Undhiyu

Undhiyu is a traditional Gujarati dish - a curry made out of a lot of vegetables, which is highly nutritious and yummy too. It is sweet and spicy in taste. I LOVE undhiyu, but the better half does not like it one bit. That's sad, but I do cook it whenever he's not around, even though I have to do all that just for myself - cooking undhiyu is an elaborate process, but the end result is totally worth the effort. For me, not making undhiyu at least once in the winter months is sacrilege, with all the peas and fresh vegetables available in plenty now. I have found that different families cook undhiyu in different ways. The recipe that I use was taught to me by my mother who, in turn, learnt it from a Gujarati friend of hers.

Ingredients (for 2 to 3 people)

For the hara masala:

8-10 cloves of garlic
1 inch piece of ginger
2-3 green chillies
A small bunch of coriander leaves
Some dessicated fresh coconut

Peel the garlic and ginger. Chop the coriander leaves. Mix everything and grind to a paste without adding water.

For the vegetables:

2 potatoes
1 medium-sized brinjal
Some elephant yam
200 gms tuvar
200 gms green peas
200 gms beans (avarakkai)
Some carrot
1/2 raw banana

Peel the potatoes, carrot, raw banana and elephant yam. Shell the tuvar and peas. Remove the strings from the beans. Cut all the vegetables into slightly large pieces.

For the muthia:

A little besan
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder to taste
Sugar to taste
Hing to taste
Oil for deep frying
Methi leaves

Wash and chop the methi leaves finely. Drain all the excess water from them, as any retention of water leads to the muthia becoming very bitter in taste. In a large bowl, mix the besan, chopped methi leaves, salt, sugar, hing and red chilli powder to taste. Add a little water and mix to a paste. The consistency of the paste should be neither too watery nor too thick. Heat oil in a kadhai and when hot, put in bites of the methi paste. Deep fry them till brown. Drain the muthia on a tissue paper, so that the excess oil comes off.

For seasoning:

Oil
Dhana-jeera powder (powder of dried coriander seeds and jeera - cumin seeds)
Mustard seeds
A little ajwain
Salt to taste
Hing to taste
Sugar to taste
Lemon juice to taste
A little til

Method:.

1. Heat a little oil in a pressure cooker and add the mustard seeds. Allow them to splutter.
2. Add til and ajwain. Add hing to taste after they get a little brown.
3. Add the hara masala and mix well. Do not overcook the masala, as it leads to the smell of the curry going off.
4. Add the chopped vegetables, salt and sugar to taste, dhana jeera powder to taste. Add red chilli powder if required. Mix well. Add the required amount of water.
5. Close the cooker and pressure cook with the weight on for about 15 minutes.
6. After the steam escapes, add the lemon juice to taste and the muthia. Mix well and cook on a low flame for a bit, till everything mixes properly.

Notes:

1. If you want the curry to be healthier, you can avoid putting in the muthia.
2. You can also make more hara masala and stuff the vegetables with it. That is how authentic Gujarati-style undhiyu is made. I normally do not stuff the vegetables due to lack of time. While undhiyu with stuffed vegetables tastes awesome, it tastes equally good if made without stuffed vegetables.

Pav Bhaji

I am a big fan of Pav Bhaji, ever since I learnt to eat out. :) I was more than happy when the better half's office boy taught me this recipe. Now I make it at home, and the better half loves it. It's simple to cook, healthy and tasty. I love such one-pot meals, a single dish which is a complete meal in itself.

