Bhajje Ambat-Amaranth and Pigeon peas in coconut gravy.

In our old house we used to have a small vegetable  garden in the backyard  where amma used to grow vegetables like Bittergourd,Snakegourd,Amaranth, etc....Amaranth leaves are completely  nutritious coz they are an excellent source of carotene, iron, calcium, protein, vitamin C and trace elements.Infact they contain three times more calcium and vitamin B3 than spinach leaves.Now you know why you need to use them more often in your diet .This combined with pigeon pea(Toor dal),yet another storehouse of nutririon leaves you fully contented in preparing a nutritious curry .Here it is.

Ingredients:-

Red Amaranth leaves (washed thoroughly and chopped)-130gms
Pigeon peas(Toor dal)  -70 gms
Potatoe(diced)-70gms
Grated coconut(fresh/frozen)-50gms
Mustard seeds-1/4tsp
Cumin seeds-1 fat pinch
Curry leaves-1 sprig
Coarse Red Chilli powder -1 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Curds-100ml /kudampuli (also known as Kerala tamarind/ Malabar tamarind.The scientific name is Garcinia Cambogia )-1/2"piece
Oil
Salt

Method:-
Pressure cook  dal and   chopped potatoes.

Grind the grated coconut along with chilli powder, turmeric powder into a thick paste by slowly adding water.This is called Masolu in konkani.This  paste is  the base for the gravy.

In a kadai put oil and splutter the mustard seeds.Add cumin seeds .When the aroma of the cumin seeds starts coming add  curry leaves and stir well.

Add the chopped amaranth leaves and cook till they are half done.To it add the cooked dal and potatoes.

Now add the ground coconut paste(masolu), salt, curds/kudampuli and stir well.Close the kadai with a lid and bring the curry to a boil.

Serve hot with rice.

Beans Sukken-Beans Stir Fry

"Sukken" in konkani means a vegetable curry  prepared with grated coconut as its base.The grated coconut is either used just like that along with some spices or it is ground into a smooth paste along with these spices. While the latter gives a gravy for the curry ,the former one (the one that i'm going to post below) is more like a side dish.

Today i was absolutely confused as  to what i should make for lunch.When i  found some nice french beans in the refrigerator ,the menu was fixed.This curry finds a place very often in my menu when my in-laws visit us since my father in law loves french beans .The curry tasted really good .Here is the recipe for you:-)


Ingredients:-

French beans-250gms
Fresh grated coconut -4-5 tbsp*
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Urad dal-1 tsp
Curry leaves-1 sprig
Coarse red chilli powder-1tsp
Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
Asaefotida powder-a fat pinch
Coconut oil-1tbsp
Salt


Method:-

Mix together grated coconut,coarse red chilli powder, turmeric powder, asafoetida powder and keep aside.

 In a kadai put coconut oil and add mustard seeds.When they splutter add urad dal and give it a quick stir.

When the urad dal turns into golden brown colour add curry leaves and stir well.

Then add the chopped beans and coconut spice mix and stir well.Sprinkle a few drops of water and close the kadai.Cook in a medium flame.

 You may add some coconut oil as a garnish after the curry is done.This curry goes well with rice.

Soppur kukkachi upkari - Chinese potato stir fry

 Firstly a heartfelt apology to all the followers of this blog for not updating the blog since long .The past few months flied like seconds i must say and it was filled with so much buzzing activity that i rarely found time to even login.But surely i found time to learn so many new recipes which will be featured soon.Let me first post this very recipe one of the favorites of my grandpa,who left us in this April."This one is for you aabu.We all miss you  very much".

"Soppur kooke"(konkani),Koorka (Malayalam) or Chinese potato is a  rare tuber that is mostly available in the coastal regions of Karnataka and Kerala.Though it shares some resemblance with baby potatoes, it is darker in colour and has tiny hair like roots attached to it.The taste is also unique,quite distinct from the normal potatoes.It is truly a seasonal delicacy and is available mostly from September to March.The vegetable is well  known for its nutritional values and is very good for  diabetic patients. But it is very sad to say that many people don't use it nowadays when compared to the past, may be because of the laborious task of cleaning them.

The cleaning process for this vegetable is slightly different .It is a little  difficult to clean these potatoes ,to peel of its skin and get rid of the mud that comes with it.I still remember how my palm used to become black in color when i used to clean them initially.Trust me, as you do it a couple of times you will master the task  easily.After all, the effort will be worthwhile when you get to experience the divine taste of this vegetable.

People use different methods to clean this vegetable.Some people put it in a jute/gunny bag and hit the bag on the floor several times to get rid of the skin.Some others pressure cook the potatoes and peel off the skin. Here is the method i follow:-


1. Soak the potatoes in water for about an hour.

2.Then  remove the skin using a knife.

3.Immediately after peeling  put the potatoes in water.

4. Wash thoroughly many times till you get rid of all the mud.

5.Now cut the potatoes lengthwise and immediately put the chopped pieces in water to prevent them from darkening.

You can make a wide variety of dishes with this vegetable.The stir fry that i have posted below is authentically prepared without onion.You can do it either way.

Ingredients:-

Chinese potatoes-200gms
Onion-180gms
Mustard seeds-1/2tsp
Curry leaves-1 sprig
Coarse Red chilli powder-1 1/4 tsp*
Coconut oil
Salt
*u may adjust the chilli powder according to your taste.

Method:-
In a heavy -bottomed pan heat oil and sputter mustard seeds.Add curry leaves and fry well.

Add the chopped onions and fry till they turn into golden brown colour.

Add the chopped potatoes and enough water to cover them.Keep stirring in between .

Now add chilli powder. salt and give it a stir.

When the vegetable is done it will evenly mash like normal potato.Wait till all the water has evaporated .Serve hot with rice.Hope you will try it.

Note:- you may also pressure cook the curry to reduce the cooking time.