Moong Dal Halwa for ICC

I was planning to try moong dal halwa since Diwali. My father loves this halwa. I am very poor in cooking any sweet dish:). But thanks to Srivalli with this Indian cooking challenge, I can dare to make such dishes and it is turning out very nicely.

Ingredients

Moong dhal - 1 cup

Ghee - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 1 cup (as per required sweetness)

Milk - 1/2 cup

Cashews/ raisins roasted in ghee for garnish. (Optional)

Procedure

Soak 1 cup moong dal overnight. Next morning, grind to a paste. Heat a heavy Kadai, take initially only 1/2 of the ghee and heat it. Add the dhal and stir continuously, not allowing lumps to form. This part is very tricky as the dhal cooks really fast, irrespective of the ghee. Keep the heat at the lowest and keep stirring even after the dhal becomes thick. Add the rest of the ghee intermittently and cook the dhal until aromatic and the ghee starts oozing out. Meanwhile mix the sugar with water/ milk in a pan and bring to a boil. Add this slowly to the cooking dhal. Keep the fir low at all times and break lumps if formed while adding the sugar and water/ milk mix. Cook until the ghee surfaces.

Notes :

• Use a thick bottom pan or better nonstick pan.
• Don't leave the halwa unattended. The dal can stick and it can go from just done to burnt in a second so keep stirring as much as possible. You should remember to keep stirring to prevent dhal from sticking irrespective of the ghee added.
• You aren't looking for the halwa to get too thick when you turn off the heat. It was thicken as it cools.
• Cook until ghee surfaces on the sides and the halwa attains a very nice shine.
• Initially, it may appear that all the ghee is being used up. But as the dhal cooks the ghee separates. So the ghee measure is sufficient.
• In both recipes depending on how you got the moong dal paste, you may require slightly more ghee to get the texture.
• Though original recipe didn't call for roasting the dhal before soaking, Lataji felt roasting it a bit gives more fragrance.

Shepu Dal

I think most of the reader will not agree with me that Shepu (Sowa or Dill) bhaji tastes good. But I like it very much. It is a iron reach vegetable and is easily available in every part of India. It tastes good with any type of Bhakri.

Ingredients
Shepu (Sowa or Dill) - 1 bunch
Yellow Mung dal - 1/4 cup
Chopped garlic cloves - 5-6
Chopped Green chili - 1
Oil - 1 tablespoon
Mustard seeds - 1/4 teaspoon
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Asafetida (Hing) - A pinch
Salt to taste.

Procedure
Soak Mung dal for half an hour. Separate out leaves from the bunch of shepu. Wash and clean it. Chop it roughly. Heat oil in kadai and put mustard seeds. When it starts spluttering add turmeric powder and asafetida. Then add green chili and garlic. Saute it for a minute. Drain water from Mung dal. Then add chopped shepu and mung dal. Mix it and cover it. Cook it for 7-8 minutes on low flame. When dal and shepu cooked properly then add salt. Saute for 2 minutes. Shepu dal is ready to serve.

My entry for MLLA 15 of Sia and is Initiated by Susan.

Moong Bhaji

Last Sunday evening we were at home to watch IIFA awards on TV. Outside it was raining nicely. I decided to make Moong bhaji. Our all time favorite snacks, specially in rainy days. Moong bhaji with hot tea, is a awesome combination for this season. One should definitely try this combination in rainy days…..

Ingredients

Yellow split moong dal - 1 cup
Garlic cloves - 4-5
Green chilies - 6-7
Chopped Coriander - 1/2 cup
Ajwain seeds - 1 teaspoon
Asafetida - A pinch
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying


Procedure

Wash moong dal and Soak it with 3 cups of water for 2-3 hours. Drain the water and grind the dal with green chilies, garlic, Ajwain seeds. Do not add water while grinding. Do not grind the dal to a thin paste. It should be coarsely grinded so that Bhaji will become crispy. Take ground dal in a bowl and mix remaining ingredients except oil. Heat oil in kadai. Put 1 tablespoon oil in dal mixture and mix wel. Now drop small balls in kadai. Fry it on medium flame till it turns to golden brown. Serve hot with Imli ki chutney and hot adrakwali chai.

This is my contribution for Sunday Snacks-Spill the beans of Akshayapaatram
And
for MLLA-13 of Tongue Ticklers... initiated by Susan of the "Well-Seasoned Cook

And
EC's WYF:Fried Snack Event .

Ragi Mudde mattu Avarekai Sambar

Three years back, when we shifted to Bengaluru, we came to know this new dish "Ragi Mudde". It is a steamed ball of red millet flour. It is a Iron reach dish. We ate this in some hotel one day. It was awesome. But I was not knowing the recipe of it, then I asked my house helper Jaya to teach me this healthy recipe because being a Kannadiga, she makes it often in her house. She made avarekai sambar with it.

