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Sunday 31 August 2014

Bottle gourd stir fry


Bottle gourd stir fry is quick and easy side dish and goes well with rice and rasam or sambhar. This stir fries do not need too many ingredients to cook either and Bottle gourd is very healthy food for everyone.





Ingredients for Bottle gourd stir fry:

2 cups Bottle gourd chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 green chillis
1 stem curry leaves
2 med Tomatoes chopped
1/2 tsp Red chilly powder
A pinch turmeric powder
Salt to taste 

To prepare Bottle gourd stir fry:

1. Wash and peel the skin of the bottle gourd and chop to bite sized pieces
2.Heat oil in a wide heavy bottomed pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, when they begin to crackle add curry leaves and green chilis and fry for a while.
3. Add the bottle guard, sprinkle salt and turmeric.
4. Fry on a medium to high flame for 3 to 5 mins, keep stirring to prevent burning till bottle guard cooked 80%. Add tomatoes, red chilli powder, coriander powder mix well and cook till it is fully cooked.
5. Serve hot with rice and rasam or sambhar. Even u can serve this with white rice and Ghee.

Tips / Notes:

  • U can add ginger garlic paste for this stir fry it taste yummy.
  • U can add Onion before adding the Bottle gourd this will give light different taste and flavor.
  • Adjust spice and salt level as per your requirement.
  • I make my stir fries always on the high flame so that I can cook faster. To prevent burning I always use heavy bottomed pan. If you are not using a heavy bottomed pan, cook on a medium flame else your veggie can be burnt.

Health Benefits of Bottle Guard:

  • Aids digestion
  • Great for weight loss
  • Helps treat urinary disorders
  • Refreshes you during summers
  • Prevents heart disease
  • Reduces stress

So try this recipe and write back to us…We love to hear from you.

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Easy Stuffed Eggplant Curry - Gutti Vankaya Koora


Easy Stuffed Eggplant Curry - Gutti Vankaya Koora. It is usually made with tender, short and round egg plants (brinjal) be it a white or green or purple (your choice of color) the taste is pure fiery heaven. There are many ways of making this curry, but this is my own easy recipe and for this I am adding stuffed potatoes to give a light twist so that even children can enjoy this recipe and its our family favorite recipe too. A part from its wonderful taste, this recipe provides a very healthy meal, as it is loaded with protein packed peanuts. A good reason to make this dish more often in every ones house.













Ingredients for Easy Stuffed Eggplant Curry - Gutti Vankaya Koora:

1/4 kg Eggplants : 1/4 kg
4 to 6 Potatoes / Bangala Dumpa 
1/4th cup Roasted Penut
1 tsp Red chilli powder
1 & 1/2tsp Coriander powder
1 tsp Ginger Garlic paste
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
Salt as per Taste
2 tbsp Olive Oil

To prepare Easy Stuffed Eggplant Curry - Gutti Vankaya Koora:

1. Dry roast the Peanuts and bring it to room temperature. (To avoid this step and fasten the process, dry roast the peanuts as soon as get it from the shop. Then after bringing them to room temperature, store them in airtight container and use whenever its required.) 
2. Grind the masala by adding Roasted Peanuts, Red chilli powder, Coriander powder, Ginger Garlic paste, Turmeric Powder and salt by adding less water. 
3. Wash the eggplants and Potatoes and make a plus shape slit and stuff them with the ground masala. 
4. Heat oil in cooker and add the stuffed eggplants and Potatoes. Cook for 2 min then turn all the eggplants and potatoes to cook other side too.
5. Then add remaining ground masala paste and required amount of water to it. Cover with lid and cook for two wishels. 
6. Open the lid, adjust the taste and cook it further for 2 mins.
7. Easy Stuffed Eggplant and Potato Curry_Gutti Vankaya Koora with Bangala Dumpa is ready to serve. Serve it with roti, chapati or with white rice.

Tips / Notes :


  • Adjust the spice and salt level as per your requirement.
  • U can add Tamarind extract to get tangy taste.
  • U can add onion too while grinding masala to get onion spice stuffed brinjal and potato curry.
  • U can add fried sesame seeds while grinding masala to get different flavor.


Health Benefits 

Eggplants:
1. Eggplant is very low in calories and fats but rich in soluble fiber content.
2. Eggplant is effective to control high blood cholesterol.
3. The peel or skin (deep blue/purple varieties) of aubergine has significant amounts of phenolic flavonoid phyto-chemicals called anthocyanins. Scientific studies have shown that these anti-oxidants have potential health effects against cancer, aging, inflammation, and neurological diseases.
4. This vegetable is an also good source of minerals like manganese, copper, iron and potassium. 

Potatoes :
1. Potatoes are nutrient-dense, meaning you receive many nutrients for the amount of calories they have. 
2. The fiber is half soluble, half insoluble, so it helps to keep you regular and helps to lower cholesterol. And slowing down digestion helps to keep you full longer

So try this recipe and write back to us…We love to hear from you.

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How to Preserve Green Chillies Fresh more than a month .... Kitchen Basics


Sabjiwala In India depending on how often you bought from him or how well you knew him,  for less price would hand you some green chillies, kadipatta, cilantro, a small piece of ginger and if you haggled enough, he might throw in a  lemon too. Some time we get more cilantro or kadipatta, in addition to a lemon, as a reward of loyalty if buy on a daily basis. 

No Sabjiwala in the Indian grocery store or Mustaffa. Just open bins with produce or  packed in plastic covers. No mix and match either. I don't shop every week either. So my green chillies need to last between 4 to 5 weeks. I don't like to freeze green chillies as I feel they lose their flavor.  I prefer the fresh green chillis. 








Ingredients required to Store Green chillies :

Fresh Green Chillies
Paper towel
Plastic container / ziploc cover 

To Store Green chillies :


  • Snap off the stem and discard it. At this stage discard the brownish or spoiled green chillies too.
  • Take a plastic container place paper towel and put green chillies and cover with one more paper towel before closing the lid (to avoid getting more moisture) then refrigerate them. Or wrap them in paper towels, put them in a ziploc cover and  refrigerate them.
  • Green chillis are ready to stay fresh for more than a month. Mean while in between check for any browning and spoilage to discard but I no longer waste as many chillies as I did earlier.


Tips / Notes:


  • Green chillies are known to have bacteria around the stem. This leads to early spoilage. So as soon as u bring home, snap off and discard the stems.
  • Make sure to wash green chillies before using them for cooking.

Health Benefits of  Green Chillies :


  • Green chilies are very rich in Vitamin C, which plays an important role in absorption of other vitamins in the body.
  • They are strong anti-oxidants and prevent against free radicals.
  • Green chilies are rich in dietary fiber which is important for a healthy digestive system.
  • They are rich in Vitamin A, which in turn is very good for your eyes and skin.
  • According to some studies, green chilies are responsible of reduction in blood sugar levels and can be a boon to diabetics.
  • Some studies suggest that Capsaicin, a chemical found in green chilies helps fight against prostrate cancer.
  • Green chilies being good anti-oxidants, are good for skin as they help fight against acne and pimples.
  • Capsaicin can be an anti-depressant as it releases endorphins ( hormones for good mood ) into the brain.
  • Green chilies help prevent lung cancer according to some researches, but there is no solid evidence of it yet.
  • The anti-bacterial property of green chilies help keep our body worm free.


So try this Useful Tips and write back to us…We love to hear from you.

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