Avial

If you have not read my post on “prawn curry “ being a pure vegetarian , you will not understand a Punjabis reverence for coconut oil . Besides the story there , there is another reason why I began to appreciate the contribution of coconut in enhancing the flavours of the vegetables.

        We spent about an year in the Andaman and Nicobar islands and there the vegetables are shipped from the mainland , so not only are they expensive but also not so easy to get in plenty, and above all they are not as juicy and fresh because of the long journey they have done from the mainland to this island.

      I used to eat fish back then so we did enjoy a lot of fish curries and fish pakoras and lobsters and all the stuff but there are times when even a pure non vegetarian craves for colourful and palatable veggies.

      Somehow the vegetable preparations  did not appeal to my pernickety nature and since my kids were small and naturally fussy eaters it was quite a challenge to make them eat anything at all.

       It was then that I began the use of coconut as often as possible in most vegetable  preparations whether they were dry or with a bit of a curry.

      There is an excellent and simplest way to have raw papaya with coconut and it was a hit with my family.I would soon be putting it on the blog.

       Luckily for me coconut was one thing which obviously was in abundance and I have yet to taste a sweeter and more delicious coconut than what you get in the Andamans.  And there were these two trees right in front of our house and I got about a hundred something from them and I distributed them generously besides keeping lots for myself.

I still remember that I had a hand coconut grater and in one go I grated 17 coconuts and about seventy in three days. I froze them for future use and used them liberally in all recipes.

   So that is my story behind  my extensive use of coconuts and making South Indian dishes with the same . Lets get on with the recipe of Avial , which can be altered to whatever vegetables you like and skip the ones you dont as long as you use the vegetables which are firm like carrots , yam etc.

                        

Ingredients:

1.   One cup sliced thick and one inch long potatoes

2.   One cup beans sliced long

3.   One cup sliced  carrots

4.   One cup peas

5.   Half a cup thick yogurt

6.   Half a teaspoon turmeric powder

7.   One teaspoon salt or to taste

8.   One green chilli slit

9.   Coconut oil

10.   One cup grated coconut

11.  A few curry leaves

12.  Half a teaspoon cumin seeds

13.  One green chilli or to taste

14.  Half a cup of water

 Method:

1.   Place the chopped vegetables in a pot and add turmeric powder, the sliced green chilli and half a cup of water.

2.   Cover and let cook on medium flame till completlety cooked , toss the vegetables in between so that they cook evenly.

3.   Meanwhile place the coconut , cumin seeds and the green chilli with about four tablespoons of water  and just give one blitz, do not over grind, the coconut is not to become a paste, the whole idea is to just give one quick mix to the ingredients.

4.   When the vegetables are completetly done , add the coconut mixture, give one stir and turn the gas off.

5.   Add the curd , another stir followed by the salt.

6.   You could pour the coconut oil now or just before serving .

7.   Tastes great just by itself with plain boiled rice or with accompaniments of your choice.

beans· carrots· coconut· coconut milk· coconut oil· peas· potato· south Indian food· vegetables

Avial

If you have not read my post on “prawn curry “ being a pure vegetarian , you will not understand a Punjabis reverence for coconut oil . Besides the story there , there is another reason why I began to appreciate the contribution of coconut in enhancing the flavours of the vegetables.

        We spent about an year in the Andaman and Nicobar islands and there the vegetables are shipped from the mainland , so not only are they expensive but also not so easy to get in plenty, and above all they are not as juicy and fresh because of the long journey they have done from the mainland to this island.

      I used to eat fish back then so we did enjoy a lot of fish curries and fish pakoras and lobsters and all the stuff but there are times when even a pure non vegetarian craves for colourful and palatable veggies.

      Somehow the vegetable preparations  did not appeal to my pernickety nature and since my kids were small and naturally fussy eaters it was quite a challenge to make them eat anything at all.

       It was then that I began the use of coconut as often as possible in most vegetable  preparations whether they were dry or with a bit of a curry.

      There is an excellent and simplest way to have raw papaya with coconut and it was a hit with my family.I would soon be putting it on the blog.

       Luckily for me coconut was one thing which obviously was in abundance and I have yet to taste a sweeter and more delicious coconut than what you get in the Andamans.  And there were these two trees right in front of our house and I got about a hundred something from them and I distributed them generously besides keeping lots for myself.

