Stuffed Bitter Gourd (Pavakka/Kakarakaya/Karela Masala)

Lately I have been making a lot of recipes from Bitter Gourd. I am always trying to make something new and I stumbled upon one such cool recipe from Malar Gandhi's blog. I followed her recipe 90%. I could not follow it to the T due to taste preferences. You must visit her blog, she has truly a nice space. You can either get the recipe from here or from her blog, Here. (P.S: I am getting an internal error while pasting the link, will try again later)
My husband and I loved the taste and I cant wait to make this another time. Do try this and let me know.

Ingredients:
Bitter Gourd/Kakarakaya: 4, small
Tomatoes: 2, small chopped
Onions: 2 small chopped
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tsp
Garam masala: 1/2 tsp
Red chili powder: 1 tsp
Salt: according to taste
Turmeric powder: 1/4 powder
Coriander powder: 1 tsp
Cumin Powder: 1 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 string
Oil: 2-3 tbsp

Method:

• Wash the bitter gourd thoroughly and trim the edges. Now make a vertical opening with a sharp knife, keeping the edges intact. Basically, enough slit/opening to be able to remove the seeds and stuff the stuffing. With the back of the spoon remove the seeds and pulp, making sure to keep the edges intact.
• Steam the bitter gourd for 10 mins. (Alternatively, you can also skip this step. I personally have steamed this to soften the veggie). 
• Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds followed by chopped onions. 
• When the onions are fried, add the ginger garlic paste and try for a few more seconds. 
• Now add the tomatoes and cover and cook until tomatoes are cooked. 
• Now add all the mentioned powders, including salt and stir. Remove from heat. 
• Now stuff this tomato curry into the bitter gourd, one by one. Do not worry if you are unable to stuff more than 2 or 3 tbsp per one bitter gourd. You will still have some left over curry. Leave this aside for the moment.
• Heat another pan and add 2 tbsp oil. Now carefully lower each bitter gourd and gently fry one side at a time taking care not to burn it.Try not to let the stuffing come out. Some of it will come out anyway.
• Once the bitter gourd is completely cooked on all sides, add the remaining left over curry into this and stir gently.

Serve this hot with rice or roti.

Note: Other recipes for bitter gourd are:
1. Pvakkai Kuzhambu
2. Pavakkai Fry

Indian Broad Beans with Potatoes (aloo with chukkudukaya)

Remember my other post where I was trying to increase the quantity of the okra I have at home by adding 1 potato and I called it Bhendi Burji with Aloo ? The other time when I was increasing the quantity of okra by adding them in tomato gravy and called it Tomato-Okra? Well, here is a recipe for increasing the quantity of potatoes by adding Indian Broad beans. This is called Chukkudukaya in Telugu. Not sure what it is called in Tamil or Hindi. This will go well when we have unexpected guests and some of who love potatoes :)

Ingredients:
Potatoes: 3 small, pealed and chopped
Beans: handful, chopped
Cumin/jeera: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 string
Salt
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Red chili Powder: 1 tsp
Oil: 2 tbsp

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add cumin followed by curry leaves. 
• Now add the potatoes and beans. Stir fry until they get cooked.
• After they are completely cooked, add turmeric powder, salt and red chili powder. 
• Switch off the stove.

This will go very well with roti or even rice and sambar.

Tomato Chutney- Iyer Style

This recipe goes back to my college days from London. When I initially went there for studies, it was around the time of Vinayaka Chaviti (Ganesh Chaturthi). I was invited for dinner by one of the ladies. She was known as Iyer Akka. That's where I first had this kind of chutney. I absolutely fell in love with the taste and ever since I often make this at home. Thanks to the traditional recipes and Iyer Akka.My husband also loves this! 

Ingredients:
Tomatoes: 1/2 kg
Green Chilies: 6 (increase or decrease this according to taste)
Cumin/Jeera: 1 tbsp
Oil: 2 tbsp

For Tempering:
Mustard Seeds: 1 tsp
Cumin: 1/2 tsp
Channa Dal: 1 tsp
Curry Leaves: 1 string
Hing: 1 pinch

Method:

• Heat 1 tsp oil in big pan (enough to fit tomatoes) and add cumin and green chilies. Once chilies are roasted and softened a bit, remove from the pan to another small bowl. 
• In the same pan add add the washed and chopped tomatoes and keep cooking until tomatoes are completely cooked. This will take some time considering you are cooking 1/2 kg of tomatoes.

• After the tomatoes are completely cooked through, remove from the pan and cool it. 
• After they are cool, transfer to a blender and add salt and also the fried cumin and green chilies from step 1. 
• Blend them fine and transfer to a serving bowl. 
• For tempering, take a small pan and heat oil. To the oil add everything under for tempering and stir for a few seconds until everything is well roasted. 
• Add this to the tomato chutney. Also add salt for taste.

Enjoy with hot rice or even with any break fast item! 

Chettinad Shrimp Masala (Eral Masala)

Prawns have always been my favorite non-veg item. Its unfortunate that never lived near waters to get fresh supply of prawns as often as I would have liked to have. I am talking about childhood days and years spent in India.
Now we get what ever we want, fresh/frozen/cleaned/uncleaned/ bla. However, no matter how many times I try, the taste we get in India is never the same. I wonder if its because of the spice brand we use or the water or the prawns. Anyway, here is the recipe for Chettinad Eral Masala. The taste is as close to as one can expect in an authentic Chettinad kitchen.

