TANGY KARELA BHAJI

Bitter Guard are good source of Vitamins, minerals especially vitamin A, B1, B2, C and iron and has dietary fiber. It is low in calories and has lot of medicinal properties. It is said to be very useful in case of diabetic and also helps in treating blood disorders. It helps to improve the immune system and increases body’s resistance against infection. So do not ignore this vegetable because of its bitter taste. Now to the simple recipe –bitter Guard curry. It tastes great with chapatti, roti and goes well as a side dish for rice. It is known as Karela in Hindi. Here today, I am sharing the recipe of tangy karela gravy, a south Indian style recipe, which is shared by one of my friend.  

INGREDIENTS:
1 Big Sized Chopped onion

3 Big Sized Chopped tomatoes
10-12 Peeled garlic
1 strand Curry leaves
Salt as per taste
1/2 teaspoon Turmeric
1 tablespoon Chilly powder
2 tablespoon Corriander powder
250 gms Karela sliced to thin n round pieces
1 teaspoon Jaggery or sugar
4 tablespoon Tamarind pulp
2 tablespoon Garlic boiled and puréed
For Tempering:

1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds

1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds

1 teaspoon Split Urad Dal

1 teaspoon Methi

 ½ teaspoon Black Pepper Powder
2 tablespoon Oil
250 ml Water [2&1/2 cups]

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Wash the karela, pat dry with a kitchen towel

and slice them in thin, round slices.

STEP 2 - Take a pan, add oil and then the tempering ingredients.

STEP 3 - Add curry leaves, chopped onions and chopped garlic.

STEP 4 – Let’s saute them till they turn translucent.

STEP 5 - Now add in the sliced karelas .

STEP 6 - Fry them for 2-3 minutes and then add chopped tomatoes.

Mix well.

STEP 7 - Add salt, turmeric, chilly and coriander powder. Stir well and mix.

STEP 8 - Sprinkle little water and fry it till the tomatoes go mushy.

STEP 9 - Next add in a glass of water about 250 ml and the  garlic puree.

STEP 10 - Close with a lid and let it boil and cook the bitter gaurd for about 10 minutes on medium flame.

STEP 11 - Keep checking and stirring after every 2 minutes.

STEP 12 - Now take the lid off and cook on low flame for 5 minutes more.

STEP 13 - Add the pepper, jaggery/ sugar and a teaspoon of clarified butter/ghee.

STEP 14 – Then add the tamarind pulp and lastly the black pepper powder and mix well.

STEP 15 - When you see the oil rising up, turn of the flame and it's ready to serve.
Serve it hot with steamed rice, chapatti, phulka or your favourite paratha.

NOTE:  Just make sure the consistency of gravy should be thick.

 You may add or reduce water accordingly while cooking.

You can also reduce more the water and make the dry karela bhaji.

ALU WADI / PATRA /PATRODE

The internet throws up a rainbow of colocasia recipes from all over India. In Kerla, Colocasia is chopped up with coconut, tamarind and shallots and turned into a curry. Konkanis go one step further, by using the leaf and the stem of the colocasia leaf [ which is often tossed aside for being too fibrous] together with coconut, to make a tasty curry during the monsoon. Colocasia curry with peanuts is a popular Maharashtrian Dish. Bengal have their own colocasia preparations. The Bengalis mash the colocasia leaf and cook it with prawns or fish head to make Kochu Saager Ghonto. I am sure there are plenty more preparations I am not quite aware of.  

Snacks add to the magical experience of rains and every state of India has varied delicacies to offer. So, once you are done with serving pakodas and bhajiyas this monsoon, try these popular regional snacks which are best had with a cup of piping hot adrakwali chai.This tasty dish is made with Alu[ colocassia leaves] with Maharashtrians calling it Alu Vadi and Gujaratis calling it Patrode and also known as Patra. It is prepared in two different ways. The simpler one is when it is just steamed, while some shallow fry or deep fry the steamed alu wadi, with the mild tempering of sesame seeds and mustard seeds, which is crunchy to bite. This dish is a perfect tea time snack, light on the stomach and extremely delectable.

The best time to eat colocasia leaves is during the monsoon, although it is available freely throughout the year at some places.  

INGREDIENTS:

10 Colocasia leaves

For Batter:

1 Cup Besan Flour

1 tablespoon Rice Flour

½  teaspoon Turmeric Powder

2 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder

Salt as per Taste

1 -2 taespoon Dry Coriander Powder

1 -2 teaspoon Jeera Powder

1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder 

 1 teaspoon Aamchur Powder

2 ½ tablespoon Tamrind Pulp

 2 tablespoon Grated Jaggery

For Tempering:

2 tablespoon Oil

A pinch of Asafoetida

1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds

1 teaspoon Sesame Seeds

1 tablespoon Chopped Fresh Coriander

1 tablespoon Grated Fresh Coconut

METHOD:

STEP 1 - Wash and pat dry the Colocasia leaves with clean kitchen towel.

