Capsicum & Baby Corn Curry with Random Rants :)

Capsicum & Baby Corn Curry

Missed participating in blog events - Check.
Missed visiting blogger friends – Check.
Missed leaving comments in their blog – Check.
Missed posting recipes twice a week – Check.
Missed writing new post for Beyond Curries – Check.
Missed cooking recipes from other blogs (at least 2 recipes per month) – Check.
Missed taking photographs of new recipe I cooked and loved for blog – Check!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I can understand the first six things happening now and then when I am buried till my nose with all new projects and meeting deadlines. But I am still scratching my head thinking how I could have missed taking photos for my blog??? Looks like I am not only busy with hectic work schedule but may be little stressed also. HELP… Anybody?!

Few days back I found few interesting replies from friends on FB when I mentioned that my blog honeymoon period seems to be finally over after 2½+ years of blogging. Some said they too are sailing in the same boat with me and others said this too shall pass! But there was this dear friend of mine who mentioned as far as she was concerned, her relationship with her blog is over and they are divorced! :) I couldn’t help but wonder what will happen to my blog in few months time? Will I ever reach that stage and stop blogging for good? Hopefully not for a while… Yes, not yet!!!! I hope that dear friend of mine resumes blogging as I really miss visiting her witty, humorous and delicious blog. And at the same time I wonder will I be missed by readers of my blog if I decide to stop blogging? :) Looks like I have some food for thought ;)

And not to forget, I also have some recipe for all you lovely people. Today we have this simple, delicious and flavourful Capsicum & Baby Corn Curry to please all your senses! I am quite fond of coloured bell peppers and baby corns and I use them quite often in Indo-Chinese cuisines. Using these two veggies in Indian cuisine has got nothing to do with my creative brain cells or unusual taste buds. It was the result of lack of vegetables in fridge and also laziness to go out for shopping. But I am not here to complain as the chemistry between bell peppers and baby corns was quite hot and sizzling and they literally set our taste buds on fire! ;) While creamy onion and almond gravy tasted superb, the crunch from capsicum and baby corns were very pleasing to our palettes. When served with soft and warm Phulkas and simple Cumin Rice, it was nothing short of touching the stars! Try this curry when you are tired of eating same combination of vegetables or pulses and see this colourful Capsicum & Baby Corn Curry winning positive approval from everyone sitting around your dining table. :) And off this goes to dear Vysh who has spiced up all our blogs by asking us to cook some spicy dishes for her JFI: Chilli, an event initiated by dear Indira of Mahanandi and dear Priya who is guest hosting AFAM-Bell Peppers, an event started by Maheshwari of Beyond Usual.

Capsicums & Baby Corns

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Capsicum & Baby Corn Curry (Tender Baby Con and peppery Bell Peppers cooked in creamy gravy of Onion, Tomato and Almonds)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 30-40 mins
Serves: 4-6
Recipe Level: Medium
Spice Level: Medium to Hot
Serving Suggestion: With any Indian flat breads or with flavoured/steam cooked rice

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Ingredients:
15 Baby Corns, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 large Capsicums/Bell Peppers (I used 1 red and 1 green)
3 large Tomatoes, pureed
1 tsp Garam Masala
½ tsp Kitchen King Masala (Optional)
1 tsp Coriander Powder
½ tsp Cumin Powder
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ tsp Amchur/Dry Mango Powder or 1 tbsp Lime Juice
1 tsp Sugar (Optional but recommended)
1 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

For Onion-Almond Paste:
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 large Onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
1 inch Cinnamon Stick
2 Green Cardamoms
2 Cloves
10 Almonds, soaked in warm water for 10 mins and skinned
½ tbsp Oil

Capsicum & Baby Corn Curry

Method:
For Onion-Almond Paste:
Heat ½ tbsp oil in a pan and add cinnamon stick, cloves and green cardamoms. Cook for a minute, on medium heat, and then add cumin seeds to it. When cumin starts to sizzle and turn golden red, add roughly chopped onions and fry till they turn transparent, about 2 mins.
Next add ginger-garlic paste and stir for a minute or two till raw smell disappears. Switch off the flame and transfer the content to food processor or mixer jar. Let it cool slightly.
Add skinned almonds and grind the mixture to smooth paste without adding any water.

