Ulli Theeyal

Ingredients:
Shallots - 1 cup (sliced)
Tamarind paste - 2 tsp.
Coconut oil - as required
Salt (as required)
Mustard seeds - 3/4 tsp.
Fenugreek seeds - a pinch
Curry leaves - a few
Whole red chilli - 1
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Coriander powder - 2 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.

Method:
Mix 1 cup of water to the tamarind paste. Keep aside. Heat the oil and saute the coconut till brown color. Add the red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder  and cumin seeds to the coloured coconut and saute for a few seconds. Grind into a paste. Heat the oil and saute the onions for a few minutes. Pour the tamarind water and bring it to a boil. Sprinkle required salt. Mix the paste and if required, add a little water. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile in another small pan, heat the oil and add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, broken red chillies and curry leaves. When the mustard seeds crackle, pour it over the theeyal. Enjoy with rice.

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Coconut Burfi Version 2.0

Cooking time: 5-7 minutes
Serving: 1 byte per person.


Ingredients:
Firmly packed grated coconut - 2 cups
Sugar - 1.5 cups or (as per taste)
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp.
Ghee - 2 tsp.
Food color - a few drops


Method:
Grind the grated coconut in a blender without adding water (optional).
Add the coconut and sugar in a wide, thick-bottomed non-stick pan and begin sauting in medium-low flame.
When the sugar melts (leaves water), add the food colour and saute.
After a minute, mix in the cardamom powder and ghee.
When the coconut begins leaving the sides of the pan and white bubbles appear, remove and spread in a ghee-greased pan.
After 15 minutes, make an incision to form a shape.
Let it cool and cut.
Enjoy.

Note:
I divided the ingredients into halves. In one pan, I was sauting (with colour) and my mother was preparing with no colour simultaneously.
When the right consistency was achieved, I first spread the white portion in the cake tray and then spread the pink portion over the white one.

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Fresh Pigeon Peas Sundal

Ingredients:
Fresh pigeon peas/thuvarai - 2 cups
Ginger - 3/4 inch (chopped)
Green chilli - 1 (slit)
Dry red chilli - 1
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Urad dal - 1/2 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp.
Asafoetida powder - 2 big pinches
Salt (to taste)
Oil
Curry leaves - a few
Grated mango - 1 tbsp.
Grated coconut- 1 tbsp.
Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp. (chopped)


Method:
Boil the pigeon peas with required amount of salt. Strain. Keep it aside.
Heat the oil and temper the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and urad dal.
Add the red chilli (break it into halves), asafoetida powder, green chilli, ginger pieces and curry leaves and saute.
Now add boiled the peas and saute.
Mix the grated mango, grated coconut and coriander leaves.
Serve as an evening snack.

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Poha and Fresh Pigeon Peas Upma

Ingredients:
Poha/beaten rice (thick) - 3 cups
Fresh pigeon peas/thuvarai - 1 cup (boiled with little salt)
Onions (small-sized) - 3 (chopped)
Ginger - 1 inch (chopped)
Oil
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Urad dal - 1 tsp.
Curry leaves - few
Dry long red chillies - 3
Salt (to taste)
Asafoetida - a pinch


Ingredients:
Soak poha for a few minutes and strain.
Heat oil and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and urad dal. When the mustard seeds crackle and urad dal becomes golden color, add broken red chillies and saute till they get shaded to a dark colour. Add onions, ginger and curry leaves and saute till the onions change colour.
Add poha and saute. Sprinkle salt and mix. Mix the pigeon peas.
Cover and cook for a few minutes.
Sprinkle asafoetida.
Serve for breakfast.

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Spicy Tofu Masala

Ingredients:
Tofu - 200 gm
Onions - 2
Ginger-garlic (minced) - 1 tsp.
Tomatoes - 2
Long green chilli - 1
Green bell pepper - 1
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Oil
Salt (to taste)
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Coriander powder - 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Roasted and ground cumin - 1/2 tsp.
Dry mango powder - 1/2 tsp.
Chaat masala - 1 tsp.
Flax seed powder - 1 tsp.


Preparation:
Peel, wash and slice the onions.
Slit the green chilli.
Dice the green bell pepper.
Cube the tofu.
Cut the tomatoes into half. Scoop out the seeds and dice the tomatoes.

