AGATHI KEERAI PORIYAL

Agathi keerai has innumerable heath benefits. It is rich in vitamin A, calcium and iron. It has cooling properties, that is the reason it is consumed when breaking fast on Dwadasi. It helps in digestion,  relieve constipation as it has laxative properties, balances pitta and kapha.  It is slightly bitter in taste but after making the subzi, will not feel that bitterness. Being rich in Vitamin A, it is considerd good for the eyes also. The  flowers also has many medicinal values but it should  not be consumed very often and those who are under medication should not take it as it will reduce the power of medicines.  

Today I prepared the same with some moongdal, onion etc. but after fasting when it is made, normally onion s are avoided.

It is known as Agathi keerai, ponnangantikura, ponnanganni keerai, agasti etc.

video: agati keerai poriyal

MATTAR POD KOOTU

When you buy next time the fresh green peas, do not discard the pods.  the same can be used for making lovely subzis.

I have already posted two subzis.  this is the third post.  mattar pod subzi


Mattar pod kootu is a side dish I prepared for the chapati and also to be served along with the sambar rice today.  If you add little more water and make into a running consistency, it can be called as Molagootal and served as a main dish too.

The preparation is with coconut based gravy and a mild dish.  Even the small children can be fed with this as it is not spicy at all.



video: mattar pod kootu

Let us look at the recipe now:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mattar pod chopped (see the video how to clean the mattar pod)
1/4 piece of potato chopped or a small potato
fistful of sweet corn
fistful of fresh green peas
1/4 cup moong dal
turmeric powder
salt

Tempering:

1 tsp oil
1 tsp urid dal
1 tsp mustard dal
a piece of red chilli
curry leaves

to roast and grind

1 tsp oil
1 tsp urid dal
1 small piece of red chilli
2 tbsp grated coconut
1/4 tsp cumin seeds

Method:

Heat oil in kadai, roast the urid dal and chili, keep aside.  grind together with the coconut and cumin seed by adding little water to a smooth paste.

wash and soak the moongdal for 15 minutes in water.

In the same kadai, boil water.  add the moongdal, vegetables in the water and cook till soft by adding turmeric and salt.  ensure that the same are cooked till soft and not mushy.   add the ground paste in it and bring to boil.  temper with the ingredients mentioned under tempering.  serve hot with chapati or as a side dish for sambar, rasam rice.

Note:  By adding little extra water, it becomes molagootal an can be served as a main dish too with rice, chapati.

BHATUA KOOTU

Bhatua is a leafy vegetable which is added to the sarson (mustard greens) for making sarson ka saag.  Recently I made sarson ka saag and a cup of bhatua was balance in my fridge.  Though I have not made any dish with this greens, I tried the kootu today.   The kootu is made in different ways but this is a unique one you will agree with me.

I used little moongdal, coconut paste made for avial.  something weird right.  What happened was I made avial today and the coconut paste was too much for the quantity of vegetable I boiled.  So I had kept some paste of that which I used for this kootu.

MATTAR POD SUBZI

Before reading this recipe, request the viewers first to watch the video how to clean the matter pod.

During winter, we get lot of matter i.e fresh green peas.  Though I do not like this much, at times, it is ok for me to make the subzi. 

Yesterday, my colleague, Mrs. Ranjana Narkar brought the subzi made out of the pod.  I was quite surprised as it tasted awesome.  As usual, when I taste something different, I always ask for the recipe and she shared the recipe with me which I am sharing with you all.  I am sure, definitely you all will like it.

I would like to share some important thing about this subzi is that while peeling the pod, you have to be very careful as a thin membrane like part which looks like a plastic piece after removing it.  It has to be removed very carefully.  I am making this subzi for the first time and it came out very well.  While peeling the pod, you will be bored and give up.  But once your hand is set on to it, you will not stop yourself.

I have taken video of the same and uploaded on you tube. how to clean the matter pod.
mattar pod subzi



  You can watch that and go ahead with making the subzi.  Remember, you need tender pods and not the dried ones.

BANANA PEEL PULIYITTA KOOTU

Hi viewers, 

Thanks a lot for viewing my blog.  I am presenting a simple and easy kootu variety with best out of waste product.  Yes, that is the banana peel is normally discarded.  We can make a variety of dishes with this.  One such dish is the kootu I am sharing with you.

It is basically prepared in the tamarind sauce.  But if you have any problem in consuming the tamarind, you can also use amchur powder or kokam in place of it.

CARROT SPRING ONION SUBZI

Carrot, spring onion subzi is very easy to prepare. The fresh spring onions adds the flavour to the subzi.  Quick and easy subzi, even children can make it.  I ran out of subzi in the fridge and had a bunch of fresh spring onions with greens and two carrots.  Since I was alone at home, that was sufficient for me to have it with plain rice, and a gooseberry chutney.

carrot spring onion subzi

Let us look at the recipe now:

IRUMBAN PULI SUBZI

Irumban puli or bilimbi it is known as is sour in nature but the pickle and subzi was very nice.  I have already posted the bilimbi-achar-irumban-puli-pickle  recipe.  Yesterday, I was thinking what to do with the left over bilimbi after making the pickle.  I tried subzi with sweet potato and it was very tasty with rice and chapati.

Irumban puli  in English is known as  tree sorrel or cucumber tree.  In India, it is known as bilimbi, irumban puli, chemmeen puli, bimbul, orakkaapuli, bimblin etc.

CHEEDAI SUBZI

Cheedai is prepared during Janmashtami, Gokulashtami.  there are two varieties one is vella cheedai (jaggery - sweet version) & uppu cheedai (savoury version).

After the gokulashtami, few cheedais were lying in the container which had lost the crispiness.  Since I do not want to throw them away, I prepared subzi out of it.

