Beans carrot palya

Beans and carrot palya is a very simple and delicious vegetable side for any south Indian rice variety. I have simply seasoned the microwave cooked vegetable with salt, mustard seeds and urud dal. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Chopped green beans - 1 cup

Diced carrot - ¾ cup

Salt to taste

Oil for seasoning - 2 teaspoons

Mustard seeds - ¼ teaspoon

Urud dal - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - less than ¼ teaspoon

Asafoetida powder - 1 pinch

Desiccated coconut - 1 tablespoon

Method:

Wash the carrot and beans together. Drain water and transfer it to a microwave container. I used the Microwave rice cooker.

Microwave on high for 8 minutes partially opened.

Heat oil in a kadai and add the mustard seeds. When it pops, add the urud dal.

When the urud dal turns golden, Reduce heat and add the cooked beans and carrot. Stir.

Add the turmeric powder, asafoetida powder and salt. Stir until even distribution.

Turn off the heat and garnish with desiccated coconut.

Enjoy this vegetable with rasam rice, sambar rice, curd rice or how ever you want. I sometimes wrap in with chapathi or just fill a bowl full of this palya and enjoy it as such.

This is my entry to

1. MEC - Potluck Party hosted by Srivalli of Cooking for all seasons

2. Independence Day theme hosted by Pooja of Creative Pooja.

Thank you Srivalli and Pooja for hosting the event.

Tomato mint masala kootu

This is one tasty dish that contains two star ingredients tomato and mint. Tomato is a versatile vegetable that forms a base to most gravies. I have used Mint (pudina) in this recipe. The fragrance of mint adds flavor to this healthy gravy. The base recipe is Mallika Badrinath's Tomato masala kootu in her book delicious vegetarian curries. I have slighty modified the original recipe to my taste. In the recipe below, the onions can be omitted to make a 'No onion gravy'. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Onion - 1 big - finely chopped (can be omitted)

Tomatoes - Large red ripe juicy - 3

Oil for seasoning

Turmeric powder - quarter teaspoon

Mustard seeds- half teaspoon

Urud dal - 1 teaspoon

Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Salt as required

Grind together using very little water:

Mint leaves - 1 small bunch

Coriander leaves - 1 small bunch

Grated fresh coconut - half cup (I used 2 tablespoons of dry, ground desiccated coconut)

Poppy seeds (khas khas or gasa gasa) - one and half tablespoons (soak in wate for 10 minutes)

Grind chillies - 3

Cumin seeds - half teaspoon

Mustard seeds - quarter teaspoon

Method:

Blanch the tomatoes: Boil water and add the tomatoes. After a few minutes the skin will peel off. Drain water and cool it. Remove the skin completely.

Cut the blanched tomatoes into one and half inch cubes. Keep it aside.

Heat oil in a kadai and add the mustard seeds. When it pops, add urud dal and curry leaves.

Add the chopped onions anf fry till it changes color.

Add chilli powder and turmeric powder. Stir for a minute and add the ground masala.

Mix required amount of salt and stir till good smell comes.

Add the tomato cubes and half cup water. Allow it to boil till the gravy thickens. Stir occasionally.

Garnish with mint leaves and serve hot with iddli, dosa or chapathi.

This is my entry to Herb Mania - Mint hosted by Dee of Ammalu's kitchen. Thank you Dee for starting a herb event.

This is also my entry to Curry Mela hosted by Srivalli of Cooking for all seasons.

Sorekayi hesaru bele sihi kootu

This is one authentic dish of south India. Sorekayi is bottle gourd and hesaru bele is moong dal in kannada. The two key ingredients of this recipe are bottle gourd and moong dal (I used split green gram dal). Both are highly nutritious. As for the bottle gourd, the cooked vegetable is cooling, diuretic, sedative and anti­bilious. I found a very interesting article about gourds HERE. Moong dal is rich in protein and next best to soy. A wonderful protein substitute for vegetarians. Since I have egg and soy allergy, moong dal is one nature's gift to me for a good protein substitute. It is very easy to prepare. Goes well with chapathi or rice, or can be relished like a soup. Here is the recipe.

