Shakambari-Vegetables unlimited

Pindi Channa - Brown & little sour.

Channa - 1 cup

Punjab Garam masala - 3 tbsp ( given in Miscellaneous thread)

amchur - ½ tsp

Anardhana powder - 1 tsp

Chat masala - ½ tsp

Ginger juliennes - 2 tbsp

Green chillies slit into 2 - 4

Salt

Oil - 2 tbsp

Soak channa overnight with soda, wash & cook till soft, adding tea leaves tied in a muslin cloth.

This gives the dish the typical rich brown colour.

Heat oil, fry the ginger juliennes & green chillies well.

Then add cooked channa,all dry ingredients & salt.

Cook for 5 mts.

Adjust the consistency to your desired level, fairly creamy.

Decorate with tomato wedges & coriander leaves.



Using a slow-cooker:
Soak channa for 4-5 hrs, if you prefer it mushy. Strain. No need to pressurise separately.
Add fried ginger juliennes & green chillies , channa, dry ingredients & salt in the slow cooker with 2-3 cups of water. Cook till done & it automaticallly switches off.

 

Gobi 65 - Bright red Cauliflower fry.

Cauliflower - 1 big flower

To sprinkle:

Custard powder - 2 tbsp

Corn flour - 2 tbsp

Tomato ketchup - 2 tbsp

Chilli powder - 2 tsp

Salt

Oil - to deep fry

Cut the vegetable into 1” size flowerettes.

Wash well.

Boil plenty of water in a vessel, add the vegetables, switch off the flame & keep covered for 5 mts.

Drain & spread the vegetables on a plate to cool.

Add all the given ingredients & mix lightly.

Heat oil & deep fry in batches.

 

Ways with Raw Banana - 4 dry curries.

Vazakkai Thoran:
(1)Tradtional method of making raw banana curry( rather one of the methods): peel lightly(if it is fresh a light coating of the skin is tasty) & chop into small cubes. Boil in water with a little turmeric powder & salt.Drain & throw away the water. This water is lightly sticky & supposed to be "vayu"- not good for health.Lightly crush either coconut & green chillies or coconut, red chillies & jeera. Heat 2 tsp(coconut or anyother) oil, temper mustard seeds, udad dhal & red chillies ,curry leaves,hing pdr, then add vegetables & the coconut mixture & saute lightly. If you like add garlic & ginger with coconut

(2) Vazakkai Podi :
Wash & roast 2 raw bananas with skin on the gas. Cool & remove the skin. Crumble with hands – do not mash.In 1 tsp oil roast 4 red chillies, 2 tsp each of tur dal & urad dhal & 1 tsp hing.Powder coarse. Lightly mix with hand, crumbled bananas, salt & powder.This is a dry dish. You can boil the bananas till just soft, instead of roasting which is the traditional method & imparts a characteristic tast

(3) Vazakkai Podimas:
Wash, cut into 2 & boil 2 raw bananas till just soft. Cool, grate in a carrot grater. Heat 1 tbsp oil, temper mustard seeds, urad dhal, chopped green chillies & ginger, curry leaves & hing. Add the cooled banana gratings & salt. Mix & simmer for a few mts. Grated coconut can be added as well. Some chopped cashewnuts can be added while tempering for an interesting variation. A tsp of lime juice is optional. The photo is given below.

(4) Roast:
Peel vazakkai & chop into 1” cubes. Boil with haldi till just soft & drain. Heat a little more oil as for usual roasts, add the vegetable, salt & either red chilli powder or curryma powder. Saute on a low fire.

(5) Please refer to tips on kootus in the tips thread for raw banana kootu.

 

Banana flower vadai - Shakambari as well as a snack !

Very finely chopped banana flowers - 1 cup

Medium size potato - 1, medium

Onion - 1 – chop fine

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Fried gram ( pottukadalai) - 2 tbsp

Finely chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp

Salt

Hing - ½ tsp

Boil chopped banana flowers till just soft.

Drain & squeeze well to remove water completely.

Boil, peel & mash the potato.

Grind fried gram to a fine powder.

Mix all ingredients well to form a dough of patting consistency.

Try to avoid adding water, in which case, crispness will be less.

Roll into balls, flatten & deep fry in hot oil.

Do this carefully & fairly fast – the vadais will become dark brown very quickly.

 

Gobi Anarkali - a Royal Dish !

Cauliflower ( cut into big flowerettes) - 3 cups

Milk - 1 ½ cups

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Split cashew - 50 gms

Sultanas - 1 tbsp

Unsweetened khova - 2 tbsp

Salt, pepper

Oil - 3 tbsp.

Heat oil in a kadai.

Saute cauliflowerettes for few mts.

Add milk little by little.

The vegetable should cook three-fourth in milk.

Add cashews & sultanas.

Knead the khoa well with fingers till ghee oozes out.

Add khoa & simmer.

Remove & spread on a shallow bowl.

Decorate with cherries.

 

Paneer Lababdar - A recipe from not less than a 5 star hotel !

