Tangy Tomato Moong Saagu

A staple in our home is warm chapathis or rotis with a fresh, hot bowl of sabji. This is our meal most nights and mostly during lunch as well. When it does get mundane, we indulge in soft idlis or piping hot dosas. And then again, sometimes it is Pasta time! But give us chapathis with sabji and we'll take it anyday!
I have many friends ask me, "Dont you guys get bored" or "We love chapathis too but we get bored with the same old side dishes again and again!" Truly said.. Variety is the spice of life!
I make many many sides for rotis that sometimes I loose track! But some of these are classic, recipes that were made in my maternal home time and time again, the familiarity of the aroma when the dish is cooking or the familiarity of the taste brings on loads of nostalgia.
This Tangy Tomato Moong saagu or "Pesara Pappu Saagu" as we call it is one such dish. My mom tells me that my grandma (her mom) used to make it for them all the time while they were growing up. Traditional dishes passed down through generations. I dont remember ever thinking of this dish as a favorite or a classic while growing up.. I guess it was just taken for granted.. a simple side, always made at home. But now, I relish this taste and enjoy its wholesomeness. Hopefully, my kids will appreciate this saatvik dish in the future!
Now on to the recipe of my mom's Tangy Tomato Moong Saagu...

Tangy Tomato Moong Saagu

You will need:

1 cup Moong Dal (or Split yellow lentils)

2 Big tomatoes - Chopped into cubes

5 Green Chillies - Slit lengthwise

a few curry leaves

1 tsp Cumin seeds or Jeera

1/2 tsp Black Pepper (Peppercorns)

a pinch of Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

For Seasoning:

2 tsp Oil

1 tsp Mustard seeds

a pinch of Hing ot Asafoetida

1 tsp Urad dal

For Garnishing:

Chopped Cilantro

Method:

In a wide, heavy bottomed pan, cook the moong dal with about 2 to 3 cups of water and a pinch of turmeric powder. Stir in between. When the dal is 3/4th cooked - it is still whole but cooked, add the chopped tomatoes, slit chillies, curry leaves and salt. Mix well and cook until done. The dal will split and the tomatoes will cook well. The whole gravy comes together. If it is too thick, add about 1/2 cup of water. Meanwhile, coarsely powder the jeera and pepper. Add this to the cooked dal mixture. Season with mustard seeds, hing and urad dal. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot as a side to warm rotis.

Keerai Sundal

One more in the series of healthy sides, is my mom's Keerai Sundal - Keerai meaning Greens in Tamil and Sundal - a dish usually prepared during festival times mostly with a variety of beans and lentils, a more lucid term used for anything that is seasoned with South Indian seasonings or popu and garnished with fresh coconut gratings. A super simple recipe, very nutritious and tastes great with chapathi or rice. Mom made this Keerai Sundal with Thotakura (also called Amaranth leaves or Red Spinach, Thandu Keerai in Tamil). I usually dont find this variety of spinach at my local Indian Grocer. I got lucky this time. I love these greens for they cook so easily and can be used in many dishes.
This dish is made with Thotakura and split Moong Dal. A perfect combination of protein and vitamins packed all in one dish.

Keerai Sundal

Keerai Sundal

You will need:
2 bunches Red Spinach or Thotakura
1/2 cup Split Yellow Moong Lentils
Salt to taste

For Seasoning:
2 tsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard Seeds
1 tsp Urad Dal
1 tsp Channa Dal
a pinch of hing or Asafoetida
a few curry leaves
3 Green Chillies chopped fine

For Garnishing:
1 tbsp grated Fresh coconut (optional)

Method:
Wash the spinach leaves and chop fine. You may save the stem to make a delicious Sambar or kootu or just use it in this dish.
In a pan, boil the moong dal with about 2 cups of water until the moong dal is about 3/4 th cooked. Keep aside.
In a pan, heat the oil and season with mustard seeds, dals, curry leaves, hing and green chillies. Add the chopped spinach, add salt and mix well. Add about 1/2 cup water and cover with a lid. Cook until the water evaporates. I just use the water from the boiled dal. Add the cooked dal, stir well until almost dry. Add the grated fresh coconut and serve hot with chapathis or Rice.

Keerai Sundal - one more look!
Hope you guys enjoyed this simple nutrition packed recipe. Thanks for stopping by.

