Cabbage Kootu

Cabbage Kootu

If you want something quick and easy to prepare - a 2 in 1 dish combining dhall and vegetable.  You can use any

Ingredients that you require

1/2 cup of toor dhall/split moong dhall
1 tsp of ginger garlic paste
1 medium sized tomato - quartered
1/2 tsp of turmeric for boiling dhall + 1/2tsp for frying cabbage
4-5 green chilly - slit into half
200 gms of shredded cabbage
1/4 cup of milk + 1/2 cup of water ( or 3/4 cup of medium thin coconut milk)
1 tsp of fennel powder
1/2 tsp of cumin powder
salt to taste
chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

For Tempering
1/2 tsp of mustard seeds
1/2 tsp of urad dhall
1/2 tsp of cumin seeds
3-4 dried chilly
1 sprig of curry leaves
a dash of asofetida
1 large onion - sliced thinly
3 tbs of oil

Method

1.  Wash and boiled the dhall with salt, ginger garlic paste, tomato, turmeric and green chilly into fine soft.

2.  In a wok, heat oil, once hot, add in mustard seeds and once splutter, add in urad dhall and cumin seeds.  Once the urad dhall turn brown, add in asofetida and chilly. Fry for a few seconds.

3.  Add in onion, salt and curry leaves and fry till the onions are soft.

4.  Add in the cabbage, turmeric and fennel powder, stir well and cook further.

5.  Once the cabbage is cooked, add in the cooked dhall, milk and water, mix well and cook till the it starts to boil.  I prefer my cabbage kootu to be not too thick or thin.

6.  Remove from fire and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.  Serve with hot rice.


Enjoy

**Sathiarani**

Dhall Fry

Dhall fry is so simple to prepare that anyone can do it.  It is best eaten with rice or chapatis/rotis, naans.

Dhall fry best done with tuvar dhall (pigeon pea lentils).  You can also make them with either moong dhall, masoor dhall or chana dhall.  

Mine was a combo of moong dhall and tuvar dhall equal portion. I like to saute with ghee and a cooking ahead atleast an hour or more so as to let the spices absorb well with the dhall gravy.

You can use a pressure cooker or with a laid back fashion as I just did (but beware not to burnt them though)

Ingredients

1 cup of tuvar dhall

1 cup of moong dhall
enough water to pressure cook
1 tsp of turmeric powder

4 tbs of ghee
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 big onion - chopped

1 tsp ginger garlic
2 red chilies - chopped coarsely
2 sprigs of curry leaves
2 -3 dry chilly
a good dash of asofetida
1 tsp of turmeric powder
1 tsp of red chilly powder

1 medium sized tomato - chopped finely

salt to taste
3-4 tbs of chopped coriander leaves
water to adjust the thickness of dhall
1 tsp of lemon juice. - optional

How to prepare:

1.  Wash and pressure cooker both dhalls with turmeric powder till soft without any grains felt.  It should be kind of creamy and mushy.

2.  In a pan, heat ghee till melted.  Add in mustard seeds and let it splutter

3.  When the mustard seeds starts spluttering, add in onions, fry till soft and translucent, add in ginger garlic paste. Once the rawness of the ginger garlic is disappear, add in the chilies and curry leaves, stir well

4.  Add in the powders, stir and mixed well.

5.  Next goes in the chopped tomatoes, mix well and stir well and cooked till the tomatoes are soft and the oil is separated from the sides.

6.  At this point, season with salt, add in the cooked dhall, mixed well, beware though, the dhall is very thick and they will start to pop.

7.  Add in some water, depending on your required consistency, mixing well with the tempered and dhall.

8.  Once they are well coated, remove from fire, add in the chopped coriander leaves and lemon juice.  Stir well.

If you prefer, you may add in a dash of ghee and chopped coriander leaves while serving.

Enjoy.

Dhall Fry

Dhall Fry and Chapatis

Sathiarani

Medu Vada / உளுந்து வடை - 2nd & 3rd Attempt

My second and third attempt in making medu vada turn out to be good and it was soft til late night.

I sniffed around, looking for a way to making the vada with the hole in the centre and found some good tips from Chef Sanjay Thumma of www.vahrewah.com

His tips...

