Gutti Kakarakaya | Andhra style stuffed Bitter gourd Recipe

Gutti Kakarakaya recipe with step by step photos.I have mentioned many times before that Bitter gourd is a favorite vegetable to TH and it is a norm to make a bitter gourd variety in any form atleast in one meal over the weekend.He likes the simple preparations like bitter gourd fry, bitter gourd onion curry where as I prefer to eat the stuffed versions as the bitterness can be balanced in the stuffed version. I had already posted a couple of stuffed bitter gourd recipes like Stuffed Karela with Besan, Stuffed Karela with Onion and today I am posting another version which is my mom's signature recipe.

Though I was never a fan of bitter gourd but always love my mom's Kakarakaya Podi and her version of stuffed bitter gourd which she fondly calls as 'Kakarakaya Biscuit'. I don't know why she gave it that name but even I got used to call this version as Kakarakaya biscuit.My mom's Kakarakaya podi is always a hit among my family and friends,whoever has tried it till date they just loved it and asked for extra helpings, it accompanies in my lunch quite often.

Check out other bitter gourd recipes in my blog:

• Bharwa Karela | Stuffed Bittergourd with Besan
• Kakarakaya Ullipaya Vepudu | Bittergourd Onion Fry
• Kakarakaya Nuvvu Pindi Kura/Bitter gourd Sesame Curry
• Kakarakaya Ullipaya Karam/Stuffed Bitter gourd
• Bittergourd(Kakarakaya) Podi

Here is how to make gutti kakarakaya recipe with step by step photos:

Gutti Kakarakaya | Andhra style stuffed Bittergourd Recipe:

Serves 2 | Author: Prathibha

Prep time: 15 mins | Cooking time: 30 mins | Total time: 45 mins

Cuisine: Andhra | Category: Main course-Dry Curry

Ingredients:

6-8 small Bitter gourds

1.5 tbsp Coriander seeds

1 tbsp Tamarind pulp

1/3 tsp Turmeric powder

1.5 tsp Red chili pwoder

1 tsp grated Jaggery

Salt

2-3 tbsp Oil,to fry

to roast and grind:

1.5 tbsp Chana dal

1.5 tbsp Urad dal

1/2" Cinnamon

3-4 Cloves

1/4 cup grated dry Coconut

1 Onion,sliced

5-6 Garlic pods

Method:

• Wash and trim the edges of the bitter gourds,peel them and make a cut vertically keeping the edges intact and scoop out the seeds.Peeling the skin is optional.

• Apply salt all over the bitter gourds inside and outside and leave it for 1-2 hours.You can even par boil them in tamarind water for 5-6 mins.Both the methods reduce the bitterness.
• Dry roast chana dal,urad dal along with cinnamon and cloves until the dals turn slightly red in color,remove them.

• In the same pan add dry coconut,sliced onion and garlic pods and fry for a couple of minutes.Cool them.

• Grind raw coriander seeds with the roasted dals, red chili powder, turmeric powder to a coarse powder.

• Add the roasted coconut,onion,garlic and tamarind pulp and jaggery and grind to a paste.

• Heat 1 tbsp oil and add the ground paste and fry nicely until the mixture is dry and starts leaving the oil at the edges.

• Stuff the slit bitter gourds with this mixture.

• Heat a wide pan and add 2 tbsp oil and place the bitter gourds with the stuffed side down and let them cook over low-medium flame until they are brown and roasted on all the sides.Keep turning them in between for even roasting.

Serve it hot with hot steamed rice.You can mix it with rice or eat as a side dish with dal/sambar/rasam.

Notes:

• You can stuff the fried mixture in small brinjals to make gutti vankaya or blanched dondakaya(tindora) to make gutti dondakaya or in ridge gourd roundels to make gutti beerakaya.All the versions taste yumm.
• I did not have dry coconut at that moment and hence I used grated fresh coconut.

Technorati Tags: gutti kakarakaya,stuffed bittergourd recipe,andhra style stuffed kakarakaya,stuffed kakarakaya recipe,koorina kakarakaya,side dish for rice and rotis,dry curries for rice,bitter gourd recipes,andhra recipes,south indian

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Dahiwale Amrud | Guava Curry with Yogurt

Dahiwale Amrud recipe with step by step photos.I had posted a Guava Sabzi recipe some time back, it is a quick curry made out of very few ingredients yet very flavorful and tastes nice. It has become a norm to prepare guava sabzi when ever I get guavas home and have recently tried another version with yogurt -Dahiwale Amrud from Sanjeev Kapoor's book,this tastes good too but I like the other version better.Dahiwale Amrud is typically a marwadi dish and you can definitely try it for a change to the usual cooking.

