Carrot Palya is a simple homestyle Stir Fry made with Grated Carrots. It tastes great as a side dish. Can also be eaten as a Salad if served Raw 

A simple home style carrot Palya that takes less than 5 minutes to put together if you have grated carrots on hand. If you have a food processor, grating carrots is a breeze

Serving this as a Raw Salad (Kosambari)

You can also make this as a Raw Kosambari (Salad). Instead of sautéing the carrots, Add the prepared tadka into a bowl of grated carrots, 

Add salt, grated coconut & coriander & serve. This tastes delicious as well. My Mother In Law makes it this way

Do Not Overcook the Carrots 

The Idea of sautéing the carrots is to remove the raw taste in them. Do not sauté them for more than 2 minutes as they will get over cooked a start turning mushy 

We over enthusiastically bought quite a few Pumpkins for Halloween last month. While we carved & decorated a couple of them, we were left with 2 huge pumpkins.

Honestly, we don't like cooking with sweet Pumpkins that much as it lends a sweet taste to whatever dish it goes into so. I didn't want to waste the pumpkins, so I came up with a couple of recipes where I could use them

One of them is this simple Pumpkin & Chickpea Curry. I've added some Coconut Milk as the base & some Indian Masalas to spice it up. I served it with some Steamed Basmati Rice & it tasted quite good 

Serves 4 

You Will Need:

• 4 cups of peeled & diced Pumpkin
• 1 cup cooked or Canned Chickpeas 
• 1 can Coconut Milk - 400 ml 
• 1 large Onion - finely chopped
• 4-5 cloves of Garlic
• 2 Green Chilies - slit lengthwise
• 1 tablespoon Cooking Oil
• Salt as per Taste
• Fresh Chopped Coriander for Garnish 

Spices Used:

• 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder
• 1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala
• 1/2 teaspoon Kitchen King Masala 
• 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• A dash of Sriracha Sauce or Sambal Paste - Optional 

• 2 large potatoes - washed & scrubbed clean
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds/methi seeds
• 1/2 tsp nigella seeds/kalonji
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 3 Dry Red chillies
• Salt as per taste
• 1 tbsp cooking oil
• Fresh coriander for garnish

• 2 cups spinach - picked & finely chopped
• 1 cup sweet corn
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 3 green chillies - chopped
• 1 tsp finely chopped Garlic
• 1/2 tsp Coriander Powder
• Salt as per taste
• 1 tsp oil

• Heat oil in a pan, splutter cumin seeds & Saute green chillies & garlic for about 30 secs
• Add chopped spinach & about a tbsp of water. Close the lid & let it cook for a couple of minutes
• Add sweet corn & coriander powder. Mix well close the lid & let it get cooked. Keep stirring in between to avoid the bottom from getting burnt. Spinach & corn get cooked pretty fast  & they won't need too much water. So, Do Not add water unless it get very dry.
• When fully cooked, add salt as per taste & give it a stir.
• Let the curry stand for a couple of minutes before serving

• 300g Firm Tofu - Drained & Crumbled
• 4 small bunches of Spinach - Cleaned & Chopped
• 1 big onion - finely chopped
• 2 green chillies
• 1 tsp fresh Grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• Salt as per taste
• 2 tsp cooking oil

• In a heavy bottomed pan, heat oil & splutter cumin seeds. Add fresh grated ginger, green chillies & onions. Saute till it turns pink.
• Add chopped spinach & saute until the leaves are wilted. Add red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder & Garam Masala. Mix well & cook for a minute
• Mix in Tofu & add salt a sper taste. Cook on low heat for about  mins, stirring in between.
• Turn off the stove & transfer to a serving bowl.

