Drumstick vegetable, tomato and onion curry.

This is an absolute cracker of a recipe! Drumsticks can be quite a task to find if you do not live near an indian grocery store, but please please buy them if you ever see them because you will not regret it! Not only are they delicious in taste, but texture and health benefits too! Please if you get the chance to google this vegetable please do. This plant could literally save the world! It is an amazing plant. The plant or tree is actually called the moringa tree and most of the plant is edible, when you use the actual stick ( drumstick,) you do not eat the tough outer skin, you scrape out the flesh inside with a spoon or you can suck all the goodness out. I personally prefer to scrape everything out with a spoon and mix in some of the sauce into the mashy goodness. The leaves are very highly nutritious too so again, if you ever get the chance to have these, please do.
What i tend to do if i ever find any is to wash, dry and prepare them and then wrap them up well and pop them into the freezer. The freeze very well.

Anyway here is my version of this delicious dish. Please try and let me know what you think? :-) :-) :-)

Ingredients:-

2-4 young, plump and not damaged in any way drumsticks, washed and cut into 3-6 inch pieces.
1 onion,
3-4 tomatoes,
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds,
1/2 tsp cumin seeds,
2 cloves
a large pinch of hing,
about 10 curry leaves,
1/2 tsp turmeric,
1/2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder,
1-2 green chillies,
3/4 tsp ginger paste,
2 tsp sugar, or to taste.
salt to taste,
fresh green coriander to garnish.

Directions:-

1) Boil the drumsticks in slightly salted water for around ten minutes, or until the drumsticks are starting to open. Drain and set aside.

2) Dice the onion and wash and chop the tomato.

3) Heat 2 tbs oil in a pan and once the oil is hot enough, fry the mustard seeds until they pop like popcorn :-)then add the cumin seeds, cloves, hing and curry leaves and let them splutter for a moment before adding the diced onion and some salt.

4) Cook the onions until they are starting to brown at the edges and then add the chopped tomatoes. Cook these down until they are all nice and mushy - like a thick sauce.

5) Then add the turmeric and chilli powder with the sugar and give it a good mix.

6) Add about 1 1/2 cups of boiling water, cover and simmer on a low heat for about 10 minutes.

7) Add the drumsticks and simmer on a low heat for another 10 minutes. Be sure to check the water levels because this dish needs to be quite soupy.

8) Check the seasoning and adjust to your taste. Garnish with coriander and serve with gujarati potatoes, gujarati kadhi, with rice and chapatis.

ENJOY!!!! :-)

Aloo Gobi Matar recipe ( potato, cauliflower and pea curry )

This such a great every day curry. It uses basic ingredients that you are definitely going to have already in your kitchen and it is very highly nutritious. The ingredients in this curry are the ones that you use every day, although if you want to have this for a special occasion you can always add a few more special spices.

This curry reminds me of when I first moved out of home and I hadn't really got a clue on how to cook for myself :-) When I used to go to my friends mothers house whom I lived with at the time, used to cook this dish a lot for us. This was to make sure that we were getting a good wholesome meal once a week. Manjula used to serve this dish with Gujarati kadhi and rice with chapati, although this does go with any bread. The last time I cooked this dish, I did it with layered paratha's. Every day I would eat it with chapatis but it really does taste amazing with poories! You should definitely try it!!

Ingredients:-
1 large potato, ( peeled and cubed )
6 nice sized florets of cauliflower, ( washed and boiled )
1-2 tomatoes ( washed and cut into 8th )
1 1/2 cups of green peas,
1/2 tsp garlic paste,
1/2 tsp ginger paste,
1 green chilli,
1/2 tsp mustard seeds,
1/2 tsp cumin seeds,
a large pinch of asafoetida (hing)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder,
1/2 tsp kashmiri chilli powder,
1 tsp coriander cumin powder,
1 tsp sugar,
salt to taste,
fresh coriander to garnish.

Directions:-

1) Peel and cube the potato and the tomatoes and set aside. Boil the cauliflower.

2) Heat 1 tbs oil in a medium to large pan. When the oil is hot enough, add the mustard seeds. Let them pop and then add the cumin seeds and the asafoetida.

3) Let them sizzle for a few seconds and then add the turmeric, chilli powder, salt and tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes for about 3-5 minutes or until just staring to soften.

4) Add the potatoes and the sugar and stir well to coat with all of the spices. poor about a cup of hot water and simmer with the lid on at a very low temperature for about 15 minutes before adding the cauliflower and peas.

5) Simmer for about another 10-15 minutes, or until everything is nice and tender.

6) Check the seasoning and add the coriander.

