Curry In Kadai ~ An Indian Cooking Blog

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..

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!!

• 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

• 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!!

This is my second recipe for Thotakura after Thotakura Pappu. This is my husbands favourite recipe since it has been passed down from his mom to me. This is a very nutritious and healthy recipe and it needs very little oil. You can eat the whole bowl of this Amaranth leaves Stir fry even without any rice or chapathi. Yep tastes that good!


You need:

• 4 cups of tightly packed chopped thotakura leaves/amaranth along with tender stalks
• 1 red onion or yellow onion julienned
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp chana dal( Yellow split chick peas )
• 2-3 tbsp oil
• a pinch of turmeric
• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 10 curry leaves

• Chop thotakura( amaranth leaves ) very finely. You can chop the tender stalks too but discard the tough stalks( You should remove the stalks skin like you do for beans )
• Bring 1-2cups of water to boil and add chopped amaranth leaves and channa dal
• Cook until the leaves are cooked( TIP: Add 1 tsp of sugar so the leaves retain their green color )
• Drain the leaves thoroughly( You can use the water to make chapathis )
• Heat oil in kadai and add cumin and mustard seeds
• When they start to crackle add curry leaves, turmeric and onions
• Fry onions till golden brown
• Add the boiled thotakura along with chana dal and saute until the the curry looks dry without any water.
• Add chilli powder, salt and sugar and saute 5 more min
• Adjust salt and spice to taste

Beets aka Beetroot is the most nutritious of all root vegetables. I dont know if mom used to say 'Beetroot adds new blood to your body' just to make us eat! But the following is true though, beetroot is good for the health of the heart as it contains soluble fiber with can help to reduce high blood cholesterol levels. It also contains the phytochemicals, carotenoids and flavonoids which help prevent LDL ‘ bad’ cholesterol from being oxidised and deposited in the arteries. Cooked beetroot is a great source of folate that can protect you against high blood pressure, Alzheimer’s and dementia. For more information click here.

Dont miss curry leaves! It adds so much flavor

• 1 large beets or 2 small beetroots
  
• 1/2 cup green peas
  
• 1/4 cup grated coconut or 3-4 2- inch squares
  
• 5-8 green chillies
  
• 1-2 tbsp oil
  
• a big pinch of turmeric
  
• cilantro for garnish( optional )
  
• Salt to taste
  

Chop up big beetroot into 4 pieces and smaller one into 2

• 1 tbsp chana dal( bengal gram dal )
  
• 1 tbsp urad dal( black gram dal )
  
• 1 tsp jeera( cumin seeds )
  
• 1 tsp( mustard seeds )
  
• 10 Curry leaves
  

• I know how hard it is to peel and cut the raw beets. Not anymore if you follow my steps below.
  
• Clean the beets thoroughly and make small beets into 2 halves( 4 for a bigger one ) with the peel on.
  
• In a pressure pan or cooker cook the beets with water for 3 whistles.
  
• Once the weight comes out without any pressure drain the beets
  
• Let them cool a bit. Now the peel comes off right away with the finger pressure( couldnt be any easier than this )
  
• Chop them into 1 inch squares
  

Pressure cooked beets to perfection

• Chop the boiled beets into 1/2 inch squares
  
• Heat oil in kadai or pan and add the seasoning - mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, chana dal and curry leaves
  
• When mustard seeds start to wiggle around, add the green chillies, chopped beetroot, green peas, turmeric and salt
  
• Saute them until the beetroot starts to lose water and peas cooked
  
• Add the grated coconut and fry for one more min
  
• Adjust salt and chillies to taste. Garnish with coriander
  

Ahh Cant BEET this!

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

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

I usually serve this Spicy And Crispy Aloo Fry as Appetizer and this is my husbands favourite dish. He can finish the whole bowl just like some snack. His grandma told me 'You need not cook any fancy dinner for my grandson, just some aloo fry and plain rasam would be more than enough. Do please learn these recipes'. I still remember and its true to every word even now. Before, i used to fry raw aloo in oil and it used to take so much time. Later i thought why not boil or microwave aloo(potato) and then fry in the oil. This one became a hit and he likes it very much. Potato fry and Tomato pappu are his all time favourites. My mom told me about "Bandar vepudu" which is done in a similar fashion. In bandar vepudu you should boil the potatoes with some tamarind and fry the potatoes with the peel on. And i instead add amchur( dried mango powder ) to get that sour effect of tamarind. I think it is acceptable!

