What's on Your Plate? Day #1 - Tuar & Masoor Garlic Dal

A lot has happened since December and even if you have been living under a rock there has been no escaping what's happening around us. Hope everyone is staying safe & more importantly staying home whichever part of the world you are in. Here in the US where we live, schools have been closed and companies have mandated work from home where possible. It’s been over a week of staying home and I’ll be honest, it has been an exhausting week coping with changed routines, home schooling my boys and making sure everyone gets their snacks & meals on time. Though the kids & hubby are relaxed with no rigid schedules and are not being rushed to be anywhere at any given time, my work on the other hand has only just begun!

The hardest part has always been deciding what to cook, once the decision is made though, I’m in and out of the kitchen fairly quickly. I figured having a list on hand will speeden things up and make the following weeks a little less stressful. Keeping this in mind I thought it would be good idea to post what I make in my kitchen everyday and in the process help others struggling like me in deciding what to make. Presenting “What’s on Your Plate ?” series, my humble attempt to bring food from my kitchen to yours!

I have been documenting what I’ve made this past week, I cannot assure you stellar food pictures but can certainly promise great tasting recipes! Hopefully this series will motivate you to cook, get your kids and family to join you in the kitchen, eat healthy home cooked meals and create special memories in this time of quarantine. Food has never failed to bring families together!

Kicking off the series with a heart warming Dal and a vegetable side - Tuar & Masoor Garlic Dal with Spicy Potato, Peas & Bell pepper. 

Tuar & Masoor Garlic Dal
Ingredients

Pressure cook:
Tuar dal 1/2 cup, washed drained
Masoor dal 1/2 cup, washed drained
1/4 tsp Turmeric
1 tsp oil 
3 cups Water

2 tbsp Ghee/Oil
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
3 Green chilies, slit lengthwise
Few curry leaves
6 pods Garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 tsp Cumin powder
1/2 tsp Red chili powder (cayenne) 
Salt to taste
Chopped cilantro

Soak the dals in water for 15 minutes. Add turmeric and oil and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Cool and set aside. 

Heat ghee (or oil) in  a pan. Add cumin seeds. Then add the green chillies,  curry  leaves and chopped garlic. Cook until garlic is done, but not brown. Add the chopped and saute until soft and translucent. Then add the chopped tomatoes,  cumin powder and red chili powder. You can omit the red chili powder or adjust to taste. Cook until tomatoes are done and then add the boiled dals. Combine well, season with salt and bring to a simmering boil. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Top with chopped cilantro and serve hot with rice or rotis. 

Spicy Potato, Peas & Bell Pepper: 
Ingredients:

1 large potato, peeled & cubed
1 cup bell pepper, cubed
1/2 cup Peas (frozen or fresh) 
2 tbsp Oil + 1 tbsp
1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Cumin seeds
2 tsp Ginger Garlic paste
1 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Coriander powder
1/2 tsp Red chili powder (Cayenne)
Salt to taste
Chopped Cilantro

Boil peas and set aside. Heat 2 tbsp of oil, add the cubed potatoes and cook until potatoes are crisp. Flip occasionally to allow cooking on all sides. Remove to a plate. In the same pan, add more oil and heat. Add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. When it begins to splutter, add the ginger garlic paste and cook for a few seconds. Add the cubed bell pepper and cook until soft and done. Now add the cumin powder, coriander powder & red chili powder. Add the cooked potatoes and combine well. Season with salt. Cook for 2 minutes. Turn off heat, top with chopped cilantro. Serve hot. 

Hope you enjoy making this heart meal! 

Tomatillo (Green Tomato) Dal

The weather is looking up these days and the sunshine and warmth are most welcome. It had been a while since my last visit to the Farmers Market and this time around I bought some Green Tomatoes or Tomatillos. I've used them before to make Salsa Verde for Enchiladas. I usually make Daal with ripe tomatoes and I was out of them so used the Tomatillos.

The tomatillos lend a natural tartness to the daal which is needless to say, flavorful.

You will need:

¼ cup Tuar Dal

¼ cup Yellow Moong Dal

½ tsp Turmeric powder

1 tbsp Oil

1 tsp Cumin seeds

6 Green chillies, cut lengthwise

¼ tsp Asafetida

1 onion, chopped

3-4 medium green tomatoes (tomatillos), husked and rinsed

A few sprigs cilantro, chopped

Salt to taste

Pressure cook the Tuar and Moong daal together with the turmeric powder. Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds and sauté for a few seconds, then add the cut green chillies and asafetida. Add the chopped onions and cook on medium heat till the onions are done. Cut the tomatillos into bite size pieces and add them to the pan. Cook till the tomatillos are soft and well done. Now add the cooked daal and a cup of water. Season with salt and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, turn off heat and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Taste the daal and if you feel its too tart,add a small piece of jaggery when bringing the daal to a boil. This will cut back the tartness a bit and balance out the flavors.

