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.

Patoli - An Andhra Tradition

Patoli with Chikudukaya (Broad Beans)
Patoli, a typical Coastal Andhra dish is traditionally made with dals, chillies and seasonings. It can be eaten as a snack or served with rice. Innovation has devised patoli with a variety of vegetables. It is usually made with green beans or plantains (aratikaaya). On the lines of the Tamilian Paruppu Usili, Patoli is a tasty side dish that is nutritious and wholesome. It can be served with rice or chapathis.Here I am using Broad beans aka Chikudukaya in Telugu along with the dal mixture to create magic for the taste buds.
You will need:

For the dal mixture:
½ cup channa dal
¼ cup Moong dal
6 red chillies
a small piece of ginger
¼ tsp jeera

Soak the above dals in water for about ½ hour. Drain. Combine the dals and the rest of the above ingredients and gring to a coarse paste in a mixer. Make little balls and steam in an idli pan or a regular dish for about 10 minutes.

Dal mixture ready to be steamed

Steamed Dal lumpsFor the Patoli:
4 cups Chopped Chikudukaya or Broad Beans (you may substitute this with chopped green beans, chopped Aratikaaya or plantain or chopped cluster beans or gorchikudukaya or mattikaya)
1 onion - chopped fine
1 pinch of turmeric
salt to taste
2 tbsp fresh grated coconut

Chopped Broad BeansFor the seasoning:
2 tsp Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
1 tsp channa dal
a few curry leaves

Method:In a pan, heat the oil. Season with mustard seeds and the dals. Add the curry leaves and saute for a minute. Then add the chopped onions and saute till soft. Then add the chopped vegetable. Add a pinch of turmeric and salt to taste. Mix well. Add about 1/2 cup of water and cook covered with a lid until tender or until all the water has evaporated.Meanwhile, crumble the dal lumps into a coarse powder. In another pan, heat some oil. Add the crumbled dal lumps and saute, stirring in between for about 10 minutes on a medium flame. The dal mixture should be cripy a bit at this point.Once the vegetable is cooked, add the sauteed dal mixture and mix well. Leave on stovetop for about 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh grated coconut and serve hot.

Patoli

Patoli served with Rice and Sambar

This is one of my entries to the RCI- Andhra event.

Ridge Gourd - Beerakaaya Pappu

There is something very humble about an ordinary looking ridge gourd. Ridge gourd is an Indian vegetable, which is long, green, fleshy and white on the inside and green with ridges on the outside. Hence the name ridge gourd. We call it beerakaaya at home in Telugu. To eat this vegetable I must say one should have an acquired taste.
Back home in India, I was very picky about what vegetable I would eat. Ridge gourd was not one of those fortunate few :-) But here in America, where we were limited to the far and few Indian vegetables I developed a taste for this vegetable. I must say now, that I really like this guy - the humble Ridge gourd.
Ridge gourd can be cooked in many ways. My favorite recipe is that of Beerakaya pappu - Ridge gourd with Dal. Hot white Rice, some ghee, Beerakaaya Pappu and a papad on the side, this is the ultimate comfort food! My mother-in-law is from Karnataka and her cooking is mainstay Kannada cuisine. She makes something called Heerekai (Ridge gourd in Kannada) Maskai - which is the Karnataka version of Beerakaaya Pappu. The difference is that the dal is slightly runny and is garnished with fresh grated coconut and some chopped coriander/cilantro leaves in the end. Similar taste, but the garnishings make a world of difference in the uniqueness they lend to the dish.
I make my pappu, combining both the recipes, a confluence of Karnataka and Andhra cusines, a treat to the palates and a soothing comfort meal!

A Riot of Colors – Ingredients for Ridge Gourd Pappu
To make the Beerakaaya Pappu you would need:
1 big Ridge Gourd - Scrape the sharp ridges. Let the rest fo the peel remain.
Wash thorougly and then chop the vegetable into cubes.
2 medium sized Tomatoes or 1 cup Cherry Tomatoes - Chopped into cubes
1 small Onion - Chopped into cubes
5 green chillies - Slit Lengthwise
5 cloves Garlic - Peeled
1 small piece Tamarind
1 1/2 cup Toor Dal - Washed

Method:
Combine all of the above, a pinch of turmeric and pressure cook with enough water (enough to cover the above mixture) for about 2 whistles. Cool and set aside.
Once cool, using a wooden spoon or a hand mixer, mash all of the above gently until everything is well blended. Add salt, 1 tsp of red chilli powder, 1 cup of water and boil for about 5 minutes. Then season with mustard seeds, cumin seeds or jeera, curry leaves, urad dal, channa dal and 1 tbsp of chopped onions. Garnish with grated coconut and serve with hot rice.

