Instant Bottle Gourd Pickle

INSTANT BOTTLE GOURD PICKLE

Hello and welcome to my corner again. Today I’ll be sharing a pickle-cum-veggie recipe made from bottle gourd eating which has many health benefits. I have made an instant pickle from it with mild spices and is really quite tasty. It can be had with chapatis, paranthas, pooris with a sauteed vegetable and a chutney. So let’s start with its making—

Ingredients:-

1. Bottle Gourd – 1.
2. Asafoetida – 1/2 tsp.
3. Bay Leaf – 1.
4. Five Spices – 1 tsp.
5. Green Chillies – 3.
6. Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp.
7. Red Chilly powder – 2 tsp.
8. Yellow Mustard Powder – 1 tbsp.
9. Achaar or Pickle Masala – 1 tbsp.
10. Vinegar – 2 tbsp.
11. Dry Mango Powder or Amchoor Powder – 1 tsp.
12. Roasted Five Spices Powder – 1 tsp.
13. Salt – According to taste.
14. Mustard Oil – 3 tbsp.

STEPS.

Step 1

Wash and scrape the bottle gourd. Cut it into medium-sized pieces. Blanch it and leave it to dry in fan for fifteen minutes.

Step 2

Take a kadhai and add the mustard oil to it. Now add the five spices and the bay leaf in it. When it crackles add the asafoetida and green chilies and without burning it add the bottle gourd and toss it two times. Now lessen the gas flame.

Step 3

Next add the salt, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, yellow mustard powder, roasted five spice powder, achaar masala and toss twice. Now add the dry mango powder. Now switch the gas off.

Step 4

When the pickle comes to the room temperature add in the vinegar and store it in a glass jar and you can keep it in sunlight for two hours also. You can serve it immediately.

Our Instant Bottle Gourd Pickle is ready. Serve it with chapatis, stuffed kachoris, along with curries or stir-fries.

Friends do try this recipe. Share your comments and feedback. Have a great week everyone. Till then healthy cooking, happy living!!!

 

 

Advertisement

Oil-Free Bottle Gourd And Black Gram Stew

OIL-FREE BOTTLE GOURD AND BLACK GRAM STEW

Hi everybody.Welcome to my corner. Everyone nowadays is suffering from health-related issues and people are not keeping selves and life up-to-date and fit. They are unable to manage it. So it’s really become the need of the hour to start eating healthy to stay so. So most Indians have switched over to cooking oil free and healthy. Continuing in his league today I’ll be sharing an oil-free stew recipe of bottle gourd and black gram, a unique combination which is super healthy and tasty and will really make you think better of the otherwise thought to be a bland and boring vegetable. So let’s start to make it—

Ingredients:-

1. Bottle Gourd – 1.
2. Black Gram – 100 gms.
3. Onion – 1(big).
4. Poppy Seeds – 1 small bowl.
5. Cashew nuts – 5-7.
6. Green Chillies – 2.
7. Asafoetida – A pinch.
8. Ginger-Garlic Paste – 1 tsp.
9. Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp.
10. Red Chilly Powder – 1 tsp.
11. Coriander Powder – 1 tsp.
12. Garam Masala – 2 tsp.
13. Salt – According to taste.

For the tempering:-

1. Cumin – 1 tsp.
2. Curry Leaves – 4.
3. Cinnamon- 1 small stick.
4. Green and Black Cardamom – 1 each.

For the garnishing:-Chopped cilantro and green chilies.

STEPS.

Step 1 

Wash and scrape the bottle gourd. Cut it into medium-sized cubes. Boil it. Soak the black gram overnight and boil it till it is done. Make a paste of poppy seeds, one green chilly, cashew nuts and keep aside. Chop the onions finely.

Step 2 

Take a skillet and add cumin, cinnamon and a pinch of asafoetida and when it splutters add the finely chopped onions. Fry it for two minutes.

Step 3 

Now add the ginger-garlic paste, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, coriander and garam masala and fry again. Now add in the tomato puree and fry for two minutes. Next add the onion, poppy and cashew nut paste. Fry it for two minutes. Now add in the pre-boiled bottle gourd cubes and the black gram and fry it again. Now add water for the gravy and cook for ten more minutes.

