Curries- gram & gourd, Brinjal with mushrooms, Corn Cob, Zucchini

Bengal Gram & Ghia/Bottle gourd curry

175 gms/ 3/4 cup Bengal gram oil 2 gr Chillies cut 1 onion cut

garlic opt 2” piece ginger crushed 6-8 curry leaves 1 tsp chili pdr

1tsp haldi salt 450 gms/ 1 lb bottle gourd/zucchni peeled,pithed & sliced

4 tbsp tamraind juice 2 tomatoes cut gr dhania

put the lentils with 450 gms water & cook till the grains arre tender without mushy.

To cook dal always soak it for some time as it gets cooked faster.

Heat he oil& fry the chillies, onion, garlic & spices. Add the gourd & cook unitl soft. Add the dal & any other water remaining. Bring to boil, stir in tamarind juice, tomatoes & dhania. Simmer gently until the gourd is cooked.

I made something similar, but to the dal I added some peanuts, also added some peas, it went well with rotis, anyway I cooked it, so I liked it !!!!

Brinjal curry with mushrooms

2 large brijals 1 ½ cups mushrooms oil 1/2 tsp mustard seeds garlic opt.

Red chilli cut fine 1 tsp each dhania & jeera pdr ¼ tsp haldi 1 bunch spring onions salt 400 gm/14 oz can cut tomatoes dhania /cilantro to garnish

preheat the oven to 200deg. C/400 deg. F/ Gas 6. wrap the brinjals in foil & bake for 1 hr. or until soft. Unwrap & leave to cool. Cut the mushrooms . While the brinjals are baking, heat the oil & fry the mustard seeds, then add the spring onions & mushrooms, chillies, garlic fry for 5 min. Stir in the pdrs, salt & fry for 3-4 min. Add the tomatoes & simmer for 5 min. cut each brinjal in half lengthways& scoop out the soft flesh into a mixing bowl. Mash well with a fork. Add the mashed brinjal, dhania to the saucepan, bring to a boil & simmer till the sauce thickens.

Corn Cob Curry

4 whole corn cobs- fresh/canned/frozen oil 1 large onion ginger, garlic

½ tsp each haldi, onion seeds, 5 spice pdr, sugar chili pdr curry leaves

1 cup plain curd

Cut each corn cob in ½ using sharp knife taking care not to damage the kernels/ur hand !!

Heat oil, fry the corn pieces until golden brown on all sides. Remove & keep. Grind onion, garlic, and ginger. Remove & mix with all the spices, curry leaves & sugar. In the oil fry the onion mixture till the oil separates. Cool the mix. & gradually fold in the curd, mix well until it is a smooth sauce. Add the corn to the mix. & mix so that all the pieces are evenly coated. Gently reheat for about 10 min until the corn is tender. Serve hot.

Courgette/Zucchini Curry

675 g/ 1 ½ lb zucchini 2 tbsp oil ½ tsp each jeera& mustard seeds gr dhanai

1 onion ¼ tsp each haldi, chilli pdr 1 tsp each jeera & dhania pdr salt

1 tbsp tomato puree 400 gms chopped tomatoes ¾ cup water 1 tsp garam masala

Trim the ends of zucchini & cut them evenly into 1cm thick slices. Heat oil fry the mustard & jeera. Then add onion, garlic fry for 5-6 min. add all the pdrs & salt fry for 2-3 min. add the sliced zucchini& cook for 5 min stirring so that it doesn’t burn. Mix the tomato puree & cut tomatoes & add some water. Cover & simmer for 10 min. until the sauce thickens. Stir in fresh dhania, garam masala, then cook for 5 min., till the veg. is tender.