Bitter Gourd Curry

serves: 4

Bitter Gourd - 2 cups, diced
Jaggery - 1/3 cup
Tamarind - about the size of lemnon
Sambhar Powder - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tbsp
Turmeric - a pinch

1. In a thick bottomed pan, heat the oil and fry the bitter gourd on low heat for about 8-10 min until the bitter gourd shrinks and it browns slightly.
2. In the meanwhile soak the jaggery and tamarind in about 1/2 of cup of hot water so that the jaggery melts and the tamarind softens.
3. Once the Bitter Gourd has browned slightly, add the water in which the jaggery and tamarind is soaked to the pan. Sqeeuze out any water from the tamarind and also add the paste that comes out of the tamarind while squeezing to the pan.
4. Add the sambhar powder, salt, turmeric and mix the contents well. Heat on medium fame until the water reaches a boil while stirring occasionally.
5. Heat until all the contents blend and paste thickens. Add water as required and as you would like the consistency of the curry to be.

Serves as a side dish with chappatis, dosa and also tastes great with rice!!

Herbs Lentil Stew

Serves: 4

Methi leaves - 1 cup
Dill - 1 cup
Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Garlic - 3 cloves
Onion - 1 small
Green chillies - 5
Tomato - 1 medium
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Water - 2 cups
Salt - to taste

1. Combine the leaves, garlic, onion, green chillies, tomato with the water and cook in a pressur cooker until the dal is copletely cooked.
2. Once it is cooked, drain and save the stock and wait for the cooked dal-leaves to cool
3. Once the leaves are cool enough to handle, puree them in a blender or food processor. If the dal is completely cooked and can be mashed using hand, then puree only the rest of cooked ingredients.
4. In a thick-bottomed pan, heat oil and add the mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds crackle, add the cumin seeds and fry until their colour deepens.
5. Then add the pureed contents, dal, salt and the stock. Heat on high flame to bring to boil and then cook on low-medium flame for another 5 minutes.

Lentils and vegetables cooked with rice

Bisibele Bath

Serves: 4

Rice - 1 cup
Toor daal - 1 cup
Beans - 1/2 cup, cut into inch long pieces
Carrot - 1/2 cup, cut into inch long pieces, or as desired
Chayote (Seme badnekai) - 1/4 cup (optional), cut into inch cubes
Bottle gourd - 1/2 cup (optional), cut into inch cubes
Green bell pepper (Capsicum) - 1 small, cut into big pieces
Peas - 1/4 cup
Oil - 4 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 8-10
Bisibele bath powder - 2 1/2 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Turmeric - a pinch
Tamarind paste - 2 tbsp
Hing - a dash
Red chillies - 4-5

1. Cook the vegetables and daal with 10 cups of water in a pressure cooker until done.
2. Wash the rice in several changes of water and cook with 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker or rice cooker.
3. Once the daal and veggies are cooked, add tamarind paste, red chilly powder, salt and bisibele bath powder, mix well. Heat on medium flame while stirring until the mixture comes to a boil.
4. Boil the mixture for about 5 minutes until the flavours blend and then add the cooked rice.
5. Cover the vessel and cook on low flame for another 5 min
6. Parallely, heat oil for the seasoning and mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds crackle, add asafoetida, curry leaves and red chillies.
7. Once the red chillies colour deepen, add the capsicum and peas and cook until done. Then add the seasoning to the daal+rice mixture and mix well
8. Cover with a lid and let is sit for around 10 min for all the flavours to blend.

Best served with potato chips or khara bhoondi

Stuffed Baby Eggplants

Serves: 4

Baby eggplants - 6 small round
Onion - 1 large, sliced
Peanuts/Groundnuts - 1/4 cup
Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp
Rasam powder - 1 tsp
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Jaggery - 1 inch cube
Coconut - 1/4 cup freshly grated
Coriander - 4-5 strands
Curry leaves - 10-15
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 2 cloves
Turmeric - 1 tsp
Oil - 3 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - a pinch

1. Cut the eggplants lengthwise into quarters, from the round end two-thirds of the way down toward the stem, so that they can be stuffed with spices yet still remain whole. Soak the brinjals in salted water
2. Grind to paste peanuts, tamarind, rasam powder, red chilli powder, salt, jaggery, coconut, coriander leaves, 6-8 curry leaves, ginger, garlic, and around 1/4 cup of water in a blender or food processor.
3. Heat the oil in a pressure cooker, add mustard seeds and wait for them to crackle
4. Once the mustard crackles, add the cumin seeds, remaining curry leaves and asafoetida.
5. Now add the onions and fry on low flame until the onions turn into a golden brown
6. In the meanwhile stuff the slit eggplants with the paste prepared earlier and place them on the onions.
7. Pour any left over paste into the cooker and add water as consistency is required
8. Pressure cook for one whistle. Let it cool; remove lid and pour into a serving bowl

Variation:
- Cut the eggplants lengthwise and add once the onions and cooked; then add the paste from the blender and pressure cook

Beans Bath

Serves: 2

Rice - 1 cup
Beans - 2 cups, cut into inch long pieces
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
Channa daal - 2 tbsp
Urad daal - 2 tbsp
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Vangibath powder - 2 tbsp
Oil - 3 tbsp
Tamarind paste - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste

1. Wash, drain and soak the rice in warm water for about 10 minutes
2. Then cook the rice in a pressure cooker or rice cooker.
3. In a medium saucepan, cook the beans with minimum water and salt to taste until done and set aside
4. Heat oil in a pan until hot but not smoking. Add the mustard seeds and wait for them to sputter.
5. Once the mustard seeds sputter, add the channa dal and the urad dal and stir fry until the dals turn uniformly brown.
6. Then add the tamarind paste and fry until it dries up a bit and looks greasy. Now add the turmeric, red chilli powder and fry for about a minute.
7. Add the beans along with the water and fry till the dish thickens and very little water is left. Be sure to have less water to start with else the beans may get over-cooked.
8. Now add the vangibath powder and mix well and turn off the heat. The consistency of the dish should be good enough to mix with rice.
10. Now add the pre-cooked rice and salt and mix gently being careful not to break the grains.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot!!