Tag Archives: Gravy

Recipes: Mixed Vegetable Stew/Curry

Posted on by
Reply

Most weekends, we don’t want to eat rice or chapati which is our staple diet, so I am always on the lookout for new dishes to make which can be eaten without rice or rotis. One of my recent experiments was this dish which is inspired by dishes originating from the western part of India, my home state of Maharashtra and our neighbouring state of Goa. We ate it as a stew with a crusty French loaf, but S also mentioned that it would be lovely to eat with rice or even rotis.

Mixed Vegetable Stew or Curry

Ingredients:

  • 2 carrots, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
  • 1 medium sized cauliflower, chopped into small florets
  • 2 medium sized potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
  • 2 medium sized sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
  • 2 medium sized onions, chopped into bite sized pieces
  • 1 green capsicum, chopped into bite sized pieces
  • ½ cup mixed dals (I used moong dal and toovar dal)
  • ¼ tsp turmeric powder
  • ½ cup grated coconut
  • 1 lime sized piece of tamarind
  • 5-6 fresh red chillies
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp peppercorns
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp oil
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • Blend together the coconut, tamarind, red chillies, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns and fennel seeds to a smooth paste and keep aside.
  • Soak the dal in hot water for about 20 minutes and then cook it till it becomes a smooth paste. You can cook the dals in a pressure cooker and then whisk it with a beater or even in a blender when it is cool. Keep aside.
  • Heat the oil in a large pan and when the oil warms up, put in the onions and let the onions cook and become translucent.
  • Add the other chopped vegetables, the turmeric powder, salt and cook covered till the vegetables are about 80% cooked.
  • When the vegetables are almost done, pour in the blended coconut paste and the whisked dal and stir well. At this point, add water to thin the stew or curry to the level you want. Remember, the dal and coconut will thicken the stew, so add a bit more than you think you need.
  • Let it all come to a nice rolling boil and then cook on a low to medium heat for about 10 minutes.
  • Check for seasoning and add what you feel is missing, switch off the gas and enjoy it with some crusty bread, rice or flatbread.

Notes:

  • If you don’t have access to fresh red chillies, you can also use dried red chillies, and depending on the spice intensity, reduce or increase the number of chillies
  • When blending the tamarind, make sure you remove any seeds in it as well as any extra fibers. You can also use about one to two tsps of tamarind paste or pulp.
  • The dal should be very smooth so that when you add it in the stew, it will disappear. So make you cook it completely and then whisk or blend it.

Vegetables in a Caramelised Onion and Saffron Gravy

Posted on by
Reply

While thinking of lunch options over the weekend, I thought of a gravy made of caramelised onions and saffron. I googled to see if there was any recipe online with this gravy and realised that there were middle eastern recipes which had something similar. I saw a Moroccon recipe for Onion Mezgueldi as well as Tfaya, which used caramelised onions as a base.

While the middle eastern recipes were not what I was looking for, I experiemented in my kitchen and the result was this slightly creamy with hints of sweetness from the caramelised onions and raisins and an undertone of the saffron. It was a huge it at home and a definite keeper. But note this recipe uses more than the usual amout of oil and butter and takes longer than usual to make.

I used a mixture of carrots, cauliflower, brocolli, potatoes, green bell peppers and paneer to make the recipe, but you can play around with vegetables of your choice. The recipe is also not very thick, so you could possibly add some thickening agent if you want it thicker.

Vegetables in a Caramelised Onion and Saffron Gravy

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups mixed vegetables chopped into bite sized pieces (I used carrots, cauliflower, brocolli, potatoes and green bell peppers)
  • 1 cup paneer, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes
  • 2 tsp raisins, soaked in hot water for 15-20 minutes
  • 3 large onions, sliced
  • 1 bulb garlic, peeled
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled
  • 2 tsp white sesame seeds
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala powder
  • 1 tbsp kasuri methi
  • 2 generous pinches of saffron
  • Salt to taste
  • 3 – 5 tbsp oil
  • 1 tbsp butter

Method:

