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Khichdi, a medley of grain, lentils and vegetables is a common one pot meal prepared across Indian states. The regional variations keep this quick, humble meal interesting enough to keep it rotating in one's kitchen. Today's version supposedly comes from Bardoli, a suburb of Surat in Gujarat. The dish is a straight forward, no fuss kind prepared with the basic ingredients of an Indian kitchen. No special spices / spice powders are used here.
Raw mango which is a summer staple of Indian kitchens is an interesting addition to this filling khichdi, which drew me to this recipe in the first place. I had a couple of raw mangoes in my refrigerator even in the middle of winter though they don't t match up to the varieties available back home in any manner. The khichdi also had onions in the recipe which I decided to leave out. The khichdi turned out to be how it should be - nutritious, wholesome and simple. Good to go with some papad / lentil wafers, a spicy pickle and drizzled with some ghee on the top.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup yellow lentils / toor dal
1 tbsp. ghee / oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
2 green chillies, sliced
1/2 inch ginger, chopped
A pinch of asafoetida powder
1/8 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 cup rice
1 big sized potato, cut into cubes
1/2 cup raw mango, peeled and cubed
A handful of green peas
Salt to taste
Red chili powder to taste
Cilantro to garnish
Directions:
1. Soak lentils for about 2 hours and drain. (It cuts down the cooking time if the khichdi is going to be cooked in a pan or if the dal cannot be cooked for three whistles in a pressure cooker. Skip this step if lentils can be cooked in a pressure cooker in 2 or 3 whistles.)
2. Heat ghee in a thick bottomed pan on medium flame and add cumin seeds. When they start to brown, add chillies and ginger. Fry until ginger turns golden brown. Add asafoetida, turmeric, drained lentils and about 2 cups of water.
3. When the lentils are half cooked, add rinsed and drained rice and potato cubes. Keep adding water if needed. Add raw mango cubes after about 10 minutes and continue to cook. After about 5 minutes, add peas and continue to cook. When the rice and lentils are completely cooked, add salt and chili powder. Check the consistency and add water if needed. Bring the mixture to a boil if water was added and if not, cook for about two minutes and turn off the stove.
* Garnish with cilantro and serve warm.
Note:
Follow this method if using a pressure cooker. Heat ghee in the cooker directly and add cumin seeds. When they start to brown, add chillies and ginger. Fry until ginger turns golden brown. Add asafoetida, turmeric, drained lentils, rinsed and drained rice, potato, raw mango pieces, peas, salt, chili powder and about 2 cups of water. Close the cooker lid and pressure cook for two / three whistles.
Here is another rich and creamy curry as part of the 'Gravy Curry' themed marathon this week. Vegetable makhanwala or veg makhani preparation is similar to paneer butter masala and I prepared it using no onion or garlic. One of my sister in laws who is no more with us was married to a north Indian and the food prepared in her home was typically north Indian style one. I got to learn the basic variations of gravies for north Indian style curries from her daughters who are younger to me, during my initial days of cooking. The tips from them came to use for my yesterday's shahi paneer and today's curry.
The curry is cooked using 'makhan' aka butter and hence the name veg makhani, though one can do away with oil if counting calories. Similarly cream can be omitted too if not preferring rich curries. However butter and cream enhance the flavor of the dish and the curry would be a great choice when having company. The gravy is tomato based one here and the cashews added along lend a rich base to the curry. One wouldn't notice the absence of onions in this makhani recipe and the curry tastes absolutely delicious in spite of it. This curry makes a perfect dish for those who abstain from onion or garlic. The vegetables that can go into the dish are potatoes, beans, carrots, capsicum, cauliflower and peas. I omitted cauliflower and capsicum this time. Paneer or soy chunks can be added to make it more nutritious.
Ingredients:
3 cups mixed vegetables ( I used diced potatoes, diced carrots, beans cut into 1 inch pieces and peas.)
3 ripe red tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 inch piece of ginger
1 tbsp. cashews
1 tbsp. butter / oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds / caraway seeds
1 bay leaf
1/8 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. red chili powder or to taste
Water as needed (About 1.25 to 1.5 cups)
Salt to taste
1 tsp. crushed kasuri methi / dried fenugreek greens
3 tbsp. cream
1/2 tsp. garam masala
Minced cilantro leaves to garnish
Directions:
1. Pressure cook to 2 whistles or microwave the vegetables adding enough water. Save the water used to cook the vegetables to use later.
2. Grind together tomatoes, ginger and cashew together to a fine paste. (Garlic can be added if preferred.)
3. Heat butter / oil in a pan and add the ground tomato paste, turmeric powder and chili powder. Saute until the raw smell leaves and the fat / oil starts to leave the sides of the pan, about 10 minutes.
4. Add about 1.5 cups of water to the tomato paste. (Use the water used to cook the vegetables plus extra water if needed to make about 1.5 cups.) Cook until the gravy thickens, about 6 - 8 minutes.
5. Add the cooked vegetables, salt, kasuri methi, and garam masala to the pan and mix gently. Stir in the cream finally and mix well to combine. Turn off the stove.
6. Garnish with cilantro if preferred. Serve it with rotis / rice.
This post is an entry for Blogging Marathon #101 under 'Gravy Curries' theme.
Comments
Here is another traditionally deep fried snack in a guiltless form. The idea of roasted peas came last week when I was snacking on some sev mix that included fried peas. Somehow these peas never crossed my mind while planning this marathon though I have eaten roasted peas zillions of times before. This recipe is similar to the oven roasted chickpeas but the difference I noted is that it is hard to ruin this dish if done properly. The oven roasted version yields crispy, crunchy peas without any hardness. Enjoy a low calorie, yummy snack without any guilt.
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh / frozen peas (I used about 14 oz. frozen peas.)
2 tsp. oil
Salt & chili powder to taste
Method:
* Wash the frozen peas in a colander and drain completely. Blanch the peas if using the fresh variety and drain.
* Wrap them in a thick towel and leave them for about 15 - 20 minutes. Or can be dried between absorbent towels.
* Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.
* Combine peas, oil, salt and chili powder in a bowl and toss the bowl to combine. Or mix with your hand so that peas are coated well with the seasonings.
* Spread the peas on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and place it in the oven.
* Bake them, intermittently stirring once in every 10 to 12 minutes, until they turn crispy and crunchy. Do the taste testing to be sure.
(I baked around 60 minutes and turned off the oven. I left the baking sheet in the oven for another 15 to 20 minutes or so. Take the timings I mentioned as a mere guideline and start watching the peas carefully after about 30 minutes since the oven timings vary. )
