Sautekayi Kosambri | Cucumber Koshambari

Kosambri is a south Indian salad that is a must for any festival or function in Karnataka. I think our ancestors intended for us to eat healthy by mandating a salad amidst all that festival fanfare. It is usually The recipe posted below is of the version I have grown up eating . It was my favorite in the entire habbada oota (festival food) and if there were any leftovers, the whole family knew who could be counted on to finish it :D.  These days you get various types of kosambri. There is one with grated carrot that tastes nice and the latest I have seen is with American sweet corn. It is either made with split moong dal or split chana dal. Personally I have always preferred moong dal. So the recipe below is for cucumber and moong dal kosambri....

Sautekayi Kosambri | Cucumber Koshambari

A traditional South Indian salad consisting of lentils and cucumber

Recipe Type:  Salad
Cuisine:          South Indian
Prep Time:     2 Hours (includes lentil soaking time)
Cook time:     10 minutes
Yield:              3-4 servings

Ingredients:

½ cup Moong dal
1 Cucumber
1-2 Green Chillies
A handful Coriander
1 Tbsp desiccated fresh Coconut
2 tsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
5-6 Curry leaves
1 Tbsp Lime juice
Salt

Method:

• Soak the moong dal in water for about 2-3 hours
• Drain the water and keep the moong dal aside
• Chop the cucumber finely and add to the moong dal
• Add lime juice and salt as per taste
• Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds to it
• After the mustard seeds splutter, add curry leaves and slit green chillies and pour this tempering on the kosambri
• Add the desiccated coconut and finely chopped coriander leaves and mix well

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Heerekai Tove | Toorai Dal | Ridgegourd and Lentils curry

Heerekai Tove is a dal or lentil curry made with pieces of cooked ridgegourd or heerekai (Toorai).

Heerekai is this super healthy vegetable with a slight sweet taste. Don't be fooled by its hostile looks, it is sweet inside. Usually the ridges are discarded as they are sharp and do not cook. You can peel it entirely to remove the outer green layer, but don't throw that out, you can use it to make this fiber filled Heerekai Sippe Chutney along with some fresh coconut.

After a hectic week of spicy sambars and plain rice, one craves for simple plain home cooked food. Comfort food is needed to detoxify our system. That's the state my parents arrived in after a hectic trip to a few temple towns. They did not want any spice and nothing fancy, just simple food. What can get simpler than dal rice? I had one ridgegourd in my fridge and decided to add it to the dal to make a simple but healthier dal. 

If you want your family to eat vegetables but hide them in the food, this Heerekai Dal is fantastic for that purpose. Just chop the heerekai real fine and no one will even know that the Dal has vegetables. It will be our little secret.. *shush*

I am a big fan of any type of Dal. I'm always up to eat Dal with anything. Rice or Roti or Naan or Bread. If you plan on eating this Heerekai Dal with Rice, add enough water to get a looser consistency. And if you love your Dal-Roti, then keep it thick.

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Pancharangi Dal - Curry made with 5 different types of lentils.
• Restaurant Style Dal Fry - Plain simple dal made in restaurant style.
• Dal Makhani - Creamy and rich dal made with black lentils.
• Spinach or Palak Dal - Dal flavored with spinach.

Heerekai Tove / Toorai Dal / Ridgegourd and Lentils curry

Dal made with ridgegourd /toorai / heerekai and split pigeon pea lentils 

Recipe Type:  Main Course
Cuisine:          South Indian
Prep Time:     10 minutes
Cook time:     60 minutes (Including cooking dal)
Yield:              2

Ingredients:

1 Ridge gourd
1 Tomato
2-3 Cloves Garlic
2-3 Green Chillies
1/2 cup uncooked Toor Dal
1 tsp Cumin seeds
A handful of Curry Leaves
1 tsp Turmeric Powder/Haldi
A handful of fresh coriander leaves
2 tsp Oil
Salt to taste
Water

Method:

Pressure cook the dal with water until done.
Lightly peel the ridge gourd. Just remove the spikes, you need not remove the entire peel.
Chop the ridge gourd into bite sized pieces. Finely chop the tomato.
Add the ridge gourd, tomato, slit green chillies and crushed garlic to a pan. Add enough water to cover the veggies and cook until the ridge gourd is done
Add the cooked dal to the vegetables
Add turmeric powder and salt. Add more water to get thinner consistency.
Cook for 3-5 mins
Heat oil in a small pan and add the cumin seeds.
Once they slightly brown, add the curry leaves to the oil and pour this tempering to the dal.
Enjoy hot with rice or roti

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Adai | Bele dose | Mixed Dal Dosa | Lentil Crepes

I'd heard the name adai but never tasted it. So when a local Tamil eatery chain in Bangalore started serving these, I went and ordered for one adai avial. It was sooo heavy, I could not even finish the one adai they served me. I thought I'd never like these until my sister's mother in law fed me her version of adai. Light and fluffy and flavoured with cumin seeds and ginger, I loved it. This is a quicker fix than the regular dosa and a variance to the regular breakfast. Full of proteins and low in calories.

