Aloo-Palak-Peas gravy

Ingredients
Potato 1 cup cubed
Palak half bunch washed well and chopped
Green peas (frozen or fresh) 1/2 cup
Onion 1 grated
Tomato 1 grated
Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
Cumin powder 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Saunf 1 tsp
Oil 1 tbsp
Garam masala to taste
Salt to taste
Water to cook

Method

1. Heat oil in a pan. Crackle the saunf. Add grated onion, ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell goes off.
2. Add tomato puree/grated, turmeric pow, chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder and fry for 2-3 mins.
3. Add the potatoes and palak, salt to taste and give it a good mix. Add 1/4 cup water and cook covered, stirring occasionally, till potatoes are almost cooked.
4. Add the green peas, garam masala and cook some more. Add bit more water if needed. Simmer for 5 mins till all the flavours are blended well.

Serve hot with rotis.

Vendakya mezhukku varati (Bhindi-fry-2)

Mezhukku varati is a Mallu term for stir-fry-in-oil. Some subjis are thorans(cooked with coconut and some moisture) and some are mezhukku varatis.
In my Bhindi fry 1, I used a very simple spice of roasted coriander-red chillies powder. Here I use a combination of onion, green chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida to give the bhindi fry a different flavour. And yes, its in coconut oil.

Ingredients
Bhindi washed well, wiped dry and chopped to half inch pieces (remember to wipe the washed bhindis well)
Salt to taste
Green chillies 2-3 chopped
Coconut Oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves for seasoning.
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida a pinch
Onion 1 chopped

Method

1. In a pan, heat oil. Burst mustard. Add salt and stir for a second.
2. Add chopped onions, curry leaves, asafoetida, green chillies and stir till onions turn translucent.
3. Add bhindis, turmeric powder and give it a good stir. Do not add water at all.
4. Cook covered for about 5-10 minutes on low heat till bhindis become soft. Initially the bhindi gets gooey, dont lose heart, stir well and cover again to cook some more.
5. Once the bhindis reach the soft cooked stage and have lost the goo, stir fry with lid open, till its a bit caramerlised.

Bhindi fry - 1

Lets face it... bhindis get gooey once salted. And then they refuse to cook. After a long innings of experiments with all kinds of tawas and imli and what not, I got the solution from my ma. :-)

The below bhindi fry goes well with rasam saadam and is a hit with kids.

Ingredients
Bhindi washed well, wiped dry and chopped to half inch pieces (remember to wipe the washed bhindis well)
Salt to taste
Oil, mustard seeds for seasoning.
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Roasted coriander-chilli powder (I call it curry powder).

Method

1. In a pan, heat oil. Burst mustard. Add salt and stir for a second.
2. Add chopped bhindis, turmeric powder, curry powder and give it a good stir. Do not add water at all.
3. Cook covered for about 5-10 minutes on low heat till bhindis become soft. Initially the bhindi gets gooey, dont lose heart, stir well and cover again to cook some more.
4. Once the bhindis reach the soft cooked stage and have lost the goo, stir fry with lid open, till its a bit caramerlised.

Enjoy!

Rasam

A Tam-Brahm meal isnt really complete without the comforting rasam. Quick to make if you have the hang of the blend of tastes, its wonderful for kids too. It will take a few trials to get the blend of flavours just right. I could do it, so can anyone!

Ingredients
 Tur dal 1/4 cup washed well
Asafoetida a pinch
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Tamarind extract of a small gooseberry sized piece
Sambar powder 1 tsp
Rasam powder 1 tsp
Tomato 1 big chopped to small pieces
Ghee, mustard seeds, curry leaves, red chillies for seasoning.
Chopped coriander to garnish
Salt to taste.
Jaggery to taste

Method

1. In a pan, mix the tamarind water, sambar powder, rasam powder, tomatoes, salt and boil till tomatoes get cooked.
2. Cook the tur dal with asafoetida and turmeric powder in a pressure cooker. Mash the dal well.
3. Once the tamarind mix is cooked, add the dal water. Adjust salt and water levels and simmer for few mins till rasam starts frothing. Switch off heat.
4. Add jaggery and chopped cilantro. On top of this season with seasonings. I add roasted-crushed jeera pepper to the seasonings.

