Sev Tameta Nu Shaak/Kathiyavadi Sev Tameta

     "Kismat Kathiyavadi" is a very well known dhaba near Vasad, about 22 kms from Vadodara my home town. Known for its authentic kathiyavadi food like ringan no olo, sev tameta nu shaak, bajri rotla, masala khichdi-kadhi, gathiya nu shaak, lasaniya bataka etc, the list is quiet long. It has been long time since we visited this dhaba so I decided to prepare this simple but very tasty dish for dinner tonite, actually I have to confess after returning from our trip to India, I was running low on my rations of veggies, all I had in hand was a handfull of tomatoes and few potatoes, then I remembered I had brought in a bag of sev from India and hence decide to prepare this dish ;)
This dish is very popular in gujarati households. It can be prepared in a giffy and is also a crowd pleaser. Simple ingredients, fast to cook and tastes amazing what else would you want from a dish!

I served this dish along with phulkas, lasan chutney and jeralu wali chaas.

Here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped red juicy tomatoes
1 1/2 cups thick sev, I used ratlami sev as we prefer spicy food
1 tbs grated ginger
2 tsp dhania-jeera powder/ cumin-coriander powder
1/2 tsp haldi powder/ turmeric powder
1 1/2 tsp kashmiri lal mirch powder/ red chilli powder
1 tsp sugar
salt to taste
1 1/2 cups water
Handful of chopped coriander leaves for garnish.

For tempering:
2 tbs oil, I used canola oil
1 tsp jeeru/ cumin seeds
pinch of hing/ asafoetida

Preparation:

Heat oil in a kadhai/wok/heavy bottom pan, add cumin seeds and let them splutter, now add hing and grated ginger and sautee for about 15 seconds.
Add chopped tomatoes and all other ingredients except water and sev. Cook for around 3 minutes and add water.
Cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes and add in sev to the cooked tomato gravy.
Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and serve immediately with hot phulkas/chappati/bajri na rotla.

Tips:
This dish should be served as soon as you add sev to the gravy or else it will turn into soggy mess. If you are preparing it in advance then prepare the gravy and keep aside, just before serving the dish heat the gravy and add sev to it and serve warm.
Adding sugar is important as it balances the tang of tomatoes and sharpness of spicies.
Do not add onion or green chillies to this dish as it tends to overburden this dish with sharpness.
Serve it with garlic chutney and chaas along with phulkas/rotla for the authentic kathiyavadi taste.
Use ratlami sev instead of regular thick sev as it adds to extra favour and spice with goes very well with this dish.

Enjoy!

Pav-Bhaji

                                  
Well there is nothing much to say about pav bhaji, being one of the most prefered and popular foods around major cities in India. More info can be collected at www.wikipedia.org just search pav bhaji and you'll end up reading everything about it. I haven't heard any Indian saying they don't like pav bhaji... it is the beloved street food of western region of India especially Gujarat, Maharashtra and its popularity reaching as far as Himalayas, yes, I have seen people flocking at pav-bhaji stalls in Nainital too, which is a beautiful hillstation situated in Uttarakhand, India (north-east of India).

The version of pav bhaji that I'm posting today is very much similar to what the vendor of pav bhaji stall makes at his road side eatery, street food totally street side style. So without further wasting our precious time I shall jot down the recipe and post some yummy snaps for all of you to drivel on. :) Enjoy.

      Close up of Bhaji - Sorry P you have to wait a few minutes those were my words while clicking this snap.

On a flat bottom pan add a little water, about 1/2 a cup and add  
1/2 cup chopped Capsicum, I added combination of red and green capsicum.

Let it sizzle for about 2 minutes or till the capsicum is tender then add in  
1 to 1&1/2 cup of chopped Tomatoes, P prefers less tangy food so had added only 1 cup of  chopped tomatoes so adjust according to you taste, also add in
2 tbs of ginger-garlic paste,  
3 tbs of chopped coriander leaves/cilantro leaves 
1/2 tsp kasuri methi/dried fenugreek leaves
1/2 tsp turmeric,  
1 tbs red chili powder,  
1&1/2 tbs of pav bhaji masala,  
1/4 tsp of hing/asafoetida
1 tbs of lemon juice and  
2 tbs of butter. Let it cook for another 2 minutes or till the raw smell of garlic is gone. (you can start mashing this mixture at this stage or later whatever you prefer)

Now add
2 more tbs of butter
2 cups of boiled and partially mashed potatoes and  
1 cup of boiled and partially mashed veggie combination including cabbage, green peas, cauliflower and bottlegourd.
Add salt to taste and get busy mashing up the mixture with the help of pav-bhaji crusher or something like potato masher. Crushing it enough so as to make non of the veggies recognizable.... hope I'm explaining it good enough but the pictures can back up what I mean to say.

