Flavour Diary: March 2017

Methi Dal | Menthi Kura Pappu | Vegetarian | Andhra Cuisine | No Onion Garlic Recipes

Methi Dal is quick, easy, no onion garlic lentil recipe made of Methi/Fenugreek leaves/Menthul aaku and toor dal. This goes best with plain boiled rice/roti/chapati/phulka or any flavoured rice. Check out the video below for quick and easy Dal Recipe.

This and That of Fenugreek:
Fenugreek is grown world wide and India is ranked NO.1 in production of Fenugreek. Fenugreek leaves are used in both Dry and Fresh form in Indian cuisine in curries and dals. And Fenugreek seeds are used in spice mixes like panch poron, sambar spice mix and also Fenugreek seeds are soaked and sprouted and then used in salads and Fenugreek seed powder is used in pickle.
In traditional medicine, fenugreek is thought to promote digestion, reduce blood sugar levels in diabetics and also fenugreek has a long history of use for the treatment of reproductive disorders,to induce labor,to treat hormonal disorders, and to reduce menstrual pain.

Here are few Vegetarian Curries you might be interested in
Easy Mirchi Ka Salan
Palak Moong Dal Fry
Tawa Paneer Tikka Masala
Cabbage Carrot Kofta Curry
Achari Paneer

Level: easy
Total time: 30mins

serves:2-4

1 cup:250 ml
1 tablespoon: 15ml
1 teaspoon:5ml

Ingredients

Toor Dal : 1/2 cup
Methi/Fenugreek Leaves/Menthi kura: 1 cup
Water:1 cup
Tomato: 1 medium
Tamarind: golf ball size ( depending on tangyness)
Turmeric: 1/4th teaspoon
Red Chilli Powder: 1 teaspoon (to taste)
Salt to taste

Tadka:
Oil: 2 tablespoon
Mustard Seeds: 1 teaspoon
Cumin Seeds:1 teaspoon
Curry leaves: 1 spring
Dry Red Chillies: 2

Directions

Wash and soak toor dal in 1 cup of water for 1/2 hour.
In a pressure cooker add soaked toordal with water, chopped tomato, washed Methi/Fenugreek Leaves, tamarind, turmeric,chilli powder. Close the lid and pressure cook until you hear 2 or 3 whistles and dal is cooked.
Once pressure is released, open the lid and add salt to taste and mash the dal using masher or hand blender and keep it a side.
Tadka: In a small pan , add oil and once oil is hot add mustard seeds. Once mustard seeds pop, add cumin seeds, red chillies and curry leaves and stir until red chillies changes the colour.
Pour tadka on the dal and mix well and garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with rice/roti/phulka/naan or another flavoured rice.

Random yummies

Paneer Butter Masala

Kaddu Ki Puri

yogurt chocolate chip muffins

Caramel Custard

Basbousa - semolina cake

Today's recipe is interesting and unique way of having Black Seeds/Nigella Seeds/ Kalonji(hindi). Black seeds/Nigella/ Kalonji has many health benefits. They are rich of unsaturated important fatty acids, antioxidant, powerful immune booster. Even though they are bitter they are used in different cuisines in different ways from seasoning spices for salads,savory, soups,dips and bread…
And Palestine Cuisine has unquie way of using up bitter Black Seeds Paste (qizha) in a pie form which is quite unusal. When i saw this on web i wasn't sure whether i should give it a try or not, My mind was giving me lot many excuses for not making it like i don't have qizha paste and i don't know if that paste exist in near by grocessory but then my sweet tooth heart was telling me give it a go by making that paste at home and test the pie ....
I got to know that qizha paste is made out of sesame and nigella seeds but don't know whats the ratio of it ...so i tried it myself by using little less nigella seeds and little more sesame seeds. Check the recipe below for qizha paste.
How did Black Seed/Nigella Seed Pie tasted? If you have ever tasted black sesame seeds ladoo then its similar in taste .... if you haven't tasted then its like a soft cookie with sweet and very little bitterness in it.... I loved the taste and surprisingly my elder one too liked it.

Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet (sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ) said: “Use this Black Seed regularly, because it is a cure for every disease, except death.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Qizha Paste Recipe(Yeilds 1/4cup ):

Ingredients

Sesame seeds: 2 tablespoons

Nigella Seeds/Kalonji: 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon

Oil: 2 tablespoons

Directions

Dry roast sesame seeds and Nigella Seeds and put it small strong blender and add oil to it and blend until it forms smooth paste and your Qizah Paste is ready.

