Saturday, March 29, 2008

EAT FRESH - Wonderful Winter


This is my entry for EAT FRESH - Wonderful Winter which is being hosted by Meeta.
Here is what's in my grocery bag from Denver, Colorado.
I usually shop at H Mart which is an Asian market, and has a huge variety of vegetables especially Indian veggies compared to the local grocery store, and far more cheaper too.
The Farmer''s markets don't start until summer here, so I make do with H Mart.
I have red pumpkin, green mango, broccoli florets, carrots, french beans, cucumber, cabbage, green plantains, and white pumpkin in my picture. I'm bummed I have could not get curry leaves, there is some kind of curry leaf crisis, hopefully we will get some soon.

Vegetable Kuzhambu



I decided to make Vegetable Kuzhambu to clean out my fridge, as I had bits and pieces of different vegetables. This curry is easy to make no coconut to grind or dal to be cooked. The prep work is in cutting the vegetables.


A mixture of whatever vegetables you have cut into cubes, I used:-

White Pumpkin

Carrots

French beans

Suran/Yam frozen

Drumsticks frozen

Padwal/Snake Gourd frozen

all together I would say about 2 cups of vegetables


4 pearl onions cut into half

3 green chillies slit

1 small tomatoes chopped

1 tsp tamarind paste

1/4 tsp hing

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp chilli pwd

2 tsp coriander pwd

1 tsp cumin seed pwd

1 tsp sambar pwd

salt to taste

1 tsp gingelly oil

1tsp rice flour mixed in 1/4 cup of water


Tadka:

1 tsp gingelly oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

2 red chillies

1/2 tsp udad dal

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp methi seeds

Curry leaves


Heat 1 tsp oil, add the pearl onions and green chillies.

Saute for a few minutes.

Add all the dry spices, hing, turmeric pwd, chilli pwd, coriander pwd, cumin seeds pwd, and sambar pwd.

Stir then add all the vegetables and the tomatoes.

Stir well for a few minutes then tamarind paste and some water.

Add salt and cook the vegetables, I just cook it in the pressure cooker as it's faster.

Once the vegetables are cooked add the riceflour paste and cook till there is a nice gravy.


Then get the tadka ready:-

Heat oil, add mustard seeds, red chillies, udad dal, cumin seeds, and methi seeds,

once the mustard seeds splutter add the curry leaves.

Pour this over the kuzhambu.


Goes well with rice of course, or chapathi or dosa.

I served mine with rosemata rice and cabbage thoran.