Bottle gourd sesame seeds curry

We call this dish as “kaddu til ka salan” (curry). In India, bottle guard is known as lauki in Hindi and kaddu in Urdu. The fresh fruit has a light green smooth skin and a white flesh. Rounder varieties are called calabash gourds. They come in a variety of shapes, they can be huge and rounded, or small and bottle shaped, or slim and more than a meter long. Bottle gourds are one of the favorite vegetables of Indians and have numerous health benefits. Cooked Bottle gourd is anti-bilious(prevents sickness). It makes one relax after eating. But one should not eat the vegetable raw as it can harm the stomach and intestines. Bottle gourd is not only rich in essential minerals, iron, protein and trace elements; it is also rich in fiber. Many varieties of curries and sweets are made using bottle guard in India.

     Sesame seeds are known as Til in Hindi or Urdu. Sesame is grown primarily for its oil-rich seeds. The small sesame seed is used whole in cooking for its rich nutty flavor and also yields sesame oil. The seeds of the sesame are a good source of calcium. Sesame seeds are used in cooking many curries and sweets.

    

    The following recipe bottle guard sesame seed curry is a very good combination of these two main ingredients. Many times we make this dish in our home. It is not that much popular but it is a very simple dish, easy to make and very healthy.

Bottle gourd

Ingredients for making bottle gourd sesame seeds curry:

Bottle gourd medium sized ½

Sesame seeds ½ cup

Green chili pastes 2 tbsp.

Red chili powder 1 tsp.

Salt to taste

Ginger-garlic pastes ½ tsp.

Turmeric powder ¼ tsp.

Chopped coriander 2 tsp.

Oil ½ cup

Chopped onion 1

Preparation of bottle gourd sesame seeds curry:

• First peel off the bottle gourd cut it into 5-6 long-long pieces and then remove its seeds(if found).
• Cut it into 2 inch pieces and keep it aside.
• Take the sesame seeds wash it using water (use a tea strainer).
• Now heat a pan and roast sesame seeds till the seeds puffs up and starts making noises like popcorns.
•  Now immediately take out these seeds and blend it into powder while it is hot.
• Then add little water and then blend it again to make a fine paste.

Curry:

• Heat oil in a pressure cooker and fry onions till translucent.
• Add bottle gourd pieces and all other ingredients for 2 min.
• Now add sesame seeds paste which we have made earlier.
• Add ½ cup of water and cover the pressure cooker and 
• let 3 whistles.
• After 3 whistles cook till the excess water is absorbed.
• Serve this dish with chapatti, roti, phulkas, puri, rice.

Mint\Pudine ki chutney

    Pudine ki chutney means mint chutney; pudina is Indian name for Mint. This chutney is very tasty and easy to make at the same time. We make many varieties of chutneys in our home. This one is my father’s favorite one.  We need few ingredients to make this chutney easily available in every Indian kitchen.

   This mint chutney is very different from others. It will be in brown color rather than green, because of coriander seeds and dried red chilies. This recipe taught to my mom by my grandmother. When I searched for mint chutney on internet I didn’t find this one or any other similar one, what I found was only green mint chutney. I would be happy if someone tries this one also.

   This chutney goes well with rice, chapatti, phulkas, roti, dosa, idli.

Ingredients for making Pudine ki chutney:

Pudina\mint leaves 2 cups

Coriander seeds 2tbps

Dried coconut (grated or chopped) 2tbps

Dried red chilies 5-6

Tamarind soaked in water for10 min. 4tsp.

Seasoning:

Oil ½ cup

Cumin seeds ½ tsp.

Dried red chilies 3

Garlic 4-5

Preparation of pudine ki chutney:

• Follow the given procedure exactly for making best chutney.
• First roast coriander seeds and dried coconut separately, then blend it in a blender.
• Heat 1tsp of oil and fry dried red chilies when you feel the aroma of chilies turn off the flame.
• Blend these chilies also in the same blender.
• Then mix soaked tamarind and blend, add water if you feel necessary.
• Then mix mint leaves, blend it into a fine paste.
• Take out this paste in a bowl keep it aside.

Seasoning:

• Heat oil in a pan.
• Add cumin seeds, garlic and dried red chilies fry for a few sec.
• Add the chutney we have made earlier.
• Cook it for a 2min. till the water is absorbed.
• Turn off the flame and serve.

