Red Chard/Swiss Chard - Toor Dal

I guess most of the leafy vegetables make a nice pairing with dals and the bonus is, our family loves dal! so, it is Chard with Toor Dal.

Ingredients
Toor dal - 1 cup, wash and soak in warm water for 30 minutes.

Chard leaves - 1 bunch, roughly chopped (there are 5 or 6 big leaves in a bunch)

2 tomatoes, big - roughly choppped
1 onion, big - roughly chopped
4 green chillies, slit lengthwise
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Water - 1 cup
Tamarind pulp - 2 tsp

Oil - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Dired red chillies - 2, tear and deseed
Garlic cloves - 3, (chopped/minced)
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Ghee - 2 tsp (optional)

 Method

1. Pressure cook toor dal and chard with 1 cup water, tomatoes, onion, green chillies, turmeric & 1 tsp salt. Cook until soft or until 4 whistles.
2. Once the pressure is released, remove the lid and turn the heat on. Add tamarind pulp and let any excess water evaporate. Turn the heat off.
3. In a small saucepan, heat 2 tsp oil to do the seasoning.
4. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chillies, garlic & curry leaves. Let fry for just 1/2 a minute and add this seasoning to the dal. Adjust salt and add 2 tsp ghee.

Serve with warm rice or can be had with roti/phulka.

Cauliflower - Kasuri Methi

Very simple preparation! I know, I say this for all the recipes, but they are truly simple! Aren't they?! J

Ingredients
Cauliflower florets - 5 cups
Onion - 1 medium, finely chopped
Kasuri methi - 2 tbsp
Red chillie powder (Paprika) - 1 tsp
Turmeric
Salt to taste
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Garlic cloves - 3 (slivered/chopped)
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method

1. Heat oil in a wide skillet, do the seasoning of cumin seeds, garlic cloves, curry leaves.
2. Immediately add finely chopped onion, saute until soft.
3. Toss in the cauliflower florets, sprinkle salt & turmeric. Fry until cauliflower becomes tender.
4. Add garam masala and red chillie powders, mix well. Sprinkle kasuri methi, turn the heat off.

 Good with rice or rotis.

Sooji Halwa

As kids, we loved this sweet! Mom used to make quite often, for our evening tiffin. Now, I make it for my toddler son.

Ingredients

Sooji (Crema of wheat) - 1 cup, fine

Ghee - 4 tbsp

Cashews, Raisins - 2 tbsp

Milk - 3 cups

Sugar - 2 cups

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Method

1. Add 1 tbsp ghee in a wide skillet, roast cashews and raisins for a couple of minutes, remove and set aside.
2. 
   Add 1 tbsp ghee to the skillet, roast sooji until it turns into pale brown. Remove and set aside.

Boil 3 cups milk in a saucepan, add cashews and raisins. Lower heat and slowly add roasted sooji while stirring.

Add sugar, cardamom powder and 2 tbsp ghee. Mix well.

Turn the heat off when sooji soaks up all the liquid.

Adjust sugar and ghee as per your preference.

Sooji Halwa gets done in no time! Now, wasn't that easy?

Bell Pepper Chutney/Pacchadi

I had tried this chutney based on a very tempting Capsicum Pacchadi recipe from Sailusfood. Had used red bell pepper instead and made small additions - tomato and fresh coriander leaves, as I absolutely love those flavours! Pretty much followed Sailu's method with slight variations and the pacchadi was delicious!

Ingredients

Red bell peppers - 2 big, roughly chopped

Tomato - 1, roughly chopped

Green chillies - 12, slit lengthwise (reduce for less heat)

Coriander leaves - 1 cup

Red onion - 1 big, thinly sliced

Tamarind pulp - 4 tbsp

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil - 3 tbsp

For seasoning/popu:

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Urad dal - 1 tbsp

Chana dal - 1 tbsp

Dried red chillies - 2

Asafoetida/hing/inguva - 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves - sprig

Method

1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wide skillet. Toss in chopped bell pepper, tomato and green chillies. Sprinkle little salt and saute for 8-10 minutes, on medium-high heat. Turn the heat off, add chopped coriander leaves
2. Let cool and grind to a coarse paste, set aside
3. In the same skillet, heat 2 tbsp oil. Add the seasoning/popu – mustard seeds first, when they crackle, add cumin seeds, urad dal, chana dal, red chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida.
4. Fry lightly before adding the sliced onions. Sauté until translucent and then add the ground bell pepper paste. Add turmeric, tamarind pulp and adjust salt
5. Fry for 15-20 minutes on medium heat, until any excess water is evaporated and you reach the desired consistency
6. Serve with warm rice

Amaranth (Thotakura) - Masoor Dal

Ingredients

Masoor Dal (Masara pappu / Red lentils) - 1 cup

Thotakura (Amaranth) - 4 cups, roughly chopped

Tomatoes - 2 medium, roughly chopped

Onion - 1 medium, roughly chopped

Green chillies - 4

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Amchur powder - 1 tsp

Ghee - 2 tsp (optional)
Water

for seasoning /popu/tadka :

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Dried red chillies - 2, tear and deseed
Garlic - 3 cloves, chopped
Curry leaves - sprig

Method

1. Wash and soak masoor dal in 1 cup water, for 30 minutes.
2. In a pressure cooker, add masoor dal, 1 cup water, sprinkle little turmeric and 1 tsp salt. Add thotakura, onion, tomatoes and green chillies.
3. Pressure cook upto 3-4 whistles. Turn the heat off and let rest for 10-15 minutes
4. Once the pressure is released, uncover, turn the heat on and add amchur powder (you may use tamarind pulp instead). Let excess liquid evaporate. Turn the heat off
5. Heat oil a small saucepan, add the seasoning/popu ingredients, starting with mustard seeds. When they crackle, add cumin seeds, red chillies, garlic and curry leaves.
6. Add the popu to dal mixture, adjust salt. Add 2 tsp ghee, for an enhanced tast

Serve with warm rice