Alwatti with Corn Curry (Colocasia Leaves Curry)

ALWATTI WITH CORN COB

Colocasia/Taro/Alu leaves are seen in abundance in the tropical region. It adapts well to hot, marshy, humid climate. Very popular dishes are made using these leaves in the southern and western regions of India. Many households grow these beautiful plants in their backyards. They have so big leaves that it contributes to the lush greenness in the yard. Also known as Alu paan, this recipe is called Alwati, it's very tasty and can be made with the various combination of other ingredients like peanuts, jackfruit seeds, corn, channa dal etc. I consider this recipe exotic due to its unique taste, look and feel of the dish :) These leaves are also used in making the famous dish called Patrode or Patra.

HomeGrown Leaves

It is very easy low maintenance plant to grow in your backyard. You can either grow it in a big pot or directly in the soil. Get taro roots from the supermarket and soak it in water for a couple of days till you see small roots popping out of the root. Now all you have to do is plant it about 2-3 inches down in the soil. Water regularly and see this gigantic nutritious leaves coming out in a couple of weeks.

Let's check out the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 6-7 good size Colocasia leaves
• 3/4 cup grated coconut
• 1 small marble size tamarind
• 2-3 green chillies
• 1 inch ginger
• 2 corn cobs cut into pieces
• 4-5 buttermilk chillies (taka mirsang) - optional
• salt to taste

For the tempering:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• pinch asafoetida (hing)
• 10-12 curry leaves

Preparation:

• Chop colocasia leaves along with the stem. Pressure cook leaves and corn cobs for 4 whistles (or cook till corn is done). 
• Make a paste by grinding coconut, tamarind, green chillies and ginger.
• Take a pan, add this paste along with cooked corn and wilted colocasia leaves and bring to a boil.
• Add salt and simmer for few more minutes.
• For the tempering, in a tadka pan add oil, 1/2 tsp mustard seeds, once it splutters add curry leaves and hing. Pour it over the cooked colocasia mixture. Stir gently.
• In the end, add fried buttermilk chillies in the curry and serve hot with roti's or rice. Your aromatic, healthy dish is ready!

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

recipe credit to Anuradha Mudalagiri, my fellow foodie. 

Home-grown Colocasia leaves

Health Benefits: Colocasia leaves are loaded with potassium and several minerals and vitamins. Helps to build a strong immune system, fights fatigue problems, helps lower blood pressure, helps in anti-aging process as it has a high content of hyaluronic acid. It's a low glycemic index food. These are home grown Colocasia leaves :)

Tofu, Vegetables Rice Bowl with Mongolian Sauce

Valentine's Day is here and every year I try to cook something neat, fancy and different from what my kitchen usually witnesses. Again I try to keep it as simple as I can. For the past few years I have been cooking at home instead of going out to an over crowded restaurants. We do a candle light dinner at home and it has become a ritual which all of us enjoy as a family :)

Mongolian food bowls are simple, filling, eye pleasing and yummy in my tummy kinda comfort food. I love their stews, rice bowls, noodle soups and stir fries. I came across this recipe which Sonal had posted. She is a fantastic cook and owns a blog known as simplyvegetarain777!  I had immediately bookmarked it :) Finally I got a chance to make it and it tastes simply awesome.

This dish brings back memories from my office lunch break days when I used to go hog at Mongolian Grill place. Also have fond memories of Genghis Grill where my friends and families have enjoyed fun meals but after witnessing an incident I wouldn't recommend that place :( [hygiene issues].

This Tofu rice bowl with Mongolian sauce is a very simple preparation, you need to chop few veggies, ginger garlic and cook rice, make sauce and put everything together! It is a bowl of slurpicious goodness full of flavors and comfort feeling! Try it and enjoy with your family!

Let us take a look at this Tofu Vegetables Rice Bowl with Mongolian Sauce:

Ingredients: 
for Mongolian Sauce

• 1/2 tbsp Ginger finely chopped
• 1/2 tbsp Garlic finely chopped
• 3- tbsp Soy sauce (low sodium)
• 2 tbsp  Brown sugar 
• 2 tsp veg oil 
• 1 tbsp dissolved in 2 tbsp water - Corn starch/flour 
• 1 cup Water 
• 1 tsp or to taste  Red Chili flakes 

for Stir Fry

• 1 tbsp Oil
• 1 - 2 Red Chili whole dry or fresh
• 4 cups  assorted Vegetables (julienned or roundels carrots, celery, spring onion, broccoli, bell peppers, green beans)
• 1/2 tsp- 1 tsp black pepper powder
• 14 oz / 400 gms (extra firm) Tofu
• Grilled with little salt pepper till slightly golden

about 2 1/2 cups Rice cooked

for Garnish

• Sesame seeds and scallion green

Mongolian Sauce

Tofu

All veggies

Preparation:

Mongolian Sauce

• Dissolve cornstarch (cornflour) in 2 tbsp cold water and set aside.
• Take a heavy bottom sauce pan and heat 2 tsp oil in it. 
• Add ginger and garlic to it and saute on medium heat for few seconds. Now add soy sauce, red chili flakes, brown sugar and water to the pan. 
• Add cornstarch (flour) mixture to it slowly while you keep stirring the sauce.
• Bring it to a boil and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Take it off the gas stove and set aside. Check the salt and adjust. 

Preparing the Vegetable Stir Fry

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in heavy bottom saute pan. Add whole red chili and white part of spring onion to the hot oil. 
• Saute for few seconds and then add all the other vegetables to the pan. Saute them on high heat for about 2-3 minutes, while stirring continuously. Set aside.

Preparing the Tofu

• You can either use the extra firm tofu as is, or buy the baked version from the market. 
• Slice the tofu into rectangular shaped blocks and pan grill it lightly as you sprinkle little salt and pepper over it. Use little oil while frying. Keep aside.

Now put this delicious dish together:

• Take a bowl. Add rice. Add stir fried vegetables and tofu in the bowl.
• Pour Mongolian Sauce over the vegetables and tofu, as desired. Garnish with sesame seeds and the greens of spring onions.
• Serve warm.
• You may adjust the salt and heat of the dish, as desired.

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

You may also like:

Indo- Chinese Fried Rice
Burmese Curry Noodle Soup - Khou Suey
Tofu pan fry

Health Benefits: 

Tofu is a good source of protein and contains all eight essential amino acids. It is also an excellent source of iron and calcium and the minerals manganese, selenium and phosphorous. In addition, tofu is a good source of magnesium, copper, zinc and vitamin B1. Tofu is an excellent food from a nutritional and health perspective. It is thought to provide the same sort of protection against cancer and heart disease as soya beans. Soya protein (from which tofu is derived) is believed to help lower levels of bad cholesterol (LDL). Also take a note of this--> Tofu and all soya products contain large amounts of oxalate. Individuals with a history of oxalate containing kidney stones should avoid over consuming soya products. Women who have or have had oestrogen-sensitive breast tumours should restrict their soya intake to no more than four servings per week.
other than tofu, Stir Fry vegetables contain loads of minerals and vitamins and provide the much needed carbohydrates that our body deserves. Rice is again a low calorie food, one can substitute it with brown rice or brown noodles too.

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