I have used bottle gourd in this recipe. Chayote squash (chow chow) or cabbage can be substituted in the place or bottle gourd. finely chopped carrots and beans can be added to this kootu.

Ingredients:

Bottle gourd - 1 medium sized ( it should not taste bitter)

Moong dal / split green or yellow moong dal - half cup

Oil for seasoning - 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds - half teaspoon

Urud dal - half teaspoon

Dry red chillies - 3 to 4 (green chillies can be substituted)

Turmeric powder - quarter teaspoon

Asafoetida powder - a pinch or two

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Salt as reqired

Grind together the following:

Fresh shredded coconut - 2 tablespoons

Poppy seeds / khus khus - 1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 2 teaspoons (optional)

Black whole pepper - half teaspoon (optional)

water - quarter cup

Desiccated coconut can be substituted for fresh coconut. I used two tablespoons of powdered dry desiccated coconut available in the Indian grocery store.

Method:

Peel the bottle gourd skin and chop the vegetable into small cubes and add it in water as and when you chop. Otherwise it will turn brown.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed kadai. Add the mustard seeds, urud dal, curry leaves and red chillis.

When the mustard pops, add the chopped bottle gourd and mung dal.

Add 3 cups of water and allow it to boil.

When it starts bubbling, add the salt, turmeric powder and asafoetida powder.

Keep it partially closed and let the content cook until the dal is mushy and the vegetable is tender. Stir occasionally.

When it is done, add the ground coconut and let it boil for a minute. The kootu is ready. Turn down the heat completely.

Serve with steaming white rice or as a side dish for chapathi.

This is my entry to VOW - bottle gourd hosted by Pooja of My creative ideas. Thank you Pooja for hosting this event.

I am sending this entry to Eat healthy - Protein rich event hosted in Art of Indian cooking. Sangeeth, I have used moong dal which is protein rich. Thank you for hosting this event.

Herbed feta cheese spread / dip

Here is a greek style herbed cheese spread/dip that is tangy and garlicky. I should have prefixed 'Instant' to the name as it takes no time to prepare this wonderful cheesy dip that can be served with crackers, raw vegetables like baby carrots or celery or even as a bread spread. I have used Feta cheese which is widely used in greek cuisine, that gives a tangy and striking flavor to the spread. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Feta cheese crumbled - 6 oz

Garlic - 1 or 2 cloves (optional)

Lemon juice - 2 teaspoons

Black freshly ground pepper - 1 teaspoon

Dry oregano - half teaspoon

Olive oil - 2 tablespoons

Method:

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor. Grind to a paste. Use this as a dip or spread on crackers or bread. The herbs used in this recipe can be adjusted according to your taste. A very good appetizer that you will surely enjoy.

Variation: Add or garnish finely chopped green onions and/or finely diced tomatoes to the spread. This makes the spread more colorful.

Asha's recipe for Greek Spanakopita : To the herbed feta cheese spread, add some cooked, cooled Spinach, wrap and bake in Filo dough/sheet. Here is the Spanakopita recipe that I found on the net. Thank you Asha for the idea.

This is my entry to A Worldly Epicurean's Delight (A.W.E.D): Middle Eastern Cuisine an event initiated by Dhivya of Culinary bazaar now hosted by Siri of Siri's corner. Thank you Siri for hosting this event.

Cauliflower palya

Boiled Cauliflower is an excellent source of Dietary fiber according to WHfoods.org. Dietary fiber is undoubtedly one of the most talked about nutrients for health promotion and disease prevention.

