Kothavarangai Paruppu Usili

Kothavarangai, gawar phalli or cluster beans is a vegetable which I was introduced to only after my marriage. Till then, though I used to see them in the markets, I had never tasted it. People visiting Kaashi, for the first time, to perform the ancestral rites, have to abstain from eating one leaf, one fruit and one vegetable for the rest of their lives. This is called as Phalapatra Tyagam. The leaf is common to all, i.e. the banyan leaf. The fruit has to be something other than the mango, banana and jackfruit and any vegetable. It happens that both my grandparents and parents, decided to abstain from cluster beans and hence the vegetable never entered our house. (I’m not sure which fruit was abandoned)  It was only after my marriage that I had it for the first time and it is my husband’s favourite. At first I did not quite like its taste as it has a slight bitterness to it. But when made in this usili form mixed with lentils, it does taste good.

Paruppu Usili is a dry vegetable and lentil based preparation, served as an accompaniment to plain rice and Sambar or Rasam. The vegetables commonly used with the lentils are Beans, Broad Beans, Banana Blossom, Cabbage and Cluster Beans. There are numerous ways of preparing this dish. Some people prepare using only tuar dal some with only channa dal. Some like a mix of both.

Serves - 3 to 4

What you’ll need

1. Kothavarangai/Cluster Beans – 200 gms
2. Tuar Dal – 2 tbsp
3. Channa Dal – 2 tbsp
4. Dried Red Chilli – 2 (adjust according to taste)
5. Asafoetida – 2 pinches
6. Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
7. Salt to taste

For Tempering

1. Oil – 1 tbsp
2. Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
3. Urad Dal – 1 tsp
4. Curry Leaves – few sprigs

Method

1. Wash and soak the dals along with the red chilli, for 20 minutes to half an hour.
2. Drain the water completely from the dals and grind coarsely with chilli, asafoetida and salt. Do not add any water while grinding.
3. Grease an idli stand, take a little of the ground dal and pat it on one of the idli grooves. Repeat till the ground dal is over.
4. Steam this in a cooker for 6 to 7 minutes, or till a knife inserted comes out clean.
5. Cool, remove from the mould and pulse in a mixer till the dal resembles a coarse powder.
6. Wash the cluster beans, string them and chop finely.
7. Pressure cook the chopped beans for 3 whistles. Remove from the cooker after the steam releases.
8. Heat a Kadai with oil. Season with mustard seeds, once they start popping add the urad dal. Once the dal turns golden brown, add the cooked beans.
9. Add turmeric powder and salt to taste. Stir and fry for 3 to 4 minutes or till all the water is evaporated.
10. Now add the steamed powdered dal and mix very well. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes and remove from heat.

Healthy and delicious usili is ready. Serve as an accompaniment with rice and Sambar or Rasam.

Note: 

Make sure the vegetable is completely dry before adding the powdered dal mixture else the curry would become very mushy.

Linking this to Show me your HITS - Lentils and Legumes hosted by Nalini.

Watermelon Lemonade

Since my daughter’s school has reopened, I have made it a point to pack some different and healthy lunch for her. While I am busy preparing her lunch, it almost invariably slips my mind that I need to pack her a snack box too. Like every mother, I feel she should eat healthy and nutritious food and end up packing some fruit or the other. I bought a huge watermelon a couple of days back with the intention of cutting it and packing it for the snack box. But, after taking, apples, mangoes and watermelons on alternate days for almost a week, my daughter just wouldn’t have any more fruits for snacks. She wanted to have something else, read junk. I had to give in, after all she is a kid and having it once in a while is ok. So yesterday she took some biscuits and chips with a few dates and dry fruits. And I was left with a big chunk of watermelon.

While browsing through Nalini’s space, who happens to be my partner for this month’s blog hop, I found this refreshing drink. I zeroed in on it, since I had to finish up the watermelon. Nalini’s space has lots of mouthwatering recipes with beautiful pictures. I love her presentation. Even though my daughter rebelled for not eating the fruit as is, she was very happy to have this bright drink in the evening when she came back from school.

What you’ll need

1. Watermelon pieces – 3 cups, deseeded and cubed
2. Lemon Juice – 1 tbsp
3. Sugar – ¼ cup
4. Water – ¼ cup
5. Ice cubes – as required

Method

1. Heat the sugar with ¼ cup of water on medium flame, till the sugar is completely dissolved.
2. Blend the watermelon pieces.
3. Add the lemon juice and sugar syrup mix well. Strain the juice.
4. Pour into glasses, add ice cubes, and serve immediately.