BRINJAL GOTHSU, KATHRIKAI GOTHSU

Brinjal gothsu is prepared in tamarind gravy with some tomatoes and onions.  this can be served with idli, dosa, chapati too.  It is a simple preparation and will be loved by everyone. I made it slightly in a different way and it was too good to have with dosa and chapati.

Here I am sharing my version of gothsu.

BANANA SKIN THORAN, BANANA SKIN STIR FRY

Banana skin (nendrankaya) is used to  make thoran or stir fry subzi in Kerala. After peeling the same for making the chips, the skin is chopped very finely, along with vella payaru it is called (lal chowli or red chowli or karamani), this subzi is made.  I normally eat the same with Curd rice as I love the taste of it with curd rice apart from serving the same with rasam rice or sambar rice.  Banana skin can be used for making thogayal, chutney too.

RIDGEGOURD SUBZI

I have heard about ridgegourd peel chutney.  To try this I bought ridgegourd otherwise, we never used to eat this vegetable.  Slowly, I started developing taste for this, but not my family members.  However, I tried subzi, paratha etc. and was a hit as my family members did not understand how I made parathas and never bothered to tell them.

Since it is very spongy, easy to cook and tasty too.  Before writing the recipe, would like you all to read the information, health benefits of this vegetable and  enjoy this delicious dish for chapati, roti and with rice too.

ridgegourd subzi, turai subzi

CLUSTER BEANS WATLI DAL

I have already posted watli dali recipe in my blog.  Watli dal is basically prepared with chana dal, bengal gram, kadala paruppu.  I  had olnly 50 gms of cluster beans with me ( no one eats at home) only I eat, I was thinking what to do with such small quantity.  Hence thought of making it as watli dal.

It goes well with plain rice, chapati.   watch youtube: cluster beans watli dal

MIX VEGETABLES CURRY WITH DAL

Bachelors are finding it very difficult when they settle down in some other parts of the world, once they leave home.  Some are smart enough to manage and some are not.  Food is a major issue for them.

The world has advanced to such an extent,  everything is a click away.  You get any information you want through internet. There are various sites and blogs to help you out to cook easily within a short span of time.

Hence I have decided to plan shoot videos, cook some easy dishes for them and upload on blog as well as on YouTube.  I hope they will definitely take advantage of these kind of blogs and YouTube and solve their problems and issues related with food.

mix veg curry with moongdal

MAKAI PALAK, SWEET CORN PALAK, SPINACH CORN SUBZI

Makai palak is a very tasty dish with hot roti, parantha, rice.  I love to eat with rice any kind of palak preparation.  The combination of sweet corn and palak makes this wonderful and will be liked by everyone as I have made it less spicy.  If you wish, can add more spices according to your requirement.  Palak has abundance of Vitamin K, A, magnesium, iron, calcium, Vitam K, A, C, B2, B6, C.  It is also a great source of protein, phosphorus, vitamin E, zin, dietary fiber and copper and omega 3 fatty acids.  It is less in calories, fat free and cholesterol free.  Also available in abundance.

makai palak, sweet corn palak, spinach corn subzi

BRINJAL TAVA FRY

We make various dishes out of Brinjal.  Brinjal Goshtu, Brinjal black eyed bean curry , Brinjal bhajia etc.  Have you ever tasted brinjal fry.  It is awesome with chapatti and as a side dish for rice too.  I try something  in a different way when my children do not eat a particular subzi.  When this was made, no one could make out what was the dish and ate happily.  Now you also try and enjoy this dish with chapatti, rice etc.

SOYA BEAN DRY SUBZI

Soya bean dry subzi is made with soya beans, onion and masalas.  This can be served as a side dish for dal rice, sambar rice or for phulkas along with dal.  Though it is a healthy dish, i do not like much this some how still I prepare once in a month for the benefit of calcium.

BEETROOT STIR FRY, BEETROOT PORIYAL; DRY SUBZI

I have already posted beetroot subzi    this is yet another version of dry subzi made  out of beet root.  I prefer to eat the beetroot subzi with curd rice specially.  I happened to eat this subzi recently at Ayyappan Temple along with hot rice, sambar and rasam.  Since I liked it very much, I prepared it with slight variation.  Normally, in South Indian Poriyal, coconut along with red or green chilli, cumin seeds are coarsely ground and added in the subzi.

LAUKI SUBZI, DUDHI SUBZI

Luaki or Dudhi or Bottlegourd is very good for health.  It helps in controlling the diabetic, weight and inflammation in liver and kidney.    Lauki juice consumed in empty stomach helps in   curing the urinary tract infections.  A very simple and tasty subzi made out of this goes well with rice, chapati is presented for you today.

MIX VEGETABLE DRY SUBZI

Mix vegetable dry subzi I made for serving along with hot roti yesterday.  Since we are mixing almost all the vegetables, you are filled with protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals etc.  It is a very simple, easy subzi to make and goes well as a side dish for rice and curry and with roti.  I filled the same in vermicelli dosa which I made today for breakafast.

SEMA KI SUBZI, LONG BEANS SUBZI, KARAMANI SUBZI

Normally, the long beans are used in making olan, thoran etc. by South Indians.  It is boiled with salt, turmeric powder and sun dried to make vathals.  But in Rajasthrani style this subzi is made with tomato and masalas and tastes really awesome.  This  subzi in Rajasthani Thali  is included for this month's International Food Challenge.  I got fresh bunch of this long beans yesterday from the market, so thought of making this subzi as none of my family members eat the olan, thoran made out of this.  This one was a hit today in our family except my son everyone had it.  Rajasthani foods are a bit spicy hence I have reduced the spice level according to our requirement.