Wiki: Cauliflower can be roasted, boiled, fried, steamed or eaten raw. When cooking, the outer leaves and thick stalks are removed, leaving only the florets. The leaves are also edible, but are most often discarded. The florets should be broken into similar-sized pieces so they are cooked evenly. After eight minutes of steaming, or five minutes of boiling, the florets should be soft, but not mushy (depending on size).

In this recipe, cooked cauliflower is seasoned with salt and mustard seeds and it makes a healthy accompaniment, especially to the south Indian rice varieties like rasam rice or sambar rice.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - 1 large or medium
Salt as required
Oil for seasoning
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - one fourth teaspoon

Method:

Discard the outer leaves and thick stalk. chop the florets.

Cook Cauliflower in one of the following ways.

Boiling method: Boil water and add the chopped cauliflower florets and let it boil until the florets are tender. Then, drain water.

Steaming method: Boil water and place a steamer rack and add the florets. Cover and cook until the florets are tender.

Microwave method: Add the florets to a microwave rice cooker or any microwave safe container. Wash and drain water. Cover it partially open. Cook in high for 10 minutes. Drain excess water.

After cooking the chopped florets in one of the aforesaid method, heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds, when it pops, add the cooked cauliflower and mix in turmeric powder and salt until even distribution. Enjoy the cauliflower palya.

I can have this palya as an accompaniment to Saaru anna or Huli anna as well make a wrap with chapathi.

This is my entry to 'Eating healthy'- Fiber rich food event hosted by Sangeeth of Art of Cooking Indian Food . Thanks Sangeeth for hosting this event.

Pineapple gojju / Pineapple sweet and spicy gravy

Here is an authentic recipe for Pineapple gojju. Pineapple lovers and people who like sweet cum spicy dish will love this gojju/gravy. Coming to the recipe, I used one full pineapple for this gojju. You can either use the fresh fruit or buy readymade canned pineapple chunks for this.

Ingredients:

Fresh ripe pineapple - 1
Tamarind - extract pulp from small lemon sized tamaraind. or use half teaspoon tamarind concentrate
Jaggery - three fourth cup (substitute with 1 cup brown sugar if you don't have jaggery)
Oil - 1 tablespoon for seasoning
Mustard seeds - half teaspoon
Curry leaves
Turmeric powder - quarter teaspoon
Salt as required

Roast the following in half teaspoon oil and grind to a coarse powder:

Urud dal - 2 tablespoons
Fenugreek seeds - 1 teaspoon
Dhania - 2 teaspoon
white sesame seeds - 2 teaspoons
Red chilli powder - 4 to 5
(preferably use redchillis that do not have much heat. In that case use at least 10 to 12 red chillis)
Kobri - half cup (substitute with desiccated coconut that can be bought in Indian store)

Method:

I cut pineapple this way:

cut the leafy head off and the bottom too. Now the pineapple will stand steadily in a flat surfact. All you have to do is hold the pineapple well and with the knife cut the rough outer skin carefully all sides. Cut into four parts leaving the middle part. Discard the middle part. With the remaining 4 pieces, cut into small chunks.

Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds. When it pops, add the pineapple chunks and let the content heat up.

Add half a cup water, tamarind, salt, turmeric powder and curry leaves. Keep the kadai partially closed and let it cook until the pineapple chunks are tender.

Add the jaggery and the ground masala to the gravy (mix masala with half a cup water so as to avoid lumps while adding)

Again let the gojju boil partially covered for two to three minutes.

Turn off the heat and serve the hot pineapple gojju with steaming white rice with a dash of ghee. Serve with pappads.

1. The pineapple gojju is my entry to Mixed rice varieties event hosted by EC of Simple Indian Food.

My other entries for this event are

Kashmiri pulao
Mixed vegetable rice
Chinese style vegetable fried rice
Green peas pulao
Beetroot pulao
Pongal gojju
Capsicum rice

2. The pineapple gojju picture is my entry to 'Click - the photo event' hosted by Jugalbandhi.

The team organising the JUNE edition of CLICK at Jugalbandi has organised a fundraiser to help Bri and her family meet her out-of-pocket medical costs for ONE YEAR.

