Bottle Gourd Juice

  

Bottle Gourd

Bottle Gourd /சுரைக்காய் can be used in curries , Stir fries , Halwa's , Payasam's , Juices  etc... Even the seeds of  bottle gourd can toasted and ground with other ingredients to make the drink horchata.

My recents posts with bottle gourd were :  Bottle Gourd Stuffed Chappathi , Bottle gourd Samosa's and a Salad .

Benefits of Bottle Gourd :

• Weightloss.
• Blood Pressure and Heart Problems.
• Indigestion.
• Urinary disorders.
• Diabetics.
• Premature Graying of Hair.

For more details do visit this Webpage .

Bottle Gourd Juice for Weight Loss.

Recently, bottle gourd has gained the importance for its weight losing properties. Since bottle gourd is high in water and dietary fiber, drinking a cup of bottle gourd juice in morning empty stomach gives a good fiber rich start to the day. While juice of a 100 gm bottle gourd only provides you as low as 14 calorie, it helps to curb the hunger pangs in morning and restrict you from over eating in the breakfast.

If you are drinking bottle gourd juice for weight loss, then you should not strain the juice as the weight loss properties are mainly because of its fiber content which gets filtered in the straining process. Also bottle gourd juice with a fruit bowl is a healthy replacement of unhealthy high calorie snacks in afternoon.  (Source Read & Digest).

Ingredients:

Bottle Gourd

Lime

Coriander

Cumin Seeds

Salt - Pinch

Water

Instructions:

- Blend everything together.

- Straining it is optional . But i prefer not straining it .

Linking it to SYS - W Series , Gats Samayal , Hearth & Soul  & Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Go ' Nuts' with these Donuts

Isn't these little donuts looking cute ? They taste good aswel . These donuts brought back my  childhood memories. Every year , even now there will be a three day Indo - Srilankan Carnival / Fair happening near my house in convention center . So we used to go as a family . At the entrace there will be a donuts stall . Freshly fried mini donuts with simply dusted sugar on it . Ohhh yummm. There will be always a big line waiting to buy these donuts. We never miss to buy these donuts anyways.. They were soft , crispy and tastes soooo good.  

This month's challenge at Eggless Baking Group  was suggested by  Jayanthi from Sizzlingveggies . Jayanthi had suggested Donuts. It was quite challenging to make these Eggless Donuts. But it was fun to make . I wanted to make the replica of the Carnival Donuts , so i  just fried the Donuts and sprinkled the sugar on it . Later removed the excess sugar .

I searched so many recipes online , but was not satisfied with any , then came up with my own.    Initatally i thought of baking the donuts and then i fried them . I baked few donuts too and couldn't take a pictures of baked donuts.

Ingredients:

APF - 2 Cups + little more for dusting
Instant Yeast - 1 TSPN
Milk - 1/2 Cup ( Warm milk or Room Temperature)
Sugar - 3 TBLSP
Vanilla Essence - 1/2 TSPN
Salted Butter - 2 TBLSP
Mashed Banana - 2 TBLSP

Oil- To fry
Sugar -  To sprinkle


Instruction:

1.  In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients together with 2 TBLSP of butter.
2. Now add Milk , Mashed Banana and Vanilla Essence.
3. Using a dough hook knead everything together  aproximately for 7-8 minutes. It helps for a fluffy and soft donuts.
4. Place the dough in a clean bowl , close it with a wet and clean towel . Allow it to raise for an hour.
5. Once the dough is doubled , Punch it and release the air.
6. Roll out  the dough , Cut it using a round cookie cutter.
7. Arrange these Donuts on a greaced baking tray.
8. Allow it to rest for another hour by covering it with a wet towel.
9. Heat the oil in a pan , once the oil is hot drop these donuts and fry them.
10. Once these dounts are golden brown , remove it from the oil , drain the oil and place it on top of the paper towel.
11. Put some sugar in a clean box  and place these warm donuts .
12. Give it a good shake .

They are ready to eat . Donuts should be eaten little warmer .

The same dough can be used for the Baked Donuts too !!!! I did bake ,but before clicking a picture baked donuts were over . 

 Linking the post to Shruti's Sweet Celebration

Bottle Gourd and Fenugreek Leaves Stuffed Chappathi

I am really bad at eating  bottle gourd , because there is a reason behind it . I did my 11th and 12 Th grade in Chennai and i stayed in a hostel . You guys wont believe me , that was not a hostel it was literally a jail , it was soo strict . The main thing there was , we were suppose to eat everything they gave  and  once we are done eating we got to show the plates  . The warden did check the plates whether  are we wasting anything.

