Haagalakai/Bitter Gourd Palya: Bitter is Better...

Haagalakai/Bitter Gourd Palya

… Said smiling grandmother to her little grand daughter who, as usual, was perched on kitchen counter as she watched her Ajji chop bitter gourds for that day’s meal. ‘Bitter’ isn’t something that little girls liked and her feelings were painted clearly on her face when she twitched her nose in distaste and deep frown was formed between her dark brows. “Think of it, it isn’t for bitter you would never have appreciated the sweetness of one’s life”, said grandmother with knowing look on her serene face.

A wise word from a wise person who had experienced many highs and lows in her seventy five years of life and yet eager to embrace all life had to offer to her! That was my Ajji, an anchor in my life who showed me to slow down, look around, think and learn before diving into next adventure that life offered! Thanks to her guiding light, I have grown to face every bitter or sweet thing that life has to offer and appreciate the lessons they teach and not to shy away from them.

Astounding isn’t it? Even bitter gourd can take me down the memory lane! Is it just me or I am fortunate to have some company here? It’s simply amazing to see how food is interwoven in our paste, present and even future! And you needn’t be rocket scientist to guess we have bitter gourd recipe in today’s menu.

Haagalakai/Bitter Gourd Palya

I learnt this recipe of Bitter Gourd or Hagalalakai Palya from my mom-in-law during our last trip to India. Since soon after our wedding I moved to UK, I hardly got any time to spend with my in-laws. So it is during our month long trip to India every year I try to learn as many recipes as possible in brief period of time as my dear MIL cooks one delicious dish after another. Every year I look forward to a month long of relishing all delicacies cooked by my Amma and Atte. Well, doesn’t it feel great to be pampered and spoiled by your loved ones? And what better than food, which IMHO, is the best way to shower someone with all that love and affection!

Coming back to recipe part, I was surprised to see how simple this bitter gourd recipe was and when my MIL mentioned she cooked it in microwave, I couldn’t wait any longer to learn it and try it. The main attraction of this recipe is its simplicity and, of course, its taste. Yes, you heard it right. You many be surprised at how good bitter gourd can taste when cooked right with right ingredients. The roasted spices and coconut is nothing short of cherry on top of already amazing cake. I don’t have to stress the importance of bitter Rasa/taste in Ayurveda and the medicinal benefits of bitter gourd is better than any sinful cakes/chocolates for your well being. Since the ingredients used as Satvik in nature, they are not only good for your body but excellent for your taste buds. While jaggary adds sweetness, tamarind pulp gives it a sour note. Selected aromatic roasted spices with dry red chillies gives the curry heady aroma and hint of spicy taste and coconut simply takes this curry to next level of flavour sensation! And the best thing is yet to come. Since the spices are roasted along with coconut and the bitter gourd is cooked with tamarind and jaggary, this curry can be refrigerated for over a week without any fear of it getting spoiled. Remember to consume this curry in moderation as bitter gourd taken in overdose may result in heartburns.

Bitter Gourd for Haagalakai/Bitter Gourd Palya

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Haagalakai/Bitter Gourd Palya (Bitter Gourd Fry with Tamarind, Jaggary and Coconut)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 25-30 mins
Serves: 4-6
Recipe Source: MIL
Recipe Level: Basic/Beginner to Medium
Spice Level: Medium
Serving Suggestion: With steam cooked Rice

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Ingredients:
2 medium Bitter Gourds, sliced length wise, seeds removed and cut into 1 cm cubes
1 medium lime sized Tamarind Pulp, soaked in ½ cup of hot water and juice extracted
2-3 tbsp Jaggary/Palm Sugar
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt to taste

For Roasted Spices & Coconut Paste:
1-1½ tbsp White Sesame Seeds
½ tbsp Urad Dal/Split black Lentils
1 tbsp Coriander Seeds
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
2-4 Dry Red Chillies, halved (Adjust acc to taste)
½ cup fresh/frozen grated Coconut

For Tadka/Tempering:
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 Dried Red Chilli, broken into 1 inch pieces
A big pinch of Hing/Asafoetida
Few Curry Leaves
½ tbsp Oil

Roasted Spices & Coconut for Haagalakai/Bitter Gourd Palya

Method:

Preparing Bitter Gourd:
Take chopped bitter gourd pieces in a colander and mix well with about 1 tsp of salt. Place a bowl of water (that fits well in colander) on top of colander containing bitter gourds. Keep this aside for at least 30 mins near sink. This way some of bitter juices from bitter gourd will be released.

