Sunday, 28 February 2016

Desi Coriander Pesto

Hi,

I had lot of coriander leaves left at home. Didn't want to let it go dry and waste. So searched for some recipes of coriander leaves and Pesto recipe attracted my attention. But how would I continue without adding my own ingredients in this to make it a desi one? So here it is..

Ingredients:

Coriander leaves - a bunch.
Green Chilli - 3
Ginger - a small cube.
Sesame seeds - around half a spoon.
Garlic cloves - 3 to 4.
Mustard oil - 3 to 4 spoons.
Mint leaves - if you have.

Chop coriander leaves after washing and after removing the stems.

Add a little oil in a pan, heat it. Add sesame seeds and stir for half a minute.

Add green chillies, garlic, ginger and sauté for half a minute.

Quickly add coriander leaves and don't fry for much time. Just about 20-25 seconds and remove it from the flame.

Let it cool.

Now in a grinder, add all the above and add mustard oil. (you may add olive oil also) Add salt to taste.

Grind to thick or thin paste depending on your choice, by adding more oil.

Yummy desi pesto is ready!

(No pic available :(  )


Protein stuffed ridge gourd

Hello all,

This week we had lot of ridge gourd and beans at home. Didn't want to waste them and couldn't find a recipe on the net to cook them together. So here I am, made my own.

This is called by me as Protein stuffed ridge gourd. What is this is nothing but beans ground and filled in ridge gourd and cooked. Did I spill the beans so fast? Read on further...

Ingredients:

Beans : around 200 gms.
Ridge gourd: 1 or 2, enough to make cylindrical shape of 2-3 inches long.
Ground nuts - around 50 gms.
Red chilli - 3
Pepper corns - 7-8
Carrot - 2
Tomatoes - 2
Coriander leaves
Curry leaves

I have made this food without onion and garlic. So you may call it as Jain food. :)

Peel ridge gourd off it's edges on the skin, cut in to cylindrical shapes of 2-3 inches long. Remove the seeds inside and make it hollow. But don't remove too much as much of its nutrition value is in it's core.

In a grinder, grind these together:- Red chilli, Beans -washed and chopped coarsely,  pepper corn, ground nuts (we haven't roasted them here), coriander. little masala powder Let this be a paste, not too smooth, not too coarse.

Fill the above paste in to the ridge gourd cylinders.






Chop tomatoes finely.

Grind carrot and some more groundnuts together and make a powder. This gives great colour to the dish along with tomatoes and red chilli powder.



In a pressure cooker, pour 3-4 spoons of oil. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves, as per the custom. Add chopped tomatoes and stir for a while. Add Carrot powder and stir.


Add a pinch each of coriander powder and fenugreek powder. Add a spoon of garam masala and a spoon of red chilli powder. Add Salt as per taste.



Now place the filled ridge gourd in to the pressure cooker. Close the lid and let it whistle two times.

Your protein stuffed ridge gourd is ready!



Thursday, 11 February 2016

Saag marswala

Red saag sabzi recipe:

For those who do not know what to do with red saag, here's a new recipe I have tried. In bonus, there's a red saag sharbat also comes free!!

Ingredients:
Green chilies-3-4
Red dry chillies-2
Ginger
Coriander
Pepper corns
Tamarind
Red saag
Fresh cream

Take out the leaves of saag, wash and dry them, chop them coarsely.

Soak tamarind in water.

In a vessel, boil water and boil red saag in the water for about 5 mins till it's tender and leaves an aroma.

Filter the red saag and don't throw the red water.

Grind boiled red saag, coriander leaves, ginger, paper corns together in a grinder.

(I haven't used onion and garlic here. If you want, you can grind raw onion and garlic separately, to be added in the tadka later on)

In a pan, take little oil, put mustard, cumin seeds, curry leaves and red chillies. If you want, you can put either chana daal a little or pre soaked toor dal (just a little). Add urad daal to tadka. Add asafoetida and turmeric, saute for a minute. Add a little coriander powder.

Add boiled red saag, a little, very little garam masala, salt to taste and mix. Cook for 2 mins and add tamarind water. Cook for another 2 mins, adding some water.

Finally add fresh cream a little.

Great smelling red saag sabzi is ready!

I call it Saag marswala. :P

By the way, the red water that you had kept aside, boil it again with dry 2-3 kokam fruits and adding sugar to it. Put some cardamom if you want. Boil for 3-4 mins and allow it to cool. Keep in the refrigerator for an hour or so. Healthy and yummy red saag sharbat is ready!

Aam ke aam, gutliyonke bhi daam!

Thanks for reading.