• Okra/Bhindi - 250g
• 2 large onions - sliced lengthwise
• 1 small tomato - roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• 1 tbsp besan/chickpea flour
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp nigella seeds/kalonji
• 2 tsp finely chopped garlic
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder/haldi
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp Garam masala
• Salt as per taste
• Cooking oil
• Chopped coriander

• In a deep heavy bottomed vessel, heat generous amount of cooking oil. Add Okra & saute till it gets cooked completely. Set aside.
• In the same pan, heat some more oil, splutter cumin & nigella seeds. Add chopped garlic & saute for a few secs. Add chopped onions & turmeric. Allow it to sweat. Add chopped tomatoes, red chilli powder & fry until oil separates.
• Meanwhile, in a bowl whisk yogurt & besan together such that no lumps are formed. When the tomatoes are finished cooking, add the yogurt mixture, Give it a stir. Add salt & allow it to simmer for about 5 mins until the raw smell of besan disappears & the sauce gets a little thick.ra
• Add sauteed okra & mix well
• Add Garam Masala & check for salt. Aloow it to simmer again for about 3 mins.
• Turn off the stove & finish with some fresh chopped coriander

• 200g Paneer/Indian Cottage Cheese
• 1 big Onion - finely chopped
• 1 big Tomato - finely chopped
• 1 Green Bell Pepper - finely chopped
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp kalonji/Nigella seeds
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
• Salt as per taste
• Chopped cilantro for garnish
• 1 tbsp cooking oil

• Crumble Paneer & set aside
• In a pan, heat oil, splutter cumin seeds & Kalonji. Add ginger-garlic paste & saute for about 10 secs. Add chopped onion & saute` till they turn slightly pink.
• Add chopped bell peppers & tomato. Mix well & Add red chilli powder & turmeric & cook till oil separates. Add crumbled paneer, Salt & Garam Masala. Mix well & allow it to cook in low heat for about 5 mins. Keep stirring ocassionally to avoid the bottom from getting burnt.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro

• 1 cup boiled Chickpeas/Kabuli Chana
• 2 Potatoes - boiled, peeled & cubed
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
• 2 green chillies - slit
• 2 tsp Chana Masala powder
• 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
• 1/2 tsp Aamchur/Dry Mango powder
• 2 tbsp Oil
• Salt as per taste
• Cilantro for garnish
• 1 tbsp finely chopped onions for garnish

• Heat oil in a kadhai, add ginger-garlic paste & green chillies. Fry for 30 secs.
• Add boiled potatoes & saute until the potaoes become slightly crisp. To this, add tomatoes puree, Chickpeas, Chana Masala powder, Garam Masala, Aamchur powder & mix well for the spices to coat. Add salt a sprinkle some water & cook covered for about  mins.
• Turn off the stove & garnish with fresh cilantro & finely chopped onions

• 1 cup Cabbage - shredded
• 1 onion - finely chopped
• 1/2 cup Besan/Gram Flour
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• A pinch of Asafoetida
• Salt as per taste

• In a pan, dry roast Gram flour until it slightly changes color & aromatic. Set aside.
• Cook cabbage in the microwave or on stove top until crisp & fully cooked. Drain excess water & set aside.
• In the same pan, heat oil, splutter mustard & cumin seeds, add asafoetida & turmeric.
• Add chopped onions & saute until it turns pink. Add cooked cabbage, red chilli powder, Gram flour & mix well.
• The gram flour absorbs all the moisture & will tend to form lumps. Break the lumps & cook them.
•  Cook on low flame until the besan gets cooked completely.
• Check for salt &

• 2 cups Asian Eggplants - Diced & immersed in cold water
• 1 tsp Rasam Powder
• 1/2  tsp Red Chilli Powder
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp Chana dal
• 1 tsp Urad dal
• 1 tbsp Tamarind extract
• 1 tbsp fresh Grated Coconut
• Salt as per taste
• Cooking Oil

• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan,splutter mustard seeds. Add Urad & Chana Dal & allow it to slightly change color.
• Add Eggplants, Rasam Powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder & mix well.
• Add Tamarind extract & Salt. Close the lid & cook over medium flame. Saute at regular intervals to avoid the bottom from getting burnt.
• Don't let the eggplants get mushy, They should be cooked & firm. Check for salt & Garnish with grated coconut. Transfer to a serving dish.

