Zucchini kofta curry

Making side dish for chapathi/ roti almost 4 days a week is really tough,specially when people prefer gravy for dry roti and don’t prefer same dishes every week.
But as the saying goes “necessity is mother of invention”.This compulsion or need to find new ways to satisfy people  who believe in wheat for health 🤔(which I don’t a really believe)
and with only zucchini , brinjal ,capsicum  in hand I had to try something different using these veggies.Since I already used brinjal and capsicum for previous days only left veggies for this week was zucchini .. So I tried this gravy which turned out tasty  and good even without onion and garlic 🙂 and on top of all these it was Air Fried 🙂
Having said all the history behind this gravy let me jump to main topic, the recipe..

INGREDIENTS:

Zucchini-1 medium 
Tomato-2 medium
Leftover rice- 1/4 cup mashed( can use rice flour or gram flour )
Paneer-1/2 cup grated
Bread crumbs- about 1 cup (for making and rolling kofta)
Ginger-1tbs grated or ground ( for gravy and kofta)( optional)
Almond or cashew- approximately 15-16
Khas khas -1 tsp
Milk- about 1/2 cup
Turmeric-1/4 tsp
Chilli powder- 1 tsp (as per taste)
Coriander powder- 1/2 tsp
Gram masala powder-1/2 tsp( as needed)
Coriander leaves chopped-little
Cinnamon-small
Cardamom-1
Clove-1
Katsura methi- little
Salt- as per taste 
Oil- as  per need

METHOD:

KOFTA
1) Grate zucchini and squeeze the juice and keep both aside.

2) Grate panner and keep
3) If using leftover rice mash it and keep
4) Grind tomatoes and keep
5) Grind almond or cashew and khas khas using milk to smooth paste.
6)) Add grated zucchini,panner,rice ,ginger and the powders (chilli  powder 1/4 tsp,salt,garam masala ) along with bread crumbs about 3/4 cup ( according to need to get a dough to make balls)

7))  Make balls with the mixture and roll them in bread crumbs .8)) Drop  little oil on each balls or spray oil on them ( if frying in oil quit this step and fry in hot oil)
9)) Keep the balls / kofta in fryer basket and fry in 370 degrees for 10 min and then turn and fry for another 5 min

CURRY

10) Heat oil in a pan and add cinnamon,clove,cardamom ,kasuri methi and garlic and sauté .
11) Add the ground tomatoes and cook till thickens .
12) Add chill powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder and salt and sauté well.
13) Then add the almond paste along with the juice of zucchini and cook.( add water Or milk if the gravy is thick )
14) Garnish with coriander leaves and add kofta before serving.( warm the gravy this will soak kofta well.)
    Enjoy this creamy NO ONION NO GARLIC gravy with roti or dosa or even rice.

Kollu kuzhambu ( Horsegram curry )

Horse gram , also known as Madras gram/Kulthi bean has medicinal qualities  in Indian medical system like Siddha and Ayurveda.Its used to treat many health issues like water retention, weight gain issues etc..Recently It has been found that it has anti hyperglycemic properties and reduce insulin resistance.
Horse gram is rich in protein,iron,calcium and fiber along with other vitamins like thiamine, riboflavin and niacin.Above all it’s low in FAT.

Horse gram has become one of my favorite bean ,not just because of its medicinal value but personally As told in my other recipes like kollu idly, kollu dosai,kollu rasam, kollu thogayal , I have a liking for its taste

This  recipe that goes very well with rice and also dosa .

INGREDIENTS:

• Horsegram-3/4 th cup
• Small Onion-10 ( approximately)chopped
• Tomato-1 big chopped
• Garlic- 1 bulb/ head  ( approximately 8-9 clove)chopped
• Green chilli- 2 ( according to taste)
• Pepper-1 tsp
• Cumin-1 tsp
• Coriander seed-2 tsp
• Curry leaf - few
• Salt- to taste
• Oil- as needed
• Water- as needed
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Asafoetida- 1/4 tsp

METHOD:

1)Wash and soak horse gram overnight.

2)Heat pan add little oil and fry Coriander seed,cumin and pepper and keep aside.

                                     

3)Add little oil in pan and add chopped Onion, garlic and fry till onion turns pink.

4)Add curry leaf,green chilli,tomatoes ,salt and turmeric and sauté well.

                           

5)Add this along with the soaked and drained horse gram and water and pressure cook for 6 to 7 whistle .( I used my instant pot and cooked in Bean mode for 20 min)

6)When cooked remove and smash using mathu ( churner ) ( I used hand mixture as I didn’t have churner)

7)Finally for seasoning heat little oil and add asafoetida and curry leaf  and add it to the cooked horsegram curry.

