Potato Onion Huli (Curry)

Potato Onion Huli or Curry is one of the favourite Curry of many of us. It taste so well with almost all the main dishes. We can say it as a classic dish.The taste linger on the tip of the tongue for a long time.
Potatoes and onions are cooked together with toor dal and added spiced ground coconut.We can prepare Sambar (without coconut) and it goes very well with Idli and dosas.
Let us see some benefits of eating onions in our  diet.
The health benefits of eating onions are, lowering the risk of several types of cancer, improving mood and maintaining the health of skin and hair.They are low in calories and high in beneficial nutrients like vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.They contain small amount of carbohydrates, fiber, protein, vitamin C vitamin B-6 and manganese. Onions have small amount of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and antioxidants and sulfur. Onions have anti -biotic, antiseptic, antimicrobial properties that help you to stay away from infections. It is a good remedy for immediate cure for fever, common cold, cough, sore throat, allergies etc. Inhaling a small piece of onion helps to slow down the bleeding through nose. Onions can cure insomnia or sleeping disorder. Eating an onion helps to give a good sleep at night. Onions can improve digestive system.
Potato Onion Curry is good combination for idli, dosa, plain rice, chapati, roti or pooris and even raagi mudde.

Things Needed :

Onions : 4 to 5
Potatoes : 2 to 3
Toor dal : 1/2 Cup
Tamarind : a marble size
Coconut : 1 Cup  (3 to 4 Table spoons)

 To Fry :

Coriander seeds : 2 to 3 Table spoons
Methi seeds : 1/4 Tea spoon
Urid Dal : 1/2 Tea spoon
Jeera : 1/2 Tea spoon
Red chilly : 6 to 8m
Ingh : a pinch
Curry leaves : 6 to 8

 For Seasoning :

Oil : 1 Tea spoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Tea spoon
Salt : as required
Coriander leaves : 2 Table spoons.

Method : 

1. Wash and cut onions and potatoes. (removing outer layer of the potato is optional).

2. Wash and pressure cook toor dal in a pressure cooker for 6 to 8 minutes and leave it for cooling.
3. Keep a glass of water in a big pan and put cut onions and potatoes and cook till potatoes are soft and keep it aside.
4. Soak a marble size tamarind in hot water and squeeze out the pulp and keep it aside.
5. Keep a small pan on the fire and put1/2 tea spoon of oil and heat.
6. Put methi seeds and urid dal. Let them turn slightly brown7. . Add coriander seeds and fry for 20 seconds.
7. Add red chilly and fry for 10 seconds. Put off the gas. Add jeera, ingh and curry leaves. Mix it well. Leave it for cooling.

8. Grate coconut. Now grind coconut and fried spices  nicely till paste. (Use less water to grind). Remove from the jar and keep it aside.

9. Now keep a big pan on the fire. Add cooked potatoes, onions, cooked dal, tamarind pulp, turmeric powder ( a little) and salt.
10. Mix it well and add water if required. Let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Add ground coconut and spice mixture. Mix it well.

11. Let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Shift the ready curry to a serving bowl and add mustard seeds, ingh and curry leaves splutter.

12. Add a spoon of ghee and coriander leaves to the curry and serve with the main dish you have prepared.

Note :

Adding more onions is optional. Adding more chilly and oil is also optional. Instead of frying the spices you can use ready rasam powder. ( 2 to 3 Tea spoons of rasam powder. Using MTR or Maiyya's Rasam powder gives a good taste).
Time : 30 minutes
Serves : 3 to 4

Bitter Gourd Fry (Dry Curry)

Ready to Serve Bitter Gourd Fry.

Bitter Gourd is known for its healthy qualities and it has many medicinal values. Many like to eat and they are fond of this vegetable. One has to have a habit of eating bitter gourd at least once in fifteen days. As I said before, it has many many good qualities which is good for our body and helps to be healthy in natural way.
Let us see some benefits of adding bitter gourd in our diet.
Bitter Gourd has been used in village medicine since a long time for its numerous therapeutic benefits. It is packed with some nutrients and healthy components.  It helps to maintain digestive health. Bitter gourd is full of dietary fiber which is required by the body. They helps to prevent problems like constipation. They are good for killing infectious worms in our stomach. It helps to improve immunity. They are rich source of Vitamin C which helps to boost our immunity. They are good for diabetics. They helps to loose extra weight.and prevents vision related disorders. Using bitter gourd, helps you to look beautiful since it has an abundant supply of fibre, vitamins, anti - oxidants and minerals which helps to flush out the toxins.
Bitter gourd fry can be served as one of the side dish.It goes well with plain rice, chapatis, rotis, pooris and naans.
Actually I wanted to deep fry and at the end of the day I just shallow fried and mixed all the spices together and it turned as dry curry. I did not use any water except tamarind pulp. The mixture of spice and tangy sweet and salt made bitter gourd fry as super yummy.
No Onion or Garlic added in " Bitter Gourd Fry".

Lets see the recipe now.

Things Needed :

Bitter Gourd : 1
Ground Nuts : 1/2 Cup ( 3 to 4 Table spoons  of roasted powder )
Jeera : 1/2 Tea spoon
Methi seeds : 5 to 6 
Besan (Channa dal powder)  : 2 Table spoons
Chilly Powder : 1/2 Tea spoon
Rasam Powder : 1/2 Tea spoon
Salt : as required
Tamarind pulp or lemon extract : 1 Table spoon
Curry Leaves : 6 to 8
Coriander Leaves : 2 Table spoons
Ingh : a pinch
Jaggery : 2 to 3 Table spoons
Oil : 2 Table spoons

Method :

1. Wash and cut bitter gourd in circle shape and remove the inner pulp and seeds. Keep it aside.

 

2. Roast ground nuts and remove the outer skin and powder in rava consistency. ( not fully powder).
3. Soak tamarind in hot water ( very less quantity of water to be used) and squeeze out the pulp.
4. Now put besan, ground nut powder, rasam powder, red chilly powder, little jeera and salt together in a big plate or bowl

  5. Mix it nicely and spread this mixture on the cut bitter gourd circled pieces. Mix it nicely and keep it aside.

 6. Keep a pan on the fire and put oil. Put jeera and Methi seeds. Let it turn slightly brown. Add ingh and curry leaves to it.

7. Add bitter gourd pieces as it is in the oil. Fry on low flame for 3 to 4 minutes. 

8. Add tamarind pulp and jaggery. Stir slowly and mix it well. Let the bitter gourd turn soft.
9. Now add coriander leaves and shift  bitter gourd fry to a serving dish.
10 Serve with the main dish you prepared.

Note ;

You must cut the pieces in to very thin. You can use onions and garlic if you wish to. Adding more oil is optional. By using more oil you can deep fry the bitter gourd. Though it is tasty using more oil is not good for health. You can also add ajwan  (thymol in English)( oma in Kannada). dry grind a little and then mix it with besan and groundnut powder. Adding green chilly to the seasoning is optional.
Preparation time : 5 minutes 
Cooking  time : 10 minutes.
Serves : 2 .