Chana Dal - Coconut

Everything is good with coconut, right? Here is a very delicious dal-coconut combo! Chana dal with coconut!

 

Rice with Chana Dal and Majjiga Mirapakaya

Ingredients

Chana dal - 1 cup

Water - 2 cups

Fresh grated coconut - 1 cup

Onion - 1 medium, roughly chopped

Green chillies - 3, slit lengthwise

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

For seasoning/popu

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

Dried red chillies - 2, tear and deseed

Garlic - 2 cloves, finely chopped

Curry leaves - sprig

Ghee - 1 tbsp

Oil - 1 tsp

Method

1. Wash and soak chana dal in warm water for 30 minutes
2. In a sauce pan, add chana dal, onion, coconut, green chillies, salt, turmeric and water. Cover and cook just until the dal becomes soft, but not mushy
3. For seasoning, heat ghee and oil in a saute pan. Add mustard seeds; when they crackle, add cumin seeds, red chillies, garlic and curry leaves. 
4. Add this seasoning to the cooked dal, mix. Adjust salt and serve with warm rice.

Majjiga Mirapakaya (green chillies soaked in yogurt and sundried) served alongside, adds a punch!

Lima Beans

Ingredients
2 cups baby lima beans (I use frozen)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped or 3 tsp tomato paste
2 tbsp dry coconut (add little water & make a paste)
Salt, turmeric – to taste
2 tsp curry masala powder
1 tsp red chillie powder
3 cups water
Chopped coriander leaves

For seasoning:
3 cloves, ½ tsp cumin seeds, 3 garlic cloves-finely chopped, curry leaves
2 tbsp oil

• Heat oil in a saucepan, add cloves, cumin seeds, garlic, curry leaves
• Immediately add onion, sauté until onion is soft
• Add tomatoes, salt and turmeric. Cover & coook until tomatoes turn soft
• Add 3 cups water and lima beans, cover & cook until lima beans are soft
• Stir in coconut paste, curry masala & red chillie powder
• Add chopped coriander leaves, mix & turn the heat off

Good with puri/rotis

Chana Masala (Chick Peas/Garbanzos)

I make slight variations each time I make Chana Masala or Chole. As a last minute thought, made this simple chana masala to go with rotis; ofcourse, with canned chick peas. Takes very little time and is delicious! With chick peas, you are never disappointed!

Recipe
15oz Chick Peas (wash & drain the canned chick peas)
2 medium onions, finely chopped
3 tsp tomato paste
Salt, turmeric – to taste
2 tsp Chana masala powder
1 tsp Red chillie powder
A pinch of amchur powder
2 cups water
Chopped coriander leaves
For seasoning:
2 cloves, ½ tsp cumin seeds, 3 garlic cloves-finely chopped, curry leaves
1 tbsp oil

• Heat oil in a saucepan, add cloves, cumin seeds, garlic, curry leaves
• Immediately add onion, sauté until onion is soft
• Stir in tomato paste, salt & turmeric
• Add 2 cups water, let boil and toss in chick peas
• Cook until you achieve the desired consistency (thick gravy or thin gravy)
• Stir in chana masala, red chillie & amchur powders
• Add chopped coriander leaves, mix & turn the heat off

Carrots - French Beans

Sometimes we have a very small quantity of each vegetable and can't make good use of it. At such times, I like to incorporate one into another and make a fry or curry. This time it is beans and carrots! We can also add some lima beans or green peas; they would be a nice addition!

Ingredients

French beans - 1/2 cup, chopped

Carrots - 1/2 cup, chopped

Onion - 1 small, finely chopped

Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste
Red chillie powder - 1/2 tsp
Curry masala powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves with tender stems - 1 tbsp, finely chopped
Oil - 1 tbsp
For seasoning/popu

Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp

Urad dal - 1 tsp

Garlic - 2 cloves, chopped

Curry leaves

 

Method

1. Heat oil in a skillet and add seasoning of urad dal, cumin seeds, garlic and curry leaves.
2. Add finely chopped onion, saute for a couple of minutes.
3. Add chopped carrots and french beans, turmeric, salt. Mix, fry for 3 minutes, cover and cook until vegetables soften.
4. Remove the lid, let fry for 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring in between.
5. Stir in masala powder, red chillie powder, chopped coriander leaves.  Mix and turn the heat off.

A nice side dish with sambar/rasam.

Yogurt (Perugu/Dahi/Curd)

To make curd, Mom always boiled milk for a very long time; until the color of the milk turned into a cream-pink hue.... I had followed her method ever since I started cooking and I continue to do so. A little time consuming, but well worth it! I use 2% milk and here is the secret to a delicious thick curd!

