Ingredients:

Ivy gourd/Kovaikai/Tindora – approx 1/2 sliced
Oil – 1 Tbsp
Mustard Seeds – 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds – 1/2 tsp
Asofoetida (Hing) – pinch
Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp
Green Chilies – to taste, finely chopped
Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
Cumin Powder – 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder – to taste
Salt – to taste

Method:

1. Heat Oil in a medium non-stick pan on medium heat.
2. Add Mustard Seeds and allow them to pop.
3. Add Cumin Seeds and let them sizzle.
4. Add Asofoetida, Turmeric Powder, Green Chilies and Tindora. Mix well.
5. Add Salt, Red Chili Powder, Coriander Powder and Cumin Powder.
6. Mix well, cover and cook until kovaikai are tender. Stir every few minutes to cook evenly and prevent burning.
7. When Tindora are tender, uncover and cook for an additional few minutes to lightly brown them.

Tips: Be careful when salting Tindora. They tend to shrink and become a little salty and tangy.

To Make Vada’s:
Bengal Gram-1 cup(soaked well for 1 hour)
Fennel seeds/sombu-1 spoon
Red Chilli’s-3/4
Curry leaves finely chopped- 2 spoons
Salt- to taste
Oil to Fry the Vada’s- 2 cup’s

Method:

Grind the above all together with two to four spoons of water.Make sure you do not grind them so Tight or Runny.also take care that they are coarsely grind with some whole lentil ungrounded.

Now make a small coin shaped with the grounded paste and fry them in oil till they reach golden colour.

when the vada’s get cooled tear them into half and keep it aside.

To Make Curry:

Onion-1(Big one)
Tomatoes-2
Curry leaves-8
Mustard-1/4 spoon
Fennel Seeds-1/4 spoon
Oil-1/4 cup
Grind Together: Ginger-1 inch,Garlic-5 pieces,Onion- 3 spoon’s

Dry Powder’s:

1. Salt as per the taste
2. Turmeric Powder- 1/4 spoon
3. Chilli Powder-1 spoon
4. Dhania Powder-2 spoons
5. Curry Leaves Powder-3 spoons

Method:
The gravy for the vada’s can be prepared by adding cinnamon,cloves and bay leaf when we start with seasoning.
Heat oil in a kadai..yes 1/4 cup of oil, it really adds up taste.when the oil gets heated, add mustard, when it starts to make sound, add fennel seeds and curry leaves. fry them well. Now add the Ginger-Garlic-Onion Paste to it and fry well. on frying it, add the finely chopped onions and fry them, add tomatoes and fry them. Now add the powder’s as per the order and mix well.it should mix with each other.add little water and let it boil for a minute and add the vada pieces into the curry.mix well, add sufficient water as per the consistency you require and close the kadai with a lid and let it rest for five more minutes in the stove in low flame.

Garnish it with Corriander Leaves before serving.

Best Suitable for Dosa/Chapathi/Roti.
It also goes well with Rice.

3. Add rest of the ingredients ,add besan/chickpea flour if the mixture is not bonding

3. make into flat dumplings and deep fry in medium heat till golden color and crispy

INGREDIENTS:

To make vadas:

1. Channa dal – 1 cup

2. Dry red chillies – 4 or 5

3. Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

4. Salt – as needed.

To make curry:

1. Onion – 1 med size

2. Tomato – 2 med size

3. Garlic – 4 or 5 pods

4. Chilli powder – 1 tsp

5. Corriander powder – 1 tbsp

6. Garam masala powder – 1 tsp

7. Cumin powder – 1 tsp

8. Turmeric powder – 1 tsp

9. Salt – as needed

10. Green chilli – 3 or 4

11. Corriander leaves – 1/4 bunch

12. Oil as required

METHOD:

To make Vadas:

1. Soak channa dal in water for 2 hrs and coarse grind with salt, dry red chillies and cumin seeds.

2. Heat oil in a pan and deep fry small balls of the ground mixture to make vadas.

3. Allow it to cool and scarmble it.

To make curry:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add fennel seeds, cinnomon stick, cumin seeds.

2. When that splutters, add crushed garlic, sliced onion and saute it.

3. When the oil seperates out of the mixture, add the tomatoes, and all powders over the tomatoes and cover it with a lid and cook in low flame for 2 to3 mins.

4. When the tomatoes get mashed, stir the mixture and add 1 and half cups of water and bring that to boil.

5. Then add the scarmbled vadas, corriander leaves, green chilli and allow that to boil for 3 to 5 mins.

6. Remove from flame and serve hot with dosa, rice or idly.

Here is a super healthy Eggplant recipe that will have you craving for more. we love this subzi and i make it quite often.

