Bharwa bhindi (Stuffed okra)

The tender bhindis are plenty available during winters. They are fresh, soft and cooks very fast. When you wash them make sure to dry each bhindi by using a cloth, so that they are not slimy and sticky.

Bharwa Bhindi 

Ingredients 

500 grams fresh tender bhindis

1 tsp red chilli powder 

1 tsp saunf powder

1tsp garam masala

1 tsp coriander powder 

1tsp jeera powder 

A pinch heeng

1 tsp amchoor 

1/2 tsp turmeric powder 

Salt 1/2 tsp

4 tbsp Peanut oil

Method 

*Wash, dry each bhindi in a kitchen towel 

*Mix all the dry spices in a small bowl

*Slit each bhindi lengthwise apply a little masala, do the process until all the bhindis are stuffed with masala powder. 

*In a wide preheated kadai pour oil, place all the bhindis, arrange in such. way that all of them individually gets roasted. 

* Flip and cook in medium flame, close the pan with its lid. 

* Cook for about 10 minutes, gently flipping the bhindis occasionally. 

* The bhindis should turn into golden brownish and well cooked. Turn off the flame. Serve with phulkas, roti, rice or parathas. They taste delicious. 

Tips

*After washing, dry the bhindis throughly well, use a dry cloth to dry your bhindis, so that there is no moisture. Thus you can avoid them from being slimy and sticky. 

*You can either trim the edges or use it without trimming, it's upto you. I have tried with trimming and without trimming liked both ways.

Carrot, cauliflower, turnip pickle and Amla pickle

Gajjar, shalgum aur Gobi ke achar, Amla achar. Winter mein achar fresh bananeka maza hi kuch aur hai!!

Gajjar, shalgum aur Gobi ke instant achar

Wash and peel gajjar and shalgum cut into thin pieces

Cut Gobi florets.

Red chili powder 1 tsp

Haldi 1 tsp

Nimbu juice 2 tsp

Panch phoran 1/2 tsp

Salt as required

Red chili two broken into halves

Oil two tablespoon

Method of preparation

In a heated kadai pour oil, add panch phoran, add one or two red chili broken into halves. Once spices turn mild golden brown add chopped vegetables,mix well, add turmeric,red chili and salt. Mix well cook it for a few minutes off stove add lemon juice and mix well. It's ready to serve.

Amla achar

Ingredients

Amla 10 cut into thin pieces, discard seeds.

Til oil 2 tablespoon

Mustard 1/2 tsp

Methi seeds 1 tsp

Haldi 1/2 tsp

Red chili powder 1 or 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Method of preparation

In a heated kadai pour oil add mustard and methi seeds. Let mustard splutter. Add chopped Amla, turmeric,salt and mix well. Allow Amla to turn into golden brown. Now add red chili powder, mix well. Off stove. Adjust salt and Serve it.

Tuvar dal with drumsticks and leaves

Tuvar dal with drumsticks and drumsticks leaves

Ingredients

Step 1 :

Tuvar dal 1 cup

Channa dal 2 tbsp

Turmeric 1/4 tsp

*Wash and pressure cook both dals by adding turmeric in three cups water. Keep aside.

Step 2:

Drumsticks - a few cut into 2 inch pieces

Beans a few cut into one inch

Carrot one cut into two inch lonh

Tomato one cut into four

Green chilli one slit half

Ginger a small piece grated or chopped

* Cook all the vegetables by adding little water and a little salt. Cook till all are soft and tender. Keep aside.

Step 3:

For the tadka

Ghee 1 tbsp

Jeera 1/2 tsp

Mustard 1/4 tsp

Red chili broken into half

* Pour ghee in a small kadai heat and add jeera, mustard and allow it to crackle. Add red chili and once its roasted add chopped drumsticks leaves and saute for few minutes. Off stove.

Step 4:

Now add cooked vegetables into prepared dal and mix well adjust salt and pour tadka and mix well. Serve with rice or phulka.

Nimboo achar (lemon pickle)

Making lemon pickle from home grown lemons.  I have selected nimboos which are pale yellow, they were fresh and juicy. 

Explained the procedure from day 1 to 3.

Day 1 Wash and clean nimboo (lemon) and cut into small pieces. I have used about 40 medium sized nimboo. Added 2 cups of rock salt and kept in food graded plastic container/ bottles Mixed it well. 

Day 2: mix well two times. 

Day 3: Sun dry red chillies( If you are not get good sunlight dry roast chillies in low flame and powder) About 200 grams spicy chilli(you can use guntur or ordinary spicy red dry chilli) and 200 grams for colour (I use badagye chilli) once it becomes crispy powder chilli.  Dry roast in a heated tawa a big piece of hing and little methi dana. Roast in low flame and crush it into coarse powder. Add red chilli powder, hing, methi dana powder and a teaspoon full of turmeric powder. Mix well. In a heated kadai pour 1 cup gingly oil and make it hot. Don't let it emit smoke. Off stove let oil cool down. Pour it on prepared lemon pickle. Mix well and allow it to become tender. Everyday make sure you mix well or shake the container. After about 15 days you can start using nimboo pickle.