Paneer - 200 gms – chop into ½” pieces

Paneer - 100 gms – crumble

Cream - ½ cup

Onions - 2 – chop fine

Ginger - 1” – chop fine

Green chillies - 2 – chop fine

Tomatoes - 2 – chopped

Kasuri methi - 2 tbsp

Red chilli powder - ½ tsp

Salt

Coriander leaves - few

Oil - 2 tbsp

Heat oil in a kadai.

Fry onions till they turn transparent.

Then add ginger, green chillies & tomatoes.

Fry till the tomatoes turn pulpy.

Add red chilli powder, salt & paneer pieces.

Simmer & add crushed paneer & cream.

When everything blends well, add kasuri methi crushed well with hand.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

 

Brinjal Gravy Curry - Goes wirh rice & chappathi.

For SBS photos, please goto
Brinjal Gravy Curry



Brinjal - ½ kg

Tamarind - 1 tsp( optional)

Salt

Oil - 1 tbsp

To roast in 2 tsp oil & grind to a paste:

Red chillies - 5,6 ( or to taste)

Gram dhal - 1 tbsp

Dhaniya - 2 tbsp

Tomatoes - 2, big, chopped

Oninons - 2, chopped

Grated coconut - 2 tbsp

Haldi - a pinch

Hing - ½ tsp


To temper:

Oil - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - few

Chop brinjal into thin long pieces.
Take a pressurepan & heat 1 tbsp oil.

Fry the ground paste & brinjals well for 5 mts on a low flame.
Add 2 cups of water & salt.

Close, put the weight & cook for 1 or 2 whistles, depending on how soft you want the brinjals.

The consistency can be adjusted to desired thickness by adding more or less water.

Adding tamarind is optional.
Cool, open & temper.

 

Vegetable Makhanwala - Deliciously, non-spicy.

Vegetables like carrots, peas, cauliflower, babycorn, tender French beans are suitable.

Cut them to 1” pieces.

Chopped vegetables - 3 cups

Onion - 1 – slice thin

Ginger - 1” – chop

Garlic - 3,4 – chop ( optional)

Tomatoes - 3 – chop fine.

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala - ¼ tsp

Malai - ½ cup

Butter - 2 tbsp

Milk - ½ - 1 cup

Jeera - ½ tsp

Kasuri methi - 1 tsp

Chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbsp

Salt, sugar, haldi

Steam the vegetables & keep.

Heat butter & temper jeera.

Add onions & fry till glossy.

Add ginger & garlic.

Fry lightly & add chopped tomatoes.

Cook till they become pulpy.

Add spices & vegetables.

Mix well & add just enough milk to blend everything.

Add kasuri methi,salt , sugar & simmer.

Just before removing, add cream & mix well.

Remove & garnish with coriander leaves

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Stuffed capsicum -- use any stuffing of your choice.

The stuffing can be varied according to taste – can be just potatoes, combination of vegetables with or without paneer, with or without onions, mixture of spices of your choice. Cheese is also optional.

Select medium small, firm capsicums, fairly rounded.

Capsicums - 4

Filling - 5-6 tbsps, depending on the size of the capsicum

Oil - 5-6 tbsp, for shallow frying

Filling:

Chop fine or mince vegetables.

Steam them lightly, cool & squeeze to remove excess moisture.

Heat 2 tsp oil in a kadai, temper jeera & finely chopped green chillies. Then add vegetale mixture, salt & masalas of choice. Saute till dry. Add finely chopped coriander leaves & mix well.

Chop the top slice of the capsicums – keep them.

Boil plenty of water & when the water boils, add all the capsicums & the tops.

Boil for just 2 mts & drain completely by keeping the upside down in a colander.

Divide the filling into 4 parts.

Keep the filling inside a capsicum, keep back its top or “ lid”.

Tie with a thread criss cross so that the top will be intact.

Heat oil in a flat saucepan & when it becomes hot, place the capsicums one by one & side by side.

Cook them on medium-low heat, turning them over very carefully, with a pair of tongs, till uniformly brown on all sides.

Cut off the thread & serve.

 

Palak Paneer - bowl over your Punjabi friends !

For SBS photos,please go to
Palak Paneer

Palak - 2 big bunches

Paneer - 200 gms

Oil - 2 tbsp

Onions - 3, chopped fine

Ginger, chopped fine - 4 tsp

Garlic , chopped fine - 3 tsp

Green chillies, finely chopped - 2-3 tsp

Tomatoes - 3 ( make a puree)

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Punjabi garam masala - 2 tsp

To garnish:

Chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbsp

Finely chopped ginger -, 2 tsp

Take palak leaves, wash & clean them well.

Put them in boiling water for 2 mts & blanche.

Liquidise to a pulp.

Heat oil, fry onions, ginger, garlic & green chillies well till onion turns brown.

Add pureed tomatoes & cook well.

Add palak puree, salt, Punjabi garam masala & red chilli powder.

Simmer for sometime & then add cubed paneer.

Simmer till the mixture becomes thick.

Serve topped with coriander leaves & chopped ginger.