Brussels Sprout Curry

Brussels sprouts belong to the same species as cabbage, collard greens, broccoli, kale, and kohlrabi. They

contain good amounts of vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid and dietary fibre. Moreover, they are believed to

protect against colon cancer, due to their containing sinigrin. Collard green falls under green leafy

vegetable and is very ideal to include in diet generously even if you watching your carb intake.

Very good vegetable for people with diabetes.

If you are person who doesn’t like this vegetable try this curry out and i am sure you will fall in love with it,

Very simple to make just steam them spice it up with and enjoy.

Preparation Time – 5 minutes

Cooking Time – 15-20 Minutes

Serves – 4

Ingredients

Brussels sprouts – 1 pound

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Curry powder – 1 1/2 tsp

Coconut Oil – 2 Tsp

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Urad Dal – 1 Tsp

Asafoetida pinch

Salt – 1 Tsp or more to your taste

Grated Coconut – 1 Tbsp

Curry leaves – 5 to 6

Method

1) Wash, rinse and dry the Brussels sprouts and slice them into half (This was harvested in

our backyard they were very small and tender, so i did not slice them, but i normally slice

the store bought ones).

2) Add 1/2 tsp of salt and in a steamer, stem it for 10 minutes.

3) Heat a tsp of oil, add the mustard seeds and once they stop spluttering add the urad

dal and asafoetida.

4) To this add the steamed Brussels sprouts, salt, turmeric powder, curry leaves and

stir fry on high heat for 5 minutes.

5) Add the curry powder and saute for 2 minutes switch off the stove, now add the

grated coconut and serve hot.

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Bitter Gourd Spicy Stew(Pavakkai Pitlai)

Bitter Melon, also known as Balsam pear is a truly unique and bitter ingredient that is not yet well

known in the United States. It is used widely in Indian cuisine, lot of people peel the upper portion

to reduce the bitterness. But this bitterness is so good for health and recent researches have

shown it stimulates the production of insulin and recommends a regular intake of this vegetable.

The following recipe is slightly bitter and i haven’t added any sugar or jaggery to reduce the

bitterness. You cook a bitter vegetable and what do you expect sweet taste? So enjoy this

slightly bitter dish because bitterness is also a taste like sweet, sour and spicy.

Ingredients

Bitter Melon(Karela/Pavakai) – 2 medium sized

Tamarind – Goose berry sized ball

Cooked Toor Dal (Cooked by adding turmeric powder) – 1 Cup

Cooked black chick pea(kala channa) - handful

Salt – 1 3/4 Tsp(adjust this according to your taste)

Water – 3 3/4 Cups

Sambar Masala

Turmeric powder – 1 Tsp

Coriander Seeds – 2 Tbsp

Channa Dal – 1 Tbsp

Urad Dal – 1/2 Tbsp

Red Chili – 4 to 6 as per you taste and the spiciness of the red chili

Coconut – 1/4 cup

Oil – 2 Tsp

Tempering

Oil – 1 Tsp

Asafoetida – 1/4 Tsp

Mustard seeds – 1 Tsp

Urad Dal – 1/2 Tsp

Green Chili – 1

Curry Leaves – 6 to 8

Method

1) Wash, rinse and chop the bitter melon into thin circles. If the seeds are mature then

remove them else leave them as it is. Soak the tamarind in 1/2 cup of water.

2) Add 3/4 cup of water, turmeric powder and 1/4 tsp of salt and put the the chopped

bitter melon in this and let this boil in medium heat till the bitter melon is tender. Add

little bit of water if required. Make sure not to over cook, other wise you will get a bitter

melon puree and not sambar.

3) While this is boiling, heat a pan add 2 Tsp of oil and once it is hot add the coriander

seeds, channa dal, urad dal, red chili and coconut and saute till you get a nice aroma and

all the ingredients are slightly browned.

4) Let this cool for 5-10 minutes and then grind then into a coarse to fine powder and

set it aside.

5) Once the bitter melon is boiled, drain the remaining water and gulp it down, do not

discard it.

