Curry In Kadai ~ An Indian Cooking Blog

Nothing is more comforting than a bowl of hot toasted spicy cashews( cashew nuts ). This a very special savoury snack back home which is a classic recipe passed down from generations! Gifting with a small pack of these cashew nuts makes someone feel so special and important. My mom showers her love towards my dad just by making these and serving them hot! All i can say she is an expert doing this. Cashewnut is the king of all nuts( at least for me ) since this is dear hubby's favorite. These spicy cashews are perfect kodak moment for CLICK . Hence this will be my entry for the beautiful CLICK : NUTS event hosted by Jai and Bee of Jugalbandi.



The nuts are so crunchy with the special zing from red chili powder and amchur powder, Frying them in ghee( neyyi aka clarified butter ) makes them so rich in taste( who wouldn't love butter ) . This is a perfect SNACK anytime of the day with a cup of hot tea! Once tasted your guests will leave asking for more and Yes they go real fast!!


You need:

• 1/2 pound whole cashew nuts -- I prefer to use whole cashew nuts ( jeedi pappu bollalu )
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp dried mango powder( amchur powder )
• 2-3 tbsp butter or ghee( clarified butter )
  

• Heat butter/ghee in kadai or pan and fry the cashew nuts under low flame
• As the cashew nuts turn into golden hue, drain them on to paper napkins and sprinkle salt, chili powder, black pepper powder and mango powder immediately
  
• You can adjust salt and spice to taste.
• Once cooled store in an airtight container. This stays fresh at least up to 10 days.
  

Gongura aka Sorrel is called Andhra Maatha( Mother of Andhra Pradesh, India ). Serving gongura pickle(chutney) for any guest is like giving honor to him. Yes its that important. Gongura is full or iron and tastes very sour just like tamarind. Normally tamarind is a must in most of the indian / andhra pickles or chutneys, but this one with sorrel leaves is an exception. I find myself very lucky that day, if i find this one in indian grocery.


I am proud owner of this plant. Yes, I have gongura(sorrel) plant in my backyard now, and i made this chutney using the same. Theres a funny history behind planting this plant. Actually my husband doesnt eat any chutneys or pickles, the only green leafy indian vegetables he eat are Amaranth leaves and spinach. Since it was so hard for us to get amaranth leaves here, i bought some seeds saying ( paala thotakura ) Amaranth Leaves seeds and planted them.Once the tender leaves started to sprout i was surprised to find them to be Sorrel plant instead of Amaranth as it says on the packet. And now i am reaping the fruits of this plant. It was so funny, I shared this story whenever someone intrigues about the plant in my backyard.. The sorrel leaves have special distinct sourness which leaves you craving for more once tasted. It actually revives your taste buds, if u havent had anything lately that has special zing!

• 4 cups of tightly packed cleaned and washed sorrel leaves( just pluck the leaves, discard the stems )
• 1 large onion
• 5-6 green chillies
• 2 red chillies
• 2 tbsp coriander seeds
• 2 tbsp urad dal / black gram beans
• 2 tbsp channa dal / yellow split chickpeas
• 1 tsp cumin seeds( jeera )
• a dash of hing / asofetida
• 10 curry leaves
  
• 1 tbsp oil
• salt to taste
  

• Heat kadai or pan and 1 tsp oil and roast urad dal, coriander seeds, red chillies, cumin seeds, hing.
• Dont brown them, fry them until the starts to release flavors and the lentils turn to golden hue.
• Once cooled down powder them and set aside.
  

• Pluck the leaves from the stems, wash clean and drain them and remove excess moisture using a kitchen towel.
• In the same kadai add remaining oil and sorrel leaves and green chillies
• Cook these leaves under low heat until the raw smell disappears( check the picture )
• Once the leaves are cooked thoroughly , the leaves color changes from green to nearly black switch off the flame and let it cool
• In a blender run the spices first and once powdered finely, add the greens and blend to a paste
• Chop the onions and add to the ground chutney
• Your sour leaves aka gongura chutney is ready to relish!
  

Here is my another favorite recipe for Ridgegourd aka Beerakai. When i was a kid, i wasn't a big fan of this vegetable but after coming here i started craving for this veggie a lot. This recipe calls for tender ridge gourd and tamarind. Ridge gourd is extremely versatile like Tofu since it can absorb the flavors of other ingredients that it comes in contact. Make sure you look for tender ones when buying!