I still remember that I had a hand coconut grater and in one go I grated 17 coconuts and about seventy in three days. I froze them for future use and used them liberally in all recipes.

   So that is my story behind  my extensive use of coconuts and making South Indian dishes with the same . Lets get on with the recipe of Avial , which can be altered to whatever vegetables you like and skip the ones you dont as long as you use the vegetables which are firm like carrots , yam etc.

                        

Ingredients:

1.   One cup sliced thick and one inch long potatoes

2.   One cup beans sliced long

3.   One cup sliced  carrots

4.   One cup peas

5.   Half a cup thick yogurt

6.   Half a teaspoon turmeric powder

7.   One teaspoon salt or to taste

8.   One green chilli slit

9.   Coconut oil

10.   One cup grated coconut

11.  A few curry leaves

12.  Half a teaspoon cumin seeds

13.  One green chilli or to taste

14.  Half a cup of water

 Method:

1.   Place the chopped vegetables in a pot and add turmeric powder, the sliced green chilli and half a cup of water.

2.   Cover and let cook on medium flame till completlety cooked , toss the vegetables in between so that they cook evenly.

3.   Meanwhile place the coconut , cumin seeds and the green chilli with about four tablespoons of water  and just give one blitz, do not over grind, the coconut is not to become a paste, the whole idea is to just give one quick mix to the ingredients.

4.   When the vegetables are completetly done , add the coconut mixture, give one stir and turn the gas off.

5.   Add the curd , another stir followed by the salt.

6.   You could pour the coconut oil now or just before serving .

7.   Tastes great just by itself with plain boiled rice or with accompaniments of your choice.

Gajar ka halwa
Gajar ka halwa gajar ka halwa Gajar ka halwa Gajar ka halwa Gajar ka halwa

Gajar ka halwa

    I would compare preparing gajar ka halwa to making tea in India….everyone has their own ways of making tea…some boil it for five minutes, some just brew it for five minutes, some use half part water and half part milk,, some use just one teaspoon milk for a big mug of tea …etc  etc...and every way tastes great….

Gajar ka halwa

       What prompted me to put this recipe on the blog is that many kind friends have complimented me generously for my Gajar ka halwa. Infact a friend of mine was so sweet to even compare my Gajar halwa with her mother’s preparation.Wow !!! that  is the ultimate compliment I could get.

   Well this recipe needs  to be shared so that incase you are a little unsatisfied with your preparation you could try this one, may be you would prefer this method of preparing the “Gajar ka halwa”

Gajar ka halwa

     We begin by grating one and half kilos of red carrots. Now I must insist that it should not be fine grating, rather coarse or thick shreds. I prefer the food processor do to it for me….though as children I remember helping our mother in  taking turns in grating kilos and kilos of carrots.

    We will make a reasonable amount , so one and a half kilos is the maximum that we will handle for this one time. You could take half a kilo for the first time and adjust the rest of the things accordingly.

   Pile up the grated carrots in a “heavy bottomed” preferably aluminium kadai. I am an expert in handling huge amounts in a smaller kadai, but I would suggest that take a bigger kadai so that your carrot and milk fills up ¾ th of the kadai.

          Pour one and half litres of thick milk / full cream milk / full fat milk. Keep the flame on high and keep stirring till the milk starts boiling.

           Now begins the difficult part ( the manually grating of the carrots was the easiest , trust me). You have to keep stirring the carrot milk mixture for half an hour to forty five minutes, alternating to low and high flame till all the milk dries up. Yes , you have to keep stirring the carrot- milk mixture till the one and half litres of milk reduces to ….see in the picture….

       Add one can of 400ml of condensed milk , stir a little and follow with sugar. Now I must add here that for this quantity I have put 500 grams of sugar but even 300 grams is fine.I have a very sweet tooth and I believe that when you are eating something sweet then why go easy on the sugar….so maybe you could go in between and add 400 grams…its entirely upto you.

          Now don’t panic if the quantity is back to where you started an hour ago….I mean some people are like I just dried this stuff to half and now its back …stay cool….the sugar and condensed milk will dry up in no time and you will have this dense mixture.

