Tuesday 21 June 2011

Zucchini mezhukkupuratti (zucchini stir fried with Indian spices)

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My friend J, my sis-in-law and myself were having this conversation on FB about a beetroot chocolate cake, a while back, and somehow the conversation turned to zucchini bread. We were commenting on each others' reaction to using vegetables in baking and J mentioned her moms yummy zucchini mezhukkupuratti. It sounded like a great idea and I made a note to pick some up the next item I went grocery shopping.

That very evening we headed to Sainsburys to pick up some stuff and Ro started his usual rants about 'how we don't eat enough veggies' and how 'brocolli is awesome.' So to shut him up I said we'll pick up anything but the wretched broc and steered towards the spinach and cabbage aisles. 'Cabbage has absolutely no health benefits, he said (I have to check on that btw!) and made a face. Since I am now so used to just nodding and agreeing to anything he says (without actually listening), I nodded this time too, but put in a packet of spinach into the trolley. That's it? was his next question and by then I was losing it..this is about 5 minutes into the shopping experience. I saw a packet of zucchini and grabbed the last one saying this is very good. 'But its like a cucumber, only water.' Me (rolling my eyes) managed to ignore him. At that point I would have done anything to not let him pick that broccoli. God I hate that vegetable with a vengeance.
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(Just a note to all the new wives out there...never take your husband grocery shopping. If he's anything like mine, you'd go mad, and also end up with a whole lot of unnecessary stuff which you'd have to eventually cook..not to mention the hefty bill amount. If the bags are too heavy to carry, call him just before you pay the bill). If there is one thing I've learned after 5 years of being married, its never to take your husband grocery shopping or send him grocery shopping alone. I get at least 10 calls from the shop asking me which variety of oil did i think was best. Trust me, I have proof for this...

Anyhoo, back to zucchini. Having experimented with zucchini only a few times, I was pretty apprehensive about how it would turn out. I am not too good with mallu preparations and till now don't know how to make the perfect thoran or mezhukkupuratti. So when J wrote back saying it is made like the usual mezhukkupuratti, I was a bit concerned. I don't know how the usual one is made, and so googled it. This would probably be my 1st ever mezhukkupuratti on my blog (after the really sad looking one here) and I hope you guys enjoy it. We loved it a lot!

Thanks a lot to J and her mom for the brilliant idea :)
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Zucchini- 3 medium, chopped into cubes (approx. 3 cups)
Onion- 1 small, roughly chopped
Garlic- 3 pods, finely chopped (or 1 tsp garlic paste)
Ginger- 1/2 inch piece, finely chopped (or 1/2 tsp paste)
Dry red chilli- 1
Green chillies- 2, slit
Cumin powder- 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder- 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves- a sprig
Oil- 1/2 tbsp
Salt- to taste
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Heat oil in a kadai and throw in the mustard seeds.
Once they splutter add the curry leaves, green chillies, red chilli, garlic and ginger. Saute for a few minutes.
Add onions and cook till they turn soft.
In goes the turmeric powder and cumin powder. Mix well to coat the onions and cook till it doesn't smell raw any more.
Throw in chopped zucchini and salt, stir to combine. Close with a lid and cook on medium low for about 10 minutes, stirring in between to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom.
The zucchini lets out enough water, so you might want to open the lid and cook after a while. Over cook it, and it will turn mushy.
We had it with rice, dal, cutlets and pickle..bliss!
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Notes: The oil somehow oozed out quite a bit when I used about 1 tbsp, and so have reduced it to 1/2 a tbsp
It was also a tad towards the spicier side, so go easy on the chillies if you want a milder version.

38 comments:

Ria Mathew said...

Nisha, I can relate with you so well about the grocery shopping! Even Jobin says we don't eat enough of veggies and actually picked up Zucchini once. I made a stir fry with it and it was really good! :)

I used to dislike brocolli till I made Swapna's Brocolli Mappas. It's cooked so well that there's no taste of it :) I also once chopped it very very fine and added it to my usual tomato-onion curry that I make for chapathi. That was also really nice...just that I could see a bit of green in there. Otherwise you will not say there's brocolli in it.

Unknown said...

Yum, that looks wonderful :)

Priya Suresh said...

Thats a quick and delicious stir fry, would love to have with a bowl of rice..

Sunitha said...

Pretty pictures again Nisha. I have to agree, shopping with husbands can be crazy at times with each picking they want and ending up with a huge bill and never cooking perishables in time.

divya said...

looks awesome dear..lovely recipe.

Reshmi Mahesh said...

Stir fry looks yummy with a lovely combination of spices...

Suganya said...

Nice way to eat a vegetable. Looks so good. Neat presentation.... YUM!

Anonymous said...

I have no choice .. have to take him.. yet to get my licence. He introduced me to raw plantain -- his fav .. then yam -- another fav .. then lotus root -- another fav. Can you visualize my reaction even as I am typing .. BLEH !! i hate those. He loves Broccoli .. boiled with some butter like the way they serve in chilly .. That's the story of my life :)
Now, Zucchini is something i like and enjoy it anyway and every way. I will try this .. it will taste great with roti!
www.sunshineandsmile.com

Swathi said...

I make throan with zucchini, not mezhukupuratti, looks like it is delicious.

