Parwal stuffed with onion masala (Pointed gourd stuffed with onion masala subzi)

Parwal is ethnic to India (especially North and East) and is not available elsewhere. It is easily  available in North and Eastern India. Even in South India, it was not available earlier. But, now you find this vegetable occasionally in market. 

Parwal is a seasonal vegetable available in summer months. Parwal is easy to digest and so recommended for patients with weak digestion, jaundice etc.

Many varieties of subzi are made using parwal with different ingredient combinations. Here is a recipe which is less time consuming and very tasty! If you like to add some more spices, you may add garam masala or dhania and jeera powder etc. 

Ingredients:

•      6 or 8 parwal
•      2 medium sized onions
•      3 or 4 pods of garlic (optional)
•      2 Tsp. chile powder
•      Salt to taste
•      3 Tsp. oil

Directions:

1.      Wash and clean parwal.
2.      Cut the parwal in quarter lengthwise, keeping them uncut at one end.
3.      Peel and dice onions.
4.      Peel garlic also.
5.      Coarsely grind onion pieces, garlic, salt and chile powder.
6.      Stuff the slit parwal with the ground masala.
7.      Heat oil in a thick pan.
8.      When oil is very hot, place the parwal in the pan.
9.      Reduce the heat, cover and cook.
10.      To avoid the subzi from burning, sprinkle water frequently.
11.      Keep stirring, taking care not to break the stuffed parwal.
12.      Continue cooking on low heat.
13.      Cook till parwal turn soft to touch.
14.      Stop cooking and transfer to serving dish.

Arati doota/davva pacchadi (Banana stem chutney)

The tender nutritious stem of banana plant is called arati doota or arati davva in Telugu, vazhaithandu in Tamil and thor in Bengali. In many parts of India, arati doota is eaten in subzis, raitas and kootu etc.

Once a bunch of bananas is harvested, the tree is cut away. Outer layers of the stem are peeled away, till you get the tender inner stem. This stem is edible and has a lot of medicinal value. Preparing the doota for subzis etc is a labor intensive process. After peeling the outer layers of the stem, we have to cut the stem into circular discs. While cutting the discs, we have to take out the extra fiber, by taking it on to the right index finger and make circular movement of the finger, while holding the fiber. Repeat the process with the entire stem. Pile some of the discs together and chop them into small cubes. The chopped cubes have to be kept in diluted buttermilk. Otherwise the pieces turn brown. For the chutney in the recipe, the cubes have to be as fine as sawdust. The discs have to be almost paper thin and transparent! It is an art to chop the discs so fine!! I have included quite few photographs of the cutting process.

Arati doota is very good for health as it is low in calories and rich in fiber. It is good for kidneys, keeps blood pressure under control. It is good for kidney stones. It is very beneficial for people who want to lose weight!

       

 

  

                                         






Ingredients:

•      About 8 to 10 inches long  arati doota
•      3 to 4 Tbsp. tamarind paste
•      1 Tsp. turmeric powder
•      Salt to taste

Seasoning:

•      4 or 5 red chiles
•      3 Tsp methi seeds
•      3 Tsp. mustard seeds
•      3 Tsp. sesame seeds
•      2 Tsp, mustard paste
•      Pinch of hing (asafetida)
•      2 Tsp. oil

Directions:

1.      Wash the doota and remove the outside layers. 
2.      Cut the stem into thin discs.
3.      Bunch a few discs at a time and using a sharp knife, chop the discs as fine as possible.
4.      As soon as the doota is chopped, it has to be soaked in buttermilk. Otherwise, the chopped doota gets decolorised.
5.      Roast red chiles without any oil.
6.      In the same pan, roast methi seeds, mustard seeds and sesame seeds.
7.      Grind red chiles, methi and mustard and set aside.
8.      Grind sesame seeds and set aside.
9.      Make thick paste of tamarind.
10.      Grind mustard seeds with a little water and a pinch of turmeric to make a thick paste. Instead, you may use mustard powder, if you have it ready. 
11.      Sieve and squeeze the doota to remove any fluid remaining.
12.      Place in a bowl.
13.      Add turmeric powder, tamarind paste and all the prepared powders.
14.      Mix it thoroughly, add mustard paste. Heat oil and add hing.
15.      Top the doota mixture with the oil. 
16.      Set aside.
17.      Serve after 30 minutes or so.
18.      Tastes very nice with rice.

Mulaga aku podi (Drumstick leaves powder)

Drumsticks, which are popular ingredients in sambar, sweet pulusu etc. are commonly cooked in South India. Moringa, drumstick trees are native to Africa and Asia.

Many parts like immature seed pods (mulakkadalu/drumsticks), leaves and flowers of moringa are edible and have a lot of health benefits.

Juice from mulaga aku is believed to have stabilizing effect on BP and sugar levels. It is used to treat anxiety.

The leaves are used to treat diarrhea, dysentery and colitis. Juice of leaves is used as a diuretic.
Leaves and buds are useful as external application also to treat headache and skin infections. Leaves are helpful in killing intestinal worms. Drumstick leaves are supposed to be good protein sources, vitamin C, vitamin A, calcium and potassium. They are power houses of nutrients.

In India, drumstick trees are commonly grown in many places. Mulaga leaves are available in some of the local markets. In USA, Indian stores in many cities sell bunches of drimstick leaves.

In Andhra Pradesh, it is customary to consume the leaves at least once, during the monsoon season! Maybe to ward off stomach infections!!

A lot of recipes are available in Andhra cuisine. Here is a recipe to make mulaga aku powder. It is a good side dish for rice, idli and dosa etc. It is a good idea to include the powder every day as a side dish or as a topping to some subzi etc.!