The main reason  i hated bottle gourd was once a week we used to get bottle gourd paayasam . Can you believe .. Bottle Gourd Paayasam.  But after i started cooking , i loved all the vegetables , i have tried new varieties of food and  most importantly tried lots of new vegetables too . After growing up in a hostel like that i never waste food and i dont fuss on any vegetables.

These stuffed chappathi's are healthy, delicious and  mainly guilt free . 

The main thing in making the stuffing is a bit tricky . We all know that bottle gourd has water content in it . Once the bottle gourd is cleaned and cut , squeeze the water out of it .  so that the stuffing will not be soggy and it will be easy to handle the chappathi.

Ingredients For the Stuffing:

Bottle Gourd

Fresh Fenugreek Leaves

Turmeric Powder

Chili Powder

Salt

Oil

Mustard Seeds

Urud dal

Fennel Seeds

Onions - Chopped.

Instructions:

1. Clean , Cut and De seed the bottle gourd . Cut it and squeeze the water out of it  .
2. Clean the Fenugreek leaves and cut them .
3. Heat the oil in a pan and add Mustard Seeds allow it to splutter . Then add Urud dhal allow it to brown a little , then add Fennel seeds.
4. Now add the chopped Onions and cook till it turns Golden brown .
5. Once onions are cooked add the bottle gourd , salt , turmeric powder , chili powder , Coriander powder and cook  till the water content in the bottle gourd gets evaporated.
6. Lastly add the fenugreek leaves and cook for couple of minutes and turn off the heat.
7. Allow the stuffing to cool before making the chappathi.

Instruction to make Stuffed Chappathi :

1.  Once the stuffing is cooled down.
2. Take a good amount of chappathi dough , roll it out into a thick disk.
3. Place the stuffing in the middle.
4. Close the edges and make it into a ball.
5. Dust some wheat flour on the counter and on the chappathi ball.
6. Roll it out carefully and slowly make sure the stuffing coming out of the chappathi.
7. Now cook the chappathi on both sides till they are done.

Serve it with a yogurt

Linking it to Taste of Tropics , Chef Mireille , SYS -W series ,Gats Samayal , Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey , Mission Food Event , Thou Shalt Cook , Cookcookandcook

Mutton Curry - Freshly Grounded Spices

This is my family's all time favorite Mutton Curry . It is simple and easy to prepare , yet the taste and the flavor are delicious.. The mutton is carefully cleaned and cut into small cubes , then marinated with curd along with chili  powder ,turmeric powder and salt and then cooked with home grounded spices.

                              

The home grounded spice powder gives an excellent flavor to the dish . My mom used to cook mutton only once a month , because she says it is high in cholesterol  , Yes i agree because the thick  oil layer which forms on the curry , it goes into the stomach anyways :) . Mostly what she does is , she cooks the gravy allow it to cool and lastly she takes out the oil layer with a spoon or a tissue . When she is cooking the mutton she adds potatoes because she says , potatoes absorb little oil , only the and  excess oil will form the layer .

When the mutton is marinated in curd , and slow cooked ,you get an awesome , non rubbery , tender mutton .  Initially i used to pressure cook the mutton , even if i keep 15 whistles it  gets chewy and rubbery , then i started to slow cook . Now i always get a no fail mutton curry.

Ingredients :

 To dry roast & grind it to powder :

   1. Dry chilies -2
   2. Pepper Corns - 1/2 TSPN
   3. Fennel Seeds - 1/4 TSPN
   4. Urud dal - 1/2 TSPN
   5. Curry leaves - 1 Strand

To Marinate  :  ( Marinate it for 30 Minutes - 1 hour )

1. Mutton -  1 kg
2. Curd - 1/2 cup
3. Chili Powder - 1 TSPN
4. Coriander Powder - 1/ 2 TSPN
5. Salt - To taste
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 TSPN

Other Ingredients :

1. Onions - 1 Medium - Sliced.
2. Tomatoes - 1 Chopped
3. Ginger garlic Paste - 2 TBLSP
4. Chili Powder - 1/2 TSPN
5. Coriander Powder - 1/4 TSPN
6. Turmeric Powder
7. Coriander Leaves
8.  Thick Coconut Milk - 1/4 cup

To temper -

1. Oil
2. Mustard seeds
3. Urud dal
4. Fennel seeds

Instructions :

1. Temper the ingredients under " To Temper ".
2.  Saute the onions till they turn brown , then add the ginger - garlic paste and cook till they stick to the pan.
3. Then add the chopped tomatoes and cook till the raw smell goes .
4. Once the onions- tomato paste sticks to the pan , sprinkle some water and cook a little .
5. Then add the " Marinated Mutton " , and grounded spices and cook it in slow flame for couple of minutes.
6.Then check the spice level and salt and adjust it to the taste . Add a cup of water and close it with a lid and cook in slow flame till the mutton gets cooked.
7. Probably it will take 50 minutes to an hour.
8. Once it is cooked , add the coconut milk and cook for 5 minutes.

