Lauki-Vadi Ki Sabzi

    Lauki is also known as calabash, bottle gourd, or long melon. It was one of the first cultivated plants in the world. It was grown not primarily for food, but for use as a water container. In India, bottle gourd was traditionally used as a dried gourd vessel (called the kamandalu), by Hindu ascetics. The juice of bottle gourd is considered to have medicinal properties and to be very good for health.


Ingredients:

• lauki (bottle gourd), chopped - 1/2
• onions, chopped - 2 medium
• oil - 1 tbsp.
• ginger, chopped - 1 tsp.
• ginger paste - 1 tsp.
• tomatoes, chopped - 2 medium
• salt to taste
• green chilies, chopped - 3-4
• cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
• turmeric (haldi) - 1/2 tsp.
• chili flakes - 1 tsp.
• water (or milk) - 1/2 cup
• vadi - 2
• coriander to garnish

Directions:

1. Heat oil in pan low-medium heat. Break the vadi with your hands in into bite sized pieces. Add to the pan and fry for 2 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove from the pan when done.
2. Turn heat to medium and add the onions, cumin seeds, green chilies, ginger, and garlic paste to the pan. Cook for 8 minutes and stir regularly. Make sure the onions don't stick to the pan.
3. Add the tomatoes and stir occasionally. Turn the heat to medium-high after about 5-6 minutes. Add the salt, haldi, and chili flakes. Keep stirring. Cook for another minute.
4. Add the lauki and mix well.  Add water and turn heat to medium. Give it one more stir and cover the pan. After about 10 minutes (when your lauki is half cooked), add the vadi, cover the pan, and let cook until lauki is soft (another 10 minutes or so).
5. Garnish with coriander and serve with chapatti or naan.

Sambhar

    Sambhar is a South Indian dish. It is a vegetable stew based on a broth made of tamarind and pigeon peas (toor/arhar daal). It's very popular in the southern regions of India and each state in South India adapts sambhar to its taste and region. You may use a wide variety of vegetables for this dish. Typical vegetables include: okra, carrot, radish, pumpkin, potatoes, tomatoes, and eggplants. Usually, this dish is served with idli, dosa, or vada. Along with coconut chutney and tomato chutney.


    Ingredients:

• bottle gourd (lauki), chopped - 1/2
• green beans, chopped - 1/2 cup
• potatoes, peeled and chopped - 1 medium
• onions, chopped - 2 medium
• turmeric (haldi) - 1 tsp.
• eggplant, chopped - 1 small
• water - 5 cups
• split pigeon peas (arhar/tuvar daal) - 1 cup
• okra, chopped - 5
• raw green mango, sliced - 1 medium
• curry leaves - 4-5
• salt to taste
• tomato, chopped - 1 medium
• green bell pepper, chopped - 1/2
• Sambhar masala - 1 tbsp.
• imli pulp - 2 tbsp (add as much or as little as you like for sourness)
• garlic, chopped - 1tsp.
• oil - 1 tbsp.
• dry whole chilis - 2-3
• mustard seeds - 1tbsp.
• asafoetida (hing) - a pinch

    Directions

1. Fill pot with the water and set on medium-high heat (if you use a pressure cooker to cook your daal, it will take about 3 minutes). Wash your daal (split pigeon peas) and add to the pot. Add salt, garlic, and turmeric. Bring to a boil.
2. Once it's boiling, cover and reduce the heat to medium. Let it simmer until the daal is soft (about 20 minutes). Stir every few minutes. You can use this time to chop the rest of the ingredients.
3. When the daal is soft, add the vegetables. Cover, and let cook for about 10 minutes. Add the mango slices, cover, and let cook for 10 more minutes (until the vegetables are soft, but still in chunks). Once it's done, turn off the heat.
4. In a separate pan, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the asafoetida and stir for a few seconds. Add the mustard seeds, chilis, sambhar masala, and curry leaves. Stir for a few seconds. Add the imli pulp and stir for 2 minutes.
5. Add the contents of the pan into the sambhar pot. Mix well and serve hot.

    

Chatpati Pudiney Ki Chutney: Mint Cilantro Chutney

    Chutney is a family of condiments from South Asian cuisine. It usually contains a mixture of spices, vegetables, and/or fruits. There are many different kinds of chutney; they can be either wet or dry. They are traditionally ground with a mortar and pestle made of stone. But now-a-days, electric blenders or food processors help save time.

    Ingredients:

• fresh mint - 1 bunch
• cilantro - 1/2 bunch
• sweet onions - 2 medium
• raw, green mango, sliced - 1 large
• chilis - 3-5
• garlic - 2 cloves
• ginger, chopped - 1 tsp.
• salt - 2-3 tsp.
• unrefined sugar - 1 tsp.