       Add one fourth cup of desi ghee and on medium flame stir, toss and roast the halwa. The right word for this action is “Bhoono” in Hindi….and well you just have to do it for atleast ten minutes.Its tiring but trust me this bit is as important to get that caramalised and delicious taste. Add three fourth teaspoon of green cardamon powder. Toss the mixture.

          The "Gajar ka halwa "is ready. You could garnish the Gajar ka Halwa with chopped nuts, but I prefer it plain.

Gajar ka halwa

        lets make a list of the ingredients once again

 1.  1.5 kilo grated carrots
  2. 1.5 litres full fat milk
  3.  500 grams sugar
  4.  400 ml condensed milk
  5.  3/4 th teaspoon green cardamon powder
  6.  1/4 th cup pure ghee

carrots· condensed milk· desserts· Indian sweets

Gajar ka halwa
Gajar ka halwa gajar ka halwa Gajar ka halwa Gajar ka halwa Gajar ka halwa

Gajar ka halwa

    I would compare preparing gajar ka halwa to making tea in India….everyone has their own ways of making tea…some boil it for five minutes, some just brew it for five minutes, some use half part water and half part milk,, some use just one teaspoon milk for a big mug of tea …etc  etc...and every way tastes great….

Gajar ka halwa

       What prompted me to put this recipe on the blog is that many kind friends have complimented me generously for my Gajar ka halwa. Infact a friend of mine was so sweet to even compare my Gajar halwa with her mother’s preparation.Wow !!! that  is the ultimate compliment I could get.

   Well this recipe needs  to be shared so that incase you are a little unsatisfied with your preparation you could try this one, may be you would prefer this method of preparing the “Gajar ka halwa”

Gajar ka halwa

     We begin by grating one and half kilos of red carrots. Now I must insist that it should not be fine grating, rather coarse or thick shreds. I prefer the food processor do to it for me….though as children I remember helping our mother in  taking turns in grating kilos and kilos of carrots.

    We will make a reasonable amount , so one and a half kilos is the maximum that we will handle for this one time. You could take half a kilo for the first time and adjust the rest of the things accordingly.

   Pile up the grated carrots in a “heavy bottomed” preferably aluminium kadai. I am an expert in handling huge amounts in a smaller kadai, but I would suggest that take a bigger kadai so that your carrot and milk fills up ¾ th of the kadai.

          Pour one and half litres of thick milk / full cream milk / full fat milk. Keep the flame on high and keep stirring till the milk starts boiling.

           Now begins the difficult part ( the manually grating of the carrots was the easiest , trust me). You have to keep stirring the carrot milk mixture for half an hour to forty five minutes, alternating to low and high flame till all the milk dries up. Yes , you have to keep stirring the carrot- milk mixture till the one and half litres of milk reduces to ….see in the picture….

       Add one can of 400ml of condensed milk , stir a little and follow with sugar. Now I must add here that for this quantity I have put 500 grams of sugar but even 300 grams is fine.I have a very sweet tooth and I believe that when you are eating something sweet then why go easy on the sugar….so maybe you could go in between and add 400 grams…its entirely upto you.

          Now don’t panic if the quantity is back to where you started an hour ago….I mean some people are like I just dried this stuff to half and now its back …stay cool….the sugar and condensed milk will dry up in no time and you will have this dense mixture.

       Add one fourth cup of desi ghee and on medium flame stir, toss and roast the halwa. The right word for this action is “Bhoono” in Hindi….and well you just have to do it for atleast ten minutes.Its tiring but trust me this bit is as important to get that caramalised and delicious taste. Add three fourth teaspoon of green cardamon powder. Toss the mixture.

          The "Gajar ka halwa "is ready. You could garnish the Gajar ka Halwa with chopped nuts, but I prefer it plain.

Gajar ka halwa

        lets make a list of the ingredients once again

 1.  1.5 kilo grated carrots
  2. 1.5 litres full fat milk
  3.  500 grams sugar
  4.  400 ml condensed milk
  5.  3/4 th teaspoon green cardamon powder
  6.  1/4 th cup pure ghee

Simple veg pulao / rice cooked with vegetables

All right , whats great about this pulao…..Well one, its simple to make , second it looks beautiful……red carrots, green peas and cream coloured cauliflower florets in a bed of white rice flavoured by spices.

