Pomegranate Spring Onions Raita

Chilled Pomegranate Spring Onions Raita tastes heavenly in Indian summers.  It can be served with rice, stuffed parantha, parantha and curry, or as a side dish.

Ingredients

2 cup curd/Yogurt

½ cup fresh pomegranate seeds

½ cup juice of pomegranate seeds

2 spring onions, finely chopped green part and white part

¼ teaspoon black salt

1 tablespoon sugar

Method

Beat the curd so that it becomes smooth in texture.

Add sugar and black salt in curd.  Mix it well.

Add pomegranate seeds, juice, and spring onions (keep aside few pomegranate seeds and finely chopped green part of onion for garnishing) in curd.

Mix it well.

Pour the raita in a serving bowl.
Garnish with pomegranate seeds and finely chopped green part of spring onions.

Keep it in a fridge.

Serve chilled

Bhindi Masala (Spicy Okra/Ladies Finger)

Ingredients

500 gms Bhindi/Okra

2 onion, sliced

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon ajwain/thymol seed

A pinch of asafetida

½ teaspoon red chili powder

½ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon cumin seed powder

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon coarsely grinded fennel seed

½ teaspoon amchoor (raw & dry mango) powder

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon Vegetable oil

Method

Cut all Bhindi/Okra into two lengthwise and then cut into 1” long pieces.

Heat oil in Kadhai/Wok.

Add asafetida.

Add Ajwain/thymol seeds.

Add onion and stir fry it to golden.

Add turmeric powder.

Add Okra and salt.

Mix them well with the oil.

Cover the Kadhai with a lid.

Cook it over a slow flame for 7-8 minutes.

Open the lid and stir the Okra.

Add coriander powder, garam masala, amchoor powder, red chili powder, cumin seed powder and fennel seed powder in the Okra.  Mix it well.

Now cook it over a slow flame, uncovered, for about 15 minutes or until the stickiness of Bhindi/Okra will disappear and the whole dish will become little roasted.  Keep stirring from time to time. 

Pour it in a serving dish.

Serve with parantha and any Indian curry.

Cordia/labede/gunda ki sabzi

In India cordia is known by different names in different places.  In Rajasthan, North India, it is known as Lasode or Labede. Whereas it is called as Gunda in Gujarat. 

Cordia/Labede is used as a key ingredient in making pickle in many parts of India and it is very delicious.

My wife makes a spicy and delicious sabzi (dish) of Cordia.  Cordia is boiled and de-seeded.  Then stir fried with oil and dry masalas over low flame for about  30-40 minutes.  Cordia is a very sticky vegetable.  Its stickiness disappears while cooking on a slow flame for a long time.  It can be made in a large amount and kept in the refrigerator. It can be then reheated and consumed within a week.

Ingredients

500 gm Cordia/Labede/Lasode/Gunda

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

½ teaspoon cumin seed

A pinch of asafetida

½ teaspoon red chili powder

½ teaspoon garam masala

½ teaspoon coriander powder

½ teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon coarsely grinded fennel seed

½ teaspoon amchoor (raw & dry mango) powder

Salt to taste

1 ½ tablespoon Vegetable oil

Method

Remove the stem from Cordia / Labede.

There are two ways on how to proceed from here.

You can either boil them in water till they become soft. (This is the traditional way of doing it)

Then remove from water.

Or

You can place all the cordia / labede in a plastic bag and microwave them for about 7-8 minutes on high power. (With this method, roasting the cordial / labede will take less time in the later stage, as the cordial will not absorb extra water in the microwave).

Cool all the cordia / labede at room temperature.

De-seed all the cordia / labede. For this, press the each cordia / labede with your right hand thumb and first two fingers.  The seed along with a sticky glue-like substance will automatically come out of cordial / labede.

Now heat the oil in a Kadhai/wok.

Add asafetida.

Add cumin seeds.

Add turmeric powder.

Add all the de-seeded cordia /labede and salt.

Mix them well with the oil.

With the help of a spatula, lightly crush all the cordia /labede.

Cover the Kadhai with a lid.

Cook it over a slow flame for 7-8 minutes.

Open the lid and stir the cordia / labede.

Add all the masala in the cordia / labede and mix it well.

Now cook it over a slow flame, uncovered, for about 40 minutes or until the stickiness of cordia / labede will disappear and the whole dish will become little roasted and of golden color.  Keep stirring from time to time.  

Pour it in a serving dish.

Serve with parantha and any Indian curry.

Arbi Amritsari

Arbi Amritsari is a very popular snack of Punjab made from Arbi (colocasia roots).  It can be serve as a starter/snacks or as a side dish with dinner.

Ingredients

500 gms Arbi (colocasia roots) (boiled& peeled)

50 gm besan/chickpea flour/Bengal gram flour
1 teaspoon oil for roasting besan

50 gm Corn flour

50 gm Breadcrumbs

½ teaspoon red chili powder
½  teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon  garam masala
½  teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon chat masala

½ teaspoon ajwain (thymol seeds)

½ teaspoon cumin seeds powder

½ teaspoon ginger paste

½ teaspoon garlic paste

2 teaspoon lime juice
½ tablespoon oil for marination

Oil for frying

Method

Press all arbi a little with the help of your palm.
sprinkle some salt and half of the lime juice over the arbi and mix gently.

Heat the oil in a Kadhai/Wok.

Roast besan till golden.

In a dish mix corn flour,  breadcrums, besan, salt, red chilli powder,  cumin seed powder, garam masala, coriander powder, turmeric, chat masala, ajwain,  oil, lemon juice and ginger garlic paste.  Mix it well
If this paste is too thick, add little water and make it smooth so that it can be coated over all the arbi.

Coat each arbi with the above mixture properly.

Keep all arbi aside to marinate for about 1 hour.

Heat the oil in a Kadhai/wok.

Deep fry all arbi to golden from all sides.

Pour them in a serving dish.

Serve while hot with a tomato ketchup or green chutney.(recipe : Green Chutney)