Simple Vegetable Made Of Ivy Gourd

In Marathi ivy gourd is called tondli, my simple recipe made with saar masala is always a hit and super simple to make. I vouch for the amazing taste of this simple preparation eaten with phulkas and also curd rice. One of my favourites too.

Ingredients 

1/2 kg of ivy gourds cleaned, ends removed and chopped into thin roundels
Salt to taste
1/2 a tspn of sugar
1/2 tspn of chilli powder
1 tspn of saar masala
Oil, mustard seeds, asafoetida and turmeric powder for the tempering
Fresh coriander for the garnish

Method

In pan take oil and make a tempering, for this preparation you need a little more oil than we would normally use. Now add the ivy gourd and let it cook on a slow flame, keep stirring and once the colour changes a little, add the dry spices and cook till almost crisp. In the picture you can see some pieces almost brown too. They taste yummy. You need to be around stirring the vegetable at intervals else it will burn. No covering since we want it like a stir fry.
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                                                                    Arugula Salad

The salad which you see here has all the other ingredients too but I am calling it Arugula since the dominant flavour and ingredient is arugula. I love the leaves on my pizza and a lots of them!! Love the combination of cheese, arugula with the drizzle of olive oil.....super yummm. I have wandered off the main topic, let me give you the recipe for the salad. The credit for the salad goes to my daughter Ashwini.

Ingredients

A huge bunch of arugula or rocket leaves roughly torn
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup grated beetroot
1/2 cup grated cucumber, water squeezed out
1/2 cup pomegranate
1/2 cup of fresh cranberries
A few pieces of cottage cheese, you can crumble it and use it too
A drizzle of honey
A drizzle of olive oil
A squeeze of lime
A dash of pepper powder

Method

in a large mixing bowl take all the ingredients except the salt, toss well and keep ready, add salt if required just before serving. Many people have salads without salt, the choice is yours. Can be had at any time of the day.

                             
                                                                Batatyacha Bhareet

One more in my salad series, this is a favourite among the ones made on festival days. Tastes yum with all the pulao varieties, moist enough to be eaten with chapati and pooris too. Here goes the recipe

Ingredients

4 potatoes boiled, peeled and chopped into small squares, they are the main ingredient of the salad
3 big cups of fresh thick yogurt

For the tempering

2 tbsp of clarified butter
3 dry red chillies, broken into small pieces
1 tspn cumin seeds
1 small spoon of asafoetida
1 tspn of split black gram lentil

Fresh coriander for garnishing
Salt to taste

In a bowl take the pieces of potato, make a tempering of the clarified butter, cumin seeds, let them splutter, add the asafoetida, now the lentil, wait till it turns golden, now the chillies, make them crisp, add to the potatoes. Keep this ready till you are ready to serve. When it is time to serve add the yogurt, the coriander, salt and mix well. Serve with your meal a s a side. The medley of textures like the soft potatoes, the crisp chilli, the crackle of the lentil is fun to savour. 

                     
                                                             Vegetable Galouti Kabab

A kabab always manages to tempt me!! Though a vegetarian I am attracted to all the non-vegetarian kababs like the malai, reshmi,  acahri, galouti.......and many more. When I see my son eating the galouti kabab with so much liking I tried to make a vegetarian version at home. Looking at the texture I felt they were melting in the mouth, a little difficult to even pick up, the name Galouti is very apt I must confess. Here goes my version of the melting in the mouth kabab recipe.

For pressure cooking to 1 whistle I used all the vegetables below roughly chopped

1 beetroot
1 carrot
1 large potato
50 gms of french beans
A few cabbage leaves
4 cauliflower florets
4 broccoli florets
1/2 cup green peas
Drain well in colander and keep ready

The next set of ingredients

3 slices of wheat bread
4 green chillies crushed
1 tspn of cumin powder
1 tspn of dry mango powder
1 tspn of ginger paste
1 cup full of coriander chopped
Salt to taste
Semolina for coating the kababs

Method

Once you are ready with all the ingredients, put all together in a mixing bowl except the semolina.
Now mix all well, make equal sized balls, coat them with semolina, pan fry like patties with oil, flipping on either side and making them to a nice crisp brown. Savour with green chutney, sauce, mustard sauce or dip of your choice.

I need to mention here that it is difficult to bring together and bind the kababs since the vegetables arr pressure cooked. You need to work hard to get the texture. 

                           
                                                               Aromatic Dal Khichdi

This dish comes under one of my experi-mental dishes and believe me this has been my most aromatic, tasty and flavourful of them!! Dominated by the flavour of the awesome fresh parsley, green chilli, which is my favorite, has been added for the heat. Blissful one pot meal with a drizzle of the home made clarified butter!! is what I would call it. So here goes the simple preparation.

Ingredients

1 cup long grain rice soaked and drained
1 cup split pigeon pea lentil soaked and drained
1 huge bunch of parsley chopped roughly
3 green chillies chopped
Salt to taste
A dash of lime juice
Oil, mustard seeds, asafoetida and turmeric powder for tempering

Method

In a vessel take the lentil and the rice, add water double the quantity, a pinch of asafoetida and a pinch of turmeric powder, pressure cook to 2 whistles and keep ready. 
Now in a kadhai take oil, and make a tempering with mustard seeds, asafoetida, turmeric powder, add the chopped chillies, saute a bit, add the chopped parsley and saute, now add the rice lentil mix, add salt to taste, stir well and add water if you find it too thick. It should be a semi flowy consistency, mix well add a dash of lime juice mix well and serve garnished with parsley and a helping of clarified butter.

                                                                     Kantola  Bhaji

A vegetable from the gourd family, Teasle Gourd, on the lines of Bitter gourd but less bitter and much smaller in size. Makes for a good accompaniment in a meal platter, both as  dry and curry preparation.

Ingredients

250 gms Kantola
1/2 cup freshly scraped coconut
2 onions chopped fine
1 big tomato chopped fine
1 small spoon ginger garlic paste
1 spoon garam masala
1/2 spoon aamchur
Salt to taste
1 small spoon chilli powder
1 table spoon tamarind pulp
1 small spoon mustard seeds
1 small spoon asafoetida
1 small spoon turmeric powder
Oil for tempering
Finely chopped coriander for garnishing

Method
Wash, deseed and chop kantola into small squares, take oil in a kadhai add mustard seeds let them splutter, add asafoetida, turmeric powder and then add the chopped kantola let it cook well then add salt, aamchur, chilli powder and the scraped coconut, kaap aside.
In another kadhai take little oil add chopped onion, ginger garlic paste and cook till light brown , add just enough salt for the masala, add the chopped tomatoes, the tamarind pulp, garam masala, now once the masala is ready add the cooked kantola, mix well garnish with chopped coriander serve with roti or hot hot phulkas.

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