Gingerale

Ginger is very good for joint pains. It acts as preventive also. It is a digestive root used by us in all the Indian cooking. A combination of lemon and ginger can act as a good appetizer. This can be had at any time of the day. Generally a concentrate is prepared to which water or soda is added according to the individual taste.

Ingredients:

500g sugar, 500g lemon juice concentrate, 250g ginger, little salt and ½ litre water.

Preparation:

1. Wash and grate ginger and keep it aside. 
2. Squeeze out lemons for getting 500g of concentrate. 
3. Mix water and sugar and bring it to boil. 
4. To this add the lime juice and grated ginger and put off the flame. 
5. Stain the concentrate but do not squeeze the ginger lest it will leave too pungent a taste. 
6. The end product comes out into a light pink with a soothing taste. 
7. The reaction between lime and ginger gives us the pink color. 

Serve chilled with soda or water.

Chichinda (snake gourd) Raita

This is another variety of gourd which is considered to be very light on the tummy and also good for a healthy heart. Even this vegetable can be made in different ways.

Ingredients:

500g chichinda, 500g curds, 25g butter, ½ tsp chilli powder, ¼ tsp haldi and salt to taste

For tempering:

½ tsp rai, ½ jeera, pinch of hing, one twig kadi patta 1 tsp oil

Preparation:

1. Wash and cut the vegetable into small pieces. 
2. Heat butter in a pan and put the vegetable and fry for a while. 
3. Add a little salt, haldi and chilli powder and keep frying till golden brown and set aside to cool. 
4. Beat the curds with a little salt and to this add the fried vegetable. 
5. Heat oil in a pan and put jeera, rai, hing and kadi patta, once the rai starts spluttering take it off the flame and add this to the curds.

Serve with biryani or rumali/tandoori roti.

Palak Do Pyaza

As the name suggests there are only two main ingredients in this recipe. They are palak(spinach)and pyaz(onion). Greens are a must in our every day diet plan. This recipe will be a change from usual paneer(cottage cheese)based recipes. This is a fat free dish with very little oil. Easy to cook and takes very little time.

Ingredients:

500g palak,200g onion,1tsp jeera,1tsp amchur powder,1tsp rice flour or corn(makka) flour, ½ tsp chilli powder,1 tsp of oil and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash and finely chop the palak and set aside. 
2. Finely chop the onions, heat oil in a pan, put jeera and onions and fry till golden brown. 
3. Add a little salt while frying the onions, this helps in browning the onions faster. 
4. To this add the chopped palak, little more salt, amchur powder and chilli powder and cook well. No need to add water since palak itself would leave some water and gets cooked. 
5. Once it is soft and done add the flour for binding,cook for two more minutes and put off the flame. 
6. The subtle tangy taste of amchur is very encouraging to have more of this nutritious palak.

Serve hot with rice or roti. 

Cabbage Raita

Raita is a combination of vegetable and curds. Any vegetable added to the curds not only looks sumptuous but also tastes better. But generally a few vegetables go well with the curds and cabbage is one of them.

Ingredients:

500g cabbage, ½ a litre curds, 1 tsp butter,1 tsp yellow mustard 3 red chillies 1 tsp sugar and salt to taste.

For tempering:

½ tsp mustard seeds(rai),½ tsp cumin(jeera), a pinch of hing(asafoetida) one twig of curry leaves and 1 tsp oil for frying.

Preparation:

1. Soak the yellow mustard and the chillies in a little of water. 
2. Wash and grate the cabbage and rub a little of salt to the vegetable. 
3. Heat the butter in a pan and put cabbage and cook till it is soft and done. 
4. In the mean time grind the soaked mustard and chillies along with a little of salt and sugar. 
5. Beat the curds and to this add the cooked vegetable, mustard paste and blend well. 
6. Heat  oil in a pan, put rai, jeera, curry leaves and hing, once the mustard seeds start spluttering,put off the flame and add the tempering to the blended curd and vegetable.