Serve with kadhi, tomato rasam, rice and your choice of bread. As an extra treat serve with pickle and poppadoms. :-) :-) :-)

Please leave your comments and suggestions as this would make me the happiest person in the world!!! :-) :-) :-)

Idli Sambar Recipe

MMM, the aroma of this dish really is something else!! I really do insist on you making some home made masala powder when you are cooking this dish. I think that it is what makes the difference between home made sambar opposed to restaurant style sambar. Whenever I have eaten restaurant sambar it has always been far too watery and not enough vegetables. To be quite honest all of the restaurant don't really cut the mark for me. I don't want to sound greedy, it's just that there are never enough vegetables and it is always far too thin.... gasp of relief...the rant is over lol :-)

ingredients- For the sambar

To be roasted and then ground into a a fairly coarse powder:-

1-3 dried red chillies,
1 tbs coriander seeds,
1 tsp black mustard seeds,
1 tsp fenugreek seeds,
2 cloves,
2 cardamoms,
a small piece of cinnamon,
1/4- 1/2 tsp black pepper,
1 tsp channa dal,
1 tsp white urad dal,
1/2 tsp cumin seeds,
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp turmeric

(If you have these spices in powder form then you can add as a short cut but the spices definitely taste better if you use the whole spice.)

1 cup or about 100g toor dal, ( soaked in hot water for at least 1/2 hour in hot water,)
1 white potato, (cubed)
1 red sweet potato, (cubed)
2 carrots peeled and cut into rounds,
a fist-full of washed and trimmed green beans,
2 drumsticks chopped and boiled for bout 10 minutes
3-4 tomatoes puréed,
1/2 tsp mustard seeds,
1/2 tsp cumin seeds,
about 10-12 curry leaves,
1/2 tsp green chilli paste, or to taste
1 tsp ginger paste,
1 tsp tamarind paste to taste,
1 tbs sugar,
salt to taste,
fresh green coriander.

Directions:-

1) Roast the spices on a low to medium flame until they have turned a shade darker. Leave them aside on a cool plate or bowl to cool down completely. Once they have cooled down, grind them to a fairly coarse powder, but not too coarse.

2) while the spices are cooling, prepare the vegetables and boil or steam until nice and tender. Around ten minutes. Also pressure cook the toor dal for about 4-5 whistles in about 4 cups of water and some salt.

3) In the largest pan you have, heat 2-4 tbs oil and add the mustard seeds. Wait until they pop and then add the cumin seeds and curry leaves.

4) Add the tomato purée, garlic, chilli and ginger paste and cook until you start to see the oil separating from the mixture.

5) Lower the heat to low and add the powdered spices and give it a good stir.

6) Add the dal and give everything a really good mash together until the dal has turned all saucy.

7) Add the cooked veggies and mix well so that the sauce coats everything.

8) Add about 6-8 cups of water and the sugar. This water measurement is a rough measurement. Sambar is supposed to be fairly and soupy, but please, not too thin. Bring to the boil and simmer every thing together for around 20 minutes on a low heat.

9) Check the seasoning and add the tamarind if you think that it needs to be more sour. Remember that it needs to be fairly hot, sour, sweet, salty, so adjust these to your tastes.

Garnish with coriander and serve with idli's or rice. BUT! You really need to try idli once in your life !!! :-)

Tindora and Potato fry

This is a great part of a Gujarati thali! A complete thali always consists of rice, a curry with gravy, a stir-fried curry, kadhi, dal or both, pickles and maybe a pudding. I really am not a pudding person. I love my savouries, so this is why I haven't got an pudding recipe's on my blog yet, although I will work on that factor.

Anyway I feel like I'm wondering off the subject again like I do on all of my posts lol! All i want to say really about this recipe is that it is a really good daily staple. I really would eat it every day if I could, but these days i am cooking less and less fried food, I really am an addict to fried food you see! (my waist pays for it though! lol)

Ingredients:-

1 large potatoes peeled and cut into juliennes or thin wedges,
About the same volume in tindora, washed, trimmed and cut into juliennes.
1/2 tsp mustard seeds,
1/2 tsp cumin seeds,
a pinch of asafoetida,
a pinch of ginger paste,
1/2 tsp green chilli paste,
1/2 tsp garlic paste,
1 tsp coriander-cumin powder,
1/4 tsp turmeric powder,
1 tsp sugar (optional)
salt to taste
fresh coriander to garnish,
a splash of fresh lemon juice.


Directions:-

1) In a wok or a large frying pan, heat 2 tbs oil until it is hot enough to add the mustard seeds.

2) Then add the mustard seeds and fry them until they pop like popcorn.

3) Then add the cumin seeds and the asafoetida and fry for just a moment.

4)Add the potato and fry, covered until nearly half way done. Remember to give it a toss from time to time.

5) Add the tindora, give it a toss and cover again turning frequently.

6) I don't like the tindora too crispy but if you do, cook uncovered for longer, but what I do is turn up the heat a little and give it all a stir fry uncovered for about 5 minutes.

7) When it is cooked to your liking, add the chilli, garlic ginger pastes, turmeric coriander, salt and sugar. Give it a good toss about over the heat and then check the seasoning. Adjust to your taste and then add the coriander.

