Pigeon Peas - Tomato Curry

Pigeon Peas/Toor peas/ Togari kalu available plenty in the market. It is green and fresh. We can prepare many dishes using this peas. It is healthy, protein filled and energetic.

I have used here Pigeon Peas in the dal and it is an easy dish as usual. I feel that cooking should be easy and enjoyable and yummy. You need to have little love for cooking. So the food you cook and serve will be definitely yummy.
Let us see some benefits of eating Pigeon Peas/Toor dal in our diet.
Pigeon Pea is a good source of protein as I said earlier. It is a dietary fiber and contain vitamins, minerals like magnesium, potassium, copper, phosphorus, and manganese. Pigeon peas is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. The health benefits of using pigeon peas is, ability to stimulate growth. It does contain potassium and it helps to control and manage blood pressure, It helps to prevent anemia and boost heart health and improve digestion. Pigeon peas contain B Vitamins and Vitamin C. They help to prevent the storage of fat and boost overall energy levels.
Let us see the recipe Now:
No Onions  and No Garlic added in this Pigeon Peas - Tomato Curry" and you can use it for any special day, feast or festival. The curry goes well with chapatis, dosa, idli and plain rice.

Things Needed :

To Cook :
Pigeon Peas : 2 Cups
Toor Dal : 1 Handful
To Add :
Green chilly : 2
Pepper Pods : 3 to 4
Tomatoes : 2 ( Medium size)
Dry Ginger : 1/2 Teaspoon
Rasam Powder/Sambar Powder : 2 Teaspoons ( I used MTR Rasam Powder).
Goose berry : 2 (Optional)
Salt : As required
Coriander leaves : 2 Tablespoons
For Tempering /Seasoning
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Urid Dal : 1/2 Teaspoon
Jeera /Cumin seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon (Optional)
Ingh/Asafoetida : A pinch
Curry Leaves : 6 to 8 Leaves
Oil : 1 Teaspoon
Ghee : 1 Tablespoon

Method :

1. Remove the pods of pigeon peas and wash it once. Wash toor dal. Cook both the legumes in pressure cooker/in a big cooking pan.

2. Wash and cut tomatoes, green chilly (slit in between) and coriander leaves into thin.

3. Crush pepper pods and keep it aside. Grate gooseberry and keep it aside.
4. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add oil and mustard seeds, urid dal and let mustard splutter.
5. Add jeera and ingh. Add cut green chilly and curry leaves. Fry for a second.
4. Add tomatoes and fry for 2 minutes. Add cooked dal and pigeon peas. Add crushed pepper.

5. Add salt, turmeric powder, dry ginger and mix it well. Let it cook for 2 minutes.

6. Add MTR Rasam powder and mix it nicely and cook for another 3 minutes.

7. Shift the curry to a serving bowl. Add grated gooseberry and coriander leaves.

8. Add a tablespoon of ghee and serve with hot plain rice/roti/chapati/idli/doa or poori

You can grate one or two gooseberry and put it in a bowl of thick curd and mix it nicely with coriander and salt. You can have this as one more side dish with the food.

Note :

Adding toor dal helps the curry to be thick and adds to the taste. Adding any brand of rasam/curry powder/sambar powder is optional. You can also add garam masala to the curry. Remember Garam Masala dries up the moisture in your body quickly and it is wise to use once in while. (healthy tip).
Adding lemon extract to the curry instead of gooseberry is optional.Taste differ. Adding fresh ginger gratings instead of dry ginger powder is optional. Adding onions or garlic to the curry is optional.
Time : 30 Minutes
Serves : 3 to  4.

Rava/Semolina Maddur Vada

Maddur Vada is loved by many and it is an easy snack to prepare enjoy your evening snack.
It can be prepared in many ways.  I am a fan of fried eatables. But I make sure it is done in healthy manner. Fried fritters are nice to have with a cup of coffee/tea or even fresh juice.