    

    Directions

1. Grind all to paste in a blender/ food processor. 
2. Store it in the refrigerator. 

    You can use this chutney as a dip for any snacks (not just Indian foods). You can use it on toast, pizza, rice, and even in sandwiches. It's good on almost everything! 

Chickpea and Vegetable Risotto

    Risotto is a class of Italian rice dishes cooked in broth to a creamy consistency. Your broth may be vegetable, meat, or fish based. It's one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy. It is normally a first course, served on its own before the main course. Many types of risotto contain butter, wine, and onions. This recipe does not use butter or wine. We decided to go with water instead of broth which still gives the risotto a creamy texture.

    Ingredients:

• olive oil - 2 tbsp.
• onions, chopped - 2 medium
• salt to taste
• chili flakes - 1 tsp.
• garlic paste - 1tsp.
• brown rice - 1 cup
• canned chickpeas (or kidney beans) - 1 cup
• bell peppers (we went with green, but you can use any colour), seeded and chopped - 1 large
• green beans, chopped - 1/2 cup 
• mushrooms - 1lb.
• celery, sliced - 2 stalks
• water (or broth) - 3 cups
• cilantro for garnish

    Directions:

1. Heat half of the oil in a pan, on medium heat. When the oil is ready, add the onions and garlic paste. Cook until the onions are translucent (about 3-4 minutes). 
2. Wash the rice and add to the pan. Cook for about a minute, then add salt. Keep stirring occasionally. Add the water (or broth) to the rice. Because of the outer bran coating, brown rice needs to be cooked in more water and for a longer time than white rice. Cover pan with lid and let sit for 30-40 minutes. Stir occasionally.When water starts to boil, lower heat just a notch. 
3. Once the rice is done, remove pan from the heat and set aside.  In another pan, heat the rest of the oil on medium-high heat. Add the peppers and beans. Cook for a minute. 
4. Turn heat to high and add mushrooms. Mushrooms let out a lot of water, so you need to cook them on high heat. Keep stirring the vegetables for 3 minutes. 
5. Add the chickpeas (or kidney beans), salt and chili flakes. Cook for a minute then turn off the stove.
6. Move the vegetables into the pan with rice. Mix well. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Tofu Ki Sabzi

    Tofu, a food originating in ancient China, has a subtle flavour. It is usually seasoned or marinated to suit the dish. It has a low calorie count, lots of protein, and little fat. Tofu is a great source of protein for vegetarians, but lots of people have a hard time trying to find a way to make it tasty. Well, here is a delicious Indian recipe for tofu. We're sure you'll love it as much as we do!

    Ingredients:

• extra firm tofu - 1 pack
• oil - 1 tbsp.
• cumins seeds - 1/2 tsp.
• onions, diced - 2 large
• tomatoes, diced - 2 medium
• garlic paste - 1 tsp.
• ground ginger - 1 tsp.
• green chilies, chopped - 2-3
• butter - 1 tbsp.  (Butter gives this dish some richness, however, you may omit this ingredient if you wish.)
• lemon juice - 1 tbsp.
• turmeric (haldi) - 1/2 tsp.
• salt to taste
• chili flakes - 1/2 tsp.
• coriander for garnish

    

    Directions:

1. Heat the oil in the pan at medium-high heat, in a heavy bottom pan. Check to see if the oil is ready by placing a wooden spoon in the pan. If you see tiny bubbles around the spoon, it is ready. (You can also check by adding one cumin seed to the oil and if it bubbles right away, it is ready.) 
2. Once the oil is ready, add the cumins seeds. You don't want the onions to overcook in this dish. So add the ground ginger and garlic paste with the cumin seeds. Turn the heat to low and cook for about 2 minutes.
3. Add the onions and green chilies. Continue cooking at medium high heat for about 3-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, turmeric, salt, and chili flakes. Cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Wash and crumble the tofu. You may do this with a fork, or your hands. I prefer doing this with my hands. You don't want to crumble it too finely, because it will crumble in the pan as you cook it. Add this to the pan. Keep the heat on medium-high and cook the tofu. Keep stirring the tofu regularly and make sure it doesn't stick to the pan. This takes about 6-8 minutes. 
5. Add the butter (if you wish to use it), and cook for another minute or so. Now add the lemon juice. When the tofu starts to release some oil, turn off the stove and remove the pan from the heat. Add coriander for garnish and serve hot. And with the most important ingredient, a pinch of love, your dish is ready to be served. You can eat this with chapatti, on toast, or in a wrap! 

From Our Home to Yours

    Hey guys! Welcome to our blog (this is a mother-daughter blog)! Here you will find a whole bunch of exciting things to read about! We will post recipes (Indian, non-Indian, veg, non-veg, etc.), health and beauty tips, and fun food facts! We hope you will enjoy these blog posts and continue on with us in our blogging journey. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to comment below. And remember to tell your friends and family about this blog. With a pinch of love, we sign off.