Beerakaya Sprouts Curry

This curry is an excellent healthy, quick, easy and tasty option to make at home. If you wish to follow manthena satyanarayana raju policy of avoiding oil and salt (he asks us to avoid turmeric too), please do so and add more lemon juice than mentioned. This would compensate the needness of salt.


Ingredients
Beerakaya/Ridge gourd - 2 long ones
Moong dal Sprouts - 1 -2 cups
Tomatos - 2 medium sized
Oil - 2 tablespoons
cumin seeds - 1 tea spoon
Turmeric - 2 small pinches
Red chilli powder - upto your taste ( I added 2 tea spoons)
Dhania/Coriander powder - 1 tablespoon
Salt - to taste (I added 11/2 table spoon)
Lime/lemon juice - 1 table spoon


Method of preparation
1) Peel the skin and chop beerakaya into small pieces. Chop tomatos into small pieces.

2) Take a kadai and add the oil to it. After it is heated, add cumin seeds and then add beerakaya pieces, tomato pieces along with sprouts.

3) Add all the powders to it including salt and cover and cook until the beerakaya is tender. It might take 6-12 minutes depending upon how tender the beerakaya is. Your curry will be ready.

Serve it with hot rice or roti. Garnish with cilantro if desired.

Beerakaya PapuKaya (Kura/Curry)

These are some simple recipes I wanted to share with you all.


Ingredients
Beerakaya - 2-3 in number
Chana Dal/Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 1 small
Onion - 1 small (Optional)
Coriander Powder - 1/2 Table spoon (Optional)
Green Chillies - 2 or 3 (Optional)
Chilli Powder - 1 Table spoon(varies depending upon your spicy taste)
Turmeric - 1/4 Table spoon
Oil
Jeera - 1 small Table spoon
Salt to taste
Curd - 1-3 table spoons (optional)
Curry Leaves
Coriander - chopped to decorate

Method of Preparation
1. Soak Chana dal/ Moong dal in water for 5-10 minutes. Chop everything and keep it ready

2. Add oil in a kadai/vessel. let the oil get heat.

3. Add jeera and optionally mustard seeds. Add curry leaves and green chillies.

4. If you add mustard seeds, let it splutter then add all the ingredients except curd.


5. Add water to above, cover and cook until 5-8 minutes or until the ridge gourd is cooked.

6. Add curd and garnish with coriander and serve it hot with Rice or roti.




Time for Preparation: 10 - 15 minutes
Category: Curries

Terminology
Beerakaya - Ridge gourd
Coriander Powder - Dhania powder
Jeera - Cumin Seeds

Beerakaya Pachadi

Beerakaya is the telugu name for Chinese Okra or Ridge Gourd, is available in chinese grocery stores or in any Indian store. This vegetable contains fibre(Naara in Telugu).

Ingredients:
Beerakaya 2-3 (depending upon the quantity desired to make)
Oil - 3-5 table spoons
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 table spoon
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 table spoon
Asafoetida - a pinch
Chana Dal - 2 table spoons
Urad Dal - 1 table spoon
Green Chillies - 5-6 (can decrease or increase depending upon the spicy taste required)
Turmeric - 1/4 table spoon
Tamarind - small piece (Soaked in water)
Salt to Taste

Method of Preparation:
1. Beerakaya - Clean, Peeled and Chopped in small pieces.



2. Take a kadai/pan and put some oil in it.

3. Add mustard seeds, Cumin Seeds, Asafoetida, Chana Dal, Urad dal, Green chillies in the same order mentioned. (let the mustard seeds splutter and then add the rest of the items).

4. After the dal's are roasted a litle bit, add chopped Beerakaya and turmeric.



5. Cover with the lid and cook it until the beerakaya is done.

6. Add salt to it and turn off the stove. Wait until it cools down.

7. Grind the above with the tamarind water.

8. Take it out in a dish and garnish with popu/tadka/talimpu along with coriander.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes.
Category: Side Dish(Chutney)

Variation:
1. Adding roasted sesame seeds while grinding, adds nice taste and makes it a little bit thick.

2. Red Chillies can also be added to it if extra spicy is required. Also, we can replace the green chillies in the recipe with red chillies. This adds a little reddish color to the chutney.

Note:
Do not grind anything hot in a grinder. This might cause the grinder motor to damage quickly.