Note point:-1. Any kind of seasonal vegetable can be used other than what has been used by me here.No oil as a medium is needed here, not even one drop. Any kind of beans can also be used here in place of black gram.

2. You can also add some coconut milk to the dish just five minutes before switching off the gas.

3. You can add either bay leaf or curry leaves as both give good flavors.

4.When your stew is done and is not on the gas burner, or when it has cooled then squeeze in the juice of half a lemon. Don’t do so when the dish is hotter.

Garnish the dish with chopped cilantro.

Our Oil-Free Bottle Gourd And Black Gram Stew is ready. Serve it with chapatis, steamed rice, tortillas, kachoris. It is as healthy and as tasty as you wanted it to be.

Friends do try the recipe at home. Share your comments and feedback. Have a great week everyone. Till then healthy cooking, happy living!!! 

 

Liebster Award

LIEBSTER AWARDS

Hello, friends, I am Abha Jha and I have my blog -www.abhajhablog.wordpress.com on WordPress. I am very grateful to nenabakingrecipes.wordpress.com for nominating me for the Liebster Award. I am very honored by her sweet gesture. So friends surely check out her blog for wonderful and fabulous dishes especially cakes. Thanks again, Nena.

Questions—–For me.

1. What is your favorite book? Who is the author?

1. My favorite book, for the time being, is —-Super Food Family Classics by Jamie Oliver.

2. When did you start blogging? Who inspired you to do blogging?

2. I started blogging in the year 2016. I was inspired to blog by Jamie Oliver the British chef and restaurateur whose recipes and books I used to read avidly and I really liked his sense of cooking with a unique presentation. His books are amazing. It gave me the inspiration to start my blog and embark on a culinary journey of my own.

3. Do you have a pet? What is it?

3. I have a pet German Shepherd dog named Sammy. He is a mix of black and grey. We love him and spend lots of time with him.

4. Is it necessary for you to have dessert after a meal? Why?

4.No, it’s not necessary to take dessert after every meal but we do take plain curd after our lunch and dinner.

5. What cake flavor you like most?

5. I like the flavor of fruitcake the most.

6. Have you tried to make a birthday cake for your friend before and how did you feel?

6. Yes, I have made a birthday cake for my friend before. It was a banana and walnut cake which was delicious. I felt very enthusiastic.

7. What attitude of your friend you mostly don’t like? Why?

7. I don’t like the feeling of envy in my friends sometimes.

8. What do you like to wear to a party, a gold or a diamond jewelry?

8. I like to wear diamond jewelry for parties but when I go to my ancestral home which is in the suburban area I wear gold jewelry with a sari which is our traditional attire.

9. What is your favorite TV program?

9. My favorite TV program is Jamie Oliver’s cookery shows.

10. Which one do you prefer, bright or dark color? Why?

10. I prefer bright colors because it makes me happy.

11. Have you experienced a very scary nightmare that almost made you cry?

11. My most scary nightmare was getting separated from my family in New York when an earthquake hit the city.

 

Facts about me—

• I am a homemaker and love to cook. I love experimental cooking and make fusion recipes. I specialize in making pickles and chaats, some of them oil-free also.I can make any kind of pickle/chaat using all the seasonal vegetables and fruits that are available on earth.
• I am a God lover. I do meditation and listen to Hindi bhajans of  Lord Krishna in the morning.
• I can’t tolerate wrong things, in any form, in my life.
• I love to sing and I can manage it decently so I schedule out some time from my routine and devote it to singing Hindi songs though I appreciate all genres of music, other artists from around the globe and find it a very creative art.
• I like to make friends, continue with the old and start with the new.
• I am a fighter and optimist at heart and I always try to pacify bad situations and am progressive in nature towards building and improving my self and my life every day.
• I am not much of a movie buff but I love to see real ones which are centered around social issues and not only fancy fiction, music, dancing and baseless concepts.
• I encourage women empowerment and campaigns associated with it and really support all social causes which can be beneficial for them and which can be revolutionary for better results in the interests of women. I am very sensitive to women’s rights and their well-being.
• I am very fond of my family and I will do everything possible to see them in cheers and will protect them from all obstacles in life.
• I love children, all of them and I want to help the underprivileged and handicapped ones especially. I am against child abuse and child labor and other such gross malpractices against them. I feel that children are the future, the glory and the strength of a nation. I am a very real person and I believe in living a real life with real worth.