• 3 large potatoes - nicely scrubbed
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 3 tsp Kasuri Methi
• 1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder
• 2 green chillies - slit lengthwise
• Cooking Oil
• Salt as per taste

• Par boil the potatoes in water. Allow them to cool. Dice them & set aside
• Heat oil in a pan, splutter cumin seeds & add green chillies & allow them to sizzle for a couple of seconds.
• Add diced potatoes, turmeric powder, red chilli powder & salt. Cook on medium heat with a closed lid & keep stirring often to avoid the bottom from getting burnt. If the potatoes start sticking to the pan, sprinkle some water But don't add too much water else, the potatoes will get mushy.
• When the pototoes are completely cooked yet firm, add crushed kasuri methi & give it a stir & cook for a couple of mins before transferring them to a serving bowl.

• Do Not add huge amounts of Kasuri Methi to the curry as it has a slightly bitter taste.
• You can replace Kasuri Methi with fresh Methi leaves, But the flavor of Kasuri Methi is sligthly different & I love it
• Instead of parboiling the potatoes, I sometime dice them & cook them in oil. This definitely is much more oily, but tastes like Heaven !!! This is perfect of you want to make this fir picnics esp during summer as you need not worry about them getting spoilt.

• 100g Chickpeas - soaked overnight or for 5-6 hrs
• 500g Pumpkin - Peeled & diced into medium sized cubes
• 2 red onions - finely chopped
• 1 tbsp grated coconut - fresh
• 2 cardamom pods
• cinnamon - 1 small stick
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 4 green chillies
• 1 cup thick coconut milk
• Salt as per taste.
• Oil
• Chopped cilantro for garnish

How To:

• Pressure cook chickpeas with some salt until tender. Drain & set aside.
• Grind grated coconut, cardamom , cinnamon, green chillies & turmeric into a smooth paste adding very little water
• In a large pan, splutter cumin seeds, add chopped onions & fry until they turn pink.
• Add the ground paste & fry for a couple of mins. Add diced pumpkin & add about less than 1/2 a cup of water & cook until tender.
• Add chickpeas, coconut milk & salt. Bring it to a simmer & cook for about 10 mins. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
• Turn off the stove & transfer to a serving dish.

Serve HOT with Warm Naans/Rotis .. Enjoi !!!

Palya is a vegetable/ mixed vegetable stir fry typically served as a side dish with anna-saaru or chapatis, in most kannada households.

Cabbage makes way into my kitchen very often because, whenever I send my husband to buy vegetables, he comes back holding a large head of cabbage. Not that cabbage is his favorite, its just that he really finds it convenient to buy them. He wouldn't really need to test it for its tenderness. Just pick it up, weigh it, pay for it, & he's done with vegetable shopping.

So I find myself making this palya quite aften as accompaniment with some simple anna-saaru. And, it sure does make an awesome comination with saaru. Simple & homely food that is.

You Will Need:

• 2 cups cabbage - finely shredded
• 1/2 cup grated fresh coconut ( Optional )
• 2 tsp mustard seeds
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• A handful of curry leaves
• 4- 5 green chillies - chopped finely
• 1 tsp urad dal
• 1 tsp chana dal
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp cooking oil
• Salt as per taste

Method:

• In a heavy bottomed pan, cook shredded cabbage with about 1 cup of water. Add turmeric powder & a little bit of salt while cooking. Cover with a pan, & cook on medium flame, till the cabbage is soft. Add more water if the water has already dried up. But DO NOT add too much water as cabbage leaves additional water while cooking.
• Or simply, cook cabbage in the microwave. gets done pretty quickly.
• Once the cabbage is cooked yet crunchy, Add grated coconut. Temper with mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, chana dal & urad dal.
• Check for salt, Mix well

Serve HOT with steamed rice/chapatis .. Enjoi !!!

NOTE: You can even do without adding grated coconut. If you do not like the taste of coconut, or if you are calorie counting, give it a miss. It will taste as great.

