Jeerige Kattu- Version I ( Traditional Karnataka Style Jeera Daal)

 

Hi!

Today I’m posting a traditional Kannadiga preparation which is very popular at my place. It is an excellent accompaniment with spicy curries and is S’s and my elder son’s favorite. In recent days now that the elder son was around, I made this several times for him.

It’s an easy lentil preparation has a strong aroma and flavor of Jeerige (cumin seeds/ Jeera). The word kattu in Kannada means daal from which all the excess water has not been removed, basically it is the excess water in which the daal has been cooked. Ideally it should be a thin lentil preparation which resembles a lot to the rasam but my family likes it a little thick. I made it along with Alasande Palya and Aloo Gadde Hurda Uperi which are again  family favorites and  I’ve posted them earlier. This daal can be just had in a bowl in the winter as a soup too.

Ingredients

2 katori cooked tuvar daal

1/2-3/4tsp turmeric

2tsp cumin seeds

3-4 green chillies finely chopped

1tsp ginger chopped

1tbsp coriander leaves chopped

1tsp cumin pwd

salt to taste

oil for cooking

Method

Cook tuvar daal in a pressure cooker with a pinch of turmeric and a drop of oil. Both turmeric an.d oil help cook daal faster.

Let the pressure drop, remove the daal and mash it.

Heat about 2tbsp oil in a pan and once it is hot, lower the flame and add cumin seeds. This prevents the cumin from burning and turning black in color.

Once the cumin has spluttered add chopped green chilies, chopped ginger, coriander and saute for a few seconds.

Now add the cumin pwd, cooked daal and mix properly. Season the daal with salt and add about 1-1/2cups water.

Bring the lentil/daal to a boil and simmer.

Let it boil for 7-8mins.

Serve hot garnished with ginger juliennes.

I personally love this daal with a dash of lime.

Sending this to my event ‘Only’ Vegan Cooking hosted by PJ at Seduce Your Tastebuds and to Home Maker’s Diary e Giveaway sponsored by Cuponation.

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Sprouted Masoor Pilaf and Restaurant Style Punjabi Dal Fry

Hi!

There are days when you do not want to cook elaborately but the taste buds demand for tasty food. An option would be to make a one pot meal, another option can be to order out but this time I did not do either of that, I utilized things in my refrigerator and did cook an wholesome  combination. Today I am writing about a very interesting, extremely tasty and a healthy combo.

A few days back when everyone in the family had left for school and office, I finished my morning chores and sat down quietly on my bed. My thoughts took me back to about 20 yrs back when I was still a school going girl and my Mavshi (maternal aunt) and cousins had come to stay with us at my Mom’s place and all of us had gone to see the dam. While returning back it rained heavily and we had fun in rain and then played antakshari while we drove back home.

After reaching home, everyone was tired and the ladies in the house were surely in no mood to cook elaborately. My aunt initiated to cook and introduced us to this simple pilaf using Masoor while my Mom made the raita and fried some crispies.

I was suddenly extremely excited remembering this Pilaf and wanted to try it immediately. Though my aunt had used masoor directly, I thought of sprouting them to make the preparation more healthy. Along with the pilaf I made S’s all time favorite Punjabi Dal Fry or Dal Tadka. Whenever we go to eat out in North Indian restaurants, DH prefers to order this and the last few times the dal was not up to his taste, so I decided to pamper his taste buds.

The dal turned out extremely tasty and everyone was asking for more of it. S’s compliment was the best …he said, this beats any of these Punjabi restaurant preparation!!! So, if you are in a mood to try restaurant style, err sorry better than that dal fry, do try this, I will vouch for the taste! Pilaf is very light to eat and has no heavy flavors. We just loved it for it’s simplicity.

                                              Sprouted Masoor

Ingredients for  Sprouted Masoor Pilaf

2-1/2 katori basmati rice
4 handfuls of Masoor sprouts
3 medium onions sliced
3-4 green chilies
a tsp shahjeera
mixed spices-
3-4 bay leaves
5-6 cloves
2 inch pieces cinnamon
4-5 green cardamom
3-4 black cardamom
salt to taste
oil for cooking


Method to make Pilaf

1. Heat oil in the pan and add the shahjeera, once it crackles, tip in the  mixed spices and let them crackle.

2. Add the green chilies, followed by sliced onions ( I used 2 onions here, 1 onion was fried to garnish later).

3. Add the sprouts and mix properly. Also add in the salt as per taste.

4. Wash and  soak the rice for 15 mins. Drain the water in a separate utensil and add this rice to the sauted onions and mix lightly for about 2-3 mins.

5. Add the drained water and more water for cooking ( 2 parts water is taken for 1 part rice). Once the water comes to a boil, simmer the flame, cover the pan  partially with a lid so that the steam can escape and the froth will not rise up.

