Vegetable Stew in Coconut Milk

Summer time is generally the toughest for me to come up with new recipes. I always end up in a state where I don't want to eat a lot of spicy food, nor oily, nor hot....which eliminates most of the regular Indian recipes we make at home. I know, I am spoilt....and my hubby will agree with this 100% ;). So, on one such summery evening, when the temperatures were soaring high, I took out all the vegetables that were chilling out in the refrigerator and made this simple yet tasty Vegetable stew. The basic idea for the stew came from a dear friend and her hubby. I skipped a lot of the spices they normally use and added some of my own. It was just one of those days I did not want to use too many masalas, and this also gave me an opportunity to use my favorite ingredient -coconut milk.

This Vegetable stew is also going to the Curry Mela hosted by Srivalli of Cooking 4 All Seasons.


Ingredients: (serves 2-3)
1 medium cauliflower cut into florets
1 Zucchini
1/2 cup carrots, corn and green beans mix ( I used a frozen mix)
1/2 onion chopped lengthwise
2-3 Kokum/amsul
1/2 tsp crushed black peppercorns (you can adjust to your taste)
1 Dried red chilli
1 tsp ghee
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
2-3 Curry leaves
1 small can coconut milk
Salt to taste
Method:
Wash and cut all the veggies. In a pan, heat the ghee and then add the cumin seeds to it. Once they start sizzling, add the dried red chillies and fry for a minute. To this, add the curry leaves and then the crushed black pepper powder and fry. Next, add the chopped onions and once they turn translucent, add the kokum. The kokum can also be soaked in a little warm water and the water can then be added to the gravy. Now, add the chopped veggies and mix well. Add a little salt, cover the pan and let the vegetables cook. Once they are cooked, add the can of coconut milk. Mix, cover and cook for a few more minutes. Check for taste and adjust the salt accordingly. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with rice, chapatis or appams!

This is not a very spicy gravy but it is packed with flavor. You can add/modify this recipe easily as per your mood and cravings ;)

Yes...its Jackfruit!

So almost everyone guessed it right...the star ingredient is green/tender Jackfruit or as it is called in Marathi, 'Fanas'. Special credit to Sia, who was the first one to comment and get it right ! :)
Its so amazing how food can transport us back in time and help us relive precious moments spent with dear ones. A lot of my childhood memories are knit around food, and this Jackfruit curry is one such recipe that always reminds me of my days as a carefree school girl. My mom made this Fanasachi bhaaji (Jackfruit curry) and I just loved it! Even now, as I write this, I can smell the aroma of the fried jackfruit pieces and the freshly ground masala!

Green jackfruit or raw/tender jackfruit is very meaty in texture and has a very delicate flavor. It does need a little getting used to, i think. But once you develop a taste for it, you will have a wonderful and versatile ingredient to experiment with in your kitchen. Green Jackfruits are generally found in the markets around March-April. The only tough task is cutting this enormous fruit. You need to be extremely careful with the knife and normally, it helps to grease your hands and knife with some oil. The good thing here, in the US, is that you can find canned jackfruit already cut into big chunks. Life made easy! :)

Usually, I strictly follow my mom's recipe, but this time I did a few modifications, based on what I had at hand. This curry goes well with rice /chapatis or parathas or even bread. It is preferable if this curry can be made a few hours before the actual meal...this way the spices have a chance to mingle around and develop a great flavor without being spicy. Lets get started...
But before I forget, let me just add that this mouthwatering curry is going to Srivalli of Cooking4 All Seasons for her Curry Mela which is on till Aug 28, 2008.