Adai | Bele dose | Mixed Dal Dosa | Lentil crepes

Dosa / Crepe made from mixed lentil or mixed dal batter. 

Recipe Type:  Breakfast
Cuisine:          South Indian
Prep Time:     8 Hours (Includes lentil soaking time)
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:              15-20

Ingredients:

1 cup Moong Dal
¼ cup Toor Dal
¼ cup Rice
¼ cup Chana Dal
¼ cup Urad Dal
2-3 Green Chillies
8-10 Curry Leaves
½” piece Ginger
1 tsp Cumin Seeds / Jeera
1-2 Tbsp Curd / Yoghurt
A handful of Coriander Leaves
Salt
Water
Oil for frying

Method:

Soak all the dals and for 8-9 hours
Grind into a fine paste along with salt, green chilies, curd,  coriander leaves and a little water
Grate the ginger into the batter
Add curry leaves and jeera into the batter
Add more water if needed. The consistency should be like regular dosa batter.
Heat a tava and grease it
Pour a spoonful of batter and spread it like a regular dosa
Spoon 1 tsp of oil on it and allow it to cook on one side.
After it browns slightly on one side, flip it and allow it to cook on the other side
Serve it hot with chutney or avial

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Dal Makhani

Friday nights call for something special. With the heavy rains, eating out was out of question. Who's ready to battle Bangalore traffic when it rains? So it was time to make something easy and special at home. So here comes Dal Makhani. Although the name suggests makhan aka butter, it really does not have too much. Infact, I made it without any butter. You can add a spoonful at the end.

Ingredients:

Whole black urad dal - 1/2 cup
Red kidney beans / Rajma - 2 tbsp
Tomato - 2 medium
Onion - 1 medium or 2 small
Ginger - 1" piece
Garlic - 1-2
Coriander powder / Dhania powder - 3-4 tsp
Cumin powder / Jeera powder - 1-2 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Cumin seeds / Jeera - 1 tsp
Oil - 3 tsp
Salt
Water

Method:

Soak the urad dal and the rajma for around 6-8 hours.
Pressure cook them in water until soft. Urad dal cooks very soon, around 3-4 whistles or 10 mins. Rajma, however, takes much longer. It took me around 45 mins on low
flame after 1 whistle to cook rajma.
Also, while cooking rajma, do not use the water that it was soaked in. Use fresh water.
Puree the onion along with the ginger and garlic
Puree the tomato
Heat oil in a kadhai and add the cumin seeds
Once they brown, add the onion paste and cook for 2-3 mins
Add the tomato puree and all the spices and cook on low flame for 10-12 mins. Add 1-2 tbsp water if it starts burning.
Add the urad dal and rajma.
Add salt and water.Adjust water according to the desired consistency.
Cook for another 5-7 mins.
Serve hot with rice or roti

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Microwave roasted moong dal

Saturday evening, I felt like eating moong dal along with tea. Too lazy to go out and buy a haldiram's packet, I thought of making it at home. I googled and found many microwave  roasted recipes. I tried this one. It does not turn out as light as the haldiram's one and it is a little crunchier rather than crispier. Still it is worth a try as it is much healthier than the deep fried version.

Ingredients:

Moong dal - 1/2 cup
Oil - 1 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt

Method:

Soak the moong dal in water for about 30 mins
Drain out the water and pat the moong dal dry
Place in a microwaveable plate and microwave on high for 2 mins
Allow it to cool a little and using a fork separate out the moong dal into individual grains
Microwave again for 1 min
Add the oil, salt and chilli powder and mix using your hands. Ensure the oil coats evenly.
Microwave on high for 1 min.
Remove from microwave oven and use a fork to mix the dal
Microwave again for 1 min.
Cool it and store in airtight container. If it does not crisp up, place it again in the microwave for 1-2 mins.

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Spinach Dal | Palak Dal

Howdy!! How did the weekend treat you? Are you in mood for some piping hot Palak Dal and Rice?

