Chow Chow Kootu | Chayote Squash Kootu | South Indian Kootu with Bangalore Kathirikkai

Kootu is one of my favourite side dishes. It is a wholesome meal in itself and requires really less effort and time. And luckily my little one also loves it, so I find making them often. Usually I make kootu with any veggies similar to this Pudalangai kootu (Snake Gourd) or this Yellow Pumpkin Kootu (Poosanikai) without coconut. At times I use coconut but do not grind them like in this Vazhaithandu Kootu (Banana stem). For me those recipes are very light on the tummy and the one like this Chow Chow kootu recipe today is a little heavy with coconut and rice flour ground and mixed in. But I like this one too. It also tastes yum and is like the one in restaurants or the ones that they serve in weddings :) 

Recipe Source: Ma

 

I Took: 30 minutes

 

Serves : 2 persons

I Used:

Chow Chow (Chayote) - 1 medium sized one Channa Dal/Moong Dal - ¼ cup Ginger - An inch piece Garlic - 2-3 cloves Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp Salt - As needed

To Grind:

Grated Coconut	-	3-4 tbsp
Red Chilly	-	1 no
Cumin Seeds/Jeerakam	-	½ tsp
Rice Flour	-	1 tsp

To Temper:

Oil	-	1 tbsp
Mustard	-	½ tsp
Urad Dal	-	1 tsp
Red Chilly	-	3 nos
Curry leaves	-	A sprig
Asafoetida	-	2 pinch

The Way:

1. Rinse channa (or moong) dal thoroughly in water. Then soak the dal in water (I took 1.5 cups) for 20-30 minutes. Channa dal pairs well with chow chow but at times I use moong dal too

2. Remove the skin of chow chow (and also the seed in the middle) and dice it and keep aside

3. Add salt & turmeric powder to the soaked dal, diced chow chow, crushed ginger (optional) & crushed garlic (optional) in a pressure cooker. Pressure cook it for 3-4 whistles or until it is done 

4. Alternately you can cook them in a pot as well. If using a pot, make sure you add sufficient water and cook the dal & chow chow. Also take care to see that the water doesn't dry up and leave you with a burnt vessel. However chow chow takes longer to cook. So it's better to use a pressure cooker for faster cooking

5. While the chow chow is getting cooked, take the grated coconut, cumin seeds, red chilly & rice flour in a mixer along with 2-3 tbsps of water and grind it to a smooth paste 

6. Once the chow chow is cooked and the the pressure is released, open the cooker. Add the ground paste to it and give a nice stir

7. If water is less, add enough for your desired consistency. Allow the kootu to boil in low flame

8. Now for the tadka/tempering, heat oil in a tadka pan/kadai

9. Add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the urd dal. As it slightly turns colour add the remaining ingredients (red chilly is optional - add to adjust the heat of the kootu) and give a nice stir

10. Add the tadka to the kootu and mix and serve

Tastes awesome with Plain Rice / Rasam Sadam / Kathirikai Kara Kuzhambu / Pavakkai Puli Kuzhambu

Notes:

Instead of boiling the moong dal, you can pressure cook as well. Just about 2 whistles should suffice. 

Cheers,

Chitz

Dal Palak (without onion and garlic) | Palak Dal | Easy Dal Palak Recipe

Recipe for the day is this warm and yummy Dal Palak which always reminds me of our Pune days. This hot bowl of simple yet flavorful palak dal was enough for us to eat scores of phulkas and extra extra helpings of rice. Did I slightly go overboard? Maybe ;) But you get the drift right. It is healthy too. All you need is that bowl of dal and maybe a sabzi. Even if I don't get time to make a sabzi, we manage with boiled egg fry or paneer burji. I love to make this with the palak I used to buy in Pune which gives an earthly flavor to the gravy. With the Chennai palak I feel that's missing. So without much further talk, let's get to the recipe.