CLICK is a monthly theme-based photography contest hosted by Jugalbandi. This month’s theme is: YELLOW for Bri.

The entries can be viewed HERE. The deadline for entries is June 30, 2008. The fundraiser will extend until July 15, 2008.

The target amount is 12,000 U.S. dollars. We appeal to our fellow bloggers and readers to help us achieve this. Bri deserves a chance to explore all options, even if her insurance company thinks otherwise.

There’s

a raffle with exciting prizes on offer. After viewing the list, you may make your donation HERE or at the Chip-In button on any participating site.

Your donation can be made securely through credit card or Pay Pal and goes directly to Bri’s account.

This month’s photo contest also has some prizes. Details

HERE.

You can support this campaign by donating to the fundraiser, by participating in CLICK: the photo event, and by publicising this campaign. Thank you. My prayers and best wishes to Bri.

Masale Bhaat

One of the ingredients my dear friend Manasi sent me as part of 'Arusuvai' was the masala for the Masale Bhaat, a recipe from Ashwini's Food for thought. The aroma filled the air when I just opened the packet. I had Masale Bhaat for lunch today and I should definitely tell that it was so delicious and out of the world that I will be doing this recipe more often. The rice was so flavorful and tasty and in fact quite easy to prepare too. Thanks Manasi for introducing me to two wonderful marathi recipes. Now that I like both the Chavli curry and Masale Bhaat, I want to try more marathi dishes. Many thanks to Ashwini for sharing such a wonderful authentic marathi recipe for Masale Bhaat. Just love it.

Chinta Chiguru Pappu / Tamarind Leaves Dal

Yet another arusuvai ingredient arrived at my door. This time it was from Uma of Essence of Andhra. She sent me a the surprise ingredient with loads of goodies - a cuddly teddy bear, a beautiful card, a cute little photo frame, chocolate and 2 ingredients. One was urud dal and channa dal which I used it for seasoning in the chinta chiguru dal and the other one was (which I didn't guess it right) dry tamarind leaves.

I googled for a recipe with the dry tamarind leaves and landed on Sreelu's chinta chiguru pappu. Thanks Uma for sending me all the things that I love and for sending the nellore special dry tamarind leaves. Thanks for introducing me to a new taste. Thanks to Sreelu for the wonderful recipe. We loved the dish.

Nimbu Saaru / Lemon Rasam with no tomatoes

I learnt this 'instant lemon rasam with no tomatoes' recipe from my mom. This is my entry to the JFI - Lime/Lemon hosted by Coffee. Thanks for hosting this event coffee and for choosing a wonderful ingredient.

Ingredients:

Toor dal (cooked) - 3 tablespoons

Water - 2 cups

(you can cook 2 to 3 tablespoons of toor dal in 2 cups water and use the entire content for this rasam)

Ginger (grated) - 1 teaspoon

Green chilli (slit vertically) - 1

Asafoetida powder a pinch

Turmeric powder - quarter teaspoon

Rasam powder - 1 teaspoon

Lemon juice - 2 tablespoons (use readymade or squeeze juice from 2 lemons)

Salt as required

Ghee - 2 teaspoons

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Chopped coriander leaves

Method:

Mix the dal and water. Add turmeric powder, asafoetida powder, green chilli, ginger and salt and allow it to boil in medium heat.

Keep the lemon juice ready.

Add the rasam powder and let it boil for a minute. Now, reduce the heat and add the lemon juice. Stir well and remove from heat.

For the seasoning, heat ghee and add cumin seeds, when it sizzles, add it carefully to the rasam. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with white rice.