6) Squeeze out the tamarind pulp from the soaked water, and repeat this two more times

adding half cup of water each time to the pulp and repeating the same process.

7) Now to the cooked bitter melon, add the 1 1/2 cups tamarind water, remaining 1 1/2 cups

plain water, cooked toor dal, ground sambar powder, 1 1/2 tsp salt and simmer in the stove

for 10 minutes.

8) While this simmers, heat a pan and add a tsp of oil, to this add mustard seeds. Once the

mustard seeds stop spluttering add asafoetida, urad dal, green chili and curry leaves and

transfer the tempering to the simmering sambar and switch off the stove.

9) Serve this hot with rice or cooked quinoa. Do not limit quinoa to salads alone, they are

so versatile and with not such a great taste on their own, they taste so good with all these

spicy stews.

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Tangy & Spicy Pumpkin Stew(Parangikai Vathakuzhambu)

The nutritious pumpkin can be used in lot of recipes apart from pumpkin pie, cheese cake and muffins.

Pumpkin high in potassium is very good for a healthy heart. The pretty color of pumpkin indicates it is rich

in beta carotene which is nutrient required for good eyesight and bright skin and promotes overall good

health. However if you are diabetic, eat this vegetable/fruit(yes botanically pumpkin is fruit because it

has seeds) in moderation.

Vathakuzhambu is a traditional South Indian spicy, tangy stew and is normally eaten with rice. The

pumpkin adds a little to lot of sweetness depending on the sweetness level. This vathakuzhambu can

be made with Okra, Eggplant, Onion, Flat Bean, Sweet Potato, Garlic and dried vegetables also called

(Vathal). Now let us get on to the simple and tasty recipe. Try it out and let me know, how you liked it.

Cooking Time – 20 to 25 Minutes

Preparation Time – 15 Minutes

Serves – 4

Ingredients

Cubed Pumpkin – 1 Cup(an inch thickness and length, remove the skin also but i love the taste of

the skin so don’t normally remove it)

Tamarind – a small ball(half the size of a lemon, old tangy tamarind is normally used for this dish)

Red Chili – 2

Sambar Powder or Vathakuzhambu powder – 1 Tsp

Turmeric powder – 1 Tsp

Toor Dal(Split Yellow Pigeon peas) – 1 Tbsp

Oil – 1 Tbsp

Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

Asafoetida – 1/3 tsp

Fenugreek seeds – 1 tsp

Curry leaves – handful

Salt – 1 1/2 tsp or adjust according to your taste

Water – 3 Cups

Rice flour – 1 Tsp

Method

1) Soak the tamarind in hot water and i normally soak it little bit of water overnight so next day

morning it is easier to prepare. Yes you have to plan your meals in advance other wise, boil some

water and add the tamarind in the water and soak it for 20 to 30 minutes for best results. Squeeze

out the tamarind pulp 3 to 4 times adding 1/2 cup of water each time and keep these 2 cups of water

aside

2) Now heat a pan add oil and then add the mustard seeds.

3) Once these seeds stop spluttering add asafoetida, fenugreek seeds, Toor Dal and red chili

and saute till they all brown and you get a nice aroma.

4) Now add the curry leaves and saute for a second and then add the turmeric powder and sambar powder

saute for second then add the cubed pumpkin pieces and the tamarind water.

5) Add salt and then boil for 10 minutes on medium heat. With the left out 1 cup of water, reserve 2 Tbsp of

water add the rest of the water to the boiling mixture and boil for another 5 minutes. Now make a paste

out of the reserved water and the rice flour and add it to the boiling mixture and boil for another

2 minutes and switch off.

6) Serve it hot with rice, roti or they taste best with cooked plain quinoa also. You have to taste

it to believe it.

Notes – The consistency is more like a sambar, but some people prefer thicker version and some thinner

version. So add more water if you want a thinner consistency and adjust the salt accordingly.