6. Check it once or twice in between, ensure that the grains are not broken while stirring. Cook till done.

 

Finally  remove the pilaf  in a serving bowl and garnish with fried onions and serve.

Ingredients for Punjabi Dal Fry/ Dal tadka

2 small handfuls chana dal/ Bengal gram dal

3 small handfuls Tuvar dal/ split pigeon pea

5-6 garlic pods

an inch piece of ginger

1 tsp cumin

a mix of oil and clarified butter for cooking
1-1/2 tbsp coriander pwd
1/2 tsp cumin pwd
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp red chili pwd (adjust as per your taste)
1 tbsp kasoori methi
2 chopped onions
3 medium tomatoes chopped
salt to taste

Method

1. Heat oil and ghee mix and add the cumin. Once the cumin crackles, add crushed ginger garlic followed by kasoori methi.

2. Add chopped onion and saute till they are brown in colour (do not burn).

3. Tip in the chopped tomatoes and add the salt. Cook till they are mushy, now add the turmeric,  red chili, coriander and cumin pwd, saute for a min.

4. Wash  and  soak the two lentils together for half an hour and then pressure cook it along with some turmeric and few drops of oil. When the  pressure drops,  add this dal to the onion-tomato mix.

5. Mix the dal properly with the mix and add a little water (about a cup) and bring it to a boil.

6. Sprinkle the garam masala and give final stir before serving.

 
Serve the dal hot with the pilaf (if one wants, can put a spoon of tadka  again on it, I did not do that).

Sending the pilaf to Priya’s Let’s Sprout event.
and the dal fry to  Sunita and Priya Mitharwal’s Think spice-Think Fenugreek event.
Tips

The dal should not be overcooked and grains should be visible. One can add a glass of cold water to the cooked dal so that the grains do not become mushy.

The Shahjeera adds an amazing flavour to the pilaf, so do not avoid that.
A dash of lime juice to the dal tastes really good.

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My Version of Dal Makhani

Hi.

As I have mentioned earlier too that on weekends I do not like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, with the temperature soaring high it is now becoming a regular feature. I abhor to stand in the kitchen sweating and cooking elaborate meals these days, instead I am looking out for one pot meals or a quick combo.

On Saturday morning I was thinking what I could make for the Sunday breakfast and lunch. I wanted something more wholesome for the BF and Lunch so that we could have a light dinner. So I made Masale wale parathe for the breakfast (the recipe I will surely post sometime) which I served with Mango pickle and curds and I made rice and Dal Makhani for the lunch.

The Dal Makhani I guess is loved by all Indians and my family is no different, they are in love with the preparation. I guess each food blog posts the recipe to this preparation and each of us claim that it’s tasty and I am sure it is. I am no different! I too claim that my preparation is good, in fact just not good it’s very good!!LOL.

I might laugh at myself to write such a statement where I am boasting about my culinary skills of making a tasty Dal Makhani but I have tasted many Dal Makhanis in the best of Restaurants who have won  gourmet award for this preparation (one of them is ITC too)  and S declared I make better than them. When S certifies me for anything I take it quite seriously as he is a well travelled person and being a connoisseur of food, I understand the authenticity of his comments.

Dal Makhani as we all know is a lentil preparation from Punjab. As the name suggests that loads of butter and calories go into it but I try to make this in less calories and still not compromising with the taste. I do not claim that this is a low calorie stuff but it surely has calories much less than what’s served in the hotels. The best way to cook this dal is to simmer it overnight which is mighty impossible for me in this heat but I did let it cook for an hour on low flame.

The dal did turn too good. My younger one who on a regular basis has one round of food asked for a second helping for lunch and wanted to have it again for dinner. As for the remaining three in the family, we are all gluttons when it comes to good food. LOL.

So here goes the recipe..

Ingredients

1 cup whole Urad dal

4 tbsp Kidney beans

7-8 medium sized garlic pods

an inch of ginger piece

2 kashmiri red chilies

2 tsp red chili pwd

3-4 tsp coriander pwd

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp nutmeg pwd

salt to taste

100ml cream

3-4 tbsp ghee/clarified butter for cooking

1/2 pack of readymade tomato puree or about 2-1/2-3 cups of tomatoes pureed

1/2 cup yogurt

Method

Grind together garlic, ginger and red chilies(GGR) to a paste.

Soak the urad dal and Rajma for 5-6 hrs. In a pressure cooker put the soaked lentils, Rajma, salt to taste, half of the GGR paste and a table spoon of ghee. After one whistle simmer and cook for about 30 mins. Let the pressure drop, mash the lentils properly.

Heat the remaining ghee and put the remaining GGR paste followed by the tomato puree. Saute till the oil separates. Now add salt, coriander pwd, red chili pwd and saute.

Remove from the fire and mix in the beaten curds.

