I forgot the count on how many times I wanted to try making Mujadara at home. All the cookbooks and blog posts I read had the same underlying theme - this dish is the essence of comfort food in the Middle Eastern cuisine. After making it at home, now I know why. There is this deep color and sweetness of caramelized onions tossed simply with rice & lentils, which makes a heady combination of flavors. Some recipes add cumin or allspice but for me just salt & pepper will do. To serve, it needs some heat and the spiced yogurt will provide the dish just enough kick along with some nice creaminess. I can go on and on, on easy it is to make and how this would make an amazing one-pot meal. I will stop here though because I want you to read and then make the recipe at home, to discover & know for yourself that what all I said here is absolutely true. :-)
We are a family of dal-lovers. We were a family who took many short road-trips, to be out of the city and to get some fresh air into our lungs. It was during one of those trips at a roadside dhaba, I ate the most flavorful and simply-made bowl of rajma with fresh roti from a tandoor. It was all that it promised - creamy, not-too-spicy and with a big dollop of cream & fried chilli on top. I was an enthusiastic 11-year old, discovering new food (with the help of my mother) and that combination simply bowled me over. I still remember my school friends from Northern part of India just couldn't understand the zealousness and what was such a big deal about it!. Till today, the memories of that first bite are fresh and this recipe for red beans curry with rice or bread is (and will be) my absolute definition for comfort food. Enjoy!
This recipe is an entry to My Legume Love Affair # 81, hosted this month by me. Have you sent yours yet?
Learn how to make rasam (charu) powder at home with few easily available ingredients. There are many versions of it in South Indian cuisine and the proportions & its taste vary by household. Today's recipe is just like my mother makes and also included at the end is her famous 15 minute rasam recipe.
How to make Andhra Style Charu Podi (Rasam Powder) recipe
Of all the many recipes of my mother I try to copy diligently, today's recipe tops them all. Ask my sister and she will tell you how crazy I am about 'Menthi Majjiga'. Every time I drop my mom's place for lunch/dinner, this has to be made. It just goes without saying. When I first ate it a few months ago, I was simply blown away by its utter simplicity and sheer deliciousness. I am still salivating as I write this sentence. Ok, I will just stop my ranting right here and directly jump to the ultra easy 4 step process of making classic Andhra Style Menthi Majjiga which involves almost no cooking and take less than 15 mins.
1. Add turmeric, salt and fenugreek-cumin powder to yogurt
2. Whisk until creamy. Add water if desired for a thinner consistency
3. Heat oil in a small kadai and add urad dal, cumin seeds, red chilli, and mustard seeds. Once they start to splutter add hing, green chillies and curry leaves.
4. Add tadka to the yogurt mixture and mix well
This is Recipe 61 added to 2013 Recipe Archive. Check out the rest of the recipes too.
I saw and I made it. Almost immediately and it rarely ever happens.
You see, one of the many weekly chores I do every Sunday is to dedicate an hour or so devouring on the many luscious cookbooks I own. I want to make best use of them by cooking atleast few of the recipes. There are many beautiful ones which use simple, everyday ingredients waiting to be explored. But, time is the real evil here. Wish I had a life where I can lazily wake up whenever I want, find a pantry full of ingredients (without the pain of going for shopping), a basket full of garden fresh vegetables, waiting to be chopped and all I have to do is take a book out from my book shelf, cook and eat! Sigh! that's just a dream. I know.
Looks like those hot, summer days which I have been complainingin almost every post since past few months are on the move. Humid, sultry nights are being slowly replaced with breezy, chilly ones and trust me, am not complaining at all. I dread hot days and simply love winters as am a through & through wrap-a-shawl-and-have-a-cup-of-hot-tea kinda girl. :-)
We all can do more with less. That usually is my motto when I am cooking for chilly weeknight dinners. With ingredients readily available in my pantry or freezer, I try my best to whip up something comforting, with not much effort.
