Zaiqa

Karela~Bittergourd, a not very favorite vegetable of kids as well as most adults, is full of medicinal properties. People, who have a liking and an acquired taste for bittergourd are doing themselves a great favor. Its peel, seeds and flesh, every part of this vegetable is laden with health benefits. This vegetable has remedial properties for illnesses such as Diabetes, Asthama, Hypertension, GI disorders, Urinary disorders, HIV/AIDS, and many other ailments by lowering blood sugar levels, helping the liver function better, and has a wonderful healing effect on blood. The smaller the size of the vegatable, the more nutritous it is.

Bittergourd ~ Karela

Fortunately, my family enjoys bittergourd, and I am always delighted to get this humble vegetable home whenever they appear in the market here. Today I prepared these two dishes for our meal and we all enjoyed it.

Usually, I shallow fry bittergourd chips, but today I tried them in a healthier way, Indira inspired, and they were perfectly good.

Bitter-Gourd/Karela Chips

Ingredients:

Bitter gourd/Karela – 2, medium sized, yound and tender
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Ghee – 1 tsp

Bittergourd cut into thin chips

Bittergourd chips

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°C.
2.Wash the bittergourd well in several changes of water. Pat dry with paper towel.
3. Using a mandoline or hand slicer, slice the bittergourd into thin chips. There is no need to peel the skin.
4. In a mixing bowl, add the bittergourd and the rest of the ingredients. Gently toss the bowl to mix well.
5. Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil. Place the raw bittrgourd chips in a single layer on the baking sheet and place it in the middle rack in the preheated oven for 10 mins at 350°C. Later, turn the setting on broil for 3-5 minutes. Keep a close eye, and remove the baking sheet as soon as the chips are done. Serve immediately.

Suggested Accompaniments: Bittergourd chips can be enjoyed on the side along with any of your meals.

***

I love to cook Bittergourd along with Qimah. Bittergourd when cooked with minced meat brings out the flavor of the meat and and in turn its bitterness is amazingly neutralized by it.

Qimah bhare Karelay – Bitter-Gourd stuffed with Minced meat

Ingredients:

Bitter gourd – 4, medium sized, young and tender
Canola oil – 2 tbsp
Yellow Onion – 1, medium sized
Ginger-garlic paste – 2 tsp
Minced lamb/Sheep/Veal meat~Qaaeema – 1 pound
Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
Salt – to taste
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Roasted Cumin seed powder – 1/2 tsp
Roasted Coriander seed powder – 1 tsp
Coconut cream – 1 tbsp
Canned Tomato paste – 3 tbsp
Tamarind concentrate – 1 tbsp
Chopped cilantro and mint – to garnish

Bittergourd, lightly scraped, stuffed and tied close with twine

Method:

1. Wash and pat dry the bittergourd. Lightly scrape the skin using a knife (I scraped it for even searing). Cut off just the tips of the bittergourd with your kitchen shears.
2. With the tip of a knife, carefully open the bitter gourd to form into a boat shape, and remove the seeds from inside without tearing/damaging the bittergourd. Chop the bittergourd seeds roughly and keep the seeds and bittergourd aside in individual bowls.
3. In a pan at medium high heat, pour 1 tbsp oil and as soon as it warms up, add sliced onions and stir fry until golden brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and stir fry for a few seconds. Add the washed minced meat. Mix well and add the red chilli powder, turmeric and salt. Let cook uncovered until the meat is browned and the moisture has dried up. Keep stirring the meat every once in a while. Remove from heat once done.
4. Stuff the bittergourd with the prepared Qimaha and tie to close the bittergourds using a kitchen twine.
5. In a pan at medum high heat, pour remaining oil and as soon as it warms up, add the stuffed tied bittergourd. Stir fry them until lightly seared on all sides. Remove the bittergourds into a platter using a strainer and keep aside.
6. Add the left over prepared qimah into the same pan, and add the chopped bittergourd seeds, cumin and coriander powders, tomato paste, coconut cream and tamarind concentrate. Mix well and pour in 1 1/2 cup water. Close the lid and let it come to a boil. Lower the meat to medium and add the stuffed bittergourd. Close the lid and let cook for 10 minutes. Later, gently give a good stir and again close the lid and let cook for 10 minutes, until the qimah is fairly dry and the bittergourd is well cooked.
7. To serve, discard the kitchen twine and cut each bittergourd into two using a knife. Garnish with chopped cilantro and mint and serve immediately.

