everyday subzi : raw papaya stew | kachhe papeete ka ishtoo

Raw papaya is an interesting vegetable. While it becomes a table fruit once ripe, the raw fruit makes wonderful salad, raita, paratha, chutney and even curry. The neutral taste of raw papaya makes it a perfect candidate for any flavour you want it to acquire.

This kachhe papeete ka ishtoo is actually a stew that everyone loves with all types of Indian breads. I remember we used to love it with do pad ki roti, poori or crisp parathas. Kachhe papeete ka ishtoo is spicy, aromatic and yet very light so it can be a part of light meal with thin chapatis and makes a paratha meal comparatively light too.

ingredients  
(3-4 servings)

500 gm raw papaya peeled, seeds removed and chopped into big chunks
250 gm red onions sliced thinly
100-200 gm potatoes peeled and cubed (optional)
4 green cardamoms
2 black cardamoms
12 cloves
2 sticks of Indian cinnamon
1 tsp pepper corns
1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds 
3 tejpatta leaves
4-6 whole dry red chillies
12-15 cloves of garlic peeled and smashed
1 tbsp thin julienne of ginger
2 tbsp mustard oil
salt to taste 

preparation 

Heat the oil in a deep pan keeping the heat low, a handi or pressure cooker that can be used with or without the pressure lid. Add the whole spices, dry red chilies and smashed garlic at once and wait till they all become aromatic. It takes less than a minute.

Add the sliced onions and potatoes, mix well and cook till both look a little glazed. It takes just 2-3 minutes. You don't need to brown the onions but a few brownish streaks are okay.

Add the papaya chunks, toss to mix well. Add salt and mix. Cover with a well fitting lid and let it cook on dum till everything gets cooked well. The papaya chunks will start disintegrating and the onions will almost dissolve. You can add a few spoons of water in between to keep the dish moist at all times. This dum cooking can take about 30 minutes but if you pressure cook it gets faster. Take care to switch off the gas just after the first whistle blows.

The onions and raw papaya has enough water in it to make this stew watery enough but you can add up to 1/4 cup water to make the cooking easier.

This kachhe papeete ka ishtoo is quite aromatic and delicious and can be made with bottle gourds too. Some people like it just with potatoes but use more onions in that case if you try.

The kathal ka dopyaza is a similar recipe with minor differences but the taste of kathal ka dopyaza is very different from this one. Some people call it kachhe papeete ka dopyaza as well.

Do try this recipe and serve with any regular chapati or roti you eat. This stew pairs well with light flat breads and not too much with millet breads but we like it with our mixed grain rotis too.

I have shared a basic recipe of this kachhe papeete ka stew with dal bhari poori here. It is actually a versatile subzi and can be served with whatever you like.

chukandar ke patton wala rajma | palak wala rajma | kidney beans cooked in beet greens or spinach gravy

I love rajma and make it in so many different ways that whenever I soak some rajma to cook I have to plan the way I will be cooking it the next morning as I rarely depend on one specific way to cook my rajma.

It doesn't mean I don't like the traditional rajma but I love experimenting more. I keep buying so many varieties of rajma it will be criminal to use them all in a singular way.

The badarwahi rajma from Jammu is usually cooked the traditional way or with beets puree added to the bhuna masala mix. The Jammu badarwahi rajma also tastes great with a simpler buttery gravy, the Kashmiri rajma.

The Uttarakhand rajma is cooked usually with a very light curry which is onion based as that was the way I loved it when I tasted in Uttarakhand. The big sized Uttarakhand rajma is very soft and creamy though it takes some time to get cooked in pressure cooker. I love the Uttarakhand variety with spinach puree added to bhuna masala mix.

The rajma cooked the Himachali way with spinach is also one of my favourites.

I make a variation of rajma that is called Gogji Rajma and is made with either Turnips or Knol khol. These Kashmiri recipes are so simple to cook and so delicious that one finds comfort in them even though one is not grown up eating them. Such is the case with me at least.

The recipe of Gogji Rajma will be shared soon but the pureed beets and beet greens and spinach rajma is not much from the recipes used all over north India, hence sharing them together to give you an idea of how a single dish can be nourishing and yet easy way to accommodate vegetables and beans in one.

ingredients
(serves 3-4, depending on side dishes or the lack of it)

200 gm raw kidney beans (rajma), soaked overnight
1 tsp salt, add more later to adjust
1/4 tsp soda bi carb
1 liter water
500 gm cleaned spinach leaves or beet leaves
60 gm or 1 large sized red onion roughly chopped
15 cloves of garlic
2 inch piece of ginger chopped roughly
2 large ripe tomatoes chopped roughly (or 1/3 cup thick yogurt)
2-3 red dry chillies or to taste
2 tbsp everyday curry powder 
garam masala powder to taste
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp mustard oil
pinch of hing (asafoetida)

procedure 
Drain the rajma, transfer to pressure cooker pan, add salt and soda bi carb and water and pressure cook for 20-25 minutes. Cool down before opening the cooker. Rajma should be well cooked and cracked.

In the meanwhile, prepare the greens and the spice mix.

Chop, steam, cool and puree the spinach or beet leaves. You can use a mix of both or just boiled beets puree instead of the leaves. I use boiled beets puree when making rajma with badarwahi (jammu) rajma.

Make a paste of onions, ginger, garlic and red chillies and keep aside. In the same blender puree the chopped tomatoes too. Or blend the yogurt if using. Keep aside.

Heat the oil, add hing and wait till it gets aromatic. Pour the onion paste and bhuno till the mixture looks glazed or oil separates.

Add the powder spices and bhuno again for a few minutes or till the mix becomes aromatic.

Now add the tomato puree or whipped yogurt and bhuno once again till the mix becomes glazed. Add garam masala powder and let it incorporate. Do not bhuno much after adding garam masala.

Add the spinach or beet greens puree (or boiled beets puree if using) and simmer the mix for 5 minutes or so. Add the cooked rajma with all the cooking liquid and simmer for 10-20 minutes. The rajma soaks all the flavours and the curry gets delicious.

Sometimes I add half puree and half chopped greens to get a nice texture. See this spinach rajma cooked with yogurt.

I need very little rice with my rajma and here is how my mug meals look like. This mug is 700 ml capacity and most of my soupy meals are enjoyed like this. Hot and comforting.

Always adjust seasoning too, because some mature leafy greens are a little alkaline in taste and you may want to have lesser salt in them and balance the alkalin etaste with some added yogurt or lime juice.

Serve with some butter on top of plain old ghee, or without any topping as the rajma itself is so flavourful.

This kind of rajma is best served with plain boiled rice but it tastes great with thin delicate chapatis or thick millet rotis too. Try this kind of rajma with some crisp hot parathas to break the monotony.

