Edamame - Millet Khichdi

I picked 'easy dinner ideas' as my theme for this week's marathon which required the dish to be a meal by itself or can be served as a main course. This healthy and tasty khichadi happens to be a one pot meal, prepared with millet, spinach and edamame and one that can be cooked at the last minute. It is quite a simple and easy preparation as all you do is dump everything into a cooker / pot and cook them. I cooked the khichadi directly in a small sized pressure cooker but of course it can be cooked in any sturdy pot on stove top, under 30 minutes. 

Edamame pronounced 'eh-dah-maa-may' is the Japanese term for the young soybeans that are harvested before they get ripened. They are available both in pods / shelled forms, fresh or frozen. They are great to snack on or tossing them in a stir fry or salad. I have used frozen ones here and added them along with spinach and potato to boost the nutrition factor of this khichdi. I used the yellow colored millet commonly available in US stores and threw in a handful of Basmati rice as well. Substitute any long grain / Basmati rice or a combination of rice and millets or any other quick cooking grain in place of millets. This edamame and millet khichdi is a quick, wholesome and nutritious meal that can be prepared under 30 minutes.  

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. ghee and/or oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 cloves
2 cardamom pods
1 inch piece cinnamon
1 bay leaf
2 green chilies or according to spiciness preferred
1/2 inch piece ginger, grated and crushed
1 big onion, sliced
1 big tomato
1 potato, chopped
1/2 cup edamame (I used about a cup of edamame and that quantity seemed more.)
2 cups chopped spinach
A pinch of asafoetida
1 tsp. garam masala (optional but recommended.)
1/8 tsp. ground turmeric
Salt to taste
1/2 cup millets
1/4 cup yellow moong dal
2 cups + extra water

Directions:
* Wash millets and moong dal, drain and keep aside.
* Heat ghee / oil directly in a pressure cooker and add cumin seeds, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaf. Toast for few seconds until you start to smell fragrance of the spices.
* Add the chopped green chillies and ginger and saute for few seconds. Next add onion and saute until golden brown. After onions are done, add tomatoes and cook until they soften.
* Next add potatoes, spinach, edamame, turmeric, salt (I used about 2 tsp.), garam masala, millets, moong dal and about 2 cups of water.
* Close the lid, put the valve on and pressure cook for 3 whistles. 
* When the valve pressure is gone, remove the lid and check the consistency. Do the taste testing to check the seasonings. If needed, add salt / chili powder. If the khichdi appears too thick, add a cup of water (or as needed). Simmer for few minutes until it starts to bubble, stirring in between to avoid the khichdi sticking to the bottom of the cooker. 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page to find what other marathoners are cooking.

Comments

Subzis for Siri ~ Fennel Flavored, Mixed Vegetable Subzi

Today's recipe is for Siri.  Not one but for two Siris. One is my sister and the other one being Siri of Siri's Corner. She is guest hosting Indira's Jihva this month and the theme ingredient is Fennel Seeds.

A couple of years ago, we had a subzi with rotis at the local Swami Narayan Temple, which they were selling under the name of some shaak. Shaak is the Gujarati name for the subzi / curry.
It had cluster beans, yams and some other unrecognizable veggies with oodles of sugar added. Though sweeter to my taste, the assortment of vegetables in some unfamiliar gravy had an appealing flavor. It was quite different from the subzis I had eaten earlier. I attempted to recreate that subzi a few days later at home since I happened to like it.
Though I didn’t know what went into it, my taste buds gave a vague idea about the spices that may have created the magic. I played a little with the spices in my pantry and created this subzi. It turned out quite well and though not exact, but almost tasted similar to the temple dish. Though many spices are used, fennel seeds stand out with the aroma and flavor they impart to this dish.
This is only an inspired dish from the temple kitchen and not the original one. I therefore have taken the liberty of a cook and have used my choice of veggies and spices.
Hope you would give a try.