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Coriander Chutney(Kothamalli Thogayal)

This inexpensive and tasty herb is a powerful natural cleansing agent. Cilantro has been effectively

used to help remove heavy metals and other toxic agents from the body. The chemical compounds in

cilantro actually bind to the heavy metals, loosening them from the tissues, blood and organs. Cilantro's

chemical compounds then aid to transport these harmful substances out of the body through elimination.

Cineole and linoleic acid are two primary components of organic cilantro that contain anti-rheumatic and

anti-arthritic properties. These two components also help purge extra water present in the body due to

swelling. Cilantro also contains oleic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid and ascorbic acid (vitamin-C).

Each of these elements are effective in lowering high cholesterol in the blood, as well as the internal walls

of the veins and arteries.

Everybody use this herb/leaf for garnishing but with so much of immense health benefits don’t you think

this needs to be made into a dish by itself, try this aromatic, tasty and healthy chutney and i am sure

you would love it. This is not your regular cilantro watery chutney but made without adding even a Tsp

of water and keeps well in refrigerator for at least a month.

Preparation Time – 20 to 25 Minutes

Cooking Time – 5 Minutes

Serves – 10-15 Servings

Ingredients

Cilantro – 2 bunches

Red Chili – 12-15(Adjust this according to the spice level of the red chili and your taste)

Black Pepper – 1 Tsp

Split White Urad Dal – 2 Tbsp

Mustard Seeds – 1 Tsp

Tamarind – Small lemon sized ball

Sea Salt – 2 Tsp (Adjust this according to your taste and can be added later after grinding too)

Oil –2 Tbsp

Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp

Method

1) Chop the thick stems and wash, rinse and drain the leaves and thin stem from the cilantro

bunch.

2) Once the water is drained, take the cilantro leaves and chop them into an inch piece

coarsely and spread them on kitchen paper towel to remove the excess water.

3) Leave this for 20-30 minutes on the paper towel and pinch out the tamarind into small

pieces with your hand and leave them in between the cilantro leaves, so the thick tamarind

will get softened and it will easier to grind without adding water.

4) While the cilantro leaves are left to dry out a little, let us heat a pan and add the oil.

Once the oil is hot add the mustard seeds and once they stop spluttering then add

asaofoetida, white urad dal. Once the White urad dal slightly browns then add the red

chili and black pepper.

5) Switch off the stove once the red chili is slightly browned and the black pepper is all popped.

6) Leave this to cool for 10 minutes, now spoon out the roasted black pepper, red chili, urad dal

reserving 1 tsp of urad dal and little bit of mustard seeds in a blender and add the drained

chopped cilantro along with the tamarind pieces and sea salt.

7) Now get some patience and grind this into a chutney without adding any water and stirring

in between. You will be very tempted to add water to the blender, but do not add as you will

not get the same as grinding without water.

8) Take out the chutney and mix the reserved urad dal and mustard seeds and add powdered

salt if necessary. Serve it with hot rice, Idli, Dosai, Roti or even can be used as a spread

on bread.

Read more »

Boondi Raita

Boondi, boondhi is a Indian snack. To prepare boondi, Gram flour batter is made into small balls using a

ladle with holes. These balls are then deep fried in oil.

Don’t worry, pretty much all that grease we will squeeze out by soaking them in water, so add calcium

rich yogurt and enjoy this dish with spiced rice or spiced quinoa. I am sure you will not stop with a single

serving.

Ingredients

Chilled Plain Yogurt - 2 cups

Boondi - 1 cup

Black pepper - 1/2 tsp

Jeera powder - 1/2 tsp

Warm Water

Salt to taste

Method

1) Place the boondi in a bowl and pour warm water and leave for a minute, now gently squeeze out

water and place the boondi in another bowl.

2) To this squeezed out boondi, add yogurt, salt, black pepper and jeera powder.

3) Garnish with cilantro(optional) and serve with rice.

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Stuffed Taro Plant Leaf Curry(Senai Elai Paruppu Usili)

Taro is a tropical plant grown primarily as a root vegetable for its edible root and secondarily as a leaf vegetable.