            Now horse gram curry is ready.This goes very well with hot rice and also with idly and dosai

SUKKU MILAGU THIPPLI KARAKUZHAMBU

INGREDIENTS
Tamarind- lemon size
Dry ginger- small
long pepper- little about 4-6
Pepper-1tbs
Coriander-1tbs
Cumin seed- about 1 tsp
Red chilli- about 7 (according to taste)
Garlic-1(optional)
Onion- 1 small(optional)
Urad dhal- about 1/2 tbs
Channa dhal- less than 1 tbs 
turmeric- 1/4 tsp
Salt -to taste
Mustard, asefotida and curry leaves for seasoning
Oil-about 10 tsp(usually about one big ladle full is used)
METHOD:
you can also watch the video in english  and tamil

1. Soak tamarind in water and take the pulp.
2. Heat a pan and dry fry channa, urad,dry ginger,pepper,long pepper,coriander,cumin and red chilli separately and either powder it or make to paste and keep(make it as powder if grinding for later uses)
3. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard ,asefotida and curry leaves and onion and saute .Add garlic saute well
4. Add ground paste( powder mixed with water ) and cook well till nice aroma of  pepper and dry ginger comes.
5. Add tamarind pulp and enough water along with turmeric powder and salt and cook till its thick.
6. remove from flame and mix couple of spoons of this with hot rice and have......its heaven when suffering with bad cold .
7. this can be stored in air tight contaire for about a week in fridge.

NEEM FLOWER RASAM/SOUP

Nature has gifted us with variety of  valuable... i mean medically... all around us in abundance.May be that's why we fail to recognise its value , when it becomes rare  we may realise its use.One such tree ,which is found in every ones backyard in villages in India and even in some places in cities is 'NEEM TREE'

In India its considered as as a 'scared tree'.It is said to have lots and lots of medicinal uses for example: antiviral, anti bacterial, anti fungal, anti diabetic,even as contraceptive and recommended for some skin disease.They are also used as mosquito repellents.. and used to kill some insects in crops .
I have seen elderly people in villages use its twigs (vepam kutchi) as brushes,Which dentist have also endorsed that this is effective in preventing periodontal disease.

Not only its bark, leaf, fruit are used as medicines but the flowers are  also used in cooking  - pachadi for new year in tamilnadu and andra.and Soup(Rasam)

'Neem flower rasam/soup' is speciality of South India to be precise Tamilnadu .Many Healthy traditional dishes  such as this has become a thing of past...over shadowed my modern dishes like burger, pizza etc.I was happy to see neem flowers when i visited India and grabbed some to bring it here :)
INGREDIENTS:(approximate measurement)
Tamarind-small lime size or thick pulp -2 tbs
Water-1 cups(depend of sourness of tamarind)
Tur Dhal water-1 cup(optional)
Jaggery-1tsp
Neem flower(dry or fresh)
Salt-to taste
Rasam powder - 1 tsp
or
[Jeera
pepper
Dhaniya- dry fry and powder 1tsp]
Red chilli- 3 -4 according to taste
Asefotida- a pinch
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Mustard- 1/4 tsp(seasoning)
Curry leaf-few
Corriandr leaf-few
oil- 1tsp
METHOD:
1)Soak tamarind in water and extract pulp. If using pulp add about 1 cups water dependidng on tamaraind. and 1 cup dhal water(this is optional.I personally like using dhal water but my mom does not use )
2)Add salt, turmeric powder,rasam powder and jaggery to the tamarind water.
3)Heat pan and boil the tamarind water till raw smell goes.
4)Now heat oil in another pan for seasoning.Add mustard .
5)When it splutters add Dry or fresh neem flower and fry till light brown. Add red chilli ,curry leaf and asefotida.
6)Add this to boiling Tamarind water and cook for couple of seconds .cover and keep immediately.
Serve with rice.

FENUGREEK RASAM(SOUP)

I am such a absent minded person that i have lots of photos in my list that have not been published in blog but published in FB ...One of such recipe is this healthy Fenugreek Rasam.My mom used to do lemon,
pine apple,pepper,paruppu,tomato rasam varieties so that's the ones which i know and of course Apple rasam and vegetable rasam.But first tasted this Fenugreek rasam in my in laws house.This is my Mother in law's speciality ..I loved it because of its unique flavor and taste.
INGREDIENTS:
Tamarind pulp-1/2 cup
Water-1 to 1 1/2 cup(depending on sourness of the tamarind)
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Chilli powder-1/4 tsp(according to taste)
Jeera powder-1/4 tsp(optional)
Curry leaf- few
Corriander leaf- few
Onion(finely chopped)-1/4 cup
Mustard- for seasoning
Urad dhal-1/2 tsp
Tur dhal-1/2 tsp
Fenugreek-3/4 tsp
Asefotida-1/4 tsp
Red chilli- 1(optional)
Salt-to taste
Oil-1 tsp

METHOD:
1)Heat oil in a pan add mustard.After it splutters add urad dhal and tur dhal fry for a second..Add red chilli(This is optional.My mother in law does not add this or the jeera powder. but i like the smell of these to so i use)and Asefotida.
2)Add chopped onion.Saute for couple of minutes.
3)Add tamarind pulp and water.
4)Add salt.turmeric and chilli powder and jeera powder(or you can also substitute this with rasam powder)
5)Boil rasam till foam appears .
6)Serve with Rice.