Some days you must try these rajma recipes enriched with the goodness of greens. It does take some time to cook but you can always cook in a large batch and serve 2-3 times over a week. Or just keep some bhuna masala for convenience and make any rajma recipe quick. We always find a way to eat what we like.

kathal ki sookhi masaledar subzi made with minimal oil

For some reason Kathal (jackfruit) ki subzi is a Holi tradition in many vegetarian families in Eastern UP. The hardcore non vegetarians cook a spicy mutton dish to set off the gujhia nd malpua sweetness that the festival brings in. Kathal is vegetarians meat and if cooked the same way it actually tastes really good and serves the purpose of being paired with many many sweet dishes on the festive menu.

Although jackfruit fruits all year round in the southern peninsula, the Gangetic plains have a distinct season for jackfruit which starts around the spring time after the harsh winter. This could be a reason why jackfruit is associated with Holi tradition in many vegetarian family in this region. Those who love this meaty vegetable keep cooking till the season lasts and even pickle it. My mom used to make a pickle of jackfruit slices with raw mangoes and I remember we used to like the kathal ka achar (jackfruit pickle) more than kathal ki subzi. Now I don't care for the pickle and gave away a huge jar to my maid.

Coming to kathal ki subzi, this is not one of my favourite subzi to be honest, I like it occasionally for a change. But one or two odd requests about kathal ki subzi have been coming to me and considering kathal is available throughout the year here in Delhi I feel guilty of not cooking it even if it is occasional. It so happened that one day while my weekly vegetable shopping I came across this subziwala who was cutting very fresh medium sized jackfruit and I bought it just because it looked fresh.

New potatoes in the season also make this kathal ki subzi special because the floury sweetish summer potatoes just spoil this spicy curry. Skip adding potatoes if you don't have new potatoes.

Note that most people deep fry the kathal and use a lot of oil to fry the masala paste too when making this subzi traditionally, I avoided kathal ki subzi for the same reason for several year as I had seen my mom cooking it with loads of oil floating in it. Later I figured how to cook kathal with minimal oil and still retain it's flavours. This recipe is my adaptation of the flavours of UP style kathal ki subzi using minimal oil.

This is a pressure cooker recipe to ensure even cooking of jackfruit and letting it absorb the spices without deep frying it.

ingredients...
(4 servings )

peeled and cubed jackfruit 300 gm
boiled peeled, cooled down completely and halved new baby potatoes 200 gm
salt to taste
mustard oil 2 tbsp
hing a pinch or strong hing solution 2 drops
nutmeg and mace powders 1 pinch each

to make a coarse paste..
chopped onion 2 tbsp
dry red chillies 3-4

to make a smooth paste ..
garlic cloves 4-5
ginger slivers 1 tbsp
whole coriander seeds 1 tbsp
cumin seeds 1 tsp
peppercorns 1 tsp
black cardamom 2
green cardamom 2
cloves 5
cinnamon stick 1/2 inch
tejpatta 3
turmeric powder 1 tsp

procedure..

Heat the oil in a pressure cooker pan and tip in the hing, wait till the hing floats up or the oil gets aromatic with hing. Now tip in the coarse paste along with salt and brown it on medium flame.

Tip in the smooth paste and bhuno it all for about 6-8 minutes on medium heat or till it gets aromatic and looks glazed.

Add the cubed boiled potatoes and jack fruit cubes into the masala mix and toss to coat. Stir fry while tossing it till edges of jackfruit and potatoes start getting golden brown. It takes some time as the amount of cooking oil is less but in a pressure cooker pan it doesn't stick to the bottom thankfully.

Add the nutmeg and mace powders in the last and mix well. Then add 1/2 a cup of water, close the lid and let the pressure build up till the first whistle. Lower the heat and cook for 5 more minutes. If the jack fruit is very fresh and tender it might cook sooner, hard jack fruit mat take some more time.

Let the pressure cooker cool down before you open the lid. Serve hot with or without a garnish of coriander greens. In older times kathal ki subzi was made mostly during summer months, the peak season of jack fruit, and coriander greens were a winter produce so it is not a normal garnish for kathal ki subzi. Even tomatoes are not used in all summer subzi recipes traditionally for the same reason.

The kathal absorbs the spices well owing to it's fibrous porous nature and the texture is quite meaty. So if you add spices similar to meat curries it gives a feel of meat to vegetarians apparently. I have never found it comparable to meat personally but all vegetarians consider it to be the vegetarian's meat. I never question that :-)

Poori is a favored pairing with kathal ki subzi during the spring season and specially holi but in summers it is always served with a cooling cucumber raita, sliced and vinegar soaked onions and plain thin chapatis.

sooran ki subzi for diwali : the tradition of eating sooran on diwali

Sooran is also called Zamikand or Zimikand in Hindi, Oal or Ol in Bengal or Elephant foot yam in English. There are many names in other Indian languages you can check here as I don't have a picture of the whole raw yam. This is an ugly looking tuber (actually corm) that doesn't look very appealing on supermarket shelves or even at the neighborhood subziwala, but if you have had a good curry cooked with it, you would hunt this vegetable like crazy. I have seen many people including my dad hunting for sooran whenever they don't get it. We had once grown a lot of sooran in our backyard long back but that variety was the one that causes itch. Although it was edible and super tasty when cooked rightly.

Yes, sooran or suran as we call it, itches a lot if it is the desi variety. Desi sooran has many small bulbous outgrowths from the surface while the other variety is called 'bambaiyya' (meaning Bombay sooran) which has minor itchiness, bambaiyya sooran has a smooth outer skin. The itchiness in this tuber is due to a high concentration of oxalic acid that can be neutralized by washing it well, boiling it and marinating it with lime juice or tamarind juice. One needs to wear gloves or apply mustard oil while cutting sooran as it itches really bad when it does. If the itchiness is not treated well even the cooked curry causes a bad itch in the throat but I am not telling you to scare you, this information is just to let you know that this vegetable needs to be treated well before cooking. Especially if you are using the desi sooran.

There is a tradition involved with sooran and it is considered auspicious on the day of Diwali. Sooran ki subzi was a must on Diwali at my parents place and I saw the same with Arvind's family as well. They probably had adopted the tradition of Banaras to eat sooran on the day of Diwali. Sooran is considered auspicious because it is a vegetable that grows by corms and some small corms remain in the Earth even after harvest and it grows in the next season by itself and spreads really fast. Diwali is a festival to grow and preserve wealth and this quality of sooran is considered auspicious, hence the tradition of eating sooran on Diwali.

This sooran ki subzi is exactly like the one that was made at my parents' home. I sometimes cook the sooran ke shami kabab or sooran ka chokha when I am not in a mood for a spicy curry but this curry is one of the best recipes that has not changed a bit even in my hyper experimental kitchen. This sooran ki subzi has survived the test of time and enthusiasm of a mad experimenting cook. Some tastes are so comforting you want to bring back from past repeatedly. This is one of those.

