Shakambari-Vegetables unlimited

Ridgegourd - ½ kg

Red chilli powder - 2 tsp (or to taste)

Hing - ½ tsp

Haldi - ¼ tsp

White seasame seeds - 1 tbsp

Oil - 3 tbsp

To temper:

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Urad dhal - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Peel the vegetable & cut into 3-4” long pieces.

Slit each piece into 4, keeping one end intact.

Mix, red chilli powder, hing, haldi, salt, seasame seeds,1 tsp oil with little water & make a thick dough.

Fill the slit vegetable with this & rest for 5 mts.

Heat oil in a flat saucepan, temper the given ingredients & add the stuffed vegetable.

Cover & lower the flame for 5-6 mins.

Since it is a watery vegetable, don’t add water.

It will get cooked in its own steam – stir once, in between.

This is a slightly moist ( not dry) dish, little spicy & is a perfect combination for mulakootal.

It is generally made with raw plantains & brinjals & some add ladies’ finger as well.

Cut the vegetables into slightly long pieces (roughly 3cm by 2cm)

Raw plantains - 1 cup

Brinjals - 1 cup

Ladies’ finger - 1 cup (optional)

Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp or little more

Salt, haldi

Dry roast & powder:

Red chillies - 3

Methi seeds - ¼ tsp

Urad dhal - 2 tsp

Rice - 1 tbsp

Dhaniya - 1 tsp (optional)

To temper:

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Urad dhal - 1 tsp

Red chillies - 2
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Boil plantains first in 1 cup of water with haldi.

After a few mts add brinjals & finally add ladies’ finger after frying them well separately in a kadai in 2 tsp oil to remove their sliminess a little.
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Adjust the water added at the beginning, so that not much is left when vegetables are cooked.

Now add tamarind pase mixed with ½ cup of water & salt.

When it boils, simmer for a few mins.

In another kadai heat oil, temper as given & add the vegetable-tamarind mixture& the powder made.
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Roast for a few mts on a low fire & serve hot.

I learnt this recipe from a young person called Ramsingh from Bihar, who was employed in my daughter's house. He died recently of cancer at a very young age.He was a "real wizard" with vegetables. I dedicate this recipe to him .He taught me quite a few recipes !

Bhendis - ¼ kg (select tender small ones)

Onions - 2 (mince or chop very fine)

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Tomatoes - 2 (make a puree)

Tamarind paste - 1 tsp

Red chillii powder - 1 tsp

Dhaniya powder - 1 tsp

Salt, haldi

Jaggery - to taste (optional)

Oil - 3 tbsp

Dry roast & powder:

Seasame seeds - 2 tsp

Khus khus - 3 tsp

To temper:

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

Jeera - ½ tsp

Saunf - ½ tsp

Cut the vegetable to 1 " pieces.

Heat 3 tbsp oil in a kadai & shallow fry ladies’ finger well.

(If you smear the vegetables with a little lime juice, they will not be sticky & get fried well )

Remove & in the same oil, temper the given ingredients.

Add onions, fry little, then add ginger garlic paste, chilli powder, dhaniya powder & fry well.

Then add tamarind paste, tomoto puree, water, salt & haldi.

Wher it starts boiling add the vegetables & khus khus-seasame powder.

Simmer everything together & add jaggery.

Remove & garnish with 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves.

do you know what white til and copra is?

Originally Posted by chitvish

Micro Stuffed Brinjal
The favourite "Ennai kathirikkai Curry" with a different filling , if made in the microwave , needs little oil!

Small round brinjals (tender ) ½ kg

Tamarind paste 1 tbs

Stuffing:

Roast and powder

Dhania: 2 tbsp

Peanuts 2 tbsp

White til 1 tbsp

Copra 2 tbsp



Oil 3 tbsp

Red chilli powder 3 tsp

Hing powder 1 tsp

Salt. haldi



Wash and slit brinjals into 4 upto ¾ lengthwise.

Roast & powder the given ingredients and mix with tamarind paste, chilli powder, salt,haldi & hing powder.

Stuff the brinjals with this mixture.

Arrange them in a microwave steamer and steam for about 8 mtes.

Remove, open & cool well.

Arrange them in a big microwave plate, drizzle little oil on it & micro medium for 4 mtes.

Turn over & repeat the procedure twice or thrice till brinjals are uniformly roasted.

Do this carefully without breaking the brinjals.

Microwave timings may vary slightly with different capacity ovens and difference in wattage.
The same procedure can be followed for conventional method as well.

Dear Kalpana,
Til is seasame seeds in English & "ellu" in tamil.
Copra is dried coconut. I always grate fresh coconut, microwave it on a plate till dry & crisp & use.
Regards,
Chithra.

If you do not have fresh pineapple, you can make this dish with canned pineapple.

This dish is sweet, sour & hot !

Finely minced ripe pineapple - 3 cups

Tamarind paste - 2 tsp

Salt, haldi

Jaggery - 1 tbsp ( little more is optional)

Grated coconut - 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp

To fry in 1 tsp oil & grind with 2 tbsp raw coconut

Red chillies - 2,3 ( to taste)

Pepper - ½ tsp

Urad dhal - 2 tsp

Gram dhal - 2 tsp

Dhaniya - 2 tsp

Hing - ½ tsp

Curry leaves - few

To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp ( coconut oil is generally used for this dish, however this is optional)

Mustard seeds - ½ tsp

In a pressure pan cook minced pineapple with ½ cup of water for 1 whistle.

