Jeerige Saaru | Jeera Rasam | Cumin seeds Rasam: No onion, no garlic recipes!!

This quick rasam makes your taste buds jump with joy. It is a burst of flavors in your mouth. On a sick day, when my taste buds refuse any food, I make this rasam & relish it. Try it and you won't be disappointed!

Preparation Time: 5 mins

Cooking Time: 15 mins

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients: 

For the rasam:

Water: About 2 cups, more or less

Jaggery: 1 tsp

Tamarind extract: 1 tsp

Salt: As needed

Spice powder: 1.5 tbsp

For the spice powder:

Cumin seeds: 2 tsp

Coriander seeds: 1 tsp

Urad dal | Black dal: 1 tsp

Pepper corns: 6-8 nos

Dry red chili: 2 nos

Oil: 2-3 drops

For the tempering:

Oil: 1 tsp

Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves: 4-6 nos, torn

Asafoetida: a big pinch

Method:

For the spice powder:

Add the oil in a small pan. When oil is hot, throw in the cumin seeds & roast on a low heat until they leave out a nutty aroma.

When cumin seeds are golden brown, add the urad dal, and roast again till dal turns golden brown. 

Add the coriander seeds, dry red chili, pepper corns & roast again on a low heat.

Allow the roasted spices to cool down. Once cool, make a coarse powder of the spices & store them in a air tight container.

For the rasam:

Add water to a sauce pan. Throw in the spice powder, salt, jaggery, tamarind paste & boil the water for about 10-15 mins on medium heat.

Heat oil in a small pan. When oil is hot, throw in the mustard seeds followed by curry leaves. When leaves wilt, turn off the heat & add the asafoetida. Add this tempering to the boiling rasam & quickly cover the rasam with a lid. The tempering gets trapped in the rasam & hence enhances the flavor of the rasam. 

Serve the rasam hot with rice & a side dish or with fritters/papad etc.

Notes:

Make the spice powder in small batches to retain the freshness & the aroma of the powder.

Alasande Kalu Palak Soppina Huli | Spinach and Black eyed peas Sambar | Legumes Curry : Without coconut

When I posted the ragi mudde recipe, some of you asked for another classic huli/sambar recipe that goes very well with the mudde. That is the kaalin huli or soppu kaalin huli (legumes curry!). So, thought of posting the recipe ASAP.

Update: Do you remember that we decided to eat healthy? Here is an update on it. I did not reduce much.., may be because I was not into junk foods any way. But, my better half reduced 16 pounds just by eating healthy!!! He did not even exercise. He is very happy about it & wants to continue for couple of more months :)

Back to the recipe.

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 40 mins
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:
Black eyed peas: 3/4 cup
Mixed beans: 1 tbsp, optional (refer notes)
Spinach leaves: About 4 cups, finely chopped
Toor dal/Pigeon peas: a fistful
Sambar powder: 2 tsp, refer notes
Menthyada hittu/Mixed lentils powder: 1 tsp, refer notes
Thick Tamarind Extract: 2 tsp
Turmeric powder: 2 big pinches, divided use
Salt: As needed
Curry leaves: 2-3 nos, torn

For tempering:
Oil: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 2-3 nos, torn

Method:
Soak the mixed beans & black eyed beans in enough water overnight or for a minimum of 6 hours.

Drain & rinse the beans in running water. Add the toor dal, beans & turmeric powder to a pressure cooker. Add about 3 cups or more of water to the beans & pressure cook the beans for 4-5 whistles. If cooking in a stock pot, boil till the toor dal is over cooked & mushy, while the beans are cooked & soft.
Allow the pressure cooker to release the steam.
Meanwhile, add the finely chopped spinach & little water to a medium sized sauce pan.Add turmeric to the spinach & cook the spinach until it is soft. Spinach gets cooked very fast, say about 5 mins.

Add the salt, tamarind extract & boil again for couple of more minutes.
Add the sambar powder, lentils powder & mix well.

Drain the excess water from the cooked beans (if any). Do not add more water to cook the beans, add about 1 inch of water to the pressure cooker. That way you are retaining the nutrition & not discarding the boiled water.
Pour in the cooked beans + lentils to the spinach mixture. Throw in the torn curry leaves.
Boil it on a medium heat for 15 mins. Boiling in medium heat would allow the beans to absorb the salt, spice & sourness from the gravy.