DHAL SHORBA

I think this is North Indian version of palak(spinach) sambar.This recipe was given to me by... actually i dont remember if its mt nutrition specialist cousin Shoba or my  (culinary collage principle )dad's relative. Any way someone gave me this bunch of recipes labelled recipes for diabetes... so just wriring what ever was there int that paper... i substituted  moong dhal instead of masoor dhal.
INGREDIENTS:
Masoor dhal-20 gr.(i used moong dhal)
Onion(sliced)-20 gr
Tomatoes-40 gr
Spinach- to garnish
Crushed garlic-2 flakes
Curry powder-1tsp
Salt- to taste
Oil- 1tsp
(But i used 1/2 cup moog dhal , 1 onion,tomato(medium size) and 1/2 cup spinach(chopped))
METHOD:
1)Wash dhal and cut onion , tomato and spinach.
2)Heat oil and fry onion and garlic and  curry powder and cook for few seconds.
3)Add this to tomatoes and dhal along with 1 cup water and pressure cook.
4)When cool. Blend it in mixer.
5)Add salt and chopped spinach and boil for few seconds and serve.

Tastes good  not only with  rice  but also roti/chapathi

CHAYOTE(CHOW CHOW)KURMA

'Chow chow' , the name always sounds funny to me.Have nooo idea what it mean or why the call it by that name.It is one among my favorite vegetable.When i came to this country ,only Indian vegetable that i found in American shops was this chow chow.But i did not know what it was known as here.And one kind gentle man told me that its called 'Chayote'.And in his country(i think he said he was from Jamaica)it was called cho cho. One more information that he said  was that it was very good for heart.

Anyway... Chayote is rich in amino acids and vitamin C.And have read that other parts of this plant is also used as medicines.

I know everyone use this in kootu, sambar,curry, chutney and salad . but not seen anyone make kurma.Yesterday i tried kurma for a change with chow chow and my DH, who always felt this vegetable is only good for kootu and sambar said it was yummy.

INGREDIENTS:
Chayote(chow chow)-1
Badam(almond)-6-7
Coconut-1 small piece( may be 1tsp grated)
Turmeric powder-1/4 tsp
Sambar powder- 1 tsp( according to taste)
Bay leaf- 1 small
Saunf(fennel) powder-1/4 tsp
Cinnamon - 1 small piece
Garlic- 1 crushed
Onion-1/2 cup
Tomato -1
Milk-1 cup
Salt- to taste
Curry leaf- few
METHOD:
1) Wash, peel  and chop Chow chow.
2) Heat oil in a pan and add bay leaf, curry leaf, Cinnamon and garlic and saute.
3)Add  chopped  onion and saute till golden brown .Then add tomato and saute.
4)Add chow chow and cook with  milk along with salt,fennel powder, sambar powder and turmeric powder
5) Mean while grind almond and coconut to paste .
6)When the vegetable is half done add the coconut paste and water if necessary and cook .
7)Serve with chapati or rice or dosai.

APPLE RASAM (INDIAN APPLE SOUP)

I have heard a lot about pineapple rasam but have never tried or tasted it.When my friend Vidhya gave me these Green apples i got this weird idea ... let me try apple rasam though no pine ...hahaha.
I have tried Pickle and vathal out of  green apple , as normally it used to be sort of sour but have never ever got the idea of trying rasam  till i saw a post from one of my friend in FB about betel leaf rasam.
So here is the recipe which i made and it did turn out to be good except for just one thing that the apple was not as sour as i expected ..anyway ...it tasted good even to drink like soup :)

INGREDIENTS:
Green apple-1
Dhal water-2 cup(approximately)
Tomato-1(according to apple taste)
Rasam Powder-1 tsp
Garlic-1 (crushed)
Pepper and Jeera(crushed 1 tsp)
Green chilli-1
Mustard,curry leaf-seasoning
Salt-to taste
Asefotida- little
Turmeric-1/4 tsp
METHOD:
1)Grind apple and squeeze  the juice to dhal water.(other wise rasam will be very thick )
2)Mix the pulp and turmeric,rasam and jeera pepper powder to the dhal water.
3) Heat oil in a pan and saute chopped tomatoes,chilli and garlic.
4)Add the dhal water along with salt and cook for about 5-7 minutes.(add more water if necessary)
5)Season with mustard,curry leaf and asefotida. garnish with coriander leaf.
Serve with hot rice or have it like a soup.It has  all the tastes... little sweet..little sour..little spicy...on the whole YUMMY
Hope u like it...we loved it.. it was different...