Mixed Leaves Spicy Dal

Mixed Leaves spicy Dal is one of the side dish that goes well with almost all the main dishes. It is prepared using 2 to 3 or more types of leaves and dals, like toor/moong/masoor/chana etc. 

I have used the leaves which we got from our home garden (grown in pots) and toor dal. I have added green tamarind chutney/tokku which I got from Dharwad. ( Our daughter in law Vidya's Home town).

Tamarind chutney/tokku is home prepared, using unripe tamarind, green chilly, roasted methi seeds and salt. Tokku taste so yummy and it goes well with hot rice and ghee, or adding to any dal preparation even I have tried Tamarind Tokku vegetable rice.    

Let us see some benefits of eating  tamarind in our diet.

Tamarind helps to reduce inflammation in our body. It helps to improve eye health, boost respiratory health and helps to heal skin conditions. It is good for digestive system. It relieve pains and strengthen our immune system. It helps to lower the cholesterol and good for kids since it fight against the worms in kids stomach. Tamarind is rich source of dietary fiber. It helps in easing constipation problems. It is rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin B, Calcium, Iron, Phosphorous, Potassium, Manganese. It is rich in antioxidants and anti inflammatory properties.

As I said I have used our home grown Palk, Dil Leaves and very little basale /Malabar Leaves.

No Onion OR No Garlic is used in this " Mixed Leaves Spicy Dal".

Let us see the recipe Now : 

Ingredients : 

To Cook :

Dil Leaves : 1 Small Bundle

Palak : 1 Small Bundle

Malabar Leaves/Basale Leaves : One Handful 

Toor Dal : 1/Cup 

To Add :

Dry ginger powder : 1/2 Teaspoon

Tamarind Chutney /Tokku : 1 Teaspoon

Crushed pepper pods : 4 to 5 

Salt : As Required 

Coriander leaves : 2 Tablespoons

Butter/Ghee : 1 Teaspoon (Optional).

To Season : 

Cooking Oil : 1 Teaspoon

Mustard Seeds : 1 Teaspoon

Jeera : 1/2 Teaspoon

Green chilly : 2 to 3 

Curry Leaves : 6 to 8 or little more

Ingh/Asafoetida : A little 

Method : 

1. Clean and Wash all the leaves nicely and cut into small pieces.

2. Pressure cook it for 6 to 8 minutes.

3. Wash dal and pressure cook separately.

4. Wash and slit green chilly and cut coriander leaves.

5. Keep a big pan and put cooked leaves and dal together.

6. Add turmeric powder and salt.

7. Add dry ginger powder and pepper pods.

8. Add tamarind chutney/tokku. Stir slowly and mix it well. Let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes.

9. Keep a pan and prepared mustard, jeera seasoning. Add slit green chilly and fry it nicely.

10. Add ingh and curry leaves to seasoning and add this seasoning to Mixed Leaves Spicy Dal.

11. Boil it for another 3 to 4 minutes. Shift it to the serving bowl.

12. Serve with your choice of main dish.

Note :

Cooking leaves in pressure cooker helps them to be soft. It can be cooked without using pressure cooker. (Optional). Use of onions and garlic is optional. ( I have not used). You can use tamarind pulp instead of tamarind chutney/tokku. Taste differs. Adding a teaspoon of butter/ghee to Mixed Spicy Dal taste better. (Optional). Use of more/less chilly is optional. 

Time : 30 Minutes.

Serves : 3 to 4.

Corn Poha Mixture

Celebration includes Sweets and Savoury/Namkeens. The varieties of sweets and salty dishes do add colours to festivals. I think every one agree with me. My feeling is that the preparations should be short and quick and not that heavy to munch.  Thinking of this I have prepared " Corn Poha Mixture", which is very easy to prepare and love to munch whenever you feel like. 

Corn Poha is prepared using Sweet Corn. Poha fluffs up when You fry. It has a crunchy feel. So here we go with one more crunchy munching " Corn Poha Mixture.

It is as simple as always. A very few ingredients are used . Corn Poha Groundnuts, salt and chilly Powders is the basic Ingredients.

