Tuesday 17 March 2015

Calabash mild curry with mung beans

Calabash mild curry with mung beans
Calabash mild curry with mung beans
This is a vegetarian dish. The mung beans add protein to the nutrition of this curry. This is a very mild curry and therefore can be enjoyed by many.


                                     Recipe summary 
                                              For
                   Calabash mild curry with mung beans

Preparation time:30  minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves: 6

preparation

1. In a small pan put the 150 grams split mung beans, ¼ tsp turmeric powder  and add water to cover the beans. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. It is enough if the mung bean is half cooked. It will be fully cooked when we add to the curry. Drain and set aside.
Mung beans
Mung beans



2. Wash and peel 500 grams calabash. Cut length wise into quarters. Scoop out the core – the white soft flesh with seeds in the middle and discard. You can see the way of cutting the calabash in my calabash soup - bottle gourd soup recipe. Slice into 1" x ½ inch cubes.

3. In a small bowl add ½ cup of warm water. Add the 20 grams tamarind pulp and leave it for 5 minutes. Then squeeze to extract the juice. Strain and set the juice aside. Discard the pulp and seeds.  First you add only about ½ to ¾ of the juice. Add the balance after tasting and if necessary.

Method
4. Heat a large saucepan or a wok. Add 2 tbsp vegetable oil. When the oil gets hot reduce the heat to medium. Add 2 dry red chilies broken into pieces and fry for ½  a minute.
Calabash mild curry with mung beans
Calabash mild curry 
with mung beans

5. Add 1 coarsely chopped onion and ½ tsp salt to speed up the frying of onion. Add 10 curry leaves, 1 thinly sliced green chili, 1 thinly sliced red chili red chili, and 3 cloves thinly sliced garlic and continue to fry.

6. Add ¼ tsp cumin seeds and  ¼ tsp fennel seeds  fry for ½  a minute. Stir frequently to prevent burning of some ingredients. Push away the fried ingredients and add a little oil and add ¼ tsp mustard fry till it splutters. Normally mustard is the first  item to fry till it splutters and followed by cumin. I do it half way as I do not want them to get burned .
7. Add the calabash and mix well  till it is evenly coated well with the spices.

8. Add ½ tsp curry powder, and one cup of water.  Calabash also will ooze water. Bring the water to the boil and then reduce the heat to medium.

9. When calabash is half way done add cooked mung bean and cook for 10 minutes in medium heat covered. Stir occasionally.

10. Add tamarind juice and ½ tsp garam masala. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

11. Add 1 cup coconut milk and cook for 2 minutes uncovered.

12. The curry is ready. It can be served with rice or bread.

Calabash mild curry with mung beans is ready.
                                  


                    Recipe follows in detail with pictures.





Mung beans
Mung beans
Preparation time:30  minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients
Main
500 grams calabash
150 grams split mung beans
Others
1 onion chopped coarsely
10 curry leaves
3 cloves garlic sliced thinly
2 dry red chillies broken into small pieces.
1 green chili sliced thinly
1 red chili sliced thinly

1 cup coconut milk
20 grams tamarind – juice extracted
2 tablespoon vegetable oil of your choice
½ teaspoon salt
Spies
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
Roasted mung beans
Roasted split mung beans
1/2  tablespoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon garam masala (optional)


This is a fairly mild curry. If you want it to be less spicy you may remove the seeds from the chillies and put only one chilli. You also can  skip the red chili.
You can also reduce the curry powder and add ¼ teaspoon of black pepper powder.

Preparation
In a small pan put the mung beans, turmeric powder  and add water to cover the beans. Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. It is enough if the mung bean is half cooked. It will be fully cooked when we add to the curry. Drain and set aside.
Boiled roasted mung beans
Boiled  roasted  mung beans


Wash and peel calabash. Cut length wise into quarters. Scoop out the core – the white soft flesh with seeds in the middle and discard. You can see the way of cutting the calabash in my calabash soup - bottle gourd soup recipe. Slice into 1” x ½ inch cubes.

In a small bowl add ½ cup of warm water. Add the 20 grams tamarind pulp and leave it for 5 minutes. Then squeeze to extract the juice. Strain and set the juice aside. Discard the pulp and seeds.  First you add only about ½ to ¾ of the juice. Add the balance after tasting and if necessary.

Method

Heat a large saucepan or a wok. Add the vegetable oil. When the oil gets hot reduce the heat to medium. Add dry red chili pieces fry for ½  a minute and onion and salt to speed up the frying of onion. Add curry leaves, green chili, red chili and garlic and continue to fry.


Frying dry chili, onion,green and red chili
Frying dry chili, onion,green and red chili
Add cumin seeds and  fennel seeds  fry for ½  a minute stir frequently to prevent burning of some ingredients. 

Push away the fried ingredients add a little oil and add mustard fry till it splutters. Normally mustard is the first  item to fry till it splutters and followed by cumin. I do it half way as I do not want them to get burned .
Adding cumin and fennel seeds
Adding cumin and fennel seeds


Push away the fried ingredients add a little oil and add mustard fry till it splutters. Normally mustard is the first  item to fry till it splutters and followed by cumin. I do it half way as I do not want them to get burned .



Adding mustard seeds
Adding mustard seed

Add the calabash and mix well  till it is evenly coated well with the spices.

Add curry powder, and one cup of water.  Calabash also will ooze water. Bring the water to the boil and then reduce the heat to medium.


Adding calabash and chilli powder
Adding calabash and chilli powder
When calabash is half way done add cooked mung bean and cook for 10 minutes in medium heat covered. Stir occasionally.


Adding cooked beans
Adding cooked beans
Add tamarind juice and garam masala.

Continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

Add coconut milk and cook for 2 minutes uncovered.

The curry is ready. It can be served with rice or bread.



Final stage
Final stage



IF YOU LIKE YOU MAY SEE MY OTHER RECIPES OF CALABASH OR BOTTLE GOURD
Calabash mild curry
Calabash mild curry

Finished stir-fry
Calabash stir fry





Calabash salad
Calabash salad .

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