Palak Tuvar Dal/Spinach with split pigeon pea

This is a mildly spiced dish which contains no onion or garlic.

Recipe Courtesy:Tarla Dalal

Ingredients:


Spinach - 2 cups washed thoroughly and chopped

Boiled toor dal - 1/2 cup

Ginger - 2 tsp grated

Turmeric - 1/4 tsp

Green chillies - 2 chopped

Dry red chillies - 2 broken

Bay leaf - 2

Cloves - 3

Cumin seeds - 1tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Salt to taste

Oil  - 1 tsp

Procedure:


Pressure cook spinach in 3 cups of water along with toor dal,ginger,green chillies,turmeric,and required amount of salt for 3 whistles.

In a pan heat the oil.When hot,add cumin seeds.When it splutters,add bay leaf,cloves,broken red chillies and asafoetida.

Add the tempering to the spinach/dal mixture and simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve with plain rice or roti.

Merry Christmas with a Simple Chocolate Fudge!!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holiday Wishes to all the readers of Simple Vegetarian Recipes!!

This is the first time I have tried my hand in candy making.It was a snap to make.Got this recipe from Joy of Baking website.

Ingredients:

Sweetened Condensed Milk - 1 can(14 oz)

Nestle semisweet chocolate chips - 1 bag(12 oz)

Butter - 2 Tbsp

Vanilla essence - 2tsp

Walnuts - 1 cup

Method:

Line the bottom and sides of a  8 baking pan with parchment paper or aluminium foil leaving extra foil on the sides hanging down.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.Place the walnuts in a cookie sheet and toast for about 8 minutes,
When cool,chop them roughly.

Combine the condensed milk,semisweet chocolate chip,butter in a stainless steel bowl and place over a saucepan of simmering water.Stir the mixture until the chocolate melts and the mixture becomes smooth.

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla essence and walnuts.

Spread the mixture into the prepared pan.Cover with foil and refrigerate till it becomes cool enough.

Cut into 1 inch pieces.Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Mili Jhuli Subzi/Mixed vegetables in spicy gravy

When I found this recipe in the newsletter of Tarla Dalal,I was so sure that Iam gonna try this.It is  a combination of vegetables in a spicy gravy.The spices are not store bought,but freshly ground.That tempted me to give it a try.This is a real comfort food for the harsh wintry nights.

Ingredients:


Boiled mixed vegetables - 2 cups(carrots,potatoes,beans,peas,baby corn,cauliflower)

Paneer - 1/2 cup cubed or tofu

Tomatoes - 2 medium chopped into small pieces

Corn flour - 1/2 tsp mixed with 2Tbsp of milk

Salt to taste

Oil - 4 tbsp

To be ground into a paste:

Onion - 1 medium

Thick Poha - 2 tablespoon Soak in water for 5 minutes.Drain and then grind with other ingredients

Coriander seeds - 4tsp

Black pepper - 5 or 6

Cumin seeds - 2tsp

Dry red chillies - 5

Poppy seeds - 1tsp

Cloves - 2

Cinnamon - 2 inch piece

Garlic - 2 or 3 pods

Ginger - 2tsp grated

Method:

Heat oil in a skillet.When hot,add the ground paste and saute till raw smell goes off.

Add the chopped tomatoes and saute till the tomatoes are pulpy.

Then add the boiled vegetables,paneer,required amount of salt and 1/2 cup of water.Simmer for 2 minutes.

Now add cornflour mixed with water and simmer for another 5 minutes.

Serve hot with roti.

Kara Thenkuzhal/Spicy Blackgram Chakli

This is a very simple chakli/murukku recipe with all store bought flours.

Ingredients:

Rice flour - 2 cups

Urad Dal/Black gram  flour - 1/2 cup

If the black gram flour is not available in store,you can make your own by dry roasting 1 cup of black gram Dal in a pan till it becomes slightly red and a nice aroma comes from the Dal.Grind it to a fine powder in a mixie/food processor.Use as needed and store the remaining flour in freezer.

Chili powder - 2tsp

Jeera/Cumin seeds - 1 tsp

Melted butter - 3tbsp

Asaofoetida - 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Water required to make a soft dough

Oil - 3 cups 

Method:

In a medium sized bowl,add the rice flour,black gram flour,cumin seeds,asafoetida,chili powder,required amount of salt and mix well.

Add the melted butter.Add water little by little and knead into a smooth dough.

Heat oil in a deep pan over medium heat.

Place the thenkuzhal disc(the one which has three small holes) in the press.Fill about three-quarters of dough into the press.

Hold the press over the oil and squeeze the press in circular motion.Cook one side till it is slightly brown and turn the other side and cook for a few more minutes until both sides are golden brown in color.

Remove from the oil and drain in a paper towel.Store when they are cool in an air-tight container.