We had this daal with rice as well as chapathis and it tasted good with both.

Punjabi Malai Daal and Mom on a TV show

A few months ago my mom was on a cooking show on a new Kannada tv channel "Suvarna TV". It was an exciting time for all of us to watch her on tv and do what she does best - cook. The shoot was in Bangalore and she had to bring all the ingredients and the vessels to make her dishes. She chose to make a curry "Punjabi Malai Palak" and also a sweet dish " Avalakki Payasa" (Poha Kheer) Both can be made in a jiffy with no mess. My dad and mom drove from Mysore to Bangalore the previous day of the shoot, went to granny's place. The next morning, mom, dad and granny left to the studios. But there were many people lined up for that day, that by the time mom got her chance it was almost late evening. But they were very patient the whole time and I guess it payed off!

My brother recorded the whole programme on his cellphone when it was telecast on tv and sent it to me, because we don't get that channel here. It felt nice, because for the very first time, someone in the family was actually on a cooking show. Mom has been a great cook all her life, she has been conducting cooking classes at home for almost 27 years now and she continues to do so. I feel so proud to have a wonderful mom like her!! :)

Here is the video. It is in Kannada. Mom is the one in black saree...her name is Anitha.

Following is the recipe for the daal.

Punjabi Malai Daal:

You will need:

1 cup Green gram (Whole Moong) soaked overnight

2 cups Spinach chopped

5 Green chillies

½ Cup Tomatoes chopped

¼ tsp Turmeric

1 tbsp Ghee

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1 tbsp Chopped ginger

1 onion chopped

½ cup Plain yoghurt

1 tsp Jaggery powdered

Besan if required

1 tsp Red chilli powder

Salt to taste

In a pressure cooker, add soaked, drained green gram. Add 2- 2 ½ cups water. Add chopped spinach, tomatoes, slit green chillies, chopped ginger and turmeric. Close lid and cook on high till steam begins to rise. Place weight, reduce heat to low and cook for 6- 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat ghee in a pan. Add the cumin seeds and sauté for a minute. Add the chopped onions and sauté till soft and translucent. Add red chilli powder and sauté for a minute more.

Add the cooked gram to this and bring to a simmering boil. Add salt and jaggery. If the dal is too thin, then make a paste of besan flour with little water and add to the dal while stirring. This thickens the dal. Bring to a boil and then add the lightly beaten plain yoghurt. Simmer for a minute and then turn off heat. Serve hot with rice or rotis/pooris.

I tried the Poha Kheer too, but when I made it I forgot to take pics. So when I have the pics, will certainly post the recipe and the video here.

Punjabi Malai Daal is my entry to the event "My Legume Love Affair" hosted by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook.

Egg and Green Lentils Curry with Ginger and Green chillies

I don't use Green lentils much in my day to day cooking and had never bought them until I had decided to make Veggie Lentil Loaf. I couldn't find a small pack so had to buy a big container. Luckily I came across another recipe with green lentils in it, and you bet I was all smiles!

Egg and Green Lentils curry with Ginger and Green chillies is from the book "Red Hot: A Cook's Encylopedia of Fire and Spice".The dish looked so appetizing in the picture that I had to try it. Another dish from the same book is the Red Enchilada Sauce.

Egg and Green Lentils Curry with Ginger and Green Chillies

You will need: (Serves :2)

¼ cup Green Lentils

2 cups Vegetable Stock

3 Eggs

2 tbsp Oil

2 cloves

¼ tsp Black Peppercorns

1 Onion finely chopped

4 Green chillies chopped

2 Garlic cloves chopped

1” pc Ginger chopped

1 tsp Corriander powder

1 tsp Cumin powder

3 Tomatoes chopped

3 tbsp Tomato paste

¼ tsp Sugar

¾ cup Water

½ tsp Garam Masala

Wash and drain lentils. Bring lentils and stock to a boil in a pot. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until lentils are soft. Drain and keep aside.

Hard boil the eggs, shell them and cut in half lengthwise.