Indian Bread\Chapati

Chapatti is a form of roti or rotta (bread). There are many different variations of flat breads found in many cultures across the globe. It is normally eaten with curries or cooked vegetables. Roti, chapatti, phulkas, etc, are all same, made using different ingredients such as wheat flour, Maiz (corn) flour, Bajre ki roti (pearl millet), jwari ki roti(sorghum), Ragi ki roti(Eleusine coracana, commonly Finger millet) all these kind of flours are easily available in Hyderabad, I don’t know about rest of the places.

   Chapattis and phulkas are same the only difference is that oil or ghee is applied on top of the chapatti. People who are diet conscious and those who want to lower their cholesterol level eats phulkas. We make chapattis and phulkas as breakfast daily in our home. These goes well with all type of Indian curries vegetarian or non-vegetarian or any kind off Indian chutneys. 

Ingredients for making Indian chapatti:

Wheat Flour 2 cups

Oil 1 tsp.
Water as per requirement

Preparation of Indian Chapati:

• Knead soft dough with above ingredients.
• Leave it for atleast 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough in to small balls.
• Roll with help of dry flour to a thin round shape.
• Roll as thin as possible.
• Heat tawa (flat pan) and place rolled dough on it.
• When dry on one side, turn it.
• When brown spots appear on second side, turn again.
• This cooked dough is now called as phulkas.
• Use a kitchen towel and lightly press the phulka, rotating at same time, it will puff.
• Apply oil\ghee on both the sides, When you apply oil to phulka then it is called as chapatti.  
• Make as crisp as desired.
• Serve hot.

Simple-Lady finger curry

     This is a very simple and easy to make vegetarian dish. Okra is known as Ladyfinger in English and Bhendi in Hindi (Indian language). We make this curry at least once in 15 days; it is very easy and cooks within no time. Very few dishes are made with okra because of its sticky nature. this curry is usually served with chapatis, phulkas, rice or puri.

Ingredients for simple-lady finger curry:

Lady finger 100 Gms.

Chopped onion 2 cups

Red chili powder 1 tsps.

Turmeric powder ¼ tsps.

Ginger-garlic pastes ¼ tsp.

Oil 4 tbsp.

Salt as per your taste

Green chilies 2

Chopped coriander

Preparation of lady finger curry:

• First heat oil in a pressure cooker and fry onions.
• Add red chili powder, green chilies, turmeric powder, salt and ginger-garlic paste.
• Fry all these for a few sec.
• Add 1 glass of water and pressure cook.
• Let 2 whistles or cook till the onion becomes soft like a paste.
• Clean the lady finger and cut it into 1-2 inche pieces.
• Add these lady finger pieces to the onions cooked earlier.
• Cover it and cook (don’t let any whistles after adding lady finger).
• Cook till the lady finger changes its colour and all the water is absorbed.
• Add coriander.
• Serve this curry with chapatti, phulkas, puri or rice.

Aloo Gobi gosh ka salan

Aloo means potato, gobi means cauliflower, gosh means meat and salan means curry. This is a very simple and easy to make curry. Many varieties of curries, fritters (pakodas) are made using cauliflower. 

Ingredients for cauliflower-lamb-potato curry:

Chopped white cauliflower 1 bowl

potato meat cauliflower curry

Lamb small pieces or meat mince 2 cups.

Potatoes cut into 1 inch pieces.

Red chili powder 3 tsps.

Turmeric powder1 tsp.

Ginger-garlic pastes ½ tsp.

Salt to taste

Oil ½ cup

Chopped onion 1 cup

Chopped green chilies 2 tsps.

Chopped coriander ½ cup

Preparation of Cauliflower-lamb-potato curry:

• Heat oil in a pan fry onions,
• Add meat, red chili powder, turmeric, ginger-garlic paste, salt.
• Fry till the water of the meat is absorbed
• Add water and cook until the meat becomes soft
• Now add chopped cauliflower, potato and green chilies.
• Add water and let it cook till potato and cauliflower becomes soft.
• Add coriander.
• Cook till the water is absorbed.
• Serve this simple curry with chapattis, phulkas, rice, puri etc.

Masala Vada with chickpeas

This masala vada one of indian fritters is very famous in India. This is one of the street food of India. some times we prepare this crispy masala vadas in our home and here goes the recipe...

masala vada

Ingredients for masala vada:

Split chickpeas (Chana dal) 1 ½ cup.