Green Beans Poricha Kootu

There are some recipes that are classic, traditional recipes! And no matter how much we innovate and experiment, coming back to traditional, home cooked recipes is a delight. This is one such recipe. My mom's delicious Green Beans Poricha Kootu recipe. She makes it the best in the whole world! :-) I love any poricha kootu. I can eat it by the bowlfull just as a meal! And the wonderful fresh taste of the vegetable with the nutty almost grainy taste of the Split yellow lentils aka moong dal and the fiery taste of the spicy chillies - a combination that fires up the tastebuds.
The beauty of this classic recipe is that you can make it with a variety of vegetables - Green beans, Guar Beans or Cluster beans (called gorichikudukaya or Mattikayalu in Telugu, Gorikai in Kannada and Kotthavaranga in Tamil, Gavar in Hindi), Chayote Squash (or Bengaluru Kathrikaa - BK in Tamil (this is what my cousin and her family call it! :-), Broad Beans (Chikudukaya in Telugu or Avarakaa in Tamil) and the list can go on. Heck you can even make this with potato! It is such a versatile dish and so easy to make. Ok enough said, lets move on to the recipe!
Note: Mom was the one who actually made what you guys are seeing below.

Green Beans Poricha Kootu



Green Beans Poricha Kootu
You will need:
4 cups Chopped Green Beans (Wash, string and Chop fine)
2 cups split Moong Dal (Split, Yellow Lentils)
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste

For the Kootu Masala:
2 tbsp Urad Dal
6 to 7 Dry Red Chillies
1/2 tsp Peppercorns
1 tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)
2 tbsp Fresh Grated Coconut
a pinch of Hing or Asafoetida

For the Seasoning:
2 tsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Urad dal
a pinch Hing or Asfoetida
a few Curry leaves

Method:
In a heavy bottome pan, add the moong dal and about 3 cups of water and cook over stovetop. When the dal is about 1/2 cooked, add the chopped green beans, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well. Add some more water if needed and cook until the beans and dal is well cooked.

Meanwhile, in a pan, roast the red chillies, pepper and urad dal with 1/2 tsp oil until the dal is light to golden brown. Remove from heat. Add all the roasted ingredients and the cumin seeds in a mixer and grind until a coarse powder. Then add the grated coconut and some water and grind to a fine paste.

Add this paste to the cooked beans and dal mixture. Cook for about 5 to 10 more minutes on low heat until the kootu comes together and is a thicker gravy.

Season with the seasoning ingredients and serve hot with Chapathis or Rice. Best served with Rice, Rasam and an Appalam on the side.

Green Beans Poricha Kootu
Thanks guys for stopping by. If you do try the recipe do let me know. I would love to hear from you.

Churmuri - A Simple Snack

Summer has been really busy this year with my parents visiting us. We have been busy with lots of travel, fun, summer activities and work of course. In all this, the biggest reason for my break was that i wanted to get away from cooking meals loaded with calories to cooking more nutritious healthy meals for all my family. You see I've been trying to loose those last few pounds forever! Something seems to have snapped inside me this summer! I have gone at weight loss these past few weeks like there's no tomorrow :-) Luckily i can see a small change and I'm more confident that I can get to my goal this time round. More about that later!
In the meanwhile, I'm here to post a simple recipe for an evening snack that is low fat and low calorie (in moderation). It also satisfies my spicy-tooth (i don't have a sweet-tooth you see!). After a full day of eating fruits, cereal, milk and salads, this spicy evening snack is a treat!

Churmuri
Spicy Churmuri
You will need:
5 cups Puffed Rice (Mamra, Muri, Borugulu, Pori)
2 tbsp Peanuts
1 tbsp Channa Dalia (Putnalu pappu or Chutney Dal)
3 tsp Red Chilli Powder
3 tsp Pappulu Pudi or Kandi Pudi
Salt to taste

For Seasoning:
6 tsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
2 tsp urad dal
1 tsp Hing or Asafoetida
a few Curry leaves

Method:

In a pan, dry roast the Muri or Puffed rice on medium to low heat. Keep stirring and roast until the muri is nice and crispy (takes about 10 minutes). Keep this aside in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle on this roasted muri the pappulu pudi, salt, red chilli powder and mix well.

In another small seasoning pan, add about a tsp of oil and roast the peanuts and channa dalia or chutney dal until well roasted and crunchy. Transfer this to the mixing bowl with the muri. In the same pan, heat the remaining oil, add seasoning ingredients, turmeric and curry leaves. Saute for 1 minute. Add this seasoning to the muri mixture and mix well. Mix well until all the muri is well coated with a bright red from the chilli powder.

Serving Suggestions:

Serve dry in a bowl. Or Serve topped with chopped red onions, cilantro and a dash of lime. A simple evenign snack in a jiffy!

Churmuri- A Simple Evening Snack

Mount Rainier

Hi Everyone,
Greetings to my all my dear reader friends and blogger buddies! Its been a while and I've missed blogging. Its become so much a part of me! I'm itching to get back, but menawhile just wanted to share with you guys a beautiful picture of the snow-capped Mount Rainier and the Seattle skyline. More lovely pictures and dishes coming your way!

Tata...