 

My nominations for Liebster Award are—-

1. Smart Veg Recipes blog.
2. Shamim Shobhani of ‘My World’ blog.
3. Shreya of ‘Bite me up with Shreyu’ blog.
4. Indian Soul Kitchen blog.
5. Venkatesh of ‘Daddy Cuisine’ blog.
6. Anuradha Mukherjee of ‘Aromas of my kitchen’ blog.
7. A Foodie Housewife blog.
8. Sara of Foodeez Junction blog.
9. My Food My Life101 blog.
10. Neetu’s Kitchen blog.
11. The Friendly Epicurean blog.

Congratulations to all of you. Your blogs are great. Keep up the good work and keep writing more amazing stuff.

Questions for Nominees—-

1. What is your everyday motivation to start your daily chores?

2. What is your favorite travel destination that you want to visit even if for only once in your lifetime?

3. What is your favorite Indian food that you never get bored of?

4. If you were to meet a person you have not met before but you wish you had twice who will it be?

5. What is your favorite flower and herb that you surely want near you?

6. Who according to you is more important in this world-man or woman and how are they related?

7. What is your favorite seasonal fruit and what is the best recipe you can churn out of it?

8. What is your favorite song(Indian or Western)that you can never forget?

9. Who is your best food blogger and what is special about him/her?

10. What is your idea of a great weekend and how can you justify it?

11. What is your favorite recreation and what outdoor game you like most, which you don’t play now too often?

Buddies just follow my post and write in the same way.

                                                                                          Thank You.

 

 

Spicy Pointed Gourds

SPICY POINTED GOURDS

Hello dearies and welcome back. Today’s recipe is one of my favorites, Spicy Pointed Gourds, a delicacy of northern India. The pointed gourd or parwal, as called in Hindi is fried with a combination of masalas and eaten with a basic Indian lunch or dinner platter consisting of chapatis, rice, dal, a curry, chutney, papad, and salad. It really is very spicy and tasty and is an appetizer too. I frequently make it and enjoy having it with steamed rice, a tadke-wali dal, and a garlic chutney. So let’s start with its making—-

Ingredients:–

1. Pointed Gourd – 250 gms.
2. Onion(finely chopped) – 2.
3. Green Chillies(chopped) -2.
4. Ginger-Garlic Paste – 2 tsp.
5. Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp.
6. Red Chilly Powder – 2 tsp.
7. Cumin Powder – 1 tsp.
8. Garam Masala – 2 tsp.
9. Dry Mango Powder – 1 tsp.
10. Cumin – 1 tsp.
11. Salt – According to taste.
12. Vegetable oil – 2 tbsp.

STEPS.

Step 1

Wash and slit the pointed gourd from the middle cutting it into halves.

Step 2 

Take a heavy-bottomed vessel and add some vegetable oil to it. Now splutter in some cumin seeds and when it crackles add the chopped onions. Fry it for 3 minutes.

Step 3 

Now add the ginger-garlic paste and green chilies and fry it. Stir in the pointed gourds and fry it for 2 minutes. Now add salt, turmeric powder, red chilly powder, cumin powder,garam masala and the dry mango powder and fry everything. Now cover it with a lid and cook as such for 5-7 minutes on slow flame. Don’t add any water to the dish. Now remove the lid and check whether the gourds are cooked or not. Now stir-fry the veggie for five minutes on high flame. If needed add some oil to prevent burning. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Our Spicy Pointed Gourds are ready. It is a great appetizer and a tasty side dish for your lunch or dinner menus.

Friends do try the recipe at home. Share your comments and feedback. Have a great weekend everyone. Till then healthy cooking, happy living!!!