Now adjust the water, salt and spicies and I'm sure you'll have to add some of them (add a bit red chili if you don't feel it to be hot enough or add a bit of pav bhaji masala is you feel that flavour is bit less). 

This dish tastes better if its a bit liquidy, not to soupy but not too firm also, a bit more of curry consistency.
Let it simmer for about 3-4 minutes and turn off the heat.

Serve it hot with butter toasted pav/buns, for me it was home-made ladi pav get the recipe here ; chopped & mixed onion-cilantro; blob of butter and a wedge of lemon.

               Bhaji served with home-made pav and chopped onion-cilantro mix, DH still waiting for his dish. :)


You all might be thinking that I forgot to put onions in bhaji recipe... but that isn't the case.... the fact is pav bhaji itself doesn't have onions and it tastes best raw on side. Adding onion while cooking bhaji gives it a typical taste which is a big no-no for pav bhaji. But if you prefer, go on and add some... :)

Bhindi ki Sukhi Sabzi/Stir Fried Okra with Onions/Kanda-Bhinda nu Shaak

The thing about Bhindi/Okra is that either you love it or you hate it, P is on the love side and I'm on the hate side, rather to say 'was on the hate side'. I still remember, we had just been married for about 3-4 months and I had just reached Riyadh for the first time and we had started our new life together. I hated bhindi so much that I didn't even care to know how its prepared, :) I had to call my mother-in-law to ask for the recipe with P liked the most, it wasn't over there, P forced me to eat same quantity of bhindi sabzi as much as he ate, I'd say not the best dinner!!!


P has a very funny food fundamentals, he says "we have to develop liking for a dish in very specific way, start by eating it little by little and then one day will come you shall like the most dreaded food too!!", now I guess I agree with him. I love Bhindi but only if it is prepared in a very specific way and is not soggy and gooey.

This is a very simply but tasty recipe, actually simplicity is the key to this recipe, let the vegetable advocate for itself don't overpower its taste with adding un-necessary spices.

Heat 3 tbs oil in heavy bottom pan

add 1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera and let it crackle

now add 1/4 tsp hing/asafoetida and curry leaves

Add 2 small to medium sized chopped onions and 3 tsp of ginger-garlic-green chili paste.

Saute for 1 min and then add 250 gms chopped okra/bhindi

Add salt to taste and 1/2 tsp turmeric powder.

Mix well and cook on low flame till okra is tender and done. NEVER PUT A LID WHILE COOKING OKRA OR THE DISH WILL TURN INTO A SOGGY GOOEY DISH.

Once the okra a done add 3 tsp of Dhania-jeera powder/coriander seeds-cumin seeds powder and 1/2 tsp red chili powder

Mix well and turn off the heat.

Serve warm with roti, chappati, naan or paratha of your choice. Tastes great with Dal-Chaval too.

Tips: Add 1/4th tsp of tava masala or garam masala for a more aromatic sabzi.

Fansi nu Shaak/ French beans and Garlic Stir Fry

Back to routine food after a wonderful weekend and all eatouts, so I decided to prepare french beans, urad dal and chappati along with our favorite achaar for dinner tonight.

Ingredients:
250 gms Fansi/French beans chopped into 1/2 inch length or whatever cut you like
150 gms / 1 large onion chopped length wise
3 tsp garlic paste
2 green chillies chopped roughly
1 inch piece of ginger grated
1/2 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
1/2 tsp mustard seeds/rai
1 tsp punjabi masala/ all spice mix
1/2 tsp turmeric powder/haldi
1/2 tsp red chili powder/lal mirch powder
salt to taste
pinch of asafoetida
2 tbs oil for tempering

Method:
Heat oil in heavy bottom pan/kadhai and add mustard and cumin, once they come to crackle add asafoetida and ginger, garlic and green chillies. Saute for 30 seconds and add in chopped onion, saute for one min and add in chopped fansi along with turmeric and salt.
Cover the pan and cook till veggies are nice, tender and almost cooked, at this point add red chili powder and all spice.
Mix well and turn off the heat.
Serve warm along with chappaties or rotis or enjoy it along with dal and rice.