Ingredients:

•      2 cups mulaga aku
•      A few curry leaves
•      3 Tbsp. chana dal
•      3 Tbsp. urad dal
•      2 Tbsp. dhania (coriander) seeds
•      2 Tbsp. peanuts (optional)
•      Small round ball (as big as ping pong ball) of tamarind
•      4 or 5 red chiles
•      A pinch of hing
•      Salt to taste

Directions:

1.      Wash and clean the drumstick leaves and curry leaves.
2.      Dry the leaves on cloth or in the shade.
3.      Heat a thick pan and dry roast (without any oil) chana dal.
4.      When the dal turns golden brown, transfer the dal to a plate.
5.      Let cool.
6.      Dry roast urad dal and transfer the dal to the same plate.
7.      Dry roast coriander seeds also and transfer.
8.      If adding peanuts, roast them and remove skins.
9.      Roast red chiles without oil.
10.      Add hing to the hot pan and keep for a minute.
11.      Add the hing to the mixture.
12.      Set aside the mixture to cool.
13.      Roast the leaves also without adding oil.
14.      Roast the curry leaves.
15.      Make sure the tamarind does not have any seeds.
16.      Grind the roasted dals etc and add tamarind to the mixture and continue grinding.
17.      When the mixture is coarsely ground, add the roasted leaves.
18.      Add salt.
19.      Keep grinding.
20.      The powder tastes nice when it is coarsely ground.

Aratikaya nuvvupodi kura (Plantain/green banana subzi with sesame powder topping)

Raw green bananas or plantains are commonly grown in the tropical regions of Southeast Asia and Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago (modern Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines) and Northern Australia. They are staple food in these regions. Green bananas have a neutral flavor and texture when the unripe fruit is cooked by steaming, boiling or frying.

An average plantain has about 220 calories and is a good source of potassium and dietary fiber.

Green bananas like their yellow counterpart, are a storehouse of health benefits. A variety of recipes using the green bananas are there. Green bananas are very commonly used in treating diarrhea. They are a popular diabetic diet.

                 

Ingredients:

•      2 plantains (raw bananas)
•      1/2 Tsp. turmeric powder
•      2 Tsp. tamarind paste
•      Salt to taste
•      A few curry leaves

Seasoning:

•      2 Tsp. sesame seeds
•      2 Tsp. dhania seeds (coriander)
•      2 Tsp. chana dal
•      1/2 Tsp, hing (asafetida)
•      2  red chiles
•      1 Tsp. mustard seeds
•      1 Tsp. jeera seeds
•      3 Tsp. oil

Directions:

1.     Wash and peel bananas. (Apply a spoon of oil to your palms, before peeling or dicing bananas).
2.      Dice them in to medium size cubes.
3.      Heat a thick pan.
4.      Add sesame seeds and roast without adding oil.
5.      After roasting for 2 or 3 minutes, add hing.
6.      Turn the heat off.
7.      Transfer to a plate.
8.      Similarly, roast chana dal and coriander seeds and transfer to the plate.
9.      Grind the roasted seeds in to a coarse powder.
10.      Add the banana pieces, turmeric powder and tamarind paste to boiling water.
11.      When the pieces are cooked and soft to touch, remove from heat and strain.
12.      Set aside.
13.      Heat oil in a thick pan. 
14.      Add red chiles, mustard seeds and jeera.
15.      When mustard seeds crackle, add hing.
16.      Add curry leaves.
17.      After cooking for a minute, add the cooked banana pieces.
18.      Add salt and stir well.
19.      Add the ground powder. 
20.      Mix well.
21.      Cover and cook on low heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
22.      Transfer to serving dish and garnish.

Boppasikaya potato kura (Green papaya potato subzi)

Papaya is native to the tropics and easily available in the tropics of Americas, Central America, Mexico and is widely grown in India, Australia, the Philippines and Hawaii etc.

Ripe papaya is usually eaten raw after peeling the skin and removing the seeds. Papaya fruit is a significant source of vitamin C and folate. Papayas have a high amount of pectin.

In traditiona medicine, it is believed that papaya can raise the platelet levels and so papaya is used as a medicine in Dengu fever.  Papaya leaves are believed to be useful in treatment of malaria.

The unripe green fruit can be eaten cooked in many subzis and stews. Here is a recipe to make a tasty subzi with grated papaya, potata and onion.

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Ingredients:

•      1 medium size green papaya
•      2 potatoes
•      1 large onion
•      2 green chiles
•      1/2 Tsp. grated ginger
•      A few curry leaves
•      Salt to taste.

Seasoning:

•      1 Tsp chana dal      
•      1 Tsp. urad dal     
•      1/2 Tsp. mustard seeds    
•      1/2 Tsp. jeera seeds     
•      A pinch of asafetida     
•      2 Tsp. oil

Directions:

1.      Wash and peel papaya.
2.      Cut into half and remove seeds, if there are any.
3.      Grate the papaya pieces.
4.      Wash and peel potatoes.
5.      Cut them into cubes.
6.      Dice the onions.
7.      Heat oil in a thick pan.
8.      Add chana dal, urad dal.
9.      When the dal is getting brown, add mustard seeds and jeera seeds.
10.      When mustard seeds splutter, add hing, green chile pieces and ginger.
11.      Add curry leaves.
12.      Add onion pieces.
13.      When onion pieces are translucent, add the potato pieces.
14.      Keep stirring and cook for 4 to 5 minutes till potatoes are cooked.
15.      Add grated papaya and mix well.
16.      Add salt.
17.      Cover and cook on low heat.
18.      Keep stirring till the papaya is cooked.
19.      Transfer to serving dish.
20.      Makes a good accompaniment for rice and chapati.