Huli Kootu with green beans and peanuts

Huli, Saaru, Kootu are names of various south Indian delicacies that are enjoyed with white rice. Though the ingredients for spice mixture for all of them are more or less similar, there is a vast difference in the proportion of each ingredient that makes it unique. Kootu can be either huli kootu or sihi kootu. Tamarind is used in huli kootu and not sihi/seeh kootu. For Saaru (rasam), and Huli (sambar), it's okay to use premade spice powder but huli kootu tastes best if the spice mixture is made fresh. Adding fresh coconut definitely adds flavor to this dish, but even with no coconut, the huli kootu is just absolutey delicious. Different vegetables or a combination of vegetables can be used to prepare this dish. The popular ones are winter melon (white pumpkin), beans, brinjal, plantain etc. My mom usually adds peanuts when she prepares kootu with green beans. This gives an extra protein boost to the dish. Here is the recipe for huli kootu with green beans and peanuts.

Ingredients:

Cooked toor dal - 2 cups

Tamarind - 1 lemon sized. soak in water and squeeze out the pulp.

(if using concentrate use 1 tsp for dark brown concentrate or 3 tsps for light brown concentrate. I used Lakshmi brand natural tamarind concentrate which is light brown concentrate)

Fresh green beans - chopped to half inch length - 1 and half cups

Dry peanuts - skinned - half cup

Oil for seasoning

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Urud dal - 1 teaspoon

Curry leaves - 2 springs

Salt to taste

Turmeric powder - half teaspoon

Asafoetida powder - quarter teaspoon

Roast and grind the following:

1 table spoon - channa dal

1 table spoon - urud dal

1 teaspoon - black peppercorn

5 - dry red chillis

2 teaspoon - dhania (optional)

Fresh coconut - half cup (optional)

Roast all in a teaspoon of oil except coconut and grind it well with coconut and little water.

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai. Add mustard seeds, when it pops, add urud dal and peanuts. Fry until the dal and peanuts become light brown. Add curry leaves and 2 to 3 cups water. Add the tamarind concentrate and allow the content to boil.

When the content heats up, add green beans, turmeric powder, asafoetida powder and salt and allow the content to boil until the vegetable is well cooked.

Pour in the prepared spice mixture and mix well.

Now, gently add the cooked toor dal and mix well.

bring to a boil and turn off heat.

Serve this with white rice and a dash of ghee or oil. Side with raitha or palya (cooked dry vegetable) or pappad (appala).

I am sending this dish to various events taking place in the food blogsphere. Thank you friends for hosting the events.

1. Drive me nuts in taste junction

2. Dish name starts with H in Akila's kitchen

  

3. Cooking with whole foods - Toor dal in Veggie platter

Sepan kizhangu curry / Tarro root roasted curry

Roasting the tarro root (or sepan kizhangu in tamil) has become easy. Yes, it's unbelievably deep roasted and unbeatably tasty with just three teaspoons oil. Here is the recipe. Just follow the recipe word to word and you will avoid mushy or over cooked sepan kizhangu roast. 

Ingredients:

Tarro root / Sepan kizhangu - 8 to 10 

Oil - 3 teaspoons

Turmeric powder - half teaspoon

Chilli powder - half teaspoon

Salt - half teaspoon

Asafoetida powder - a pinch (optional)

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Method:

Wash the vegetable, cut each tarro into half and pressure cook it for 10 minutes with just half or 1 cup water. Do not overcook the tarros. You can check if it is cooked enough by piercing a knife into it. It should slide in smoothly. Peel off the skin and keep it aside.

Take a ziplock cover. Add turmeric, salt, red chilli powder and 2 teaspoon oil and mix well inside the ziplock.

Add the cooked and peeled vegetable and seal the cover. gently mix in the vegetable with the mixture in the cover until it is evenly coated. In case you don't have a ziplock, just use a bowl and toss the vegetable until evenly coated.

Take a oven safe tray and line it with aluminum foil. Spead the coated vegetable and keep it in oven under broil.

Let it broil for about 25 to 30 minutes, tossing the vegetable every 10 minutes. Broil until the vegetable is golden brown with a crispy lining.

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a large kadai. Add mustard seeds, when it pops, add the asafoetida powder if you are using and then, add the golden roasted vegetable. Toss a couple of minutes in heat and turn off the heat.

The low fat deep roasted sepan kizhangu is ready. Serve immediately with any rice like sambar rice, rasam rice or even curd rice. The taste is very very delicious.

Spicy Moong dal Soup/Curry

Soup or curry, enjoy how ever you want it, this is one amazing dish that is healthy, filling and guilt free. Coming to the recipe, I have used only half a cup dry split (green) moong dal with onion and tomato base, flavored with the kitchen king masala. I used my prestige kadai pressure cooker for quick cooking. Here's the recipe. (Look for alternate recipe without kadai pressure in the end of this post).

