Vangibhat with daliya (cracked wheat/bulgar with eggplant)

Vangibhat or eggplant rice is a very popular dish from South Indian state of Karnataka. Now, it is prepared in Andhra Pradesh and Tamilnadu also. Usually it is rice cooked along with eggplant and special masala. Vangibhat masala is available in stores. But freshly made masala flavor is different. There are many recipes to make the masala. In this recipe, I used minimum ingredients, so that, eggplant flavor dominates!

As diabetics try to eat less rice and try other alternatives to rice, I thought of making vangibhat with daliya. The same can be tried with quinoa also.

Daliya is cracked wheat, available in many Indian stores. Bulgar, which is easily available in USA, is also an equivalent. Daliya/bulgar can be cooked in a pressure cooker or on open heat.

Very tender eggplant tastes good for vangibhat.

Ingredients:

•      1 cup daliya (wheat ravva)
•      6 to 8 vankayalu (baigan/eggplant)
•      1 red chile
•      1/2 tsp. turmeric
•      2 Tbsp. chana dal
•      3 Tbsp. urad dal
•      2 Tbsp. coriander seeds
•      Pinch of hing
•      3 Tbsp. dry grated coconut
•      Salt to taste
•      4 tsp. oil
•      Few curry leaves

Directions:

1.      Roast red chile and chana dal without oil, in a pan.
2.      Add urad dal and coriander seeds
3.      Roast for a few minutes.
4.      When dals are getting brown in color, stop the heat.
5.      Add hing and grated coconut.
6.      Mix well and let the mixture cool.
7.      Clean eggplant and cut them into thin slices.
8.      Cook daliya in a pressure cooker or on open heat.
9.      Fluff it and let it cool.
10.      Grind the dal mixture in a grinder to make a coarse powder.
11.      Place eggplant pieces in a microwave safe bowl, add a spoon of oil and turmeric.
12.      Mix well and microwave for 2 to 3 minutes on high.
13.     Heat oil in a deep pan and add curry leaves and eggplant.
14.     Add dal mixture and mix well.
15.     Add salt and mix well.
16.     Add cooked daliya and stir well.
17.     Reduce heat and let it cook for 8 to 10 minutes, so that daliya gets all the flavors of masala and eggplant.
18.     Add ghee and close the lid.
19.     Turn off heat.
20.     Can be served with carrot raita.

 

Bendakaya with tomatillo subzi (Bhindi/okra with tomatillo)

While I was looking around for Indian recipes using tomatillos, I came across this interesting recipe

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/indian-style-red-velvet-okra-and-tomatillos by author

and vegetable farmer Jack Staub. I  tried making the subzi and to suit to my family taste, I added some more spices.

About tomatillos, In my earlier post http://sitaruchulu.blogspot.com/2014/10/tomatillo-pappu-tomatillo-dal.html all the information is available.

As bhindi is cooked in tomatillos which are rather tangy, the usual stickiness is not there. This is a very good combination of tomatillos and bhindi.


 

 

Ingredients:

•      20 bendakayalu (bhindi)
•      15 to 20 tomatillos
•      2 large tomatoes
•      1 cup onion (chopped)
•      1 or 2 green chile (either slit lengthwise or finely chopped)
•      1 Tbsp. ginger (grated)
•      1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
•      1/2 tsp jeera seeds
•      1 Tsp. dhania powder (coriander powder)
•      1/4 Tsp. jeera powder (cumin powder)
•      1/2 Tsp. garam masala
•      2 Tbsp. oil
•      1/4 cup water

Directions:

1.       Remove husk and clean tomatillos well in lot of water.
2.      Cut tomatillos into quarters and set aside.
3.      Clean and cut bhindi into half inch long pieces.
4.      Cut tomatoes into small pieces.
5.      Heat oil in a deep pan.
6.      Add jeerra seeds and cook for 2 minutes.
7.      Add onion pieces and turmeric powder.
8.      Stir well, add dhania and jeera powders.
9.      When onions turn transparent, add bhindi and tomatillo pieces.
10.      Keep cooking on medium heat till bhindi turns slightly brown.
11.      Add tomato pieces, green chile pieces and ginger.
12.      Add water, salt and garam masala.
13.     Cook on low heat till bhindi is soft and liquid is evaporated.
14.     Transfer into a serving bowl and garnish with fresh cilantro.
15.     A good side dish to be served along with roti or rice.

 

 

 

Thotakura pulusu (Chaulai saag/Amaranth pulusu)

Thotakura is a very popular leafy vegetable available all over India and in many countries. Some small leaf varieties are easily available in India. Amaranth is available in large sized red and green colored species also. In USA, the red and green color varieties are available in farmers' markets and other Asian stores.

In Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, it is called Chaulai, in Karnataka Harive, in Kerala Cheera, in Tamil Nadu Keerai, in Orissa Khada Saga and in Maharashtra it is called Shravani Maath. Many local recipes are available in different parts of India.

Cooked Amaranth leaves are a good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and folate. They are a complementing source of many dietary minerals also. Cooked leaves are a good source of fiber. Many families are now including leafy vegetables in their daily menus.

In Andhra Pradesh, thotakura pappu (Amaranth dal) and thotakura pulusu are usually prepared. Recipes are available for dry thotakura subzi also. I am giving a recipe for making pulusu, cooking amaranth along with tamarind juice and other seasonings. It can be served with rice or roti.

In USA, large bunches of amaranth are available, whereas, in India, smaller bunches of small leaf thotakura are available. Pictures of both are inserted.

If green mangoes or tender tamarind are available, tamarind juice can be replaced with appropriate amount of green mango or tender tamarind. You may try replacing tamarind by rhubarb also!

