Nutty Beans

  Ingredients

  200gms round green beans cut into 1/2" bits
  1 tb sp finely chopped onions
  1 t sp finely chopped ginger and garlic
  1 tb sp tomato puree
  3/4 t sp whole cumin seeds
  1 heaped tsp coriander powder
  1/2 t sp haldi/ turmeric powder
  salt and chilli powder to taste
  1 tb sp roasted pine nuts
  1 1/2 tb sps cooking oil

 Method

• Heat oil in a kadai or frypan till just beginning to smoke.
• Lower heat and add cumin seeds and let them splutter. Quickly add chopped onions and fry till soft.
• Add ginger garlic and fry for three minutes.
• Add haldi, coriander powder and chilli powder and fry for two minutes without letting the masala burn.
• Add tomato puree and cook for 3 minutes till all the ingredients are well blended.
• Add the beans, stir well till all are coated with the masala.
• Sprinkle a tb sp of water, cover and let it cook  in its own steam till the beans are tender but still crunchy.
• Take off the lid, add fresh coriander and toss well.
• Sprinkle the roasted pine nuts, toss and cook for a minute so that the flavour of the nuts blends with the beans.
• Enjoy with hot rotis,dinner rolls or rice and dal.

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 Note: This is a dish that I've tasted in a restaurant in Bangalore and tried to recreate following my taste buds. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  
  

Adraki Gobi Aloo /Cauliflower and potatoes with ginger

  

    Ingredients

  6 cauliflower florets
  2 medium size potatoes
  1 1/2" piece of ginger cut into julliens
  1/2 t sp haldi(turmeric) powder
  salt to taste
  chilli powder to taste
  coriander / cilantro for garnish
  2 tb sps cooking oil

   Method

• Wash and cut the cauliflower florets into four.
• Wash, peel and cut the potatoes into wedged and then cut into halves.
• Heat oil in a kadai or fry pan.
• Add cauliflower, potatoes and mix well with the oil.
• Lower heat, add haldi, chilli powder and salt and mix it well till evenly coated.
• Add ginger julliens, stir and cover with a tight fitting lid to cook in its own steam. Keep the flame low.
• Remove the lid and stir gently from time to time making sure that any drops of water on the lid fall back into the pan.If it looks dry, sprinkle a few drops of water and cover and cook till tender but not disintegrating.
• Remove the lid and let it fry gently till no water is left and the oil begins to separate.
• It should be quite soft but not mushy when done.
• Transfer to a flat dish and garnish with coriander leaves and ginger julliens.
• Enjoy with hot roties or rice and dal.

Bhindi Do Pyaza (okra with onions)

Ingredients

200 gms small tender bhindi (okra)
1 medium sized onion sliced thick
1 medium sized tomato sliced
1/2 t sp dhania( coriander) powder
1/4 tsp haldi (turmeric) powder
chilli powder to taste
salt to taste
1/2 cup oil for frying



      Method

• wash, drain and dry the bhindi.
• trim both the ends and give a small slit length wise.
• heat oil in a frypan and fry bhindi in two batches till golden brown.Drain out the excess oil on a kitchen towel.
• remove excess oil from the fry pan to be used later, leaving 11/2 tb sps in the frypan.
• add sliced onions and fry till just turning golden.
• Add sliced tomatos and fry for 3 minutes.
• add dhania, haldi,and chilli powder and fry till the raw smell goes.
• add the fried bhindi and mix well without breaking it.
• add salt and mix it gently and cover with a loose lid for 2 minutes.
• take the lid off and fry for another 3 minutes turning the bhindi gently.
• transfer the bhindi to a dish and garnish it with ginger julliens.
• serve with hot rotis or rice and dal.

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Mixed Vegetable pulao

Ingredients

1cup basmati rice
1 medium sized onion
1 large tomato
1/2cup cauliflower florets
1 medium sized carrot
10-15green beans stringed
1/2cup shelled green peas
salt to taste
1/2 tb.sps cooking oil or ghee
3/4 t sp cumin seeds
1 large cardamom
1 1" stick cinnamon
3cloves
1 t sp black pepper corns
2cups water


Method

• wash and soak the rice for 1 hour.
• peel and slice onions.Wash and chop tomatoes.
• Peel carrot and dice it into small cubes.
• string beans and cut them into1/2" pieces.
• heat oil in a thick bottomed saucepan.
• add cumin, cardamom, cinnamon stick broken into two,cloves and peppercorns
• once they begin to crackle, add sliced onions and fry till golden brown.
• add chopped tomatoes and fry till soft.
• add salt and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.
• add the vegetables. Drain water from the rice and add to the pan.Once it begins to boil, lower heat and cover the pan.
• Stir gently as the water dries up and cover again till all the water has evaporated and rice is done.
• Serve with yoghurt, pickle and chutney.

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Note: For a new flavour each time vary the vegetables, using your imagination.