Mix Vegetable Curry/Subzi version-1

Mix veg curry is a very flexible recipe which comes handy when your fridge is stuffed with many veggies, individually not enough to make 4 servings dish in itself. As I opened my fridge today I faced the same nightmare, I had 1 cup of cauliflower florets and few more veggies like carrots, radish, onions and pototoes, so decide to prepare mix veg curry. Carrots bring out a sweet taste to this dish which adds that "umm" in it. Adding kashmiri lal mirch powder to this curry gives it a nice red tint.
One sentence explaination for this dish, just toss up any vegetables in hand in a hot pot, spice it, cook it and serve it. Today I have'nt used many veggies as I was out of stock but in some future post I shall jot down another version of Mix veg curry.
This is one of the comfort foods for me and P. So here goes the recipe.



Ingredients :
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 medium sized carrot peeled, sliced and diced
1 medium sized onion chopped into big chunks
1 medium sized potato peeled and cubed
1 tbs ginger-chilli paste
Handful of coriander leaves for garnish
2 tbs oil for tempering
1 tsp white lentil/urad dal (optional)
1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
1 tsp mustard seeds/rai
pinch of asafoetida/hing
1 tsp turmeric powder/haldi
1/2 tsp red chilli powder (I used kashmiri lal mirch powder)
1/2 tsp garam masala/all spice/curry powder
salt to taste

Method :
Now you know the drill, heavy bottom pan on medium heat, oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal, asafoetida, add cubed potato and let it cook.
When potatoes are almost done add in all other veggies along with all spices and let it cook till carrots and cauliflower is cooked just enough to have a bit to it.
Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves and serve warm.

Tips :
Add veggies like capsicum, green peas, zucchini, sweet corn, radish, baby corn, green beans and/or any veggies you prefer or have in hand.
Avoid adding eggplant/baigan/brinjal and bottlegourd to this dish as these veggies have a distinct taste which does not go well with this dish.
Can add in spring onion greens for garnishing too.

Plain Palak Curry

Today I plan on making a healthy dinner for P, so I opted for plain palak curry option rather than going in for a slightly heavier version of palak paneer. The best thing about this dish is its simple, quick, easy and appetizing not to forget loaded with iron, minerals and other vital nutrients. I plan on serving this curry with chapati and to balance off the meal prepared onion-tomato raita, gujarati dal and plain chaval/rice.


Ingredients :
Fresh Palak/spinach leaves 2 bunches, plucked and washed nicely
1 medium sized onion chopped
1 medium sized tomatoe chopped
2 tbs til/sesame seeds roasted and powdered
1 tbs ginger-chilli paste
1 tsp garlic paste
salt to taste
pinch of soda-bicarb
1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
pinch of asafoetida/hing
1/2 tsp turmeric powder/haldi
2 tbs oil for tempering

Method :

Bring 2 litres of water to boil in a deep pan. Add soda-bicarb and palak leaves to it and boil them for 3-4 mins. Turn off the heat and strain the leaves. Let them cool off for few mins. Puree them to a smooth paste adding just enough water to get the blender going, usually 1/4th cup shall be enough. Keep this puree aside.

In a heavy bottom pan heat oil for tempering, add cumin seeds and once they start spluttering add asafoetida, onion and ginger-chilli paste. Once onion has acheived translucent phase add garlic paste and just enough salt for onions and tomatoes. Cook till raw garlic smell has turned into nice aroma add tomatoes and turmeric powder. Let it cook till tomatoes are totally cooked and oil starts seperating.
Add powdered til and saute for one more minute.
Now add spinach puree and let the curry cook for 2-4 mins or till all ingredients have blended and nicely soaked in spinach curry. Now adjust salt according to your taste.
Remove this curry into a glass bowl, it helps to retain its lovely green colour, as iron in spinach tends to react with metal utensil in which it is prepared and the curry changes colour to deep maroonish or greenish maroon.

Adding salt in the end is crucial coz spinach is high in iron hence has a bit salty taste to it. Remember this recipe shall require less than half amount of salt that is required to cook any other greens of same quantity.

