Curry In Kadai ~ An Indian Cooking Blog: June 2010

Dondakaya Ullipaya Vepudu ~ Ivy Gourd Stir Fry With Onions

13 COMMENTS Posted by KALVA at 5:23:00 PM

Dondakaya( Tendli ) / Ivy Gourd used to be my favorite veggie when i was kid. There are various variations of cooking Tindora( dondakaya ). You can make deep fried version, saute( stir fry), dondakaya pachadi( chutney ), raw tindora chutney, dondakaya pulusu, dondakaya ullipaya karam, dondakaya with tomato curry, etc., Of all these recipes i like to cook Tindora stir fry, as this takes less oil than deep fried version. As a kid we never had any deep fried veggies except for Potato( once in a blue moon ). For us any vegetable fry means saute or stir fry. I know for some when they mean fry, they literally deep fry veggies like fritters( vadiyalu, appadalu ). And of course fried veggies taste so good, but they are not good for heart though!! Mom makes this simple spicy Dondakaya Stir fry with onions and then spice it up with this garlic chilli powder. This fry tastes so good you can finish the whole bowl as is without any rice..

Ingredients:

1/2 pound fresh Ivy Gourd( dondakaya )
1 onion
4-5 tbsp oil( more for even crispier )
curry leaves
Red chilli garlic powder to taste
Salt to taste

How to:

Wash dondakaya / ivy gourd thoroughly and then you can either julienne them or cut dondakaya in discs / rounds.
In a thick kadai/saute pan heat oil, once heated add curry leaves
Now add chopped dondakaya / ivy gourd add cook under medium heat with covered lid.
Keep stirring in between and once tindora changes color, becomes half cooked add onion and salt, remove the lid and cook under high heat stirring frequently.
Make sure you do not burn tindora. If you want tindora to be even crispier add little more oil and fry it a little longer.
Once tindora is cooked to perfection, add this garlic chilli powder and adjust to taste.

Serve this Ivy gourd stir fry with steaming hot rice or as a side for chapathis/rotis. Make sure you get firm, tender ivy gourds for this fry, as mature ones donot taste good and are very tough.

P.S. Everyone has a unique taste palette, so please adjust the ingredients according to your taste.

Ullipaya Karam ~ Sweet Onion Chutney with Green Chillies, tamarind and Cilantro

9 COMMENTS Posted by KALVA at 1:20:00 AM

Last weekend, I got my dosa batter and potato curry ready for the breakfast but to my surprise i found that i didn't have a coconut for the chutney... Hmmm what to do, just called mom for her spicy fresh onion chutney. ( Thank god, i atleast had some sweet vidalia onions on hand ). Yep fresh sweet onion chutney with green chillies, tamarind, cilantro and curry leaves is so easy to make and tastes so yummm!! This chutney goes very well with dosa and idly, i never had it with rice. Mom asked me to make this only if the onions do not have strong flavor and too much water. Best option would be either shallots or red onions and Sweet onions would be the next option. Usually mom prefers mortar and pestle for this chutney instead of regular mixer/blender. One tip from mom, run the blender under pulse mode to get chunky texture you get from using mortar and pestle.

You need:

1 cup onions( shallots / red onions / firm sweet onions )
2-3 green chillies to taste
2-3 inches long tamarind
cilantro
curry leaves

Preparation:

First soak the tamarind in enough water for 10-15 mins, and once saoked deseed it and keep aside.
In a blender / a big mortar pestle ( rubbu rolu ) grind green chillies, soaked tamarind( do not add soaked water ), cilantro and curry leaves along with salt.
Once they are chopped fine enough, add chopped onions and pulse the blender a few times. Make sure the chutney is not smooth like a paste, it should be chunky otherwise the chutney will have strong bitter taste from raw onions.
Adjust salt to taste and the chutney is now ready to relish.

Serving Suggestion:

Take dosa fresh off the griddle onto a plate, spoon this chutney on top of the dosa, add some melted ghee on top and relish. The best part of the whole dosa is the soaked piece from the chutney.. Yummo!! love it!!

My Sweet Onion Green Chilli Coriander Chutney ( Ullipaya karam )is on its way to:

Healing Foods - Onions

P.S. Everyone has a unique taste palette, so please adjust the ingredients according to your taste.

Simple Potato Stir Fry ~ Spicy potato curry with onions and cilantro

15 COMMENTS Posted by KALVA at 6:45:00 AM

Its a known fact that everyone has their own ( family ) recipe for potato fry/aloo curry and i don't think there would be any person in this world who wouldn't love potatoes. Here's my Nanamma's simple spicy aloo fry( potato curry ) recipe which is a delicious way of having potatoes without the added fat and cholesterol from the deep frying. My nanamma is very clever when it comes to cooking, she uses a very little oil for cooking but that doesn't mean any compromise in taste. Oh she makes the best chutneys ( chutney out of every vegetable, you name it!! ). Love you Nanamma!!

Ingredients:

2 red potatoes
1 small onion
Cilantro for garnishing
2-3 tbsp oil
red chilli powder
salt
mustard seeds
cumin seeds
curry leaves
turmeric
1 tsp garam masala

Procedure:

Peel the potatoes and chop into very small pieces, and add to water in a bowl and keep it aside to stop any discoloration
In a kadai or skillet add oil, once heated add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and once they start to crackle add curry leaves followed by potatoes, turmeric and salt.
Cook it covered under medium heat, once they are half cooked add chopped onion and saute for little longer until everything is cooked properly
Add red chilli powder, garam masala and adjust salt to taste
Garnish with cilantro and relish right away!!

You can happily enjoy this potato curry without any guilt along with fresh homemade rotis or steaming hot rice. And potatoes cooked this way is far far better than the french fries and crispy deep fried potatoes.

My simple stir fried potatoes ( potato curry ) is on its way to: