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

Methi Dal | Methi Dal Fry | Methi Dal recipe with fresh Fenugreek leaves

So this is the third recipe on the back-to-back series on fresh fenugreek leaves. And today I bring a dal recipe with fresh methi leaves, Methi Dal. This is a simple and yet flavourful preparation with methi leaves. Instead of making plain dal fry, you can add a handful of methi leaves and you get the nutrients from the leaves as well as a variation to that monotonous dal recipe as well :) In this recipe I have used tur dal. You can use moong dal or channa dal or a combination of dals as well. This is yet another recipe where the bitterness of the methi leaves is very subtle and is balanced well with the sweetness from the dal. Hence this recipe sneaks it's way often into my menu :) The other methi recipes in the blog are Methi Paratha, Methi Malai Matar & Aloo Methi

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

 

Serves : 2-3 persons

I Used:

Tur Dal	-	½ cup
Methi Leaves	-	½ cup - tightly packed - chopped
Oil/Ghee	-	3 tbsp
Cumin Seeds	-	1 tsp
Ginger	-	1 inch piece - finely chopped
Garlic	-	3-4 nos - finely chopped
Onion	-	1 small sized - chopped
Tomato	-	1 small sized - chopped
Red Chilly powder	-	½ - 1 tsp
Asafoetida	-	1 pinch
Garam Masala	-	½ tsp
Water	-	1 - 1.5 cups ( As Needed)
Salt	-	As Needed
Turmeric Powder	-	½ tsp

The Way:

1. Take the tur dal in a bowl. Rinse it well 2-3 times and then soak in water (1.5-2 cups) for ½ an hour

2. Then take the soaked tur dal along with that water in a pressure cooker. Add turmeric powder and salt and pressure cook till it is soft and cooked. It takes 3 whistles in high and 3-4 whistles in medium for me. If you do not have time to soak then the cooking time could be more and you should cook them for 8-9 whistles

3. Pluck the fenugreek leaves and discard the stem. Rinse the leaves in water nicely for 2-3 times so that all the mud and dirt sticking onto the leaves get removed. Then chop them finely and keep aside

4. Heat oil/ghee in a pan. Splutter cumin seeds

5. Add the finely chopped ginger & garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes on a low flame

6. Then add the finely chopped onions (and salt) and saute for 3-4 minutes

7. When they become translucent, add the red chilly powder and asafoetida and give a quick stir and saute for another 2 -3 minutes till the raw smell of red chilly powder goes away

8. Then add the chopped tomatoes and give a quick stir. Allow the tomatoes to soften and turn mushy. Saute in between

9. Once the tomatoes turn mushy, add the chopped methi leaves. Saute till the leaves wilt and oil starts to leave the sides 

10. When done, add the cooked dal to this. Then add required water for your desired consistency). Check salt and add more if needed

11. Stir well and then simmer for another 8-9 minutes

12. Finally add garam masala and give a quick stir. Switch off the flame

Serve hot with rotis or parathas or steamed rice!

Notes:

• To reduce the bitterness of the methi leaves, soak the leaves in salt water for 10 minutes. But if you can, omit this step as the nutrients will be lost by soaking the leaves in salt water. But for this recipe, it will taste good without doing this as the bitterness of the methi leaves is well balanced by the sweetness from the tur dal

• Instead of tur dal you can use moong dal or channa dal or a combination of 2-3 lentils

Cheers,
Chitz

Chembu Thandu Kootan | Chembin Thandu Parippu Curry | Chemin Thandu Puli Curry

Colocassia Stalks cooked in dal, tamarind and coconut

So this is kinda continuation post from the last one. This is the gravy that I was talking about in the last post 'Chembila Upperi'. This gravy is slightly tangy (depends on how you prefer to adjust the tanginess, recipe calls for very little tamarind) and all the more dal flavoured. I paired this up with the chembu ila upperi. You can choose any other spicy or hot or subtle side dish as potato fry or kovakka fry or just plain rice, pickle and pappad. This is very easy to make. Just the soaking of the tamarind and dal is gonna take a while. Rest is breeze.. Do try this out when you get hold of some chembu ila and you are sure gonna thank me later ! 

My other spinach recipes are Cheera Parippu Curry, Chembila Upperi, Sirukeerai Paruppu Masiyal, Vallarai keerai Poriyal, Palak Paneer, Cheera Thalippu & Cheera Thoran

Recipe Source: Amma

Serves: 2-3 persons

I Took: 

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

I Used:

Chembin Thandu/Colocassia Stalks	-	10 stalks
Toor Dal	-	2-3 tbsp
Tamarind	-	A small blueberry sized (1 tsp tightly packed)
Red Chilly powder	-	1 tbsp
Turmeric powder	-	2 tsp
Coriander powder	-	2 tsp
Turmeric powder	-	¼ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed

To Grind:

Grated Coconut - ¼ cup (2 tbsp) Cumin Seeds - ¼ tsp To Temper:

Oil - 2 tbsp Mustard - ½ tsp Fenugreek - ¼ tsp Curry leaves - 1-2 sprigs

The Way:

1. Remove the stalks (thandu) from the colocassia (chembu ila) leaves. Peel off the fibre (naaru)  from the stalks. Just use a knife to pull the fibre. Then chop the stalks and keep aside.



2. Soak tamarind in water (I used close to 1 cup water) for 20-30 minutes. Extract the pulp and keep aside.

3. Grind coconut and cumin seeds with a little water (2-3 tbsp) and keep the paste aside.

4. Soak toor dal in water for around 20-30 minutes. you can also cook directly, but soaking helps to cook faster and also it blends smoothly when mashed after cooking. 

5. Then pressure cook the dal for 4-5 whistles.

6. Once cooked, add the chopped stalks, turmeric powder, red chilly powder and salt and pressure cook again for 1 more whistle. The stalks cook fast. So no need to cook for more than a whistle. 

7.Now add the tamarind pulp and allow it to boil for a minute or two.

8. Then add the ground coconut-paste and give a stir. Allow it to boil for 2-3 minutes and then switch off flame.

9. In another tadka pan/kadai heat oil. Splutter mustard and fenugreek.

10. Add broken red chillies and curry leaves. Add the tempering to the gravy and serve.

Cheers,
Chitz

Cheera Kootan | Cheera Parippu Curry | Kerala Style Spinach Gravy with Dal & Coconut

We are the Popeye family in matters of spinach :) We love spinach. It always so happens that I end up preparing dishes with spinach at least twice a week. I like it more when spinach is cooked along with dal but Deeps loves it in any form. 

My mom is such an ardent fan of spinach that there was a time when she used to make it daily. Any day you drop by my house for lunch then, there would be a keerai poriyal or masiyal or parippu keerai, either as a side dish or as the gravy for rice ;) She is an expert in preparing any variety of the spinach. Yes, there are umpteen varieties of spinach that is available in Tamil Nadu. And there is a nuance or knack in which each should be prepared. Some should be paired up with dal & some should not be ! Some need more onions, while some need extra shallots. And there is a variety of the spinach that she says is very good for relief from joint pains, I suppose 'Mudakathan keerai', which she uses to make dosa. Trust me, they taste yum :) I am still learning all these tit-bits from her.  

Having said all that, this recipe is not from my mom and is from my mil. As Deeps loves this dish, I prepare it often. You can say that this is a mallu version of dal palak with coconut paste added to it. This is best had by pairing up with steamed rice & curd. If you have some fried fish on the side then definitely you would want extra helpings of rice :) As it was a no fish day, I made peace with some chettinadu baby potato roast :) So do try out & let me know how you liked it !

My other spinach recipes are  Cheera Thalippu, Cheera Thoran, Sirukeerai Paruppu Masiyal, Vallarai keerai Poriyal, Chembin Thandu Parippu Curry, Chembila Mezhukkupuratti & Palak Paneer

Recipe Source: Amma

 

I Took: 30 minutes

 

Serves : 2 persons

I Used:

Spinach	-	1.5 cups after chopping
Tur Dal	-	¼ cup
Turmeric Powder	-	½ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed

To Grind:

Grated Coconut	-	¼ cup (2 tbsp)
Cumin Seeds	-	¼ tsp
Green Chilly	-	2 no

To Temper:

Coconut Oil	-	1 tbsp
Shallots Red Chilly (optional)	- -	4-5 nos (chopped) 1-2 nos (broken)

The Way:

1. Rinse the tur dal thoroughly & soak in water (I took 1.5 cups) for 30 minutes. Add turmeric powder & salt and pressure cook it till done (3-4 whistles)

2. Clean & chop the spinach finely. Add the chopped spinach to the cooked dal & pressure cook for another 2 whistles. (Refer notes)

3. Grind together the ingredients under 'To Grind' to a fine paste, by adding a little water. 

4. Add this to the cooked spinach and give a stir. Allow it to boil for another 2-3 minutes & then switch off the stove

5. Heat oil in a small tadka pan & temper the shallots and broken red chilly (optional and number of chillies to be used as per the hotness you require). When it turns brown in colour, add this to the cooked spinach-dal & mix. 



Serve hot with steamed rice !

Notes:

• Pressure cooking the spinach is optional. Many do not like to do that as it is believed that the nutritional values are lost when the spinach is pressure cooked. In that case, you can add the chopped spinach to the cooked dal & allow it to cook for 10 minutes or till the spinach is cooked.

• I used thandu keerai as this recipe suits that variety of spinach the most

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

Mathanga Erissery | Yellow Pumpkin Dhal Curry

Yellow Pumpkin & Tur Dal cooked in coconut paste & dressed with shallots tempering

 What is it that makes us more tempted or attracted towards food? Is it the colour or flavor or aroma or the way it is presented? I guess it differs from person to person, right? Nature has presented us with a wide variety of colours when it comes to food. We have the bright red to baby pink and greens and yellows, even hues of violets.. You know why I got reminded of this suddenly? Coz, I know someone who does not like a particular colour of food and is attracted to some specific colours. Yo, it's none other than my sister. She hates when it is green colour food and loves when mom makes yellow colour food. So that makes pumpkin one of her favorites. But she savors Pumpkin Kootu the best :)

So do you have any specifics in colour when it comes to food? Lemme hear from you on this :) And coming to the dish of the day, it's a Mallu (Kerala special) favorite and is yet another important item on Kerala Sadhya menu. The dish in itself can be had both as a side dish or as a main gravy with steamed rice along with pappad. Either ways, it tastes yum & perfect. There are quite a many variations to this recipe in different parts of Kerala, but the ingredients remain more or less the same. It is just the order & manner in which they appear on the recipe that differs :) So come on, let's see how it is made in a part of Northern Kerala..

Other Sadhya recipes:

Beans Thoran

Beetroot Thoran
Cabbage Thoran

Mathan Erissery | Mathan Vanpayar Erissery

Mampazha Pachadi | Pazhutha Manga Pachadi

Mambazha Pulissery | Mambazha Kaalan

Chembu Kumbalanga Moru Kootan | Taro-Ash Gourd Pulissery

Pulissery | Kachiya Moru | Mor Kuzhambu
Sambar | Kerala Style Varutharacha Sambar with no Coconut

Homemade Ada for Adapradhaman

Recipe Source: Mil

Serves: 4 persons

I Took:

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

I Used:

Yellow Pumpkin	-	2 cups (deseeded & diced)
Tur Dal	-	¼ cup
Red Chilly Powder	-	2 tsp
Turmeric Powder	-	½ tsp
Grated Coconut	-	¼ cup
Cumin seeds	-	½ tsp
Salt	-	As Needed

To Temper:

Oil	-	2 tsp
Mustard Seeds	-	½ tsp
Red Chilly	-	2 or 3 no
Shallots	-	2-3 no
Curry Leaves	-	A sprig

The Way:

1. Wash and clean the tur dal and soak in water for 20 minutes
2. Peel the skin of the pumpkin & discard the soft middle portion with the seeds. Dice the pumpkin & keep aside
3. Add a little water (sufficient enough for the dal to cook) and pressure cook the tur dal for 2 or 3 whistles until almost done
4. Once the whistle is released, remove excess water from the dal if any
5. Add the diced pumpkin pieces, red chilly powder, turmeric powder & salt & pressure cook again for 1 or 2 whistles. Alternately you can cook it uncovered as well, but then add ¼ cup of water to it
6. You may mash the pumpkin once done. If you prefer to have whole pieces reduce the number of whistles
7. Grind together the grated coconut & cumin seeds with 2-3 tbsps of water. Add this to the pumpkin gravy & mix well
8. Allow it on flame for 2-3 minutes until the coconut paste mixes well with the pumpkin and the raw smell goes off
9. In another small pan, heat 2 tsp of oil. Add mustard to it. When it splutters add red chilly, sliced shallots & curry leaves. Fry until they turn golden brown (Do not burn them)
10. Add this tempering over the gravy. Mix well & serve 

Notes:

Instead of the mentioned tempering, you can also do a different one. For that heat coconut oil. Splutter mustard. Add a handful of grated coconut. Keep frying in low flame till the coconut turns golden brown. Take care not to burn them. Once done, add this to the erissery

Cheers,

Chitz