My mom and dadi (grandmother) used to treat sooran differently depending on what variety of sooran was brought from the local market. The desi one needed a longer marination in lime juice and sometimes they used a paste of Harad (a dry herb, a seed) or even a mix of amchoor, lime juice and tamarind sometimes. Some varieties of sooran are that dangerously itchy. But those who love this vegetable do anything to get the taste.

Luckily now we get the bambaiyya variety of sooran more, but the bad thing is that the desi variety might get lost. Anyway, sooran would survive as the Diwali tradition ensures. Eating a particular green or vegetable on a certain festival has ensured many native varieties to survive and be available at least in the designated time.

Coming to the recipe, this recipe is for the bambaiyya sooran that is not itchy at all. You would get the idea while chopping the corm if it is itchy so add lime juice, tamarind juice or a little vinegar after chopping the sooran and let it sit for a day before cooking if it is too itchy. Or an hour's marination is good. Harad is used in the form of spice paste and is ground along with the spices (1 harad for about 250 gm sooran), and gives the curry a darker hue. But the taste is great in any case.

This recipe is a Jain recipe (without onion garlic), was made after the Diwali puja and we have always liked it this way. But I cooked this curry with some onion and garlic paste added and it tasted great that way too. Feel free to adapt the recipe if you are not looking for the real eastern UP version.

ingredients
(5-6 servings along with other side dishes)

sooran cleaned and cubed 250 gm

for masala paste

chopped ginger 2 inch piece
whole coriander seeds 2 tbsp
whole cumin seeds 1 tbsp
whole black peppercorns 2 tsp or a bit more
tejpatta scissor cut 3-4
whole dry red chillies 3-5 as per taste
black cardamom 2
green cardamoms 5
cloves 6
cinnamon sticks 2 inch piece broken in small bits

large ripe tomatoes 3 (or tamarind pulp 2 tbsp)
salt to taste
home made amchoor powder 1 tsp (use 2 tsp if store bought)
mustard oil 3-4 tbsp

procedure

My mom used to deep fry the sooran cubes and I tried it that way a few times, it takes longer to get softened in the curry I noticed. Later I saw sooran being cooked straight away in watery medium (gravy) in some Kerala style curries and adapted my recipe to be cooked directly and not deep frying and it worked well. Though you can deep fry and proceed as per this recipe.

I used the soorna cubes raw, added them after bhunoing the masala paste nicely before adding water and simmering it for a long time. Slow cooking is the best for such curries so don't be in a hurry for this please. Although pressure cooker gives close results but you never know how long the avaialble variety of sooran would take to cook.

Make a wet paste of all the spices listed for paste, adding about 1/4 cup of water. Make a paste of tomatoes too in the same blender. Keep aside.

Heat the oil in a deep and thick bottom pan and tip in the 1 tsp cumin seeds. Pour the masala paste as soon as the cumin splutters and stir to let it cook. Keep stirring and bhunoing on medium flame till the oil separates. Now add the salt and tomato paste and bhuno again till oil separates.

Now add the cubed sooran, mix well, add about 2.5 cups of water and let the curry simmer for about 35-40 minutes on very low flame. The gravy would become thick and will be of coating consistency. Add amchoor powder and mix well. Garnish with dhaniya patta if you wish but I like this curry in it's own flavours and aromas.

Serve hot but this curry tastes great even on room temperature. This sooran ki subzi keeps well in the fridge for a week, make it a large batch if you like it. It can also be frozen successfully without changing the texture or taste. Note that if you find this sooran ki subzi itchy in the throat after cooking it, you just let the subzi rest for a couple of days in the fridge. It will get better as the souring agents used in the recipe will get time to work on sooran..

We enjoyed this subzi for 3 meals along with other green vegetables and salads but this subzi is not heavy on the tummy at all, it was not itchy sooran luckily. Sooran is considered very good for GI tract and for many other health conditions. Will write about that aspect some other time as this sooran ki subzi significance on Diwali write up has already become quite long.

Don't wait till the next Diwali to make this sooran ki subzi, get some sooran and cook it this weekend and enjoy the  subzi whole week if you like this. I am going to get more sooran for sure. I have already made a chutney this season and have to experiment with a sooran ki subzi I tasted in Mysore. Will definitely share those too. Enjoy this recipe and others form this blog till then.

everyday subzi : a lotus stem dopyaza and how spices are included in summer meals...

Lotus stem is one vegetable vegetarians like a lot. Called as bhien, nadru or kamal kakdi in local parlance, it is the under water stem of the lotus plant. Very nutritious and very tasty, although sometimes it is difficult to clean it from inside but those who love it just get it done anyhow. This dopyaza will remind you of the chicken or mutton dopyaza that is cooked in many UP homes.

The nutritional value of lotus stem is well known and it is a good thing that most people like the taste of this healthy vegetable.

Using lot of onions and some whole spices is a popular way of using spices in hot summer months. This way the curries remain light, the quantity of onion balanced the spice heat and the curry doesn't feel too hot in summer heat. The plains of UP get quite hot in summer months and it lasts till the monsoons make the whether a bit pleasant.

Lotus stem can be cooked almost like meats and if you use the same spices the resulting curry is actually comparable to meat dishes. Obviously if you want to get the taste of meat you will be disappointed but vegetarians wont miss anything. In UP vegetarian homes whenever people want something special, that is apart from he usual green vegetables, they turn to jack fruit, lotus stem or some of the koftas that are made with much fanfare. Many types of besan ki subzi is also made for those who detest vegetables. A special dry gatte ki subzi is peculiar to Banaras and I am yet to post that one. Paneer is almost an everyday affair in most homes since I remember but elders say that paneer was not so common in older days.

Even lotus stem makes good koftas but somehow I never make koftas as I don't find them worth the time and effort. This blog only has one kofta recipe that was posted because that kele ka kofta had become the talk of our extended family when I had made a brave effort to cook them at a special occasion. I remember my mother used to love bhien ka kofta quite a lot.

This dopyaza is one of the curries that remind me of my childhood. Actually there are very few that I cook as most of them use a lot of oil and frying so I avoid them. Not just for being heavy, they require more cooking time as well. Dopyaza fits the bill. Kathal ka dopyaza is one of the most popular recipes on this blog.