How to know if ridge gourd is tender( letha beerakayalu ):

• Look for sharp ridges and when pressed your nail should be able to easily slip into the gourd which says they are tender and ready to be cooked, unlike the mature ones which are used to make Loofahs.

• 1 arm sized ridge gourd( beerakai )
• 1/2 small lime sized tamarind
• 1 big onion
• 5 green chillies
• cilantro / coriander
• 1 tsp sugar

• 1 tsp mustard seeds( aavaalu )
• 1 tsp cumin seeds( jeela karra/ jeera )
• 1 tsp Methi seeds( menthulu )--- Required!
• 10 curry leaves
• a dash of hing
• 1 tbsp split chick peas / chana dal
• 2-3 tbsp oil
• a pinch of turmeric
  

• Peel the gourd ( save the peels for the chutney ) and chop into 1/2 inch pieces
• Slit green chillies length wise, and onions into 1 inch pieces
• Soak tamarind in warm water for 5 min, remove any seeds in tamarind and keep aside
• In a pressure pan, heat oil and add seasonings and when they start to pop, add curry leaves, onions and chillies
• Fry for 30 sec and add ridge gourd pieces( beerakai mukkalu) and tomatoes
• Saute for 2 more min and add tamarind pulp and water until the pieces just get immersed in water
• Pressure cook for 5-10 min or if u have Indian style pressure cooker with weight, switch off the heat just after one whistle
• Once the weight comes off easily, open and cook under flame until desired thickness.
• You can mash it a little(or more if you want a thick gravy ) with a round bottommed spoon or masher.
• Add sugar at this point( you can either avoid or get overboard with sugar )
• Adjust salt to taste and if you need more spice, you can add red chilli powder.
• Switch off the flame and add cilantro! Voila, the spicy ridge gourd curry is ready!
  

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.

Ginger has an earthy taste that raises the flavor quotient of many(Indian) dishes. Ginger had been proved to be effective in reducing cold, flu and headaches. It is compared to work as effective as aspirin in thinning the blood. Dried ginger with salt( we used to call Bhavana Allam) aids in digestion too. Ginger is being used for ages for its medicinal values.


Coming to the Tomato Allam(Ginger) Nuvvula(Sesame seeds ) chutney, its my husbands one and only favorite chutney he likes to eat with rice. It has been passed down to me from my MIL. Adding sesame seeds and ginger to this chutney add an unique flavor to the basic tomato chutney. For this chutney you need to make sesame seeds spice powder first!


To prepare Sesame Seeds Spice Powder( Nuvvula Daniyala Karam ), you need:
1 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
6-8 red chillies


In a pan or kadai take a dab of oil and saute sesame seeds, coriander seeds and red chillies. Remove from pan and cool once the sesame seeds turn to golden hue. In a spice jar or blender powder the toasted seeds and store it in an airtight container. You can use this spice powder in tomato chutney, spinach chutney and ridgegourd chutney.


To prepare Tomato Ginger Chutney, you need
6 ripened tomatoes
1 inch ginger root
2-3 cloves garlic
1/2 small onion
2-3 green chillies( optional for even spicier chutney )
3 stalks of coriander aka cilantro
10 curry leaves
3 tbsp oil
2-3 tbsp of the above prepared sesame powder


Method of preparation:
Peel ginger and chop onions and tomatoes
In a kadai or frying pan, heat oil and add curry leaves, onions, ginger, garlic and tomatoes
Fry until the tomatoes are cooked and soft
Once cooled, in a blender grind the sauteed tomato paste along with the sesame powder and cilantro
Normally you dont need water to blend, you can add a little if you want though
Adjust salt and spice powder to taste


Serve this tomato chutney with ginger and sesame seeds along with hot ghee rice , dosa, idli, chapathi or roti. This stays good in the refrigerator for upto 3 days. This is my entry for Think Spice: Ginger event!