Ingredients: (serves 2-3)
1 small can of green jackfruit (280 gms.)
1/2 onion paste (if big onion)
1 garlic clove minced or paste
Masala :
3 tbsp dried , grated coconut (suka khobra)

1 tbsp Cashews
4 tbsp dhane (coriander seeds)
1 tsp shah jeere
2 tsps badishep (fennel seeds)
A small piece of dalchini (cinnamon stick)
1/4 tsp khuskhus (poppy seeds)
3-4 lavanga (cloves)
3 mire (black peppercorns)
1 dried red chilli

A small bunch of cilantro
1-2 tomatoes (depending on how sour they are). I used 1/4 cup of canned, diced tomatoes.
2-3 tbsp Oil + oil to shallow fry the jackfruit
2-3 tsp Laal tikhat (cayenne pepper)
Salt to taste

Method :
The first step is to get the fanas ready, depending on whether you are using canned or fresh. If using canned jackfruit, drain off all the water and pat them with a tissue to remove as much moisture as possible. Now, these pieces can be either deep fried, which my mom usually does, or you can also shallow fry them, like I did this time. But, deepr frying makes the jacfruit really yummy and enhances its flavor. These taste good just by themselves too!
Keep the fried pieces of jackfruit aside. First of all, grind the onion to make a paste. To make the masala, dry roast all the Masala ingredients given above separately, till they turn golden brown. Then grind together these spices along with the cilantro to a fine paste. Now in a kadhai/pan, heat the oil. Next, add the onion paste and fry till it turns golden brown. Then add the garlic paste and fry for a minute. Once done, add the ground masala to the onions. Fry the masala for a few minutes, then add some water and cover and cook. Keep checking at regular intervals and keep adding water as necessary. The key to getting a delicious gravy is to roast the masala as much as possible and fluff it up using water. When the masala starts giving out an aroma and oil starts separating from the sides, add the tomatoes and cook for a while. Then add cayenne pepper and salt and mix well. Make sure that you add a little more cayenne pepper than usual. Normally, once the curry cools down, I have realized that I always need to add more cayenne pepper. But please do taste and stick to your tolerance level. Finally, add the fried jackfruit pieces , mix well and add water to get the desired consistency. Cover the kadhai and let it cook till white steam escapes from the sides. Turn off the heat and let the curry sit for an hour at least. Check for salt before serving. Garnish with freshly chopped cilantro and serve with hot chapatis/poli or rice !

Related Posts :

Jackfruit Kababs

Grilled Cauliflower & Capsicum in Coconut Milk Gravy

Today's recipe is absolutely non-traditional and something that I have started making recently. The idea for this comes from a friend's recipe for potatoes. Casually chatting to her one day, I asked her what her dinner plans were, and she mentioned that she was making a coconut milk gravy for store-bought herb potatoes. Sounds delicious right? I was determined to try this recipe asap. I got all the ingredients required and as I was about to begin, when I had this brainwave to replace potatoes with cauliflower, since I had to use it anyway. While I was at it, I decided to throw in the one capsicum that had been lying in my refrigerator patiently waiting to be salvaged. The end result was a truly delicious and delicate gravy which both my hubby and me loved. The flavor of the coconut milk along with the cauliflower was very fresh and it broke the monotony of using red gravy and the same old masalas. In fear of boring you with my descriptions of this dish, let me move on to the recipe and I hope you will give this humble creation a try. :)

Ingredients: (serves 2)
1 small cauliflower
1 green capsicum
1/2 onion sliced lengthwise
1 small can coconut milk (lite)

To season the veggies:
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (adjust to your liking)
a little black pepper
salt to taste

To make paste:
A handful of cilantro leaves
1 garlic clove
2 green chillies (depending on your level of spiciness)

Method:
Chop the cauliflower into florets and the capsicum into medium sized pieces. In a bowl, mix the olive oil, the dried herbs, salt and pepper. Toss the cauliflower & capsicum in it.

Next, line a baking pan/cookie sheet with foil and spread the veggies on it. Place under the broiler until they turn golden brown and crisp.

While the veggies are getting grilled, make a paste of the cilantro leaves, garlic and green chillies. Then, take a pan and heat a little olive oil in it. Throw in the onions and fry them till they turn translucent. Add the cilantro paste to the onions and fry till the oil separates. Mix in the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Then add the grilled cauliflower and capsicum to it and let cook for a few minutes. Check for taste. Serve hot with chapati or rice.

