Gavar ki sabzi

Gavar is called chavalikayi or gori kayi in  Kannada .It is cluster beans in English. I had a colleague in my office ( when I worked outside home ) who would make a lip smacking gavar sabzi. Lip smacking, because, I have never liked gavar . I asked her for recipe & did try it, some time. I liked it & yet, my un fondness for gavar disallowed me to making it often.

After my marriage I realized, that whatever sabzis I disliked, are liked by my husband. Like is, too mild a word. It should be loved.My husband loves veggies for which I have no liking .So, I had to start cooking gavar on a weekly basis. And I am eating it too, as gavar has numerous health benefits.

Here's my recipe or rather my colleague's recipe ....

Ingredients : 250 gm gavar ( stringed & washed &  broken into 1/2 inch pieces by hand), 1/2 tsp ajwain , 1 potato deskinned & chopped into cubes,1 tbsp milk, 1/2 tsp Mazeedar Maharashtra masala ( goda masala), 1/2 tsp red chilli powder ( optional ), 1/4 tsp haldi, 1/2 tsp hing powder, 1/2 tsp jaggery, 1/2  tbsp oil, 1 byadgi mirchi ( optional -a type of dry red chilli ) , salt to taste.

                                    

Method : I hardly ever chop gavar after  stringing them. I prefer to break them into smaller pieces by hand. I had read that vegetables handled with hands have more taste than chopped ones. So wherever, I can skip chopping, I manage with my hands or rather fingers.

In a kadhai, heat oil.Add ajwain seeds.Add hing. Let it all become aromatic. Add the byadgi mirch pieces ( optional ) ) Add in the cubed poatatoes & mix all nicely. Add haldi. Mix all nicely. The potato cubes would have become coated with hing, haldi & ajwain.Let it cook for about five minutes. Keep stirring after 2 minutes. Add the broken cluster beans pieces .Mix all nicely in kadahai. Cover with a lid & cook for five minutes. Add 1-2  tbsp water. Mix all ingredients nicely. Cover with lid & cook for five to ten minutes. Add milk. Give it a good stir so that all ingredients get nicely coated with milk.. Add jaggery & salt. Mix all ingredients again. Cook for another five minutes. Open lid & check if potato cubes & cluster beans have become tender & are cooked. Add Mazeedar Maharashtra powder to the kadahi .Give all the ingredients in the kadhai a good stir. Cook for another five minutes. Add a little water if the kadhai mix has got very dry. Cook for another five minutes by covering with lid. Put off gas. Gavar ki sabzi is ready to be served.

Another method is to pressure cook washed gavar pieces along with potato cubes to which haldi & salt has been added. Pressure cook for 2 whistles. Keep aside.

In a kadahi, add oil.Heat it up.Add ajwain seeds & hing. Add broken byadgi pieces. Give all ingredients a good mix. Add the cooked veggie mix of gavar & potato cubes.Add milk .Mix all ingredient again. Add jaggery, salt, red chilli powder & Mazeedar Maharashtra masala . Give the mix in the kadahi a good stir. Cook for five minutes with lid covered. Put off gas. Gavar sabzi is  ready to be served .

For a tangy flavour, one can squeeze a lemon on the sabzi .

Sometimes, I like to eat kadak rotis which have remained on hot tava . This sabzi, I like with kadak papad like roti .And maybe, a few slices of raw onion or cucumber !

Sabudana Khichdi

I have tried sabudana khichdi before & it had turned out lumpy .I ate it as I can't waste it . Of course, I did not post it.

I had decided that on Ashadhi ekadashi, I will make sabudana khichdi. I asked my friend who is quite an expert in making this khichdi .She told me that the sabudana or sago pearly must be just about immersed in water level for overnight soaking .And she is right ! My friend told me that peanuts must be used in moderation .I followed her advice & it tuned out too good !

