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Lauki and mangodi sabzi

This lauki and mangodi sabzi is rather an unusual combination but trust me lauki and mangodi go well together. Mangodi is sun dried lentil dumpling. Here the lentil used is split skinless green gram or dhuli moong dal. I have used granular mangodis in this recipe but bigger sized mangodis can also be used.

Recipe of lauki and mangodi sabzi

1 small lauki (bottle gourd/ ghiya/ doodhi) - peeled and chopped

1/2 cup mangodi (sun dried lentil dumplings)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

2 tomatoes- pureed

1 inch piece ginger- chopped

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

2+2 tsp oil

1. Heat 2 tsp oil in a pressure cooker and fry mangodis in it. Roast mangodis till they turn reddish brown. Drain and keep aside.

2. Heat 2 tsp oil in the same pressure cooker and add cumin seeds. When they change color, add hing. Add ginger and sauté for 1 minute.

3. Add tomato puree and all the spices and salt. Fry till masala begins to leave oil from sides.

4. Add lauki pieces and mangodi. Add enough water and close the lid of the cooker. Let 1 whistle come. Then turn the heat to medium. Let 3 more whistles come. Open the lid of the cooker when pressure drops down naturally. Serve hot lauki aur mangodi ki sabzi with roti or boiled rice.

Lobia curry

Lobia is not such a popular dish in Indian kitchens but its taste really depends on how it is cooked or exactly how it is seasoned. If you cook it as per the recipe given below, you will find it a welcome change from the routine meals. It’s a protein packed dish and quite nutritious.

Recipe of lobia curry

1 cup lobia (black eyed beans/rongi)

1 medium onion- chopped

2 medium tomatoes- diced

1 inch piece ginger- chopped

3-4 cloves garlic (optional) - chopped

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

1. Soak lobhia in water for 2 hours. In winters, soak in warm water. Drain. Boil in a pressure cooker.

2. Heat ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds. Let them crackle. Add onion and sauté till light brown.

3. Add ginger and garlic and fry for 1 minute.

4. Add tomatoes and salt and all the spices. Cook till tomatoes become soft and pulpy.

5. Add this tempering or tadka to the boiled lobia and mix. Cook lobia curry covered on a low heat for 5-7 minutes. Cook till you get the desired gravy consistency. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot lobia curry with steamed rice or roti.

Sabz arhar dal

Sabz arhar dal or sabzi wali arhar dal is super nutritious as well as tasty. It’s a combination of taste and health. This recipe of arhar dal contains proteins from dal and goodness of vegetables. I find it so delicious that I just can’t stop at 1 bowl. I have to reach for second helping. You can add any number of vegetables you have in your fridge and as per your taste.

Recipe of Sabz arhar dal

1 cup arhar dal (split pigeon pea, toor dal, toovar dal)

2 cups mixed chopped vegetables like onion, tomato, cauliflower, french beans, carrot, spinach, radish

3-4 cloves garlic- chopped (optional)

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

1/2 tsp rai (small mustard seeds)

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

1. Wash and soak arhar dal for 20 minutes, drain.

2. In a pressure cooker, place toor dal, vegetables, garlic, salt, turmeric and red chilli powder. Add enough water and let 1 whistle come. Turn the heat to medium and pressure cook to 4 more whistles.

3. Let the pressure drop down naturally before opening the lid.

4. In a small pan, heat ghee. Add rai and when it splutters, add hing. Let it fry for 1 second. Turn off the heat. Pour this tadka or tempering over the boiled dal and mix. Serve hot sabz arhar dal with boiled rice or roti.

tadka dal

There are many ways to cook tadka dal or dal tadka but this is the one I use as it suits our palate. Tadka means tempering and I have used a standard Punjabi tadka with few variations. You can avoid adding tomato and can use lime juice instead. It won’t matter much to the taste. You can also skip onion if you want.

