Turai & Mushroom (Ridge Gourd or Chinese Luffa)

Turai or Tori....not something liked few years ago but now I kind of like it. Especially, because it is soooo low in calories with lots of dietary fibre. It is called Ridge Gourd in English and Luffa in chinese!

Ingredients

1     almost a foot-long turai
6-7  White button mushrooms
1-2 pods of Garlic, finely chopped
1 inch piece ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp fennel powder
1/4 tso garam masala powder
Salt, to taste

Method

1. In a thick-bottomed pan, heat a tsp of olive oil.
2. Add cumin seeds. Allow them to splutter for few seconds. Turn the flame down. 
3. Add garlic and fry for under a minute. 
4. Add ginger and fry for another few seconds. 
5. Now, add all spices and stir the ingredients around in the pan for a few seconds. 
6. Add the mushrooms and turai, season with salt, cover and cook until done on a low flame. Takes no more than a few minutes. 
7. No need to add any water as the there will be enough water from the mushrooms and turai. 
8. You could add a little bit of cornflour to thicken the gravy too. In which case mix a little bit of cornflour in a tbsp of water and add to the dish and cook for few more minutes until you get the desired gravy thickness. I did not add any cornflour instead cooked it uncovered to allow water to evaporate a bit. that's all. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander leaves. 

Turai mushroom sabzi

Bhindi Pyaaza

Bhindi in Hindi, Okra/Ladyfinger in English...
This is a very very very simple recipe and so delicious you could just it on its own.

Ingredients: 

250g        Bhindi
1 tbsp      Mustard oil (or EVOO/Canola)
a pinch    Hing (Asafoetdia)
150g        Red onions (preferably the Indian ones, or use brown if red onions not available)
1 tbsp      Garlic, finely chopped/minced/paste
1 tbsp      Ginger, finely chopped/minced/paste
1-2          Green chillies
1 tsp        Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp     Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp     Red chilli powder
1 tsp        Coriander powder
1/4 tsp     Garam Masala
1/4 tsp     Dried Mango Powder
To taste   Salt

Method: 

1. Wash the bhindi very well under running water. Be careful as I have found the bhindis to be pretty prickly at times, especially if they are long and fat. The smaller and slimmer variety do not usually have them. 
2. Dry each bhindi with a kitchen towel. Make sure there is no water on them before you start cutting them. Otherwise, your will turn out very slimy. 
3. Take a dry knife and cutting board and start with cutting away the tops and ends of bhindi. 
4. Now, cut the bhindi into 1/-inch pieces, and keep aside. 
5. Cut the top and bottom ends of the onions and peel them. Place one end down and cut the onions into half. Now, rub the two halves under running water for a few seconds. This way, your eyes won't water too much.
6. Now, chop the onions the size you like. Not too big, not too small, about 1/2 inch or less is good. 
7. Peel the garlic and chop it finely. 
8. Peel the garlic and chop it finely.   
9. Chop the chillies as per the size you like. 
10. Take a heavy-bottomed pan that has a lid and heat a tablespoon of mustard oil in it. 
11. Wait for the oil to get hot before you add a pinch of hing and cumin seeds to it. If the oil was hot enough, the cumin seeds will start to splutter right away. Lower the flame now. 
12. Dont waste time, add the onions and stir. Add a pinch of salt to the onions, mix and allow them to wilt and brown for a few minutes. This can take up to 8 minutes. So be patient! Keep stirring the onions every now and then. 
13. Now, add the garlic, fry for a minute and then add ginger and green chillies and fry for another minute. 
14. Now, add turmeric, red chill powder, coriander powder and fry for 3-4 minutes. 
15. Time to add the bhindi. Add Salt. Mix. Cover with lid and cook on the lowest flame you can manage for at least 5 minutes. 
16. You can open the lid only very briefly just to check on the bhindi and stir it once or twice. 
17. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, add garam masala and mango powder. Give it a mix. Garnish with chopped fresh coriander and relish with parathas or rotis!! 

