Green Papaya Curry - South Indian Style

 

         This is an easy version of the Green papaya curry cooked in Andhra style. Steam them before hand to save time and then a bit of tempering and a sprinkle of sambar powder is all that takes to dish out this wonderful delicacy. You may also add some lime juice for a bit of a tang. Enjoy with steamed rice or as a side dish with roti,  paratha or curd rice. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare my version of this amazing dish. 

          There are many uses of green papaya. It can be used to make a curry (both dry and with gravy), made into a salad or simply have it boiled in a Bengali style with rice, mustard oil, salt, green chilies and coriander leaves. Here I prepared in an Andhra style, which can be enjoyed either with chapatis or as a side dish with curd-rice.

• 1 medium Green Papaya, chopped
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida 
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 2 dry red chilies
• 1 tsp. urad dal (split black gram)
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4-5 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 tsp. salt or to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. sambar powder
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped

             Steam the papaya for 8-10 minutes or till soft and keep aside. 

            Heat oil in a pan and temper with mustard seeds, red chilies, urad dal and chana dal. Sauté till the dals changes color.

            Add the onion, curry leaves, garlic, salt and turmeric powder. Sauté till light brown. 

           Now add the papaya and continue to sauté for 4-5 minutes on a low to medium flame.  

           When done, sprinkle the sambar powder and give it a stir. 

          Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with steamed rice or as a side dish with roti or paratha. It also goes well as an accompaniment with curd rice. 

       Steam the papaya for 8-10 minutes or till soft & keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan & temper with mustard seeds, red chilies, urad dal & chana dal. Sauté till the dals changes color. 

                 Add the onion, curry leaves, garlic, 

                   salt & turmeric powder. 

                 Sauté for 2-3 minutes till they turn light brown.

Now add the papaya & continue to sauté for 4-5 minutes on a low to medium flame.  

          When done, sprinkle the sambar powder & give it a stir. 

Garnish with coriander leaves & serve with steamed rice or as a side dish with roti or paratha. 

            It also goes well as an accompaniment with curd rice. 

Baby Corn Pulao (South Indian style)

 

            This pressure cooker method of preparing Baby Corn pulao is absolutely a no-fuss recipe. It can be dished out in a jiffy on those days, when one doesn't feel like preparing a full course meal. 

            This one-pot comfort food goes well on its own or with some pickle or papad as accompaniment. You just don't need anything else. It is just perfect when you are craving for something simple. You can always replace baby corn with sweet corn as per your choice.

          This pulao requires basic ingredients available in your kitchen, nothing fancy. It is mildly flavored with sambar powder for a South Indian touch. This quick recipe is ideal for brunch, lunch, a lunch box meal or a picnic meal. So do give it a try by following a quick step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 8-10 baby corns, chopped into 1" pieces
• 1/2 cup Basmati rice, soaked for 30 minutes
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1tbsp. ghee
• 1 dry red chili
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1" ginger, sliced
• 2-3 garlic, sliced
• 2 green chilies, sliced
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. sambar powder
• 1 cup lukewarm water
• coriander leaves to garnish

          Heat oil and ghee in a pressure cooker. Temper it with red chili and mustard seeds. Allow it to crackle.

          Add the onion, ginger, garlic, green chilies and curry leaves. Sauté till light brown. 

          Add the baby corn and stir fry for a minute. 

          Then add the sambar powder and give it a toss.

          Time to add the soaked rice. Sauté for a minute.

          Add water and salt. Give it a mix and pressure cook for 2 whistles. 

          After 10 minutes, open the lid and fluff it up a little. 

          Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot as it is or accompanied with pickle or papad.

                  Heat oil & ghee in a pressure cooker. Temper it with red chili & mustard 

                  seeds. Allow it to crackle.

                 Add onion, ginger, garlic, green chilies & curry leaves. Sauté till light brown. 

                                  Add the baby corn and stir fry for a minute. 

                                  Then add the sambar powder and give it a toss.

                                  Time to add the soaked rice. Sauté for a minute.

                             Add water & salt. Give it a mix & pressure cook for 2 whistles. 

                                  After 10 minutes, open the lid and fluff it up a little. 

                     Garnish with coriander leaves & serve hot as it is or accompanied with 

                     pickle or papad.

Ghugni in Spicy South Indian Flavour

 

           Ghugni is a very popular and a common breakfast menu in most Bengali household. Made of soaked dried white peas, it is typically relished with hot poori, especially on weekends. It is also enjoyed as an evening tea-time snack and is a street food, served in a chaat form in many parts of Eastern India. 

          However, I gave a twist to this classic Ghugni, by adding some sambar powder for a spicy South Indian flavor. It turned out just amazing. Another great option is to carry this quintessential dish on picnics or during train journeys. So dish out this colorful stir fry in a new avatar and enjoy. Do check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare this amazing dish. 

• 1 cup dried white peas, soaked overnight
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1 dry red chili, broken
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 tsp. garlic, grated
• 1 tsp. ginger, grated
• 2 green chilies, chopped
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• 2-3 tsp. sambar powder
• 1 tsp. lime juice
• 2 tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped

          Pressure cook the soaked dry peas in enough water for 4-5 whistles or till soft. Drain and keep aside. (the stock can be used later).