Ragi Mudde

Ingredients

Ragi flour - 2 cups
Water - 4 Cups
Oil - 1 tea spoon
Salt - 1 tea spoon

Procedure

Take water in a heavy bottom pan and oil and add salt and oil into it. When water started boiling nicely, pour the ragi over the water . Remember, do not stir it otherwise it will get clumpy. When water starts boiling for another 2-3 minutes then it will cover all the flour completely. Now after this stir it with round wooden stick (it's called as Kolu here). Mix nicely so that no lumps should form. Keep the lid and keep another 2-3 minutes to cook it properly. Remove it from the stove and when the mixture is warm, wet your hand with water and make balls of it. Serve hot ragi mudde with Avarekai sambar or with any gravy. If you like, you can add some pure ghee on ragi mudde while eating.

Avarekai Sambar

Ingredients

Avarekai (Flat Beans )- 1 cup
Onion - 1 medium
Tomato - 1 small
Potato - 1 small
Garlic cloves - 2-3
Grated coconut - 2 tablespoon
Red chili powder - 1 teaspoon
Sambar powder - 2 teaspoons
Oil - 2 teaspoon
cumin seeds - 1tsp
mustard seeds - 1/2tsp
Asafetida - a pinch
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste


Procedure

Grind onion, tomato, garlic, grated coconut, red chili powder and sambar powder in mixer to a thin paste. Wash, peel and cut potatoes into small cubes. Heat oil in kadai and make tadka of mustard, cumin seeds, asafetida and turmeric powder. Add potatoes and avarekai and saute it for 2 minutes. Then and the grinded paste and mix it neatly. Now add 1 cup of water and salt. Cook it with lid on low flame till vegetables cook properly.

This recipe goes to Shama's Village Special Recipes

Chatney Pudi

As we all know Chutney pudi is south indian's famous side dish. It can be eaten with Idli, dosa or chapati. There are different methods for this chutney. Today I am giving the recipe which prepared in our house from many years.

Ingredients

Chana Dal - 1 cup
Black gram Dal - 1/2 cup
Peanuts - 1/4 Cup
Sesame Seeds - 1/4 Cup
Grated Dry Coconut - 1/4 Cup
Asafetida - 2 tea spoon
Curry Leaves - 7-8
Tamarind - 1 tea spoon
Jaggery - 1 tea spoon
Chili Powder - 1 Tea spoon
Salt as per taste


Procedure

Take a thick bottom Kadai. Heat the Kadai and on low flame roast chana dal, black gram dal, peanuts, Sesame seeds and dry coconut one by one for 1-2 minutes till it becomes slightly brown. Let it cool for some time. Mix all the given ingredients and grind it in the mixer to a powder. Chatni pudi is ready.
You can adjust the measurement of chili powder, tamarind and jaggery according to your taste. You can have this chutney with idli, Dosa , parotha, ……… with anything. I usually mix oil or curd in it while eating.

Kairichi Dal

As I mentioned in my earlier post From Gudipadava our new year is started. First month of Marathi calendar is called "Chaitra". In this month we celebrate "Chaitra Gauri Haldi kumkum".This is a "New Years" spring celebration that women celebrate at home. It is a girls and ladies special function. We display dolls, make different types of snacks, specially made from Raw Mango and lentils (Kairichi Dal), some sweets and sour raw mango juice (Panha). We invite gals and ladies staying nearby to visit house to enjoy the program and have a get together. Spring is a magical season offering hope and beauty. May each and every one of you be blessed by goddess Gauri.


Ingredients
Chana Dal - 2 cups
Grated raw mango (Kairi) - 1/4 to 1/2 cup (depends on how sour the mango is)
Green chilies - 6-7
Grated Coconut - 3 table spoon
Chopped coriander - For garnishing
Salt and sugar as per taste

For Tadaka
Oil - 1 table spoon
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tea spoon
Asafetida - 1/4 tea spoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tea spoon

Procedure
Soak chana dal for 4-5 hours. Drain the water completely from dal. Coarsely grind the dal with green chilies. Now Take a big bowl and mix dal, grated raw mango, grated coconut, salt & sugar. You can substitute raw mango with lemon juice. Make a tempering of the tadka ingredients. Pour it on the mixture and mix well. Serve it with garnishing of coconut and coriander.

Masoor Rassa

Some people consider Masoor (brown Lentil) as a substitute for non-veg. In Shravan month many people do not eat non-veg food, so they prepare same gravy with masoor. I tried this recipe from one of the recipe special magazine. It came out very nicely.