This Maddur Vada/Vade is prepared using Rava/Semolina, rice flour and wheat flour. Onions, green chilly and curry leaves are added and it has turned crispy and tasty.
These fritters are usually made with rice flour and Maida. (Alpurpose flour). I have used wheat instead of maida and Rava (more quantity) and less rice flour. Maddur Vada has turned crispy and crunchy. You must fry them on low and medium flame to get the crisp.
Eating oily food is not good for health they say. But you can not resist them. Just enjoy a few and work out, walk, dance and shed out the fat. That is what I can suggest.
Muddur Vada can be served as starter, party time, ladies kitty/tea party and you can have them as snack. Shelf life will only a day. (Fresh and fine).
Let us see the recipe Now :

Things Needed :

Rava/Semolina : 1 Cup (Medium sized)
Rice flour : 1/2 Cup
Wheat flour : 2 Tablespoon
Onions : 2 (Medium sized)
Green Chilly : 2 to 3 or more
Cumin Seeds/Jeerige : 1 Teaspoon
Salt : As required
Curry leaves : One Handful
Oil : 1 Cup (To fry)

Method :

1. Put all the flours (Wheat, Rice and Rava/Semolina) in a big bowl.
2. Remove the outer layer of onions and wash it. Cut into small pieces

3. Wash and cut green chilly and curry leaves in to small.
4. Mix all the ingredients nicely. (All flours, salt, chilly, cut onions and jeera).
5. Keep a pan and heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil and heat. Put this oil on the top of the flours.

6. Mix it slowly and add required water and prepare thick dough.
7. Divide the dough into small ball size.

8. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add oil. Let the oil get heated. (On low flame).
9. Take a small size dough and pat it on the palm and let it be palm size.

10. Put slowly the vada you have patted on the palm. Let it fry on low and medium flame.
11. Cook on both sides and remove from the oil. Put them on the kitchen tissue.

12. Repeat the same with remaining dough and prepare Maddur Vadas.

 13. Serve Hot Maddur Vadas with a cup of coffee/Tea/Fresh Juice.
14. Hot Vadas goes well with coconut chutney.

Note :

Let the dough be bit thick. Add rice flour if necessary. Adding more chilly is optional. Adding hot oil is optional. You can add butter instead of hot oil.
Time : 30 minutes
Serves : According to your servings : 20 Vadas can be prepared.

Green Tomato Sweet and Spicy Curry

Green Tomatoes Sweet and Spicy Curry is a bit sweet curry/menasukai/kairasa/gojju. Tomatoes are from our garden and makes me more happy to tell you Thats a nice thing to have plants at home. You can just pluck it and prepare it.

I have used green raw tomatoes, colocasia stems (which are also from our home garden) and some spices which adds to the taste.
Green tomato curry taste like menasukai as we say in Kannada which is one of the traditional dish. Menasu Kai (green chilly) is very famous and a must dish during feast. It has savoury, sweet and spicy taste.
Let us see some benefits of using " Turmeric powder " in our cooking.
Turmeric/Haladi/Yellow Powder has been used in India as spice and medicinal herb for thousands of years. The Curcumin is the main ingredient in turmeric and it has anti inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. It helps the body to fight against infections and has the ability to repair the damages caused. It also helps to improve brain function and lower the risk of brain disease. It lowers the heart diseases. It is also said that turmeric helps to prevent cancer. Turmeric is a good remedy for joint inflammation. It helps to control diabetes, reduces the cholesterol level in our body and a good immunity booster.
Let us see the recipe now : Happy to use tomatoes which are grown in our garden.

Things Needed :

To Cook :
Green Tomatoes : 10 to 12 (Small sized)
Kesuvina Dantu/Colocasia stems : 1 Cup
Jaggery : 2 Tablespoons
Tamarind Pulp : 2 Tablespoons
Salt : As required

For frying : Spices :
Methi/Fenugrik Seeds : 1/4 Teaspoon
Urid dal : 1Teaspoon
Channa Dal : 1 Teaspoon
Red chilly :Byadagi chilly : 5 to 6
Coriander Seeds : 1 Tablespoon
Jeera : 1/2 Teaspoon
Sesame Seeds/Ellu/Til : 1 Teaspoon
Curry Leaves : 5 to 6
Ingh/Asafoetida : A pinch

For Grinding :
Coconut : 1/2 Cup
Fried spices
For Seasoning :
Oil : 1 Teaspoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Urid dal : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh /Asafoetida : a pinch
Curry Leaves : 5 to 6

Method :

1. Wash and cut tomatoes and colocasia stems into small pieces. (Remove the outer layer of colocasia stems before cutting into small)

2. Soak gooseberry size tamarind in hot water for 5 minutes and squeeze out the pulp and keep the pulp aside.
3. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add 1/2 teaspoon of oil, 1/4 teaspoon of methi/fenugrik seeds.
Fry it till they turn slightly brown. Add red chilly and fry for 30 seconds.
4. Add Urid dal, channa dal and fry nicely. Add coriander seeds and sesame seeds. Fry for a minute.