  • Slice the onions and keep aside.
  • Chop the vegetables into bite sized pieces and keep aside
  • Heat 2 tbsp oil and the butter in a large pan and when the oil heats up, fry the onions in batches until it is crispy and caramelised. Add more oil if needed. Remove, drain and keep aside.
  • In the same oil (adding slightly more if needed), fry the garlic and ginger until golden. Drain and keep aside.
  • Drain the raisins and in a blender, blend together the crispy onions and the raisins with some water to a smooth paste. Remove into a container and keep aside.
  • In the same blender, blend the fried ginger, garlic and sesame seeds into a fine and smooth paste. Keep aside.
  • Heat another tbsp oil in a pan and when it warms up, add in the chopped vegetables and cook until the vegetables are about 70% cooked. Remove and keep aside.
  • In the same pan, heat 1 tsp oil and when the oil warms up, add in the ginger, garlic and sesame seed paste. Let the paste come to a boil and then add the caramelised onion paste.
  • When the pastes start bubbling, add the dry spices – turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and garam masala and stir well. Crush the saffron strands in your palms and add it to the gravy.
  • Add water to thin the gravy to suit your taste and when the gravy has simmered for around 10 minutes, add in the half cooked vegetables.
  • Chop the paneer into bite sized pieced and add it to the gravy.
  • Stir well and then crush the kasuri methi in your palms and add to the gravy. Let it simmer for another 5 minutes, then garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with any Indian bread or rice.

I served this with a peas pulao

Recipes: Kadhai Vegetable

Posted on by
Reply

Another Sunday and another recipe. While browsing online for something to pair with my Saffron Cumin Rice, I found a few kadhai vegetable recipes which I modified to make this delicious recipe for our Sunday lunch. It was super yummy and a definite keeper.

Kadhai Vegetables

Ingredients:

For the masala powder:

  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2-3 cloves
  • 2-3 green cardamom
  • 1/2 inch piece of cinammon
  • 4-5 dried red chillies
  • 5-7 black peppercorns
  • 8-10 raw cashewnuts
  • 1 tbsp kasuri methi

For the vegetables:

  • 1 carrot
  • 1 medium-sized potato
  • 1/2 cup frozen green peas
  • 1 large sized green bell pepper
  • 2 medium sized onions
  • 1 cup frozen paneer
  • 2-3 tbsp oil

For the Gravy:

  • 1 tbsp oil
  • 1 medium-sized onion
  • 1 inch ginger
  • 4-5 garlic cloves
  • 3 tomatoes
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder (or to taste)
  • Salt to taste
  • Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • In a dry pan, dry roast the ingredients for the masala – coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, green cardamom, cinammon, dried red chillies, peppercorns, cashewnuts and kasuri methi – until it becomes fragrant and starts to brown.
  • Remove and keep aside until it is cooled. Then blend using a spice grinder into a fine and smooth powder. Keep aside.
  • In a blender, blend the ginger and garlic and make into a fine paste and keep aside.
  • Soak the frozen paneer in hot water for 20-30 minutes, then drain and keep aside.
  • Chop the carrot, potato and green bell pepper into 1 inch sticks and keep aside.
  • Slice 2 onions and keep aside.
  • In the same pan, heat 2 tbsp oil and one by one, fry the carrot, potato and peas until they are half cooked and start to slightly char. Remove and keep aside.
  • In the same pan, add another tbsp oil and fry the sliced onions until they start caramelising and keep aside. Fry the bell pepper until it is half cooked (it shuld have a bit of crunch in it) and keep aside.
  • Chop the remaining onion finely and keep aside.
  • In thr same blender, blend the tomatoes into a fine puree and keep aside.
  • Heat the balance oil in the pan and when the oil warms up, put in the ginger-garlic paste and saute the paste till the raw smell goes away.
  • Then add the finely chopped onions and saute till it turns translucent.
  • At this point, add the pureed tomatoes and stir well.
  • Add the dried spices (turmeric and red chilli powders) and stir well. Keep stirring occassionally until the gravy starts to thicken and you can see the oil leaving the sides of the pan.
  • Add in the fried carrot, potato and peas and let the vegetables finish cooking completely.
  • Then add the ground masala powder, salt, and about one cup of water and let the gravy simmer on a low to medium heat, covered, for about 5-6 minutes.
  • Then add the paneer, fried onions and capsicum and contine simmering for another 5 minutes. Add more water if needed.
  • Check for seasoning and garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with rice or rotis.

Recipes: Bhindi Masala or Okra (Ladies Finger) in a Tomato Gravy

Posted on by
Reply

Bhindi or Ladies Finger is one of my favourite vegetables. When fried right, it is crisp and super yummy. I remember my grandmother’s telling us to eat this vegetable when we were young saying that eating this vegetable will improve your brain. Though I have no idea if this is true or just an old wives tale, it did ensure that this became one of my favourite vegetables ever.