For Roasted Spices & Coconut Paste:
Heat a pan and add urad dal, white sesame seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds and dry red chillies on medium to low flame till nice aroma of roasted spices comes and dal turns golden red in colour, about 3 mins. Transfer these roasted spices to clean and dry plate.
In a same pan dry roast fresh or thawed frozen coconut till it turns light golden, about 1-2 mins, on medium-low flame. Transfer these contents to roasted spices and let them cool slightly.
Next transfer all these roasted spices and coconut into a food processor and grind them to smooth paste without adding any water. Keep it aside till needed.

Roasted Spices & Coconut Powder for Haagalakai/Bitter Gourd Palya

Cooking Bitter Gourd in Microwave:
Take bitter gourd pieces along with jaggary, tamarind extract and salt to taste in a microwave safe bowl with lid. Add about ¼-½ cup of water and close the lid. Cook this in microwave for 10 mins.
Open the lid and mix all the ingredients and cover and cook for another 5-10 minutes till the bitter gourd is almost cooked.
Now add ground roasted spice and coconut paste and mix well. Cook uncovered for another 7-10 minutes till all water evaporated and the palya looks dry.

For Tadka/Tempering:
Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds to it. When mustard starts to pop and splutter, add dry red chilli, hing and curry leaves. Sauté it for around 30 seconds and transfer the contents to Bitter Gourd Palya. Mix them well before serving it hot or cold along with a bowl of freshly steam cooked Rice and enjoy this bitter goodness!

Haagalakai/Bitter Gourd Palya

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Notes:

Since the spices are roasted along with coconut and the bitter gourd is cooked with tamarind and jaggary, this curry can be refrigerated for over a week without any fear of it getting spoiled.
Remember to consume this curry in moderation as bitter gourd taken in overdose may result in heartburns.

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Baghare Baingan: From Nawaab's Darbar to My Plate!

Baghare Baingan

What happens when my current obsession meets my all time favourite vegetable? The answer is not just licked clean plate but licked clean vessel in which it was cooked, and also the fate doesn’t end there! It goes well beyond like licked clean spoon, serving bowl, and storing container also. Err… pardon my poor sense of humour but being foodie and food blogger means suffering some side effects of the same!!!

So my current obsession being Peanuts and my all time favourite vegetable being Brinjal I had to cook Baghare Baingan. ‘Baghar’ means Tadka or tempering and ‘Baingan’ is of course eggplants in Urdu and loosely translated Baghare Baingan means ‘Tempered Eggplants’. The technique of tempering which is well known in Indian cooking is nothing but flavouring the oil with aromatic spices and herbs which takes any dish to another level in taste department.

I first tasted ‘Baghare Baingan’ at my friend’s wedding who was a resident of royal city of Nawaabs in south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh called Hyderabad. This delightful bi-religious city is famous for its world famous cuisine and honestly I feel Baghare Baingan is one their best and finest delicacies. My friend always said that no important function is complete without serving Baghare Baingan in their lunch or dinner menu. It said to be one of the main dishes served in Nawaabi Darbar (royal court) as it uses rich ingredients fit for kings and queens palettes. Although we don’t have any royalties ruling our country anymore, they have left their rich food culture which occasionally every common man can enjoy in their modest homes.

The trademark of this dish is baby eggplants which are cooked twice, first shallow fried in oil and then cooked in creamy and delicious gravy of peanuts and coconut along with caramelised onions. While these caramelised onions lend its sweet taste to the base gravy, poppy seeds, sesame seeds and peanut give it a nutty flavour. And addition of roasted dry coconut gives it a creamy, dreamy texture to already rich and flavoursome gravy. The actual spices used are handful in the base gravy. But the real smoky flavour comes from the Baghar or Tadka or tempering of selected aromatic spices that infuse smoky flavour to the base gravy. The recipe may sound little laborious and time consuming but trust me when I say it’s worth it. It won’t take more than one bite for your loved one to fall in love with this dish and of course, fall in love with you again ;)

While we are talking of recipes, how about some delicious, quick meal? Check my post on Lemon Rice at Beyond Curries for this weekend's quick fix meal ideas :)

Roasted Spices, Coconut, Peanuts & Onions for Baghare Baingan

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Baghare Baingan (Tempered Baby Eggplants in rich & creamy sauce of roasted Peanuts & Coconut)
Prep Time: 15 mins
Cooking Time: 30-40 mins
Serves: 5-6
Recipe Inspiration: 660 Curries
Recipe Level: Medium to High
Spice Level: Medium
Serving Suggestion: With any Indian flat breads or flavoured/steam cooked Rice