The other day as I was browsing through BBC GoodFood Magazine, I stumbled upon this super simple recipe which makes use of three kinds of beans along with tomatoes and spinach. Well, that's one hearty and nutritious combination, I thought.
Crescent Dragonwagon in her book "Passionate Vegetarian" once said - "The best part of (any) stew is the sensual part of it, coming in from out of the cold and smelling it simmering. The steaminess is enveloping. And the warm scent of food encourages you to take deeper breaths, which helps calm you." ..and this lovely quote is very apt for this recipe as once done, it leaves you very happy and satisfied!
3 cups (in total) of any kind of dry (or canned) legumes - I used kidney beans (rajma), white soya beans and brown lentils
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp ground cumin powder
1 cup tomato puree
1 cup chopped spinach, tightly packed
salt and pepper to taste
How to prepare the beans: Wash once or twice and then soak all the legumes covered in water atleast for 8 hours or overnight. Place them in a pressure cooker and immerse them with enough water. Cook for 4-5 whistles until the beans are fork tender. I cook beans once every week, pack them in small portions in zip lock bags or microwavable boxes and freeze. Whenever I want to make any stew/soup or curry, I just thaw, microwave (when short of time) for few minutes and they are ready for use.
Tip: Drop a green tea bag while pressure cooking the beans and use the cooking liquid while preparing the stew as it renders a nice color to it.
Preparation:
1. Heat olive in a pan and add onion with crushed garlic. Saute until softened. Add ground cumin powder and cook for a minute. Tip in the tomato puree (or chopped tomatoes) plus a cup of cooking liquid (or water) and simmer for 10 minutes, until thickened.
2. Grind into a smooth paste ~ about 1/3 cup of cooked beans using little cooking liquid.
3. Add the cooked beans and bean paste. Mix well and cook for about 5-6 miniutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chopped spinach and cook for another 5 minutes. Serve with bread, roti or rice.
Notes:
1. If using canned beans, make sure you adjust salt accordingly.
2. Original recipe used chopped tomatoes and I substituted them with store-bought tomato puree.
3. The consistency of the stew can be adjusted by adding more or less of the water in which the beans were pressure cooked.
4. This stew will taste good atleast for a week, when refrigerated. If it thickens, just re-heat with 1/2 cup of water. It will taste as good as new.
It has been a very long, tiring and hectic week from all fronts - at home, blogging-wise (NaBloPoMo) and at work. That's when my mind wheels around for some quick and easy meals. Put everything together in one pot and Voila, it should be done. Today's recipe - Pearl Millet and Brown Rice Khichdi is such dish which I made today for lunch. Instead of the traditional white rice, I substituted the same with pearl millets and brown rice.
A small bowl of this khichdi with pickle and papads on the side is sumptuous enough for a busy weeknight or to spend your weekend, just lazing around without spending too much time in the kitchen. :-)
Enjoy!
{Recipe} Pearl Millet and Brown Rice Khichdi
Serves 2-3
Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown rice
1/2 cup pearl millet
1/2 cup moong dal
1/2 cup chopped spinach
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp melted ghee
2 tsp finely chopped ginger
few curry leaves, corainder leaves
1 green chilli, slit lengthwise
4 cups of water
pinch of hing
salt - to taste
1/2 tsp black pepper
Preparation:
1. Wash and soak brown rice, millet and moong dal for atleast 1 hour.
2. In a pressure cooker, add soaked brown rice, millet, moong dal, spinach along with 4 cups of water. Cook for 4 whistles. Keep aside and let the pressure subside.
3. Heat 1 tbsp of ghee in a pan and add cumin seeds, ginger, hing, green chilies, curry leaves and coriander. Once they brown up a little, add pressure cooked rice and dal mixture. Season with salt & pepper powder. Mix well. Cook for 4-5 minutes until everything comes together.
