Bitter gourd curry and Peach lassi with cayenne pepper

The inspiration for this recipe comes from Kajal's post about the same curry.
I haven't changed the recipe a bit except that I didn't fry the bitter gourd.
I just peeled the bitter gourd a bit, sliced and baked it in the oven till it was cooked crisp. I also made the sabji little dry as I was gonna eat it with roti and dal.

Thanks Kajal, it does taste really good.
See the recipe here

I know you must be thinking what a weird combination is this. But these were made on two separate days, just posted together

I love lassi with different combination and looking at the weather, I thought it was time to venture into a new lassi making session

This Peach Lassi is my entry for JFI for August -Chillies hosted by Nandita of Saffrontrail and brainchild of Indira.

Thanks Suganya of Tastypalettes for reminding me this.

For the Peach lassi:

1 cup canned peaches or 2 fresh peaches. (both works well)

2 cups yogurt

sugar to your taste

kewra essence few drops

a pinch of cayenne pepper

Blend everything together in a blender along with couple of ice cubes.

Yes cayenne pepper gives this a nice kick. You can use more if you really like the heat.

Warning: Do not use the Rose water with this Lassi as it would be a disaster, unless you are an adventurous soul, who can drink those combinations.

Coral Broccoli

Saturday's farmers market trip ended with this priced possession.

If you're a brassica fan, fond of cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, you'll love it too. I am talking about the Coral Brocoli. Foremost an interesting object with a shape and color reminding me of coral or outer worldly landscapes. It is also known as romanesco, minaret, romanesco cauliflower, often called romanesco broccoli or calabrese romanesco - especially in Italian recipes.

You must be thinking it's simply a genetically modified freak. But this website will prove it's not the result of genetic manipulations.

You will love the lime green florets with bewitching design.

The flavour is somewhere between broccoli and cauliflower, with a sweet, vegetal nuttiness - and it's bereft of the slightly bitter edge cauliflower can have.

Well I haven't tasted it yet,but will post the recipe soon.

Enjoy!!

Broccoli-Green Pepper and green peas

I don't know about others but I have to be in a mood to cook broccoli and eat broccoli. I kinda think of broccoli as a delicate vegetable, which needs an expert touch to cook.

I don't consider myself as an expert but I have a certain way of cooking broccoli.

If you really want to have all the benefits of eating broccoli, do not microwave it or boil it in water, as both the techniques will kill all the vital nutrients from broccoli. "Always, always steam the broccoli" (hear the echo)!

I love this combination because the green pepper gives it a nice background and green peas gives it a sweet balance of taste.

You will need:

1 pound broccoli florets (fresh or frozen) fresh tastes much better

1 green pepper

1/2 cup green peas

1 medium onion chopped

2 tbps tomato paste

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

salt to taste

2 tbsp oil

If you are using fresh broccoli, you got to steam it. If using frozen (please do not thaw in the microwave). Just let the broccoli sit on you counter to thaw till you do the other preparation.

Heat the oil in a pan and add cumin seeds and let it splutter, now add the chopped onion and saute till its translucent, now add the chili powder and saute for another minute or two and add the tomato paste, now the technique is to caramelize the tomato paste, it's going to stick to the bottom but you have to constantly stir and caramelize it.

This imparts such a nice flavor to the dish. You can add just a bit of water if you think it's sticking too much.. Now add the green pepper and stir fry till the green pepper is kind of soft, then add the green peas and fry for another minute and now add the steamed broccoli and salt and cover just till the masala incorporates into the vegetables. This is kind of a stir-fry vegetable so, serve it on a bed of plain rice. You can also eat with regular chapati, dal and rice.