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Ingredients:
10-12 Baby Purple Brinjals/Eggplants
2-4 tbsp Oil (I used 2 tbsp Oil)
Salt to taste

For Peanut-Coconut Gravy:
2 medium Onions, thinly sliced
½ cup Peanuts
¼ cup Desiccated Coconut/Kobbari (Dry Coconut)
1½ tbsp White Sesame Seeds
½ tbsp White Poppy Seeds
1 tbsp Coriander Seeds
2 tsp Red Chilli Powder (Preferably Kashmiri/Dhegi Chilli Powder. Substitute it with 1 tsp chilli powder+1 tsp Paprika, adjust acc to taste)
¾ tsp Haldi/turmeric Powder
1 tsp Amchur/Dry Mango Powder or 1 tsp Tamarind Paste (Optional, adjust acc to taste)
½ -1 tbsp Jaggery/Brown Sugar (Adjust acc to taste)

For Baghar/Tadka/Tempering:
1-2 tbsp Ghee/Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
½ tsp Kalonji/Nigella Seeds (Optional)
1 tsp Methi/Fenugreek Seeds (Optional)
2 Dry Red Chillies (halved)
A Spring of Curry Leaves
¼ tsp Hing/Asafoetida
1 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Paste

Baghare Baingan

Method:
Preparing Peanut-Coconut Paste:
Heat 1-2 tbsp of oil in a pan and add thinly sliced onions. Fry these onions till they are caramelised and turn golden brown, about 5-8 mins, on medium-high heat. Transfer them into a food processor or mixer jar.
In a same oil roast coriander seeds, sesame seeds and poppy seeds till they turn light golden and release their aroma. Add them to caramelised onions.
In a same wok, stir in desiccated coconut and sauté till they turn light golden shade. Add them to caramelised onion and roasted spices.
Next roast peanuts in a same pan till they are lightly roasted, about 3 minutes, on medium-high flame. Mix them with other fried/roasted ingredients.
Let all these roasted/fried ingredients cool slightly.
Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, jaggery and dry mango powder/tamarind paste with other roasted ingredients.
Grind these ingredients to smooth paste adding enough water (about ¼-½ cup) as and when needed. Keep it aside until needed.

Preparing Baby Brinjal:
You can keep the stems or simply remove it as I have done here. Wash the eggplants and pat them dry.
Make ‘+’ incisions carefully from the base of each eggplant, making sure that the stem end is intact.
Heat oil in a wok and arrange all the eggplants in single layer. The water in eggplant will make the oil to splutter. So cover the wok with lid and reduce the heat to medium-high.
Cook these eggplants, stirring in between, till their skin is charred and they fork tender, about 10-15 mins.
Transfer them to a plate lined with kitchen towel to absorb excess oil.

Preparing Baghar/Tempering:
Heat 2 tbsp of ghee/oil in a pan and add mustard seeds to it. When mustard starts to pop and splutter, add cumin seeds, kalonji, methi, hing, dry red chillies and curry leaves. Sauté till cumin seeds turn golden red in colour, about 1 min.
Next add ginger-garlic paste and keep stirring till the paste turns golden red and becomes dry mass, about 2-3 minutes, on medium heat.
Mix in Peanut-Coconut paste that you had prepared earlier and close the lid for a minute or two. This way the base gravy gets smoky flavour of bhagar or tempering of spices.
Open the lid and let the paste cook for another 8-10 minutes, stirring in between, on medium flame.
Add about ½ -1 cup of water to the gravy and salt to taste and bring the whole mixture to gentle boil, about 5 mins.
Drop shallow fried baby eggplants into the gravy and cook uncovered for another 10-15 minutes till eggplants are cooked through and all the flavours blend well.
Serve this delicious Bhagare Baingan with any Indian flat bread or bowl of steamed or flavoured rice and enjoy!

Baghare Baingan

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Notes:
Use small Indian eggplants that are fresh, round and have shiny purple body and green stems. If they have black seeds then it is better to discard them as they tend to be bitter in taste.
If you don’t get baby eggplants then simply use the common purple aubergines you get in your nearby supermarket. Slit this big eggplant lengthwise and then slice them in to ½ inch moons and proceed with the recipe.
While grinding all the roasted spices, peanuts, onion and coconut, you can also add few cashews nuts or almonds which lend rich taste to the gravy.

