Kesu Palya / Colocasia Dry Curry

ಕೇಸು /Kesu/ Colocasia is one of the healthy leaf which grows well during rainy season and is good for health too. We got colocasia plants and we get fresh leaves once in two to three weeks. I do prepare varieties of dishes using Kesu. This time I tried Kesu Palya /Dry Curry. It has come out very nice and thought of sharing with you all.

I have used Kesu / Colocasia  leaves, home prepared curry powder, jaggery and tamarin. Seasoned with coconut oil which I brought from ooru when I went last time
Kesu leaves helps to keep our body warm and provides lots of minerals and vitamins. It has a good source of fiber and helps in easing the constipation problems
Let us see the recipe now "
No Onion OR No Garlic in this Kesu Palya. It is a dry curry with sweet and spicy taste. It is nice to eat with plain rice.

Things Needed :

Colocasia leaves : 10 to 12 ( Medium sized )
Tanarind  : 1 Marble size
Jaggery : 2 Tablespoons
Curry Powder : 1 Tablespoon
Coconut : 2 Tablespoon
Salt : As required
For Seasoning :
Coconut Oil : 1 Tablespoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Jeera /Cumin Seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Curry Leaves : 5 to 6
Byadagi red chilly : 2 to 3
Ingh /Asafoetida : A little

Method :

1. Wash and cut kesu leaves into small pieces. Remove its stems outer layer before cutting its stems.

2. Put tamarind in hot water and squeeze out the pulp. Keep the pulp aside

3. Grate coconut and keep it aside.

4. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add coconut oil. Add mustard seeds, jeera and ingh. Let mustard seeds splutter.
5. Add curry leaves and kesu leaves. Mix it well. Add tamarind pulp, salt and jaggery.

6. Add a pinch of turmeric powder and mix all the ingredients nicely. Cover and cook on medium flame till all water disappear.

7. Mix in between and add curry powder and mix it again.
8. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, leaves turns soft and all the moisture disappear.

9. Add fresh grated coconut and mix it nicely. Put off the fire and shift the ready Kesu Dry Palya to a serving dish.

10. Serve with your choice of main dish.

Note :

Do not use much water to cook. Adding more jaggery is optional. Use of curry powder is your choice. I have used home prepared curry powder. Kesu leaves should be tender. Use of tamarind is important.
Time : 20 Minutes.
Serves : 2 to 3 People.

Curry Powder :

 Dry roast channa dal, urid dal, coriander seeds, each 1 tablespoon,  red chilly/byadagi  ( 5 to 6 ), methi seeds 1/2 ts, jeera /cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon, sesame seeds  1 tablespoon and ingh.
Dry grind once it is cooled down. Use it for a time. ( 1 time )

Brinjal Gojju

Brinjal Gojju / bartha is a side dish done with Brinjal/Egg plant. The big brinjal really adds taste to this curry.

It is a quick, easy, yummy and simple dish that you can prepare when you are in a hurry.
Brinjal Gojju goes well with almost all the main dishes.
Let us see the recipe now :
No Onion OR No Garlic is used in Brinjal Gojju.

Ingredients :

To cook :

Brinjal  : 1
Green chilly : 2
Tomatoes: 2 ( Small )
Capsicum : 1
Carrot : 1
Ginger : An inch
To Season :
Coconut Oil : 2 Tablespoons
Mustard Seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Jeera / Cumin Seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh /Asafoetida : A pinch
Curry Leaves : 6 to 8 leaves
To Add :
Turmeric powder : A pinch
Sambar /Rasam Powder : 1 Tablespoon
Salt : As required
Jaggery : 1 Teaspoon
Coriander leaves : 1 Tablespoon

Method :

1. Wash and cut brinjal and soak the pieces in a big bowl at least for 10 minues.
2. Wash and cut tomatoes, carrot and slit green chilly.
3. Wash and cut capsicum and keep it aside.

4. Wash ginger, peel of the skin and wash it again. Grate it and keep it aside.
5. Keep a pan on the fire and put oil. Add mustard seeds, jeera and let mustard splutter.
6. Add ingh, curry leaves and fry for a second.