Serve at room temperature or a little chilled , both tastes good, with rice or roti.

Cabbage with Coconut

Cabbage is nothing but a set of tightly packed leaves. One should be careful in choosing this vegetable. Any sign of holes in the outer layer is to be avoided since it is sure to have worms. It is best avoided in the summer months and never eat raw cabbage, I mean, in the salad form, it is not advisable. Thoroughly washed and well cooked is the best bet.

Ingredients:

500g cabbage and ½ a kernel of freshly grated coconut.

For tempering:

1 tsp oil,½ tsp urad dal, ½ tsp mustard seeds, ½ tsp cumin (jeera seeds), two red chillies, one twig of curry leaves and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash and grate the cabbage or chop finely and rub some salt to the vegetable and keep it aside. 
2. Heat oil in a pan and put all the ingredients of tempering one by one. 
3. Once the mustard starts spluttering add the cabbage and cook it on low flame. 
4. If the cabbage is fresh, it will not need any water to get cooked. 
5. Once it is soft and done put off the flame and add the freshly grated coconut.

Serve hot or cold with rice or roti. But never re heat once coconut is added. It is more like salad and tastes good by itself.

Cucumber Raita

They say, stay as cool as, cucumber. That's the reason why we get this in plenty during summers. There are varieties in this also. One is dark green , one is light green , for these we need to peel off the skin. There is another variety for which we do not need to remove the skin and that also comes in dark color. These are used by cosmetic industry in a variety of face packs , face washes and et al. in the southern part of the country we get  a little roundish cucumber which is yellow in color and also a variegated variety. These are put dal  and tastes good in chutney  form also. While using this vegetable we should check for the bitter taste which we can come to know only after cutting it.

This does not require any cooking.So even children can make it.

Ingredients:

500 g cucumber, 500 g fresh curds, 2 green chillies, ½  a cup finely chopped coriander salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash, peel and grate the cucumbers.
2. Wash, slit and finely chop the green chillies.
3. Take the curds in a wide bowl, add the ingredients one by one and blend well with a ladle.

Store it in the refrigerator and serve with palak pulao or vegetable biryani.  

Palak pakoda.

Pakoda is a snack that can be had anytime and enjoyed more on a rainy day. There are a variety of vegetables used for the pakodas. Palak is one of them. It comes out tasty and very easy to make.

Ingredients:

500g palak, 2 onions, 1 cup besan (gram flour), 2 green chillis, ¼ tsp eno salt, ½ tsp ajwain seeds (oregano), ½ tsp red chilli powder, salt to taste and oil for deep frying.

Preparation:

1. Wash and microwave palak for 10 minutes, drain the excess water and finely chop.
2. Make thin slices of onions and add to the chopped palak.
3. Now add flour, chillis, ajwain, chilli powder,salt and mix well.
4. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and drop the batter into the oil and fry till crisp. 

Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Palak (spinach) pulao

Palak is very nutritious but any has to be consumed in moderation. A variety of dishes can be made with palak. It goes well with Indian and also continental. It is easy to cook and tastes good.

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice,500g palak, 150g tomato puree, 2 onions, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp garlic paste,1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp garam masala powder, 3 green chillis, ½ cup chopped hara dhania (coriander),2 tbsp oil and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash and cook rice with enough water and keep aside. 
2. Wash and microwave palak for 10 min and drain off the water, chop finely and keep aside.
3. Chop onions finely. 
4. Heat oil in a pan, put chopped onions and fry till golden brown, and to this, add all the spices. 
5. After frying for a while, add tomato puree and fry till it leaves sides. 
6. Now add palak and cooked rice and cook for a little while or microwave for 10 min.

Serve hot with plain curds or cucumber raita.

Bitter gourd Finger chips

Anything deep fried is always tasty. French fries, kurkure bhindi, potato wafers are all very popular with all age groups. Bitter gourd can also be brought in this category.

