Avarekai - Bottle Gourd Gasi

Avarekai/Field beans - Bottle Gourd Gasi /Thick Curry is one of the side dish you can prepare as a side dish. Gasi means thick curry.
We do not use any dal in Gasi. Here I have used Avarekai - Bottle Gourd and a Sweet potato.

Spices are freshly fried in coconut oil and the aroma is just awesome. This Gasi is One of the Udupi special curry.
Gasi is prepared using some pods/peas/cow peas or whole channa, ( black or Kabooli channa).  Dakshina Kannada , Udupi and Malenadu side this Gasi is well known dish.
I have used fresh fried spices and coconut. The fried ingredients are then grind with fresh grated coconut.
Avarekai is field beans.  It is a seasonal pod which grows well during the month of November to February. It is available plenty in the market since this is the season we get the best Avarekai.
Let us see the recipe now :

Things needed :

To Cook :

Avarekai : 1 Bowl (250 gr).
Bottle Gourd : 1 Bowl ( 1/2 of One medium size bottle gourd).
Sweet Potato : Boiled : 1
To Fry :
Channa dal : 1 Teaspoon
Urid dal : 1 Teaspoon
Red chilly : 5 to 6
Coriander seeds : 1 Tablespoon
Ingh /Asafoetida : A little
Curry Leaves : 6 to 8
To Grind : 
Fried ingredients
Fresh Grated Coconut : 1 Cup
To Add :
Ground coconut mixture
Salt : As required
Tamarind : A small marble size.
Turmeric powder : A pinch.
Seasoning done in coconut oil. (Mustard seeds, ingh, curry leaves).

Method :

1. Wash and peel off bottle gourd outer layer. Cut into small pieces.

2. Wash Avarekai pods and cook with bottle gourd. (Pressure cook). Cook sweet potato and remove its skin.

3. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add a tsp of coconut oil.
4. Add a tsp of channa dal and urid dal. Fry till they turn golden brown.

 5. Add red chilly and fry. Add coriander seeds fry slightly and put off the fire.

6. Add curry leaves and ingh. Mix all the ingredients well. Let it cool.
7. Grate coconut,  grind with fried ingredients and marble size tamarind. (Soak tamarind in little water so that it gets soft. Use the soaked water to grind). Keep this aside.

8. Keep cooked veggy on the fire. Add salt, turmeric powder and little water.
9. Boil for a minute. Add ground coconut mixture and boil for 3 to 4 minutes.

10 . Cut cooked sweet potato into small pieces. Add the pieces while gasi is boiling.

 11. Add seasoning and serve with any of the main dish.

12. We had Avarekai - bottle gourd Gasi for lunch. It was perfect and yummy.

Note :

Gasi can be prepared with any pods. If you are using dry pods, soak them at night and then cook in the morning. Adding more chilly is optional.
Time : 30 Minutes.
Serves : 3 to 4.

Sprouted Moong and Brinjal Gasi

Sprouted moong and Brinjal Gasi /Thick Curry is one of the yummy side dish that goes well with almost all the main dishes.

I just tried with this curry it is one of the yummy side dish as I said it earlier. It is bit spicy and you can reduce the chilly if are very mild spice eater.
The brinjal here is known as " Mattina Gulla " a special type of brinjal/egg plant which grows only in a place called " Mattu ", and the seeds are given and blessed by Udupi Matt Swamiji Shree Vadiraja Swamy. People were very poor and they went and prayed Vadirajaru Swami. This happened in Vadiraja Swamiji's time. The taste of the gulla /badane / kattarikai/egg plant grown in Mattu is definitely tasty and you do not find this quality of Gulla.
I have done Gulla - Avarekai Curry in one of my previous post.
Here it is some thing different with Sprouted Moong and Brinjal and the spice used here bit different and you definitely get these spices in your kitchen store.
Let us see the recipe :
No Onion OR No Garlic is used in this Sprouted Moong and Brinjal Gasi/Curry 

Things Needed :

Brinjal /Gulla /Egg plant : 2 to 3
Sprouted Moong : 1 Bowl
Gasi Powder : 1 Tablespoons
Coconut : 1 Small cup\
Tamarind : A marble size or little less
Turmeric Powder : A pinch
Salt : As required
To Season :
Coconut Oil : 1 Teaspoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh /Asafoetida : A pinch
Curry Leaves : 6 to 8 leaves

Method : 

1. Cook sprouted moong for 3 to 4 minutes and keep it aside. ( Do not over cook ).

2. Wash and cut brinjal and soak in bowl of water for 5 minutes.

3. Grate coconut and keep it aside.
4. Soak tamarind and squeeze out the pulp.

5. Now keep a pan and put a glass of water. Let it boil.
6. Add brinjal pieces to boiling water.
7. Cook till they turn soft. Add cooked moong and mix it well. Add tamarind pulp.

8. Add salt and turmeric powder. Let it boil.
9. Grind coconut and spice powder with required water.
10. Add ground coconut mixture to brinjal - sprouted moong. Mix it well.

11. Let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Shift the ready gasi to a serving dish.

12. Add coconut oil seasoning with mustard seeds, ingh/Asafoetida and curry leaves.

13. Serve as a one of the side dish for lunch or any other main dish.
14. Use of coriander leaves is optional.

Note :

Do not cook moong sprout much. Use of any cooking oil is optional.
I have used Gasi /Thick Curry powder. You can fry fresh spices and then grind it to get fresh aroma.

Time : 30 Minutes

Serves : 3 to 4 
Gasi Powder :
Channa dal : 1 Teaspoon
Urid dal : 1 Teaspoon
Coriander seeds : 1 Teaspoon
Methi Seeds : 1/4 Teaspoon
Jeera /Cumin seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Curry Leaves : 6 to 8
Byadagi chilly :  5 to 6
 Method  Dry roast or fry with a teaspoon of coconut oil on medium flame till slightly brown. Put off the fire and let it cool. Dry grind and store or use it on the same day. ( It is better to use fresh fried spices).