Ingredients
Masoor Sprouts - 1 cup
Chopped Onion - 2 small
Potato - 1 medium
Garlic Paste - 1 tea spoon
Ginger paste - 1/2 tea spoon
Grated Coconut - 5-6 table spoon
Tamerind pulp - 1 tea spoon
Jaggery - 1 tea spoon
Chili powder - 1 tea spoon
Malwani masala/ Garam masala - 1 tea spoon
Salt to taste

For Tempering
Oil - 1 table spoon
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tea spoon
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tea spoon

Procedure
Heat oil in a kadai, add mustard seeds, when they starts spluttering add turmeric powder. Then add chopped onion, Saute it till it gets transparent. Peel and make big cubes of potato. Add cubed potatoes in kadai and let it cook with lid. Remove the lid. Now add Ginger and Garlic Paste. Saute it neatly. Then add grated coconut, chili powder, malwani masala ( if you don't get it you can replace it with Garam masala), saute it. Now add masoor sprouts, tamarind pulp, jaggery and salt mix it properly. Add 1/2 cup of water and let it cook for 5-6 minutes with lid. When it cooked properly garnish it with Coriander leaves.

I want to contribute this recipe for Ashwini's "Lentil Mela"

Vada Bhat

When I read about the ''Just for you" Event of Sindhi Rasoi, I planned to make something rarely I prepare in my kitchen and at the same time favorite one of my husband. So after a wonderful valentine breakfast "Bull's Eye", I reciprocate it with his favorite dish "Vada Bhat". It is a famous dish of Nagpur (Maharashtra). In every marriage or may be a small function in house, they will serve this special dish to you. Nagpur people are very famous for their "Agraha" (lovingly insist to eat more and more). So the special dish for my Husband, Nilesh with Agraha.


Ingredients
Cooked Rice - 200 gms.
Mataki (Moth ) - 1/4 cup
Chana Daal- 1/2 cup
Toor Daal- 3 table spoon
Urad Daal - 3 table spoon
Moong Daal - 3 table spoon
Garlic Cloves - 7-8
Curry leaves - 7-8
Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
Cumin powder - 1 teaspoon
Red chili powder - 2 teaspoon
Ginger green chili paste - 1 teaspoon
Salt as per taste
Oil to Fry

For Tadka
Oil - 1/2 Cup
Mustered seeds (Rai) - 2 table spoon
Asafetida (Hing) - 1/4 Teaspoon




Procedure

Wash and soak all dals for 7-8 hours. Drain water from dal. Coarsely grind all dal with garlic and curry leaves in the mixer. Now add coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, ginger& green chili paste and salt in dal mixture. Heat Oil in Kadai. Slightly wet your palm, take the dal mixture, shape it into a ball and then press it in center to give a flat round shape. Deep fry the vadas on slow flame so that it will get cooked from inside also. For Tadka, Heat oil in small kadai, add mustered seeds, when it starts to crackle add hing and remove the kadai from the flame.

While Serving,
First serve rice in plate. 4-5 vadas on one side. Crush 2-3 vadas on rice . Now pour 2-3 spoons of hot tadka. (the ssrrrrrr sound shoud come after pouring). In Nagpur some people eat this vada bhat with "Hing pani" that is Asafetida water.(take a bowl of hot water and mix 1 teaspoon of Asafetida in it). If you find this rice very dry, you can serve "kadhi" with it.







I love to add this recipe for Sindhi Rasoi's "Just for you Event"

Hesarubele Kosambari (Mung Dal Salad)

Whenever I attend a wedding or any small function in Bangalore where the meal served on a green banana leaf, the popular side dish is Hesarubele Kosambari that is Mung Dal Salad. Mung dal (green gram dal) is very easy to digest. This Kosambari is nutritious, It helps digestion and is good for constipation. You can have 1 bowl of this salad as your breakfast also.

Ingredients
Mung Dal - 1 cup
Grated Fresh coconut - 1/2 cup
Chopped green chilly - 1-2
Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tablespoon
Lemon juice - 2 teaspoon
Salt & sugar to taste
For tempering
Oil - 2 teaspoon
Mustard seeds (Rai) - 1 teaspoon
Asafetida (Hing) -1 pinch
Curry leaves - 2-3

Procedure

Soak the Mung dal for 3 to 4 hours. Drain the water with strainer. Take it in a bowl and add grated coconut, green chilly, coriander leaves, lemon juice, salt & sugar and mix wel. Heat the oil in small kadai add mustard seeds, when it splutter add curry leaves and asafetida. Pour this tadaka on the mixture and mix it. Salad is ready. You can add grated carrot, finely chopped cucumber or during mango season, add grated raw mangoes instead of lemon juice.

This is my entry for TONGUE TICKLER's FIC - January

&

Laksmi's SWC-Salads under 15 mins

&

Srivalli's Legume love affair and to Susan’s event page.