Zucchini in Tomato Sauce- Zucchini ki Subzi (No Onion No Garlic)

Zucchini is a beautiful summer vegetable. No wonder you see more of it around this time of the year. One of my friend  has her own backyard vegetable garden. Since she has a green thumb, there is an abundance of Zucchinis, tomatoes, peppers, okra, green beans, cucumbers in her garden. Thanks to her I get all these fresh vegetables. This Zucchini is from her garden. 

This recipe is without onion and garlic. Feel free to use it in this recipe though. I'm just trying to have a few recipes without using onion and garlic. Its not that we have stopped eating it any more. In India there are certain days which are auspicious to the Hindus. On those days they cook without using onion/garlic. Some seem to follow this and some don't - to each his own. As for me I don't really follow it but I would like my blog to be able to cater to a majority of the people.

Also I love experimenting with food and try to have a minimalist approach. Just because I have  so many ingredients(spices) I could use in my Indian cooking I don't really have to use all of them in the same dish- do I. Just a thought.  

Ingredients :

• 1 medium size Zucchini cubed
• 2 large tomatoes chopped
• 2-3 green chilies chopped
• 6-8 fresh curry leaves
• 1 tsp black mustard seeds
•  1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1-2 tsp cumin-coriander powder  
• 3-4 tbsp Olive oil
• salt to taste

Preparation :

• Heat oil in a pan or Kadai.  Add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the curry leaves followed by tomatoes and green chillies. Let it cook on medium heat for about 2 minutes. Next add the dry spices- turmeric, red chili powder, cumin-coriander powder and give it a good stir. Add the chopped Zucchini. Stir it well. Season it with salt. Add about 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook on medium to low flame for about 20- 25 minutes or until  the zucchini is cooked. Check from time to time.
• Your Zucchini Ki subzi is ready to be served. Serve this delicious Zucchini in tomato sauce with Parathas, Naan or hot phulkas (Roti /chapati). This goes well with plain rice as well.      

Ratatouille - French Vegetable Stew

Ratatouille is a traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish and said to be originated in Nice. The key ingredient is tomatoes and has onion, garlic, eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers and a mix of green herbs (Basil,  rosemary, thyme). Some use the 'herbes de Provence'  which contain savory, fennel, basil, thyme and lavender flowers.

I love cooking with  fresh herbs and this dish also allows me to use the beautiful and colorful summer vegetables. Ratatouille could be served as a meal on its own or as a side dish. To me this dish could be described as " Summer in a Bowl". Also this gave me the opportunity to use fresh herbs (basil and rosemary) from my small  patio garden. 

Ingredients :

• 1 large eggplant cubed
• 1 zucchini  cut into 1/4 " slices
• 2 green bell peppers cubed
• 1 onion chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• 4 large tomatoes chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 6-7 fresh basil leaves 
• 1-2 sprig of fresh rosemary
• freshly ground black pepper
• salt to taste

Preparation :

• Heat Olive oil in a pan. Add onion and garlic and sauté for about 4-5 minutes.
• Add the eggplant. Stir it well. It is kind of shallow frying them so each of the vegetable is coated with olive oil. Do the same with zucchini, followed by bell pepper.
• Now add the chopped tomatoes and herbs. Season it with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low flame until the vegetables are cooked. Don't cook it too long as the vegetables will all become mushy. Just cook it long enough(15-20 minutes) to be able to  identify the different vegetables. 
• This recipe serves 4. You could serve it with some garlic bread or rice.