Kitchen-Kollections

Bell pepper as we know it in english is known by many names in india…its called banglore mirchi down south while its called shimla mirch in north. For me calling it bell pepper is easy. In this dish, I have used the green bell pepper. This whole process of making a gravy is a bit lengthy but the end result is just superb. It goes very well with pulav or naan. Let me start with the ingredients first -

Ingredients

2 cups diced bell pepper
1 cup tomato chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
red chilli powder
coriandar powder
turmeric powder
salt to taste

To be ground into powder
1/2 cup peanuts
1/4th cup coriandar seeds
1/4th cup sesame seeds
1/2 tsp cumin

For tempering
2 tbs Oil
1/4th tsp mustard seeds
1/4th tsp cumin
4 fenugreek seeds

Shimla Mirch Ka salan

Method

• Grind the ingredients for powder ie. peanuts, coriandar, sesame and cumin.
• Also grind tomato, onion and ginger garlic paste into thick paste without adding any water.
• Now take a pan and add oil into it. Add mustard seeds, cumin and fenugreek seeds. Add the tomato onion paste and fry till the raw smell goes away.
• Meanwhile take another pan and add oil into it and cook the bell pepper for 10 minutes adding little salt to it.
• After the raw smell goes away, add the peanuts paste and mix it well..and cook it for 2 more minutes.
• After two minutes or so, add the cooked bell pepper pieces to the gravy and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Then switch off and serve hot with either pulav or naan or even plain chapathi.

Hope you like it.

Hi all..happy new year to everyone. After a long time i am posting a new recipe and this time its the turn of our good old king of vegetables..i.e Eggplant!! You have to be very careful while picking eggplant..it should not have any brown spots or any holes. Make sure they are fresh and clean. Eggplant if fresh and cooked properly will be very tastier but if not then it will give a bitter taste in the mouth. Its not an apealing vegetable to kids so i have never tried giving my toddler but if there is any version of eggplant which can be given to kids..then do please share. For now, here is the recipe for eggplant curry with ginger. The curry while cooking gives a beautiful aroma which is quite apeatizing.

Ingredients

10 small baby eggplants
1 tbs chopped ginger
1/2 cup diced onion
1 whole green chilli or 2 small thai peppers
1 cup of chopped coriandar
2 tsp tamarind paste mixed with 2 tsp of water

For tempering

1 tsp jeera
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal

2tbs oil
salt to taste
water
Method

• Wash the eggplants with enough water so that the skin is clean and shiny
• Cut the stalk but don’t remove it. Cut the eggplant lengthwise till the knife just touches the base of the eggplant.Now cut the eggplant from the other side from stalk to the tip of the eggplant. It makes a plus sign and both the sides are open.
• Put all the pieces in salt water and gently wash them. Repeat this process two more times.
• Grind ginger,onion, green chili and coriander into a paste adding little water.
• Take a flat bottom pan, add oil and tempering ingredients.
• Place each eggplant in the pan carefully and keep tossing them till all are well coated with oil. Add salt and cook till eggplants are half cooked.
• I usually sprinkle little water at this stage. Keep the heat at medium. Slow cooking helps here.
• After the eggplants are more than half cooked, add the paste and mix well. Make sure the eggplants don’t break. Gently lift each eggplant and toss around the pan.
• In the end, add the tamarind paste and again mix it carefully. Cook for 5-8 more minutes and switch off the gas. Transfer the curry into a serving bowl and garnish it with finely chopped coriander.

Serve hot with rice!

Happy New Year to everybody. Hope this 2012 brings lot of happiness and prosperity to everyone.

This recipe was a total surprise to me…I generally add potato to other vegetables like cauliflower..brinjal,tomato..or i just fry it as it is..but adding soaked chana dal was new to me. The texture was really crunchy and super delicious. I learnt this unique recipe from my dear MIL..so here it goes! Do try this recipe and share the experience.

Potato dal curry

Ingredients
2 cups diced potato cubes
3/4th cup chana dal or senagapappu
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriandar powder
salt to taste
2 tbs oil

For tempering
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp jeera seeds
1/4 tsp urad dal
10 curry leaves

Method

• Take a deep boiling pan and add water till potato cubes are completely immersed in the water. Add the dal along with the potatoes and let it boil. The potato cubes should be a little hard. Overcooking the potatoes will make the curry paste like and it will ruin the taste.
• Strain the potatoes and dal in a straining pan and let it cool down.
• Take another pan, add oil and the tempering ingredients. Add the potato,dal, red chilli powder, coriandar powder and salt and mix it well. Fry it till the dal turns crispy. Garnish it with chopped coriandar leaves and serve hot with rice or chapatis.

This is one of old recipes..the light mustard flavor in the curry is just amazing.

Ingredients
2 plaintains diced
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
oil
sat

Paste
1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp raw rice
1 inch piece of ginger
1/4 cup grated coconut
1/4 cup coriandar leaves

For tempering
1/2 tsp Urad dal or gram dal
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 green chillies slit
Curry leaves
A pinch of asafoetida powder

Method

• Boil the diced plaintains in water with turmeric till done. Strain and keep them aside.
• For the paste, soak rice and mustard seeds in a cup of water for 10 min. Grind along with ginger, coconut and coriandar leaves.
• In a pan, add oil, add the tempering ingredients, green chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida.
• Add the boiled plaintain, paste and salt. Mix well and cook for another 10 minutes and then switch off the gas. Garnish with coriandar leaves and serve hot either with rice or chapathi.

Dondakaya Chutney

Ingredients

1 cup chopped dondakaya pieces
2 green chillies
1 tsp tamarind paste
1/4 tsp jeera
1 garlic finely chopped or 1/4 tsp garlic powder
a pinch of turmeric
Salt to taste
1 tsp oil

For tempering
1 tsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp jeera
1/4 tsp chana dal
1/4 tsp urad dal
a pinch of hing
Curry leaves

For garnishing
Finely chopped coriandar leaves

Method

• In a pan, add 1 tsp oil, jeera, green chillies and chopped dondakaya pieces. Add turmeric and salt and let it cook for 15 minutes. You can place a lid on it so that the pieces are well cooked.
• Blend the cooked pieces along with tamarind paste in a blender and transfer the paste into a bowl.
• For the tempering, in a pan add all the tempering ingredients one by one and pour it on top of the paste. Mix it well and garnish it with chopped coriandar. Thats it..its done! Let me know how it turned out!