Lauki/Bottle gourd kofta curry

Lauki is the hindi name for bottle gourd.For the longest time i(even my mom) used to make this vegetable only with dal and ground coconut the south indian way.Until my mom told me she got tired of adding dal to it and tried the sabji just with onions and tomatoes tastes good really good infact with chapathis.This curry is so common in north indian hotels but I used to wonder how it may taste.

Bottle gourd is supposed to be good for nursing mothers this is another vegetable i was made to eat day in day out and also once i told my DH its good he used to bring it so often i actually got sick of it.But like you know necessity or boredom is probably the key to innovation.So I didn't innovate but this is a tried and tested dish I though i must try it out too.

It is a good curry to go with flavoured rices and any indian flat breads.My daughter had few koftas just as it is before they went into the gravy.So thats a good idea too.

You need

To make the kofta balls

Bottle gourd a small one or half a large one grated
Salt a pinch
Besan/kadala maav/bengal gram flour 5 tablespoons
Turmeric powder a pinch
Chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Oil to deep fry

• Peel the bottle gourd and grate it finely.
• Sprinkle some salt this will release excess water out of the bottle gourd.Strain the water and use it for the gravy later.
• Add salt and chilli powder along with besan to the grated bottle gourd and mix well.Sprinkle some water if needed.
• Make small balls/koftas out of this mixture and deep fry to golden brown.Drain on kitchen towels.

To make the gravy

Whole spices to fry - Aniseeds/saunf,star anise one petal,cloves 2,cardamoms 2,cinnamon a small piece,coriander seeds 1 tablespoon

Onion 1 large

Green chilli 1
Tomato  1 large 

Ginger 1 inch piece

Garlic 4pods

Cashews 5-8 numbers

Coriander leaves to garnish
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Turmeric powder/haldi 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder 1/2 tsp or according to your tastes.

• Grind Onion, green chilli,ginger garlic, cashews to fine paste.
• Grind tomatoes to a fine paste adding some water.
• fry cumin and whole garam  masala in oil.
• Add the ground onions chilli paste let the raw smell of spices go away.
• Add tomato paste stir well for 3-4 mins.
• Add the water squeezed out of the grated bottle gourd.
• Add chilli powder, turmeric powder and coriander powder.
• Let the spices cook well and add enough water to make a gravy as per need.
• Add the fried koftas and cover and cook for 10 minutes

Lauki kofta curry is ready to be served with hot rotis or Jeera rice.

Lauki/Bottle gourd kofta curry

Lauki is the hindi name for bottle gourd.For the longest time i(even my mom) used to make this vegetable only with dal and ground coconut the south indian way.Until my mom told me she got tired of adding dal to it and tried the sabji just with onions and tomatoes tastes good really good infact with chapathis.This curry is so common in north indian hotels but I used to wonder how it may taste.

Brinjal/kathrikai thokku/Chutney

Idlis are a daily fare here especially because my LM loves them but she has them only with podi nothing else.Wonder when that will change.But we loved this chutney its a good combination to go with chapathis and idlis or dosas rather than the usual coconut chutneys and sambars.

I make this whenever i have brinjals in stock which is always.They seem to the freshest vegetables around so i have them around also they are so versatile you can make curries, fries, bhajjias or even chutneys now!

You need

Brinjals any kind 2 medium
Onion 2 medium
TOmato 2 medium
Chilli powder 1/2 tsp
Green Chilli 1 small
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Coriander leaves few sprigs
Salt to taste
Oil 2 tablespoons

• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds let them pop, add curry leaves and onions.
• Add brinjals as soon as the onions turn soft.
• Once the brinjals have softened add the tomatoes,
• Now add the chilli powder and salt with turmeric powder.
• Fry well until all mashed well.
• Sprinkle coriander leaves.Turn off the heat.
• Brinjal chutney is ready.

Serve brinjal thokku/chutney with spongy soft idlis.

Sending this to Healthy veg recipes and to Priyas place and Dish it out- Light dinners

Brinjal/kathrikai thokku/Chutney

Idlis are a daily fare here especially because my LM loves them but she has them only with podi nothing else.Wonder when that will change.But we loved this chutney its a good combination to go with chapathis and idlis or dosas rather than the usual coconut chutneys and sambars.

Dried peas curry

We all know legumes and pulses are good for us and I can also tell you they come to my rescue many a time.When I'm out of vegetables or when I want to make a simple snack look no more turn to your healthier friends - pulses.

I make this curry atleast once every week, it definitely goes well with chapathis or rotis, rice, dosas and idiyappam and appam, etc.

 Another good thing about these are that it doesn't need too much soaking time unlike other pulses and also once soaked it cooks faster.

