Rajma Curry

You Need:

Rajma (Red Kidney Beans) - 1cup
Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped
Tomato - 3, pureed
Potato - 1, medium, peeled & diced
Ginger, Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Red chilli pwdr - 1 tsp
Garam masala - 1tsp
Dhaniya pwdr (Coriander pwdr) - 1 tbsp
Turmeric pwdr - 1tsp
Salt - 1.5 tsp or to taste
Cilantro - for garnishing

You Do:

• Soak rajma overnight.
• Pressure cook soaked rajma with 2 cups of water on high for 1 whistle. Then simmer for 10 min
• In a wok or kadai, fry chopped onion in 2 tbsp oil, until slightly golden brown.
• Add ginger-garlic paste and saute for some more time.
• Add all the dry ingredients, mix-in properly and fry for about 5 min.
• Now add pureed tomato, cook for few min or until oil separates from the mixture.
• Add chopped potato, 1 cup water. Give it a proper stir and cook on medium heat for about 10 min. Potato at this stage is partly-cooked.
• Add cooked rajma, 1 cup of water (here you can use water in which rajma was cooked). Bring to a boil and simmer it for about 15 min.
• Serve hot with rice / chapati. Enjoy!

Eggplant Pachadi

You Need:

Eggplant - 1, big

Green Chillies - 3 to 4

Curd / Buttermilk - 1 cup

Cummin, Mustard - for seasoning

Jaljeera pwdr - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Oil

Cilantro - for garnishing

You Do:

• Roast eggplant utill it is cooked. I usually place eggplant on the stove. Look at the pic.
• Turn eggplant once in a while so that its completely cooked.
• Let it cool, peel off the skin. Mash.
• Mix in mashed eggplant, buttermilk, jaljeera pwdr.
• Prepare seasoning - Oil, Cumin, Mustard, green chillies.
• Add seasoning to the mashed mixture, garnish with cilantro
• Serve with Chapati / Parantha. Enjoy !

Egg Curry

I did not want to make Dal or Sambar today. Actually cant have them daily. So what do I make today? Hmm.. some Rice / Pulav with Boondi raitha ( which I totally love! ) or Majjigehuli.
But then I saw we had enough of eggs in the fridge. So why not Egg Curry... It had been awhile since we had Egg Curry. Theek hai.. decided, its gonna be Egg Curry !!



You Need:

Egg - 6 nos.
Onion - 2, finely chopped
Tomato - 3-4, pureed
Ginger-Garlic Paste - 1tsp
Red Chilli pwdr - 1 tsp
Coriander pwdr - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Cumin - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Oil
Cilantro - for garnishing

You Do:

• Hard boil Eggs.
• While the eggs are being boiled, prepare seasoning in a pan.
• Saute chopped Onions till they turn golden brown.
• Add ginger-garlic paste, mix-in.
• Add pureed tomatoes, red chilli pwdr, coriander pwdr, salt. Bring it to boil.
• Now put in the boiled eggs, simmer for 3-4 min.
• Garnish with Coriander.
• Serve with Rice / Chapati. Enjoy!

Hmm... I loved the rich curry color. Also must say, it tasted goooood. Yippie !! I also made Cabbage palya and Chapati. Good meal accomplished.

Avocado Chapati

Avocados caught my eyes the very first time I went to a store in the US. I grew curious as to how would it taste. One day, I actually bought one but to my disappointment it was too bland. What do I do of it now? Sometime back I had come across this recipe of chapati using avocado in Indira's site Mahanandi. Good that I wouldnt have to throw it away. I gave it a try and it turned out real soft and smooth. Thank you Indira.
But I wonder if I will buy avocados again ;)



You Need:

Wheat Flour - 1 cup
Ripe Avocado - 1
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Water - enough to make dough
Oil


You Do:

• Cut the avocado in half lengthwise. Remove the pit, either with a spoon or by spearing with the tip of a knife. Scoop out the flesh using a spoon and mash into a smooth paste.
• Mix in all the dry ingredients and avocado paste, to knead a smooth dough. Rest dough for 15-20 min
• Make chapati as usual. Enjoy!

Brinjal Curry

I just love this brinjal curry. The recipe comes from the northern region of Karnataka, India. We all loved it at home when my mother made. Now my dearest hubby loves it when I make. Thanks amma !



You Need:

Brinjal - 1 Kg, cut lengthwise
Onion - 2, cut lengthwise
Green chillies - 4-5
Garlic - 3-4 cloves
Peanuts - 1/2 cup
Cummin - 2 tbsp
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Cilantro - 1/2 cup
Salt - to taste
Oil

You Do:

• Heat Oil in a pan, add Onion, saute till soft.


• Add chopped brinjal. Cook untill soft.


• While the onion and brinjal is being cooked, grind to paste - peanuts, garlic, green chilles, cilantro, turmeric, cummin.


• Add ground paste to the cooked onion and brinjal.


• Add salt. Gently mix-in paste and veggies.


• Cook till done. Serve with Chapati.

Sorekayi Kootu (Bottle gourd Curry)

You Need:

Bottle gourd (Sorekayi) - 2 cup, peeled, diced
White Lentils (Uddina bele) - 2 tbsp
Moong Dal (Hesaru bele) - 1/2 cup
Green Chillies - 3-4
Black Pepper Powder - 1 tsp
Freshly grated Coconut - 1/4 cup
Cilantro (Kottambari) - 1/4 cup

Curry leaves - 1 strand
Turmeric (Haldi) - 1/4 tsp
Cummin,Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Peanut - 1/4 cup (optional)

Salt - to taste or 1 tsp
Oil

You Do:

• Roast Urad dal until it turns golden brown and you sense the aroma.


• After the dal cools down, grind into a paste along with Green chillies, grated Coconut, Cilantro.


• In a Wok (Kadai), add 1 tbsp of Oil along with Cummin and Mustard. Once they start to splutter add Moong dal, roast until golden brown.


• Add diced Bottle gourd, cook until tender.


• Add ground paste along with Salt & 1-1/2 cups of water or desired consistency. Bring it to boil.


• Serve with Rice / Chapati. Enjoy!

Trivia:

The Bottle gourd probably originated in Africa and from there was widely distributed in pre-Columbian times, perhaps by floating on the seas. It traveled to India, where it has evolved into numerous local varieties, and from India to China, Indonesia, and as far as New Zealand. Archaeological remains show that the bottle gourd was used in Egypt about 3500 to 3300 B.C.
Bottle gourd also traveled to the New World. The dried gourds with viable seeds have survived in seawater for at least 200 days. Remains found in Mexico date from 7000 to 5500 B.C. and in Peru from about 10,000 B.C. The bottle gourd is thus an ancient crop, widespread and well used, from warm parts of the temperate zone throughout the dry and wet tropics. It is the only crop known to have been cultivated in pre-Columbian times in both the Old and New World. Recently, seeds and other remains of the gourd have turned up in several archaeological digs in Florida.