Dal Fry

If you’re looking for a great way to jazz up plain dal, look no further- this one definitely hits the spot.

If you're like me and always have cooked dal on hand, this dish comes together very quickly. I’ve been making dal fry very frequently since I first saw this recipe on Sanjeev Kapoor’s site. This is a refreshing change from my usual dal preparations.

Ingredients:
1 cup toor dal, cooked

½ medium onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, chopped

For seasoning:
1 Tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
½ tsp cumin seeds
3 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
½ tsp ginger
3 green chillies, finely chopped
Chilli powder
Amchur powder
Pepper, powdered
A handful of coriander leaves, chopped
Lemon or lime juice
Salt to taste

Method:
Heat ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds followed by garlic, ginger, green chillies, and onions. Cook till the onions soften and are lightly browned; then add the tomatoes
Stir in the spice powders (chilli, amchur & pepper). Cover and cook till the tomatoes become mushy.

Add the dal, mix well with the other ingredients and cook. Add desired amounts of water depending on the final consistency desired. Bring to a boil.

Garnish with coriander leaves and add a good squeeze of lemon or lime juice after turning off the heat. Serve hot.

Adai

Adai is a protein-packed nutritious dish that is prepared by grinding together a combination of rice and different lentils. The batter is one that requires no fermentation and the adai can be prepared instantly as long as the rice and dals are soaked for sufficiently long enough (6-8 hours). I would recommend soaking the rice-dal mix for a minimum of two hours at least. The proportions of the dals and rice vary each time I make adai.

This is how I prepare it sometimes.

Ingredients:
½ cup raw rice
½ cup toor dal
½ cup urad dal
½ cup chana dal
4-5 red chillies
Asafoetida
A small piece of ginger
8-10 curry leaves
Salt to taste
Oil for making adai

Method:
Soak the rice and dals overnight (or for at least 2-4 hours) along with the red chillies. Drain most of the water off and grind together with the curry leaves and ginger to get a coarse thick batter. Add a pinch of asafoetida and salt to taste.

Heat a non-stick griddle or a cast-iron pan. Pour a ladleful of the batter in the center of the pan. Spread it out in a circular motion using the back of the ladle. Make the adai thick or thin depending on your preference. I like mine thin and crispy.

Drizzle some oil around the edges of the adai and also a little in the center. Cook till it turns golden brown on the bottom, then flip over and cook the other side.

Serve hot with avial or jaggery on the side. I had mine with some tomato chutney and jaggery.
This goes to Sunshinemom for FIC- Brown.

I just came across this event being hosted by Sangeeth and realized that adai is the perfect example of a diabetic friendly meal.

Lentils, which make up a major portion of this dish, are good for everybody, not just for people with diabetes. They’re rich in complex carbohydrates and protein, and high in dietary fiber, as a result of which they are digested slowly resulting in a steady and gradual rise in blood sugar levels (low glycemic index). This keeps one feeling fuller for longer. Lentils are also a rich natural source of B vitamins and minerals. Besides, its cholesterol-lowering properties helps reduce the risk of heart disease in diabetics. In short, it is a good idea for diabetics to have lentils in some form or the other with every meal.

Spinach Molagootal

Hi all!
I’m back after being out of circulation for a couple of weeks. We had a wonderful (albeit a little hot and insanely hectic) time in India and before we knew it, an entire month had gone by in the blink of an eye! Since our return, lethargy coupled with zero motivation has been making it hard for me to post anything at all. I have been busy in the kitchen though.

A few days back, I made a molagootal following a recipe that I first came across on a blog a few years back, and it has since become one of my favorites. Sadly though, the blog has been silent for too long now.
I did not make too many changes to the original recipe.

Spinach Molagootal (adapted from Saffron Hut’s blog)
Ingredients:
2 cups frozen spinach
¼ tsp turmeric powder
Salt

1 tsp oil
2 tsp urad dal
1 tsp cumin
3-4 red chillies

¾ cup toor dal, cooked
3 Tbsp coconut

For seasoning:
1 Tbsp oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp urad dal
A pinch of asafoetida
4-5 curry leaves
1-2 red chillies

Method:
Cook the frozen spinach along with turmeric and salt in ½ cup water. Blend to get a coarse paste. (I used my immersion blender.)

Heat oil in a small pan and roast the urad dal, red chillies and cumin seeds. Grind to a fine paste with the coconut.

