My first big 10

Yes !!! I have hit the 10 lbs mile marker this week. At my Week#7 weigh-in I measured a whole 2.6lbs lighter. Needless to say celebration was to ensue. The day started with a full-course fish lunch at a friends place made by his dear Mom. Fish in all forms, curry,fried,. Evening was none better with a Haldi-Kunku celebration at another friends house,where she served super-soft idlis and chutney. But in both cases I think I faired well. I stuck to my 2 chapatis and less than 1/2 cup rice.I tried to avoid second servings of the fish curry since it had a coconut base,and I traded that for a few bites of mithai and ice cream. Oh and anyways, that’s whats those 35 bonus points are for each week. To splurge,so this weekend I did.

Now that my weight-loss is noticeable,at least to some, people are inquiring about it. My friend Rach has already started eating healthier foods and lost 2 lbs. I seemd to have rubbed off on my aunt, who is a radiologist by profession, too. She began her journey by skipping a meal the day i told her my 10 lbs loss. I had to tell her that stravation was not a great choice. The guilt can make you skip only so many meals before you splurge into mindless eating.Anyways,my point is my success at this is influencing others too. And I think thats great. I think people feel, if I can do it,so can they. I on the other hand feel,I owe all these people an accountability now, more than before.And that keeps me going.

Today’s recipe is a dish we tried at our favourite Gujrati thali restaurant in New Jersey,Jhupdi. I had mentioned about it in my post before. When the waitress mentioned ,Turiya-Patra it sounded like a unusual combination. I had to ask her to repeat herself,just so I was sure what the ingredients were. But the dish turned out to be incredibly tasty, a sweet sour taste of the Patra with the slight crunch of thr turiya.

To the unknowns, Turiya (Parwar/Turai) is ridge gourd. Ridge gourd is very close to zucchini in taste. Patra (Alu wadi) is a dish made from colocassia/taro root leaves. Think about deli swirls  but done with greens like spinach minus the meat. Mad Tea Party and Vee of Past,Present and Me both have excellent instructions to make these at home, that is if you find colocassia leaves. For those of us lazy and not resourceful enough, frozen Patras by Deep will make do instead. To recreate this dish,I found a recipe online, however it seemed to be dry compared to what I had in the restaurant. So I contacted a couple of my Gujju friends and had thier moms share their secret. Powdered by the recipes, but aving tried this dish only once, I made my own from the taste and flavor I could remember.DH gave his stamp of approval.And sometimes thats all that matters,isnt it?

This is my entry to Food In Colors-Yellow Event hosted by Sunshinemom of Tongue Ticklers

Turiya Patra Bhaji

1/2 packet of frozen Patra (Deep brand)
1 1/2 cup turiya  (ridges removed,peeled and diced)
2 tsp canola oil
5-6 curry leaves
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder(dhania powder)
1/2 tsp cumin powder (jeera powder)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp brown sugar or jaggery
salt

1. Peel the Turiya(ridge gourd) by first removing the ridges till smooth. Then peel off the green skin too,escpecially if the turiya is wilting dry.Then dice up the white part of the gourd into thin quarters.
2. Thaw the frozen patra and chop a few of them into quarters. Leave a few as whole rounds.
3. Heat oil, add mustard seeds and hing and allow it to splutter. Add curry leaves.
4. Add diced turiya  and let cook. You may add some water if needed.
5. Add turmeric,red chilli powder, coriander powder ,cumin powder and jaggery/sugar and let the gourd cook .
6. When the turiya (gourd) pieces are soft add the patra pieces and mix it all well . Add salt to tast
7. The patra will soften and and may even disintegrate but that lends the flavor. Cook for about 5 mins and serve.

Servings: 3 (half cup servings)
Points : 3 per serving