Ingredients:

500g bitter gourd, 1 tsp jeera powder, 1 tsp dhania powder, 1 tsp amchur, 1 tsp red chilli powder,1/2 tsp chat masala, 2 tsp corn flour/gram flour(besan), salt to taste and oil for deep frying.

Preparation:

1. Wash and cut bitter gourd into thin round slices or long fingerchips -like.
2. To this, add all the dry spices and sprinkle the corn flour and mix well.
3. Heat oil in a deep frying pan and fry the spiced up bitter gourd till crisp.

This can be served as a snack or with rice.

Sweet and sour bitter gourd

This preparation is very common in Andhra Pradesh villages where they are to use farm fresh gur (jaggery) in everyday cuisine. Simple to make and also comes out tasty.

Ingredients:

500g tender bitter gourd, 3tbsp tamarind pulp, 3 tbsp jaggery

For tempering:

 2 tsp oi, ½ tsp urad dal, ¼ tsp mustard seeds, 2 red chillis, 2 twigs curry leaves, 1 tsp red chilli powder, ¼ tsp haldi (turmeric powder) and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash and cut bitter gourd into thin round slices.
2. Boil water in a deep vessel, put 1 tsp salt and put the vegetable and boil for another few minutes. Note: You need to put only that much water required for the vegetable to cook so that the nutrients remain intact and keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan and put urad dal, mustard seeds, red chillis. 
4. Once the mustard starts spluttering, put curry leaves and bitter gourd. 
5. After frying a little, add haldi powder, tamarind pulp, gur and salt. 

Cook till soft and serve hot with rice.

Spicy Bitter gourd

This is one vegetable which can never be forced down anyone's throat. Its natural bitterness is considered to be very good for the stomach because it can sorts out the harmful germs. But still, it is the same bitterness that keeps people off it. Bitter gourd juice, if had, first thing in the morning is very good for a diabetic. With a little effort we can make it interesting. But the one who likes it, relishes it in any form.

Ingredients:

500g fresh medium sized bitter gourd, 3 onions, 100g tomato puree, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp garlic paste,1 tsp dhania (coriander powder), 1 tsp jeera powder, ¼ tsp haldi (turmeric powder), 1 tsp red chilli powder,1/4tsp garam masala powder and salt to taste, oil for shallow frying.

Preparation:

1. Wash and smoothen the rough surface of the vegetable using peeler or knife.
2. Make a slit in each of the pieces and scoop out a little of flesh and keep aside.
3. Chop onions finely and keep aside, heat oil in a pan and fry onions till golden brown, add ginger paste, garlic paste, dhania powder, jeera powder, haldi, red chilli powder, salt and fry a little.
4. To this add tomato puree and fry till the oil leaves sides.
5. Once the filling is thick and soft, add the peeled and scooped out flesh into the filling and cook for five more minutes.
6. Spoon the filling into the vegetable and shallow fry in oil till done.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Stuffed bhindi

Any variety of stuffing can be put into the bhindi and goes perfectly with all kinds of Indian menu. The stuffing can be dry or wet.

Ingredients:

500g bhindi, 1 tsp dhania (coriander) powder, 1 tsp jeera powder, 1 tsp amchur (dry mango) powder, ¼ tsp haldi, 1 tsp red chilli powder,1/4 tsp garam masala  powder,salt to taste and oil for shallow frying.

Preparation:

1. Wash and dry the vegetable. 
2. Give a single slit to the each of the bhindi and keep aside. 
3. Mix all the dry masalas (spices) well and stuff carefully into the bhindis. 
4. Heat oil in a pan; fry the stuffed bhindi till soft and done on a low flame.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Spicy Stuffed Bhindi

This one is stuffed with wet masala (spices), though a little long drawn tastes better for sure.

Ingredients:

500 g fresh bhindi, 3 onions, 100 g tomato puree, 1 tsp garlic paste, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp kasuri methi, 1 tsp jeera powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, ¼ tsp haldi, salt to taste and oil for shallow frying.