I did tweak the recipe. I did not add potatoes as I was in hurry. I added flax seed  powder & til or sesame powder as per Sangeeta Khanna's sabudana khichdi recipe in HealthFoodDesiVideshi  

Ingredients : 1 cup sabudana washed & soaked overnight with water just enough to immerse the sabudana, 1/2 cup roasted peanuts , 1tsp roasted til, 1/2-1  tsp flaxseed powder, 1-2 green chillies finely chopped, 1tsp grated ginger, 1 sprig of curry leaves, 1 tsp cumin seeds or jeera, 1.5-2 tbsp oil or 1 tbsp ghee, juice of half a lemon, salt to taste.

Method : Powder the roasted peanuts & seasame seeds in mixer. The powder must be grainy & not fine powder. Keep aside.

Mix the powdered groundnut powder, flaxseed powder, til powder with the ( overnight )  soaked sago pearls so that the sago pearls are coated with the powders. Add salt & grated ginger to this powder sago mix. Keep aside.

Take oil or ghee in a kadhai. I used oil. Heat it. Add jeera to it. When they crackle, add the green chillies  & curry leaves. Fry for a minute .Add the sago powder-ginger salt mix to the kadhai & mix all ingredients nicely. Keep cooking for four -five minutes.Mix again. Sprinkle some water over the mix in kadhai. Mix all ingredients in kadhai again. Cover the kadhai & cook for five minutes. The sago pearls will have become brownish or transluscent. Put off gas. Cover the kadhai with lid. After 5 minutes, uncover the kadhai. Squeeze lemon juice on the khichdi. Give the khicdi a good stir so that the lemon juice gets nicely distributed in the sabudana khichdi. Serve sabudana khichdi hot, in bowls or plates !

This khichdi was so moist and soft that I  was simply swallowing it ! Even my parents loved it !

Pineapple halwa

I have eaten pineapple halwa at hotels. I have liked it ...the aroma as also the flavour . I had seen it in some recipe blogs. I tried it & it turned out well. On Akshaytritiya, I decided to make it again.

I looked up the recipe on Veg recipes of India.  In another recipe ( I forgot the blog name )  of pinapple sheera, ghee used is 3 tbsps for making sheera using 1/ 2 cup rava. I decided to use this ratio of ghee to rava.

I got two packets of pineapple slices which is available on Mumbai streets now. Each packet costs 10 bucks & has 4-5 thin slices of pineapple .I used the pineapple slices of both the packets.

Ingredients : 8-10 slices of pineapple, 1/2 cup rava, 1/2 cup sugar, 3 .5 tbsps ghee, 1 cup water, kesar strands ( optional ) , 2-3 cardamoms ( powdered ) , assorted dry fruits thinly sliced ( optional ).

Method : Keep 1 cup of water needed, on slow gas for heating it up.

Cut the pineapple into bits. I pureed the slices. Some pieces ( the middle part ) remained like that only. Keep this mix of pureed & hard pineapple aside.

Meanwhile roast rawa in ghee in a kadhai. Roast it nicely. I had dry roasted rawa nicely earlier. So in ghee, I  roasted it for less than 2-3 minutes. Add the pureed pineapple & the hard pineapple pieces into the ghee roasted rawa in kadhai. Mix all nicely. Let it cook for 4-5 minutes. Keep a watch by constantly turning the contents of kadhai up & down with a large ladle so that nothing gets stuck to kadhai bottom. Add the heated  water to the kadahi. Mix all contents nicely.  After 2-3 minutes, stir up the contents & continue cooking for 2 -3 minutes. Uncover the lid. Add sugar.Mix all the contents nicely. Add kesar strands. Mix again. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir with the ladle.Add cardamom powder.Mix all contents nicely. Cook for 1-2 minutes. The sheera is ready. If water can still be seen in the kadahi , cook for 2-3 minutes more. Switch off gas.

Cut thin slices of assorted dry fruits & garnish sheera with the slices of dry fruits.I have garnished with thin slices of cashew nuts. Even almonds & pistas can be used as garnish. Some recipes raost dry fruits in ghee & add them to such halwas.

Igfelt that 1/4 cup ghee was a better ratio for making sheera from 1/2 cup sooji so that the sheera looks moist. Mine was some what dry.