It is considered a In its raw form the plant is toxic due to the presence of calcium oxalate,although the toxin

is destroyed by cooking or can be removed by steeping taro roots in cold water overnight.

Typical of leaf vegetables, taro leaves are rich in vitamins and minerals. They are a good source of thiamin,

riboflavin, iron, phosphorus, and zinc, and a very good source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, niacin, potassium,

copper, and manganese. Oxalic acid may is present in the leaf, and these foods should be eaten with milk or other

foods rich in calcium in order to remove the oxalate in the digestive tract. Absorbing a large quantity of the oxalate ion

into the blood stream poses health risks, especially for people with kidney disorders, gout, or rheumatoid

arthritis. Calcium in the body reacts with the oxalate to form calcium oxalate, which is highly insoluble and

is suspected to cause kidney stones.

Preparation Time – 20 Minutes

Cooking Time – 25 Minutes

Serves – 4

Ingredients

Taro Leaves – 2

Channa Dal – 1/4 cup

Toor Dal – 1/4 cup

Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp

Green Chili – 1 or more to taste

Salt – 1 tsp

Tamarind pulp/paste – 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida powder – 1/4 tsp

Grated Coconut – 1/4 cup

Coconut Oil – 2 Tsp

Mustard seeds – 1/2 Tsp

Asafoetida – pinch

Curry leaves – 5 to 6

water

Method

1) Rinse, drain and soak Channa Dal and Toor Dal for an hour.

2) After an hour, drain the water completely and add the turmeric powder, asafoetida,

green chili, salt and grind into a fine paste adding very little water as required. Add

the tamarind paste to the ground paste and mix thoroughly.

3) Wash the taro leaves and using your hands gently press them down and take half

the ground paste and apply evenly throughout the leaf using your fingers.

4) Now roll the leaf keeping the paste inside as you would for a pinwheel cookie or

cinnamon rolls.

5) Repeat the same thing for the other leaf, now in a steamer or pressure cooker

steam these two leaves for 15 minutes.

6) After 15 minutes, take the leaf roll out and leave them for 10 minutes to cool down.

7) Taking a small knife, cut the roll into small pieces, slightly thinner than a cinnamon roll.

8) Heat a pan add oil, once it is hot add the mustard seeds, asafoetida and curry leaves.

9) After the mustard seeds stop spluttering, add these cut rolls and gently stir to coat

the oil evenly throughout, garnish with grated coconut and serve.

Read more »

Ragi Idli(Steamed Finger Millet Dumplings)

Finger millet/Ragi is an important staple food in parts of eastern and central Africa and India.

Ragi is praised for its unique diet for reducing weight (least fat containing grain) and also good for diabetes ,

hyper cholesterol and triglycerides. It is one of the most healthy foods due to to its rich content of nutrients.

Finger millet is especially valuable as it contains the amino acid methionine, it is also rich in iron and phosphorus.

Finger millet has high fibre content and the highest calcium content among all the food grains.

Generally, the whole grains are important sources of B-complex vitamins, which are mainly concentrated in

the outer bran layers of the grain.

Preparation Time – 25 Minutes

Cooking Time – 30 Minutes

Serves – 4 to 5

Ingredients

White Urad Dal –1/2 Cup

Ragi Flour – 1 1/4 Cup

Salt – 2 Tsp or more to taste

Water

Method

1) Rinse and drain Urad dal till you get a clear water. Now soak in enough water for 2-3 hours.

2) Using a blender grind the urad dal adding the soaked water little by little till you get a smooth fluffy batter.

3) Mix the Urad dal batter, Ragi flour and Salt and mix them thoroughly.

4) Leave it over night for the batter to ferment nicely, on cold winter days switch on the oven light and leave

the batter inside the oven overnight. The heat from the light will make the batter to ferment.

5) Now use cooking spray and grease the idli plates, thoroughly combine the fermented batter and pour the batter

in the greased plates and steam them for 15 minutes on medium heat in a pressure cooker or pan till they are cooked.

9) Serve hot with sambar, the Ragi Idlis taste best when they are hot.