Once the sambar has boiled enough, remove it from the heat & keep it covered.
Prepare the tempering. In a small pan, add the oil. When oil is hot, throw in the mustard seeds. When seeds splatter, turn off the heat & add the curry leaves. When leaves wilt, pour the tempering over the sambar prepared. Cover the sambar immediately. This will ensure the aroma of the tempering is held inside the sambar & enhances the taste of the sambar.

Notes:

• Add the mixed beans to this sambar is optional. I had this 15 bean soup mixture at home & hence used it a little. 
• You could use any store bought sambar powder to make this sambar. 
• The lentils powder or the menthyada hittu is used to make the sambar thicker. If you do not have this lentils powder, you could use 2 tsp of hurigadale pudi (putani powder or roasted channa dal powder) to make the sambar thick.
• Other greens like amaranth leaves, harive soppu, fenugreek leaves could be used to make this sambar. 

Cabbage Sabzi | Patta gobhi sabzi | Cabbage Palya

Cabbage is known as yele kosu in Kannada.

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 15 mins
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
Shredded Cabbage: About 5 cups
Frozen Peas: 1/2 cup, refer notes
Oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves: 4-5 nos, torn
Turmeric powder: 1/4 tsp
Red chili powder: 1-1.5 tsp, more or less
Coriander powder/dhania powder: 1 tsp
Salt: As needed
Sugar: 1-2 tsp, more or less

For the garnish:
Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp, finely chopped

Method:
Heat oil in a broad sauce pan. When oil is hot, throw in the mustard & cumin seeds.

When mustard seeds crackle, add the curry leaves. When leaves wilt, throw in the shredded cabbage.

Give it a mix. Then add the salt, red chili powder, coriander powder and mix.

Cook the cabbage covered for 2 mins.
Add the sugar, green peas.

Mix it well and cook the cabbage covered for about 5-7 mins. Keep stirring once a while to avoid burning of cabbage.
The cabbage should get cooked by 7-9 mins.

Turn off the heat once the cabbage is cooked & yet firm.
Add the coriander leaves & mix.
Serve the sabzi/palya hot with roti or rice.

Notes:
If you are using fresh peas instead of frozen, make sure to boil the peas before adding it to the sabzi.
I did not have coriander leaves. So, I skipped it.
Instead of peas, you could add cubed potatoes too. Ensure to make small cubes of the potatoes for faster cooking.

Homemade Bisi Bele Bath Powder Recipe | Bisi bele bath masala Recipe

...........Learn to make bisi bele bath powder at home. 

Bisi bele bath was one of the first few recipes that I posted on my blog way back in 2008. Bisi bele bath is a Karnataka delicacy and hands down my most favorite dish of all! You could use MTR bisi bele bath powder or make your own powder at home. You could see the bisi bele bath recipe with detailed pictures here. 

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: Nil
Makes: About 1/2 cup spice powder

Ingredients:

Channa Dal/Gram dal:  2 tsp
Urad Dal/Black gram dal:  2 tsp
Cumin seeds/Jeera: 1 tsp
Coriander seeds:  2-3 tsp
Fenugreek seeds: 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon: 1 inch
Poppy seeds/gasgase: 1/2 tsp
Dry red Chilies - According to taste (I used about 2 tsp of red chili powder)
Grated Dry Coconut/dessicated coconut - 1 Table spoon
Asafoetida - 1 pinch
Marati moggu: 1 extra small, optional 
Curry leaves: 2-4 nos, optional
Oil: 1/2 tsp

Method:
Add oil to a small pan. When oil is hot, throw in the gram dal & urad dal. Roast the dals on a low-medium heat until the dal leaves out the aroma & changes the color slightly. 

Add the cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, cinnamon, marati moggu & roast it again. (about 2-3 mins)

Add the poppy seeds, coriander seeds & roast again until the aroma fills the kitchen. (about 2 mins)

Remove the pan from the heat. Add the asafoetida, curry leaves & dry coconut. Allow it cool. 

Once cool enough to handle, make a coarse to fine powder of all the roasted items. (I used a coffee grinder to make a fine powder!) 

Add about 2 tsp of red chili powder & mix well. 

Store it in a air tight container & use it as needed.