Recipe of tadka dal

1 cup dhuli moong dal (split, skinless green gram) or dhuli masoor dal (red lentils)

1 onion- chopped

1 medium tomato- diced

2-3 green chillies- chopped

2-3 cloves garlic- crushed

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

Salt to taste

Chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) - for garnish

1. Cook the dal with salt, turmeric powder and enough water in a pressure cooker till just done. Dal should not be too mushy.

2. Heat ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds and mustard seeds. When they splutter, add hing.

3. Add onion and sauté till transparent. Add garlic and green chillies and fry for 1 minute.

4. Add tomato and cook till tomato become soft and pulpy. Pour this tadka or tempering over the cooked dal. Garnish the dal tadka with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice or roti.

Sukhi urad dal

Sukhi urad dal is also known as Amritsari dal as this dal is very popular in Punjab. This dal is so delicious that my husband Rahul licks the bowl to the last crumb.

Recipe of sukhi urad dal

1 cup dhuli urad (split, skinless black gram)

1 onion- long slices

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

1 tbsp + 1 tsp ghee (clarified butter)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp garam masala

1.25 cups of water

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

2. Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a pressure cooker and add cumin seeds. When they change color, add urad dal. Add salt and all the spices. Stir fry on a low heat for 1 minute.

3. Add 1.25 cup water and pressure cook to 2 whistles. Turn off heat.

4. Heat 1 tsp ghee in a small pan and fry onion till light brown. Add over cooked dal. Mix gently. Serve hot.

moong dal chilla

These moong dal chillas have me drooling. I make them frequently in our breakfasts as me and my husband both love them. My husband insists on onion, tomatoes so I have found an easy way out. I grind them along with soaked moong dal which gives the chilla a unique flavor and makes it easy to make.

Recipe of moong dal chilla

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

3 green chillies

1 medium onion

1 tomato

Salt to taste

1 tsp coriander seeds- crushed coarsely (optional)

Oil for roasting

1. Soak mung dal for 2 hours. Drain and grind along with rest of the ingredients except oil. Add little water to get pouring consistency. Beat well.

2. Heat a non-stick tava (griddle). Smear it with oil. Turn the heat to low. With the help of a tablespoon, put 2 tablespoons in the centre of the tawa.

3. With the help of the tablespoon, spread the batter outwardly in the round, circular motion into a thin round. Now turn the heat to medium.

4. Pour some oil over the chilla and after about 3 minutes; turn over the cheela so that other side also gets cooked. use a wide, thin spatula for doing this. After 2 minutes remove the moong dal chilla from the tava. Similarly make other chillas from rest of the batter. Serve hot with green coriander chutney.

Note- Always spread chilla on a low heat and cook on medium heat. You can skip pouring oil over the chilla or do with few drops to reduce the calories. 1st chilla takes longer to cook than rest of the chillas.

reverse side of chilla

I am writing after about half a month. I am dedicating this post to my late father Mr. Sat Prakash Gupta who expired on 9^th of this month.

I remember him not just because he was my father but also because he was a source of inspiration to me. A true ‘karmayogi’, he lived the teachings of ‘Gita’ through his life time. He taught me that one should do his or her ‘karma’ without attachment to its result which is not in one’s hand but God’s hands.  He also taught me the virtue of persistence even during the adversity.  I pray to God that may his soul rest in peace.

Recipe of chane ki dal

1 cup chana dal (split Bengal gram)

3 cups of water

2 green chillies- chopped

1 onion- chopped

2 medium tomatoes- chopped

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Salt to taste

1 inch piece ginger- chopped

1/4 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

Chane ki dal

1. Wash and soak chane ki dal for 1 hour. Drain.

2. Place chane ki dal in a pressure cooker along with 3 cups of water, salt, ginger and turmeric powder. Pressure cook to 5 whistles and let the pressure drop down before opening the lid of the cooker.

3. For the tadka or tempering, heat ghee in a small pan and add cumin seeds. When they change color, add hing. Add onion and green chillies. Sauté till onion turn light brown.

