fastindianrecipes.com

Khichdi

This is one of the simplest recipes of khichdi you can imagine. Great not just for sick people but also when you want to eat light after a heavy lunch. Skip adding ghee on top of khichri if you are calorie conscious.

Recipe of rice moong dal khichdi/ khichri

1 cup rice

1/2 cup moong dal (split, skinless green gram)

4 cups of water

1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

1. Wash and soak rice and moong dal for 10 minutes. Drain.

2. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker and add cumin seeds. When they turn darker, add hing.

3. Add rice, dal, salt, both the spice powders and water. Mix and close the lid of the cooker.

4. Pressure cook to 3 whistles and let the pressure drop down naturally before opening the lid. Serve khichdi hot with ghee on top and curd/ yogurt on the side.

Pesarattu

Pesarattu or green gram pancake is a famous breakfast item from Andhra Pradesh. Pesarattu is not just tasty but it is also very healthy and nutritious since we are using whole moong beans.

Recipe of pesarattu/green gram dosa

1 cup sabut moong dal (whole green gram)

3 green chillies

1 inch piece ginger

Salt to taste

6-7 curry leaves

1 medium onion

1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves

Oil to shallow fry

1. Wash and soak moong dal for 3 hours. Chop onion and green chillies roughly. Chop coriander leaves and curry leaves.

2. Drain mung dal and discard the water. Grind moong dal with onion and green chillies. Add salt, curry leaves and coriander leaves.

3. Heat a dosa tava or any non-stick tava (griddle) and smear oil on it. Pour a ladleful of batter in the center of tava and spread it in outward circular motion with the back of the ladle (karchhi). Spread it thinly.

4. Drizzle oil along the edges of pesarattu, cover with a lid of some height. Cook on a medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Remove lid.

5. Turn over and applying oil, cook from other side also till golden and crisp. Make rest of the pesarattu with remaining batter. Serve hot pesarattu with chutney.

sabut masoor dal curry

I love to eat my sabut masoor dal curry with rice and we call it dal-chawal. It’s a very nutritious dal being whole that is with the skin. After I started blogging, I came to know from fellow bloggers’ blogs that some people sprout sabut masoor dal. Never tried it but love to some day.

Recipe of whole masoor dal

1 cup sabut masoor dal (whole red lentils or brown lentils)

1 medium onion- chopped

1 medium tomato- chopped

3-4 cloves garlic- chopped

1 inch piece ginger- finely chopped

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

4 cups of water

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

1. Wash and soak masoor dal for 1 hour. Drain.

2. In a pressure cooker, place masoor dal, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and 4 cups of water. Pressure cook to 4-5 whistles.

3. In a pan, heat ghee and add cumin seeds. When they turn darker, add hing.

4. Add onion and fry till pink. Add ginger, garlic and fry for 1 minute.

5. Add tomato and fry till ghee begins to separate. Pour this tadka or tempering over boiled dal and mix. Add garam masala and bring the dal to boil. Adjust the water levels according to the consistency of the gravy that you want.

6. Garnish the dal with chopped coriander leaves. Serve hot saboot masoor dal curry with plain boiled rice or roti.

Misal pav is a famous street food of Maharashtra. Cooked sprouted dals also called ‘usal’ is served with chopped onion, sev, farsan on top of it along with pav bread is called misal pav or missal pav. It’s a very tasty food and if you don’t add sev or farsan over it, it’s a low calorie, healthy food.

Recipe of misal pav

2 cups sprouted moong dal (green gram) and moth dal (matki/ brown gram)

2 onions- chopped

2 green chillies- slit

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1/2 cup farsan

Coriander leaves- chopped

1/2 tsp rai (small mustard seeds)

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp cumin powder

Few curry leaves

1 tbsp oil

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

Lemon juice

Lemon cut into slices

6-8 pav

1. Heat oil in a pan and add rai. When it splutters, add hing. Add curry leaves and half of the chopped onions. Sauté till onion turn light pink.