Note:

• Add crushed garlic to the seasonings to make garlic-rasam.
• An extra helping of pepper in the seasonings can give it the pepper-rasam twist.

Lemon rasam

My sonny loves lemon rasam and he was kinda disappointed that my blog hasn't yet carried his favourite. So here it is.

Ingredients
Tur dal 1 tbsp washed well.
Tomato 1 big chopped to small pieces
Green chillies 2 slit
Oil 1 tsp
Rasam powder and/or sambar powder 1/2 tsp each.
Lemon juice to taste.
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida a pinch
Chopped coriander leaves
Ghee, mustard seeds, red chilli, curry leaves for seasoning.
Jeera-pepper roasted powder (optional)
Jaggery 1/2 tsp (optional)

Method

1. Heat oil in a small pressure cooker. Add the green chillies, tomatoes, asafoetida, turmeric powder and saute for 2 mins.
2. Add the washed dal, a cup of water, salt, sambar and rasam powder and cook with the lid closed for about 2-3 whistles.
3. Once the pressure is released, open the cooker and mash the cooked dal well. Add more water and salt if required and simmer for few mins till rasam starts frothing.
4. Add the lemon juice, chopped coriander leaves and jaggery (if you like it).
5. Season with seasonings. I normally add the jeera-pepper powder with the seasonings.

Serve hot with rice. Its very easy to cook and delicious.

Masoor dal pulao

Found this recipe at Chefinyou Masoor dal pulao. The below is how I made it.

Ingredients
Long grained rice 1 cup
Masoor dal 1/3 cup
Onion 1 big chopped
Spring onions 1 stalk chopped
Cilantro chopped.
Tomato 1 big chopped
Mint leaves a few
Frozen peas 1/4 cup
Saunf 1 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Green chillies slit 2-3
Biriyani masala powder 1 tsp
Lemon juice few drops
Water or coconut milk 2 cups.
Salt to taste.
Oil 1 tbsp
Cinnamon 1 piece, 1 clove and 1 bay leaf

Method

1. Wash the rice and dal together well and allow to soak for 15-20 mins. Drain water and keep aside.
2. In a heavy bottomed pan, heat oil add the saunf, cinnamon, clove and bay leaf. Once they sizzle, add the onions,green chillies, ginger garlic paste and stir till raw smell goes.
3. Add the mint leaves, tomatoes, salt to taste and stir till tomatoes look mushy.
4. Add the soaked and drained rice mix, turmeric powder, biriyani masala and mix well for about 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the coconut milk/water, peas, lemon juice and simmer for few minutes till rice starts appearing on top.
6. Reduce heat to minimum and cook covered for exactly 15 mins. Switch off heat and let it rest another 5 minutes.
7. Fluff it a bit and garnish with cilantro and/or chopped spring onions.

Serve with raita, papad and pickle. Perfect for days when you dont have too many things at hand and still want some filling meal. The peas, spring onions, mint leaves are optional, if you dont have them, dont hassle yourself too much. And you can even scale it up a bit, with adding more veggies to your taste.

Potato-chow chow subji

This is a yumm subji that goes well with rotis. I made it on-the-fly with just the target taste in mind.

Ingredients
Potato 1 large peeled and cubed
Chow chow 1 peeled and cubed
Onion 1 grated
Ginger-garlic paste
Oil 1 tsp
Saunf 1 tsp
Chilli powder 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder 1/4 tsp
Chicken masala (dont get scared, even garam masala would do fine. The chicken masala I used has a very good mix of spices)
Jaggery 1/2 tsp (optional if you dont like sweet)
Coconut milk 2 tbsp( I used a tbsp of coconut milk powder)
Salt to taste.
Curry leaves a few
Half cup water to cook.