Ingredients:
Prawns: 250 grams/ 1/2 lb (cleaned) I used fresh shrimp, you can use frozen also.
Onions: 1 big or 2 small
Ginger garlic paste: 1/2 tsp
Garlic pods: 4 big or 8 small
Tomato: 1 ripe, chopped
Chili Powder: 1 tsp or according to taste
Turmeric powder: 1 pinch
Salt
Coriander leaves: handful
Lemon Juice: 2 tbsp
Cinnamon: 1 inch piece
Curry leaves: 1 string
Oil: 2 tbsp

Marination:
Marinate the shrimp with chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, lemon juice and ginger&garlic paste and set aside in the fridge for an hour.

Method:

• Heat oil in a pan and add cinnamon stick, curry leaves followed by chopped onions. 
• When onions turn translucent, add tomatoes and let the tomatoes cook until they become mushy. 
• Now add the shrimp and saute for a min. You will see the water coming out. Now, cover the dish and let the shrimp cook on medium flame. After cooking, check for salt.
• You can switch off the stove and garnish with coriander leaves.

Note:

• Do not over cook the shrimp as this would make them hard.
• If you are using frozen shrimp, make sure to defrost it before you marinate it.

Sundakkai Kuzhambu

I never had this before getting married. When my husband mentioned that he likes this sundaka kuzhambu, I put on a blank face then. Eventually I learned how to make this. Its divine tasting and goes very well with hot rice. Hope you all like it too. For us south Indian's this certainly is the first choice than KFC.

Ingredients:
Sundakkai Varthal: 3/4 cup
Tamarind paste: 2 tbsp soaked in 2 cup of water (you can increase or decrease this according to taste)
Medium onion: 1 chopped
Garlic cloves: 3
Curry leaves: 1 string
Salt: 1 tsp or according to taste

For tempering:
Oil: 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Urad dal: 1 tsp
Channa dal: 1 tsp
Fenugreek/methi seeds: 1/8 tsp
Asafitida: a pinch

For fine grind:
Chanaa dal: 1 tsp
Urad dal: 1 tsp
Channa dal: 1 tsp
Red chillies:  4
Black pepper: 7-8 (you can reduce this)
Grated coconut - 1 tbsp (optional)


Method: 

• Soak the Sundakkai varthal in water for 10 mins to soften them and also to red rid of dust.
• Dry roast everything under "fine grind" section and make a powder. 
• Heat oil in a pan and add one by one everything under "for tempering" and fry for a min. 
• Now add the sundakkai varthal (without water) and fry for couple of mins.
• Now add curry leaves followed by garlic and onions and fry until the onions are soft. 
• Now add salt and the ground powder. Stir and add the tamarind water. 
• Simmer the stove and let the kuzhambu thicken until the desired consistency is achieved. It takes about 30 mins. Serve hot with rice.

Soraka poriyal (Bottle Gourd)

Sorakaya is another one such veggie which can be used to make sambar, curry, fry or even pickle! Last time I made a curry out of it, I felt that I could do better with fry. So first time I tried with masoor dal. It came out good, no picture though. Then I tried with moong dal. Here is the recipe for Sorakaya with moong dal.

Ingredients
Sorakaya (Bottle Gourd): 1 small, roughly 1 cup
Moong Dal: 1/4 cup
Green Chilies: 1 or 2 according to required spice level
Coconut powder (fresh or dry) grated: 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1 tsp
Curry leaves: 1 string
Hing: 1 pinch
Salt: 1 tsp or according to taste
Turmeric powder: 1/8 tsp
Oil: 1 tbsp

Method:

• Peel the bottle gourd and chop into 1/2 inch pieces.
• Dry roast the moong dal until a nice aroma comes out and dry grind this. The powder should be coarse. 
• Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds followed by Asafitida (Hing) and curry leaves. When the leaves splutter, add the slip green chilies. 
• Fry for a few seconds and add the chopped bottle gourd. 
• Cook on medium flame stirring occasionally.
• When its cooked, add the turmeric powder, salt and grated coconut and stir. 

Switch off the stove, add the dal powder and enjoy  as a side dish for rice or roti/naan bread :)

Spring Onions Fried Rice

When I was in Bangalore, there was this old man who used to bring a cart and used to roam, a vendor-on-wheels basically. The cart had a stove and 2 big pans and a variety of sauces; that's it. He used to claim that he makes the best Chinese Fried Rice in Bangalore. He named his cart, Main Land China. The first time I had seen it, I bust out laughing looking at its name. But since the food is freshly made, always hot and can get a full dinner for Rs.15, I used to be his regular customer. The below recipe is given by him.
Below measurements would serve 2 adults.

Ingredients:
Cooked Rice: 2 cups
Egg: 1
Spring Onion: 1 bunch, washed and chopped
Milk: 1 tbsp
Garlic pods: 3 chopped (if the pod is small, increase this to 5)
Freshly ground pepper powder: 1-2 tbsp
Soy Sauce: 3-4 tbsp (you can increase or decrease this according to your taste)
Olive oil: 1 tbsp(you can use regular oil also if you don't have olive oil)
Butter/oil: 1/2 tsp

Method:

• Take a small bowl and beat the egg and milk to together. In a wide bottomed pan heat a little butter (or oil) and pour in the mixture. Stir for a minute until the egg is almost cooked and remove from flame. Keep this separately in a plate.
• Heat olive olive oil in the same pan and add the garlic followed by chopped spring onions. You can use the stems also. Saute this until it turns soft. 
• Add the cooked rice to this mixture and mix well. 
• To this, add the soy sauce and freshly grounded pepper and mix well. Now check for salt. Since Soy sauce has salt in it, you wouldn't need to add anything extra. If you like your food a little salty (like me), you can add salt accordingly now. 
• To this fried rice, add the scrambled egg and mix well.

That's it! Simple Chinese spring onion fried rice is ready! I served this with chili mushroom. This would be the next recipe I would be posting (tomorrow or Monday).