have never been to Gujarat, But I think, it must be a Food Paradise. I love love Gujju Food The Dhoklas, Khakhras, Theplas, Handvo, Khandvi … I just can’t get enough of them. I had quite a few gujju friends in Mumbai, & as a South Indian, I was quite amazed to see the amount of farsans each Gujju household stocked.
I often did lunch at a Gujju friend’s house, & her mom made this yummy kadhi with okra. Many years later, I had this sudden urge to eat Bhindi /Okra kadhi. This was my lunch yesterday.
You Will Need:
-
200g Okra/Bhindi - cut into 1 inch pieces
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2 tbsp chickpea flour/Besan
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2 cups yogurt
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1/2 tsp turmeric powder
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1 tsp grated ginger
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1 stick Dalchini/cinnamon
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2 cloves/Laung
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1 tsp mustard seeds
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1 tsp cumin seeds
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A generous pinch of Hing
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A few curry leaves
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3-4 broken red chillies
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2 tsp sugar
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Salt as per taste
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2 tbsp cooking oil
Method:
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In a large bowl, whisk together chickpea flour & yogurt such that no lumps are formed
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Meanwhile. in a skillet heat some oil & fry okra until it gets soft & set aside.
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In the same skillet, add some more oil, splutter mustard & cumin seeds, add hing, cinnamon sticks, cloves, grated ginger, curry leaves & red chillies.
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To this, add the chickpea flour-yogurt mixture & about 2 cups of water & mix well
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Add turmeric, sugar & salt. Stir continuously & bring it to a boil
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Add some more water if the mixture is too thick
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Add cooked okra & simmer for about 15 minutes
Serve HOT with Khichdi or plain steamed Rice. Enjoi !!!
NOTE: The apparent difference between & Punjabi Kadhi & its Gujarati counterpart is the addition of Pakodis. Also, Gujarati kadhi is on the runnier side & is slightly sweeter in taste because of sugar, You can add more sugar of you wish, I just struck to adding a couple of tsps as we aren’t that fond of sweets.
We ate this with Rice, But it tastes best when teamed with arhar dal ki Khichdi. Remember to serve this with a Dollop of Ghee !!
Have you ever thrown some ingredients together & made a good recipe? Somehow, these ’throw it together, no effort meals’ always taste great, don’t they?
I made this curry from the odds & ends in the fridge. I am a huge fan of aloo bhindi & aloo gobi so this couldn’t have been anything less than, super yummy.
You Will Need:
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2 large potatoes - diced
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1 cup cauliflower florets
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1 cup okra/ladies finger - chopped into 1′ pieces
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A handful of green peas - fresh/frozen
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1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
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1/2 tsp turmeric
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1/2 tsp Garam Masala
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Salt as per taste
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2 tbsp cooking oil
Method:
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Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan/Kadhai, add okra & saute till half done,
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To this, add potatoes, cauliflower florets, green peas, turmeric, salt & red chilli powder & mix well
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Cover with a lid & let it cook on medium flame. Keep checking in between to avoid the bottom from getting burnt. You may require an additional tsp of oil at this time.
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The vegetables must be completely cooked yet firm.
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Check ofr salt. Transfer to a serving bowl. Enjoi with rice or rotis.
I threw in whatever I had. You could even add some chopped onions & tomatoes for a jucier version of the curry.
How about giving your leftover aloo bhindi or aloo gobi a new tiwst?
So tell me what are your ‘throw it together, no effort, favorite meals’ like?
I wasn’t very familiar with dishes made out of kokum before my wedding. I wasn’t aware of anything beyond Kokum Sherbet. After my wedding, Shankar’s grandmom introduced me to a variety of kokum dishes.
Kokum Saar is one such dish I really fell in love it. If you are aware of the many health benefits that kokum has to offer, I am sure this would be on your menu.
I love this saar mainly because its very light. If you’ve had a heavy lunch/dinnernat your favorite restaurant, then this is perfect for you.
