The day after tomorrow is Vijayadashami and I can see my garden is full of different vegetables like pui sag,chaulai sag,rai sag,karkala ko saag,ghirimla,simi,lauka,tite karela,borhi,baigan and farsee ko munta.These are the typical vegetable cooked at my home with bamboo shoots from Dhakalthok which my granny sends to us.We just love her food items she sends like Kodo,tama,bhatta,kurauni and gundruk and prepare our daily meals.Vegetables (tarkaari) are one of
the most important foods in the daily Nepali diet, and a typical Nepali
meal consists of rice, lentils, and some kind of side vegetable dish.Vegetables are also made into pickles, salads, snacks, and desserts.
Vegetables are rich and comparatively cheaper source of vitamins.
Consumption of these items provides taste, palatability, increases
appetite and provides fiber for digestion and to prevent constipation.
Their consumption in plenty fair amount of protein. They also play key
role in neutralizing the acids produced during digestion of pretentious
and fatty foods and also provide valuable roughages which help in
movement of food in intestine.Some of the vegetables are good sources of carbohydrates (leguminous
vegetables, sweet potato, potato, onion, garlic and methi) proteins
(peas, beams, leafy vegetables and garlic) vitamin A (carrot, tomato,
drumstick, leafy vegetables), Vitamin B (peas, garlic and tomato),
Vitamin C (green chillies, drumstick leaves, Cole crops, leafy
vegetables and leaves of radish) minerals (leafy vegetables, drumstick
pods).
My mom dad as a farmer work in farms and grow green vegetable and being a citizen of a country where eighty percent of Nepalese are farmer and the ancestral linkage to farmer I just feel the smell of green grass and vegetables around my home.I love the smell similar found in some detergent and medicine I love the moment in garden to collect green veggies at home and prepare tasty food for us.
Bodi is like other basic vegetables in Nepali kitchen. It is very simple to cook and is extremely popular back home. We get so many varieties of Bodi in Nepal, for example the ones that are grown in hilly areas, shorter in length as well as longer ones. And each vary slightly in taste.
Recipe of Bodi cooking
Bodi is like other basic vegetables in Nepali kitchen. It is very simple to cook and is extremely popular back home. We get so many varieties of Bodi in Nepal, for example the ones that are grown in hilly areas, shorter in length as well as longer ones. And each vary slightly in taste.
Recipe of Bodi cooking
- Young Beans ( a bunch (10-13), wash and break it two inches apart and)
- Potato (2 medium, peeled and cut in cube sizes)
- Tomatoes (2 medium, finely chopped)
- Ginger-garlic paste (1 table spoon)
- Fenugreek Seeds (1 tea spoon)
- Black Mustard Seeds (1 tea spoon)
- Cumin Seeds (1 tea spoon)
- Salt (according to taste)
- Turmeric Powder (1 tea spoon)
- Cumin-coriander powder (1 table spoon)
- Timur Powder (1/2 table spoon, optional)
- Red Chili Powder (1/2 table spoon)
- Oil (3 table spoons)
- Water (4 cups)
Directions:
- Heat oil and add cumin, mustard and fenugreek seeds. Fry until brownish black.
- Add potato, salt and turmeric powder until slightly golden brown.
- Add Young beans. Stir, cover and cook for 3-4 minutes on a medium heat.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients except water.
- Stir cover and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add water. Stir cover and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Eat with family.
Kidney Beans (Razma) Curry Recipe!
- Kidney Beans (3 cups)
- Cinnamon Leaves (1)
- Ginger-Garlic Paste ( 1 table spoon)
- Cumin-Coriander Powder (1 table spoon)
- Meat Masala (1 table spoon)
- Fenugreek Seeds (1 tea spoon)
- Cloves (3-4)
- Dill Seeds (1 tea spoon)
- Cumin Seeds (1 tea spoon)
- Turmeric Powder (1 tea spoon)
- Salt (according to taste)
- Onion (1 medium sized, finely sliced)
- Serran0 Pepper (1, if green chilies (2))
- Tomatoes (medium sized, (3), finely chopped)
- Oil (2 table spoons)
Directions:- Soak Kidney Beans overnight. Next day wash it thoroughly.
- Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add cinnamon leaves, cloves, fenugreek, dill and cumin seeds. Fry until brownish black.
- Add onion and Serrano Pepper. Fry until golden brown.
- Add Kidney Beans, salt and turmeric. Cover and cook for 10 minutes make sure to stir periodically.
- Add tomatoes, Meat masala, cumin-coriander powder, and ginger-garlic paste.
- Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes
- Add 3 cups of water and close the pressure cooker lid and cook until it whistles 4-5 times.