[Note qizah is made with my own ratio of sesame seeds and nigella seeds and i dont really know the exact ratio and couldn't find any on net. ]

Black Seeds Pie Recipe
Recipe is adapted from here

Ingredients

all-purpose flour : 1 cup
sugar: 1/4 cup
oil: 1/4 cup (preferred olive oil but used sunflower oil)
semolina: 1/2 cup
Qizha paste:1/4 cup (check above for recipe or you can use store bought which is more draker in colour)
warm water:1/2 cup
Baking powder:1/4 teaspoon
Baking soda: 1/8 teaspoon
Almond, peeled & cut to halves for decoration

Sugar Syrup: (cook sugar and water until sugar dissolves and water gets little thickens)
Sugar: 1/4 cup
Water:1/4 cup

Directions

In a pan, dry roast flour over medium heat and stir frequently until it turns lightly gold (approximately 10 minutes). Leave aside to cool slightly, and sift it .
In A medium bowl mix the sifted-roasted flour with Semolina , b.powder ,and b.soda.
add oil and Qizha paste and rub with hands tell the semolina absorbs all the liquids. Dissolve sugar in warm water , add it gradually to Qizha mixture and knead the dough until it is smooth and well mixed.
Now ,Lay the dough into 7 inch pan. Using a knife, cut the dough into small desire shaped treats, garnish with almonds.
Place the pan in the lower level of the oven at (180 degree C) for about 10 to 15 minutes until it gets crispy from the bottom then roast the top for 5 to 10 minutes. Place out of the oven, add sugar syrup over the cooked pie and let cool before serving.

#BlackSeedsPie is going to be part of 85 #foodiemonday #NIgellaSeedsRecipes #bloghop recipes

Try other Yummies

Pesarattu is a lentil based pancake served as a breakfast along with coconut chutney or sambar. Attu(telugu word) means pancake and pesara(telugu word) means Green moong dal or Green gram.
Upma is a savoury dish made out of semolina or bombay rava or upma rava and few spices.
Pesarattu Upma is one of most popular combi breakfast in Andhra region .... Even though individual breakfasts are great to have but for change you can try this awesome yummy combo. This combo is made individually and also combined ...For combined version... First make the batter for Pesarattu Dosa and then start preparing the upma and keep it a side... now third and final step is to make a combo i.e take the pesarattu batter and make pancake/dosa and drizzle oil on it and once the pancake/dosa is cooked on one side add few tablespoons of Upma over it and fold it and cook for few more secs and then serve hot with Chutney or sambar.
Check below for detailed ingredients and steps .......

Level: Easy
Soak time: 4 hr / overnight

Cook time: 40 mins
Serves: 2-3

Rava Upma Recipe

Ingredients

Rava/ Bombay Rava / semolina - 1 cup
Water - 2 (add more water for desired consistency)
Ginger Garlic Paste: 1/4 teaspoon
Oil - 2 tablespoons
Salt - to taste
Chana Dal - 1 tablespoon
Urad Dal - 1/2 tablespoon
Mustard Seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Onion - 1 (medium)
Green chillies - 2
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Cashews - 12 (optional)

Directions

In a pan add Rava and dry roast until you smell beautiful aroma from rava it may take around 5 mins... take the rava aside.
In a pan add oil and when its hot add mustard seeds ...once it crackle add cumin seeds, chana dal, urad dal,cashews and stir until cashews changes color a bit.
Add onions and fry until they are transparent and then add ginger garlic paste and stir fry for few more seconds and then add salt and water.
Bring water to boil and then lower the heat. Now add roasted Rava slowly and stir continuously so that there are no lumps formed. Cover the lid and cook on lowest flame for 5 mins and mix in between and serve hot.

Pesarattu Dosa Recipe
Click here for detailed ingredients and steps with pics.

Soak Moong Dal for 4 hours or overnight.Drain water and blend the Moong Dal along with ginger, salt,chillies and 100 ml of water. Once blended the batter should be falling consistency. The batter will be thick and rough.

Wanna try....let set go....

