(Lima) Beans and Delhi Cha(a)t

Simple is Beautiful

This weekend, I am returning to Weekend Herb Blogging (WHB), hosted by Kalyn. For my second entry into this very fun and informative event, I brought a vegetable that I doubt is scarce or rare anywhere. On the contrary, it is very popular across different cultures. Yes, bunnies love it and a lot of humans too. Carrot, it is.

One reason I like the WHB concept so much is the amount of fun learning it brings with itself. Before I decided to write this entry, I didn’t know there were two categories of carrots – Eastern and Western. Neither did I know that this root vegetable was first cultivated in Afghanistan and brought to the Mediterranean some 2000 years ago. My knowledge of the red/orange root was limited to the fact that it was great for your eyes. It sure is, but this sweet vegetable packs quite a few surprises within its slender frame. Health benefits of carrots include boosting immunity, reducing the risk of heart ailments and high blood pressure, healing wounds, cleansing the liver, fighting infection, and improving muscle and skin health. To learn more on this very edible and nutritious veggie, read this article at the Carrot Museum and this one at Wiki.

The recipe I have using carrot is extremely simple, easy to cook, and wonderful in taste. I learned it quite by accident, while watching Madhur Jaffrey’s “Flavours of India” on Discovery Travel & Living. This particular episode featured her traveling to the Western Indian state of Gujarat, which is predominantly vegetarian.

I cooked the carrot dish with a slight variation (by adding just one new ingredient), and was delighted at the result. I don’t know the traditional/regional name for this dish, so calling all Gujarati readers out there to help me with that! For now, we can just call it carrots stir fried with green chilly. Just as simple and unassuming as it sounds, trust me.


Carrots Stir Fried with Green Chilli:

Ingredients:

Carrots- 4-6, Julienned
Green chillies- 3-4, slit in the middle
Mustard seeds – ½ teaspoon
Curry Leaves (my added ingredient) – 1 sprig
Lime - 1
Salt
Oil for frying-- 1 ½ tablespoon

Method:

1. Wash the carrots, chillies and curry leaves and drain excess water off carrots.
2. Heat oil in a skillet and drop the mustard seeds.
3. When the seeds splutter, add the carrots, chillies, and curry leaves. Mix in nicely.
4. Cook till the water from carrot dries out and they turn tender.
5. Add the lime juice and salt and stir for some more time.
6. Serve hot with chapatti, parantha, bread or as a side dish to rice.

As simple as it is to make, this dish tastes great. The sweetness of the carrots and the tanginess of lime juice blend in perfectly with the mustard seed and curry leaves flavour. It was a huge hit at our home.


Here’s hoping you like it as much as I did :)

Sury

PS: Kalyn’s blog is also in contention for the Best of Blogs award. You could find the link to vote on her blog. Here’s wishing all the best to you, Kalyn!

posted by Sury at 10:17 AM