Pagarkai Gojju (Bittergourd/Karela Spiced Gravy)

SrilathaSides, South Indian Leave a Comment

This recipe was taught to me by my husband’s cousin, Indu, who is a fabulous cook. The title “pagarkai gojju” means Bittergourd Gravy. Bitter gourd, or as its sometimes called, bitter melon, is a green vegetable that is very bitter and is used extensively in Indian cuisine. Gojju is a Kannada term for a spiced gravy that typically incorporates sour, pungent, heat, and sweet tastes. Add to it the bitter taste of the gourd, and this dish truly tickles every inch of the palate. The sourness comes from the tamarind, the heat from the red chilies, and the sweet comes from jaggery/gud/vellam/brown sugar or raw, unrefined sugar. This dish is my husband’s favorite and is a real adventure in your mouth. On to the recipe now.

Paruppu Usili (Scrambled Steamed Dal/Vegetable)

SrilathaSides, South Indian Leave a Comment

Paruppusili is a side dish that combines dal that’s been soaked, ground into a batter, steamed, and then scrambled with a vegetable.
Paruppu means dal, and to usili means to scramble.
This version is a Tamil version, a star in many south Indian Brahmin weddings and functions, along with more kozhambu (yogurt based gravy). I have used green peppers for the vegetable in this recipe. Traditional vegetables used are green beans, long beans, cluster beans. Broccoli is popular with my son. You can make it with cauliflower too.
The process is a bit involved, but it’s absolutely worth it. This dish packs a protein and vitamin punch with the dal and the vegetable. The process involves soaking the dal for a couple of hours, blending into a batter, steaming, and then crumbling it with sautéed vegetable.
But not to worry, this recipe will teach you a hack that would cut down the time to a mere 30 minutes, from start to finish, with a little bit of prep work done ahead.

Asparagus Curry

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I love asparagus! After having tried it as a soup, in pasta, and simply steamed, I was stumped for how else to use it, until a friend Indianised it and made a curry out of it. I don’t remember her exact recipe, but guessed and came up with a version that we love. It’s quick, and doesn’t compromise the tender, juiciness of the asparagus, but just adds a mild spiciness to it. Pairs well with rice as well as rotis.
On another note, is there any vegetable left that we Indians haven’t made a curry, chutney, or a podi out of? 🙂