2. Add ginger-garlic paste and green chillies. Saute for 1 minute.

3. Add sprouted dals. Add coriander, turmeric, red chilli and cumin powders. Mix well.

4. Add 3 cups of water and salt. Bring it to boil.

5. Add garam masala and cook covered for 10-12 minutes.

6. To serve the misal pav, place ladleful of cooked dal or usal in a bowl. Sprinkle remaining onion, farsan over the dal. Pour lemon juice and coriander leaves over it.

7. Serve it with pav and lemon slices.

kala chana masala

I still remember when my mother used to make kala chana masala on Ashtami. She did not use onion and garlic as kala chana was for prasad along with puri. Kala channa curry or black chickpeas curry is a very nutritious and tasty dish. Kala chana is a rich source of protein and fiber. It’s my favorite legume and I make it in curried or dry form that is sookhe kale chane whenever I get a chance.

Recipe of kala chana masala/ curry

1 cup kala chana (black chickpeas) - soaked overnight

3 tomatoes

1 onion

1 inch piece ginger

2-3 green chillies

3-4 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp chana masala powder

Salt to taste

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

1 tbsp oil or ghee (clarified butter)

kala chana curry

1. Place kala chana with enough water and salt in a pressure cooker and cook for 30 minutes or till chana is soft. Mash a handful of channa with your hands.

2. Grind together onion, ginger, garlic and green chillies to a paste. Puree the tomatoes.

3. Heat oil or ghee in a kadhai/ wok and add cumin seeds. When they turn darker in color, add hing.

4. Add onion paste and sauté till brown.

5. Add pureed tomatoes and all the spices. Fry till oil begins to separate from the masala.

6. Add kale chane along with the cooking liquid and mashed kala chana. Adjust the water level according to the consistency of the gravy that you want. Cook covered on a medium heat for 7-8 minutes. Serve kala chana curry with rice, roti or puri.

Adai

Adai is a type of dal dosa and a popular Tamilian breakfast. It’s very nutritious and protein packed since it uses so many dals (lentils). It’s healthy, tasty as well as filling and the best part is, you don’t have to ferment the adai batter. To make it tastier, you can also add finely chopped onion or cabbage or both to the adai batter.

Recipe of adai (dal dosa)

1/2 cup rice

1/4 cup toor dal (arhar dal/ red gram)

1/4 cup dhuli urad dal (split, skinless black gram)

1/4 cup chana dal (Bengal gram)

1/4 cup dhuli moong dal (split, skinless green gram)

2 green chillies

Salt to taste

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

Few curry leaves

Oil to shallow fry

1. Wash and soak rice and dals for 2-3 hours. Drain.

2. Grind dals and rice in a blender adding little water into a coarse paste. Remember not to add too much water as the batter for adai is usually thick.

3. Add salt, hing and curry leaves to the batter. Beat the batter well.

4. Heat a non-stick tava (griddle). Grease it and wipe off the excess oil. Pour a ladleful of batter in the center of the tava.

5. Spread it in the circular motion to make a round. Drizzle some oil around the edges and on top of the adai.

6. When the underside is cooked, turn over and cook from other side also till brownish. Similarly make other adai from rest of the batter. Serve adai hot with chutney or chutney powder.

Aloo choliya

So many of us have childhood memories of peeling the pods and consuming straight the seeds inside called choliya or green chickpeas.  Some people used to roast the stems containing pods over fire and get roasted chholia. Besides eating them raw, here is a recipe of choliya curry combined with potato.

Recipe of aloo choliya

2 medium aloo (potato) - peeled and cubed

150 gms choliya (hara chana/ fresh green chickpeas)

2 tomatoes

1 onion

1 inch piece ginger

3-4 cloves garlic (optional)

2 green chillies

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp red chilli powder (cayenne pepper)

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1 tbsp oil

choliya (fresh green chickpeas)

1. Grind together onion, tomatoes, ginger, garlic and green chillies into a smooth paste.

2. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add cumin seeds. When they change color, add hing.

3. Add onion-tomato paste and all the spices and salt. Fry till oil begins to separate.

4. Add choliya and potato. Add 2 cups of water and close the lid of the cooker. Pressure cook to 3 whistles. Serve aloo cholia hot with roti or rice.