My husbands favorite combo(Tomato Pappu And Aloo Fry )!

Looking for the above Tomato Pappu( Tomato Dal ) recipe? Click here!
I use red potatoes(boiling potatoes) for this dish, since i need to boil them first otherwise they would fall apart. If i am frying directly i would like to use Idaho potatoes. But back home i never knew the difference between boiling and baking potatoes. Just relish whatever my mom cooks hehehe!

You need:

• 2 - 3 large red potatoes or 6 small red potatoes
  
• 1 tbsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 - 1 tbsp amchur powder( dry mango powder )
• 4-5 tbsp oil
  
• Salt to taste

Boiled and cubed potatoes ready for oil bath

How to:

• First boil the potatoes. I cook in the microwave with potatoes in a microwave safe bowl covered with some water. I remember how long it used to take when cooked in pressure pan, and with the use of microwave boiling potatoes is no more time consuming and hard. Coudnt make it any easier!
  
• You can boil the potatoes even the day before and save it in the refrigerator.
  
• Let the boiled potatoes cool to room temperature
• Heat oil in kadai or flat bottomed pan
• Chop the potatoes into 1 inch cubes
• Fry these potatoes until golden brown
• Place these potatoes as just one layer and fry without stirring occasionally and then on the other sides. If you stir them often they are gonna fall apart. Just leave them undisturbed until they get golden brown on one side and repeat same thing on other sides.
• Drain them on paper towels
• Optional: You can fry 10 curry leaves in the same oil and mix with the potatoes
  
• Add red chilli powder, amchur powder and salt
• Adjust spices and salt to taste.

Ahh! Bon Appetit!!

This fry is simple yet very spicy, Crispy and yummy. You can have this as appetizerwith tooth pick on each one or serve with hot rice or pulka, chapathi or roti. The sourness from amchur powder takes the very basic and simple aloo fry to the next level.
This is my entry to Whats Your favorite Diet Food. Since i am boiling first and then sauteeing in oil, it takes very less time to brown unlike deep frying the raw potato. This itself cuts the fat by more than half( once in a blue moon we do count for the fat and calories ). I make this one when my husband asks for potato fry and he will finish even before eating with rice. You wouldnt even know the difference and i myself like this way better than complete deep frying.

MY TIP FOR BOILING POTATOES:
You can cook the whole potatoes if they were small or cut into half. Place them in microwave safe bowl with half cup of water and cook them covered for 5 min. Now check for doneness and turn them on the other side and cook for 2 more min. Let the potatoes cool and peel the skin off. You can even store them in the fridge for 2 days and these come very handy.

I boil the potatoes using microwave, alternatively sometimes i just rub some oil on the potatoes and add salt , red chilli powder and microwave for 1 more min. Tada spicy potatoes are done. Serve these potatoes as appetizer and hence this is my recipe for EASY MICROWAVE COOKING EVENT hosted by Srivalli.


Tags: Aloo fry, Alugadda fry, bandar vepudu, Bangala dumpa vepudu, Spicy Potato Fry, Urlagadda vepudu

This is my second recipe for Okra. I love to try different recipes with bendakaya and i can have it in any which way. I know people cook so many dishes with okra like okra fry, okra and tomato curry, okra with coconut, okra in kadai, okra pulusu and also sambar. My grandma takes another step and does bendakaya pachadi( Bendi Chutney). Yes! she does and it tastes heavenly, However I havent done myself, i will ask her and make it sometime soon. But for now you can make my Easy, Spicy And Crunchy Okra Fry. This is my mother in law recipe. This one is not at all sticky and okra pieces stay separate. I know people doesnt like to cook it because of its stickiness., but i have no problem because i know how to work it out. Please click here for tips on cooking okra.