You need
Dried peas soaked for a few hours 1 cup
Oil 2 tablespoons
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Garam masala powder 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp

To make a smooth paste 
Onion 1 large
Tomato 2 medium
Ginger 1 inch piece
Green chilli 1

• Pressure cook the pre-soaked dry peas for 2-3 whistles about 10 minutes on a medium flame with a pinch of salt. 
• Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan, add the onion,tomato, ginger, green chilli and fry well.
• Once this cools transfer it to a mixer and blend to a smooth paste.
• Heat a little oil, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, cumin seeds, fry well.Next add the ground paste.Add the masala powders - coriander and garam masala.
• Add the cooked peas.
• Now let this boil and check for salt.

Serve hot with rotis and tomato rice.Add chopped onions and a sprinkle of lemon juice for that extra bit!

Dried peas curry

We all know legumes and pulses are good for us and I can also tell you they come to my rescue many a time.When I'm out of vegetables or when I want to make a simple snack look no more turn to your healthier friends - pulses.

Chick peas/kadala curry - South indian style

I love chick peas especially for my chapatis.But some time back my good friend gave me this recipe then I fell in love with it because its a two in one goes well with rice and chapatis or even dosas and the south indian delicacy puttu.

Chick peas are a big favourite in our home and DH used to ask me to make this curry many times but I had that mental block that it wouldn't taste good with rice but i was wrong.But I can tell you that the black chick peas work better in this curry than the white ones.Not to forget that they are healthy and protein packed food.like my LM is studying in school - Pulses are body building foods.

So ever since i made this curry a few months ago, it turns up every week on Tuesdays when we have a complete vegetarian menu.

You need

Chick peas(black tastes better for this curry) 1 cup (soaked over night)
Coconut oil 1 tsp
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves 2 sprigs
Tamarind a small goose berry size soaked in a half a cup of hot water
Salt to taste


For the gravy 

Oil 1 tsp
Onion 1 large
Tomato 1 medium
Coconut 2 tablespoon
Ginger 1 tsp
Dhaniya powder 1 tsp
Chilli powder 1/2 tsp

- In a hot pan, add oil and the above ingredients fry well and turn the heat off.Now add the dhaniya powder and chilli powder and let this mixture cool.
- After the mixture cools, add it to a blender and grind first without water and then adding a little water to grind into a smooth paste.
- Pressure cook the soaked chick peas with a little salt and keep aside.
- In a pan, heat coconut oil add the mustard seeds allow to pop and then add curry leaves.
- Add the ground paste and let it come to a boil.Now add the tamarind water and let it boil.
- Add the cooked chick peas and cook until the chick peas absorb the masala well.
- You can add a little water as required to make the curry a little runny.

I serve hot kadala curry with steamed rice, keerai kootu and papads or goes really well with puttu(south indian steamed rice cakes) or dosa and even chapatis.Enjoy a yummy finger licking good lunch :)

Sending this to SIC @ Nivedhanam and Anu's healthy Kitchen, Dish it out - Onions and chillies 

Chick peas/kadala curry - South indian style

I love chick peas especially for my chapatis.But some time back my good friend gave me this recipe then I fell in love with it because its a two in one goes well with rice and chapatis or even dosas and the south indian delicacy puttu.

Paneer Posto - Cottage cheese in Spicy Poppy seed gravy

I love Paneer!Its so rich and healthy for everyone especially kids.This rich gravy with the nuttiness of poppy seeds is really different and goes well with hot chapatis.

 You need 

Large paneer cube / Indian cottage cheese cube 10-12 cubes 
Poppy seeds 1/2 cup (some baby corn and carrots)
Onion 1 small 
Garlic 2-3
Ginger small piece chopped finely
Tomato 1 big
Green chilly 2 small
Red chilly powder 1/2tsp 
Cream cheese 1 tsp 
Garam masala 1 tsp
2 tbsp of Oil
salt to taste

• Take poppy seeds,garlic,ginger,tomato,onion, green chilly, red chilli powder and blend to a smooth paste.
• Heat oil in a pan, add the ground paste and let it boil well.
• Add cheese and paneer to this.Add salt to taste.
• Add garam masala to this and boil until gravy becomes thick.
• Serve hot with rotis or jeera rice.

Yummy paneer posto is ready :)

Sending this to Know your cheese

Paneer Posto - Cottage cheese in Spicy Poppy seed gravy

I love Paneer!Its so rich and healthy for everyone especially kids.This rich gravy with the nuttiness of poppy seeds is really different and goes well with hot chapatis.

Rajma Chawal - Red kidney beans curry with rice

Everyone is health conscious these days and with the increasing choice for unhealthy/junk food that our kids prefer to have it becomes our duty to supply healthy food at home.My LM is a choosy eater I'm still trying to make her eat her veggies and pulses she does love certain veggies and pulses but not all.She mainly hates onions and tomatoes now salads are her best bet!

I used to be a big fan of these red kidney beans that i used to make dal makhani so often then DH started complaining that it got too boring.Red kidney beans need to be cooked well unlike other legumes else they taste way too bland.This recipe was such a life saver we all loved it with our rotis and rice too.

Recipe source - Here

Rajma/Red kidney beans 1 cup
Cumin seeds/Fennel  1 tsp
Green chillies 1 slit at the top

Onions 1 large
Tomato 2 medium
Ginger 2tsp chopped finely/Grated
Dhaniya/coriander+cumin/jeera powder 2 tsp
Turmeric powder/haldi 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Salt to taste
Onions to serve
Lime juice/Amchur to taste (optional)

To cook the red kidney beans:
- Soak the rajma over night or more longer i soaked it the previous day afternoon.
-Into the pressure cooker add few whole spices -3/4- cardamoms,3-4 cloves and a piece of cinnamon,a bay leaf, few black peppercorns, now pressure cook the red kidney beans until soft that will need about 10-12 minutes on medium flame or for a 4 whistles.(or use canned red kidney beans will be faster and easier) Alternatively make a small pouch with the whole spices add it to the cooker while cooking the beans and take it out when its done.
- Add salt to taste for the beans in the cooker.

To make the gravy

•  Heat oil in a pan, add the Fennel, onions and fry well.Once thats done add the ginger and green chillies.
• Next add the tomatoes and let this get cooked until mushy.
• Add the turmeric powder, dhaniya-jeera powder and fry until the raw smell goes away.
• Add the cooked beans and cook well in the gravy.
• Serve hot with chopped onions, lime wedges and chopped coriander leaves with rotis, naans or steamed rice.

Flavourful rajma is ready to be served with rotis or steamed rice.

Sending this to Veggie/Fruit of the month - Onion at  Sowmya's  and Priya's VFAM page 
and Foodabulous Fest - Ramzan and Mango season 

Rajma Chawal - Red kidney beans curry with rice

Everyone is health conscious these days and with the increasing choice for unhealthy/junk food that our kids prefer to have it becomes our duty to supply healthy food at home.My LM is a choosy eater I'm still trying to make her eat her veggies and pulses she does love certain veggies and pulses but not all.She mainly hates onions and tomatoes now salads are her best bet!

Enna Kathrikai Kuzhambu/Fried brinjals in a tangy spicy gravy

I usually make this curry when I have plenty of time to spend in the kitchen because as yummy as this is it is a slightly lengthy process to make this curry.I never heard of this until a relative mentioned this - it is pretty famous here in the south especially happens to be an accompaniment to our favourite biryanis :) 

My DH kept telling me how my MIL used to make it really wonderfully but I had no clue how it would or should taste.Then i saw Sanjeev Kapoor make it on his show long time back.This is my own tried version of the dish.My DH said it tasted pretty good and almost close to some professional biryani maker who is his benchmark to this dish.

You need 

Small sized brinjals 4 (leave the stems and make + shaped slit from the bottom side going to the top but should be in one piece)

Baby onions/Onions 6-8 or small medium

Ginger garlic paste 1 tsp

Tamarind a small lemon sized ball soaked in half cup of water 

Curry leaves 2 sprigs

Mustard seeds 1 tsp

Oil 3-4 tablespoons

Vinegar 1 tsp

Sambar powder 1 tsp

 Salt to taste

Toast and grind to a fine powder the following

Coriander seeds 2 tsp

Fenugreek/methi/vendhayam seeds 1/4 tsp

Pepper corns 1/2 tsp

Dried Red chilli 2

Cumin 1/4 tsp

Fennel seeds1/2 tsp

Coconut grated 3 tblsp

•  Stuff the ground powder into the slits of the brinjal and keep aside. 
• Heat oil in a pan, fry the stuffed brinjals until tender. Remove onto tissue paper. 

• In the same oil(pan), add mustard seeds and curry leaves. Add onions and fry well. Next add the ginger garlic paste and tomatoes and fry until all is mashed well.
• Add the remaining ground powder(you will have left over after stuffing the brinjals) and fry well. Then add thick tamarind water and let the spices cook in this water. Add the sambar powder and salt now.
• Now add the fried brinjals and let all of this cook well until masalas coat the brinjals. 
• Add a tsp of vinegar at the end. You can add some water to get the gravy a little more loose consistency but not much because this gravy has to be tangy so don't reduce the tamarind water.

Serve hot ennai kathrikai kuzhambu with steamed rice or chicken biryani.

