Shakambari-Vegetables unlimited

Vegetable Medley - perfect accompaniment for puris and jeera rice!

You can use a combination of vegetables from, carrots, cauliflower, beans, peas, baby corn, potatoes etc. Cut them into 1 cm cubes.

Cubed vegetables - 3 cups ( steam lightly & keep ready)

Tomatoes - 3 medium ( deskin & chop)

In 2 tsp oil fry till golden:

Grated coconut - ½ cup

Then fry the following:

Onions - 2, chopped

Cashew nuts - 7,8

Dhaniya - 2 tsp

Cloves - 2,3

Ginger - 1 cm

Red chillies - 5,6 ( or to taste)

And grind fine.

Oil - 1 tbsp

Jeera - ½ tsp

Heat oil, add jeera.

Then add the ground paste & fry till pink.

Add tomatoes & fry well till pulpy.

Add steamed vegetables, haldi & salt.

Simmer till well blended & uniform in consistency.

 

One whistle Greens - full of taste, colour & nuitrition!

You can use any fresh greens. I have tried with palak, muLaikeerai & Ponnanganni.
You can make it with or without onions.
For SBS photos, please go to
One Whistle Greens


Without onions:

Pressurise in a pressurise pan or small pressure cooker for just one whistle:

Greens, chopped - 2 cups

Tomatoes - 1, medium, chopped

Green chillies - 1-2

As soon as you switch off the gas, take the pan or cooker to the kitchen sink & run water on its side from the tap, to drop the pressure inside.

You can lift the weight & open in 2 mts. This is to ensure a nice green colour. add salt & mash.

Temper as given below.
To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Red chilli - 1

Urad dhal 1 tsp.


With onions:

Add 2-3 finely chopped small onions before cooking. Also when tempering add 2-3 small onions, finely chopped.

 

Cauliflower -Pepper Fry - is not gobi our favourite??

Select fresh, healthy, cauliflower and pick out the florettes, not more than 2 cms.
Boil plenty of water & drop the flowers & swich off. Drain after 2-3 mts, completely. This is only to soften the flowers.

Florettes - 2 cups

Rice flour - 2 tbsp

Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tsp (optional)


Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Ajwain - 1 tsp

Lime juice - 2-3 tsp

Salt, haldi

Dry roast, adding fried gram last & powder:

Rice - 1 tbsp

Pepper - 2 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Fried gram - 2 tbsp

Take the cauliflower in a shallow basin & add all the first listed ingredients, adding the last powder to taste.

Add minimum water for the ingredients to stick together, rather smear with water..

Marinate for 10 mts.

Heat oil & deep-fry handfuls till well-fried.

Goes very well with bisibela, sambar saadam etc.

 

Hyderabadi Baingan - I learnt this from TV!

I have slightly modified the method to decrease the oil.
Any fresh, tender variety of brinjal can be used. If small it can be slit into 4 with one end intact or it can be cut into segments.

Brinjal - ½ kg ( cut & steam for 5 mts – this is to cut down oil)

Tomatoes, 2 medium, blanched, peeled & chopped

Tamarind paste - 1 tsp (or more to taste)

Grind to paste 1:

Onion - 1, big, chopped & lightly fried in 1 tsp oil

Green chillis - 2-3

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Dhaniya powder - 1 tsp

Jeera powder - ½ tsp

Haldi

Grind to paste 2:

Copra (or roasted coconut) - ¼ cup

Til seeds - ¼ cup (lightly roasted)

Roasted peanuts - ¼ cup

Oil - 1 tbsp

Salt

To garnish - chopped coriander leaves

In a pressure pan, heat oil & fry the paste 1.

After 3-4 mts, add tomatoes & continue to fry, adding haldi.

Next add brinjal, salt, tamarind paste & 1 cup of water.

Cover & cook for one whistle.

Cool, open & add paste 2.

Simmer to boil & remove.

Garnish & serve with roti, pulao or rice.

 

Bharwan Bhindi - a delicious side-dish to parathas!!

For SBS photos, please go to
Bharwan Bhindi
There are many masala-combinations. Mine may be different!!
Use fresh, tender bhindis.

Ladies’ finger - 15

For stuffing, mix together 1 tsp each of

Red chilli powder, Dhania powder
And
½ tsp each of Chat masala, , Jeera powder and salt (because of chat masala),
And
¼ tsp each of haldi & hing

Oil - 1 tbsp

Lime juice - 1 tsp

Cut off both ends of the vegetable & make a lengthwise slit.

Slightly opening it, stuff the mixture inside.

Keep them in a steamer & squeeze lime juice over them to prevent stickiness.

Steam for just 3-4 mts.

