Minced Dudhi Chana Daal

Ingredients:
1 cup chana daal
3 cup grated/minced dudhi
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 chopped tomatoes
1 stick of cinnamon
1 tbs red chilli powder
1 tbs turmeric powder
1 tbs garam masala powder
2 tbs oil
1 onion thinly slice
1/2 tbs cumin seeds
salt as per taste

Method:
1.Take daal, grated dudhi, onion, cinnamon stick, chopped tomatoes with 3-4 cups of water in a pressure cooker and cook in low flame till 1 whistle.
2.Open the cooker when it cools off, add garam masala, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and salt and mix it properly.
3.Heat oil in a frying pan, add cumin seeds and allow it to pop and fry sliced onion till nice golden brown and add boiled dudhi daal, mix it properly and cover the lid and let it cook for 2 minutes is medium flame and Minced Dudhi Chana Daal is ready to serve.

Dudhi Masoor Daal Curry

Ingredients:
3 cup grated dudhi
1 cup whole masoor daal
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tbs sambar masala
1 tbs turmeric powder
4 tomatoes chopped
1 tbs cumin seeds
4 tbs oil
salt as per taste

Method:
1.Heat oil, add cumin seeds and allow to finish popping, add sambar powder and 2 cups of water and let it boil.
2.Add turmeric powder, chopped onion, chopped tomatoes mix it properly and let it boil, add masoor daal, salt.
3.After it boils cover the lid and let it cook in low flame for about 10-15 minutes and switch it off when it's ready to get whistle.
4.Switch off the gas and open it when it gets cool and Dudhi Masoor Daal Curry is ready to serve hot with rice or roti. You can garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Toor Daal Cutlets

Ingredient:
1 cup toor daal soaked 2-3 hours
Chopped green chilli
¼ tbs ajwain
Bread crumbs
Salt as per taste
Oil to deep fry

Method:
1. Drain water from soaked daal and grind with very little or no water using a food processer.
2. Add ajwain, salt to the ground toor daal and take lemon size daal, flattened it and coat with bread crumbs and keep it in the freeze.
3. Heat oil in a frying pan and deep fry the cutlets, make sure you don’t need too much of oil.
4.Toor daal cutlet is ready to serve hot with dahi raita.

I am sending this entry for Deep Fried Snacks: Feb 5

Mixed Daal Vada

Ingredient:
1 cup mixed lentils (soaked overnight)
¼ cup chana daal (soaked with mixed lentils)
1 big onions thinly sliced
1 green chilli (chopped)
1 tbs ajwain seeds
Salt as per taste
Oil to deep fry


Method:
1) Drain the water from the soaked mixed lentils and grind with little water. make sure the paste should not e too watery. You don’t need to grind it to a smooth paste, leave it coarse.
2) Add salt, ajwain, chopped chilli, onion and mix it properly.
3) Take oil in a deep frying pan or wok and let it heat.
4) Now take about 2-3 tbs of lentil paste into your finger tip and slowly slide it into the oil. You can put 6 to 8 vada in a frying pan. It all depends on what size your frying pan is and how much oil is in there. When it starts getting little brown, turn them to upside down one by one and let it cook till it gets cooked. Slowly drain it from the oil and your mixed daal vada is ready to serve hot with choice of your sauce.

Moong Daal with Eggplant

Ingredients:
1 big eggplant chopped
1 cup moong daal soaked for atleast3-4 hours
2 red tomatoes chopped and grind to a smooth paste
1 tbs ginger/garlic paste
3-4 pearl onion sliced
2 tbs sambar powder
1 tbs red chilli powder
¼ tbs turmeric powder
¼ tbs cumin seeds
Salt as per taste
3 tbs oil


Method:
1) Strain moong daal. Heat 1 tbs oil and fry the moong daal for about 3-4 minutes and keep it aside, you don’t need to make it brown.
2)Boil 3 cups of water, add tomato paste, stir it and add sliced onion and fried daal and let it boil for 8 minutes.
3)Add chopped eggplant and let it boil for couple of minutes and cover the lid, lower the gas and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
4)Add sambar powder, salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder and mix it properly.
5) Heat 2 tbs oil in a frying pan, add cumin seeds and allow it to finish popping and then add ginger/garlic paste, fry it for couple of minutes and add daal to it and mix it properly and your moong daal with eggplant is ready to serve with rice or roti.

Zucchini Curry with Moong Daal

Ingredient:
1 lb green zucchini chopped
1 cup moong daal soaked for 5-6 hours
2 large tomatoes chopped
1 big onion chopped
1 tbs garlic paste
¼ tbs cumin seeds
1 tbs curry powder
¼ tbs garam masala
1 tbs red chilli powder
¼ tbs turmeric powder
5-6 tbs oil
salt as per taste

Method:
1)Strain water from moon daal and keep it aside.
2)Heat oil in a frying pan, add cumin seeds, add chopped onion and zucchini and fry for couple of minutes and then add moong daal and fry for another 5 minutes.
3)Add garam masala, curry powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder and stir it properly. Add 2 cups of water and salt, stir it, let it boil and cover the lid and let it cook for about 5 minutes.
4)Add chopped tomatoes, stir and let it boil for 5 more minutes and then cover the lid and let it cook in low flame for about 10 minutes and your tasty Zucchini Moong daal curry is ready to serve with rice or Roti.