7. Add cut carrot pieces, capsicum, and tomatoes. Add grated ginger and green chilly.

8. Fry nicely for s minute. Remove brinjal from water and wash it again. Add these brinjal pieces with carrots.
9. Fry for a minute and add salt, turmeric powder, rasam powder and salt.
10. Mix all the vegetables nicely and put 1/2 cup of water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. ( I used pressure cooker to cook ). Allow it to cool.
11. Keep the cooked gojju on the fire. Add jaggery and mix it well. Add coriander leaves.

12. Shift the ready Brinjal Gojju to a serving dish and serve with the main dish you have prepared. We had it with plain red rice.

Note :

Soaking brinjal pieces in water helps to remove the bitterness in brinjal. Use of any brand of
 rasam /sambar powder is optional. I have used MTR. rasam powder.
Use of any cooking oil is optional. You can use tamarind pulp instead of tomatoes.
Discarding tomato seeds is optional. Use of pressure cooker is optional. You can cook in a pan instead of pressure cooker. Use of onions and garlic is optional.
Time : 20 Minutes.
Serves : 3 to 5.
Brinjal Bajji/Fried fritter with Brinjal Gojju.
 Mix channa flour with little water, jeera, chilly powder and salt. Let the batter be idly consistency.
Wash and cut brinjal in to circle shape and wash it again. Squeeze out the water and dip brinjal pieces in channa batter. Keep a cup of oil on the fire and heat. Fry channa flour dipped brinjal one by one in hot oil. Remove from the oil and put it on the kitchen tissue.
Serve as one of the side dish.

Millet Mirchi Bajji /Fried Fritters

Mirchi bajji is famous fried fritters these days. Mirchi bajji goes well with a cup of coffee/chai or any other fruit juice.

I have tried this Mirchi bajji using millet flour, besan /channa dal flour, curry leaves chutney powder and other spices. Just wanted to try this fritter with millet flour and it has turned nicely with crispy and soft texture. It has a good taste and of course it is a good choice for having with lunch as a bite by the side.
Let us see the reciepe Now :

Things needed :

Mirchi /Bajji Chilli : 3 to 4
Millet flour : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Besan / Channa Dal Flour : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Curry Leaves Chutney Powder : 1 Tablespoon
Chilly powder : 1/2 Teaspoon
Jeera / Cumin Seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Salt : As required
Oil : to Fry : 1 Cup

Method :

1. Wash and remove the seeds in Chilly. Slit them in the middle. / You can cut them into two in the middle.
2. Take a big bowl and add millet flour, besan / channa flour, curry leaves chutney powder, salt, chilly powder and jeera/cumin seeds. Mix it well.
3. Add water and prepare the batter. ( Let it be medium thick).

4. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add a cup of oil. Let it get hot.
5. Dip each chilly in the batter you have prepared and fry them on medium flame.

6. Turn the other side and fry till they turn golden brown.

7. Remove from the oil and put it on a kitchen tissue.

8. Millet Mirchi Bajji /Fried fritter is ready to serve.

9.Repeat the same and prepare the remaining bajji.
10 Serve as you wish, with a cup of coffee / tea or a cup of juice or for lunch as a bite like papad.

Note :

Careful while you prepare the batter. Let the batter be medium thick. Adding any spice is optional. Curry leaves chutney powder adds to the taste. Adding more chilly powder is optional.
Fry on medium flame so that it cooks well and chilly turns crunchy.
I have the big chilly into two. So that it is easy to fry. No cooking soda is used here.
Time : 20 Minutes.
Serves : 2 to 3.

Capsicum - Cow peas Dry curry

Capsicum - Cow Peas Dry Curry is something simple, easy and quick. You can have this curry with many main dishes. I have just tried and its so simple.

I have used fresh cow peas, manalore cucumber and capsicum.
No onion or No garlic is added here in this curry. 
Let us see the recipe Now :

Ingredients :

Cow Peas : 1 Bowl.
Mangalore Cucumber/Mangalore Southekai / Bannada Southekai : 1 Bowl ( 1/2 of 1 medium size)
Green chilly : 2 to 3
Ginger : 1 Teaspoon / Grated
Salt : As required
Lemon : 1/2 Lemon (1 Teaspoon)
Pepper Pods : 6 to 8
Jeera / Cumin Powder : 1/2 Teaspoon
To Season :
Capsicum : 1
Oil : 1 Tablespoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Jeera /Cumin Seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh/Asafoetida : A pinch
Curry Leaves : 6 to 8 leaves
To Add : 
Coriander Leaves : 2 Tablespoons
Fresh Grated Coconut : 2 to 3 Tablespoons

Method :

1. Wash and cut mangalore cucumber into small pieces.
2. Now pressure cook  cut cucumber, a bowl of fresh cow peas, pepper pods and 1 Green chilly with required water. (1/4 cup will do).