Ingredients:

Eggplant/Brinjal/Aubergine/Baingan – 1 (approx 500gm)

Oil – 1 tbsp

Asafoetida – tsp

Onion – 1/2 large or 1 medium

Garlic – 3-4 large

Green Chillies – to taste, finely chopped

Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp

Salt – to taste

Lime/ Lemon Juice – to taste

Cilantro – 10 sprigs, finely chopped

Method:1

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F (approx 200 degrees C).

2. Line the baking pan with foil.

3. Coat the Eggplant with a little Oil and bake it for 1 hour.

4. Once out of the oven, allow it to cool down and trim off the stem portion.

5. Peel the skin off and transfer the flesh/meat to another bowl.

6. Roughly chop so that there it is not fiberous.

7. In a pan, heat Oil.

8. Add in Asafoetida(optional) and right after that add in the Onions, Garlic, Green Chillies and Turmeric Powder.

9. Add in some Salt, mix well and allow them it to cook till the Onions get a little translucent.

10. Add in the Eggplant and allow it to heat up all the way through.

11. Add in Lemon/Lime Juice and Cilantro. Mix well.

12. Serve hot with Chapatis or Parathas or even rice.

Method 2:

you can cook the eggplant in microwave also.

Wash the eggplant, drizzle a drop or two of oil.

poke in 2-3 palces in the eggplant with the knife.

This will help cook eggplant faster and also the steam of the juice in eggplant can come out easily.

Then keep it in a microwave safe bowl. and cook on 100% power for 3-4 minutes.

Once done, turn the eggplant and cook the other side repeating the same procedure

Depending upon the size of your eggplant, it should be cooked completely in 10 minutes !!

Method :3

You can also roast the egg plant by simply placing the eggplant directly on the stove/ flame. keep turing so that it cooks evenly. rub some oild before roasting.

I follow method 2 and 3.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Ragi flour – 1 tbsp

2. Jaggery – 2 tsp or 1″ cube crushed

3. Milk – 50 ml

4. Water – 50 ml

METHOD:

1. Boil the 50 ml water and add jaggery to it.

2. When the jaggery is completely melted, filter it and add it to the ragi flour.

3. Also add the milk and mix well.

4. Heat a deep bottomed vessel and pour the mixture to it.

5. Keep stirring until it is cooked well and becomes a thick consistency.

6. Allow it to cool and serve ur baby.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Apple – 1

2. Plain rice or wheat cereal – 2 tsp

METHOD:

1. Peel of the skin and deesed the apple.

2. Cut into small pieces and steam cook for 10 mins.

3. Allow it to cool and grind it to a smooth paste.

4. Add the 2 tsp of cereal to it and mix well.

5. Serve it as breakfast or evening snack.

INGREDIENTS:

1. Chicken – 1/4 kg

2. Mixed vegetable – 1 cup [ potato, carrot, cauliflower-optional)]

3. Chilli pwdr – 1/2 tsp

4. Corriander pwdr – 1 tsp

5. Curry leaves – few

6. Corriander leaves – 1/4 cup

7. Turmeric pwdr – 1/2 tsp

8. Tomato – 1 med size

9. Dry red chilli – 3

10. Oil – as reqd

11. Salt – to taste

To grind:

1. Ginger – 1″

2. Garlic – 7 to 8 pods

3. Grated coconut – 2 tbsp

4. Onion – 1 med

5. Shallots -10 to 12

6. Cinnomon stick – 1″ ( 2 pieces)

7. Fennel seeds - 2 tsp

8. Cumin seeds – 1 tsp

9. Corriander seeds – 1 tsp

METHOD:

1. Pressure cook vegetables with salt, drain water and keep it aside. ( Cook cauliflower seperately. Boil water, toss the cauliflower into it for 1 min with lids on, drain water and keep it aside)

2. Marinate the chicken with 1/4tsp turmeric pwdr, 1/4 tsp chilli pwdr, and 1/2 tsp salt and refrigirate for half n hour.

3. Heat oil in a pan, toss the cinnomon stick, fennel seeds, cumin seeds, corriander seeds,  finely chopped ginger, garlic, onions and 6 to 8 shallots (small onions), 1/4 tsp salt and saute it.

4. When the onions turn pink, add the grated coconut, saute it for 1 min and remove from fire. Cool and grind it.

5.  In a deep bottomed vessel, heat 1tbsp oil and toss the cinnomon, fennel seeds, dry red chilli and the rest of the shallots(small onion) and the curry leaves to it and stir well.

6. Follow it with the chicken, tomato, chilli pwdr, turmeric pwdr, Corriander pwdr, and allow it to cook in low flame with lids on.

7. When the tomatoes and chicken are cooked upto 75%, add the vegetables and the ground paste and stir well.

8. Allow it to boil in low flame for 10 mins with lids on. (Need not add water, for this is a thick gravy..chicken itself will leave out some water). Keep stirring in between.

9. Check for salt, garnish with corriander leaves.

10. Serve it with Chappathi, Dosa, Idly, Rice.