GREEN BEANS/PHALLION KI SABZI

There is something about green beans or phalion ki sabzi cooked in mustard oil with onions & tomatoes that takes it to another level all together. It combines really well with Yellow Dal or just by itself with parathas or rotis. Full of flavor, health and ready in a jiffy if you keep the beans clean and chopped ready in your fridge. 

Do try this recipe and share your experience with me. 

INGREDIENTS: 

Green Beans  - 1.5 cups finely chopped

Mustard Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - 1 pinch

Ginger - 1 tsp finely chopped

Garlic - 1 tbsp finely chopped

Green Chilies - 2 finely chopped

Curry Leaves - few

Onions -1 finely chopped

Tomatoes - 1 finely chopped

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Coriander Cumin Powder - 2 tsp

Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp (or to taste)

Amchur Powder - 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Fresh Coriander Leaves

Procedure:

1. Smoke mustard oil in a pan. Once it smokes turn off the heat. Cool and heat again. This is so that we dont burn our tempering in oil that is too hot.

2. Add mustard, cumin seeds & asafoetida. 

3. Next add the ginger, garlic, green chilies & curry leaves

4. Add the onions and saute till they turn pink

5. In go the beans, next. Mix well. Saute for a couple of minutes. 

6. Season with salt and turmeric powder. Mix. Cover & cook for about 7 minutes allowing the beans to cook through.

7. Time to add the tomatoes. Cover and cook till the tomatoes turn soft. Mix again. 

8. Lets spice this up with some coriander cumin, red chili & amchur powder. Give it a good toss. Cook for another couple of minutes. 

9. Finish with fresh coriander leaves. 

10. Serve hot with roti or parathas!

DAL PARATHA

DAL KA PARATHA is a wonderful way to use that leftover dal sitting your refrigerator. Both moong and chana dal work great for this recipe as they add a bite to the paratha stuffing. The recipe is super quick and easy too and popular in most Indian households. 

It is a perfect weekday recipe when you are not in the mood to spend a lot of time in the kitchen and yet serve a healthy meal to your family.

This is how I do it:

INGREDIENTS:

Dal - 1/4 cup (I have used left over chana dal)

Whole Wheat Flour - 3/4 cup

Salt to taste

Coriander Cumin Powder - 1 tsp

Red Chili Powder- 1 tsp (or to taste)

Garam Masala Powder - 1 tsp

Oil or ghee to fry 

PROCEDURE:

1. Take the leftover dal in a bowl. My dal was already dry but if your dal is in liquid form, saute it in an open pan  for a few minutes to get rid of the excess moisture or water. 

2. Add the whole wheat flour

3. Season with salt (remember the dal may already be salted)  and add the coriander cumin, red chili & garam masala powders and mix. 

4. Knead into a soft paratha dough. I didnt need to add any water but go ahead and add a little water if you think your dough is to dry. Cover and rest the dough for 10 minutes.

5. Heat your pan on medium high heat. Roll the dough ball into medium or desired sized parathas. 

6. Place the rolled out paratha on the hot pan. Once the bubbles appear, flip and cook on the other side. 

7. Apply ghee and fry on both sides till golden brown and crispy. 

8. Serve hot with yogurt or pickles or enjoy as is!

LOW CARB - MIXED DAL DOSA

Mixed Dal Dosas are a favorite in my house. It gives us a nice break from the routine roti and rice and is yet super nutritious and delicious. Its quick to make too. I soak the dals the same morning, so no lengthy prep work. An added bonus, its low on carbs too. 

INGREDIENTS:

Tuver Dal - 2 tbsp

Chanda Dal - 2 tbsp

Masoor Dal - 2 tbsp

Urad Dal - 2 tbsp

Yellow Moong Dal - 2 tbsp

Green Split Moong Dal - 2 tbsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Whole Red Chilies - 2 whole

Curry leaves - few

Ginger - 1 inch, chopped

Rice flour - 2 tbsp (optional)

Oil/Ghee/Butter - to grease the dosas as needed

PROCEDURE:

1. Take all the dals and fenugreek seeds and wash them thoroughly in water, about 4 or 5 times or until the dals are clean.

 2. Next add the cumin seeds, red chilies, curry leaves, asafoetida and ginger and mix well. 

 

3. Add just enough water to soak the dals. Too much water will make the batter runny and will make it difficult to spread the dosas eventually. Leave this for 4 or more hours. 

4. After 4 some hours the lentils have soaked up all the water we added. Time to grind this. We need a coarse batter, not pasty. 

5. Here is how it looks after grinding.

6. I have added some rice flour to my batter after grinding as it makes the dosas extra crispy. But this is optional. If your batter accidentally turns runny, you can also add oats powder to correct the consistency. 

 7. You can also store this batter in the fridge to use as a weekday dinner. 

8. The batter should not be thick at the time of spreading the dosas. We like our dosas super thin and crispy to I have added a little water to my batter to get the right consistency.

9. Ideally, take a non-stick pan and heat on medium low heat. Once the pan is hot enough sprinkle some water and wipe it down with kitchen towel and start spread the dosas. 

10. Pour a spoonful of batter in the center of the pan and start spreading in circular motion. Remember, practice makes perfect. So dont loose heart if they arent perfect in the first go. You will get there. 

11. Sprinkle some ghee/oil once the dosa starts to brown and crispy. 

12. Then flip to cook the other side as well. Serve hot with some sambhar and chutney!

RAJMA MASALA HOMESTYLE

RAJMA OR RAJMA Chawal is a comfort food for many. We've had it through our childhood and having it now brings back those memories enveloping us in comfort and warmth of those carefree days. 

I follow my mother's simple recipe when making this. It does not involve onion or garlic. Super easy  and wholesome. What I also love about Rajma is that it doesn't need a side of another vegetable/sabzi. Its a meal in itself. 

Let's start:

INGREDIENTS:

Rajma/Kidney Beans - 1 cup

Ghee - 2 tbsp + for serving

Green Chilies - 2

Ginger - 1 tsp, crushed

Salt to taste

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Tomatoes - 1 medium, finely chopped

Coriander Cumin Powder - 1 tbsp

Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp (or to taste)

Fresh Coriander Leaves - 1 tbsp, finely chopped

PROCEDURE:

1. Wash the rajma thoroughly until the water appears clean. Then soak in about 2.5 cups of water, ideally overnight or for 6-8 hours. 

2. Next we add salt, turmeric powder and crushed ginger. 

3. We want to pressure cook this, giving 4 whistles on medium high heat. 

4. Let the pressure release by itself. Remove the rajma into another bowl. 

5. Heat ghee in the same pressure cooker on medium heat. 

6. Add the cumin seeds, once the ghee is hot. Followed by asafoetida & green chilies.

7. Next throw in the tomatoes and add the season to help fasten the softening of tomatoes. We'll cook this till the tomatoes soften.

8. Time to add the masalas. Add the coriander cumin & red chili powder. Mix and cook till the oil starts to separate. 

9. In goes the boiled rajma. Give it a good mix. Now I like to pressure cook this again, eventhough the rajma is already cooked. See, I liked my rajma mushy. Some whole and some blended in the gravy. It makes the dish more flavorful this way and kind of rounds up the taste. Also, I added about half a cup of water but feel free to add or reduce the amount of water you add at this stage, depending on how thick you want your gravy/rajma.

10. After the final whistle, let the pressure release naturally. Open and check. If you'd like to thicken the gravy, let it simmer for a few minutes until to achieve the desired consistency. I like mine this way. 

11. Garnish with some fresh coriander leaves. 

12. Finish with a drizzle of some ghee and serve hot with rotis or rice or just by itself!