Put back on flame and cook till oil separates. Put this gravy in the dal and cook it on low flame and cook for an hour.

Before removing from fire add the cream, garam masala and nutmeg. Mix thoroughly and serve it with steamed Basmati rice. The NUTMEG adds an excellent flavour to the dal, so do not miss that.

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Idli – Sambhar with Onion & Tomato Chutney

This is an ideal breakfast for any day but I had made it especially for my SIL and brother whom I met after almost 2 years. This is an all time favorite of S and  even he was  demanding it for quite some time. Finally I made  and it turned out really good.  Idli with sambhar and chutney is a very healthy meal as the Idli is steam cooked so has no oil and it’s easy to digest. It makes a good meal for ill people for the same reason.

After tasting it, my brother commented also, that we have Idli in all the best restaurant’s in London( he mentioned Sarvana Bhavan too) but they can’t make what you have made . I do not want to sound that I am boasting about myself but it’s true that today I make them better than my MIL, who is an extremely talented cook, from whom I started learning the South Indian cooking. Over the years I have experimented with the proportions of the ingredients and have come up with various proportions which make soft textured Idlis. And surely I will share them gradually with every one.

Idlis remind me of my favorite Idli joint in Chennai – The Murugan. When we used to live there, almost 2-3 times a month we would visit this place and hog on those gorgeous Idlis. They serve Idli with four diffent kind of Chutneys and Sambhar. Of all the chutneys, I loved a cooked version of the tomato chutney they served, and I am still hunting for it’s recipe. If anyone reading this blog knows how to make it, please share it with me.

I had made another cooked version of tomato chutney, but with the onions. We all love this chutney a lot and this is a versatile chutney as it can be spread on bread to make a Sandwich or can be eaten with Chapati as a side dish. It’s tangy and spicy and breaks the monotony of eating Idli only with the  traditional coconut chutney. It can be cooked really quick and asks for very few ingredients, but the end result is guaranteed. My brother liked it too.

The Sambhar I make is a Kannadiga version and has a delicate flavor of cinnamon. For the recipe of my version of Sambhar Masala click here. This is my MIL’s version of the masala and is really good.

Ingredients for Tomato-Onion Chutney
1 medium onion roughly chopped
1 large tomato roughly chopped
2 small lines of curry leaves
1 small spoon  of fenugreek seeds
2 large garlic pods
6-7 bedagi chilies
salt to taste
2-3 tsp thick tamarind pulp
3 tsp oil to cook
1 tsp oil for tempering
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of heeng (asafoetida)

Method

Heat oil and add fenugreek seeds, followed by red chilies, curry leaves and garlic. Immediately add onions and cook till translucent. Add salt and tomatoes. Cook till tomatoes are done. Cool and grind it with the tamarind paste.

Now heat oil for tempering and mustard and asafoetida. Pour it over the chutney.

I am sending this chutney to Think Spice- Think Red Chilies hosted by Laxmi Venkatesh of Kitchen Chronicles and is the brain child of Sunita Bhuyan of Sunita’s World


Ingredients for Idli-
Serves 4
2 1/2  cups Idli Rice
1 cup Urad dal (split black lentil)
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1/2 cup cooked rice (I used sona masoori)
Method

Soak the rice and soak the lentil along with the fenugreek seeds separately for 3-4 hrs.

Grind the rice coarsely to a fine semolina like state using water.

Grind the lentil finely to a smooth paste also grind the cooked rice to a smooth paste.

Combine the three and adjust the consistency by adding water. It should be of a pouring consistency.

Leave it covered to ferment overnight.

Add salt to the fermented mix and mix properly.

Grease the idli  mould and pour the batter in it.

Steam cook the Idlis without putting weight  in a covered utensil or pressure cooker  for 10-12 mins.

Let the idlis cool  a little and then remove then run a knife or a spoon along the edges of the idli and remove them.

Ingredients For Sambhar

1 cup Toor dal (split pigeon peas)
2 onions sliced
2 strings curry leaves
3-4 tbsp sambhar masala
oil to cook
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp turmeric
tamarind paste to taste
salt to taste
1/2 tsp asafoetida
Method

Cook the lentil in a pressure cooker till it’s soft. (4-5 whistles)

Heat oil and add the mustard seeds and let them splutter then add fenugreek seeds and curry leaves. Add asafoetida and onions. Cook till translucent. Now add the turmeric, sambhar masala, salt and tamarind pulp. Now add the mashed lentils and cook for 2 –3 mins so that the masala gets mixed properly in the dal. Now add water gradually and keep mixing. Bring the sambhar to a boil then simmer and cook for another 5-7 mins. Add chopped cilantro.

I am sending this to  It’s Vegan world- Indian hosted by Erbe in Cucina and is the brainchild of Vaishali .

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