Method

1. Heat oil in kadai. Add the saunf and once they splutter, add the grated onions, ginger garlic paste and stir till raw smell disappears.
2. Add the potatoes, chow-chow, curry leaves, salt and give it a good mix.
3. Add all the powders(chilli pow, coriander pow, turmeric pow, cumin pow, garam masala pow). Mix well. Add a bit of water and cook covered till almost done.
4. Add the coconut milk and jaggery and simmer for a few mins till the gravy thickens well.

Serve hot with rotis.

Beans parupu usili

Learnt this from ma. Delicious!

Ingredients
Beans chopped fine 2 cups
Tur dal 1/4 cup
Red chillies 5-6
Chana dal 1/4 cup
Oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves for seasoning
Asafoetida a pinch
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp

Method

1. Soak tur dal and chana dal in water for 30 mins. 
2. Coarsely grind the dals and red chillies with just enough water.
3. Add salt to taste and asafoetida to the ground paste and steam it for 10-15 mins.
4. Allow the cooked dal mixture to cool and crumble coarsely with hands.
5. Cook beans with turmeric powder and salt to taste with just enough water. The beans should be tender.
6. In a kadai, heat oil, add seasonings and add the beans and cooked dal mixture. Toss it well. The dal and beans should mix thoroughly.

My pa loves it with plain hot rice. :-)

Vetta kozhambu

This is a South Indian Brahmin dish. Its actually vattal kozhambu, the vattals being salted and spiced dried brinjal or black night shade(manathakkali in Tamil). The other veggie options are drumstick or pearl onions or yellow pumpkin. This vetta kozhambu has pearl onions and yellow pumpkin.

I have a HUGE crushing weakness for vetta kozhambu. And please note, my mom makes the best vetta kozhambu ever.

Ingredients
Tamarind extract of gooseberry sized ball.
Sambar powder 2 tsp.
Asafoetida a pinch
Salt to taste
Pearl onions peeled 10
Cubed yellow pumpkin 1/2 cup
Mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds
Til oil 1 tsp
Curry leaves a few
Jaggery to taste
Rice powder if needed.

Method

1. Heat oil in kadai. Once hot, burst mustard, fenugreek seeds, asafoetida, pearl onions and saute.
2. Once onions are transparent, switch off gas. Add the sambar powder and stir for 2-3 seconds. Take good care that the powder is not burnt.
3. Immediately pour the tamarind extract, salt, pumpkin and switch on gas. Cook covered till pumpkin is cooked. 
4. Adjust, salt, water and sambar powder. If sambar powder is less, fry more separately and add. 
5. Add jaggery, curry leaves and simmer for few minutes. If the kozhambu is too watery, mix some rice powder in a tbsp of the gravy and add along with jaggery.

Serve hot with rice, payatam parupu, cabbage thoran.

Radish poriyal

The method and ingredients are similar to that of carrot poriyal.

Ingredients
Radishes 3-4 diced
Red chillies 3 broken
Curry leaves a few
Asafoetida a pinch
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil 1 tsp
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Grated coconut 1 tbsp
Sugar 1/2 tsp or to taste

Method

1. Heat oil in a kadai. Once hot, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, red chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida.
2. Once done, add the redish, turmeric powder, salt and mix well.
3. Cook covered, sprinking water once a few mins for it to get cooked till soft but still firm.
4. Sprinkle grated coconut and sugar and mix well.

Serve hot with rice and sambar.

Aloo methi

This is very similar to aloo capsicum, well atleast the masala is.