Qimah bhare Karelay – Bitter-Gourd stuffed with Minced meat

Suggested Accompaniments: Enjoy Qimah bhare Karelay along with Khatti dal and a dry vegetable curry on the side for a delicious meal.

Luv,
Mona

It has been raining since a few days here, and I was craving for some snacks. Palak Pakodi with Til ki Chutney is what I prepared today and we enjoyed it الحمد لله along with chai.

Palak ki Pakodi – Spinack Fritters

Ingredients:

Spinach – 100 gms

Palak – Spinach

For the batter:-

Gram flour/Besan – 1 cup
Cool fresh water – 1 cup
Red Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp

Palak ki Pakodi – Spinack Fritters

Method:

1. Heat oil in a kadai to deep fry the fritters.
2. In a bowl, prepare the batter. Mix all the ingredients under the heading for the batter until the batter is smooth. Keep aside.

Spinach strips in batter

3. Wash and pat dry the spinach thoroughly. Discard stems and pile the spinach one above the other. Cut into strips and add it to the batter. Using a fork mix well and gently lift a small amount in the fork and drop it into the hot oil in the kadai. Deep fry on both sides until golden brown in color, around 3-5 minutes.
4. Remove the fritters into a large wire mesh strainer for the excess oil to drip off.

Til ki Chutney – Sesame seed Chutney

Ingredients:

Sesame seeds/Til – 1/2 cup
Small green chillies – 5, stems discarded, roughly chopped
Tamarind concentrate – 2 tbsp
Fresh Chopped Cilantro/Kothmir – 1 tbsp
Fresh Mint leaves/Pudina – 6 leaves
Garlic cloves – 2
Salt – to taste
Fresh cool water – 3/4 cup

Til ki Chutney – Sesame seed Chutney

Method:

1. In a pan at medium high heat, dry roast the sesame seeds until lightly golden brown in color. Remove the pan from heat and keep aside to cool.

Dry roasted Sesame seeds

2. Once the sesame seeds are completely cooled, add the rest of the ingredients and grind in a blender until smooth. Add more water if you need. Adjust salt to taste.
3. Prepare baghaar/tempering in a pan- pour 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan at medium hight heat. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 dry red chillies, and a few curry leaves. As they crackle, remove from heat and mix into the chutney. Serve.

Dip the Spinach fritters into the chutney and enjoy as a snack.

I also prepare this snack along with the chutney quite usually in Ramadan at Iftaar. This is my entry to the ‘Hyderabadi Ramadan Food Festival ’09’ that I am hosting on my blog.
Do send me your entries as soon as possible before Ramadan starts. The deadline is 20th August ‘09.

Luv,
Mona

Delightfully sweet, and subtly sour, is how I describe the taste of this curry. Memories of my childhood are closely yet again associated with this traditional dish that my Ammi used to prepare with so much love for us all.

Tamarind – Imli
AntiClockwise from top – Tamarind pod; inside the pod without shell; tamarind seeds; tamarind pulp shaped into ball; leftover fibre from the pod to be discarded

Tamarind, an essential ingredient in Indian cuisine, is used in this recipe for a sweet-sour flavor. The prepared curry is then subtly thickened with finely powdered rice and allowed to cook for a little while to impart a silky texture to the curry.