Here is how to make dahiwale amrud with step by step photos.
Dahiwale Amrud | Guava Curry with Yogurt:
Serves 3-4 | Source: Sanjeev Kapoor
Prep time: 5 mins | Cooking time: 20 mins | Total time: 25 mins
Cuisine: Rajasthani | Category: Main course-Side dish

Ingredients:
4 Guavas
1 medium Tomato,chopped
1/4 tsp Garam masala powder
1/2 tsp Sugar
Salt,to taste

to mix together:
1/2 cup Yogurt
1/2 tbsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Red chili powder
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
1 tsp Amchur powder(dried mango powder)

to temper:
2 tbsp Ghee
2 Green chilies,chopped
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Fennel seeds
1/4 tsp Asafoetida

Method:

• Remove the seeds and cut the guavas into small pieces.

               

• Whisk the yogurt well with coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder and amchur powder.

• Heat ghee in a kadai and add chopped green chilies, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and asafoetida and stir to mix.

• Reduce the flame or remove the kadai from the flame and add the whisked yogurt,tomato and salt and  put it on the flame back and stir for a while.

• Add 3/4 cup of water and bring to a boil.Add the guavas and let the gravy come to a boil again.Lower  the heat,cover and cook stirring occasionally till the guavas are cooked.

• Add the garam masala powder and sugar and cook for another 3-4 mins.

Serve it hot with phulka/parathas.

Technorati Tags: amrud recipes,guava recipes,guava sabzi,yogurd based gravies,rajasthani recipes,side dish for rotis

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Achari Baingan Recipe | Spicy Brinjal with Pickle spices

Achari Baingan recipe with step by step photos.Brinjal is one of my favorite vegetables and I love to eat it mostly in the form of stuffed varieties.I have already posted many stuffed Brinjal curries like Stuffed Brinjals with fresh Coconut,Stuffed Brinjal with Onion and Bagara Baingan.Today I am posting a quick and easy Achari baingan recipe where brinjal is cooked in the pickle spices and mustard oil which imparts a nice achari flavor to the curry.I have tried various versions like the gravy kind, with and without onion and I liked this version the best.It is very simple and quick which does not include any grinding or chopping apart from the brinjals.

I highly recommend to use Indian baby brinjals or Indian long brinjals for this recipe but not chinese eggplants or aurbergines(bharta wala brinjal.Also try not to skip any of the spices or mustard oil in the recipe as that gives the typical achari flavor to the curry,I have even added carom seeds but it is entirely optional.You can even coarsely grind the spices and add to the oil instead of the whole spices.

Check out other brinjal recipes in my blog:

• Bagara Baingan
• Begun Bhaja | Bengali style Brinjal fry
• Brinjal-Soya Chunks Curry
• Brinjal Stir fry-with Curry powder
• Kalchina Vankaya Pacchadi | Roasted Brinjal Chutney
• Rava Vangibath
• Vangi Poha | Eggplant Poha
• Vangibath/Eggplant Rice-Karnataka Style
• Vankaya Kobbari Karam | Stuffed Brinjals with fresh Coconut
• Vankaya Kothimeera Karam | Aromatic Brinjal Curry with Coriander
• Vankaya Ullipaya Karam/Stuffed Brinjal with Onion

Here is how to make achari baingan recipe with step by step photos.

Achari Baingan Recipe:

Serves 2 | Recipe source:here

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 20 mins | Total time: 30 mins

Cuisine: North Indian | Category: Side dish

Ingredients:

6-8 small round Brinjals or 2 long Brinjals

a sprig of Curry leaves

2 tbsp Coriander leaves,chopped

1.5 tsp grated Ginger

2 tsp Coriander powder

1 tsp Amchur powder

1 tsp Red chili powder

1/2 tsp Garam masala

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

a pinch of Asafoetida

1/4 tsp Sugar

Salt,to taste

to temper:

2-3 tbsp Mustard oil or any other vegetable oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Fennel seeds

1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds

1/2 tsp Nigella seeds(Kalonji)

1/2 tsp Carom seeds(Ajwain),optional

Method:

• Wash and trim the brinjals into 8 long slices and put them in water to avoid discoloring.