Serve with a curry that has a sauce or gravy and also salad, kadhi and chapati.

Saag Aloo (spinach and potato curry)

I know I know!! I hear you say it.... not another potato dish!! I just cant resist them in a curry! I think that I fell in love with the whole spicy potato thing the first time I tried a home made vegetarian thali (which is a large metal plate which has either different sections or bowls containing different things like rice, curry, stir-fry, kadhi, dal, pickles etc. ) All of these combined deliver a really filling balanced meal, a real feast for the eyes and for the stomach!! Any-ways, back to the story!! The first time I had tried this dish was at a Gujarati friends house and her mother had cooked up a feast of lots of different things and this particular dish was my absolute favourite of these little bowls of treasure. I have eaten it so many times since, either at peoples houses or restaurants and I never get tired of it.

One of the things that I like so much about cooking is that you are doing it YOUR WAY!! you can make them completely to your taste (or your families if you have kids!) So I bring you my version of my favourite dinner. I am really quite pleased with the way the photo turned out too :-)

Ingredients:-

serves 4-6

4 large floury potatoes ( Peeled and cubed )
2 bags of freshly prepared spinach,
2 tomatoes washed and roughly chopped,
1 large onion finely chopped (optional)
1 heaped tsp garlic purée,
1 tsp grated ginger,
1-2 green chillies,
1/2 tsp mustard seeds,
a large pinch hing (asafoetida)
1 tsp cumin seeds
3/4 tsp turmeric powder,
3/4 tsp kashmiri chilli powder,
1 1/2 tsp coriander cumin powder,
1 tbs finely chopped fenugreek leave or kasuri methi
2 tbs fresh coriander.
2 tsp lemon juice,
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste.
a dollop of butter (optional but delicious)

Directions:-

1)Heat the oil in a large pan. When it is hot enough, add the mustard seeds and let them pop and crackle.

2)When they have popped, add the cumin seeds and the asafoetida, fry for a second before adding the onions if you are using. If you are not using onions then you can increase the amount of asafoetida.

3)Stir-fry until the onions turn translucent and then add the ginger, garlic and green chilli and saute for a minute or two without without colouring the garlic.

4)Then add the fresh coriander and methi (fenugreek) leaves and saute until the leaves have wilted

5)Add the tomatoes and cook until all nice and pulpy and some of the moisture has evaporated. Add salt and sugar if you haven't done already.

6)Add the powdered spices and a splash of water and stir in the cubed potato. Stir everything through.

7)In the mean time, prepare the spinach (if you need to) and chop very finely.

8)When the potatoes are just over half way cooked, add the chopped spinach and give it a stir. Cook until the potatoes are nice and tender. Check the seasoning and then add the lemon juice. (you should always keep checking the taste of the food so that you know if you have the right balance of seasoning ingredients.)

9)Adjust the level of salt, sugar and lemon juice if you need to and then sprinkle with fresh coriander.

Serve with dal or kadhi, rice and chapati. :-)

moong dal palak recipe ( spinach moong dal )

Again, this is such a comforting dish. It is essentially very similar to my split green moong dal recipe but with added health benefits of spinach!! Full of iron, full of protein, it is sooooo healthy it is incredible!!! don't let this put you of though with me saying how healthy it is, because it really is equally as yummy!! I promise that I will pop some nice photo's of this dish soon, so watch this space!! :-)

Here it is............

Ingredients:-
1 cup split green moong dal
1-2 cups of washed and chopped spinach. It must be fresh, not frozen or tinned!!
3 cups of water
1 tbs sunflower oil
1/4 tsp hing
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 green chilli's
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp kashmiri chilli powder- or to taste.
1 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp garam masala
fresh coriander
1 tbs butter ( optional but really nice )

Directions:-

1) Soak dal in boiling water for 1/2 hour - 1 hour if you have time. If you don't have enough time to soak the dal you can always add some more water and cook for another whistle. Drain before cooking.

2) Heat the pressure cooker over a medium heat and add the oil

3) Add the cumin seed and asafoetida and just let them sizzle for a few seconds and then add the green chilli, turmeric and the ginger. Fry again for a few seconds.

4) Add the drained dal, spinach and the salt. Cover and cook for 3-4 whistles.

5) I like to let the steam escape naturally, because this keeps everything cooking slowly, but if you don't have time you can just run the pressure cooker under cold water until all of the pressure is released. Mash everything well with a potato masher.

6) Add the lemon juice, garam massala and the coriander. Mix well test the seasoning
and adjust to your taste.

Serve hot with chapatti's, cacumber ( onions, tomato and cuccumber salad ) and papads. Or plain and simple on it's own!!! UMMMMM

Yellow moong dal (with a difference)

Yellow moong dal has always been one of my favourite dals and there are countless ways to cook this highly nutritious little gem. I have adapted this recipe from a traditional dry version called sukhi dal. I have changed it to suit my taste and methods of cooking because I was never really all that happy with the end result. I definitely prefer this dish to have a sauce, so you definitely can not call this dish sukhi dal. The other ways of cooking this dal is to completely obliterate the dal in a pressure until it is all smooth and silky. So, i just thought that this way would be a nice change, to have the dal retain its shape, but to have a nice gravy too.

