Colocasia Curd Curry.

 Colocasia curd curry is a very tasty and easy to prepare curry made with colocasia root adding curd and freshly ground coconut green chilly paste and goes well with rice.

The following ingredients are needed to prepare Colocasia Curd Curry.

Ingredients:-

Colocasia root. -8
Grated coconut.-1 cup
Green chilly.    -1
Curd.               -1 cup
Water.              - as required
Mustard seeds.-1tsp
Cumin seeds.  -1/2 tsp
Curry leaves.  -1 sprig
Salt.                - to taste
Coconut oil.    -1tsp

Instructions:-

1). Peel the outer skin and chop colocasia root into lengthy pieces,wash well and keep aside.

2). Grind grated coconut along with green chilly to a smooth paste adding little water. Keep aside ground coconut green chilly paste.

Method:-

1). In a wide bottom vessel add chopped colocasia roots, required salt and 1 cup of water. Boil and cook the chopped colocasia roots until soft.

2). Add ground coconut green chilly paste and little water into the vessel and mix with the cooked colocasia roots. Boil for 2 minutes on low flame and switch off the flame.

3). Add curd into the vessel and mix the curry well.

4). Heat 1tsp coconut oil in a small pan for seasoning and splutter mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Add curry leaves into the pan and fry in oil for a second and switch off the flame.

5). Pour the seasoning into the vessel and mix with the colocasia curd curry.

A very tasty Colocasia Curd Curry is ready to serve with rice.

Oven Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.

Oven roasted pumpkin seeds are a very tasty and easy to prepare crunchy snack.

The following ingredients are needed to roast pumpkin seeds in the oven.

Ingredients:-

Pumpkin seeds.     -3/4 cup
Red chilly powder.-1tsp
Salt.                       - to taste
Oil.                        -1tbsp

Instructions:-

1). Collect the pumpkin seeds from chopped pumpkin. Wash, clean and dry the pumpkin seeds.

2). Preheat the oven at 350 degree F or 180 degree C for 10 minutes.

Method:-

1). In a oven safe nonstick pan add the cleaned and dried pumpkin seeds. Add oil, red chilly powder, required salt and mix with pumpkin seeds.

2). Spread the pumpkin seeds mix evenly over the oven safe nonstick pan.

3). Insert the oven safe pan with pumpkin seeds mix into the preheated oven. Roast the pumpkin seeds at 350 degree F for 35 minutes or about 180 degree C until the pumpkin seeds are roasted to crisp and light golden brown in colour.

4). Remove the oven safe pan with roasted pumpkin seeds from the oven. Allow the roasted pumpkin seeds to cool completely. 

Crispy Oven Roasted Pumpkin Seeds are ready to munch.

Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin soup is a very tasty and easy to prepare healthy soup made with pumpkin adding onion, garlic, crushed pepper, boiled milk, store bought vegetable broth and finely chopped spring onion.

The following ingredients are needed to prepare Pumpkin Soup.

Ingredients:-

Pumpkin.          -a small piece
Onion.               -1
Garlic.               -2 large
Boiled milk.      -1/2 cup
Vegetable broth.-1 cup
Water.                -1 cup
Pepper crushed. -1tsp
Spring onion.     -few chopped
Salt.                   -to taste

Instructions

Chop and remove the outer skin of yellow pumpkin. Remove the seeds and chop the peeled pumpkin into medium thick pieces. Chop onion into lengthy slices. Finely chop spring onion. Keep aside.

Method:-

1). In a deep bottom vessel add chopped pumpkin pieces, chopped onion slices and garlic cloves. Add 1 cup of store bought vegetable broth and 1 cup of water. Boil and cook pumpkin pieces until soft and tender.

2). Blend the cooked pumpkin to a smooth puree. Put the cooked and pureed pumpkin back into the vessel.

3). Add boiled milk into the vessel and mix well. Sprinkle freshly crushed pepper corn, little salt into the vessel and mix well.

4). Add finely chopped spring onion and mix well the pumpkin soup using a ladle. Simmer the pumpkin soup for a few minute and switch off the flame.

5). Transfer the pumpkin soup to a serving bowl.

A very tasty Pumpkin Soup is ready to serve hot.

Pumpkin Tomato Coconut Curry

 Pumpkin tomato curry is a coconut masala curry made with yellow pumpkin and tomatoes and goes well with rice. Pumpkin Tomato Coconut Curry recipe is given below with step by step photos.

