Brinjal / Eggplant Gojju

Learnt From:

One of my friends Saroj. It is a Karnataka dish. I love the taste of it. She told that they make different kinds of gojjus. Should learn them too from her.

Ingredients:

Brinjals --- 5 round medium size
Potato --- 1 large
Tomato --- 1
Onion --- ½ of the big one
Tamarind --- 1 lime size
Jaggery --- ¾ th of the piece
Salt --- to taste
Turmeric Powder --- a pinch

Dry Roast & Grind the following Ingredients:

Dry Red Chilies --- 5
Channa Dal --- 1 tblsn
Urad Dal --- 1 tblsn
Coriander Seeds --- 1 tblsn
Fenugreek / Methi Seeds --- ¼ tsp
Sesame Seeds --- 1 tblsn
Cumin Seeds --- 1 tsp

For Seasoning:

Oil --- 1 tblsn
Mustard Seeds --- 1 tsp

Process:

Chop ½ of the onion.
Heat 2 tblsn of oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds. Fry them till they splutter.
Add chopped onions. Fry them till they turn to transulucent colour.

In the mean while, Peel the skin of a potato and chop them into pieces, chop 5 brinjals too and keep both of them in plenty of water till they get immersed completely in water. Orelse they will discolour.
Add chopped potato and brinjals.

Chop a medium size tomato too and add tht chopped one to the pan.

Add a pinch of turmeric and salt.
Cover it and cook till done half. Stir occasionally.

In the mean while, clean a lime size ball of tamarind with water and heat for 30 seconds in micro-wave by adding little water.

Take tamarind juice out of it by adding little more water.
Add tamarind juice and ¾ piece of jaggery to the pan. (look at the piece of the jaggery in the following picuter.)

In the meanwhile, dry roast the above mentioned ingredients and grind them to a fine powder. (Note: Instead of coriander seeds and cumin seeds, I have used coriander powder and cumin powder.)

Add the powder to the pan.

Adjust salt.

Cook till done.
Transfer the curry to a serving bowl.

Have it with pulka / chapathi or with rice. Either is good.

Carrot Peas Curry

Learnt From: My Mom. But cooking carrots in pressure cooker is from my sister (Sunanda). She told me that cutting raw carrots takes lot of time and effort. But when we pressure cook carrots, we can cut them so easily which makes work simple.

This is one of easiest and tastiest curries. I like this curry.

Ingredients:

Carrots --- 9-10 Big
Green Peas --- ½ cup
Green Chilies --- 8-10 small
Shredded Coconut --- 2 tblsn
Turmeric Powder --- a pinch
Salt --- to taste

For Seasoning:

Oil --- 1 tblsn
Urad Dal --- 1 ½ tsp
Mustard Seeds --- 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds --- ½ tsp
Dry Red Chilies --- 1 (halved)
Curry leaves --- 6-7

Pre-Requisite:

Clean and Soak green peas for 4 hours. Generally, I soak overnight to cook in the morning.


Process:

Peel the skin of the carrots.


Cut carrots into half so that it easily fits into the cooker.
In a pressure cooker, add soaked green peas by draining the water.


Add carrots too.
Add approximately 2 cups of water into the pressure cooker.
Cook it for 2 whistles.
Wait till the pressure goes away.
In the meanwhile, grind green chilies and coconut.
Drain the water by keeping them in colander.


Wait for a while. Chop cooked carrots into small pieces.
Heat a tblsn of oil in a pan.
Add and toast seasoning one by one like urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chilly and curry leaves.
Add chopped carrots.


Add peas, a pinch of turmeric powder, ground green chilly, shredded coconut and enough salt.
Cook it for 5-7 minutes.
Turn off the heat. Transfer the curry to a serving bowl.


Have it with rice or chapathi. Either is good.

Bottle-Gourd curry with peanut-sesame powder

In Telugu this curry is called ‘Sorrakaya Noogu podi kura’. I have tasted this curry in Sunitha’s daughter ‘Baarasaala’ function. It tasted really so good.

Once, if you make ‘Peanut-Sesame powder’ and preserve at home. Then it becomes easy to make this curry.

Learnt From: My friend Sunitha.

Ingredients:

Bottle-Gourd --- 1 medium size
Peanut-Sesame Powder --- 2 tblsn (adjust)
Milk --- ¼ cup or to cook
Turmeric Powder --- a pinch
Salt --- to taste

For Seasoning:

Oil --- 1 tblsn
Urad Dal --- 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds --- ¾th tsp
Cumin Seeds --- ½ tsp
Dry Red Chilly --- 1 (halved)
Curry Leaves --- 5-6

Process:

Peel the skin of Bottle-Gourd. Clean tht with water. Take the seed stuff from the middle of the bottle-gourd. Chop them into small pieces.
Heat a tblsn of oil in a pan.
Add & toast seasoning one by one like urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, halved dry red chilly & curry leaves.
Turn the heat to medium.
Add chopped bottle-gourd pieces to the pan.
Add a pinch of turmeric powder and enough salt to the bottle-gourd pieces.


Cover it and cook.
Add milk to cook if required.


Cook till the bottle-gourd becomes tender.
Add 2 tblsn of peanut-sesame powder to the pan.
Cook for 2 minutes.
Turn off the heat. Transfer the curry to a serving bowl.


Have it with rice.

Sending this for 'Vow Bottle Gourd' (Vegetable of the week event) to 'Pooja'.

Aloo Bartha

This is one of the simple, easy and tasty curries. When you have this curry along with chapathi or pulka it tastes like aloo partha. Amazing … right?