Add ½ cup warm water to 2 tbsp grated coconut & extract milk.

To the cooked pineapple, add salt & the ground paste with little water.

Cook for 1 more whistle.

Cool, open, simmer & add the coconut milk & jaggery.

Mix very well & switch off.

Temper as given.

Generally jaggery is made as a syrup & added to this dish at the end.

This dish is the equivalent to the Tamilnadu Sweet Pachadi, in Kerala Sadhya.

Vegetables like Pooshanikkai ( white ashgourd), Chenai kizangu (elephant yam), Brinjals and drumstick can be used.

Cut them slightly bigger than for kootu .

Whole brown channa ( small variety) - ¼ cup

White karamani or perumpayuru can be substituted.

Chopped vegetables - 3 cups
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Tamarind paste - 2 tsp

Salt, haldi

To fry in 1 tsp oil & grind to a paste:

Red chillies - 3,4 ( or to taste)

Pepper - ½ tsp

Dhaniya - 2 tsp

Gram dhal - 1 tsp

Urad dhal - 1 tsp

Grated coconut - 2 tbsp

Hing - ½ tsp

To temper:

Coconut oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dhal - 2 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Finely grated coconut - 1 tbsp
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Soak the whole pulse for 6 hrs & cook till soft.

In a pressure pan, mix cooked pulse, vegetables, tamarind paste mixed with water, salt, haldi & the ground paste.
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It is optional to add marble size jaggery at this stage.

Mix ingredients to the correct consistency you want – remember that there is no loss by evaporation in pressurecooking.

Cook for 1 or 2 whistles, depeding on how soft you like it.

Cool open & temper the given ingredients & fry the coconut to light brown colour.
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A simple variation is :

Soak ¼ cup channa dal in hot water for 1 hr.

Then to that add 1 cup poosanikkai cubes & 1 cup chenai kizangu cubes .

Put them in a pressurepan with salt & turmeric powder&cook for 1 whistle.

Cool, open & add ground mixture of ½ cup coconut, 2 red chillies & ½ tsp jeera.

Add little jaggery.

Simmer & remove.

Temper in 1 tsp coconut oil with 1 tsp mustard seeds., 1 tbsp grated coconut ( fry to red) & curry leaves.

This is for everyday cooking & the 1^st is for occasions.

Brinjals or white pumpkin - 250 gms

Cooked tur dhal - ½ cup

Tamarind - 2 tsp ( or a little less)

Green chillies - 4,5 ( or to taste)

Ginger - 1 “ piece

Lime juice - 2 tsp

Coconut - ½ cup + 1 tbsp

Salt, haldi

To temper:

Oil - 2 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urad dhal - 2 tsp

Gram dhal - 2 tsp

Red chillies - 3,4

Curry leaves - few

To garnish:

Chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbsp

Cut brinjal into 1 cm thin & about 2” long pieces ( like orange petals !)

Slit green chillies into 2 & cut ginger into thin long strips.

Grind ½ cup coconut to a paste.

In a pressure pan heat oil & temper as given.

When the dhals turn brown add vegetable, green chillies & ginger.

When they are well fried add tamarind paste, water, salt, haldi & cooked tur dhal.

Adjust the amount of water to desired consistency.

Cook for one whistle .

Cool , open & add coconut paste.

Simmer & remove.

Add 1 tbsp grated coconut roasted to golden colour in 2 tsp oil.

Add lime juice & coriander leaves.

You can adjust the amounts of tamarind paste & lime juice to suit your preference.

Generally for brinjal more of tamarind & for white pumpkin more of lime juice, tastes better.

This can be done with chow chow also.

Besides rice, this goes well with chappathis also.

As my recipes of late have been , this is a recipe given by a cook to my mother in '40s ! Since onions were not very much used in that period, this dish does not have onions & hence, perhaps, the name - Marwaris are mostly Jains & do not eat onions.

Potatoes - ½ kg

Red chilli powder - 2 tsp

Salt, haldi

Dhaniya - 1 tbsp

Fresh curds - 1 cup

Oil - 1 tbsp

Ghee - 1 tbsp

To garnish:

Chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbsp

Wash, peel & cut potatoes into small cubes.

Wash well to remove extra starch & drain.

Roast dry dhaniya till aroma comes & powder fine.

Heat oil – ghee mixture.

Add haldi & red chilli powder.

Then add potatoes & salt.

Cover & cook potatoes in its own steam, as far as possible.

When cooked, add roasted dhaniya powder & remove.

Add well churned curds & mix well.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Fresh peas - 2 cups

Crumbled paneer - 1 cup

Onions - 2 ( or 3) – slice thin

Green chillies - 4,5 ( slit )

Ginger - two 1” pieces – cut into juliennes

Tomatoes - 3,4 ( chop)

Curds - ½ cup

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala powder - ½ tsp

Pepper powder - ¼ tsp

Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

Oil + ghee - 2 tbsp + 1 tsp ghee

Salt

Heat oil-ghee mixture in a pressure pan.

Fry onions, green chillies & ginger – all cut thin & long.

When fairly well fried, add fresh peas.

Fry for a few mts & then add chopped tomatoes.

Fry again & add curds.

Add salt & chilli powder.

Cook for one whistle.

Open & add crumbled paneer.

Simmer & add pepper & garam masala powders mixed with 1 tsp ghee.

Remove from flame & add coriander leaves.

Consistency can be adjusted to individual preference.