I use steel vessels to boil milk. Rinse the inside of the vessel with just plain water, do not dry the vessel before adding milk. Add milk and place on a small burner, turn the heat on to slightly lower than medium. (This is to avoid milk sticking at the bottom of the vessel) When the milk comes to a boil and a layer forms on top, reduce the heat to right in between low & medium, let boil for 90 minutes. Yes, 90 minutes! Turn the heat off and let cool : In summer, to lukewarm and in winter to a little more warm than lukewarm.

Add a tablespoon of active live culture to the boiled milk, stir well, cover the vessel with a lid and place a bigger vessel (steel or any of our regular saucepans) over the milk vessel, making sure it covers the entire vessel. I just leave it on the stove top... In summers, it takes 4 hours to set and in winters, 4-6 hours. Sometimes, it helps to turn the heat on to medium, only once during the process, for just 30-40 seconds. (Just in case the room temperature has come down, in winters!)

Isn't that a delicious scoop?

Potato - Tomato Curry / Flavoured Rice

For Sunday supper, it was rotis and flavoured rice... I thought it has been a long time since I made Aloo-Tomato, so made this quick and easy gravy variety, to go alongwith rotis. However, made some last minute additions - cream and sour cream...never tried cream with potatoes, was wondering how it would turn out. Nonetheless, it made a nice accompaniment for both, rotis and rice!

Ingredients
3 medium potatoes (I use Russet potatoes) peel the skin, cube them

3 medium roma tomatoes, diced

3 medium onions, thinly sliced, lengthwise

 

For seasoning :

3 cloves, 2 dried red chillies (tear and deseed), ¼ tsp cumin seeds, 2 garlic cloves (minced), curry leaves

2 tbsp oil

 

Turmeric
Salt - to taste

3 green chillies, slit lengthwise

¼ tsp fennel seeds powder (optional – I like the aroma of fennel and hence add this spice to all my recipes)

2 tbsp light cream

2 heaped teaspoonfuls of light sour cream

Coriander leaves, chopped

 

Heat oil in a wide skillet, add the seasoning ingredients; immediately add sliced onions

Saute until onions soften, add diced tomatoes, salt & turmeric

Cover and cook until tomatoes soften.

Add cubed potatoes, green chillies, fennel seeds powder. Mix, cover and cook until potatoes are tender

When done, sprinkle some water, add cream and sour cream; adjust salt, if required

Stir in chopped coriander leaves

For flavoured rice – I kept it very simple.

1. Heat oil in electric rice cooker, toss in some whole spices (cloves, cinnamon, black peppercorns, star anise, cumin seeds) and finally, some curry leaves
2. Add some green peas; saute for a couple of minutes, before adding basmati rice and water
3. Sprinkle some salt, cover and cook until done. When done, let rest for 5-10 minutes and mix lightly

Soya Chunks - Vegetable Pulav

Proteins, Vitamins, Fiber, Carbohydrates - all in one pot! How easy is that?

I was feeling a little lazy to cook during the weekend and since my toddler son prefers rice, I had decided on this simple, nutritious, one pot meal!

Ingredients

2 cups rice (Basmati)

3 1/2 cups water to cook rice

1 cup chopped french beans and carrots

1 cup soya chunks (I use Nutrela)

(Note : For measurement of rice and water, I always use the CUP that comes with electric rice cooker)

 Turmeric

Salt to taste
1/4 tsp red chillie powder (optional)
2 tsp pulav masala (homemade or store bought)
4 green chillies, slit lengthwise
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oil

For seasoning:

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

4 cloves (lavang) coarse powder

a small sprig of stoneflower (optional)

2 garlic cloves, minced

10 curry leaves

1 tsp poppy seeds powder

 

Method

1. Soak soya chunks for 15 minutes, in hot water with a pinch of salt. (I normally put soya chunks in a bowl of salted water, microwave on high for 2 minutes) When they are soft, squeeze the water from the soya chunks and rinse them 2-3 times in fresh water. Squeeze excess water, set them aside.
2. Start electric rice cooker on 'Cooking', add butter and oil. When hot, add the seasoning ingredients. Let fry for a minute
3. Add chopped carrots, french beans, green chillies, turmeric and salt. Saute for a couple of minutes, cover and cook for 5 minutes
4. Add washed soya chunks, red chillie powder, mix, cover cook for 5 more minutes
5. Add washed rice and pulav masala powder. Mix well, let fry for 5 minutes
6. Add water, adjust salt, cover and cook until done.