You can add what ever you wish to. Example Sev/Om Pudi and  Puffed rice/Mandakki etc, etc.

Let us see the recipe now :

Ingredients :

Corn Poha : 2 Cups.

Oil : 1 Cup

Ground Nuts : 1/2 Cup

Salt : As required 

Chilly Powder : 1/2 or less than 1/2 Teaspoon

Curry leaves : 1 Handful. 

Method :

1. Wash and dry curry leaves. ( Moisture should be disappeared). 

2. Keep corn poha in a plate.

3.  Keep a frying pan on the fire and put oil to it.

3. Let it get hot. Take a small quantity of corn poha and leave it slowly in hot oil.

4. Let the flame be medium. Corn Poha starts to fluff up. 

5. Once it fluffs up remove done corn poha from oil. Put it on kitchen tissue.

6. Repeat the same procedure and fry all the corn poha.

7. The flame should be adjusted according to heat.

8. Now fry groundnuts and curry leaves till golden brown. Remove and put it on a kitchen tissue.

9. Put fried corn poha and groundnuts to a big bowl.

10. Add required salt and chilly powder mix it well. 

11. Now " Corn Poha Mixture " is ready to serve.

12. I have added little Puffed Rice/Mandakki/Puri to it. 

Note :

Take care of the flame while frying Corn Poha. You can use a big siever to fry corn poha. Put little corn poha to a siever and dip that siever in hot oil. It is easy to fry with siever. 

Use of more /less ground is optional. Any other spice like garam masala, chat masala can be added instead of chilly powder.(Optional).

Time : 20 Minutes.

Serves : As you wish.  

Quick Kodubale

Happy Deepavali to All. Festival of lights ..spreading the light to each and every one..Stay blessed.

Deepavali is fun to enjoy with full of hearts. Lighting Jyothis to chase away the darkness, bringing happiness by distributing sweets and namkeens (salted snacks) is a good thought indeed. Lets have one more spicy snack which is very famous in India and other countries of the world. That is Kodubale. Kodubale means a bangle shaped spicy snack.

It can be prepared using different ingredients. I too have prepared some different varieties of kodubales.

Let us see the recipe of Quick Kodubale. Kodubale, one of the yummy dish which goes well with a cup of coffee, as a side dish like papad, or when you are watching movie or any t.v. serial. 

I have used rice flour, chenna flour, chiroti rava, chilly powder, little jeera, oma (ajwan), salt and butter.

No maida/all purpose flour in this Kodubale recipe. You can also prepare lovely nippattu with same dough.

Things Needed :

Fine Rice flour : 2 Cups

Roasted Chenna / Pottu kadale/Huri kadale : 1/4 Cup

Chiroti Rava /Thin variety of semolina : 1 Tablespoon

Butter :  1 1/2 Tablespoons

Chilly Powder : 2 Teaspoons

Ajwan/ Oma /Carom seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon

Salt : As required :

Jeera /Cumin Seeds : 1 Teaspoon

Ingh/Asfoetida : A little 

Cooking Oil : 2 Cups or little less

Method :

1. Take a big bowl and add rice flour, rava/thin semolina, salt, butter, jeera, Carom seeds, Ingh and chilly powder.

2. Powder Roasted Chenna and add it with other ingredients. Mix all the ingredients well.

3. Add required water slowly and prepare dough. Kneed the dough well.

4. Divide the dough into small portion.

5. Take a small portion of the dough and then with your palm make a rope shape.

6. Join two ends and make circle. Arrange these done kodubales in a tray or plate.

7. Keep a frying pan on the fire and heat. Slowly drop in the done kodublales. 

8. Fry them on low and medium flame till they turn golden brown. 

9. Fry them on both sides and remove it from the oil. Put it on a kitchen tissue.

10. Repeat the same with remaining dough and prepare kodubales.

11. Store them in a airtight bottle /box once it is cooled.

12. Serve with cup of coffee/tea/Fresh juice.

Note :

Do not add more butter. It will turn very soft and get powdered while frying. You can also add sesame seeds instead of carom seeds. Use of more chilly is optional. Use of any cooking oil is optional. Do not make the dough very soft. It absorbs more oil if the dough turn very soft. Add little more rice flour and kneed the dough well before preparing. 

