MOONG DAL CURRY : METHOD 2

Necessity is the mother of invention- This adage holds good in this scenario,where in the prices of veggies are skyrocketing due to torrential rains. Hence, I have been inventing recipes involving minimal veggies. Normally,in preparing moong dal curry,I always consider tomato as a quintessential veggie. But considering the exorbitant price of tomato, I decided to do without it. I prepared groundnut,garlic chutney and incorporated the same in the curry. As I was running out of coriander leaves,I added kasoori methi for the flavour.

The tamarind in the chutney imparts the tangy taste and is an apt substitute for the tomatoes. The nutty flavour of the groundnuts elevates the flavour profile. This recipe turned out  to be the yummiest curry,I have ever tasted. This curry goes well with chapati,rice,puri and phulka.

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS FOR CHUTNEY

GROUNDNUTS- 1 1/2 TBSP

GARLIC CLOVES-5 NOS

RED CHILLIES- 6-7 NOS

CUMIN SEEDS- 3/4 TSP

TAMARIND- GOOSEBERRY SIZE

OTHER INGREDIENTS

WHOLE MOONG DAL- 1 1/2 CUPS

ONIONS- 2 NOS

CUMIN SEEDS- 3/4 TSP

KASOORI METHI- 3/4 TSP

SALT TO TASTE

TURMERIC POWDER- 1/4 TSP

 

OIL- 1 TBSP

 

METHOD

Wash moong dal thoroughly and pressure cook for two whistles.

For the chutney: Soak the red chillies in hot water for twenty minutes. After twenty minutes,grind the soaked red chillies along with garlic and keep it aside. In a mixer jar,take the roasted groundnuts,cumin seeds,tamarind,red chilli paste,little water and grind to fine paste and keep it aside.

In a pan heat oil,splutter cumin seeds,add chopped onions,salt and fry till the onions turn translucent.

Add the groundnut paste,turmeric powder over this and saute for a minute.

Now transfer the steamed moong dal over the sauteed ingredients for a couple of minutes.

Add crushed kasoori methi over this and serve.

POTTUKADALAI / ROASTED GRAM DAL MURUKKU

 Putting down recipes is even more arduous than cooking. I made this savory snack for Diwali but couldn't find time to write about the same on my blog. Pottukadalai is Tamil word for roasted gram dal. This ingredient lends the crispy texture to this murukku. Unlike other murukkus,this one has light brown hue .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

RICE FLOUR- 2 CUPS

 

POTTUKADALAI / ROASTED GRAM DAL  POWDER- 1/2 CUP

WHITE SESAME SEEEDS- 1 1/2 TSP

ASAFOETIDA- 3/4 TSP

BUTTER- 3 TSP

SALT TO TASTE

WATER FOR KNEADING DOUGH

 

PROCEDURE

Sieve rice flour and keep it aside. Blend the roasted gram dal in a mixer jar to fine powder and pass through a sieve and keep it aside.

In a wide bowl,add both the sieved powders,sesame seeds,butter,salt,asafoetida,water and knead to little loose dough.

You can even substitute hot oil for butter.

Heat oil in a pan and drop a small portion of the dough to check for the right temperature.

Grease the murukku achu /maker with oil and load the dough inside.

 

If you aren't comfortable making murukkus directly in oil,then you can make it on a butter paper or on the back side of the ladle and then slide the same in the hot oil .

Fry the murukkus in hot oil till it turns crispier on both the sides.

KAREVEPILLAI / CURRY LEAVES THOKKU.