Cabbage Kofta Curry-- RCI Punjab

First and foremost, I would like to thank all of you for stopping by and reading my Meme. In my MeMe, I had asked you to guess my sun sign. While nobody got it right, Manasi & Srivalli were pretty close. So who am I? I am a true GEMINI ! If you open Linda Goodman and start reading about 'Gemini Woman', you would know what kind of a character I am ;) of course, I would not vouch for all the negative things in there, they are not true :) Now that the mystery is solved, lets get to the recipe for Cabbage Kofta Curry.
Originally, I was going to make Koftas with Lauki/Gheea (Bottle Gourd), but when I saw Kanchana's recipe for Cabbage kofta, I decided to give it a try. Since, I did not have bottle gourd at hand anyways, but had half a cabbage sitting in the fridge, I got all the more motivated. Now, I used a totally different gravy for this. The gravy that I made is from 'Bawarchi' and it is extremely easy and quick to make, not to mention delicious. This is my entry for RCI- Punjab hosted by Richa of 'As Dear As Salt'.

Ingredients: (makes about 7 koftas)
To make the koftas:
1/2 a shredded cabbage
about 5-6 tbsp besan (chickpea flour)
2-3 green chillies finely chopped
1 tsp ginger minced
1 tsp salt
Oil to fry

For the gravy:
1/2 an onion chopped
2 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1 tomato chopped
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste
Fresh cream to garnish (optional)

Method:
To make the koftas:
Take the shredded cabbage, add salt to it and keep aside for 10 minutes. Then, squeeze out all the liquid from the cabbage and reserve it. Now add the chopped green chillies, minced ginger (you can also make a ginger-chilli paste), and the besan enough to bind the whole thing together. Adjust the quantity of besan to get a nice dough. Shape into lime size balls and deep fry. Drain on tissue paper.

For the gravy:
Heat the oil and fry onions till dark brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry well. Next add the cayenne pepper and turmeric powder. Fry for a minute. Next add the tomatoes and fry till the oil separates. At this point, add the garam masala and remove from the stove. Now let this mixture cool and then grind to a paste using the reserved cabbage juice. Add salt according to taste (remember the reserved juice already has salt, so do not add extra before tasting it).
Just before serving, simmer the gravy for 5 minutes and pour over the koftas. Garnish with cream and cilantro. Enjoy with roti or rice.

Note: This same recipe can be used to make lauki/gheea (bottle gourd) koftas.

Bharli Vaangi (Stuffed Eggplants)

I must confess that I am not very imaginative when it comes to eggplants. So, when Sangeeta of 'Ghar Ka Khana' announced the JFI ingredient for the month of July -- Eggplants, I thought that I will take this up as an occasion to try out something new. But the problem is, I am not too adventurous when it comes to eating eggplants. So, even though I came across some really good recipes, I decided to settle for the tried and tested 'Bharli Vaangi' that my MIL makes. This is a typical Maharashtrian way of making this dish with just a little variation, and goes great with poli (chapati), bhakri (jowar roti), or rice. As far as my experimentation with eggplant goes, I have bookmarked several recipes and I AM going to try them out ! :)

Ingredients:(serves 2)
Small eggplants 4
Minced or finely chopped onion 1/2
Daanyacha koot (Roasted peanut powder) 3/4 cup
Tilacha koot (Roasted sesame powder) 1/4 cup (optional)
Minced ginger 1 tsp
Minced garlic clove 1
Gul (jaggery) 1 tsp
Goda masala 2 tsp
Cayenne pepper 1/2 tsp or to taste
Salt
Mohri (mustard seeds) 1/2 tsp
Jeere (cumin seeds) 1/2 tsp
Hing 1/4 tsp
Halad (turmeric) 1/4 tsp
Oil 2 tbsp

Method:
The first step to making Bharli Vaangi is to make the masala to be stuffed in the vaangi. In a plate or bowl, mix together the peanut powder, sesame powder (if using), minced ginger, minced garlic, goda masala, cayenne pepper, halad and salt.

