Kali Dal /Beluga Lentils#EarthDay

This Dal is known as Beluga lentils or  black lentils in English.
Made this dal for lunch with a twist. Tasted awesome and delicious.  This requires patience to cook and saute it on low flame.  If you have a slow cooker then use it to  make this dal. 

Ingredients
1/2 Cup Sabut Urad Dal/Beluga Lentils
1/2 Cup Red Rajma Beans/Kidney Beans
2 Medium Onions - finely chopped
3 Tablespoons Tomato puree
2 Inch Piece of Ginger  - finely chopped

5 Cloves Garlic - finely chopped
1/4  Teaspoon Turmeric powder

1 Teaspoon Coriander powder

1 Teaspoon Red Chilly powder

1 Teaspoon Kitchen King Masala
Salt to taste

2 Tablespoons Oil

For the Tadka 

2  Tablespoons Oil 

2 Tablespoons Desi Ghee
3 Clove Garlic - lightly mashed - optional
1  Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1/2  Teaspoon Asafoetida / Hing
2 Dry Red Chillies
1 Teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chilly powder
For Garnishing

2 -3 Tablespoons Fresh Cream

2 -3 Tablespoons Coriander Leaves - chopped

Method

Clean, wash  sabut urad dal by rubbing it with your hands to remove the black water, at least for 5 - 6  times.  Wash the  rajma beans to well.  Then soak  them overnight.

Next morning again rinse it 3 -4 times in running  water. Take the sabut urad dal on to plate and clean it - i.e to remove the dal has not puffed up/  the hard ones.

Cook the dal and rajma together for at least 10 to 15 minutes  in sufficient water ( 4 - 5 Cups) after the whistle on low flame .  When cooker cools on its own, open it and lightly mash it with then back of the spoon or a vegetable  masher, it should be absolutely soft, easy to mash. Add water if  it's too thick.

In a large pot / vessel heat 2 tablespoons oil,  add onions,  ginger, garlic, and saute till golden. Now add  the tomato puree 1/4 cup water and the dry spices - turmeric, chilly, coriander and kitchen king powder and salt to taste, saute these till oil separates.  Add the dal and If its runny, don't worry, the water will evaporate during further cooking.

Put the dal to cook on  very low flame. Stir the dal regularly as urad dal tends to stick very fast at the bottom. Taste for salt and basic flavors.  Let this simmer on low flame for at least 30 to 45 minutes. Keep stirring the dal in between by scraping it till bottom with a spatula. 

Meanwhile, let's prepare Tadka.

Heat oil + ghee in a pan. Add garlic, cook till it becomes a light brown , but stir continuously for even browning.  Add cumin seeds and dry red chillies let it sizzle.
Take off the flame. Add asafoetida  and  chilly powder.
Mix well. 

To Serve

Transfer dal to a serving bowl.
Pour beaten cream.
Then the tadka. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot with steamed rice. 

We had the remaining with rotis for our dinner and it tasted even more good!  

Enjoy!!

Labels : Sabut Urad Dal, Beluga Lentils, Vegetables, Main course, Punjab, Healthy, Earth Day, Vegetarian

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Vegetarian and/or Sustainable Food Recipes

by Food Blogging Friends -

For a Small Planet

Hosted By The Baking Fairy and Palatable Pastime

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• Blackened Salmon Tacos with Mango Salsa by The Beard and The Baker
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• Curried Root Vegetable Casserole by The Flexitarian
• Easy Vegan Brownies by Triple Chocolate Kitchen
• Espresso Milkshake by Our Good Life
• Homemade Vegetable Broth by Simple and Savory
• Kali Dal - Beluga Lentils by Sneha's Recipe
• Lemon Garlic Orzo with Roasted Vegetables by Join Us, Pull up a Chair
• Quick Pickled Vegetables by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Sourdough Bread Salad by Home Sweet Homestead
• Vegan Deviled Eggs by Palatable Pastime

Idli – Steamed Sourdough Rice and Lentil Buns#BreadBakers

Bake a gluten free yeast, sourdough or quick bread for this month's, event for Bread Bakers our Host is  Stacy Livingston Rushton.