Recipe Source: Here

Serves: 3-4 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

I Used:

Palak	-	2 cups
Tur Dal	-	½ cup
Oil/Ghee	-	2 tbsp
Cumin seeds	-	1 tsp
Ginger	-	An inch piece - chopped
Green Chilly	-	2 nos (medium sized) - chopped
Red Chilly powder	-	½ tsp
Asafoetida	-	¼ tsp
Turmeric powder	-	½ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed

The Way:

1. Rinse the lentil with water for 2-3 times. Then take them in a pressure cooker and add around 2 cups of water. Add salt and turmeric powder to it. If you have time soak the dal for 15-20 minutes before cooking so that they cook faster

2. Pressure cook the dal for 5 to 6 whistles till it becomes soft and mushy

3. Now rinse the palak in water for 2-3 times. Drain them of water. Then chop finely and keep aside. Also clean and chop the ginger and green chillies and keep aside

4. In a pan heat oil/ghee. Using ghee gives a very nice aroma and flavor to the gravy. Then temper the cumin seeds 

5. Reduce the flame to low and then add the chopped ginger and fry till the raw smell goes off

6. Then add the chopped green chillies & fry for 30 seconds

7. Now add the chopped palak and saute for a minute

8. Then add the red chilly powder and asafoetida

9. Now cover the pan and cook for 6-8 minutes till the palak is cooked. Palak will release some water. So no need to add additional water at this point. Just open the lid and saute twice or thrice in between so that the palak doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan

10. Mash the cooked dal so that it is smooth. Once the palak is cooked, add the mashed dal to it

11. Add water (1-2 cups) depending on the consistency you want or the gravy and give a nice stir

12. Check salt and add if needed

13. Simmer the dal for about 5 minutes and then switch off

Serve with nice phulkas/rotis, rice & a sabzi of choice :)

Cheers,
Chitz

Pudalangai Kootu (without coconut) | Easy Snake Gourd Kootu in Pressure cooker | Padavalanga Kootu with Channa Dal

Kootu, that name to me is synonymous with comfort food :) And also comfort cooking ! Yes, it combines both lentils and veggies and all it takes is a pressure cooker and a tadka pan to clean in the end :) So definitely comfort cooking right :D And my little one adores this kootu and can have it with just plain rice and a dollop of ghee.. I on the other hand would love to pair it with rasam sadam (rice).. This is also my dad's favourite 'kalichikoora'. 

I am not sure if I have spelt the term correctly. But that's what we call a kootu in our 'Telugu'. And yea, the Telugu that we speak at our home is a medley of all sorts of language :P  And also this kootu is a protein and fibre packed dish. Proteins from the dal and fibre from the gourd. So totally a winner recipe right. Also yes, I prefer my kootu mostly without coconut. So if anyone is on the same page as mine, here is that perfect kootu recipe for you :) 

Recipe Source: Ma

 

I Took: 30 minutes

 

Serves : 2-3 persons

I Used:

Snake Gourd/Pudalangai - 250 gm - 1.5 cups after dicing Channa Dal - ¼ cup Red Chilly powder - 1 tsp Turmeric powder - ¼ tsp Salt - As needed

To Temper:

Oil	-	1 tbsp
Mustard	-	½ tsp
Urad Dal	-	1 tsp
Red Chilly	-	2 nos
Curry leaves	-	A sprig
Asafoetida	-	2 pinch

The Way:

1. Rinse channa dal thoroughly in water. Then soak the dal in water for 20-30 minutes

2. Remove the skin (you can scrape using a knife) of the snake gourd/pudalangai (and also the middle mushy part). Rinse it well in water and then dice it into quarter inch pieces



3. In a pressure cooker take the soaked channa dal, the diced snake gourd/pudalangai, red chilly powder, turmeric powder & salt. Pressure cook for 2 whistles in high and four (five makes it 50% mushy :D) in simmer. If you overcook, it will get mushy but still tasty :)

4. Now for the tadka/tempering, heat oil in a tadka pan/kadai

5. Add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the urd dal



6. As it slightly turns colour add the broken red chilly, asafoetida and curry leaves and give a nice stir. Take care not to burn the asafoetida, else it gives a burnt taste

7. Add the tadka to the kootu and mix and serve



Tastes awesome with Plain Rice / Rasam Sadam / Kathirikai Kara Kuzhambu / Pavakkai Puli Kuzhambu

Notes:

You can crush 2-3 garlic and an inch of ginger piece and add to the dal-gourd while pressure cooking. Since we do not like the taste of that in this kootu I avoid it

Cheers,
Chitz

Zucchini Olan | Kerala Onam Sadhya Recipe | Kerala Style Olan with Zucchini

This is one interesting Kerala Sadhya recipe that has been lying in my drafts for quite a while now. With Onam just around the corner, I thought to post it today so that if any of you want to try some interesting recipes for this Onam can do so :) Yes today's post is an Olan with Zucchini.. Olan is something that is always approved by the hubby, so I try and make as many varieties with the different veggies. Ash Gourd and Yellow Pumpkin are the most common ones used for making Olan, but you can also use Cheranga (Bottle Gourd) or Zucchini as well. While making Olan with yellow pumpkin alone I sometimes skip coconut milk. Believe me, it tastes yum too, a littler more subtle Olan. But with Cheranga and Zucchini, I don't skip coconut milk. Because those veggies as such are bland and coconut milk truly takes the flavour to the next level :) So let's now see how to make this easy and yummy olan with zucchini. If you are trying to make variety dishes with Zucchini, then this is not going to disppoint you for sure ! 

Serves: 2-3 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Soaking Time: 8 hours

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

I Used:

Zucchini	-	1 medium sized - ¾ cup heaped (after cutting)
Red Eyed Beans/Vanpayar	-	¼ cup heaped (after boiling)
Green Chilly	-	2 nos
Coconut Milk	-	½ cup
Salt	-	As needed
Curry leaves	-	A sprig
Coconut Oil	-	1 tbsp

The Way:

1. Rinse and soak the vanpayar (red beans - I used 1/8 cup of the beans to soak) overnight for around 8 hours. In the morning, discard the water. Take the beans in a pressure cooker. Add enough water (around 2 cups) and salt and pressure cook till done. It took me 2 whistles in high and 2 in low. Keep aside

2. While they get cooked, extract the coconut milk and keep ready. I used around ½ cup of grated coconut and ¼ cup of water and ground it in a mixie till the coconut was smoothly ground. Then using a muslin cloth, extracted the milk from the ground coconut

3. Cut and discard the skin of the zucchini. Cut them into thin cubes as shown in the picture. The thickness should not be more than ¼ inch along both width and length

4. Now take the cut pieces in a saucepan and add required salt and green chilly along with little water (¼ cup) and cook it till done. It will take around 12-15 minutes to get cooked

5. If there is excess water after cooking the zucchini, I remove them. Else the coconut milk becomes very thin. Add the cooked beans (a heaped ¼ cup) without water to the veggies. Give a gentle stir

6. Then add in the coconut milk and curry leaves and again give a gentle stir. Check the salt now. Add if required. Once the coconut milk is added, it should not boil. It should only get warm. And it would take about a minute or so. Switch off the flame. Add coconut oil and just swirl the pan

Transfer to the serving dish and serve along with rasam and pickle or as a dish in your Onam Sadhya leaf !

Cheers,

Chitz

Punjabi Lobia Masala | Black Eyed Beans Masala | Karamani Masala | Cow peas Masala

Which is your favourite lentil or legume? For me it's this cute looking black eyed peas or cow peas. It's known by many names like lobia or karamani in tamil or vanpayar in malayalam. And with this black eyed peas I made Punjabi lobia masala to bring to you folks! It's a very easy recipe, a fail proof recipe and that which brings fond memories of my London weekends. This was a regular most of the weekends for me. Coz I love this dish and it's very easy to make and it doesn't consume much time and I can go back to binge watching series with a happy tummy and less dishes to wash. That's good right.. So let's see how to make this easy recipe..

Serves: 2-3 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Soaking Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

I Used:

Lobia/Karamani	-	1 cup
Oil	-	1 tbsp
Mustard	-	¼ tsp
Onion	-	1 medium sized (finely chopped)
Tomato	-	2 medium sized (finely chopped)
Red chilly powder	-	1 tsp
Coriander powder	-	1 tsp
Turmeric powder	-	¼ tsp
Garam masala	-	½ tsp
Salt	-	As needed
Coriander leaves	-	To Garnish

The Way:

1. Soak the cow peas/lobia in water for 30 minutes - 1 hour as time permits for you

2. Pressure cook the soaked peas with salt for 3-4 whistles. I keep for 2 whistles in high and 2 in sim. If you do not have time to soak the peas then pressure cook for more whistles say 7-8

3. In a pan heat oil. Splutter mustard 

4. Then add the onions and a little salt (little for the onions as the lobia is already boiled with salt) and saute. The onions should turn transclucent

5. Then add the powders - turmeric, chilly, coriander powders and garam masala. Saute well and allow it to cook for 2-3 minutes till the raw smell goes off

6. Now add the chopped tomatoes and saute. The tomatoes should turn mushy

7. Then add the boiled cow peas along with the water and give a nice stir. Add more water if required to suit your needs of gravy

8. Allow it to cook on low flame (preferably with a lib to the pan) for 4-5 minutes to allow the masala to coat the peas well

9. Before switching off the flame add garam masala and give a quick stir and off the flame. Garnish with coriander leaves

Serve hot with rice or phulkas !

