Hara Moong dal | Indian style spicy mung beans | Hesaru kaalu thovve (Without garlic)

December is going to be all healthy food at my blog. I have decided not to make any deep fried sins for a month & also to avoid sugar/desserts as much as possible. We are going good so far with the deep fried foods, but we are sometimes cheating on desserts. Being a holiday & festive season, it is very difficult to say "no" to holiday cupcakes :)

So, to keep us going with the initial plan of eating healthy, I made these mung dal. It is a very simple, nutritious & yet a tasty dal that goes well with roti, plain rice, lightly flavored rice or a paratha. This dal is very forgiving. You could add/remove some of the ingredients according to your choice.

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Cooking Time: 45-50 mins (including the beans cooking time)
Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:
Split mung beans | Hara moong | kesaru kaalu: 1.5 cups
Turmeric powder: a big pinch

For the dal/tempering:
Oil: 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida: a big pinch
Green chilli: 3-4 nos, slit
Onion: 1 medium sized, finely chopped
Curry leaves: 3-4 nos, torn
Turmeric powder: a pinch
Garam masala: 1/2 tsp
Salt: As needed
Water: As needed

For the garnish:
Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Lemon juice: 2 tsp

Method:
Wash the mung beans thoroughly. Add about 2-2.5 cups of water, a pinch of turmeric to the mung beans/dal.
Pressure cook the mung beans for 4-5 whistles. Let the cooker cool until all the pressure is released.
Once cool, mash the cooked mung beans/ dal gently.
Heat oil in a broad sauce pan. When oil is hot, add cumin & mustard seeds. When mustard seeds crackle, add the asafoetida, green chilli & curry leaves.
When leaves wilt, throw in the onion.

Cook the onion on medium heat until it turns translucent & light brown.

Add the mashed dal, water, turmeric powder, garam masala & salt.

Mix well & allow the dal to boil on a medium heat. Keep stirring in between to avoid burning of the dal.
Once the dal boils, turn off the heat. Throw in the coriander leaves, lemon juice & mix.
Serve it hot with roti, rice or paratha.

Notes:

• This dal sits at the bottom & burns easily. Keep stirring the dal once a while to avoid that.
• I normally keep the dal a little thick when I serve roti or paratha with it. I make it a little thinner for rice.
• You could add 1 tsp of grated ginger to this dal to enhance the flavor. Add the grated ginger along with the green chilli.

Mustard greens with lentils/mustard greens dal

Mustard greens are a tad bitter & I used to mix them with spinach to make palya/stir fry or saag/curry. Mustard greens are rich in Vitamins & very low in calories. They have the properties to detox our body & prevent cancer. I used to get these greens easily at Singapore & after moving back to Bangalore, I could not find it. Now, after moving here, I get these greens in abundance. This time made a dal/thovve types with mustard greens & my family loved it.

Preparation time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 30-40mins

Serves: 3 people

Ingredients:

For cooking the lentils:

Toor dal/Pigeon peas/Arhar dal/Thogaribele: 1 cup, washed

Turmeric: a big pinch
Salt: 1/2 tsp

For tempering 1:

Oil: 1 tbsp

Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp

Onion: 1 no, finely chopped

Green chillies: 3 nos, finely chopped

Tomato: 1 no, (optional)

Mustard greens: 3 leaves, yielded around 2 cups of chopped greens.

Coriander powder: 1 tsp

Turmeric powder/Haldi: 1/8th tsp
Salt: Adjust to taste

For tempering 2:
Ghee/Clarified butter: 2 tsp
Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
Asafoetida: 1/8th tsp or a big pinch

Before serving:
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves/Cilantro: 1 tbsp finely chopped

Method:

• Wash the toor dal 3-4 times in water. Add 2 cups of water, turmeric, salt & cook in a pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles.  Let it cool.
• Meantime, wash the greens, tomato. Finely chop the greens & dice the tomato.
• Heat oil in broad pan. When oil is hot, add cumin seeds. When seeds turn brown, add green chillies followed by onion. Saute till the onions are translucent.
• Add the tomatoes, salt, turmeric, coriander powder & saute till the tomatoes are soft.
• Throw in the finely chopped greens & cook till the leaves are tender(Around 4-6 mins).
• Mash the cooked dal & pour the dal to the greens mixture. Add 1/2 cup of water & adjust the salt.
• Cook the mixture on a medium heat for another 10-12 mins. Turn off the heat.
• Prepare the tempering. Add ghee to a small pan, when ghee is hot add cumin seeds. When seeds turn brown turn off the heat & add asafoetida. Pour the tempering over the dal prepared & cover it. Do not disturb for 2-3 mins, let the flavors soak in. 
• Just before serving, add lemon juice, coriander leaves & mix well. Serve it with rice or roti.