     I remember having this pulao as often as possible as kids in winters when we could carry out are plates into the verandah flooded with the mild afternoon sunlight and eat alfresco with the winter flowers in full bloom.

    It might not suit your style but this pulao tastes heavenly with fresh homemade butter or even fresh cream.

    Even leftover pulao tastes great and is a good school tiffin meal as well.

Ingredients:

 1. One cup long grain rice
 2. Whole spices - one teaspoon cumin seeds, 2-3 cloves, one inch cinnamon stick and two badi elaichi
 3. three forth cup peas, chopped carrots. cauliflower florets each
 4. two tablespoons grated ginger
 5. two slit green chillies
 6. salt to taste
 7. two cups water
 8. four tablespoons of refined oil
 9. one large onion sliced thin

•     We begin by soaking one cup of long grain rice for about half an hour.
•      In the mean time we prepare our vegetables. Now here you could  take as many vegtables as you want keeping the rice as a base if you are keen on feeding your kids with as many vegetables as possible, well I will keep the very basic amount here that is about ¾ th cup peas , carrots and cauliflower florets each.

•      I take a few spices , one large sliced onion and two tablespoons of ginger grated and two green chillies slit length ways.
•     Now all we need to do is put all these things in the correct order and get a scrumptious pulao.
• We take about four tablespoons of refined oil in a pan and turn the gas on medium flame.
• As the oil gets warm I add the spices and stir for about a minute and follow by the sliced onions and stir fry till the onions turn pink.

• Add the chopped vegetables along with the grated ginger and stir fry for about 3- 5 minutes.

• Drain the rice and add the rice and stir fry for another two minutes.Measure 2 cups water and add to the pan along with the slit green chillies and salt to taste, gently stir a little and cover and reduce the flame to low.

• The rice will be done in about ten to fifteen minutes.
• Serve with boondi raita, I sprinkle some home made dry mint powder and roasted cumin powder on my raita to add to the flavor.

carrots· cauliflower· peas· rice· vegetables

Simple veg pulao / rice cooked with vegetables

All right , whats great about this pulao…..Well one, its simple to make , second it looks beautiful……red carrots, green peas and cream coloured cauliflower florets in a bed of white rice flavoured by spices.

     I remember having this pulao as often as possible as kids in winters when we could carry out are plates into the verandah flooded with the mild afternoon sunlight and eat alfresco with the winter flowers in full bloom.

    It might not suit your style but this pulao tastes heavenly with fresh homemade butter or even fresh cream.

    Even leftover pulao tastes great and is a good school tiffin meal as well.

Ingredients:

 1. One cup long grain rice
 2. Whole spices - one teaspoon cumin seeds, 2-3 cloves, one inch cinnamon stick and two badi elaichi
 3. three forth cup peas, chopped carrots. cauliflower florets each
 4. two tablespoons grated ginger
 5. two slit green chillies
 6. salt to taste
 7. two cups water
 8. four tablespoons of refined oil
 9. one large onion sliced thin

•     We begin by soaking one cup of long grain rice for about half an hour.
•      In the mean time we prepare our vegetables. Now here you could  take as many vegtables as you want keeping the rice as a base if you are keen on feeding your kids with as many vegetables as possible, well I will keep the very basic amount here that is about ¾ th cup peas , carrots and cauliflower florets each.

•      I take a few spices , one large sliced onion and two tablespoons of ginger grated and two green chillies slit length ways.
•     Now all we need to do is put all these things in the correct order and get a scrumptious pulao.
• We take about four tablespoons of refined oil in a pan and turn the gas on medium flame.
• As the oil gets warm I add the spices and stir for about a minute and follow by the sliced onions and stir fry till the onions turn pink.

• Add the chopped vegetables along with the grated ginger and stir fry for about 3- 5 minutes.

• Drain the rice and add the rice and stir fry for another two minutes.Measure 2 cups water and add to the pan along with the slit green chillies and salt to taste, gently stir a little and cover and reduce the flame to low.

• The rice will be done in about ten to fifteen minutes.
• Serve with boondi raita, I sprinkle some home made dry mint powder and roasted cumin powder on my raita to add to the flavor.