3. Wash and remove the seeds from capsicum and cut it into small. Slit green chilly and cut coriander leaves. Squeeze out lemon extract and keep it aside.

4. Keep a small pan on the fire and heat. Add a tablespoon of oil. Add mustard seeds and jeera.
5. Let mustard seeds splutter. Add curry leaves, slit chilly and ingh. Fry nicely and add cut capsicum.
6. Fry capsicum nicely till soft on low flame. Put this fried capsicum to cooked cow peas mixture.

7. Keep cooked mixtures in a pan and put salt, little turmeric powder and jeera powder. Mix all the ingredients nicely and cook for 2 minutes. Let all the moisture disappear. Add lemon and mix it well.

8. Put off the fire and shift ready Capsicum - Cow peas curry to a serving dish.

9. Add fresh grated coconut and serve with main dish you have prepared.

10 We had Capsicum - Cow Peas Dry Curry with Plain Rice and Rasam.

Note :

Do not over cook cow peas. Do not add much water while cooking. Adding any type masala is optional. Use of coconut is optional. Use of onions and garlic is optional. Use of more oil is optional.
Time 20 Minutes
Serves : 3 to 4 .

Spicy Spring Onion Dry Curry

Spring Onions are the healthy vegetable that can be used in our cooking. We do get this leaves most of the time in the year. Here I have tried Palya / Dry curry with Spring Onions.

Let us see some benefits of Spring Onions :
Spring Onion bulbs are good in taste and rich in nutrients. Spring onions are very much used in Chinese traditional medicines. They are rich in sulfur and it provides lots of health benefits to us. They are low in calorie.
Spring Onion adds taste to the food. It lowers and controls the blood sugar level. It is good for medicine for common cold. It is good for digestion. It also helps to control the blood circulation in our body. They help to lower the cholesterol level in our body. They help in regulating metabolism in our body. It has good amount of Anti - bacterial properties  and helps to fight against cold and flu. Spring Onions are good for treating eye disease and eye problems.
They are rich in vitamins like Vitamin C, Vitamin B2, Vitamin A and Vitamin K. They are good source of copper, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium, manganese and fiber.
Let us see the recipe Now :
This side dish Spicy Spring Onion Dry Curry is good to go with almost all the main dishes. Yummy with hot rice and a spoon of fresh ghee. Also goes well with any type of roti, nan, pulka, or pooris.

Ingredients :

Spring Onion : 1 Big Bundle
Green chilly : 2
Lemon : 1/2 ( One teaspoon )
Roasted Chenna : 2 Tablespoons
Pepper Pods : 6 to 8
Jeera /Cumin seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Salt : As required
Turmeric Powder : A pinch
To Season :
Cooking Oil : 1 Tablespoon
Mustard seeds : 1 Teaspoon
Jeera /Cumin Seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Curry Leaves : 5 to 6 leaves.

Method :

1. Wash nicely and cut Spring Onion leaves and bulb into small. Wash green chilly and slit.

. Dry grind roasted chenna / hurikadale /putani /Pottu kadale, jeera and pepper pods.

3. Keep a pan on the fire and put oil. Add mustard seeds, jeera/curmin seeds.
4. Let it splutter. Add curry leaves and green chilly. Fry for a while.
5. Add cut spring onions and fry nicely. Do not use water. Lower the flame. Stir in between.

6. When leaves turn soft add salt, dry ground roasted chenna, turmeric powder.

7. Mix it slowly and let it cook on low flame for at least 5 minutes. Stir in between so that it does not get burnt at the bottom.

8. See that all the moisture disappear. Shift the ready Spicy Spring Onion Dry Curry to a serving dish.

Note :

Do not add any water while cooking. Spring Onion contain lots of water in it and it helps the leaves to cook. Adding any other spices is optional. Adding extra onions or garlic is optional. No need to add any coconut to the curry.
Time : 20 Minutes.
Serves : 2 to 3.