Ingredients
2-3 Potatoes peeled and cubed to big pieces.
1/2 bunch methi, washed, destalked, chopped and salted well.
1 Onion grated (optional)
2 large Tomatoes grated
Oil
Salt to taste
Chilli powder
Coriander powder
Turmeric powder
Cumin powder
Jeera
Saunf

Method

1. Heat oil in a kadai or pressure cooker. I used my small pressure cooker.
2. Add jeera and saunf. Once they are done, add the grated onion and fry well.
3. Once done, add tomato paste, all the spice powders and fry for 3-4 mins.
4. Squeeze out the water from methi leaves.
5. Add the aloo and methi, salt, half a cup of water and mix well.
6. Close the lid and let it cook for 2-3 whistles. Take care not to over cook.
7. Open the pan and if you find too much water floating around, let it simmer for a while.
8. You can add chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with phulkas.

Mixed bean curry

I mixed up a few beans : lobia beans, oriental beans, black eyed beans, and green moong(just for the heck of it). Soaked in water for a few hours, the colours looked beautiful while soaking. Simmered in tomato based gravy, they were delicious. Here is how I made it. Ingredients Lobia beans ½ cup Red beans(karamani) ½ cup Oriental beans ¼ cup Moong ½ cup Onion 1 big chopped Tomatoes 2 big chopped Chilli powder 1 tsp Cumin powder ½ tsp Coriander powder 1 tsp Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp Chopped coriander leaves Salt to taste Jeera ½ tsp Saunf ½ tsp Oil 1 tbsp Red beans
	Oriental beans
	Green moong
	Lobia beans
Method Wash and soak the dals for atleast 6 hours. If you don’t have as much time, soak them in sunlight. Once they are soft, wash them again, add cumin powder, coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, saunf and cook in pressure cooker with 2-3 cups of water. It should be cooked till soft and mashable. In a kadai, heat oil, add jeera, onions and sauté. Once done add the tomatoes and ginger garlic paste, salt and stir for 3-4 mins. Add the cooked beans, adjust salt and water and simmer for few mins. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve hot with chapitis or rice.

Carrot poriyal

My boys aren't fond of carrots. I see their faces go down, when served a carrot dish. But this is one dish they eat silently, even enjoy it a bit. But there are many conditions you see.. I shouldn't make it too often, the spices should be just right and so on... Personally if you ask me, I love it. :-)

Ingredients
Carrots 3-4 diced
Red chillies 3 broken
Curry leaves a few
Asafoetida a pinch
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Oil 1 tsp
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Grated coconut 1 tbsp
Sugar 1/2 tsp or to taste

Method

1. Heat oil in a kadai. Once hot, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, red chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida.
2. Once done, add the carrots, turmeric powder, salt and mix well.
3. Cook covered, sprinking water once a few mins for it to get cooked till soft but still firm.
4. Sprinkle grated coconut and sugar and mix well.

Serve hot with rice and sambar.

Turia subji

This is a subji that I tried a few weeks ago. Liked the blend of turia, spices and peanut. Try it sometime, you will like it. I found this at someother blog and do not remember which. :-(


Ingredients

serves 2-3
2 ridge gourds, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
1 potato, diced
4-5 curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/4 cup roasted peanut powder
1 tsp jaggery crushed
1 tsp tamarind paste

Method

1. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, when they sputter, add curry leaves and onion. Stir till onion is transluscent. 
2. Add turmeric, salt, chili powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala and stir for a few seconds. 
3. Add ridge gourd and potato and stir for 2 minutes. Add a cup of water, peanut powder, jaggery, tamarind paste and let simmer on medium heat till potatoes are tender and curry is thickened. 
4. Garnish with cilantro. Serve hot with chapitis.

Methi pulao

When I got a frantic message from a cousin on my chat window for a dish with methi leaves and that she was dying of hunger, Methi pulao was the first dish that came to my mind. One dish meal, easy to cook and tasty too,the flavour of methi in this is just too good! I found it at showmethecurry.com

Here it is.

