Doodhi (Bottlegourd) Kofta Curry

I tried this recipe for Thanksgiving this year.  I had this recipe from a North Indian cooking class I had taken during my college days.  It turned out quite delicious and my friends enjoyed this dish.

 

Ingredients:

For the koftas:

Grated bottle gourd -3 cups

Onions - 1 medium

Ginger -  1/2 inch

Besan - 1/2 cup

Green chillies - 2 or more to taste

Corriander leaves - 1/2 bunch

Red chilli powder - 1 tsp

Salt - to taste

Oil - to deep fry

For the gravy:

Tomato - 7 medium 

Onion - 2 medium  

Ginger - 1/2 inch

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Corriander powder -  1 tsp

Roasted Cumin powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tsp

Cream - 1/2 cup

Cashewnuts - a handful

Salt to taste

Oil to saute - 2- 3tblsp

Method:

To prepare koftas:

1.   Squeeze the grated bottlegourd and reserve the liquid

2.   Chop green chillies, ginger, corriander leaves, and onions

3.   Mix with grated bottlegourd, besan flour, alt, red chilli powder and make equal size balls

4.  Heat oil, deep dry koftas and set aside

To prepare gravy:

1.  Slice onions, ginger,  and saute in a few tsp of oil

2.  Add chopped tomato and cook for a few minutes

3.  Blend the onions, ginger, tomatoes with cashewnut

4.  Add the cumin powder, corriander powder, garam masala, turmeric, and salt to the blend mixture and boil

5.  Add the reserved liquid from the squeezed bottle gourd and check for seasoning

6.  Finally stir in the cream

To serve:

Just before serving add the koftas to the gravy and garnish with chopped corriander leaves.

Varo – Sindhi Dessert for Indian Cooking Challenge

 The Indian Cooking Challenge event for October, hosted by Srivalli of  Spice your Life, is "Varo", a Sindhi dessert, made with Indian pralines with mixed nuts. This recipe is adapted  from  Simply Sindhi Recipes.  I have tried the peanut chikki, which is made similarly, in the past but this recipe was a huge hit for Diwali this year.  

Ingredients:

Mixed Nuts (Almonds, Pistachios, Cashew nuts) - 1 Cup
Poppy Seeds - 2 tbsp
Cardamoms - 4 -5
Sugar - 1 Cup
Ghee (Melted Butter) - 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Roughly chop the mixed nuts. Powder the cardamom seeds.
2.  In a heavy bottomed pan, add ghee and sugar. On low heat melt the sugar.
3. When the sugar melts and is caramelized to brown color add the schopped nuts, poppy seeds and powdered cardamoms. 

4.  Briskly mix till nuts are coated well with the caramelized sugar.
5.  Pour this mixture on a greased plate or cookie sheet.
6.  Flatten the mixture using a rolling pin quickly before the mixture hardens
7.  Cool to set  and make pieces using a pizza cutter.
8. Store in air tight containers.

Chocolate Banana Bread with Raisans

I tried this bread with sugar spotted bananas which no one ventured to eat.  I added cocoa powder and raisans to enhance the flavors and baked it in the bread machine.
















Ingredients:

Bananas – 2 chopped finely
Olive Oil – 2 tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Sugar – 3 tsp
Bread Flour – 3 cups
Yeast – 3 tsp
Milk -2 or 3 tsps
Cocoa powder - 4 tblsp
Raisans - 1/2 cup

To be added during during the mixed bread cycle when the machine beeps
Raisans - 1/2 cup

Method:
1. Add all the ingredients in the bread machine in the order of ingredients.
2. Set the setting to mix bread and light crust
3. Start the bread machine
4. Make sure the dough is soft elastic ball, if necessary add a tsp of oil if the dough is tight or a tsp of flour if the dough is sticky
5. When the machine beeps add the raisans
6. Cool completely when done and slice to pieces

Blueberry Muffins

We had a bake sale at work to benefit the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC).  My friends made different baked goods like cookie, brownies, cakes.  I made the blueberry muffins for this event.  Everyone enjoyed the muffins and the bake sale was a huge success

Ingredients:
For 12 muffins

All purpose flour - 1 and 1/4 cup
Sugar - 1/3 cup
Baking powder - 2 tsp
Salt - a pinch
Fresh or frozen blueberries - 1 cup
Eggs - 2
Melted butter - 4 tblssp
Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

Method
1.  Preheat over to 400F
2. Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
3. Beat eggs and mix vanilla extract and butter.
4.  Mix till just moistened and fold in the fresh/frozen blueberries.
5.  Spoon the batter in pas and bake for 20 to 25 minutes till brown
6.  Cool  for 5 minutes and serve.