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Tofu Matar: Why Not Try Something New Today?

Tofu Matar

Last week I was here, staying at one of the picturesque places of England. Our little cottage was tucked in between soothing sound of flowing river, breath taking landscape of mountains and miles of green fields. For once we were away from everyday hustle bustle and running around chasing deadlines and never ending word loads and I couldn’t help but feel blessed to be surrounded by Mother Nature in her warm bosom!

Every morning we woke up to tweeting birds and oh yes, braying sheep which was music to our ears compared to deafening alarm clock or noise from traffic. The weather God was unbelievably kind to us during our stay and everyday I felt the warmth of bright sun and his rays dancing on my face. As the puffy marshmallow-ey clouds floated on clear blue sky, puffy and soft bundle of woolly sheep were lazily munching the emerald green grass. And those little, cute lambs hopping and jumping around merrily were the constant reminder of my own childhood days! While buzzing bumble bees were soothing music to ears, the burst of colourful wild flowers were joy to eyes, and even the smell of earth was much better than the aroma of any expensive and exotic perfumes on my dressing table. Nature, free of all man made things, is a soothing balm to ones troubled spirit and heart! It was nothing short of heaven! It’s amazing to see how Mother Nature takes care of all her children, including us, by embracing us in her warm bosom. I, after a long time, felt at peace with my inner self…

Fast forward and I am back to reality of daily routine life! As much as I enjoyed my break; it feels good to be back to some kind of routine! After one week of indulgence in peaceful countryside retreat, I felt good to be back in familiar surrounding and especially to be cooking in my little kitchen. Since our fridge was almost empty except for few herbs, I used the ingredients in hand and prepared this delicious Tofu Matar by giving a twist to much loved Matar Paneer. Creamy tofu and lively and bouncy green peas literally dunked in creamy gravy of onion, tomato, cashew and almonds was match made in heaven! Addition of Kasuri Methi gave that ‘oomph’ factor to the curry and made it all the more enjoyable. Don’t be chuffed off by the list of ingredients as close inspection will show how simple this recipe is. Cook it for your Vegan friends or people like me who are fond of tofu and see them lick their plate clean! :)

Tofu Matar

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Tofu Matar (Tofu and sweet Green Peas cooked in creamy gravy of Almonds & Cashews)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20-30 mins
Serves: 5-6
Recipe Level: Medium
Spice Level: Medium
Serving Suggestion: With any Indian flat breads or with flavoured/steam cooked Rice

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Ingredients:
1 pack Tofu (approx 5X5 inch), cut into 1 inch cubes
1 heaped cup Green Peas, fresh/frozen
3 large Tomatoes or 1 canned Tomato, pureed
1 tbsp Kasuri Methi/Sun dried Fenugreek Leaves (Optional)
1 tsp Garam Masala
½ tsp Kitchen King Masala (Optional)
1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 tbsp Oil
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
Juice of ¼ Lime/Lemon
Salt to taste

For Onion Paste:
1 large Onion, roughly chopped
¾ inch Ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 large cloves of Garlic
½ inch Cinnamon Stick
2 Green Cardamoms
2 Cloves
½ Star Aniseeds

For Almond-Cashew Paste:
8-10 Almonds, soaked in warm water for 10 mins and peeled
4-6 Cashews, soaked in warm water for 10 mins

Tofu Matar

Method:

Grind all the ingredients listed under onion and almond-cashew paste separately, with out adding any water, to smooth paste and keep aside.
Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds to it. When cumin starts to sizzle and turn golden red, add onion paste. Keep stirring for 6-8 mins till onion paste turns light golden brown and becomes one dry mass. Make sure that you cook this onion paste thoroughly or else the gravy will taste bitter.
Mix in sugar and kasuri methi leaves and stir for another minute or two. Next, add pureed tomatoes and mix well. Bring the mixture to gentle boil, about 4-5 mins.
Mix in garam masala, kitchen king masala and salt to taste and add about 1-1½ cups of water.
Reduce the heat to low and add tofu cubes and green peas and cover the lid. Let it cook undisturbed for 5 mins.
Mix in almond and cashew paste and stir well. Increase the heat to medium and let the curry cook uncovered for another 5-7 mins. The gravy will start to thicken at this stage. Adjust the seasoning and add little more water if you prefer little thin gravy.
Switch off the flame and squeeze in lime juice. Serve this delicious Tofu Matar garnished with coriander leaves and enjoy!