Notes:
Addition of garlic could add a nice twist to this dal.
Since the mustard leaves are a tad bitter, it is better to add lemon juice at the end.
Toor dal could be replaced with split green gram/moong dal or mixture of 2-3 dals. 

Menthyada hittu/ Fenugreek seeds powder

Though this powder is a tad bitter, it tastes too delicious that the bitterness goes unnoticed. This powder is made with lentils & is rich in proteins.It is considered beneficial during both pregnancy & post pregnancy. None the less, you can include it as part your daily intake too. The shelf life of this powder is 2-3 months (without refrigeration). Preparing this one is like, putting the effort one time & reaping the benefits many a times :)

I have been waiting to put up this recipe from the last year or so. I have told this recipe to a dozen of my friends & most of them have been making this powder since then. My son & hubby can happily finish their dinner/lunch with this powder, rice & ghee.

Ingredients: (For about 3 cups of powder/hittu).
Toor dal: 1 cup
Channa dal/Gram dal: 1 cup
Moong dal: 1 cup
Urad dal: 1 cup
Coriander seeds/dhaniya: 2 tsp
Fenugreek seeds: 2 tsp
Dried red chillies: 4-5 nos(non spicy chillies like Kashmiri or byadgi chillies)
Asafoetida: a big pinch
Turmeric: A big pinch
Salt: 1/2 tsp

Method:

• Dry roast the toor dal, channa dal, moong dal, urad dal, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds seperately. The dals should slightly change the color & leave out the aroma. 
• Dry roast the chillies at the end & allow the lentils/dals to cool. 
• Once the dals are completely cooled, mix them & make a fine powder of the dals & chillies together. Use a spice blending jar to make the job easier.
• Add turmeric, asafoetida, salt to the powder. Mix well & allow the powder to cool for an hour. 
• Store in air tight container & enjoy whenever needed or daily!

(Serving suggestion: For a cup of cooked steaming hot rice, add a tbsp of this powder, a tsp of ghee & salt (according to your taste). Mix well & enjoy the rice)


Notes:

1. For this recipe alone, I have used a smaller cup. 1 cup holds 100 ml of water.

Dahi Ni Khichdi

This is a dish that has all my favorite ingredients & I would love to eat it any time of the day!

I am never satisfied with the pressure cooker method of preparing khichdi. I always cook khichdi using the stove top method. Though stove top method takes about an hour to cook, the final result is simply WOW!

Preparation time: 15mins
Cooking time: Around 45-50 mins
Serves: 4-6 adults
Recipe Source: Adapted from Enjoy Indian Food.

Ingredients:
Basmati rice: 1.5 cups
De husked & split green gram/Moong dal: 1 cup
Yogurt/Curd: 1 cup
Salt:According to taste
Potatoes: 1 medium sized, cut into strips or cubes
Carrot: 1 small, cut into strips or cubes
Green peas: 1 fistful
Shallots/Sambar onion: 6-8 nos, coarsely chopped
Roasted coriander-cumin seeds powder: 1 tsp
Pepper powder: 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
Salt: According to taste
Water: 8 cups (We like our khichdi mushy!)

 For green paste:

Coriander leaves: 1/2 cup
Green chillies: 4 nos
Ginger: 1 inch piece
Garlic: 1 small pod, optional
Grated coconut: 2 tbsp, fresh or frozen
Water: 2-3 tbsp

For tempering:
Ghee/Clarified butter: 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1.5 tsp
Bay leaf: 1 no

Method:

• Wash the dal thoroughly & soak them in water for 30mins.
• Whisk the yogurt & keep aside.
• Meantime, make a fine paste of the ingredients mentioned under the green paste section.
• Heat a thick bottom saucepan or utensil. Add ghee. When ghee becomes hot, add cumin seeds. When seeds turn brown, add bay leaf.
• Pour the green paste to the pan & stir well.
• Add the turmeric, pepper powder, coriander-cumin powder to the green paste & stir.
• Add the yogurt & mix well.
• Drain the water from the dal & add it to the yogurt mixture.
• Throw in the chopped potatoes, carrots, shallots & peas.
• Add the water & allow the dal to boil & cook on a medium-high heat.
• Meantime, wash the rice thoroughly & soak them in water for 15mins.
• Because of the addition of yogurt, the lentil/dal takes a long time to cook. Stir the mixture once a while to ensure dal doesn't stick to the pan.
• When dal gets 3/4th cooked((It takes around 20-25mins for lentil to get 3/4th cooked), add the soaked rice & continue cooking.
• When the rice gets cooked (soft yet firm), add the salt. Mix well.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low & continue cooking until the khichdi becomes a little mushy (like a porridge).
• Turn off the heat & garnesh it with coriander leaves & grated coconut (completely optional).
• Serve it hot with a raita or kadhi or plain yogurt/curd & papad.

Notes:

• If you feel, water is insufficient for the khichdi, add hot water in between while the rice & the dal mixture is getting cooked. However do not add hot water when the dal & rice is completely cooked.
• If your family doesn't prefer garlic, you could omit it.
• Cooking the khichdi on a stove top takes 2-3 times more time than the pressure cooker method. 
• If you are in a hurry, you could pressure cook it once a while, but I recommend preparing it without the pressure cooker. 
• Do not try to reduce the yogurt as it is the highlight of the dish.
• Do not use butter milk, use store bought or home made plain & fresh yogurt. Sour yogurt is not recommended. 

Tomato pappu/Tomato dal

Here is an Andhra dal/pappu recipe. I tried this from amma cheppindi blog. Made very few changes to the original one. The highlight of this pappu/dal is the addition of rasam powder to the dal!!

Here goes my version of the same.

Ingredients: (Serves 3-4)

Toor dal/thogari bele/split pigeon peas: 1 cup

Turmeric: 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida: a pinch
Red chili powder: 1/2 tsp
Rasam powder: 1/2 tsp (Original recipe called for MTR rasam powder, I used home made)
Salt: According to taste
Water: As needed

Coriander leaves: 1 tbsp, finely chopped (for garnish)

For tempering:

Oil: 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Garlic: 2 pods, minced
Curry leaves: a string or 6-8 nos
Red chili: 2 nos, broken
Tomatoes: 2 nos, medium sized

Method:

• Wash the toor dal thoroughly & add water, turmeric & asafoetida to it. Cook the toor dal in a pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles. Allow it to cool.
• Meantime, heat oil in a broad pan. Add mustard & cumin seeds. When seeds splutter, add curry leaves, red chili & garlic. Saute till the garlic turns golden brown.
• Add the tomatoes. Mix in the rasam powder, red chili powder & cook the tomatoes till they are soft.
• Mash the dal/lentils gently with the back of a spatula or a masher. 
• Add the mashed lentil to the tomatoes. 
• Add the salt & 1/2 cup of water (adjust accordingly). 
• Allow the dal to boil. Once the dal starts boiling, turn off the heat. 
• Garnish it with coriander leaves & serve them hot with rice.

Notes:

• The highlight of this dal is the usage of rasam powder. Hence, do not try to skip it.
• For a tangier dal, add 1-2 tsp of lemon juice at the end.

Masoor-Channa dal tadka (Tempered red lentils & gram dal)

I am not a big fan of masoor (red lentils) dal, because I feel they stand apart even after cooking them. Hence, I always combine them with toor dal/pigeon peas or channa dal (gram lentils) to make it the way we like it. Here is one such simple dal tadka (tempered lentils), that goes in my everyday cooking. 

Ingredients:

Red lentils/Masoor dal: 1 cup
Gram dal/Channa dal: 1/2 cup
Turmeric: a big pinch
Oil: 2-3 drops 
Salt: According to taste
Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
Coriander leaves/Cilantro: 1 tbsp (finely chopped) 


For tempering:
Ghee/Clarified butter or oil: 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds: 1/2 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tsp
Green chillies: 4-6 nos (adjust according to the heat needed)
Tomato: 2 nos (finely chopped)
Onion: 1 medium sized(finely chopped)
Curry leaves: a string


Method:

• Soak the gram dal/channa dal in water for about 30-45mins. 
• Wash both the lentils thoroughly in running water & add 3 cups of water to the washed dal. Add oil, turmeric powder to the lentils & cook it in the pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles. Allow the cooker to cool for 10-20mins.
• Meantime, finely chop the green chillies, tomatoes & onion.
• Mash the lentils gently with a potato masher & keep them aside. 
• Heat oil in a broad wok. When oil is hot, add cumin seeds. When cumin turn brown, add ginger-garlic paste & saute till the raw smell of the ginger-garlic is gone. Follow it by curry leaves, green chilli & onion. Saute till onion turns translucent. Finally add tomatoes & cook for a minute. Add salt, mashed dal & boil the dal on a medium heat. (If needed, adjust the consistency of the dal by adding more water)
• Turn off the heat & add lemon juice, coriander leaves & mix well.
• Serve the tempered dal with steamed or lightly flavored rice. Goes well with chapathi/roti too.

Notes:

• It is important to soak the channa dal, as it takes more time to cook, while the red lentils cook faster.
• Leafy vegetables like spinach, methi(fenugreek leaves) could be added to this dal. The leafy vegetables must be added along with onions, so that they get cooked properly.
• This dal tastes great without lemon juice too.

Other dal recipes:

Dal makhani

Lasooni dal palak

Nugge soppu palya (Drumstick leaves stir-fry)

Happy Shivaratri. May Lord Shiva bless us all.

Some of my friends here in Singapore had requested me to learn & post some drumstick leaves recipes. These are exceptionally nutritious and moreover, are available in abundance here. :)

Some nutritional information about drumstick leaves:
1. It is given to lactating mothers as it is said to enhance the milk production (rich in calcium).
2. Given to pregnant women, growing children & anemic patients as it is rich in iron.
3. Builds the immunity system of the body as it is rich in vitamin C.
4. It helps overcome malnutrition.
You can find more information about drumstick leaves here & here.


(Photo courtesy: http://www.treesforlife.org/our-work/our-initiatives/moringa)

Hence, this time when I visited India, I noted down 2-3 recipes using drumstick leaves. This is one of them.

Ingredients:
Drumstick leaves/Nugge soppu: 1 bunch (around 250gms)
Yellow moong dal/hesaru bele: 3 tbsp
Water: 1-2 tbsp
Salt: According to taste
Sugar: a pinch (optional)
For tempering:
Oil: 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds: 1/2 tsp
Shallot onion: 3 nos (finely chopped)
Green chilli: 2-3nos (finely chopped)
Curry leaves: a string
For garnishing:
Grated coconut: 1-2 tbsp
Lemon juice: 1 tsp (optional, but recommended)



Method:

• Take out the leaves carefully (this takes the maximum time). Though the stem looks sleek, they are not tender, hence it is a must to take out only the leaves. Wash them thoroughly.
• Soak the dal/lentil in warm water for 30mins.
• Heat oil in a broad pan, when oil is hot, add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds splutter, add onion & saute till onion becomes soft. Now add, green chillies, curry leaves & saute for 10-20secs.
• Add the dal & mix well. Sprinkle water. Cook on a medium heat for 2-3mins
• Throw in the leaves, mix well. Add 1-2 tbsp water & cook it on a medium flame until the leaves & the lentils are soft yet firm.
• Add salt, sugar & mix them well. Cook for another 1-2mins.
• Add the grated coconut, lemon juice. Mix the stir-fry & serve it hot. Goes well as a side dish for rice.
  
  
  
  Notes:
  Drumstick leaves give out a pungent odour while cooking in water. Hence, if your are new to drumstick leaves, add very little water to cook this stir-fry.
  These leaves are a tad bitter, so addition of sugar & lemon to the stir-fry is recommended.
  
  Last note, though I was a bit skeptical about cooking these leaves in a large quantity (because of the odour), we both liked this stir-fry (I cannot say we absolutely loved it). But, I'm planning to prepare this dish more often to get adapted to this wonderful green leafy vegetable.
  
  Other recipes using drumstick leaves at Savi-Ruchi
  Drumstick leaves chapathi (this is awesome, as there is no pungent odour while cooking this)
  Drumstick leaves rice roti (same as above)
  Drumstick leaves dal (Good)

Nimbe Thovve Saaru (Lemon Lentil Rasam/soup)

Needless to mention, during my parents & in-laws stay, they prepared soo many simple & quick rasams that my maid requested them to teach it to me & her. There used to be a fight to decide who shall cook for the day. My mom-in-law would unanimously win most of the times :D. During their stay.., nimbe saaru is one of the many recipes learnt from my MIL. If you keep this rasam thick.., it is named thovve (dal).