Green Chilies - finely cut4-6

Curry Leaves ½ cup.

Onion - finely chopped ½ cup

Ginger-garlic pastes ½ tsp.

Coriander leaves chopped ½ cup

Red Chili powder ½ tsp.

Turmeric powder ½ tsp.

Salt to taste

baking soda 1/2 tsp. 
rice flour 2 tsp.

Oil for deep fry

Preparation of Masala Vada:

• Wash and soak chana daal in enough water for about 4-5 hours.
• Drain the water completely and keep 2 tbsp. chana dal aside.
• Grind together red chilies, curry leaves, chana dal. 
• Make a thick coarse paste. Do not add any water. don't make smooth paste.
• Transfer to a bowl chana dal (2 tbsps. which we have kept aside earlier), chopped onion, finely cut green chilies, all other ingredients. Do not add any water.
• Mix well with your right hand. the batter should be like the above image....

• Heat oil in deep wide pan/kadai.
• Mix paste thoroughly and check for taste. Add more salt-chilies if necessary.
• Make lemon size balls with this chana mixture and on wet palm pat them into small patties keeping the center thick and tapering towards the end with approximately 2 inch diameter.
• Once the oil is heated nicely drop these chana patties into it and deep fry them. Fry first one side then the other till golden brown.
• Add about 4-5 depending on the size of the pan at the same time.
• Remove from oil, when done and place on tissue paper to remove excess oil.
• Serve these hot vada with any type of chutney or sauce or ketch up.

Gulab jamun

Gulab jamun is a dessert often eaten at festivals or major celebrations such as marriages, Diwali (the Indian festival of light) and the Muslim celebrations of Eid ul-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. There are various types of gulab jamun and every variety has a distinct taste and appearance.

Ingredients for making gulab jamun:

Gulab jamun mix 1 packet
Whole milk just enough to make the dough

For the Sugar Syrup
2 cups Sugar
1 cup water
Oil for frying

Preparation of gulab jamun:

• You can buy a ready-made instant gulab jamun mix. 
• Just takeout the powdered min into a plate, 
• mix a little bit of milk to make a thick dough, make small balls(very smallballs because balls will become big when added to sugar syrup).
• fry in oil don't fry in ghee.
• Heat the oil on high and then lower the heat to medium. Slip in the balls into the hot oil from the side of the pan, one by one.
• They will sink to the bottom of the pan, but do not try to move them. Instead, gently shake the pan to keep the balls from browning on just one side. 
• After about 5 mins, the balls will rise to the surface. The Gulab Jamuns should rise slowly to the top if the temperature is just right.
• If the temperature of the oil is too high then the gulab jamuns will tend to break. So adjust the temperature to ensure that the gulab jamuns do not break or cook too quickly.
• The balls must be fried very slowly under medium temperatures. 
• This will ensure complete cooking from inside and even browning.

Sugar Syrup:

• The syrup should be made earlier and kept warm. 
• To make the hot sugar syrup add mix the 2 cups of sugar to 1 cup of water. Add 4-5 cardamom pods, slightly crushed and a few strands of "Kesar". 
• Mix with a spoon and then heat at medium heat for 5-10 minutes until sugar is all dissolved in water. Do not overheat, that will caramelize the sugar.
• Transfer this hot syrup into a serving dish. Keep warm on stove.
• Add the fried gulab jamuns directly into the warm syrup. 
• Leave gulab jamun balls in sugar syrup overnight for best results. 
• They can be served warm or at room temperature with any ice cream.

Indian savoury doughnut/vada

Vigna mungo, known as urad, urad dal, black matpe bean, black gram, black lentil [not to be confused with the much smaller true black lentil]. The product sold as "white lentil" is the same lentil with the black skin removed.

Vada is a traditional South Indian food known from antiquity. Although they are commonly prepared at home, Vadas are as well a typical street food in India. They are usually a morning food, but in street stalls and in railway stations, as well as inside the Indian Railways, they are available as a snack all through the day.

This is never the main course and is had as a light snack or on the side of another dish and usually not separately as a meal. Vadas are preferably eaten freshly fried, while still hot and crunchy and is served with a variety of dips ranging from Sambar (rasam) to chutney to curd.

