Natal Plum/ karonda chutney- cooked version

Here is another version of natal plum chutney.This is not in the traditional raw form but is cooked.

Ingredients:

Karonda/ Natal plum- 250 grams (de-seeded) 

Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon 

Asafoetida/hing powder- a pinch

Green chillies- 3 (chopped)

Red chilli powder- 1/2  teaspoon

Sugar- 1/2 teaspoon

Salt- 1 teaspoon

Cooking oil- 1 teaspoon

Method:

Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the cumin seeds to it, when they start spluttering add the green chillies, asafoetida/ hing, red chilli powder, salt and then the karondey/ natal plums. Stir continuously, so as to avoid the mixture from getting burnt or stuck to the vessel. After a few minutes you will notice that the mixture is turning into a pulp, now sprinkle sugar on it and continue to stir it. After a couple of minutes, remove it from flame. This chutney can be preserved in the refrigerator, for a few days without its taste getting affected.

Have it with rice,or rotis or any main dish which needs a tangy,sweet and sour accompaniment!

Dry spices/masaley-stuffed Tindas/Apple gourd/ Indian Baby Pumpkin

Dry spices/masaley-stuffed Tindas/Apple gourd/ Indian Baby Pumpkin

The tinda, also called Indian round gourd or apple gourd or Indian Baby Pumpkin, is a squash-like cucurbit grown for its immature fruit, a vegetable especially popular in South Asia. It is the only member of the genus Praecitrullus. "tinda" is also called "tindsi" in Rajasthan. In Marathi, it is called Dhemase/ ढेमसे.( Wikipedia)

Much as I disliked this vegetable as a kid, I could not escape its frequent appearances at my home, since Tinda is supposed to be a favourite in Punjabi households! Much later, that is after I finished my University level studies, did I discover the joys of consuming tender, stuffed tindas, cooked on a low flame! The trick was to partly steam them before stuffing them- simple!!

Here goes my recipe for you all to try out too. You can take liberties with the stuffing, in the sense that some people enjoy the taste of onion, ginger, garlic paste in it etc., but I have limited myself to using only dry spices.

Ingredients:

Tender tindas- 300 grams

Dry mango powder/ amchoor- 1 tablespoon

Coriander/ dhaniya powder- 2 tablespoon

*Garam masala powder- ½ teaspoon

Salt- ¾ teaspoon

Roasted chickpea powder/ Besan- 1 tablespoon

Red Chilli powder- ½ teaspoon

Cooking oil- 1 tablespoon

Roasted Cumin powder- ½ teaspoon

*Garam masala is a blend of spices like black pepper, black cardamom, cinnamon, clove, green cardamom etc.

Method:

Thoroughly wash and then lightly scrape off the peel/ skin of Tindas. With a fork make a few jabs on the surface of each tinda.

Now, cut off bits of the top and bottom portions of the tindas. Next, make two cuts in a + way from the top,(one vertical and another bisecting horizontal one), but it should stop just before the base of the tinda.

Steam the vegetables for a few minutes or until you can see that they have become semi-soft.

Now, allow the tindas to cool in a tray or big plate. Meanwhile mix all the dry spices and ingredients mentioned above. Carefully with a tiny spoon stuff the tindas in + cut portion. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan or heavy-based steel vessel, then after carefully placing the stuffed tindas in the vessel, allow them to cook on a medium flame; cover the vessel. Take care to occasionally change the tindas contact with the heated surface of the vessel. Turning over the tindas gently and carefully will ensure that they are evenly browned and do not burn.

When they acquire a golden-brown sizzling look, you can remove them from flame and have them with Indian bread/ roti/ naan etc.

Indian Chickpea soup/ Chaney ka shorba

Got this really fantastic recipe from a friend, Bhavesh Shah. Its unique in taste and interesting in composition. Give it a try!

Ingredients:

•   Chickpeas -  1/2 cup (soaked overnight or for 8hours)
•   Big onion - 1  (roughly chopped)
•   Medium sized tomatoes - 2 (roughly chopped)
•   Green chillies- 3
•   Chole/ Chana Masala- 1 teaspoon
•   Garam Masala- 1/2 teaspoon
•   1/4 cup cream or 1/2 cup milk
•   Salt as per taste
•   Ginger-Garlic Paste- 1 teaspoon
•   Light butter- 2 teaspoon
•   Water/vegetable stock- 2 cups
•   Freshly chopped coriander for garnishing- 1 tablespoon

 Method:

       • Pressure cook chickpeas, with a pinch of salt, until soft. Set aside.

       • In a heavy bottomed pan, heat butter. Splutter cumin seeds. Add 

          onions& tomatoes along with green chillies, ginger-garlic paste. 

          Sauté for a couple of minutes.

         Add Choley Masala & saute until the onions & tomatoes are soft &

         mushy. Set aside & allow it to cool.

      • Blend together chicikpeas & the onion tomato mixture until smooth.

      • Strain into a soup pot. Add 2 cups of water/vegetable stock & heat it

  

       gently. Add Garam Masala, Salt to taste & cream. Simmer for about 10

 

       minutes on low heat.

 
       • If using milk instead of cream, reduce the amount of water/

         vegetable stock.        

      • Garnish with fresh coriander & serve hot

Raw mango drink ya kairie ka pana- Beat the heat!!

With mercury soaring in various parts of India, what better than to cool your system with a glass full of chilled aam ka pana! Kairie or  aam or mango is useful in this season, in its raw form too. I know some of you would any day prefer, the ripe fruit to the unripe one, but believe me, a cool glass of this drink does wonders for you, especially if it is delicately spiked with rock salt and fresh green mint leaves!
so how does one prepare this heavenly concoction? Here we go!

Ingredients:


Raw mangoes, medium sized- 3
Rock salt- a pinch
Green mint leaves chopped- 1 tablespoon
Sugar- 1/2 cup (or more if you like)
Cumin ( jeera) seeds roasted and powdered- 1 teaspoon

Method:
You can either roast or steam/ boil the mangoes , without peeling them. If pressure cooked, they are done with 3-4 whistles of the cooker. Let them cool and then gently remove the peels. Scrape the kairi/ mango pulp out with a knife and then make a purée of it by adding sugar and mint leaves.
Now add about a litre of chilled water to this mixture , add  the rock salt and sprinkle the cumin powder on top.
There! Your fantastic summer drink is ready!