So how do you cook bhein ka dopyaza? Not complicated at all.

ingredients
(2-4 servings depending on other side dishes served)

peeled and diced lotus stem 2 cups (about 200 gm)
sliced red onions 1.5 cup
whole dry red chillies 3-4 (broken if you want the curry hot)
black cadamoms 2
green cardamoms 4
cloves 4-6
cinnamon stick one inch piece
whole peppercorns 1 tsp
salt to taste
turmeric powder 1/2 tsp (many people omit turmeric powder)
mustard oil 2 tbsp (or a bit less if you can manage cooking the curry on really low flame)

Procedure

Heat the mustard oil in a pressure cooker pan or a thick base kadhai.
Tip in all the whole spices and let them sizzle for a few seconds but don't let them splutter.
Add the sliced onions, salt turmeric powder if using and the diced lotus stem all at once. Toss a few times to mix everything well.
Cover the lid and let the curry cook really slow at very low flame for about 30 minutes in a kadhai or just put the pressure cooker lid if using the gadget and pressure cook till the first whistle blows.

Let the pressure release on its own, serve hot as desired. We used to love this with paranthas in our childhood but now it is more of multigrain roti or sometimes a plain flaky crisp parantha with it.

It is another matter if I cook besan wali bhien ki subzi. That I can eat all by itself.

everyday subzi: turai aur paneer ki subzi

Turai is sponge gourd, a staple summer squash that I end up cooking a lot. This is one of those vegetables that even Arvind loves so I can do many versions of it. This paneer turai ki subzi was made to suit his lunch box meals, to make the curry protein rich and filling with multigrain rotis that he liked for his everyday lunch box. But the greatest convenience is the ease of cooking in the morning rush hours. You get the drift.

Many a times I add a paneer salad or egg bhurji or just sliced boiled eggs smeared with pesto, mustard or mint chutney along with some green vegetables but if he is having eggs for breakfast and I have no time for making a salad I add paneer or shredded chicken to his subzi. Works well because the same subzi or salad serves me for my brunch later in the day. This is the story on most weekdays with just a change of the vegetables used.

Now a days as work load is getting more, the vegetables are cut by the maid most of the times though I do all the cooking myself, the vegetables come out of ziplock bags when I cook.

ingredients 
(2-3 servings)
peeled and sliced turai (ridge gourd) 4 cups or 700 gm approximately
sliced onions 1/2 cup or one medium sized onion
slit green chillies as per taste
cumin seeds 1 tsp
turmeric powder 1 tsp
cubed paneer 100 gm (3/4 cup)
mustard oil or any oil you like 1 tbsp

procedure

Heat the oil and tip in the cumin seeds. Add the slit green chillies once the cumin seeds crackle. Immediately add the sliced onions as well and stir fry till they get slightly pinkish.

Add the turmeric powder and mix well, add all the sliced turai and mix well again while the veggies wilt a little bit.

Add the salt and cook covered till the turai wilts completely and leaves it's juices. Add the cubed paneer and mix well. Let the curry cook on high flame without the lid for a while till the extra liquid evaporates.

Serve as required. This curry has a sweetness to it due to the onions and the natural taste of the sponge gourd. You can add a little more green chillies than you normally have and even a little chopped ginger if you wish. Some tomatoes also make sense if you want the flavours a bit hot and sour type. This recipe makes the curry a little on the sweeter side with just a mild hit of chilly heat which we have grown up eating in the Eastern UP homes.

everyday subzi: kumaoni palak as they make it at Te Aroha

I have been loving this kumaoni palak subzi they serve at Te Aroha. I ask for this spinach stir fry almost everyday for one of my meals whenever I visit here. There is something the way onions are added to this dry stir fry and the way whole coriander seeds make a crunch in the mouth. This would be the simplest spinach stir fry with very clean flavours that can be a part of any cuisine if you ask me. I wont mind a cheese sandwich stuffed with this spinach stir fry if I am having a sandwich, though I don't remember when I had my last sandwich.

ingredients
(2 servings)

spinach (chopped roughly, steamed lightly) 2 cups packed
diced onions 3/4 cup
whole coriander seeds 1 tbsp
whole dry red chillies 3-4 or more if you like
mustard oil 1 tbsp
salt to taste

preparation

Heat the oil in a pan and tip in the whole red chillies and coriander seeds and let them crackle.

Add the onions and stir fry for a minute or till the onions get translucent.

Add salt and spinach and stir fry on high heat for about 5 minutes or till the spinach looks dry.

Serve hot with meal of your choice.

I like this spinach stir fry with daal or rajma and ragi roti or multigrain roti but you can pair it just with anything you like.

Kumaoni palak will be repeated very frequently in your kitchen I am sure.

everyday subzi: bhein ki besan wali subzi | lotus stem curry in a chickpea flour gravy

Lotus stem is called Bhein or Kamal kakdi in Hindi. It is an aquatic vegetable (underwater stem of Lotus) that tastes great whatever way you cook it. I find it to be great for salads, stir fries and curries, very versatile in it's use. Lotus stem is a nourishing vegetables and helps improve hemoglobin count immensely. Abundant Vitamin C helps availability of the minerals (Iron Copper, Zinc, Magnesium), a good range of Vit B complex helps control nervous irritability and an optimum sodium-potassium ratio (1:4) makes this vegetable ideal for electrolyte balance. More nutritional information here.

This bhein ki besan wali subzi was originally shared by a facebook friend Kapil Bahl and I knew I would love it as soon I saw the recipe. I love simple recipes that cook fast and taste great, I adapted the recipe to suit my taste and ease of cooking of course.

This recipe makes a good accompaniment to roti or rice in Indian everyday meals and makes a nice side dish even in elaborate menus. I personally have loved this curry as a stand alone meal mostly. By now you must know I eat my vegetables as my meals.

ingredients
(serves 2-3)

lotus stem 300 gm (peeled cleaned and sliced)
chopped onions 1/2 cup
minced garlic 2 tsp (or less if you don't like garlic much)
minced ginger 1-2 tsp or as per taste
whole dry red chillies 2-3 broken
chickpea flour (besan) 2 tbsp
turmeric powder 1 tsp
everyday curry powder 2 tsp
salt to taste
mustard oil 1 tbsp

preparation

Boil the sliced lotus stem wit a cup of water and salt (I pressure cooked till the first whistle blew), reserve. This boiled lotus stem can be refrigerated till required, stays well for a couple of days.

Heat the oil in a kadhai and tip in the dry red chillies, add the minced garlic and chopped onions one after the other and fry till translucent. Add the powdered spices and besan and fry for a couple of minutes or till the mixture gets aromatic. Add the minced ginger and the boiled lotus stem along with the water and mix well.

Add more water to get required consistency of the curry and simmer for about 5 minutes. Serve ot wit or witout a garnish of copped dhaniya patta (coriander greens).

This curry is a light yet filling dish that can be had with a little rice added to it or as it is like I have it mostly. Bhein ki besan wali subzi tastes great even as a leftover or as a lunch box meal with roti or paratha. Arvind liked it in his lunch box and I make a little dry version of bhein ki besan wali subzi too so it can be packed into the lunch box as well.

