Spicy Vegetable Curry

Though there are many many versions of kurma, masala or other curries, creating a new curry seems to really entertain our taste buds. As the name suggests, this dish is spicy enough, with loads of vegetables in a tomato base, that is flavored with the Indian spices. This curry will go really well with rotis/chapathis, parathas or even pooris. Keeping the base gravy the same, any one vegetable or combination of vegetables can be added. The vegetables I would suggest is, either only potato or only cauliflower or both potato and cauliflower, including or excluding carrots, beans and peas. Here's how I prepared.

Ingredients:

Onion - 1 large - chopped

Tomato - 6 - quartered

Potaotes cooked and peeled - 1 cup

Cauliflower florets - 1 cup

Carrots and Beans - chopped - 1 cup

Oil  for seasoning - 1 tablespoon

Salt to taste

Ginger - 1 inch - peeled and chopped

Garlic - 4 pods

(ginger garlic paste can be substituted for fresh ones)

Coriander leaves - finely chopped - for garnishing

Roast the following to prepare a curry paste:

Dhania - 3 tablespoons

Cloves - 5

Dry red chillies - 2 to 3 (as per your desired spice level)

Sonf / fennel seeds - 2 teaspoons

Grind it along with 2 green chillis and 1 cup coconut milk.

Method:

Boil the carrots and beans in a quart of water. When it is half cooked, add the cauliflower and allow the content to boil till the vegetables are well cooked. turn off heat and keep it aside.

Mean while, when the vegetables are cooking, heat a teaspoon of oil in a kadai and saute the onion. When the onions turn light brown, add the ginger and garlic and saute for a minute. Then add the chopped tomatoes. Fry for a couple of minutes and turn off heat. Let the content cool.

Puree the onion tomato and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a wide kadai and pour the tomato onion puree. Add water that was used to cook the vegetables and allow the content to boil for about 10 minutes.

Add the ground curry paste and salt and mix well. Let it boil for another 5 minutes and now add the vegetables (carrots, beans and cauliflower) that are cooked along with the cooked potaotes.

Adjust water to desired consistency not make the gravy too watery and allow the content to cook stirring occasionally allowing the spices to combine. Adjust salt.

Turn off heat and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves. 

Serve hot with fresh rotis or parathas or pooris. 

Bottle gourd Raitha

Raitha is an accompaniment usually served with any spicy dish. Raithas like cucumber raitha or onion raitha go well with dishes like biryani, parathas, or any rice variety. I prepared this raitha to go along with the huli kootu. A very easy reicpe where the bottle gourd/sorrakkai is diced and cooked and later seasoned. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Bottle gourd - medium size - 1

Salt - half teaspoon

Water - half cup

Oil for seasoning - approx. 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds - half teaspoon

Urud dal - 1 teaspoon

Coriander leaves/cilantro - handful - chopped finely

Thick curd/ yogurt - 1 to 2 cups (I used 1 cup of low fat yogurt)

Method:

Peel the bottle gourd skin and dice the vegetable. Grated bottle gourd can also be used for this recipe.

Heat half a cup water in a kadai and add the vegetable, mix salt and cook in medium heat. Very less water is added as the vegetable by itself will leave water when cooked.

When the bottle gourd is completely cooked, turn off heat and allow the content to cool for about 15 minutes.

Mix in the yogurt/curd.

Heat oil and add mustard seeds, when it pops, add the urud dal. When urud dal turns golden color, add the seasoning to the raitha. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Adding slit dry red chillies to the seasoning is optional.

Serve this raitha for any sambar rice or huli kootu rice as an accompaniment.