Curry is ready to be served. Goes gr8 with rice or paratha, chapati etc.

Tips :
Add fried paneer/cottage cheese cubes to it makes it Palak Paneer curry dish.
Adding fried/boiled pototo cubes to it makes it Aloo Palak curry dish.
You can also have this plain palak curry with noodles for a change.
Adding Soda-bicarb while blanching spinach is crucial as it helps this dish to retain its fresh green colour. Although if you plan to cook this dish just before serving it, you can skip adding it altogether.

Aloo Methi Subzi

Winters always remind me of lovely green veggies that we get back in baroda. Palak, methi, tandalja etc are the types of green veggies which are usually a part of evening dishs at our home in baroda. Though palak is readily available here in riyadh, its hard to find fresh methi or tandalja leaves, so my solution to this problem, P's mom, she sun dries fresh methi leaves for me, Thanks Mom :)
So today while surveying my lader I found myself stuck with same veggies and no options so decided to prepare sukhi aloo subzi, then as if miracle happened and dried methi leaves showed their presence by falling off the cabinet while I was trying to get some bowls out of lower cabinet shelf. And so I just soaked it and prepared this mouth watering, simple and aromatic dish.

Ingredients :

2 Large Potatoes Boiled and cubed
1 Small to medium onion chopped to strips
Handful of dried fenugreek leaves/kasuri methi alternatively can use fresh methi leaves too.
2 tbs til/sesame seeds
2 tbs ginger-chilli paste
1 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp rai/mustard seeds
1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
1 tsp urad dal/white lentils
1 tsp methi seeds/fenugreek seeds
pinch of asafoetida
salt to taste
3 tbs oil for tempering

Method :
Soak kasuri methi for half an hour.
In a heavy bottom pan heat oil, add urad dal, rai,methi,jeera. When it starts spluttering add asafoetida, ginger-chilli paste, sesame seeds, onion, turmeric and kasuri methi. Let this mix cook on medium flame till the onions are tender and cooked to crunch.Add salt along with boiled-cubed potatoes. Turn off the heat after 4-5 mins.
Serve hot with chappati or paratha of you choice.

Tips :
Goes good with sindhi koki.
Left over can be used to prepare sandwiches or alternatively mash up the left over sabzi and prepare aloo paratha for snacks.

Chawli/Chauli nu shaak

Chauli/chawli also known as long beans, lobiya/lubia in northern india or dau gok in eastern asia is a versatile vegetable used in range of dishes from omelets to stir fries and pilaf to salads. The crisp, tender pods are eaten both fresh and cooked. They are at their best when young and slender. Not to mention they carry high potential in nutritional values. Searching for more information I found this information useful, thanks to wikipedia:
"In a serving size of 100 grams of yardlong beans there are 47 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 4 mg sodium (0% daily value), 8 grams of total carbohydrates (2% daily value), and 3 grams of protein (5% daily value). There is also 17% DV vitamin A, 2% DV iron, 31% DV vitamin C, and 5% DV calcium. (Percent daily values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Individual daily values may be higher or lower depending on individual calorie needs.) "

So here goes the recipe.

Ingredients:

250 gms chopped chauli/long beans
1 medium sized onion sliced
1 tbs ginger-garlic-green chilli ground to coarse paste
few curry leaves
handful of chopped cilantro/coriander leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds/rai
1/2 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
pinch of asafoetida
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp coriander cumin/ dhania-jeera powder
1 tsp urad dal/white lentil (optional)
salt to taste
2 tsp oil

Method:
Heat a heavy bottom pan on medium heat add oil and urad dal.
Once the dal changes it color from white to brownish white add jeera and rai. Let them sputter then add asafoetida, curry leaves and sliced onion.
Cook for about 1 minute. Now add ginger-garlic-green chilli paste and cook for another minute.
Add chopped chauli/chawli along with turmeric powder and salt.
Add 2 tbs of water at this stage. Cover and cook for around 7-8 mins on low flame.
Open the lid add red chilli powder and dhania-jeera powder, mix well and cover and cook for 1 more minute.
Turn off the heat. Garnish it with chopped coriander and serve.
Goes nicely with thin chappati, rice and paratha of any kind.