Idlis are naturally fermented buns, yeast free, gluten free, vegan and oil free too. They are soft, spongy and easy to digest.

Making idlis, is not difficult, nor does it need a lot of attention, the sourdough however, does need preparation time for soaking and fermentation. So, just plan it a day in advance before making them since it requires soaking time and depending on weather 8 to 12 hours fermentation time.

While a basic proportion for idli is using 2 parts rice to 1 part lentils, for the texture and softness I, sometimes use 2 and 1/2 cups parboiled rice or idli rawa to 3/4 part lentils / urad dal and 1/2 cup of rice flakes or poha into the batter also, which  makes a huge difference, it gives a fantastic soft texture. To make a good idli it's essential to use a short grain parboiled rice or what it's also know as idli rice or even idli rawa which is readily available , rather than the long grain basmati rice or any other raw / cooking rice.

Ingredients
2 Cups Parboiled Rice / Idli Rice
3/4 cup White lentils / Urad Dal
1/2 Cup Poha /  Beaten Rice Flakes
1/2 Teaspoon Fenugreek seeds
1 Teaspoon Salt or to taste
Water for soaking and grinding
Oil for Greasing the moulds

Method
Soak the rice and the lentils separately  for at least 4 to 5 hours. Soak the fenugreek seeds along with the lentils.
Wash and drain the grains.

Just before you start blending wash and soak the poha in just a little water.

Place the half the  rice in the blender with 1/4 cup  water and  blend in a blender, pausing if needed to ensure a smooth paste with just a hint of  coarseness.  Grind the remaining rice also the same way.  Remove this into a large pot  / vessel, or  a large container with a lid which has  enough space to allow the batter to ferment and expand, much like bread dough. 

In the same  blender  (it is not necessary to wash the blender) add in the soaked lentils / urad dal with 1/4 cup of water and blend the mixture until light and super soft and fluffy.  Remove this into the same pot / vessel of the ground rice.  Now grind soaked  beaten rice and blend for another minute. 

Add this also to the blended lentils and rice mixture,  whisk well until they are mixed to form a smooth batter and light and fluffy.  Keep this batter overnight   or more depending on the weather ( in summer it take 6 to 7 hours ) to let the batter ferment.  A good batter will actually double in size.

 In a idli cooker or  large stock pot, or a pressure cooker.  that fits the idli moulds.  Add about 2 inches of water.    Bring the water to a simmer.  Brush oil  on the idli moulds.

Add salt to the fermented batter and mix it lightly, the batter should have the consistency of thick pancake or waffle batter. 

Pour the batter into the mould till about 3/4 full, allowing a little room to let the buns rise.  Gently lower the filled idli moulds  in the idli cooker and cover it with a lid. Let it steam on high flame for 12 t0 15 minutes or till a knife inserted comes out clean.

Turn off the heat and let the idlies rest for about 10 minutes, before gently un-molding them and serving.

Dunk them in mouthwatering Instant Sambar and enjoy..
Instant Sambar recipe.

Labels :  South Indian, Gluten free, Vegan, Oil free, Lentils,  Parboiled Rice, Breads, Bread Bakers, Steamed, Sourdough, Healthy, Breakfast, Main course

Gluten Free Breads -- check the other recipes

Coconut Flour Pancakes from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Gluten Free Cheddar Garlic Biscuits from What Smells So Good?
Gluten-Free Petite Vanilla Bean Scones from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
Idli – Steamed Sourdough Rice and Lentil Buns from Sneha's Recipe
Japanese Rice Crackers from Karen's Kitchen Stories
Low Carb Garlic Rosemary Bread from Gayathri's Cook Spot
Pan de Yuca from Mayuri’s Jikoni
Pão de Queijo - Brazilian Cheese Bread from Food Lust People Love
Quinoa Chia Multiseed Bread (Vegan ~ Gluten Free ~ Dairy Free) from CookWithRenu
Spicy Besan and Fenugreek Crackers (GF and Vegan) from Sizzling Tastebuds

