Tondekai Palya

Tondekai / Ivy Gourd is loved by most of us. Tondekai as we call in Kannada Langurage.  I have tried some dry palya /dry curry and it taste Yummy.

Tondekai/tindli, Tindoora, Kowai por Kowekai as it is called in different Indian Language.

I have used Tondekai, rasam powder, jaggery and dry ground coconut mixture.

Let us see some benefits of Tondekai/Tendli/Kowekai in our diet.
Ivy gourd /Tondekai helps to regulate the blood sugar level. it helps in preventing obesity because it is rich in anti obesity properties. It helps in improving digestion. It cures diseases because it is rich in anti oxidant properties. It protects against allergies. Tondekai helps to cure infections. It helps in increasing metabolism in our body. It prevents kidney stones.it helps in curing anemia since it is filled with iron. It is rich in minerals and vitamins. It has minerals like iron,potassium and calcium, It is rich in vitamin B 1, and B 2.
The fruits of Ivy gourd are used as traditional medicine in Ayurveda for several diseases and infections. The leaves are used for treating fever, bronchitis, jaundice and osteoarthritis.
No Onion - No Garlic  Tondekai Palya/Dry Curry.
It is simple, quick, yummy and healthy.

You must use tender Tondekai . 

Ingredients :

Tondekai : 1250 Gr.
To Add :
Rasam Powder : 2 Teaspoons full.
Coconut : 1/2 Cup
Green chilly : 1
Salt : As required
Coriander Leaves : 2 Tbs
Jaggery : 1 Teaspoon
Seasoning :
Coconut Oil : 1 Tablespoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Urid dal : 1/2 Teaspoon
Curry Leaves : 5 to 6

Method :

1. Wash and cut tondekai and keep it aside.

2. Grate cocontu and dry grind it. Keep it aside.
3. Wash green chilly and slit, wash curry leaves, coriander leaves and cut into small pieces.
4. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add oil, mustard seeds and urid dal. Let mustard seeds splutter.
5. Add curry leaves and slit green chilly.
6. Add cut tondekai and mix it nicely. Add little water and cook till it turns soft.

7. Tondekai should be cooked till soft. Then you add salt and little turmeric powder.
8. Add rasam powder, jaggery and mix all the ingredients nicely.

9. Add dry ground coconut and mix it well. Let it cook on low flame for 2 minutes.
10. Mix it and check all the moisture is disappear. Shift the Tondekai Palya to a serving dish.

11. Add cut coriander leaves.

12. Serve as one of the side dish  and enjoy.

Note :

You can cook tondekai in pressure cooker for 2  minutes and then add it to seasoning done.
Use of Onions and garlic is optional.
Use of jaggery is optional.
Tondekai has little bit of tangy taste. So no need to use any lemon, tamarind, or any other tangy extract.
Use of coconut is optional. It adds to the taste.
I have used MTR Rasam Powder.  Use of any brand of spice is optional.
Time : 30 Minutes.

Serves : 3 to 4

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 )

Simple Bottle Gourd /Sorekai Dry Palya

Bottle gourd/Sorekai/Doodi is one of the healthy vegetable and it available plenty all around the year.

I have done many recipes with Bottle gourd. Here is a simple,  yummy, easy dry curry which is very quick too. 

I have used simple spices and the bottle gourd. 

Let us see the recipe now : 

No Onion or No garlic is added to this Simple Bottle Gourd /Sorekai Dry Palya

Things Needed :

Sorekai / Bottle gourd pieces : 1 Bowl.

Red byadagi chilly : 2 

Jaggery : 1 Tablespoon
Coconut : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Salt : As required
Coconut Oil : 1 Tablespoon
Mustard seeds /Sasive : 1/2 Teaspoon
Urid dal /Uddina bele : 1/2 Teaspoon
Curry leaves :  6 to 8
Coriander leaves : 1 Tablespoon ( Optional)

Method :

1. Wash and peel of the outer layer of bottle gourd./Sorekai.
2. Cut bottle gourd into very small pieces and cook with required water till soft.

3. Grate coconut and keep it aside. Wash coriander leaves and curry leaves and cut into small.
4. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add coconut oil, mustard seeds and urid dal.
5. Cut red chilly into two to three pieces and put it the seasoning.
6. Let mustard splutter. Add curry leaves and mix it once.
7. Add cooked bottle gourd pieces and jaggery. Mix it well.

8. Add turmeric powder (a pinch) and required salt. Let jaggery melt and mix it with the pieces.
9. Let all the moisture disappear completely. Put off the fire and add grated coconut.
10. Mix it well and shift the ready dry palya .curry to a serving dish.

11. Add coriander leaves on the top.

12. Serve with the main dish you have prepared. We had this curry as one of the side dish with our lunch.

Note :

You need to cook bottle gourd pieces till soft to get good taste. (Do not over cook).
Adding jaggery is optional. We like to add little jaggery in some of the dishes in Udupi style of cooking. Adding green chilly instead of red chilly is optional. Taste differ. No need to add more oil. Do not cook the curry after adding fresh coconut. Adding coriander leaves is optional.
Time : 15 Minutes
Serves : 2 to 3 
Purely : Udupi Taste /Karnataka /India .

Seeme Badane and Peas Curry ( Without Toor Dal )

Seeme badane/Chayote Squash is one of the vegetable which is available round the year. As usual you can do many dishes using this vegetable. Here I have done a simple curry with chayote squash and peas  which is very easy and it is without toor dal.