This kind of besan wali subzi is made using boiled chickpeas, boiled green peas, boiled gatte or even leftover pakodas too. Try cooking this easy curry with any root vegetables you like and I am sure you would love it too.

food from diverse Indian states, all in one place and recipe of Rajasthani mirchi wala paneer

Sometimes I can't decide which part of India I would like to settle down to. Apart from climatic conditions and greenery, local cuisine the other thing that makes the deal for me. Sometimes I feel like Himachal and sometimes Coorg. Tamilnadu and Kerala lure me to no ends, Rajasthan keep inviting in a musical way. Padharo mhare des :-)

Only if wishes had wings. Ohh I might end up being a nomad visiting all the places for ever and enjoying everything to my contentment. That would be bliss.

What if you get great regional foods from all over India under one roof? That too in a bustling mall where you have gone for shopping. There is one place you might like to make plans just for the food. If you are a regional food junkie. From Laal Maas and Lachha Paratha to Lucknow ki Nihari to Mangalorean Mutton Sukka and Akki Rotti. I loved most of the food from all over the country at Veda Cafe, DLF Promenade, Vasant Kunj sometime ago. The cafe opened it's doors to patrons in mid February and I could see bustling crowd on a weekend night. The manager Mr. Sarat introduced the menu to us and helped us choose from the vast array of cuisines and dishes on the menu. The cafe has a liquor licence and serves alcohol, our adjacent table was occupied by a young couple enjoying their beer bucket with carefully chosen food, they were already regulars it felt like.

I liked a virgin Sangria in two variations, was nice. I liked the Kokum Senorita that I ordered later, there are many more virgin cocktails for everyone. Palak Patta Chaat is a Veda specialty and we had liked it at Veda at CP as well. The same chaat has been recreated here at Veda Cafe too.

I loved the menu which is crafted like a table calender, the opposite page bearing beautiful pictures of vegetables, spices and random street objects. The same kind of ethnic themed picture frames are there all over the walls of the cafe. Beautiful things from far ends of the country have been displayed well.

The soups we ordered were a Pineapple soup and a Chicken Shorba. Pineapple soup was completely mind blowing for me, Arvind liked the Chicken shorba better. Food and flavours are received differently by different people. Here is the proof.

The tikkas were good, the sigdi (small barbecue stove or charcoal grill) Chicken Tikka was nice, the charcoal grill Mutton Burra was a bit over spiced for us. Amritsari Fish n Chips platter was good, more suited for Delhi folks as they like Basa fillets better than any other local fish. I like the way just a thin layer of besan coating was there on the fish, just the way I like Amritsari Macchi. I would have liked some real river fish for this though.

Avoid the Mixed Fruit Seekh Kabab, it didn't work for me.

What I loved and would recommend to be tasted at least once, is the Rajasthani Mirchi Paneer served with a herb laced tandoori paratha. Very interesting flavours with notes of whole coriander, mild green chilly and coarsely pounded garam masala. The Laal Maas was nice too, served with lachha paratha, well made. I was tasting a Mangalorean Mutton Sukka and Akki Rotti for the first time and loved it. Try that for sure if you happen to go there. Pesarettu was well made and the chutneys were good too. I might go there just for having a pesarettu sometime.

We were stuffed trying out all these and skipped desserts. Might try something next time I go there. I kept thinking what all I would like to recreate at home from the Veda Cafe menu. Pineapple soup and Rajasthani mirchi paneer were two such dishes that stood out. Sharing the paneer recipe here.

Since I keep cooking paneer curries a lot, more for an easy dinner or lunch box curry or salad for the husband, I planned making this Rajasthani mirchi paneer for a change. Rajasthani chillies are known to be flavourful but mild. The fat green chillies are used to make mirchi pakodas and are used for green chilly pickles, for bharva mirchi (stuffed green chillies with various stuffings) and for curries as well.

Rajasthan curries are mostly jain recipes, cooked without onion and garlic, the thickening agent is mostly yogurt and spicing is robust, with prominent hints of coriander seeds. I made a light version of this mirchi paneer and the recipe takes just 15 minutes to prepare.

ingredients..
3-4 servings, depending on what side dishes are served with it)

paneer cubed 200 gm
large ripe tomatoes cubed 1 cup
minced ginger root 1 tbsp
dry whole red chillies 6
fresh red chillies (mild variety) sliced 2 tbsp
freshly crushed coriander seeds 1 tbsp
everyday curry powder 2tsp
turmeric powder 1 tsp
yogurt 1/4 cup
fresh cream 1 tbsp (optional)
salt to taste
ghee 2 tsp
chopped green coriander leaves and stems 1/4 cup

procedure

Heat ghee in a pan (kadhai preferably) and tip in the whole dry red chillies, minced ginger and crushed coriander seeds in that order. Let them sizzle for a few seconds before adding the tomatoes. Add salt and fry till the tomatoes turn pulpy.

Add the powdered spices, fry well till the mixture looks glossy. Add the yogurt and fry again till it is incorporated well.

Add the paneer cubes and sliced fresh red chillies, mix the fresh cream as well if using and just fold in everything till the paneer gets coated well. Sprinkle chopped coriander greens and serve hot with roti or naan.

You can use any mild hot chilly available in your part of the world or a good mix of all of them. Adding just the regular hot dry red chillies and a mix of bell peppers would work well too. I love the way chillies lend their aromatic flavours to the curry when they are not too hot. The flavours are received better by the palate in the absence of heat actually. There was a time I used to love really hot curries, now I like milder chilly heat. Though I can tolerate quite hot curries.

This one can be made as hot as you wish. Let me know whenever you try this Rajasthani mirchi paneer curry. It is definitely a nice variation of everyday paneer for vegetarians.

easy way to make makki ki roti and two new versions of sarson ka saag

I keep getting requests to post recipes or videos of how to make makki ki roti or any millet roti perfectly. Taking step wise pictures or making a video is not possible for now but I thought of letting you all know a nice shortcut way to make makki ki roti nice and round without much hassle. This roti is softer and rolls out better on the chakla belan.

It wont be a fright anymore to make makki ki roti if you apply this method.

I can make a normal makki ki roti with ease, just taking care to knead the dough using hot water. I can easily pat the roti in my hands, I have large hands by the way, and flip it on the hot griddle. But it comes with practice. You might find it tough if you are new to rotis or have never handled any millet flour. The roti in the picture is hand patted and made the old fashioned way as I did not want to dilute the makki ka atta taste, our neighborhood chakki wala had made really fresh makki ka atta this time.

The trick I do when I am in a hurry and want the rotis to be rolled out on the chakla nicely, I cook some oatmeal with water and knead the makki ka atta with that. No more cracked edges, thinner roti and easier handling on the griddle too. The rotis stay softer even when cold. 