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Cherry Tomatoes & Lentil Feta Cheese Salad

This is a healthy salad, packed with proteins and fiber.  A great and delicious summer salad that is vibrant in color, crunchy and tangy. This is my hubby's favorite salad.   I made a bowl full for us for  dinner, but he asked me prepare another helping for him again.  He loves this salad.  You too try it may become your favorite, because it so simple, easy and filling too.

Ingredients
12 -15 Cherry Tomatoes - halved
1 Cup Boiled Sabut Masoor Dal / Brown lentils
1 Red onion - thinly sliced
100 Grams Feta Cheese or more according to your liking
1 Tablespoon Chopped Coriander Or Parsley Leaves

10 -12 Basil leaves - torn
A Pinch of Sugar
Salt and Black Pepper to taste

For the Dressing - mix together

1 Tablespoon Olive oil
1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar

Method

Slice the tomatoes In a large  mixing  bowl add the cherry tomatoes, lentils, onion,  coriander and  basil leaves  and season with salt, pepper and dressing (olive oil and balsamic vinegar) mix well then crumble the feta over it.

Serve.

My Notes

Feel free to add more tomatoes or lentils or feta cheese if you are making a bigger salad.

Labels : French Cuisine, Salads, Healthy, Sabut Masoor,  Lentils, Feta Cheese

CHANA DAL BARFI

This barfi is a lengthy process but worth the effort.  The most time taken is to cook the dal in milk or else it's a quick and easy barfi.

When boiling this dal take a wide thick bottom kadai to cook the dal, if you see the pics I, first used a big saucepan then changed it to a kadai, which quickened the process. It took me almost 2 hours to cook and dry the milk.  I just left it on low flame stirring in between after every 15 minutes,  Only in the last 10 to 15 minutes when the milk was nearly in evaporating stage I stirred it continuously.  So you can just leave it on low flame and finish all your cooking, then attend to it.  

Ingredients
1 Cup Heaped Chana Dal
1+1/4 Cup Heaped Tea Sugar
12 Skinned Almonds - sliced
1 Cup Ghee - I used Desi Ghee / Pure Ghee
1 Liter Milk
1/4 Teaspoon Cardamom Powder
A pinch Yellow food color

Method

Wash and soak the dal for 2  hours in water.

  

After 2 hours again wash the dal and boil it in milk in a pan / kadai.  

Cook till soft, when the milk starts evaporating , at this stage stir it continuously or else it may burn (so keep an eye on it ). 

When the dal is cooked and milk evaporated then immediately blend it in a small blender by placing a towel on the jar in case it opens with it the heat.  Blend to a fine paste.

Heat  ghee in a heavy bottom pan / kadai, add dal paste stir continuously, for about 10 minutes at least on low flame or till you get a aroma and it also starts bubbling and the ghee is absorbed. 

Now add  sugar, food color and cardamon powder keep stirring again continuously on low flame. Cook till the mixture starts to leave the sides of pan and starts to  form a ball in the center, remove in a well greased tray and press it to level it ( could not take pics at this stage since I had to stir this continuously). 

Decorate with sliced almonds. Leave to set, for an hour then cut in cubes and again leave it to cool completely for about 6 to 8 hours .
   

Store it in airtight containers, for a day or two out and then in the fridge ( since it has milk and will mildew quickly).  

This barfi is really yummy taste as though its brought from the sweet shop.

These are packed for my Diwali party... you too make and enjoy.

Sending this to MLLA , hosted by Cooking with Siri which completes 100th this month

Labels : Chana Dal, Lentils, Festival Sweets, Barfi

Tomato Pappu / Tomato Dal - Andhra Style

This dal is nutritious and flavorful it's made from softened pigeon peas, sauteed with onion, tomato and  a blend of spices. Dal is an integral dish of every Indian kitchen. This is an Andhra vegetarian dish, also know as Tomato Pappu . Pappu in Telugu language is known as the dal.