Majjige huli with winter melon

This is a traditional south indian dish called majjige huli or majjige palidha in Kannada and Moru kozhambu in Tamil. As the name says, this gravy is a mixture of ground coconut and buttermilk (majjige), spiced with green chillies and flavoured with cumin that is added to the vegetable. I have used winter melon which is called vellai pooshani kaai in tamil. There are different versions of preparing Majjige huli and this is my mom's recipe.

Ingredients:

Winter melon - 2 cups - diced into 1 inch cubes

Oil for seasoning

Mustard seeds - half teaspoon

Urud dal - half teaspoon

Butter milk - 1 cup

Turmeric powder - half teaspoon

Asafoetida powder

Curry leaves - from 2 strands

Salt as required

Grind together the following:

Grated fresh coconut - half cup

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Green chillies - 2

Channa dal - 1 tablespoon (which is soaked in water for 15 minutes) - optional

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai and add the mustard seeds, when it pops, add the urud dal. When it turns light brown, add the diced winter melon, curry leaves, asafoetida powder and salt. Stir for few seconds and add one or one and half cups of water. Let it boil until the vegetable is cooked.

Meanwhile, add turmeric powder to the buttermilk and mix well. Keep it aside.

When the vegetable is cooked, add the ground coconut masala and mix well.

When it starts bubbling, reduce the heat and add the buttermilk.

Wait for just one boil and remove from heat.

This can be done using different vegetables:

Potato: Follow the same recipe, substitute potato in the place of winter melon.

Okra/ladies finger - cut into 1 inch length: Instead of adding water to cook, roast the okra.

You can substitute with other vegetables of your choice but winter melon and okra & potato are the popular vegetables for this majjige huli.

Serve with white rice. Enjoy with a spicy roasted vegetable or pappad.

This is my entry to LIVESTRONG DAY 2008 - the taste of yellow hosted in the winosandfoodies.com

Tamarind Rice / Puliodharai / Hulianna

The tamarind rice popularly called puliodharai saadam, pulikaaichal or puli chaadham in tamil and Huli anna or puliogare in kannada is a traditional recipe of South India. I do not know what it's called in malayalam or telugu, but, I am sure there will be one recipe for tamarind rice. This is a typical travel food and is my entry to The travel food festival hosted by Simple Indian food. There are many many versions of this tamarind rice, but the recipe that I am sharing here is my mom's and she calls the prepared tamarind paste as chitra anna gojju. To prepare the tamarind rice, this paste is simply mixed with white rice.

Ingredients:

Cooked rice - 2 cups (grains separated)

Tamarind - 2 lemon sized balls

Gingili oil (sesame oil) / Nalla ennai - 1/2 cup

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - half teaspoon

Salt - as required

Jaggery - 2 teaspoons

Curry leaves - from 3 to 4 strads

Asafoetida powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Peanuts - half cup

Roast and grind together the following:

Channa dal - 2 teaspoons

Urud dal - 4 teaspoon

Dhania - 2 teaspoons

Fenugreek seeds (vendhayam/mentha) - 1/4 teaspoon

Pepper corns - 1 teaspoon

Dry red chillis - 10 to 12 number

(depending upon how hot you want the rice)

Method:

Soak tamarind in 4 cups warm water for altest fifteen minutes and squeeze using hands. Pour the mixture through a strainer and extract the thick tamarind juice. You can just use your hands to take away the seeds and all the tamarind that is not dissolved. Keep it aside.

Heat oil in a wide heavy bottomed kadai. Tamper the mustard seeds. Add the peanuts and curry leaves.

Pour the tamarind water. when it starts boiling add the salt, turmeric powder, asafoetida powder and jaggery. Allow it to boil for alteast 10 minutes in high or until the raw tamarind smell goes away.

Reduce the heat and mix in the ground masala and you will notice the content thickening gradually. Allow it to boil partially closed stirring occasionally. This will take atleast 15 minutes. If you think the water is not enought pour half a cup of water and allow it to boil. You can see the masala blending well with the tamarind water. At this stage you can add a tablespoon of sesame oil for flavor.

