Tag Archives: Mixed Vegetables

Recipes: Kadamba Kuzhambu

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This is another typical recipe which is usually served in temples. It is a no-onion, no-garlic recipe. My mother was talking about this recipe and so I got her to make it while she was here. In Tamil, Kadamba means mixed and this can be eaten as a sambar or a gravy which makes this dish very versatile. The masala is similar to arachavitta sambar and the vegetables are cut similarly to how we cut them for avial. You can use pretty much all root vegetables, including pumpkin, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, drumsticks, raw bananas, beans etc. This was the first time I made this and it was so yummy.

Kadamba Kuzhambu

Ingredients:

  • 2 raw bananas, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 sweet potato, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 carrots, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 2 drumsticks, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 small piece of white pumpkin, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1 tsp mustard seeds
  • 5-6 curry leaves
  • 1½ tbsp + 1 tsp chana dal
  • 2½ tbsp coriander seeds
  • 10-12 dried red chillies
  • ½ cup fresh coconut
  • 1 lemon-sized ball of tamarind, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes
  • ½ cup toor dal, soaked for 20 minutes
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish
  • 2 tsp jaggery powder
  • ½ tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp sambar powder (optional)
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • In a small pressure cooker, pressure cook the toor dal with ¼ tsp turmeric powder till it is soft and the dal has broken down completely. This usually will take around 3 whistles in the cooker. When the pressure reduces, open the cover of the cooker and then whisk the dal well. Keep aside.
  • Mash the tamarind when it becomes cool to touch and then squeeze the tamarind and drain the water so the fibres get separated and you have the water. Alternatively, use 3-4 tbsp tamarind paste which you can get at any Indian store.
  • In a pan, dry roast 8-10 dried red chillies, 1½ tbsp chana dal and 2½ tbsp coriander seeds and once the seeds start to brown, add in the coconut and roast, stirring continuously, until the coconut loses moisture and turns brown. Remove from the flame, and let it cool completely and then grind to a fine powder and keep aside.
  • Heat oil in the same pan and when the oil heats up, add in the mustard seeds, balance chana dal and dried red chillies which have been broken into 2-3 pieces each. Let the mustard seeds splutter and then add the chopped and washed vegetables.
  • Now add the balance of turmeric powder and sambar powder and let the vegetables cook for about 5 minutes. When the vegetables are almost cooked, add the tamarind water and salt as required. You can also add in the jaggery powder if you are using it at this point. Let the water come to a boil and let it simmer for another five minutes.
  • Next, add the cooked dal and the ground powder and mix well. At this point, check for seasoning and add if anything is missing. You can also add extra water if the kuzambu is still thick.
  • Let it come to a boil and let it boil for five minutes.
  • Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and shut off the flame. Let it stay covered for 10 minutes for the flavours to infuse and serve hot with rice.

Recipes: Mixed Vegetable Stew/Curry

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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.

Recipes: Hearty Vegetable Stew

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In another episode of no rice Sunday, I was wondering what to make. I had made soups and some roasted vegetables the last few weeks and wanted something different. I was thinking of making a vegetable stew,but didn’t want to make a Kerala-styled coconut milk one. So I decided to improvise and hope and pray it turned out to be edible!

The recipe turned out to be a cross between a soup and a gravy curry and was so flavourful. It is also very healthy with just a tbsp of oil used in the entire recipe. Another good thing about the recipe is that it is a one-pot recipe and would work beautifully for a slow cooker. It just cooks by itself and you need not sit around, stirring and adding ingredients.

My family loved it and I am blogging about it so I can add it to my reportoire and make it another day.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

  • 3 medium sized onions, minced
  • 2 carrots, chopped bigger than bite sized
  • 2 potatoes, chopped
  • 1 head of cauliflower, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 small cup frozen green peas
  • 3-4 medium sized tomatoes, minced
  • 2 green apples, minced (optional)
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1-2 tsp garam masala powder
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 15 cashew nuts, soaked in hot water for 15-20 minutes
  • 15-20 peanuts, soaked in hot water for 15-20 minutes
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Water as required

Method:

  • Chop the vegetables into pieces larger than bite-sized. I chopped them roughly into 3/4 to 1 inch pieces. Just make sure all the vegetables, with the exception of the green peas are of roughly the same size. Wash and keep aside.
  • Mince the onions into small, fine pieces. I did this using my food processor which took me seconds as compared to chopping by hand.
  • Heat the oil in a large pan or dutch oven and when the oil warms up, add the cumin seeds and let them splutter. Then add the fennel seeds and stir for a couple of seconds.
  • Now add the onions and stir well and let the onions soften and become translucent.
  • Once the onions are translucent, add the chopped green bell pepper and let it cook for about 3-4 minutes.
  • Then add the dry spices – turmeric powder, red chilli powder, cumin powder and coriander powder and stir well.
  • Now add the other chopped vegetables and stir well so the vegetables are covered with the spices. Cover and cook on a medium flame for about 5 minutes.
  • While this is cooking mince or grate the tomatoes and green apples and keep aside. I again used the food processor and minced both ingredients together.
  • Then add the minced tomatoes and green apple to the vegetables, lower the flame to a medium-low and let it cook till the vegetables are about 80% cooked. You can also add water to the vegetables at this point, because it will become quite thick with all the vegetables.
  • While the vegetables are cooking, blend the cashewnuts and peanuts into a smooth paste. Keep aside.
  • Once the vegetables are about 80% cooked, add the garam masala and the blended cashew-peanut paste and add any seasoning if needed.
  • Let it continue to cook on a low flame till the vegetables are completely cooked and serve hot with some crusty bread.
  • If you plan to make this ahead of time, then you may need to add some water when you heat it up before serving because it will thicken up because of the cashewnuts and peanuts. If you are going to add more water, then you will need to check seasoning also which may become diluted.

