Spinach Raita

 I prefer raitas to go along with my rotis, especially during my lonely lunches on weekdays. Raitas are usually simple, quick, convenient and nutritious. What more you can ask for in a side dish? I have used low fat yogurt and frozen spinach in this version which can be put together in around 10 minutes.

Ingredients:
5 oz / 150 gm frozen spinach
2 cups yogurt (fat-free will do.)
2 tsp. oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
4 to 6 dried red chiilies (Adjust according to spice preference.)
a sprig of curry leaves
2 pinches of asafoetida powder 

The following are the simple steps for this healthy and tasty raita.
* Thaw and lightly cook spinach in the microwave without adding extra water. After spinach is done, drain any extra water if present.
* Meanwhile, lightly beat the yogurt using a whisk or a fork.
Now for the tadka part in microwave. Heat oil and mustard seeds in a microwave safe bowl. When the seeds start to crackle and pop, add chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida. Heat for a few seconds more.
* Add the cooked spinach, tadka and salt to the yogurt. Mix well and serve.

Note: 
If substituting fresh spinach, wash and roughly chop. Sprinkle a little water and cook in the microwave. If using stove top, you can first do the tadka in a pan and saute chopped spinach till done.

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Rava - Semiya Payasam

Semolina - Vermicelli Payasam:
I prefer quick and easy payasams for neivedyam and yesterday I prepared rava - semiya payasam. This is another delicious, simple payasam from my kitchen for those with a sweet tooth. The filling semolina and vermicelli combine with the coconut which lends a rich, sweet flavor and adds a little crunch to the dish. 

Ingredients for 8-10 servings:  
A fistful or 2 Tbsp of each - semiya(vermicelli), rava(semolina) and shredded, fresh/frozen coconut  
Milk - 4 cups  
Sugar - 1/4 cup or to taste  
1/2 tsp cardamom powder  
1 tsp ghee (clarified butter)  
1 Tbsp cashew nuts & raisins  
The 'how' part:  
Heat the milk, preferably in a non stick sauce pan. Mean while, dry fry the vermicelli and the semolina separately till the vermicelli browns uniformly and rava starts to brown. Add the vermicelli, rava and coconut to the milk and let them cook till done. (You know that it is done when the vermicelli is cooked.) Add some more milk if the payasam is thick. Add the sugar and cardamom powder and cook for a couple more minutes till sugar is dissolved. Heat ghee in a small pan and add cashews and raisins to it. Stir them with a spoon till cashews turn golden brown and raisins plump. Turn off the stove and add them to the cooked payasam. Serve them hot or chilled. 

Related Post: Carrot - Vermicelli Payasam 

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Happy Dasara and Steamed Green Beans with Moongdal & Senaga Guggillu

Happy Dasara to everyone. I prepared a simple neivedyam as Dasara (navarathri) began today. It included green beans koora, eggplant-tomato sambhar, puliyogare, semiya payasam and senaga guggilu. And today I am posting recipes for a couple of them. The first one is steamed green beans with moongdal.

Beans - PesaraPappu Koora: Green bean is one of my favorite vegetable and so is frequently cooked in my kitchen. I use them in various ways and here is one easier method to cook green beans.

Ingredients:
A fistful of moongdal
2 tsp. canola / peanut oil
2 tsp. oil
1 tsp. chana dal / split chickpeas
1 tsp. urad dal / skinned black gram
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
A sprig of curry leaves
4 dried red chilles (more or less to taste.)
1/4 cup shredded fresh / frpzen coconut
Salt to taste
Method:
* Wash and soak a handful of moongdal (skinned, split green lentils) in water for an hour or two. Then drain the water and keep the moongdal aside.
* Wash, trim the ends and chop the green beans into 1/4 inch bits. (String before chopping, if necessary. Usually the beans I find here, need no stringing.)
* Add the chopped beans and about 2 tbsp. of water to a pressure cooker and cook for 2 -3 whistles. When the valve pressure is gone, remove the beans and drain them in a colander.
* Heat oil in a sauté pan. Add chanadal, uraddal, mustard seeds & cumin seeds in that order. When the dals turn reddish, add red chillies ( broken into bits), curry leaves and sauté them for a few seconds. Then add the cooked beans, moongdal, salt and coconut to the pan. Saute them for about 3 to 4 minutes on low flame and turn off the stove.

Now the other recipe is for Senaga Guggillu / Kala Chana Salad. Guggillu / Usli / Sundal or what ever you call them depending upon where you live is nothing but a (South) Indian style bean salad. Dried beans are soaked, cooked till tender and then seasoned with spices and flavored with some shredded, fresh coconut and lime juice at the end. Senagalu - the brown chick peas are one of the favorite beans used to prepare the guggillu. Often served as prasadam at temples in Southern India, this is a fulfilling snack anytime of the day.

