Pasi Paruppu Sundal/Moong Dal Sundal - Easy Navarathri Sundal Recipes

Already six days have passed since Navarathri started. Hope all of you are enjoying the festivities. I had been wanting to post a few recipes for Navarathri, but nothing seemed to work out. Finally I prepared this sundal today.

The pasi paruppu sundal is one of the easiest ones. It does not require any overnight soaking or pressure cooking. It gets ready in a jiffy. The only thing we need to take care about is that the dal should not get overcooked neither should it remain undercooked. It should be cooked just right.

Serves 2

What you'll need

1. Pasi Paruppu – ¼ cup
2. Turmeric Powder – a pinch
3. Scraped Coconut – 2 tbsp
4. Ginger – a small piece
5. Green Chilly – 1
6. Salt to taste

For Tempering

1. Coconut oil – 2 tsp
2. Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp
3. Dried Red Chilly – 1
4. Asafoetida – a generous pinch
5. Curry Leaves – few

Method

1. Dry roast the dal for couple of minutes or until a nice aroma comes. Need not change color.
2. Add water and soak for about 10 minutes.
3. Drain the water and add about 2 cups of water and bring to boil.
4. Add turmeric powder and salt.
5. Once it starts boiling, reduce heat to medium low and keep stirring once  in a while. Always be near and keep an eye on it as it has a tendency to boil over.
6. Cook until soft but not mushy. Strain the water and set aside.
7. In the meanwhile, pulse the coconut, ginger and green chilly. They need to get crushed. Do not add water.
8. Heat a kadai with oil, temper with mustard seeds, red chilly.
9. Add the curry leaves and asafoetida.
10. Next add the cooked dal and give a quick stir.
11. Finally add the coconut and stir again.
12. Remove from heat.

Healthy and delicious sundal is ready.

Vazhaipoo Paruppu Usili

I usually don't have any draft or pending posts. I always end up, cooking, clicking and posting. Somehow I had missed this post, which has been lying in my drafts for more than a year now. Infact, prepared it before leaving India. I have not been able to find this veggie after coming here to Amsterdam.

Vazhaipoo is one of my favorites, and this usili is a family favorite. Though the cleaning of this takes a lot of time, but the end result is really good and very healthy too.

Usili paired with mor kootan and rasam is one of the best combos and is loved by all at home.

What you'll need

1. Vazhaipoo – 1 medium sized
2. Toor Dal – 2 tbsp
3. Channa Dal/Kadala Paruppu – 2 tbsp
4. Dried Red Chilly – 1
5. Asafoetida – a generous pinch
6. Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
7. Oil – 3 tsp
8. Mustard Seeds – ½ tsp
9. Broken Urad Dal – ½ tsp
10. Curry Leaves – few

Method

1. Soak the dals and the dried red chillies for 30 to 45 minutes.
2. Clean the Vazhaipoo, and finely chop the banana flower. Put the chopped vazhaipoo, in diluted buttermilk until use.
3. Wash well and then drain the water completely. Place the chopped vazhaipoo in a cooker vessel. Add salt, and turmeric powder and toss well. Don’t add any water in the vegetable.
4. Cover the vessel and place the vessel in the pressure cooker cook for 2 to 3 whistles.
5. In the meanwhile, drain the dals and grind it coarsely along with red chilly, salt, curry leaves and asafoetida.
6. Grease the idly mould, and pat the ground dal paste, in the idly mould grooves.
7. Steam the dals, just like you do for idly for 7 to 8 minutes.
8. Remove and allow to cool. Once cooled, crumble the steamed dal and place in a mixie jar and just give a quick pulse so that it resembles a coarse powder.
9. Heat a Kadai with oil, splutter with mustard seeds and urad dal. Add curry  and the cooked vazhaipoo. (Strain the vazhaipoo if you feel there is lot of water)
10. Fry this for about 4 to 5 minutes. Then add the powdered dal and fry for another 5 to 6 minutes on medium heat. Keep stirring after adding the dal.