Next, make 4 vertical slits in each eggplant. Do not cut through the entire eggplant. Now stuff each eggplant with the above prepared masala. Keep aside.
In a kadhai or pan, heat the oil. To the heated oil, add mohri, jeere, hinga and a pinch of halad to make the fodni (tadka). Next, add the minced onion (I prefer minced onions because they give a good consistency to the gravy). Fry the onions till they brown. The browning of the onion lends a beautiful color to the dish (this is my variation to the dish). Now, add the stuffed eggplants to this and cook them for a minute or two.

Flip them and cook on the other side as well. Do not add water to this. Instead, cover the kadhai with a plate and on top of the plate, keep a vessel full of water, like this...

You can also put water on the plate itself. This is how my Mom and my MIL cook the eggplants. After a few minutes remove the plate and add a little bit of the water that was on the plate. Adding the warm water kept on the plate, reduces the chances of getting wrinkled eggplants. Also mix in the extra masala if any. At this point add the jaggery. Continue to cook covered with water on top. Check every few minutes and keep adding the warm water if needed. Once the eggplants are cooked, remove the covered plate, and adjust the consistency of the gravy. Check for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Tondlichi Peeth Perun Bhaaji (Tondli with Chickpea flour)

I had planned to make this bhaaji at the start of the week, but somehow it got postponed till today. Meanwhile, I saw other recipes with 'tondli' (Tindora/Ivy gourd) being posted for the 'T' of Indian Vegetables, hosted by Nupur of 'One Hot Stove', and added them to my already long list of bookmarked recipes. I did have two other 'T' recipes that did not invlove 'tondli', but then decided to go with the flow... :) So here I go with my tondli recipe for this week's 'T' of Indian Vegetables.
I have learnt this recipe from my mother-in-law and it has become my favourite ever since. This bhaaji is easy to make and extremely delicious! You can use fresh or frozen tondli for this recipe. This time I got really good, fresh tondli but I am not always lucky...so, on such occasions I turn to frozen tondli and it works just fine.

Ingredients: (serves 2)
Chopped Tondli 2 cups
Besan (Chickpea flour) 3 tbsp
Daanyacha koot (roasted peanut powder) 1tsp
Lemon juice 1tsp
Mohri (mustard seeds) 1/2 tsp
Jeere (Cumin seeds) 1/2 tsp
Hing 1/4 tsp
Haldi (turmeric powder) 1/2 tsp
Oil 1 tbsp
Cayenne pepper 1-2 tsp (according to taste)
Salt

Method:
Wash and then chop the tondli either into small round slices or lengthwise. In a kadhai, heat the oil, then add mohri, jeere, hing and halad to make a fodni (tadka). Then, to this, add the chopped tondli. Let the tondli cook. Do not add water or it will get too soggy. Sprinkle a little salt while cooking, which will bring out the moisture from the tondli. Cover to help cook faster and keep stirring frequently. Once the tondli is cooked, sprinkle the besan over it and mix. Pour a little water (about 1 tsp) over the bhaaji, add cayenne pepper and salt, then cover and cook for a minute or two. Then add the peanut powder and lemon juice. Mix well and garnish with cilantro.

Sweet & Spicy Cabbage

Today i had one of my favorite veggies for lunch--cabbage. I just love it! It is so versatile.I have 2-3 different versions of cooking cabbage.But today i am going to share the recipe that my mom makes and its my favorite!

Ingredients:
1/2 a cabbage (about 2 cups) chopped
2 tbsps chana dal soaked in water for about 30 mins.
Jaggery 2-3 tbsps (may be replaced with brown sugar)
Cayenne pepper 2 -3 tsps
Mustard seeds for tadka
Hing(Asefoetida)
Turmeric 1 tsp
Oil about 1 tbsp
A little cilantro to garnish

Method:
In a pan/kadhai,heat the oil. Once ready, add the mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to crackle, add a little bit of hing and turmeric powder. Then add the washed and chopped cabbage to the tadka. Mix in the soaked chana dal at this point, add a little water and cover to cook. Once the cabbage is cooked and all the water has evaporated, add cayenne pepper and jaggery. Mix well. It is ready to serve once the jaggery is well incorporated and there are no lumps visible. Garnish with cilantro.
This recipe is a little sweeter than usual recipes but the cayenne pepper balances the taste wonderfully and i am sure nobody will mind the sweet. Serve with hot chapatis and raita....yum! Pure nostalgia!!!