So here is my delicious experiment.....

ingredients:-

1 cup yellow moong dal- rinsed and soaked for about 2 hours in hot water,
2-3 tbs oil
1 small onion (optional)
1 heaped tsp garlic purée,
1 tsp ginger paste,
1/2 tsp mustard seed,
1/2 tsp cumin seeds,
a large pinch of asafoetida,
3-4 curry leaves,
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder (recommended to give a nice colour but you can use normal chilli powder)
1 tsp turmeric powder,
1 1/2 - 2 tsp coriander-cumin powder,
2 tsp sugar, or to taste,
1-2 tsp lemon juice, or to taste,
1 tsp salt, or to taste,
fresh green coriander.

Directions:-

1) When the two hours are up, drain the dal and heat the oil in a pan over a medium to hot heat.

2) Add the mustard seeds and cook until the pop before adding the cumin seeds and asafoetida.

3) Take off the heat and add the curry leaves. Fry for just a moment.

4) Add the onions, ginger, garlic and fry over heat until they start turning brown. (That's if you are using them)

5) Add the spices, sugar and about a cup of water. Bring to the boil and then add the moong dal.

6) Turn the heat down to low and cook with a tight fitting lid for about 15 minutes or until cooked.
But BEWARE!! Do not stir the dal until you put in the lemon juice and salt, but even then you only want to fold those ingredients in otherwise it will all turn to mush.

7) Check the seasoning and serve garnished with coriander. It goes really nice with plain boiled basmati rice and Healthy mixed vegetable curry.

Please enjoy and feel free to give advice, comments and experiences.

Chora nu shaak recipe. (Black eye beans or Lobia)

This is a real comforting, but also a healthy dish to eat. When I cook this dish you can guarantee there will never be any scraps left because it is sooooo good!. It's also a really good dish for the kids to have to because if they like baked beans then they will definitely like this dish. Black eye bean are so so full of goodness to! They are low in calorie's, high in fibre, high in protein so they are excellent for vegetarians, mega high in potassium which is good for the heart and a massive amount of zinc and iron, making them power houses for nutrition! It is also Very delicious so go on! give it a go and let me know what you think. :-) :-) :-)

Ingredients:- Amounts can be doubled for a family.

1 tin of black eye beans,
2 tbs extra mild olive oil or sunflower oil,
1 medium onion - blended,
1 small tin of chopped tomato,
1 heaped tsp garlic paste- or to taste,
1 green chilli - or to taste,
1 tsp ginger paste,
5-6 curry leaves,
1/4 tsp black mustard seeds,
1/4 tsp cumin seeds,
a pinch of asafoetida (hing) - optional,
1/2 tsp turmeric powder,
1/2 tsp red chilli powder or to taste,
1/4 tsp garam masala.
salt
1 1/2 tsp sugar
Fresh coriander and spring onions for garnishing.

Directions:-

1) Heat the oil in a medium pan over a medium to hot heat. Then add the mustard seeds and let them pop and crackle.

2) Then add the cumin seeds and asafoetida and let them sizzle.

3) Take off the heat for a moment and add the curry leaves. Give them a stir.

4) Add the onion, garlic, ginger and the green chilli and cook until the onions are just starting to brown.

5) Then add the tinned tomatoes and cook the mixture down until it is a thick paste.

6) Add the spice powders, the sugar and the beans and give it all a good mix to coat the beans well.

7) Add sufficient water and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, then check the seasoning and adjust if you need to.

Serve with rice and chapati's or poori's
Garnish with coriander and spring onions.

Green pea curry ( In a tomato a cashew nut sauce)

This recipe kind of happened by accident really. One day i was making mutter paneer and half way through, when the sauce was done and the pea's had cooked, I tasted some of the curry. I thought and so did my hasband that it was a good and satisfying dish all by it's self, so we disided to eat it as it was and save the paneer for something else. It really was delicious so give it a go yourself!!!!

Ingredients:-

1 1/2 cup of frozen green peas

To be blended together:-

3 tbs cashew nuts - soaked in boiling water 1/2 hour
1 small onion
1 inch fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves

Other:-
2 tbs oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
a pinch of asafoetida (hing)
3 bay leaves
3 tbs fenugreek leaves (methi)
3 tbs fresh coriander (hari dhania)
220g tin of tomatoes
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder
1 tsp paprika powder
1/2- 1 tsp Punjabi garam masala or normal.
1 tsp sugar (optional)
salt to taste
2 tbs butter
fresh coriander to garnish.

Directions:-

1)Heat the oil in a pan on a medium to high heat.