Ingredients:
Fenugreek/Methi – 1 bunch
Rice- 2 cups
Oil – 2 tbsp
Cumin Seeds – 1/2 tsp
Tomato – 1, med. diced
Turmeric Powder (Haldi) – 1/2 tsp
Green Chillies – to taste, finely chopped
Red Chili Powder – to taste
Coriander Powder (Dhaniya) – 1 tbsp
Salt – to taste
Water – 4 cups

1. Chop the roots and the thick stems off the bunch of fenugreek leaves.
2. Wash well and finely chop the rest.
3. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt on the leaves, mix and keep aside for 15-20 minutes.
4. Wash the rice well and soak in some water and keep aside for 20 minutes.
5. In a pan (that has a tight fitting lid), heat oil on medium heat.
6. Once the oil is hot, add in the cumin seeds and allow them to change color.
7. Add in green chillies and tomatoes, turmeric powder.
8. Squeeze out the water from the fenugreek leaves and put them in the pan.
9. Add in coriander powder and red chili powder.
10. Cook for a couple of minutes.
11. Drain the water from the rice and add the rice to the methi leaves.
12. Cook for 2 minutes.
13. Add the water and mix well.
14. Check on the salt, add if needed.
15. Increase the heat, and allow the rice to cook till most of the water has evaporated and you can see the rice come up to the surface.
16. Mix, lower heat, preferably to simmer and cover. Cook for 15 minutes.
17. After 15 minutes, open cover, turn off the heat, mix/fluff gently.
18. Cover and allow the Rice to rest for a couple of minutes before serving.
19. Serve hot with Raita and pickle.

Cucumber raita

It was searingly hot when I brought back sonny from school. So hot that he agreed to have a cup of cucumber raita after lunch. The version that I made was very simple cucumber and yogurt beaten well and salted. I like to grate my cucumber rather than chop it. I know, its more work and messy, but it just slips down when you spoon it in!! The yogurt should be fresh and not sour, and beaten well. You can add a bit of cumin powder or chat masala, or mint masala or green chillies chopped, or coriander leaves chopped. Or any permutation and combination that takes your fancy. Enjoy!

Capsicum Rice

Capsicums. I tend to start wondering what to do with them when they sit staring at me everytime I slide open the veggie basket in the refridgerator. Decided to cook capsicum rice for dabba since the Man likes 'kalandha saadams' for dabba. My reference was Mallika Badrinath's cook book 100 Rice Delights.

Ingredients
Rice 1 cup
Capsicum 2 chopped
Lemon juice to taste(optional)
Grated coconut 2 tbsp scraped
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal, red chillies, curry leaves to season
Cashews and peanuts to season(optional)

Masala powder (fry in oil and powder)

Red chillies 3
Cinnamon 1/2 inch stick
Coriander seeds 2 tsp
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
Chana dal 1 tsp
Urad dal 1 tsp

Method

1. Cook rice with 2 cups water. Cool and separate the grains.
2. Heat oil in a kadai. Add the seasonings and stir for 1 min.
3. Once done add the capsicum, turmeric powder, salt and cook till capsicums turn soft. Add the coconut and stir for a minute or so.
4. Add cooked rice to this, the masala powder and mix well. Adjust salt. Add lemon juice and mix well.

Moong dal with Chow-chow

This is a very simple and delicious kootu, goes well with phulkas. No masala whatsoever!
I learnt it from my Ma.

Ingredients
Moong dal(split, yellow) 1/2 cup
Chow-chow chopped 1 cup
Sambar powder 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Chopped onion 1 small
Green chillies to taste
Curry leaves few
Mustard seeds
Oil 1 tbsp

Method

1. Wash the moong dal well. 
2. Add the moong dal, or chow-chow, sambar powder, salt, a cup of water and cook for 10-15 mins, till the dal and chow-chow are cooked well.
3. Heat oil. Once hot, add the mustard seeds, chopped onions, green chillies, curry leaves and saute.
4. Add to the cooked dal.

Serve hot with phulkas.

