Besan kadhi

Besan ki kadhi is a North Indian recipe that is so common that it is made atleast once a week at home. Thank you Kamala aunty for this recipe. Cool to the stomach and crisp and soft to the toungue, besan ki kadhi has a completely different blend of tastes and appeal.
 

Preparation time: 30-45 mins
 

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
 

Gram flour (Besan/ senaga pindi) 1 cup(8 full spoons)
Well beaten curds 1cup
Finely chopped onions 1
Green chillies 2
Chopped coriander 1 tsp
Chopped curry leaves 5-8
Red Chilli powder 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 4 tsps
Refined cooking oil 1 cup
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Fenugreek seeds/powder 1 tsp
Pinch of turmeric
Salt to taste

Fresh and finely chopped coriander to garnish

Method:

Beat thick curds along with a cup of water to dilute it and keep aside.

Make the pakora batter mixing 6 spoons of gram flour, onions, a tsp of coriander, a tsp of curry leaves, red chilli powder, pinch of turmeric, 2 tsps cumin seeds, salt to taste and water.

In a kadai, heat oil enough to fry pakodas. Make average sized balls of the batter and deep fry in the heated oil to make pakodas. Please cook on simmer to get crisp and golden brown pakoras.

Add 2 spoons of gram flour and beat the curds well.

In another kadai/pan, add a tsp of oil. Once hot, add a tsp of mustard seeds and as they splutter, add cumin seeds, green chillies, curry leaves, pinch of turmeric, salt to taste, curd mix, pinch of fenugreek powder (if powder is unavailable, add fenugreek seeds after adding the cumin seeds as above). Leave to cook for 5 mins.
 

As the kadhi thickens, add the fried pakoras and garnish with coriander.

Cool and crunchy, Besan kadhi is ready. Besan kadhi goes well with roti and rice. Besan kadhi is soothing to the stomach and goes well when the menu is otherwise spicy.

Beerakaya pulgura

Beerakaya or Ridge gourd is a very commonly used vegetable in India. As amma calls it, it is a “good veggie” as it is low in fat and cholesterol, absorbs less oil, is high in fibre content and also a major source of iron. Pulgura is sweetened chutney that is made of beerakaya. It is another Andhra and Karnataka recipe.

Preparation time: 15-20 mins

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Medium sized ridge gourd (Turi/beerakaya/heerekay) 1
Medium sized Onion 1
Green chillies 2
Cumin seeds (jeera/jeela karra) 1tsp
Jaggery (Gud/bellam/bella) 1/4th cup
Tamarind (chintapandu) 1 blob
Refined cooking oil 5 tsps
Red chillies 2
Mustard seeds 1tsp
Black gram (urad dal/uddi pappu) 1 tsp
Curry leaves 4-5
Finely chopped coriander 1 tsp
Pinch of Asafoetida(Hing/inguva) (Optional)
Salt to taste

Method:

Wash, peel and cut the ridge gourd into average sized cubes. Cut the onion into 4 halves.

In a pan/kadai (bandli/mookudu), heat few drops of oil and add the ridge gourd. Slightly sauté until it is soft and not brown and keep aside. This may take around 2-3 mins on simmer.

In the same kadai, shallow fry in few more drops of oil, the onions. Onions too are to turn soft but not brown. Green chillies can either be roasted as above or used directly.

Now grind into a fine paste: the ridge gourd, onions, green chillies, a tsp of cumin seeds, salt to taste, a blob of tamarind and jaggery equal to the quantity of tamarind used. Add a little water as it is easier to grind jaggery when water is added.

In the same kadai, add 2 tsps of oil. Once hot add mustard seeds and once they splutter, add the red chillies, black gram, curry leaves and coriander. Asafoetida can also be used, however we do not use asafoetida as the onion provides the required flavor.

To the seasoning add the finely ground paste and mix well. Leave to cook for 2 mins on simmer.

Beerakaya pulgura is done. Beerakaya pulgura can go well with any rotis, chapatti or pooris. However, the common way is to mix rice, a tsp of oil and beerakaya pulgura and just gulp it in.

Baby Corn capsicum

Baby corn and capsicum are vegetables that always go together and compliment each other very well. Baby corn capsicum is a gravy curry having a creamy touch. Whenever amma buys baby corns and capsicum, the cashews at home are over. Yes, we are the reason as we for sure make this curry with loads of gravy.

preparation time: 40-45 min

Serves : 2

Ingredients:

Baby corns 5
Large Capsicum (shimla mirchi) 1
Spring onions 2
Refined cooking oil 4tsp
Cumin seeds (jeelakarra/jeera) 1 tsp
Bay leaf 1
Milk ½ cup
Cashews (kaju) 1 cup (50-100gms)
Green chilli 1
Clove (lavangam/laung) 2
Cinnamon stick (dal chin chakka/dal chini) 1
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Garam masala 1 tsp
Pinch of turmeric
Salt to taste

Fresh and chopped coriander to garnish

Method:

Slice the baby corn into round circles and cut the capsicum into eatable average sized cubes. Chop the spring onions, separating the green leafy portion and the white onion portion.

Grind a fine paste of cashews, green chilli, clove, cinnamon stick, half a cup of milk and a pinch of salt. Water also can be used but milk gives a rich taste and makes a smooth paste, so we prefer using milk.

In a pan/kadai(bandli/mookudu) add 4 tsp oil. Once hot add a tsp of cumin seeds and the bay leaf. As the cumin seed splutter, add the white portion of the spring onion and shallow fry for a minute.

Add the sliced baby corns and a pinch of turmeric and mix well. Leave for 6-8 mins to cook on simmer.

Once the baby corns are soft, add the above ground cashew paste and little water to allow the paste to cook and form gravy.

Leave for 5 minutes. Add red chilli powder, garam masala and salt to taste (keeping in mind, the salt already added to the paste) and allow to cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the capsicum cubes and green portion of the spring onion and cover the kadai/pan with a lid for 5 minutes. This is a healthy way to cook as the capsicum and springs get cooked on steam and there is less use of oil.

Baby corn capsicum is done. Garnish with fresh and chopped coriander to serve.

As a gravy curry, it tastes great with any of the Indian bread or flavoured rice. We had it with peas pulao and it is the right combo we felt as the rice was light and the curry was filling.