Eat Well…Feel Well…Be an inspiration!!

I don’t know how many of us like Broccoli… It is not a common vegetable in our family, in S.India and I think not many Indian dishes also comprise this nourishing veggie. Well…now it’s become 1 of our regular vegetables here. It isn’t all that bad at all when made colorful and delicious.

Looks may not be as impressive but gathered that it is highly nutritious – yes its jam packed with vitamins and minerals. On Vit side it contains Vitamins B1 (Thiamin), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), B5 (Pantothenic acid), B6, B9 (Folate), Vitamin C and A and on minerals side it contains calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc.
Added to this I read somewhere that Broccoli actually contains more Vitamin C than many citrus fruits, it has more calcium than an entire glass of milk and that it's an even richer source of fiber than whole wheat bread. (With a Toddler son in hand I tend to behave like a ‘Typical Mom’ now digging all the nutritional value in every bit I can :d)

After getting to know all of the above information I was bent upon getting broccoli to my kitchen as well. As I have mentioned in my earlier posts that I don’t mind indianising few of the Brit veggie too ;). Likewise I tried making Broccoli chutney and turned out to be a hit :)! We use it as a spread as well.

Recipe for Broccoli chutney with mild spice:
Ingredients:

Broccoli florets - 1 Cup
Garlic Cloves - 1
Green Chilies - 2 or 3 (u can adjust according to your spice req)
Cumin seeds – 1tspn
Mustard seeds-1tsp
A pinch of turmeric
A pinch of asafetida
Chana dal/Bengal gram - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal/Black gram - ½ tsp
Curry Leaves – 5to 6leaves
Salt to taste
4 tbsp Oil

Preparation:
Blanch the broccoli. (Add broccoli to boiling water and boil them for 5 minutes).
Fry Broccoli, green chilies, cumin seeds and garlic for 10 minutes with oil.
Add salt to this and grind it to smooth paste.

For the tempering:
Heat oil in a kadai or pan and add mustard seeds, the grams, turmeric, asafetida and lastly curry leaves and take off the heat.
Now add this to the Chutney and enjoy.

Pls note: If you are using it as a spread then do not add the tempering.

Serving suggestions: We like broccoli chutney as an accompaniment with Dosa, akki rotti, idli, and chapattis and use it as a spread for sandwiches :)!!!

Happy Cooking - Be an inspiration!!!