 Thokku is a thick gravy prepared in the Tamilnadu. The key difference between thokku and chutney is- thokku is sauteed in sesame oil to prolong shelf life and the consistency is thicker compared to chutney. This thokku is one of the productive methods of including curry leaves in our diet. In olden days,this gravy was prepared using soapstone utensil. The stone lends a nice flavour to the dish and acts as a preservative too. Since,curry leaves has good digestive properties,this thokku is a part of postpartum diet. This thokku is a very good appetizer. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 INGREDIENTS

CURRY LEAVES- 1 CUP

TOOR DAL- 6 TSP

URAD DAL- 3 TSP

RED CHILLIES- 5 NOS

PEPPERCORNS- 3/4 TSP

CUMIN SEEDS- 1/2 TSP

TAMARIND- GOOSEBERRY SIZE

JAGGERY- 1 TSP POWDERED

SESAME OIL- 1 TBSP

MUSTARD- 1 TSP

ASAFOETIDA- 1/2 TSP

DRY GINGER POWDER- 1/4 TSP

SALT TO TASTE

 

PROCEDURE

Wash curry leaves thoroughly and wipe it pat dry and keep it aside.

In a pan heat sesame oil and add toor dal,urad dal,peppercorns,cumin seeds, red chillies and roast till the ingredients turn crisp.

In the same pan,add the curry leaves and fry till nice aroma emanates and the leaves change colour.

Soak tamarind in warm water and extract syrup.

In a mixer jar,transfer the roasted ingredients,curry leaves and tamarind syrup and blend to fine paste.

In another pan add sesame oil. Add mustard. When it starts to splutter,add asafoetida and fry the ground paste,salt and fry till you see bubbles and the gravy leaves the sides of the pan.

 

Add powdered jaggery,dry ginger powder and simmer in mild heat and switch off. 

Store it in a air-tight and clean container.

RADISH / MULANGI PARUPPU USULI

Paruppu usili or usili is a lentil-based curry popular in the South India. The gram dal dumpling is steamed and tossed along with any veggie till it reaches crumble consistency. There are both traditional and masala version of paruppu usuli. I learned this unique curry from one of the websites but tweaked it a bit to suit my preference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS TO GRIND

RADISH- 5-6 NOS

GRAM DAL- 6 TSP

RED CHILLIES- 5 NOS

 

OTHER INGREDIENTS

OIL- 1 TBSP

MUSTARD-1TSP

GINGER GARLIC PASTE- 1 TSP

ONION- 2 NOS

CURRY LEAVES-1 SPRIG

TURMERIC POWDER- 1/4 TSP

COCONUT GRATINGS- 1 TBSP

SALT TO TASTE

LEMON JUICE- 1 TSP

 

METHOD

Soak gram dal in hot water for thirty minutes till it softens. Peel the skin and chop the radish roughly and keep it aside. 

Grind chopped radish pieces,red chillies and soaked lentil to a coarse paste.

Grease idli plates with oil. Transfer the ground paste to idli plates and steam for 10 minutes ,

Allow the steamed contents to cool.

Heat oil in a pan. Crackle mustard seeds,fennel seeds and add chopped onions,salt,curry leaves and fry till it becomes translucent .

Now add in the ginger garlic paste,fry till the raw smell goes off. 

Transfer the steamed contents over the seasoning and fry till it reaches crumble consistency.

Add the coconut gratings and fry for a minute and switch off.

At last add lemon juice and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

CUCUMBER MOR KOOTU

I love curd-based gravies in any cuisine. Hence mor kootu is my favorite dish in the South Indian cuisine. I have tried this gravy with raw banana,greens and even pumpkin. Mor is Tamil word for buttermilk and kootu implies gravy. This dish,is a perfect accompaniment for any spicy preparations like kara kuzhambu, puliyogare,biryani, bisi bela bath.

 

 

 

 

 

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INGREDIENTS

 

CUCUMBER- 1 

 

BUTTERMILK- 1 1/2 CUP

 

SALT TO TASTE

 

CHOPPED CORIANDER LEAVES

 

 

INGREDIENTS TO GRIND

 

COCONUT GRATINGS- 1/2 CUP

 

GREEN CHILLIES- 2 NOS

 

CUMIN SEEDS- 3/4 TSP

 

 

FOR SEASONING

 

COCONUT OIL- 3 TSP

 

MUSTARD- 3/4 TSP

 

URAD DAL- 3/4 TSP

 

ASAFOETIDA- 1/2 TSP

 

CURRY LEAVES- 1 SPRIG

 

RED CHILI- 1 

PROCEDURE

Wash cucumber thoroughly. I always love the crunch,hence I always retain the peel. Chop the cucumber with peel to small pieces and keep it aside.