4. Add tomatoes and cook till tomatoes turn soft and pulpy. You can also cover the pan so that tomatoes turn soft quickly.

5. Add this tadka to the dal and cover with a lid so that tadka seep through the dal.

6. Add garam masala and give 1 boil to the chana dal. Let the dal simmer on a low heat for 3-4 minutes. Turn off the heat and garnish chane ki dal with chopped coriander leaves. Chane ki  dal tastes great with both rotis and rice.

Sookhe kale chane

Sukhe kale chane ki recipe comes straight from my mom’s kitchen. It brings back memories of childhood days when she used to prepare them on ashtami along with puri and sooji ka halwa for kanjak. It was to be distributed to the little girls who used to visit us on this day.

Recipe sukhe kale chane

2 cups kale chane (black chickpeas)

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp amchoor (dried mango powder)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp oil

1. Soak kale chane overnight, drain. Place kala chana along with enough water and salt in a pressure cooker. Let 1 whistle come, then turn the heat to medium. Pressure cook for 20 minutes in total. When the pressure drops down, open and strain. You can have the remaining chana water as soup as it is very nutritious.

2. Heat oil in a kadhai or a pan and add cumin seeds. When they change color, add kale chane and all the spices. Roast for 4-5 minutes on a medium heat, uncovered. Turn off the heat and garnish with coriander leaves.

Moong dal pakora

In the evenings when you crave something deep fried along with your hot cuppa chai, these moong pakoras serve as a satisfying snack. They are also a popular North Indian street food. Street vendors serve them with green chutney and grated mooli (radish).

Recipe of moong dal pakora

1 cup dhuli moong dal (skinless split green gram)

2-3 green chillies- chopped finely

1 inch piece ginger- grated

Salt to taste

Oil to deep fry

1. Wash and soak moong dal for 2 hours. Drain and grind to a smooth paste along with rest of the ingredients except oil. Beat well. This is an important step to make fluffy pakoras (fritters) since air is incorporated in the batter while beating.

2. Heat oil in a karahi (heavy bottomed vessel). To check if it’s sufficiently hot, drop a small portion of batter in the oil. If it sizzles and comes to the surface, your oil is ready. Turn the heat to medium.

3. Drop small portions of batter in the oil by a teaspoon or with your hand. Fry from both sides till the pakodas turn golden brown. Drain on an absorbent paper. Serve mung pakoras hot with green (dhaniya pudina) chutney or tomato sauce.

sambhar

Sambhar is a must in any South Indian family and interestingly every family has its own recipe of sambhar. It’s such a versatile dish that it goes well with idli, dosa, vada or plain boiled rice. Sambhar is not just tasty, it is also nutritious since it contains both lentil and vegetables.

Recipe of sambhar

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

1 medium onion- chopped

1 medium tomato- chopped

4-5 French beans- chopped

A small chunk of bottle gourd (lauki/ ghiya/ doodhi) - chopped

2-3 florets of gobhi (cauliflower) - chopped

2 tsp sambhar powder

1/4 cup juice of tamarind (imli)

Small piece of gur (jaggery)

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Seasoning (tadka)

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

A pinch of hing (asafoetida)

3-4 dry red chillies

5-6 curry leaves

1 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)

Coriander leaves- chopped

1. Place dal and vegetables in a pressure cooker with enough water and turmeric powder. Cook till 3 whistles. When pressure drops, open the lid and mash dal with the back of a ladle (karchhi).

2. Add tamarind juice, sambar powder, salt and gur. Bring to boil on a low heat. Simmer for 5 minutes.

3. For seasoning, heat ghee in a small pan and add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and dry red chillies. When they splutter, add hing and curry leaves. Add this seasoning to the dal and cover the lid so that the flavors are trapped. Garnish sambhar with coriander leaves. Enjoy hot with idli, dosa or vada.

Note- to extract the juice of tamarind, take a lemon sized ball of tamarind and soak it in water. Then boil this water. Extract juice of imli by mashing it well and straining it.