Bitter gourd stir fry

This is my first blog of the decade (that statement seems really heavy!!!) One of my new year resolutions for the year has been to eat healthy and also add new receipes to our cuisine. I intend to blog about all my experiments in my kitchen in this regard and publish all the successful ones (hope there will be many). My theme about quick n'easy n' healthy ways of cooking continue! I intended to redo my blog template before my first update for the decade but well, life got in the way.

Here's to a very healthy 2010 and the decade to come!

Ingredients


■1 medium sized bitter gourd
■2 green chilies thinly sliced
■1/4 tsp turmeric powder
■3/4 tsp red chilli powder
■Salt to taste
■grated coconut
■a few curry leaves
■1 cup thinly sliced onions
■1/4 tsp mustard seeds
■2 tbsp oil

Method

Cut the bitter gourd into half length wise. Slice along the width of the pieces as thin as you can get.
Place the bitter gourd , coconut, curry leaves and the sliced green chilies in a bowl, add the turmeric and chilli powders and salt and mix well. Keep the mixture aside for about 15 minutes.

In a shallow frying pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and add the mustard seeds and let these splutter add the onions. Fry till the onions turn brown. Add the marinated bitter gourd mixture and stir well.

Reduce the heat, and cover the pan with a tight fitting lid. Cook for about 5 minutes covered.

Remove the lid, turn up the heat, add the fried onions and mix well. Stir fry on high heat till the mixture is well browned.

The spicy bitter gourd stir fry goes best with rice and a light gravy. I love it the best with rice and plain yogurt.

Beetroot & Orange Salad

The inspiration for this interesting salad was from our recent trip to Tanzania. They served this for lunch and we absolutely loved it. The unique blend of the flavors of the sweetness of beetroot and the sour-sweet orange makes this salad quite flavorful. Unfortunately, I did not get the exact receipe from the chef so I trusted my sense of taste and smell to guess the contents. And of course, I added my touch!


Ingredients:
•1beetroot
•1 orange
•1 tbsp olive oil
•Handful fresh coriander

1.Wash the beetroot, scrub to remove any mud. Immerse it in water and boil in microwave for 15-20 mins or until tender. (Cooked beetroot keeps in the fridge for about 3 days, if in a sealed container.) Immerse in cold water and drain. Then slice into small cubes.
2.Peel the orange. Cut it in half. Separate the segments, removing the pips. Or, slice into rounds.
3. Combine the beetroot and orange. Add olive oil and mix well. Add salt and ppper to taste

4.Optional: You may also add finely chopped coriander.

Rajma Curry

The receipe was given by my collegue at work, Rita. She brought Rajma chawal for lunch one day and I totally flipped for it. Thanks a lot to her for sharing the receipe, though I have tried to make it as close to what the receipe says, I maintain that it still is not the same as hers. Anyways, my quest for the perfect rajma continues.

1 cup rajma beans
2 medium onions, finely chopped
6 to 8 garlics pods
2 green chilies
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
½ teaspoon haldi
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp dhania jeera powder
1 tsp. garam masala
2 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
Oil
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Wash the rajma seeds and soak in water overnight. Then pressure cook for 30 minutes. Don’t keep in the cooker for too long else they will become soft.
2. Finely chop onions, garlic, ginger and green chillies. Heat oil in a pan, fry the same.and let it brown.
3. When the onions are nearly brown, put in a teaspoon of garam masala and let it brown with the onions and garlic
4. Once the onions are browned, put in all the masalas (turmeric, chilli powder, dhania powders and let it getl golden brown. (Keep the stove on low else the masala will burn)
5. Now add chopped tomatoes and fry for another 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are tender.
6. Add boiled rajma and salt to the tomato mixture and allow to cook for 5 to 10 minutes.
7. Eat with plain white rice or parathas…