WaterMelon Watermelon!!!!!!!

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

In summer, when you come home after long sunny day, if you see a glass of red color juice topped with ice cubes!!! How will you feel???

That is the wonder of Watermelon. A crunchy and tasty fruit, you will enjoy in any season, either as a bite or a sip.

From the sources(Watermelon - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia), it is said that, watermelons were being cultivated in China, which is today the world's single largest watermelon producer.

Water Melon is an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin A (http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=31).

It is also in debate that whether watermelon is a fruit or vegetable?? For me it is both, that too after checking the recipe(Taste of NorthIndia) by Sangi of simplydelicious. It is really very innovative recipe.

I love to have it in any form, crunchy bites removed from the fridge, a whole big glass of juice topped with ice cubes and seasoned with salt and pepper, in salad or dosa prepared with its skin. Yes!! dosas prepared using the skin of the watermelon tastes very good. Give it a try. Just add the peeled skin with soaked rice which you make for normal dosas.

Keep smiling,

Kaarchi Kai(Mini bitter gourd) Sabji

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

I do not know the English name of the vegetable in the photo, but in North Karnataka, we call it "Kaarchi kai"(Kannada). It tastes like bitter gourd. It is available only in the rainy season. It is having crunchy seeds. Its having tails on both the sides, need to be removed before we cook. One more thing to keep in mind is, if it is exposed to direct sun, it will open and split and the seeds will come out. Then you can not cook it.

"IF ANY ONE KNOWS ANY INFORMATION ABOUT IT, PLEASE SHARE WITH ME AND OTHERS, WHO WANTS TO KNOW ABOUT THIS"

Now, here is the recipe,

Kaarchi kai - 250 gms

Onion - 1 big chopped

Curry leaves - few

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Chilly powder - 1 tbsp

Haldi - a pinch

Fresh coconut - 1/4 cup

Salt to taste

Lime juice - 1 tbsp

Sugar or jaggery - 1 tbsp

Oil - 2 tbsp to fry

and 1 tbsp to prepare the masala

Wash the kaarchi kai, cut the tails and keep in closed bag, if you are not cooling immidiately. Keep in mind to cook as early as possible and not to expose it to the sun.

Heat oil in the kadai, fry the vegetable till slightly brown. Keep it aside in a plate. In the same kadai, add 1 tbsp oil. Add mustard seeds, jeera, curry leaves and onion. Fry for some time. Add kaarchi kai, salt, chilly powder, haldi, fresh coconut. Mix it properly and Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Off the heat. Add lemon juice and mix properly again. The vegetable is ready to serve.

It tastes good with Jowar rotti.

Keep smiling,

Aloo Pattice

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

My father used to love this! He was a great cook, and always tried new recipes in the kitchen. This was one of his favourite, he used to prepare for guests. This is from my mother. It tastes more delicious when she prepares it. A good snack for kids. They will love to eat with sauce or ketchup.

Main ingredient for this is, a green leafy vegetable called Kiraksali in Kannada. It is very common in North Karnataka. We usually just stir fry it with lot of onion and garlic. It tastes great with Jowar rotti.

Please help me to get the English name for this. I did lot of searching, but I could not get the name for this in English.

In Harsha Bennur's blog (http://girmitt.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/roasted-kirkasaali-tandulsa/), he has given the name as Tandulsa, I do not know which language it is.

You can substitute with Rajgiri leaves or methi leaves, but I am not sure about the taste.

Here is the recipe,

Potato -4 big

Haldi - 1/2 tsp

Kiraksali - 3 bunch(Washed, cleaned and finely chopped)

Green Pea(fresh or frozen) - 1/2 cup

Green chilly - 3 small chopped

Curry leaves - few chopped

Raisins - 8 to 10

Cashew nuts - 8 to 10 cut into pieces (optional)

Khus khus(poppy seeds) - 2 tbsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Dalda or Vanaspati - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Lime juice - 1 tsp

Rice flour to dust the pattice

Oil to fry the pattice

Boil the potatoes. When cool, mash it. Add little salt (1 tsp) and haldi, mix it properly and keep it aside.

Heat oil and vanaspati in kadai, add curry leaves, peas (if frozen, keep it out of the fridge for 10 minutes before using it), green chilly. Saute it for a minute, now add raisins, cashew nuts and poppy seeds. After a minute add kiraksali. Add salt and haldi. Mix it and let it cook till the green leaves are cooked. Now add lime juice and mix it and keep it aside.

Next step is to make pattice and fry them in oil.

Make equal size(Big lemon size) of mashed potato. Take one, and press it on your palm to make it flat. Stuff it with ready leafy vegetable. Take care to cover full vegetable with potato. Otherwise all the masala will come out while frying. Do for all the potato balls. Dust the ready balls with rice flour.

Now, heat the oil in kadai. When hot, fry the pattice one by one till golden color.

4 to 6 pattice can be prepared with this quantity.

Aloo Pattice is ready to serve with Ketchup or Sauce.
Linking it to
http://sindhirasoi.com/link/potato/

Keep smiling,