Zucchini Chana Daal

Ingredient:
1 lb green zucchini chopped into ½ inch pieces
1 small cup of chana daal soaked for atleast 3-4 hours
1 big onion chopped
1 tbs ginger/garlic paste
1 tbs red chilli powder
1 tbs curry powder
¼ tbs turmeric powder
1 big red tomato chopped
¼ tbs cumin seeds
Salt as per taste
3 tbs oil

Method:
1)Heat oil in a frying pan and add cumin seeds allow it to finish popping and then add chopped onion and stir it and ginger garlic paste after a minute and stir and add chopped zucchini to it and stir it and fry for about 5 minutes.
2)Drain chana daal and add to the zucchini and fry it for 2 minutes.
3)Add curry powder, red chilli powder, turmeric, salt and 3 cups of water and let it boil, cover the lid and cook for about 10 minutes in low flame.
4)Add chopped tomatoes stir, change the gas to high and let it boil, cover the lid lower the gas to low and let it cook for another 8-10 minutes and Zucchini Chana Daal is ready to serve with rice or roti of your choice.

Beans Daal Masala

Ingrediant:
½ lb beans cut about 1 inch size slanted
¼ cup toor daal soaked
¼ cup chana daal soaked
1 big onion chopped
1 completely red tomato chopped
¼ tbs cumin seeds
1 tbs chilli powder
¼ tbs turmeric powder
1 tbs curry powder
Salt as per paste
3 tbs oil

Method:
1)Heat the oil in a frying pan and add cumin seeds, after it pops out add the chopped beans and chopped onion and fry for about 5 minutes.
2)Add both toor daal and chana daal and fry it for about 2 minutes.
3)Add chopped tomatoes, curry powder, turmeric, chilli powder, salt and 3 cups of water and stir and let it boil.
4)Cover the lid and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes in low flame. Stir it and your delicious beans daal masala curry is ready to serve with your choice of Rice or Roti.

Spinach Masoor Daal

Ingredients:

1 bunch spinach washed and chopped
1 cup dry masoor dal with skin
1 medium eggplant chopped (about 2 cups)
2-3 tomatoes chopped
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 jalapeno finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
4-5 curry leaves
1/4 tbs mustard seeds

salt as per taste
3 tbs oil

Grind:
1 tbs cumin seeds
2-3 dry red chilli
1 inch ginger piece

Method:

1) Pressure cook chopped spinach, masoor daal, chopped eggplants and chopped tomatoes with 3-4 cups of water in medium flame for 2 whistle, keep it aside and let it cool down.
2) Grind the ingredient listed under grind with few spoons of water coarsely, no need to smooth it.
3) Open the cooker put the paste mix it and cover the lid.
4) Heat oil in a frying pan, add mustard seeds and allow it to pop and then add chopped garlic, chopped chilli, chopped onion curry leaves and stir it and cover the lid and lower the gas for a minute.
5) Open the lid and put the gas high and stir it for few seconds and then add the boiled Spinach Daal and salt and stir it and allow it to boil.
6) You may add little water as per the consistency you need and the spinach daal is ready to serve with rice or roti.

Dudhi Chana Daal

Ingredient:
½ cup dry chana daal
1 small dudhi/lauki (2 cups, peeled and chopped)
4 tomatoes chopped
1 cinnamon stick
3-4 cloves
¼ tbs shah jeera
1 medium chopped onion
1 tbs red chilli powder
1 tbs curry powder
¼ tbs turmeric powder
Salt as needed
2 tbs oil

Method:
1) Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add shah jeera, cinnamon stick, cloves and chopped onion and let the onion get translucent.
2)Add ½ cup of water and let it boil, add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, curry powder and let it boil and add about 4 cups of water and let it boil.
3) Add chopped dudhi, chana daal, chopped tomatoes and salt then close the lid and cook for 2 whistle.
4)Wait for the cooker to get cool and dudhi chana daal is ready to serve with Rice.

Cabbage Chana Dal

Ingredients
I lb cabbage chopped into 1 inch size
1 ½ cup chana dal
1 peice cinnamon stick
4-5 cloves
2 green cardamom (optional)
1 big tomato chopped
1 tbs turmeric
1 tbs garam masala
½ tbs mustard seeds
1 small onion chopped
2 green chilli chopped finely
Salt as per taste
1 tbs oil

Method:
1) Take the chopped cabbage, chana dal, chopped tomatoes, cinnamon, clove. cardamom, turmeric, salt and 5 cups of water in a pressure cooker and pressure cook for 3 whistle.
2) Now let the cooker cool down and then add garam masala to it and mix it properly.
3) Heat a frying pan with 1 tbs oil and add mustard seeds and let it finish popping, add minced green chilli and chopped onion and fry it till the onion gets nice brown color and then add this to the cabbage chana dal.
4) Your Cabbage Chana dal is ready to serve with Rice.

