Tangy Stuffed Bittergourd

I fell in love with this make of bitter gourd. I know there are lots of people out there who dislike bitter gourd. Some only like it dried, fried or fried crispy. I somehow have always liked bittergourd since childhood. I was the good daughter that my Mum had no issues with feeding veggies of all sorts.

I had tasted this make of bittergourd at our friends Binny and Vineet's home. Their maid had made this fabulous bittergourd and I believe we were on Lent that time so only vegetarian food. Binny shared this recipe with me last year and yes this was tried last year itself. Like I mentioned, I have a whole heap of archived vegetarian recipes for you friends and readers who have been asking me to post my veg. creations.

The health benefits of bitter gourd are plentiful some of which includes treating blood disorders, lowers sugar levels in blood and urine, improves energy and stamina, improved sleep patterns, is an immune booster and heals respiratory disorders to name a few.

This recipe is all too simple. Tomorrow being 'May Day', you may want to take it easy and make it simple in the kitchen.

You need:

• 5-6 whole bittergourds
• Salt to taste, some more to soak
• 1/2 tsp of Turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp Garam masala
• 2 medium sized onions, finely chopped 
• 2 Green chilies, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp Dry Mango powder
• 1/2 tbsp Coriander powder
• 1/2 tbsp of pickle powder(optional)
• Water to soak
• 1 tbsp oil

The Make:

Serves 2 adults | Cooking Time : 10-15 minutes | Preparation time: 30 minutes

1. Slit the bitter gourd lengthwise on one side only. Soak in salt water for 30 mins and then squeeze so any bitterness goes away.

2. In a bowl, add all the other ingredients  and mix.

3. De-seed and clean the interior of the bitter gourd.

4. Stuff the bitter gourd shell taking care not to overstuff as the stuffing may spill out while cooking.

5. In a pan, heat the oil. Lower the flame and cover and shallow fry the bitter gourd.

6. After about 5 minutes flip the bitter gourd on another side.

7. Repeat after another 3-5 minutes and uncover and cook until softened for a few more minutes if required.

Serve hot with rotis/chapatis or rice.

I hope this recipe of bittergourd brings about a change to your taste of this miracle vegetable!

Red pearl onions in grated burnt coconut (Ulli Theeyal)

Ulli Theeyal (Ulli : Onion commonly associated to red pearl onions or small onions or shallots and Theeyal (pronounced:Thiiyyal) : refers to burnt coconut or dark brown coconut caused  due to roasting).

G'Gina's Kitchenette will still feature more vegetarian recipes to help you in the kitchen throughout the Lenten season. Also my vegetarian friends/readers are happy to see more vegetarian recipes being shared from my Kitchenette.

Easter is less than a month away! Hope your Lent sacrifices are going well.

Ulli Theeyal has always been one of my favourite dishes that mum cooks! As you may have guessed, yes this is another one of my Mum's recipes <3

My kid loves this dish so I am almost certain that your kid would too. I had to reduce the quantity of chili powder to cater to her taste buds.

What you need:

• 200 gms of Red pearl onions / small onions / shallots (Kunjulli), sliced finely
• Flesh of 1/2 a medium sized coconut, grated
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2" ginger, chopped
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds (optional - mom doesn't use for this recipe)
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 4 long dried red chilis or 1/2 tbsp of red chili powder
• 1/2 tbsp of coriander powder (I use the powdered version as it was made out of roasted coriander seeds - you could use about 2 tbsp of coriander seeds instead)
• 1 gooseberry-sized : Tamarind pulp (soaked in lukewarm water and strained)
• A sprig of curry leaves
• * Oil - A drizzle
• Drinking water
• Salt to taste

The Make:

Serves : 3-4 adults | Preparation time: 10 minutes | Cooking time: 15-20 minutes

1. You have two options, either dry roast only the coconut gratings on medium-low heat in a wok or wide pot taking care to even brown the coconut until dark brown (not black). The second option is to dry roast the coconut gratings with the fenugreek seeds, dried red chilis and coriander seeds in case you are opting for these two ingredients instead of the powdered version.