Ridge Gourd Pappu

Bottle Gourd Kootu

Channa Dal or Gram Dal as it is called is one of the popular dals in Indian cuisine, second to Toor Dal. This orange colored dal has a sligthly sweet almost nutty flavor to it. As the name suggests it is the split form of Whole channa - the smaller whole channa - a cousin of the garbanzo beans family.
In South Indian cooking, channa dal is most times used in seasoning - Popu or Tiragmaata as it is called in Telugu. And many south Indian homes use it in several sweet dishes, curries and kootus. A kootu - a special Tamilian dish that is made with a dal and a mix of a vegetable. Kootu's are made mainly with Moong Dal or with Channa dal. The dal is combined with a particular vegetable, cooked with coconut and other spices, tempered with seasonings and served hot with Rice.
My bottle gourd or Sorakai Kootu is a slightly improvised Kootu. It is more inviting for the taste buds and has a slight touch of Karanataka flavor to it. I like to serve this special kootu with rice and raita on the side. This can however also be served with Chapathis.
This is my contribution to Sailu's Jhihva for Dals event (even though I did not make the deadline). ;-)


Channa Dal

Ingredients:
1 Medium Sized Bottle Gourd (Sorakai or Lauki)
1 Cup Channa Dal (Soaked in water for 1/2 hour)
1/2 tsp Tumeric Powder
Salt to taste

To be ground into Paste:
1 cup Grated Fresh Coconut
8 Green Chillies
2 tsp Dhaniya Powder
1/2 small Onion -Chopped into cubes or lengthwise
1 small piece Cinnamon
2 cloves
1 small Tomato (missing in my picture of ingredients)
a few sprigs cilantro (missing in my picture of ingredients)

For Seasoning:
1 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
a few curry leaves
a pinch of Asafoetida or Hing
1/2 Small Onion - Chopped fine

For Garnishing:
A few sprigs Cilantro - Chopped fine.

Method:
1. Peel and Chop the Sorakai into cubes.
2. Drain the soaked dal. Place the sorakai, soaked dal and turmeric powder in a pressure pan. Add enough water to cover the ingredients and pressure cook for 1 whistle in the cooker.

3. Meanwhile, grind the ingredients listed above for masala paste. Add enough water and grind to a smooth paste.
4. Once the sorakai and dal mixture is cooked, cool. Add the ground masala paste and mix gently. Add salt and cook for about 10 minutes on a medium flame in a open pan.
5. Prepare another small pan for seasoning. Add the mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves. Afetr the mustard splutters, add the chopped onions and saute until light brown.
6. Add to the kootu and mix well.

7. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve hot with Rice.

Sorakai Kootu with Rice

Okra Sambar (Bendakaaya Sambar)

Okra is one of the favourite vegetables of our home. We use this green, tender, sticky vegetable in many dishes. The ease of availability of Okra in the Indian Grocery Stores across the US makes it a popular and regularly used vegetable. Today our meal was simple but yet delicious Okra Sambar with hot rice. Sambar - the South Indian staple is a unique blend of Toor Dal, Tomatoes, Sambar Powder and any vegetable of your choice. The most popular vegetables used in Sambar are Pearl Onions, Sorakai or Bottle Gourd, Drumstick or MunagaKaaya and Okra. Here I present to you my favourite among all types of Sambar, Okra Sambar or Bendakaaya Sambar. Hope you enjoy this recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cups Okra - Chopped into 3 inch pieces
1 cup Toor Dal
1 Big Tomato - Chopped into Cubes
1 lime sized Tamarind - Soaked in warm water
2 tsp Sambar Powder
Salt to taste
a few sprigs Cilantro (Coriander Leaves)- Chopped fine for Garnishing

For Seasoning:
1 tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Methi Seeds (Fenugreek seeds)
a few curry leaves
1 small Onion - Chopped Lengthwise

Method:
1. Boil the toor Dal in about 4 cups of Water in a Pressure Cooker for about 2 whistles. Cool. Open the cooker and slightly mash the cooked dal with a Ladle (or a Pappu Gutthi - a round wooden disc at the end of a long handle used to mash dal in traditional Indian homes in South India). Keep aside.
2. Fry the chopped okra in 2 tsp Oil on medium heat in pan for about 10 minutes.
3. Squeeze the pulp out of the soaked tamarind. Use this pulp and the tamarind water. Combine this with the fried Okra. Add the chopped tomatoes, the sambar powder and salt and boil on the stove for about 10 minutes on medium heat.
4. Then add the mashed dal and mix well. Boil for another 10 more minutes.
5. In a pan, heat the oil for the seasoning. Add the Mustard seeds. Allow them to splutter, then add the methi seeds and curry leaves. After about a minute, add the chopped onions and saute until golden brown.
6. Then pour the seasoning on the Sambar. Garnish with Chopped Cilantro (or coriander leaves).
7. Serve Hot with Rice.