Ridge Gourd called Beerakaya in telugu and Turia in hindi and Peerkangai in tamil is a popular veggie in India. It is basically from the Cucurbit family ( gourds family ) like chayote, cucumber, squash etc.,. It looks rugged and strong from outside, but the inside is spongy and neither too moist like cucumber nor too dry like squash. This veggie tastes very mild, sweet and never boring. you can saute with garlic and onion or cook with tomatoes for a robust side dish. Recharge your favorite dal or vegetable curry by swapping out any squash for ridge gourd. Ridge gourd is a virtual factory of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Zinc, Thiamin, Iron, Magnesium and Manganese. This veggie is also low in saturated fat and cholestrol.

To tell the truth when i was a kid i never liked this vegetable and used to make faces when my mom tried to give us this because of its goodness . Also she used to say that it cools the body heat( vedi thaggisthundi ) in many folds. I remember she used to save all those peels and make chutney the same day. Yes the peel is full of fiber and the chutney tasted great( no complaints for the chutney though!). I started to love this vegetable only after coming to US( since indian grocery was too far then i hardly had chance to cook them ) .I usually make beerakai thellagadda neyyi talimpu( ridge gourd sauteed with ghee and garlic ), beerakai pappu( ridge gourd with lentils ), beerakai pulusu koora( ridgegourd in tamarind sauce ), beerakaya pachadi( ridge gourd chutney ), beerakai pottu kura( ridge gourd peel curry ), beerakaya pottu pachadi( ridge gourd peel chutney ). My sister is the best cook i know of after my mom and this recipe is actually from her! She cooks in authentic andhra style and that too she does everything in a gif! Kudos to my sweet sister!


The following recipe calls for Toor dal ( lentils ) spiced with green chillies and tamarind for the sourness. This dish is so simple yet quickly adds up to good health and great taste. Look for sharp ridges and when pressed your nail should be able to easily slip into the gourd which says they are tender and ready to be cooked, unlike the mature ones which are used to make Loofahs.


Coming to the recipe, you need:
1 arm sized ridge gourd peeled and chopped into 1 inch squares
1 big onion chopped 1 inch pieces
8-10 green chillies cut length wise
4-5 garlic pods( crushed )
1 cup Red gram( toor dal/ tuwar dal/ kandi pappu)
2 tomatoes
lemon sized tamarind
2 cups water

For tempuring or tadka
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
dash of hing
a pinch of turmeric
10 curry leaves
2 tbsp oil


Preparation:
Peel the ridge gourd( save the peels for the chutney ) and chop into pieces
In a dry pan add some ghee/ butter and fry the washed and dried toor dal. Frying the dal gives unique texture, flavor and sweet aroma to the dish.
In a pressure pan, add oil, and do popu or tadka
Once the seeds start to dance around, add curry leaves, hing and turmeric
Add the garlic, onions, green chillies and saute for a min.Now add tomato and ridge gourd pieces( beerakaya mukkalu ) and saute for a min.

Add the cleaned and soaked toor dal, soaked tamarind, water and pressure cook for 2-3 whistles( takes anytime between 5-10 min ). Or you can cook seperately until the toor dal falls apart.

Remove the weight and cook for 5 more min. Add coriander just before serving
Adjust salt to taste


Serve this beerakaya pappu aka ridge gourd and lentils curry with steamed rice, chapathis, rotis or whole wheat bread. Nothing is more comforting than a bowl of rice and this dal! This post is on its way to JFI - Toor Dal hosted by Linda.

Tags: Beerakaya pappu, Peerkangai Pappu, Ridge Gourd and Toor Dal, Ridge gourd curry with lentils, Turia Dal

Dondi (its our nickname) or Dondakaya used to be my most favorite vegetable of all when i was a kid. I used to have this tindora curry at least twice a week for lunch, and that used to make my moms job easy early in the morning. This dondakaya fry doesn't need any fancy ingredients, just salt and chilli powder( with garlic and coconut ) would do the trick.


This one reminds me of my grandparents garden. They had all kinds of veggies and Tindora used to grow so much they used to distribute to neighbours and friends. They were so fresh, tender,very firm and round. They are the best tindora i ever had. And my thatha( grandpa) used to eat the raw ones( hey its not that bad, give it a try once ) and to my surprise it wasn't that bad. And my ammamma( grandma ) i remember her spending most of her time in the kitchen cooking for soninlaws, daughters and the grand children and its not just her cooking but the love and care she used to put into each and every dish. Actually that's how she used to shower her love towards us. Ammamma you are the best!!!