Lasaniya Bataka/Lahsuni Aloo

Few days back Chaitali, my (cousin) sis-in-law requested this recipe, lasaniya bataka. It is a lovely fragrant potato subzi with loads of garlic in it, in fact it is a tribute to garlic in a way and blessing for all garlic lovers like me and P.
So Chaitali here's the recipe for you, cheers to the good times spent together in Baroda. Miss those days dearly.

Ingredients :
3 medium sized potatoes (boiled and cut in cubes)
Oil for tempering
1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
Pinch of asafoetida
Handful of fresh coriander leaves/cilantro

Ground to Paste:
1 big Pod of garlic approx 12-15 cloves of chunky garlic
1 tsp salt (remember we wont be adding any salt to subzi later on)
2 tbs sesame seeds/til
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbs water

Preparation Method :

In a heavy bottom pan/kadhai heat oil for tempering, add cumin seeds, let them crackle and then add asafoetida.
Now add all of the prepared ground paste add 1/4th cup water and let it simmer for about 2 mins or till garlic is well cooked and does not smell raw.
Add potato cubes, mix well and cook for few mins till potatoes soak up all the garlic flavors. (adjust salt at this stage, usually you'll have to add about 1/2 tsp more salt)
Garnish it with chopped cilantro and serve hot with fulkas or chapatis.

Bharela Ringan/Bharva Ringan

This recipe comes from my M-I-L, she prepares this amazing dish during the time of year when they get green baby eggplants in India. According to her those green eggplants have a specific sweetness in them which makes the dish more likable.
Myself I'm not a huge fan of eggplants green or purple, actually I avoid putting eggplant into my mouth altogether(ask P about it as he is the one who has to eat all bits of eggplant that are on my serving dish :)) but the day she prepared it and asked me to tasted the bharva ringan dish without telling me the name of the dish, I just fell in love with it. It was awesome, simply amazing and out of this world, I could really taste the sweetness of those green luxurious eggplant. I couldn't believe I was eating eggplant dish!!!
There are many versions of this dish starting from kutchhi style to surti style and even hyderabadi style of baghare baingan, which has coastal aroma and taste to it as it is prepared using totally different ingredients like dessicated fresh coconut, onions etc. The version that I'm preparing today is authentic Gujju recipe, it has sweetness and nice aroma of besan to it.

So here goes the recipe:

Take 1 cup besan in a big bowl and add 1 tbs chilli powder, 1 tbs turmeric powder, 2 tbsp sesame seeds/til, 2 tsp aamchur powder or 1 tbs lime juice, 1 1/2 tbs sugar, 1 tbs dhania jeera powder, 2 tsp garam masala, 1 to 1/2 tbs chilli ginger garlic paste, 2 tbs oil, salt to taste and mix well.

Take 5-6 medium to small size eggplants/baingan/ringan and 1 medium sized potato.
Peel dice and wash potato thoroughly.
Wash eggplants and dry them. Slit eggplants length wise and take care not to cut them all through as we intend on filling them with besan mixture.
Fill eggplants with the besan mix. At this stage almost half besan mix should have been used for filling, leaving you with some besan mix still remaining, we shall use that while cooking.
In a Heavy bottom Kadhai/pan add 4 tbs oil, once it starts to smoke add 1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera and let it sputter. Add a pinch of asafoetida and add diced potatoes.
Now arrange the eggplants delicately in such a way that each one touch hot oil in the pan.
Sprinkle the remaining besan mix on top of eggplants and potatoes.
Now add 1 cup water slowly frm the sides of the pan. Cover the pan and cook for 20-25 mins on medium heat, stirring once or twice in between.
If the water evaporates without cooking all masala, add a little more water.

Remember at the end of cooking, this dish should not be soggy at all, besan should have lovely dark yellow colour and should taste well cooked. Adding right quantity of water, enough to cook this dish but not to make it soggy is the key.

Turn off the heat and garnish it with freshly chopped coriander leaves/cilantro. Serve it with hot roti or thepla or bajra roti.

Lauki Mung Dal Sabzi

You guys might be thinking whats the deal with me and lauki?!! but the thing is after having junk food all weekend I tend to take shelter under the Bottle gourd tent to relax my digestive track.
As bottle gourd has cooling effect on our digestive system.
Today I'm preparing a dish which my M-I-L cooks to perfection. Her version has that rustic old charm to cooking mine is rather like "cooking in a jiffy" kinda touch. But the end result is almost similar.

so here goes the recipe.

