Majjige huli

Every woman needs a day off from cooking. I decided it was today as I was bogged down with office work (the woes of IT world). I handed over the kitchen to my dearest hubby. Menu was decided as majjige huli and rice. My favourite huli/sambhar is majjige huli. It's base is not with lentils or dal but buttermilk or curd. Hubby promptly called up his mom for the recipe and whipped up an awesome dinner. Ahhh heaven...:) It is my mom-in-law's recipe that follows...

Ingredients:

White pumpkin - 2 cups (peeled, deseeded and cut into cubes)
Fresh grated coconut -  3 tbsp
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
Green chillies - 1-2
Ginger - 1/2" piece
Cumin seeds/ Jeera - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Chana dal - 2 tbsp
Curd - 1 cup
Curry leaves - 5-6
Oil - 3 tsp

Method:

Soak the chana dal in half a cup of water and keep aside
Boil the pumpkin in 2 cups of water. Add around 1 tsp salt to the water. The water should cover the pumpkin. Add more water if needed.
Boil the pumpkin until done, it should still be stiff but allow a knife to pierce smoothly through it. Don't let it become too soft, it should still have a bite to it.
Grind together coconut, coriander leaves, ginger, cumin seeds, chana dal (drain out the water), turmeric powder, green chillies and 1 tsp mustard seeds with a little water into a fine paste
Add this paste to the pumpkin and cook for 2 mins
Churn the curd or blend it in a mixer to remove all lumps and add it to the pumpkin. Lower the flame and cook for another minute. Do not cook on high flame else the curd will split.
Add salt as needed.
Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds.
After the mustard seeds splutter, add the curry leaves and pour this tempering into the majjige huli.
Enjoy with rice

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Heerekai Sippe Chutney | Ridgegourd Chutney | Toorai Chutney

Heerekai Sippe Chutney is a flavorful chutney made from Ridge gourd peel, coconut, red chillies and cumin seeds.

What's your pick with that hot Dosa on a Sunday morning? Chutney or Sambar?

If you just chose Chutney, you are gonna love this new flavorful fibre filled Heerekai Sippe Chutney.

If you chose Sambar, may be it is time you tried this flavorful fibre filled Heerekai Sippe Chutney.

See what I did there? *wink*

Heerekai means Ridge gourd or Toorai or Tori. It a long green vegetable with ridges running through its sides. Heerekai is one of the healthiest vegetable around. It isn't starchy like the potato or slimy like the okra or juicy like the cucumber. It is somewhere in the middle there, totally forgotten by many. You may also know it as Luffa and this is what a natural Luffah is made of. Heerekai is eaten when it is still green and not yet ripened. It is full of fiber and super low in calories. Win-win!!!

Sippe means Peel in Kannada. This chutney is made using the peel of the Heerekai and fresh Coconut. While the Heerekai flesh has a very neutral taste, it's peel is very Earthy in taste. To make this chutney, we first need to lightly peel the Heerekai and discard the "ridges". Once all the ridges are discarded, peel again to remove the dark green peel. This is what we will use in our chutney.

This peel is then cooked until it is slightly soft and blended together with cumin seeds, dried red chillies and fresh coconut to give an earthy fiber filled chutney.

I added a tempering of mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves because I am a big fan of tempered chutneys. You can skip this.

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Mint Coriander Chutney - A tangy chutney made using mint and coriander. Goes well with snacks such as Samosa and Pakoda or Chats.
• Red Chilli Chutney or Ranjaka - A super spicy chutney made from fresh red chillies. Goes well with Joladda Rotti or as a marinade.
• Heerekai Tove or Ridge Gourd Dal - A simple Dal or Lentil curry made using Ridge gourd.

Heerekai Sippe Chutney | Ridgegourd Chutney | Toorai Chutney

Heerekai Sippe Chutney is a flavorful chutney made from Ridge gourd peel, coconut, red chillies and cumin seeds.

Recipe Type:  Side
Cuisine:            South Indian
Prep Time:     10 minutes
Cook time:     20 minutes
Yield:                1 cup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Ridge Gourd Peel or Heerekai Sippe
1/3 cup fresh Coconut
1/2 tsp Tamarind pulp
2-3 dry Red Chilli
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds or Jeera
3 tsp Oil (Optional)
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds(Optional)
1/2 tsp Urad Dal (Optional)
6-8 Curry leaves (Optional)
3-4 Tbsp Water
Salt to taste

Method:

Peel the heerekai/ ridge gourd. Do not use the ridges in the chutney, they are very hard and will not grind properly. Use the remaining part of the peel.
Heat 1 tsp of Oil in a pan and add the chopped peel. Fry for 1-2 minutes. Add 2 Tbsp of water and cover and cook for 4-5 minutes.
Allow the peel to cool.
Grind together the coconut, peel, cumin seeds, tamarind, red chillies, and using 2 tbsp water into a fine consistency.
Heat oil in a pan.
Once hot add the mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add the urad dal and curry leaves and immediately pour the oil on the chutney.
This tempering is optional. Chutney tastes good even without it.

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Raw mango gojju

Raw mangoes... just thinking of them makes my mouth water. I'm sure they have the same impact on a lot of us. The recipe that follows is something my mom used to make in the summers and would always leave me craving for more. Generally made with a fruit called "amtekai" or "ambade", in its absence, it was made using raw mangoes. Since "amtekai" is only available along the konkan coast, I decided to make my childhood favourite using raw mangoes. And it paid off, my husband loved it too and did not seem bored after this made an appearance multiple times this summer.

Ingredients:

Raw mango - 1

Coconut - 1.5 cups

Sambhar powder - 1.5 tbsp

Hing - a pinch

Urad dal - 2 tbsp

Methi seeds - 1 tbsp

Jaggery - 2-5 tbsp

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric - 1 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 8-10

Salt

Method:

Dry roast 1.5 tbsp urad dal and .5 tbsp of methi seeds.

Grind the coconut and the sambhar powder to a coarse paste using little water. Add the dry roasted urad dal and methi seeds and continue to grind to a fine paste.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, remaining urad dal and methi seeds and wait till mustard seeds have stopped spluttering.

Add the coconut paste and roast for 1 minute.

Add chopped raw mango and water. Add salt, chilli powder, turmeric and hing.

Allow it to cook till mango are done.

Add jaggery depending on how sweet you like it.

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