Palak Toovar Dal

Ingredients :

• Toovar dal - 1 / 2 cup
• Spinach [ palak ] - 2 cups [ chopped ]
• Ginger - 1 tsp [ finely chopped ]
• Green chillies - 1 tsp [ finely chopped ]
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Chopped coriander - 2 tbsp

For seasoning :

• Bay leaves - 2
• Cloves - 2
• Whole dry red chillies -3 [ broken in to pieces ]
• Cumin seeds - 1 / 2 tsp
• Asafoetida - a pinch
• Oil - 1 tsp

Method :

Clean,  wash and soak the toovar dal in water for 2 hours. Drain and keep aside. Then mix soaked toovar dal, ginger, green chillies, turmeric powder, salt, and 3 cups of water and pressure cook for 2 whistle. Then transfer to a large pan, add the palak and lemon juice and bring to boil. For seasoning, heat oil in a pan. Add the bay leaves, cloves, red chillies, cumin seeds and asafoetida. When the seeds crackle, pour the seasoning over the cooked dal. Add the chilli powder and chopped coriander, mix well and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot with roti, and steamed rice.

Badami Mixed Vegetable (No Onion No Garlic)

Ingredients :

• Medium Carrots - 2 (1 inch piece cut)
• Cauliflower - 1/4 (medium florets)
• French beans - 12 (1 inch piece cut)
• Green peas - 1/2 cup (blanched)
• Oil - 2 tbsp
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Cashew nuts - 15- 20
• Peanuts - 2 tbsp
• Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
• Green chillies - 2 (chopped)
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Fresh tomato puree - 3 cups
• Coriander powder - 1 tsp
• Garam masala powder - 1 ½ tsp
• Yogurt - 1/4 cup
• Salt - To taste
• Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp (chopped)

Method :

 

Soak cashew nuts and peanuts in water for fifteen minutes and then grind into a smooth paste. Heat oil in a deep pan, add cumin seeds once they change color and crackle add carrots and one cup of water to let it cook. Add turmeric powder, green chilies and red chili powder in addition to the paste of cashew and peanut has been done into a paste and mix them well. Further add tomato puree, add garam masala , coriander powder and stir. Cover and cook till all the vegetable are properly done. Add French beans and green peas and simmer for five minutes.

Add yogurt and salt mix well, simmer for 2-3 minutes and take it off the heat, garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Nawabi Paneer Curry

Ingredients :

• Paneer - 200 gms
• Boiled green peas - 1 cup
• Garlic - 2 flakes
• Ginger - 1 / 2 inch
• Onion - 1 big chopped
• Coconut milk - 1 / 2 cup
• Ghee - 4 tbl. sps.
• Green chillies - 2 to 3
• Beaten curd - 3 tbl. sps.
• Coriander leaves - little
• Beaten cream - 1 / 4 cup
• Salt - as required

Grind together :

• Boiled onion - 3 [ cut into cubes and boiled in water . ]
• Cumin seeds - 1 / 2 tsp
• Cloves - 3
• Cardamoms - 2
• Grated coconut - 1 / 4 cup
• Cashew nuts - 2 tbl. sps.

 [ grind all together to smooth paste and keep aside. ]

Method :

Cut paneer in to cubes. Soak cashew nuts in boiling water for an hour. Heat ghee and fry chopped onions till brown, add ginger, garlic, ground masala, and fry well. Add green chillies, coconut extract, curds, paneer, peas, salt and coriander leaves.  Simmer for 10 minutes. Add beaten cream and bring to boil.  When the subji is ready remove from the gas. Serve hot with chappathis.

Variation :

Instead of paneer, use cubes of potatoes and green peas, or mixed vegetables.

Dal Tadka

Ingredients :

• Red masoor dal - 1 cup
• Yellow moong dal - 1 / 2 cup
• Green chillies - 2 [ slit ]
• Ginger - 1 tsp [ grated ]
• Garlic flakes - 2 [ chopped ]
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Salt - as required

For seasoning :

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Nigella seeds [ kalonji ] - 1 / 2 tsp
• Dry red chilli - 1 [ broken ]
• Sliced onions - 1 / 2 cup
• Chopped tomatoes - 1 / 4 cup
• Ghee - 2 tsp

Method :

Wash the dals together. Mix the dals, green chillies, ginger, garlic, turmeric powder, salt and 4 cups of water and pressure cook till the dals are soft. Then remove the chillies and discard. Whisk the dal till it is smooth, keep aside. Then heat the ghee in a pan and add the mustard seeds and  broken red chilli. When the mustard seeds crackle, add the onions and saute till they are translucent. Then add tomatoes and saute for another 5 minutes. Then add the dals to the tempering, mix well and bring to boil. Serve hot, garnished with the coriander leaves and butter.
 

Vegetable Oothappam

Ingredients :

• Dosa batter - 1 bowl
• Sprinkle grated carrot - 3 tab. sps.
• Chopped onions - 2
• Finely cut tomatoes - 1 [ big ]
• Green chillies - 1 [ finely cut ]
• Finely chopped coriander leaves - little
• Grated fresh coconut - 2 tab. sps.
• Oil - enough for frying

Method :

Mix all vegetables in dosa batter and mix well.. Then heat tawa and grease it with oil. Pour 1 ladle of the mixture and spread to 1 cm thickness. Pour 1 / 2 teaspoon oil along the edges. After a few seconds turn the other side over with a sharp edged spatula gently and pour more oil on sides till golden brown colour in medium flame. Remove from the tawa gently. Serve hot with chutney and molaga podi [ chilli dal powder ]

Methi Thokku

Ingredients :

• Sambhar onion - 1 / 2 cup [ peeled cut in to four ]
• Red tomatoes - 3 big [ cut into small pieces ]
• Green chillies - 4 to 5
• Methi leaves - 1 cup [ clean and chopped only leaves ]
• Salt - as required
• Dry red chilli -2
• Tamarind paste - 1 / 2 tsp
• Jaggery - 1 / 2 tsp

For seasoning :

• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Broken black gram dahl - 2 tabl. sps.
• Asafoetida - 1 / 4 tsp
• Oil - 2 tabl. sps.

Method :

Take one kadai, heat oil add mustard, urad dal, red chilli. When mustard splutters and dhal turn in to golden, add onion,green chillies, and tomatoes. Fry for 5 minutes till tomatoes become soft. Then add methi leaves. Fry till it changes colour and shrinks. Add salt, asafoetida, jaggery, and tamarind paste. Then grind all together coarsely in mixer. Serve with steamed rice, roti, dosas.

Chana Dal with Cucumber

Ingredients :

• Chana dal [ bengal gram ] - 3 / 4 cup
• Chopped cucumber - 1 / 2 cup
• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
• Ginger green chilli paste - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - 1 / 2 tsp
• Chilli powder - 3 / 4 tsp
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Salt - as required
• Coriander leaves - little [ for garnishing ]

Method :

Wash and soak chana dal in water for at least an hour. Then drain and keep aside. Add 2 cups of water to the soaked dal and pressure cook for 10 to 15 minutes, till the dal is done. Whisk well to mash the dal. Keep aside. Then heat the oil in  a large pan, add the cumin seeds and allow them to crackle. Then add the cooked dal, ginger , green chilli paste, turmeric powder, and chilli powder and cook for 5 minutes. Add cucumber and salt and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes till the cucumber is tender, but still a little crisp. Add some water, if required to adjust the consistency. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with rotis and rice.