Turn off the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. Mix a tablespoon of this gojju to the prepared rice. Add a dash of ghee which is optional and enjoy the tamarind rice with pappads, chips or just curds.

Brinjal Coriander leaves curry

I used Thai eggplants/brinjals to prepare this delicious no onion curry. Want to add cilantro/coriander leaves to your diet? here is a wonderful curry that goes well with white rice or even rotis. Infact, I used it as a bread spread too. Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:

Brinjals - 6 - preferably green brinjals (Thai green egglplant)

Oil - 1 teaspoon

Grind together the following adding half cup water

Coriander leaves - 1 bunch

green chillies - 2

Ginger - half inch

Salt

Asafoetida powder

Coconut - dry or fresh - 1 tablespoon (I used the desiccated coconut)

Method:

Dice the brinjal and add it to water as and when you cut.

Heat oil in a kadai.

Drain water from the eggplant, (leave away the seeds that are in the water) and add the diced brinjal and fry until half cooked stirring occasionally.

Add the ground coriander paste and mix well.

Cook covered until the all the moisture is absorbed. Stir occasionally to avoid sticking to the kadai.

That's it. The curry is ready. Serve with white rice and ghee.

(Thai Eggplant Photo from Wiki)

This is my entry to Vegetable of the Week hosted by Pooja of Creative Pooja

Aama vadai / Dal or Paruppu Vadai

Aama vadai is a south indian speciality snack that is prepared on every single occasion. Aama vadai, payasam, and obbattu are the traditional trio for all festivals including Diwali and Pongal. There are a lot of variations in preparing these vadais. It depends on the proportion of dals used. This is my entry to 'My legume love affair - event' hosted by Susan of 'The well seasoned cook'. Thanks to Susan for hosting this event. This aama vadai is my mom's recipe. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Toor dal - 3 cups

Channa dal - 1 cup

dry Red chillis - 5 to 6

Asafoetida powder - quarter teaspoon

Curry leaves - from 2 to 3 strands

Salt - as required

chopped Coriander leaves/Cilantro

Oil for deep frying

Method:

Soak Toor dal and Channa dal together in water for 3 hours.

In a grinder/food processor, add the red chillis, asafoetida powder, salt and curry leaves. Grind for 5 to 6 seconds and add the soaked dal. Use less than half cup water and required amount of salt and grind everything together for less than a minute. The dal should be partially ground. (i.e, half the dal is should be just broken and the remaining dal remains whole.)

Add chopped coriander leaves/cilantro and mix dal well. Make small balls and press to flatten a little. Deep fry both sides until it turns golden brown.

Variation: Mix chopped red onion and deep fry the vadai.

Toor Dal Adai

Toor Dal is one versatile lentil that we use in every day cooking, be it sambar, or rasam or even dal fry. In this (Toor Dal Adai) recipe, I have used Toor Dal to make crispy and filling Adai. Adai is a form of dosa and there are several versions of making adais using different lentils. Toor dal Adai is one delicious recipe that I want to share with you all. This is my entry to JFI event: Toor Dal hosted by my friend Linda of 'Out of the Garden'. Thanks Linda for hosting this event. Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:

Toor Dal - 3/4 cup

Par Boiled Rice - 1 cup

Fresh Coconut (grated) - 1/2 cup

Green Chillies - 3 to 4

Asafoetida Powder

Curry Leaves

Salt to taste

Method:

Soak Toor Dal and Par Boiled Rice in water for 3 to 4 hours.

Grind the soaked Dal and Rice together. Add Coconut, Green Chillies, Asafoetida Powder and Chopped Curry leaves and Salt while grinding. Grind to a smooth dosa batter adding very very little water.

Use this batter to make nice and crispy thin Dosa or thick Adai. Serve with yogurt or any spicy chutney.

Note: The batter can be used instantly or used after fermenting.

This is my entry to Dosa Mela hosted by Srivalli of Cooking for all seasons.