Note -

•  When adding the chili powder to adjust the spice level , make sure the curry is little spicy because lastly we will be adding coconut milk .

Linking it to taste of tropics , Chef Mireille

Healthy Crispy Vegan Samosa's

 

Oh yeah you all will be guessing what is healthy in these  samosa's . Everything is healthy in here . The way i made the dough and the stuffing . Normally when ever i make samosa's i use butter  and a different method to make the dough , this is how my mom does . This time i have adopted the same way of doing it but i have substituted with healthy ingredients .  It is totally different and totally healthy .

 

 

 

 

Normally we see Potatoes, Onions and Green Peas in Samosa's . First let me tell you what was the stuffing i made . Any guesses ????  ok no suspense ...

 

Ingredients:

• Bottle Gourd - Slice it thin and squeeze the water out of it. Store it for later purpose .
• Onions 
• Garlic
• Boiled Soya Beans.
• Salt
• Chili Powder
• Coriander Powder
• Mustard seeds
• Fennel Seeds
• Oil

 

 

 

 

Make the stuffing according to your taste and make sure the Stuffing is dry and roasted.

 

 

 

Ingredients for the dough :  This is where the twist is

APF - 1 Cup
Olive Oil - 1/4 Cup
Juice of  Bottle Gourd - 1/4 Cup +   ( Use the  bottle gourd juice which we squeezed for the filling ) .
Salt - To taste
Ajwain Seeds
Baking Powder - 1 TSPN

Instructions :

1.   Combine all the dry ingredients and olive oil and mix.
2.   Lastly add Bottle gourd juice  according to the consistency and knead it .
3.  Keep kneading for couple of minutes and allow it to rest for 20 minutes by covering it with a cling wrap.

How to make Samosa's :

Pre heat the oven at 400 F.

1. Make equal sized balls with the dough.
2.  Roll out the ball into a thin disk .
3. Cut it in to half .
4. Make a cone out of it .
5. Fill it with stuffing .
6. Seal the edges with water . Make sure it is sealed properly .

7.   Place this Samosa's in a Muffin Tray , so that they sit properlly .

 

 

 

8. Bake them for 20 - 25 minutes.

9. Lasly broil them for a minute so that they turn  gorgeous golden brown.

 

 

 

10. Lastly serve tem with  Spicy Mint Chuney .

 

 

Linking it to SYS - W series , WTML , Gayathri's Cook Spot , Cook Like Mom , Tangy Mind , Bake fest , Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey , Taste of Tropics , Chef Mireille , Gats samayal

 

 

 



Lotus Root Stir Fry

Lotus Root is widely used for cooking throughout Asia . All the parts of Lotus ( Flowers , Seeds , Leaves and Roots)  are edible and can be used for many purposes. The dried seed heads are used for decorative purposes and for flower arrangements.  Young Lotus stems can be used for Salads . These roots can be used in Soups , Deep - Fried , Stir - Fried  , Pickles .

 Lotus Roots are crunchy in texture sweet-tangy in flavor. 

Lotus roots have been found to be rich in dietary fiber , vitamin C, potassium, Thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin B₆, phosphorus, copper, and manganese, while very low in saturated fat.

Health Benefits of Lotus Roots :  Cleansing and Strengthening the respiratory system. It is said to melt mucus in the body, especially in the lungs. Widely used in Asian, Lotus Root is used to treat tuberculosis and other lung-related illnesses, such as asthma.

Ingredients:

 Lotus Roots 

 Salt 

 Turmeric Powder

 Chili Powder

 Coriander Powder

 Onions - Sliced

 Ginger  Paste

 Garlic - Chopped 

 Oil 

 Mustard Seeds

 Fennel Seeds

  

Instructions:

• Wash , Clean and Slice the Lotus Root  .
• Pressure Cook the Lotus Root with Salt and Turmeric Powder. ( Probably 2 Whistles ) . Drain the water .
•  Heat the oil , Add Mustard Seeds , Cook until the Mustard Seeds Splutter. Then dd the Fennel Seed. Cook it till is golden brown .
• Add the garlic and fry and then add ginger paste and cook by adding little salt.
• Add the pressure cooked Lotus roots ,  Chili Powder , Coriander Powder and Turmeric Powder and roast the Lotus Root till they turn Golden brown.
• Lastly add the sliced onions and  half cook . 

