Ripe Green Tomato Savory (Hare Tamatar Ki Sabzi)

Ripe Green Tomato Sabzi

I used to see green tomatoes in vegetable shop and used to wonder ‘Why do they pluck tomatoes before they ripen up’. I did not show any interest in those firm, shiny green tomatoes, reason was simple "when I have choice of luscious, red tomatoes then why should I purchase green ones". This was till I did not know the true value of Ripe Green Tomatoes.

These tomatoes are low in calories, rich in potassium, protein, and vitamin A and C. They are also rich source of Iron and Calcium. This variety of tomatoes remains green even after ripening. Thus they are named "Ripe Green Tomatoes".

Years later (Feb 2020) my daughter Namita's friend Deepti Malvadkar brought fresh vegetables and Sapotas from her farm. What do I see? Yes you guessed correctly Ripe green tomatoes! having glowing skin urging me to cook them while they are fresh and nice.

I proceeded to cook them. Hope you all also like the recipe and enjoy the Green Tomato Sabzi.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4 small servings

Nutritional Value Of Sabzi made from 500 gm. Of Ripe Green Tomato (Approx.)

Energy: 135  Cal

Cholesterol:  0

Sodium: 75 mg

Potassium: 1040 mg

Carb: 25.5 gm

Fibers: 5.65gm

Sugars: 24.85gm

Protein: 5.05 gm

Extremely rich in

Vitamin A, C

Calcium and iron

Ingredients Required For Making Ripe Green Tomatoes Sabzi:

• 500 gm. Ripe Green Tomatoes

Ripe Green Tomatoes

• 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
• 1 Teaspoon Fennel seeds
• 1/2Teaspoon Nigella Seeds
• 1-2 Green chilies
• 25 gm Jaggery
• 1/2Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Coriander Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Cooking Oil
• Salt to taste

Direction For Making Ripe Green Tomatoes Sabzi:

• Wash the tomatoes and cut them to long wedges of half centimeter thickness.

Tomato Wedges

• Cut onion to long thin slices.
• Heat oil in a thick bottom wok/pan, when the oil is hot lower the heat and add
• Nigella seeds
• Cumin seeds
• Fennel seeds
• Once the seeds have spluttered add 
• Finely chopped Green chilies
• Finely chopped ginger
• Finely chopped garlic
• Onion slices
• Cook for 2 minutes on medium heat.

Ready for adding tomato wedges

• Add tomato wedges and cook for  a minute or so on medium heat. 

Tomato wedges added 

• Add
• Turmeric powder
• Coriander powder
• Chili powder
• Salt

Spices added to Tomato wedges

• Mix nicely and cover the wok/pan.
• Cook for 5 minutes with stirring in between, making sure tomatoes do not stick to the bottom.
• The juice of tomatoes is enough to cook them so no extra water is required to be added.
• After 5 minutes tomatoes will be almost cooked. Add jaggery pieces and mix.
• Do not cover. Cook with continuous stirring till all jaggery pieces dissolve and get mixed with cooked tomato pieces.

Ready to be served

• Remove the cooked sweet and sour sabzi in serving dish.

Ripe Green Tomato Sabzi

• Serve along with da-chawal/parantha/Khichadi/pulav.
• This sabzi makes amazing side dish.

Tips:

• Do not over cook, else the sabzi will become gooey.
• Always check the hotness of green chilies before adding.
• Break jaggery to small pieces for fast and complete mixing.

Suggested Variations:

• Coarsely pounded roasted groundnuts can be added to give a different texture and nutty flavor.
• Organic jaggery can be used. But it will change the color og the sabzi.
• In the absence of jaggery sugar can be used.

