Naadan Vegetable Curry

Ever googled for a vegetable curry recipe?? If it’s “no” for an answer, then pls don’t as you wud be in a world of zillions of recipes leaving you wonder as to which one to choose amongst them. And so, as per one of my friend’s request who was a novice in cooking and had found herself in a dilemma in the above sphere, I decided to help her out and benevolently passed on my simple version of an easy vegetable curry to her. And luckily enough, it was later commented upon as an highly appreciated dish by her better half. Phew!!! Thank God…for saving both of us...especially me…from a most likely embarrassment…. :-)

So, wondering what’s so special about this curry…. Well honestly…absolutely nothing!! :) Except for the fact that this comes very handy on those days when you are too wearied out to cook something very special for dinner and find yourself swearing and finally succumbing to the usual dhal curry…. And what better to make when those taste buds of yours wud be yearning for something very tasty and healthy yet something that can be made in a hurry…to go along with a couple of hot hot rotis…. A perfect duo to complete an appetizing meal!!!

And that’s what gave me the inspiration to make or rather modulate this popular curry accdg to my family tastes and needs. Though the basic guidelines for this recipe follows the one of that of a simple Potato curry, I worked on it and tried to make it more tastier and nutritious by adding other mushy veggies like carrots, peas and beetroots as well…making it quite colorful and appealing to my little one…who as u know like all kids, is quite “allergic” to beetroot and kind. :)

So, here’s how the recipe for this simple curry goes…

You’d require
2 large Potatoes
1 medium sized Beetroot
1 medium sized Carrot
A handful of Green peas
2 small Tomatoes
1 large Onion
1 tsp of chopped Ginger
1 tsp of finely chopped Green chillies
A few Curry leaves
½ tsp of Turmeric powder
1 tsp of Kashmiri chilly powder
1 tsp of Mustard seeds
½ tsp of Cumin seeds (optional)
Oil – As required
Salt – As required

1)Clean well and cut the veggies into halves.
2)Pressure cook the halved potatoes, beetroot and carrot. Peel off the skin and keep it aside.
2)Thaw and cook peas separately. Keep it aside too.
3)Thinly slice onion and tomatoes.
4)Heat oil in a pan and splutter mustard seeds ad cumin seeds.
5)Add curry leaves, onion, green chillies and ginger and sauté, till onions turn soft and pink.
6)Add tomatoes and sauté, till it blends well.
7)Add turmeric powder and chilly powder and sauté for a while.
8)Add mashed veggies along with cooked peas and mix well.
9)Add water followed by salt and mix well.
10)Simmer for a few minutes till it’s consistency gets thick.

Easy to cook and light on the ingredients, this dish goes very well with chappathis, pooris, and even appams…. And usually it’s the leftover from the fridge which is in great demand the very next day as it tastes better the next day….:) Another good thing is that it can even be used as a masala stuffing while making dosas….. The crimson colored masala stuffing inside the Ghee roast…quite reminding me of the Masala Dosa you get in “Indian Coffee House”, a very popular restaurant in India. Well, if you are making masala dosas at home, at least you don’t have to peek thru the layers of the dosa trying desperately to find the masala inside as you’d be doing in the hotels….:) Honestly, I have come across such situations many a times before eventually making me go for something else that is hot, spicy and filling. :)

Coming back to the recipe, you can emit any of the above listed veggies or include others of your choice accdg to the availability, your tastes and moods. And again, let me tell you that this is not an authentic recipe for vegetable curry as this dish is one of a kind in Indian cuisine which has undergone different kinds of experimentation since ages. Consequently, people improvised on the same based on their cuisine style to get good outcomes to suit their palates. So, guys, let your imaginations run wild, play around with the spices and cook up something exceptional to contribute to the veg curry recipe world thereby leaving a mark of the magic touch of your hands. Or rather popularly known as “Kaippunyam” in Malayalam…. :) Good luck!!!

So, on that note, happy cooking!!!