Raw Papaya Manchurian

A spicy Indo chinese dish that I had to give a try when raw papayas were in plenty at home - got around 3 to 4 big papayas from my mom's place.

Ingredients:

For the Koftas:

Raw Papaya (medium sized) - 1/2
Onion - 1/2
Ginger Chilli Paste - 1 tsp
Powdered Salt - 1 tsp
Maida - 1/2 cup
Rice Flour - 1 tbsp
Oil - To deep fry

For the Manchurian Sauce:

Onion - 1 (finely chopped)
Corn Flour - 1½ tbsp
Soya Sauce - 1½ tbsp
Worcestershire Sauce - 1½ tsp
Tomato Sauce - 1 tbsp
Sugar - 2 tsp
Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp
Tomatoes (medium sized) - 3 (make paste)
Coriander Leaves (finely chopped) - 1 tbsp
Oil - For frying

Grind Together:

Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 4 flakes
Red Chillies - 7
Onion - 1 

Method:

1.  Soak red chillies for 10 minutes in warm water and grind with roughly chopped onion, ginger, and garlic to a smooth paste.  Set aside.

2.   Wash, cut, peel, and grate the papaya using a large-eyed grater.

3.  Mix finely chopped onions, ginger chilli paste, salt, rice flour, and maida to the grated papaya.

4.  Make small lemon sized balls and deep fry in hot oil until golden brown.  Drain excess oil and keep aside.

5.  To make the manchurian sauce, heat oil in a kadai or a shallow frying pan.

6.  Add 2 tsp of sugar in the oil and allow to caramelize.

7.  When it turns golden, add the chopped onions and fry in high flame for few minutes.

8.  Add the ground red chilli paste and stir well.

9.  Pour the tomato paste and allow to cook for few minutes.

10.  Add salt, pepper powder, the sauces, and corn flour diluted in 1½ to 2 cups of water.

11.  Stir well till it becomes like a thick sauce.

12.  Add the deep fried papaya balls and cook for a minute.  Then, transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rotis or fried rice.

Notes:

Vegetable Marrow (Suraikai or Lauki) can be used in this recipe instead of raw papaya.

Aji-no-moto can be added both in the kofta balls and also the manchurian sauce.  I did not use.

Replace chopped spring onion tops to garnish instead of chopped coriander leaves.

(Recipe adapted from Mrs. Mallika Badrinath's Delicious Vegetarian Curries Marrow Manchurian.)

Adjust salt and spices according to your family's taste.  We like the hot and spicy way.

Other raw papaya recipes that you can give a try 

Homemade Tutti Fruiti

Raw Papaya Caramel Muffins

Happy Cooking!!

Channa/Kondai Kadalai/Chickpea Kuzhambu

Source:

Mrs. Ranganayaki


Serves: 2


Ingredients:

Chickpea/Channa/Kondai Kadalai - 1/8 cup (heaped)

Thuar Dal - 1/8 cup (leveled)

Tamarind - 1 Marble sized ball (5 gm)

Sambhar Powder - 2 tsp

Salt - 1 tsp

Seasoning:

Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Urad Dal - 1/4 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida Powder - 1/4 tsp

Oil - 1 tsp

Curry Leaves - Few

To Garnish:

Coriander Leaves (finely chopped) - 1 tbsp


Method:

1.  Wash and soak channa overnight for a minimum of 6 hours.

2.  Pressure cook channa and thuar dhal with enough water until 3 to 4 whistles.

3.  Soak tamarind in 1/2 cup water and take extract.

4.  In a kadai, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds, curry leaves, and asafoetida (hing).

5.  Then pour the tamarind extract into the kadai and bring to boil.  Add salt and sambhar powder and boil for a minute.

6.  Add the cooked channa and thuar dhal and bring to boil adding the water used to boil channa and the dhal.  When the kuzhambu becomes thick and all ingredients are well combined, switch off the flame and transfer to a serving dish.  Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves.

This kuzhambu goes well with cooked rice, dosa, or idlis.

