Huli Tovve (Veg + Dal Curry)

Huli Tovve is  one of the traditional vegetable curry in Karnataka. (Especially Bangalore and Mysore side). Huli  ((ಹುಳಿ) is prepared, using coconut and some spices. Tovve is Dal cooked with some spices. This Huli - Tovve is a mixture of both. Some vegetables are cooked using lots of dal with some spices.  I have eaten this Huli Tovve many times and each time I thought of preparing this curry.  I wanted to know more about this Huli Tovve and the spices and ingredients used in this curry. I asked my friends who live near by our houses and they are Bangalore. Without wasting time I collected the information. She suggested they normally use Red pumpkin, Ridge Gourd and Averekai (Field beans) to prepare this curry. I have tasted this type of curry prepared with Red Pumpkin and it tasted very nice. I wanted to try with Ridge Gourd and added Seeme Badane (chayote squash).

Lets see some benefits of eating Ridge Gourd.

Ridge Gourd is rich in dietary fiber. It is enriched with all the minerals like Iron, Magnesium, and other minerals. It is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and calories. It is high in water content that helps to relieve constipation and healing piles. Ridge gourd helps to reduce sugar level in both blood and urine. It contain high level of Beta - carotene which is good for enhancing eye sight. Ridge gourd helps to purify the blood. It helps to manage acidity as well as ulcers. Ridge gourd is well known as a cooling agent and good for burning up experience with urine.

Here is a recipe of Huli - Tovve and it goes well with plain rice, chapatis, poori, idli, dosa, akki rotti and any type of rotis.
Onions and Garlic is not used in this curry and we can enjoy on time.

Things Needed :

Ridge Gourd : 1 bowl ( 2 medium sized)
Seeme badane ( Chayote squash) : 2 (Tender ones).
Toor Dal : 1/2 Cup
Coriander seeds : 1 Table spoon
Urid dal : 1 1/2  Tea spoon
Channa Dal : 1 1/2 Tea spoon
Methi seeds (Fenugrik seeds) : 1/4 Tea spoon
Jeera (Cumin seeds) : 1/2 spoon
Cinnamon: A small piece ( 1/2 Inch)
Red chilly (Byadagi Chilly) : 5 to 6
Coconut : 1/2 Cup
Salt : to taste
Tamarind : Small marble size (Optional)
Curry leaves : 6 to 8
Coriander Leaves : 2 Table spoons.
Ingh (Asafoetida) : a pinch
Turmeric Powder : a pinch
Oil : 2 Tea spoons.
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Tea spoon

Method : 

1. Wash and cook toor dal in pressure cooker and leave it for cooling.
2. Wash and remove the outer skin of ridge gourd and Seeme badane kai and cut it into small and cook with required water.

 3. Grate coconut .

4. Keep a small frying pan on the fire and put a spoon of oil. Put channa dal, fenugrik seeds(methi seeds) and urid dal.
5. Fry them till they turn slightly red. Add cinnamon, red chilly and coriander seeds. Fry for 10 seconds.
6. Add ingh and 4 to 5 curry leaves and put off the fire. Add coconut to the fried mixture.( you can add jeera along with coconut).

7. Now grind this fried mixture with coconut and tamarind. Use little water while grinding.

8. Keep a bigger pan on the fire. Add a spoon of oil and heat.
9. Add 1/2 Tea spoon of  mustard seeds, channa dal and urid dal. Let the mustard splutter.
10. Add Ingh and curry leaves. Add cooked vegetables and cooked dal.
11. Add required salt, turmeric powder and mix it well. Let it boil for 1 to 2 minutes.

12. Add grond coconut mixture and mix it well. Add water if it requires. Let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes.
13. Boil it nicely and shift the Huli -Tovve to a serving bowl.
14. Add cut coriander and a spoon of ghee.
15. Serve it with the main dish you have prepared.  It taste excellent with Hot rice and a spoon of ghee.

Note : 

You must boil the Toor dal and vegetables nicely.
Adding jaggery is optional. ( I have not added)
Adding jeera also optional.
The curry consistency should be thick to get the better taste. ( Adding more water making the curry little more liquid type is also optional).
Using Red pumpkin, Ridge gourd and Field beans gives the best taste. (Cook field beans along with toor dal).
Time : 20 minutes
Serves : 4

Vada -Pav - My Style

Vada - Pav is a popular Chat food in Maharastra and North India. It is world wide famous these days. I just thought of preparing Vada Pav one evening when it was raining heavily. The weather was chill. It is 100 % natural to crave for some fried item to munch. Anyway, there were some boiled potatoes in the pressure cooker. I felt preparing some thing using them. And some Pav (bread) which I brought the previous day. With these two main ingredients the plan of Vada - Pav started. One more thing to note I do not enjoy eating these things since most of the outlets prepare Vada - Pav using onions, garlic and also Vanaspathi or Dalda, which I am not in favour of using them. So when I crave for these Chat, it's mostly done at home.