The following ingredients are needed to prepare Pumpkin Tomato Coconut Curry.

Ingredients:-

Pumpkin.      -250 gm
Tomato.        -3
Small onion.-8
Green chilly.-2
Water.           -as required
Salt.              -to taste

For grinding Coconut Masala Paste

Grated coconut. -1/2 of a coconut
Cumin seeds.     -1/2 tsp
Dry red chillies. -5
Coriander seeds.-1/2 tsp
Raw rice.           -1/2 tsp

For Seasoning

Coconut oil.       -1tsp
Urad dal.            -1/2 tsp
Mustard seeds.   -1/2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds.-1/4 tsp
Dry red chilly.     -2
Curry leaves.      -few

Instructions:

Peel the outer skin of the pumpkin and chop it into medium thick pieces. Chop tomatoes into medium thick pieces.Slit green chillies. Peel the outer skin of small onion.Keep aside.

Method

1). In a pressure cooker vessel add chopped pumpkin pieces, chopped tomatoes, slit green chillies and small onions.

2). Add turmeric powder, required salt and 1/4 cup of water into the pressure cooker. Cover the pressure cooker and cook for 2 whistles.

.

3). Heat a pan and dry roast coriander seeds and raw rice for a minute and grind it along with grated coconut, cumin seeds and dry red chillies to a smooth paste adding little water.

4). Add the ground coconut masala paste and 3/4 cup of water into the cooked pumpkin tomato mixture in the cooker vessel.

 5). Mix well and boil the curry for 3 minutes on low flame and switch off the flame.

 6). Heat 1tsp coconut oil in a small pan for seasoning. Add urad dal into the pan and saute well. Splutter mustard seeds and fenugreek seeds (methi seeds). Add 2 dry red chillies and few curry leaves into the pan and fry in oil for a second and switch off the flame. Pour the above seasoning into the pumpkin tomato curry and mix well.

7). Transfer the pumpkin tomato coconut curry to a serving bowl.

Very tasty Pumpkin Tomato Coconut Curry is ready to serve with rice.

Karamani Vadai / Black Eyed Beans Vada / Cowpea Vada

 Karamani vadai also known as black eyed beans vada / Cowpea vada / Lobia fritters is a deep fried teatime evening snack and is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside made with white cowpea / black eyed beans. Karamani Vadai recipe is given below with step by step photos.

The following ingredients are needed to prepare Karamani Vadai / Black Eyed Peas Vada / Cowpea Vada /Lobia Fritters.

Ingredients:-

Karamani/ Cowpea. -1 cup
Onion.                -2
Green chilly.       -2
Ginger crushed.  -1tsp
Curry leaves.      -1sprig
Coriander leaves.-few
Fennel seeds.      -1tsp
Asafoetida.         -1/4 tsp
Salt.                    - to taste
Oil.        - for deep frying

Instructions:-

Wash and soak white karamani (white cowpea / black eyed beans/ white lobia) in water for 3 to 4 hours.

Method:-

1). In a mixie jar add the soaked white karamani / black eyed beans and grind coarsely without adding water. Then add 1tsp salt and 2 tsp water into the mixie jar and grind again and make a coarsely ground thick karamani paste.

2). In a mixing bowl add the coarsely ground white karamani paste. Add finely chopped onion, thinly chopped green chilly, crushed ginger, fennel seeds, finely chopped curry leaves, finely chopped coriander leaves and asafoetida (hing powder) into the mixing bowl and mix all the ingredients along with coarsely ground karamani paste. Karamani vada mixture is ready.

3). Take a lemon size portion of the karamani vada mixture in your hand and make a round shape. Then slightly flatten it to get a vada shape and transfer to a plate. Make vada shape with the remaining karamani vada mixture and keep them on a plate.

4). Heat enough oil in a deep frying kadai. Once the oil is hot drop the prepared vada shape one by one into the hot oil and deep fry them in small batches on medium flame till crisp and golden brown colour. Flip and turn them in hot oil to cook on all sides. Remove the deep fried crispy karamani vadai from hot oil using a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate.

5). Deep fry all the karamani vadai till crisp and golden brown on all sides and transfer them to plate or bowl.

 A very tasty and crispy, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside Karamani Vadai / Black Eyed Beans Vada / Cowpea Vada / Lobia Fritters is ready to serve with coconut chutney or tomato ketchup.