Ingredients :
3 cups peeled and diced bottle gourd/lauki
1 cup washed mung dal
2 tbs green chilli, ginger and garlic paste
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp mustard seeds/rai
1/2 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
pinch of asafoetida
salt to taste
1 tbs oil for tempering
2 sprig curry leaves
2 dry red chillies
hand full of freshly chopped coriander leaves/cilantro

Preparation Method :

Put Pressure pan on medium heat, add oil and once it starts to smoke add mustard seeds, cumin seeds. let them crackle up, now add asafoetida, curry leaves, dry red chillies and turmeric.
Add diced bottle gourd and ginger garlic chilli paste.
Saute for two mins and add mung dal along with 2 1/2 cups of water.
Add salt to taste.
Close the pressure pan and cook up to 3 whistles.
Once the pressure pan is removed frm the stove and the pressure has subsided, open the pan and remove the sabzi into serving bowl, garnish it with fresh cilantro.
Serve hot with Steamed rice or roti.

Remember to keep this curry simple as possible. Flavors from fresh green chillies, ginger and garlic are the key to this recipe. But in case you want a bit more spicier you can add red chilli powder but rather adjust green chilli paste to get more spiciness. Aroma of curry leaves and fresh chilli along with garlic itself is soothing to gastronomics of our body.

Ringan Bataka nu Lashkari Shaak

Thinking what to cook everyday, is a daunting task, ask any momma if you don't believe me!! Also have to keep in mind its not too rich in calories but also has all nutrients, shouldn't be junk food but should be tasty enough, so today amongst the turmoil of 'what to cook?' I simply grabbed some eggplants, potatoes and onions and started slicing and cubing them without thinking what to do exactly. I prepared this dish as if I was Camping out on hills and had bare minimum stuff to prepare my food, hence the name of the dish 'Ringan bataka nu lashkari shaak', I know its funny name but my mom used to say this all the time that so and so dish she prepared is lashkari version.

here goes my recipe.

Ingredients :
2 medium sized potatoes
1 large or 2 medium sized eggplants/ringan
1 medium sized onion
salt to taste
turmeric 1 tsp
red chilli 1 tsp
oil for tempering
mustard seeds
pinch of asafoetida

Preparation Method :

In a pressure cooker add 2 tsp oil, mustard seeds and once they crackle add asafoetida.
Now add chopped onions and saute for 1 min.
Add chopped potatoes and eggplants along with all masala.
Add 1 cup water, shut the pressure cooker. Cook for 2-3 whistles.

Garnish it with Cilantro/Coriander leaves, serve with rice or chapati.
You can also add a bit garam masala to this dish to give it nice curry aroma.

Wasn't it fast and easy?!!
I also plan on preparing Tomato Soup keeping in mind the eating healthy regime. Although this dish supplies with nice veggies like eggplants and antioxidant donating onions, I would love to have some nice bowl of soup with it.

Aloo Lauki ki sabzi

Simple eating and healthy living, this is the fact that is being forgotten in this age of drive-thru and dial a pizza. Aloo lauki or as we gujju's call it dudhi bataka nu shaak, is a simple dish but with tons of flavor borrowed from garlic and ginger along with a dash of garam masala. Simple to make, easy on stomach, low on calories and lots of fiber. What else do we want from a dish which almost does workout in gym for us?!!!

Ingredients :
1 medium sized potato cut into cubes
1 pound Lauki/bottle gourd cut into cubes
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
3 green chillies slit
2 sprigs kadhi patta/curry leaves
2 tbs chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 pinch Asafoetida/heeng
1 tbs oil for tempering
salt as per taste
1 to 1 1/2 cups water

Preparation method :

In a pressure cooker add oil, cumin, mustard. once the seeds start to crackle add hing and curry leaves. Then add ginger garlic paste and slit green chillies. Saute for a 20 seconds, add cubed potato and bottle gourd, turmeric, red chilli powder, salt and water.

close the lid of pressure pan and cook it untill 2 whistles on medium heat and there after 3 mins on low heat.

let the pressure subside, which takes almost 15 mins or so, then open the pan and add garam masala and chopped coriander leaves.

serve hot along with chapati or rice.

For those who are on diet regime, they can subtract potato frm this dish and prepare only lauki sabzi. Also reduce the oil to 1 tsp.