Stuffed tomato in rich gravy

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Is tomato a vegetable or a fruit? Debate continues. Who cares! Aap Aam khao, pedh kyoun gin na? Tomato is used in many recipes for its sour taste and its color also. Tomatoes are used to make rasam, sambhar, salad, chutney, juice and even the  face pack. And it comes handy when we are out of vegetables in the fridge. But only thing is the tomatoes should be ripe and firm. Normally hybrid (salad) tomatoes are used to make this stuffed style. As these tomatoes are firm and don't have juicy pulp inside and they taste sweet also.

I avoid tomatoes as much as possible as my hubby has kidney stone problem. I replace tomato with kokam, lemon, tamarind, curds or dry mango. But tomato is tomato, it has its own texture, color and taste.

A very easy and rich food which looks great on dining table and tastes great too. Let's start the recipe.

SERVES 3

Ingredients:

Fully ripe red hybrid tomatoes - 6

Onion - 1 big or two medium

Red dry chilly - 4 to 6

Almond powder - 1/4 cup or less

ginger - 1/2" piece

garlic cloves - 3-4

or ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp

(you can drop garlic and use only ginger also)

Fresh coriander - handful

Red chilly powder - 1 tsp

Rock salt - as per taste(use the normal salt also if you don't have the rock salt)

Whenever possible I use rock salt as it's better than the table salt and tastes great)

Haldi or turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Garam masala - 1 tsp

dry methi or kasuri methi - 1 tsp

Fresh cream - 1/4 cup

Oil - 1 tbsp + 1 tsp to roast the onions

Water to grind into paste

Method:

• Clean, peel and chop the onions.
• Fry onion and dry red chilly with a tsp of oil till brown, add ginger and garlic also before you take it off the stove.
• Keep it to cool in a plate.
• Wash and wipe the tomatoes.
• Trim the stem end of tomatoes carefully to get a flat opening. With a small round spoon take out the pulp slowly without disturbing Its firmness. If pulp is not very watery you can use it in the masala.

• Take the fried stuff, salt, chilly powder, haldi and grind into a little coarse paste.
• Remove in a plate. Check the taste and adjust accordingly.
• Now, stuff the tomatoes with this masala. Once all are stuffed, some more masala will be left out.
• Take non stick kadai (I use pans from Sanjeev Kapoor's wonderchef product which was gifted by my brother. The pans are magical) or a normal one.
• Heat oil in the kadai. Once hot, add the stuffed tomatoes slowly and close with the lid for few minutes. Cook on a slow flame. Open the lid and add the remaining masala. Mix slowly. Close the lid again and cook for 3-4minutes.

• Till that take the fresh cream and beat it with the beater or fork or small blender. Add the cream, garam masala and kasuri methi. Mix gently and cook for a minute. Remove from the stove. Serve hot with phulka, chapati or naan. 
• Note: You can add fresh scrambled paneer in masala. 

Keep Smiling, 

ISKCON HERITAGE FESTIVAL AND FRESH LIME/LEMON CHUTNEY

Tried and tasted by Nivedita
Hi All,

How are you? I know its a long gap. I am not able to give time to my blogging which is very close to my heart. Without giving unwanted and unnecessary reasons, let me share with you a quickest, easiest and tangiest, tastiest chutney. 

I never knew that we can make chutney with whole lime or lemon. And I was careless to know also about the difference between Lime and Lemon. So ignorant I am many times. Now, I am happy  that I know both. 

The information from google I got about the difference between  lime and lemon : 

(Lemon vs Lime - Difference and Comparison | www.diffen.com/difference/Lemon_vs_Lime)

"Lemons and limes are both very acidic but have slightly different flavors and scents. Lemons have a sour, acidic taste, while a lime has a bitter, acidic taste. Both citrus fruits are frequently used in cooking and cocktails, as well a variety of household products."

And NOW the recipe for the chutney :

Before giving the recipe let me thank my dearest and sweetest friend Vaishali for sharing this recipe with me. Last week I went to her house after my  college as we both were invited as judges for Inter school cookery competition organised by ISKCON-HUBLI on the occasion of HERITAGE FESTIVAL.  It was an honor for us to get the invitation from ISKCON. 