Here is what my mom-in-law uses to prepare this: (Serves 3-4)

Yellow moong dal/Split & deskinned green gram/hesaru bele: a fistful

Water : Around 1 litre.

Curry leaves:2 strings (leaves separated & chopped)

Turmeric: a big pinch

Coriander leaves: 2 tbsp (finely chopped for the garnish)

Green chillies: 2-3 no

Asafetida: 1 big pinches

Mustard seeds: 1/4 tsp

Cumin seeds: 1/4 tsp

Pepper powder: a pinch (optional)

Coconut oil: 1 tbsp (use any oil of your choice)

Salt: According to taste

Lemon juice: 2-3 tbsp (we like it tangy)

Method:

• Pressure cook the moong dal & allow it to cool (2-3 whistles or 15minutes must be sufficient for the dal to be soft).
• Mash the dal gently & add the mashed dal, water to a broad pan. Add turmeric, half of the chopped green chillies, pepper powder, salt & cook on a low heat until water starts to boil. Once dal starts boiling, turn off the heat.
• Prepare the tadka/tempering/oggarane. Heat oil in a small sauce pan. When oil is hot, add mustard & cumin seeds. When mustard seeds crackle, add the remaining green chillies, curry leaves, asafetida & pour the tempering to the rasam.
• Add the lemon juice, coriander leaves & mix well.
• Serve the hot rasam with piping hot rice, pickle & papad.

Tip:

• Reduce the amount of oil & drink it as a soup too.
• This rasam is helpful to beat the cold as it is rich in Vitamin C.
• Add a pinch of pepper powder to take double advantage for fighting against cold.

Dal Makhani

During wedding preparations they normally say, we can compromise on anything, but not on food. People remember your wedding by the food that was served & not by the jewelry, decoration or any other thing for that matter (there may be exceptions though!!). I am one among those people who remember occasions, weddings, parties by the food served. It always happens that I fall in love with one or the other dish served during such celebrations & it becomes a memorable one for me :)

The dishes adorned during some celebrations have become a part of our lunch/dinner menu now. I must say, dal makhani is one such dish. I was not fascinated about this dish, but I feel I have developed the liking for it & now I love this “black lentils cooked on a low heat with loads of butter & spices”.

Ingredients:

Whole urad dal with skin/black lentils: 1 cup

Rajma/Kidney Beans: 1/4th cup

Ginger-garlic paste: 1tsp

Green chillies: 2 nos

Salt: according to taste

Cashew nuts: 8-10 soaked in water/milk

Plain Yogurt: 2-3tbsp (thick yogurt)

Savory water: ½ cup (optional)

Red chilli powder: 1 tsp

Amchur powder: 1 tsp (optional)

Garam masala: 1/2 tsp

Butter: 5tbsp

Kasoori Methi(Dried fenugreek leaves): 1 tbsp

Garlic paste: 1 tsp

Tomatoes: 3 nos (instead use 1 cup tomato puree)

Oil: 3 tbsp

Salt: According to taste

Cilantro/coriander leaves: 1 tbsp finely chopped for garnishing

Method:

• Wash the rajma & black lentils thoroughly & soak them in water overnight or for 8-10hours. Drain completely.
• Add 4 cups of water, ginger-garlic paste, green chillies to the soaked dals & pressure cook for 4-5 whistles. Keep the heat on medium for the first 2 whistles & reduce the heat for the remaining.
• Meantime, soak the cashewnuts in milk/water & prepare a smooth paste out of it.
• Blanch the tomatoes & chop it finely or prepare a puree out of it.
• Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan, add oil to it. When oil is hot, add garlic & saute till garlic turns golden brown. Add tomato paste or finely chopped tomatoes & cook on a medium flame.
• Crush the kasoori methi & add it to the pan. Cook until the tomatoes ooze out oil & changes its color.
• Drain the water from the cooked lentils/dals & mash them gently.
• Add the savory water, 1/2 cup water, salt & cooked dals to the pan. Add red chilli powder, amchur powder, cashew paste. Cook the dal on a low heat for 20-30mins. (Keep adding 2-3tbsp water if required).
• Add yogurt, butter, garam masala & cook for another 5 minutes.
• Garnish it with cilantro & serve hot with rotis/naans or plain parathas.