For the fry you can make this velluli karam( coconut and garlic chilli powder ) ahead. Since it stays good for atleast 1 month in refrigerator i make it atonce and use it for aloo, tindora, eggplant and aratikaya(raw plantain) i mean this goes well with any vegetable fry.

How to make velluli karam:

• 2 cups dried grated coconut( unsweetened )
• 1/4 cup red chilli powder
• 2 garlic pods
• less than 1/4 cup salt

• 25 large okras or 45 small okras1 large red onion
• 2 tbsp velluli karam
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1 tsp lemon or lime juice
  

• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 10 curry leaves
  

• Chop onions into inch cubes or juliene strips
• Chop okra or bendakaya into 1/2 inch pieces
• In a kadai or pan heat oil and add mustard and cumin seeds( temputing is optional )
• Once they start to pop add curry leaves, chopped onions and chopped okra
• Add lemon or lime juice so that okra wouldnt be sticky
• Keep frying, until okra is crisp golden and cooked
• Once they are browned add velluli miram( said above ) and saute until well blended.
• Adjust miram, salt and spice to taste.
  

Beetroot is one of my favorite vegetables. When i was a kid i remember i used to eat just the curry without any rice or bread. My mom used to say beetroot will add new blood to our body and thats true. My mom makes beetroot curry with coconut and peas. But this one with besan is from my MIL(mother-in-law). Besan coats the beetroot pieces and it tastes so good. Beetroot just sauteed with some tadka or tempuring itself is simply delicious., but adding besan(chickpea flour) gives it a new flavor.


I know its very hard to peel and chop the beets( in USA are so large ). I used to have hard time peeling and chopping beets. But not anymore, my cousin asked me to cook the beets( cut into 4 parts ) with the skin on in pressure cooker with some water and salt. And once they are cooked, the peel comes off just with the finger pressure right away, and chopping the beets couldnt be any easier.

A closer look at the beetroot

• 1 big beetroot or 2 small beetroots
• 8-10 green chillies split lengthwise
• 1/2 cup besan aka chick pea flour
• salt to taste

• 1/2 tbsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp chana dal( optional )
• 1 tsp urad dal( optional )
• a pinch of turmeric
• 10 curry leaves
• Salt to taste
  

Boiled and cubed beets, along with besan aka chickpea flour

How to:

• Boil the beets as i told before using pressure pan.
• Chop the boiled beets into bite size pieces
• Heat oil in kadai and add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, chana dal, urad dal
• Once it starts popping add curry leaves, green chillies, turmeric and chopped beets
• Fry them for 5 min stirring occasionally
• Add chick pea flour or besan at this point just sprinkle some water, reduce the heat and cook it covered for 2 more minutes. Cook until the raw smell from the besan disappers.
  
• Adjust salt to taste
  

Though i am not that good cooking kakarakaya( bitter gourd aka karela) i do it for its nutritional benefits. This time when i started i thought kakarkaya vepudu would turn out to be a big flop., but to my surprise the end product was so yummy yummy. I would like to use kakarakaya very often from now. For now i will post the pictures and i will post the recipe soon.


Ingredients:

• 2 medium sized bitter gourds(kakarakaya ./ karelas)
• 2 big onions
• salt
• sugar
• 1/2 tbsp turmeric powder
• red chilli powder
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 cup yogurt

• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 10 curry leaves
• 1 tbsp chana dal

• Clean the bitter gourds(kakarakaya) and drain them
• Peel off the skin( run the peeler just once ). This is optional step
• Chop bitter gourd very very finely( the finer you chop the quicker it cooks )
• Add turmeric, salt and yogurt. Let it marinate for 1 hour( or more optional )
• Squeeze the chopped pieces and drain them on kitchen towel or paper towels( doing this will remove the bitterness by half )
  
• Heat kadai( or wok ) with oil and add the cumin seeeds, mustard seeds, chana dal and when they start to pop add the curry leaves.
• Add the chopped kakarakaya ( bitter gourd ) pieces and fry stirring occassionally.
• When they are little brown add the finely chopped onions and fry for 3-5 min until done
• Add sugar , salt and red chilli powder
• Cook for 2 more min until done.
• The end product should be very crispy.