Green chilli (Banana pepper) and sweet potato curry

Green chilli (Banana pepper)and sweet potato curry

Today I am going to make a green chili( Banana pepper) curry.This is not the same as the spicy green chili that we add to make the curry spicy. This is a vegetable which only mildly hot and is very much like bell pepper (capsicum.).

Green curry chili 

You can use bell pepper instead of this chili. Bell pepper is slightly sweeter than this chili.

                                                          Recipe summary
                                                  For
            Green chilli (Banana pepper) and sweet potato curry

Preparation time:25 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

1. In a small frying pan dry roast 1 tsp coriander seeds for 2 minutes in medium heat. Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, 3 pepper corns and shredded coconut  and dry roast for another 2 minutes. In a blender grind the roasted ingredients with two table spoon water. Keep the ground ingredients aside.

Green curry chili 

( Banana pepper)

2. In a medium sized saucepan add 75 grams  sweet potato pieces and add water to cover and boil the sweet potatoes for 15 minutes or until they become soft. Set aside with water.

3. In a medium sized frying pan, saucepan or wok add 2 table spoon of vegetable oil and heat the oil.
When the oil is hot reduce the heat to medium.

Frying spice paste ingredients

4. Add the sliced 200 grams green chili pieces. Fry lightly for about 5 minutes. The chili should not change colour. It should retain its fresh green colour. Remove and set aside,   

Ingredients

5. In the same pan add 1 onion coarsely chopped, and 100 gram leek sliced into ½ inch pieces fry for 2 minutes.

6. Add 1 dry chili broken into small pieces, 10 curry leaves chopped, 3 cloves garlic chopped, ½ spicy green chili,  and fry for 2 minutes.

7. Add  2 tomato sliced into wedges and fry 2 minutes. Now add sweet potato along with its boiled water and fried green. Add two cups of water.
Boil the ingredients for about 10 minutes.

8. Add the fried chili and cook further.

               

    Green curry chili (Banana Pepper) 
and sweet potato curry 

9. When the ingredients are cooked add the ground spice paste and cook for another 5 minutes.


Add salt and taste for seasoning and adjust.
The curry is ready and take the pan off the heat. You can serve with rice.

Green curry chili (Banana pepper) and sweet potato curry is ready.
                                  

                        Recipe follows in detail with pictures.

Preparation time:25 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients
Main
200 gram green chili sliced into ¾ inch pieces
1 sweet potato 75 grams sliced into ¾ inch cubes
2 tomatoes sliced into wedges
100 gram leek sliced into ½ inch pieces
Others
1 onion coarsely chopped
10 Curry leaves
½ spicy green chili
3 cloves garlic
30 grams shredded coconut
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups of water
Spices
1 dry chili broken into small pieces
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
3 pepper corns
½ teaspoon cumin seeds

Ingredients for  Green chilli (Banana pepper) and sweet potato curry

Preparation

In a small frying pan dry roast coriander seeds for 2 minutes in medium heat.
Add cumin seeds, pepper corns and shredded coconut  and dry roast for another 2 minutes.
In a blender grind the roasted ingredients with two table spoon water.
Keep the ground ingredients aside.

Frying spice paste ingredients

Method
In a medium sized saucepan add the sweet potato pieces and add water to cover them.

Boiling the sweet potato pieces

Boil the sweet potatoes for 15 minutes or until they become soft.
Set aside the sweet potato and the boiled water.
In a medium sized frying pan, saucepan or wok add 1 table spoon of vegetable oil and heat the oil.
When the oil is hot reduce the heat to medium and add the sliced green chili pieces. Fry lightly for about 5 minutes. The chili should not change colour. It should retain its fresh green colour. remove and set aside.

Frying the green chili

In the same pan  fry onion and leeks for 2 minutes.

Frying onion and leek pieces 

add red chili, curry leaves, onion, garlic, ½ spicy green chili and fry for 2 minutes and add  tomato and fry 2 minutes.