When I went her home, she had prepared Mooli paratha for me and with that I was searching something to eat as I know her fridge is always full of chutneys, dips, pickles. Then she told me to take Lime chutney. I thought she is kidding as I never heard about making chutney using lime. I asked her for the recipe before tasting it. When she told whole limes are used in it, I was really surprised. I asked her twice is it really a lime chutney? Then she told me to taste it and see. It was really very good. It tasted like the lime pickle. But when we can't make lime pickle and keep, this is the best way  instead of using ready made pickles. Vaishali is a great cook and has an amazing knowledge about food and recipes. And moreover  a wonderful human being who always is smiling, what ever life offers her. I love her for that and respect her more like an elder sister. 

And again before going to the recipe, let me share our experience about cooking competition at ISKCON. It was a divine experience for me. I want to thank Shri.Ramdas of ISKCON, who followed my blog for few months and selected me and invited me as a judge. I really thank him from the bottom of my heart. And when cooking event takes place, Vaishali is always there with me. It never has happened that I had gone somewhere without her. So she too joined me as a judge. 

One more sweet surprise was I got a chance to meet Anushruti RK, a recipe developer, food writer and photographer of  http://www.divinetaste.com/ . It was a great opportunity for me to meet her and share the responsibility with her. Very sweet, simple and inspiring lady.

Competition was really good. Students had put lot of effort. Here are few photos from the competition. 

 

  

Now, now its time for the recipe:

Ingredients:

Fresh Lime/lemon -3 big or 4 small.

Methi(Fenugreek) seeds - 1 tsp, roasted 

Rock salt to taste

Sugar - 1 tbsp or more if the limes are very sour.

or Jaggery 1 tbsp(Taste differs)

Red chilly powder 2 tsp or more if you want it spicy.

For tempering : (optional)

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds

A pinch of hing or asafoetida 

Method:

Wash and wipe the lemons.

Cut into four and de seed all the lemons. Please take care not to leave one seed also. Or else chutney will be very bitter.

Take all the ingredients and put in a blender to make it a fine paste.

Transfer it to a bowl.

Temper it with mustard seed and hing. 

Chutney is ready to eat with parathas, hot rice, chapati and just like that. 

Keep Smiling,

VEG MAKHANWALA FOR PPCS

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

This new trial is for you all and for potluck party dearies.

I just tried it without any plan in my head. (That's what happens always), but this one is awesome. It almost tasted like the restaurant one, may be better than that :-)

Its perfect with naan, paratha, puri or simple plain rice.

My 2 year niece had it plain in a bowl just like that. What else other appreciation I need then?

Coming to the recipe,

Ingredients :

Mixed vegetables - 1 big cup, finely chopped into cubes)

(fresh beans, carrot, Cauliflower, green pea)

Green chilly - 1 finely chopped

Onion - 2 big

Tomato - 2 big

Oil - 1

salt to taste

red chilly powder - 1 tsp or to taste

Haldi - 1/4 tsp

Milk - 1/4 cup or fresh cream 1 tbsp

Hung curd - 1 tbsp or Normal curd, try to sieve it and remove water

Butter - 1 tbsp + 1 tsp

Kasuri methi - 1 tsp(optional)

Kitchen King masala powder - 1 to 1 1/2 tsp(MUST FOR THIS)

Fresh Coriander - 1 tbsp for garnishing

Method:

• First fry all the mixed vegetables and green chilly in 1 tsp of ghee till they are soft(around 10 minutes).
• Keep it aside.
• While you are frying these,
• Boil the onions and tomatoes separately either in a vessel on a  stove top or in Microwave for 2 minutes.(I used the MW)
• Allow these to cool.
• First grind the onion into paste, transfer into a bowl.
• Then paste the tomatoes. Keep it ready.
• Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadai.
• Add the onion paste, fry for few minutes.
• Add the tomato paste and mix well. cook for 2 minutes.
• Now add red chilly powder, kasuri methi, haldi and salt and hung curd. Mix well and cook till it leaves oil from the sides.