Read more »

Tomato Pickle(Thakkali Thokku)

I can never get enough of tomato dishes. But why, it is one of the super foods, which is low on calories,

fat, carb and apart from that a very good source of Lycopene. The super chemical of the town.

Lycopene is the chemical that makes tomatoes red. Among the studes, it showed

that the more tomatoes one ate, the lower the risk of cancer. Cooked tomatoes contain even more

lycopene because cooking breaks down cell walls, releasing and concentrating carotenoids. Eating tomatoes

with a small amount of fat enables lycopene to be better absorbed.

Preparation Time – 10 Minutes

Cooking Time – 30 Minutes

Serves – 10

Ingredients

Green Tomatoes – 8 to 10 Medium Sized ones

Tamarind – A small lemon sized ball(If your tomatoes are really sour just skip this one)

Red Chili powder – 3 Tsp (Increase or Decrease as per your preference)

Salt –3 Tsp (Increase or Decrease based on your taste)

Turmeric Powder – 1 Tsp

Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp

Sesame Oil – 4 Tbsp

Mustard Seeds – 1 Tsp

Method

1) Wash and rinse the green tomatoes and Jalapeno Pepper.

2) In a wide mouthed pan add a Tbsp of oil, stir fry the chopped tomatoes on high heat for 5 minutes and

switch off. Once it is cooled enough go to step 3.

3) In a food processor, grind them into a coarse mixture and do not make a smoothie

or this will end up in the stove top for half a day.

4) Heat a wide mouthed and big pan and add 2 Tbsp of oil, once the oil is hot

add Mustard seeds.

5) Once the mustard seeds, stop spluttering add the Tomato paste

and then add turmeric powder, salt, tamarind pulp and Red Chili powder and simmer in the stove top

for 30 minutes, stirring in between.

6) After 30 minutes, the mixture would have turned into a thick mass and have started

leaving the sides, at this point add the rest of the oil, combine and leave on high heat for two

minutes and switch off the stove.

7) After this cools completely, store in a clean, dry, airtight bottle. This is good for at least

3 weeks if kept in a refrigerator.

8) Goes very well with Idli, Dosa, Spread and Dip. You can combine this with rice or quinoa and

make spicy, tasty tomato rice or tomato quinoa.

Read more »

Green Tomato & Jalapeno Chutney

I don’t why people didn’t reward any other vegetable or fruit the special status like Apple, when a

proverb exists “Apple a day keeps the Cancer away” should we come up with a one like

“Tomato a Day keep Cancer away”. A review of 72 different studies showed consistently that the

more tomatoes and tomato products people eat, the lower their risks of many different kinds of cancer.

The secret may lie in lycopene, the chemical that makes tomatoes red. Among the studes, it showed

that the more tomatoes one ate, the lower the risk of cancer. Cooked tomatoes contain even more

lycopene because cooking breaks down cell walls, releasing and concentrating carotenoids. Eating tomatoes

with a small amount of fat enables lycopene to be better absorbed.Why wait, grab a bag of tomatoes

and let us get cooking.

Preparation Time – 10 Minutes

Cooking Time – 30 Minutes

Serves – 10

Ingredients

Green Tomatoes – 8 to 10 Medium Sized ones

Jalapeno Pepper – 10 Increase or decrease this based on your spice preference

Red Chili powder – 1 Tsp (Increase or Decrease as per your preference)

Salt –2 Tsp (Increase or Decrease based on your taste)

Turmeric Powder – 1 Tsp

Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp

Sesame Oil – 4 Tbsp

Mustard Seeds – 1 Tsp

Method

1) Wash and rinse the green tomatoes and Jalapeno Pepper.

2) In a food processor, grind them into a coarse mixture and do not make a smoothie

or this will end up in the stove top for half a day.

3) Heat a wide mouthed and big pan and add 2 Tbsp of oil, once the oil is hot

add Mustard seeds.

4) Once the mustard seeds, stop spluttering add the Tomato and Jalapeno paste

and then add turmeric powder, salt and Red Chili powder and simmer in the stove top

for 30 minutes, stirring in between.

