Leels Kitchen

Ingredients:

Procedure:

Soak the tamarind and keep it aside.
Soak thur dal for 20 minutes. Later on drain the water and pressure cook thur dal for 4 whistles by adding fresh water.
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, urud dal, jeera seeds and wait till mustard pops down.
Later on add dry chillies, curry leaves, pounded garlic, methi powder, inguva, pepper powder, jeera powder and fry for 1 minute.
Once done, add finely chopped tomatoes and allow the whole mixture to cook on occasional stirring till the tomato pieces turn soft.
Later on, squeeze the juice from soaked tamarind and add it to the content in the pan.
Finally add the boiled thur dal along with the water in which dal has been boiled.
Now add salt and chopped coriander and allow the entire recipe to cook for 5 to 7 minutes.
Switch off the stove and serve hot with steamed rice.

Ingredients:

For making powder :

Dry roast the dhaniya seeds, dry chillies and methi seeds separately.
Grind them separately.
Once done, mix them and store in a plastic container. Can be used whenever we are making tamarind rice.
More powder can't be used, since it give bitter taste to the rice.

Procedure:

Soak tamarind in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes and blend until we get a thick paste.
Later strain the paste by adding little water and keep it aside.
Heat 2 table spoons of oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, channa dal, dry chillies and wait till mustard seeds pops down.
Now add the strained tamarind paste, simmer and stir fry the whole mixture until the raw smell of tamarind goes off.
Once tamarind paste reaches its consistency and begin to leave the borders of the pan, add methi powder and inguva.
If this is done, switch off the stove and cool it.
Meanwhile cool the rice on a plate.
Once done, add the cooked tamarind paste, salt, methi dhaniya powder (which has already been grounded and kept aside) in pinches and combine well with the rice.
Adjust powder and salt based on your taste.
Finally, heat oil in pan, add dry chillies, urud dal, curry leaves and fry them. Take them aside.
In the same pan, add little more oil, add ground nuts, cashew nuts and roast them.
Finally mix the tempered lentils to the rice, combine well and serve.

Ingredients:

Oil - 4 to 5 Tea spoons
Cabbage - 1/4 Kg - Finely chopped
Channa Dhal - 1 Cup - Washed and drained
Sompu - 1/4 tea spoon
Jeera Seeds - 1/4 tea spoon
Chakka (Cinnamon sticks) - 1 to 2 pieces
Cloves - 4 to 5
Onions - 2 - Chopped
Tomatoes - 2 - Big - Finely chopped
Green chillies - 2 - Make a slit in the middle
Garlic - 7 to 9 pieces
Ginger - 1 medium size piece ( peel off and chop into small pieces. approx. 11 pieces)
Curry leaves - 1 stem
Coriander - As required
Cashew nuts- 6 to 7
Chilli powder - 2 tea spoons
Dhaniya powder - 2 1/2 tea spoons
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 Tea spoon
Garam Masala Powder - 1 tea spoon
Salt - To taste

Procedure:

Boil chopped cabbage with little salt and keep aside. Dont pressure cook.
Soak channa dal for 20 minutes and drain the water. Now, pressure cook channa dal for 3 to 4 whistles. Dal should not become mushy.
For masala preparation, take chopped onions, ginger, garlic, cashew nuts, corriander and grind the ingredients well as a fine paste.
Now heat pan with oil. Add sompu, jeera seeds, cloves and cinnamon sticks (chakka). Once they splutter, add slit green chillies and Curry leaves.
Later on add the paste which has been ground already. Fry it well for 5 to 7 minutes. Once done, add finely chopped tomatoes, chilli powder, Dhaniya Powder, Turmeric Powder and stir the mixture till the oil comes out of masala and also the masala should leave the borders of the pan.
Once done, add boiled cabbage and channa dal to the mixture. Add water if required.
Now add salt and adjust spice according to your taste. Allow the whole curry to boil till the gravy turns thick.
Finally add garam masala powder, stir well for 2 minutes and switch off the stove. Garnish with chopped coriander. Serve hot with steamed rice.
Also serves as a good combination with Dosa, Idly, Poori, Chapati.

* I have not used coconut in this dish.
* Instead of using coconut, am using cashew nuts for gravy purpose. If needed coconut milk can be used.

Friday, May 27, 2011