So lunch yesterday was simple, wholesome and delicious. I think for me nothing beats the flavour of home cooked simple meals. Also I don't like to spend forever in the kitchen. I would rather finish everything at one go and then just chill. My parents are here, so I get to enjoy my cooking while they play with their gran daughter. So I had made ivy gourd/ tondekai/ dondakaya/ tendli curry along with a mild runny lemony dal. It was slurped down by all and how! Recipe for the ivy gourd curry- this serves 4 people Wash and chop 500gm ivy gourd into small roundels and steam it for 3 minutes in a small cooker or turn it off just before the 1st whistle comes. Dry roast 1/2 glass of white sesame seeds and let it cool. After cooling grind it to a fine powder. You can also add a handful of roasted peanuts in the mixer. Crush 4 garlic cloves coarsely. Chop 3 green chillies. Now in a pan heat 1tbsp oil. Add 1 tsp mustard and cumin seeds. As they splutter add a pinch of hing, 1 sprig of curry leaves and the green chillies. Mix well and add the crushed garlic. Sauté till the garlic turns golden brown and you get a heavenly garlic aroma. Now add the tener ivy gourd pieces and mix. Add a pinch of turmeric power and dhaniya powder. Mix well and cook for a couple of minutes. Add salt to taste and stir well. Now cover and let it cook on sim for about 10 minutes. Keep stirring in between. You can add a tsp of kashmiri chilli powder for a nice red colour. When the pieces have become soft and all the flavors have mixed well, sprinkle the sesame peanut powder on top and mix nicely. Cook for a couple of minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Adjust the salt if required. That's it! The delicious curry is ready. Transfer to a bowl and serve it with hot rice or rotis. Recipe for lemony daal. This one is different from the thick lemon dal or pappu as they call it in telugu. This is a very kannadiga version of the dal. In udupi we call it "katt saaru" Pressure cook 1/2 glass moong dal with 1/2 glass toor dal for 3 to 4 whistles. The dal should be mashed well.Once done, transfer to a clean vessel and mix water to make the consistency thin and runny. Chop 1 inch ginger finely. Chop 3 green chillies. Squeeze the juice of 1 big lemon into a cup.Heat the dal. When it's heating up add the chopped ginger, a pinch of turmeric and salt to taste. Mix well. In another pan, put tadka with ghee. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds. When they splutter add 1tsp cumin seeds, pinch of hing, 1 sprig curry leaves, and chopped green chillies. When the dal is boiling Add chopped coriander and add the tadka to the dal. When the dal has boiled add the lemon juice, stir once and turn off the stove. Adjust the salt. Done! This has a lovely aroma of lemon mixed with the ginger. Transfer to a bowl and serve with hot rice. I enjoyed this wholesome meal half an onion. Raw onions are really healthy. They are packed it so many nutrients and are very good for the body, skin and hair. Try this out do let me know how you find it. Enjoy and Tc :-) For a change the plate isn't red this time.. haha!
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