Notes:

• I generally do not add ginger or garlic or ginger-garlic paste to this. If needed you can add 1 tsp ginger garlic paste or 1 tsp finely chopped ginger and 1 tsp finely chopped garlic

Cheers,
Chitz

Simple Tur Dal Tadka | Pappu South Indian Style

Tur Dal & tomatoes tempered with Indian tadka

My idea of comfort food? That which takes me less time, I say less than half an hour to prepare & that which leaves me & my stomach (at times waistline too;)) happy. This is one of that kind for me. When I am very hungry or very lazy I can make this, rasam & a simple stir fry & enjoy the meal contentedly :) Usually I would have dal with rice as the first course & then dal+rasam with rice as my second course ! That's the kinda combination that makes me go gaga about :) So let's see how this simple tadka a.k.a pappu can be made.

Recipe Source: Ma

I Took: 30 minutes

Serves: 2 persons

I Used:

Tur Dal	-	½ cup
Tomato	-	1 no - medium sized
Tamarind	-	A bluberry sized
Garlic	-	3 cloves
Green Chilly	-	2 no
Turmeric powder	-	½ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed

To Temper:

Mustard - ½ tsp Urad Dal - 2 tsp Red Chilly - 2-3 no Asafoetida - ½ tsp Curry leaf - A sprig Oil - 1 tbsp

The Way:

1. Soak tur dal in water for 20-30 minutes
2. In a pressure cooker add the tur dal, diced tomato, tamarind, crushed garlic, slited green chilly, turmeric powder & salt. Add enough water & pressure cook for 3-4 whistles or until the dal is done
3. Mash the cooked dal well
4. Heat oil in a pan. Splutter mustard. Add the remaining ingredients under 'To Temper' & fry well. Take care not to burn 
5. Add the tempering to the mashed dal & mix well

Serve with rotis or steamed rice

Cheers,

Chitz

Kerala Parippu Vada | Channa Dal Fritters | Lentil Fritters

Fritters made from Channa Dal & Onions

Come to the God's own country & it is difficult to leave the place without spotting this snack. This is one of the yummiest finger food that you can find in the 'chaya kadas' (Tea stall) in Kerala. Pair it up with a cuppa chai & that makes your eve on a rainy monsoon day :) And did you know that this combo of Parippu Vada & Kattan Chaya (Black Tea) was once the watchword or identity of the Communist comrades ! I guess it is the simplicity of the dish & the abundance that made it so. Again, strictly my views :D And one can never forget the train journeys in South India, especially Kerala & Tamil Nadu without hearing the 'Uzhunnu Vada/Parippu Vada' shoutings ;) 

My mom seldom makes this one at home as it is Uzhunnu Vada that is popular at our abode, but my Mil is an expert in this. Give her 15 minutes (plus the soaking of the dal in the afternoon), she pulls up this yummy snack with hot steaming tea for us in the evening. And we are always ready to gobble this up in lesser time than she took to prepare it ;) So why don't we now see how to prepare this easy & popular snack?

Recipe Source: Mil

Makes: 25-30 medium sized fritters

I Took: 

Soaking Time: 2 hours
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

I Used:

	Channa Dal/Kadala Parippu - 2 cups Onions - 3 nos - medium sized  Green Chilly - 5 nos  Ginger - A 2 inch piece Curry leaves - 3-4 sprigs Oil - To Deep fry Salt - As Needed

The Way:

1. Rinse the channa dal in water 3-4 times. Soak it in water for 2-2.5 hours
2. Chop the onion, green chilly, ginger & curry leaves finely
3. After 2-2.5 hours, drain the water off the channa dal thoroughly. Use a colander if required & then pat dry the dal using a kitchen towel. Do not over soak the dal as it may increase the moisture content & may cause the vadas/fritters to break
4. Now grind the soaked & dried dal coarsely in a mixie without water. Do NOT grind to a fine paste. Just pulse it 3 or 4 times. Add NO water at all as it may again increase the moisture content
5. Add the chopped onion, green chilly, ginger, curry leaves & salt to the coarsely ground dal and mix well
6. Heat oil in a kadai. When the oil is hot enough to fry the vadas, reduce the flame to medium high
7. Make small gooseberry sized balls with the dal mix. Then flatten the balls using your palm. Hold the ball in one palm and press the other palm over the ball so that they get flattened 
8. Take care not to break the balls. You may moisten your palm before flattening each ball. It is advisable to flatten the balls before adding to the oil, else they will break. Now deep fry the vadas until golden brown or till done

Drain off the excess oil & serve hot.

Cheers,

Chitz