A slippery situation

Mention Okra and you will find many people who love to hate it - the reason that this crisp vegetable gets a bad rap is because: (a) Ooze - if the vegetable is damp from rinsing it will ooze while cooking; (b) if it is overcooked it will turn gelatinous.

Be good to yourself and indulge in this vegetable, or more like: Indulge as much as you can.
The reason is simple. Okra or ladies fingers (british english name), you're doing yourself a favor. Okra has lots of vitamin C and plenty of B vitamins and minerals, especially magnesium, potassium and calcium. It also is high in fiber.

Once treasured as a delicacy in Moorish Spain, this vegetable had its origin in Ethiopia. From that ancient land, it traveled north to the Mediterranean shores and east to India.

As children our grandmother encouraged us to eat our okra as it said to increase brain power! Research now shows that okra contains a fair amount of folic acid which helps prevent neural tube defects in developing fetuses….not an old wife’s tale after all.

I make okra quite regularly as my husband enjoys it and here is one version of the vegetable side dish I make. I am often asked what is the magic to making this delicious dish? It is quite straightforward and that is the honest truth! I hope you can enjoy the simplicity of this dish.

Kale Aloo Bhindi

Ingredients

1 lbs okra / ladiesfinger, rinsed and completely dry (not a spot of moisture) and cut into 1 inch pieces
½ lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp whole coriander seeds
1 + ½ tsp whole cumin seeds
1 tsp red chili powder (optional)
2 tsp Amchur powder (dry mango powder) or 2 tsp lime juice
2 - 4 tsp oil
Salt to taste

Method
Heat a pan and broil the coriander seeds and 1 tsp of the cumin seeds. Cool and powder. Heat oil in a pan and add ½ tsp cumin seeds and allow to sputter. Add the turmeric powder and chopped potatoes. Cook on a low flame until the potatoes are ¾ cooked. Add the okra, cumin/coriander powder, chili powder (optional), lime juice and salt. Cover and cook until the okra is tender but still firm. Serve warm on ciabatta bread with garlic aioli or with roti’s and dal.

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This recipe has been submitted for the event Green Gourmet, created and hosted by Preeti of Write Food

Jack be nimble………put to the test

Let me give you a little background.

Vasantha mami, a person whom I TOTALLY adore lives with her daughter in the neighborhood. In their huge urban backyard amongst many delightful plants is a jackfruit tree that has several fruits ripening on it. On a recent visit with them, I was the recipient of ¼ of a fruit (each fruit can weigh up to 30-60kgs when fully ripe) since this was a “smaller” one, the piece weighed maybe 2-3 kgs. After the fruit was cut open we realized that it was not completely ripe!

Here is my 10 year old son holding on to a fruit on the tree

Once cut we had to either consume it or throw it away……(not an option for me) so in this semi ripe stage I decided to make a dish with it and decided to blog about it anyway (I’m not sure how many people in the virtual world have access to this strictly tropical fruit found only in parts of south east Asia) it was an experiment with a happy ending. The dish tasted delightful and had an interesting texture to - not crisp or soft, but pleasingly mealy, so here goes.

Jackfruit Subzi
Ingredients
1 kg peeled jackfruit (about 12-15 individual segments)
3 medium sized potato, peeled and cubed into 2 inch pieces
2 – 3 medium sized onions, finely chopped
3 – 4 medium tomatoes, chopped
3 – 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
Small knob of ginger, chopped
2 green chilies, slit down the center
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp red chili powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
Handful of coriander leaves, chopped
Juice of one lime
2-4 tsp oil
1 – 2 cups water
Salt to taste

Method
Peel the jackfruit and separate the individual sections. Remove the small seed in the center of the fruit, wash, chop into cubes and set aside. Heat oil, add the garlic, onion, ginger, salt and cook until the onion turns deep pink/red. Add tomatoes and all the dry powders and cook until pulpy. Add the jackfruit, potato water, cover and cook on a low flame until both the jackfruit and potatoes are softened. Add lime juice and coriander leaves, serve warm.

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This recipe has been submitted for the event Green Gourmet, created and hosted by Preeti of Write Food

A Gourd of Good

Happy New Year!!!!

I've been missing from the blog scene for a while now due to drastic changes in my life (all good changes, I assure you) and as you have probably guessed - part of my NY resolution is to regularly update my blog and so without further ado....(drumroll please) here is something to wish you much peace and joy in the coming year!

Poritha Kootu, is a traditional coconut based gravy dish served in most south Indian households. The gravy stays constant, however the main vegetable can be substituted with any locally available gourd like zucchini or french beans, or potato, or mixed vegetables of your choice.

Poritha Kootu

Ingredients

1 lb Snake gourd, chopped
½ cup tuar dal – cooked
½ tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp grated coconut meat
2 + 1 dried red chillies
1 tbsp + 1 tsp Urad dal
1 tsp whole black pepper
1//2 tsp whole black mustard seeds
4-6 green curry leaves (optional)
Pinch of asafoetida
Cooked seeds of ripe jackfruit (totally optional, but I used them as I had some on hand)
Oil
Water
Salt to taste

Method

Cut snake gourd into half and then into quarters lengthwise, remove seeds and dice into ¼ inch pieces, cook in the microwave with ¾ cup water and turmeric powder and salt for 5-8 minutes, or until slightly tender. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan on medium heat add 2 whole red chilies, pepper, 1 tbsp urad dal and cook until the dal turns golden, add the grated coconut and cook for another minute. Grind this mixture into a fine paste with 1-2 tbsp water. Add this paste to the cooked gourd and cooked tuar dal (and add the cooked jackfruit seeds). Add a pinch of asafetida and bring to a boil. In another small pan heat 2 tsp of oil and when it smokes add a whole red chilli, whole mustard seeds, 1 tsp urad dal and curry leaves and allow the seeds to sputter, pour this over the gourd/paste mixture and serve warm with steamed white rice, roti/chappati or a good sourdough bread.