Curry In Kadai ~ An Indian Cooking Blog

Methi( Menthi Aaku ) aka Fenugreek is used as a herb( fenugreek leaves ) and also the seeds used as spice. Back home, we used to get very small bunches of just sprouted fenugreek leaves and they are very milder and juicier compared to the matured leaves. But the ones i get here in US are litle bit matured and are slightly bitter.

In Indian cooking, we use Fenugreek in 3 forms,

• The seeds in spice powders and curries
• The fresh fenu greek leaves( menthi kura) in curries, dals and rotis
  
• Dried fenugreek leaves called Kasuri methi to make breads and curries

I remember back home we used to wake up early in the morning, extract juice from the leaves( using mortar and pestle ) and apply to hair as we were told it aids in healthy scalp and hair growth. Some Sundays we would even apply ground methi seeds( fenugreek seeds ) which were soaked in yogurt overnight. Doing this way, it reduces heat from the body and makes hair dandruff free, thick and lustrous. Also, Grandma asks us to take Fenugreek seeds with water to control diarrhea.



Mom usually makes sumptuous Methi Dal, Fenugreek leaves with lentils and tomatoes but my mother in law makes this delicious simple Aloo Methi( Menthapukura Alugadda) which is a dry curry with Potatoes, peas and fenugreek leaves with a touch of sambar powder. My husnband loves this dish a lot and i joined him soon after the very first taste. I know it takes time to prepare the fenugreek leaves( methi ), but believe me all that hardwork pays off when you taste the curry. I would prefer fresh bunch, if its not available you can go ahead and use frozen blocks available in any Indian grocery, but the quality and taste is not that great but acceptable.

You need:

• 1 bunch of Fenugreek leaves
• 2 red potatoes( boiling potatoes)
• fistful of petite green peas
• 2 tsp of any sambar powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder or to taste
• 2-3 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• sugar to taste
• salt to taste

Preparation:

• Pluck the methi leaves from the stems wash thoroughly add salt and keep aside. Since the methi leaves are bitter to taste, using salt removes the bitterness.
• Cook the whole potato in microwave using very less water. Do not use baking potatoes like Idaho, use boiling potatoes like red potatoes as these potatoes have to retain their shape when cooked in this curry. Let the potatoes completely cool. Once cooled, peel off the skin and cut into big chunks.
• Drain all the water from the methi leaves, wash again and drain off the water completely
• In a thick pan / kadai heat oil, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds, once they start to crackle, add the drained fenugreek leaves and fry till they are completely cooked and you can notice the leaves become dark and dry
• Add green peas and cook for a couple of mins
• Now bring on those peeled and chopped cooked potatoes saute for a min and then add any sambar powder on hand( or some jeera and coriander powder together ), red chilli powder, and salt
• Let the masalas coat the potato well, fry for few more mins and then add sugar, saute for few more mins until the sugar is completely absorbed
• You can adjust spice, sugar and salt to your taste

This sweet and spicy Fenugreek leaves with potatoes and peas tastes great with rice, rotis or even tortillas ..Even better you can finish it off just as it is, yep tastes that good!!

The other day i was introduced to Persimmon fruit by Indira in her post Pecan Persimmon Cake and fallen in love instantly. To quench the Jihva to try it, i rushed to Fresh Farmers Market and bought some. Yes, the fresh fruits were resting there and i couldnt stop myself staring and taking them home. The bright orange color was so appetizing to the eyes and my journey cooking the persimmon started there.


I wanted to do something with Persimmon, and Indiras recipe came to my rescue, and i made this persimmon and dates cake tweaking her recipe a bit. I added Dates and Walnuts instead of Pecans, and everything else i blindly followed her recipe.


What you need:

• 1 cup Pancake mix ( i used whole wheat pancake flour which doesn't require eggs)
• 1 Small Persimmon fruit chopped
• 1/3 cup Walnuts
• 1/4 cup Dates
• 1/4 cup Maple
  
• ghee or butter 1/8 cup
• a pinch of baking powder

• In a mixing bowl whisk flour and baking powder
• Add melted ghee(butter), maple syrup and mix in about 1/2 cup water
• Toss the chopped up fruit, walnuts and dates
• Grease cake pan and fill in the cake batter
• Cook in the preheated oven at 350F for about 15-20 mins until the toothpick comes out clean.