Note:


Adjust sugar according to your taste. the amount mentioned was perfect for us.
Also increase or decrease the amount of lemon juice according to your taste.

Linking this to Blog Hop Wednesday and Bon Viviant –Refreshing Drinks
Also linking to Love Lock with Juices and Milkshakes.

Broken Wheat Rava Pongal

We’re into the 7^th edition of Magic Mingle. This is one event which I look forward to every month. The secret ingredients which Kalyani announces at her space on the 5^th of every month always pose an interesting challenge. The 2 magic ingredients for this month are Split Yellow Moong Dal and Black Pepper. The first thing that would come to most people’s minds would be Ven Pongal. For me, Yellow Moong is synonymous with Molagooshyam. But I have posted both the recipes so decided to try a variation of the regular Pongal.

Broken wheat rava upma makes a regular appearance in my kitchen since a long time, but a pongal made out of the same is the latest addition to my menu of regulars. It’s definitely a healthy and tasty alternate to the traditional ven pongal which is prepared out of rice. Traditionally, pongal is made for breakfast, but we like to have it for dinner. You could also serve it to kids, when they come back from school. Best served with coconut chutney, sambar or gothsu.

What you'll need

1. Broken Wheat Rava – ¾ cup
2. Split Moon Dal – ¼ Cup
3. Ginger – 1 inch piece
4. Water – 2 cups
5. Whole Black Pepper – 6 to 8
6. Cumin Seeds - 2 tsp
7. Cashew – 6 to 8
8. Curry Leaves – few sprigs
9. Asafoetia – 1 pinch
10. Ghee – 2 tbsp
11. Salt to taste

Method

1. Dry roast the broken wheat rava for 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Also dry roast the split moong dal till nice aroma comes.
3. Wash and rinse the wheat rava and dal in 2 exchanges of water.
4. Add it to a vessel, add the grated ginger and 2 cups of water.
5. Pressure cook this for 3 to 4 whistles.
6. Crush the pepper a little with a mortar and pestle.
7. After the cooker cools down and pressure is released, remove the cooked wheat rava and dal mixture.
8. Heat a kadai with ghee, add the cashews and fry till they turn golden.
9. Next add the cumin, pepper and asafetida fry for 30 secs.
10. Now add the curry leaves.
11. Finally add the wheat rava and dal mixture. Add salt to taste and mix well.

Healthy and tasty pongal is ready. Serve with coconut chutney or sambar.

Linking this to Magic Mingle - Yellow Moong Dal and Black Pepper.

Vegetable Shikampuri Kebab

I recently bought a couple of cook books by Nita Mehta. The pictures in the book captivated my heart and mind. I tried out a few recipes from it; one of them is the Bhindi Do Pyaaza. For this month, we the Gourmet Seven decided to prepare some Gourmet Kebabs. The source was not limited to anything in particular. So I chose to prepare these delicious kebabs, which had caught my attention the moment I had purchased the Nita Mehta Book – 101 Vegetarian Recipes.

I made very few minor changes to the recipe to suit what was available in my pantry. The result was some really delicious kebabs. The mint leaves, fennel and the flavouring powder made these kebabs very flavourful. We had it with tomato ketchup. My daughter who came back from school and got to taste these hot kebabs was all gaga over it. My pictures don’t do any justice to the way they tasted. I was in a hurry to finish clicking since both my daughters were ready to pounce on the kebabs :)

Makes about 12 Kebabs

What you’ll need

1. Carrots – 1 cup, finely chopped, boiled
2. Beans – ½ cup, finely chopped, boiled
3. Potatoes – 4 Medium, boiled and mashed very well
4. Green Chillies – 1, finely chopped
5. Ginger – 1 tsp, grated
6. Turmeric Powder – ½ tsp
7. Chilli Powder – 1 tsp
8. Fresh Coriander – 1 tbsp, chopped
9. Mint – 1 tbsp, chopped
10. Fennel Seeds – 1 tsp
11. Fresh Bread Slices – 4, grind in a mixer to get fresh bread crumbs
12. Salt to taste
13. Oil – 4 tsp