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the cloves and black peppercorns, sauté for a minute. Add the chopped onions, chillies,garlic and ginger. Saute till onions are soft, about 3-4 minutes. Now add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste ,coriander and cumin powders. Sauté for 10 minutes on low heat till everything is incorporated. Add the lentils , ¾ cup water and halved eggs. Season with salt and garam masala. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot.

This goes well with any white fragrant rice -- Jasmine or Basmati Rice.

You can leave the eggs out and increase the quantity of Lentils and Stock to make a vegetarian lentil curry.

Steamed Wheat Rotis and Daal Fry

There are so many exciting events on in the blogosphere and I'm sure all of us are busy deciding what to make for which event. I made these dishes long ago but hadn't got a chance to post them, so decided to do them now.

Steamed Wheat Rotis

These are not your ordinary chapathis. Wheat flour is steamed/cooked in boiling water and then made into a dough.

You will need:

2 Cups Wheat Flour

2 Cups Water

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Oil

Bring water to a boil. Add the salt and oil. Place a wooden spoon in the pot and then add the wheat flour. Do not stir. Reduce heat to low and let cook for 15 minutes uncovered. Turn off heat and stir quickly using the wooden spoon to make a lump free soft dough. Knead the dough while its hot. Roll into large flat rounds, larger than regular chapathis. As you roast them on a hot pan, the dough tends to shrink, so make big ones. Serve hot with Daal Fry.

The kneaded dough dries out quickly so keep unused dough covered with a wet cloth till ready to use or when rolling the rotis.

Daal Fry

Daal Fry is a very good combination with these Steamed Wheat Rotis, for lack of a better name the dish has been christened Daal Fry

1 cup Tuar dal

5-6 Dry red chillies

1 onion cubed

4-5 Garlic pods chopped

1 tsp Whole pepper

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Cumin seeds

Few curry leaves

2 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

½ tsp Tamarind paste

2-3 cups Water

Heat oil in a pressure cooker. Add cumin and mustard seeds, when it begins to splutter add the whole pepper, dry red chillies and the curry leaves. Saute for a minute and then add the chopped garlic and onions. Saute for 3-4 minutes till onions are soft and garlic is light brown. Now add the washed, drained Tuar Dal and sauté for 2 minutes. Add water, stir and close cooker lid. Place weight on lid and cook on high, 3 whistles.

Let cool a little, add tamarind paste and salt, bring to a boil. Serve hot with Wheat Rotis. Sautéing the Tuar Dal brings a unique flavour to the dish.

Daal Fry is my entry to "JFI- Toor Dal" hosted by Linda of Out of the Garden . Daal Fry is a one pot dish and can be made in as little as 30-35 minutes (counting the pressure cooking part too)

Steamed Wheat Rotis is my entry to the "Powerless Cooking" event hosted by Easy Cooking Blog

An ode to Spinach – Palak Paneer & Spinach Dal

I like Spinach in any form as long as its cooked. Spinach always reminds me of Popeye, I remember telling my kiddo cousin that if he ate his spinach he would become as strong as Popeye...hehe.. Most kids don't like Spinach and its hard to get them to eat it! Here are two of my favourite ways to eat it and trust me your kids will be licking their fingers without the slightest inkling that they are eating spinach! :)

Palak Paneer:

8-10 large bunches Spinach
100 gms Paneer (cubed)
½ tbsp Dhaniya powder
2 large onions
1 cup tomato puree
8 green chillies
2 tsps Ginger garlic paste
4 tbsps oil
Salt to taste

Clean the spinach and give it a rough chop. Boil this along with slit green chillies on stove top till both are soft, don’t overcook, we don’t want to lose the bright green colour. Strain and let cool. Grind to a fine paste. Cube the onions and boil till they are soft. Grind to a smooth paste. Blend tomatoes to make a puree. Heat oil in a pan, add the onion paste and fry till golden brown. Add the ginger garlic paste and sauté for a few more minutes. Add the dhaniya powder and tomato puree. Fry till it becomes a little thick and the oil floats on top..about 15 mintues. Add the spinach paste and salt. Cook on low till the gravy begins to bubble. Again don’t overboil, spinach will turn brown. Add paneer cubes right before serving. Garnish with fresh cream if required. Serve hot with chapathis/ nan.