Drumstick leaves curry (Murunga ela kootaan)

Simple, nutritious and tasty. Thats drumstick leaves curry for you.

Ingredients
Drumstick leaves 1 cup washed well. The leaves should be off the main stalks.
Tur dal 1 cup
Chilli powder 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida a pinch
Coconut 2 tbsp scraped
Jeera 1 tsp
Oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, red chilli broken for seasoning.

Method

1. Wash the dal well. Cook it with turmeric powder, chilli powder and asafoetida. 
2. When it is half cooked, add the drumstick leaves and cook some more. Do not over cook the drumstick leaves.
3. Grind the coconut and jeera to a fine paste. Add it to the dal and mix well. Add salt and simmer for few minutes.
4. Season with the mentioned seasonings.

Serve hot with rice.

Note
If you over cook  the leaves, they tend to turn bitter.

Nellikkai rasam (Gooseberry rasam)

Intriguing?? Me too was intrigued when me came across this rasam at awesomecuisine.com
I went through the ingredients and recipe and finally decided to try it my way. Here is how I did it. And yes, my boys liked it, inspite of it having the very slight caustic bitter of gooseberry.

Ingredients
Tur dal 1 tbsp (washed well)
Green chillies 2 chopped
Tomato 1 big chopped
Oil 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Sambar powder 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida a pinch
Gooseberry - 2 boiled, deseeded and chopped to small pieces.
Lemon juice 2 tsp (or to taste)
Ginger 1/2 inch chopped fine
Coriander leaves chopped
Roasted cumin-pepper powder, curry leaves, mustard seeds, broken red chilli for seasoning
Ghee for seasoning
Crushed jaggery to taste.
Salt to taste.

Method

1. Heat oil in a small pressure cooker(my favourite tiny hawkins, what would I do without you?).
2. Add the green chillies. Once they turn whitish, add the tomatoes, sambar powder, ginger, gooseberries, turmeric powder, asafoetida and stir for 2-3 mins.
3. Add the tur dal, 1 cup of water and cook well for 15 - 20 mins.
4. Once cooked, mash well with a potato masher or whisk well. Transfer to a handi or kadai, add more water if required, salt to taste. Heat at min. Let it start frothing.
5. When it just starts frothing, add the lemon juice and jaggery. Adjust the lemon juice-jaggery-salt so that the bitter taste of gooseberries is masked, and just its caustic flavour remains.
6. Add chopped coriander leaves. 
7. Heat ghee and add the seasonings. Add on top of the coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rice.

Note

• Go easy on the quantity of gooseberry. 
• The above measures serve 2-3 people.
  

Peas pulao

The Man is not a chapiti lover. He wants rice. Some rice, any rice, but please... rice with every meal. So it was peas pulao with kadi, chapiti, and subji tonight. I did not want to go the whole hog, so cut down on the richness aspect. This is the bare-bones peas pulav as I see it. See note below to make a real fragrant peas pulao.

Ingredients
Rice 1 cup
Water 2 cups
Frozen peas 1 cup (thawed to room temperature)
Jeera 1 tsp
Onion 1 medium chopped
Green chilli chopped to taste
Red chilli powder to taste
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste 1 tsp
Handful of mint leaves chopped (absolutely optional, I added them simply because they were staring at me threatening to spoil unless consumed quickly)
Oil 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method

1. Cook the rice with salt and little bit of ghee. Spread so that the grains separate.
2. Heat oil in a kadai. Add jeera. Once it splutters, add onion, green chillies. Fry till onions turn translucent.
3. Add the green chillies, ginger garlic paste and saute for a couple of minutes.
4. Add green peas, salt to taste, turmeric powder, chilli powder, chopped mint leaves and saute for a few mins more.
5. Mix in the rice, thoroughly so that it heats all the way through.

Serve hot with raita, papad, or any combo of your choice.