Flavoring Powder (Crush together)

1. Cumin Seeds – 1 tsp
2. Green Cardamom – 2 to 3
3. Pepper Corns – 2 – 3

Filling

1. Paneer – ¼ cup, grated
2. Yougurt – ¼ cup, hang in a muslin cloth for 20 mins
3. Onion – 1 chopped
4. Khoya – ¼ cup, mashed
5. Salt to taste
6. Oil for frying the Kebabs – 2 to 3 tbsp
7. Chaat masala – little to sprinkle on top (optional)

Method

1. Heat oil in a Kadai, add fennel seeds fry for a minute then add ginger and green chillies. Fry for a minute.
2. Add the boiled carrots, and beans. Stir fry for 2 minutes.
3. Add turmeric powder and chilli powder. Fry for another minute.
4. Now add the mashed potatoes and mix well.
5. Add salt to taste, chopped coriander and mint leaves. Add the flavouring powder. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes or till the mixture is well blended. Remove from heat and cool.
6. Add enough bread crumbs to make firm round balls. Check for seasoning.
7. For the filling, brown the chopped onions in about 2 tsp of oil on low heat. Le
8. Flatten the potato and veggie mixture, place some paneer khoya mixture and shape into kebabs. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Shallow fry in 2 to 3 tbsp of oil till crisp and brown .
9. Sprinkle some Chaat masala and serve hot.

Check out what the other gourmets are upto: Anamika, Anusha, Radhika, Sangeetha, Vardhini, Veena

Kadala Curry

Kadala curry is a popular Kerala dish, the main ingredient of this dish being Kadala or Chickpeas. Puttu and Kadala is one of the very popular breakfast options in most Kerala households. This chickpea gravy is also served as an accompaniment with Appams, and Idiyappams. Chickpea simmered in gravy of fried and ground coconut with fennel and other Indian spices makes this gravy super delicious. Traditionally these are prepared using the brown chickpeas. Most people do not make use of tomatoes, but I like a wee bit of tang in my gravy and so I usually add a couple of them.

Though we belong to Kerala, but Kadala curry was never prepared in my house. The first time I tasted it was in my college hostel. (Not a very good place to taste something for the first time right!). But the Kadala curry was one of the best items in the hostel menu. And I took an instant liking towards it. Once I came back home during the vacations, I told her about this dish. She immediately asked one of her Malayali friends for the recipe. And we’ve been following her recipe till now. Though we don’t make puttu very often at home, Kadala curry is very common. We at home enjoy it even with rotis and parathas.

Serves – 4

What you'll need

1. Brown Channa – 1 cup, soaked overnight
2. Potato – 1 (optional)
3. Onions – 3 Medium                               
4. Tomatoes – 2 Medium
5. Ginger – 1 inch piece
6. Fresh Grated Coconut – ½ to ¾ cup
7. Fennel Seeds – 1 tsp
8. Coriander Powder – 1 tsp
9. Chilly Powder – 1 tsp
10. Garam Masala Powder – ½ tsp
11. Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
12. Salt to taste
13. Coconut Oil - 2 tbsp
14. Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp
15. Curry Leaves – few sprigs

Method

1. Pressure cook the chickpeas with the potatoes for 3 to 4 whistles or till the chickpeas are soft.
2. Heat a kadai with a tsp of oil. Add the grated coconut and fry till the coconut starts changing color on medium heat. Now add the fennel seeds and fry for another minute.
3. Next add the coriander powder, chilly powder and garam masala and fry for another minute. Transfer this into a plate and let it cool completely. Then grind into a smooth paste using some water.
4. Heat the same Kadai with the remaining oil. Add mustard seeds and let it splutter.
5. Now add the chopped onions and fry. After a couple of minutes add the grated ginger and fry till the onions turn brown.
6. Now add the chopped tomatoes and turmeric powder. Fry till the tomatoes turn soft and mushy and you start seeing some oil on the sides of the Kadai.
7. Next pour in the ground paste and fry for a minute.
8. Next add the cooked chickpeas and cubed potatoes.
9. Add salt to taste. Add more water if required depending on the consistency you require.
10. Simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat.

Garnish with curry leaves and serve as an accompaniment with puttu, appam , idiyappam or even with rotis.

 Linking this to Show Me Your HITS - Legumes and Pulses hosted by Nalini.