Spinach Dal:

1 bunch Spinach
2 tbsps Oil
1 large onion chopped
5 green chillies
½ cup Moong Dal
1 tomato chopped
½ tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp lime juice
6-7 cloves of Garlic
Salt to taste

Roast the moon dal in a pan till it becomes lightly brown. Add boiling water and cook on stove top till dal splits and is soft. For every cup of roasted dal you will need atleast 5-6 cups of water. Add more if required.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan. Add the green chillies(slit) and the tomatoes. Cook till tomatoes are soft. Now add the washed, chopped spinach. Also add the cumin powder, red chilli powder and salt. Mix well and cook on medium heat till the spinach becomes soft and is cooked through. Do not add water, let spinach cook in the tomato juice.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in another pan. Add the curry leaves, chopped garlic and onions. Saute till garlic is fragrant and onions are soft.

Add the spinach and the onion mixture to the dal. Add lime juice, little more salt and mix well. Add water if required. Bring to a boil and serve hot with rice or chapathis.

Have a lovely weekend all of you, my hubby and I are off to San Francisco. Our weekend starts tonight...we are flying in a couple of hours. See y'all on Tuesday!! :)

Cumin Rasam and Brown Gram Palya

My next recipe is for the event “Think Spice – Think Cumin” started by Sunita of Sunita’s World. It’s a great way to honour our Indian spices.


Cumin is a strong flavourful spice. It is very good for digestion and this rasam makes a lovely soup too on a cold night.

Cumin Rasam:

You will need:

125 gms Tuar dhal
4-5 Dry red chillies
4 Garlic pods (cut into small bits)
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp Crushed black pepper (use more to make rasam spicy)
½ medium sized Onion cubed
A pinch Turmeric powder
Curry leaves
Mustard seasoning
Tamarind pulp - 2 to 3 tbsps
Jaggery- a small piece (optional)
Corriander for garnish, salt to taste

• Pressure cook Tuar dal, dry chillies, garlic, cumin, balck pepper, onions and turmeric in a cooker on high for 3 whistles(with weight)
• Remove from cooker and add the tamarind pulp, jaggery and curry leaves. Add salt and bring to a boil.
• Now add the mustard seasoning and garnish with chopped coriander.
• Serve hot with steamed white rice or drink as a soup to help aid digestion.

Brown Gram(Halasandhe Kaalu) Palya :

You will need:

100 gms. Brown gram (Halasandhe kaalu)
½ onion chopped
2 Garlic pods (cut into small bits)
4-5 green chillies slit
Few curry leaves
2 tbsps grated fresh coconut
Salt to taste
Oil
Mustard seeds

1. Wash and pressure cook gram in a cooker ( 3 whistles on high with weight)
2. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and curry leaves.
3. Add the green chillies, chopped onions and garlic. Fry till onions become translucent.
4. Now add the boiled, strained gram and salt. Mix well and cook for a minute or two.
5. Add grated coconut in the end, mix well and serve. Garnish with corriander.

Another day of finger licking food…bon appetite!

Vegetable Sambar(Curry) with Rice

I was wondering which recipe to start with and really had to hold back putting all my recipes here at once…he he he :)

I finally decided to tell you about my mom’s delicious vegetable sambar (tharkaari huli) Easy to make and very fulfilling.

You will need

To Boil:

2 Carrots sliced
½ cup Green Beans cut into 1” pcs.
1 Onion cubed
1 handful (frozen or fresh) Lima Beans(Avarekai) or Peas
1 cup Chayote Squash cubed (Seemebadnekai)
1 cup Tuar Dal (Thogribele)
Turmeric a pinch
½ tsp. oil

(You can also use Potatoes, Tindora and any other vegetable you have on hand)

Roast:

1 tbsp Corriander seeds
½ tsp Jeera
1 tsp Bengal Gram (chana dal)
1 tsp Urad dal
2 to 3 Black pepper whole
¼ tsp Fenugreek seeds (methi seeds)
4-6 Dry red chillies
Add little hing in the end.

1 cup fresh grated coconut

Seasoning:

Tamarind pulp – ½ cup
Jaggery – ¼” pc (optional)
Curry leaves – a few
Mustard seasoning (Mustard fried in oil with little hing –aesofotida)
Chopped Corriander (Cilantro) for garnishing

Salt to taste

1. Pressure cook vegetables with Tuar Dal, a pinch of turmeric and oil in a cooker.
2. Roast each ingredient separately and then powder the mixture. Grind this with fresh coconut gratings and little water to make a smooth paste.
3. Add this paste to the boiled vegetables along with tamarind pulp, jaggery, salt, curry leaves and mustard seasoning. Bring to a boil and let boil for 5 mins. Garnish with chopped coriander. Vegetable Sambar is now ready to eat with steamed white rice.

Hope you will try this recipe!