 

Eggplant Pickle

EGGPLANT PICKLE

Hello, my dear friends and welcome to my cozy cooking nest. Today I will make a unique recipe of a veggie turned into a pickle only to make it tastier and super fun. I have made a pickle from eggplants and mild spices and well, it just is wonderful to taste with chapatis, tandoori rotis or naan. It is easy to make and great to taste idea and I hope you all will like it well. The recipe is as follows:—

Ingredients:–

1. Eggplant – 250 gms.
2. Garlic(crushed) -3 tbsp.
3. Turmeric Powder – 2 tsp.
4. Dry Mango Powder – 2 tbsp.
5. Yellow Mustard Powder -3 tbsp.
6. Achaar Masala – 3 tbsp.
7. Roasted Five Spices Powder – 1 tbsp.
8. Red Chilly Powder – 2 tsp.
9. Five Spices – 1 tsp.
10. Mustard Oil – 4 tbsp.
11. White Vinegar – 2 tbsp.
12. Salt – According to taste.

STEPS

Step 1

Wash and cut the eggplant into medium-sized pieces and dry them in fan for five minutes.

Step 2

Now take a kadhai and add 3 tbsp of mustard oil and 1 tsp of five spices to it. When it splutters add in the cut eggplants and fry it on high flame for four minutes. Then add in the crushed garlic and fry up till half done, here again on high flame, and if it seems that oil is less in quantity then do add more of it as it is a pickle and will need more of oil. Now add in the salt,turmeric powder,dry mango or amchoor powder,roasted five spices powder,yellow mustard powder,red chilly powder,pickle or achaar masala,salt,vinegar and mustard oil and just stir the masalas twice and not for long,to mix them up,doing everything on high flame as it will enhance the taste of the pickle. Now, switch the gas off otherwise the dish will get a bitter taste. You must not over fry the pickle after adding the masalas especially the mustard powder.

Step 3 

Store the pickle in a jar and put it in strong sunlight for 2 hours and use it. It’s very close to being an instant pickle.

Our Eggplant Pickle is ready.

Friends do try this recipe at home. Share your comments and feedback. Have a great week everyone. Till then healthy cooking, happy living!!!

Tapioca And Potato Chaat

TAPIOCA AND POTATO CHAT

Hello and welcome friends once again. Today I’ll be sharing a chat recipe made from tapioca and potato along with other ingredients which can make a great snack to be had in brunch or evenings with a drink of your choice. It’s super easy to prepare and is hassle-free, only thing is after making, it must be consumed in time to avoid it becoming mushy. So let’s start making it—

Ingredients:–

1. Tapioca – 250 gms.
2. Potato – 100 gms.
3. Apple(finely chopped) – 1.
4. Pomegranate Seeds – 2 tbsp.
5. Green chilies – 3.
6. Black Salt and White Salt- As required.
7. Red Chilly Powder – 1 tsp.
8. Cashew nuts and peanuts – 1/2 cup.
9. Chaat Masala – 1 tsp.
10. Chopped Coconut – 2 tbsp.
11. Gram Flour or Besan Sev – 1/2 cup.
12. Lemon Juice – 2 tsp.
13. Sweet tomato sauce – 1 tsp.
14. Green chilly sauce – 1 tsp.
15. Green Chutney – 3 tbsp.
16. Coriander leaves(finely chopped) – A handful.
17. Vegetable Oil -For shallow frying.

STEPS

Step 1 

Wash, scrape and cut the tapioca(kachalu)and potato in medium-sized pieces and blanch it for three minutes in a saucepan adding a pinch of white salt. The tapioca and the potatoes must be par-boiled but should stay firm. Do not blanch them in a pressure cooker as they may get mushy. Take them out in a sieve and let them dry up.

Step 2 

Take a wok and add vegetable oil to it. Now when the oil gets hot, drop in the above-blanched ingredients and deep fry them on medium heat. Take them out when they are slightly golden browned. Drain out on a tissue paper to remove excess oil. You may shallow fry them also as per your choice as it sure would be a better option, but here I have deep fried them.

Step 3 

In the same oil add the chopped green chilies, cashew nuts, peanuts and fry them for two minutes. Take it out.

