Spring onions dal

Ingredients:

Spring onions - a bunch

Tomatoes - 2

Green chillies - 2 (chopped into big pieces)

Tuar dal - 1/2 cup

Water - 1-1/2 cups

Salt - To taste

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp

Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

For seasoning:

Oil - 2 tsps

Urad dal - 1/2 tsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Dry red chillies - 2 (cut into half)

Curry leaves - a few

Garlic pods - 2-3 (crushed)

Method:

Pressure cook tuar dal with the water, mash and keep aside. Chop spring onions and tomatoes fine. Heat oil in a kadai, and add the ingredients for the seasoning one by one. Add green chillies, spring onions, tomatoes, salt, turmeric, and chilli powder. Cover and cook till it is done. Add the mashed dal to it and let it simmer for a while. Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Spring Onion Pulusu

Let's talk greens today. Greens are in and they are extremely nourishing and nutritious. Besides providing us the right amount of iron, they also serve as good digestives. Try spring onions/ leeks today.

Ingredients:

Spring onions (or leeks) - 1 bunch (chopped fine)
Tomatoes - 3 (medium sized, chopped)
Tamarind - 1 small lemon sized ball (soaked in warm water)
Green chillies - 3 (slit vertically)
Curry leaves - a few
or coriander - a small bunch (chopped fine)
Salt - to taste
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Sugar - 1 tsp

For seasoning:
Oil - 3-4 tsps
Methi (fenugreek seeds) - 1/4 tsp
Jeera - 1/4 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/4 stsp

Method:

In a pan, heat oil and add the ingredients for seasoning, when they start spluttering, add green chillies and curry leaves. Add chopped spring onions/leeks to the pan and let it cook for a few minutes. If fresh, the greens would leave out water. So, you do not need to add water to it but ensure that the onions don't get burnt. Once it is cooked, add tomatoes, salt, turmeric and chilli powder, cover and cook for a while. Once oil starts leaving the sides, squeeze tamarind pulp and add it, along with sugar. Cover and cook for five more minutes. Serve hot with rotis or rice. Goes well with dosa/ uthappam also.

Bhindi (ladies finger) pulusu:

Ingredients:

Bhindi - 5-6 (cut into big pieces)
Onions - one (slit vertically)
Tomatoes - 2 (cut into 8 pieces each)
Tamarind - a small lemon sized ball (soaked in warm water)
Sugar - 2 tsps
Salt - 1-1/2 tsps
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli powder - 3/4 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Rice flour - 1 tbsp
Water - 2 cups

For seasoning:
Oil - 1 tsp
Methi (fenugreek seeds) - 1/2 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Jeera - 1 tsp
Red chillies - 1
Asafoetida - a pinch

Method:

Heat oil in a pan, add the ingredients for the seasoning. When they start spluttering, add curry leaves, and onions, and fry them a bit. When they turn golden brown, add tomatoes, salt, turmeric, chilli powder and eave it covered for 3 minutes.

Then add bhindi, and a little water. Cook covered till bhindi is cooked (it should not become too soft). Squeeze tamarind juice and add it along with water. Mix rice flour in a little water to get a batter like consistency.

After the pulusu boils for a few minutes, add the rice flour mixture to it by stirring continuously to avoid lumps. The pulusu can be thickened this way and has a nice flavour.

Alternatively, you can also use gram flour (besan) to the pulusu. Remember the pulusu has to be a bit thick and not watery. Serve hot with rice/rotis/dosas.