Time 30 Minutes

Serves : 25 to 30 Kodubales. (According to size and shape. 

Mangalore Cucumber Spicy Curry

Mangalore Cucumber/Managalooru Soutekai/bannada southekai is one of the nutritious vegetable   available around the year. I have tried Mangalore Cucumber Spicy Curry here and it is yummy and quick.

I have used Mangalore Cucumber, toor dal and spice powder prepared at home. (ಹುಳಿ ಪುಡಿ/curry powder). I have used little cinnamon in curry powder. So let us see some benefits of using cinnamon here.
Use of cinnamon in our daily diet.
Cinnamon is one of the spice used in many Indian kitchens. We get cinnamon from the inner bark of Cinnamomum Trees. Cinnamon has a sweet aroma and it is delicious and contain medicinal properties. It helps to lower the blood suger levels, reduce heart disease risk factors. Cinnamon is rich source of antioxidants and anti inflammatory properties. Cinnamon helps to fight against fungal infections because they do contain anti fungal and anti bacterial properties.
Caution : Always make sure you use very little quantity of cinnamon at times.
No Onion or No garlic Recipe.
Happy to say these are our home grown Mangalore Cucumber/Mangalore Southekai.

Let us see the recipe Now :

Things Needed :

To Cook :
Mangalore Cucumber Pieces :  1 Big bowl. (Cut into very small pieces).
Toor Dal : 1/4 Cup
To Add :
Home Prepared Spice Powder : 2 Tablespoons
Tamarind Pulp : 1Tablespoon (A small marble size).
Jaggery : 1 Teaspoon
Methi seeds : 1/4 Teaspoon
Salt : As Required
Coriander leaves : 2 to 3 Tablespoons.
For seasoning :
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Jeera : 1/2 Teaspoon
Coconut Oil : 1 Tablespoon
Ingh /Asafoetida : A pinch
Curry Leaves : 6 to 8

Method : 

1. Wash and cut Mangalore southekai into very small pieces. Soak the cut pieces in a bowl of water.
( Remove the outer layer of cucumber and then cut into small pieces). Wash and cut coriander leaves into small pieces.

2. Wash and cook toor dal and keep it aside. Soak tamarind in hot water and squeeze out the pulp.
3. Keep a pan on the fire and put coconut oil.Add mustard seeds and little jeera.
4. Let mustard splutter. Add ingh, curry leaves and mix it well.
5. Add cut mangalore cucumber and stir once. Add required water and cook for till they turn soft.

6. Add cooked dal to cooked mangalore cucumber pieces. Add pinch of turmeric. Add methi seeds.
7. Add required salt and tamarind pulp. Mix it nicely and let it cook for 2 minutes.
8. Add home prepared spice powder and stir it slowly and let it mix it well.

9. Let it cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Shift the ready " Mangalore Cucumber Spicy Curry" to a serving dish. Add cut coriander leaves.

10. Serve with the main dish you have prepared.

Note :

You can use moong dal instead of toor dal.(Optional).
Use of home prepared spice powder is optional. You can use any brand of sambar /rasam powder. The taste differ.
Use of onion and garlic is optional.
Use of any cooking oil is optional.
Putting Mangalore Cucumber pieces in a bowl of water helps to remove the bitterness in the pieces, or the curry might turn as bitter and you will not be able to eat it.
Time : 30 Minutes.
Serves : 2 to 3 
Type :  South Indian curry : Mild Spicy.

Recipe for Home Prepared Spice Powder :

Dry roast 1/4 Teaspoon of methi seeds, 3 tablespoons of coriander seeds, 6 to 7 byadagi red chilly, 1/2 Teaspoon of jeera, 1/2 teaspoon of urid dal, 1/2 teaspoon of channa dal, an inch of cinnamon piece, 2 to 3 tablespoons of copra. (Dried coconut pieces) and handful of curry leaves with little ingh.
Dry roast one by one and let it cool. Dry grind and powder to get home prepared spice powder.