Combine the spinach puree/paste, ground coconut-spice mixture and the cooked dal. Add a little bit of water. Cook and bring to a boil.

Heat the rest of the oil in the pan. Add all the ingredients for the seasoning. Pour the tempered oil over the molagootal.

Serve hot with rice.

This is being sent to Sra who is hosting the fourth edition of My Legume Love Affair.

Tomatillo Dal

The other day, I bought a few tomatillos for making some salsa, but then decided to go with something closer to home- a dal.

I grew up on simply fabulous Indian food and this fruit was not something I had ever seen or even heard of before. It continued to remain unfamiliar to me even after I came here. I remember seeing tomatillos in the produce section of my grocery store here and always thinking of them as green, unripe tomatoes. Thanks to blogging, I know a lot more these days and am also less afraid to experiment.

This is how I “Indianized” the tomatillos.

Ingredients:
2 medium tomatillos, husks removed, washed well and cubed
4 shallots, chopped
¾ cup toor dal (cooked)

To grind to a paste:
3 Tbsp coconut
3-4 cloves garlic
½ tsp cumin seeds
6 green chillies

For seasoning:
1 Tbsp oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp urad dal/split pigeon peas
½ tsp chana dal/split chickpeas
½ tsp methi/fenugreek seeds
A pinch of asafoetida
4-5 curry leaves
Salt to taste.

Method:
Heat oil in a pan and add the ingredients for the seasoning.

Add the shallots and cook till translucent.

Add the cubed tomatillo pieces and cover and cook for about 5-7 minutes or until the pieces turn soft.

Mix the ground paste along with the cooked mixture and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Now add the cooked dal along with the desired amounts of water (depending on the consistency desired). Bring to a boil and turn off the heat.

Serve hot with rice.

This turned out to be a very good, spicy and tangy dal. The tomatillos make a very nice addition and lend a very tart, almost lemony flavor to the dal.


Another tomatillo recipe on my blog:
Tomatillo Chutney

Methi (Fenugreek) Dal

Pulses and legumes are a natural source of plant protein that are high in complex carbohydrates and fiber, and extremely low in fat. They are used extensively in Indian cooking and form an important part of a vegetarian diet. Dried legumes and pulses are classified into three groups: beans, peas and lentils. They are eaten either whole or unhulled (with the skin still intact) or split in half with or without their skins.

Toor dal also known as arhar dal or split pigeon peas is one such pulse that is a pantry staple in most Indian kitchens. It is commonly used as the base for many of our South Indian preparations, the most common one in my home being Sambar.

My pantry is well stocked with a variety of dals but toor dal is the most-used one for sure. Dal is cooked in different ways in different homes and no two dal preparations from different kitchens or even the same kitchen for that matter, taste the same.

Here’s a very simple and tasty dal from my kitchen made using toor dal and fenugreek (methi) leaves. There are a number of versions of methi dal in the blogosphere. And now here’s mine!

Ingredients:
1 cup toor dal/split pigeon peas/arhar dal
2 cubes frozen fenugreek/methi
½ red onion, chopped
1 tomato, cubed
½ tsp ginger paste
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp chilli powder

For the seasoning:
1 Tbsp oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp white lentils/urad dal
A pinch of asafoetida/hing
Salt to taste.

Method:
Rinse the toor dal a couple of times and then cook it in about 3 cups of water after adding turmeric powder.

In a pan, heat the oil. Add all the ingredients for the seasoning.

To this add the chopped onions, sauté for 2 minutes. Then add the ginger paste & mix well.

Add the cubed tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes or so.

Add the cubes of frozen methi leaves to the pan (no need for prior thawing, the heat will do the job) and cook for about 5 more minutes. Add ½ tsp of chilli powder to this and mix well.

When the dal is cooked, add it to the pan & bring the contents to a boil. (At this point you could add water to thin out the dal if you so desire.) Simmer on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
Serve hot with rice, pickle & pappad.


This is my entry for JFI: Toor Dal being hosted by Linda who blogs at Out Of The Garden.

I am also sending this over to Easycrafts as my entry for her “Power” less cooking event.

Moth Beans curry and Cluster Beans sabji

Moth Beans Curry
Ingredients:
2 cups moth beans/matki, cooked
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin seeds, roasted & powdered
6-10 peppercorns, roasted & powdered
Salt to taste.