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Notes:

Those who don’t like Tofu can simply substitute it with Paneer. Shallow fry Paneer cubes in little ghee till both the sides turn golden red in colour. Keep them in a bowl of warm water till needed and proceed with the recipe.
And if you are not fond of Paneer and Tofu, simply substitute them with boiled, peeled and cubed potatoes.
Green peas can be substituted with black or Kabuli channa or chickpeas.

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I Don't Want to Come Back...

From Here...

Our cozy little cottage... Miles and miles of Greens & Blues...

A window with a view to die for!

Our morning alarm!

I have forgotten what traffic and congestion means!

And hey... I have got my own swing... Back to childhood days!

Perfect Blue Sky!

A friendly neighbour!

And some more friendly neighbours...

A view from backyard

Washing dirty plates had never been this much fun! View from kitchen window...

And a green eco-friendly heart too!

I am having too much fun and food is the last thing on my mind these days! I think now you know why! See you all next week... Happy cooking and blogging :)
Chao
Sia

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Ridge Gourd Curry: For Busy Weekdays...

Ridge Gourd Curry

What a week it turned out be!!! Meetings one after another, deadlines to meet, problems to resolve, and never ending telephone conversations with clients! By the time I get back home, I feel like I am ready to hit the pillow and never bother about cooking or even eating for that matter! Yes, it was one of those crazy weeks!

While my work life has taken over my personal life, I still managed to take some time to talk to my babies, feed them and sing them lullaby! Yes, it’s been more than ten days since I have had sowed all those seeds and right now only Methi plants have sprouted with tiny (a very tiny) leaves. Keeping my fingers crossed, I hope other will follow the suit pretty soon.

As far as the cooking is concerned, we have been surviving eating a large bowl of Salad with Dal Rice or with frozen Rotis and pickle. Once really hot stove has turned really cold but microwave is thriving on all the attention it’s been getting since past few days! And it would have kept going like this if not for this delicious bowl of Ridge Gourd Curry.

This got to be one of the simplest recipes I have had created! The base gravy uses the same ingredients that I used for Stuffed Capsicums in Peanut Sauce recipe. I had some left over peanut and spice mixture for Peanut gravy and used them as base gravy ingredients for this recipe. The recipe is simple, quick and straightforward and most importantly, you needn’t stand in front of your stove stirring the ingredients. Tender ridge gourd pieces are cooked along tamarind pulp and jaggary and then in a gravy of roasted peanut powder and spices to enhance its taste. It can’t get simpler than this. Make it when you are running short of time and have no patience to chop one vegetable after another and see how simple food can taste so delicious!

Ridge Gourd

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Ridge Gourd Curry (Ridge Gourd served in Peanut Gravy)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20-30 mins
Serves: 4-5
Recipe Level: Basic/Beginner
Spice Level: Low to Medium
Serving Suggestion: With any Indian flat breads or with flavoured/steam cooked Rice

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Ingredients:
1 medium tender Ridge Gourd, slit vertically and then cut into 1 cm thick half moons
Small marble sized Tamarind Pulp/½ tsp Tamarind Paste or 2 tbsp Lime Juice
½-1 tsp Jaggery/Sugar
½ inch Ginger, grated
2 tbsp Roasted Peanuts Powder
½ tbsp Coriander Powder
¾ tsp Jeera/Cumin Powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder (Adjust acc to taste)
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
½-1 tsp Garam Masala (Adjust acc to taste)
Salt to taste

For Tadka:
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
Few Curry Leaves
A big pinch of Hing/Asafoetida
1 Dry Red Chilli, halved
1 tbsp Oil

Ridge Gourd Curry

Method:

Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds to it. When mustard starts to pop and splutter, add curry leaves, dry red chilli and hing and sauté for half a min.
Next add grated ginger and ridge gourd pieces along with turmeric powder, tamarind pulp and jaggery. Sauté, on medium flame, for about 3 minutes.
Next add red chilli powder and garam masala and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
Add about 2-3 cups of water and bring it to gentle boil. Mix in salt to taste and roasted peanut powder and mix them well.
Cook for another 5-10 minutes till ridge gourd is cooked well. Switch off the flame. If using Lime juice, add it now and mix well.
Serve this delicious Ridge Gourd in Peanut Gravy along with steam cooked rice and enjoy!

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Note:
The ridge gourd I have used here is a tender one and hence I have kept its peel. If you are using matured ridge gourd, then don’t forget to scrape/peel the skin and then use it.
Lemon/Lime juice should be added after you switch off the flame or else they will turn the gravy bitter.

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