2)Add the cumin seeds and the hing and stir fry for a for second before adding the bay leaves. Fry for just a moment.

3)Add the onion paste and fry for about 5-10 minutes, or until the mixture has turned a few shades darker.

4)Add the tomatoes and the leaves and cook until all of the tomatoes have mixed into a thick paste and the oil separates.

5)Add a splash of water and also all of the powdered spices. Cook for a minute or so.

6)Add the sugar and salt, mix well. Then add the green peas and cook for a couple of minutes with out a lid, making sure that you give it a little stir to prevent it from sticky.

7)Garnish with coriander.

Serve with naan or chapatis

Mastering Chapati

This is an unleavened flat bread that is an absolute daily essential part to any home made curry! They go with EVERYTHING and can even make a nice healthy snack if you spice them up a little.

In India, chapati's replace the need of knives and forks. To eat with these, all you do is rip of a small part of the chapati, scoop up the delicious curry and shove it all in!! HEAVEN!!!

The say that it takes years and years to perfect the art of chapati making and I can certainly believe that tale! It has taken me years of practice to get to where I am now, but I am far from perfect. I think that the problem I have is that I don't have a gas cooker, so the puffing up can be a little inconsistent. If you have an electric cooker like myself, it is easier to make these puff up with a "dabba" which is in one of my pictures, or if you don't have one of these, you can use a damp cloth or a spatula, but a dabba works the best.

Ingredients:- for 3-4 people

1/2 a cup of Chapati flour ( I use the fine gold variety)
a pinch of salt
1 tbs oil
Enough warm water to make a soft but not sticky dough

Directions:-

1) Boil the kettle and let it cool slightly

2) While this is happening, sieve the flour into a large bowl and mix the salt and the oil in completely using your fingers to feel for any lumps.

3) Then slowly start to work in the water until it is a smooth dough. I always say the wetter, the better but not sticky!

4) Leave in a warm place covered with another bowl, or cling film for at least 1/2 hour. I usually make my dough before dinner and then make them all up at the end. This will just save your time but do what works best for you.

5)When the dough is ready it should have softened up, but if it is cold weather, i think it helps to just wizz the dough up in the microwave for about 10-20 seconds helps to soften up.

6) Pre heat a tawa, or a thick bottomed frying pan an a medium to hot heat while you are rolling the dough out. When you roll the dough out, don't worry to much about the shape, you just need to concentrate on getting the chapati dough absolutely level! no creases or slight uneven parts otherwise you bread will not puff up properly. so when I have finished rolling the dough out I always just go back over it with a regular rolling pin. This is only if you are using an Indian rolling pin. A good trick to see if it is completely level is to hold it up against the light quick.

7) When your bread is rolled out to be about 2mm thick and you are happy with the shape, ( traditionally circular ) slap it onto the heat and wait until it changes colour slightly and little bubbles start to appear.

8) Flip the chapati over and do the same thing but maybe just a few more second on this side than the other, so wait until you see larger bubbles forming.

9) Flip it over again and with your dabba, damp cloth or whatever you are using, kind of try and spread the air pockets around so that the whole thing puff's up like a balloon.

10) Place the chapati onto a piece of foil and spread lightly with butter.

11) Repeat the process with the rest of the dough, keeping the dough and the chapati's covered to prevent them from drying out.

Enjoy with your favourite curry.

Please comment and your advice is greatly appreciated. :-) :-)

Perfectly cooked Basmati rice

I'm sorry about the dodgy photo lol!!! I will change it soon, it was taken late at night! Anyway I thought I would post about plain and simple basmati rice, because surprisingly such a simple thing could be such a problem to cook for beginners. It took me so many attempts get to nice fluffy rice instead of either little pellets or sludge.

Once you know how to cook this delicious staple, you will be cooking it all of the time, as a side dish for everything.

Serve it plain, or spice it up for a special occasion. I will post some spicy rice dishes soon. SO WATCH THIS SPACE!!

Ingredients:-

Equal amounts of basmati rice and water,
A pinch of salt.

Directions:

1) Wash the rice, in a colander really really well under cold running water until the water runs clear.

2) This step is not essential, but I think that you will end up with a better end result, is to now leave the rice in a colander on the draining board to dry out. It doesn't take as long as you think to dry and you can be getting on with the rest of the dinner while it dries.

3) When the rice is dry and the grains are not stuck together, put in to a small saucepan with the same quantity of water and bring to the boil adding a pinch of salt.

4) The moment it reaches boiling point, turn the heat down to the lowest setting.
Cook with a tight fitting lid until all of the water has evaporated.