Ingredients: (for 2 people)

Slices of bread

For the bhaji:

1. 2 large cups of vegetables - peas, corn, cabbage, cauliflower, beans, carrot, etc.(pressure cook with salt to taste)
2. 3-4 medium-sized tomatoes, finely chopped
3. 1/2 capsicum, finely chopped
4. 3 onions, finely chopped
5. Salt to taste
6. Lemon juice to taste
7. Pav Bhaji masala to taste
8. Red chilli powder to taste
9. Turmeric powder to taste
10. Coriander leaves to garnish, finely chopped
11. Hing to taste
12. Mustard seeds for tadka
13. Ginger-garlic paste to taste
14. 6 medium-sized potatoes, pressure cooked with salt to taste, peeled and mashed

Method:

1. Heat some oil in a kadhai, and add some hing and mustard seeds. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter. Add the ginger-garlic paste and saute till the raw smell goes away.
2. Add the finely chopped onions and cook for a while, adding more oil if necessary. Cook till the onions start turning brown.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for a bit, till the raw smell goes away. Mash the tomatoes till they lose their shape.
4. Add the boiled vegetables, removing the excess water from it. Mix well.
5. Add the capsicum and boiled potatoes, adding salt, pav bhaji masala, turmeric powder and red chilli powder to taste. Mix and cook well.
6. When it is almost done, add the chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice to taste. Mix well.

Toast the bread slices lightly on a tawa, adding butter. Serve the bread with the bhaji, garnishing with finely chopped onions.

Mixed Vegetable Soup

Come winter, and soups start making an appearance on our dining table. Both the better half and me like having a bowl of soup in cold winter days with fried rice or noodles, or just as a starter before dinner. We do like the easy-to-make packed soups available in stores, but I personally prefer this home-made version. It's just as easy to make, and healthier. This recipe was taught to me by my mother, and I can't thank her enough for it.

Ingredients:

1. 1 tsp. wheat flour
2. Mixed vegetables - peas, cabbage, corn, carrot
3. Salt to taste
4. Pepper powder to taste
5. Coriander leaves - chopped finely
6. Butter - 1 tsp.

Method:

1. Pressure cook the vegetables, adding a little salt. After releasing the steam, remove the boiled vegetables and keep them aside. Do not drain the water from the vegetables.
2. Heat a kadhai and add the wheat flour. Dry roast the flour a bit, till it becomes slightly red in colour and a good smell emanates from it. Keep the flour aside.
3. In a kadhai, heat the butter. After it melts, add the finely chopped coriander leaves and fry for a minute.
4. Add the boiled vegetables, along with the water used for boiling them. Add more water if necessary, and mix well. Add more salt if required. Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes.
5. Take the roast wheat flour in a small bowl and add a bit of water. Mix well, and add this mixture to the soup. Mix well and allow to simmer for a while.

Tastes good when served steaming hot with bread sticks or with soya sauce and tomato sauce mixed in.

Fried Rice

This recipe comes from my aunt, who is a wonderful cook. It is a little customised to suit the tastes of our family. We all love eating this version of fried rice with Gobi Manchurian. It is very simple and easy to cook, and is healthy too.

Ingredients (For 2 people):

1. Oil for tadka
2. Ajinomoto to taste
3. Salt to taste
4. Pepper powder to taste
5. A small piece of ginger (finely chopped)
6. 1-1/2 glasses of rice (cooked in about 3-1/2 glasses of water i.e. neither too raw nor overcooked)
7. 2 small onions (chopped finely)
8. A few garlic cloves (peeled and chopped finely)
8. A cupfull of chopped vegetables - beans, carrots, cabbage, green peas, etc.

Method:

1. Heat a little oil in a kadhai and add the onions. Cook till they start turning brown.
2. Add the chopped garlic and saute a little.
3. Add the chopped vegetables and cook till they are tender, sprinkling water if necessary.
4. Crumble the rice a bit and add it to the vegetables. Mix well.
5. Add the salt and pepper powder to taste. Let it cook for a while.
6. When it is almost done, add a pinch of ajinomoto and mix well. Take off from heat.