The first time I had this Spinach or Palak Dal was when I was around 8 years old. My friend's mom, my next door neighbor made it. As we played in the kitchen, she cooked it right in front of us showing us how it is made. The moment she added the ginger-garlic and fried and the aroma wafted over to where we were playing, our mouths started watering and we did not leave the kitchen until the entire dal was made. I did not even go home for lunch that day, I ate at my friend's place.

Being from Mumbai, my friend's family was used to eating spicy and hot food. To my near bland palate, it was like an explosion in my mouth and I ate the dal while my eyes watered. But I loved every spoonful of it. I loved it so much, I ran back home and asked my mom to learn how to make Palak Dal.

I've since, learnt how to make it and it is regular occurrence in my house. While I have grown up, my palate is still not accustomed to extremely hot food, so I never add as much green chilli or ginger my friend's mom added, I only add enough to tantalize my tongue. If you are fond of hot food, feel free to add in more or if you prefer your food to be lighter in taste, you can remove the seeds of the chilli before grinding it into a paste.

For added flavor, you can add half a cup of dill leaves or suva sabzi to this dal as well. I add it at times if I have it and it gives this Palak Dal a different dimension. Highly recommended addition, I say!

I personally love dal with roti or naan as much as I love my dal rice. If you plan on eating this with roti, reduce the amount of water you add, to get a thicker consistency. To eat with rice, a thinner consistency is preferred. 

I cook this dal entirely in the pressure cooker, partly because it is quicker and partly because I am lazy to wash many dishes. If you do not have a pressure cooker, you can use a kadhai or a sauce pan with a lid to make this Palak Dal. You will find that this does not alter the taste or texture of the Palak Dal, however, it does take longer to cook the dal. And that means you have to wait longer to eat this awesome curry!!!

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Pancharangi Dal - Curry made with 5 different types of lentils.
• Heerekai Tove - Dal with ridgegourd pieces.
• Dal Makhani - Creamy and rich dal made with black lentils.
• Dal Fry (restaurant style) - Plain simple dal made in restaurant style.

Spinach Dal | Palak Dal

Spinach Dal or Palak Dal is a spiced dal made from pigeon pea lentils (toor dal) and spinach. 

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            North Indian
Prep Time:     20 minutes
Cook time:     40 minutes
Yield:                Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

5-6 cups chopped Spinach (Palak)
1 cup Pigeon Pea Lentils (Toor Dal)
1 Onion
2 Tomato
3-4 pods Garlic
1" piece Ginger
1-2 Green Chilli
1 tsp Garam Masala
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder (Haldi)
3 tsp Oil
Salt to taste
Water

Method:

Boil the toor dal with 2.5 cups of water in a pressure cooker. Remove the dal and clean the pressure cooker for re-use.
Wash and chop the palak leaves.
Chop the onion and tomato and keep aside.
Grind the ginger, garlic, and the green chillies into a paste.
Heat oil in the pressure cooker, add the mustard seeds and let them splutter.
Now add the cumin seeds and let them brown slightly.
Add the chopped onions.
Fry the onions until translucent.
Add the ginger-garlic-chilli paste and fry until fragrant.
Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add garam masala and mix well.
Add chopped palak and stir for 1-2 minutes.
Add the boiled dal, turmeric powder, salt and 1 cup of water.
Close the pressure cooker and cook for 1-2 whistles or around 5 minutes after the pressure builds up.
If you want it to be thinner in consistency, then add more water.
Serve hot with rice.

Note:

If not using a pressure cooker, you can just use a regular deep sauce pan with a tight lid. There will be no difference in taste or texture, however, it will take longer to cook the Spinach Dal.

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Lauki soup / Bottle gourd soup / Sorekai soup

Lauki or Gheeya or Bottle gourd is a low calorie vegetable and a good ingredient for soup. I learnt this recipe from my sister who seems to love it and apparently this aids in digestion. I was tired of the same old tomato soup and the instant soups are worse, they all taste so synthetic, so I decided to try this out. It is one of the easiest soups to make and full of fibre too...

Ingredients:

Bottle gourd - 1/2
Tomato - 1
Moong dal - 1/4 cup
Ginger - 1/2" piece (Optional)
Pepper
Salt

Method:

Peel and core the bottle gourd.
Cut it into 1 inch cubes
Pressure cook the bottle gourd along with the tomato and dal until soft and the dal is done. Around 4-5 whistles or 10-15 mins in the pressure cooker
Let it cool
Blend the cooked bottle gourd, tomato, dal and ginger in a blender.
Transfer the soup to a kadhai or sauce pan and heat. Add salt and freshly ground pepper.

This soup served 2 people in medium sized bowls.

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