Ingredients:

Split green moong dal - half cup

Red onion - 1 large (optional)

Diced tomato - 1 can

(or 4 or 5 red ripe roma tomatoes)

Oil for seasoning - 1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Dhania powder - 1 teaspoon

Kitchen king Masala ( MDH brand ) - 2 teaspoons

(or Red chilli powder - 2 teaspoons)

Turmeric powder - quarter teaspoon

Asafoetida powder - 1 pinch

Salt as required

Water - 4 cups

Coriander leaves for garnish

Method:

Chop the onions. Dice the roma tomatoes if canned diced tomato is not used. Keep it aside.

Heat oil in the kadai pressure cooker and add the cumin. Then, add onion and sauté for a couple of minutes. 

Add the diced tomatoes and allow it to cook. Stir occasionally. 

When the content is heated add the kitchen king masala, salt, turmeric and asafoetida powder. 

Wash and add the moong dal. 

Pour 4 cups water and pressure cook for minimum 5 whistles or until the moong dal is cooked. The dal should get mushy (over cooked).

Garnish with coriander leaves.

The yield is approximately four and half cups.

You can enjoy this as soup or curry for rotis/rice.

If you want to use this as curry for rotis or rice, you can add ginger/garlic paste while tomato is cooking.

Alternate recipe if you don't have a kadai pressure cooker:

Cook the moong dal separately with 3 cups water.

Heat oil in the kadai pressure cooker and add the cumin. Then, add onion and sauté for a couple of minutes. 

Add the diced tomatoes and allow it to cook. Stir occasionally. 

When the content is heated add the kitchen king masala, dhania powder, salt, turmeric and asafoetida powder. 

When the tomato is well cooked, add the cooked moong dal and stir well.

Garnish with coirander leaves.

This recipe is my contribution to 'The legume love affair' hosted in Siri's corner.

Basic besan masala - Bombay chutney

Bombay chutney is a popular name for this basic masal for iddlis, dosas or chapathis/rotis. Different versions of this masal depends on the vegetables used. In this recipe, I have used vegetables like carrots and peas. Onions can be added, but recipe here is a 'no onion' version. It's a number one weight watcher's recipe. I think 'Kadapa' is another popular name for this dish.

Ingredients:

Vegetables - 1 cup (I used a cup of frozen mixed vegetables consisting of diced carrots, peas, corn, green beans and lime beans)

Besan flour - half cup

Water - 4 cups (depending on the consistency you prefer)

Green chillis - 4 (depends on how spicy you prefer)

Oil for seasoning - 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Urud dal - 1 tablespoon

Turmeric powder - half teaspoon

Asafoetida powder - a pinch

Curry leaves - a sprig

Salt as required

Lemon/Lime extract - 1 tablespoon

Coriander leaves - finely chopped

Method:

Heat oil in a kadai and add the mustard seeds, when it pops, add urud dal. When it turns golden, add the green chillis and vegetables and stir well.

Pour 2 cups water and add a little salt and curry leaves.

When the water starts bubbling, add turmeric powder and asafoetida powder.

Meanwhile, whisk the besan in remaining two cups water avoiding lumps.

When the vegetables are cooked add the besan water and keep stirring. 

You will notice the consistency thickening.

Adjust water until the masal thickens as well as the raw besan smell goes away.

After the content thickens, turn off heat and add lemon juice after 5 minutes and garnish with chopped coriander leaves before serving.

Goes well with iddlis, dosas and chapathi/rotis.

Other versions:

1. Sauté onions before adding the vegetables.

2. Sauté onions and a couple of chopped tomatoes before adding the vegetables. In that case, you don't have to add the lemon juice.

3. Just sauté the chopped tomatoes and add the vegetables. You don't have to add the tomatoes.

4. Substitute with red chilli powder for green chillis. But green chilli masal is much tastier.

5. You can make this masal with just 'Onion and tomato' or 'tomato' alone. You don't have to add any other vegetable.

Please share your versions of this recipe in the comment section.

Okra curry / Vendaikkai varuval/poriyal

Curry, varuval, poriyal or palya with okra- are different versions of the same recipe which involves roasting the vegetable. I prefer a non stick kadai for low fat cooking. Cooking with okra needs constant monitoring. I prefer using fresh okra rather than the frozen alternatives. Here's my recipe.

Ingredients:

Okra / vendaikkai / bendekkai - 2 lbs

Oil - 2 tablespoons

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - quarter teaspoon

Salt as required

Asafoetida powder - one pinch

Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon

Method:

Wash okra using a colander. Drain off water completely and keep it aside. The vegetable should be moist while using. Not wet.

Chop the okra discarding both ends. Don't worry about the slimy sticky stuff. 

