One Dish Dhal - goes very well with rice & roti! Moong dhal & masoor dhal - each ¼ cup (soak together for 30 mts) Choppe ginger, garlic (optional) - 1 tsp each Green chilli - 1, slit 3-4 ladies’ finger - cut into 1” long Cluster beans - ½ cup (1: long) Brinjal pieces - ½ cup (1” long) Drumstick - (cut to 2” pieces) Carrot cubes - ¼ cup Potato cubes - ¼ cup Sweet corn kernels - ½ cup To temper: Oil + ghee - 1 tbsp Jeera - 1 tsp Hing, salt Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Curry leaves - few Pressurise dhals with haldi, ginger, garlic & green chilli till soft. Remove the chilli & mash. In a pressure pan, temper as given, add all vegetables & sauté for 5 mts. Add ½ cup of water, little salt & cook for one whistle. Cool, open & add the dhal mixture. Add water to get the required consistency & simmer for about 10 mts. This is a very tasty dhal.
Methiche Varan - I just fell in love with this!! Let me first tell you something deceptively simple but very successful. I plan to post this in Tips. Methi leaves: Pick clean leaves, wash thoroughly, drain & spread on a cloth for 3-4 hrs. They become perfectly free from moisture. Now take them in a shallow vessel, smear a tsp of oil on the leaves with hand & MW hi for 2-3 mts. They become absolutely crisp. If necessary MW for a mte or so more. Cool & crumble with your palm & preserve in the fridge. I use this for methi paratha, the following dhal etc. Methi leaves (if not by the above method, chop fine & use) - 1 cup Tur dhal - 1 cup Jaggery - 2 tsp Chilli powder - 1 tsp Salt, haldi To temper: Ghee - 1 tbsp Hing - ¼ tsp First wash & soak for 30 mts, then pressurise tur dhal with haldi, adding 3 cups of water till soft. Mash, add jaggery & chilli powder. Simmer for a few ts & remove. Temper & add hing. Next add methi leaes & sauté for 2 mts. Pour this over the cooked dhal, mix & serve hot with rice+ghee or rotis..
Palak Tur Dhal - a slightly masala taste! Pressurise together till soft: Tur dhal - 1 cup +2 cups of water Minced green chillies+ginger - 2 tsp Chopped palak - 3-4 cups Haldi Cool & whisk well. Temper: Ghee - 1 tbsp Bay leaf - 1 Cloves - 2,3 Red chillies 2,3 broken Jeera - 1 tsp Hing - ¼ tsp Add tempered ingredients to dhal & simmer to blend. Remove & add lime juice to taste.
Ridgegourd-Dhal - very creamy & delicious!! Moong dhal - 1 cup Peeled & chopped Ridgegourd - 4 cups Minced green chilli-ginger - 2 tsp Finely chopped onions - 1 cup Salt, haldi To temper: Oil + ghee - 1=1` tsp Jeera - 1 tsp Hing - ½ tsp Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Garam masala - ½ tsp (or more) Pressurise dhal with haldi, & minced green chilli-ginger till soft, in a pressure cooker. Cool & whisk. Heat 1 tsp oil & sauté the onions till glossy. Add vegetable pieces & just ½ cup of water. Cover & cook till tender. Mix both dhal & vegs & simmer adding salt. Heat ghee & temper as given. Mix well & garnish with coriander leaves.
Instant Morkuzambu Powder & kuzhambu - this takes exactly 5 mts! For SBS photos, please go to Instant Morkuzambu Jiffy morkuzambu: The following powder, if made & stored helps one make morkuzambu in 5 mts. If you want to add vegetables, it takes, one-whisle time or the vegetable-cooking time. Roast to golden brown on a dry kadai & powder: Gram dhal - 4 tbsp Red chillies - 8-10 Jeera - 3 tsp Methi & pepper - ½ tsp, each Curry leaves - few Beat one cup of thick curds well, add to it 1 tbsp of the above powder & mix thoroughly. In a kadai, heat 1 tsp oil & temper 1 red chilli, mustard seeds, methi seeds (or powder) & curry leaves. Add the above mixture & switch off immediately. Keep stirring for 2-3 mts & add salt. If adding vegetables, boil them with littler salt & minimum water & then add curd-mixture. Temper last.
