Bachhali pulusu February 28, 2008

This is another authentic andhra dish..bacchali aaku is high in proteins and minerals. There are different english names for bacchali aaku..like chinese spinach, oriental spinach, ceylon spinach..malabar spinach but its botanical name is Basella alba. Typical of leaf vegetables, it is high in vitamin A, vitamin C, iron and calcium. It is low in calories by volume, and high in protein per calorie. It is a rich source of fiber, thought to remove toxins from the body.

Bachhali Pulusu

1 Bunch fresh bachhali leaves
1 medium size chopped onion
2 green chillis
1 tbls tamarind patse
12tbls besan(senaga pindi)
A pinch of hing
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp jeera
1 dry red chilli
1 clove garlic
4-5 curry leaves
1 tbls oil
salt for taste

• Clean bachhali leaves and chop them finely. Chop onions and green chillies.
• Take a deep skillet and add oil. Add mustard seeds, jeera, red chilli and stir.
• When they start to splutter, add garlic and curry leaves. Add onions and green chillies. Fry them till they turn translucent. Add a pinch of turmeric.
• Add bacchali leaves and little salt. Cover it with a lid and let it cook for 10 min. Add 1 cup of water, tamarind paste, salt and let it simmer for 10 min.
• Mix a tsp of besan in a bowl and add some water. Mix it well withough any lumps.
• Let it boil for 10 min more and bachali pulusu is ready. Serve hot with rice.

Paneer methi curry February 21, 2008

Ingredients

Low fat paneer, cut into tiny pieces – 1 cup
Fenugreek leaves (methi leaves), chopped – 2 cup
Onion, chopped finely – ½ cup
Oil - 2 tsp
Garlic and ginger paste- 2 tsp, minced
Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
Cumin powder – 1 tsp
Coriander powder – 2 tsp
Garam masala powder – 1 tsp
Tomatoes – ½ cup
salt to taste

Method
 

• Heat the oil in a non stick kadai. Add onion, garlic and ginger and fry till onion turns brown.
• Add fenugreek leaves. Sprinkle with little salt and keep covered on low heat till it is cooked.
• Mix all the powders with little water to a paste and add. Keep stirring for a couple of minutes.
• Add tomato puree, paneer and salt.
• Add 1/3 cup of water and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
• Serve hot with rotis. 

Methi Rice January 27, 2008

 

Ingredients 

1 cup – Methi leaves
1 cup – onions
4 or 5 chillies sliced
1 cup peas
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 cup fried paneer

4 or 5 bay leaves
1 tsp peppercorns
Illiachi or cardamom
half cup – cashewnuts
oil and ghee(1 1/2 tsp each)
salt to taste
1 tsp red chilli powder
a pinch of turmeric powder
3 cups basmati rice soaked in salt and 1 tsp ghee for 15 min

Method

Wash the methi leaves properly and grind them in a blender into a smooth paste. Now take a pan and add 2 tbs of oil and add bay leaves, peppercorns, cardamoms, cashewnuts and fry for a while. Add onions,ginger garlic paste and green chillies and fry till golden brown. Add peas and fry. Add salt, red chilli powder and turmeric and fry for a while. Now add the blended paste and cook for 10 minutes till the raw smell of the leaves is gone.

Now add the basmati rice and fry for a while and then add paneer pieces. Pour 6 cups of water and mix it well. Cover it with a lid and let it cook for another 25 min. Once ready, remove the lid and let it cool. Serve hot with curd raita or pickle.

Collard Green Dal January 16, 2008

Ingredients:

Collard Greens – 3/4 Th of a bunch , washed and chopped finely
Moong Dal – 1/2 cup
Turmeric powder – a pinch
Asafoetida – a pinch
Shallots – 5 to 6 , peeled and chopped
Green chilli – 2, chopped finely
Dried red chilli – 1 , broken into 1/2 ( optional)
Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
Urad dal – 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:

Pressure cook moong dal with turmeric powder and asafoetida until soft. Heat oil in a saucepan, add mustard seeds. When they start popping add cumin seeds, dried red chilli, green chillies, urad dal .

After the cumin seeds starts to sizzle add the chopped shallots and saute until they become translucent. Then add the chopped collard greens, salt and 1/2 cup of water , cover and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes stir in the cooked moong dal. Add another 1/4 cup of water if the curry is too thick. Cover the pan and let it cook again for 4 to 5 minutes.

Serve hot with rice and any pan fried vegetable of your choice.

Palak paneer or Paneer ka saag January 4, 2008

Palak or spinach is highly nutritious. Its rich with all the vitamins and minerals. Its best to completely boil it and never throw away the spinach water. It is loaded with nutrients. Here goes the recipe-

Ingredients

1 bunch of spinach – thouroughly washed and chopped
Paneer (cottage cheese)- 10 to 12 cubes
1 onion – finely chopped
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
5 green chillies
10 cashewnuts – roasted and grounded to powder
1 tomato – Boiled and mashed
Turmeric
Salt to taste
Jeera and Dhaniya powder (fennel and coriandar) - 2 tbs
Red chilli powder – 1 tbs
half cup of cold water

 

Method

Heat a tsp of oil in wide pan and add green chillies and then spinach leaves. saute until the leaves are wilted. Turn off the heat.Add half cup of cold water and keep it aside. It will help cool it off fast. Now add them to blender and add pinch of salt and blend to smooth paste.

Lightly saute panner cubes in one tsp of oil until they are golden brown and crispy.

Take another wide pan and add one tsp of oil. Fry the chopped onions and add ginger garlic paste and saute well. Add pureed spinach,tomato and cashew powder. Add a pinch of turmeric and salt to taste. Mix thouroughly. Cook it in low flame for about 5 to 10 minutes. Before turning off the heat, add the paneer cubes. Mix it well so that the cubes are completely coated with spinach. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes and then turn the gas off.

Serve the curry hot with chapatis! You can also add a bloack of unsalted butter on top. That is how it is served in a typical north indian dhaba!!

Spinach Dal December 8, 2007

 

This is my entry to JFI – Toor dal hosted by linda – http://outofthegarden.wordpress.com/

Ingredients

1 bunch spinach – shredded
1 onion – diced
2 green chillies
1 diced tomato
1 cup toor dal
2 tsp tamarind paste
Salt
Turmeric
1 tsp red chilli powder

For tempering
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp chana dal
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp mustard seeds
3 red chillies
1 sprig curry leaves

Method

• Wash the toor dal and spinach thouroughly. Pressure cook it along with  diced onions and green chillies.
• Now take another pan, add some oil and add the tempering.
• Add tomatoes, salt, turmeric and cook. After the tomatoes are properly cooked add the tamarind and mix it well. Now add this whole mixture into the cooked spinach mixture and stir it well.
• Add red chilli powder and cook for a while.
• Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

Spinach curry or Palakura pesarapappu kura November 29, 2007

Ingredients

Shredded spinach – 3 cups
Soaked yellow moong dal – 1/2 cup
1 cup diced onion
2 finely cut green chillies
curry leaves – a bunch
turmeric
salt to taste

Method

Take a pan and add half tsp of oil and add mustard and jeera. Add chopped onion green chilies and curry leaves and saute them. After onions turn pink, add spinach and cook on high for 5 minutes. Add salt and mix it well. When spinach gets reduced and add the soaked yellow moong dal and mix it well. Switch off the stove and serve hot with chapatis.

Note : Yellow moong dal is highly nutritious and gives a crunchy taste to this curry.