Remember to taste the rice to see if it is cooked properly.
And serve with anything!!! :-)

Please leave your comments, as they are much appreciated. :-) :-) :-)

Tomato Rasam recipe

There really is no better and more comforting side dishes for me. I think the reason why is that it was one of the first REAL Indian dishes that i had tried. It was steaming hot, served on top of fluffy basmati rice with fresh green coriander sprinkled over the top. This was also the first time that i had ever tried fresh coriander too. I had fallen in love instantly with real Indian food and I just wanted more, but I was to polite and shy to ask, as their was a family of three boy's and two adults in the house to feed, so I think that at first they were being polite when they fed me, so I did not ask for more. The lady that cooked this meal for her family was an absolute genius and a complete inspiration to me. I really wish that I took up the many invitations to learn how to cook these spectacular dishes, but of course the situation at the time was difficult to say the least, so like a plum, I never did except the once in a life time opportunity and learn from the best, but we learn from our life experiences and we can only correct them when we realise that we can. Take every opportunity as you can and live life to the full, no mater what your passion is it is achievable even if you know nothing from the start. Here is my attempt of learning from scratch to absolute comfort.

Ingredients:-

4 tbs of red lentils - rinsed, boiled and puréed in a blender. (This is untraditional in this recipe but I think that it add extra flavour and health benefits.)
1 tbs oil and 1 tsp ghee
1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
3/4 tsp cumin seeds
1-2 dried red chilli's
4-6 cloves
2 green cardamom pods
1 1/2 inch piece of cinnamon or cassia bark
1 tsp ginger purée
3/4 tsp garlic purée
1 green chilli
about 10-13 curry leaves
1/4- 1/2 tsp hing (asafoetida)
3 tbs freshly chopped coriander
3-4 medium tomatoes peeled and chopped finely
1/2 tsp of kashmiri chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp of home-made rasam powder or to taste.
2 tsp of sugar, or 1 tsp of jaggery
1 tsp of tamarind paste or to taste

Directions:-

1) Heat the oil on a medium heat in a pan and add the mustard seed and wait until they pop.

2) Add the hing and let it sizzle,

2) Then add the cumin seeds, red chilli, cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon, garlic, ginger, green chilli, curry leaves and stir for about 30 seconds off the heat to make sure that the mixture does not burn.

3) Then add the fresh coriander and stir fry until the coriander wilts.

4) Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until all nice and pulpy and the oil separates.

5) Add the rest of the powdered spices and cook for another minute.

6) Add the sugar or jaggery and add your desired amount of water. Maybe around 1-2 pints depending on how you like it.

7) Add the tamarind and green coriander, mix and check the seasoning.

Serve as a soup or on top of rice.

carrot and chilli pickle

Omg! i could eat this stuff till the cows come home! lol. i make this pickle every month and i have to have it with pakoras, potato wada, gujarati potato's and anything like that.
the first time i had this pickle it was bought from an indian sweet mart on belgarve road and i tried for years with no succes to make it for my self, so i about gave up untill one chrismas, my dad was making home made pickles, so i made sure that i watched him prepare the pickles. He had a different way of drying the veg which i had never thought of, so i tried it with this pickle and it was a success!! Thanks Dad x i will add some photo's soon


CARROT AND GREEN CHILLI PICKLE

about 6 large carrots
about 20 green chillis
1tbs mustard oil
1tbs lemon juice
2 tbs split mustard seeds
1/2tsp tumeric
salt

METHOD

1. Peel the carrots and wash the chilli's
2. Cut the carrots into halfs and then into quarters. You shoud have eight peices from each carrot.
3. slit the chilli's
4. Put the carrotts and the chilli's into a bowl and mix 1 tbs of salt and mix well. dont worry if it sounds like alot because this will be rubbed away.
5. Leave over nite for the water to drain from the veg.
6. The next day drain the veg in a collinder and leave to drain for 1/2 hour
7. lay a few layers of kitchin paper and lay the carrots and chillis onto the papper to dry leaving a space between so that the papper can soak up the water. Place another few sheets over the carrots.
8. place a large book over the carrots to help draw out the moisture. The more moisture you can take out the better the pickle will be.+ it will last longer.
9. in a few hours repeat the proces with kitchin paper because it wont dry on wet paper!
10. you may need to do this another time before you leave them to dry over night.
11. the next morning check how dry the carrots are, if the are still abit damp then keep them wrapped up till lunch time.
12. when they are dry, transfer them into a clean container and mix in all the other ingeadients, and leave over night.
13. your pickle is ready to eat. dont forget to give the container a shake before you serve.

The reason i dry the veg out this way is because i live in the damp midlands. If you live in a lovely dry hot climate you can dry the pickles in the sun over night.

Potato and courgette curry (zucchini)

If you are not a fan of the bitterness of an aubergine, but you like the juicy soft texture, then this is the recipe for you!
I think that this dish is a real comforting dish. I love to have this with chapattis chili pickle and garlic pappad.