Mentha Palidhya - Spiced Buttermilk

Mentha Palidhya is a wonderful substitute for the usual Majjige Palidhya, and is a great dish for diet conscious people since there is no coconut in this recipe. (Mentha is Fenugreek and Palidhya is spiced buttermilk, a dish from Karnataka)

Ingredients:

3 cups Buttermilk (Not too diluted)

Oil for seasoning

1 teaspoon Mustard seeds

2 Red Chillis

1 vertically slit green chilli

1 teaspoon grated Ginger

1 teaspoon Toor Dal

Less than 1/4 teaspoon Mentha (Fenugreek seeds)

Turmeric Powder

Asafoetida Powder

Curry Leaves

Salt

Method:

Add Turmeric Powder and Salt to the Buttermilk and mix really well. Keep it aside.

Heat Oil in a kadai and spatter the mustard seeds, add Toor Dal, Chillis, Grated Ginger, Asafoetida powder, Mentha and Curry Leaves. Add the Buttermilk and give a stir. Wait until one boil and turn off the heat.

For best results, keep mentha palidhya closed, for aleast a couple of hours before serving.

If you think the buttermilk is too diluted, mix a tablespoon of gram flour to it. Make sure there are no lumps.

Serve with steaming rice.

Curry Leaves Kudhi Menusu

Curry Leaves, called Karuvepilai which literally means Black Neem Leaf, are aromatic leaves that are extensively used in Asian Cooking especially in the South Indian Cuisine.

I found a wonderful article about curry leaves, in buzzle.com, written by Kanika Goswami. She says, Apart from cooking, the curry leaf has a number of medicinal uses also. It is an essential ingredient of almost all traditional medicine systems of peninsular India, sometimes with amazingly good results. Unani, Ayurveda and other systems use it to cure ailments such as piles, to allay heat of the body and are useful in leucoderma and blood disorders, and this has been proven by experts of western medicine also. In India, the curry leaf is used to prevent conditions such as nausea and stomach upsets. It is also used in treating skin irritations and poisonous bites. Its oils are invaluable as repellants and to cure skin disorders common to the tropics. More...

Also, Here's a post about the Curry leaves by Prabudesai in Benifits of Indian food.

The Jihva for Ingredients for the Month of May is 'GREENS' and is hosted by the event creator Mahanandhi. Thankyou Indira for hosting this event. I chose Curry Leaf and my contribution for the JFI event for Greens is 'Curry Leaves Kudhi Menusu'. We call it Karuvepilla Kudhi Menusu at home. Its a wonderful recipe that is very good for digestion, particularly prepared the day after a heavy Dinner to cleanse the digestive tract. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

Curry Leaves - 2 to 3 Cups

Ginger - 1 inch

Peppercorns - 8 to 10

Salt to taste

Oil for seasoning - 1 tablespoon

(Sesame) Gingily Oil - 1 or 2 teaspoons

Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon

Asfoetida powder

Tamarind - very little

Method:

Wash Curry Leaves and Drain Water. Toss in a heated Pan for a couple of minutes. When its almost room temperature, grind the leaves with Ginger, Tamarind and Peppercorns using water little by little. Do not use more water.

Heat Oil in a Kadai and tamper the Mustard Seeds. Add the Asafoetida powder and then add the ground paste. Add Salt and Fry until all the moisture is absorbed.

Serve a teaspoon of this with a cup of hot steaming rice and a spoon of ghee. Mix well and enjoy the delight.

Lima Beans Kootu

The Nutritious Lima Beans, sometimes called 'butter beans' is rich in fiber and also reduces cholestrol and is very good for diabetic people as it prevents rise in blood sugar levels that rises rapidly after meals. It also provides fat free high quality protein. For more information on Lima Beans CLICK HERE.

Here is a recipe thats delicious and yet a healthy choice for everyone. This is a regular Kootu where I added cooked mashed Lima Beans to the kootu instead of Toor Dal. The taste is superb and the feel of consuming a healthy food is wonderful.