Have you ever thrown some ingredients together & made a good recipe? Somehow, these throw it together, no effort meals always taste great, don't they?

I made this curry from the odds & ends in the fridge. I am a huge fan of aloo bhindi & aloo gobi so this couldn't have been anything less than, super yummy.

You Will Need:

• 2 large potatoes - diced
• 1 cup cauliflower florets
• 1 cup okra/ladies finger - chopped into 1' pieces
• A handful of green peas - fresh/frozen
• 1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
• Salt as per taste
• 2 tbsp cooking oil

Method:

• Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan/Kadhai, add okra & saute till half done,
• To this, add potatoes, cauliflower florets, green peas, turmeric, salt & red chilli powder & mix well
• Cover with a lid & let it cook on medium flame. Keep checking in between to avoid the bottom from getting burnt. You may require an additional tsp of oil at this time.
• The vegetables must be completely cooked yet firm.
• Check ofr salt. Transfer to a serving bowl. Enjoi with rice or rotis.

I threw in whatever I had. You could even add some chopped onions & tomatoes for a jucier version of the curry.

How about giving your leftover aloo bhindi or aloo gobi a new tiwst?

So tell me what are your 'throw it together, no effort, favorite meals' like?

As a kid, I never ate much of Tindora, all thanks to the belief that eating Tindora made one's brain less sharper. I was anyways not so good at mathematics, so I never let my mum get this home. Now, that I have finished the studying phase, I get this more often.

Tindora paired with cashews make a real good curry. Anything that has cashews has to taste great, right? This is a specialty of the Mangalore region in Karnataka & We just love Mangalore cuisine.

You Will Need:

• 2 cups Tindora - washed & quartered lengthwise
• 1 cup cashews
• 3-4 green chillies - finely chopped
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• A handful of curry leaves
• 1 tbsp grated coconut - fresh (More if you prefer)
• 2 tsp peanut oil
  
• Salt as per taste

• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, splutter mustard seeds & add curry leaves
• Add chopped tindora & fry for a couple of minutes
• To this, add cashewnuts & half a tsp of salt & saute till tindora is completely cooked. Do Not over cook the vegetable as it tendsto get mushy.
• Check for salt & add grated coconut & mix well

The cashews add a lovely rich taste to this otherwise usual curry. Make this for your guests, they will love it. Do not make, if you are on a Diet :)

Have Fun :)

I love love chickpeas. They are an excellent source of proteins. Apart from Choley, which all of us relish, Moroccan Chickpea Stew is one dish, which is a regular at home.

Just the other day, after a hearty meal of chickpea stew & bread, I had some leftover soaked chickpeas on hand. I normally make a quick salad with the leftover ones. But, I was in the mood for something more flavorful ..

And, Curried Chickpeas was made the subsequent day for lunch

You Will Need:

• 1 cup chickpeas - soaked overnight
• 1 onion - finely chopped
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 clove garlic - finely chopped
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 tsp Garam Masala
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• Salt as per taste

Method:

• Pressure cook chickpeas with halt a tsp of salt with 4 cups of water. Drain the cooked chickpeas & set aside. Reserve the cooking liquid
• In a large saucepan, melt butter over nedium heat. Add cumin seeds, chopped garlic, ginger & saute for 10 secs.
• Add chopped onions, turmeric & saute till onions turn pink
• Add cumin powder, coriander powder, red chilli powder & mix well
• Add cooked chickpeas, 1/2 cup of cooking liquid & salt as per taste. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover with a lid & let it cook on medium heat & simmer for 15 minutes until the chickpeas are fully cookied but not mushy.
• Add Garam Masala & mix well

Serve as a side dish with Rice/Roti .. Enjoi !!!

The dish was full was flavors yet not very overpowering. We had it with Rice & Dal & these curried chickpeas was a perfect accompaniment.

