Quinoa Upma with Carrot, Green Peas, and Coconut
Spiced quinoa cooked with onion, tomato, ginger, peanuts, coconut and vegetables.
Author: Gayana
Vegetable Clear Soup with Broccoli, Mushroom, and Sweet Corn
Broccoli, button mushrooms and sweet corn cooked in vegetable stock with light soy sauce, onion and garlic. Seasoned with salt and crushed back pepper.
Kashi Halwa with Winter Melon and Jaggery
Kashi halwa is a rich, delicious sweet made using ash gourd or winter melon. Traditionally made with sugar, this popular sweet dish is commonly prepared during special occasions such as festivals and weddings in Karnataka.
While making this sweet at home, I prefer using jaggery over sugar as a healthy alternative but you can choose to use either. The recipe is super simple and easy to make, requiring minimal ingredients. The only (slightly) tedious part of this recipe for me would be grating the winter melon. But with that ready, this sweet takes approximately 15 minutes to get done. I do make this on regular days, especially when I find fresh ash gourd at the grocery store, but mindfully limit the usage of ghee by half (calories lol). However, when prepared on special occasions, I go all out and enjoy!
check out other ash gourd recipes here: Majjige huli
Kashi Halwa using Winter Melon and Jaggery
Servings: 2
Equipment
- thick-bottomed cooking pan
Ingredients
- 200 g winter melon or ash gourd thinly grated
- 2 tbsp cashews
- 1 tbsp raisins used here are black raisins, you can use the same or golden raisins.
- 3 tbsp jaggery powder
- 1 green cardamom or a pinch of cardamom powder
- 4 tbsp ghee
Instructions
- Cut winter melon or ash gourd into medium-sized pieces and remove their skin. Rinse and thinly grate them, then squeeze out as much water as possible from the pulp and keep it aside.
- Into a thick-bottomed pan, add the grated pulp and stir-fry on low-medium heat until all the water content has evaporated and the pulp is soft and 80% cooked. (This can take up to 5 minutes.)
- Add 2 tbsp of ghee into the pan, stir to mix it well, and continue sautéing until the pulp starts to melt and come together.
- Add cardamom powder(or break-opened cardamom pod) plus jaggery and stir to combine together. Continue to cook for another 2 minutes on low heat.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp of ghee in a small pan on low heat. Add cashews and raisins, fry them for 20 seconds, one after the other, until cashews are light brown and raisins are plump. Turn off heat and pour this over halwa and give it a good mix.
- Serve halwa warm. Enjoy!
Notes
- Pro tip: Grate winter melon as thinly as possible to expedite cooking.
- Used in this recipe is Udupi jaggery powder , you can use the same or whichever is easily available to you.
- Note that there is no food color used here. If you need some, add a few strands of saffron.
Delicata Squash Stir-Fry With Spices
Simple delicata squash stir-fried in coconut oil along with spices.
Broken Wheat Khichadi
Warm and comforting one-pot meal made with broken wheat, mung dal, vegetables and spices.
Indian Mixed Vegetable Korma
We are officially in December, and it’s getting chillier by the day. During the winters, all that I would crave is warm and comforting yet delicious food. Moreover, if it’s healthy, then nothing like it!
This Indian mixed vegetable korma dish fits perfectly for this weather. It is an aromatic and delicious vegan curry made with mixed vegetables, coconut, and spices. It’s popular in South India and is one of the yummiest side dishes to eat with roti, dosa, and poori.
My favorite main dish to eat the korma with is dosa. I generally stock up the store-bought dosa batter in the refrigerator, which makes it easier for me. Otherwise, the curry tastes equally delicious with homemade poori, idly, and roti/naan too.
How to make vegetable korma?
The vegetables that I have used in this recipe are carrots, string beans, potatoes, green peas, and cauliflower. But you can include other vegetables such as zucchini, French beans, etc., too.
Coming to the preparation, there are two ways:
- Cook the vegetables and the masala separately but parallelly. Then mix them and simmer until everything comes together.
- Cook vegetables together with the masala until it all comes together.
Although the first method is faster, I always prefer the second method. It’s simpler, and when cooked together, the veggies would absorb more flavor of the masala. So here’s the recipe!
Indian Mixed Vegetable Korma
Mixed vegetable curry made with cauliflower, green peas, string beans, potato and carrots, cooked in a freshly made coconut and roasted gram paste along with spices and cilantro.
Equipment
- Medium cooking pan with lid
- Mixer grinder
Ingredients
For the coconut paste
- 4 tbsp grated coconut frozen or fresh
- 1 tsp roasted gram(chana dal)
- 2-3 dried red chili (Byadagi) for color
- water as needed
For the korma
- 3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 3 cloves
- ½ inch cinnamon
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 green cardamom
- 2 green chilies finely chopped
- 1 medium red onion finely chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes finely chopped
- 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste store-bought or homemade
- 100 gm chopped carrots
- 100 gm cauliflower florets
- 100 gm green peas frozen or fresh
- 1 medium potato skin-peeled and diced
- 100 gm chopped string beans or french beans
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- 2 tsp kashmiri red chili
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- ¾ tsp garam masala
- salt to taste
- cilantro or coriander leaves
- water as needed
Instructions
Making the coconut paste
- Add into a mixer jar: grated coconut, roasted gram, red chili and water, and grind them into a smooth paste and keep aside.4 tbsp grated coconut, 1 tsp roasted gram(chana dal), 2-3 dried red chili (Byadagi), water
Making vegetable korma
- Heat oil in a cooking pan on medium heat.3 tbsp sunflower oil
- Add whole spices into it, sauté until aromatic.3 cloves, ½ inch cinnamon, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 2 green cardamom, 2 bay leaves
- Add chopped green chilies & onions, and sauté until translucent.1 medium red onion, 2 green chilies
- Add the ginger-garlic paste, and sauté for a minute, until the raw smell goes away.2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- Add chopped tomatoes, sprinkle some salt over it and cook until tomatoes soft and mushy.2 medium tomatoes, salt to taste
- Add in all the vegetables and sauté them for 20 seconds.100 gm chopped carrots, 100 gm cauliflower florets, 1 medium potato, 100 gm chopped string beans, 100 gm green peas
- Pour about 100 ml of water. Then cover and cook, while stirring occasionally, until the veggies are 70% cooked.water
- Regulate the heat to low, add the powdered spices and gently combine.¼ tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp kashmiri red chili, 1 tbsp coriander powder
- Add the freshly made coconut-roasted gram paste.
