The layer of cold, freezing winter has engulfed the land. We are hiding away in the cozy cocoon. Once in a while, we are shedding away the covering of blanket and stepping out of the house. The crisp, frosty air turn our cheeks blushing red and tickles the nostrils. Still we stand brave and handpick the fresh produce to refill the empty pantry. The site of bright, shiny vegetables is a bit comforting and cheering in this biting cold weather.
The local farmer’s market is beaming with vibrant colors of winter produce. The delicate rays of sun cast a lustrous coating over the vegetables making them look garden-fresh. From tiny red radishes, green leafy vegetables, long red carrots, peas to purplish turnips we stuffed them all in the carry-bag. Shalgam aur Matar Ki Sabzi is our ode to nature’s bounty during this bitterly cold weather.
Shalgam aur Matar Ki Sabzi is another Indian curry. The turnip is cooked with fresh green peas in the routine onion and tomato masala . The pressure cooker can also be used to cook the curry. But we have stick to the old school method of slow cooking to make Shalgam aur Matar Ki Sabzi . The turnips absorb the flavour of the spices while simmering. In turn, each bite of turnip turns out succulent and full of bursting flavours. The overpowering spices are kept at bay instead a dash of Garam Masala ( see recipe ) is enough to spice up the flavour of the dish.
Learn how to make Shalgam aur Matar Ki Sabzi in few simple steps:
Ingredients
- ▢ 250 gram turnips
- ▢ 2 large onion chopped
- ▢ 2 to matoes chopped
- ▢ ⅓ Cup green peas
- ▢ an inch piece of ginger
- ▢ 3 - 4 garlic cloves
- ▢ 2 green chillies - chopped
- ▢ 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon Garam Masala see recipe
- ▢ 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ▢ 1 bay leaf
- ▢ 2 tablespoon cooking oil
- ▢ Salt to taste
- ▢ Finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish.
Instructions
- To prepare Shalgam ki Sabzi, first peel the skin of turnips.
- Wash the turnips and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- Chop the turnips into equal size cubes.
- Next make paste of chopped onion, green chili, ginger and garlic in mixer. Use little water to make paste if required. Set aside the paste till required.
- Next make a coarse paste of tomatoes as well.
- Heat the cooking oil in a heavy bottom cooking vessel.
- Add the bay leaf in hot oil and once the aroma of bay leaf is released add the onion paste.
- Fry over medium heat till the paste leaves the sides of the cooking vessel and the raw smell wafts aways.
- By now the onion paste would have changed color to deep brown.
- Now, add the chopped tomatoes, salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder.
- Stir to combine and continue cooking the spice mix on medium-low heat till the mixture comes together and starts leaving sides of the pan. This usually takes 5 - 10 minutes.
- Add the chopped turnips along with the peas and mix to coat the vegetables with the masala.
- Add garam masala and stir to combine.
- Add approximately ¼ Cup of water and stir well.
- Cover the cooking vessel with the lid and cook the turnips over low heat.
- Turnips take a bit longer to get cooked through. In between open the lid, stir the vegetables and check for doneness.
- Once the turnips are cooked through, turn off the heat.
- Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve Shalgam aur Matar Ki Sabzi warm with Phulka or Paratha.
We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy
Shalgam Ki Sabzi Recipe
Ingredients
- 250 gram turnips
- 2 large onion chopped
- 2 to matoes chopped
- ⅓ Cup green peas
- an inch piece of ginger
- 3 - 4 garlic cloves
- 2 green chillies - chopped
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon red chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala see recipe
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoon cooking oil
- Salt to taste
- Finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish.
Instructions
- To prepare Shalgam ki Sabzi, first peel the skin of turnips.
- Wash the turnips and pat dry with a clean kitchen towel.
- Chop the turnips into equal size cubes.
- Next make paste of chopped onion, green chili, ginger and garlic in mixer. Use little water to make paste if required. Set aside the paste till required.
- Next make a coarse paste of tomatoes as well.
- Heat the cooking oil in a heavy bottom cooking vessel.
- Add the bay leaf in hot oil and once the aroma of bay leaf is released add the onion paste.
- Fry over medium heat till the paste leaves the sides of the cooking vessel and the raw smell wafts aways.
- By now the onion paste would have changed color to deep brown.
- Now, add the chopped tomatoes, salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder.
- Stir to combine and continue cooking the spice mix on medium-low heat till the mixture comes together and starts leaving sides of the pan. This usually takes 5 - 10 minutes.
- Add the chopped turnips along with the peas and mix to coat the vegetables with the masala.