Lemon Rasam

Our weekend was busy with a visit to the local Zoo with a group of friends. Ever since my kids were born our Zoo visits have increased every year. Something for them to do during the summer and somewhere for us to take them too. We had a picnic at the Zoo, and it was a busy, hot tiring day. But we were all having so much fun, that we did not want to forgo the company in the evening. We all decided to pile on to one of our friends home for Tea. Along with tea was Bhel and other junk food. Evening tea led to dinner. And after a tiring day we decided to go easy with dinner and have just plain rice with rasam.
Ask any South Indian and they will tell you what the feeling is like. Rice with Rasam is as close as it gets to manna in Heaven! So after this busy day, my friend Radhika, who I must say is an excellent cook – made this out-of-the-world Lemon Rasam. It was just perfect with hot rice and ghee. My kids had a wholesome meal and all of us really enjoyed. A perfect end to a lovely day. So here goes, the recipe for Lemon Rasam (or as it is called in Kannada ‘Tili Saaru with Nimbekai’.

Ingredients:
½ Cup Toor Dal
2 Tomatoes – Chopped into cubes
½ bunch Cilantro – Finely chopped
Curry leaves – a few sprigs
Juice of ½ a lime
Salt to taste

To be ground into paste:
1 tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera)
4 Green chillies
½ tsp Hing (Asafoetida)
½ tsp Turmeric powder
2 tbsp Fresh grated coconut

For seasoning:
2 tbsp Oil
1 tsp Mustard seeds
½ tsp Cumin seeds (Jeera )
A few curry leaves

Method:
Cook the Toor dal with a little turmeric powder and and about 5 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 2 or 3 whistles. Cool and then mash the dal well with a ladle.
In a pan, add the chopped tomatoes, cilantro, curry leaves, ground paste and salt and boil for about 10 minutes. Then add the dal and dal water and boil for another 5 to 8 minutes. Season with mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Add the juice of half a lime and mix well. Garnish with some more cilantro and serve hot with rice.

Spinach Dal

Spinach Dal or Paalakura Pappu as it is called in my native language conjures up images of hot steaming rice, ghee, pappu and usually a potato curry. This was the combination we always ate it with at home while I was growing up.
Being the offspring of a Telugite and a Tamilian and having grown up in Karnataka, our house was always a blend of various styles of cooking. For dinner, mom or grandmom always made Ragi Roti (a traditional Karnataka dish) with paalakura pappu. It was a delicious combination. A dollop of butter on the hot ragi roti would sizzle down and the thought of it still makes me nostalgic.




Ingredients:
1 bunch Fresh Spinach (or 1/2 bag Frozen Cut leaf Spinach)
2 cups Toor Dal (Kandi Pappu)
1/2 Onion - Chopped into cubes
2 Tomatoes - Chopped into cubes
1 small lime sized ball of tamarind
2 tsp Red chilli powder (or a combination of red chilli powder and green chillies)
1/4 tsp Turmeric powder
Salt to taste

For seasoning:
1 tbsp Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/2 tsp Jeera or Cumin seeds
1 tsp Urad dal
1 tsp Channa dal
a few curry leaves
a pinch of Hingu (Asafoetida)
4 or 5 cloves garlic - finely chopped
1/4 onion - finely chopped

Rice with Paalakura Pappu, Potato Curry, Vadiyalu and Rasmalai for Desert

Method:
1. If using fresh Spinach, wash and chop the spinach roughly.
2. In a pressure cooker or pressure pan, add the washed dal, washed and chopped spinach, chopped onions, tomatoes, turmeric, red chilli powder and green chillies and tamarind. Add enought water to cover all this . Close with the cooker lid and allow 2 or 3 whistles.
3. When the cooker is cooled down, open the cooker, add some salt and mash the above cooked dal with a hand blender or a ladle. Traditionally at home we use what is called a pappu gutthi - which is a wooden stick with a round flat head that helps mash the dal evenly.
4. Then prepare the seasoning. Heat the oil, add mustard and jeera. Allow the seeds to splutter, add the dals, curry leaves, hingu and the onions and garlic. Saute for a few minutes. Pour into the dal.
5. Boil the dal with the seasoning for just a few minutes.
6. Serve hot with rice and Potato curry or Appalam.