For 4 servings, wash and soak 4 fistfuls of dried, black chick peas overnight. In the morning, drain the water, wash the chickpeas twice and cook with about 4 to 6 cups of water in a pressure cooker. After the valve pressure is gone, remove the chickpeas from the cooker. Drain the water and wash the chickpeas with fresh water once or twice. Heat about a tbsp. of canola/peanut oil in a sauté pan. Heat about a tsp. each of chana dal / split chick peas and mustard seeds. When chana dal turns reddish, add a few curry leaves and two finely chopped green chillies. Saute them for about 30 seconds and add cooked chickpeas, 1/4 cup of fresh, shredded coconut , salt and a tbsp. minced cilantro. Saute them for a couple of minutes more. Remove and add juice squeezed from a lemon. Stir well and serve. Kitchen Tip: While buying green beans, make sure they look fresh and green and when bent, they snap with a crisp sound.

Other related posts:
Kala Chana Sprouts Salad
Carrot & Beans with Moongdal

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Easy-Breezy Breakfast on a Lazy Weekend - Godhuma Dosa / Wheat Flour Dosa

I prefer to cook (especially the breakfasts) simple on weekends. On the other hand, my husband who is is not a sugary cereal / bread person prefers Indian breakfasts so that he can devour them leisurely. In the bargain, I vote for dosas -the no ferment, instant kinds. I prepare the batter and if I am not in the mood, he chips in.
While the rice flour dosas are from my mother, these wheat flour dosas are from my MIL's kitchen. Easy to prepare batter and the lacy, crisp dosas would make them any one's favorite. Serve them hot with any chutney or pickle and you would have a decent breakfast (or even a meal). :)

 

How to prepare batter for about 10 - 12 dosas:Mix about a cup of wheat flour / atta and 1/2 cup of rice flour and 2 tsp of salt in a steel bowl /container. Add about 3 & 1/2 cups of water to the mixture and prepare a thin, lump free batter. (I gave the water measurement just for an idea and the cup is about 235 ml, the same one I used for the dry ingredients. However use discretion while adding water just noting that it should be watery like rava dosa batter.)
Heat about 1 tsp oil in a small pan and add 1 tsp mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add a pinch of asafoetida powder to it and turn off the stove. Add this to the flour mixture and mix well.
Use the batter immediately to make dosas.

Making the dosas:
You need the above batter, oil (canola or peanut) and a griddle to make dosas. Heat a griddle or a shallow pan. Sprinkle a few drops of water on the hot pan. If the water sizzles, the pan is ready. Take a ladle full of batter and pour it from a little height on to the griddle. Start pouring the batter from outside circle of the griddle. The wheat flour batter is sticky and so spreading it with the back of the ladle as traditional dosas should be avoided. It will spread on it's own and fill any gaps in the middle with dosa batter. Pour about half a tsp of oil around the edges of dosa and let it cook on medium flame. When the dosa turns browner (the side closer to the griddle), flip it and again pour another 1/2 tsp oil around the edges and let it cook for a minute and remove it.
Repeat the same with the remaining batter.


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Chayote Chutney / సీమ వంకాయ పచ్చడి

    
I am sharing here another vegetable chutney that goes well with rice. The mild sweetness of the chayote is well balanced with the lentils and the spices used in this lip smacking chutney. 

Ingredients:
1 small sized chayote
4 tsp. oil 
1 tbsp. chana dal / split chickpeas
1 tbsp. urad dal / black gram
1 tsp. mustard seeds
A pinch of fenugreek seeds
4 -6 dried red chillies (depending upon their heat)
1/16 tsp. turmeric powder
3/4 tsp. sized tamarind ball
2 pinches of asafoetida powder
Salt to taste

Method:
* Peel a chayote, quarter and remove the center seed. Cut into cubes. (I had about a cup of chayote cubes) 
* Heat the oil in a small saute pan and add chana dal, urad dala nd mustard seeds. 
* When the dals turn reddish and the mustard seeds start to pop, add fenugreek seeds and chillies (Fenugreek seeds burn faster and so are added at the end.) 
* Stir them once and add the chayote, tamarind and turmeric. Lower the heat, cover the dish and cook the chayote till it is done (becomes softer.) 
* When the chayote is cooked add asafoetida and turn off the stove. Set the pan aside and let the contents cool.
* Grind the ingredients coarsely, adding salt. 
* Transfer the chutney to a bowl and serve with hot rice and a tsp of ghee.   
* Cover the remaining chutney and keep it refrigerated. It stays fresh for 3 - 4 days.
   

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