Manathankalikkai Vettalkozhambu

This is one of my most favourite dishes in the world. The recipe was passed on to me by mommy dearest. :)

Ingredients:

1. A lemon-sized ball of tamarind
2. Salt to taste
3. Oil for tadka
4. Some manathankalikkai vetthal (I don't know the English word for this)
5. Sambar powder to taste
6. Jaggery for taste
7. A few curry leaves
8. Mustard seeds for tadka
9. Rice flour/ Wheat flour (optional)
10.Red chilli powder to taste
11. Methi seeds for tadka
12. Hing powder to taste
13. Turmeric powder to taste

Method:

1. Soak the tamarind in water for a while, and extract a thick paste out of it, adding water if necessary.
2. Heat a little oil in a kadhai and add hing powder and mustard seeds. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter, and add methi seeds. Allow to cook for a while.
3. Add the manathankalikkai vetthal and cook for a while, till they become a little soft.
4. Add the tamarind extract, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, sambar powder and jaggery to taste. Cook on a medium flame till the raw smell goes away.
5. Once it starts to thicken, add the curry leaves and mix well.
6. If it is too watery, mix the rice flour/ wheat flour in a little water and add to the kozhambu. Mix well and cook for a while.
7. Take off from heat once it starts boiling.

Notes:

1) This kozhambu can be made with vegetables like kotthavarangai, onions and ladies finger, too. If using them, just substitute the manathankalikkai vetthal in the above recipe with the vegetable of your choice. The rest of the steps in the recipe will remain the same.
2) We use sambar powder made at home, the recipe for which I will be posting sometime soon.

Cabbage/Molai Keerai/Sorakkai Mor Kootu

This is one of my favourite South Indian dishes, which goes well with rasam/sambar rice and with rotis. This is somewhat similar to avial. I learnt this from my mother, who, in turn, learnt this from her mother. :)

Ingredients (for 2 people):

1. 1/2 cabbage, chopped finely
2. Curd
3. Salt to taste
4. Green chillies to taste
5. Jeera (cumin) to taste
6. Dessicated coconut (fresh) to taste
7. A little toor dal
8. A little chana dal
9. Turmeric powder to taste
10. Oil for tadka
11. Mustard seeds for tadka
12. Hing powder to taste

Method:

1. Grind the dessicated coconut, jeera, green chillies, chana dal and toor dal to a paste.
2. Heat a little oil in a cooker. Add the hing powder and mustard seeds. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter.
3. Add the cabbage and cook for a while, adding the turmeric powder and salt to taste.
4. When it is half cooked, add the coconut and green chillies paste. Mix well.
5. Close the cooker and add weight. Cook for about 3 whistles.
6. Add curd just before serving and mix well.

Notes:

1. You can also add fresh green peas along with the cabbage.
2. We commonly use cabbage or molai keerai to make this kootu, though bottle gourd (sorakkai) can also be used.
3. The curd is added just before serving to ensure that it does not become too sour.
4. The curd should neither be too sour, nor too bland, for the kootu to turn out well.
5. The chana dal and toor dal are added while grinding the coconut and green chillies to ensure that the kootu does not turn too watery.

Corn Upma

This is another simple but extremely tasty recipe. This is usually made in Gujarati households. The recipe was taught to me by mom, passed on to her by her mother-in-law, i.e. my granny who, in turn, learnt it from some Gujarati friends.

Ingredients:

1. 4 corn cobs, which should be neither too fresh nor too hard
2. A tablespoon of milk (optional)
3. Salt to taste
4. Fresh coriander leaves (chopped)
5. Green chillies (finely chopped, according to taste)
6. Hing powder to taste
7. Mustard seeds
8. Sugar to taste
9. A little oil for tadka
10. Turmeric powder to taste
11. Lemon juice to taste

Method:

1. Grate the corn cobs and keep aside.
2. Heat a little oil in a pan and add hing powder and mustard seeds. Allow the mustard seeds to splutter.
3. Add the green chillies and leave them in for a minute.
4. Add the grated corn and mix well. Sprinkle the milk on it, if using. This adds to the softness of the upma.
5. Add salt, turmeric powder and sugar to taste. Mix well and cook for a while.
6. When it is almost done, add the lemon juice to taste and mix well. Serve hot, garnished with coriander leaves.