• Heat mustard oil in a thick bottomed pan until it is smoking hot and switch off  the flame and leave it aside for a while.Again heat the oil and crackle mustard seeds,cumin seeds,fennel seeds,fenugreek seeds, nigella seeds and carom seeds.
• Add asafoetida,curry leaves and grated ginger and fry for half a minute.

• Reduce the flame and add turmeric powder,coriander powder and red chili powder and quickly saute and add drained brinjal pieces and mix it nicely until all the pieces are coated well with the spices.

• Fry the brinjal pieces for 2-3 mins and cover it and cook for 8-10 mins until done.You can sprinkle some water on the brinjals if you feel that the masalas are burning at the bottom.

• Add salt,garam masala, sugar and amchur powder and mix well and cook it without lid for another 3-4 mins.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve it hot with rotis/parathas/naans/kulchas.

Notes:

1. Mustard oil is highly recommended for this recipe as it adds a nice flavor,but if you do not like it you can either use sesame oil or any other regular oil.
2. Indian baby brinjals or Indian long brinjals work best for this recipe.Do not use either chinese brinjals or aubergines(bharta wala baingan) for the recipe.
3. You can even coarsely grind all the spices(mentioned under to temper) and add along with the other powdered spices(like coriander powder),but I prefer this way.
4. I did few changes like the addition of carom seeds which was not there in the original recipe.

Technorati Tags: achari baingan recipe,achari brinjal recipe,north indian brinjal recipes,brinjal curry,side dish for rotis,side dish for rice,party recipes,baingan recipes,baingan sabzi

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Aloo Baingan Recipe | Dry Alu Baingan Sabzi

Aloo baingan recipe with step by step photos. Roti-Sabzi-dal is an everyday fare at our place for dinner and as I always mentioned we need various varieties of vegetables instead of the usual routine vegetables.I usually do not plan the menu ahead and always plan my menu based on the availability of vegetables and sometimes we will be usually left with less quantity which might not be enough to cook for the whole family,then the combinations come to rescue and I must say potato is the clear winner when it comes for combination.You can pair any kind of vegetable with potatoes and one can hardly go wrong with it.I use potatoes with the combination of brinjal, arbi, cauliflower, cabbage, ladies finger, capsicum, broccoli, palak, methi , amaranth greens, green peas, pumpkin etc. to create scrumptious curries to pair with rotis and rice. We usually have either a dry sabzi and dal with roti or vegetable gravy and a simple vegetable fry or vegetable fry and heavy pulses(chole,rajma etc) with rotis.

I love the simple dry sabzis with few masalas as they stand out in flavor compared to the usual masala loaded onion-tomato based dry sabzis.Also, I love the use of mustard oil in the recipes which gives a unique flavor to the curry and I have posted few dry curries earlier which are very aromatic and have unique flavors,do check out my Ajwaini Aloo Gobi with Mustard flavour,Arbi ki Bhujia | Taro root stir fry with Ajwain,Cauliflower Aromatic stir fry recipes.Today's Alu Baingan sabzi recipe is again a simple one with out onion,tomato or garlic and call for very few spices yet it gives a very aromatic and flavorful sabzi.

Check out other brinjal recipes in my blog:

• Baingan Bhartha | Punjabi style smoked and mashed Eggplant
• Begun Bhaja | Bengali style Brinjal fry
• Brinjal-Soya Chunks Curry
• Brinjal Stir fry-with Curry powder
• Vankaya Kobbari Karam | Stuffed Brinjals with fresh Coconut
• Vankaya Kothimeera Karam | Aromatic Brinjal Curry with Coriander
• Vankaya Ullipaya Karam/Stuffed Brinjal with Onion
• Brinjal Sambar
• Mamidikayi-Vankaya Pappu/Raw Mango-Brinjal Dal
• Kalchina Vankaya Pacchadi | Roasted Brinjal Chutney
• Rava Vangibath
• Vangi Poha | Eggplant Poha
• Vangibath/Eggplant Rice-Karnataka Style

Here is how to make aloo baingan recipe with step by step photos.

Aloo Baingan Recipe:

Serves 2 | Author: Prathibha

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 20 mins | Total time: 30 mins

Cuisine: North Indian | Category: Main Course- Side dish

Ingredients:

12-15 baby Brinjals or long Brinjals

2 medium Potatoes

2 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves

2 tsp grated Ginger

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Red chili powder

1/2 tsp Garam masala

1 tsp roasted Cumin powder

1 tsp Amchur powder

3/4 tsp Carom seeds(ajwain)

Salt,to taste

2 tbsp Mustard/regular cooking Oil

Method:

• Wash and peel the potatoes and cut into wedges.Wash brinjals and remove stems and cut into 4 pieces vertically and immerse both the vegetables in water for a while.