You need:
1 pound fresh tindoras / ivy gourd/ dondakaya/ tendli
Oil for frying

To make velluli karam( Garlicky red chilli powder):
1/2 cup red chilli powder
1/2 -2/3 cup salt( you can add in the curry later if you need more )
2-3 small garlic cloves
10 curry leaves
2 two inch dried coconut squares or 1/2 cup dried coconut powder

Run these in a blender and store it in an air tight jar.


How to:
Wash and dry the tindora / dondakaya
Cut them into 1/2 inch rounds
In a wide bottomed pan, heat 1/4 -1/3 cup oil
Fry these chopped pieces along with some salt until golden brown
When they are crisp and cooked, transfer them on a plate with paper towels to drain excess oil( if any)
Wipe off the pan with paper napkins
Switch on the heat put the fried tindora back to pan and add the prepared garlic red chili powder
Fry for 1 min and adjust salt to taste


Serve this with hot rice or chapathi. I like mine with some hot rice with ghee( clarified butter) and simple tomato dal. Yum tastes so goooood!

Tags:Dondakaya Velluli Miram Vepudu, Dondkay Vegimpu, Spicy tindora garlic coconut fry, Tindora fry

Okra aka Bendi( Ladys Finger ) is not that widely used, but back home Okra is the most popular veggie not just for its flavor but for its MATHS improving powers! Yes may be thats the big reason i used to score good marks at Maths. Thanks to my mom, though i was a big fan of Dondakaya fry/ Tindora fry, she made sure we eat more Bendi than Dondi( yep we used to call it like that ). Hope everyone from India knows this 'Okra sharpens your brain unlike Tindora' and many people believe and we kids used to have Okra curry, i think it might have given us confidence that our maths skills had really improved just before the exam day( I know its funny! )


Coming to the recipe, i had this curry from one of our Marwadi friends and fallen in love with it. Marwadis use Dhaniya powder a lot and their curries looks so simple yet delicious and satisfying. And when they say it sounds really simple with very few ingredients. This curry uses freshly home made yogurt, dhaniya( corinader ) powder, red chilli powder and mint. Thats it! Worried about the stickiness from Okra? Adding yogurt or lime would significantly reduce it. Click here for tips on cooking perfect okra!


You need:
1 cup lighlty whipped fresh homemade yogurt(perugu) or dannon yogurt
2 cups chopped Okra
1 onion
2 tbsp dhaniya powder/ corinader powder
1/2 tbsp - 1 tbsp red chilli powder
3 - 4 stalks mint
2-3 stalks of cilantro( i didnt have it then )
4 tbsp oil
a pinch of turmeric


How to:
Heat oil in kadai or wok and add onion and okra
Add turmeric and fry till okra softens and cooked
Add dhaniya powder and chilli powder
Fry for 1 more min
Once okra is completely cooked, should melt right away when eaten
Add salt and whipped/whisked yogurt.
Cook for 2-3 min
Add chopped mint leaves and switch off the heat
P.S: Adjust salt and spice to taste

To relish the maximum flavor of the dish please do eat it when fresh and hot. Serve this Dahi Bendi( bendakaya perugu kura ) with hot hot rotis or rice. This time we had this curry with Aloo Parathas and it was Finger Licking Good. Dont take my word on this, try it for yourself to see how easy and delicious the curry is!

Tags:Bendakaya perugu kura, Bendhi Yougurt Curry, Bendi dahi curry, bendi masala, bhindi curry, Bhindi Yogurt curry

Potatoes are so much versatile and one can make an array of dishes be it fry, curry, stew, sambar, or raita. Chats and samosas are incomplete without them. Potato curry is bachelors and kids all time favorite. And my sister makes aloo fry atleast twice or thrice a week for sure( yes bava, sis husband loves fry that much and he can live on that for weeks i guess ). Even my husband loves to have aloo curry any meal of the day, but i limit it to once a week.


Coming to the origin of this recipe, my mom used to make this curry when ever we used to have powercut at night. She cooks this along with some sambar or rasam and we kids couldnt be any happier. You can whip up this dish in no time, said so you need not doubt the taste, its simply delicious.