Learnt From: One of my friend’s blog Archysrecipes

Serves for: 7-8 chapathis or pulkas

Ingredients:

Boiled Potatoes --- 3 big
Coriander leaves --- 15-20 strands
Turmeric powder --- a pinch
Salt --- as per taste

For Seasoning:

Oil --- 2 tblsn
Mustard Seeds --- 1 tsp
Red chilies --- 3 halved

Process:

Heat 2 tblsn of oil in a pan.
Add & toast seasoning like mustard seeds & red chilies.
When the mustard seeds starts spluttering add mashed potatoes.
If you have boiled potatoes in the micro-wave add ¼ th cup of water to it.
Add a pinch of turmeric powder and enough salt.
Mix well.
Chopped 15-20 strands of coriander leaves.
Add to the potatoes.
Mix well.

Transfer the curry to a serving bowl.

Have it with pulka or chapathi.

Baingan ka Bartha

This is one of the simplest, easiest and tastiest dishes. Definetely try this dish. It tastes good with chapathi or pulkas.

Learnt From: Vahrehvah Video

Ingredients:

Eggplant --- 1 big
Green Chilies --- 6
Onion --- ¾ th of the big onion
Ginger-Garlic Paste --- 1 tsp
Tomatoes --- 2 medium
Coriander leaves --- a few
Coriander Powder --- 1 tsp
Cumin Powder --- ½ tsp
Red Chilly Powder --- ½ tsp
Salt --- as per taste

For Seasoning:

Oil --- 2 tblsn
Cumin Seeds --- 1 tsp

Process:

Empty the oven if you have any. Pre-heat oven at 500 degree Fahrenheit and Bake.
Apply oil to the eggplant, keep tht on a baking tray and keep it in the oven carefully.


Cook it in the oven for 20 minutes.


In the meanwhile, chop 6 green chilies, ¾ th of the onion and 2 tomatoes. Keep them aside.
Heat a 2 tblsn of oil in a pan.


Add and toast cumin seeds.
Add chopped green chilies and fry them till they get white spots.
Add chopped onions and a tsp of ginger-garlic paste. Fry till the onions become translucent.


Add chopped tomatoes, a few chopped coriander leaves, a tsp of coriander powder, a ½ tsp of cumin powder and enough salt.


Mix well.
Cover the pan and cook it till the tomatoes become mushy.
In the meanwhile, peel the skin of eggplant. Chop into small pieces.
Add chopped eggplant to the pan.


Mix well and Adjust the salt.
Add half tsp of red chilly powder.
Cook for a minute. Turn off the heat.


Transfer the curry to a serving bowl.


Have with pulka or chapathi.

Tri-Colour Capsicum Curry

When we were moving to a new house Sunitha had send methi parathas and this tri-colour capsicum curry for dinner. It was really too good. The combination was very very good. She told that she made this curry of her own.

Learnt From: One of my friends Sunitha. It is her own recipe.

Ingredients:

Red Capsicum --- 1
Orange Capsicum --- 1
Green Capsicum --- 1

Frozen Green Peas --- ½ cup
Onion --- ¼ of the big one
Coriander powder --- ½ tsp
Cumin powder --- ½ tsp
Garam masala --- ½ tsp
Turmeric powder --- a pinch
Salt --- as per taste
Milk --- ½ cup (optional)

For Seasoning:

Oil --- 1 tblsn
Mustard seeds --- 1 tsp

Process:

Chop capsicum and onion into small pieces.
Heat a tblsn of oil in a pan.
Add and toast mustard seeds.
When the mustard seeds start spluttering add chopped onions. Stir fry till onions become translucent.
Add chopped capsicum and frozen green peas. But I forgot to add frozen peas.


Add a pinch of turmeric and enough salt to the capsicums.
Add ½ cup of water or milk to the capsicum.


Cover it and cook till capsicums are done. Adjust water.
Stir occasionally.


Add coriander powder, cumin powder, & garam masala each ½ tsp.
Stir fry for 2 minutes.
Turn off the heat.


Transfer the curry to a serving bowl.


Tastes good with chapathi, roti or methi paratha.

Ladyfingers Curry with Coconut

Learnt From: My Mom.

Ingredients:

Ladyfingers --- 30 – 35 around
Onion --- ¼ th of the big one
Turmeric Powder --- a pinch
Green Chilies --- 5
Chopped Ginger --- 2 tblsn
Salt --- as per taste
Shredded Coconut --- 2 tblsn

For Seasoning:

Oil --- 2 tblsn
Urad dal --- 1 tsp
Mustard seeds --- 1 tsp
Cumin seeds --- 1 tsp
Dry Red Chilly --- 1
Curry Leaves --- a few

Process:

Chop ¼ th of the big onion.
Clean and Chop ladyfingers.
In a pan, add chopped ladyfingers. Don’t add anything to the pan. Stir fry ladyfingers till the stickiness goes off. Keep them aside.

Look at the pan how sticky it is.


In another pan, heat 2 tblsn of oil.
Add and toast seasoning one by one like… urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chopped dry red chilly.
Add chopped onions. Fry till translucent.
Add chopped ladyfingers, a pinch of turmeric & enough salt to the ladyfingers.
Add a cup of water.


Cook till ladyfingers become tender.
In the meanwhile, grind 5 green chilies, 2 inch piece of ginger. Keep that aside.


Keep 2 tblsn of shredded coconut aside.
Add the ground paste and shredded coconut when ladyfingers are done. At this stage turn the heat to medium heat.


Stir fry for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Transfer the curry to a serving bowl.