Normally curry /Huli means vegetables cooked with toor dal and mixed with spices grinding with coconut. Use of coconut is more in Dakshina Kannada /Mangalore/Udupi and Malenadu areas. Reason may be the life style, the weather, the food and the workload. It was those days people did very hard work, so that they could digest the food they eat. Use of coconut in cooking is very healthy habit, since coconut is full of minerals and vitamins. It is rich in fiber and easy to digest. Help to produce good cholesterol and helps in the growth of good hormones.
I have used fresh grated coconut, fresh rasam powder, seeme badane/chayote squash little jeera.
Let us see the recipe now :
No Onion or No garlic in this Seeme Badane Curry.

Things Needed :

To Cook :
Seeme badane /Chayote Squash : 2
Fresh Peas : 1 Cup
To grind :
Fresh grated coconut : 1Cup
Rasam Powder : 2 Teaspoons
Tamarind : A small marble size
To Add : 
Turmeric powder : A pinch
Salt : As required
Ghee : 1 Teaspoon
Methi seeds : 5 to 6
Seasoning :
Coconut Oil : 1 Teaspoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh / Asafoetida : A pinch
Curry leaves : 6 to 8

Method :

1. Wash and remove the seeme badane outer layer. Remove the pea pods and wash it.

2. Remove the seed in side and cut them into small pieces.

3. Pressure cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Put off the gas. ( You can cook separately with out using pressure cooker. ( Optional ).

4. Grate coconut and grind it with rasam powder and tamarind. (Remove tamarind pod if it is inside).

5. Keep a pan on the fire and put cooked seeme badane and peas. Add salt, turmeric powder and mix it. Cook for 2 minutes. Add dry methi seeds.
6. Add ground coconut - rasam powder mixture and mix it well. Let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes.

7. Shift the curry to a serving dish and add seasoning.
8. Serve with the main dish you have prepared.

Note : 

Use of pressure cooker to cook vegetables is optional.
Use of any cooking oil for seasoning is optional.
Use of tamarind pulp instead of tamarind is optional. Soak tamarind in hot water and squeeze out the pulp and use it.
Use of any brand rasam powder instead of fresh rasam powder is optional.
Time : 30 Minutes.
Serves : 3 to 4 People.

For fresh rasam powder :

  Dry roast, 1/4 Teaspoon of methi seeds, 2 Tablespoons of coriander seeds, 1/2 Teaspoon of jeera and 5 to 6 byadagi chilly. Add little ingh. Put off the fire and dry grind when the dry roast spices cools. Dry roast on low flame.

Basale & Dil Leaves Kootu /Curry

Basale leaves are known as Malabar leaves and Dil leaves are sabbassige soppu in Kannada.
This Kootu is goes well with almost all the main dishes.

Basale and dil leaves are from our garden. We do grow flowers and little vegetables in pots on our terrace. It gives so much pleasure when you use your homegrown vegetables.
I have used pepper, green chilly, beans, leaves, toor dal jeera and mustard seeds.
Let us see the benefits of black pepper in our diet.
Black pepper is used since ancient time in cooking and it rich source of medicinal values. It is good for cough, cold, fever and stomach upset. It helps to improve the digestion in our body. It is good remedy for intestinal gas. It has good antioxidant properties. It helps to improve our immune system.
It is loaded with magnesium, Vitamin K, Iron and fiber. It adds taste to the food we eat.
Black Pepper/Pepper Corn is also used in easing aches, muscle pains and inflammatory arthritis. It has antibacterial, antioxidant and immune boosting properties.
Let us see the recipe Now :

Ingredients :

To Cook:
Basale/Malabar leaves : 1 Bowl (1 Small bundle)
Dil /Sabbassige leaves : 1/2 bowl. ( 1 Small bundle)
French beans : 250 Grams
Moong Dal : 1/2 Cup
To Grind : 
Fresh grated coconut : 1/2 Cup
Pepper pods : 4 to 5
Jeera/Cumin seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
To add :
Salt : As required
Coriander leaves : 2 Tablespoons
Ground coconut masala
Green chilly : 2 to 3 
Seasoning :
Coconut Oil : 1 Tablespoon
Mustard seeds : 1/4 Teaspoon
Jeera/Cumin seeds : 1/4 Teaspoon
Curry Leaves : 6 to 8 Leaves
Ingh/Asafoetida : A little

 Method :

1. Clean and wash the leaves, cut off the hard stem and cut the leaves into small. (Basale and Dil leaves). Wash and cut curry leaves, slit green chilly and cut coriander leaves into very small.

2.Wash and remove the edges of beans and cut into very small pieces.

3. Wash and cook moong dal in a pressure cooker.

4.Cook leaves and cut beans separately in a pan with required water. Add slit chilly to it.
5. Grate coconut and grind it with jeera, pepper pods and 1/2 teaspoon of mustard. Use required water to grind.

6. Keep a big bowl on the fire and put cooked leaves, beans and cooked moong dal.
7. Add a little turmeric powder, required salt and little water. Mix it nicely and let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

 8. Add ground coconut mixture and mix it well. Let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes.

 9. Shift   Basale & Dil leaves Kootu to a serving dish.
10. Add coconut oil, mustard seeds, jeera, ingh and curry leaves seasoning to Hot Kootu.
11. Add cut coriander leaves on the top.
12. Serve with any choice of your main dish with Basale & Dil Leaves Kootu Curry.

Note : 

Cooking leaves and beans separately is always better or it will be over cooked in pressure cooker.
Adding more chilly is optional. Adding jeera /cumin seeds helps the curry to digest well. Adding a teaspoon of lemon juice is optional. ( I have not added). Adding a cup of thick curd is optional. It taste different.
Time : 30 Minutes
Serves : 4 to 5 
Purely South Indian Dish.