Bhindi Pyaaza

Cauliflower and turnip pickle

Ingredients

1 large cauliflower, cut into small bite-sized pieces
3 small turnips, cut into small pieces
15g black mustard seeds, small variety
15g yellow mustard seeds
2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp red chili powder
salt to taste (I added 5 tsp)
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp mustard oil

Method

1. Boil water in a large pan big enough to hold the cauliflower.
2. Once the water comes to a boil, switch the stove off. Add cauliflower pieces to it and remove it after one minute.
3. Now add turnip to the same water and remove after one minute.
4. Turn the cauliflower and turnips onto a large tray lined with tea-towel and leave to dry for 3-4 hours until the excess moisture from the vegetables has been absorbed by the tea towel.
5. Next, heat the mustard oil in tempering ladle (or, in a small pan) and allow to cool down to room temperature.
6. After the vegetables are ready, transfer them to a large bowl that is completely dry. Wipe with a cloth just to make sure.
7. Grind the dry ingredients together. I use a coffee grinder.
8. Add this spice mix to the cauliflower and turnip. Add the spice mix gradually while mixing it into the  cauliflower and turnip. I find that my fingers work better than a ladle or spoon here in making sure that each pice of cauliflower and turnip is coated with the spice mix.
9. Now mix in the vinegar and mustard oil (room temperature). Taste the masala for salt and chili and adjust as per your taste. Cover the bowl with a lid that is completely dry. (I leave the pickle like this for a day or two in order to mix it around with a spoon every now and then. Make sure that the spoon is completely dry. Any water could spoil the pickle so I even keep it away from heat like a stove for the next two days which could cause condensation inside the bowl).
10. The jars that you are going to use for the pickle, make sure that they are completely clean and dry.
11. Additional precaution, pour 1/2 tsp of white vinegar into the jar, close the lid and shake the bottle to coat all sides of the jar with the vinegar.
12. Transfer the pickle to the jars. It is ready to eat in 3-4 days usually when the bitterness of the mustard seeds is gone and it acquires a tangy and sour taste. 

Blanched cauliflower and turnip

Chilli and turmeric powders

Black and yellow mustard seeds

Spices ground together

After mixing spices into the cauliflower and turnip

Ummmm! 

After adding oil and vinegar to cauliflower and turnip 

Broccoli pickle

Ingredients

1 large head of broccoli
25-30, thai red chillies
4-5 cloves, garlic
3 tbsp vinegar
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste ( I added 4 tsp)

The above quantities are a basic guideline. You will need to adjust the seasonings as per your taste in the next 2-3 days. If you like it really spicy, add more red chillies. 

Method

1. First, cut the entire stem off as close to the florets as possible.
2. Now, slice the stem into 1/4 inch roundels and then cut them length-wise into 1/4 inch strips. You   can cut the stem into any shape you like really, just that they should be tiny bite-sized.
3. Cut the broccoli head into small pieces.
4. Rinse well under running water and then leave it in water for 30 minutes or so.
5. In the meanwhile, wash and dry the red chilies and chop them finely.
6. Chop the garlic into small pieces. The size you would like to eat.
7. Drain off the water from the broccoli and leave to dry on a large tray lined with a kitchen towel to absorb excess moisture from the broccoli and dry out a bit.
8. Transfer the broccoli to a large bowl.
9. Add the chilies, garlic, salt, vinegar and olive oil.
10. Mix it all together well and give it a taste. Adjust salt, vinegar and oil as per your taste.
11. Leave the broccoli in the bowl for a day or two and keep mixing it every now and then. Adjust salt and vinegar to taste. 
12. Take a clean and dry glass jar. Pour 1/4 tsp of white vinegar into it, close the lid and shake the jar to coat all sides of the jar with vinegar. Now transfer the pickle into the jar.
13. The pickle is ready to eat when the broccoli has softened a bit, and all flavors have come together.