***

Pre-prererations for the curry: (you can prepare these a day before you plan to make the curry)
1. Tamarind pulp:

Remove the shell of the tamarind pod, and gently pull away the fibres meshed with the inner pulp and remove the seeds embeded inside. Discard the shell, fibre and seeds. Shape the pulp into a ball to use. (See the picture above for an idea)

2. Rice powder:

Soak rice for 2-3 hours in cool water. Drain the rice and spread on a cloth to air dry for a few hours. Once completely dry, powder the rice very very finely in a spice grinder to use. The texture of the rice powder should be similar to that of flour, or else coarsely ground rice results in an unpleasing gritty texture in the curry. This ground rice flour is used as the thickener in this curry.

***

Tamatar ki Kadi – Okra and Meat in tangy Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

Canola Oil – 2 tsp
Ginger paste – 1/2 tsp
Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Fresh Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Veal/Lamb/Goat/Sheep meat with bones – 600 gms (boneless meat is not recommended)
Tomatoes – 5, large, roughly chopped
Roasted Coriander seed powder – 1/2 tsp
Roasted Cumin seed powder – 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Salt – to taste
Okra – young and tender pods, 100 gms, tailed and topped
Tamarind pulp – lime sized ball of tamarind pulp, or as per taste (see above)
Very Finely powdered Rice – 4 tbsp (see above)

Tamatar ki Kadi

Method:

1. In a pressure cooker at medium high heat, pour oil, and as soon as it warms up, add the ginger and garlic pastes. Fry it for a few seconds. Add the curry leaves and as they splutter, add the meat and the tomatoes, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric,, cumin and coriander seed powders and mix well. Pour in 3 cups of water and pressure cook until the meat is tender.
2. Open the lid of the cooker, and add the okra. Half cover the lid and let cook for 8-10 minutes or until the okra is tender. Add the tamarind pulp and mix well.
3. In a small bowl, add 1/2 cup warm water and add the rice powder to it. Mix well so that it doesnt get clumpy, and gently pour this mixture into the pressure cooker stirring continously. Let it cook uncovered for 10-12 minutes until the sauce leaves oil and thickens gradually because of the rice powder. Remove from heat and serve warm.

Once the curry is no longer warm, it begins to thicken due to the thickener added. If the left over is refrigerated it turns into a slighty pasty consistency, but do not worry, as soon as it is reheated with the addition of a little water, its consistency will thin up again.

Luv,
Mona

Tala huwa Qimah

Sautéed minced meat/Talahuwa Qimah along with Kacchi Imli ki Khatti Dal and plain Basmati rice is ideal for a simple yet delicious meal. My Ammi always used to prepare Talahuwa Qimah as a change from the usual Qimah recipes and we all always relished it.

Tala Huwa Qimah – Sautéed Minced Meat

Ingredients:

Cumin seeds – 1 1/2 seeds
Ginger garlic paste – 1 heaped tbsp
Dried red chilli – 2, each split into two
Curry Leaves/Karyapaak – 10 fresh leaves
Minced Veal or Lamb or Sheep meat/Qimah – 800 gms
Red Chilli powder – 2 heaped tsp
Salt – to taste
Turmeric – 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder – 1 tsp
Juice of 1 Lime/Lemon
MDH Chat Masala powder – 1/2 tsp (optional)
Fresh Cilantro and Mint leaves – 1 tbsp, finely chopped
Canola oil

Method:

1. Wash Qimah and drain in a fine wire mesh strainer.
2. In a non-staick heavy bottmed Kadai/Wok, pour 2 tbsp oil and as soon as it warms up, add cumin seeds and ginger garlic paste and stir fry till it is lightly golden brown. Add the dried red chiili, karyapaak and quickly in a minute add the Qimah. Using a wooden spoon mix it all well and keep stirring it breaking the lumps of the Qimah for 3-5 minutes.
3. Let it cook uncovered at medium high heat until most of the moisture has been evaporated and the qimah is nicely cooked. Pour in about 3 tbsp oil and all the other ingredients and stir fry the qimah for 25-30 minutes more, stirring continously. Keep sprinkling a few drops of water if it tends to stick on the bottom of the Kadai. Fry the Qimah well and serve warm.