Use only okra that cuts easlily / smoothly - avoid over grown ones - which is called muthhal. 

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed wide non stick kadai. Add mustard seeds. When it pops, add the vegetable and give a brisk stir.

Leave the vegetables in medium to low heat and stir very occasionally. Constant stirring will make the vegetable soggy.

After about 15 minutes add the salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and asafoetida. Give a quick stir and allow it to roast in medium heat for a minimum 10 to 15 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes. Avoid frequent stirring.

By now the vegetable should have cooked well. If the okra looks like as shown in the above picture, it is time to turn off the heat. 

Enjoy the roasted okra. Vendakkai varuval ready.

Spicy Dal palak - my version of Keerai masiyal

I had a bunch of spinach and a cup of cooked toor dal. Earlier, I used to prepare only Keerai sambar with dal and spinach. This time I tried something different. I sautéed some onions, added tomatoes, then cooked the spinach in it with some added spices and finished it with dal. Ta-daaa!!! my version of keerai masiyal, which I named spicy dal palak was ready in no time. The taste was just out of the world. We had this with rice. I am sure it will taste good with chapathis/rotis too. Let me share the recipe. Here it is.

Ingredients:

Palak / Spinach - Chopped - 2 cups

Cooked Toor dal - 1 cup

Onions - 1 medium - preferably red onion - chopped

Tomato - 2 - pureed or half a can tomato puree

Green chillis - 4 count - (increase or decrease as per your taste) Since the gravy is green, colored green chillis like yellow, orange or red can be used

Ginger - 1 inch - skin peeled and finely chopped (1 teaspoon ginger paste can be substituted)

Turmeric powder - quarter teaspoon

Salt as required

Dhania powder - 1 tablespoon

Jeera powder - half tablespoon

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Urud dal - 1 table spoon

Oil for seasoning

Method:

Heat oil in a wide kadai. Add the mustard seeds, when it splutters, add the urud dal, when it turns golden color add the green chillis, ginger and onion.

Sauté the onion. When it turns light brown, add the tomato puree.

When you see the content bubbling, add the following: turmeric, dania powder and jeera powder.

Stir well and add the chopped spinach. Pour just half cup water and cook the content partially closed.

When the spinach is well cooked, add the cooked toor dal and mix well. Wait for one bubble and turn off heat.

Serve with rice or roti. This is a very healthy alternative for many other high calorie gravies.

Note: This gravy can be cooked without the dal too. Also, you can avoid onion or tomato or both.

This is my entry to 'Healing foods event - Spinach' hosted in Dilse, an event started in Siri's corner. 

Cauliflower curry

Here is one delicious curry with the star ingredient cauliflower. Cauliflower is one vegetable that can be added to most of the gravies. Goes very well in gravies that has onion/tomato base. In this curry, the cauliflower is infused with all the basic masala that we use everyday. A very simple dish and goes well with either rice or roti. A perfect spicy dish on a cold winter day.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - 1 - large - Cut into florets

Red onion - 1 - chopped

Tomatoes - 2 to 3 - finely diced

Bay leaf - 2 (optional)

Cinnamon - 1 inch (optional)

Oil - 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - half teaspoon

Asafoetida powder - 2 pinches

Salt as required

Roast the following in a teaspoon oil

Dhania - 1 tablespoon

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Sesame seeds (white) - 1 teaspoon

For masala, after roasting the above ingredients, grind it with the following to a smooth paste using very little water.

Chopped onion - 1 tablespoon

Fresh ginger - 1 inch - peel the skin and chop

Fresh garlic - 3 to 4 pods

(if not using fresh ginger and garlic , use readymade paste - 1 tablespoon)

Green chillies - 3 to 4

Tamarind concentrate - half teaspoon

Anaardhana seeds - (pomegranate seeds) - 1 teaspoon (optional)

Method:

Heat oil in a large kadai. Add mustard seeds. When it pops, add the onions and saute until almost translucent. Add the bay leaf and cinnamon if using them.

Add the ground masala and saute it for 2 to 3 minutes.

Now add the chopped tomatoes and fry for another 3 to 4 minutes.

Add turmeric powder, asafoetida powder and salt. Stir well.

Add the cauliflower florets and mix well. Close with a lid and cook until cauliflower is tender. Stir occasionally. Add only half a cup water if you think there is not enough moisture for the cauliflower to get cooked.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve it hot with rice or roti.

This is my entry to the JFI - cauliflower hosted by me. Thank you so much Indira for initiating JFI. I am glad I am hosting this event this month.

Spinach Sambar / Palak Soppu Huli / Palak Keerai Sambar

We all know that Popeye made himself super strong by eating spinach, but you may be surprised to learn that he may also have been protecting himself against osteoporosis, heart disease, colon cancer, arthritis, and other diseases at the same time. Learn more about the nutrition and health benefits of Spinach here.

