Showing posts with label No onion - no garlic recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label No onion - no garlic recipes. Show all posts

Fenugreek / Methi seeds, even though used in very small quantities, are very much necessary for our day-to-day cooking. Without fenugreek seeds, preparing Dosa, Sambar Powder, Methi Powder, etc. will not be perfect. These seeds are having some health benefits as well. For all sorts of hair problems, fenugreek seeds works as a good remedy. Not only the seeds, fresh fenugreek leaves are also good for cooking. Roti, Paratha, Stir Fry and various rice items can be prepared using Fenugreek / Methi leaves.
Sometimes, I need fresh methi leaves for my cooking, but we get them very rarely in the convenience stores here. So, since the summer has started, I am growing the fenugreek leaves in our backyard and using the same for cooking. Every week, I will sow the seeds in 1 - 2 rows and within the next 3 weeks, it will be available for cooking. 
Both fenugreek leaves and dill leaves can be interchanged for some variety of dishes. I had posted the Dill Leaves Stir Fry recipe long back. The same way, you can prepare the Fenugreek Leaves Stir Fry. Since fenugreek leaves are slightly bitter in taste, it tastes better if we add little more sugar to this stir fry. 


Preparation time: 20 minutes
Servings: 2 - 3
Difficulty level: Easy

Ingredients:
  • Fenugreek leaves - 3 big bunch
  • Urid dal - 1 tsp
  • Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
  • Asafoetida - a pinch
  • Sambar powder - 2 tsp or according to taste (see Tips)
  • Sugar - 1 tsp or to taste (see Tips)
  • Amchur powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Salt to taste
  • Grated coconut - fistful
  • Oil - 4 tsp


Method:
  • Wash and clean the fenugreek leaves. Chop them finely including the tender stems. 
  • Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add urid dal, asafoetida and mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds start crackling, add the sambar powder followed by chopped fenugreek leaves.
  • Add salt, sugar and amchur powder according to your taste. Cook the mixture half covered.
  • Saute the mixture regularly. Cook it for around 7 - 8 minutes or till its dried out fully and looks too dark. 
  • Add grated coconut and cook for 2 - 3 minutes more and switch off the flame. 
  • Serve this delicious stir fry along with Roti, Chapathi or rice.


Tips:
  • Any type of sambar powder, saarina pudi or palyada pudi can be used for this recipe. 
  • Since the fenugreek leaves are bitter in taste, I have made this stir fry slightly sweet in taste. Those who won't like sweet taste, can add less sugar for this recipe.

There are some well known areas for shopping in Bangalore and one of them I like most is Gandhi Bazar. Evening time will be really good to roam around there, and our shopping will be complete only after having some food, preferably chat food. You can see so many chat shops serving various chat food to the never ending crowd. I had been to Gandhi Bazar with my sister quite a few months back. She knows that area very well and we did plenty of shopping. We were really tired and feeling hungry. She took me to a chat shop in Gavipuram Area. Mango - Sweet Chat from that shop was her all time favorite. So, we ordered the same enjoyed eating. It was so good and so yummy! 
Unripened Totapuri mangoes are perfect for this chat recipe. Grilled sweet corn and finely chopped mangoes are really a wonderful combination. This chat food has become one of our favorite snacks for the evenings. Here is the recipe of Mango - Sweet Corn Chat for you!


Time required: 20 - 25 minutes
Servings: 3
Difficulty Level: Medium

Ingredients:
  • Sweet corn cobs - 2
  • Totapuri mango (medium size) - 1
  • Green chilli paste - 1 tsp (adjust according to taste)
  • Lime juice - for taste
  • Salt - for taste


Method:
  • Roast the corn cobs on direct flame. I did this on my stove top. Separate the kernels when its still hot. You can do this job easily using a knife. 
  • Chop the raw mango finely. I prefer cutting them to the same size as of corn kernels. 
  • Combine corn kernels and chopped mango in a mixing bowl. Add salt, chilli paste and lime juice according to taste. 
  • Toll them quickly and serve immediately! 
  • This delicious chat can be served as salad for the lunch or as evening snacks. 
 

When its mango season, raw mangoes are generously used for cooking in most of the Indian homes. Raw mangoes are perfect for preparing tangy and spicy Indian side dishes like Chutney, Gojju, Appehuli, etc. Here in Australia, whenever we get raw mangoes, I will prepare these yummy dishes. These days, frozen raw mango cubes are available in Indian convenience stores and hence, we are able to enjoy raw mango dishes whenever we feel like. 
During my last visit to native, I had got a nice tip from one of my relatives. She told that she will cut the raw mangoes into cubes in mango season and preserve them in the freezer. They will be good for months and when needed, they can be used for cooking. Hope this tip will be useful for you as well!
I had shared another version of Mango Chutney long back. That was using green chillies and, here is one more version of Mango Chutney. For this recipe, we use dry red chillies and it tastes delicious with the nice aroma of fenugreek and asafoetida. Try this Mango Red Chutney with rice and let me know how you liked it!


Preparation time: 15 minutes
Servings: 5 - 6
Difficulty level: Easy

Ingredients:
  • Raw mango, chopped into medium size cubes - 1 1/2 cup
  • Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
  • Dry red chillies - 2 or 3 (adjust according to taste)
  • Fenugreek seeds - 3/4 tsp
  • Asafoetida / Hing - big pinch
  • Cooking oil - 3/4 tsp
  • Sugar - 1/4 tsp
  • Salt to taste
  • Water - 3/4 cup approx.
For Seasoning: Oil - 1 tsp, Mustard seeds - 1 tsp, Pinch of asafoetida


Method:
  • Heat 3/4 tsp of oil in a small wok. Add broken red chillies and fenugreek seeds. Once they are roasted nicely, add big pinch of asafoetida and turn off the flame. 
  • Grind the roasted ingredients along with grated coconut, mango cubes, salt and sugar into a fine paste. Add water as required while grinding. But don't make it too watery.
  • Check and adjust the taste of Chutney. 
  • Heat 1 tsp of oil for seasoning. Add the mustard seeds and asafoetida. Once the mustard seeds start crackling, turn off the flame. 
  • Add this seasoning to the Chutney. Serve with rice and see how delicious it is!

Tips:
  • Peel off the green skin of mango if it tastes bitter. If not bitter, no need to peel off the skin.
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