Spinach coconut dhal is really simple dish for kids. It is easy way to make them eat greens.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Serves up to 3-4 people
Ingredients:
150 grams of baby spinach
1/2 cup of yellow moong dhal
1/4 tsp of turmeric
2 green chillies
1 tsp of cumin seeds
2 tbsp of grated coconut
1/2 tbsp of ghee
salt as required
Seasoning:
1/2 tsp of mustard
1 red chilly
pinch of asafoetida
Preparation:
1.Pressure cook moong dhal, finely chopped spinach,green chillies,turmeric along with 3 cups of water.
2.Grind coconut and cumin seeds together in to a coarse paste. Add the paste and salt to cooked dhal. Mix well and bring it to boil.
3.In a separate pan, heat ghee and add the seasoning. As the mustard sputters, add the seasoning to the dhal. Spinach coconut dhal is ready and serve with rice.
I made cabbage vadai for Holi party as an appetizer. My friend does not eat onion or garlic. So I have to find the substitute for onion. I was surprised that the cabbage ended up as a great substitute for onion. This can be a good idea for pooja days when we avoid onions.
Ingredients:
1 cup of Bengal gram(channa dhal)
1/2 tbsp of rice flour
4 green chilies
1 inch grated ginger
1 small cup of cabbage
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 sprig of curry leaves
2 tbsp of chopped coriander
salt as required
Oil for deep frying
Preparation:
1.Soak channa dhal in water for 2 hours. Filter the water and grind little coarsely. (Do not add any additional water).
2.Finely chop the cabbage,green chilies, ginger, curry leaves and coriander leaves and add them to the ground dhal. Add cumin seeds, rice flour and salt to the ground mixture. Mix well.
3.Make a small patty and put in the preheated oil. Once the patty turns golden brown, cabbage vadai is ready. Serve with chutney.
Peas masala is a Punjabi dish made with peas in a creamy sauce. I tried yogurt instead of heavy cream. Believe me the taste is heavenly!
Serves up to 3-4 people
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup of sweet peas
1 green bell pepper (capsicum)
2 large onions
3 medium sized tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic
1 inch of ginger
1 tsp of red chilly powder(~spice level)
1 tsp of garam masala (MTR brand)
1/4 tsp of turmeric
1/4 cup of yogurt
2 tbsp of butter
coriander for garnish
salt as required
Preparation:
1.Heat 1 tbsp of butter in the pan. To the melted butter, add roughly chopped onions, garlic, ginger and saute for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and saute till the tomatoes are wilted.
2.Allow them to cool and grind them in to a paste. Heat 1 tbsp of butter in the skillet and add the chopped green bell pepper and saute for 2 minutes. I added green bell pepper to give some crunchiness to the masala.
3.Then add the peas, turmeric, red chilly powder and garam masala.
Saute for a minute and add the ground paste and half cup of water. Close the lid and allow it to cook for 15-20 minutes.
4.Switch off the flame and mix the yogurt. Add coriander for garnish. Serve with roti.
Pesarattu is very popular tiffin in Andhra Pradesh. This dish is made with moong dhal without rice. Pesarattu is served with ginger chutney and upma(optional).
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of whole green moong dhal
3 green chillies
1 tbsp of grated ginger
2 tbsp of cumin seeds
oil as required
salt as required
Preparation:
1. Soak moong dhal in water over night. Grind moong dhal with green chillies and ginger in to a smooth paste. Add water and salt to make a dosai batter consistency. Set aside for half an hour.
2.Heat the tawa and pour one ladle of batter on the tawa. Using the base of the ladle make a thin consistent layer on the tawa.
3.Sprinkle 1/4 tsp of cumin seeds on the batter and pour 1 tsp of oil. Allow the batter to turn golden brown and turn to the other side. Pesarattu is ready in 2 minutes. Serve with sambhar/ ginger chutney.
Ennai kathrika is a really delicious dish which I made as a dry curry. This can be made tangy and gravy with tamarind water. But I wanted to flavor with peanuts, poppy seeds and garlic. Definitely they beat the blandness and give some unique taste.
Serves up to 3 people
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
10 small eggplant (Indian brinjal)
1 tbsp of poppy seeds
1 tsp of sesame seeds
1 1/2 tbsp of coriander seeds
1/2 tsp of red chilly powder(~spice level)
1 tbsp of cumin seeds
4 dried red chillies
8 fenugreek seeds
2 tbsp of grated coconut
2 tbsp of roasted peanut powder*
1 tsp of garam masala
4 cloves of garlic
oil as required
salt as required
Preparation:
1.Dry roast coriander seeds, poppy seeds, cumin seeds, red chillies, fenugreek, coconut and garlic one by one till they turn golden brown. Allow it to cool on a plate and grind them along with salt in to coarse powder. Mix them with roasted peanut powder.
2.Slit crosswise in the bottom of eggplant and stuff them with the ground powder. Add 2 tbsp of oil to the pan, add the stuffed brinjal to the pan. Sprinkle the red chilly powder, garam masala and remaining ground powder on the top of the eggplant.
3.Close the lid for 10 minutes and then turn the eggplants to the other side and allow them to cook. Add 1-2 tbsp of oil and allow the eggplants to get roasted and cooked. This is definitely a yummy dish - try with rice.
*Dry roast peanuts and powder them.
Chayote is lightly cooked to retain the crisp flavor. Raw chayote can be added to salads or salsas. Whether raw or cooked, chayote is a good source of amino acids and vitamin C. This kootu is enriched with coconut and spices.
Serves up to 3-4 people
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
1 chow chow
1 small onion
4 cloves of garlic
3/4 cup of toor dhal
1/2 tsp of turmeric
1 tsp of cumin powder
1 tbsp of oil
salt as required
Seasoning:
1/2 tsp of urad dhal
1/2 tsp of mustard
1 dried red chilly
1 sprig of curry leaves
Grinding:
3 green chillies
2 tbsp of grated coconut
1 tbsp of cumin seeds
Preparation:
1.Pressure cook toor dhal with 1/4 tsp of turmeric and 2 cups of water. Grind the ingredients mentioned under grinding in to a coarse paste.
2. Chop the chow chow in to half inch cubes. Heat the oil in the skillet and add the seasoning. Once the mustard sputters, add chopped onions and garlic. Saute for 2-3 minutes.
3.Add the chopped chow chow and saute well for 5 minutes. Add the remaining turmeric, cumin powder, coarse paste, salt and cooked toor dhal.
4.Close the lid and cook for 15 minutes. Once the vegetable is cooked, chow chow kootu is ready. Serve with rice.
Aloo gobhi is very simple and easy stir-fry curry. Potato and cauliflower are the vegetables that compliments each other when it is well roasted.
Serves up to 3 people
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
2 medium sized potatoes
150 grams of cauliflower
5 stalks of scallions
1 tsp of red chilly powder
1 tsp of tandoori masala
1/4 tsp of turmeric
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp of melted butter
salt as required
Seasoning:
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
1/2 tsp of fennel seeds
1 tbsp of grated ginger
Preparation:
1.Cut the potatoes in to small cubes and cut the cauliflower in to small florets. Heat oil in the skillet and add the seasoning.
2.As the cumin seeds crackles, add the potatoes and cauliflower and saute for 5 minutes.
3.Add the spices( turmeric, red chilly powder ,tandoori masala, and salt) to the skillet. Close with the lid and allow to cook for 15 minutes.
4.Add the chopped scallions and close the lid. Add the butter to add flavor to the vegetables. Check whether the potato is cooked. 5.Aloo gobhi dry curry is ready. Serve with rice/ roti and a cup of yogurt.
Preparation time: 30 minutes
