Besan ki sabzi / Chickpea flour Curry / Kadala Maavu Curry

This is a quick, simple and tasty sidedish my mother in law prepares often. It tastes good with roti as well as with rice or khichdi

Ingredients:

• Chick pea flour / Kadala maavu / Besan - 1/2 cup
• Chopped Onion - 1
• Chopped Tomato- 1
• Chopped Green chilies
• Curry leaves (optional)
• Tempering - oil, mustard and cumin seeds, hing
• Turmeric powder
• Chili powder
• Coriander powder
• Salt to taste
• Water
• Chopped Coriander leaves

Instructions:

• Heat oil in a kadai and add the tempering ingredients
• After a minute add chopped onion, curry leaves, green chilies and ginger garlic paste (optional)
• Saute for few minutes and add chopped tomatoes and the masala powders along with salt
• Mix well and 1 cup of water 
• When the water is about to boil add the besan and mix in a way that there should be few lumps and also the besan mixes with the water to form thick gravy
• This process only takes few minutes in medium flame
• Once the raw smell subsides and the gravy thickens turn off the heat
• Garnish with coriander eaves and serve hot with roti or rice 

Muttaikose Carrot Poriyal / Cabbage and Carrot sidedish for Rice

Ingredients:

• Cabbage / Muttaikose - sliced into thin pieces, 1 cup
• Carrot - chopped into small pieces, 1 cup
• Chopped Onion - 1, medium sized
• Curry leaves
• Channa dal / Kadala paruppu - 1 tbsp
• Haldi / Turmeric powder / Manjalthool
• Chili powder and Coriander powder (or) Homemade Sambar masala
• Salt to taste
• Grated fresh coconut 
• To Temper - Oil, Mustard and Cumin seeds

Instructions:

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a kadai and add Channa dal, followed by Mustard and Cumin seeds in a minute
• Add chopped onion, curry leaves - saute for few minutes
• Add the chopped Cabbage and Carrot, stir fry for few minutes
• Add haldi, chili and coriander powder or sambar masala and salt - mix well, add 1 cup of water and cook covered till the veggies are done
• Let the water evaporate completely and add grated coconut just before turning off the burner
• Mix well and serve hot along with steamed white and sambar or any variety rice for that matter

Til wali Gavar ki Phalli / Cluster beans in Sesame seed paste / Kothavarangai in ellu paste

Ingredients:

Cluster beans/Gavar/Kothavarangai – 250 gm, cut into 1 inch pieces

Ginger – 1 inch piece

Garlic cloves – 4 to 5

Green chilies

Tomato – 1, chopped

White Sesame seeds – 2 tbsp

Turmeric powder, Red chili powder and Salt

Oil, mustard and cumin seeds for tempering

Instructions:

• ·         Add ginger, garlic, chilies and sesame seeds to a mixer jar and make a fine paste with water – keep it aside
• ·         Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add mustard and cumin seeds
• ·         When it crackles, add the sesame paste and saute till the raw smell vanishes
• ·         Add turmeric powder, chili powder, salt and chopped tomatoes – mix and saute for few mins
• ·         Add the chopped cluster beans, mix well, adjust the taste, add water and cover the cooker
• ·         Let it whistle 3 or 4 times or depending upon your cooker
• ·         Once the cooker is cool, serve the sabji hot with phulka roti or chapathi

Aloo Bhindi / Potato and Lady’s finger / Potato and Okra

Ingredients:

Potato – 1, chopped

Okra – cut into small pieces

Chopped Onion – 1

Turmeric powder, Chili powder, coriander powder and salt

Oil, mustard and cumin seeds for tempering

Chopped Coriander leaves for garnishing (optional)

Water (see Note at the bottom)

Instructions:

• ·         Heat oil in a nonstick cooking vessel, add mustard and cumin seeds
• ·         When it splitters, add chopped onion – saute for a while
• ·         Add chopped potato and okra pieces – stir fry for few minutes till you feel the moisture of okra is gone
• ·         In low flame, add Turmeric powder, Chili powder, coriander powder and salt
• ·         Add little water, mix well and let it cook covered with a lid
• ·         Check in every few minutes and add more water, mix to avoid burning and let it cook covered till the veggies are well cooked
• ·         Turn off the heat, garnish with coriander leaves and serve as side dish for hot phulka/roti/chapathi/variety of rice

Note: I sprinkle little water from time to time to let the veggies cook in the steam and not fry in oil. But since it may make okra mushy be very careful and add little water only when they are sautéed well initially. I cook okra in non-stick pan everytime to avoid burning and usage of too much oil. And I cook my vegetables with water, covered with a lid. 

Bhopla Sabji with Rassa / Bottle gourd Curry / Lauki ki sabji / Suraikkai Kulambu

Ingredients:

Bhopla / Lauki / Bottle Gourd – Wash, peel the skin and cut into small pieces

Chopped Onion

Chopped tomato

Ginger, Garlic and Green Chillies paste

Coarse groundnut powder / shengdhana powder

Masala - Coriander powder, turmeric powder, chili powder, salt, pinch of sugar and kala ghoda masala / garam masala

Oil

Mustard and cumin seeds

Instructions:

• ·         Heat oil in a khadai, add mustard, cumin seeds, chopped onion, ginger-garlic-chili paste, groundnut powder – saute
• ·         Add all the masala except kala ghoda masala – mix well and add tomatoes
• ·         When the tomatoes are mushy, add the cubed bottle gourd, mix well and let it cook covered in medium flame. Pour water on top of the lid so that it gets hot while the veg is being cooked in the vessel
• ·         After few minutes and before it starts to burn, mix the vegetable with the masala gravy and add the hot water to it in order to cook the vegetables properly
• ·         Once the vegetable is cooked and the water is reduced to form gravy of required consistency, turn off the burner, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with chapathis/steamed rice