How to Make Bharwan Karela
- Scrape off the rough surface of the bitter gourd; slit length wise on one side, rub all over with 1 tbsp salt and keep aside for about 30 minutes.
- Squeeze the bitter gourd to remove the bitter juice and scoop out the hard seeds, if any.
- Stuff the filling firmly into the bitter gourd. In a pan, heat 2 Tbsp of oil and add the bitter gourd.
- Turn over a few times on high flame.
- Reduce heat and cook covered, till tender, stirring a few times so the vegetables are cooked and browned all round.
Ingredients of Mixed Vegetables
- 2 drum sticks
- 2 bitter gourds
- 3 tsp turmeric
- 2 raw bananas
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 4 green chillies (chopped)
- 3 tsp carrom seeds
- 3 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 aubergines
- Half a cauliflower
- 2 tbs mustard oil
- 2 tsp ginger paste
- 2 potatoes
- 1 radish
- Half a bottle gourd
- 4 Tbsp desi ghee
- 2-3 pieces mace
- 1 cup milk
For the Masala:- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tsp black onion seeds
- Chopped coriander leaves
- Salt
- Water
- Baby potatoes are always a pleasure to cook with as they are cute and tiny and cook so fast and most importantly they dont have to be peeled and they hold their own ground. They dont get too mushy unless you dont treat them properly. I enjoy so many recipes with baby potatoes some of my most favourite being, Aloo Dum, Baby Potatoes in Tomato Gravy and of course this Bihari Aloo Baingan. I love combining such contrasting veggies, as I feel they compliment each other.
How to Make Mixed Vegetables
- Peel drum sticks and cut into even size pieces.
- Peel bitter gourds, make small incisions and blanch in water, adding salt and turmeric. Take out the seeds and cut into small pieces.
- Make incision in the raw bananas and blanch in water with salt. Cool in ice cold water, peel and cut into small pieces.
- Dry roast masala ingredients and grind them into a fine paste. Soak carrom seeds and mustard seeds in warm water and grind them into a soft paste.
- Slice the aubergines, chop cauliflower and add water, salt and turmeric.
- Heat mustard oil in a pan, add ginger paste, carrom and mustard seed paste, potatoes, salt and water and allow to cook. Now add the drum sticks, radish pieces, water, salt, aubergines, bottle gourd, raw bananas, bitter gourd and saute. Add water and allow it to simmer.
- Put some desi ghee and mace and stir well. Now add milk and the masala and cook for some time.
- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.
- Preparation of Taro leaves
- Young leaves are the best to use
- Rinse well and shake off excess water
- For each leaf, remove the tip, all of the stalk and 1cm of the leaf around the stalk
- Prepare taro leaves and set aside
- Mix together the coconut cream, water, and pepper
- Lay one of the tinfoil sheets on a small soup bowl. Arrange 3 taro leaves on top of the foil. Gently push down the centre to form a hollow without splitting the taro leaves
- Spoon 1/8 of the coconut cream mixture into the hollow
- Gather the ends of the taro leaves into the centre to form a round parcel. Gather the ends of the foil together in the same way, twisting the ends together securely in the centre of the parcel
- Make 7 more parcels in the same way
- Place the parcels in a roasting dish and bake at 170°C for 1 hour.
Method 2 - pan cooked
- Prepare the taro leaves and roughly cut
- Place in a large saucepan of boiling water and cook on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes; drain thoroughly.
- Combine coconut cream, water, onions, and pepper
- Add to the taro leaves. Bring to the boil and simmer for a further 10-15 minutes, or until the taro leaves are tender to the taste.
- INGREDIENTS:
1 Pound Baby Potatoes.
1 Japanese Eggplant.
4 Large Cloves Garlic.
3 Red chillies.
1 Tsp Jeera.
1 Tbsp Ginger thinly sliced.
1 Medium Onion sliced lengthwise thinly.
2 Tsbp Canola Oil.
1/2 Cup Firmly Packed Cilantro Leaves.
PREPARATION:
- Wash the potatoes and the eggplants. Pop them in the rice cooker, add salt and cook them until they are half done. Alternatively use the microwave or stove or you need not cook them now but you can finish up the entire cooking of the potatoes and the egplant in the gravy itself.
- In the little mixer jar combine cilantro, red chillies, ginger and garlic and pulse until they are well ground. Do not add water. Set aside.
- In a pan or kadai, add a spoon of oil and when the oil is hot enough, add the cumin seeds. They will splutter and sizzle for a couple seconds. Imediately add the sliced onions and fry them until they turnn in t a dull brown colour and they carmelize. This should take about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the pulsed cilantro garlic blend and saute for a couple more seconds until the raw smell is gone. This should be in about 45 seconds. Do not let the pulsed mix burn in the pan. Keep mixing and marinating them in.