Method:
Heat the oil and add the cumin seeds. Add the onions and saute till translucent.
Add the minced ginger & garlic and saute. Add the green chilli and capsicum and saute.
Reduce the flame and add red chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric powder.
Sprinkle water and mix.
Now add the dry mango powder, cumin powder and flax seed powder. Sprinkle water and mix well.
Then add the tofu and tomatoes and saute without breaking the tofu. Mix in the chaat masala and salt.
Enjoy with rotis or make a roll with rotis.


Note:
Chaat masala already contains salt. Be sure to adjust the addition of salt while cooking.

Sent off to "Dish it Out" event.

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Rajma Masala

Ingredients:
Rajma/Kidney beans - 1 cup
Tomatoes (ripe) - 4 (chopped)
Coriander leaves - few
Oil
Salt (to taste)
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Butter - 1 tbsp.


To grind into paste:
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic - 3 big cloves
Green chilli - 1
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Coriander powder - 2 tsp.
Peppercorn (Black) - 5
Poppy seeds - 1 tsp.
Cinnnamon - 1 small stick
Cloves - 2
Cardamom - 2


Method:
Soak the rajma overnight. Pressure cook them with fresh water and a little salt.
Strain the cooked rajmas. Reserve the water. Mash a few beans and keep aside.
Meanwhile, grind the given ingredients into a paste.
Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle, add the tomato pieces, salt and saute till they turn mushy and the oil separates.
Now add the ground paste and saute till the raw smell fades away and releases oil in low flame.
Mix corainder leaves. Pour the reserved water and bring it to a boil.
Add the boiled and mashed kidney beans. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes
Top it with butter.
Serve as a side dish for rotis and chapathis.


Note:
Pour the reserved water according to the desired thickness of gravy.
As this is a spicy and hot dish, adding butter is mandatory.
Red chillies, ginger, garlic, green chilli, peppercorn and cloves together accumulate hotness to this dish. Adjust  them according to your taste.
The original recipe includes cashewnuts which I didn't consider adding to this dish.

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Fenugreek Leaves Moong Dal Stir-Fry

Ingredients:
Fenugreek leaves - 3 cups
Moong dal - 1/4 cup
Onions (small size) - 3 (chopped finely)
Garlic - 3 cloves (chopped/crushed)
Tomato - 1 (chopped)
Dry red chillies - 2 (long)
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Urad dal - tsp.
Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Coconut (grated) - 2 tbsp.
Coriander leaves (chopped) - 2 tbsp.
Salt (as per taste)
Oil

Method:
Cook the moong dal whole without mushy. Drain the water. Keep aside.
Heat the oil, and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds and urad dal.
When the mustard seeds crackle, add the broken chillies.
Saute the chillies till they become crisp.
Add asafoetida powder, onion, garlic.
Saute till the onion becomes translucent.
Now add the greens and start stirring.
Cook the greens by stirring in between.
Now add the tomatoes and saute for 3 minutes.
Mix in the salt (after adding the salt, the greens release their juices).
Saute till they become dry.
Finally mix moong dal, coconut and coriander leaves.
Enjoy as a side dish.

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Sprouted Green Gram Salad

Ingredients:
Sprouted green gram - 2 cups
Onion - 1 (finely chopped)
Ginger - 1 tsp. (grated)
Tomato - 1 (chopped without seeds)
Cucumber - half (chopped)
Green capsicum - 1 (chopped)
Pomegranate - 1
Coriander leaves - a small bunch (chopped)
Salt (to taste)
Pepper powder (for seasoning)
Lime juice - a few drops

Method:
Mix all the given ingredients and eat.

Sent off to "CWS-Moong Beans" event.

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Cabbage Kootu

Ingredients:
Cabbage - 1/2 (shredded)
Chana dal - 1/3 cup
Yellow moong dal - 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder - 2 pinches
Salt (to taste)
Coriander leaves - few (chopped)

To temper:
Mustard seeds - 3/4 tsp.
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.
Urad dal - 1 tsp.
Asafoetida powder - 1/4 tsp.
Whole red chillies - 2 (long)
Curry leaves - a few
Oil

To grind into paste:
Coconut grated - 3 tbsp.
Green chillies (small) - 3
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp.

