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Showing posts with label drumsticks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label drumsticks. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Chuin-Saru-Baigana Tarkari (Drumstick-Taro-Eggplant curry)

Drumstick curry is a very popular dish is every odia household. But every lady has a different way of cooking this traditional favorite. The taste varies according to the quantity of masala paste and vegetables used. Some prefer to thoroughly fry the veggies before adding it to boiling water salt and turmeric water while others add the raw veggies itself. While I usually make one with drumsticks-potato-badi and a thick mustard-garlic paste, this time I tried a more watery variation by keeping the quantity of mustard low and adding eggplant and arbi/taro to the curry.

Read on for the recipe -







Preparation Time - 20-25 mins

Ingredients -


  • 4 drumsticks ( cut into 2 inch long pieces)
  • 1 cup eggplant cubes
  • 1/2 cup arbi/saru/taro cubes
  • 1 large potato (cubed)
  • 1 large tomato (finely chopped)
  • 1 dried mango slice (ambula)
  • 1 medium  onion (finely chopped)
  • 6-7 garlic flakes
  • 2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 red chili
  • 1 green chili
  • 1 tsp pancha phutana
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 2 tsp mustard oil
  • salt to taste


Preparation - Grind the mustard, cumin, red chili and half of the garlic flakes into a smooth paste. Dilute the paste with 3 cups water.

Soak the ambula in 1/2 cup hot water.

Cooking - Heat a wok. Carefully drain off the diluted mustard paste into the wok leaving the solids behind. Bring to a boil. Add turmeric and salt along with all the veggies. Cover with a lid and cook till the veggies are soft.

Heat the oil in another wok. Add the panch-phutana, crushed garlic flakes and green chili. As the garlic starts to brown, add the chopped onion.

Fry till the edges start to turn red. Then add the chopped tomato and cover with a lid for 1-2 mins. Open lid and crush the tomatoes with a spatula. Add the cooked veggies along with the residual liquid. Also add the dried mango/ambula along with the water in which it was soaking. Adjust salt.

Bring to boil and let simmer for 4-5 mins. Switch off the flame.

Serve with white rice, dal and some vegetable fry.




















Click here for another version (HERE).

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Sajana Sagaa Kharada (Drumstick leaves Curry)

Drumstick leaves or 'sajana sagaa' as we call it in Odisha happens to be one of my favorite greens. Make into a simple stir fry or cook it with dal and veggies, it tastes awesome. While it has a slightly bitter taste but the aroma is sure to make one hungry. Drumstick leaves and flowers are of great value as sources of carotene, calcium, phosphorus and vitamin C. According to Ayurvedic texts, these leaves have the potential to cure almost 300 types of ailments. With 90 nutrients and 46 antioxidants, these small leaves literally pack a punch. They are usually given as a tonic to young children, pregnant women and lactating mothers to keep them healthy.

I had been missing it for a long time since I never see it being sold in the local vegetable shops/stores in Bangalore. That's why I was overjoyed to find a thelawala selling the greens near my building. I quickly purchased a bundle at rupees 10.

Read on for the recipe -




















Preparation Time - 25 mins

Ingredients -

  • 5 cups of drumstick leaves
  • 1/2 cup diced pumpkin
  • 1/2 cup diced potato
  • few cubes of raw banana
  • 1 medium sized onion (chopped into thin long slices)
  • 5-6 garlic flakes
  • 1/4 cup lightly roasted moong dal/yellow lentil
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1-2 dry red chillis
  • 3 tsp oil
  • 2 pinch turmeric
  • salt to taste
  • 7-8 fried boris for garnishing


Preparation - Pluck the drumstick leaves from the stem while carefully checking for any insects/eggs.
Wash thoroughly under running water. Keep aside for the water to drain

Cooking - Transfer the lentils along with pumpkin, potato, raw banana, salt and turmeric to a pressure cooker. Add 2/3 cup water and cook for 1 whistle on medium flame. Keep aside for steam to escape.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the mustard seeds and broken red chilis followed by the onions. Fry till onion turns translucent.

Add the drumstick leaves and stir fry on medium high for 4 mins. Now add the contents of the wok, mix together and allow to cook for another 5-6 mins. Check if the greens are cooked else cook for 2-3 mins more.

Add the crushed garlic and the crushed bori. Remove from flame.

Serve hot with white rice and dal.



















Note - In Western Odisha, a similar dish is prepared but without the veggies and the badi.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Drumstick kadhi ( Sajana Chuein kanji )

There used to be a patch of 'Khada Saga' (Amaranth) growing in our vegetable garden during my childhood days. They are perennial plants and one can harvest and eat the leaves and tender stems throughout the year. Once cut, the leaves and stems grow back in a fortnight. But during the summer months, the foliage reduces, the plants shoot up in height and start flowering. It is now time to cut and remove the main stems called 'Khada'. These make a wonderful 'kanjee', a lightly flavoured sour soup and an appetizing raee with badi and saru (colocasia).

Since i havn't been able to source and khada outside Orissa, i turned to using drumsticks for this kanjee. Though the taste is quite different, i quite enjoyed this new recipe.
















Preparation Time - 15 mins

Ingredients - 2-3 drumsticks ( chopped in 2" or 3" pieces ), 1/2 cup sour yogurt, 1 tsp besan, 1-2 red chilli, 1 sprig curry leaf, 1/3 tsp mustard seeds, 2 tsp oil, salt to taste, pinch of asafoetida, pinch of turmeric.

Preparation - Lightly beat the yogurt. Add besan and salt and dilute with 1 1/2 cup water.

Cooking - Boil the drumstick with a little salt and turmeric till tender. Drain all the water and keep aside.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add the broken red chilli and mustard seeds followed by the curry leaves and asafoetida. Add the boiled drumstick and fry for 30 seconds.

Reduce the flame and add the besan-yogurt mixture slowly while stirring continuously. Stir for 2-3 minutes and bring to boil. Allow to simmer for 3 minutes.

Serve hot with white rice.

Note - one can also add a touch of mustard garlic paste to the kanjee/kadhi. It gives a wonderful flavor.













Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Drumstick potato vadi curry ( chuien aloo badi )



















Cooking time required: 20-30 mins
Cost of cooking: 30-40 rupees

Ingredients: Drumsticks ( 4 nos), potato ( 1 large), tomato ( 1 medium ), onion ( 1 large, optional ), garlic pods (5-6 nos), mustard seeds ( 3-4 tsp), turmeric powder (1/2 tsp), Badi (sun dried balls made from rice and dal paste), red chilli (1-2 nos), oil (2-3 tsp), salt to taste.

Preparation: Cut drumsticks into 2-3 inch long pieces. Also cut the potato and onion into medium sized chunks. The tomato should be finely cut . Grind the mustard seeds along with garlic pods into a fine paste.

Cooking: Heat oil in pan. Add turmeric, potato and onion pieces. Fry till the potatoes are half cooked . Then add the drumstick and tomato pieces. Fry for 2 more mins. Add the mustard paste and hot water (2-3 cups). Add salt to taste and cover the pan. Cook on medium flame for about 5-10 mins.
Fry the badi separately . Add to the curry just before removing from the fire. Serve hot with rice.


Tips: The traditional oriya recipe substitutes potato with Colocasia( also called saaru in oriya ).

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