You Will Need:
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8 - 10 dried kokum
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3 1/2 - 4 cups of water
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1 1/2 tsp grated jaggery
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3 dry red chillies
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A sprig of curry leaves
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1 tsp mustard seeds
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1 tsp desi ghee
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Salt as per taste
How To:
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Soak dried kokum in warm water for about 30 minutes. Extract juice & discard dry skin
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In a heavy bottomed vessel, add kokum extract, 3 -4 cups of water & bring to a boil.
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To this, add grated jaggery & salt as per taste. If the saar turns out too strong or is tangy, add more water.Bring it to a rolling boil & turn off the gas.
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Temper with mustard seeds, red chillies & curry leaves.
Serve HOT with rice or if you prefer to gulp it down, even better .. Enjoi !!
I love this with plain steamed rice. If I’ve had a heavy meal, then this is usually my lunch the next day. Makes me feel light …
It was one of those days when I was craving for some legumes. I love my legumes & I try adding it wherever I can. I normally use a lot of chickpeas & Green Moong Beans in my cooking But Black Eyed Peas/Lobia makes way into my kitchen ocassionally whenever I make Sambar.
The other day, I ran out of Moong beans so I went ahead & added Lobia instead & made this really yummy curry . Black Eyed Peas are so pretty to look at. Aren’t they? Next time around, I am going to go ahead & sprout these beauties & maybe add potatoes or even Knol Khol.
You Will Need:
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1 cup Black Eyes Peas/Lobia/Dudhi/Alsande Kaalu (soaked overnight or atleast for 4-5 hrs)
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1 cup Bottle Gourd/Lauki/Sorekai - ( peeled, cored & cubed into 1 inch cubes )
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2 onions - finely chopped
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2 tomatoes - finely chopped
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2 green chillies - slit lengthwise
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1 tsp red chilli powder
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1 tsp mustard seeds
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A sprig of curry leaves
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1/2 tsp turmeric powder
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1/2 tsp Garam Masala
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2 tbsp oil
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Salt as per taste
Method:
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Pressure cook black eyed peas or cook on stove top until tender & set aside
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Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan & splutter mustard seeds, green chillies, curry leaves & turmeric.
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Add chopped onions & saute until it turns pink
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Add chopped tomatoes & red chilli powder & saute for 5 minutes.
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To this, add bottle gourd cubes & mix well. Add about 1/2 a cup of water & a tsp of salt. Cover with a lid & let it cook on medium flame. Keep stirring in between. When bottle goured cubes are fully cooked ( this should take about 12-15 mins ), Add cooked black eyed beans & Mix well
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Check for salt. Add Garam Masala & mix well
Serve HOT with warm Phulkas or even steamed Rice. Enjoi !!!
I had these with Rotis & Yogurt & It really was an awesome meal. Makes a perfect weeknight dinner.
I might even try a simple sprouted Stir Fry with this some time. Watch this space for more …
There are times when all I would want to eat is some HOT steamed rice with some fresh vegetables. A great way to fix this simple meal is to steam your favorite vegetables & spice them with some wonderful herbs.
I usually make this dish, with green beans & carrots as they are usually lying around in my pantry & they pair up really really well.
The herbs spice up the dish adding that ‘zing’ to the otherwise bland vegetables.
You Will Need:
-
250g Green Beans - Tender & Fresh (trimmed)
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200g Carrots ( julienned )
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2 tbsp olive oil
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1 tsp rosemary leaves - crushed
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1 tsp thyme leaves - crushed
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1/2 tsp black pepper powder
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Salt as per taste
Method:
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In a large uncovered saucepan, Cook Beans & Carrots in salted boiling water on medium heat for about 6-8 mins or until tender crisp
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Drain excess water.
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Return Beans to the sauce pan, toss with olive oil, crushed rosemary & thyme leaves. Add black pepper powder. Stir over medium heat for a couple of minutes.
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Let it stand for about 5 minutes before serving
Transfer to a serving bowl & serve warm with HOT steamed rice or even Fried Rice. Enjoi !!!
We had this with Steamed Rice & flavored yogurt. This is what a simple meal really is.
NOTE: You could also serve this as a salad or simple much them when you are hungry.
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