My First Recipe

Welcome to Bhaatukli!
'Bhaatukli' in Marathi is the word for small kitchen utensils and accessories that little girls use to play 'house'. My love for cooking started with bhaatukli and hence the name. I was always whipping up some tasty dish in my pretend kitchen with my bhaatukli. Growing up, my mom encouraged my sister and me to learn to cook and thanks to her , today, we both love creating and trying out different recipes. On Bhaatukli i would like to share recipes that i have been eating as a child and those that i have attempted in the past 2 & 1/2 yrs of my marriage. i am always on the lookout for new recipes and my mom as well as my mother-in-law are a never ending source for lip-smacking delicacies. I also spend a lot of time surfing the net to search for different recipes and while doing so i stumbled upon Nupur's 'One Hot Stove'. I was really impressed and inspired by her blog and read it regularly since. My sister told me about Indira's 'Mahanandi' and i was hooked on to reading her blog as well. These two blogs have really inspired me but the real credit goes to my husband for pushing me to start sharing my recipes.
So ....Bon Appetit!!!

My first recipe is a very simple maharashtrian recipe. I thought of penning it down after reading about Nupur's 'K of Indian Vegetables". The first recipe that popped into my mind was kadhi-khichadi. This combo is a favourite in my house when we are in a mood for something quick and light. This dish is especially apt for those gloomy winter nights...a bowl of piping hot kadhi and a serving of khichadi with a dollop of homemade ghee can put you right back on track.
Kadhi is made from buttermilk and is a hassle free recipe that can be enjoyed with khichadi, which is basically a type of rice, or chapatis. But the problem was that there was no vegetable included in this recipe. So i thought of a variation of kadhi which includes spinach.This will also be my recipe for JFI_WBB -green leafy vegetables event.

Recipe for Spinach Kadhi ( taakatli bhaaji)
Ingredients : serves 2
Chopped spinach leaves (fresh or frozen) 1 cup
Buttermilk 1 cup
Besan (chana dal flour) 2 tbsp
Kadhi patta leaves(curry leaves) 2 -3
Peanuts (optional) 1 tbsp
Dry red chillies /green chillies 2-3
Garlic cloves 3
Mustard seeds 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds 1 tbsp
Sugar 1 tsp
Oil
Hing powder
Cayenne pepper ( if not using green chillies) 1 tbsp
Salt
Method :
Take the buttermilk in a bowl. Add sugar and salt according to taste. If the buttermilk is too sour , increase the sugar quantity.Take 2 garlic cloves, chop them finely and add to the buttermilk. Now take the besan and mix it with a little bit of water to make a smooth paste and add it to the buttermilk. Stir well.
In a saucepan/ kadhai , heat about a 1/4 tsp of oil. Once it is ready add just about 1/4 tsp of mustard and cumin seeds. The remaining seeds are used later to prepare separate tadka for the kadhi. Once the mustard and cumin seeds start to splutter, add a little bit of hing (asafeotida) powder and then the kadhi patta leaves.Fry for a minute. At this point add green chillies if using them,otherwise add the peanuts.Then add the chopped spinach and a little bit of water. Let the spinach cook.Once it is cooked and all the water has evaporated add the buttermilk to it. Add cayenne pepper, salt if needed and let it come to a boil.Once the kadhi comes to a boil turn of the heat. If the kadhi becomes too thick , add a little bit of water.
In a separate small kadhai , heat about 1/2 tbsp of oil for the tadka. Add the remaining mustard and cumin seeds.Chop the remaining garlic clove into small pieces and add to the tadka. Next add the dried red chillies and fry for a minute. If using green chillies, omit the red chillies in the tadka. Once the garlic cloves turn golden brown turn off the heat and pour this tadka over the kadhi. Serve hot with khichadi , plain rice or chapatis.

Tip: To enhance the colour of the garlic pieces in the tadka sprinkle a little bit of cayenne pepper on them.