Ingredients for making vada:

Urad Dal (black gram skin removed) 2 cups.
Onion finely chopped 1
Ginger-garlic paste 1 tsp.

Green Chilies finely chopped 2-3
Salt to taste

Baking Soda ¼ tsp.

Curry leaves chopped 2tsp.

Preparation of vada:

• Wash and soak dal (overnight).
• Grind them coarsely in a blender, like a thick paste.
• Now add onions, ginger, green chilies, curry leaves, salt and baking powder and mix well and set aside for 5 minutes.
• Heat oil in a pan or kadhai.
• Deep fry a spoonful of batter till golden.
• Serve with chutney as a breakfast or sambar or rasam as a meal.

Note: try out making Vadas like a donut/disc shape, but this is very difficult and very tricky. No problem if you can’t make it into disk shape let it be in any shape its taste doesn’t change.

Puri Recipe

Puri means “Fried, Puffed Whole Wheat Flat Breads”. Puri is most commonly served at breakfast in India. It is also served at special or ceremonial functions, along with other vegetarian food. Puri can be served with halva, korma , Chana masala, dal, potato based curries, shrikhand. In some parts of India, puri is also served with a mixed vegetable dish, and a dessert prepared with rice, milk and sugar. Sev-puri is an Indian snack offered by street vendors who serve chat. Puri will be available almost in every Indian restaurant.

Ingredients for puri:

Indian whole wheat flour 2 cups.

Vegetable oil for deep frying.

Salt to taste

Water as required.

Preparation of puri:

• Slowly add about 3/4 cups warm water, just enough to form a firm dough, and knead till smooth.
• Cover, let rest at least ½ hour, and knead again briefly.
• If resting more than 1 hour, punch and knead dough again before rolling out.
• Divide into small balls about ball size, and roll out into 6" rounds on an oiled board.
• Heat vegetable oil in a deep pan.
• Fry the puri one at a time, holding them under the oil on the first side until they puff.
• Turn and fry till light brown.
• Take it into a plate, repeat this for making rest of the puri.
• Serve as soon as possible; these breads are not as good later.
• serve it with any Indian curry.

Spinach mutton curry

Spinach is very good for health. This curry is very simple and is very easy to make. It’s a very good combination of meat and spinach.

Ingredients for spinach mutton curry:

Spinach chopped 500gms.
Oil 4 tbsp.
red chili powder 1tsp.
mutton 250 gms
sliced onion 1 cup

Ginger-garlic pastes ½ tsp.

Green chilies chopped5-6

Salt to taste

Milk/cream 1cup

Preparation of spinach mutton curry:

• Clean, wash and cut lamb into even sized pieces.
• Heat up oil in a thick bottomed pan.
• Mix in sliced onions.
• Stir fry till onions are translucent.
• Mix in ginger-garlic paste, red chili powder and then mix in lamb pieces.
• Stir fry on high flame heat up stirring constantly.
• Mix in three cup of water and stir fry covered until lamb is almost done.
• Mix in salt and spinach and stir fry till lamb is fully mixed with spinach and tender.
• Add milk/cream.
• Cook till the water is absorbed completely.
• Take it into a serving bowl.
• Serve it with chapatti, puri, phulkas (chapatti without oil or ghee) and rice.

Flattened rice/Poha

Flattened rice can be eaten raw by immersing it in plain water or milk, with salt and sugar to taste, or lightly fried in oil with nuts, raisins, cardamoms, and other spices. The lightly fried variety is a standard breakfast in India; it can be cooked in many varieties.

Ingredients for poha:

Poha (flattened rice) 2 cups

Vegetable/ sunflower cooking oil ½ cup.

Mustard seeds 1tsp.

Curry leaves ½ cup

Green chilies split lengthwise (optional) 2

Dried red chilies 2

Medium onion chopped fine 1/2

Handful of unsalted peanuts (skins removed)

Pinch of turmeric powder

Juice of 1/2 a lime

Salt to taste

Chopped coriander to garnish

Preparation of poha:

• Wash poha under running water for 2 minutes. Keep aside to drain.
• Heat the oil in a pan on a medium flame and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chilies.
• Fry till the spluttering stops and then add the onion. Fry till soft and translucent.
• Add the peanuts stir frequently, cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Add the turmeric powder and stir well to blend all ingredients.
• Drain the poha completely to remove all water and add it to the above mix. Cook for another minute.
• Turn off the fire.
• Pour lime juice over the poha and mix well.
• Garnish with chopped coriander and serve while hot.
• Poha tastes great with Mint-Coriander Chutney.

