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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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.

Read More

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!

Read More