You Will Need:

• 1 cup Black Eyes Peas/Lobia/Dudhi/Alsande Kaalu (soaked overnight or atleast for 4-5 hrs)
• 1 cup Bottle Gourd/Lauki/Sorekai - ( peeled, cored & cubed into 1 inch cubes )
• 2 onions - finely chopped
• 2 tomatoes - finely chopped
• 2 green chillies - slit lengthwise
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• A sprig of curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
• 2 tbsp oil
• Salt as per taste

Method:

• Pressure cook black eyed peas or cook on stove top until tender & set aside
• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan & splutter mustard seeds, green chillies, curry leaves & turmeric.
• Add chopped onions & saute until it turns pink
• Add chopped tomatoes & red chilli powder & saute for 5 minutes.
• To this, add bottle gourd cubes & mix well. Add about 1/2 a cup of water & a tsp of salt. Cover with a lid & let it cook on medium flame. Keep stirring in between. When bottle goured cubes are fully cooked ( this should take about 12-15 mins ), Add cooked black eyed beans & Mix well
• Check for salt. Add Garam Masala & mix well

Serve HOT with warm Phulkas or even steamed Rice. Enjoi !!!

I had these with Rotis & Yogurt & It really was an awesome meal. Makes a perfect weeknight dinner.

I might even try a simple sprouted Stir Fry with this some time. Watch this space for more ...

There is really nothing new about this recipe, its really really simple to make, with some basic stuff. I added a bit of dried rosemary for that nice hint of herbs.

• 1 cup Baby Corn - Quartered & cut into thin strips
• 1 cup Carrots - Cut into thin strips
• 2 potatoes - cut into thin strips
• 1 cup green peas - fresh/frozen
• 4 -5 chopped green chillies - low to medium spiced
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 2 tsp oil
• Salt as per taste
  

Method:

• Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan, add mustard seeds & allow it to pop & splutter. Add chopped green chillies & saute for about 20 secs
• Add carrots & potatoes & saute for a couple of minutes. Sprinkle some water & add a little bit of salt & close the lid. Keep sauteing in between to avoid them from getting burnt.
• When the carrots & potatoes are half done, add baby corn, Add a tsp of oil & close the lid again & keep sauteeing in between.
• When the vegetables are almost cooked & firm, add green peas & let it cook.
• Add dried rosemary & check for salt. & mix well

Serve with HOT rotis or fried rice .. Enjoi !!!

We loved biting into those crunchy baby corn. The tender carrots & green peas were quite a contrast & added a nice bite. Next time, I might even add some french beans to this. We had this with some warm rotis & enjoyed a simple meal.

NOTE:

• Replace green chillies with red chilli powder & add a hint of Garam Masala instead of dried rosemary
• Make sure that the vegetables are not overcooked & mushy. They taste good when they are crunchy & firm

• 1 1/2 cups chickpeas/chana - soaked overnight or atleast for 5-6 hours
• 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 4 Green cardamoms
• 2 cloves
• 1 inch stick of cinnamon
• 2 tea bags ( use only Orange Pekoe )
• 1 tsp dry mango powder/amchur powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• A small piece of ginger - grated
• 4 green chillies - slit lengthwise
• 1 tbsp desi ghee/clarified butter
• Salt as per taste
• Onions & cilantro for garnish

Method:

• Pressure cook chickpeas in 3 cups of water along with tea bags, cinnamon stick, cardamoms, cloves & a pinch of salt. Once cooked, discard tea bags & whole spices, drain excess water & set aside
• Dry roast Pomegranate seeds & cumin seeds & make a fine powder
• Heat desi ghee in a wok, add green chillies, grated ginger & saute. Add coriander powder & garam masala. Add ground pomegranate-cumin seeds mixture & saute for a few seconds
• Pour this evenly over cooked chickpeas. Heat this mixture until smoky & excess water had evaporated. Keep mixing in between
• Transfer to a serving bowl & garnish with onion rings & cilantro

Serve with any Roti/Rice Dish of your choice. Enjoi !!!

What I really loved about this is that lovely tangy taste from Dry Mango Powder. The absence of onions, tomatoes & garlic was a welcome change. We had our with some Jeera Rice & we loved it completely.