Avial

Now-a-days cooking looks like modern art, according to me! Modern art is something which only painter can tell what it is and is something which you cannot understand! So now cooking also looks like modern art! The combinations, the method for a single recipe would be so very different, every time you meet somebody and talk about that! The combinations of vegetables or lentils or the spices might sound so horrifying, sometimes that, you be will keep thinking that, how come it could be even possible to make and eat.

I am a conservative person, but that does not mean that I don't like change! But I think and believe that the original, basic recipe should never be changed, from whom ever you have learnt, either from your mom, grandmother or mother-in-law, those recipes are always authentic and perfect and can never go wrong and if you stick to it, your cooking rocks!!!! And your cooking always will be special, since it would be the most authentic and perfect taste!

My mother-in-law came 15 days ago, so I am little busy, trying to look like a "ideal daughter-in-law"!!?? My mother-in-law loves varieties, so I am just browsing all my recipe books, and today I saw the recipe for "Avial"!

Its been ages since I did Avial, since it cannot be done low fat or no fat. But today I thought of doing that, thinking that my mother-in-law might like it, and once in a way its fine to eat food which may not be heart healthy, but your heart will be still happy!

This is the authentic recipe of Avial, which is my mom's, and its really awesome recipe. Avail is just the combination of vegetables, when cooked together, gives a special aroma. Avial does not have any spices or lentils, not even curry leaves or turmeric, which you use in each and every cooking.

The speciality is only in the combination of vegetables. So here goes the authentic recipe of Avial, hope you will enjoy it, as much as I do and of course my husband loves it and will let you know if my mother-in-law liked it or not!!

Ingredients:

10-15 Beans

2 Big carrots

1/2 cup peas

Few Drumsticks(Frozen)

3 Raw bananas

1/2 Ash gourd

2 small German Turnips(Navilukosu)

1/2 Big cup of Yam(suvarna gedde)(Frozen)

15-20 Gawar Beans(Gorikai/Chavalikai)

6-8 Green Chillies(or Adjust according to taste)

1/2 cup coconut

1/4 cup of yogurt

1/2 Tsp Coconut oil

Salt to taste

Method:

Wash all the vegetables, except the frozen vegetables. Cut into one inch pieces the beans and the gawar beans. Scrap the carrots and cut into one inch pieces. Cut ash gourd into 1 inch pieces. Peel the raw banana skin and cut into one inch pieces. The rest of vegetables, drumsticks, peas, yam, are frozen so just put them outside the freezer so that it comes to room temperature.

In a deep vessel add all the vegetables and add some water and put that on heat. In mean while, grind green chillies and the coconut to a very smooth paste adding little water and keep aside.

Once the vegetables are cooked, add the green chillies-coconut paste and add more water if it is too thick and add salt and boil for 5 minutes. Add yogurt and boil for 2 seconds and add coconut oil and boil for a minute and serve very hot with hot rice and enjoy!

Ennegai or Small round eggplant or Bringal Curry

Ennegai or Small eggplant/Bringal curry! Today when I opened my refrigerator I saw the small round eggplants or bringals, as we say that in India. Always my husband makes ennegai, which is a very special curry you make out of small round eggplant. But today I thought I will make this curry and surprise my husband. But I never have paid any notice to what is the exact ingredients or method he makes so was not sure about the recipe, and since my idea was to surprise him, I did not want to ask him the recipe. So I went through his recipe notes, but I did not find this curry recipe!

Then I google searched for ennegai recipe and went through many of them but some how was not happy with any one of them!! So finally when my husband came downstaris, he was working from home, I had to ask him the recipe, so there was no more a surprise for him!!!!

Of course the recipe is my mother in law's and it came out very well for the very first time. I just added tamarind juice which my mother in law does not add, and it came out very well. And my husband approved that it was the best ennegai!! After a long time I had made from scratch, chapathis, and ennegai goes very well with chapathis and "ondu lota majjige", a glass of buttermilk, would make a compelte satisfying meal!

Ingredients:

10-12 Small round eggplants/Bringals/gundu badnekai

2 medium size onions

Small lemon size tamarind(Optional but recomended)

1/4 Tsp jaggery(optional but recomended)

4-5 Tbsp Vangibath powder(adjust according to taste)

Salt to taste

3-4 Tbsp oil

1/4 Tsp Mustard seeds

Few curry leaves

Few coriander leaves

Method:

Wash the eggplants and dry them on a towel and keep aside. Finely chop onions and put that in a bowl. Add Vangibath powder(if you don't have Vangibath powder,its very easy to make it,dry fry,5-6 Tbsps of Channa dal,Urad dal, 4 Tbsp desicated coconut,in 1/4 Tsp oil fry 4-5 red chillies, 1/4 inch cinamon stick and once the ingredients are cooled powder them in the mixer) to the onions and mix well, add salt,finely chopped curry and corainder leaves and mix well.

To this add tamrind juice, this was my addition, my mother in law does not do this, but I had seen this in some other recipes and thought it would taste great, so I added this. Mix well and keep aside.

Now take the eggplant, cut the stem and make a slit like a "plus" mark from the knife and cut it deep but do not cut it full, just enough to fill the onion mixture. Fill the onion mixture and keep it aside.

Once you are done with the fillings, take the pressure pan, add oil and once the oil is hot add mustard seeds and when it splutters, switch off the stove. Now place all the eggplants in the pressure pan and if onion mixture is remaining, after filling up the eggplants, you can add that on the eggplants, add some more tamrind juice or sprinkle some water and some sprinkle some more salt and now add jaggery!