• Add the fried vegetables and milk, mix well. Add the Kitchen king masala.
• Cook for few minutes. add the butter before removing it from the heat.
• Garnish with coriander and serve hot.

Sending it to the event  

Potluck party, Cyber style! - Fun and the Challeng... 

 Keep Smiling,

OKRA IN KOKUM CURRY for PPCS

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

10th of September! I am here again, presenting you my recipe for POTLUCK PARTY CYBER STYLE which is started by Jagruti and this month Sowmya Karthy of  http://nivedhanams.blogspot.in/ is hosting the event. 

OKRA or LADY FINGER or BHINDI again! Yes! last time I brought Okra Chutney which was liked by many of you all. This time also I am with Okra dish. I had planned something else for the party but when I tasted this curry I thought this special curry should go to our Party first.

Without much introduction lets go to the ingredients directly. 

 

Ingredients:

Okra or  lady finger - 10 to12 big

Oil - 1 tbsp to fry 

Lime juice - 1 tsp

Kokum - 1tbsp soaked in warm water for 1/2 an hour(i tbsp is enough as kokum is strong)

Salt to taste

Red chilly powder - 2 tsp or as per the taste

Haldi - 1/4 tsp

Jaggery - 1 tbsp

Oil - tsp 

To make curry powder

Dry roast

Coriander seeds - 2 tsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Chana dal - 1 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Pepper - 1 tsp

Green chilly - 1, chopped

Curry leaves - few

Fresh coconut - 2 tbsp, grated

Ginger - 1/4"

 

Method:

Wash and pat dry the bhindi , cut into 1" pieces. 

Fry in a pan with 1 tbsp oil till light brown adding a dash of lime juice.

Dry roast all the ingredients in a pan and when cold, grind into a coarse powder. Add the kokum paste and grind into fine paste.

Heat oil in a kadai.

Add the ready paste and fry till it leaves the sides. Add  salt, jaggery, salt and haldi. Mix well and cook for few minutes. 

Add 1 cup of water and cook for a minute. Check the taste and consistency of the curry. Adjust it if necessary. 

Add fried Okra. Cover and cook for 3 minutes.

Remove from the fire. Wait for some time(at least half an hour) before serving so that okra gets the curry taste in it. Make it hot before serving.

Serve with Chapati or hot rice and ghee and Paapad. 

Sending it to the event 

Keep Smiling, 

SPICY POTATO GRAVY

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

How are you? Life is busy. We need to be very quick like the chefs in big restaurants. When we have kids, we should cook like a robot as we don't know when they get hungry and ask for something to eat. As mother's universal rule, we always want to feed them good home made healthy food and we should be prepared for the same. Why am I giving so much introduction to this post? Because I made this gravy on my younger daughter's demand which was surprising for me. She is a fussy eater, she likes very few food and suddenly she felt like eating chicken curry. When ever I make chicken curry, she eats only the curry as she does not like chicken. As the Shravan month is going on, this was the first time I stopped making non veg at home. I did not wanted to break this rule. So I convinced her that I will give the curry and went to kitchen to prepare something which tastes nearer to the chicken curry. Then I saw the potatoes. 

Here is the next story of my potato gravy. Its quick and very tasty. You will forget the chicken taste if you are a non vegetarian. 

Ingredients:

Potato : 3 big

Green chilly - 1, finely chopped

Salt to taste

Haldi - 1/2 tsp

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Oil - 1 tsp

Red chilly powder  

Curds or yogurt - 1 tbsp

 to make paste

Onion - 1 medium 

Tomato - 2 medium(check the sourness)

Ginger and garlic paste - 1 tsp(fresh)

Fresh coriander - 1/2 bunch

Cinnamon - 1/4" 

Clove -2

Cardamom - 3 seeds

Pepper - 4 to 6

Method:

Boil the potatoes either on a gas stove with little water for 10 minutes or use Microwave for 5 minutes to boil the potatoes.(I used the microwave).

Once cold, peel and cut into small cubes. Keep it aside.

Mean while, take all the ingredients under"to make paste" label, grind into a smooth paste.

