Podalangai (snake gourd) koottu

I can't believe I did not know how to make this dish till a few months ago. I always thought koottu involved using coconut and being the health conscious person that I am, I did not make koottu on a regular basis to avoid using coconut. Then, I was cooking in my mom's kitchen one day and she taught me how to make koottu (a vegetable side dish with gravy) without coconut. It tastes surprisingly good and is also super easy to make as it involves very minimal monitoring once on the stove.

So, these days, this has become my go to dish of choice when I do not have too much time to cook but would still like to eat a filling, healthy and tasty meal. Thus, my fridge's veggie drawer is now stocked with either podalangai (snake gourd) or chow-chow (chayote), both of which make good koottu.

Enough with the blah-blah and on to the recipe:

Podalangai Koottu

Podalangai Koottu

Ingredients (2 servings):
1 medium podalangai, white fleshy interior removed and chopped into pieces
1/2 cup moong dal, washed and soaked for about 10  minutes
1 medium onion, chopped
Water
Salt

For tempering:
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 dry red chilis, broken (can be less or more depending upon your taste
A pinch asafoetida
2 sprigs of curry leaves, torn
Oil

Method:
1. Take about a teaspoon of oil in a pan. Place on stove on medium heat and add mustard seeds and red chilis. When the mustard splutters, add the asafoetida and curry leaves in quick succession.
2. Toss in the onion pieces and a little salt and fry till the onion changes color.
3. Add in the soaked moong dal and enough water to cover and boil for about 5-10 minutes, till the moong dal is half-cooked.
4. Now, add in the podalangai pieces and stir well with the moong dal. Add some more water. Remember that you need enough water to cook the veggie as well as the dal - so be a little generous with the water.
5. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, till the veggie is done and the gravy has reached the consistency you like.
6. Adjust for salt.

Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Notes:
1. As I said earlier, chow chow can be used instead of podalangai. In fact, any veggie with high water content can be used (pumpkin, bottle gourd etc).
2. The moong dal should not cooked to a complete mush. The koottu tastes best when you are still able to just about taste the moong dal grains (cooked through but still slightly distinct).
2. To get the traditional kootu taste, grind a little fresh coconut with a little jeera and green chilis (adjust the red chili quantity accordingly). Add to the above dish towards the end and cook for about 5 minutes.

Carrot soup with peas

This recipe comes from mom who in turn got it from some magazine a long time ago. This carrot soup is perhaps my favorite vegetable soup. It only adds to its likeability factor that it takes only minimal time and effort to make.

Ingredients (2 big bowls of soup or about 4 cups of soup):
3-4 medium carrots, cut into rounds
1/2 cup peas
1 onion, chopped fine
1.5 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp butter
Milk 2 cups (skimmed is okay)
Water
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Add enough water to carrots in a dish to just cover them. Pressure cook for 7 minutes. Cool and grind into a fine puree with sufficient water.
2. If using fresh peas, add enough water to cover peas, then cook in microwave on high for about 7 minutes. If using frozen, just defrost peas.
3. On a stove, place a soup pan, add the butter and when it starts to melt, add in the onions. Add salt and fry onions till they begin to change color. Onions should be cooked but not to a crisp. Add pepper and stir.
4. Add corn flour to the onions and stir so that the flour mixture is well distributed.
5. Add in the milk a little at a time and stir so no lumps are formed. Bring milk to a boil once you have finished adding both the cups of milk.
6. Lower heat, add the carrot puree, mix well. Add sufficient water till the soup is at a consistency you like.
7. Add in the peas.
8. Bring the entire mixture to a boil, then let simmer for about 10 minutes.
9. Adjust for salt and pepper.

Serve hot with a side of toast. Or you can top with croutons. Use a dollop of butter on top for a buttery flavor.

Notes:
1. You can use 1/2 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tbsp butter for the initial stir frying of carrots or substitute butter with olive oil completely.
2. You can add a boiled potato and grind it along with the carrot puree for a slightly different taste.

Mixed vegetable curry

Another vegetable curry recipe.
http://www.sailusfood.com/2010/10/28/mixed-vegetable-curry/
Both S and I enjoyed it.  I pretty much followed the same recipe with a few minor modifications. Here is my recipe:

Mixed Vegetable Curry:

Ingredients:
1 large carrot, peeled and cubed
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
25 french beans, chop into 1″ pieces
3/4 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 large onion, finely chopped2 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 tomatoes, blanch, peel and crush
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp amchur powder
1 tsp kitchen king masala
2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
2 cups water
salt to taste

To Grind:
1/2 tbsp coriander seeds
1″ cinnamon stick
1 tbsp grated coconut
Roast the above with no oil

Roast with a little oil:
3 red chilies

Grind all of the above to a smooth paste.

For seasoning:
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp oil
2 green chilis, slit
2-3 sprigs curry leaves, torn

Method:

1. In a little oil in a wide base non-stick pan, add the seasoning ingredients. First the chillis and then the fennel seeds. When you get a nice aroma, add the curry leaves.
2. After curry leaves crackle, add the ginger-garlic paste and stir fry for 10 seconds. Do not let it burn.
3. Add the onions and salt and stir fry till the onions change color.
4. Add in the vegetables (other than tomato), the turmeric and a little water. Cover and cook till the vegetables are almost done.
5. Now add in the masala paste and crushed tomatoes. Add in the rest of the water, bring to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes.
6. Add in the amchur and kitchen king masala, mix well, bring to a boil again and then simmer for about 15-20 minutes till the mixture has reached the consitency you want
7. Adjust salt and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Notes:
1. You can use cauliflower as one of the vegetables. As usual, it is upto you to decide what vegetables and in what proportion you want them.
2. You can substitute the coconut with about 7-8 cashew nuts for a different taste.

Serve hot with rotis.

Vegetable Jalfrezi

I found this recipe in Woman's Era magazine and bookmarked it (or rather photographed it with my phone) just because it had a whole lot of veggies in it without the usual kurma base. The prep work is the time consuming part, the cooking is quite easy. The end result made for a healthy and satisfying meal. Here is how I made it:

Vegetable Jalfrezi

Ingredients
1 green chili, chopped fine
1/2 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
1 onion, sliced fine
2 small carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
2/3 cup green beans, chopped into 1" pieces
1 medium potato, peeled and cut into sticks
1/3 cup fresh peas
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 capsicum, cut into long strips
1 tsp red chili powder
1.5 tsp coriander powder
1.5 tsp jeera powder
1/2 tsp aamchur powder
3 tbsp curd, beaten
A handful of coriander leaves, chopped
Salt to taste
Oil
A little water

Method
1. Coat base of a pan with oil. Toss in the ginger, garlic and green chilis and fry for a few seconds. Add in the onions, salt and fry till the onions turn light golden.
2. Add the carrots, potatoes, potatoes, peas. Add in all the spices (chili, coriander, jeera and aamchur powders) and mix well. Sprinkle a few teaspoons of water on top of the veggies, cover the pan and let the veggies cook till they are almost done (tender-crisp).
3. Add in the tomatoes, mix well, let cook covered for 3 minutes.
4. Add in the capsicum, mix well and let cook for 2 more minutes.
5. Add in the curd, mix well and cook on high flame till the liquid from the curd has evaporated.
6. Adjust salt, garnish with coriander leaves and take off heat.

Serve hot with rotis and raitha.

Notes:
1. You can use other kurma veggies like cauliflower too. The ratio and combo of veggies is upto you. However,capsicum is a must.