Bitter Gourd Fry/ Pavvakkai Varuval

About the recipe:
One of the best ways to make this dish taste a little less bitter and without too much oil. Bitter gourd has excellent medicinal values and is supposed to be very good for diabetics. 


Ingredients:
Sliced bitter gourd - 2
Tomato - 1, large
Garlic - 3,4 cloves
Oil - 2 tbsp


Seasoning:
Salt to taste
Cumin seeds - 1 spoon
Mustard seeds - 1 spoon
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves - 3,4 numbers
Chilly powder - 1 spoon
Turmeric powder - half a spoon
Coriander/ Cilantro for garnishing

How to:
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan. When hot add the mustard and cumin seeds and allow them to splutter. Add the sliced garlic cloves and stir fry. Next add the asafoetida and curry leaves. Throw in the sliced bitter gourd, turmeric and chilly powder. Add salt to taste. Sprinkle a little water and cover the pan with a lid so that they cook in the steam without much water. Open the lid and check after 5-6 minutes, stir it once in a while and repeat until well done. This might take about 10-12 minutes as bitter gourd have a thick pointy skin which we have retained in this recipe. 
Add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil and stir fry without the lid this time for 1-2 minutes for the finishing touch. 
Top it with finely chopped cilantro/ coriander leaves . 
Tastes best with curd rice :)

Potato Fry/ Oorulaikazhangu Varuval

About the recipe:
A traditional South Indian (read Tamil) side dish. I have very fond memories of my mum packing lunch for school with rice, sambar, curd and oorulaikazhangu varuval! It still remains one of our favorite curries at home. Very few people I know can recreate the magic of my mum, let's just say I tried my best!   

Ingredients:
Half boiled potatoes - 2, large
Garlic - 3,4 cloves
Oil - 2 tbsp


Seasoning:
Salt to taste
A little pepper
Cumin seeds - 1 spoon
Mustard seeds - 1 spoon
Asafoetida - a pinch
Curry leaves - 3,4 numbers
Chilly powder - 1 spoon
Turmeric powder - half a spoon
Coriander/ Cilantro for garnishing

How to:
Peel the half- boiled potatoes and dice them. The reason I've mentioned half-boiled is because completely boiled potatoes might get squashed and don't quite taste the same way we intend this recipe to. Raw potatoes will take a long time to cook this way. 
Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan. When hot add the mustard and cumin seeds and allow them to splutter. Add the sliced garlic cloves and stir fry. Next add the asafoetida and curry leaves. Throw in the diced potatoes, turmeric and chilly powder. Add salt to taste. Sprinkle a little water and cover the pan with a lid so that the potatoes cook in the steam without much water. Open the lid and check after 4-5 minutes, stir it once in a while and repeat until well done and looks golden in color. 
Add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil and stir fry without the lid this time for 1-2 minutes for the finishing touch. 
Top it with some crushed black pepper and finely chopped cilantro/ coriander leaves . 
Tastes best with curd rice :)

Tomato Chutney

About the recipe:
This one is from my Mom's collection! One of those innumerable recipes that she's dictated over phone to me. 

Upside:
If you are craving something tangy - this is it. 

Ingredients:
Tomatoes - 4, medium 


Seasoning:
Oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 spoon
Mustard seeds - 1 spoon
Curry leaves - 3,4 numbers
Asafoetida - a very tiny bit
Chilly powder - 1 spoon
Salt to taste
A little pepper


How to:
Boil the tomatoes with enough water to submerge them until the skin cracks. Peel off the skin from the tomatoes. It should be pretty easy now after boiling. Grind the peeled tomatoes with chilly powder and salt into a fine paste with perhaps a little water. 
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and cumin seeds in that order and allow them to splutter. Add the pinched curry leaves and the asafoetida. Add the tomato paste to this seasoning and cook on a low flame for 2-3 minutes and watch it thicken. Sprinkle a little pepper if you please :) 
Goes well with steaming hot idlis or nachos!