Ingredients
1 Cup Tur Dal / Pigeon Peas
1/2 Teaspoon Cumin seeds
A Sprig Curry Leaves
1 Large Onion - finely chopped
8 Cloves Garlic  - lightly crushed
4 Green Chillies - seeded and slit
1 Teaspoon  Red Chilly powder
2  Tablespoons Oil
1 Tablespoon Butter
4 Big Tomatoes - chopped
1/4 Teaspoon Turmeric powder
1/2 Teaspoon Mustard seeds
1/2 Teaspoon  Salt or according to taste

For the Tempering 

1 Tablespoon Oil

1/2  Teaspoon Mustard seeds

1/2 Teaspoon Cumin seeds

A Sprig Curry Leaves

3 Dried Red Chillies
A pinch of Asafoetida

Coriander leaves chopped for garnishing

Method

Wash and soak the dal for at least an hour.
Then rinse the dal in fresh water. In a pressure cooker, add the dal and water an inch above the dal, bring it to a rolling boil,  remove. the scum that surfaces then close the pressure cooker with the lid and pressure cook for about 8 to 10 minutes or for 2 whistles. Let the cooker  cool down.

Meanwhile, heat oil in the pot/ kadai, add 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds, cumin seeds and when they start to splutter, add the garlic crushed and saute it for a second only, add turmeric, curry leaves onion, green chillies and saute for a minute or till the onion is translucent. Add tomato, salt,  cook until the tomatoes become soft and mushy. Add the butter,  dal and 2 cups water or according to the consistency you require give it a quick stir. Reduce the flame to low and let it simmer for 10 minutes stirring in between.

For the tempering 

Heat a tablespoon of oil in pan, add mustard, cumin seeds, whole red chilly, curry leaves and asafoetida let it sizzle, then pour this over the dal.   Serve hot,   garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy with steamed rice or roti, chapatti, or naan. 

Labels : Vegetables, Tur Dal, Lentils, Healthy, Vegan

Kondakadalai Sundal / Chickpeas Sundal

Sundal is a healthy and nutritious evening snack or salad with legumes. There are many types of  and variations of sundals prepared with different legumes , moong bean (paasi payaru), chickpeas (kondakadalai), chana dal ( kadalai paruppu),  peas (pattani), Lobia (Alasandula) etc.  This is a chickpea sundal also know as Kondakadlai Sundal. 

We had this as a salad for healthy dinner,  it's filling that it makes you feel full and reduces hunger pangs,  also reduces the urge to have any unhealthy snacks, its simple, healthy and yum too. Lets make the sundal.

Serves 2  or 3

Ingredients
1 Cup Dried Chickpeas / Garbanzo beans / Kondakadalai
1/3 Cup Frehsly Grated Coconut
A Sprig Curry leaves
3 Dry Red chillies
1 Teaspoon Mustard seeds 

A pinch of Asafoetida
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Oil

Method

Soak chickpeas / kondakadalai for about 6 - 8 hours or overnight. Drain the water that they were soaked in and rinse them in fresh water.


Pressure cook the these in 2 -3 cups of water and 1/2 a teaspoon of salt till done. When done and the pressure has cooled down completely then drain the chickpeas in a strainer. 

Heat oil a pan or wok oil, add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Then add curry leaves, asafoetida,  dry red chillies, saute for a few seconds. Add the grated coconut and again saute for a second, add the chickpeas and salt, toss them till they are well mixed in the seasoning.  Take off flame.

Serve and enjoy a healthy and delicious meal!!

Labels : Lentils, Chickpea, Salads, South Indian, Healthy

Medhu Vada - Savory Lentil Doughnut

Medhu Vada or savory lentil doughnut, is a South Indian snack, it's also a famous Mumbai street food which is mainly had for breakfast.  These are crisp vadas from outside and soft from inside.  Serve these with sambhar or chutney.    Try them and enjoy.