Meth amba

I had been introduced to this tangy dish by my Mahrashtrian colleagues whilst I worked at office.I savoured it & was told the recipe. I wanted to try it years later. I googled it & got this recipe .I added a chopped green chilli to the dish .Rest of the recipe remains the same.

Ingredients : 2 tsp oil, 3/4 cup kairi chopped ( raw mango-used here is Totapuri raw mango ), 1 medium sized green chilli washed & chopped, 1/4 tsp powdered hing, 1/4 tsp haldi, 1/4 tsp  mustard seeds, 1/8-1/4  tsp methi seeds, 1/2 tsp red chilli powder, 2-3 tbsp chopped jaggery , salt to taste.

Method : Take oil in kadahi. Heat it on slow gas.Add mustard seeds.After they pop up, add methi dana. They will change colour & get aromatic. Add hing followed by chopped green chilli pieces. Fry for 10-15 seconds. Add chopped kairi pieces. Fry them nicely.Add hal;di. Mix all contents nicely. Add 2-3 tbsp water. Cover it cooked for 3-4 minutes. Add jaggery & salt. Mix nicely. I had added big chunks of jaggery. So added more water ( approximately 2-3 tbsp water ). Cook it for 10 minutes or till it gets almost dry. The mango pieces would be soft & mushy now. Put off gas. Add red chilli powder. Mix nicely all the contents with red chilli powder. Enjoy with roti & or rice.

This has to be stored in refrigerator.And that would be nearly impossible as this is so tangy that it gets over in no time. It will stay, just for 1 week, in the refrigerator but, believe me, it will get over before that ! It can also be used as a spread on bread.

I used totapuri kairi in this dish. If more sour varieties of kairi are used, jaggery & chilli powder & salt will have to be adjusted ( added more accordingly ) . Totapuri is sour & sweet too.

Pumpkin sabzi :North Indian style.

I have loved the Pumpkin sabzi that is served in Pancham Puriwala at CST, Mumbai. My north Indian friends make it as an accompaniment to puris on festivals.

I made this sabzi last week with green chillies, red chilly powder, methi dana ( fenugreek seeds )  & amchur ( dry mango powder which is a souring agent ),This time , I made this dish by following Sangeeta Khanna's recipe from banaras ka khana .I did add methi dana, jaggery and amchur though she has not added any of these in her dish.

Ingredients : 250-300 gm red pumpkin deskinned , washed &  cubed, 1/ 2 tsp jeera, 6 peppercorns, 1 badi elaichi, 1 green elaichi, 1 star anise, 1 small  cinnamon stick, 1/4 tsp powdered hing, 1/4 tsp haldi, 2 -3 byadgi mirchis broken into 2-3 pieces each, 2-3 tsp oil, 1 tsp amchur powder, 1 tsp jaggery sugar, 1/ 4 tsp methi dana, 1/ 2 cup water, salt to taste.

Method : Heat oil in kadhai. Add powdered hing. Add cinnamon stick, slightly crushed peppercorns, slightly crushed badi elaichi & green elaichi , star anise. Fry them for a few seconds.Add broken byadgi mirchi pieces, methi dana & cumin ( jeera ).Jeera & methi will get aromatic. Add Pumpkin cubes. Saute them. Add haldi. Mix nicely all contents of kadahi. Add half cup water. Mix all contents nicely. Cover kadahi with lid. Let it cook for 7-8 minutes. Add jaggery powder & am

chur powder to contents in kadahi. Cook for 4-5 minutes. Put off gas. The cubes must retain their shape & yet be soft enough to melt in mouth. Serve with rotis or puris.

Purple cabbage sabzi

I had chanced upon this purple cabbage in the marjket. I got it as I wanted to taste it. I shredded as small part of it & ate it raw with some poha which has been mixed with chutni powder & til oil & some finely chopped raw capsicum & grated carrot.This was my Ekadashi fasting recipe.It was fresh & crunchy.

Next I googled for a sabzi recipe using purple cabbage...its also called red cabbage...don't know why. Its not red at all. Though I think after cooking , it does turn red or rather pink as can be viewed in the snaps.