Recipes: Kali Mirch Vegetables

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On 1st Jan, having just come back from my India holiday, I wanted to make something different for lunch. After browsing the internet, I came across a paneer kali mirch recipe which I decided to modify. Since S is not too fond of Paneer, I decided not to make it the star of the recipe, instead relegating it to a supporting role.

The kick that kali mirch or black pepper gave, added a nice punch to this recipe and the pot was wiped clean at lunch itself!

Kali Mirch Vegetables

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup mixed vegetables (I used potatoes, beans, carrots and cauliflower) chopped into large bite-sized pieces
  • 1 cup frozen paneer, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes and then drained
  • 2 onions, sliced
  • 1 bulb garlic
  • 1 inch piece ginger
  • 5-6 green chillies
  • 4 cloves
  • 4 cardamom pods
  • 1 inch piece cinammon
  • 1/2 cup whisked yoghurt
  • 1 tsp coriander powder
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1 tbsp pepper powder
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 tsp garam masala powder
  • 2 tbsp oil or ghee
  • Salt to taste
  • Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Heat 1 tbsp ghee or oil and fry the onion pieces until they turn brown, but do not let them burn. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and blend with a little water into a smooth paste and keep aside.
  • Make a paste of the garlic, ginger and green chillies and keep aside.
  • In the same pan, add the chopped vegetables and cook until they are around 80% cooked. Remove and keep aside.
  • Heat the balance oil or ghee and add the cloves, cardamoms and cinnamon one by one, stirring for a couple of seconds before adding the next ingredient. Stir till it’s nice and fragrant.
  • Then add onion paste and cook well. Once the onion paste starts to bubble, add the ginger-garlic-chilli paste and saute well.
  • Add the whisked yoghurt and keep stirring to ensure the yoghurt does not curdle.
  • Now add the powdered spices – coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder and pepper powder. At this point, you can also add some red chilli powder if you like it spicier, but I didn’t add it to this recipe.
  • Add the cooked vegetables and salt and let the semi cooked vegetables absorb the sauce. You may also add some water or more yoghurt if the gravy seems dry at this point.
  • When the vegetables are cooked, add the paneer pieces and stir well to coat the paneer. If you are making this dish for a party, you can also add cooking cream at this point.
  • Cover and it it simmer for around 10 minutes. Add some water if the gravy starts to dry.
  • Check the seasoning and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.
  • Serve hot with rice or any Indian bread.

Recipes: No Onion, No Garlic Vegetable Makhani

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On the day that Navratri ended, S started his 41 day vow in preparation to his trip to the Sabarimalai temple in Kerala.This meant a continuation of the no onion, no garlic routine we had while Navratri was going on. Although it was not mandatory for us to do the same food regime, I didn’t want to make multiple dishes for the same meal, hence we also ate the same food as S. I adapted this recipe from a Paneer Makhni recipe from My Food Lab on Facebook.

No Onion, No Garlic Vegetable Makhani

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups chopped mixed vegetables (I used a combination of carrots, cauliflower, potatoes and green peas)
  • 1 cup frozen paneer, soaked in hot water for 30 minutes, drained and kept aside. Keep the water you soaked the paneer in
  • 7-8 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3-4 green cardamoms
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 4-6 kashmiri red chillies (if you don’t have Kashmiri red chillies, just use ordinary dried red chillies)
  • 10-15 cashewnuts
  • 2 tbsp raisins
  • 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
  • 1 tbsp red chilli powder
  • 1 tbsp coriander powder
  • 1 tbsp garam masala powder
  • 1 tsp kasuri methi
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup skimmed milk
  • 3 tbsp oil
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • Salt to taste
  • Coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

  • Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and when the oil warms up, add the cumin seeds, green cardamom, bay leaf and kashmiri red chillies, stirring for a couple of seconds between each ingredient.
  • Then add the cashew nuts and raisins and stir for a couple of seconds.
  • Next add the chopped tomatoes and stir well. Add some salt and water to cover the tomatoes and cook covered till the tomatoes are completely cooked and mushy.
  • Remove from the flame and cool down completely. Once cool, grind it into a very fine paste with the skimmed milk and the water from soaking the paneer. Then strain the paste into another container so it is lump-free. You may need to do the grind and strain a couple of times. Use the milk and water as required to grind the whole tomato mixture into as fine paste as possible and keep aside.
  • In a seperate pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and when the oil heats up, add 1 tbsp butter. Then add the turmeric powder and 1/8 tsp asafoetida. Then add the vegetables plus some salt and cook covered till the vegetables are about 80% cooked. Remove from the flame and keep aside.
  • In the same pan as you cooked the tomato paste, heat the pan and add the balance oil. Add the balance butter when the oil starts to heat up. Then add the remaining asafoetida powder and stir for a couple of seconds. Then add in the strained tomato gravy and let it come to a rolling boil. Now add the red chilli powder and coriander powder and stir.
  • Then add in the half cooked vegetables and let it boil in the gravy for 5 minutes. Next add the drained paneer and stir well.
  • Add the garam masala powder, kasuri methi and let it boil. Check for seasoning and add what is missing.
  • Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with any Indian flatbread or rice.

Note: You can also add fresh cream if you are planning on making this for a party or dinner. If adding fresh cream, then add it after adding the vegetables and paneer, but before the garam masala and kasuri methi. You can add about 1/2 cup of cream to the recipe.