We Provice Recipes

Broccoli is a regular in my grocery shopping these days. I add them in almost everything from soups to salads and even dishes like dhals and variety rices. Sometimes I make this poriyal as a side dish with rice. I usually don’t add too much of masala or spices here. That imparts a bitter taste to the dish. I just add light seasoning and cook the broccoli until the they are tender but still have their color and crunch in them. The ideal combination for this poriyal are with rice and any spicy gravy like vatha kozumbu or rasam or even with plain curd rice.

INGREDIENTS:
1. Broccoli, 2 large heads.
2. Small onions, 3-4.
3. Dried red chilies, 1-2.
4. Mustard seeds, ¼ teaspoon.
5. Urad dhal, ½ teaspoon.
6. Ginger-garlic paste, ½ teaspoon, (optional).
7. Salt as per taste.
8. Curry leaves and cilantro for garnishing.

PREPARATION:
Cut the broccoli into small bite-size pieces including the stalks and dice the onion finely. Heat a pan with a teaspoon of oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Then add the urad dhal and the broken red chilies and fry for a few seconds until the urad dhal turns brown. Add the diced onions and curry leaves and sauté for a few minutes until the onions turn translucent. Then add ginger-garlic paste and the broccoli and mix everything well. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water along with salt and cook closed under low flame for 5 minutes until everything is cooked and the broccoli still retains its color. Garnish with curry leaves and cilantro and serve with rice or chapathis.

OMG! from now I m big fan of mushrooms. This is the first time I made a recipe with mushrooms, I promise it came out splendid! I enjoyed the flavor of mushroom in garlic. My grand mother used to prepare this curry when ever I have been to her place she is no more now, I just memorized her with this curry. I skype daily with my parents, thanks to skype it makes me fell like I m at home though Im thousands of miles away from them. My mom gave me directions while cooking this curry. Thnak you mom, love you.

Now coming to the recipe
Ingredients:
Mushrooms cleaned, washed and chopped to medium slices- 4cups (I took white button organic mushrooms)
Garlic finely chopped- 1ts
Onions- finely chopped-2cups

Green chillies-2
chopped cilantro-2t.s
dry coconut powder -2ts
Cumin seeds-1/2ts
Mustard seeds-1/2ts
Chana dal-1ts
Turmeric-Pinch
Salt to taste
Chili powder-1/2t.s
Red chili-1
vegetable oil-2ts











Directions:
Heat 2ts of oil in a non stick pan and add cumin seeds + mustard seeds+ red chili + chana dal and wait until they splutter. Add onions and fry them till they are well cooked under medium flame. Now, add turmeric, and cook until the raw flavor goes away. Add mushrooms and now close the pan with the lid and cook them under medium to simmer flame. They will become chips like and become crispy after few minutes, then add garlic, red chili powder, salt, coriander powder and cumin powder and stir them till the raw flavor of garlic vanishes, under medium flame in a open pan. Finally add cilantro and turn foo the stove  enjoy with rice/roti.

Everything except the ginger ( and oils and soy sauce) came out of the garden for this dish! Red peppers may be harder to find by now, but I hope there are greenhouse ones out there at the least. You can use whatever sweet red peppers you like, although bell peppers are by far the most common.

I used my last few Alma paprikas (4 little ones rather than one large one) and they were sweet, delicious and for me very digestible. I am so used to not using peppers in my cooking as all the bell pepper family give me awful indigestion, so this was a treat. I really am going to grow a LOT more Almas next year.

4 servings
30 minutes prep time


5 to 6 cups broccoli florets
1 large red onion
1 large red pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Put a large pot of water on to boil. Wash and trim the broccoli, and cut it into florets. When the water boils, drop the broccoli in and boil for between 1 and 2 minutes, until bright green; no more. Drain very well and set aside.

Meanwhile, Peel and chop the onion into bite-sized chunks. De-stem and de-seed the pepper, and cut it into bite size chunks. Peel and mince the garlic and the ginger.

Heat the oil in a large skillet until very hot. Add the peppers, and cook, stirring constantly, until they begin to soften and brown slightly in spots; 2 or 3 minutes. Add the onions and cook for another minute or so, then add the ginger and garlic and stir well. Add the drained broccoli, and continue cooking and tossing the vegetables in the pan until they are cooked to your liking. Drizzle over the sesame oil and soy sauce and serve at once.




Last year at this time I made Duck Schnitzel with Green Peppercorn Sauce.