Veg – Page 4

Bitter Gourd Gravy / Pavakkai Kulambu

CookTime :30 Min | Servings : 2 Persons

Bitter Gourd Gravy / Pavakkai Kulambu

This is one of the kongunadu specialty recipes. Bitter gourds also known as bitter melons have lot of health benefits. Many won’t eat bitter gourd coz of it’s bitter taste, but if not for the taste it should be consumed once in a while for it’s health benefit. They are used in purifying blood tissues and helps in digestion and have lot more other health benefits. In Indian ayurvedic treatments, they are used to treat diabetics since they have insulin. I love bitter gourd fry which my mom makes as they are cooked in ghee and reduces the bitter taste a little. I also like this bitter gourd gravy which we often make at our houses. I added little sugar to the gravy recipe to slightly balance the bitter taste. Adjust the sugar or skip it if you don’t want it.
Bitter Gourd Gravy / Pavakkai Kulambu
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Beetroot Fry / Beetroot Poriyal

Cook Time :20 Min | Servings : 2 Persons

Beetroot Fry / Beetroot Poriyal
I have been having this in my drafts for a while. Not much to say about it, it’s our day today life cooking of a simple beetroot fry. It’s the the way we do at our house from kongunadu. Probably, every one does it in the similar way I guess.

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Blueberry Pancake

Cook Time :20 Min | Servings : 2 Persons

Blueberry pancake with blueberry syrup.

Breakfast is an essential meal of the day and should never be skipped. We wake up after 8 hrs and the last you have eaten is probably 10 hrs back and your body needs that energy to keep going.
Research says, people who tend to skip breakfast work slower than the one who has had breakfast.
When we get up from bed our body metabolism will be very low, after we eat breakfast it raises to a level, we need to keep this level constant through out the day with short snack at 11, lunch in the noon, another short snake at 4 and then proper dinner with the balanced calorie . When there’s a constant intake of food in regular intervals the body burns fat rather than burning muscle. If we eat in regular intervals with the necessary amount of calories for a day, we burn 1/4 pound of fat a week without doing any exercise, which is 1/2 kg a month.
Here’s a simple blueberry pancake recipe for breakfast. Pancakes are like Indian flat rice flour dosa but made with all purpose flour instantly. Pancakes are accompanied with Pancake syrup.
I love blueberries, that’s why you see most of my recipes with blueberry. The following is a blueberry Pancake with light pancake syrup.

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Cabbage Fry / Muttaikose Poriyal

Cook Time :20 Min | Servings : 2 Persons

Cabbage Fry / Muttaikose Poriyal
A simple fry which is commonly taken with white rice, Curd rice and Sambar. This recipe is a version without coconut, normally we add fresh grated coconut.

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Spicy Fried Lentil Curry / Dal Fry

Cook Time :40 Min | Servings : 3 Persons

Dhal fry is a very famous north Indian dish. Normally called as, ‘Tadka dhal Fry’ meaning seasoned lentil fry, seasoning the cooked dhal. It is served in most of the Indian restaurants. Any dhal varieties can be used to cook this dish. In a typical south Indian family, dhal will be cooked at least once a week. Dhal is rich in nutrients. When I was a kid, I remember harvesting dhal from our farms. They will be mixed with red soil and kept covered in the floor ( not sure, why ) for 1 or 2 days, cleaned thoroughly and cooked. Dhal with shells on is rich in fiber, my grand mother never split them before cooking.
If the cooked dhal turns out too thick, add little hot water to get your required consistency. Season the cooked dhal 5 min before serving, for a better taste. Add a little ghee to give it that extra taste. I became a fan of dhal fry since I started working.

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Flat bread stuffed with sweetened lentils / Opputu / Puran Poli

Cook Time :40 Min | Servings : 3 Persons

One of the authentic ways of cooking Obbutu at Kongunadu. Opputu is how we call it at my house, first time hearing is it ? During local festivals at temples, when we all get together we used to make this at my granny’s place. I am not sure how this name came about, but I will surely enquire. We often make it with channa dhal filling, but sometimes we do replace them with coconut sugar fillings. Both tastes good, but I am an avid fan for coconut stuffing than channa dhal.
I used to bug my mom to prepare this very often at home, since it required some process my mom used to buy me from a famous shop near my house. I am crazy about it. At least 4 times a month I bug my mom to get it for me. Sometimes I finish it all without leaving the traces.. he he he…. Later on they closed that shop.I was very much disappointed, after all it was a great loss for me. Never had the coconut stuffing after that. Should ask my mom to start the quest to find the best shop, when I go home next time, I would bug her to get me every day. he he he ….

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Curd Semiya / Thayir Semiya

Cook Time :20 Min | Servings : 3 Persons

One of the Kongunadu recipes. These days there are very few marriages at my place without curd semiya, quite famous among kids too. Some people add rice to it and some cook semiya in the normal procedure and add curd to it. We use home made curd which we freshly prepared from the milk we get from our farms. It would be thick, creamy and with slight natural sweetness. Curd with white rice would be our last meal in our lunch for sure. I miss the fresh homemade ones here .. We add pomegranate to curd rices and semiya. In this procedure, tempering can be skipped. It can be severed as it is or cold. You can see the tips to make home made curd in US here.

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