Ingredients
1 Cup Urad dal / White Lentils
½ Teaspoon Cumin seeds - lightly crushed with your hands
1 Green chily -  chopped
1 Tablespoon Rice Flour
A sprig of Curry Leaves - finely chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Baking powder
Salt as required
Oil for deep frying

Method

Wash and rinse the urad dal in water for a couple of times.  Soak them in enough water overnight or for at least 5 hours.

After that drain well and take 2 curry spoons of lentils in a  small  grinder jar  and grind them to fine paste with a  tablespoon of water.  Switch off the grinder  after a  minute or two and scrape the sides of the jar with a spatula and grind again in intervals scraping and stirring the batter a few times till it is ground to a fine past.  When the batter is  smooth, fluffy and soft, stop grinding, take it out in a big bowl .

In the same way grind the remaining lentils to a smooth, fluffy and soft paste.

When all the lentils are ground to a smooth paste add the rice flour and whisk it well so that there are no lumps and it turns light.  Cover this bowl with a lid or cling film and keep it the refrigerator for an hour  at least.

After an hour heat oil in a kadai or pan for deep frying the vadas.
Take the batter out from the refrigerator and add the  cumin seeds, green chilies, curry leaves, baking soda and salt to it and again mix it well it turns smooth and fluffy.

Take water in a small bowl.  Wet your hands a little and take a little batter shape  into a the medu vada (  doughtnut) press finger into center of  it create a hole.   Fry them in medium hot oil till evenly golden and crisp.

Drain vadas on paper napkins and serve the  medu vada hot with coriander garlic coconut chutney or sambhar.  Enjoy ...

Coriander Garlic Coconut Chutney

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Packed Fresh Coconut - grated
A Handful of Coriander Leaves with stems - chopped
3 Green Chillies - chopped
3 Cloves Garlic - chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Cumin seeds
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice

Salt to taste

Method

Grind all the above ingredients to fine paste with a tablespoon of water if required.  Chutney is ready.

Sending this to Foodie Extravaganza Party- Host Lauren Mitchell, thank you dear for hosting this event.

My Notes :
Do not add more water while grinding or else you will not be able to make the vadas easily.  The batter will be watery and the vadas will not be able hold shape.

Do skip adding the rice flour and baking powder, because this makes the medu vada crisp from outside and soft inside.


Labels : Lentils, Breakfast, South Indian, Foodie Extravaganza Party

July has arrived and that means it's time for another #FoodieExtravaganza! Each month we take turns hosting and selecting a foodie holiday associated with that month. Somehow in all the planning July was overlooked so in a mad dash in the second half of June, Lauren of From Gate to Plate told us to celebrate the doughnut. If anyone is keeping score, National Doughnut Day is actually the first Friday in June, but none of us are complaining to be celebrating one of America's favorite breakfast treats today. July is National Culinary Arts month so let's just go with that. Also in July: Fried Chicken Day (today, the 6th), Blueberry Muffin Day (the 11th), and Junk Food Day (the 21st). 

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out HERE

Gluten-Free Matcha Doughnuts – Three Ways! by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Raspberry Cookies n Cream Baked Doughnuts by Baking in Pyjamas

Lemon Poppy Seed Donuts by Making Miracles

Chocolate Snickerdoodle Doughnuts by Sew You Think You Can Cook

Baked S’mores Doughnuts by Tara’s Multicultural Table

Strawberry Shortcake Donut Tarts by Fearlessly Creative Mammas

Breakfast Donut Burger by From Gate to Plate

Cake Mix Donuts by I’m Hungry

Doughnut Trifle by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Watermelon Doughnuts by The Freshman Cook

Baked Cherry Lemon Donuts by Caroline’s Cooking

Orange Glace Donuts by Basic N Delicious

Medhu Vada – Savory Lentil Doughnut by Sneha’s Recipe