- Toss in the potatoes and the eggplant and mix with the rest of the ingredients.Now add a cup of water and scrape the pan to deglaze the bits of spices sticking to hte base of the pan.
- Stir in another cup of water and add salt to the pan. Now bring the heat down to medium low and allow to reduce for a about 15 – 20 minutes until the veggies are well cooked and the gravy comes together.
- Chaulai saag is a simple, dry preparation with amaranth leaves and a hint of spices.
- Amaranth leaves – 400 grams
- Onions – 2 medium (1 cup when chopped)
- Besan (gram flour) – 1 tablespoon
- Amchoor powder (dry mango powder) – 1/2 teaspoon
- Red chili powder – 1/2 teaspoon
- Turmeric powder – 1/3 teaspoon
- Salt – to taste
- Dry red chilies – 1
- Asafoetida powder – 1/3 teaspoon
- Cumin seeds – 1/2 teaspoon
- Mustard oil – 1 tablespoon
- Pluck the leaves and tender stems for use in the saag. Discard the thick stem/root.Wash the amaranth leaves well.
Chop the leaves.
Chop the onions finely.
In a pan, heat the oil. When hot, add asafoetida powder and cumin seeds, let the seeds crackle. Add a dry red chili, toss it over quickly as it turns shade, then add finely chopped onions.
Fry the onions on medium heat till golden. Add turmeric powder and red chili powder, cook for a minute.
Add the chopped amaranth leaves along with salt. Cook covered, stirring every other minute, till the leaves have wilted and released water (around 10 minutes).
Add amchoor powder and stir. Sprinkle besan all over. Quickly mix the besan in before it forms lumps. Continue to cook the saag on medium-high heat, stirring regularly, for about 5 minutes or till the besan has cooked and blended well.
Chaulai saag is ready to serve.
Sindhi Kadhi
Serves for 4
Ingredients:
1/2 kg Tomatoes
100 gm Lady Finger (Bhindi). Make a small slit
100 gm Cluster Beans (Gawaal)
1 pc Drumstick (Cut into 5-6 pieces)
1 Tsp Brown Mustard Seeds (Rai)
1 Tsp Fenugreek Seeds (Methi)
1 Tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)
1 Tsp Besan (Bengal gram flour)
Few Kokum flowers
1 Tsp Red Chilly Powder
1/2 Tsp Turmeric Powder
1/4 Tsp Asafoetida (Hing)
1 Tsp grated ginger (adrak)
4 to 6 curry leaves (kadi patta)
1 Tbsp Oil
3-4 Green Chilly
Salt to taste
Method:
1. Boil tomatoes and make puree. Keep it aside.
2. Take a vessel add oil & add rai, jeera and methi. Then add besan, mix it for two minutes till the besan turns light brown. Put green chilly, ginger, red chilly powder, turmeric, and hing.
3. Add tomato puree in the vessel. Add two glasses of water followed by kokum flowers, cluster beans, drumstick, curry leaves and salt. Keep it to boil for 30 minutes. Then add lady finger and boil for 15 minutes.
4. Serve with hot rice. - Banana blossom Pickle
One fresh male Banana blossom
1 kg medium size potatoes
100 grams Teel (Sesame seed)
1 teaspoon Methi (Fenugreek Seeds)
Groundnut (peanuts)
3 medium sized Green chillies
3 tablespoon Cooking Oil
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Quarter teaspoon turmeric powder
Fresh mint sprigs for garnishing
Method:
Remove bracts of male banana blossom and pick out the developing mini bananas. These parts of the flower where the bananas have started to develop are to be discarded. Save these large colorful bracts to decorate the serving dish later on. Remove the bracts and developing fruit till the bract colour changes to a pale hue. You will notice that the flowers are now on very tiny ovaries that will eventually develop into bananas. These are the flowers to save for the salad.Once you have gone through the process and gathered all the mature flowers soak them in water in a bowl. Pick each flower and remove the pistil and tiny transluscent bract like structure .
Discard these. This is quite a time consuming job but well worth the effort. Wash the prepared flowers in clean water and boil till tender (approx 10 minutes). Throw away the water and gently squeeze the cooked banana flowers till all remaining water is drained. Spread the boiled banana flowers on paper towels to dry further.
Boil potatoes and skin and cut into half inch cubes.
Dry roast sesame seed and peanuts separately in a thick bottomed wok ( a heavy frying pan will do) and dry grind (separately) in a food processor. The grinding should be to a fine consistency. While roasting these seeds make sure not to over do it and burn the seeds as this will give a burnt taste to the final salad.
Mix the cubed potatoes and boiled banana flowers in a dish. Add ground sesame seed and peanut, salt to taste and lime juice and mix well.
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