I do not consider myself to be a very innovative cook. I am a recipe follower. Conditioned to be obedient more often than not I follow the instructions to the last word. On a rare occasion, I do come up with an idea which so far has been pleasurably edible if I may a bit immodestly declare. Also, often I find entertaining 19 ardent non vegetarian guests and 1 strictly vegetarian guest. I am sure many are empathizing with me as they peruse this post. On one such evening I came up with this recipe. It is a miracle but the carnivores also really enjoyed this broth.
So, you take a packet of baby corn, wash well and cut into one inch slants. Par boil and set aside. Do exactly the same to to two small hopefully red but orange will also do carrots. Next cut the zucchini like you do the others but please do not boil it. Peel the water chestnut and just halve them.
I use about 2 large onions paste and about half an inch of ginger paste and one large chopped tomato. In a warm wok, add about 2 tbsp oil and add the onion ginger paste when the oil is warm. After stirring gently for 3 mins in not very high heat, add 1 tbsp full coriander powder, 1/2 tsp chilly powder and salt to taste. Next add in the tomatoes and mix well. Cook till the paste is cooked and there is no raw smell. Add the baby corn, water chest nuts and the carrots. Mix again and cover the wok with a lid and reduce the heat control to the lowest. After about 5-6 mins, open the lid and add the zucchini. Stir well. Cover again for another 3 mins. Now pour in about 200 ml of coconut milk, blend everything well with a spatula and allow the broth to simmer for 4 more mins. It is time to add about a cup full of warm water. Check the salt, let the gravy simmer. For a quick punch add a dash of tomato ketch up and you are done.
Enjoy with steamed rice or steamed noodles or rice noodles. The taste is slightly oriental, kind of Burmese. The beauty is that you can serve with either oriental or South Indian cuisine and of course it sparkles in a fusion menu.
Anecdote
Manita is an international word mainly Spanish or Turkish, kind of meaning a beautiful woman. Our Manita is a 'Desi' Nepali now almost Marwari full of life and action and true to its meaning. There is no dull moment around her.You are either dancing (she grooves gorgeously with raunchy Hindi numbers) or singing (some are trying to as they are not given the mike thanks to her over zealous other guests) or eating (especially her delicious desserts) or planning what to wear (her MIL designed Indian wardrobe has been raided by yours truly often) or or or............But you are definitely not just sitting around. Friends of friends, Ady and Manita have often opened up their abode to us and I must say each and every time it has been amidst peals of laughter and pools of alchohol (Ady, are you reading this?)....
At one such karaoke night, Manita made this lovely Beetroot yogurt which I re-created for Shalina's 40th and it was equally appreciated.
Stuff that you must have
3 large beetroots
400 grams yogurt, I use the store bought packs of any brand
4 sprigs of parsley
2 tsp dry oregano
Salt to taste
What to do
At first skin the beetroot and then chop them into 1 by 1 inch cubes. Boil in a pressure cooker with salt and oregano till you hear 4 whistles. This means the the beetroot needs to be boiled but it should still have its crunch. Allow the cubes to cool and come to room temperature. Here I must add that you can serve the beetroot warm water as a warm drink to yourself since you the one toiling as it is packed with nutrients.
Beat yogurt with a gentle whisker. Finely chop parsley and add to the creamy yogurt. Now add the beetroot cubes such that they dunk well into the yogurt. The creamy yogurt will turn into a luscious pinkish purple colour. Refrigerate.
The beauty of this side dish is that it can be served as a 'Raita' with Indian food, or a side with Mediterranean food or a salad with Turkish or Moroccan food. This universal aspect and of course the delicious cool flavours is what attracted me the most to request Manita for the recipe.
How to serve
Just pour in a bowl matching your cuisine and serve.
Trivia
Beetroot cultivated originally by the Greeks and the Romans come in three colours. The red ones we eat, the white ones are grown to procure beetroot sugar and the yellow ones are fed to livestock.