4. Just before serving, drizzle the rest of the melted ghee and Serve with any chutney/pickle & papads.
Toor Dal Chutney | Kandi Pachadi as we call in Telugu
Being a working mom, with two picky-not-so-obedient kids and no support from either of in-laws, it was quite challenging for my mother to effectively take care of both work and home fronts. But, she did such a beautiful balancing act that we never felt she was not around or we are not being fed with proper home-cooked meals. Eating out in fancy restaurants was a bit of a luxury for us, growing up and reserved for only super-special occasions like birthdays.
Simple ingredients, quick & easy chutney recipe
On days when my mother would reach late at home, she would quickly whip up this super simple chutney for us. My dad would put the rice in the rice cooker, melt the ghee and fry few papads by the time she is home. In less than 15 minutes everything would come together and dinner is served. Even till today, this recipe tops the list of favorite-childhood-recipes-one-cherishes-forever. !! :-)
{Recipe} Toor Dal Chutney | Kandi Pachadi
Ingredients
1/2 cup toordal (split pigeon peas)
3-4 dry, whole red chillies
a pinch of turmeric powder
1 garlic clove
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tbsp tamarind pulp
1 tbsp oil
salt - to taste
For Tadka - (1 tsp each of mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal) + few curry leaves + a pinch of hing + 1 tbsp oil
Preparation:
1. Heat a pan and add oil. Once hot, roast the toor dal until its light browni-sh color. Add in red chillies, garlic and cumin seeds. Fry for 1-2 minutes on low heat. Season with turmeric and salt. Remove from heat and cool a bit.
2. Grind the dal mixture along with tamarind to a coarse mixture by adding water little by little. Transfer the chutney into a serving bowl.
3. Heat oil in a small pan and add all the ingredients listed for "Tadka". Once the mustard seeds start to splutter, pour the tadka over chutney and Mix well.
4. Serve it with hot rice, ghee and papads. Yummilicious!
Its raining cats and dogs since past few days here in Hyderabad and the weather in general is not-so-good for any physical activity. I just want to curl up into bed and sleep for long hours without anybody reminding me of the never-ending to-do-list. Well, that's just a dream distant now, but one thing I can definitely do is pester my mom to make something delicious and just relax. At least I don't have to worry about some good food getting on to the plate. Isn't it.
Our dinner last night were these subtly spiced Paneer and Spinach Parathas and Oh my, these taste so so good. I just couldn't take off my hands as these parathas were flying off the griddle. But, there was a job (to photograph them) at hand. So, I quickly clicked a few and quietly enjoyed my meal. I was in food-heaven you see! :-)
Now it your turn to make these and Enjoy!
Paneer and Spinach Parathas with fried green chillies to give it a dhaba-like feel.
{Recipe} Paneer and Spinach (Palak) Parathas
Makes around 10-12 parathas Ingredients:
For the dough:
3 cups Whole wheat flour (atta)
1 bunch or 1 cup tightly packed of spinach leaves, roughly chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp olive oil (or ghee or any oil)
For the stuffing:
250 gms of paneer/indian cottage cheese, grated
2 small bunches of coriander or cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp amchur /dry mango powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
salt - to taste
1/2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
To serve as accompaniments - Fried green chillies, Yogurt, Pickle
Preparation:
1. Gently mix all ingredients listed under "For the stuffing". Keep aside.
grated Paneer Stuffing
2. Blend together spinach, lemon juice and 1/4 cup water until smooth. In a mixing bowl, add flour, salt, olive oil and spinach paste. Mix and knead until smooth dough by adding enough water. Make into lemon-sized portions.
3. Roll out each portion of the dough.
4. Place a tbsp of stuffing in the middle.
5. Seal all edges like you do for a dumpling.
6. Do the same for rest of the dough portions as well. It is important to not to roll out these stuffed dumplings immediately. Rest them for 5-10 mins.
7. Place sealed side down and gently roll out into a paratha.
8. Heat a griddle and cook both sides of the paratha with some oil or ghee. Repeat with rest of the parathas as well.
Fry some green chillies until charred and serve them as accompaniment to these parathas along with yogurt and pickle. Truly dhaba-style! :-)
