Sweet Pumpkin Spicy Dry Curry

Serves: 2 

Preparation time: 15min 

Cooking time: 20min 

Ingredients

* Sweet Pumpkin - 250gm

* Jeera - 5gm

* Red Chili - 5 (~10)nos

* Turmeric Powder - 5gm

* Channa Dhall - 5gm
* Urad Dhall - 5gm
* Coriander seeds (Dhaniya) - 5gm
* Fenugreek - 5gm
* Peanuts - 10gm
* Oil - 20ml
* Salt - to taste
* Asafetida - to taste
* Curry leaves - to garnish

* Cardamon - 3nos

* Garam Masala - 5gm

Method

* Add 10ml of oil in a pan and heat well

* Fry Channa Dhall, Urad Dhall, Red Chili, Dhaniya, Fenugreek, Jeera, Turmeric Powder, Asafetida, Pea nuts, Cardamon 

* Grind the above fried items relatively thick
* Wash and cut the Sweet Pumpkin
* Add rest of oil in the pan and heat well
* Add the cut Sweet Pumpkin
* Add the ground paste
* Add salt and stir well and allow to boil in medium flame

* Add Garam Masala, Chili powder stir well

* Garnish with curry leaves

Eat hot with any rice item.

Mushroom Spicy Dry Curry

Serves: 2 

Preparation time: 15min 

Cooking time: 20min 

Ingredients

* Mushrooms - 250gm

* Onion (Medium Sized) - 1nos

* Garlic - 5~7cloves

* Jeera - 5gm

* Red Chili Powder - 10gm

* Turmeric Powder - 5gm

* Oil - 20ml
* Salt - to taste
* Asafetida - to taste
* Curry leaves - to garnish

* Cinnamon - 1 piece

* Cardamon - 3nos

* Garam Masala - 5gm

* Channa dhall powder [Besan] - 4-5tbsp

Method

* Wash and cut the Mushrooms
* Cut Onion into fine pieces

* Cut Garlic into fine pieces* Heat 10ml oil in a pan
* Season 5gm of Jeera

* Add Turmeric Powder and stir well

* Add Garlic and fry till it turns light brown 

* Add Onion and fry till it turns translucent

* Add Mushrooms now

* Add salt and stir well and allow to boil in medium flame

* Add Garam Masala, Chili powder stir well

* Once Mushrooms are fully cooked, add the Cinnamon and Cardamon

* Add Besan now and mix well

* Add rest oil and let the mix roast a little

* Garnish with curry leaves

Eat hot with any rice item.

French Beans Spicy Curry

Serves: 2 

Preparation time: 15min 

Cooking time: 20min 

Ingredients

* Fresh French Beans - 250gm

* Onion (Medium Sized) - 1nos

* Garlic - 3~5cloves

* Red Chili - 3~5nos

* Mustard - 5gm
* Urad Dhal - 5gm
* Channa Dhal - 5gm
* Jeera - 5gm

* Fried Groundnut (Pea nuts) - 50gm

* Red Chili Powder - 10gm

* Turmeric Powder - 5gm* Oil - 20ml
* Salt - to taste
* Asafetida - to taste
* Curry leaves - to garnish

Method

* Wash and cut the beans into small pieces(about 0.75cm length)
* Cut Onion into fine pieces
* Heat 10ml oil in a pan
* Season 5gm of Mustard, Urad Dhal, Channa Dhal and Red Chili

* Add Turmeric Powder and stir well* Add Onion and fry till it turns translucent

* Add cut beans now* Add salt and stir well and allow to boil in medium flame
* Mean while mash the garlic and Jeera to make it a coarse paste

* Grind Groundnut.

* Once Beans is fully cooked, add the Garlic, Jeera paste

* Add Groundnut and Red Chili Powder

* Add rest oil and let the Garlic/Beans mix little roast

* Garnish with curry leaves

Eat hot with any rice item.

Bhindi (Okra) Spicy Fry

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 10min 

Cooking time: 20min 

Difficulty: Easy - for beginners 

Ingredients
* Bhindi (Okra) - 250gm
* Red Capsicum (finely chopped) - 1nos
* Green Chili (split lengthwise) - 8~10nos
* Mustard - 1tsp
* Chana dal - 1tsp
* Urad dal - 1tsp
* Cooking Oil - 10ml
* Salt - to taste
* Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp* Asafetida - to taste
* Curry leaves - to garnish
* Aam Choor (or Tamarind paste) - to taste
* Sambar powder - 1tbsp




Preparation
* wash, wipe and cut Bhindi as long slits (about 3/4~1inch length)
* heat oil in a pan
* when oil is hot enough add mustard seeds and allow to splutter
* add chana dal, urad dal and fry a little
* add turmeric power
* add asafetida
* add green chili
* fry well
* add bhindi (okra)
* add salt
* add aam choor (or tamarind paste)

* mix and fry well
* close the pan and simmer the flame and allow to cook for 10min

* now add sambar powder 

* mix well and allow to fry

* garnish with curry leaves

Serve hot with any rice items.

Eating spicy foods can help prevent diseases

Spicy foods add an incredible amount of flavour to food. As ethnic foods become abundant, chili and spicy food is increasingly popular.  The good news is that adding spice to our food has a range of benefits for our health and wellbeing.




Chilies have long been used in traditional medicine, probably first by the Aztecs.  In Russia, a drink called Nastoyka (made from chillies soaked in vodka) has also been taken as a healing remedy.

Reduced Cancer Death Rate

Scientists have proven that capsaicin, which is responsible for the burning sensation when we eat chillies, can kill cancer cells, indicating that people could at least prevent the onset of cancer by eating spicy food.  This is because it is a natural antioxidant, meaning that it defends against disease causing toxins.

According to the World Health Organization, countries where diets are traditionally high in capsaicin have significantly lower cancer death rates for men and women than in countries where little spicy food is consumed.  Dr Timothy Bates who made the discovery, says that “This is incredibly exciting and may explain why people living in countries like Mexico and India, who traditionally eat a diet which is very spicy, tend to have lower incidences of many cancers that are prevalent in the western world.”

According to Bates, capsaicin attacks the power house of the tumour, thus killing the cancerous tumour cells and reducing tumour growth without harming the surrounding healthy cells. Capsaicin has been found to inhibit the growth of cancer cells in laboratory studies.

Prevents Dangerous Blood Clots

As well as preventing cancer, researchers have also noticed that people who consume large amounts of chili peppers experienced a lower incidence of thrombo-embolism, or potentially dangerous blood clots.  

Scientists have studied the medical records of countries where spicy foods are regularly consumed, and found that people who eat a diet high in chillies experience a much lower incidence of blood clotting diseases.  It has now been scientifically proven that capsicum is able to break down blood clots.

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