5) As it boils and simmers, if you use a small pan the tomato jalapeno mixture will surely

decorate your stove top with enough spots, so make sure to use a wide mouthed and big

pan.

6) After 30 minutes, the mixture would have turned into a thick mass and have started

leaving the sides, at this point add 2 more Tbsp of oil, combine and leave on high heat for two

minutes and switch off the stove.

7) After this cools completely, store in a clean, dry, airtight bottle. This is good for at least

2 weeks if kept in a refrigerator.

8) Goes very well with Idli, Dosa, Rice, Quinoa, Spread and Dip.

Read more »

Tomato Onion Jalapeno Uthappam(Spicy Pancake)

Uthappam is a savory veggie stuffed pancake made with Parboiled rice and White lentil(De husked Urad

Dal). This is one of the popular breakfast item in Southern parts of India. Made with a perfect balance

of complex carbohydrate and protein and served with spicy vegetable chutneys, they not only fill you

up but also give you enough energy to kick start a nice day. This White lentil is a very good source of

cholesterol-lowering fiber and are of special benefit in managing blood-sugar disorders since their high

fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal. They are a good source of protein

without any fat in them. Parboiled rice is a nutritious type of rice, as it is partially cooked while still in the

husk. This form of cleaning and processing rice brings out multiple nutritional benefits that may make it

a good fit for your diet.

Even though the procedure looks little longer, it is very simple as simple as making a pancake but

a much healthier breakfast choice than having a sweet pancake drenched in maple syrup or honey.

Cooking Time - 20 mins

Preparation Time - 10 mins(Excluding the batter)

Serves – 4 (Makes around 12)

Ingredients

White Urad Dal(White Lentil) - 1 cup

Boiled Rice(Idli rice - This is not polished white rice and will be slightly brown in color) - 2 cups

Salt – 3 Tsp

Batter – 3 cups

Tomato – 2

Onion – 2

Jalapeno Pepper - 2

Oil - 12 tsp

Method

1) Rinse and drain Urad dal till you get a clear water. Now soak in enough water for 2-3 hours.

2) Rinse and drain Idli rice and soak in enough water for 6 hours.

3) Using a stone grinder/blender grind the urad dal adding the soaked water little by little till

you get a smooth fluffy batter.

4) Now grind the rice into a fine paste adding water little by little.

5) Mix the Urad dal batter, Rice batter and Salt and mix them thoroughly.

6) Leave it over night for the batter to ferment nicely, on cold winter days switch on the oven

light and leave the batter inside the oven overnight. The heat from the light will make the

batter to ferment.

7) For the first 2-3 days after fermentation the batter can be used for making soft Idlis, after 2-3

days, the idli’s kind of turn hard. At this stage instead of making Idli use the batter to make a

nice tasting Uthappam. You can also use fresh batter, but since i use the same batter for making

Idli, Uthappam and Dosai i am sharing the same with you.

8) For making Uthappam, heat a iron griddle once hot take a ladle of batter and on the top spread

a place the tomato, onion and Jalapeno pieces and pour a tsp of oil around the batter.

9) Cover it and cook for 2-3 mins in medium heat and once once side is well cooked and the batter

on the top has changed color flip and now cook the other side without covering for a minute.

10) Once well cooked remove and serve with chutney of your choice. I served it with Tomato

Pickle/Thokku for which i will post the recipe later.

Read more »

Eggplant & Lentil Stew(Araipuli Kuzhambu)

Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetable, and this stew is a very authentic dish of South Indian origin.

I love eggplant not only for its taste but also for its nutritional profile. Eggplant's ample bioflavonoids may

be beneficial in preventing strokes and hemorrhages. The fruit contains the phytochemical monoterpene,

an antioxidant helpful in preventing heart disease and cancer. This is one of vegetables which can be

included without watching for any portion control by people with Diabetes also. Try this side dish with

brown rice or plain cooked Quinoa and it just tastes awesome.