Mung Daal (yellow lentils)

Ingredients
11/2 cup mung daal
4 cups of water
1t sp finely chopped ginger
7 cloves garlic chopped fine
salt to taste
11/4 tsp haldi/turmeric powder
chilli powder to taste

For Tempering
1tb. sp finely chopped onions
1/2 t sp jeera /whole cumin
3 tsps or more ghee or butter or cooking oil
asefoetida a pinch (optional)


Method

• wash and soak daal for at least 15 minutes
• put daal, water, ginger, 4 cloves of chopped garlic, salt, haldi/turmeric and a pinch of chilli powder in the pressure cooker on a high flame
• bring to high pressure, lower heat after 1 whistle and let it cook on low heat for 2 minutes
• take it off the heat and let the pressure reduce naturally
• open the cooker and stir the daal well, put it back on flame and let it boil till well blended  but not mashed
• put the daal in a bowl and keep warm
• heat ghee in a fry pan and bring it to smoke,add chopped onions and fry till lightly brown. Add 3 cloves of garlic and fry till golden brown, add jeera and when it begins to change colour add asefoetida and chilli powder. Pour this mixture over the daal evenlly and gently spread it,taking care to have the tempering on top.
• Serve piping hot with boiled rice, roties or toasted bread of your choice.
• pickle, chutney and a salad made with roughly chopped onions, tomatos cucumber add to the meal.

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Note: If not using a pressure cooker,soak the daal for over an hour and use extra water and a sauce pan with a tight fitting lid. When it boils, lower heat ,keep the lid slightly open and keep stirring off and on till the daal is tender and well blended.

You can temper the daal without onions, using the rest of the ingredients.If using oil for tempering, adding a knob of butter before serving will enhance the taste. 

Kaddu ki sabzi (pumpkin)

  Ingredients

200 gms yellow pumpkin
1 heaped t sp panch puran (mix mustard seeds,saumph/fennel, methi/ fenugreek, jeera/cumin, kalonji/onion seeds in equal quantities and store.)
 1dry red chilli
1t sp. chopped ginger
1/2 t sp coriander powder
salt to taste
chilli powder to taste
1/2 t sp amchur(mango powder) or 1 tsp tmrind pulp or a few drops of lemon juice
3-4 tsps cooking oil
corriander /cilantro for garnishing

Method

• peel, wash and cut the pumpkin into cubes
• heat oil in a kadai or frypan till it begins to smoke, lower heat, add the dry red chilli broken into two pieces
• add the panch puran and as it begins to splutter add the pumpkin and stir well
• add coriander powder,salt and chilli powder(optinal) and stir well for a minute
• add the chopped ginger
• cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and let the pumpkin cook  on low heat in its own steam
• stir after 3 minutes and cover again.It should leave moisture which should be enough to cook it but if it seems dry, sprinkle a bit of water.
• let it cook covered till tender stirring once or twice
• Remove cover and dry out the extra moisture if any
• add the mango powder/ tamrind pulp/ lemon juice and mix it in
• cook for a further2-3 minutes .The pumpkin should be soft and begining to break but should not have any water left.
• transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with coriander/cilantro leaves and ginger julliens
• tastes best with puri or roti and is pretty good with rice and daal

Punjabi Rajma

Ingredients

1 cup rajma soaked over night or 1 can pre cooked red kidney beans
2 medium sized onions chopped
5 flakes of garlic smashed or 1 tsp garlic paste
1 small piece of ginger grated or ground  or 1 t sp of ginger paste
2 tomatoes chopped fine or 2 tb. spns of tomato puree
11/2 tb, sps cooking oil
1/4 t sp. haldi
1 tb sp corriander powder
salt to taste
chilli powder to taste
5 pepper corns
1/2  big  cardmom
3 cloves
2small sticks cinamon
chopped corriander/ cilantro leaves
11/2 -2 glasses of water..........if using pressure cooker to boil the beans

Method

• Pressure cook rajma for atleast 10 minutes or open ,drain and wash the canned kidney beans.
• Heat oil in a pan, add chopped onions and fry  on medium heat till golden brown and soft.
• Add the last four dry spices at this stage.
• add ginger garlic paste and fry for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle a bit of water if too dry.
• Add corriander powder, turmeric and chilli powder with a sprinkling of water and fry till the raw smell goes.
• Now add the tomatoes/puree and fry for at least 2-3 minutes. The masalas and onion tomato mixture should be well blended and the oil should begin to separate on the sides.
• Drain and save the water and add boiled rajma/beans to the pan and fry for another 3-4 minutes.
• Add the drained water, mix well and let it boil on high heat for 2-3 minutes till the curry thickens slightly.If using canned beans, add 11/2 glasses  of water(300ml)and let it boil till well blended and the consistecy you like.
• Garnish with chopped corriander/ cilantro leaves and serve with boiled rice.

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• Note: The last 4 dry spices can be added whole as mentioned or these can be ground and sprinkled on top at the end of cooking but it tastes just as yummy without these, so take the easiest option.
• The same recipe can be used for black eyed beans. These take less time to cook so should only be pressure cooked for 3-4 minutes. This tastes better if the curry is kept slightly thinner than the kidney beans.