Brown cucumber raitha (Kakadi Koroda)

Here is a recipe shared by Ashwini Naik, the brown cucumber which I found very fascinating in Nainital Market. 

Brown skinned cucumbers? Have you seen it? Does it tastes same like ordinary green one? Do you make any dish out of it?

The brown cucumber can be used to make typical Vidarbha style Kakadi Koroda.

Peel n grate them.Make a tadaka of rai,curry leaves green chilly and hing.Add haldi powder and grated cucumber.Add salt cover and let it cook for a few minutes.Now mix little besan with dahi and pour over cooked cucumber.Mix well so that no lumps are formed.Cover and cook for a few minutes.Serve hot with jawar roti or rice.If you like raw oil then pour  a bit of ground nut oil on each serving like we take on malagapodi.

Egg omelette with homegrown red amaranth leaves

A masala omelette for Sid with onion, red amaranth(lal saag) tomato, green chillies, curry leaves, salt, crushed pepper and ginger.

Eggs 2

Onion 1

Tomato 1/2

Ginger a small piece

Green chilli one finely chopped 

Red amaranth(lal saag) a few leaves

Curry leaves a few

Salt as required

Crushed pepper 1/4tsp

Olive Oil for cooking omelette 

Method of preparation

Beat eggs by adding a little salt and pepper.

Chop curry leaves, onion, ginger, half tomatoes, red amaranth(lal saag) leaves, green chillies. Keep aside.

Heat tawa pour a little oil add all greens and vegetables. Cook for a while till vegetables turn into mild golden brown. Now add the cooked vegetables in the beaten eggs, blend well. Pour little more oil in tawa and spread a thin layer of eggs and vegetable mixture. Allow it to cook till golden brown , turn the other side and serve.

Upma with dhaliya and with suji/ bansi rava

Upma is a lifesaver for those busy mornings, a little preparation you can make delicious upma with minimum oil.

Broken Wheat /dhaliya upma

1 cup lapsi/broken wheat(soaked and cooked in the pressure cooker)

1 cup of mixed chopped fresh vegetables like cauliflower, carrot, green peas, beans

1 onion(thinly sliced)

1/2 capsicum(chopped)

2 green chillies(sliced)

One small piece of ginger peeled and grated

A few fresh curry leaves

A pinch of heeng

For the tadka

2 tablespoons of peanut oil/gingelly/ghee

1/2 teaspoon of mustard seeds

1/2 teaspoon of urad dal

1 broken red dry chilli

Method

* Wash and soak broken wheat for about an hour in 3 cups of water. Pressure cook and keep aside.

*Add half a cup of warm water in the pressure pan add chopped fresh vegetables. Cook for 5 minutes. Off stove.

* In a heated pan pours oil, mustard, urad dal and red chilli, allow the mustard to splutter.

*Add chopped onion and capsicum. Cook till mild brownish.

*Add the cooked dhaliya, vegetables and tasks, adjust salt, mix well. Garnish with curry leaves. Serve with sambhar or curd.

*Please try and leave a comment.

***

Recipe 2 for suji and Bansi rava

 

Bansi rava mixed vegetable upma for breakfast.

Step by step method of preparation. 

Ingredients

1cup Bansi rava 

2 tablespoons of gingly oil(til ka tel)

Method 

Step 1

*In a heated iron kadai pour oil add bansi rava and fry in medium flame till its roasted. 

Step 2

*Chop the following vegetables and leaves and keep aside. 

1 Onion 

1 Tomato (optional)

1 Capsicum 

10 Beans 

1 carrot

A handful of green peas

A few cauliflower florets

Curry leaves a few

Coriander leaves a few

Ginger a small piece

2 Green chillies 

Heeng a pinch

Salt as required 

Variation

2 tablespoon grated coconut

1 green chili

(Grind it into a coarse paste)

Step 3

*Use the same kadai in which you roasted rava.

* Pour a little oil do a quick tadka of mustard, urad dal. Once mustard splutter add vegetables one by one first onion, ginger, green chillies, followed by tomato and other vegetables. 

*Add turmeric, salt, hing, curry leaves and coriander leaves. Allow vegetables to cook well.

* Now add roasted rava and mix well.

*Boil water and our Kadai kadai, make sure you add sufficient water upma to cook. 

*The thumb rule is 1:3 but I add half a cup more. So 3 1/2 cups of water. Allow it to bubble, reduce flame put a lid and let upma cook till soft and fluffy. 

*At the final stage add ghee(optional) and mix gently. Add ground coconut and mix in, it adds a delicious aroma and flavor to the upma. 

*Off stove.

*Close lid and keep for a few minutes before serving. It releases all flavours in the upma.

Happy cooking!