• fold and beat the grinded dhall beat well to ensure that the batter adds the air - in other words to aerate the batter.
• when trying to make the donut shape vada, get a bowl of water, dip you fingers into the water, then into the batter, get a small amount, using your thumb make a small hole and slowly drop it into the hot oil.  Becareful though when doing this - you do not want to be burnt with the hot oil splashing at you....

Enjoy the pictures and not so perfect hole with the medu vada..My daughter was enjoying the vadas with sambar...

1, 2,3 hands in action....

sizzling vadas...

vadas and sambar...

hope  this looks good...

 

Medu Vada / உளுந்து வடை- Failed Attempt

After the success of yesterday's masala vada (which is my favourite), I decided to make my hubby's favourite - ulende vada as we call it.  It is usually known as medu vadai due to its softer texture compared to the ones made of channa dhalls. 

Traditionally medu vada is served with sambar and or chutney - but I liked mine as it is, my daughter ate with chilli sauce!!!

However I did not get to make the right kind of vada with the hole in the middle.  Looks like i need more practice on this (or Amma where are you - I need  your help), so I just made mine like making bonda.

The taste was there though...well this is how they say practice makes perfect - have to try another time around.

Well all is not wasted, I still have a few left overs and plan to do Dahi Vada - a vada in yogurt based with spice.

Lets indulge on the making (despite the failed one)..

What you need..

• 1cup of urad dhall
• 1 big onion
• 1 sprig of curry leaves
• 2 green chillies
• grated ginger - optional
• a dash of hing
• salt to taste
• oil for frying

How to do..

• Soak dhall at least 6 hours preferably overnight.
• Grind the dhall to a smooth paste without water.  Only if required add spoons of water to have ease of grinding.
• Chopped the onion, chillies and curry leaves.
• Mix with the grinded dough together with salt.
• Heat oil
• take a small quantity of the dough, ball it and make hole and drop in hot oil
• Let it fry for a few minutes before turning over
• Fry till it is golden brown, remove and drain
• Serve hot

p/s - need to do research for a perfect good one with the hole in the middle. better luck next time.


the soaked dhall

grinded dhall with chopped onions

 the vadas in hot oil...sizzling..

the frail looking medu vadas...

the only one that I manage to make a hole....

Masala Vadai/பருப்பு வடை/Channa Dhall Vada

Parripu vadai or masala vadai as it is famously known in Malaysia is my favourite.  Its a donut sort of like indian snack made of coarsely grinded channa dhal with chillies, onions and curry leaves.

What you need

• 2 cups of channa dhall(kadala parippu) soaked for atleast several hours.
• 1 big onions - chopped finely
• 1-2 green/red chilly - sliced
• 1-2 sprig of curry leaves
• salt to taste
• oil for frying

How to do...

• Grind coarsely the dhall with no water.
• Add in the chopped onions, chilly, curry leaves, salt and mix well
• Heat oil in a wok/pan
• Take a small ball of grinded dhall, pat on the palm of your hand, flatten it and slip slowly in the hot oil
• Make a few more of the same and fry the vadai.
• Turn on each side till golden brown.
• Serve hot

Enjoy...

Vegetarian Dalca

another dish for my ladies gathering
Vegetarian Dalca

What you need..

2 cups of toor dhal
2 tbs of ginger garlic paste
1 1/2 tsp of tumeric powder
2 eggplant - quarter
1/2 cup of baby carrots - halved
1 big tomato - quartered
1 big onion - sliced finely
2 sprig of curry leaves
1 green chilly-slit lengthwise
2 tbs of chicken masala powder
1 tbs of sambar powder
*2 cardamon
*1 tsp cumin
*1 tsp fennel
*1 cinnamon
*3-4 cloves
*3-4 aniseed
*1 bay leave
chopped coriander and or mint

p/s : you can add potatoes, carrots, long beans if you wish.

How to do...

• Wash and pressure cooker the dhall with ginger garlic paste and tumeric powder and tomato.
• When the dhall is cooked add in green chilly,carrots, eggplants and any other vegetables that you like.
• Once the vegetables are cooked, add curry powder and sambar powder and salt to taste
• In different wok/pan, heat oil and saute all marked * till aromatic, add in onions and curry leaves, bay leaves. Fry till the onions are soft.
• Pour into the dhall, stir well and let it boil for a few more minutes. Remove from fire and add coarsely chopped mint/coriander.
• Serve with rice, thosei, idli or chapatis/puris.