Step 4 

Now assemble the fried tapioca, potatoes on a plate, add the fried chilies, cashew, and peanuts. Add chopped apples and pomegranate seeds and chopped coconut. Now mix in the red chilly powder, lemon juice, sweet tomato sauce, green chilly sauce, chaat masala and black salt. Now add some green chutney made of coriander and mint on it, some chopped coriander and sprinkle some gram flour or besan sev. Toss everything well. In addition to the given ingredients for the recipe, you can add any kinds of chopped fruits, nuts, dips and sauces to this chaat according to your taste. It’s tasty, healthy.

For making the green chutney you’ll need –

1. Coriander – A small bunch.
2. Mint – A small bunch.
3. Cumin powder – 2 tsp.
4. Roasted peanuts – A handful.
5. Green Chilly – 1.
6. Roasted dry red chilly -1.
7. Salt, both black and white – According to taste.
8. Vegetable oil – 1/2 tsp.

Step-Take every ingredient in your grinder except salt and oil. Grind it to a fine paste adding little water if you need. Take it out in a bowl and add the black salt, white salt, and oil. Mix it up well. Our green chutney is ready.

Our Tapioca And Potato Chaat is ready. You can have it any time as a snack.

Friends do try the recipe at home. Share your comments and feedback. Have a great week everyone. Till then healthy cooking, happy living!!!

Oil-Free Panir And Bitter Gourd Curry

OIL-FREE PANIR AND BITTER GOURD CURRY

Hello dear buddies. Today I’ll be sharing a recipe which is oil-free and has a very unusual combination of panir and bitter gourd. It is healthier, greener and tasty too. Can be had with paranthas or your regular lunch and dinner platters. This is a great recipe for diabetics and people having stomach related ailments. I hope you will all like it. The recipe is as follows:-

Ingredients:–

1. Bitter gourd – 250 gms.
2. Panir or Tofu – 100 gms.
3. Onions(finely chopped) – 1(big size).
4. Turmeric Powder – 1 tsp.
5. Red Chilly Powder – 1 tsp.
6. Ginger-Garlic paste – 2 tsp.
7. Coriander Powder – 1 tsp.
8. Cumin Powder – 1 tsp.
9. Vegetable or Subzi masala – 1 tsp.
10.  Fresh tomatoes(chopped) – 2.
11. Garam Masala – 1/2 tsp.
12. Dry Mango Powder or Amchoor Powder – 1/2 tsp.
13. Salt – According to taste.

For the tadka – Five Spices – 1 tsp.

1. Curry Leaves – A bunch.

For Garnish – Fresh chopped cilantro.

STEPS.

Step 1 

Wash and cut the bitter gourd into large pieces. Now half-boil it in a saucepan adding slight salt and turmeric powder. Finely chop the onions and the tomatoes. Cut the panir into medium-sized cubes.

Step 2 

Take a kadhai and add the five spices to it. Now add some chopped onions. Fry it till half-done. Now add the curry leaves and ginger-garlic paste to it and fry again till the paste is properly fried, letting its rawness go. Now add in the masalas i.e, salt, turmeric powder, red chilly powder,coriander-cumin powder, sabzi masala,garam masala and fry it without using even one drop of oil. If the masalas start to burn sprinkle some water over them and then fry. Now add the chopped tomatoes and cook the masala again till it is very well fried. The taste of the curry will come only when the masalas and tomatoes are well fried and cooked. They should not have any bit of rawness in them. Lastly, add the dry mango powder. Now drop in the panir pieces and fry them for two-three minutes. Next, add in the boiled bitter gourd and fry again for two minutes. Now add the water to make a sumptuous gravy taking care not to add too much of it also. You can fry the cubes without using oil in a pan or use it just as it is for the gravy. Let the gravy simmer for ten minutes.

Our Oil-Free Panir And Bitter Gourd curry is ready. Garnish it with some chopped cilantro. Serve it with phulkas, steamed rice, dal, veggies or naan.

Friends do try the recipe at home. Share your comments and feedback. Have a great weekend everyone. Till then healthy cooking, happy living!!!