Heat oil in a pan or kadai, add the green chilly and ground paste and fry till it starts leaving its sides. Add salt, haldi, red chilly powder and curd. Mix well. Add the cubed potatoes and fry for some time. Add 1 cup of water and boil for few minutes. Add that extra tsp of oil and cook for two more minutes. Adjust the seasoning and remove from heat. 

Garnish with fresh coriander and serve it with hot rotla or chapati or roti or naan or hot rice. We all loved it with chapati.It goes well with Puri also.

Keep Smiling, 

SPICY METHI LEAVES AND GRAM FLOUR CAKE

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

It was long time that I posted something from my place, North Karnataka recipes. This recipe is an extension of Gram flour vadi :-), Are you laughing at my word "extension". I have added methi leaves to the basic recipe. Gram flour vadi is very common food in North Karnataka and there are many versions of this and this is prepared even using green gram flour which is healthier than this one.

Coming to the recipe now,

Adding methi leaves definitely is an advantage for the mothers like me who wants their kid to have green monster(according to kids :-) ). Make these vadas or small cakes and serve it with chapati. I again crumbled it and spread it on the chapati to make it roll and gave it to my younger one.

Ingredients:

Gram flour - 1 cup

Fresh Methi leaves - 3 small bunches or 2 big one

Onion - 2 big

Green chilly - 2 or as per the taste

Salt to taste

Curry leaves - few

Oil - 2 tbsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Haldi - 1/2 tsp

Tamarind paste - 2 tbsp

Method :

Clean and wash the methi leaves. Keep it in a colander to remove the water.

Finely chop the onion. (I used food processor)

Finely chop the methi leaves, green chilly and curry leaves(again I used food processor, its a boon for me )

Using food processor will help you to get the fine texture.

If you don't have the processor, chop it finely with a sharp knife.

Heat oil in a thick bottomed kadai.

Add cumin seeds and onion together. Fry till it turns golden color. Add the gram flour and fry till the aroma comes. Don't leave in the middle. It may take 5 to 7 minutes.

Add the chopped methi and green chilly. Mix and fry till both the gram flour and methi leaves blends well. 

Cover with a lid and cook for few minutes. Open, add salt and haldi.

Mix well and keep frying for few minutes more. Add the tamarind paste, mix well, cover and cook it starts leaving the edge. 

Transfer it on a wide plate. Spread it on the plate to get the round or rectangular shape with little thickness. Allow it to cool. Cut into desired shape(square, rectangle, triangle or diamond). Usually its cut into diamond shape, but here I cut it into triangles. Anyways, the taste won't differ with shape :-)

As there is no water added to it, you can take it while travelling for a day or two. 

Enjoy it with hot chapati or Jowar roti. 

Keep Smiling,

AN INSTANT MANGO PICKLE FOR POT LUCK PARTY

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Mango, the King of all the Fruits, tastes the best, let it be in any size or shape or of any variety. Show me the person who does not like mangoes. 
And we all have a very sweet memories with raw mango and pickles and chutneys.

When I became the part of the event Potluck party, Cyber style! - Fun and the Challeng...which Jagruti have started, I did not had second thoughts about posting this as my first entry to her event., A very nice idea by her(as usual), but the plus point of this event is you will also gain the popularity while promoting other blogger. The basic motto of this event is to GROW TOGETHER.

I love you Jagruti for getting such a fantastic idea. And I loved the cute lady on the logo..

Here is the recipe for an instant pickle which is very tasty. You can keep it for 15 days or so, but in my house, it never lasts for a week. There are two reasons for it, one is pickle is not my cup of tea !!! it gets spoiled very soon even after taking all the safety measures. And the second one is my husband and elder daughter consider it as a vegetable not a side dish :-)

I am more connected with this because these mangoes are directly picked from our trees.

So enjoy our favourite side dish:

Ingredients:

Raw Mangoes - 10

For Masala:

Oil - 1/4 cup

Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp, crushed

Methi seed powder - 1 tsp

A picnh of Hing(I used crystal ones, and just a size of 2 mustard seeds)

Salt to taste (I have used crystal salt and crushed into powder, but optional, if you have add it, it gives unique taste)

Red Chilly Powder - 3 tbsp or as per the taste of your chilly powder. (I Have used the home made chilly powder)

Haldi or turmeric powder -1 tsp

Sugar - 1/8 cup

For tadka:

Oil -1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 10-15

Method:

Soak the mangoes in a clean water for 15 minutes. Clean well. Remove and dry each mango with clean cloth.