Ingredients that would serve 5-6 people:
Chopped onions & tomatoes (I used 2 each, small sized ones)
Chopped vegetables - about 3 cups (I used carrots, potatoes, Green beans, peas and edamame)
Salt - 1.5 tsp
Canola Oil / peanut oil - 1 Tbsp
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
For the paste: 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp poppy seeds, Seeds from 2 cardamom pods, 2 cloves, 2 small pieces of cinnamon, a small piece of ginger, 3 small sized green chilies of medium heat, 1 tbsp cilantro/coriander leaves and 3 tbsp of shredded fresh coconut

Method:
Heat oil in a kadai or deep-based sauté pan. Add the cumin seeds and when they start to sizzle, add the onions and turmeric powder. Cook on slow flame, stirring in between till onion turns translucent. Then add the tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring. Add all the vegetables and add sufficient water so that all the vegetables are covered in water. Cook on high flame till the vegetables are done. Keep an eye and add extra water, if needed. Vegetables must be tender but still hold their shape.
Mean while; grind all the ingredients mentioned in the list adding a little water. Add the paste and salt. If the subzi seems dry, a little water can be added at this point.
Let the vegetables simmer for about 5 minutes on slow flame so that all the flavors mingle.
Serve hot with rotis.

Post a comment

Masoor Dal Sambhar

I opt for masoor dal when I need to cook a quick meal. This orange hued dal which turns yellow on cooking is one of the fastest cooking bean. It neither needs prior soaking nor a pressure cooker (to speed up the cooking process) as in the case of other beans. Besides those quick fix meals which are done in about 20 minutes, I reserve this dal even to those ocassions when I am feeling lethargic but still need a substantial meal. I usually prepare a sambhar or simple yet delicious dal tadka using masoor dal.



Though toordal is the commonly used bean to prepare sambhar, some other beans such as masoordal works well too. Sambhar - the signature South Indian vegetable - lentil stew gets its flavor and oomph from sambhar powder - the spice mixture used in the dish.
Coming to sambhar powder, there is no standard recipe as such. Probably, there are as many variations as the number of households in the region. Even in our families, everyone doesn't follow the same recipe for the sambhar powder. Each have their own cherished recipe which they follow and enjoy. The recipe which I am giving is from M's SILs which I personally like.
Sambhar Powder Recipe:
Ingredients for sambhar powder:
Chanadal - 1/4 cup
Coriander seeds - 1 cup (Quantity can be decreased / increased by 1/2 cup depending upon the spiciness preferred.)
Fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
Shredded copra - 1/2 cup
Red Chillies - 10- 15

Method:
Dry fry the chana dal in a saute pan on low-medium flame till it turns reddish. Remove the chanadal and add the coriander seeds to the same pan and fry them. Pay attention as they burn easily. When they start to turn brownish and release aroma, add the fenugreek seeds & the red chillies. Saute them for a few seconds and turn off the stove. Cool the mixture and grind it into fine powder using a spice grinder. Store it in an airtight container.
Note: Decrease / increase the quantity of ingredients proportionately depending upon how much sambhar powder needs to be prepared.



Sambhar Recipe:
Ingredients required:
1/2 cup masoor dal
2 cups chopped veggies (I used carrots, green beans, radish, tomato & fresh soy beans)
3.5 cups water
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sambhar powder
1&1/2 tsp chili powder
Lime sized tamarind ( Soak the tamarind in a cup of water or nuke it in a microwave along with little water for about a couple of minutes. Squeeze the tamarind well with your fingers or put through a sieve and collect the thick pulp. Throw away the husks & residue.)
For tadka / popu: 1 tsp canola/peanut oil, 1 tsp each of mustard & cumin seeds, a little asafoetida and curry leaves

The cooking part:
Wash the masoordal in two changes of water. Then add it to an Indian style wok/deeper sauce pan. Add the vegetables, water and turmeric powder to it and cook it on medium - high heat till the dal is cooked.
After the dal is cooked, add the salt, chili powder, sambhar powder, 3 Tbsp tamarind puree and mix well. Taste and adjust the salt/tamarind if needed and add a little water if the sambhar is thicker. Bring it to a rolling boil, turn down the heat and let the sambhar simmer for about a couple of minutes more.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds & cumin seeds to it. When mustard seeds start to pop, add the asafoetida & curry leaves and turn off the stove.
Add this to the sambhar and mix well.
Serve this with hot, steamed rice and a tsp of ghee.



This goes to Think Spice - Think Coriander Seeds, guest hosted by Priya and the event creator is Sunitha.

Comments