White Pumpkin Morkolambu

Okay, we're off on a holiday tomorrow (for 4 days) and I was looking to use up this piece of white pumpkin I had lying in my fridge, before I left. There was no chance of its survival on my return.
Decided to make this ultra quick Morkolambu and freeze it - I've observed that coconut based dishes freeze very well. This way I donot have to be concerned about dinner the night we land.
Two birds with one stone!

Ingredients:
1 cup white pumpkin, chopped into square/ rectangluar pieces
1/2 tsp dana Methi (Fenugreek seeds)
1 tsp jeera (Cumin seeds)
1 tsp oil
2 green chillies
1/2 cup coconut
1 tsp raw rice (to bind)
1 cup buttermilk or diluted curd
1 tsp jaggery
3-4 Curry leaves

Method:
Cook the vegetable in the microwave for 4 minutes or boil the vegetable in water until it is cooked.
Take 1 tsp oil and fry the Methi seeds until it turns fragrant & a slight brown - donot allow to burn.
Grind the coconut and buttermilk with green chillies, raw rice and fried Methi seeds. Add 1 tsp jeera towards the end and pulse again.
Take this mixture in a vessel, add the cooked vegetable and the jaggery and allow one boil.
Finally add the curry leaves.

That's it!

 

Serve with Hot Rice and papad.

Definitely one of my favourite South Indian dishes.

Spinach (Palak)-Mixed Veggie Pasta

I had some Chinese friends coming over for an Indian lunch and I heard a table-full of the usual Indian fare laid out viz Paneer, Chole etc. I needed ONE dish that would add some colour, had a continental flare and incorporated pasta.

I was leaning towards a white sauce mixed vegetable bake and at the last minute decided to incorporate spinach puree. Quite an exciting and simple recipe that turned out to be exactly what I wanted.

Ingredients:

1 bunch spinach - washed and pureed

1 chopped onion

3 cloves garlic - crushed

1 tbsp plain flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1 tsp chilli flakes (I intentionally kept this a tad bland)

1 tsp oregano
1 tsp olive oil
3 fist fulls penne - cooked in boiling water with a good amount of salt
1/2 cup frozen mixed veggies, preferably with corn
6-8 grape tomatoes: halved (for colour)

 

Method:

Heat the oil, add crushed garlic and chopped onion and sautee for 5-7 mins until the onion turns translucent.Add the flour and allow flour to cook and turn light brown.

Slowly add the milk, 1/2 cup at a time and continuously keep stirring until all lumps are removed and the mixture thickens (An alternate method is to make the rue separately in another pan: heat some butter, add flour and allow to cook and finally, add milk until the rue thickens.) I just got lazy and got it all done in the same pan.

Now, incorporate the pureed spinach, chilli flakes, oregano and allow the sauce to boil. Go on to add the frozen mixed veggies and grape tomatoes and cook for 10 more minutes.

Finally add the cooked pasta and top with mozarella cheese, if needed.

I omitted the cheese as my guests had specified no cheese!

Serve with bread.