INGREDIENTS:-

4 white potato
1 large courgette/ zucchini
1 large tomato
1tbs oil
1-2 green chilli's
1/2 inch piece fresh ginger
2 cloves
1/4tsp hing / asafoetida
1/2tsp cumin seeds
1/2tsp black mustard seeds
5-8 curry leaves
1 heaped tsp coriander/cumin powder
1/2tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and coriander to taste

* in a pan heat the oil on a low to medium heat and add mustard seeds and cumin seeds.
* Add hing and curry leaves, cloves and wait for seeds to crackle.
* add ginger and chilli's and fry for 1 minute.
* add the chopped tomato and fry for 30 seconds.
* add the spices with 1-2 tbs water so that the spices do not burn and stir for 30 seconds or untill the water and oil thickens.
* then add the potato's and stir until well mixed.
* add about 1 cup of water and simmer for ten minutes.
* add the corgette's/zucchini salt and sugar. stir well so that everything is coated.
* simmer untill everything is nice and soft.
* sprinkle on the lemon juice and coriander, stir and serve!!!!! yummy!!

Healthy mixed vegetable curry recipe

This is a really good recipe to do because it uses up all of your left over vegetables, or whatever you have in your fridge. All combinations of vegetables go really well cooked like this so just let your imagination go wild! Oh I forgot to mention that its mega healthy too because it hardly needs any oil! How goods that!

Ingredients:-
( What i used on this occasion )

3-4 tomatoes (chopped)
2 large potatoes (peeled and chopped and put in a bowl of salted water)
1 small sweet potato (peeled and chopped, but slightly larger than the white potato.)
1 aubergine (roughly peeled and chopped(put into a bowl of cold salted water)
5-6 florets of broccoli (par-boiled)
5-6 florets of cauliflower (par-boiled)
a hand full of sugar snap peas (de-stringed)
1 carrot (peeled, chopped and par-boiled)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida or to taste
1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1 green chilli (chopped into rings)
1 tsp kashmiri chilli powder but just use 1/2 normal chilli powder
3/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 heaped tsp coriander and cumin powder.
1 tsp sugar or to taste
1 tsp salt or to taste
fresh green coriander
1 tbs fenugreek leaves (optional)

Directions:-

1)Heat 1 tbs oil into a large pan and add the cumin seeds, let them pop like pop-corn for about 30 seconds. Then add the cumin seeds and the asafoetida. Give it a quick stir and then ad the tomatoes. Cook them until the are all nice and mushy. This should take about 5-10 minutes

2)Add the garlic, ginger and the chilli's and cook for a few minutes, stirring all of the time to make sure that the bottom does not burn on the heat. You should start to get a really nice aroma from the fresh ingredients and this is the time to add all of the powdered spices and a splash of hot water- but only a splash! Cook the spices on a very low heat for about a minute.

3)Add the fenugreek leaves and some of the fresh coriander. cook until wilted and mix in the sugar and the salt.

4)Drain the potatoes and aubergine, add to the pot and give the mixture a really good mix together. You might need to add a splash of water, cover and cook for 5 or 10 minutes or until the potatoes are nearly done.

5)Add all of the other par-boiled vegetables and mix in carefully to avoid everything breaking up to much. Cover again and cook for about 10-15 min on a low heat, just to let all of the flavors come together.

6)Check that all of the vegetables are cooked through. Oh and don't forget to check the salt and sugar levels. The best curry is the one where the balancing of the flavors are taken into careful consideration. Don't be scared to keep checking the seasoning and that way it wont take you long to learn how to use them.

7)Serve hot with the sprinkled coriander. Tastes really good with naan bread or chapatis.

Tip:-
Use the water from the vegetables to add to your curry. This will replace the vitamins lost in the bar-boiling process.

Gujarati Kadhi recipe

Yay!!! i have finally updated the photo!!! This picture is better than the last one because i was in a bit of a rush that day.


Any way i shall publish this to you one of my everyday recipe's. It is so soothing and comforting. I find that this dish goes so well with tomato'y dishes like tomato and drumsticks or batata nu shaak.

Ingredients:-

1 cup of yogurt ( dahi )
3 tbs gram flour ( besan )
about 3 cups of water
1-2 green chillies ( hari mirch )
1 tsp grated ginger ( adrak )
1/8 tsp turmeric powder ( haldi )
1 1/2 tsp jaggery or sugar
salt to taste but I use around 1 tsp

Tempering ingredients:-

1/4 tsp mustard seeds ( rai )
1/4 tsp cumin seeds ( jeera )
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
2 dried red chillies
1/4 tsp hing ( asafoetida )
8-12 curry leaves ( curry patta )
a small piece of cinnamon
4 or 5 cloves
1-2 tbs fresh coriander

Directions:-

1) Sieve the gram flour into a saucepan and add the salt, sugar and turmeric whisk in the yogurt ensuring that there are no lumps.

2) Slowly whisk in the water, 1 cup at a time to ensure that there are no lumps.

3) Add the ginger and green chilli and mix well.

4) Heat the kadhi slowly on a low heat until it has reached boiling point ensuring that you stir CONSTANTLY. This helps to keep the kadhi a nice smooth texture.
Simmer until desired consistency, but just give it a taste to check that the besan is cooked and that the seasoning is to your liking.