You may also like to try

Broccoli Aloo Paratha

Avocado Black Bean Cucumber Salad recipe

Today's recipe is ABC Salad, a salad which is creamy and full of proteins and completely vegan and dairy free. After my ABC soup i was eager to try on some ABC recipe with different ingredients and now here is my ABC salad which is a combo of Avocado, Black Beans and Cucumber...Check out detail ingredients and direction to make an easy peasy salad which is colorful, yummy and healthy....
Few Facts about Black Beans (reference from here)

The iron, phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, and zinc in black beans all contribute to building and maintaining bone structure and strength.
Black beans contain quercetin and saponins which can protect the heart
Because of their fiber content, black beans help to prevent constipation and promote regularity for a healthy digestive tract.
Selenium is a mineral that is not present in most fruits and vegetables but can be found in black beans. It plays a role in liver enzyme function and helps detoxify some cancer-causing compounds in the body.

Black Beans

Level: easy
total time: 15 min

Serves:2-3

1 cup:250 ml
1 tablespoon: 15ml
1 teaspoon:5ml

Ingredients

Avocado Chopped : 1 cup (1 big avocado)
Black Bean canned/boiled: 1 Cup( i used canned beans, drained and Washed)
Cucumber Chopped: 1 cup
Corn canned/frozen/fresh: 1/2 cup ( used frozen)
Tomato chopped: 1/2 cup
Chopped Coriander: 2 tablespoons
Onion Chopped: 1 tablespoon
Dressing:
Lime/lemon: 1
Olive /sunflowe oil: 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Red Chilli Powder/ Black pepper powder to taste

Directions

Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and then add dressing to taste and enjoy.

Tips

Avocado should be rippen when used.
If you don't find black beans then you can replace it with your choice of beans.

#ABCSALAD is going to be part of 83 #foodiemonday #HoliRecipes #bloghop recipes

Gongura Soa kura Palakura Pacchidi Spinach Dil Sour Leaves

Today's recipe is chutney/pacchadi recipe from my scrap book. And this recipe is from mom which i loved it and sharing this today....This pacchadi/Chutney is a combo of 3 greens Spinach(Palakura/palak), Dil leaves(Soakura/Saava) and Sour Leaves(Gongura/Ambaada) and a great source iron,vitamins,folic acid and anti oxidants.
In Andhra Pradesh and telangana, Gongura(sour leaves) is used in making Gongura Pappu(Dal), Gongura Pacchidi(chutney), Gongura Mamusam(lamb curry), Gongura Chicken , Pulihara with Gongura and in many ways and every recipe made with this is super awesome with its sourness and flavour.
We find Gongura at our indian store very rarely and is bit expensive and i just want to relish this green leaves bit more long so for me making chutney/pacchadi and storing it in fridge for a month is good option and adding more greens makes it more power packed chutney.... This pacchadi is served with hot rice and ghee and accomplished with papads or this can be best served as side for any indian breakfasts or main meal...

Level: Easy
Total Time: 20 min

1 cup: 250ml
1 tablespoon: 15ml
1 teaspoon: 5 ml

Ingredients

Sour Leaves/ Ambada/Gongura: 200 gms
Spinach/Palak/ Palakura leaves : 300gms
Dil Leaves/Soakura/Saava: 30gms
Dry Red Chillies: 10
Coriander Seeds: 2 tablespoons
Cumin Seeds: 1 teaspoon
Fenugreek Seeds/Meethi Dana: 1/4 teaspoon
Tamarind/Imli: 1 golf ball size
Salt to taste
Oil: 1 tablespoon

Tempering/Tadka:
Oil: 3 tablespoons
Cumin seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
Mustard Seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
Chana Dal/ Split bengal Gram: 1 tablespoons
Curry Leaves: 1 spring( i used dry curry leaves)

Directions

In a large pan, add 1 tablespoon of oil once it is hot add dry red chillies fry until it changes it colour.
Now add Coriander seeds, Cumin seeds and Fenugreek Seeds and fry until coriander seeds change its colour a bit.
Add all the green leaves one by one and cook until all the leaves are cook and water is evaporated.
Now add tamarind and cook for few secs and turn off the heat and let the mixture cools down.
Once the mixture is cooled down,Add salt and blend it to fine or little bit less to fine paste/chutney.
Tadka/Tempering:
In a pan add oil, once hot add mustard seeds. Once it crackles add cumin seeds,chana dal and curry leaves, once chana dal changes the colour turn off the heat. Now pour the tadka on to the chutney/pacchadi made.

Tips
Adjust your spice level by adding more or less dry red chillies.

#3leafchutney is going to be part of #MFBC under #scrapbookcooking