The ratio for the dough is, 2 heaped tbsp of oatmeal to be cooked in half cup of water, salt can be added but I normally avoid it. Now add a cup of makki ka atta and knead well, you might need to add a little more makki ka atta if you can't handle soft dough on the chakla belan. 

The same method works for jowar or bajra rotis as well. Try that if you find cooking millet rotis difficult.

Now the recipe of this new version of sarson ka saag. I make this spicy version of sarson ka saag every winter but last year I saw a recipe by a friend Promilaa that looked really interesting and very different from what I cook. It was without any garam masala or tomatoes or even onions that I used to add diligently.

I could not cook it last year and this season too it got really late. But better late than never. In the last leg of winters when the mustard greens are on their way out, I bought a huge bunch and got set to make some sarson ka saag. I actually made two versions and loved them both. Here is the first version which is based on Promilaa's recipe.

ingredients
(makes about 4 cups of saag, serves 2 hungry people like us, the saag makes a meal for me, makki ki roti is incidental)
mustard greens with stems 500 gm
spinach with long stems 250 gm
salt to taste
makki ka atta 2 tbsp
ghee 3 tbsp
finely chopped ginger 3 tbsp
chopped green chillies 2
deghi mirch powder 2 tsp

procedure

Peel the stems of mustard greens if it is too hard. Clean and chop all the leaves and stems.
Clean and chop the spinach as well. Promilaa's recipe uses only spinach stems but I could not discard the leaves as these were from my own garden.

Boil both the saags in a kadhai covered with a fitting lid, with added salt to taste. No water is required if you have washed the greens just before cooking. It takes about 20 minutes to get cooked. Cool down and blend in mixie or use the hand blender to blend it in the kadhai itself.

Now add the makki ka atta and mix well. Cook till the saag puree starts puffing up in violent bubbles. Keep it covered if you are standing next to it.

Make a tadka by heating the ghee in a smaller pan, add the chopped green chilly, chopped ginger and deghi mirch and pour over the cooked saag. Serve immediately with makki ki roti.

This is a refreshingly simple and clean flavoured recipe of sarson ka saag. I would have liked some garlic in it as I feel garlic makes all greens more palatable and prevents flatulence as well. I also missed the white butter I love in my sarson ka saag. But to tell the truth, the saag is really tasty in a different way. Arvind liked it more than me.

I cooked one more version of sarson ka saag, using some bathua and methi leaves as well but the spices were not added in this one too. The recipe is here..

ingredients
(makes about 4-5 cups of saag)
mustard greens with stems cleaned and chopped 400 gm
spinach with stems cleaned and chopped 200 gm
bathua (chenopodium greens) cleaned and chopped 100 gm
methi(fenugreek greens) leaves cleaned and chopped 100 gm
makki ka atta (cornmeal) 2 tbsp
chopped garlic 2 tbsp
green chillies 3-4
chopped ginger 3 tbsp
salt to taste
ghee 1 tbsp
fresh cream or white butter to serve

preparation

Heat ghee in a kadhai and add the chopped garlic, ginger and green chillies in that order and fry them till a bit pinkish brown. Add the chopped greens, salt to taste and cook till done, covered. No water is required if you cook the saag on low heat.

Liquidise when done. Serve hot with fresh cream or white butter.

I think I will be making this recipe more often as this is the one simpler recipe that I liked so much I finished it almost all by myself. That too without any roti with it.

I might cook some more saag till there is some more mustard greens in the market. Try these and let me know if these recipes worked for you.

Note that both these recipes are very different form each other in taste the first one has a nice kick of chilly and ginger heat while the second one is a mellow creaminess. Both recipes are like day and night and yet superbly and equally tasty.

hara chana, green gram or tender green garbanzo beans | a subzi, a salad and a tea time snack with hara hana

4 ways with green garbanzo beans or hara chana

Harey chane or green garbanzo beans are a seasonal pleasure. Tender kernels of green gram, sweetish in taste and a fresh crunch in the texture. How much I dig for season's fresh produce and this one is really a prized catch whenever we get them fresh.

The tender green legumes are available in the winters, in abundance in rural areas and small towns across India, the legumes mostly still attached to the whole plant. Yes, the whole plant is uprooted and sold in markets for a reason. The chana plant gets almost dry and woody when the beans ripe, the rural folk fire up the whole plants in bundles during winter evenings, sitting in their veranda or in the open. A good campfire that results in fire roasted tender green chana which is shelled out of the charred legumes and had with either jaggery or chilly garlic chutney. I see this as a very clever and practical way to spend evenings outdoors in foggy winters of Hindi heartland with a warm nourishing snack being prepared on the spot. It has been ages we did that, it was an occasional thing that we did as kids. Banaras still gets some hara chana horha as the whole plant with green gram is called.

We get these tender harey chane shelled here in Delhi and I buy a bag of it whenever I spot it. I remember how we used to make harey chane ka nimona, ghugni and even desserts (harey chane ka halwa) with it. We are having our fill of harey chane ki subzi with potatoes for spicy winter meals right now. This subzi is also called as ghugni but harey chane ki ghugni will be more dry if made the traditional way.

We mostly have this subzi or ghugni as it is for breakfast, some crackers are had with it sometimes and Arvind wants a crisp flaky paratha with it sometimes. This is something you can even have with rice for a lunch or dinner. Truly versatile as my grandmother used to say..chane ke kayee khaney (many foods with gram), green gram of hara chana is something you wait for the whole year. Small little things to make you happy.

This subzi is more like a quick ghugni that is made with minimal oil and powdered spices. Winter morning are so hassled we want quick and tasty food, something that cooks in a pressure cooker with minimal seasoning and powdered spices from masale ka dabba. Yes, I am reminded of the masala dabba in my mom's kitchen, I don't use any masala dabba now as there just too many spices and powders to keep.

ingredients

hara chana 250 gm

one large potato scrubbed and cubed

everyday curry powder 2 tsp

turmeric powder 1 tsp

chopped coriander greens and stems 2-3 tbsp each

red chilly powder or chopped green chillies to taste

salt to taste

mustard oil 1 tsp or a bit more

sometimes I chuck in a few roughly chopped garlic too

amchoor 1 tsp

procedure

Heat mustard oil in pressure cooker pan and make a paste of all the powdered spices with 2 tbsp water. Tip in the spice paste into the hot oil and stir for a few seconds till the spices get aromatic. 

Add the potato cubes and toss well to coat. Add salt and chopped garlic if using. Add the chopped coriander stems as well, sometimes I add 2-3 tbsp of green chutney to this subzi and get a nice tangy green hued subzi. Add that if you have some chutney in the fridge.

Now add the hara chana, toss to coat well. Add a cup of water and pressure cook till the first whistle blows. Take off the flame, let the pressure get normal, open the lid and add the amchoor powder. 