5) Heat a small pan over a medium heat and add the mustard seeds.

6) When they start to splutter quickly add the whole spices and the fresh coriander.
Give it a stir for a few seconds on the heat to wilt the coriander and then add to the kadhi.

7) Re-heat just to let all of the spices infuse together and serve as an accompaniment to any meal and rice. Sprinkle with fresh coriander.

Split green moong dal recipe

When i was younger, there was one day when i felt quite ill. This day i had the privilege of one of my friends mums cooking and this was the dish that she cooked.
I think the combination of me feeling completely at ease in her company and her home, and me feeling ill and her feeding me this dish was absolute comfort to me. At the time my pallet was completely western, so the first few mouth-fulls were a new experience for me. The first mouth-full, i wasn't sure, but then i had another mouth-full and then another and then another, until the whole bowl was devoured and i was left feeling like i wanted more!

Since there is no chance of me sampling her food ever again it has been a bit of a mission of mine to re-create a few of those mega comforting dishes like this one. After lots of attempts i think that i have come close to it. Moong dal with spinach was always the closest contender, but then one day when i was feeling a bit under the weather, it just came to me this recipe! so i had to cook it! When i tasted it and adjusted the seasoning slightly i thought THAT'S IT EURICA!!!

So now i have another dish that i comfort eat too! OH NO i don't need another! oh well it doesn't matter with this one, i am aloud it as it is healthy for you!!! :-)

Here it is............

Ingredients:-
1 cup split green moong dal
3 cups of water
1 tbs sunflower oil
1/4 tsp hing
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 green chilli's
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp garam massala
fresh coriander
1 tbs butter ( optional but really nice )

Directions:-

1) Soak dal in boiling water for 1/2 hour - 1 hour if you have time. If you don't have enough time to soak the dal you can always add some more water and cook for another whistle. Drain before cooking.

2) Heat the pressure cooker over a medium heat and add the oil

3) Add the cumin seed and asafoetida and just let them sizzle for a few seconds and then add the green chilli, turmeric and the ginger. Fry again for a few seconds.

4) Add the drained dal and the salt. Cover and cook for 3-4 whistles.

5) I like to let the steam escape naturally, because this keeps everything cooking slowly, but if you don't have time you can just run the pressure cooker under cold water until all of the pressure is released. Mash everything well with a potato masher.

6) Add the lemon juice, garam massala and the coriander. Mix well test the seasoning
and adjust to your taste.

Serve hot with chapatti's, cacumber ( onions, tomato and cuccumber salad ) and papads. Or plain and simple on it's own!!! UMMMMM

Batata nu shaak ( Gujarati potato curry )

MMMMMMM!!!! Talk about comfort food! This dish just takes 1/2 hour from start to finish, only uses a few ingredients and you can add whatever else you like to make a variation! How good is that!! It really is one of my dishes that i cook when i need a bit of soothing and comforting. It is an absolute must with poori's on special occasions, but for an everyday shaak it is just as wonderful with chappati's. When i cooked this particular curry i had some okra left over, which i noticed at the last minute so i decided to fry them up and put them in at the last minute which was really nice and different. The shame is that i forgot to take a photo after i had added the okra. We were just too hungry! It was probably at about 10:00 at night knowing me! :-) I find cooking such a relaxation method for me. I start the dinner in plenty of time but i just don't get it done in time! I put this down to me enjoying it too much and just kinda going off on one with it. My husband hates it! I do try, but i just cant help myself. I suppose a bonus of this is he will be ravenous to by the time his dinner is put in front of him, he would love it! :-) This really isn't my prerogative though I promise :-)

Ingredients:-

About 4 medium potato's ( peeled and cubed )
1 large juicy tomato ( washed and cubed )
1 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp garlic paste
1 green chilli
1 tbs oil
1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 - 1 tsp cashmere chilli powder to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
3/4 tsp coriander - cumin powder
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste
about tbs lemon juice
fresh coriander

Directions:-

1) In a hot pan, heat the oil and add the mustard seeds until they crackle and pop
2) Then add the cumin seeds and asafoetida, take of the heat and fry for about 10 seconds.
3) Add the ginger, garlic, chilli and fry for about 30 seconds.
4) Put back onto the heat and add the tomato's and cook until all nice and mushy and the oil starts to separate
5) Add the spices and a splash of warm water and cook for about a minute or so.
6) Add the chopped potato's and give the whole thing a really good mix to coat all of the potato's with the mixture.
7) Cover simmer on a gentle heat for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft and tender.
8) Add the coriander and lemon juice and give it all a good stir, and serve hot.

Variation:-
1) You could add an extra tomato, or vegetables of choice like peas, or cauliflower.
2) it is nice to add some fresh coriander when you add the cumin seeds and asafoetida to the oil and fry.