Note:

• Can fry cashews, kismis and add. It will more rich.
• One clove, cardamom, 1/2 inch piece of cinnamon before adding the onions will give added flavour.
• The rice can be cooked with some coconut milk. Gets real delicious that way.
• I add salt for the rice and salt for the peas masala separately. So that the salt level is just right for the dish.

Sweet potato-turia-lauki subji

I had sweet potatoes, a few chunks of lauki which were already chopped and which I wanted to finish, and a turia. I just wanted to try this combination, and with some trepidation, set about thinking up of how I wanted it to taste.
Do let me know by comments or email, if you can think of a different and interesting masala to this combo.

Ingredients
Sweet potato skinned and chopped to chunks 1 cup
Lauki skinned chopped to chunks 1 cup
Turia skinned and chopped to chunks 1 cup
Onion 1 big grated
Tomato 1 big grated
Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp
Chilli powder 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Garam masala to taste
Crushed jaggery 2 tsp
Chopped coriander leaves 1 tbsp
Oil 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Water 1/2 cup

Method

1. Heat oil in a pan or kadai. I used my tiny hawkins.
2. Add the grated onion and stir for few mins. Add the ginger garlic paste and grated tomato and stir for a minute or two.
3. Add the chopped sweet potato, lauki, turia salt and mix well.
4. Add the chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and mix well.
5. Add 1/2 cup water and cook covered for 10 mins or till well cooked. 
6. Adjust salt to taste, add the jaggery and simmer for few mins. 
7. Add chopped coriander leaves and give it a good mix.

Serve hot with rotis or phulkas. It will be a semi-gravy dish.
Sonny baba loved it.  :-)

Gujarati kadi

Dinner was a sweet potato-turia-lauki subji that I invented on the fly to go with phulkas. It seemed too simple for a weekend meal, so I decided to add Gujarati kadi. Reminds me of home. I love it.


Ingredients:
2 cups sour and thick buttermilk (or yogurt/curd) beaten well
1.5 tbl spn besan(gram flour)
1 tea spn chili-ginger paste
3-4 curry leaves
1 tbl spn sugar
2-3 strands coriander leaves
1/2 tea spn cumin seeds
1/4 tea spn fenugreek seeds
A pinch asafoetida
1 tbl spn ghee
Salt to taste
Turmeric 1/4 tsp


Method:

1. Make a mixture of buttermilk/yogurt and besan. Beat it really well. Add the turmeric and mix well.
2. Heat Ghee, add cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds and asafoetida. 
3. Now add the buttermilk mixture and mix well. 
4. Add the curry leaves, salt, coriander leaves, chilly-ginger paste and sugar.
5. Bring it to a boil.

Serve hot with phulkas, rice and another subji.

Ven pongal(White pongal)

What is a wedding breakfast without pongal-chutney as one of the items?? My father's eternal favourite.
At my place, I sometimes make it for lunch or dinner, light, easy and hearty.

This is how we make it. Pongal increases to many times its original volume. The below measures are for 4-5 people.

Ingredients
Rice 1 cup
Moong dal 1/4 cup
Jeera 2 tsp
Peppercorn 1 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves
Asafoetida a pinch
Cashew broken
Ghee 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds and red chillies (optional)
Salt to taste.
Water 5 cups.

Method

1. Dry roast the jeera and pepper corn. Once they cool, powder them coarsely. Keep aside.
2. Heat a kadai. Dry roast the rice and moong dal. Keep stirring. Dont let it burn. Let it cool once the rice starts curling up. Once its cool, wash thoroughly with water.
3. In a cooker, add the rice and moong dal, 5 cups of water, salt, asafoetida. Cook it for one whistle on high and one more whistle on low.
4. The pongal should be very well cooked.
5. Heat ghee. Add the cashew, curry leaves, pepper-jeera powder, mustard seeds, red chillies.
6. Add it to the cooked pongal and mix well. 

Serve hot with chutney and gotsu.