• Heat mustard oil until it is smoking hot and switch off the flame,if you are using regular cooking oil skip this step.After a while switch it on and once it is not enough add carom seeds and let them splutter.Add grated ginger and fry for a while.

• Now add drained potato and brinjal wedges and saute them until the oil coats all the pieces,then add turmeric powder,red chili powder and salt and mix well.Let them cook covered until the vegetables are tender and cooked but also they should hold the shape.

• Add amchur powder,cumin powder and garam masala and mix well and cook for another 2-3 mins.

Garnish with coriander and serve hot.

Notes:

1. You can add chopped onions and tomatoes in the recipe and also use ginger-garlic paste instead of ginger paste.
2. Mustard oil imparts a nice flavor to the curry,so do not skip it.If you do not like it use regular oil.
3. You can even use a mix of mustard,cumin,fenugreek,fennel and carom seeds for tempering to make it like achari alu baingan.

Technorati Tags: alu baingan recipe,dry alu baingan sabzi,sookha alu baingan sabzi,north indian side dishes,dry curries for rice,side dish for rotis,side dish for rice,punjabi recipes,easy side dishes

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Achari Gobi Recipe | Cauliflower Recipes

Achari Gobi recipe with step by step photos.It is always quite a task for me to plan a menu on everyday basis.It is easy for me to plan the lunch menu as I usually end up making the vegetables like carrot,beetroot,pumpkin, bottle gourd, ridge gourd which TH does not prefer to eat but surprisingly the little one loves to eat all these vegetables regularly and his new found favorite vegetables are pumpkin,carrot and beetroot.So the remaining vegetables make their way for dinner and it is quite boring to cook the vegetables in a same manner every time.Hence I always look for vegetable recipes so that it does not make our dinner boring.

Cauliflower is one of the favorite vegetables at home and I love to try various new recipes with it and I have tried this achari gobi recipe from Sanjeev kapoor's book and it is quite simple to make and it turned out quite delicious too.

Check out other cauliflower curry recipes in my blog:

• Ajwaini Aloo Gobi with Mustard flavour
• Aloo Gobi-Dry Curry
• Aloo Gobi Matar - Dry Curry 
• Cauliflower Aromatic stir fry
• Cauliflower(Gobi) Curry
• Cauliflower Kurma in Green gravy
• Gobi Kasuri
• Gobi Matar/Cauliflower-Peas Curry

Here is how to prepare achari gobi with step by step photos:

Achari Gobi Recipe:

Serves 2-3 | Author: Prathibha

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 20 mins | Total time: 30 mins

Cuisine: North Indian | Category: Side dish

Ingredients:

1 medium Cauliflower,separated into big florets

1 Onion,roughly chopped

1.5 tsp freshly grated Ginger

1 tsp freshly grated Garlic

2 Green chilies,chopped

2 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves

3/4 cup curd

3/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Red chili powder

1.5 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Garam masala

1 tsp Amchur powder

Salt, to taste

1.5 tbsp Mustard oil

to temper:

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Fennel seeds

1/2 tsp Nigella seeds(Kalonji)

1/4 tsp Fenugreek seeds(methi)

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

Method:

• Wash and cut the cauliflower into big pieces and check carefully for the insects.Heat water in a big pot and add salt to it and add cut cauliflower pieces in it and boil for 3-4 mins until they are half cooked.Strain them and keep aside.
• In a kadai heat mustard oil until it is smoking hot and switch off the flame and let it cool for a while,
• Heat the mustard oil again and crackle mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds, nigella seeds, fenugreek seeds and then add asafoetida to it and fry for half a minute.

• Now add grated ginger, garlic and chopped green chilies and fry them for a minute. Then add chopped onions and fry nicely until they start to turn brown.

• Add blanched and strained cauliflower pieces to it and give a good stir and fry for 2-3 mins.
• In a cup whisk the curd with turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, salt, garam masala and amchur powder and keep it ready.

• Remove the pan from the stove or reduce the flame completely and then add whisked curd mixture to it and mix nicely and cover it and cook for 8-10 mins until the cauliflower pieces are cooked and the yogurt mixture is dry and has been absorbed completely.

