Ridge Gourd with Jowar-Wheat flour dumplings

I always wonder what keeps My Foodcourt going?

I am not someone who is very good with words , and so the writeup on posts are usually quite small and only occasionally elaborate. My food-photos are ok but not exceptional;I get on an average 5-7 minutes to photograph any of my recipes, before my little one decides it is high time he took charge of the camera!

Then what is it?

Of course I love your feedback and encouragement, the most important thing that keeps me going.

And then there are recipes like these which I love to share with you all! And that’s what I love the most about food-blogging; Posting recipes which you will usually not find documented on the internet or maybe even cookbooks, passed on from one generation to the other, which are very close to my heart and my palate, of course. Usually these are my mom’s or Mom-in-law’s recipes and hence can be called authentic.

This Ridge Gourd with Jowar-wheat flour dumplings is one such recipe- very authentic (since my mom makes it J ) and which you would usually not find on any Hotel menu card or maybe even in any cookbooks.

Dumplings of Jowar flour (sorghum/white millet)-wheat flour spiced with some chillies and ajwain (carom seeds) are cooked along with Ridge gourd. These dumplings just transform the simple, humble Ridge Gourd curry into something very exotic and utterly delicious, not to mention very very healthy. You can substitute Ridge Gourd with Silk Squash (Dodka) or Cluster beans (Gavar) or any such vegetable. 

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Ridge Gourd with Jowar-Wheat Flour dumplings recipe

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 2-3 Ridge gourds lightly peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces

2-3 garlic cloves (optional)

2 tsp Red chilli powder

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumene seeds

½ tsp turmeric powder

3 tsp oil

Salt as per taste

Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing 

For the Jowar-Wheat flour dumplings

1 cup Jowar flour

1 cup Wheat flour

2 tsp green chili paste

1 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)

¼ tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

For the Jowar-Wheat flour dumplings

Mix all the ingredients and knead into a firm dough. It maybe a little sticky but its ok. Shape small lemon sized balls of the dough into cylindrical croquette shaped dumplings. Keep them aside. 

Heat oil in a pan.

Do the tadka (tempering); Mustard seeds-cumene seeds-garlic- turmeric powder.

Fry for a few seconds and add the Ridge gourd pieces.

Add salt and Red chili powder, mix nicely and cook covered till the Ridge gourd is almost half done. Add about ½ cup water.

Place and spread the Jowar-Wheat flour dumplings one by one on top of the Ridge gourd. Do not stir or mix. Cover and cook on low flame till the dumplings are nicely steamed.

Only after the dumplings are properly cooked, stir the curry nicely so that the dumplings and Ridge gourd mix nicely.

Cook for a few more minutes.

Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Serve hot with Bhakri or Roti. I had it just like that! 

Beetroot Kofta curry

The basic idea for Beetroot Kofta curry is from the magazine ‘Cooking and More’ by Tarla Dalal. I have adapted the recipe to suit our taste.

As I said earlier in one of my posts Beetroot Cabbage curry, Beetroot is one of my favourite veggies and you will rarely find the absence of this vegetable in my fridge.I have slightly altered the masalas for the Beetroot koftas. The gravy/curry in the original recipe was a sweetish Makhani type of gravy.I completely changed the recipe to make a spicy Misal type of gravy.

Beetroot lends a lovely pinkish-red hue to the koftas and the spicy curry is just perfect to sensitize your taste buds.

For the Beetroot Koftas you need:

1 Beetroot washed,peeled and grated

2 Carrots washed,peeled and grated

1 Potato boiled and grated

2 tbsp besan (gram flour)

1tsp ginger paste/grated ginger

1 tsp green chili paste

½ tsp cumene powder

½ tsp coriander powder

½ tsp dry mango powder (amchur)

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

For the curry you need:

 

2 onions sliced

1 tomato blanched and pureed

½ tsp Kanda- Lasun masala (Onion Garlic masala)

1-2 sprigs fresh green coriander leaves (optional)

½ tsp Red chilli powder

½ tsp cumene seeds

For Garnishing

Fresh Coriander leaves

Lime juice 

Mix all the ingredients for the Kofta. Make small balls of this mixture and deep fry in oil. Drain excess oil from the koftas by keeping them on a tissue paper. Keep aside the crisp and lovely pinkish-red colored koftas. 

Take 1 tsp oil in a pan and add the sliced onion to it and fry nicely till they turn golden brown. Add the coriander leaves and the Kanda lasun masal.(You can add any masala of your choice-garam masala, kala masala etc) Fry 1 minute and remove from heat. Cool this mixture and blend it to a fine paste. 

Heat 2tsp oil in a pan and add this onion paste to it. Cook for 4-5 minutes till the paste turns to a golden red color stirring continuously so that it does not burn.Add the red chili powder. Add the tomato puree and fry till oil starts leaving the sides of the mixture.Add water to the desired consistency. Add salt as per taste. Let this curry boil nicely and then switch off the gas.  Just before serving add the crisp Beetroot Koftas to the hot spicy gravy and garnish with coriander leaves and lime juice.