Though the process is long you will surely enjoy the process once you start cooking. That is my opinion and that is me. Think of some thing, I would like to start doing it.. This applies to myself. I am not boasting my self. This attitude of mine is letting out my feeling. I will see that my enthu will not disappear until I finish preparing and serving them. Afterwords I sit down, relax and enjoy my food.

This Vada - Pav has no onion or garlic but the lovers of garlic and onion can add these favourites. I have seen people who enjoy eating onion and garlic feel the absence of it in their food. So be happy and try this Vada - Pav recipe and let me know your opinion/comments.

Here is a recipe of Vada -Pav . which is a very good snack or stomach filling chat and will be loved by all the age group and the whole family.

Things needed :

Potatoes : 5 to 6 (medium sized)
Capsicum : 2
Green Chilly : 2 to 3
Ginger : 1 Tea spoon (Grated)
Salt : to taste
Besan (Gram flour ) : 1 Cup
Red chilly powder : 1/2 Tea spoon
Jeera (Cumin seeds) : 1 Tea spoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Tea  spoon
Urid Dal : 1/2 Tea spoon
Water : Required water
Oil : 1 Cup
Pav ( any kind of buns) : 2 packs (12 ) or  according to your requirement.
Ghee : 2 Table spoons
Sweet and Spicy Chutney : 3 to 4 Table spoons.

Method :

. Potato Palya ( Dry potato curry ) : Preparation

1. Wash and pressure cook potatoes. Remove potato skin once it is cool. Smash it nicely and keep it aside.
2. Wash and cut capsicum. (Remove the seeds before cutting ). Cut it into small pieces.

3. Wash and remove the outer skin of ginger grate it, cut green chilly and coriander leaves in to small and keep it aside.
4. Now keep a pan on the fire. Heat and put 1 tea spoon of oil and put jeera, mustard seeds and urid dal. Fry for 10 seconds.

5. Add curry leaves, green chilly and cut capsicum and fry till they turn soft. Add turmeric powder ( a pinch ), salt and mix it well.

6. Add smashed potatoes to the capsicum mixture and fry for 2 minutes nicely. Stir slowly and mix it well. Add cut coriander leaves
and remove the ready palya from the pan. Keep it in a bowl.
7. Divide in to small portion and prepare in to small size ball. Keep it aside.

. Vada Preparation : Frying step.

8. Put besan in a big bowl. Add salt, jeera and red chilly powder. Mix with sufficient water and prepare dough. (Let it be bit thick).

9. Keep  a pan on the fire and add oil. Heat it on medium flame.
10. Take a potato mixture (which is a ball size) dip in besan flour dough and put it in hot oil. Fry on both sides till it is cooked. Remove from the pan and place it on kitchen tissue, so that extra oil will be absorbed by the tissue.

 11. Repeat the same and prepare Aloo bonda and keep it aside.

.Vada Pav Preparation:

12. Keep a dosa pan or nonstick pan on the fire.

13. Cut Pav in the middle and place it on the tava and roast. Roast on both sides.

14. Apply ghee to inner side of the bun.

15. Put some more chutney on the bonda.

16. Top up with other slice of a bun and press a little .

17. Now Vada -Pav is ready to serve. You can also serve a cup of curd along with this chat.
18. Repeat the same with remaining buns and Aloo Vada and prepare Vada - Pav.

Sweet and Spicy Chutney :

Things Needed :
Coriander leaves : 1 bundle  ( 2  handful)
Mint Leaves : 1 small bundle ( 1 Handful)
Green chilly : 2 to 3
Dates (Fresh ) : 5 to 6
Jeera : 1/2 Tea spoon
Salt: according to requirement.

Method : 
Wash both leaves, green chilly and grind it with green chilly , dates, jeera  and salt with little water. Remove from the Mixi Jar and put it in a small bowl.  Your Sweet and Spicy Chutney is ready to serve.

Note :

You can make use of onions and garlic  while preparing Aloo Dry curry. ( I did not use )

Using cooking soda in besan (gram flour ) is optional. ( I have not used).
Let the Aloo curry be bit thick. Do not add any water while preparing curry.
Do not over cook potatoes. If they turn very soft you will not be able to make potato balls and while frying it absorbs more oil.
You can use jaggery instead of fresh dates or use both of them .(dates and jaggery) to make the Sweet and Spicy chutney more sweet.
You can also grind  Spicy chutney separately .( Grind only mint, coriander leaves , jeera and green chilly together and add salt to it).
Sweet chutney can be ground separately by using fresh dates, little jaggery with very little water.
I added lemon to the Sweet and Spicy chutney. ( optional : use tamarind : add a small marble size of tamarind or Mango powder).


The whole preparation time : 1 Hour.
Preparation time : 20 minutes
Frying time : 15  minutes.
Vada Pav preparation : 15 minutes.
Sweet and Spice chutney preparation : 10  minutes.
The whole process : 1 Hour ( 60 Minutes).

MOUTH WATERING VADA PAV