Month: August 2017

Sweet Pumpkin Fry (Kumbala Bartad) From Coorg

Sweet Pumpkin is a very nutritious vegetable that is high in antioxidants and low on calories. It is also a rich source of minerals like Calcium, Potassium, Phosphorus and Copper. It is a vegetable that is highly recommended for people trying to lose weight. (Source: http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/pumpkin.html)

This vegetable is a staple at every Coorg table. Most families grew this vegetable in their backyard (some still do) and stored it in a cool dry corner of their homes for months.  When needed, they would choose a Pumpkin from their store and make a delicious curry or fry with it.

Here is a simple recipe to make Sweet Pumpkin fry. It preserves the nutrition of this vegetable and enhances its taste with green chillies, coconut and onions. The end result is a dish which is sweet and spicy. It (as also the Sweet Pumpkin curry posted earlier) is a favorite at our breakfast table. We relish it with Akki Votti and a generous helping of ghee!

Ingredients

½ kg Pumpkin (Use tender Pumpkin)

¼ cup grated coconut

Few sprigs of Coriander leaves, chopped fine

Salt to taste

For the tempering:

2 tbsp. oil

¼ tsp. Mustard seeds

1 big Green Chili, slit (can increase it to 2 if you want it spicy)

1 big Onion, sliced

5-8 Curry leaves

Method

  1. Wash and cut the Pumpkin, with its skin, into two. Scoop out the seeds. Slice the two halves into wedges and cut into 1” pieces as shown.
  2. In a pan, heat the oil. When hot, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Next, add the sliced onions and fry till it turns pink. Now add the green chilies and the curry leaves and fry for a few seconds.
  3. Now add the cut Pumpkin pieces and stir well. Reduce the flame. Add half a cup of water and salt and mix well. Let this cook on a slow flame until it is done.  Ensure that the Pumpkin does not overcook as then it will reduce to a pulp.
  4. Finally, add the coconut gratings and the coriander leaves and mix well. Remove from fire.

Delicious Sweet Pumpkin fry  or Kumbala Bartad from Coorg is ready to savour. This dish is best served with hot Akki Vottis or Dosas and a dollop of butter or ghee.

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Sweet Pumpkin Fry (Kumbala Palya) From Coorg

 

Mushroom Fry (Kummu Bartad) From Coorg

It is the monsoon season. It is raining in Coorg in southern India. And, when it rains, it pours! In this season, it is a treat to experience the lush green forests, the Coffee and Cardamom plantations and smell the wet earth and also partake of the many delicacies that one can savor only in this season.

One such delicacy is the wild mushroom curry or fry. When it rains, the thunder and lightning are frightening. But, as a result of it, we find a plethora of wild mushrooms from the tiny “Nuch Kuumu” to the giant “Nethale Kuumu” that appear magically in the jungles and plantations. The freshly picked mushrooms are a treat to cook into a curry or a fry.

In the last post, I had shared a recipe from Coorg to make Mushroom curry. In this post, let’s learn the Coorgi way to make a simple Mushroom fry. Since wild mushrooms are hard to get today, you can use button mushrooms to make this dish.

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Mushroom Fry (Kummu Bartad) From Coorg

Ingredients

200 gms Mushrooms

1 medium sized Onion, chopped fine

2 Green Chilies, slit lengthwise

½ tsp Turmeric powder

½ tsp Pepper powder

½ tsp Jeera powder

2 tbsps. Vegetable Oil

Few sprigs of Coriander leaves, chopped fine

Salt to taste

½ tsp. Kachumpuli (Coorg Vinegar)

Button Mushrooms
Chopped Button Mushrooms

Method

  1. Wash the mushrooms and cut as shown in the picture.
  2. Mix the Salt, Turmeric, Jeera and Pepper powders into the cut mushrooms and let this mixture sit for 10 minutes.
  3. In a pan, heat 2 tbsps of oil. When hot, add chopped onions and slit green chilies and fry till the onion turns transparent.
  4. Add the mushrooms and stir well. Add ½ cup of water and cook on a slow flame till the mushrooms are tender.
  5. Add Kachumpuli and mix well. Keep stirring till all the moisture evaporates. Remove from fire and add the chopped coriander leaves and mix well.

Mushroom fry is ready!

This is best served with hot akki votti, chapathi or rice. It is also a great topping for bread.

Notes:

  1. For this recipe, I have used Button Mushrooms. You can use any variety of mushroom that you like.
  2. If you do not have access to Kachumpuli, you can use lime juice. Though it does not give the same taste or color, it still will serve the purpose of adding sourness to the dish.