My Cooking Wonders

Summer and ridge gourds goes hand in hand in the place I grew up. During summer we used to have ridge gourd for dinner every other day prepared different ways. Here I am presenting simple chutney made of ridge gourd aka beerakaya. Ridge gourd is really good for health. It has a very high water content, making it a very low calorie vegetable. It has lot other health benefits which makes me include this vegetable a regular staple in my kitchen. Here is a simple recipe for ridge gourd chutney and wait for lot of ridge gourd recipes to follow as it is summer again :) Enjoy!!!!

Sometimes I feel bored to eat the same palli chutney with breakfast. So I made Pudina pachadi,  of course with a touch of peanuts though. Do not get intimidated by the oil floating over the top :). I just poured the tempering over the top and took the picture. Once you give it a good stir, you will see everything disappearing into the chutney... And you always can control the oil you add in for your tempering. So give it a try and you will be glad that you tried something different..yet tasty ... Ingredients 1 big bunch of Mint 1 tbsp chana dal 2 tbsp peanuts 2 tbsp dry coconut powder small lemon sized tamarind or 1 tbsp tamarind paste 1 green chilli 2 dried red chillies 2 garlic cloves 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tbsp oil For Tempering 1 tbsp oil 1 red chilli 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp urad dal 1 tsp chana dal 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 1 small clove garlic crushed pinch go turmeric pinch of Asafoetida/hing (Inguva)(Optional) 5 to 6 curry leaves Method Heat 1 ...

Raw mango chutney is very tasty, quick to make. In Andhra Pradesh this chutney is made in the  early summer season and is made with tender raw mangoes. While I was in India, there is not even one summer that passed by without eating this chutney. While I was doing my regular grocery shopping this weekend I found these firm raw green mangoes at my Indian store. I immediately grabbed one and here is what I did with that. Gosh!! my kitchen smell awfully good today ..ooo lala.. Before you make the chutney eat a small of piece of mango and make sure it is not sweet. If it is sweet do not make the chutney. If it is kind of more on tangier side and little sweet then add a tsp of lemon juice to get the correct taste. What are you waiting for..Go ahead, try it and let me know :)..  Ingredients 1 small raw(green) mango 1 tbsp red chilli powder (adjust per spice level) 1 big clove of garlic salt to taste For Tempering 1 tbsp oil 1 red chilli 1...

This is not a regular Palli chutney or Kobbari chutney on its own. I am not a big fan of Kobbari(Coconut) chutney on its own but I like a hint of it in my chutney. So I came up with this one. Adding lemon juice is my addition to this chutney which leaves a unique kind of after taste in your mouth.  This chutney goes well with almost any kind of Indian savory breakfast items. Ingredients For Chutney 1 cup peanuts/groundnuts/Verusenaga gullu 2 tbsp chana dal(pachi senaga pappu) 6 to 8 green chillies 4 tbsp grated coconut or coconut powder 3 cloves garlic 1 tbsp cumin seeds 1 tbsp oil 1 big lemon sized tamarind or 1 tbsp thick paste or 1 1/2 thin paste 1 tsp lemon juice Salt per taste For Tempering 2 tbsp oil 1 red chilli 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp urad dal 1 tsp chana dal 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 small clove garlic crushed pinch go turmeric pinch of Asafoetida/hing (Inguva)(Optional) 5 to 6 curry leaves Method n a microwave safe bowl take couple of table ...

Ingredients   1 big eggplant/Brinjal (about a pound) 2 big tomatoes 5 to 6 green chillies(depending on the spice level) 1 tbsp oil 4 cloves garlic 1 tbsp cumin seeds 1 large lemon sized tamarind salt per taste For Tempering 2 tbsp oil 1 red chilli 1 tsp mustard seeds 1 tsp urad dal 1 tap chana dal 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 small clove garlic crushed pinch go turmeric pinch of Asafoetida/hing (Inguva)(Optional) 5 to 6 curry leaves For Garnish 1 medium onion chopped Handful of coriander leaves Method In a microwave safe bowl take couple of table spoons of water and add the tamarind. Pop it in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds. This will make the tamarind soft and it will be easy to extract the juice.  Let it cool for a minute and give it a good squeeze and set aside. See not to have any hard shell pieces in the tamarind. In a pan heat 1tbsp oil. Add the green chillies and close the lid. Let the chillies get brown on all sides. This will take 3 to 4...