Divali Day and the Food

Happy (belated) Divali to all my Hindu readers...

The celebration started with the day before, preparing the next days menu...Chicken Dalca, Mutton Perathal, Chicken Masala and Jeera Rice.  Eve of Divali lighted up tea candle lights instead the usual earthen lamp and oil. Needed the use up the tea candle lights (trying to figure up why I got them in the first place...)

The only food that I managed to take pictures was of Idli...Family photographer on school trip...The recipe for Idli is the same as Thosei...It is steamed  with a special mould and steamer, normally for a 15 mins depending on the size of your mould.  Remove the idli from the mould with a spoon and serve.

Dalca is combination of meat and lentils with some vegetables and curry powder with sambar powder.  Tradionally it is cooked with mutton, I changed it to chicken as my hubby and kids are less fond of mutton.   I added drumstick, the fruity part of Muringa Tree and eggplants

Chicken Dalca

What you need..

2 cups of toor dhal
2 tbs of ginger garlic paste
1 1/2 tsp of tumeric powder
2 eggplant - quarter
2 long drumstick - cut into bite size.
1 big tomato - quartered
1 bowl of chicken pieces - preferable the one with bones.
1 big onion - sliced finely
2 sprig of curry leaves
1 green chilly-slit lengthwise
2 tbs of chicken masala powder
1 tbs of sambar powder
*2 cardamon
*1 tsp cumin
*1 tsp fennel
*1 cinnamon
*3-4 cloves
*3-4 aniseed
*1 bay leave
chopped coriander and or mint

p/s : you can add potatoes, carrots, long beans if you wish.

How to do...

• Wash and pressure cooker the dhall with ginger garlic paste and tumeric powder and tomato.
• When the dhall is cooked add in green chilly,eggplants, chicken meat and drumstick and any other vegetables that you like.
• Once the vegetables are cooked, add curry powder and sambar powder and salt to taste
• In different wok/pan, heat oil and saute all marked * till aromatic, add in onions and curry leaves, bay leaves.  Fry till the onions are soft.
• Pour into the dhall, stir well  and let it boil for a few more minutes.  Remove from fire and add coarsely chopped  mint/coriander.
• Serve with rice, thosei, idli or chapatis/puris.

Kirai Karee (Spinach & Dhall Gravy)

I love making this curry. It is normally a combination of a few type of vegetables usually available in Malaysia/India.  Otherwise simply adding spinach to cooked dhall and you get a wholesome meal.  add along a spicy dish to it vegetarian or non vegetarian...simply superb.

300gms of spinach - chopped finely/coarsely
1 1/2 cups of thoor dhall/mung dhall
a few pieces of birds eye chill(red/green)
2 tsp of ginger/garlic paste
2 -3 tbs of lemon juice or tamarind juice
1 cup of coconut milk ( I used fresh milk)
1 tsp of tumeric powder
salt to taste

Tempering
1tsp of mustard seeds
1 onion finely sliced
1inch of finely sliced ginger 
curry leaves
a few pieces of dry chillies
1 tsp of fennel seeds
1 tsp of cumin seeds
hing

Method

1. 
   
   Wash and boil dhall with ginger/garlic paste and tumeric. 
2. 
   
   Once it is cooked, add in tomatoes, chillies and chopped spinach into the dhall and cooked further till the spinach is soft and cooked.
3. 
   
   Heat oil in a separate wok.
4. 
   
   Once hot add in hing, fry 1 -2 seconds.  Add in mustard seeds.
5. 
   
   Add in onions, ginger and fry for a few minutes.  Add in dry chillies, curry leaves, cumins and fennel seeds.  Fry till the onions are soft and light in color.
6. 
   
   Pour this into the dhall, add in lemon juice, coconut milk and salt and stir well. Remove from heat once it starts to boil.
7. 
   
   Serve hot with rice.

Note : Normally I cut the spinach coarsely. When they are done, I remove 3/4 of it and pulse it using a mixie/blender before adding in the tempering ingredients. I will have a mixture of coarse/pulsed spinach.   Tradionally, it is normally mashed by using a wooden mortar. Well gone are days where these are used.......