Preparation:

1. Wash, dry and give a slit to each of the bhindis and keep aside. 
2. Chop the onions finely, heat oil in a pan; put the onions and fry till golden brown. 
3. To this, add one by one ginger, garlic pastes and other dry spices, tomato puree and fry till the oil leaves sides. 
4. Once the stuffing is little dry and done, stuff the same into all the bhindis and fry till soft.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Kurkure Bhindi (lady’s finger) (okhra)

This vegetable is generally loved by all age groups, and it is said to the children that one gets brainy eating bhindi. This can be made in different variations and all of them taste good. The first lot of vegetable for the season whether summer or winter tastes the best. The smaller variety of bhindi is always better for they would be tender, cooks faster and tastes better.

Ingredients:

500g bhindi, 2 tsp besan (gram flour), ¼ tsp haldi (turmeric powder), ½ tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp jeera powder, 1/2 tsp amchur/ dry mango powder, 1/2tsp garam masala powder salt to taste and oil for deep frying.

Preparation:

1. Wash, dry and make thin vertical slices of bhindi after discarding both ends. 
2. This vegetable should never be cut into the water because it would leave strings. 
3. Mix besan with all the other spices and sprinkle the same on the bhindi slices. 
4. Heat oil in a frying pan, mix gently bhindi with besan and drop little by little into the oil and deep fry till crisp and golden brown.

Serve hot with rice or roti.

Raw vegetable banana with moong dal (green gram)

Mixing a little dal with the suitable vegetable will enhance the taste and combined effects of nutritive values. And any variation can only beat the monotony.

Ingredients:

4 raw vegetable bananas, 50 g moong dal

For tempering:

 1 tsp urad dal, ½ tsp jeera, ½ tsp mustard seeds,2 red chillis, 2 twigs curry leaves, juice of 1 lemon, 2 tbsp oil and salt to taste. 

Preparation:

1. Wash and soak moong dal. 
2. Wash, peel and cut bananas into small and even sized pieces. 
3. Heat oil in a pan, put urad dal, jeera, mustard seeds, red chillis and fry, once mustard starts spluttering put curry leaves, cut vegetable, salt and moong dal. 
4. Mix it well and place a lid and cook till soft.

When it is soft and done mix it with lemon juice and serve hot with rice. 

Raw vegetable banana pakoda

Certain vegetables add good taste to the pakodas along with usual onion.  In the south it is a very common feature of having variety of vegetables in pakodas like bhindi, potato, raw banana, baingan etc.

Ingredients:

2 Raw bananas, 2 green chillis, 1 onion, ½ tsp ajwain seeds (oregano), ½ cup besan (gram flour) salt to taste, ½ cup chopped coriander and a pinch of baking soda and oil for frying.

Preparation:

1. Wash, peel and make very thin slices of the bananas. 
2. Chop the onion and chillis finely. 
3. In a bowl put flour, chopped onion, chopped coriander, chillis, ajwain, baking soda, salt and little water to make a thin paste. 
4. Heat oil in a frying pan and dip each of the banana slices first into the flour batter and then drop into the oil and fry till golden brown.

Serve hot and crisp with sauce/chutney.

Raw vegetable banana sweet and sour curry

This preparation is the simplest of this vegetable and comes out very tasty with very little effort.

Ingredients:

4 raw bananas, 2 tbsp tamarind pulp, 1 tsp urad dal, ½ tsp jeera, ½ tsp mustard seeds, 2 twigs curry leaves, 1 pinch hing (asafoetida), 2 tbsp gur (jaggery) 2 red chillis, ¼ tsp haldi (turmeric), ½ tsp red chilli powder and salt to taste.

Preparation:

1. Wash, peel and cut vegetable into even sized cubes. 
2. Heat oil in a pan, put urad dal, jeera, mustard, red chillis, and fry till golden brown, after this add curry leaves, hing, the cut vegetable and salt and place the lid. 
3. Once the vegetable becomes a little soft put haldi , chilli powder, tamarind pulp and jaggery  and cook till soft and done.

Serve hot with rice.