Carrot Kara Kuzhambu

Source:

Mrs. Santhi Vijayakrishnan, Aval Vikatan (30 Carrot Varieties)


Ingredients:

Carrots - 2 medium sized (chopped)

Tamarind - Lime sized ball

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

Grated Coconut - 1 tbsp

Salt - 1 tsp or to taste

To fry and grind:

Thuar Dhal - 1 tsp

Bengal Gram Dhal - 1 tsp

Coriander Seeds - 2 tsp

Fenugreek - 1/4 tsp

Asafoetida powder - 1/4 tsp

Red Chillies - 6

For Seasoning:

Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Fenugreek - 1/4 tsp

Curry Leaves - Few

Gingelly Oil - 1 tbsp


Method:

1.  In a hot kadai, dry fry the dhals, coriander seeds, fenugreek, asafoetida, and red chillies as given in the fry and grind list.  To this, add 1 tbsp of freshly grated coconut and grind to a smooth paste adding enough water.

2.  Soak tamarind in 1-1/2 cups water and make an extract.

3.  Heat kadai, add 1 tbsp of gingelly oil and add the seasoning ingredients.  Add chopped carrots and stir well.  Pour the tamarind extract and bring to boil.  Add turmeric powder and salt.  Allow to boil until the carrots are cooked.  Mix in the ground paste and allow to boil until a thick gravy is formed.  Serve hot with rice or dosas.

Suraikkai Kofta Curry

Suraikkai in Tamil
Churakka in Malayalam
Sorakaya in Telugu
Lauki in Hindi
Bottle Gourd in English

Adapted from Gayathri's My Home Kitchen

Ingredients:

For Koftas:

Bottle Gourd - 1/4 kg

Bengal Gram Flour (Kadala Maavu/Besan) - 1/2 cup

Cornflour - 1 tbsp

Salt - As per taste

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp

Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp

Red Chilli Powder - 1 tsp

Cumin Seeds/Saunf - 1/2 tsp

Oil - For frying koftas

For Gravy:

Onion - 1

Tomatoes - 3

Garlic - 2 flakes

Ginger - 1 inch piece

Tomato Ketchup - 1 tbsp

Chilli Sauce - 1 tsp

Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp

Cloves - 2

Cinnamon - 1 inch piece

Nutmeg powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)

Cumin Seeds/Saunf - 1/4 tsp

Fresh Cream - 2 tbsp

Salt - As per taste

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Fresh Coriander Leaves (Chopped) - 1 tbsp

Cashew/Til/Khus Khus Powder - 1 tsp (optional)


Method:

1.  Wash the bottle gourd, peel the skin, and grate it.

2.  Mix grated bottle gourd and all other ingredients listed for koftas (except oil).  Mix well to form a loose dough.

3.  Heat oil in a kadai.  Make small balls of the dough above and deep fry them until golden brown.   Keep aside.

4.  Grind together chopped onion, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes to make a paste.

5.  In a pressure pan, heat ghee.  Add cloves and cinnamon.  Splutter cumin seeds/saunf.

6.  Add the ground mixture and mix well.

7.  Add salt, red chilli powder, tomato ketchup, chilli sauce, cashew powder, and nutmeg powder.  Mix well.

8.  Close the lid of the pan and pressure cook until 1 whistle or for 5 minutes.

9.  Allow to cool and then open the lid of the pressure pan.  The gravy would have cooked.

10.  Now, switch on the stove, slide in the fried koftas gently and bring to a boil with lid closed (do not put the weight on).

11.  Open the lid and drizzle in the fresh cream.  Switch off the flame, transfer to a serving dish, and serve hot with finely chopped coriander leaves as a garnish.

Enjoy this suraikkai/bottle gourd kofta curry with rotis, steamed rice, fried rice, or dosas.

The deep fried koftas can be had as such too.  They are crispy on the outside and soft inside.  You can't stop yourself gobbling them off before you add them to the gravy.

I used pressure pan to make the gravy.  The same can be done in a kadai also.