Sending this to VFAM @ Nivedhanam and Priya VFAM

Enna Kathrikai Kuzhambu/Fried brinjals in a tangy spicy gravy

I usually make this curry when I have plenty of time to spend in the kitchen because as yummy as this is it is a slightly lengthy process to make this curry.I never heard of this until a relative mentioned this - it is pretty famous here in the south especially happens to be an accompaniment to our favourite biryanis :) 

Vegetable Kurma/Gravy

Its always chapathis for dinner at my house which gives me more freedom to let my mind run loose to create something new everyday.This is a rich gravy in which I have used a vegetable called Noolkol/Kohlrabi/German turnip. 

Kurmas are a famous side dish here in the south.I was wondering what the difference is between all of them until I discovered that coconut milk based gravies are supposed to be called Kurma.But usually I see coconut based thick gravies being supplied as kurma.

To make this you need

Mixed veg cooked - carrot, beans,peas, noolkol, cauliflower - about 2 cups
Onion 1 large
Tomato 1 large
Ginger garlic paste 2 tsp
Curry leaves 2 sprigs
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Oil 2 tbsp
Dhaniya/coriander powder 2 tsp
Chilli powder 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves 2 3 sprigs

To grind to a smooth paste
Whole garam masala spices - cardamoms,cloves,cinnamon sticks -2 each
Fennel seeds/saunf - 1 tsp
Coconut 2 tablespoon
Cashew nuts 5-6

• Chop the vegetables in equal sized cubes and pressure cook with water enough to cover them.Add salt to this.
• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds once they pop add the curryleaves and onions.
• Saute onions until they turn translucent, then add the ginger garlic paste.Saute well until you get a beautiful aroma.
• Add tomato and let all of this mash up well in the heat.
• Add the dhaniya and chilli powders and fry until raw smell goes away.
• Add the vegetables and the water it was cooked it.
• Simmer well until you get the right consistency you're looking for.
• Add the ground paste and allow gravy to boil for 10 mins.
• Turn off the heat and garnish with curry leaves and coriander leaves.

• Rich and creamy gravy is ready too be served with rotis or parotas or just bread!

Vegetable Kurma/Gravy

Its always chapathis for dinner at my house which gives me more freedom to let my mind run loose to create something new everyday.This is a rich gravy in which I have used a vegetable called Noolkol/Kohlrabi/German turnip. 

Bittergourd pan fry/Kootu and Seasoned curd rice

I wasn't a big fan of bittergourd atleast I just couldn't have it like most of the other south indian kootu types.
My hubby dear used to make a long elaborate dish earlier, a time consuming dish which required to flip each ring of bitter gourd once done,not any more.I love this version i came up with it and its easier and tastier and makes a great combination with any regular dals or even curd rice!

I used to end up deep frying the bitter gourd most of the times so i don't end up throwing it away once its rotten.But ever since i started making this dish i don't feel the need to fry bitter gourd anymore and you have to believe me when i tell you it goes really well with simple dal!Perfect comfort food!

I have clicked pictures of the bitter gourd pan fry with seasoned curd rice which is another simple dish on the south indian menu.After any meal heavy or light the finishing touch has to be curd rice.

You need

Bitter gourd 2 chopped in rings
Oil 2 tablespoons
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Onions 1 large sliced finely
Urad dal 1 tsp
Channa dal 1 tsp
Curry leaves 2 sprigs
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

• Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, channa dal and urad dal and fry well.
• Add onions and fry well until brown.
• Add the bitter gourd and salt and let it cook well.Cover it and cook until the bitter gourd cooks well.
• Add chilli powder and turmeric power and mix well.
• Remove the lid and let the bitter gourd fry well until all the moisture goes away.

To make the curd rice:

You need
Boiled rice 1 cup
Milk half cup
Curd/yogurt 3 4 tablespoons

To season
Oil 1 tsp
Ginger half tsp chopped pieces
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Red chillies 1
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Hing/asoefetida powder a sprinkle
Grated carrot 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste

• Cook the rice well in water and when its almost cooked add the milk and let it cook it well.
• Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, ginger, asoefetida and red chillies and pour it in the cooked rice mix.
• Once this mixture cools down well, add curd and mix well and check for salt.

• Add the grated carrots and serve with pickle and bitter gourd fry :) 

Sending this to Bon vivant moments : Rice and 30 minutes meal

Bittergourd pan fry/Kootu and Seasoned curd rice

I wasn't a big fan of bittergourd atleast I just couldn't have it like most of the other south indian kootu types.
My hubby dear used to make a long elaborate dish earlier, a time consuming dish which required to flip each ring of bitter gourd once done,not any more.I love this version i came up with it and its easier and tastier and makes a great combination with any regular dals or even curd rice!