Who wouldn't love Noodles? Its a family favorite for us though.. Maggi introduced to the wholesome delicious family of noodles, and back then when we were kids having noodles was like a Once in a Blue moon thing like a delicacy and would slurp up every bite of it... even now sometimes i do really crave for Oriental flavors and the quick and easy meal within reach for me is always a packet of Maggi or Top ramen Noodles, and build layers of flavors to make it Earthy and Satisfying.. My noodles with vegetables is the most versatile quick and healthy meal that i could think of, ready in minutes. I brought these Maggi whole wheat noodles once long back( yep, sometimes i act like a whole grain freak... looking for whole grains everywhere ) and it wasn't that bad.., i couldn't see any difference from the regular noodles and from then the whole wheat noodles became a regular item in my pantry...


I would say a big NO-NO if you want to eat a packet noodles ( as it is ) without any vegetables and i like to always sneak in fresh and crisp vegetables along with some protein say eggs, tofu or Edamame. In this week's trip to farmers market i bought some fresh baby Portobella mushrooms, scallions and crisp Red and Green peppers, and i couldn't restrain from using them in my favorite noodles. Using whole wheat noodles , Edamame and fresh green veggies give this meal a good dose of Fiber and Protein..


You need( 2-3 servings ):

• 1 packet whole wheat noodles
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 4-5 green chillies
• 7-8 baby Portobella mushrooms
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 tomato
• 1-2 scallions
• Cilantro
• 1 cup shredded Cabbage
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 - 2inch ginger root
• 2-3 tbsp vegetable or peanut oil
• 1 tsp ajinomoto
• Cilantro and Mint

Fresh Portobella Mushrooms from Farmers Market

• 1 packet seasoning ( if you are using packaged noodles )
• 2-3 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp soya sauce
• black salt to taste

• Cook the noodles separately, drain in cold water apply oil and then keep aside.
• Julienne all the vegetables, onions, green and red bell peppers, scallions, cabbage except for tomatoes and mushrooms
• Slice mushrooms thin and tomatoes into chunks(optional )
• Chop green chillies, ginger and garlic very fine
• In a bowl mix in the seasoning( if you have one ), soya sauce, tomato ketchup, black salt sugar to taste and keep aside
• In a wok/ kadai heat oil ( use highest heat setting available) and then add onions, green chillies, ginger and garlic followed by Edamame and ajinomoto( i can get only frozen soy beans that too from Whole Foods only )
• Cook for few seconds and then add green and red bell peppers saute for a minute and then drop in mushrooms , cabbage and scallions( in order ). Saute all the veggies and make sure they are not overcooked( they should still be crisp ).
• Mix in noodles and tossing or mixing vigorously( you don't want the noodles to stick to the wok )
• Add cilantro and Mint( last layer of flavor ) and adjust salt to taste...
• Serve hot with Ketchup / Maggi Tomato Sauce or even better Sriracha Hot Sauce....

• I usually use veggies twice the amount of noodles, just another easier way of having veggies without any complaints
  
• Make sure you cook at very high heat and keep tossing until the veggies are cooked, most of the times they will be cooked in no time..
• The key for these noodles is to keep all ingredients ready even before you try to lit the wok up.

• Eat Healthy -Protein Rich hosted by Sangeeth
• A.W.E.D. "China" hosted by DK
• One dish meals hosted by Archana
  
• Herb Mania hosted by Dee of Ammalus Kitchen

Avocado, a fleshy fruit that's rich in heart healthy fats is available here( US ) almost all through the year. I came to know that avocado is nicknamed the “alligator pear” because of its shape and leathery skin. These avocados are packed with healthy mono saturated fats that help in reducing the LDL cholesterol levels and potassium in them reduces the risk of cancer. You can eat these avocados right off the branch, whip up some guacamole or just chop them up in salads.



While i was in India i have never heard of this fabulous fruit and the very first bite was very unusual as i was wondering how could a vegetable( or fruit ) could be this creamy, almost as soft as butter. There are two types of avocados, one is a Hass avocado with black hard rugged skin and the other one thin skinned green Fuerte. I found Hass avocados more creamier than the Green Fuertes.

