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Happy Navaratri ~ Seemevankaya Kobbari Kura ~ Chayote / Chow Chow with Coconut
4 COMMENTS Posted by KALVA at 4:49:00 PMHappy Navaratri Everyone!! I know, how every ones home is now being swamped with coconuts everyday! Here's one simple dish using coconut that you can bring to the table in minutes, its moms Seema vankaya kobbari talimpu aka Chayote squash with fresh coconut. Ah i love this curry, its not spicy, not fancy but yet bursts with lots for flavor from fresh coconut! 
Apply some lime juice before handling these squashes, and your hands would come out clean!!
Sorakaya Pulusu Koora / Bottlegourd in Sweet and Spicy Tamarind Sauce ------- Goodies from home
19 COMMENTS Posted by KALVA at 1:11:00 PM
From left(top): Minapappu Manubulu, Perugu vampoosa, Ongole Alluraiah Mysore pak
From left(bottom): Vijayawada Mamidithandra and Mom's homemade Guthi Vankaya Masala
- 1 medium tender sorakaya
- 1 onion
- 4-5 green chillies
- 3-4 inches tamarind
- 1/2 - 1 tsp methi seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- a dash of hing ( Inguva )
- a pinch of turmeric
- 6-8 curry leaves
- 1 - 2 tsps sugar / jaggery ( bellam / gur )
- 1 - 2 tbsp oil
- salty to taste
- Peel the skin of the gourd/sorakaya and chop into 1/2 inch cubes( chop out the inside flesh if the seeds are hard and big )
- Chop onions and Slit the green chillies length wise
- Soak tamarind in hot water and extract thick pulp or juice
- In a pressure pan, heat oil and add cumin, mustard and methi seeds
- Once they crackle add curry leaves, turmeric and hing
- Saute onion and green chillies for a min and then add chopped opo cubes
- Add 1/3 cup of water and Close the pressure pan lid and let it cook for 2 whistles
- Alternatively you can cook in a sauce pan covered with some water until the gourd pieces fall apart
- Once the pressure comes off, cook on the flame uncovered until desired thickness( either for thin or thick gravy ), add salt and sugar.
- With potato masher or back side of the round laddle mash the curry a bit
- Add coriander/cilantro and adjust salt and sugar to taste
I have always wanted to cook with zucchini but doubted its taste. After seeing these baby zucchinis i couldn't stop bringing some home. They were very cute, petite, round and firm. My first experience wasn't that bad as i thought earlier., i made a very simple curry with onions and green chillies. The curry tasted so good and now I'm very much open to experiment with these zuccinis.. The skin was so soft and thin you need not even peel it, and i found its taste very close to ridge gourd. The best part with the zuccini, it cooked in no time.
Ingredients:
2 small round baby zuccinis or 1 long zuccini
1 small red onion
1 long Thai green chilli or 3 small regular Indian chillies
few chopped cilantro leaves
For tempuring:
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
3 tbsp oil
a pinch of turmeric
Preparation:
Chop zuccini into 1 inch cubes and onions very fine
In a kadai or saute pan, heat oil and add mustard and coriander seeds
Once they start to pop, add turmeric, green chillies and chopped onion
Saute for 1 min and add the chopped zuccini
Cook until the zuccini and soft
ADD SALT ONLY ONCE THE ZUCCHINI IS COOKED
Take off from the heat and add chopped coriander
We had this with steamed hot rice, you can even serve this with rotis/ chapathis / tortillas.. Do adjust the spice( green chillies ) to your taste.
The other day in the grocery i saw this beautiful petite Squash( it looked like dosakaya to me ) and fallen love with it. Never bought the spaghetti squash but i knew we can make delicious side dish with it in microwave itself. These are very cheap during this time and are in abundance. You can steam spaghetti squash in the microwave for a no-fuss side dish. Here is my recipe for spaghetti squash in Indian Style. This dish is on its way to WHB hosted by What's on My Plate
How to cook squash:
Pierce the spaghetti squash with fork , you should extend all the way to the center( like steam vents )
Cook it for 10 -15 mins in the microwave.
If the steam doesnt start to comeout from the squash cook for 5 -10 more min until the steam vents out.
Let it cool for 10 min
Cut the squash length wise and remove the seeds( dark yellow strands ).
Use fork and run through the length and you will see spaghetti strands ( see picture )
How to prepare Side Dish:
In a big microwave safe bowl( corelle or pyrex ) add 2 tbsp oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and heat for 2 min until the dal turn golden brown
Add chopped green chillies and onions and cook for 1 more min
Add chopped red bell peppers and ciook for 30 sec
Chop the tomatoes , add to the bowl and cook for 1 more min
Now add salt and the stranded squash, mix everything and cook for 2 min covered
Adjust salt to taste and garnish with coriander
You can serve this as an elegant and delicious side dish! You can even add peas, grated cheese, or simply olive oil, garlic and black pepper. But i found this Spaghetti Squash with Indian twist very interesting! This dish can pack quite a flavor and nutrition punch! This dish is going to HEART OF THE MATTER _ Quick and Easy.
Normally in Indian cuisine we use cubed squash in curries or grated squash for dessert. Cooking squash this way is very easy and moreover this is one pot dish. Hence, this will be my entry for Microwave Cooking: Side dish.
Tags: Spaghetti Squash, Squash Curry, 100% Microwave Curry.