2. Cool the dry roasted ingredients and grind well in an electric grinder with a tad bit of water to a smooth paste. You could also use a mortar and pestle in case have one.
3. Using the same wok, heat the oil on medium high and splutter the mustard seeds.
4. Lower the heat and add in the curry leaves.
5. Next add in the sliced onions, ginger and garlic and fry until the onions are golden brown.
6. Add the turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder (if you opted for the powdered version instead of the dried red chilies and coriander seeds) and saute well for a minute on medium heat.
7.  Next add the tamarind water, mix well and allow it to boil.
8. Once the water comes to a boil, toss in the ground coconut mixture, salt and stir well. Lower the heat and allow it to simmer for about 2-3 minutes until medium consistency is reached (it should neither be to watery nor too thick).

Serve hot with piping hot rice.

Note:
*Oil : You can choose any cooking oil. For this dish, it would taste extra special if you used Coconut Oil

Muringaella Thoran (Drumstick tree (Moringa Oleifera)'s leaves with coconut gratings)

Somehow it is becoming increasingly difficult since Lent started to write my recipe creations. There is a lot of challenges I experience during Lent and quite unexpected too. I guess that is what happens in the spiritual world with a battle between Good and Evil! So it is probably but natural that a lot of these challenges and unwanted concerns arise during the season of Lent. How you deal with it is probably a test of your faith.  Also, I seem to have a lot going on at once and hence the delay in sharing this way too simple recipe.

You can prep this dish when you are free or even whilst doing another activity that does not involve using your hands. You can even get your toddler/little ones to assist. They will definitely enjoy doing so and you can have some fun time with them as well while prepping for the dish.

These  leaves came from my parents' garden. I have always loved the drumsticks' tree leaves. And as mentioned in an earlier blog post we grew up in a villa which had this huge Moringa Oleifera tree growing in our front yard garden! These leaves are rich in Vitamin B, C, Provitamin A, Vitamin K, Manganese, Calcium and yes Protein!! Remember overcooking these leaves as with some other leaves as well would kill some of its nutrients. So it is normally cooked on medium-low heat of up to a maximum of 60°C.

Prepping the leaves requires either some old newspapers or a 'Muram' which is either a bamboo or plastic tray. It looks like this. I have the plastic version and will share the photo soon. So you basically you take the drumstick branches and gently tap it on the newspaper or the Muram and the leaves fall off the branches and stems.

You need to make sure to discard the thinner stems as well as it can get in the way once you cook it and tends to taste more bitter than it should. Also its quite stringy so you really cannot chew your way through it. I have photos of version#1 for you where I experimented cooking the thinner stems. It was a pain to get them out of the cooked dish. So make sure you painstakingly discard the stems prior to cooking.

This is mum's recipe <3

You need:

• 5 cups Drumstick leaves, washed clean and separated from branches and stems*
• Half a small coconut, grated *
• 1/2 tsp of Turmeric powder 
• 1/3 cup Split Pigeon Pea (Toor dal/Tuvara dal), semi-boiled (optional but adds more texture and flavour and not to forget added protein!)
• 1/2 cup Red pearl onions/shallots/small onions
• 1 medium sized onion, finely diced
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• Salt to taste
• Water to sprinkle
• 2 Green chilies, chopped finely
• 2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera/jeerakam)
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• Cooking oil

The Make:

Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes | Cooking time: 15-20 minutes  | Serves 2 adults

1. Set the washed and separated leaves aside on a colander to drain.

2. Next using a mortar and pestle or a grinder, crush the coconut gratings, garlic, cumin seeds and pearl onions with only a sprinkle of water not more.

3. Transfer the drained Moringa Oleifera leaves and crushed ingredients to a large bowl and add the salt, green chilies and turmeric powder.

4. Add the drained semi-cooked split pigeon peas to the bowl.

5.Splutter mustard seeds in oil a large deep bottomed pot or wok and add the curry leaves.

6. Next add the sliced onion and fry for about a minute or until translucent.

7. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the drumstick leaves with the ground mixture blend and saute slightly. Cover and cook for not more than 15 minutes or until the leaves are cooked and no residual water present. The leaves turn to a nice dark green colour as well.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

*Note:
Since we eat very less coconut in our diet, I restricted it to half of a small coconut you could add more as you require and in proportion to the quantity of drumstick leaves. So for 3 cups of drumstick leaves, I added 1/4 cup of coconut.