Ingredients:

1 Cup Lima Beans (Large or Small)
Chopped Cabbage - 1 Cup
Chopped Beans - 1 Cup (Chopped into 1/2 inch size)
Tomato - 2 (Chopped)
Tamarind Concentrate - 1 teaspoon
Kootu Powder - 1 teaspoon ( or substitute with the usual sambar powder)
Oil for seasoning
Mustard Seeds
Urud Dal
Asafoetida
Turmeric Powder
Curry Leaves
Salt as required

Method:

Soak Lima Beans in water overnight.

Pressre Cook Lima Beans and Mash it well.

Fry the chopped tomato (no oil or water required) and add the mashed lima beans and stir until it blends well with the Tomato. Keep it aside.

Heat Oil in a kadai and tamper the Mustard seeds. Add the Urud Dal and when it turns golden, add the Cabbage and Beans. Pour some water and allow it to boil.

While the vegetables are boiling, add the Tamarind Concetrate, Turmeric Powder, Asafoetida Powder, Curry Leaves and Salt.

When the Vegetables become tender, add the Kootu or Sambar Powder (I used Kootu Powder).

Stir well and add the Mashed Lima Beans. Stir until the beans blends well to become a gravy.

Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with Rice or Roti.

Kovakka Palya / Tindora Roast

Tindora or Kovakka is one vegetable I cook in Microwave and then Roast in a Kadai to make it more crispier. Here's how I make the curry with Kovakka.

Ingredients:

Chopped Kovakka - 2 Cups

Oil for seasoning

Mustard Seeds - 1 teaspoon

Urud Dal - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric Powder

Asafoetida Powder

Red Chilli Powder

Salt

Method:

Put the chopped Vegetable in a Microwave Safe Bowl. ( I use Microwave Rice Cooker to Cook Vegetables). Wash and Drain the Water. Close a Lid with a vent and cook in Microwave in High for 6 to 7 minutes.

Heat Oil in a wide Non Stick Kadai and tamper the Mustard Seeds, then add the Urud Dal. When it turns golden brown, add the cooked vegetable. Stir and add the other Ingredients. Fry until the Vegetable is roasted.

Serve as side for Saaru anna (Rasam Rice) or any Rice variety like Huli Anna (Sambar Rice).

The vegetable can be chopped vertically too.

This is a simple lunch plate for my little daughter. She loves this curry with Saaru Anna.

Tomato Chapathis

Experimenting with Tomatoes which is the JFI for the month of April, hosted by RP of My Work Shop, I tried a new dish. I actually wanted to contribute some gravy with this versatile vegetable and finally landed in preparing delicious Tomato Chapathis. Awesome delight for Tomato Lovers. Here's how I made.

Ingredients:

Red Ripe Tomatoes - 4 to 5

Oil for seasoning

Cumin Seeds - 1 tablespoon

Red Chilli Powder

Asafoetida Powder

Salt

Wheat Flour - 1 1/2 to 2 cups

Method:

Heat Oil in a Kadai and add the Cumin Seeds, then add the Chopped Tomatoes. (Blancing the Tomatoes is optional). When the content heats up add the Red Chilli Powder, Turmeric Powder, Asafoetida Powder and Salt.

Fry the Tomatoes until the Tomtoes are well mashed and blends into a gravy.

Allow it to cool completely.

Add Wheat Flour little by little to the cooled gravy. Add little water only if required. Knead the dough well. Do not add oil or salt as the gravy already contains those ingredients.

Proceed like doing the regular chapathis. Make small balls out of the dough. Roll and Toss in the hot Tawa. Use Ghee on both sides, if the chapathis are consumed immediately or use Oil if its going to be consumed after some time.

These colorful Chapathis go well with a dollop of Sour Cream or Yogurt. No other special gravy required.