Lasooni Dal Palak | Spinach and Lentils Seasoned with Garlic

Today, let's chat about Proteins. People who eat non-vegetarian food get their proteins from the animal sources like fish, meat & egg. The sources of protein for vegetarians are pulses or legumes & a few vegetables. That is the reason, I suppose, dal plays such an important role in Indian cooking. Any dish, which contains both legume and grain, is a complete source of protein. Our ancestors have done an excellent job by carefully selecting ingredients that go into making any dish in such a way that the nutritional value of the dish rises up always. Kudos to them !!!

I cook leafy vegetables at least 2-3 times a week. I try to explore simple, tasty & healthier curry recipes. I don’t like adding cardamoms, cinnamon & whole lot of spices in everyday food. I like it to be simple. Given a chance, I even avoid garlic & onions. As ayurveda suggests, garlic, onions & few other vegetables increase the “khrodha, kama & other harmful feelings inside the body”. Hence, it is advised to limit the usage of such vegetables to toddlers, young children & adolescent youth. I strongly believe in them & try to avoid them as much as possible. I suggest everybody cooking for young children to avoid such vegetables once a while to keep them calm & focused.

Now, don’t think I have gone nuts. I’m asking you to avoid them & myself preparing dal with loads of garlic. Isn’t it like “do what I say & don’t do what I do”? Note that garlic has umpteen health benefits too. One should not forget that. I feel, we need to know the chemistry of a vegetable to reap the benefits from them. For older people or middle aged people, it works like magic in reducing the bad cholesterol & safe guards the heart. Now that, we know both the advantages & disadvantages of garlic, we can decide when to use them & when not??Am I right?
Was I clear or did I confuse you guys more? Before I confuse you completely let me come back to..err…., Lasooni Dal Palak.

Lasooni Dal Palak is an amazing dish that can be served with either rice or rotis. I got two lasooni dal palak recipes while browsing. One was from One Hot Stove of Nupur ((I mostly followed her)& other from SaffronTrail. I used some ingredients & some nice points from both the recipes & created my own!!. Believe me, it tasted fantabulous. Ever since I prepared this, I have been crazy about it & these days whenever I buy palak, it is only lasooni dal palak at our home until my family complain about it ;)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup toor dal
• 1 cup masoor dal
• 3 pods garlic, sliced
• 1 pod garlic minced
• 1 medium sized onion sliced
• 1 tomato chopped finely or ½ cup tomato puree
• 2 cups finely chopped spinach/palak (I used frozen palak).
• 1 tsp red chilli powder/paprika
• 1 tbsp ghee/oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera/jeerige
• A pinch of turmeric
• 1 green chilli chopped
• 1tbsp lemon juice
• Salt according to taste

Method:

• Mix both the dals & wash them in running water two or three times.
• Add 1 cup water, chopped green chilli & turmeric to the washed dal. Pressure cook for 2-3 whistles.
• Allow the dal to cool. Meantime, fry the sliced garlic pods in ghee until golden brown. Remove them & drain them on absorbent paper.
• Prepare the tempering/tadka by using the same ghee (used for frying the garlic). When ghee is hot, add cumin seeds. When cumin seeds splutter add minced garlic & onions. Sauté till onion turns golden brown.
• Add the finely chopped spinach/palak, red chilli powder & cook the spinach for 3-4minutes. Follow spinach by finely chopped tomatoes & cook the tomatoes for 2-3minutes.
• Mash the cooked dal gently & pour it to the pan. Add ½ cup of water, salt & mix well. Boil the dal for 3-5minutes on a slow flame.
• Turn off the flame, add lemon juice. Mix well. Garnish it with the fried garlic & serve it hot with rice or rotis.

Hesaru Kalu Thovve (Green gram dal)

This is a healthy, nutrition packed & easy to cook dal for all those people who plan to reduce weight & become fit. I would not be wrong in saying that most of us have made big plans of reducing weight atleast this year :-p So, this one is for all of us indeed. This dal goes well with both rice and chapathi.

