Kundru/tindora/tendli stir fry- no onion, no garlic recipe

Plant a radish, get a radish, never any doubt. That's why I love vegetables, you know what they're about! ~Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt

All green veggies, (when fresh!) are a hit with me and this simple kundru dish is no different. I instantly admired it for its crunch and bite. It is one of the staples in my kitchen.

This is an easy and quick recipe for a light meal. It serves well as a side.

You will need
Kundru- 250 gm,cut into long strips
Tomato- 1 medium, chopped
Salt- 1/2 tsp or to taste
Haldi/Turmeric powder- 1/4th tsp
Dhaniya powder- 1 heaped tsp
Red chilli powder- 1/4th tsp
Heeng/ Asafoetida powder- 1 pinch
Jeera/Cumin seeds- 1/2 tsp
Oil- 1/2 tbsp

Method
1. Heat oil in a wok.
2. Add heeng and jeera. Let jeera sizzle and brown.
3. Add Kundru. Toss it around on a medium flame. Cover and cook on a low flame for a few minutes. Check often.
4. Add all the masalas/spice mixes and the chopped tomatoes. Turn and mix the vegetable.
5. Cover and cook for a few minutes more. The tomatoes will turn mushy. Check if you can cut the kundru slice with a spoon. If you can do it easily, it means its done. If you cannot, it needs a little more cooking time.
6. Serve hot with Chapatis/ Rotis or pack in the Lunchbox/Tiffin.

Enjoy!

Gobhi Masala- Cauliflower gravy

This is a borrowed from a dear friend. I just went to her place for an impromptu lunch and voila! She comes up with this yummy recipe.  It was a pity that I could not see her in action or take pictures.
Anyways, I followed her recipe (with slight modifications) and though my cauliflower was not the same, it was good and hubby liked it.

Ingredients:

• Cauliflower- 1 head, washed , dried and cut into florets
• Onion- 1 medium, made into paste
• Bay leaf- 1
• Milk- 1/2 cup + Water - 1 cup
• Tomato - 2-3 , pureed
• Ginger and green chili paste- 1 tsp
• Haldi (turmeric powder)- 1/4 tsp
• Dhaniya powder (coriander seed powder)- 1 tsp
• Roasted Jeera powder (cumin seeds)- 1/2 tsp
• Tomato ketchup- 2 tsp
• Garam masala- 1/2 tsp
• Coriander leaves for garnishing (optional)
• Oil- 1Tbsp

To make:

1. Boil water and turn of flame. Add 1 spoon salt to it and soak the cauliflower florets. Cover and keep aside for use.
2. Heat oil in a pan or Kadhai.
3. Fry onion paste till oil leaves side. Add 1 bay leaf.
4. Add ginger and green chilli paste. Fry for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add milk and water mixture.
6. Cook till this mixture thickens (about 10-15 min.).
7. Add the pureed tomatoes. Add Haldi, Dhaniya powder, salt and Jeera powder.
8. Cook till oil leaves side.
9. Add Garam masala. Mix.
10. Drain the cauliflower florets. Add these to the cooked gravy. Turn them so the cooked mixture coats it well. Add Tomato ketcup.
11. Now add 1 cup water to this and cover it. Lower the flame and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes. 
12. Make sure that the cauliflower florets are cooked thoroughly, but are not mushy. Add more water if required.
13. The water should reduce to half or more. Here you can decide on the consistency of the gravy. Adjust for salt.
14. Once done , remove from flame and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Mixed vegetable - Potatoes, bell pepper and carrots

This is an everyday vegetable in which many variations can be made. Its a good lunch box option with paranthas or chapatis.  In fact this is one of the standard filling of the rolls that I make for hubby when he needs to be moving around in the car, the whole day.

Ingredients

• Potatoes- 3, boiled, peeled and chopped
• Tomatoes- 1, chopped into big pieces
• Carrots (orange)- 1, chopped
• Capsicum/green bell pepper- 1, chopped (big pieces)
• Oil-1/2 tbsp
• Heeng (asafoetida)- 1 pinch
• Jeera (cumin seeds)- 1/2 tsp
• Haldi (turmeric powder)- 1/4 tsp
• Dhaniya powder (coriander seed powder)- 1 and 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder- 1/3 tsp
• Garam masala (optional)- 1/4tsp
• salt to taste (I used 1tsp)

Grind the following with mortar and pestle and keep aside for use

• Dalchini (cinnamon)- half inch piece
• Badi elaichi (black cardamom)- 1, cracked open
• Laung (clove)-2

How to make:

1. Heat the oil. Add heeng & jeera. Let it sizzle.
2. Now add carrots and capsicum and fry for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add salt and let the carrots turn tender.Turn down the flame. Cover and cook for a few minutes. (If you are using the red carrots then it'll take less time to cook.)
4. Add the boiled potatoes and tomato. Add all the spices except the ones ground by mortar and pestle.
5. Mix well so that all vegetables are well coated with the spices. Cover and cook for a few minutes.
6. Now add the ground spice mix. This gives a beautiful aroma to the dish.
7. Mix well and serve.

Notes:
You can garnish it with coriander leaves.
If you are out of tomatoes (God forbid!) then use amchoor (1/2tsp) to add the sour flavor.