In the below recipe for palak soppu huli (palak soppu is spinach leaves and huli is sambar), I have used the spinach, toor dal and tamarind, added the sambar powder to make a delicious and healthy huli / sambar. I mix this huli with cooked white rice or even make it a sidedish for sambar. Makes a healthy and filling soup too.

We make this huli every thursday. My mom used to say that it is Sri Raghavendra rayaru's favorite and is prepared every thursday in most madhwa households as thurday is Sri Raghavendra rayaru's day. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Spinach - 1 medium bunch

Toor dal - ¾ cup

Tamarind paste - ½ teaspoon

(If using the fresh tamarind, extract pulp from one lemon size tamarind)

Oil - 2 teaspoons for seasoning

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Urud dal - 1 teaspoon

Channa dal - 1 teaspoon

Red chillies - 2

Sambar powder - 1 tablespoon. Click here for the recipe

Substitute with 3 green chillies for sambar powder

Turmeric powder - ¼ teaspoon

Asafoetida powder a pinch

Salt to taste

Method:

Cook toor dal with 2 cups water. Mash the cooked toor dal (whisk well to mash) and keep it aside.

Chop the spinach leaves and wash it well. You can use half the spinach in the spinach bag available in the Indian grocery store. Keep it aside.

Heat oil in a kadai and add the mustard seeds, when it pops add the urud and channa dal. When the channa dal turns light brown, add the red chillies and the chopped spinach leaves.

Add one cup water. When the content is getting cooked, add tamarind paste, Sambar powder (huli podi), turmeric powder, salt and asafoetida powder.

Let the spinach get cooked well. Now drain the excess water from the cooked toor dal and add the dal to the cooked spinach. Mix well and reduce the heat. Turn off in one boil.

Serve hot with cooked white rice with a dab of ghee or use as a side for chapathi.

This is my entry to FIC - green hosted by Sunshinemom of Tongue ticklers.

Rajma curry

An eye catching, tasty and a healthy dish for rice or roti that can be made using very few ingredients. One such dish is Rajma curry. Rajma is otherwise called red beans or kidney beans. Here is one simple and delicious curry using rajma. This curry is based on Mallika badrinath's Rajma curry in her Vegetarian Gravies cook book.

Ingredients:

Rajma (dry) - half cup

Tomatoes - 5 to 6 red ripe juicy

Make a course paste with the following:

Onion - 1 large preferably red

Garlic - 5 pods

Oil - 1 tablespoon

Red chilli powder - 1 to 2 teaspoon

Dhania powder - 2 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - quarter teaspoon

Salt to taste

To garnish:

Finely chopped coriander leaves

Method:

Soak rajma in water overnight or atleast 10 hrs. Drain the water and pressure cook rajma with one cup water for 2 to 3 whistles. Keep rajma separately. Preserve the water.

Blanch the tomatoes:

Blanch the tomatoes: Boil water and add the tomatoes. After a few minutes the skin will peel off. Drain water and cool it. Remove the skin completely. Finely cut the tomatoes and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a kadai and fry the ground masala paste. When oil separates from the masala add finely cut tomatoes. Cook with half cup water in reduced heat.

Add the cooked rajma and add enough water (use preserved water) and cook for five minutes.

Turn off heat and garnish with finely cut coriander leaves and serve with rotis/chapathis.

This is my entry to Curry mela hosted by Srivalli of Cooking for all seasons.

Beans carrot palya

Beans and carrot palya is a very simple and delicious vegetable side for any south Indian rice variety. I have simply seasoned the microwave cooked vegetable with salt, mustard seeds and urud dal. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Chopped green beans - 1 cup

Diced carrot - ¾ cup

Salt to taste

Oil for seasoning - 2 teaspoons

Mustard seeds - ¼ teaspoon

Urud dal - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - less than ¼ teaspoon

Asafoetida powder - 1 pinch

Desiccated coconut - 1 tablespoon

Method:

Wash the carrot and beans together. Drain water and transfer it to a microwave container. I used the Microwave rice cooker.

Microwave on high for 8 minutes partially opened.

Heat oil in a kadai and add the mustard seeds. When it pops, add the urud dal.

When the urud dal turns golden, Reduce heat and add the cooked beans and carrot. Stir.

Add the turmeric powder, asafoetida powder and salt. Stir until even distribution.

Turn off the heat and garnish with desiccated coconut.

Enjoy this vegetable with rasam rice, sambar rice, curd rice or how ever you want. I sometimes wrap in with chapathi or just fill a bowl full of this palya and enjoy it as such.

This is my entry to

1. MEC - Potluck Party hosted by Srivalli of Cooking for all seasons

2. Independence Day theme hosted by Pooja of Creative Pooja.

Thank you Srivalli and Pooja for hosting the event.