Proceed to Make Curry:
Heat tbsp of oil in a pan and add ground onion-almond paste. Saute on medium flame till the paste turns light golden brown in colour and becomes one dry mass, about 5-6 mins.
Add garam masala, kitchen king masala, turmeric powder, coriander powder and cumin powder and stir for 30 seconds.
Mix in pureed tomatoes and give it a good stir, about 3 mins. Add 1-1½ cups of water, amchur powder, sugar and mix in salt to taste. Keep the flame on medium and bring the whole gravy to gentle boil, about 5 mins.
Add baby corn pieces and cover and cook for 5 mins. After 5 mins, add peppers/capsicums and cook uncovered for another 5-7 minutes till vegetables are cooked through but retain their crunch.
Serve this delicious Baby Corn-Capsicum Curry hot, garnished with finely chopped coriander leaves, with any Indian flat bread or flavoured rice and enjoy.

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Baby Corn & Green Peas Curry & Some Random Thoughts

Baby Corn and Green Peas Curry

Conversation with my boss:
Good morning. Lovely weather isn’t it? I hope it stays like this till this weekend.

Conversation with my friend on phone:
Oh!!! You know what? It’s supposed to be summer here but I can’t see even one single ray of sunshine!!!

Conversation with hubby:
I don’t feel like going out in this dreadful weather!!! Let’s just sit back and watch some movies. If the weather gets better we can always do bit of gardening and BBQ.

Conversation with a perfect stranger:
Nice weather isn’t it?

Ever since I came to England all I have been talking is about the weather. I read it somewhere that more than 90% of people in UK talk about the weather, as “whether the weather will improve!!!” The best way to start conversation with any perfect stranger here is, yes you guessed it, the weather! I guess it is because the weather is so uncertain here and that itself makes it quite interesting topic of conversation. Sometime when you are in jolly good mood you tend to find it quite amusing and start laughing out loud when it starts to pour just when the weather reporter on news channel is dancing around the screen saying how bright and sunny day it’s going to be! One thing I learnt through hard lesson is you must never contradict anybody when discussing the weather, as this is considered to be very bad etiquette. Even if it is snowing outside and someone says, “Nice weather, isn’t it?” you must reply, “Yes, it is!”

Is the weather a topic of discussion a global thing? I mean, is it only here that we talk about the weather or is it the same all around the world? I don’t remember weather being a topic for conversation back in India, well not to this extent! With the continuing rise in global warming and its impact on the weather pattern, we have become more aware of the change in weather condition and it has never been so important. Talking about it can not be considered as just a way of passing the time of the day anymore.

The weather to some extent controls our moods and activities (at least in my case). And for me it is very evident when it comes to food! Well, it’s not some kind of story I am cooking up. Many a times I have noticed that the weather influences my cooking. When it’s dark, gloomy and cloudy, I take out the bright coloured vegetables and fruits with colourful lentils to cook with. When it’s sunny and bright, I go for fresh and crisp vegetables and fruits with very little spices to jazz it up. May be I am crazy to some extent (oh crap, don’t tell me I am one gone case ;). While writing this, I just peepd out of the window and unfortunately its one of that gloomy weather here. May be I need some coloured peppers to jazz up tonight’s dinner and my mood ;)

Well, on rare summery days of my part of the world I cooked this delicious pot of Baby Corn and Green Peas Curry. Unlike my previous Creamy Baby Corn & Baby Carrot Masala, this one is bit dry and goes well with any Roti or Poori or Chapatti or as a side dish to any rice items. If you like crispiness of baby corns and sweetness of fresh green peas, then this is a curry for you. Crisp and crunchy baby corn and sweet peas are cooked with very little spice blend to retain its own taste. Addition of tomatoes gives it mild note of tanginess and onions give it sweet touch. This dish goes to Maninas who is guest hosting this week's WHB that is initiated by dear Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen fame.

