Tuesday, January 16, 2007

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.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

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.