I want to tell something about the jaggery here! Its not added to make it sweet, its only added to make the curry very "ruchi"/ tasty!! By adding 1/4 tsp of jaggery it does not make it sweet but the sour-spicy-salt, all the things get very well blend and makes it very tasty! So when ever you use tamarind my suggestion is add a very little of jaggery, which would makes it very tasty, not sweet!!

Close the lid and steam for 10-12 minutes, on a medium heat. DO NOT put pressure weight. You can take off the lid in between to check if there is not water you can sprinkle some water, to make sure that onions and eggplant won't get burnt.

Once its cooked well, take off the lid, mix well the curry and serve very hot with chapathis and enjoy!

Herekai palya or Ridge gourd curry

Simple things gives you lot of satisfaction and pleasure in life. That applies to eating also. Simple recipes makes you feel so satisfied and comfort and that too when you are very hungry, you always look for that satisfaction. Fridays usually my husband work from home, but today he had meetings so he said that he will come back by lunch time and went to NY. I thought of waiting for him and have lunch together. But when he came it was 3 in the noon and I was very hungry and he was too. I had made bendekai palya(Okra curry), hurlikai palya(Beans curry), herekai palya(Ridge gourd curry), mulangi raitha(white radish raitha), with saaru(Rasam), rice and we have ready to eat chapathis!

That was really satisfying meal and we really enjoyed it! Here goes the recipe of Ridge gourd curry or herekai palya.

Ingredients:

2 Ridge gourds

1/4 Tsp Urad dal

1/4 Tsp Mustard seeds
2-3 Red chillies (or Adjust acc to taste)
1/4 cup coconut
4-5 Tbsp cooked thoor dal(Optional)
Pinch of Turmeric
salt to taste
Few curry leaves
2 Tsp oil

Method:

Peel the ridge gourd skin and cut into bite size pieces. In a pan heat oil, and add mustard seeds and when it starts to pop up, add urad dal and when it turns golden brown add red chillies and immediately add the ridge gourd pieces and keep frying. It tend to stick to the bottom so keep frying now and then.

When the ridge gourd is cooked completely, add turmeric and salt to taste and mix well. Now if you have cooked thoor dal, you can add to it. It adds up to the taste and increase in quantity, since once you cook ridge gourd the volume reduces, but its optional.

And now you can add coconut and few curry leaves and serve hot with rice,rasam or eat with chapathis, that goes very well with chapathis.

Ash gourd curry or Boodkumbalakai palya

The curry or palya I am going to write is my one of the favourite one, which is my mom's recipe and my motherinlaw loved it when she ate for the first time. It really tastes great. So I would love to share that with you today.

Ingredients:

1/2 Ash gourd/Boodkumblakai (as you call that in Kannada)

1/2 Tsp mustard seeds

1/4 cup Coconut

3-4 Red chilles(adjust according to taste)

1/4 spoon turmeric

1/4 Tsp of Jaggery(Optional)

2 Tsp of oil

1/4 Tsp mustard seeds

Salt to taste

Few coriander leaves

Method:

Peel the rough skin and cut the Ash gourd/boodkumbalakai into medium size slices.

Grind coconut,1/2 Tsp of mustard seeds,red chilles,turmeric with adding very little water into a smooth paste and keep aside.

In a pan heat oil, add 1/4 Tsp of mustard seeds and when it starts to splutter, add the cut Ash gourd and add very little water if required, since the ash gourd might stick to bottom of the pan, so add little water and let it cook nicely.

When the Ash gourd is cooked, add little bit of salt to it and add the grounded paste to it and adjust the water if its too dry side and on a medium flame allow it to mix well for couple of minutes. And add the remaining salt now. By doing this the salt blends well with both the vegitable and also to the grounded paste. If you desire, you can add jaggery, which does not give a sweetish taste but just blends well with salt and red chilles and mustard and makes it delicious!

And take it out from the heat and garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with chapathis or rice.

Onion-Potato Saagu

Coming Sunday is Father's day and I have sort of already made a list of things to cook on that day. One of them is Onion-Potato Saagu, which is my husband's favourite. This saagu goes well with plain Idlis, Rava Idlis,Set dosas, pooris and Chapathis. When you are running short of vegetables and when you dont have time to cut all the vegetables to make saagu, this saagu comes in handy. We may not have any veggies in the refrigerator but we will always have onions,potatoes and tomatoes. Easy to cook and taste great. So here goes the recipe.

Serves 4-5 people

Ingredients:
4-5 red medium size onions
5-6 small or medium size potatoes(I use the white variety)
2-3 very ripe medium size Tomatoes
3 Table spoons besan
5-6 Green chillies(or adjust according to taste)
Salt to taste
1/4 spoon sugar
2 Table spoons oil
Mustard seeds
1/4 Tsp Channa dal
Few curry leaves
Few coriander leaves

Method:
Chop onions finely. Wash and peel the potatoes and cut into small pieces. And until you use them you can put them in water so that it will not turn brown. Chop tomatoes finely. Chop green chilles,coriander leaves.

In a medium size deep pan heat oil and add mustard seeds,once it starts to pop up put channa dal and once it turns into golden brown add green chillies, curry leaves and immediately add onions and fry for 1-2 minutes. Then drain water, if you have put the potatoes in water, and add and fry it for couple of seconds and add little water so that the potatoes does not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Once the potatoes and onions are half cooked add tomatoes and add little water if need. Once potatoes,onions and tomatoes are cooked add sugar and salt.

In a small cup mix besan with little water, make sure there are no lumps and add to the saagu and immediately add some water since besan tends to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Add water if saagu is too thick to adjust the consistency and boil for 5-10 mins. And take off from heat and garnish with coriander leaves and serve this with either poori,chapathi,plain idlis or rava idlis and enjoy!