The tangyness from the lime(lemon) and the zing from the mint makes the plain potato irrestible! To add some crunch my mom used to add sood amount of chana dal and urad dal in the tadks or popu. Since potato is every cooks best pal i am sure each one of us have our very own version for the potato fry. Here goes mine.,



You need:
2 or 3 red potatoes
1 lemon or lime
5 strands of mint leaves
2-3 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp chana dal
1 tsp urad dal
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of turmeric
5-10 curry leaves
2 tsp red chilli powder
3 tbsp oil
salt to taste



How to:
Boil the potatoes, i use microwave for 5 min with less than 1/2 cup water cooked covered
Let it cool a bit or you can put in the refigerator until ready
Once cooled to room temperature chop potatoes into 2 inch cubes
In a kadai or pan heat oil and add chana dal, urad dal, cumin and mustard seeds. When they start to pop add curry leaves, potatoes and turmeric
Saute until the potatoes turn to golden brown
Add red chilli powder and salt
Switch off the heat and add chopped( i just tear them apart ) mint leaves and lemon juice
TIP: Never add lemon juice when cooking add them after the heat is switched off or before serving. Otherwise it would make the dish taste bitter-- from my grandmom


I usually serve this with hot rice( and ghee ) or roti/ chapathi. Feel free to add even more mint and lemon juice. This minty and lemony potato fry is so light on fat yet satisfying and tasty. No wonder if you start admiring the combination of lemon and mint and experiment with your cooking!!

This will be entry for weekend herb blogging event started by Kalyns Kitchen and this week hosted by Nami Nami

Tags:Aloo fry, Aloo pudina nimbu curry, Alugadda pudina kura, urlgadda vepudu

Sorry guys, havent posted anything for a week since i wasn't feeling well. Anyway back to blogging with my Hot Pongal!! When it comes to finding alternative food as sumptuous and filling as rice and some curry, i will definitely vote for PONGAL aka Pongali in telugu. It is a simple combination of rice and moong dal( green gram lentils) seasoned with black pepper, cumin seeds, cashews and ghee or clarified butter. It is a common and very popular breakfast in our house( most south indian homes too ). My mom used to make pongal mostly in the weekends . Since pongali doesnt taste good when its cold she wakes up everyone in the early morning and make us relish it once done. At home, Sunday mornings are reserved either for pongal or dosas. My mom serves Pongal with allam pulusu( ginger in tamarind sauce ) and coconut chutney.

I usually use pressure pan/cooker to make pongal / pongali since its very quick and easy to clean. Alternatively you can use electric rice cooker or a big sauce pot/pan. Anything will work.

You need:

• 2/3 cup rice( sona masoori, never tried with american long grain rice )
• 1/3 cup yellow moong dal/ split green gram/ pesara pappu/ Payatham Parippu
• 4 cups water
• dash of hing
• 1 inch ginger piece chopped very finely

For tempuring( required ):

• 15 -20 cashew nuts
• 2 tsp cumin seeds( jeera )
• 2-3 tbsp ghee or 2 inches stick butter
• 10-15 peppercorns
• 2 tbsp oil / ghee
• 10 curry leaves
  
  

How to:

• Wash rice and moong dal and add to any pressure pan/sauce pan/electric cooker
• Add chopped ginger and hing
• Add water
• If its pressure pan cook it with the weight/whistle on for 3 whistles or if use a stock pot just cook them together till rice and lentils are cooked( not too soft )
• Switch off and keep aside
• Lets make the seasoning now. Take a small kadai or pan and add oil, ghee, cashew nuts, cumin seeds and fry until the cashew nuts are browned.
• Ground the pepper corns coarsely ( i use mortar and pestle )
• Add pepper corns and curry leaves and switch off the heat
• When ready to eat open the pressure pan and add the seasoning
• Adjust salt to taste
• Yes it is that simple!!
  

• Please do not avoid hing
• If u don't have curry leaves / kaju on hand postpone making pongal, yeah its that important
• Always open the pressure pan just before eating and add the seasoning otherwise it would get hard
• Before opening the pan boil a glass of water. When you find that pongal is thick and you want it a little thinner add the boiling water and stir( This works really good and its a tip from my MIL )