To be ground together:
2 Tbsp coconut
½ tsp cumin seeds

For seasoning:
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
A pinch of asafoetida
1-2 red chillies

Method:
Cook moth beans till done. (I always pressure cook dals/ beans/lentils in bulk and freeze them in separate freezer-safe plastic containers to avoid the hassle of having to use the pressure cooker every single time I need to make something using it. It has been working great for me.)

Roast and powder the cumin seeds & the peppercorns.

Grind together the coconut & cumin seeds.

Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, asafoetida and red chillies followed by the chopped onion and garlic. Sauté till the onions are transparent.

Add the roasted powders and the ground coconut-cumin seed mixture. Mix well and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add the cooked beans to this and ½ cup of water & cover and cook for 5 minutes or so till all the flavors blend in.

Serve hot.


Cluster Beans sabji
Ingredients:
3 cups cluster beans/guvar, chopped into one inch pieces
½ onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 big piece of jaggery
Salt to taste

To be ground together:
2 Tbsp coconut
2-3 red chillies
½ tsp cumin seeds

For seasoning:
1 Tbsp oil
½ tsp urad dal(skinned and split white lentils)
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
A pinch of asafoetida


Method:
Heat the oil in a pan and add the ingredients for the seasoning.

Add the chopped onions & garlic and sauté till the onions are transparent and soft.

Add the cluster beans and cover and cook till tender.

Add the ground coconut mixture to the beans and mix well. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Cluster beans are a little too bitter for my taste and I added a big piece of jaggery too. Mix well till the jaggery melts.

Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Instant Dosa with Sambar and Chutney

Instant Dosas

Ingredients for Dosa:
3 cups rice flour
2 ½ cups urad dal flour
1 tsp yeast
Salt to taste

Method:
Mix the rice flour & urad dal flour in a large bowl making sure to break up any lumps.

Add water to this to get the consistency of a batter. This should neither be too watery nor too thick. Mix well.

In a small bowl, add a tsp of yeast & add 2-3 tsp of warm water to this to make a paste.

Add this to the prepared dosa batter. Mix well. Allow it to stand in a warm spot for about an hour or so while the yeast goes about doing its business. (I usually leave this in my oven on the “warm” setting).

After fermentation for an hour, the batter rises significantly. Mix well. Add the required amount of salt, mix again & now you are ready to go ahead and make your dosas!

For step by step pictures and instructions on how to make dosas, please see this.

Serve hot dosas with some sambar & chutney
Tip:
* Keep the vessel containing the batter on a very large plate while it is in the oven so that it does not spill over as it rises. I learnt this the hard way :-(

*Use a cast-iron pan. It gives excellent results when compared to a regular non-stick pan.

Coconut Chutney

Ingredients for coconut chutney:
2 cups fresh, grated coconut (I use the frozen one)
3-4 red chillies
1 Tbsp peanuts
2 shallots
¼ tsp tamarind paste
Salt to taste

For the seasoning:
1 Tbsp Oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
1/2tsp urad dal
2-3 curry leaves
A pinch of asafoetida/hing
Salt to taste

Method:
Grind all the ingredients for the chutney to a smooth paste using very little water.

Heat the oil in a small pan & add all the ingredients for seasoning.

Add this to the chutney. Mix well.Heat for a minute or so.
This chutney is not cooked & hence does not last for more than a day or two.

Sambar

Sambar can be made in different ways using a variety of vegetables. This was how I made mine.
Ingredients for Sambar:
1 cup toor dal
1 small onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped in big pieces
4-5 drumsticks (I used the frozen ones & thawed them before use)
½ tsp tamarind paste
½ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp coriander powder
1 ½ -2 tsp sambar powder
A pinch of turmeric
Salt to taste.

For the seasoning:
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp urad dal
2-3 red chillies
3-4 curry leaves
A pinch of asafoetida/hing

Method:
Cook the dal until soft & mushy and keep aside.

In a pan, heat the oil and add the ingredients for seasoning in the order listed above.

Add the chopped onions, sauté for a bit. Add the tomatoes, cook for a minute or two and then add the drumsticks.

Add the chilli, coriander, sambar & turmeric powders & mix well. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes allowing all the flavors to blend in before adding the tamarind paste. Cook for another 2 minutes.

To the vegetable mixture, add the cooked dal and blend well adding the desired amounts of water to get the right consistency.

Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Serve hot.