5. Add curry leaves. 1/2 teaspoon of jeera/cumin seeds and put off the fire. Add ingh.
6. Mix all the ingredients well and let it cool. Grind it with little water and remove from the mixi jar.
7. Add coconut to the fried ingredients and grind it nicely with required water.

8. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add 1 teaspoon of oil and mustard seeds. Let it splutter.
9. Add curry leaves and ingh/Asafoetida, cut tomatoes and colocasia stems. Mix it nicely and fry.
10. Fry nicely for 5 minutes and add tamarind pulp and jaggery. (2 to 3 tablespoons).
11. Add little turmeric powder and required salt. Let it cook till it turns soft.

12. Add ground spice coconut mixture and mix it well. Boil it for 3 to 4 minutes.

13. Shift the ready " Green tomato Sweet and Spicy Curry" to a serving bowl.

14. Serve with the main dish you have prepared.

Note :

Adding colocasia stems is optional. Adding more/less jaggery is optional. Adding more/less chilly is optional.
Time  30 Minutes.
Serves : 3 to 4. 

Home grown tomatoes from our garden.

Avalakki Pongal

Happy Sankranthi One and All.

Avalakki/flattened rice/Poha/Pova/Aval Pongal is a healthy dish that you can prepare for this Sankranthi. Sankranthi is celebrated most of the states in India. It is to mark the first of the season and people pray and thank God for the good harvest.
It is also known as Makara Sankranthi because The Sun starts moving towards north and is called
" Uttaraayana ".
In South India people prepare Huggi/Pongal on this day and do Nevedyam to God. In Karnataka it is called Suggi Habba and the festival is celebrated for two days. First it is for the kids and the festival celebrated by doing Arati to Kids and "Ellu -Bella" (Sesame seeds and Jaggery), is poured on them to get away with the evil eyes. Little girls distributes "Ellu Bella " to housed around their neighbourhood. It is very beautiful sight seeing girls in traditional dresses and running around. The second day Huggi/kichidi/Pongal is prepared and Nevedyam is done to God and tasty traditional food is prepared and feast food is served to people at home.
Huggi is prepared using Moong dal and Raw Rice. Freshly harvested pulse and rice is used to cook this Pongal.
Sankranti is called in different names in different places. 
It is known as Makar Sankrnti, Thai Pongal, Uttarayan, Maghi, Bhogali Bihu, Shishur Saenkraat, Khichidi, Poush Sangkrant
As I said Pongal is an easy and one of the traditional dish, I used Avalakki instead of rice which helps in eating less starch.
I have used Avalakki, little Moong dal/Hesaru bele, ghee, jaggery, cardamom, raisins and cashews.

Let us see the recipe Now :

Things Needed :

Avalakki (Thick Variety) :  1 Cup
Moong Dal: 1/2 Cup
Jaggery : 1/2 Cup
Ghee : 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Fresh Coconut : 1/2 Cup
Cardamom : 3 to 4 Pods
Raisins and Cashews : 1 to 2 Tablespoons
Pepper Pods : 2 to 3

Method :

1. Wash and soak avalakki/poha/Flattened Rice for 10 to 20 minutes.
2. Wash and cook moong dal till it turns soft. Powder cardamom and keep it aside.
3. Add soaked avalakki and mix it well. Let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Add jaggery and mix it well. Add a spoon of ghee. Mix and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Let the avalakki -moong dal get the thick consistency. Add cardamom powder.
6. Mix it well and shift " Avalakki Pongal" to a serving dish.
7. Keep a pan on the fire and put 2 tablespoons of ghee. Fry raisins and cashews.
8. Add this fried cashews and raisins to " Avalakki Pongal" and serve with little ghee on top.

Note :

Use of jaggery More/Less is optional. Use of ghee more/less is optional. You can add same quantity of moong dal to avalakki. (Optional). Adding more/less nuts is also optional. Roasting the moong dal before cooking is optional. (According to your taste).
Time : 20 Minutes
Serves :  3 to 4.