, add the seasoning ingredients

• Once the mustard seeds splutter , add the chopped onion , a pinch of salt and fry them till transparent.

• Add the tomato pieces and stir 

• Once cooked, Add bottle gourd pieces and add water till the pieces are slightly visible.

• Either put the cooker lid on and wait for one whistle or put a normal plate as a lid and check till it cooks.

• By the time the pieces cook , take a small bowl, add one tspn of whole wheat flour and water , mix till its a thick liquid.Keep it aside. This liquid is used to thicken the gravy, once the pieces are cooked in the water.

• By the time the pieces cook ,soak tamarind in water and make a thick juice by pressing tamarind in water.

• Once the pieces are cooked, add tamarind juice ,salt  and a pinch of turmeric.

• Mix the gravy and add a tspn of whole wheat flour water to let the gravy thicken.

• Add coriander leaves or kasuri methi for garnishing 

• Can be had with roti or rice .

Masala bath upma

Upma has always been a favourite of mine. There are many of my friends and relatives who hate upma of any kind but my love for it has always lead me to make different varieties of it. The soft texture of sooji upma combined with chutney is mouthwatering.

Its the easiest dish to make when there are sudden guests and the quickest when running against time.

Though upma can be prepared with different main ingredient sooji, broken wheat, vermicelli,poha.. masala bath always works for sooji rava.

Combine it with Groundnut Chutney for yummy results.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

Sooji - 1 cup
onion - 1 medium

cinnamon sticks - 1/4 tspn
garlic - 3 pods
ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tspn
green chillies - 2

seasoning
mustard seeds - 1/2 tspn
cumin seeds - 1/2 tspn
channa dal- 1/2 tspn
split urud dal - 1/2 tspn
curry leaves - 5

turmeric - a pinch
cashews - 2 tbspn
oil - 2 tbspn
ghee - 1 tbspn
water 2 1/2 cups

Procedure:

• Peel garlic finely chop it and keep aside. Chop green chillies
• Finely chop onion. Can be coarse too but finely chopped one mixes with upma well and gives good taste.
• Sooji can be roasted as per wish but I never roast it. Roasted sooji will give a good aroma and nice flavour. Dry roast sooji till its almost brown and let it cool down.This is optional.
• In a wok add oil . Once heated add the seasoning ingredients, cashews, chillies, cinnamon , garlic and fry it.
• Once the mustard seeds splutter and cashews are turning brownish add onion and a pinch of salt and fry it.
• add ginger garlic paste, turmeric and fry it till onions are almost transluscent.
• add water 2 1/2 cups for 1 cup sooji . Add salt as per taste now and let the water come to a boil.
• Once the water is boiled add sooji. Sooji should be added slowly while stirring with spatula so as to avoid any lumps.
• Once added let it cook in low flame with closed lid for 10 minutes.
• Add ghee now , mix it properly and close the lid and switch off flame.
• Let the upma sit for 5 mins as it will cook further.
• Can add coriander leaves for garnish.
• 
  

Spicy Potato curry

Ingredients:

potatoes – 1/4 kg (around 3-4)
onions - 2 medium
salt
chillies - 6 (for spicy)  
ginger - just a small piece about 1/2 inch 
kasuri methi or corriander - for garnishing
cumin seeds
mustard seeds.
Turmeric 
Asafoetida (Hing)
oil – 1-2 tbspn

procedure:

1. wash the  potatoes and boil them till fully boiled. Don't boil in pressure cooker the potatoes might become soft . Boil it separately on stove.

2. Chop the onions into fine pieces.

3. mash the ginger and chillies in a small mortar and pestle.

4.Once cooled , peel the potatoes and cut them into medium sized pieces (around 16 pieces per potato)

5. in a wok add oil and add cumin , mustard seeds and a pinch of hing. After it splutters add the finely chopped onions and fry till they turn transparent. Add a pinch of  turmeric for good color.

 6. Then add boiled potato pieces and the chill-ginger paste.  Stir the potatoes to mix the chilli- ginger paste well into them ,by keeping the stove in low flame. 

7. once its properly mixed , add salt and garnish with corriander or kasuri methi .

This can be had as dry curry with any rice or roti.

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 .