Method:
Soak the chana dal for 1 hour. Mix yellow moong dal, cabbage and turmeric powder with chana dal. Pour required water and pressure cook them.
Heat the oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and broken or cut red chillies. When the mustard seeds crackle, add asafoetida and curry leaves.
Pour the cooked cabbage and dal. Mix in salt and coconut paste.
Boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Finally add coriander leaves and switch off the heat.
Enjoy as a side dish!

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Green Gram Laddu

Ingredients:
Green gram - 1/2 cup
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Warm ghee

Method:
Dry roast the green gram till it changes colour and a nice aroma arises. Let it cool and powder it.
Powder the sugar as well. In a bowl, mix both the powders. Pour the required warm ghee and mix.
Make the balls and enjoy!

Sent off to "CWS-Moong Beans" event.

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Vazhakka(i) Thoran

Ingredients:
Raw plantains - 3 (small-sized)
Coconut - 1/4 cup (grated)
Shallots - 5
Garlic - 3 big cloves
Green chillies - 2
Pepper powder - 1/4 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 3 pinches
Mustard - 1/2 tsp.
Curry leaves - a few
Oil
Salt

Method:
Peel off the skin and dice the plantains. Cook them in water with 2 pinches of turmeric powder and a little salt.
Strain the plantains and keep aside.
Crush or blend the shallots, garlic, green chillies and curry leaves coarsely.
Heat a little oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add crushed onions, garlic, green chillies, curry leaves, little salt and a pinch of turmeric powder and saute till shallots turn golden colour.
Now add the grated coconut and pepper powder and saute for 3 to 4 minutes in low flame.
Finally add the cooked plantains and saute gently till dry.
Enjoy as a side dish.

Recipe source: Kaipunyam

Sent off to "Veggie/Fruit A Month-Plantain" and "The Kerala Kitchen" (click here for more details) events.

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Coriander & Moong Dal Thuvaiyal

Ingredients:
Coriander leaves (with stalks) - 3 cups
Moong dal (yellow) - 1/4 cup
Dry red chillies - 2 (or as per taste)
Garlic - 1 big clove
Tamarind - a small piece
Salt (as per taste)
Oil

To temper:
Mustard seeds + Cumin seeds + Urad dal - 1/2 tsp.
Asafoetida - a pinch
Oil

Method:
Dry roast the moong dal till brown colour without burning in low flame.
Remove and keep aside.
In the same pan, add and heat a little oil and fry red chillies, garlic and tamarind.
Grind moong dal, red chillies, tamarind, garlic, coriander leaves and salt into a thick paste by adding a little water.
Temper with the given ingredients and pour the mixture on the thuvaiyal. Mix well and enjoy as a side dish.

Sent off to "CWS-Moong Beans" event.

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Methi Pulao

Ingredients:
Basmati rice - 2 cups
Fenugreek leaves - 2 cups
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp.
Onions - 2 (sliced)
Garlic - 1.5 tsp. (grated)
Ginger - 1 tsp. (grated)
Tomatoes - 2 (chopped)
Potato (big) - 1
Kashmiri red chilli powder - 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp.
Coconut milk - 1 cup
Salt (to taste)
Cinnamom stick -1
Cardamom - 3
Cloves - 4
Fennel seeds - 1 tsp.
Oil

Method:
Peel and dice the potatoes. Drop the diced potatoes in water. Keep aside.
Wash the basmati rice and keep aside.
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed vessel.
Add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and fennel seeds and allow them to sizzle.
Add the sliced onions and saute till translucent. Saute the ginger and garlic till raw smell fades away.
Then include the fenugreek leaves, diced potatoes (discard water) & coriander leaves and saute for 4-5 minutes.
Now add the tomatoes, salt and saute till they are half-mushy.
Add red chilli & turmeric powders and mix well in low flame for 2 minutes.
Add the rice and saute.
Pour the coconut milk and 3 cups of water. Mix. Cook in medium flame.
When the water begins to boil, cover the vessel with a lid.
When the water gets absorbed, remove the lid & cover the vessel with aluminium foil.
Again place the lid on the aluminium foil.
Let the rice cook completely in low flame. Remove from heat.
Serve warm with any raita.

Sent off to "Back to Roots" event.

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