Cook. Eat. Rinse. Repeat.
Prawn masala sounds familiar and comforting. The ground prawn heads sounds off? It shouldn’t. All these years of watching Masterchef Australia had to come in handy some time. I know of many Indian recipes where the entire prawn is used in curries or even fried. But only in Masterchef did I see contestants use the heads of prawns and shells of crustaceans to make bases for sauces, soups and oils. I used this trick to give my prawn masala a big prawn punch.
This one’s no different from the beans aajadina I had cooked recently. This one too uses the same coconut mixture in the end to be stirred in. Ivy gourd, from what I’ve seen and eaten around here, is almost always cooked to death. Well, that’s true for most vegetables. Homemade or not, these lovely crisp veggies are often overcooked with so many spices that you won’t know what you’re eating. I guess that’s why many twitch their face when they see these vegetables being served at lunch in the office or at home. Thankfully, I’ve grown up eating vegetables cooked lightly so they retain their colour, shape and original taste.
Yield: Enough for 4 people Ingredients: Drumstick - 2 medium ones cut into 2 inch pieces Red shallots (sambar onions) - 7-8 Tomato - 1 quartered Masala - 3 tbsp of previously ground masala + 3 dried red chillies + 3 cloves garlic + 1 tsp tamarind pulp all ground together Cooked tur dal - 1/2 cup Jaggery - 1 tbsp crushed Chilly powder - 1 tsp Tamarind pulp water - 1/4 cup Coriander leaves for garnish Salt - to taste Tempering: Ghee/oil - 1 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Urad dal - 1 tsp Curry leaves - 2 sprigs
Method: Cook drumsticks in water for 6-7 minutes or till it's slightly soft when you poke it with a fork/knife (I didn't know how else to check) and keep aside with the water it was cooked in. Heat oil/ghee and add all the ingredients for tempering and let them splutter. Now add the tamarind water and let it come to a boil for about 3-4 mins. Add the masala and dal along with tomatoes and shallots. Let this bubble on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the drumsticks, salt and chilly powder. Take it off the heat and garnish with coriander leaves.
Ingredients: Cabbage - 1 small, shredded Oil - 2 tbsp Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp Channa dal - 1 tsp Curry leaves - 1 sprig Chilly powder - 1 tsp Turmeric - 1-2 tsp (depending on how you like it) Salt - to taste Method: Heat oil and add mustard seeds, channa dal and curry leaves. Let them splutter. Add the turmeric and chilly powder. Add cabbage and stir well. Add salt and cook for 5 minutes. I like mine slightly on the crunchier side. If you want it to be cooked though completely cook it longer.
I served the curry and cabbage with rice and a side of yoghurt and mango pickle.