• 2 Hass avocados( ripe but not too soft, press these avocados with a finger and if these make a dent they are too ripened, i would like to use them a day before that )
• 1/2 small red onion( only red onion, no yellow or white please )
• 1-2 green chillies
• 1 Roma tomato
• 1-2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice( or lemon )
• 1 tsp lime or lemon rind
• half a bunch of coriander( cilantro ) leaves
• 10-15 fresh mint leaves
• Salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

• Cut avocados in half, remove pit and scoop flesh out of shell with a spoon. Chop up the avocado into 1 inch bites and coat them with half lime/lemon juice, as this prevents from discoloration
• Chop green chillies, tomatoes and onions very finely
• In a large bowl add avocado and mash very little with a fork and then add tomato,green chillies, onions, black pepper and the rest of the lemon/lime juice
• Add chopped cilantro and mint leaves
• Mix in salt just before serving
  

• Monthly Mingle event hosted by Mansi of Fun Food
  
• Herb Mania hosted by Dee of Ammalus Kitchen
  

Here i am with my Sweet Luscious Mango, Nectarine and Strawberry Milk Shake.. Its all about summer with this healthy fresh fruits drink.. The strong flavor of Mango and Strawberry compliments well with the subtle flavors of Nectarine. This milkshake is definitely a refreshing and cool thirst quencher during these hot summers with added bonus of Minerals and Vitamins. You could make this irresistible milk shake a little ahead and wow your guests asking for more!!! An easy breezy delicious smoothie is just a Whip away!!! The farmers market was bursting with local grown fresh Mangoes, Nectarines and Strawberries, and i am sure i couldn't get any fresher than there.




Mangoes.., we miss Indian Mangoes so much after coming here,, my uncle( mama ) used to bring a whole basket( Mamidikaya Buttalu ) of tree ripened Banginapalli mangoes from Ulavapadu and my Moms sister( Pinni ) used to send us sweet and juicy Mangoes from Vijayawada( Rasalu )... Hmmm we miss all that luxury here.... Luckily one day i was able to find mangoes that were a little bit similar to those Banginapalli mangoes with very less pulp in the farmers market . We relished some fresh chopped mango after our dinner one day and the other day used the rest for this smoothie.. That was the only first and last time i could find those delicious mangoes , all others were either not sweet or with lots of pulp... Somehow i like Nectarines far better than Peach, so whenever i could find firm and fresh nectarines i couldn't stop myself grabbing some home. I found this Fresh Fruit Smoothie a wonderful way of having whole fruits with added calcium from Milk...


You need:

• 1/2 cup of fresh sweet ripened mango( less pulp ones ) cut into chunks( even Alphonso Mango pulp would taste really good )
• 3 fresh ripened strawberries quartered
• 1/2 peach chopped into cubes
• 2 cups milk( any milk would work but i use 2% reduced fat milk )
• Sugar to taste
• 4-5 ice cubes
  

• Blend mango cubes( or Mango pulp/juice ) , strawberries, Nectarine and sugar along with half of the milk for 10-15 seconds
• Now add the remaining milk and ice and blend it well until its frothy..
  

• MM - Mango Mania hosted by Meeta
• Sweet Series - Cool Desserts hosted by Mythreyee
• Eating with the Seasons hosted by Maninas
• WYV - Juices & Ice Creams hosted by Easy Crafts
• WBB - Summer Feast hosted by Sia
• Summer Splash hosted by Aartee

No more excuses for skipping breakfast!!!. Here's how to whip up a fresh, natural and healthy nutritious smoothie perfect fit for a beautiful sunny day in less than 15 minutes.. My Strawberry and Kiwi luscious smoothie is sweetened with honey and fresh home made yogurt. The regular smoothies at the stores are brimmed with ice cream, which i would like to replace in the early mornings with some good old plain yogurt. I have made Strawberry smoothie for my husband, and for myself a Kiwi-Strawberry smoothie.

Simple Strawberry and Yogurt Smoothie...

Chopped fresh juicy strawberries and ripe kiwis

• 1 cup fresh plain low fat yogurt(store bought low fat Dannon or homemade curd)
• Milk ( optional, add if the yogurt or curd is too sour )
• 5 fresh ripened Strawberries
• 1 ripened kiwi ( you can core it if you want )
• Honey according to your taste
• Ice
  

Getting ready be churned

• Clean and chop strawberries
• Peel Kiwi fruit and you can remove the core if you don't like any seeds
• In a blender( I use Braun Hand Blender, so easy to whip up any smoothie in no time ), add strawberries and Kiwi.
• Once pureed, add ice, honey and yogurt and blend it until frothy.
• And the toppings could be endless from fresh fruit to cereals like granola, raisin bran or your favorite cereal , now that's a complete nutritious breakfast!!!
  

Healthy Strawberry and Kiwi Honey Yogurt Smoothie

• Fresh Produce Of The Month : Strawberries hosted by Marta -- Yep these are fresh from my favorite "Marias Market" a local Farmers Market.
  
• Healthy Cooking hosted by Mansi -- Mansi i skipped ice cream and used honey instead of sugar...
• Express Breakfasts hosted by Raaga -- Yep done in 15 min or less
• Summer Splash hosted by Arthee -- This strawberry and kiwi honey smoothie is indeed a refreshing drink in these hot summers
  
• WYF - Juices and Ice cream event hosted by EC of Simple Indian Food
  

A bunch of thanks for Mythreyee of "Paajaka" who is hosting a "Sweet Series-Sweet Rotis" event., otherwise i could have never made these healthy, moist and soft rotis, I wouldn't have thought out of the box for coming up with these Simple n Nutritious Sweet Potato and Coconut Parathas.. As soon as i saw the announcement, i started thinking of various sweet rotis grandmas, mom and my MIL makes, but i wanted to something even simpler than those.. Usually the sweet rotis they make are Sojjappam/Halva Poori , Oliga/Puran poli and Paala Poori.. But these are time consuming and you need to have both time and patience( Hehehe, I am very bad at this though!!! )..

Stack of sweet potato and coconut parathas

Microwaved and Mashed Sweet Potato

• 1 medium sized sweet potato
• 1/4 cup dried coconut or fresh coconut grated very fine
• 3/4 - 1 cup whole wheat flour( Atta )
• 1 cardamom grounded / 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
• Sugar/jaggery according to taste
• Ghee or butter stick for cooking
  

Soft and moist dough from Sweet Potato and Coconut

• Cook the sweet potato in a microwave under potato setting in a microwave safe bowl covered with very little water.
• Once the sweet potato is completely cooked, peel and mash the sweet potato. While its hot add jaggery / sugar, elaichi( cardamom powder ), nutmeg, salt.
• If you want to add dried coconut add it now, otherwise if you wanna use fresh scraped coconut add it once the sweet potato mixture is cooled to room temperature
• Once the potato is cooled, add some milk( optional) add flour and try to bind together.. You might need to adjust the amount of flour, milk according to the size of the sweet potato..
• The dough should be very soft and moist.. Apply ghee( clarified butter ) allover the dough keep it covered for half an hour. Resting is a must for moist rotis.
• Divide and roll out the dough using very less flour.., and heat them on the griddle just like chapathis., for instructions on hot to heat and store them click here.
  
• Serve them hot or cover them for later..
  

Fruity Sweet Potato and Coconut Flat Breads

• Sweet Series-Sweet Rotis event hosted by Mythreyee
• AFAM - Coconut hosted by Suganya
• Pancakes on Parade event. hosted by Susan, at the Well Seasoned Cook
• Eat Healthy - Protein Rich hosted by Sangeeth at Let Us All Cook
  

When i brought these purple potatoes home, i was surprised to see the bright purple flesh inside, since i was expecting it to be similar to red potatoes, wherein only the peel is red. I found these bright and firm petite potatoes in a local farmers market intriguing and couldn't stop buying some. The other day i was telling my mom about the array of potatoes you find here in US like the red potatoes, russet potatoes, Yukon gold potatoes, baby red potatoes, fingerlings, blue potatoes and these purple potatoes. It was very interesting cooking these Purple Peruvian Potatoes as they were creamy in texture and did hold their shape when cooked .., and the best part they cooked to perfection in no time... I made a simple vegetable saute with purple potatoes, tender beans, crisp green pepper, fresh cauliflower, firm tomatoes along with some ginger and garlic. I can call this one a super healthy dish with less fat, lots of fiber, Vitamin C, Potassium etc .. This curry recipe will be going to Eat Healthy - Fiber Rich hosted by Sangeeth

• 3 small petite purple potatoes
• 10-15 petite beans cut into 1 inch pieces
• A small handful of cauliflower bunch
• 1 small red onion
• 2 small firm tomatoes
• 1 green pepper
• 1 red pepper( optional )
• some frozen or fresh green peas ( option, i didn't add them though )
• 2 tsp coriander power
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• a pinch of garam masala( optional )
  
• 2 tbsp oil
• 3-4 green chillies to your taste
• coriander and mint for garnish

• 1 tsp cumin seeds( aavalu )
• 1 tsp mustard seeds( jeelakarra )
• 10 curry leaves
• a pinch of turmeric

• Wash and drain all the veggies, except tomato( Wash before chopping )
• Heat oil in a kadai, wok or nonstick pan and add onions, green chillies, potatoes, green beans, cauliflower in order
• After 2 mins add cut green pepper and cook with lid half covered
• Now add the chopped tomatoes and cook without the lid, make sure the tomatoes are still firm and not mushy
• Add salt, cumin and coriander powders. Alternatively you can add curry powder
• Switch off the flame add coriander and mint.
• Do adjust salt and spice 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

I found this above picture very interesting for the CLICK - METAL event by Jugalbandi..

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.

Nethi Beerakaya aka Silk squash ( Chinese Okra ) tastes more like Ridge gourd except for the smooth skin and the texture similar to zucchini. Nethi/Neyyi means ghee or clarified butter in telugu, this ridgegourd is called so because of its buttery texture when cooked. The flesh is so smooth and spongy, it took just a few minutes to cook completely. We actually found a small farmers market ( just a couple miles away ) with all the Indian vegetables for which i have been searching for years. Yes i do love this place, the produce was so fresh and the prices very cheap compared to an Indian grocery which was actually very far. I have bought Aribut( introduced by my hubby ), Fresh raw peanuts, baby bananas( amruthapaani ), Sorakaya, Kakarakaya, Bendakaya, Dondakaya, Nethi beerakaya, Beerakaya, Eggplants( green, red, long ) and more... Finally the hunt for good Indian groceries has been over... Thank God..

I brought these cuties( silk squash ) home thinking of making some dal and pachadi. After tasting this Silk Squash chutney i made only this chutney every time i buy them.. yep tasted that good. I am gonna make dal next time . This is a very simple chutney with some tamarind, onions and green chillies and the best part the chutney will be done in no time..

This will be entry for weekend herb blogging event started by Kalyns Kitchen and this week hosted by Anna from Morsels and Musings.

For the chutney you need:

1 Silk squash / Beerakaya

1 small onion

4-6 green chillies

3-4 stalks of coriander

2 tbsp oil
salt to taste

For tempuring or tadka:

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds

1 tsp aavalu/mustard seeds
1 tsp minapappu/urad dal
few curry leaves
a dash of hing

Method Of Preparation:

Wash and lightly peel the silk squash and chop into 1 inch cubes

Chop onions into 1 inch pieces

Soak tamarind in warm water along with little salt

In a pan heat oil and add onions and green chillies

Saute for 30 sec and toss in silk squash cubes

DO NOT ADD SALT WHILE COOKING( Salt removes a lot of water from the squash )

Switch off the heat once the squash is completely cooked

Once the mixture is cooled, transfer to a blender and grind along with soaked tamarind and some coriander to either a coarse or smooth paste

YOU can adjust the spice by adding the chillies one by one

Mix the salt according to taste
In a small kadai/saute pan add oil followed by urad dal, cumin and mustard seeds
Once they start to pop, add hing and curry leaves
Add this seasoning to the ground chutney and mix well..

Serve this spicy nethi beerakaya pachadi / Silk squash chutney with steamed hot rice( with some home made ghee ) or chapathis. You can use regular beerakaya or ridgegourd instead of Silk squash, both the chutneys taste great!!!