Whisk curd using little water to a smooth mixture and keep it aside.

In a pan add a tsp of oil and saute the chopped cucumber for a minute till it becomes soft.

Over the sauteed veggie,add the whisked curd and salt and simmer in mild heat .

Now combine the ground paste to the curd mixture and boil for a minute and switch off.

Prolonged boiling will curdle the gravy. Hence,once the coconut paste blends with the curd switch off immediately.

Prepare the seasoning and add it to the cooked cucumber gravy and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

SNAKEGOURD SEED CHUTNEY

 Next to raw banana peel chutney,this ingenious chutney,impressed me a lot. I never knew,even the seeds can be productively transformed to a yummy chutney. This chutney has immense health benefits as well. Make sure to choose only tender snake gourd; as the mature ones will have hard seeds and can't be utilized in chutney

 

 

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INGREDIENTS

 

SNAKE GOURD SEEDS-  1 CUP

URAD DAL- 4 TSP

GRAM DAL- 4 TSP

METHI SEEDS / FENUGREEK SEEDS- 1/2 TSP

CURRY LEAVES- 3 SPRIGS

GROUNDNUT- 5 TSP

RED CHILLIES- 6 NOS

TAMARIND- GOOSEBERRY SIZE

CUMIN SEEDS- 1 TSP

SALT TO TASTE

ASAFOETIDA- 1/2 TSP

OIL- 3 TSP

PROCEDURE

 Scoop out the seeds from the veggie and keep it aside.

 

 Heat oil in a pan and fry the lentils,curry leaves,asafoetida,cumin seeds,tamarind,red chilliesand        keep   it aside.

 

 In the same pan add  fenugreek seeds and fry till the nice aroma emanates and switch off. Add the     roasted fenugreek seeds,salt to the other roasted ingredients and blend to fine powder.

Wash the scooped seeds and fry it in oil till it becomes soft.

Transfer the sauteed seeds to the blender with powdered ingredients. Add water and blend to fine paste. 

AVALAKKI BISIBELA BATH

 Bisi bela huli anna / Bisibela bath is an authentic rice dish in the Karnataka cuisine. This dish comprises of : rice,toor dal, slew of veggies :carrot,beans,shallots,onions, drumstick,green peas tamarind syrup and the key ingredient- Biaibela bath powder. No wedding menu in Karnataka is complete without this flavorsome rice dish. In this recipe,I have elucidated the procedure followed, in my mom's ancestral home. Even today,in my Grand aunt's place,this dish is prepared without veggies. They proclaim this version  as the 'authentic' one. Hence,I thought of replicating the procedure in my avalakki version. Avalakki is Kannada word for flattened rice.

As we all know,flattened rice / poha / aval / avalakki is a healthy and best breakfast option. Hence,after trying out many interesting recipes,I zeroed in on this recipe. Since flattened rice is very light,it doesn't require any cooking. Thus,I would call this - instant version of the authentic bisi bela bath recipe

 

 

 

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INGREDIENTS

 

FLATENNED RICE / AVALAKKI- 2 1/2 CUPS

TOOR DAL- 3/4 CUP

TAMARIND- GOOSEBERRY SIZE

TURMERIC POWDER- 1/4 TSP

SALT TO TASTE

 

BISIBELA BATH POWDER

CORIANDER SEEDS- 1 TBSP

GRAM DAL- 4 TSP

URAD DAL- 4 TSP

CLOVES- 2 NOS

CINNAMON- 1

MARATI MOGU- 2 NOS

PEPPERCORN CORNS- 1/2 TSP

CUMIN SEEDS- 3/4 TSP

FENUGREEK SEEDS- 1/2 TSP

RED CHILLIES- 6 NOS

ASAFOETIDA- 1/2 TSP 

 

COCONUT GRATINGS-  1/2 CUP

FOR SEASONING

OIL- 1 TBSP

GHEE- 4 TSP

MUSTARD- 1 TSP

CURRY LEAVES- 1 SPRIG

GROUNDNUTS- 1 TBSP

METHOD

For preparing bisibala bath powder,roast the ingredients cited in the list in a teaspoon of oil and powder in a blender and keep it aside.

