Crispy Bottle Gourd Peel Chutney, Awards and tags..

Hi Foodies ! Today is a special day in my life, as a new blogger like me has been tagged and sent awards by Parita of Parita’s World. I am really overwhelmed. Thank you Parita for believing in my blog.

Answers to the tag :
1.what is your current obsession?
Collecting bakeware and blogging.

2. What are you wearing today?
A white and maroon chudidar kurta.

3. What’s for dinner?
Moong daal, Crispy bitter gourd and phulkas

4. What’s the last thing you bought?
A bundt pan and coffee essence.

5. What are you listening to right now?
Mejwani Rangatdaar recipes on ETV

6. What do you think about the person who tagged you?

Parita, comes across as an innovative blogger. I like the finesse of her cooking and the ease with which she can present a complicated recipe in a simplified way.

7. If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?

Anywhere in this world provided S and kids are there with me.

8. What are your must-have pieces for summer?

Water, Cotton clothes, Sun glasses and my body spray.

9. If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
UK

10. Which language do you want to learn?
German. I have done a basic course in which I excelled..But that was too many yrs back!

11. Who do you want to meet right now?
My brother in UK.

12. What is your favorite colour?
Black and White

13. What is your favourite piece of clothing in your own closet?

A black and red Baluchari silk saree.

14. What is your dream job?
I guess, to have my own cafetaria with a reading lounge, where I could serve coffee and hot muffins.

15. What’s your favourite magazine?
Cooking and More by Tarla Dalal

16. If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?
Buying a gift for hubby…will gift him on our anniversary falling in this week.

17. What do you consider a fashion faux pas?
Heavy makeup and unfitting clothes.

18. Who are your style icons?
I like the way Kiran Kher carries herself and her ethnic jewellery.

19. Describe your personal style?
Dress to your comfort but in an Indian way.

21. What are your favourite movies?
Lots of them, from where do I start… DDLJ, The Terminal, Jab We Met, MPK , Love Aaj Kal, Dil hai ki Manata nahi…

22. Give us three styling tips that always work for you:

Comfortable Salvar Kurta, my Grey Kajal and a light matte lipstick

23. Coffee or tea?

I am a teetotaler

24. What do you do when you are feeling low or terribly depressed?
Cry out to release the pain, and pray to God to give me courage and patience.

25. What is the meaning of your name?
Flowers Paarijaat in sanskrit

26. Which other blogs you love visiting?
Lots! All the blogs which I have been following and keep searching for more….

27. Favorite Dessert/Sweet?
Black Forest Pastry and Tiramisu

28. Favorite Season?
Winter…at least one does not sweat!

29.Which is your dream destination?

Switzerland

30: Which is your favorite international cuisine ?
Italian

31. My favorite Kitchen tool?

A sharp knife for chopping.

My Question: Your most memorable moment?

The rules are:
Respond and rework – answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, and add one more question of your own. Then tag eight or ten other people.

I am passing on the awards and the tag to

EC of Simple Indian Food

Archana Pritish of Archysrecipe

Arundati of Escapades

Raaga of The Singing Chef

Saee of My Jhola

Preeti Kashyap of Relishing Recipes

Nags of Edible garden

Sangeeta of Banaras ka khana

Most of these bloggers would not know me, but I have been reading their blogs for some time now, except for Saee, Sangeeta and Preeti, whose blogs I discovered recently and loved them instantly. Congrats guys, I am sure that you will love these awards. Pls pick up your awards and pass it on.

Now, coming to my recipe…This is a very healthy chutney and comes as an excellent side dish with any subzi or daal. I learnt this one from my granny. It is a very good way of introducing the very healthy vegetable peels in our food, which are generally thrown away. To my understanding except the bittergourd, all the other gourd peels can be used in a similar way to make this chutney.

Ingredients

grated peel of a small bottlegourd

a handful of peanuts

1-2 tbsp bhuna chana daal ( chutney daal)

4-5 finely chopped green chillies

1 tsp red chili pwd

1/4 tsp turmeric pwd

1 tbsp each of white sesame and poppy seeds

1/4 tsp asafoetida

1 tsp each of coriander and cumin pwd

1/4 tsp citric acid or 1 tsp amchoor pwd

3-4 tbsp oil

salt to taste

1/4 tsp sugar (optional)

Method

Heat oil and add mustard seeds, let them crackle and then add green chilies, asafoetida, peanuts.

Let the peanuts get fried add roasted chana daal, sesame and poppy seeds.

Add the red chili, turmeric, coriander and cumin pwd and saute for 30 secs.

Throw in the grated peel, salt and sugar. Be careful while adding the salt as the volume of the peel reduces considerably on cooking.

Cook on low flame and keep mixing after short intervals to avoid scorching.

Cook till the gourd is crisp..will take 15-20 mins. Now add the citric acid/amchoor. The gourd turd brownish black in colour.

Store in an airtight container. Stays good for about a week.

Tip – Try to use a pan with a flat base.