Sindhi Rasoi

Health Zeal says that “The bottle gourd is low in saturated fat and cholesterol yet high in dietary fibre, vitamin C, riboflavin, zinc, thiamin, iron, magnesium and manganese. It also contains moderate amount of vitamin-B complex. Its high water content makes it very cooling. Medicinally, it is used as a purgative, an antidote for certain poisons and a cure for cough. An infusion of the seeds can be drunk to cure chills and headaches ”

Yet this humble vegetable is neglected  and people consider it as a vegetable for elder generation or have a notion that this vegetable is eaten only during illness

I do agree that when kadhoo is cooked simply ,like chopped and cooked in tomato gravy,or stir fried with dry masalas,kids make faces and youngsters run away (yes u can be strict with kids to eat kadhoo, but youngsters wud definitely flee)coz, the dish don’t look appetizing to the people who are not used to the flavour of this sweetish veggie

So in these circumstances i always stick to my tried and tested method of camouflaging veggies,so that kids can’t recognise what they are eating(cheating…….yes…..but necessary to develop liking in kids for such healthy veggies)

So here is one recipe which is bit high on calorie content ,but wise ladies …you can trim off calories by baking koftas in microwave(if u have one) or shallow fry with minimum oil

This is again a recipe for dual entries …One is for dear Pooja of  My Creative ideas who is hosting an event of Bottle gourd as Vegetable of week

And another one is for sweet Sia of Monsoon spice hosting a lovely event called WBB-Summer Feast.

Sia this would not be a recipe for breakfast,but for brunch, it’s a sure relish

Ingredients:

 For kofta(dumplings)

• Lauki(kadhoo)  1 medium sized
• Gramflour  2 tbspn
• Oil 2 tspn
• Salt
• A pinch of baking soda
• Turmeric powder 1/4 tspn
• Coriander powder 1 tspn
• Garam masala powder 1/2 tspn
• Cumin seeds 1 tspn
• Annardana or dried pomegranate seeds(optional) a spoon ful
• Green chillies 3-4
• Coriander leaves
• Ginger as much preffered
• Garlic 3-4 cloves(or if available use 2 tspn of chopped saayi thoom or spring onions)
• Oil for frying

For Gravy:

• Onions 2
• Tomato 1 large sized
• Green chillies 2-3
• Ginger about an inch
• Turmeric powder 1/4 tspn
• Coriander powder 1 tspn
• Garam masala powder 1/4 tspn
• Salt
• Oil 1-2 tspn
• Kitchen king powder and kasuri methi powder(strictly optional) 1/4 tspn and 1 tspn respectively

Method:

• Peel and grate lauki,rinse with water and boil in salted water for 2 minutes
• Let it cool,then squeeze out water,(you can use this water as vegetable stock for gravy) add very little salt,turmeric powder,chopped greenchillies,garlic,coriander leaves,and garam masala powder. Taste and adjust the seasoning
• Then add two heaped tablespoons of gram flour(besan),one spoon of oil,a pinch of baking soda ,cumin seeds and mix properly
• Grease palms of your hands and take a small portion of this mixture and make a round or oval shape
• Fry it properly on medium flame in hot oil,till crisp brown.Repeat the procedure for rest of mixture(If koftas tend to break,then either oil is not properly hot or you need to add some  more amount of besan)
• For gravy,fry chopped onions in little amount of oil, till brown
• Add grinded tomato,green chillies,ginger and turmeric powder,coriander powder ,garam masala powder,kitchen king and kasuri methi  and fry till thick paste is obtained .Alternatively one can fry the onions ,then grind them to attain a smooth gravy
• Add salt and little water to achieve gravy like consistency .Let it boil for few minutes and simmer it till the rawness of masalas is gone(if using pressure cooker wait for 4 whistles)
• While serving ,place few koftas in bowl,pour  hot gravy over it and garnish it with coriander leaves Never boil the koftas in gravy,as they are very soft and would crumble and get mashed easily
• Tastes best with phulkas or Rotis

Kachalu or arbi(Colocasia root) is very popular amongst sindhis.It is basically root of Patra leaves(the same leaves which are used to make Aluwadis)It is relished in variety of ways,like boiled kachalu ,fried kachalu,stuffed kachalu,and also kachalu chaat.Watch out this space for all these recipes, that i am gonna post here soon

As for now,here is a simple way to make these arbis.Its not a healthy choice if one wish to cut off oil consumption,but for those who dig for some fried,crispy stuff to spice up plain dal roti,or enjoy fried rice with something equally great,then here we go…..

Kachalu:

Ingredients:

• Kachalu(250 gms)
• Salt
• Oil for frying
• Turmeric powder 1/4 tspn
• Coriander powder 2 tspn
• Red chilly powder 1/2 tspn(or less)
• Garam masala powder(totally optional) 1/4 tspn
• Chaat masala powder(again optional) 1/4 tspn

Method:

• Wash and boil kachalu with two spoons of salt till half done.If using pressure cooker just boil it till one whistle
• Let it cool and peel it properly
• Sprinkle some more salt,and half fry it in a frying pan on medium flame till almost done(you can prick with knife and check,if knife digs in swiftly then its done)
• Then take them out,gently pat it with palm to flatten it(be careful not to break them)
• Then deep fry them again till crisp and brown
• Empty the pan(remove all the oil),sprinkle some more salt(you can first taste it a bit to check how much salt u need to add ),add dry masalas and  serve immediately
• You can boil and fry it till done,and keep it aside.Then just before serving deep fry it again to enjoy them crisp
• Goes well with Dal chawal, saibhaji, Tidali daal, bhugha chaanwara etc

And now let me share my happiness with all you dear visitors

In month of May i had participated in Pooja’s VOW JFI BELL PEPPERS event,and that was my first ever entry for any food event.Not in my wildest dreams had i imagined that the Dhaas shimla mirch recipe  would be appreciated so much ,and would actually win me an award .

