Mixed Vegetable Curry with Simple Spices/A Medley of Vegetables

 

Not that every day we like to eat spicy curries. Sometimes a simple dish, with little effort, can make all the difference.

Though this curry does not fall in the category of Shukto, yet it is a mix match of a variety of vegetables.

This can be served for lunch, along with the main dishes. Tastes very good with hot tawa rotis. And if you love porota or luchis, this can go with it. It is very simple and less time taking.

Biuli Dal-er Boda/ Biri Bora/Urad Dal Vada/ Lentil Fritters

Snacks are so-o-o-o tempting, mainly the deep-fried ones. There are many who like to avoid deep-fried ones, some for health reasons, others for fitness aims and there may be many reasons unknown to me.

Whatever be the intention, the kitchen is wide open to cater to the needs of the different kind of explanations.

No chance of compromise with this serving of Bodas/Boras/Vadas today. Purpose – another snack – easy to make, tasty to eat, appetising to the palate and attractive to the sight, inviting at the first view, and much more but all that ends once you get the bite and taste of it…all in reality.

More so you can call this Bhaji or Bhajjia, or as in Bengali you can call it Tele Bhaja, have your cup of hot tea ready as you relish them. You need not worry for the rain to fall or the cold to give the bite, this snack is for all throughout the year…no time and day specified if you want to cook something that you like.

Coming to the Bodas/Boras/Vadas, it needs some time for the preparation. One needs to think of making it well in advance. 

So to get ready for the Preparation:

Soak 1 ½ cup Urad dal/Biuli dal/Biri Dal, overnight.

Rest of the ingredients:

2 medium size onions chopped

3-4 green chillies chopped

8-10 curry leaves (optional)

Semolina/Suji/Rawa 1 ½ tbsp.

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

For the final call:

Make a paste of the soaked Dal, not very fine. To this add the chopped onions, green chillies, curry leaves, semolina/suji and salt. The suji makes the outer coat crunchy. Mix it well.

Once the oil is hot, throw in the fritters/boras/bodas with the help of your fingers or you can take the help of a table spoon. These boras are simple home-made ones, so need not worry about a perfect shape. Be sure the oil is not burning hot as this will not let the inner portion be cooked properly. Fry the Boras/Vadas till it starts getting the brown colour.

Once they are ready, arrange the plate and serve with some home-made chutney of pudina, dhania or tamarind or some bottled sauce will do. Get the bite and smack your lips and in your mind you can say, “Ah! What a snack”. Simply simple isn’t it?

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© gouriguha 2013

Aam Bata – Green mango paste with spicy flavour

Those were the days when the mixer-grinder was not a household kitchen appliance. It was the everyday morning duty of Thakur (our cook) to sit on the Pee(n)Dee (a very low wooden sitting stool), with the Sheel Nora (traditional grinding stone to grind spices) and grind the spices. It was always the Holood (haldi) that came first. Then came the Jeera (cumin seeds) followed by Dhone (coriander seeds) and last the Lal Lonka (dry red chillies). He made sure he had a bowl of water by his side to make the grinding easy. After finishing with each and every individual grinding, he poured little water on the grinding stone and drained the water into that spice bowl.

Posto (poppey seeds) and Sorshe (mustard seeds) were also done on the grinding stone. These were not the everyday spices. Freshly made paste gave out its distinctive flavour when they were used in cooking.

Aam Bata (green mango paste) was also done on the Sheel-Nora. With advancement, the mixie has come handy in the kitchen. What a relief to the person who is there cooking for everyone in the home.

Summer time and with lots of green mangoes in the market this is an easy-to-make item with a cool effect.

For the Aam Bata we need:

1 big green mango. Wash, peel and cut in tiny pieces. Throw away the hard seed.

2-3 green chillies. Depends on the heat of the chilly. If you want it hot and spicy, can add more.

4-5 cloves of garlic (optional). At times I use garlic but not always. Garlic gives out its distinctive flavour.

Salt to taste.

Sugar, again this will be to your taste. I like it with a balanced sweet-sour taste.

Put all the ingredients in the mixie jar and grind it without using water. Let the mango remain a bit rough.

I serve it during lunchtime with rice, dal and curry in place of mango chutney. Serve it the way you like. Relish the distinctive taste and flavour of green chillies, garlic and of course the raw mango.

Cucumber and Onion Salad – My Summer Frequent

There isn’t much to say about Salads. Each one has his/her own way of presenting salad. My cucumber and onion salad is very simple. I give it a sharp touch with lime juice and balance this sourness with some sugar. The green chillies add a spicy tang.

This salad finds a place in my home more in the summer days, and I call it My Summer Frequent. This is how I make my khatta meetha cucumber onion salad.

Cucumber: 1 wash, peel off the skin and cut into thin long narrow pieces.

Green chillies: 2-3 finely chopped

Onion: 1 cut into ring shape.

Mix cucumber, chillies and onion in a bowl. Mix it properly.

Now add salt (to taste) and squeeze the juice of a lemon into this mixture. To this add some sugar to balance the tangy taste. Mix it carefully so that all the ingredients blend properly. Keep it aside till the salt, sugar and lemon juice blend.

Ready to serve and taste.