Dabbo (Ethiopian Bread)

Dabbo (Ethiopian Bread)

Slices of Bread Made In Ethiopian House hold

Being Indian I am more into chapatti/roti/parantha/puri all sort of Indian bread, thus have only basic knowledge of baking a bread. I was really intrigued by Ethiopian families baking their own bread on regular basis. They bake 3-10 kg. big bread for the consumption of the family members. It was a wonderful experience watching them bake the bread. I wish to share their method of making the bread. They do not use egg, butter, milk in making bread. Bread being staple food along with Injera is eaten during fasting also and any form of animal product is taboo during fasting, also even poorest of the poor can afford to make this bread here. My Ethiopian friend Mulgeeta was kind enough to allow me to take the picture of bread baking and share the recipe.

Preparation Time: 15-20 min.

Fermentation Time: 3-4 hours

Baking Time: 2 hours

Servings: Bread of 3 Kg.

Ingredients Required For Making Dabbo:

• 3 kg. Refined Flour

• 1 Eating Spoon Dry Yeast

• 1 eating Spoon Sugar

• Water

• Banana leaves

Directions For making Dabbo:

• Dissolve yeast and sugar in 2-3 eating spoons of water.

• Add 1-2 eating spoons of refined flour and keep aside for the yeast to rise.

• Sieve the refined flour and add yeast solution.

• Mix nicely.

• Add water in little proportions and knead the flour yeast mixture to make soft dough. 1-1.5 Lt. water is required for making the dough. The dough should neither be hard nor runny. It should be soft and pliable.

• Cover the dough and keep aside for fermenting for 4-5 hours.

• The dough will rise and become pourable, not watery.

• Do not beat this dough, if done so the air trapped in it will escape and the bread will not rise, and will not come out soft.

• Line a bread baking dish with banana leaves (Here they line it with leaves of similar plant called false banana, it is similar to banana but it neither fruits nor flowers).

Bread Baking Dish Lined With False Banana Leaves

• Pour the fermented dough on the in the container lined with banana leaves.

Ashakhale Pouring the Batter for bread

• Sprinkle some Nigella / Sesame seeds and spread the dough uniformly. Make depressions with the fingers.

Bread Dough with Nigella seeds in the baking dish layered with False banana leaves

Making depressions with fingers

• Cover the fermented dough in the bread baking dish with banana leaves.

Covering the dough with false banana leaves

• The oven for making bread here is called Dabbo Miltad and has two different plugins for heating from bottom and top.

Aleminish showing the locally made Dabbo Miltad with two ends to heat top and bottom

Dabbo Miltad from inside

Muluget placing the bread baking dish with bread dough in Dabbo Miltad

• Place the baking dish with bread dough in the bread oven (Dabbo Miltad) and heat it from the bottom.

• After 40-45 minutes check, baking has started and the dough starts rising.

• Bake for another 15-20 min.(Total 55-65 min.). The dough will have risen completely.

Rising Bread after 45 minutes

• Heat the oven from the top now for 30-40 minutes. The top and sides of bread will become golden brown.

• Remove the bread from oven. Remove the top leaves and carefully remove the bread and place on a plate for cooling.

Ethiopian Home Made Bread

Home Made Bread Slices

• Bread here like Injera is kept in Mosab for storing.

Tips:

• Add water in little proportions and knead.

• Kneading has to be done at least for 15-20 minutes after the dough consistency is attained. More the kneading better the bread will be.

• One cup of this dough can be stored in the fridge for future use. For next time you make bread you will have yeast culture with you. Take it out 2-3 hour before making the dough and allow the yeast to multiply and grow. Use this for fermenting rather than dry yeast.

Suggested Variations:

• Instead of refined flour Mixture of whole wheat flour and refined flour in 1:1 ratio can be taken to make the bread healthier.

• Barley flour can be added in 3:1 ratio.

• Once the pink dots start appearing on the top then, remove the bread baking dish from oven and remove the leaves, polish the top with egg white (Beat 2 egg whites and with the help of a brush polish the top with egg white), then baked for 5 minutes. The top will become shiny and light brown.

• Sugar can be sprinkled on the top 5 minutes before switching off the oven.

• Milk and water mixture in 1:1 ratio can be taken for kneading the flour.

• Add raisin, nuts, dry plum pieces, dry apricot pieces and you will have fruit bread.