Tomato added

 Now add sweet potato along with its boiled water and fried green. Add two cups of water.
Boil the ingredients for about 10 minutes.

Sweet potato added

Now you can add the fried green chilies.

Adding fried chili

When the ingredients are cooked add the ground spice paste and cook for another 5 minutes.

Adding coconut and spice paste

Add salt and taste for seasoning and adjust.
The curry is ready and take the pan off the heat. You can serve with rice.

Milk Rice ( sweet)

Sweet milk rice

This is a very simple preparation, common in many Asian countries. This can be consumed as a meal or it can be served as a snack. Rice milk pudding is very similar to this preparation.

Ingredients for milk rice(sweet)

       

                                    Recipe summary 
                                               For
                                           Milk rice

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes

serves: 4

1. Roast ¾ cup split mung bean seeds for 1 and half minute in micro or dry roast it in a frying pan.

2. In a medium sized saucepan add 1 litre of water and ½ cup full cream milk. Amount of water required will depend in the type of rice.Bring to the boil.

Ingredients

Reduce the heat to medium and don't cover the pan as the milk will boil and over flow.

3. Now add 2 cups rice with roasted beans and 2 pods cardamom.

4. Add 20 gram butter or ghee. Boil for 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. 

5. Add 1 teaspoon salt.

6. While the rice is cooking you can add the 50 gram cashew nuts and  30 gram raisins.

7. When rice is soft and most of the water has been absorbed add ½ cup coconut milk.stir the rice to avoid burnt rice at the bottom of the pan.

 Milk rice (Sweet)

8. At the final stage add 100 gram brown sugar or 25 gram palm sugar (jaggery) and mix well and  take the pan off the heat.

 Any remaining moisture will be evaporated and absorbed.

You can serve this rice in a plate like normal rice or make shapes using a mould.

 It is a rice loved by all including children.

Milk rice is ready.

                                  

                Recipe follows in detail with pictures.

                           
  
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
serves: 4

Ingredients
Main
2 cups rice
¾ cup split mung bean seeds
Others 50 gram cashew nuts
 30 gram raisins
2 cardamom pods
½ cup coconut milk
½ cup full cream milk
100 gram brown sugar (Jaggery)
25 gram palm sugar (jaggery)
1 teaspoon salt
20 gram ghee or butter

Slit roasted mung bean seeds 

Note:
Brown sugar (jaggery) is made from sugar cane. Palm sugar (jaggery) is made from the sap of the Palmyra palm, the date palm, the sugar date palm or from many other varieties of palms.
Brown (cane) sugar can be used in place of palm sugar.
If brown sugar (jaggery) is not available you can use 75 grams of table (cane) sugar.

grated jaggery (cane and palm)

Preparation
Roast mung bean seeds for 1 and half minute in micro or dry roast it in a frying pan.

Washed rice and mung bean ready for boiling

Method
In a medium sized saucepan add 1 litre of water and the milk. Amount of water required will depend in the type of rice.

Milk and water starting to boil

Bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat to medium and don't cover the pan as the milk will boil and over flow.

Milk and water have come to a boil

Now add the rice with mixed beans and cardamom .Add butter or ghee.Boil for 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Cook in low fire. Add salt.

Rice and ghee added

 While the rice is cooking you can add the cashew and raisins.

Cashew nuts  and raisins added

 If the water is evaporated and rice is not cooked you can add water.
Cooked milk rice will be slightly softer than the normal rice.

Almost the water has evaporated

When rice is soft and most of the water has been absorbed add the coconut milk.

Coconut cream is added
 Occasionally stir the rice to avoid burnt rice at the bottom of the pan. From now it is better to stay near the stove to keep an eye on the rice. You can also use normal milk or evaporated milk at this point but you have to be very care full with evaporated milk as it may stick to the pan at the bottom than coconut milk. Boil the rice with normal milk or just water and add evaporated milk. 

At the final stage add jaggery and mix well.Do not boil longer.

                                                           Finally jaggery is added

 Take the pan off the heat.Stir the rice well.
Any remaining moisture will be evaporated and absorbed.

You can serve this rice in a plate like normal rice or make shapes using a mould.

It is necessary to grease the mould. I used a heart shaped mould to serve the rice as a snack. You can add more jaggery if you wish. It is a rice loved by all including children.

Okra with tomato stir-fry

Okra with tomato stir-fry

Okra is a nutritious and tasty vegetable. It is best to consume it raw. Okra can be crisp fried and stir-fried,. It can be made into pickle, stew, soup, curry and many more. It can also be grilled and roasted. It can be stuffed and steamed.
Today I am going to make a okra stir-fry with tomato. Some people do not like okra because of its slimy sap. Our aim is to reduce the slime in the okra in our cooking.

Ingredients for Okra with tomato stir-fry

                                 Recipe summary 
                                            For 
                           Okra with tomato stir - fry

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4


 1. In a medium sized frying pan or sauce pan add 2 tablespoon vegetable oil and heat it.

2. When the oil is hot reduce the heat to medium.
Add ½ teaspoon mustard seeds and fry till it splutters. 
3. Add ½ spoon cumin seeds and fry for 3 seconds.

Ingredients

4. Add 1 onion chopped coarsely, 1 green chilli sliced into small pieces, 3 cloves garlic chopped, 1 dry red chili ground into broken chili, ½ sprig curry leaves chopped and  Fry for 5 minutes.

5. Add 2 tomatoes sliced into ½ inch pieces and ½ cup of water and fry for 5 minutes.

Okra with tomato stir-fry

6. Add 200 grams okra sliced into 1 inch pieces and fry for 3 minutes.

7. Add tamarind juice extracted from 20 grams tamarind and cook for 2 minutes.

8. Add ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and mix well.
Taste for seasoning and adjust.

Okra stir-fry is ready. Take it off the heat.

It can be consumed on its own or served as a side dish with meat or fish. It can also be served with rice and bread.

Okra with tomato stir - fry is ready.
                                  

                    Recipe follows in detail with pictures.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Onion, green chili and broken chili are fried

Main
200 grams okra sliced into 1 inch pieces
2 tomatoes sliced into ½ inch pieces
Others
1 onion chopped coarsely
½ sprig curry leaves
3 cloves garlic
1 green chilli sliced into small pieces
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon vegetable oil of your choice
20 grams tamarind – extract the juice

Spices

1 dry red chili ground into broken chili
½ teaspoon mustard seeds
½ spoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon pepper powder

Tomato added

Preparation
Use a kitchen paper towel and wipe out the little white fibrous growth found on the outer skin of the okra. Wash the okra well in running water. Wipe the water with kitchen towel and make it dry.
This process will stop oozing of gummy, gelatinous liquid. Cut the okra into 1/4   inch slices.vegetable.
Wash and cut tomato into ½ inch pieces.


Method
In a medium sized frying pan or sauce pan add oil and heat it.
When the oil is hot reduce the heat to medium.
Add mustard and cumin seeds. When they splutter add onion, green chili,  garlic, broken dry chili and curry leaves. Fry for 5 minutes.

Okra added

Add tomato and ½ cup of water and fry for 5 minutes.
Add okra and fry for 3 minutes.
Add tamarind juice and cook for 2 minutes.
Add salt and pepper and mix well.
Taste for seasoning and adjust.
Okra stir-fry is ready. Take it off the heat.

Okra with tomato stir-fry

It can be consumed on its own or served as a side dish with meat or fish. It can also be served with rice and bread.

Eggplant spicy and soft fry

Eggplant spicy and soft fry

Eggplant is also known as aubergine and brinjal. There are so many ways to cook eggplant. Each method has its own taste. We can fry it, make curry, bake, broil, grill or put into salads.

Eggplant

Eggplant is full of nutrition. It is a good source of potassium. It is low in calories and fats. It is rich in soluble fibre. It contributes to a few types of Vitamin B complex.

Eggplants absorb lot of oil when frying. This is not good for those who do not want to consume too much of fats. The advantage of this is that you can use many oils and sauces to the create different flavors and tastes.

Today I am going to fry eggplant. It is not a deep frying process. It will also not be crispy. Instead it will be soft and a little bit mushy. But this gives an excellent flavour and distinct taste. I am going to use sesame oil. It is believed that eggplant fried in sesame oil is very good for health. I am using dark purple eggplants. Dark purple eggplant has good amounts of phenolic flavonoid phyto-chemicals called anthocyanins.

This is an easy preparation with few ingredients and few steps of frying. This is my mothers recipe. The fried  eggplant is mixed with rice and it becomes a sort of fried rice. My mother gives this for lunch to school. It is very tasty.

                                    Recipe summary 
                                              For
                               Eggplant spicy and soft fry

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4

1. Slice 500 grams eggplant into 1 ½ inch long fingers. Immerse the cut pieces in cold water or slightly salted water to prevent the eggplant pieces from discolouring. Rinse and dry the pieces.

2. Coat the pieces with ½ tablespoon chilli powder

Eggplant

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder,½ teaspoon pepper powder,¼ teaspoon cumin powder,½ teaspoon salt. Set it aside for 20 minutes to marinate.



3. Slice 2 onions lengthwise coarsely. Make them slightly larger pieces because they will shrink substantially during frying.

Eggplant sliced

Coat the onions also with ½ teaspoon chili powder and ¼ teaspoon salt and set it aside for 10 minutes.


4. Heat ¾ cup of oil in a medium sized frying pan or wok. When the oil is hot add the marinated eggplant pieces. The oil in the pan should cover at least 1/3 of the eggplants. Fry in medium heat. Hot oil will bubble up and cover more of the eggplant 

Eggplant spicy and soft fry

pieces. Turn the eggplant frequently to ensure even cooking of all the pieces. You will find the volume of the eggplant shrinking rapidly as the water in the eggplant evaporates. If the bottom of the pan is dry add more oil. After frying for about 25 minutes add the onion slices and continue frying until the eggplant takes a brownish colour. This will take about a total of 45 minutes. By this time all of the oil also will be consumed. Taste for seasoning and adjust.

Take the eggplant off the heat.
Serve it hot with rice. Drink warm water or plain tea.

Eggplant spicy and soft fry is ready.

                                 

                      Recipe  follows in detail with pictures.

Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients
Main
500 grams eggplant
Others
2 onions coarsely chopped
½ tablespoon chilli powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
½ teaspoon pepper powder
¼ teaspoon cumin powder
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sesame oil

Preparation

Slice the eggplant into 1 ½ inch long fingers. 

Eggplant sliced

Immerse the cut pieces in cold water or slightly salted water to prevent the eggplant pieces from discolouring. Rinse and dry the pieces.

Eggplant slices immersed in water

 Coat the pieces with chili powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, pepper powder and salt. Set it aside for 20 minutes to marinate.

Eggplant pieces with marinating ingredients

Eggplant pieces marinated

Slice the onion lengthwise coarsely. Make them slightly larger pieces because they will shrink substantially during frying.
Coat the onions also with chili powder and salt and set it aside for 10 minutes.

Onion marinated

Method

Heat ¾ cup of oil in a medium sized frying pan or wok. When the oil is hot add the marinated eggplant pieces. The oil in the pan should cover at least 1/3 of the eggplants. Fry in medium heat. Hot oil will bubble up and cover more of the eggplant pieces. Turn the eggplant frequently to ensure even cooking of all the pieces. You will find the volume of the eggplant shrinking rapidly as the water in the eggplant evaporates. If the bottom of the pan is dry add more oil. After frying for about 25 minutes add the onion slices and continue frying until the eggplant takes a brownish colour. This will take about a total of 45 minutes. By this time all of the oil also will be consumed. Taste for seasoning and adjust.

Frying eggplant

Onion added

Final stage

Take the eggplant off the heat.
Serve it hot with rice. Drink warm water or plain tea.