          Heat oil in a pan / wok and temper with dry red chili, mustard seeds and asafoetida. 

          After it stops spluttering, add the onion, ginger, garlic, green chilies and curry leaves. Sauté till light brown. 

          Add the drained peas, 1/4 cup stock and all the dry spices. Mix everything well and cook for 2 minutes. 

          When done, switch off the flame and add the lime juice. 

          Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve as a snack with sliced onion, green chilies and a dash of lime. 

          It can also be relished as a side dish with poori, chapatti or paratha. 

  Pressure cook the soaked dry peas in enough water for 4-5 whistles or 

till soft. Drain & keep aside. (the stock can be used later).

                     Heat oil in a pan & temper with dry red chili, mustard seeds & asafoetida. 

                      Add the onion, ginger, garlic, green chilies & curry leaves. Sauté till 

                      light brown. 

                       Add drained peas, 1/4 cup stock & all dry spices. Cook for 2 minutes. 

                                  When done, switch off the flame and add the lime juice. 

                                  Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

                           Serve as a snack with sliced onion, green chilies & a dash of lime. 

Prawn Spaghetti with South Indian Flavour

 

          Time to indulge in this yummy Indo-Italian treat of Spicy Prawn Spaghetti with some South Indian flavour. I gave a twist to a normal spaghetti dish by adding some sambar powder and curry leaves along with other ingredients. It turned out really yummy. 

          You can add some red chili flakes for extra spiciness. It is a nice comfort meal when you crave for something satisfying apart from the usual stuff you keep having. So this light meal can do wonders to lift up your spirit. 

• 150-200 gms. spaghetti
• 10-12 prawns, cleaned, deveined & washed
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds 
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• pinch of asafoetida
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tomato, blanched, deseeded & chopped
• 1 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 tsp. red chili powder
• 1 tsp. sambar powder
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. coriander powder
• salt to taste
• coriander leaves, red chili flakes & fresh grated coconut to garnish

          Boil the spaghetti till al dente as per instructions. Drain and keep aside. (Reserve some of the water). 

          Make a paste of ginger-garlic and all the dry spices along with some water. Keep aside. 

          Heat oil and butter in a pan. Temper with mustard seeds, cumin seeds and asafoetida. Add the onion and curry leaves. Sauté till translucent. Now add the prawns and stir fry for a minute.

          Add in the spice paste and cook till the raw smell is gone. Then add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook, covered for 2 minutes. 

          Now time to add in the drained spaghetti and some of the reserved liquid. Give it a toss so that it combines well with the masala. 

          Switch off the flame and garnish with chopped coriander leaves, fresh grated coconut and some red chili flakes for some extra spiciness if you wish. 

Beans & Roasted Chana Dal Stir Fry (Beans with roasted Bengal Gram)

          This is a simple and an easy homemade style beans curry, sauteed along with some roasted chana dal. The combination works extremely well. This is one healthy side dish that can be done in no time. It requires minimum of effort and serves as a perfect side dish with either rice or chapattis. 

          You can also replace the chana dal with fried moong dal and dish out a new version. I added some sambar powder for a South Indian flavour, but you may substitute it for garam masala too if preferred. Made into a roll, they can be a great lunch box meal too or a quick meal on the go. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 300 gms. beans, cut into small pieces
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp. fenugreek seeds
• 1 tsp. split urad dal (black gram lentil)
• 1 tsp. raw rice
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. ginger, grated
• 1 tsp. garlic, chopped
• 2 green chilies, chopped
• 1-2 sprigs curry leaves
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1/4 cup roasted chana dal
• 1 tsp. sambar / rasam powder
• 1 tsp. lime juice 
• 1/2 tsp. red chili flakes
• 1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp. fresh grated coconut and sliced fresh red chilies to garnish (opt)

          Steam / boil the beans till they turn soft and keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and temper with the mustard seeds. 

          After it stops spluttering, add the fenugreek seeds, urad dal and rice. Sauté till the dal changes colour.

          Add the onion, ginger, garlic, green chilies and curry leaves. Fry on a medium flame till light brown. 

          Now add the steamed beans, salt, turmeric powder and roasted chana dal. Mix everything well and continue to sauté for 1-2 minutes.

          When done, add the coriander leaves, sambar powder, lime juice and red chili flakes. Give it a toss and switch off the flame.

          Keep it covered for 2-3 minutes. Garnish with coconut and fresh red chilies and serve as a side dish with either rice or chapattis. 




Note - 
1.  If you are using normal chana dal, remember to first soak it for an hour,  half boil it and then use as required. Same goes with the moong dal too. 

                Heat oil & temper with mustard seeds. Then add fenugreek seeds, urad dal 
                and rice. Sauté till dal changes colour.

                   Add onion, ginger, garlic, green chilies & curry leaves. Fry on a medium
                   flame till light brown. 

                   Add steamed beans, salt, turmeric powder & fried chana dal. Mix well &
                   sauté for 1-2 minutes.

                   Add coriander leaves, sambar powder, lime juice & red chili flakes. Give it
                   a toss & switch off the flame.

Garnish with coconut & fresh red chilies & serve as a side dish with either 

                    rice or chapattis.