Mix the subzi well so some of the potatoes get mushed up and make the subzi a mish mash or potatoes and harey chane. Serve hot or at room temperature. This subzi is meant for a rustic meal, a favourite with kachori and poori lovers but we rarely had this with pooris.

Since the subzi tastes so good even at room temperature, Arvind loves it in his lunch box as well. The spicing can be adjusted if you like some aromatic garam masala but we never made this curry with any garam maslaa added. The everyday curry powder works really good for it.

We like a simple salad with harey chane too. A tomato salsa is mixed with rinsed green garbanzo beans and had like a salad or as a tea time snack with added puffed rice to it.

To make the tomato salsa, just chop 2 large tomatoes, microwave them for a minute and mash them with the back of a fork. Add chopped garlic, chopped green chillies to taste, salt and a little mustard oil and mix well. Add a little vinegar if you want to keep the salsa for a day or two in the fridge. Add chopped onions or spring onions and mix with the harey chane or use otherwise. Ass much hara chana for as much tomato salsa you want. Make it to your taste and enjoy.

Another harey chane snack is a quick stir fry in mustard oil and cumin seasoning for us. 

This one is a really nice namkeen type snack with our evening tea. Just heat 1 tsp of mustard oil, chuck in a tsp of whole cumin seeds and may be one broken dry red chilly. Add about 200 gm hara chana and salt to taste, mix well to coat and cover the pan and let it cook for 3-5 minutes on low flame. I do it till the milky ginger tea boils on the other side of the stove. You might need to stir it once or twice in between. Squeeze lime or sprinkle amchoor powder if you wish and have warm with tea.

I know you make some equally yummy snacks with harey chane as well. Share them with me and other readers here. Sharing is a great way to learn more.

I am dreaming of the harey chane ka horha with some hot lasun mirch ki chutney till then. May be I get a chance to taste that smoky goodness this season.

gatte ki subzi, one of my favourite besan preparations

I so love gatte ki subzi and had not shared it as yet. Gatte is a chickpea flour dumpling, cooked in a spicy yogurt based curry, sometimes in a tomato based curry too but the hot and sour flavors with robust spicing is unmistakable.

More common in Rajasthan homes, gatte ki subzi is made in many versions by people outside Rajasthan. I remember we used to make a dry stir fry with a lot of onions and garam masala added, more like a finger food than a curry. I am tempted to make that version soon.

I have been cooking gatte ki subzi with different vegetables a lot as I feel it is a convenient meal for me most of the times but the traditional gatte was made rarely. I would always be tempted to add some vegetable and make it more value for my time :-)

This gatte ki subzi is also made with spinach from my garden so it is special. But this time I actually cooked the gatte ki subzi without any vegetables added for dinner one day and then added spinach to the leftover the next day. Could not resist you know. Here is the plain gatte ki subzi which is seen with a mutton liver curry on the side.

I make a version of gatte ki subzi without onion and garlic in the recipe too, but when someone posted a recipe on a facebook foodies group and then a friend Ushnish Ghosh tried the recipe, I wanted to have it just then. And I cooked it for dinner.

The cooking of the gatta dumplings took about 30 minutes form scratch. The besan was kneaded, rolled out in sausages and then boiled in water like we boil pasta. The cooked rolls were cut in one inch pieces and were curried in a yogurt based gravy.

ingredients and method for the gatte 

2 cups of besan
1/2 cup of yogurt
chilly powder to taste
1 tsp fennel powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 tbsp mustard oil
salt to taste

Knead everything together and make a stiff dough. Roll out sausages with greased palms.

Boil them all in a pot full of water. The sausages would float up once cooked.

Drain the water and cut the gatte in one inch pieces or as you like. This recipe will be a lot of gatte so you can enjoy some of them as it is or with a green chutney.

ingredients and method for the gravy

3/4 cup chopped onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp of everyday curry powder
red chillies to taste
1 tsp turmeric powder
3/4 tsp ginger powder or 2 tsp fresh ginger paste
a pinch of hing
3/4 cup yogurt
salt to taste
mustard oil 2 tbsp

Make a paste of everything put together, along with the yogurt.
Heat oil in a pan and tip in this paste.
Bhuno till the oil separates and the masala blend becomes aromatic.
Add the chopped gatte to the cooked masala, add about 2 cups of water and simmer till the oil separates again.
Add chopped spinach if required at the last moment, cover and let it rest till the spinach wilts. Serve hot with roti or rice or as it is. I like the spinach version as a one pot meal.

Green coriander leaves tastes really nice with the plain gatte ki subzi.

I keep making the gatte with bottle gourds, sponge gourds and even with some green peas thrown in. This is such a convenient one pot meal sometimes when I want spicy warm food.

The gatte ki subzi is a part of an elaborate thali normally, served along with many greens, curries and many types of rotis and khichdi etc. For the lesser mortals, gatte ki subzi makes a meal.

ajwaini arbi and a malabar spinach daal : a meal from your childhood

Ajwaini arbi lifts up a simple meal with it's burst of flavors. The bland arbi gets a nice spicy-tangy coating to be shallow fried till crisp. Goodness in a slimy bland vegetable believe me.

Arbi is colocasia rhizome and I rarely cook this vegetable as the husband doesn't like it much and I don't feel like working on a vegetable which is not green. I get the colocasia leaves whenever I spot them and make this layered rolls called patoda or patra but the rhizome get neglected though it is available throughout the year.

But then I have a habit of buying vegetables by the looks, the most fresh looking vegetables are bought instantly and when I saw these plump and long Arbi at our Mother Dairy outlet sometime back, I couldn't imagine ignoring them. Promptly bought four of those long and plump rhizomes and came back thinking of the ajwaini arbi as the large arbis would make nice steak like fries.

Ajawaini arbi is something you can have on the side if planning a daal-chawal meal. They provide a meaty flavorful tangy-spicy fulfilment to plain dal-chawal meals. This time I was making a nice arhar ki daal with malabar spinach (poi saag) with plain boiled rice and ajwaini arbi fitted in perfectly.

ingredients:
(2 servings as a side dish)
4 large colocasia rhizomes (large arbis)
1/2 cup besan (chickpeas flour)
1 tbsp rice flour
2 tsp amchoor powder
1 tsp ajwain seeds
red chilly powder to taste
salt to taste
mustard oil to shallow fry (about 2 tbsp but the arbi does not absorb all the oil)

procedure:

Boil the arbis in pressure cooker till done. The cooking time will depend on the size of arbis and also on how mature they are so cook for 2-3 minutes under pressure first, check and then cook again if you find them raw. A knife prick will confirm if it is done.

Peel the arbi and keep aside.

Mix all the other ingredients except oil and spread in a shallow plate.

Press the peeled arbi over this dry mix so that the rhizomes get flattened. Coat well with the dry besan mix both sides and shallow fry in hot oil using a flat based frying pan.

Serve hot with daal-chawal meal. The dish takes just about 5 minutes once you have boiled arbis so shallow fry them when the daal and rice are cooked and ready to serve.

I had made this arhar ki daal with malabar spinach with a generous garlic tadka and we loved this meal. I am totally a daal loving person and spinach or any kind of greens in my daal is an absolute delight. I can live on daals and often crave my daals.

The recipe of this daal can be seen here at Down to Earth magazine where I did an article on Malabar spinach. Malabar spinach is a garden vine that many of us grow and keep using frequently. It has many health benefits and is a good substitute for spinach in some recipes. I will post a pumpkin subzi soon with malabar spinach. Stay tuned in.

patta gobhi matar wali subzi | cabbage and peas dry curry

Patta gobhi matar wali subzi has been one of those winter favorites that I start craving as soon as I see tender winter cabbages and tender green peas. I love it the way my mom used to cook it, I remember I used to eat this subzi as it is even in my childhood. I can have it as a meal now.

There are few recipes I haven't made any changes since I started cooking and this is one of those. Luckily, the husband also loves this subzi and it is a frequent winter lunch box subzi for him along with aloo aur harey pyaz ki subzi.

This subzi/curry is more of a north Indian subzi rather than a UP specialty. My mom picked up a lot of Punjabi recipes during our stay in Haryana and Chandigarh and this might have been one of those Punjabi recipes that became family favorites. Like makki ki roti sarson ka saag and chholey or rajma that she used to cook quite frequently. This is a Punjabi way of cooking cabbage and peas with winter new potatoes basically.

 Nothing too difficult about this subzi but there is something very crucial about simple recipes that we are more likely to make mistakes when we don't know the exact time of cooking of ingredients or in what order to add them to the cooking vessel or the combination of seasoning we use. Small changes in an already simple recipe results in a complete different tasting dish. I stick to this recipe immaculately as I don't want even a small change in the flavors. Exactly the way I used to like it in my childhood, this subzi marks the winters for me. Well, at least a part of winters.

ingredients
one medium sized cabbage (about 400 gm)
2 medium new potatoes (about 150 gm)
2 medium tomatoes (about 120 gm)
shelled fresh green peas 150 gm
finely chopped ginger 1 tbsp
chopped green chilies 1 tsp
chopped red onions 1/2 cup
turmeric powder 1 tsp
cumin powder 1 tsp
black pepper powder 1 tsp
mustard oil 2 tbsp
whole cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
salt to taste

procedure

Clean and chop the cabbage roughly.

Clean, rinse and cube the potatoes. No need to peel them if the skin is healthy.

Chop the tomatoes and keep aside.

Heat the mustard oil and tip in the whole cumin seeds. Add the chopped ginger, green chillies and onions as soon as the cumin crackles. Stir fry for a few seconds and add the cubed potatoes. Add salt and turmeric powder and stir fry till the potatoes till they get half cooked. Keep the flame medium low so everything gets cooked evenly.

Add the other powdered spices, green peas and mix well , cook for a couple of minutes to see the peas shriveling. Now add the tomatoes and cook covered till the tomatoes get mushy.

Add the chopped cabbage, mix well and cook covered till the cabbage gets limp and looks translucent. Take care not to cook cabbage on high heat or to let it cook too much. It should retain some bite so the taste is not lost.

This dry curry is a wonderful blend of sweetness of winter vegetables, earthiness of new potatoes and the fresh tartness of tomatoes. You can always adjust the heat in the subzi by adjusting pepper or chilly and add more peas if you like. Potatoes make this curry a wholesome meal for me sometimes may be along with a kaali daal or rajma.

I wouldn't advise this subzi to be made in summers though. The real taste comes in winters when the fresh tender green peas start coming and the cabbage is tender too. Even the new potatoes make a difference so if it is not winter, this subzi will be impossible to get right.

I cooked it last week, and now I am drooling for it as I type. I know it could well be my breakfast tomorrow. I love my vegetables this much you know :-)

Please tell me if this subzi was made the same way in your home as well? Try it if not. 

mooli aur turai ki subzi | a plain curry with radish and sponge gourds

Some one was talking about mooli aur turai ki subzi the other day and I couldn't resist making it the very next day. This is a simple soup like curry with radish and sponge gourd slices stewed together with a light tempering of cumin seeds and green or red chilly. The simple clean flavors of both the frugal vegetables is to die for. Although, in this age and in this place (the national capital) nothing is frugal. Radishes and sponge gourds both come for Rs 60 a kilo, but the dish originated as a frugal meal I am sure. Also, I remember having it in hot summer days, this is supposed to be cooling and light , especially if taken with rice. I have tried this curry in a proper soup form and it was great. With a little boiled rice added to the soup it is a very light detox type meal. All desi, traditional flavors and super healthy. The curry is known as nenua mooli ki subzi in eastern UP, you might like to see nenua chana ki subzi and nenua chana daal ki subzi and nenua pyaz ki subzi in reference to this.

Interestingly, my MIL also used to make this curry and in exactly the same way as my mother. Arvind's family is punjabi but they have stayed in UP for generations now, and have imbibed many local flavors as their own. Actually all the other three types of nenua ki subzi was made exactly the same way in every home I have been to. No one played with the recipes to spoil them as these were classics.

Some people like to have plain rice with this mooli nenua ki subzi and some like it more with roti, there are some people who just hate mooli so this curry is not for them. This flavor is an 'all or none' kinda food, you like it and crave for it or you just hate it and can't stand it. If you have had this curry in your childhood and been craving for it, here is this easy recipe that will take you back in time.

ingredients..

one large radish (long white variety if possible) about 200 gm
5 large sponge gourds about 600 gm
2 hot green chilies or to taste
one hot dry red chilly
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp turmeric powder
salt to taste
2 tbsp mustard oil (do not replace this oil with any other is possible, the authentic taste is something you would love)

procedure...

Peel, wash and slice the radish after slitting it length wise, so you get half moons or quarters. Thin round slices are also good.

Peel, wash and slice sponge gourd the same way you did with mooli (radish).

Heat the oil in a wide pan (kadhai) and tip in the cumin seeds and both types of chilies. Let them all splutter and then add the turmeric powder and immediately cover it with the sliced vegetables all at once. Add salt, stir and mix everything.

Cover and let it simmer for about 25 minutes. Stirring once in a while in between. The vegetables are  watery in this case so you wont need to add any water, the fresh vegetables are so watery that the contents of the pan become all liquid after 10 minutes or so. Cook till everything is soft and the consistency you prefer. Some people like it soupy and some people like it dry, almost looking like a scramble of sorts. Your choice.

The curry has a hint of mooli but it doesn't stink as many think. I love mooli any which way but you have a fair chance with this curry even if you hate mooli. Try once and see if you can make peace with mooli this way.

Cheers.