• Add coriander leaves to it and mix well.

Serve it hot with rotis/parathas/rice.

Notes:

1. Mustard oil adds a nice flavor to the achari flavored curries and hence do not skip it. If you do not have it use the regular vegetable oil or sesame oil.
2. Mustard oil has high smoking point and hence you need to heat the oil until it is smoking hot.But you need to cool it and heat it again otherwise the spices will burn in the extremely hot oil.
3. You can even add potatoes along with gobi and make achari aloo gobi.
4. Cauliflower can be substituted with brinjal pieces to make Achari Baingan or with Paneer piecs to make Achari Paneer or with Potato pieces to make achari aloo.
5. You can even add 1 small chopped tomato or 2-3 tbsp tomato puree after you fry the onions and proceed with the same recipe.
6. Keep the cauliflower florets big else they get mushy at the end.

Technorati Tags: achari gobi recipe,gobi curry,cauliflower curry,north indian side dishes,side dish for rotis,side dish for rice,easy side dishes,curries and sabzis

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Menthi kura Pappu | Andhra style Methi Dal

Menthi Kura Pappu recipe with step by step photos.Dal is a must in every meal across all the states in India just that the preparation process different from state to state.The south Indian version dal is made very thick and it consists of a tempering of mustard seeds and tamarind pulp is added in the dal which gives a distinct taste compared to the versions from the other states. I have already posted a typical Andhra version of Methi dal before and today I am posting a simple pressure cooker everyday dal version where the dal is cooked along with the spices and greens directly in the cooker.The preparation process is so verstaile that one can prepare various varieties of dals using the same process and it is a breeze to make using this version.

In Andhra, Menthi kura pappu is mixed with hot steamed rice and a dollop of ghee and it tastes so heavenly and the addition of a simple fry and fryums make the meal even more tastier.You can check out other Andhra style dal varieties here - Beerakaya Pappu, Gongura Pappu, Mamidikaya Pappu, Mamidikayi-Vankaya Pappu, Pesara Kattu, Palakura Pappu, Tomato Pappu.

Here is how to prepare the Andhra style Methi Dal recipe with step by step photos:

Menthikura Pappu | Methi Dal Recipe:

Serves 3-4 | Author: Prathibha

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 20 mins | Total time: 30 mins

Cuisine: Andhra | Category: Sidedish

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Toor dal

1 1/2 cups Fenugreek leaves/Methi ,loosely packed

1 Onion, roughly chopped

1 Tomato, roughly chopped

1-2 Green chilies,slit into pieces

5-6 Garlic pods

1 tsp Coriander powder

1/2 tsp Cumin powder

1 tsp Red chili powder

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder

1 small amla sized Tamarind

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Oil

Method:

• Wash and soak the toor dal for 15-20 mins.
• Remove the fenugreek leaves from the stems and wash them and chop them roughly.
• Soak tamarind in 1/4 cup of water and extract the juice and keep it ready.
• Heat oil in a cooker and crackle mustard seeds and then add sliced onions,green chilies and garlic cloves and fry them well until the onions turn translucent.

• Add chopped methi leaves and tomatoes and fry for 2-3 mins.
• Now add turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder and salt and fry for another couple of minutes.

• Add washed and drained toor dal and fry for a minute and add 1.5 cups of water and let it come to a boil.
• Close the lid and pressure cook it for 3 whistles and simmer the flame and cook it for another 7-8 minutes.

• Once the pressure drops take a dal masher(pappu gutti) and mash the dal nicely to get the uniform dal mixture and add the extracted tamarind juice and keep it again on high flame for another 3-4 mins until the dal is thick and uniform in consistency.

Serve it hot with hot steamed rice,ghee and papad or rotis/phulkas.

Notes:

1. This is a simpler version of dal but one can prepare the dal following a traditional way by cooking the dal with methi leaves and then do the rest of the process as mentioned above and add cooked and mashed dal( with leaves) to the fried onion tomato mixture and cook as above.
2. You can prepare various dals like Bottlegourd dal, tomato dal,Amaranth greens dal(thotakura pappu), Brinjal dal by following the same procedure.
3. The dal tastes better when it is made thick and cooked properly, hence adjust the water accordingly.

Technorati Tags: menthikura pappu, andhra style menthikura pappu, south indian style dal, methi dal, fenugreek leaves dal, andhra style methi dal, side dish for rice.  side dish for rotis

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