Sultry summers are gone here in Mumbai,and monsoon showers have knocked the parched earth ,giving a sigh of relief ,from dusty,sweaty ,nasty heat of summer.However,I’ll do miss some of my favourite summer things,like making falooda icecream,chilled mangoshakes,jaljeera and ofcourse chilled masala chaach(buttermilk).One more food that associates me with summer afternoons is Dodo ,which is a type of flatbread,made from rice flour.It’s bit sticky,light,not too much spicy yet it serves as a delicious accompaniment  with any veggie or Dal ,and i just love to wash it down with some flavoured masala buttermilk

This Dodo(funny name ,isn’t it?) recipe calls for a type of rice,called sona mussorie (not sure ,how it is spelt).I guess ,people from South of India might be aware of this type of rice,as mostly it is used in Idli/Dosa batters

Wikipedia says……

Sona masuri (or its original name Swarna Masuri) is a medium-grain rice grown largely in the Indian states of Andra Pradesh and Karnataka. In Telugu Sona Masuri rice is called as Bangaru Theegalu(meaning Golden Ivy).It is lightweight and aromatic, and considered to be of premium quality.By large it is considered to be a healthy diet as it contains less starch and is easily digestible. Ideal for preparing dishes like sweet pongal, biryani, fried rice etc…….

So first of all ,you will need to hunt for this type of rice,then wash them thoroughly,dry them for few days in sunlight,and then take them to your local chaki waala (flour mill)and get it grinded to get the rice flour.My mom used to follow this procedure,but as by now you all know that i am lazy for all these lengthy stuffs ,so i just buy ready- to- use rice flour from food mall.Though i compromise on the quality,but i can’t help ,coz i am not blessed with the leisure time to follow the whole procedure

Generally all the Indian flatbreads are made ,by rolling the dough with rolling pins and then cooked.But Dodo is a sindhi speciality which is made by patting the dough with palms of your hands.No rolling pins are used.This is bit tricky ,but check out the easier option at the end of this post

This one is for my yet another, new friend(of late ,i m making lots of friends in blogosphere)Srivalli of Cooking 4all seasons who is hosting a Rotimela

Ingredients:

• Rice flour(a cup for each dodo)
• Chopped onion ,a spoonfull for each
• Chopped Green chilly/es
• Chopped Coriander leaves 1 spoon for each
• Salt
• Oil 2 tspn for each dodo
• Water to knead the flour

Method:

• Mix all the ingredients except water
• Now add water little by little ,mixing it properly and knead it ,till you get a soft manageable dough.Smoothen it properly
• Now take a handful of this dough and pat it gently on your palms(you can grease or wet your palms before doing so,to avoid sticky mess)
• Then carefully place  it on  greased ,hot griddle and quickly keep patting it  ,till it reach the thickness of paratha.
• Now this could be really tough for novices,as most of the deed will end up with red palms,burnt  dodo,or some stuff which just refuses to part from the griddle.Don’t get disheartened with that.Just try it this way…..Take a clean plastic sheet(or cut open a poly bag,or ziplock pouch),sprinkle some dry flour on that and start patting the dough on that till it  achieves required thickness.Then carefully transfer it on griddle ,let it cook for few seconds and slide it on the inverted flat plate ,then transfer it back on griddle ( this is to help flip) and cook on other side
• Cook it on medium flame on both sides .Apply  some oil  after flipping sides,so as to make it crisp
• Enjoy it hot(it only taste good when hot) with any veggie or dal or buttermilk

Half of the visitors arriving here would run away ,for sure,after reading the name of this post…..Coz; that’s a normal reaction i expect from people who just can’t stand the bitterness of karela(bittergourd).But this post is for those other half ,who will stay and would actually read the recipe…Kudos for them(bravo !).

This is the simplest ,basic recipe for making bittergourds,and a bit of modification, like adding sliced potatoes ,would actually save you from making additional dish for those fussy eaters who refuse to even have a look at these” bitter wonders”.They can enjoy potatoes in onion while you…The great karela lover… can relish your karelas .

Ingredients:

• Bitter gourds(karela) 250 gms
• Onion 3 large
• Tomatoes 2 small sized
• Salt
• Green chillies 2-3
• Ginger
• Turmeric powder 1/4 tspn
• Coriander powder 1tspn
• Garam masala powder 1/2 tspn
• Oil 2-3 tspn

Method:

• Wash,peel and slit bitter gourds.
• Put some salt and keep them aside for few hours
• Now rinse them with some water ,and fry them in LITTLE oil, till  light golden colour
• Now use this oil,to cook onions which are sliced ,untill soft and pink
• Add chopped tomatoes,green chillies,ginger and some salt  
• Let  the mixture cook till onions are very soft and brown in colour
• Now add fried karelas, turmeric powder,coriander powder,garam masala powder and cook further on low flame
• If required,add few spoons of water and cook till karelas absorb the flavour of spices and turn soft
• Mostly sliced potatoes ,that are slightly fried ,are added with karelas ,which are supposed to reduce the bitterness or karela.Moreover the kids wont refuse to eat this vegetable,when they see some potato slices peeping through the mixture of karela and onions;-)