Bok choy kootu

Being raised in India, I always miss the variety of greens that was  available back home which are not easily available in the US. I have started experimenting with several alternate greens available at the local store and was surprised to find resemblance of some of these. Bok Choy is one of them and is very common in the Chinese cuisine. I have tried to make kootu in this recipe and has turned out well.

Ingredients:  
 

1 bunch of Bok choy
1/2 cup of yellow moong dhal
1 onion
1 tomato
1/4 tsp of turmeric

3 green chillies

1/4 tsp of mustard seeds

1/4 tsp of cumin seeds
pinch of asafoedita 

1 tbsp of oil
salt as required

Preparation:

1.Chop the bok choy along with the stem in to small pieces. Cut the onion and tomato in to small chunks. Slit the green chillies.

2.Saute the onion, green chillies and tomato and add to the moong dhal. 

3.Pressure cook the moong dhal with 2 1/2 cups of water, turmeric, salt, sauteed onion, tomato, green chillies and bok choy for 2 whistles. 

4.Then heat oil in the skillet and add mustard and cumin seeds. As seeds sputter, add them to the cooked dhal. Saute well. Serve with rice and ghee.

Capsicum poricha kootu/ Capsicum kootu

     Capsicum lowers the blood pressure by breaking down cholesterol buildup. Kootu is good blend of vegetables and protein as it has higher lentil content than typical sambhar.

Serves up to 4 people
Preparation time:35 minutes

Ingredients:

2 green bell pepper/ capsicum
1 chopped onion 
1 tsp of sambhar powder
1/2 cup of toor dhal
1/2 cup of bengal gram dhal 
1/4 tsp of turmeric
1/4 tsp of mustard
pinch of asafoetida
1/4 tsp of urad dhal 
1 tbsp of oil
salt as required


For grinding:


1 tsp of black pepper     
1 red chillies
1 tsp of cumin seeds 


Preparation:

1.Pressure cook toor dhal and Bengal gram dhal with 1/4 tsp of turmeric and 3 cups of water.
2.Grind the cumin seeds, black pepper and red chilly in to a coarse powder.
3. Heat oil in the pan and add mustard, urad dhal and asafoetida. As the mustard crackles, add onion and capsicum. Saute for 2 minutes.
4.Add sambhar powder and salt. Close the lid. Capsicum cooks very fast. So once the vegetable is soft, add the cooked dhal and ground powder. Stir well.
5.Cook for another 5 minutes. Capsicum poricha kootu is ready. Serve with rice and ghee.

Red chori potato curry

   I recently discovered my sons liking to chori dhal and so I have been experimenting with different vegetables. In this effort, I used potatoes which mixes well with this dhal giving a thick consistency and can be good accompaniment for rice or rotis

Ingredients:

1/2 cup red chori dhal
2 medium sized potatoes

1 tsp red chilli powder(~spice level)

1/8 tsp of turmeric powder
1 large chopped onion

1 tsp of  fennel seeds

oil as required

salt as required

Seasoning:

1-2 tbsp of grated coconut

1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 fenugreek seeds

Preparation:

1.Soak chori dhal for 6 hours. Chop the potatoes in to tiny pieces.
2.In a pan, add 1/2 tsp of oil. Once the oil is heated, add fennel seeds. Once the nice aroma comes, add the chopped onion and saute for a minute.

3.Now add the potatoes, red chilly powder, turmeric and saute for 2-3 minutes.

3.Transfer the contents of the pan to the soaked dhal and add 2 cups of water. Add salt and pressure cook them up to 4 whistles.

4.To the oil in a preheated pan, add the seasoning. Saute for a minute and transfer to the cooked dhal.

5.Delicious red chori potato curry is ready. Serve with rice and papad.

Swiss chard dhal /keerai kootu

 Swiss chard is high in vitamins A, K and C. It is also rich in minerals, dietary fiber and protein. I love the taste of Swiss chard, even if it is stir-fry.

Serves up to 3 people
Preparation time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 bunch of swiss chard
1/2 cup of toor dhal
2 tbsp of Bengal gram dhal
1/4 tsp of turmeric
2-3 cloves of garlic
3 dried red chillies (~spice level)
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
2 tsp of oil
salt as required

Preparation:

1.Pressure cook both the dhals along with turmeric and 2 1/2 cups of water. Fine chop the greens (swiss chard) and remove the stem. 
2.Heat oil in the pan, add cumin seeds. As the cumin sputters, add chopped garlic. Saute for a minute then add the greens. Saute well for 5-10 minutes. The flavor of the garlic infuses in to the greens.
3.When the greens are wilted add the broken red chillies, cooked dhal and salt. Close the lid for another 5 minutes. 
4.Swiss chard dhal is ready. Serve with rice/ roti.

Bitter Gourd kootu

  Bitter gourds are very low in calories but is an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2, and B3, C, magnesium, folic acid, zinc, phosphorus, manganese, and has high dietary fiber. This curry tastes delicious and reduces the bitter taste. This is suggested as insulin replacement in some diabetic patients.
 

Serves up to 4

Ingredients:

1 cup of Bengal gram(channa dhal)

2 cups of chopped bitter gourd

1 onion

2 tomatoes
2 green chilies

1 small cup of yogurt

1 tbsp of grated coconut

1/2  inch of cinnamon

2 cloves

1/4 teaspoon of turmeric

1 teaspoon of sambhar powder

1 teaspoon of mustard

1 teaspoon of cumin

coriander for garnish
1 tbsp of oil

salt as required

Preparation:

1.Pressure cook channa dhal till it is soft. Add oil to preheated pan, add mustard and cumin. Once cumin sputters, add finely chopped onion and green chilies. Saute till the onion turns golden brown.

2. Add tomatoes and saute for 3 minutes. Add turmeric, sambhar powder and little salt, saute for a minute. Add bitter gourd, saute well for 5 minutes.

3.Add little water and close the lid. Cook till it is 75% done. Add cooked channa dhal and salt. Once the bitter gourd is cooked, add coconut. Add the crushed cinnamon and cloves, cook for another 5 minutes in medium flame. Garnish with coriander leaves.

5.Switch off the burner and add yogurt. 

6.Mix well and serve with roti/ rice.