 

Notes -

•   I  pressure cook the lotus root because i get only frozen one's.
•  The water which is drained can be used for gravies or  rasam's.
•  You can even steam the lotus root.
•  For more flavor add Mini dried Shrimps.

Green Gram Sprout - Red Raddish Salad - with Homemade Salad Dressing

Eating Fresh vegetables and Fruits as salads everday  make you fit and healthier  . When i was small i used to think salad means just combination of Onions, Tomato's , Lettuce ,Pine Apples and Cucumbers .  Then i realized , Salads could be made with number of Vegetables , Fruits , Meat , and Cheese with Home made dressing or store brought one .

 

Salads are not only easy to make , but has number of heatlh benifits.

Eating more fruits and vegetables may lower the risk for

• Type 2 Diabatese 
• Heart disease
• High cholesterol
• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• Obesity
• Consuming
• Osteoporosis      and
• Kidney Stones

                           

Plating the salad is more important too . I am a person who is not fond of salads , But if it is visually looking good i dont mind trying  it. :P . I make a point that i eat salads atleast a week . I make it with the fresh vegetables i like.

So lets what are the Vegetables i used .

• Cucumbers.
• Tomatoes.
• Green Gram Sprouts.
• Small Red Raddish and its leaf
• Green Capcicums.
• Sprouted Fenugreek Leaves.
• Bottle gourd.





Homemade Salad Dressing :    ( Put it in the mixer and grind )


• Olive Oil.
• Lime Juice.
• Green Chilli / Pepper Corns      and
• Salt    


Instructions:


1. Wash the Vegetables and cut it according to you want.
2. Deseed the Bottle Gourd and cut it lengthy really thin and squeeze out the water out of it .
3. The specialty of the salad is I used home grown Fenugreek Leaves .
4. Blend the ingredients which is under Homemade Salad Dressing .
5. Mix the Salad Dressing with the Salad only when you are ready to serve.

Linking it to The Mad Scientist Kitchen   , Priya's Verstile Recipes , Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey , My Bowl of Salad Event , SYS- W Series ,Gats samayal

Mutton Biriyani - Easy Pressure Cooker Method

My love for these Chettinad Style Biriyani's were always there right from my college days . There was a Chettinad Restaurant right opposite to my college . We never missed a sunday without eating those Biriyani's. Even now , most of the sundays i make either Chicken biriani , Mutton biriyani , Prawn Biriyani or Fish Biriyani .

As my Policy there is never a good sunday without a Biriyani . So lets see how i make this simple Mutton Biriyani with bursting flavors on it. It is a never fail Chettinad Style Biriyani which is easy to make. This recipe is adopted from my Mom's Chicken Biriyani .

My mom used to say there is always a proportion when you are making Biriyani like how much water you should use for one cup of basmathi rice , How much tomatoes should be used for 1 Medium Sized Onions.

•   -Garlic paste and and fry till the raw smell goes. When the Ginger-Garlic paste sticks to the bottom sprinkle some water add these Chopped Mint leaves and Coriander leaves and saute them . Once the ginger - garlic paste sticks to the bottom of the again add these chopped tomato and cook in a medium flame.


•  Add the Garam Masala and Salt to the Onion -Tomato mixture and cook . When the raw smell goes add the marinated Mutton mixture , and 1/4 Cup of water and slow cook by covering it with the lid . Occasionaly Stir it by sprinkling water as it does not stick to the bottom. It might take 30-40 Minutes for the mutton to get cooked .


• At this time check and adjust the salt and spice level . Add 1 1/2 cup of Basmathi Rice and 2 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 Cup of water , mix it properly. Add 1 TSPN of butter and close it with the Pressure cooker lid , put on the whistle , keep it in the Medium High . Allow it to whistle for two times. Take off the flame and rest it till the pressure goes.


• Once the Pressure is gone open the lid allow the biriyani to cool. Do not try to take the biriyani with spoon when it is hot . It will break the rice.

•  Once the biriyani is cooled down Mix the biriyani with spoon.

Notes -

• I have used butter in Biriyani , it gives a good flavor to the Biriyani .
• Adding milk also gives a flavor , it is optional .If you do not want to add milk , you can add water.
• Allow it to whistle only twice or biriyani might stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Once the biriyani is warm down , put the biriyani in a large bowl and mix it . Do not over stir the biriyani as it might break the rice.