I came across this easy recipe which is sans coconut. I added green chillies to it &  added 1/ 3 cup water in installments to tone down the crunchiness !

Ingredients : 250 gm shredded purple cabbage, 1/ 4 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp urad dal, 1 byadgi mirchi broken into 2-3 pieces,1-2 green chillies roughly chopped,8-10 curry leaves, 1/4 tsp hing, 1/4 tsp sesame seeds,1 tbsp oil, salt to taste.

Method : Heat oil in a kadahi. Add mustard seeds.After they pop up, add urad dal. Once urad dal turn golden brown , add the broken pieces of byadgi mirchi & curry leaves. Fry them for a few seconds. Add shredded purple cabbage & chopped green chillies. Give all ingredients a good stir by the ladle.Add 1/ 4 cup water. Mix all ingredients again. Let it cook for 5-8 minutes. Add salt to taste. Mix all ingredients again so that salt is nicely mixed up. Add remaining water. Again, give a good stir. Cook for 5-6 minutes or till almost no water is left in kadahi. Put off gas.

Toast sesame seeds in another kadahi till they start spluttering up. Alternatively  toast them in microwave for thirty seconds. Put off the microwave. Again toast them for another thirty seconds.

Garnish purple cabbage side dish with toasted sesame seeds. Serve as side dish for rotis and or rice.

My sabzi was not so crunchy as I wanted it to be softer .Hence, I had added water. It was a little salty. So I added, juice of a quarter of a lemon & then it was good.

Black peas amti

Black peas or kala vatana as it is called in Marathi is a flavourful lentil. I used to cook it earlier. I had not got it for almost ten years, maybe. So , I got some black peas & made this black peas amti .I used Mazedaar Maharashtra spice powder from Madhavi Spices. Goda Masala is named Mazedaar Maharashtra by Madhavi Spices.

I followed this kala vatana chi amti recipe though I tweaked it to suit my cooking.

Ingredients : 1/4 cup black peas, 1-2 tbsp fresh coconut grated, 1 medium onion, a few curry leaves, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 green chilli , 1 medium tomato, 1 tsp goda masala ( Mazedaar Mahasrashtra of Madhavi Spices ) , 1/2 tsp mustard seeds,1 /4 tsp powdered hing, 1/4 tsp haldi, 1 tsp or more of powdered or grated jaggery( optional ),1 tbsp oil, salt to taste.

Method : Soak the black peas overnight.Next day, discard the water & pressure cook the black peas by adding sufficient  water & some salt to the black peas.

Pressure cook the black peas up  to two whistles & then on low flame for 20-30 minutes. Put off gas.

Make a paste of green chilli, curry leaves, ginger & onion in mixer. Keep aside.

Chop a tomato & make  tomato paste in mixer. Keep aside.

In a kadhai take 2 tsps oil.Put mustard seeds.When they pop up, add hing. Mix nicely. Add the green chilli, curry leaves, ginger-onion paste to the kadhai. Saute nicely till raw smell of onion disappears.Add haldi. Mix nicely. Add tomato paste. Mix nicely. Add salt to atste. Mix nicely. Keep cooking till, raw smell of tomatoes goes away. Add pressure cooked vatanas to the kadhai. Mix nicely. Add fresh grated coconut. Mix nicely. Add 1 tsp Mazedaar Maharashtra aka goda masala of Madhavi Spices to the kadhai. Mix nicely.Add jaggery at this stage to kadhai & mix  nicely. If the amti is too dry, add water to it. Depends on how , you want your amti, very watery or thick. Let it come to a boil.Simmer for 4-5 minutes.Put off gas.

Serve black peas amti with roti or rice. It goes well with both rice as also chapati.

Those who don't want to add onion, please skip the step of adding onion to mixer. Make a paste of ginger, curry leaves & green chilli. Add tomato paste as it is narrated in this recipe.Some people use tamarind paste or kokum as the souring agent instead of tomato. And follow other steps as stated.