Mooli Moong Dhal - superb with rice & ghee!! Yellow moong dhal - ½ cup White radish, grated fine - 1` cup Jeera - 1 tsp Bayleaf - 1 no: Cloves - 3 Minced green chillies & ginger - 1 tsp, each (or to taste) Salt, haldi, hing Chilli powder - 1 tsp Ghee - 1 tbsp Chopped coriander leaves Cook dhal, radish, haldi & little salt with 2 cups of water till the dhal is tender. Whisk well to mash. Heat ghee & temper with the spices, hing, green chilli-ginger minced, chilli powder And sauté for 2-3 mts. Add the dhal mixture, a little more salt & more water, if necessary. Simmer to blend & remove. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve.
Sweet Potato Melgore - a Udupi dish!! This is a mild, not-spicy dish. Sweet potatoes (medium) - 3 Chopped tomatoes - 3, medium Green chillies - 3-4, slit Coconut milk - 1 cup (1/3 cup fresh coconut +1 cup warm water, blended & strained) To temper: Oil - 1 tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Cinnamon - 1 “ Cloves - 3-4 Salt Peel & chop sweet potato into cubes. Boil in 1 cup of water. When cooked, temper as given & add. Next add chopped tomatoes +green chillies. Cook for a few mts. Finally add coconut milk & salt. Simmer for a few mtes & remove. It tends to thicken on cooling; so make this slightly loose. Goes with rice+ghee and roti also.
Dosakkai Pappu - a spicy pappu! Dosakkai is the cucumber variety, popular in Andhra. Slice from both ends & test for bitterness. Peel & cut into 1 cm cubes. Tur dhal - ½ cup Dosakkai cubes - 1 cup Green chillies - 2 (slit long) Tomatoes - 2, copped Tamarind paste - 2 tsp (or to taste) Chilli powder - 1 tsp To temper: Ghee - 2 tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Urad dhal - 2 tsp Chopped garlic - 1 tsp (optional) Salt, haldi, hing, curry leaves Chooped coriander leaves - to garnish Boil dhal with green chillies & haldi till soft. Whisk well & keep. In a pressure pan, heat ghee & temper as given. Add chilli powder & tomatoes, sauté well & add dosakkai cubes. Add salt, tamarind paste & just ½ cup of water & cook for a whistle. Cool, open, add cooked dhal & simmer. Adding little jaggery when simmerng enhances the taste. Garnish & serve with hot white rice+ghee or roti.
Ripe Mango Gravy - goes very well with rice! This is an extremely simple kuzambu to make. Any variety of mango suits this dish. Peel, cut & blend. Pulp - 2 cups Ghee - 2 tsp Jeera - 1 tsp Hing - ¼ tsp Red chilli powder & dhaniya powder - 1 tsp, each (more, by option) Salt, haldi In a kadai, heat ghee & temper jeera & hing. Add masalas, fry for a few secs & add ½ cup of water + salt. When it starts boiling, add the pulp. Simmer to boil & remove.
Easy Poricha Kuzambu - ultimate dish for dieters! There is no tamarind; it is best made with a single vegetable, like, avarakkai, snakegourd, french beans, cabbage or brinjal. You can use either of the following dhal combinations - half tur dhal+half moong dhal, half moong dhal+half masoor dhal or plain tur dhal. Uncooked dhal (any combination) - ½ cup Cubed vegetables - 3 cups Sambar powder - 2 tsp Hing - ½ tsp Salt, haldi To temper; Oil - 1 tsp Mustard seeds - 1 tsp Urad dhal - 2 tsp Curry leaves - few To the cooked dhal, add vegetables, sambar powder, hing & salt& cook for 1 or 2 whistles depending on how fresh the vegetables are. Add less water because if the consistency is thick, it can be diluted by adding little more boiled water. Cool, open & temper. Goes best with rotis or rice, raitha, roast curry & papad. Tur dhal+beans moong dhal+masoor dhal moong dhal+cabbage tur dhal+ masoor dhal snakegourd+moong dhal