Allow to dry for some time(half an hour)

Cut in to small size cubs with clean knife. I used the old traditional vegetable cutter 

(picture courtesy konkanifoodie (I forgot to click the photo of my cutter, I will add the photo once I am back to my place))

Transfer these into sterilized jar or the clean jar in which you are going to store the pickle.

Add the crushed salt or normal salt to the jar mix well and keep it aside.

Heat kadai and add 1/4 cup of oil. When hot. reduce the flame and add methi seeds powder, mustard seed powder and hing. Off the flame. Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder. Allow it to cool.

Add the mixture to the jar. Mix well. Add sugar and mix well.

Keep it covered for half a day.

For Tadka,

Heat 1 tbsp oil.

Add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Remove from the heat. 

Add it to the pickle jar once cool.

Mix well.

Cover and store in a fridge IF YOU CAN RESIST EATING IT AND FINISHING IT RIGHT NOW :-)

Sending this to two events:

One is Jagruti's 

Potluck party, Cyber style! - Fun and the Challeng...

and the other one is 

Nanaya's (simplysensationalfood) 

Announcing Event Lets Cook ~Pickles

Keep Smiling,

Fried Potato Cubes

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Lunch box :-), I love to cook lunch and pack it  for my kids. This gives little work to my idle brain. I need to be very specific as their school won't allow few foods like Curry or Sambhar (watery), Upma, Eggs, non veg, Poha, bread and chips. My elder daughter loves to take different type of food as she loves to share her lunch with her friends and they love it. And that makes me a proud mother :-). 

Most of the times I pack the different variety of rice for my elder daughter's lunch. But this Potato fry is my daughter's most favorite lunch. Many times she takes only the fry, but I pack the chapati with it without telling her :-) 

A very simple recipe but tasty and good food  for kids.

Ingredients :

Potatoes - 3 big

Salt to taste

Red chilly powder - to taste or 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Method :

Wash and peel the potatoes. 

Cut into small cubes.

Heat the oil in a kadai.

Add these potato cubes.

Keep on stirring and frying till the potato gets 3/4th cooked. 

Add salt and chilly powder, mix well and fry till its golden brown.

Remove from the heat and transfer it on a plate.

Allow it to cool and pack it with Soft Chapatis. 

I tried to bake and grill it in the OTG, but the taste was not that good and it became very dry..

It can be rolled into chapati with some sauce or ketchup and make it a Fried Potato roll to serve it hot. Or it can be eaten just like that.

Keep Smiling, 

BITTER GOURD CHIPS AND CURDS

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Bitter Gourd!!! Do not close the page.. Read it full and you will be tempted to try this out. A very tasty side dish. 

Past few days, my daughter wants to have it often and bitter gourd is in my fridge always.

Ingredients:

Bitter Gourd - 2 big

Corn flour  - 1 tsp

Rice flour - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste(less as we use salt to clean the bitter gourd)

Chilly powder - 1 tsp

Ajwain - 1/2 tsp

Oil to fry

To clean the bitter gourd
Salt 1 tbsp or to cover the bitter gourd
A pinch of turmeric powder

For CURDS
Yogurt - 1 cup
Salt to taste
Pepper powder - a pinch





Method:

Wash the bitter gourd.

Peel the skin and cut into two parts.

Remove the seeds.

Mix the salt and haldi and apply it well to both the sides.

Keep it for an hour or two.

Squeeze and wash the pieces twice.

Cut into thin slices and allow to dry.

Heat the oil.

You can either shallow fry or deep fry. But I felt the deep fried chips took less oil than the shallow fried ones.

Keep it for some time till they get crispy.

Just before serving 

Prepare the curds with given ingredients.

Add the crispy chips and serve it.

These fried bitter gourd chips can be kept for 2 days.

Before it is served on the table, it gets over as my hubby and my daughter fights to have it first and finish.


Keep Smiling,