Amaranth available in USA:                                                         Thotakura from Andhra Pradesh

 

      


Ingredients:

•      2 to 3 Tbsp. onion chopped
•      1 large bunch of thotakura (Amaranth)
•      2 to 3 green chiles
•      2 Tbsp. tamarind paste
•      1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
•      Pinch of hing (Asafetida)
•      Salt to taste
•      2 to 3 Tbsp. rice flour (as needed)

Seasoning:

•      2 red chiles
•      1 tsp. methi seeds
•      1 tsp. mustard seeds
•      1 tsp. jeera seeds
•      Pinch of hing (Asafetida)
•      4 or 5 pods  garlic (Optional)

Directions:

1.      Clean and cut thotakura into 1/2 inch pieces.
2.      Put onion pieces and thotakura in a deep pan.
3.      Add enough water to cook, maybe just to cover the greens.
4.      Cook till thotakura is tender.
5.      Add green chile, tamarind, turmeric powder, hing and salt.
6.      Keep cooking for 10 minutes.
7.      Mix rice powder in a little water to make a paste.
8.      Add gradually to the pulusu.
9.      Keep stirring so that the rice paste gets mixed and is not lumpy.
10.      Add enough rice flour to get the thickness you like.
11.      Keep stirring and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
12.      Heat oil in a separate pan and add red chiles.
13.      After a minute, add methi, jeera and mustard seeds.
14.      Add hing and add to the pulusu.
15.      Cover and turn off the heat.
16.      If you like, fry garlic pods in oil and add as topping.

Note: I add more rice flour to make thick pulusu. Some people like to make slightly watery pulusu. Depending on the consistency you like, adjust the amount of rice flour. In place of rice flour, you may use besan (chickpea flour) also.




 

Mexican sour gherkin (Sandita) and baby potatoes in bagara masala gravy

Mexican sour gherkins have a name SANDITA!

Mexican sour gherkin are also known as mouse melon or melothria scabra. They are the size of large grapes, look like our kundru (miniature) or doll sized watermelons and taste like cucumber or kundru. This variety is not genetically-modified hybrid developed in laboratories! It is heirloom that has been grown and eaten in Mexico for centuries. A long-lost heirloom, cucamelon has only recently been rediscovered. Now, they are grown in USA and are available in farmer's markets etc during summer. Mexican sour gherkin is mostly used in salads, pickles along with pearl onions etc.

If you are looking for seeds to plant in your garden, you may have to look for "melothria scabra"

 

  

Google search provided some information about its availability in India, though I wonder if it is the same vegetable. Kachri or kachari is a wild variety of cucumbers, and grows wildly in Rajasthani desert. It is supposed to be sour to taste and kachri powder is used in tenderizing meat etc.

 

Last year it was planted in our yard and the fruits were eaten raw from the plant as snack! It almost looks like kundru and also tastes very much like kundru or cucumber. I wanted to make use of this vegetable in making Indian subzi. This year we got quite a few of cucamelons and I got to experiment. You may use the same masala as in the recipe for dondakaya kothinira karam kura also. I am inserting some photos of the climber etc for more information.

This time I made bagara style gravy for the subzi. I included baby potatoes also as both the vegetables looked similar in size!

 

 Sandita on the climber:

 

 

 

Ready for cutting:                                                                                       Cut only partially:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As compared to kundru you can see the size:

 

 

Ingredients:

•      1 cup sandita (Mexican sour gherkin's name)
•      1 cup baby potatoes
•      1/2 cup onions (diced)
•      2 pods garlic
•      2 inch cinnamon stick
•      3 or 4 choti elaichi (green cardamom)
•      2 or 3 laung(cloves)
•      3 Tbsp. oil
•      1/4 Tsp. turmeric
•      1 Tsp. dhania powder
•      1/4 Tsp. jeera powder
•      1 Tsp. chile powder (according to taste)
•      Salt to taste
•      Few curry leaves
•      Cilantro for garnish

Masala:

•      2 Tbsp. peanuts
•      2 tsp. sesame seeds
•      1 Tsp. poppy seeds
•      4 or 5 almonds (soaked and peeled)
•      3 Tbsp. dry coconut powder
•      2 Tbsp. tamarind paste

Directions:

      

1.       Clean sandita and slit them in half, while one end is not cut. 
2.      Roast peanuts in a pan without any oil.
3.      When peanuts are almost roasted, add sesame seeds. Sesame seeds splutter. Use some cover to avoid the seeds flying everywhere!
4.      Add poppy seeds and all the ingredients are fully roasted, turn the heat off.
5.      Add coconut powder.
6.      Add peeled almonds.
7.      Keep stirring for a few minutes.
8.      Let the mixture cool.
9.      Saute sandita in a shallow pan with a spoon of oil. (you may microwave for 2 to 3 minutes on high till they are cooked))
10.      Saute baby potatoes separately in oil. (you may microwave for 2 or 3 minutes till they are cooked)
11.      Set them aside.
12.      Grind onion and garlic to a coarse paste.
13.      Grind the roasted nut mixture with a little water.
14.      Heat oil in a deep pan.
15.      When the oil is hot, add cinnamon, elaichi and laung.
16.      Add curry leaves.
17.      Add onion garlic paste and keep stirring.
18.      When onion paste is translucent, add turmeric, dhania and jeera powder.
19.      Add chile powder.
20.      Keep stirring.
21.      Add cooked sandita and baby potatoes.
22.      Stir well.
23.      Add masala mixture, tamarind paste and more water, if necessary.
24.      Add salt.
25.      Let the whole mixture cook for about 10 minutes.
26.     Turn off the heat.
27.     Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Note: Adding baby potatoes is not necessary. As both the vegetables appear to be same size, they look good and of course, potatoes are hot favorites for a lot of people!!