Ingredients
1 cup green gram/hesaru kalu/ hara moong
1 medium sized onion
½ tsp grated ginger
½ tsp garlic paste (optional)
2-3 green chillies chopped
½ tsp cumin seeds/jeera
A generous pinch of turmeric
Salt according to taste
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp lemon juice
Coriander leaves, a few for garnishing

Method:

• Soak the green gram in water for 1-2 hours.
• Pressure cook the green gram until completely soft (may be 3-4 whistles). Allow it to cool.
• Heat a broad kadai, add oil. When oil is hot, add jeera. When jeera turns golden brown add, ginger.
• Fry ginger until the raw smell disappears. Add green chilli & sauté for 30 secs.
• Add onions & sauté till onion becomes translucent.
• Mash the cooked green gram. Add the mashed green gram, turmeric, salt & boil on low flame.
• Turn off the flame & then add lemon juice, mix well.
• Garnish with cilantro/coriander leaves. Serve it hot with roti or rice.

This is my entry for My Legume Love Affair, started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook. Also this goes to Srivalli's My Legume Love Affair-7th helping.

Amma's Palak Thovve Recipe | Karnataka Style Spinach Dal | Indian Spinach & Lentils Curry

This is my mom's (amma's) signature dish. Whenever we asked for dal to go with roti/chapathi, she used to make this dal, but with different vegetable each time! We all as kids loved eating them & even now love it! Now it is my son's favorite too.

                                                          (Served with ragi-jowar rotti)


Ingredients:

1 cup toor dal/thogari bele
3 cups roughly chopped spinach 

salt according to taste
a small pinch of turmeric powder
2 tsp lemon juice


For the tempering:
a generous pinch of turmeric
1 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
4 curry leaves
a pinch of asafoetida
1 dry red chilli, broken

For the spice paste:
4 green chillies
2 tbsp grated coconut (fresh or frozen)
1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera
3 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

Method:

• Add a pinch of turmeric powder to the dal. Pressure cook the dal & spinach by adding sufficient water (I added around 2.5 cups of water) for 2-3 whistles. Allow it to cool.
• Meantime, make a fine paste of the items mentioned for the spice paste. 
• Take a broad pan, add oil to the pan. When oil is hot, add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add dry red chilli. Add asafoetida & curry leaves. Add the spice paste & mix well.
• Gently mash the cooked lentils & spinach. Pour in the mashed lentils. Add the turmeric powder & adjust the salt. 
• Let the mixture boil on a medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
• Turn off the heat, add lemon juice. Mix well & serve it with roti or rice. 

Nugge soppu tovve (Drumstick leaves Dal)

Nugge soppu is not so popular veggie in our family. So, I never bought this, but.., I was very much fascinated about the medicinal values of this leaves. Though, my granny didnot serve me dishes prepared using this during my post pregnancy, she always used to say that it is very good for lactating mothers.

Now that.., I got so much information from her, I thought of sharing this information with you all.
Uses of nugge soppu:

1. It helps in weight gain & overcoming anemia (rich in iron).
2. Pregnant ladies & feeding mothers are advised to consume nugge soppu. It helps in increasing the breast milk for feeding mothers ( because it is rich in calcium).
3. Rich in Vitamin C & thus helps in fighting against cold & cough.
   
4. It contains more potassium than banana.

For more information, refer this ( it also gives the different names of this leaves, in different Indian/Asian languages).

When I called up my aunt, I got to know very easy & mouthwatering nugge soppu recipes from her. So, ladies & gentlemen.., it would be nugge soppu recipes for few days in my blog :))

Ingredients for tovve:



1 cup hesaru bele (moong dal, split green gram dal)
3 cups nugge soppu
1 onion chopped
1 tomato chopped
1/2 tsp grated ginger
3 green chillis (slit)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/ tsp jeera/cumin seeds
3-4curry leaves
salt according to taste
1 tbsp oil

Method:

• Soak the moong dal in warm water for 1 hour.
• Wash the nugge soppu & keep it aside.
• In a broad kadai, add oil. When oil is hot, add mustard & cumin seeds. When they splutter, add onion & saute till it turns golden brown.
• Add green chillies, curry leaves & tomato & saute till tomatoes become soft.
• To this add, nugge soppu & cook for 2mins (till leaves become soft).
• Add hesaru bele, salt & water & cook till dal is cooked completely (Can pressure cook for 1 whistle).
• Add lemon juice & serve it with rice/roti.