Shallow-fry in a non-stick pan using just 1 tbsp oil, till well fried.

 

French Beans Green Sabji - goes with rice and rotis.

French beans should be cut diagonally into 1” pieces.

Boiled beans - 1 cup

Coconut milk - ¾-1 cup ( add ¾ cup warm water to ½ cup coconut)

Grind to a paste:

Coriander leaves - ½ cup

Green chillies - 2,3

Ginger - 1”

Garlic - 3,4 pieces

Fried gram (or cashew) - 1 tbsp

To temper:

Oil - 2 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

To garnish:

Roasted & crushed peanuts

Heat oil & temper jeera.

Add the green paste & sauté till the raw smell goes.

Add coconut milk, boiled beans & salt.

Simmer on a low fire till well blended and the desired consistency is reached.

Garnish with peanuts.

 

Kashmiri Rajma - makes a wholesome meal with chawal!

Kashmiri Rajma is the smaller, darker coloured variety of Rajma.


My recipe
Rajma Curry
Has tomatoes, but this does not contain tomatoes. This is directly cooked on the pressure pan with masalas!

Kashmiri Rajma - ½ cup (soaked overnight in plenty of water)

Jeera - ½ tsp

Cinnamon - 1”

Sliced onions - ½ cup

Thinly sliced ginger - 1 tbsp

Slit green chillies - 3-4

Haldi, salt

Dhaniya powder - 2 tbsp

Amchur powder - 1 ½ tbsp

Black salt - ½ tsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

To garnish - chopped coriander leaves

Wash, drain the rajma and keep ready.

Heat oil in a pressure pan & add cumin seeds & cinnamon.

When they crackle add the cinnamon and sauté for a few mtes till glossy.

Add ginger & green chillies & sauté for a few more mts.

Add soaked rajma, haldi, dhaniya powder, salt & 3 cups of water.

Close & keep the weight.

Simmewr after the first whistle & cook on low flame for 30 mts.

Cool, open & add aamchur & black salt.

Mix well & simmer to required consistency.

Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

 

Jain Alu Palak: - a simple(y) delicious dry sabji.


This can be prepared, adding onions & garlic-ginger paste as well. This goes as a dry vegetable with roti & dhal.

Boil, peel & cube potatoes.

Potato cubes - 2 cups

Cleaned and coarsely chopped palak - 2 cups

Red chilli powder - 1-2 tsp

Dhaniya powder - 2 tsp

Jeera powder - ½ tsp

Salt, hing, haldi..

Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Heat oil & temper mustard seeds.

Add palak & fry till they are cooked soft.

Next, add potatoes, salt & all masalas.

Saute well on a low fire till well blended.

Garnish with 1 tsp ghee & a pinch of garam masala powder.

 

Bharli Vangi - the Maharashtrian version of Ennai Kathirikkai with gravy.

I learnt from a desiccated coconut manufacturer that it should never be kept in the fridge, but always outside. In fridge, it emits oil & gives a rancid smell.

I learnt this recipe from my Saraswatfriend. There are many, many variations of this recipe.
I preferred the version without onions & garlic.

Select the small violet variety of brinjals which can be stuffed. Wash them well, wipe & slit into 4 & stuff with the following mixture. For 12 brinjals, you need
Desiccated coconut - 3-4 tbsp

Powdered (roasted) peanuts - 2-3 tbsp

Red chilli powder - 2 tsp (or to taste)

Salt.

Tamarind paste - 1 tbsp

Jaggery & salt - to taste

Steam the stuffed brinjals for 7-8 mts either in the MW or in a steamer.

In a pan, heat 2 tsp oil & temper 1 tsp mustard seeds & hing.

Add the steamed brinjals, sauté a little & add tamarind paste mixed with 1 cup of water.

Add jaggery & salt (remember we have added salt in the stuffing), simmer to blend.

Remove & garnish with coriander leaves.

 

No-oil Healthy Channa - this is a UP recipe

Please go to
No-Oil Healthy Channa
Soak 1 cup of Kabul channa with ½ tsp coking soda & plenty of water for 8 hrs.

Wash well, add enough water, a tea-bag (to get a deep colour-optional) & cook in apressure pan for 25 mts on sim after the first whisle.

Powder dry, together:

Cinnamon - ½ “

Cloves - 3-4

Ajwain - ½ tsp

Dry ginger - 1”

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Amchur powder - 1 tsp

Dhaniya powder - 1 tsp

Jeera powder - 1 tsp

Channa masala - 1 tsp

Salt

Let there be just enough water for channa to be immersed in cooked channa – drain off the excess.

Add the powder & simmer till desired consistency is obtained.

Serve with puri or roti.