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Baby Corn & Green Peas Masala
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: 4-5

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Ingredients:
15-20 Baby Corns, cut vertically and chopped to 1 inch pieces
1 cup Green Peas, fresh/frozen
1 medium Onion, very finely chopped
2 large Tomatoes, finely chopped
2 Green Chillies, slit
1 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1-2 tsp Sugar (Adjust acc to taste)
1 tsp Garam Masala
½ tsp Kitchen King Masala (Optional)
½ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ tsp Aamchur/Dry Mango Powder
1 tsp Kasuri Methi/Dried Fenugreek Leaves
1 tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
1-2 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Baby Corn and Green Peas Curry

Method:

Cook baby corns in enough water with turmeric and salt to taste for about 7-10 mins. Baby corns should be fork tender and still retain their crunch. Drain and keep them aside. Save 1 cup of water in which baby corn is used for later.
Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. When it starts to sizzle add finely chopped onions.
Sauté the onions till it turns translucent, about 1-2 mins, on a medium flame. Now add slit green chilli, ginger-garlic paste and sauté it for another minute or so till the raw smell of ginger-garlic paste disappears.
Add garam masala, kasuri methi, kitchen king masala and sauté it over a low flame for about 30 secs to 1 min till the raw smell of spices disappears. Now add finely chopped tomatoes and cook till they become pulpy. Add sugar, amchur powder and mix well.
Mix in cooked baby corn, green peas, ½ cup of water saved from cooked baby corn and mix well. Cover and cook for another 5-10 mins till all the flavours blend well. Add little water in between making sure that curry doesn’t stick to pan.
Squeeze in fresh lime juice, chopped coriander leaves and mix well and serve hot with any roti or rice of your choice.

Baby Corn and Green Peas Curry

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Note:

Other Baby Corn Recipes blogged so far

• Baby Corn & Baby Carrots Masala
• Baby Corn Manchurian

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Reminder:

MBP-Street Food ends on 24th of June, 2008. Start patrolling the blogs and cook your favourite Street Food that your tummy begs and heart desires and spread link love.

Deadline: 24th June, 2008

Please go through the guidelines and include all the required information in your post and mail when sending me your entry. Don't forget to add Your Name, Your Blog Name, Name of the Dish you cooked, Perm Link of the entry, Perm Link of original recipe along with the gorgeous Photo of final dish.

Click Here or on the logo to find out more information on this event.

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Cooking with Babies: Baby Corn & Carrot Masala

Baby Corn & Carrot Masala with Aloo Parathas

Every time I come back from India I kind of go under emotional roller coaster ride. There you are, surrounded by your loved ones at any odd time of the day or night sipping a cup of filter Kaapi and talking about everything under this sky and it feels like time just flies without you knowing. And here you are, with only your partner to talk to (that to when he is not busy giving bubble bath to love of his life Lajjo Rani (don’t fret, its our car I am referring to) or jumping up and down like crazy guy while stuck to idiot box watching football or cricket (I call it kiri-kiri meaning irritating)). There you are, eating all wonderful food cooked by every other person other than you and hardly required to move your big fat ass. Here you are, fretting over what to cook everyday and arguing whose turn to empty the waste bin. There you are, just required to walk few steps to eat your heart’s content and yet pay few pennies. Here you are, travel miles together to eat at reasonably good restaurant and end up lightening your wallet and half full stomach. Ah!!! Some pleasures of staying away from home!!!!!!

While still recovering from jet lag (I blame my Boss for making me go to office very next day we landed here and now you know why I’ve not been able to blog hop these days. Bhohoo) all we have been eating is Ganji with Ghee and Pickle or just plain Curd Rice. Well, I am not really complaining here. All we wanted after eating the food served on flight was just simple ones as our taste buds were not ready to volunteer as a guinea pig in anymore of laboratory testing. So it was only during weekend after sleeping till noon that we finally managed to eat something other than simple Comfort Food. With big batch of Aloo Parathas I had cooked and tucked in the freezer before leaving to India, we had to just worry about some simple curry to serve. Well, not exactly simple when it comes to taste department. This delicious Baby Corn-Carrot Masala in creamy gravy of onion, tomato and cashews is what we enjoyed with Aloo Parathas. Very tender Baby Corn and Baby Carrots from Farmer’s Market are the highlights of this yummilicious Curry which simply retains is crunchiness and sweet taste even when cooked with spices. And another addition to this gravy is my ever favourite Kitchen King Masala and Kasuri Methi (Dried Fenugreek Leaves) which enhances its taste. Do try this Curry of Tender Baby Corns and Baby Carrot fingers simmered in rich gravy of sweet onions, tangy tomatoes and flavourful cashews and well balanced spices which is sure to awaken all your senses.