Turai Ke Chilke Ki Chutney (Chutney From Peels Of Ridged Gourd)

Turai chilke ki chutney

Turai/tori are of two types one with smooth skin another with ridges, Ridged gourd and sponge gourd. In Maharashtra ridged gourd is called Dondka and sponge gourd as Ghosali.

Whenever I make the vegetable of ridged gourd, my mind is flooded with the memories of my house help Sharda Jagtap. She used to carefully remove the ridges of gourd which are having slightly tough string like fibers. Then she used to peel the gourd. She would chop the gourd for my cooking it and pack the soft peels to take home. This exercise was repeated every time I had ridged gourd for meal.

My curiosity took over me and one day I asked her what she does of the peels. Chutney she said. I was flummoxed as I had never had Turai ke Chilke ki chutney. One day, she got a little for me to taste. I loved it. The routine of her taking the peels and bringing little chutney for me continued, as it was used as main course by her, to be had with bhakri (Jowar roti).

Today I share this recipe so lovingly taught by Sharda to me.

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

Cooking Time: 7-8 minutes

Servings: 5-6 small helpings

Ingredients For Making Turai Ke Chilke Ki Chutney:

• 100 gm Turai ke Chilke (Soft peel of Ridged Gourd) I got this amount from 500 gm of Ridged Gourd.
• 50 gm  Garlic or 15-20 medium size pods of garlic
• 8-10 Green Chilies / to taste
• 1 teaspoon cooking oil
• Salt to taste

Direction For Making Turai Ke Chilke Ki Chutney:

• Wash and towel dry Ridged Gourd.
• Remove the ridges with the help of a peeler. Discard them.

Ridges to be discarded

• Peel the gourd like any other vegetables are peeled with the help of the peeler. Keep the soft peels aside for use.

Soft Peels Of Ridged Gourd

• Use the peeled gourd/Turai/dondka for making savory dish for main course. https://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2015/07/turai-mooli-shimla-mirch-ki-sabzi.html
• Peel garlic and keep aside.
• Check the hotness of green chilies and take the green chilies according to taste. Break them to pieces. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a thick bottom wok/pan.
• When the oil is hot add
• Peeled garlic
• Green chili pieces and cook on low flame till garlic and chili pieces acquire slightly brown color.

Garlic and Green Chilies in oil

After 2 minutes of cooking

After 5 minutes of cooking

• Add the peels and mix nicely.

Soft peels added to Garlic and Green Chilies

• Add salt and mix. Cover and cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes with stirring two three times.

After 2 minutes of cooking

• Switch off the heat and let the contents cool in the wok. This will slow cook the peels with garlic and green chilies. The peels will have changed the color and texture maintaining the moisture in them.
• When cooled to room temperature grind the cooked mixture to a slightly course paste/ Fine paste as per liking. I prefer little course texture.

Chutney of Peels of Ridged Gourd

• Water is not required while grinding, because garlic, chili and peels have sufficient moisture.
• Remove in a bowl and add few drops of fresh lemon juice to give the tangy taste.
• Chutney is ready to be served with Stuffed paranthas / Dal-chawal / Khichadi

https://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2013/01/patta-gobhi-ke-paranthe-cabbage-stuffed.html

https://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2013/05/aloo-parantha-potato-stuffed-pan-fried.html
https://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/12/mooli-ka-parantha-radish-stuffed-pan.html

Tips:

• Always remove the ridges before peeling. The ridges are stringy and will give unpalatable texture to chutney.
• Always check the hotness of the chili (Green/red/dry/fresh/powder) before use. The hotness varies from one variety to other.

Suggested Variations:

• 3-4 Teaspoons coursely ground roasted groundnut can be added to give crunchy texrure.

Oil Less Indian Curry Paste ( Onion-Ginger-Garlic-Tomato Masala)

Oil Less Curry Paste

In my earlier blog I had written how to make onion-ginger-garlic paste and storing it for posterity. I always make it a point to make these masalas and store as cubes in freezer when onion and tomatoes are less expensive. This serves double purpose,

One saving money

Two having masala ready in fridge so when I am busy or suddenly guests come I do not feel hassled.