Sambar

Ingredients
¼ cup chana dal
¼ cup toor dal
2 string of drum strick cut into 5 inch long ( you can take about 10 pieces of frozen drumstick)
1 medium eggplant chopped
1 medium carrot cut into long stripes
1 cucumber (peeled and cut into long stripes)
1 bell pepper of any color chopped
1 onion sliced
2 tomatoes chopped
¼ tbs tamarind paste
2 tbs sambar powder
¼ tbs turmeric powder
¼ tbs mustard seeds
¼ tbs cumin seeds
A pinch of hing.
2 dry red chilli
8-10 curry leaves
Salt as per taste
2 tbs oil

Method

I have so many south Indian friends and everyone makes a unique tasty sambar. My son used to love the sambar, one of my friend used to make. I tried so many ways and this is my version of sambar.

1)If possible soak the chana daal and toor daal at least 20-30 minutes.
2)Take daal, eggplant, onion, cucumber, bell pepper, tomato, carrot, drumstick, turmetic, salt and about 3-4 cups of water in a pressure cooker and pressure cook upto 2 whistle.
3)When it gets cook, open the lid and add sambar powder and tamarind paste and stir it properly.
4)Heat 2 tbs oil in a frying pan, add hing, mustard seeds, cumin seeds and dry red chilli when the mustard seeds finish popping add curry leaves to it and add this to the boiled veg, mis it properly and sambar is ready to serve with Rice, Idly or Dosa.

Whole Moong Dudhi

Ingredient:
1 cup whole moong with skin
1 small dudhi/lauki (1 ½ cup chopped)
4 tomatoes chopped
1 tbs ginger/garlic paste
1 tbs red chilli powder
1 tbs cumin seeds
1 medium onion chopped
¼ tbs turmeric powder
Salt as needed
2 tbs oil
Serves 10 people

Method:
1) Cook moong with 2 cups of water in a pressure cooker for 1 whistle and keep it aside till it gets cool.
2)Peel and chopped dudhi into small pieces.
3)Open the cooker, add the dudhi pieces, chopped tomatoes, salt, ginger/garlic paste, red chilli powder and cover the lid and cook for 1 whistle.
4)Wait for the cooker to get cool and then heat 2 tbs oil a frying pan and add cumin seeds and then add chopped onion and sprinkle some salt and fry it for a minute. You don’t need to make the onion brown, as soon as you see them getting transparent color add the cooked dudhi moong and mix it properly.
5)Whole Moong Dudhi is done, you can add little more water if you want little water consistency. It’s ready to serve with your choice of rice or roti.

Zucchini Daal Fry

Ingredient:
2 big green zucchini (chopped into small pieces)
1 ½ cup of dry chana Daal (soaked overnight or at least 3-4 hour)
1 big onion (chopped finely)
1 tbs cumin seeds
1 tbs red chili powder
1 tbs ginger/garlic paste
½ cup tomato puree
3 tbs oil
Salt to taste
serves 8 people

Method:
1. Heat 1 tbs of oil in a frying pan and fry the zucchini for about 2-3 minutes and add 3 cups of water and let it boil.
2. Add the soaked chana daal into it and salt and let it boil till the water evaporates almost 3/4th of it (it will take about 15 minutes).
3. Add tomato puree and red chilli powder and cook it for another 2 minutes and keep it separate.
4.Heat 2 tbs of oil in a frying pan add cumin seeds and wait for a minute and chopped onion and sprinkle pinch of salt and stir it and add ginger garlic paste and stir it on low the flame and cover the lid. Let it fry for about 5-7 minutes, keep stirring in between. (When you cover the lid all the vapor gets into water, when you take the lid out, it’s better if you let it fall on the chopped onion.)
5.Add zucchini and Daal into the frying pan, stir it properly and let it cover the lid and let it stay for a minute and then switch of the gas and your Zucchini Chana Daal is ready to serve with rice or Roti.

Moong Daal

Ingredient:
1 cup moong daal
1 tomato chopped
½ tbs mustard seeds
1 green chili
1 medium onion sliced
A pinch of hing
3-4 tbs cooking oil.
Salt as per taste

Method:
1) Take 3 tbs oil in heavy bottom frying pan and fry the Moong Dal in low flame till it starts giving nice smell and color starts to get brown.
2) Take the daal in a small cooker with 1 and ½ cup of water, salt, turmeric, chopped tomato and let it cook till 1 whistle. Switch off the gas and let it cool down.
3) Take a frying pan and add 1 tbs oil on medium flame, add the hing and mustard seeds and wait till the mustard seeds finishing cracking. Add the sliced onion and chopped green chilli and fry till the onion color changes to golden brown, switch off the gas.
4) Add this to the cooker where you have the boiled daal, stir it properly (there is no need to cook the daal again) and it’s ready to serve with rice.