Serve hot with rice and mor kootan and rasam.

 You may also like:

Kothavarangai Paruppu Usili

Cabbage Paruppu Usili

Mor Kootan

Simit - Turkish Bread

This month the Baking Partner's challenge was this Turkish sesame ring bread. The bread was slightly hard on the outside and soft inside with the lovely crunch from the sesame seeds. 

Recipe adapted from here

Makes - 6 pieces

What you'll need

1. Bread Flour/All Purpose Flour – 3.5 cup
2. Instant Yeast – 2 tsp
3. Sugar – a pinch
4. Salt – 1 ¼ tsp
5. Lukewarm Water – 1 cup + 2 tbsp
6. Molasses/Jaggery/Brown Sugar – 2 tbsp dissolved in ½ cup water
7. White Sesame Seeds – about 2 cup

Method

1. In a wide bowl, take the flour, yeast, salt and sugar. Mix well with hands.
2. Now add the water and bring the dough together.
3. Now knead the dough for about 10 minutes to form smooth non sticky dough.
4. Cover with a cling film or a kitchen towel and rest for about an hour or until the dough has risen to double its size.
5. Punch the dough and knead again for few minutes.
6. Divide the dough into 12 equal sized balls.
7. Now, roll out one of the balls into a long cylindrical shape.
8. Similarly roll another ball the same way into a long cylindrical shape.
9. Now, hold the two cylindrical shape logs and twist them, and make them into a circle. 
10. Dip the prepared circles in the molasses water and coat with sesame seeds.
11. Place on prepared baking tray. Repeat the same with other balls.
12. Pre – Heat the oven to 230C and bake the bread for 20 to 25 minutes or until the top gets brown.

Vegetable Strudel

This month International Food Challenge completes 1 year, so as an anniversary post, Saraswathi, suggested that we try one of the recipes from any of the previous months. I decided to try these strudels, which was suggested by Birju.

Typically a strudel, is a layered pastry with a sweet filling, the most common being apples. Strudel is often associated with the Austrian Cuisine. My family always prefers savoury bakes to sweet and so I chose to go with the savory strudel. It is quite easy to put together and tastes delicious.

Adapted from The Recipe File

What you'll need

For the filling

1. Carrot – 1 medium, chopped
2. Cabbage – 1 cup, chopped
3. Red or Green Bell Pepper – chopped
4. Onion – 1 Medium, chopped
5. Garlic – 2 cloves
6. Mozzarella Cheese – ½ cup, grated
7. Black Pepper Powder – ½ tsp
8. Dried Basil – ¼ tsp
9. Salt to taste
10. Olive Oil – 2 tsp

For the outer covering

1. Phyllo Sheets – 6
2. Melted Butter – about 30 gm

Method

1. Follow the package instructions and thaw the phyllo sheets. Keep them covered to avoid drying.
2. Heat a pan with oil, add the chopped onions and minced garlic, sauté until the onion turn translucent.
3. Now add the cabbage and carrots and sauté for 4 to 5 mins.
4. Finally add the bell peppers, salt, black pepper powder and dried basil, mix well and sauté for another 3 to 4 minutes.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Add the grated cheese and give it a mix.
7. Pre- heat the oven to 190C.
8. On a work surface, lay out one of the phyllo sheets, brush  with all over with melted butter.
9. Place the next phyllo sheet over this and brush the top with butter. Continue this for all the 6 phyllo sheets.
10. Now place the prepared vegetable filling all over the phyllo sheets, leaving a 1 inch space on all four sides.
11. Roll the sheets tightly along the shorter side. Place this over a baking tray with the seam side down.
12. Now with a sharp knife make 3 or 4 cuts on the top of the roll.
13. Brush the top with butter and bake for at 25 to 30 minutes or until the top turns golden brown.
14. Remove from the oven.
15. Cool a little and then cut along the previously made cuts. Serve warm.

Note:

You can use the vegetables of your choice.