STEP 2 – Remove and cut the stem/ stalk from each leaf.

STEP 3 – Mix all the ingredients for batter.

STEP 4 – Make a batter adding water in it time to time. 

Form a thick batter more like paste.

 STEP 5 – Now take the first leaf and keep it on the kitchen platform facing the pointed side to your side.

STEP 6 – Spread the ready batter over it with the help of spoon / finger.

Place the next leaf over it. This time keep the pointed side opposite to the first leaf as shown in the picture below. Spread the batter mix over the second leaf.

Continue this with five leaves and then start rolling the layers from one side, tuck in the edges along the length when you start rolling as shown in the picture above.

STEP 7 – Make a log with the leaves, roll tightly.

STEP 8 – Make two such logs/ rolls using five leaves in each roll.

STEP 9 – Place the ready rolls in the steamer and let it steam cook for 20-25 minutes.

STEP 10 – Remove from steamer and let it cool.

Once the roll cools cut it into the thin slices.

STEP 11 – Make a tempering with the ingredients under tempering.

STEP 12 – Shallow fry the steamed Alu wadies in it till they turn crisp golden brown on both sides. 

STEP 13 – While serving  add fresh chopped coriander and grated coconut on the wadies and serve them.

Serve hot as a snack with hot cup of tea.

NOTES: *There may be times when the rolls does not hold. In that case, use a white cotton thread to tie around the roll to hold it in each roll.

             *For health conscious people, they can enjoy the steamed Alu Wadi as it is without shallow frying.

             *For a more festive dish, deep fry the Alu Wadies.

KHEER KADAM /RASKADAM

Kheer kadam is an exotic Bengali sweet also known as Raskadam…!! Kheer Kadam or Kadamba is named after the fragrant and globular Kadamba Flower. It has many layers, the top one made with dry khoya/ mawa or tiny milk solid bits, the next is with the creamy milky layer and lastly a juicy Rasgulla or Roshgulla in the center. It’s a kind of sweet, where a sweet is covered by a layer, turning it completely into a new kind…!!! When I served this sweet to my elder daughter who love Bengali sweets, was extremely amazed. The making of kheer kadam is pretty simple. Usually, Rasgulla is used to be covered by the layer of sweetened mawa.  This Bengali sweet is especially prepared on festivals. This I tried at Rakshabandhan as I had  mawa in the refrigerator, and want to try some new sweet recipe. It comes out perfect and tasted awesome.

INGREDIENTS: 

250-300 gms Paneer [paneer recipe is there in the blog- search for HOMEMADE PANEER]

For Sugar Syrup:

1 cup sugar

1½ cup water

2-3 Drops of Rose Water

Other Ingredients:

150 grams Mawa

4-5 Drops of Yellow Food Colour

1 tablespoon Powdered Sugar

Milk Powder as required

Saffron Strands for decoration

METHOD: 

For Making Panerr Balls: 

STEP 1 - Place the chenna/ paneer  on a plain working surface

and knead with the palm heal till the grains disappear and chenna becomes soft and creamy.

STEP 2 – Divide it into equal portions and roll them into balls. Keep them aside.

For Suagr Syrup:

STEP 1 - In a pressure cooker add 1 cup of sugar and 1½ cups of water

and bring to a boil on high heat stirring in between till all sugar is dissolved.

How to proceed:

STEP 1 - Carefully place the paneer balls in syrup one close the lid

and put whistle.

STEP 2 - Keep on medium flame till 1 whistle and reduce heat to simmer and cook for about 7 minutes.

STEP 3 - Switch off the flame and allow the cooker to cool.

STEP 4 - You will see the paneer balls doubled up in size. Let it cool for 30 minutes.

STEP 5 - Meanwhile knead mawa.

STEP 6 - Add 1 tablespoon powdered sugar and drop of yellow food colour. Knead well.

STEP 7 - Make a smooth dough.

STEP 8 - Make balls with the dough. Roll one ball, squeeze the rasgulla

and place it at the centre

and seal the edges with the help of your fingertips.

STEP 9 - Take a plate, place milk powder,

carefully, roll the balls in it.

STEP 10 - Decorate with saffron strands and chopped pistachios.

Keeps it in fridge for 30 minutes and then ready to serve.

Serve this chilled homemade Bengali sweet to your dear ones and make them happy.

NOTE: If you find difficult while shaping the kheer kadam, in case the khoya is soft enough to shape evenly. Don’t worry, shape as nice as you can and put it in refrigerator. After 5-10 minutes, take out them and you will see the outer layer is firm now. Try to correct the shape with your hand.