Curries are integral part of Indian cooking. Normally when onion, garlic, ginger, tomatoes.. are used to make curries, lots of oil is used. This blog today will tell how to circumvent that and make yummy curries with least amount of oil.

The curry paste can be stored in freezer for months together. I store it by freezing it in ice tray. Storing and using cubes of curry paste becomes very easy, because every time one want to use it the whole lot need not to be thawed. Just pick up the required cubes, add it to oil tempered with spices along with the vegetable/rajma/chole/ chicken /fish…..add required amount of water and give a boil. Curry is ready.

Ingredients Required For Making Oil Less Curry Paste:

• 500 gm. Onion
• 500 gm. Tomato
• 100 gm. Ginger
• 100 gm. Garlic
• 2 Teaspoon Salt
• 8-10 Whole Red Kashmiri Mirch (Dry Red chili which has color but is less hot)

Direction For Making Curry Paste:

• Peel and cut onion to thin long slices. Keep aside.
• Wash and cut the tomatoes .
• Peel and grate ginger. Keep aside.
• Peel the garlic. Keep aside.
• Make pieces of whole red kashmiri mirch and remove the seeds. Keep aside.
• Take a thick bottom wok, preferably nonstick or anodized wok. Put
• Chopped Onions
• Chopped tomatoes
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Salt.
• Mix and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes stirring and turning in between.

Onion-Ginger-Garlic cooking in wok

• Tomatoes and onions will start losing their juices.

Whole red Kshmiri Mirch Added

• Add the pieces of red chilies and mix. Cover and cook on medium flame for 15-20 minutes with occasional stirring and turning the contents of the wok. By now the liquid in the wok will start reducing and the onions will turn translucent, Tomatoes will be completely cooked.

After 20 minutes of cooking

• Now all ingredients are completely cooked, we just need to reduce the liquid. Thus bring the heat to high and cook with constant stirring and turning the contents in the wok. It will take 3-5 minutes.

Ready to be made to paste

• Switch off the heat and let it cool without covering.
• Grind the cooked, cooled contents to fine paste. No water will be required.
• Freeze the curry paste in an ice tray. Store the cubes in freezer. Use as per requirement of the dish you are preparing. Just add the cubes to oil tempered with spices. Add water as required.
• Add salt, chili powder, garam masala as you please. Add water, give it a boil and your curry is ready.
• Curry paste can be stored in any container also. Thaw it before taking out required amount for use and freeze rest.

Oil less Curry Paste

Tips:

• Mix the ingredients nicely before heating.
• Put the ingredients in wok at room temperature.
• Do not heat wok before putting ingredients in it.
• Reduce the amount of chilies if they are too hot. Chilies are added basically to give a good red color to it.
• The time required depends upon the juiciness of onions and tomatoes.
• In the last leg of cooking when the heat is on high and liquid content is reducing it is must that the contents be stirred and turned constantly. Else the danger of the cooked masala to stick to the bottom and get burnt is very high.

Suggested Variations:

• Only onion and tomatoes can be made to curry paste and garlic-ginger can be added to tempered oil while making curry. Garlic ginger paste can be made at home and stored.

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/11/home-made-ginger-garlic-paste.html

Methi Paneer (Savory of Fenugreek leaf and Cottage Cheese)

Methi-Paneer

 Paneer is vegetarians delight, because it brings with it the so dearly required protein which otherwise vegetarians get from lentils and pulses and legumes. It can be paired with so many vegetables to give delicious and nutritious main course. Apart from paneer being paired with other vegetable, who does not know the world famous dishes like Butter Paneer, Kadhai Paneer to name few. Paneer stuffed parantha is also one of my favorite stuffed parantha.

