Butternut Squash/Pumpkin n Red Gram Curry...

During my days in the YWCA, I used to love some of the curries they made there. Especially their Pumpkin curry with Rice and fried fish. I have tried to attain the same taste level I remember from my days @ the Y, but as it's known, no two people's cooking usually tastes alike. So, I have not got the exact same taste in my curry like the one @ the Y, but somewhat similar. I am sure your curry wouldn't taste the same way the pumpkin curry I'd made tasted. Anyways here goes. I used Butternut Squash this time though. It's very similar, the pumpkin n the butternut squash.

Ingredients:

1: Butternut Squash/ Pumpkin                                       -  1 full cup chopped into medium pieces

2 Red Gram/ green gram (payaru )                                  -1 cup (cooked)

3: Onion                                                                       - 1/4 of a medium onion

4: Green chilly                                                               -2 nos.

5: Mustard                                                                     -1 tsp

6: Red Chilly                                                                  - 2 (cut for garnishing)

7: Salt                                                                           - To taste

8: Curry Leaves                                                            - A sprig( to garnish)

9: Oil                                                                            -4 tbsp

To Grind:

1: Grated coconut                                                       - 1/2 cup

2: Garlic pods                                                             - 2- 3 

3: Cumin seeds                                                           - 1 tbsp

4:  Dry Coriander seeds                                              - 1 tbsp

5: Shallots( small onions)                                            - 2 nos( finely sliced)

6: Curry leaves                                                           - a sprig

7: Turmeric Powder                                                  - 1 tsp

8: Red chilies - 5 nos

Method:

Grind all the second list of ingredients and put aside. Heat a wok/ deep pan and 2 tbsp of oil into the pan/wok and as it warms up add the onion to it. As the onion turns translucent, add the butternut/ pumpkin pieces into it and stir a bit. You can also add the green chilies to the mixture and close the pan with a lid and let the squash/pumpkin cook for 2- 3 minutes. Mix in the cooked red/green gram and stir it all well. Add a little salt to the mixture and let it cook in medium heat until the vegetable pieces start to get tender. Now, add the ground coconut and masala to it, with the required amount of water, check for salt and keep the lid on. Let the curry boil. Before taking off the stove, check if there is enough salt if so turn off the heat.

Heat another pan with 2 tbsp of oil, as the oil heats up, add the mustard seeds. Let them splutter and then add the sliced shallot pieces, the pieces of red chilly and the remaining curry leaves. As it all starts slightly browning take it off the stove and add it to the curry for garnish. You can also add some cilantro/ coriander leaves for garnish.

Now enjoy your Butternut squash/ Pumpkin n beans curry with your rice or Chappathi.

Parippu Vada/ Masala Vada

This is a favorite snack of most South Indians. It has many names I guess. We call it Parippu vada in Kerala my native place. It is made out of Channa Dhaal mainly. You need to soak it in water for 2-3 hours and then grind it along with a few other ingredients before cooking.

 Ingredients:

1: Channa dhaal/ Kadala Parippu                                      - 2-3  cups( washed n soaked for 2-3 hrs )

2: Dry red chilly                                                                 -8-10 numbers

3: Curry leaves                                                                 -2- 3 sprigs

4: Ginger:                                                                         - one small piece( not necessary)

5: Asafoetida/ Hing/Perunkaayam/ kaayam                        - 2 tbsp

6: Fennel seeds/ Perum jeerakam/Sombu                          -3 tbsp

7:Salt                                                                               - 2 tbsp or as required

 Grind:

Coarsely grind all the above ingredients without adding any water.

 To Cut and mix in:

1: Onion:                                                                                    -1 whole onion, finely cut

2: Cilantro/coriander leaves:                                                         -1/2 a bunch, cut                     

3: Curry leaves                                                                              1 sprig, cut


Add all these into the ground mixture and check for salt.

To Fry:

 Heat enough oil in a deep pan for frying. As the oil comes to boil, take a little of the Vada mixture and ball it, then flatten it out like small cookies and drop one by one into the oil for frying. As one side slightly browns, turn all the Vadas to the other side for cooking. The finished product would be golden to dark brown. This spicy vada goes well with tea or coffee, especially on a rainy day..enjoy.

Yoghurt curry/Mor Kuzhambu/ Moru curry

My son loves this curry. It's hard to make him take plain yogurt with rice usually, but if it's mixed in as with this curry with, along with any vegetable that goes with it, he would want it until it gets over. He really loves this yogurt curry. See if you might like it too.


Ingredients:

1:  Cabbage/ green plantain/potato/okra                         -  cut to pieces,1 cup

2: Onion                                                                       -1/2 a medium onion

3: Uraad Dhaal / Black gram                                        - 4 tbsp

4: Curry leaves                                                            - a sprig

5: Dry red chilly                                                            -2 in number(broken)

6: Plain Yoghurt/ Plain Curd                                        -1 cup ( run thru a blender and smoothened)

7: Salt                                                                        - to taste

8: Black Mustard seeds                                              - 1 tsp  

9: Oil                                                                         - 2 tbsp                          


For grinding to a paste:

1: shredded coconut                                                 -1/2 cup

2: Jeera/Cumin seeds                                               -1 tbsp

3: Garlic                                                                 - 3-4  pieces

4: Green chilly                                                           -6-7 numbers( depending on how hot u need it)

5: Curry leaves:                                                       - a few sprigs

6:Ginger                                                                  - an inch size

7: Turmeric powder:                                                 - 1 tsp



Prep Method:

First, grind all the second list of ingredients together to a fine paste and keep it aside. Wash the Uraad Dhaal and cook it in a closed pan adding water, salt, and turmeric to it. As the dhaal/lentil is half cooked, add the onion and the Cabbage/ Plantain/Potato/Okra (either one of them)  and let it cook for a while. To this, add the ground paste of coconut and check for salt. As the vegetables and the dhaal are fully cooked, turn the heat down to very mild and add the smoothened curd/yogurt to the mixture. Turn off the heat before the curd starts curdling or when the curry is slightly warmed. You really do not want the Yoghurt curry to cuddle up. That would be really unsightly and unappetizing to look at. So remember to really reduce the heat just before adding Yoghurt/Curd.

Now in another pan add a little oil and as it heats up, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter.To this immediately add the pieces of red chilly and curry leaves. Get it off the stove and pour this garnish over your Yohurt/ Moru curry and enjoy it with your rice. Usually something that  like fried fish/or any vegetable thoran/poriyal  goes very well with this as a side to the rice.
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