- Pour water to adjust the curry consistency. Gently mix, cover the lid and cook on low heat until the spices, coconut paste, and the veggies are well cooked( This may take up to 10 minutes.)water
- Taste for salt at this stage, and adjust if necessary.salt to taste
- Add the garam masala, combine and cook for a minute.¾ tsp garam masala
- Garnish with cilantro and serve vegetable korma warm with roti, poori or dosa. Enjoy!cilantro
Notes
- Add salt and spices according to your taste and preference.
- As far as the vegetables, I have used carrots, string beans, potatoes, green peas, and cauliflower in this recipe. But you can include other vegetables such as zucchini, French beans, etc., too.
- If you are not following a vegan diet, go ahead and add some whisked curd or yogurt just before adding the garam masala. It adds on a lot of flavor to the curry.
Check out other vegetable curry recipes here: Mushroom Capsicum Curry, Gobi Mattar Masala, Aloo Palak
If you are looking for more delicious, easy-to-follow recipes, follow Swaadista on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.
If you tried this recipe, tag your food recreation on my Instagram @swaadista and let me know how you liked it!
Happy cooking and happy eating <3
Indian Raita | Simple Onion Raita Recipe
A simple yet delicious accompaniment to biryanis and pulao. This recipe is made with curd, mixed together with raw vegetables such as onion, cucumber, tomatoes, and cilantro.
How to cook perfect red quinoa?
Quinoa is gluten-free, and packed with proteins, fiber, vitamins, and minerals, making it a great addition to our daily diet. Click to know how to cook it perfectly!
5 Easy Paneer Recipes | Indian Paneer Curry
If you are a Paneer lover or someone wanting to try it, this post is for you!
Paneer or Indian cottage cheese is a popular ingredient in north Indian cuisine, used in making appetizers, curries, and parathas. Making fresh paneer at home is pretty easy, but if you don’t want to spend time on it, find yourself a good-quality one at your Indian grocery store.
We eat paneer regularly – almost every week. That is why I prefer buying it. It’s usually 400gm, which is too much for the two of us. Therefore, I usually divide it into two equals and use it on two days. And cooking paneer is easier than it sounds – it literally takes about 3-4 to cook. Alternatively, you can munch (on a small amount) of it without cooking or pan-sear it and use it in salads.
Below are five easy paneer curry recipes that you make for yourself and your family! They are delicious and go well with rotis, chapatis, naan, or flavored rice such as ghee rice, jeera rice, Kashmiri pulao, etc. I hope you like these recipes. Enjoy!
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1. Paneer Burji
An under 15-minutes side dish for chapatis or rotis made with grated paneer sautéed in oil/ghee with onions, tomatoes, spices and herbs.
Easy Paneer Bhurji | Grated Paneer Stir Fry
An under 15-minutes side dish for rotis/chapatis made with grated paneer sautéed in oil with spices, onions, tomatoes and spices.
Check out this recipe
2. Palak Paneer
A healthy and delicious side dish made using paneer, spinach and spices.
Palak Paneer
A healthy and delicious side dish made using paneer, spinach and spices.
Check out this recipe
3. Paneer Butter Masala
A delicious, mildly spicy paneer side dish made with butter-sautéed paneer, then simmered in a freshly made onion-tomato-spices base until the paneer and the gravy comes together.
Paneer Butter Masala
A delicious, mildly spicy paneer side dish made with butter-sautéed paneer, then simmered in a freshly made onion-tomato-spices base until the paneer and the gravy comes together.
Check out this recipe
4. Methi Paneer
Delightful paneer curry cooked with fresh fenugreek leaves, in an onion-tomato-ginger-garlic base. Ideal to eat with rotis, chapati and naan.
Methi Paneer
Delightful paneer curry cooked with fresh fenugreek leaves, in an onion-tomato-ginger-garlic base. Ideal to eat with rotis, chapati and naan.
Check out this recipe
5. Mattar Paneer
A delicious vegetarian curry made with paneer and green peas, simmered in an onion-tomato-spices-butter base. Ideal to eat with rotis, chapatis, naan and flavored rice.
Mattar Paneer
A delicious vegetarian curry made with paneer and green peas, simmered in an onion-tomato-spices-butter base. Ideal to eat with rotis, chapatis, naan and flavored rice.
Check out this recipe
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Check out other paneer recipes here : Air Fryer Chili Paneer, Vegetable Dum Biryani
If you are looking for more delicious, easy-to-follow recipes, follow Swaadista on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.
If you tried this recipe, tag your food recreation on my Instagram @swaadista and let me know how you liked it!
Happy cooking and happy eating <3
South Indian Sambar with Zucchini
Super delicious South Indian Sambar made with toor dal, zucchini, spices and herbs. Perfect to eat with rice, quinoa, millets or Idly.