Suggested Accompaniments: Enjoy the Talahuwa Qimah along with Kacchi Imli ki Khatti Dal and Plain boiled rice for a delicious meal. 

Luv,
Mona

Dry dal with phulka or paratha are my favorite breakfast options. This usual combination is what I have been having since my childhood for breakfasts~simple, healthy, quick to prepare and comforting.

Saadi Dhulli Mash ki dal ~ Gingery black gram dhal with caramelized onions

Split husked black gram, also called as Dhulli Mash ki dal or Mash ki Dal in Urdu, are a kind of creamy white pulses, a good source of iron, protein and fibre and low in fats.

The fried onions added to the warm dal as a garnish impart a delicious rich sweet taste to the salted soft gingery dal adding a depth of flavors. A perfect accompaniment with Roti for a light delicious meal.

Saadi Dhulli Mash ki dal ~ Gingery black gram dhal with caramelized onions

Ingredients:

Yellow Onion – 1, large, finely sliced
Canola oil – 3 tbsp
Split husked black gram/Maash ki dal/Urad dal – 250 gms
Ginger – 1/4 tsp, finely grated
Salt – to taste
Small green chillies – 3, finely sliced, for garnish
Cilantro and Mint leaves – 1 tsp each, finely chopped, for garnish

Dhuli Mash ki Dal ~ Split husked Black gram, in a tea-cup

Method:
1. Wash and soak the dal for about 20 minutes in surplus fresh cool water.
2. Drain the soaking dal and add it to a pressure cooker. Pour in about 1 1/2 cups of fresh water and add ginger and salt. Pressure cook dal until soft but not mushy, probably for around 3-5 minutes on high heat. (Make sure that the dal retains its shape and is not overdone and pastelike)
3. Meanwhile pour oil in a frying pan and as soon as it warms up, add the sliced onion and fry them stirring continously until nicely browned. Make sure you do not burn them. Remove the fried onion using a slotted spoon onto a platter, draining as much oil as possible from the fried onions. Reserve the remaining oil in the pan.
4. Once the dal is done, remove it to a serving bowl. Garnish with sliced green chillies, cilantro and mint and the fried onion. Pour about 1 tbsp of the oil in which the onions were fried onto the dal. Serve immediately with Phulka or Paratha.

Suggested Accompaniments: Enjoy this delicious dal along with Phulka or Paratha and Tala huwa Adrak Lahsun (recipe below) on the side. My late Grandfather used to enjoy the dal along with ‘Dhoop-Numbu‘.

This delicious dal is my entry to the event ‘Delicious Dals from India’ being hosted by Suma at her blog Veggie Platter.

Tala huwa Adrak Lahsun – Ginger-Garlic paste Masala

Ingredients:

Ginger paste – 2 tbsp
Garlic paste – 2 tbsp
Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
Salt – to taste
Canola oil – 1 tbsp

Tala huwa Adrak-Lahsun – Fried Ginger-Garlic paste Masala

Method:

In a small non-stick frying pan with a heavy bottom at medium heat, pour oil and as soon as it warms up add the ginger and garlic pastes. Cover the pan with a splatter screen and stir fry it, stirring continously and scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon around for 8-10 minutes. Add salt and red chilli powder and mix well. Remove from heat and enjoy it along with dal and roti as a side-dish.

Suggested Accompaniments: Tala huwa Adrak-Lahsun tastes delicious along with Saadi Mash Ki Dal or Moong Ki Dal.

An Update: I am sending my Hara Dhaniya aur Pudine Ki Chutney – Coriander and Mint Chutney over to Jhiva for Ingredients/JFI event, initiated by Indira originally. This month the theme is the most used asian herb ‘Cilantro’, known for its very aromatic and refreshing flavors, being hosted by Cilantro herself at her blog.

Luv,
Mona