Bon Appetit!

Choco chip cookies and Gems or M&Ms or Smarties cookies

I had made these cookies first when I was all of 12 yrs old :) It is such a super easy recipe to make. You can involve your little ones in the making of these cookies as well. The baking time is also quite short and no additional syrups, etc are required in the making of these cookies.

You need:

• 2 cups of plain flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cup of choco chip cookies or gems (You can also divide the dough in 1/2 and add 1 cup of choco chips to one batch and 1/2 of gems to the other batch like I did)

The Make:
Cooking Time: 10 minutes per batch | Preparation Time: 10 minutes | Makes about 20-30 cookies (depending on the size)

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside. You can avoid the salt if you are using salted butter.
3. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition.
5. Blend in the vanilla essence.
6. Thoroughly mix in the flour mixture until combined well.
7. Using a spoon, fold in the choco chips and gems in batches or together or either one or as per your choice until evenly distributed across the batter. Don't fold in too much as to cause the chocolate to melt.
8. Scoop about 1 heaped tbsp or teaspoon of the batter and place on a well-greased baking tray  or directly on a baking sheet. Continue doing this with sufficient spacing between the cookies to allow it to expand.
9. Cook for 10 minutes or until the cookies are golden and crispy. Turn to a rack to cool down.

You can serve hot or cold as desired. The kids would enjoy these cookies at Christmas time and it isn't too late yet to try them out!

Spanish Omelette [Tortilla de patatas con cebolla (with onion)] - Hubby's Special!!

It was the morning of our fourth wedding anniversary and hubbykins decided to chef the morning breakfast with a surprise make. I saw some sausages defrosting and potatoes coming out of the tray and was wondering what we were going to have...hmmm!

We had some of these wonderful Spanish omelettes at a live counter at the hotel where we stayed for our honeymoon and once after. Of course this one was made after Anup reviewed a couple of recipes and finally decided that this was the one he would make. I definitely enjoyed it to the very last bite.

There are several versions of Spanish omelettes that you would find. Some are made with chorizo toppings and vegans would probably find thinly sliced mushrooms as an option.

What a truly pampered way to start our special day...I cannot believe that it has be four awesome years together. Time sure flies...

Remember while making these omelettes, that the success factor depends on how thinly sliced the vegetables or chorizo are and incorporated into the omelettes. Another success factor relies on the tossing of the omelette.

You need:

• 4 large eggs
• 4 chorizo sausages/other sausages, finely diced * see notes for substitutes
• 1 large potato or 2 medium potatoes, grated or chopped finely
• 1 large onion, purple or white, finely diced * see notes for preferred
• Oil as required
• 1 sprig parsley, finely diced
• Salt to taste
• Smoked paprika or pepper to taste

The Make:
Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes | Cooking Time: 15 minutes | Serves 2 adults

1. Heat about 1 tbsp of oil in a non-stick pan and saute the chorizo sausages until lightly brown. Set aside.
2. Next 1 tbsp oil and toss in the onions and grated potatoes on medium low heat. Allow the potatoes to cook through for at least 10 minutes taking care not to burn. Once cooked, strain the potatoes and onions in a large colander allowing the excess oil to drain off.
3. Next whisk the eggs well and toss in the parsley, seasoning/condiments, the potatoes and onions.
4. Heat some of the drained oil in a pan checking if there is enough to grease the corners of the pan and add the whisked ingredients evenly.
5. Turn the heat to medium and allow the egg to cook for a minute. Top with the chorizo slices and cover and cook until the egg base seems set.

6. Tuck the spatula around the pan to ensure that any loose egg would run to the bottom and get cooked. Allow  to cook for a half a minute on low flame.
7. Next loosen the bottom using the spatula and using a plate toss the egg onto the plate and slide the egg onto the pan again to cook the other side for another minute to two minutes.

8. Repeat step 7 a few more times allowing to cook briefly on each side before flipping over. Ensure to press the sides each time using the spatula to keep the shape intact.

Serve with your favourite flatbread or baguette. Bon Appetit!


Notes*:
1. Veg option: Finely diced mushrooms (of your choice)
2. White onion is preferred owing to the flavour variance