- Add garam masala and stir to combine.
- Add approximately ¼ Cup of water and stir well.
- Cover the cooking vessel with the lid and cook the turnips over low heat.
- Turnips take a bit longer to get cooked through. In between open the lid, stir the vegetables and check for doneness.
- Once the turnips are cooked through, turn off the heat.
- Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.
- Serve Shalgam aur Matar Ki Sabzi warm with Phulka or Paratha.
South Indian Vada Curry Recipe (Vadakari) is a speciality from Tamil Nadu which is made from masala vadai (Bengal gram fritters). Vada Curry is served as a side dish along with idli, dosa or even with Parottas.
It is believed that vada curry was created by a small-scale hotel chef in Tamil Nadu. The chef had a lot of leftover masala vada from the previous night. Next morning, while looking for ideas to use the leftover vada, the chef came up with this brilliant recipe where he crumbles the vada into smaller bite size pieces and dunked them in an onion-tomato masala curry.
He served Vadakari with idli and dosa for breakfast to the hotel customers. People who tasted it liked it so much that they started coming back every morning asking for the same curry. The traditional Vadakari uses masala vada prepared the previous night. And trust me the curry prepared in traditional way tastes the best. Delicious, full of wonderful flavours and a perfect side dish for the breakfast along with idli’s/dosas.
About Jyothi: From a shy, nervous, novice blogger to a confident and established food blogger, Jyothi surely has come a long way. Jyothi Rajesh is an engineer by profession. She loves to cook, style and photograph food. She spends half of the week teaching Robotics to children and the remaining time in her kitchen. She is surely a multi-tasker, a doting mother of two lovely tiny toddlers, an expert teacher, and a passionate food blogger, she has many feathers in her cap. Her blog Curry Trail is the illustration of her culinary journey.
Learn how to make South Indian Vada Curry in few simple steps:
Ingredients
Ingredients for masala vada
- ▢ 1 Cup channa dal bengal gram
- ▢ 1 small-size onion finely chopped
- ▢ 3 tablespoon coriander leaves finely chopped
- ▢ 1 sprig of curry leaves chopped
- ▢ 1 green chili finely chopped
- ▢ Salt to taste
- ▢ Oil for deep frying
To be grind into paste
- ▢ 4 dried red chilies
- ▢ 4 cloves of garlic
- ▢ 1 inch piece of ginger
- ▢ 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
Ingredients for the curry
- ▢ 2 onions finely chopped
- ▢ 1 Cup tomato puree
- ▢ 1 teaspoon ginger garlic paste
- ▢ 2 green chilies slit
- ▢ 1 bay leaf
- ▢ 4 cloves
- ▢ 1 inch cinnamon stick
- ▢ ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ▢ 1 tablespoon red chili powder as per preference
- ▢ ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- ▢ Salt to taste
- ▢ 1 ½ tablespoon oil
- ▢ Water as required
Instructions
- To prepare the vada, wash and soak channa dal in water for 3 hours.
- Fine chop the onions, green chilies and coriander leaves. Keep aside.
- Grind all ingredients mentioned under the list ‘to grind’ along with 1 teaspoon of water into a coarse paste. Set aside.
- Drain water from channa dal and grind it into a coarse paste. Avoid using any water to grind the dal.
- To the ground channa dal, add onions, coriander leaves, ground masala paste, salt and mix well.
- Heat oil in a deep heavy-bottom pan.
- Shape the vada round and slide gently into the pan of hot oil.
- Deep fry them until golden brown.
- Drain on a plate lined with kitchen towel.
- Instead of deep-frying you can steam the shaped vadas in idli steamer for about 12 minutes.
- To make the curry, heat 1 ½ tablespoon oil in a pan.
- Add bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cloves and fennel seeds to hot oil. Fry till aroma of spices is released.
- Add onion, green chilies and cook till onions turn translucent.
- Add ginger garlic paste. Cook until raw smell of the paste is gone.
- Add tomato puree (first blanch tomatoes in boiling water for about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove tomatoes from water, peel the skin and blend into puree).
- Cook until oil separates from the sides of the pan.
- Add all the spice powders along with salt, stir to combine.
- Add about 1 cup of water and bring the curry to boil once.
- Crumble the deep fried vadas into smaller pieces before adding it to the curry. You can add the whole vada as well in the curry.
- Simmer the curry over medium heat and let the vadas absorb the flavor of the curry. This takes about 12 to 15 minutes.
- Once the gravy is thick, turn off the heat.
- Garnish Vadakari with fresh coriander leaves.
- Serve Vad Curry warm as side dish for idli or dosa.
We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy
