Carrot Stir Fry

A quick and easy sidedish. Infact, a multipurpose curry I would say. Goes well with any indian bread, bread, or even dosas.

Ingredients:
Carrots – 2 grated

Onion – 1 grated like cresents or finely sliced like cresents.

Red Chilli Powder – 1 tsp

Garam Masala – 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp

For tempering

Oil – 1 tsp

Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp

Fennel Seeds – ½ tsp

Curry leaves – 1

Salt as per taste

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai, temper as given. Add the onions and saute for 2 minutes. Add the carrot and other spices and saute for another 3 to 5 minutes. Cruncy Carrot stir fry is ready to be served.

Note: This can be done just with onions also. You can use grated beetroot instead of carrots or both combined. Butter a slice of bread and fill with this curry and close with another slice and toast, serve with ketchup. Makes a great evening snack for your kids. Make a ghee roast and spread the mixture, roll it up and give your kids, would definetly love them.

Chow Chow Methi

An innovative gravy that I tried from a fellow blogger, Viji of Vcuisine. A very unique dish. A gravy without onions, tomatoes, or coconut.
I made a dry curry for chappathis with carrots, but then my in-laws being little old, would always like something of the gravy type, so gave it a try, and everybody liked it.

Ingredients:

Chow Chow - 250 grams peeled and cubed

Kasuri Methi 2 tsp or fresh Vendhaya Keerai/methi leaves 1 small bunch (pluck the leaves and use)

Karamani/cow peas - a fistful
Turmeric Powder ¼ tspGaram Masala Powder - 1 tbsp
Red chilli Powder – 1 tsp
Tamarind - small gooseberry size or 1 tbsp paste or Amchur – 1 tsp

To grind

Roasted white sesame seeds – 1/2 cup

Fried Gram - 2 tbsp

For Tempering

Ghee/Oil - 2 tsp

Cumin seeds – ½ tsp

Curry leaves few
Method:
Dry fry the karamani for few minutes and soak for 5-6 hours. Pressure
cook till they are soft (2 whistles will do as they are already soaked). Peel and chop chow chow into small cubes. Pluck the methi leaves if you are using the fresh ones, otherwise soak the dried methi leaves in warm water for 10 mins and use. Grind the sesame and fried gram into a coarse powder. In a kadai, temper as given. Add the chow chow along with tamarind/amchur, turmeric powder, and salt and saute for a minute. Add a cup of water, cover and cook till they are soft. Add the cooked karamani at this stage. Now sprinkle the methi leaves on top and cook for 2-3 minutes with a lid. Add the ground powder, garam masala, and chilli powder and enough water for the gravy. Adjust the salt and chilli to your taste.

Oats Veggie Kurma

I was asked to avoid coconut for some months by my doctor. Cooking without coconut in a South Indian cuisine? Ohh… hows that possible? Thanks to the cookery show where the dietician made an oats egg kurma for people who have cholesterol problems. I tried my version with veggies…and wow…I dint miss coconut in the gravy. It was as tasty as a gravy with coconut.

Ingredients:
Oil/butter 2 tsp
Cloves – 2
Cinnamon – 1 inch stick
Bayleaf – 1
Cardamom - 2
Onion - 1 medium sized, chopped
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp
Tomato - 1 medium sized, chopped
Veggie diced 1 cup (carrot, beans, potato, beat root, cauliflower, peas)
Green chillies – 2
Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
Chilli Powder – ½ tsp
Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp

To grind:
Oats - 2 tsp
Fried poppy seeds – ½ tsp
Fried gram (pottukadalai) – 1/2 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp

Fresh Coriander – 2 tsp finely chopped.
Salt to taste

Method:
Heat oil/butter in a cooker or kadai, add the ingredients one by one and saute until the oil slightly separates. Add 1 cup of water and little salt, cook till two whistles.

Meanwhile, grind the ingredients into a coarse powder and keep ready. After the steam is released, bring to a boil and add the ground mixture and adjust salt as per taste. After adding oats the kurma will become thicker, adjust as per your choice by adding water.

If cooking in a kadai add 1-1/2 cups of water and cook in slow fire for 15 mins closed. After the veggies are cooked, add the ground ingredients and add salt, and adjust consistency by adding water accordingly.

Serve hot with any indian bread.

My kurma was red, as I added the beets, if you want it to be multicolored avoid it. Add a pinch of sugar while sautéing the veggies to maintain the color.