Binys Recipes said...

I love zuchinni cos it blends well with anythg...i discovered it in the near future,,,,stir fry looks gud

Hamaree Rasoi said...

Thoroughly enjoyed your post :-)
I too adoid taking him to the super markets. Even if I hand over a list of things to buy he will invariable miss half of those !!!
Stir fry looks delicious

Deepa
Hamaree Rasoi

Sravs said...

Looks so delicious !!

Rinku Naveen said...

Interesting recipe Nisha! And loved your write up. It sounded very much like me.. :)

Riya said...

LOL... i guess Achayan was corret ..its a low calorie fruit with little vitamins here and there . Arabs use lot of this fruit especially with grilled stuff as a part of their diet ( thats what they say) . I have got to try this anyways ! Nice pics d! bravo !

Lena Jayadev said...

yes i agree to that...As Ria told, Swapna's brocolli mappas was so tasty.. snaps are too tempting Nishs :)

Unknown said...

Nice veggie with a interesting twist...pretty clicks

Santosh Bangar said...

looking inviting

Plateful said...

We use zucchini a lot in our cooking...make mezhukkupuratti, use it in sambar, or with dal, etc.

Girl, I can relate a lot to your advise of not shopping with your hubby...men will always be men, elle? ...and guess what? I have 4 males at home! :))

btw cabbages are rich in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and cancer protecting substances. A vitamin packed 5-a-day :)

Sarah said...

I agree with you about not taking the husband grocery shopping! But then the story of my life is not to take the husband for any kind of shopping at least if we intend to have a peaceful day :) The zuchini dish looks good! the only way i like it is marinated in chillipowder and salt and deep-fried :P hehe and hence i dont buy it often :)

Vineetha Sush said...

LOl,I think everybody has the same story to tell :) Even I dont broccoli on its own,but I cook it with prawns which makes it better.My hubby will defintely love this mezhukuperatti,when he used to be a bachelor he cooked thorans and stir fries with almost all the veg in the world,even with salad veg !he used to make leek,spring onion and even celary thoran :)

aipi said...

I sometimes make zucchini dal, but never used it in a curry.Nicely taken pictures.
US Masala

Prathima Rao said...

Nice write up :) And loved this simple, healthy stir fry flavored with South indian spices!!
Prathima Rao
Prats Corner

Suja Manoj said...

Interesting recipe dear..healthy and yummy

Nitha said...

Interesting recipe dear.. Loved the grocery shopping story.. But I saw myself in Ro's place ;)

Anonymous said...

My husband also interferes a lot while grocery shopping.Now I have found a store where there's an electronics store next door- some relief :) I really dont like zucchini but love your creative indian spin on it!

Unknown said...

lol i hear the same from sis, i laugh at it that even more irritates her.

and i never hate brocolli i can eat them even if it is just boiled slurp :P

oh that baby zucchini is darling so fresh such a new recipe to try with zuks oh those spoons are so pretty i wanted to own one for myself in all colours!

Nami | Just One Cookbook said...

Hi Nisha! I love zucchini, but I have never cooked just zucchini alone. I love how you cooked this with spices. I can't eat spicy, but if I omit, I have everything in my pantry! I'll be giving this a try. It'll be a very nice side dish!

Miriam Korula said...

Seena is a big fan of adding zucchini in everything...she was saying that even adds them in sambhar now...;)...this looks like a nice way of having them...will try this someday...:)

Nithya said...

Simple and delicious :) I just cant stop looking into your awesome clicks :)

JishasKitchen said...

wow..beautiful pics...and mezhukkupuratti looks absolutely delicious and inviting...:)

Raks said...

Lovely clicks,makes one feel so comforting looking at those,nice recipe too!

Padhu Sankar said...

As usual nice write up .Love this quick and delicious stir fry with rice .

Deepti said...

Zuccine stir fry can be made so attractive ?? Thanks for the lovely snaps nisha

http://www.panchamrutham.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

i've been just nodding my head in acceptance all through ur post....every bit I read was as if I was reading an excerpt from my own life :-). I've never tried zucchini but urs looks really good.
My husband too says we don't eat enough vegetables n blah.. And everytime we r at the leafy veg. section, he'd take bunches of palak leaves (I hate!). And to spite him I take Okra :-). after 5years of marriage (yea same here too), we've learnt to come to some sort of understanding..obviously I Cook.. I control! :) Also,I now take him grocery shopping so that he can take care of my naughty play-schooler cos of which my husband has not much time to even look around!

Unknown said...

have some fresh home grown Zukes and am always looking for fresh ways of cooking them - This is a lovely and simple recipe :) thanks for sharing dear!

Anonymous said...

Had such a good laugh reading your grocery shopping adventure!! Boy, the amount of unnecessary stuff these guys can buy... in my case promising to cook whatever he has bought (ahemmm, still waiting to see that happen)
This mezhukkupuratti looks like a great and tasty way to prepare zucchini! I really like the name, too!

Unknown said...

Enjoyed your write-up Nisha :) I have never tried mezhukkupuratti with zucchini. Will try and let you know..

Monet said...

This looks so very good, and we have so much zucchini around our house right now! Thank you for sharing with me. Visiting your blog is always a great way for me to end my weekend. I hope you have a wonderful start to your week. Many blessings!