BITTER GOURD PICKLE (PAVAKKAI PICKLE )

Bitter gourd belongs to the melon family. It is a creeper & grows in warm climate. Bitter gourd is grown in India, Africa & most parts of Asia. It is known as Pavakkai in Tamil, Kaipakkai in Malayalam & Karela in Hindi. Bitter gourd has very low calories but is rich in folic acid, magnesium, zinc & vitamins. Its juice is very good for diabetic people because of its low glycemic properties.

Preparation Time: 20 mts Cooking Time: 5 mts Serves: 3 -4

Ingredients:

Bitter gourd (pavakkai) - 250 gms

Green chilies - 3 nos

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Refined oil - 2 tsp

White vinegar - 2 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Method:

Cut the pavakkai in to halves. Remove the seeds & chop it in to thin slices. Sprinkle some salt in to this & mix it well. Keep it in a plate & tilt the plate so that the water comes out of the pavakkai. This will take 10 mts. Then boil it in water with enough salt. When it is boiled, drain the water. Add the vinegar to the boiled pavakkai. Chop the green chilies in to small pieces. Heat oil in a pan & fry the mustard seeds & chopped chilies. Pour it on top of the pavakkai & mix it all together. Keep it like this for a day. The pavakkai pickle will be ready the next day. We can keep it in the refrigerator & use it for 4 - 5 days.

Variations:

We can make pickle in the same way using other vegetables like cauliflower, carrot & cabbage.

Tips:

Always make sure to squeeze the water from the pavakkai. This will help to remove the bitter taste from the pavakkai.

Keep it in room temperature for a day & then store it in the refrigerator. It will stay for at least a week.

Taste it & enjoy.

COCONUT CHUTNEY

Coconut chutney is an essential combination with idli & dosa. Most hotels & restaurants have different varieties of chutneys. This is the basic chutney I've made. We can use our creativity & add other ingredients to make chutney to our taste.

Preparation Time: 10 mts Cooking Time: 5 mts Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

Scrapped coconut - 1/2 cup

Green chilies - 3 nos

Ginger - 1/2 inch piece

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Black gram dal (urud dal) - 1/4 tsp

Roasted bengal gram dal - 2 tsp

Refined oil - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Method:

Grind the scrapped coconut, chilies, ginger, roasted bengal gram dal (pottukadalai ) & salt together. Heat the oil, add the seasoning & pour it on top of the ground paste & mix it well. Coconut chutney is ready. This chutney will be good with idli, dosai, adai etc.

Variations:

Different people make coconut chutney in different ways. Some people add garlic to their chutney. Some others don't add ginger & pottukadalai, but add tamarind to it.

Tips:

1. While grinding, don't make it in to a paste, but grind it a bit coarsely. This will give the chutney a good taste.
2. We can also add some coriander leaves while grinding to give it a nice flavour.

Try it & enjoy.

QUICK MANGO PICKLE

Mango is another tropical fruit. Just like the bananas, mangoes can also be used in both its raw & ripe form. Raw mango is used a lot in Kerala cooking. A variety of pickles are made out of raw mango. Each state has its own version of mango pickle. The pickle i have made today is a simple & easy to make recipe.

Preparation Time: 10 mts Cooking Time: 3 mts Serves: 4-5

Ingredients:

Raw mango - 1 no

Chili powder - 1 - 1 1/2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida powder - 1/2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Refined oil - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Method:

Cut the mango in to fine pieces. Put them in a dish & add the salt, chili powder & turmeric powder. Mix well. Heat oil in a pan & fry the mustard seeds & then add the asafoetida powder. Pour it in the cut mango & mix it well. Mango pickle is ready.

Variations:

There are lots of different ways of making mango pickle & each has its own taste. A small variation of this pickle is to cut the mango in to big pieces & rest of the process is the same.

Tips:

1. While adding the chili & turmeric powder, put them in a heap in the center of the cut mango. Heat the oil & add the seasoning & pour this hot oil on top of the heaped powders. Then mix it all well & add the salt also. This way the powders will not have the raw taste.

Try it & enjoy.

Tomato Onion Chutney

India is famous for its spicy chutneys & pickles. Each region has its own version of these spicy side dishes. Chutneys & pickles play a very important role in the Indian cuisine. They add spice to the food we eat.

Preparation Time:10 mts Cooking Time:10 mts Serves: 2

Ingredients:

Big onions - 1 big/ 2 small

Tomato - 2 nos.

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Urud dal - 2 tsp

Red chillies - 4 nos

Refined oil - 2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Method:

Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan & fry the mustard seeds & urud dal till urud dal is brown in color. Remove it & put it in the mixer. Add the balance oil in the pan & fry the onion & tomato with the salt till they are soft. Powder the Dal mixture, add the onion & tomato & grind them all together till it is ground to a smooth paste. Tomato onion chutney is ready.

Variation:

We can make this chutney with just onions. If there are no tomatoes, we can add some tamarind instead & grind.

Tips:

1. For those who like the taste of fresh coriander leaves, add little of that while grinding the chutney. It will give a wonderful taste.
2. Adding one or two cloves of garlic while frying the onion & tomato will give a garlic flavour to the chutney.

This chutney can be had with idli, dosai, adai, kuzhipaniyaram, puri etc.

Try it & enjoy.