Healthy Bytes- Chickpeas are a good source of Zinc, Protein and Folate. They are high in dietary fiber and low in fat. Chickpeas are good for diabetics.

Ghugni

Ghugni is a Bengali version of chole or ragda. Here I have used chickpeas but green peas or matar is also used for making ghugni. In Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and Assam, ghugni is usually eaten as an evening snack. It is also a popular chaat and street food.

Recipe of ghugni/ ghoogni

1 cup kabuli chana (chickpeas/ garbanzo beans)

1 onion- chopped

1 tomato- chopped

1 bay leaf (tej patta)

1 black cardamom

1 green cardamom

2-3 cloves (laung)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1 1/2 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

1 onion- cut into rings for garnish

1. Soak the kabuli chana overnight. Drain.

2. Pressure cook chana with water for 25-30 minutes.

3. Heat oil in a kadhai/ wok. Add bay leaf, cloves, cumin seeds and cardamoms. Let them splutter.

4. Add onion and sauté till light brown.

5. Add ginger-garlic paste and sauté for 1 minute.

6. Add tomato and rest of the spices and salt. Cook till oil begins to separate.

7. Crush a handful of chana and add along with rest of the boiled chana.

8. Boil on a high heat for 3-4 minutes. Lower heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Cook till you get the desired gravy consistency.

9.  Garnish with onion rings and serve ghugni hot with either roti, luchi, poori or rice.

urad chane ki dal

Urad chane ki dal is also known as maa-chole ki dal in Punjabi. It’s a delicious combination and you can use either skinless, split urad dal or split urad dal with husk. Urad chana dal is also a dhaba special dal and they also serve it with the same Punjabi tadka (tempering).

Recipe of urad chane ki dal

3/4 cup dhuli urad dal (split black gram)

1/2 cup chana dal (split Bengal gram)

2 tomatoes- chopped

1 medium onion- chopped

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

2 tsp ginger-garlic paste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp garam masala

1. Wash and soak urad dal and chana dal for 1 hour. Drain. Place both dal along with enough water, salt and red chilli and turmeric powders in a pressure cooker. Pressure cook till tender.

2. Mash dal with the back of a ladle (karchhi).

3. Heat ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds. When they change color, add hing.

4. Add onion and fry till light brown. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry for 1 minute.

5. Add tomatoes and cook till oil begins to separate.

6. Add this tempering or tadka to the boiled dal and mix. Add garam masala and give 1 boil to dal, then let it simmer it on low heat for 5 minutes, covered. Serve hot urad chane ki dal garnished with coriander leaves.

mixed dal

This mixed dal was made in my home when 1 day, my husband came home bitten by cooking bug. He was in an experimental mode, opened the kitchen cupboard and started mixing from all the dals and legumes available in the home. He soaked them all and the next morning made this unique and tasty dish. Since then, I started making this mixed dal since it’s not only tasty but also packed with different types of proteins. This dal definitely has a protein punch!

Recipe of mixed dal

1 tablespoon rajma (red kidney beans)

1 tablespoon kabuli chana (chickpeas)

1 teaspoon lobia (black eyed beans)

1 tsp arhar dal (toor dal/ split pigeon peas)

1 tsp masoor dal (black lentil)

1 tsp lal masoor dal (red lentil)

1 tsp dhuli moong dal (split green gram)

1 tsp dhuli urad dal (split black gram)

1 tsp split moong dal with husk

1 tsp split urad dal with husk

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Tadka (Tempering)

2 medium onions- chopped

4-5 garlic cloves- chopped

1 inch piece ginger- chopped

4 medium tomatoes- pureed

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

1 1/2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

 1. Wash and soak all the dals (lentils/pulses) and legumes overnight. Drain. Pressure cook them with enough water, salt, turmeric and red chilli powders. Boil till chickpeas or kabuli chana is tender.

2. For the tadka or tempering, heat ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds. When they change color, add hing. Add onion and sauté till light brown.

3. Add garlic and ginger and fry for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook covered till tomatoes are soft and mushy.

4. Pour this tadka over boiled dals and mix. Simmer mixed dal on a low heat, covered, for 5-6 minutes. Serve hot with roti or rice.