Wash flattened rice thoroughly and soak it in 3 cups of water for 20 minutes.

Steam cook toor dal in pressure cooker and keep it aside. 

 

Soak tamarind in warm water and extract syrup. In a pan boil tamarind syrup till the raw smell evades.

 

Now add in 4 tsp of  bisibela bath powder to the syrup and stir in mild heat for a of minute and switch off.

 

Remove the pressure cooker lid and add the softened flattened rice to this and mix well.

 

Now transfer the tamarind mixture to the cooker and stir in mild heat for couple of minutes and switch off.

 

Prepare the seasoning and add it to the contents in the cooker and mix well.

 

Serve with raita, fryums or chips.    

CURRY LEAVES, MINT CHUTNEY

Healthy eating is very vital for well being.Hence,it is really important to focus on nutritious and balanced diet to boost our immune system. If you skim through grandma's recipe diaries,you can discover plethora of home remedies for various health ailments. It is prudent to resort to such simple home remedies instead of ingesting antibiotics, at a drop of a hat. This chutney,is one such remedy for treating stomach ulcer. I learnt it from a T.V show, aired on a Tamil channel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INGREDIENTS

 

MINT LEAVES- 1 CUP

 

CURRY LEAVES- 1 CUP

 

GRAM DAL- 3 TSP

 

URAD DAL-3 TSP

 

PEPPERCORNS- 1 TSP

GARLIC CLOVES- 6-7  NOS

ASAFOETIDA- 3/4 TSP

SESAME OIL- 4 TSP

SALT TO TASTE / HIMALAYAN ROCK SALT

TAMARIND-GOOSEBERRY SIZE.

PROCEDURE

Wash curry leaves and mint leaves separately and keep it aside.

In a pan heat 2 tsp of sesame oil and fry curry leaves and it take it off the stove,when it turns soft.

Now throw the mint leaves in he same pan and fry till the leaves shrink. Keep the sauteed leaves aside.

In the same pan add remaining 2 tsp of oil and add the lentils along with peppercorns,asafoetida,tamarind and fry well. At last add garlic cloves,salt and fry for a minute and switch off.

Now in a mixer jar add all the sauteed ingredients together and add some water.

 

Grind to fine paste. This chutney tastes good only with plain rice.

Sweet Corn Masala Dosa

Masala dosa is a popular dish in the South Indian cuisine. A few decades ago,this dosa was served with only a humble potato filling. But today,as innovation is ruling the roost,you can find umpteen variations of stuffing. Hence, I tried this spicy filling with sweet corn. You can even enrich with any kind of cheese.

 

 

INGREDIENTS

Boiled corn kernels- 2 cups

Onions - 2 Nos

Tomatoes- 2 Nos

Ginger garlic paste- 1 tsp

Red chilli powder- 1 tsp

Garam masala powder- 3/4 tsp

Cumin powder- 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil- 1 tbsp

 

Cumin seeds- 1 tsp

 

Curry leaves- 1 sprig

 

Idli / Dosa batter- As required.

 

 

PROCEDURE

 

Boil corn kernels and keep it aside. If you are using the Indian variant,then you can steam the same using a pressure cooker.

Heat oil in a  pan. Add cumin seeds. When it starts to splutter,add chopped onions,salt,curry leaves and fry till the onions turn translucent.

Add ginger garlic paste and fry till the raw smell disappears. Now add chopped tomatoes and fry till the tomatoes turn mushy.

Now,add in all the spice powders and fry well. Add a tablespoon of water and simmer in mild heat till it thickens. Now add the boiled corn kernels over this mix well. Switch off.

Heat a dosa tawa /pan. Spread the dosa batter,drizzle some oil over it and gently spread the corn gravy over it.

Don't flip it to other aside. Cook till one side turns crispy brown. 

Now ladle out the stuffed dosa .