Onion fritters

Onion fritters are one of my favorite snacks. Indian name for onion fritters is “piyaz ke pakode” piyaz means onion and pakode means fritters. These are very good in taste and very crispy. The more you use curry leaves, green chilies, coriander and onion the better taste you get for these yummy-crispy pagodas’.  In India many type of fritters are made using various vegetables, meat and chicken which I’ll post later. Remember use less water app.1or2 spoons.

Ingredients for onion fritters:

Onions - Chopped lengthwise 4
Chickpea flour/besan 1 cup
Curry Leaves  1bunch
Green Chilies 4-5
Red Chili Powder 1tsp.
Salt to Taste
baking Soda 1pinch

Fresh ginger-garlic paste 1 tsp.

Turmeric powder ½ tsp.

Chopped coriander ½ cup.
Oil for deep frying.

Preparation of onion fritters:

• Take a big bowl add onions and add all the other ingredients mix it well with your right hand.
• Add chickpea flour/besan to it. If required add very little water.
• In the meanwhile take a kadai/pan and pour oil in it. Let the oil become heat.
  Once the oil turns hot,
• Then start pouring about 1 spoon full of mixture prepared earlier into the hot oil.
• Once you pour the mixture to the hot oil turn the flame slow.
• Fry this mixture till little brown.
• This gives crispy as well as good taste to it.
• Then remove it from the oil and put it on a paper towel.
• Arrange it in a plate or tray and serve hot.

Dalcha

Dalcha is basically lentils (dal) cooked with mutton, bottle guard. Dalcha is a Hyderabad-south Indian curry. This curry is served as a side dish with fried rice and mutton curry (one of my recipes posted previously).

Ingredients for dalcha:

Bottle guard (kaddu) ½ medium sized

Mutton 1/2kg (500 Gms.)

Yellow lentils (Chana ki dal) 1 cup

Tomatoes chopped 2 cups

Sliced onion 2 tsps.

Chopped green chilies ½ cup.

Salt 2 tsps.

Turmeric powder ½ tsp.

Oil ½ cup

Fresh ginger-garlic paste ½ tsp.

Curry leaves ½ cup.

Preparation of dalcha:

• Boil yellow lentils (Chana dal) in a pressure cooker add some salt, 1/2 cup green chilies, water.
• When the lentils are boiled mash or blend it in a blender and keep it aside.
• Boil mutton and keep it aside.
• Take the bottle guard, peel it, remove seeds and cut it into small pieces and keep it aside.
• In a big deep pan heat some oil and fry onions.
• Add fresh ginger-garlic paste, fry for 1 min.
• Then add bottle guard, tomatoes, add red chili powder, salt, turmeric powder and fry for a few sec.
• Add boiled meat.
• Add 1 glass of water and let it cook for 5 min.
• Now add boiled and mashed yellow lentils paste.
• Add curry leaves.
• Let it cook nicely like soup.
• Add coriander and remove it from flame.
• Serve Dalcha with hot fried rice and mutton curry.

Spicy Rajma curry

This rajma curry is very good in taste and is very healthy dish. this need to be served with chapati, rice, phulkas.

 

Ingredients for spicy rajma curry:

Rajma (kidney beans) 1 cup

Chopped tomatoes 1 cup

Chopped onion ½ cup

Oil ½ cup.

Red chili 2 tsps.

Salt 1tsp.

Turmeric powder ½ tsp.

Fresh ginger-garlic paste ½ tsp.

Green chilies 4-5

Chopped coriander 1bunch

Preparation of spicy rajma curry:

• Soak rajma overnight.
• In a pressure cooker boil rajma till it becomes a little soft.
• Then blend it in a blender to make a thick paste or you can mash.
• Keep 2 tsps. of boiled rajma (unblend) aside.
• In a pan heat some oil and fry onions till golden brown.
• Add tomatoes and all other ingredients fry nicely.
• Add 1 glass of water cook for 2 min.
• Add rajma paste and boiled rajma 2tsps which we have kept aside earlier.
• Cook it into a thick gravy.
• Add coriander and turn off the flame.
• Garnish with coriander and butter on top.
• Serve it hot with rice, chapatti, and phulkas (chapatti without oil).