Methi is rich in fibers, Iron, Potassium and protein with very low calorific value. Paneer (Cottage Cheese) is rich in protein, fats and sugars but no dietary fibers. Thus the combination of the two balances the dish and we have extremely healthy, rich, nutritious and very tasty vegetarian savory. I prefer 1:1 ratio of paneer and methi leaves (By weight), but the ratio of Methi:Paneer can be changed to 1.5 or 2:1.

Preparation Time: 20-25 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 4 Medium Servings

Nutritional Value For total vegetable cooked with given ingredients)

• Energy: 698.36 cal.
• Fat: 49.5
• Carbs:  23.5gm
• Sodium: 1501.6mg
• Protein: 48gm
• Fibers: 10gm
• Sugars: 11.6gm
• Iron 6.5 mg
• Calcium: 210mg
• Potassium 1410mg
• Vit A,C 

Ingredients Required For Making Methi-Paneer:

• 1 Big Bunch of Fresh Methi leaves (Fenugreek leaves)/ 250-300 gm of cleaned leaves
• 200 gm Paneer (Cottage cheese)
• 10-15 ml cooking oil (I use mustard oil)
• 2-3 Whole Red Chilies
• 1/2Teaspoon Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
• 1 Teaspoon Cumin seeds (Jeera)
• 1/4Teaspoon Asafoetida (Hing)
• Salt to taste

Direction To make Methi-Paneer:

• If you have got bunch of methi leaves then pick the leaves and soft tips. Discard the stalk part. The picked leaves should be approximately 250-300 gm.
• Wash the picked methi in flowing water. Drain the water and leave the washed methi on a dry kitchen towel for 10-15 minutes so that all water is removed.
• Chop washed methi as fine as possible. Keep aside.

Chopped Methi

• Cut paneer to 1-1.5 cm cubes. Keep aside.

Pieces of Paneer

• Crush the red chilies to small pieces and remove the seeds. Keep aside.

Crushed Dry Red Chili

• In a thick bottom wok or pan, heat cooking oil on medium heat. When the oil is hot add cumin seeds. Let the seeds splutter. Immediately add crushed red chilies and hing. Cook for 30 seconds on medium heat.

Cumin seeds spluttering in hot oil

Crushed Chili pieces added to oil

• Add paneer pieces and bring the heat to low and cook paneer in spices with continuous stirring, Make sure the paneer pieces do not break while stirring.

Paneer added to spices 

• Cook for 2-3 minutes. Paneer pieces will start looking firmer and color will also change.
• Add chopped methi. Mix nicely but with care.

Methi added to paneer

• Add
• Turmeric
• Salt

• Mix and cover the wok. Cook for 3-4 on medium heat with stirring in between.

Teumeric, salt added before covering

• Remove the lid, there will be liquid do not worry. Bring the heat to high and cook for just one minute, turning the contents in the wok so that they do not get stuck to the bottom of the wok.

Excess liquid in vegetable being evaporated on high heat

Excess liqid  evaporated on high heat

• Switch off the heat, let thye cooked vegetable in the wok till it gerts cooled. this will ensure removal of any extra moisture.

Cooked Methi-Paneer

• Remove cooked Methi-Paneer in serving bowl.

Methi-Paneer

• Serve with Roti / Parantha along with curd/raita/dal etc.

Tips:

• Take only leaves and soft tip of methi. If stalk is taken then it will not give too palatable result.
• It is must that water from methi leaves is removed before chopping. Any extra water will cause the vegetable to have lots of water content while cooking thus require to be cooked for longer time thus changing the appearance and taste of vegetable.
• Methi and paneer ratio by weight is preferably 1:1 or methi amount can be increased.
• Do not cook the paneer or the vegetable after adding methi too much. Leafy vegetables taste best when the leaves retain the green color (Do not turn blakish due to over cooking).

Suggested Variations:

• Finely chopped garlic can be added to the oil once cumin seeds have spluttered, cook it till pinkish brown color comes in garlic pieces then add chili and hing.
• Coarsely ground roasted groundnut can be added after the heat is switched off. This gives a crunchy texture and nutty flavor to the vegetable.