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Baby Corn & Carrot Masala (Veggies cooked in Creamy Gravy of Onion, Tomato and Cashew)
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Serves: 4-5

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Ingredients:
15-20 tender Baby Corn, cut into fingers
10-12 Baby Carrots/ 2-3 medium Carrots
1 medium Onion, finely chopped
2-3 Green Chillies, slit (Adjust acc to taste)
1 tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
½ tbsp Kasuri Methi/Dried Fenugreek Leaves
1 tbsp Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
¼ tsp Turmeric Powder
½ tbsp Oil/Ghee

Baby Corn & Baby Carrots

For Ground Masala:
1 small Onion, quartered
3 large Tomatoes, blanched in hot water and peeled/1 canned Chopped Tomato
2-3 cloves of Garlic
¾ -1 inch Ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2-3 Dry Red Chilli (I used Byadagi for Colour, adjust acc to taste)
¾ -1 tsp Garam Masala
½-1 tsp Kitchen King Masala
½ tsp Amchur/Dried Mango Powder (Optional)
½ tsp Jeera/Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Coriander Seeds
1 tsp Sugar
10-12 Cashews

Baby Corn & Carrot Masala

Method:

Grind all the ingredients listed above from onion to cashews to smooth paste without adding any water and keep it aside.
Cook Baby Corn and Baby Carrots with turmeric powder and salt to taste in enough water for about 5-6 minutes till they are fork tender. Drain and reserve the water.
Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds to it. When cumin starts to sizzle, add finely chopped onion and slit chillies and sauté on medium flame till it turns golden brown.
Now add ground paste, Kasuri Methi and sauté it continuously for about 2-3 minutes on medium to low flame till raw smell of masala disappears.
Mix cooked Baby Corn and Carrots. Add reserved water as and when required to get required gravy consistency. Simmer and cook for another ten minutes for all the flavours to blend well.
Mix finely chopped coriander leaves before serving it with Chapatti, Roti or Paratha of your choice and enjoy this creamy goodness.

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Baby Corn Manchurian

Have I mentioned that I'm a lover of Indo-Chinese Food? Oh yes, I am and so is my better half when it comes to Manchurian:) Although its a uses Chinese ingredients, Manchurian is an Indian creation and has become part and parcel of many fast food joints in India. Even in five star hotels it's served with glitz and blitz. It has shaped into Indian istyle to match the taste of mass audience.
For me its a comfort food. Although I dont prefer deep fried food and try to avoid cooking them as much as possible, manchurian always managed to change my mind. Combined with my love for manchurian and little persuasion from my hubby(which was unnecessary;) I made Baby Corn Manchurian which I actually brought to make Baby Corn Masala... And it turned out just yummmyyyyyyyy....

Baby Corn Manchurian

Ingredients:
10-12 Baby Corns
3-4 tbsp Flour/maida
1 tbsp Cornflour
1 tsp Dry Red Chilli powder (Adjust acc to taste)
1 inch Ginger, chopped finely
3-4 flakes Garlic, chopped finely
3-4 spring onions, diced
1 small Green Capsicum/Bell pepper,diced
2-3 Green chillies, chopped (Adjust acc to taste)
3 tbsp Tomato Sauce/Ketchup
1 tbsp Soya Sauce
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves,finely chopped
Oil for deep frying
Salt to taste

Crisp 'n Crunchy Baby Corn Manchurian

Method:
In a pan take little oil and fry chopped garlic, chillies and ginger.
To this add Capsicum and saute it for 1-2 minutes.
Add Spring Onions, Coriander leaves,tomato sauce and soyasauce(if you want it to be more spicier add chilli sauce)
Cut Baby Corns length wise and keep aside.
Make a little thick batter with maida, cornflour, chilli powder, salt with water.
Coat the baby corn with the batter and then deep fry at medium flame till they turns golden brown.
Drain them in paper towel to remove excess oil.
Add the fried babycorns with the sauce you have prepared and mix well.
Garnish them with chopped coriander leaves and greens of spring onion and serve hot.

Baby Corn Manchurian

Final Verdict:
Baby Corn Manchurian turned out much better than my expectation. It was crisp, crunchy, saucy, spicy and delicious...Mama mia... Me n my hubby felt that we should have brought another pack of baby corns:( May be next time we will:)

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