Okra is scientifically known as Abelmoschus esculentus, and it might have originated in parts of Western Africa and Asia. It has been cultivated since the 12th century BC. While researching on the benefits of Ladies Finger for this post, I realised that this unassuming vegetable actually has many benefits. Bhindi has one of the richest sources of potassium, folic acid, vitamins B and C, calcium, and fibre. Okra alleviates asthma, lowers cholesterol, protects the heart, manages diabetes, boosts your immune system, improves vision, prevents kidney diseases and is a very good addition for pregnant women to eat.

A note of warning though, this recipe does use more oil than usual, so keep that in mind while making it. If you are on a diet, this recipe is probably not for you. This version of bhindi masala is made using a modified basic Punjabi gravy.

Bhindi Masala

Ingredients:

  • 20-25 ladies fingers, washed and completely dried
  • 1 large and 1 medium sized onion
  • 3 medium sized tomatoes
  • 8-10 garlic pods
  • 1 inch piece of ginger
  • 6-8 pieces of cashewnuts
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1-2 tsp red chilli powder
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp dry mango powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala powder
  • 3-4 tbsp oil
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Make sure the ladies fingers are completely dry. Then top and tail them and cut them into one inch pieces. Keep wiping your knife with a kitchen towel to remove all the slime from the seeds of the okra. Keep aside.
  • Chop the large onion vertically into long thin slices and keep aside.
  • In a blender, blend the ginger, garlic, the medium sized onion, tomatoes and cashewnuts into a fio a fine paste. Keep aside.
  • Heat the oil in a pan and when it is hot, add the okra in batches along with a pinch of salt and let it cook. The okra should turn dark green and crisp. Remove from the pan and keep aside.
  • In the same pan, with the balance oil, add the cumin seeds and when the seeds pop, add the sliced onions. Stir and let the onions become translucent.
  • When the onions become translucent, add in the blended gravy and let it come to a rolling boil. Add in the spices – salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and raw mango powder and let it simmer for around 5-10 minutes.
  • Add water to thin the gravy to the consistency you want. Add in the garam masala powder and check for seasoning and add what seems to be missing.
  • Add in the fried ladies finger and give it a simmer and switch off the flame after garnishing with the finely chopped coriander leaves.
  • If you don’t have access to dry mango powder, you can substitute it with 1 tsp lemon juice. Add the lemon juice at the very end, just after you switch off the flame.

This goes very well with both Indian flatbreads and even rice.

Recipes: Veg Jaipuri

Posted on by
Reply

I have been wanting to make this recipe for a while now and was searching for a good recipe to play with when I came across this recipe from Sanjeev Kapoor’s website. I mostly adhered to his recipe, but to make it healthier, omited khoya or dried evaporated milk solids and fresh cream, but instead used a low fat home made yoghurt to replace the cream.

Veg Jaipuri

Ingredients:

  • 2 cup chopped mixed vegetables (I used cauliflowers, potatoes, frozen peas, french beans and green bell peppers, but you can use others also to give it more colour)
  • 1 cup frozen paneer
  • 3 tbsp ghee
  • 1 tbsp coriander seeds
  • 6-8 cashew nuts
  • 4 green chillies
  • a few strands saffron
  • 3 medium sized onions, chopped finely
  • 5-6 pods garlic
  • 1 inch piece of ginger
  • 2-3 large tomatoes, chopped finely
  • 1/2 cup beaten plain yoghurt
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala powder
  • 1 tbsp raisins
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

Method:

  • Chop the vegetables into bit sized pieces. Soak the paneer in hot water for 20-30 minutes, then chop them into bit sized pieces and keep aside.
  • Heat a pan and when warm, add one tbsp ghee and sauté the coriander seeds, cashewnuts and green chilliesfor two minutes. Grind all of this with saffron into a smooth paste.
  • In another smaller blender, blend together the ginger and garlic into a smooth paste and keep aside.
  • Heat the remaining ghee in a pan. Sauté the onions till they turn translucent. Add the the ginger-garlic paste and stir for a few minutes till they turn light golden in colour. Add tomatoes and garam masala powder and cook till the tomatoes are pulpy.
  • Add the chopped vegetables, salt, the ground paste, raisins and one cup of water and simmer for five to seven minutes.
  • When almost done, add the beaten yoghurt and the paneer and let it come to a slow simmer. Simmer for 2 minutes and switch off the gas.
  • Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with any Indian bread or rice.