Gongura puliyodharai - Rice with Ambadi Leaves

This week for the Blogging Marathon I, picked the special theme Book marked recipes.  I always feel  happy to see a unique recipe on other's blog.  One such recipe is this  Gongura puliyodharai  from Jayashree , when I read her recipe last month I was so surprised that she made rice from this plant ie. Ambadi.  I have been seeing this plant for years during my walk daily in forest of SGNP Thane and it never struck  me that even  these leaves are used to prepare rice.  We usually use these leaves to make a mixed leafy vegetable. This is also freely available, there is saying what comes free is never valued.     After reading  her recipe the next day when I went for walk, picked up these leaves and  prepared this rice for lunch,  really enjoyed it.  The tanginess of the leaves and crunchiness of the peanuts made this rice really yum.  

I also clicked a pics of the plant one green and the other  when the plant turns red, i,e, when the fruit is ripe.  Do you know the fruit outer part is dried and then powdered, this is used to  make any food preparation tangy ( like amchur powder).

Ingredients

1 Cup Rice - cooked and cooled
1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric powder
2 Teaspoon Oil -  (I used groundnut oil, but any oil you regularly use/like will work)
Salt to taste
A fistful Peanuts - roasted 

To fry :

1 Teaspoon Urad dal
1 Teaspoon Chana dal
2 Teaspoons Coriander seeds
2 Sprigs Curry leaves
2 Red chillies
1 Teaspoon Mustard seeds
1 Teaspoon Oil
2 Cups Gongura leaves(washed) -  packed tight


Method :

Spread the cooked rice to cool. Add turmeric powder and 2 tsp of oil to it and set aside.

Heat a tsp of oil. In it, fry on low heat, the urad dal, chana dal, dhania, curry leaves, red chillies, and mustard. Set aside. Fry the washed gongura leaves in the same pan on a low flame till wilted. Let it cool.

Powder the fried spices to a coarse powder. Add the gongura and grind again to a paste without adding any water. Add this to the rice in small quantities and mix well. Add required amount of salt and mix. Top with some more curry leaves. Fry a fistful of peanuts in a teaspoon of oil and mix it into the rice.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#47.

Labels: Rice, Blogging Marathon,South Indian, Ambadi, 

Red and Green Math (Lal & Hirwa Math)/Amarnath

March 12, 2014

This a favorite vegetable of mine.  This vegetable is easy to clean since the stem of the vegetable is also used.  This a tasty vegetable and a very healthy.

Ingredient 

1 Bundle Red math

1 Bundle Green math

3 Green chilies  chopped

2 Large onions chopped

2 Tablespoons grated coconut

Salt to taste

For the tempering

3 Tablespoons Oil

1/2 Teaspoon mustard seeds

5 Flake garlic lightly crushed

Method

Wash and clean the leafy vegetable, chop them finely.  In large kadai heat oil, add the mustard seeds when they splutter add the garlic when the it slightly  add the onions, fry till light brown add the green chillies and stir fry lightly add the leafy vegetable and cover for 2 minutes.  Open the lid stir fry it well add salt to taste and cover and cook till on low flame till done. Sprinkle coconut and serve with rotis. 

Labels: Vegetables, Healthy, Leafy vegetables,Vegan.

Sarso Ka Sag - Winter special super dish

February 28, 2014

This a really superb dish which is a specialty of Punjabi's. We trekking friends just wanted to eat this dish with Makai ki roti. The greens like Sarso(Mustard leaves) and Bathua are seen in the market only in winter. The other greens added to it is spinach (Palak) which is available throughout the year. We requested our friend Sweety to prepare it who is a superb cook. I brought the veggies for her. Our loving friend prepared this dish for us with Makai ki roti. We had this with chopped onions, jaggery, freshly churned white butter by Jasbir, buttermilk by Vasudha. We had an awesome and fullsome breakfast on the hills of Yeor ( Wasuta point). But the cook in me would not give up without giving this a try in my kitchen. So here is the recipe taken from Sweety. Thanks Sweety for this lovely recipe and tasty dish.

Ingredients

1 bunch Mustard greens
2 bunch Spinach leaves
1 bunch Bathua
3 green chillies
2 large tomatoes – chopped
1 large onions – chopped
1 tablespoon garlic
1 tablespoon ginger
1 tsp each cumin , turmeric & coriander powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tablespoon maize flour
Salt to taste

To temper

3 tablespoon ghee

1 tsp cumin seeds
3 dry red chilies
1/4 tsp asafoetida

To garnish

Onion rings
Loads of White butter (homemade)

Method

Clean and wash all the greens at least 3-4 times in fresh water.( I place them water in which potassium per-magnet is added for 5 minutes) then rinse it 3-4 times in fresh water.

Keep the greens (saag), green chillies and salt to taste in a pressure cooker. Add 1 cup of water. Turn on the flame, and cook it for 1 whistle, and keep on slow flame for 10 minutes.

Once the green mixture comes to room temperature,mash the greens(saag) if there is too much of water then place it again on full flame for a few minutes till the water is has sligtly dried. Then add the maize flour and blend it with an hand blender till coarse.

Heat ghee in a pan, sizzle in cumin seeds, red chillies, asafoetida, coriander seeds for half a minute. Add garlic, ginger and sauté for 1-2 minutes on low flame till light brown. Add onions, and fry till pink brown. Last, add the chopped tomatoes, throw in all the remaining spices and saag, cook it covered for next 10 minutes, until it gets all mushy and cooked

Smother with more butter on top and onions rings on side. Serve with Makai ki roti followed by a piece of Jaggery to accomplish the traditional serve. Squeeze some lemon juice over onion rings to enjoy them even more with saag.

The saag is so tasty that you must try it in your kitchen. Please leave your comments.


Labels: Vegetables, Leafy vegetables, Healthy, Main course, Vegan

Palak (Spinach) Paneer

February 23, 2014

Ingredients

Palak / Spinach chopped            2 cups 
Paneer                                              100 grams

Grind to Paste

Cumin seeds                            1 teaspoon
Cashewnut                               5 pieces
Onion  Large                            1 no
Green Chilly                            2 nos
Curd                                           1 tablespoon
Ghee/Oil                                  2 tablespoon
Salt                                             1/2 teaspoon

Method

Wash clean and chop the palak.  Pour boiling water on it.  Drain and grind to paste.
Cut the paneer into cubes.  Heat little water and immerse the paneer in it for 10 - 15 minutes.  
Fry the ground paste in ghee/oil (I used ghee) till ghee separates. Add the palak paste and fry well. Add salt and little water to adjust the consistency of the gravy.  Cover and cook on slow fire for 4 -5 minutes. Add paneer lightly stir it into the gravy. Serve hot with rotis or puris.

Note:  You can also fry the paneer and then add to the gravy. To make it vegan, use tofu.

Do try  this recipe and post your comment.

Labels: Vegetables, Leafy vegetables, Paneer, Healthy, Main course, Vegan, Palak