Preparation Time – 10 Minutes

Cooking Time – 30 Minutes

Serves – 4

Ingredients

Eggplant – 3 (Medium sized) or 4 (Small) (I am talking about the small egg plants that are available in the

Asian Indian store and the not the huge ones)

Soaked Black Chick Pea(Kala Channa) – 1 Tbsp

Chopped Coconut pieces – 1 Tbsp

Cooked Toor Dal – 1/4 cup

Tamarind – Small sized ball(In between the size of gooseberry and a lemon, soak it in enough water)

Salt – 1 and 1/2 tsp (Increase this according to your taste)

Sambar powder – 1 Tsp(Increase this according to your taste)

Oil – 1 Tsp

Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp

Split Urad Dal – 1 Tsp

Asafoetida – 1/4 tsp

Curry leaves – 6 to 8

Water

Rice flour – 1 Tsp

Method

1) Heat a pan and add oil, once the oil gets hot add mustard seeds. Once the mustard seeds stop

spluttering, add asafoetida, urad dal. After the urad dal becomes slightly brown add the curry leaves.

2) Now add the chopped egg plant pieces, the eggplant should be chopped into tiny pieces

and not slit lengthwise like the regular sambar.

3) Saute the eggplant pieces for 5 minutes, now add the kala channa and coconut pieces.

4) Take the eggplant and filter the soaked water and discard any impurities settled in the bottom.

Squeeze out the tamarind pulp by adding enough 1/3 cup of water and repeat the same procedure

two more times. That way all the pulp will be extracted without any wastage.

5) Let this boil for 10 minutes and now add the cooked Toor Dal and simmer for 5 minutes.

6) At this stage if the stew is very thick dilute it with little bit of water and simmer for two minutes

and then switch off.

7) If not, take a Tbsp of the simmering stew in a cup and mix the rice flour without any lumps

and add the rice flour paste to stew and simmer in the stove for 5 minutes and switch off. Serve

hot with rice, flat bread or quinoa.

Notes – Always watch the quantity of water you are adding, if need it can also be increased.

A thickened stew can always be diluted by adding little more water at any stage but a runny

stew will give result to a very watery tasting stew. Rice flour can be added to thickened the

stew, but adding a lot of it will give a very funny taste and texture to the whole thing.

Read more »

Ragi & Urad(White Lentil) Dosai/Crepe

Finger millet/Ragi is an important staple food in parts of eastern and central Africa and India.

Ragi is praised for its unique diet for reducing weight (least fat containing grain) and also good for diabetes ,

hyper cholesterol and triglycerides. It is one of the most healthy foods due to to its rich content of nutrients.

Finger millet is especially valuable as it contains the amino acid methionine, it is also rich in iron and phosphorus.

Finger millet has high fibre content and the highest calcium content among all the food grains.

Generally, the whole grains are important sources of B-complex vitamins, which are mainly concentrated in

the outer bran layers of the grain.

Preparation Time – 25 Minutes

Cooking Time – 30 Minutes

Serves – 4 to 5

Ingredients

White Urad Dal – 1/2 Cup

Ragi Flour – 1 1/2 Cups

Green Chili – 2 or more to taste

Ginger – small piece

Curry Leaves - handful

Salt – 2 Tsp or more to taste

Oil – 2 Tsp

Mustard Seeds – 1 Tsp

Asafoetida – pinch

Oil

Water

Method

1) Soak Urad Dal for 2-3 hours. Rinse, drain and grind to fine paste adding ginger, green chili and curry leaves.

2) To this ground Urad Dal, add Ragi flour,salt and enough water to make a thin batter slightly thin

than Pancake batter.

3) Heat a pan, add oil and then mustard seeds and asafoetida and once the mustard seeds stop spluttering

add this to the dosa batter.

4) Heat an iron griddle, once it is hot take a ladle full of batter and make a thin circle and pour a tsp of oil

around it. Once it is well cooked, flip and cook the other side too.

5) Once both the sides are well cooked serve it hot with Chutney or Sambar of your choice.

Read more »