Vegetable pulav

Ingredients:

Coriander / Cilantro - 1 Cup (finely chopped)
Mint - 1 cup 
Ginger - 1 inch
Green Chillies - 6
Fresh coconut - 1/4 cup (Grated)
Rice - 1 Cup
Water - 2 Cups
Salt - As required
Carrot - 1 Cup (Chopped)
Potato - 1 Cup (Chopped)
Batani / Peas - 1 Cup
Lemon juice - 1 tsp (Optional)
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method:

1) Grind Coriander leaves, mint, ginger, green chillies and part of the fresh coconut into paste with minimal water.
2) In a pan, add oil followed my grinded paste. Fry for 2 mins
3) Now add all chopped vegetables one by one.
4) Mix well and allow it to fry for another 2 mins.
5) Now add Washed Rice, mix and fry for another 2 mins.
6) Add water for the rice to cook and keep it closed until done
7) Make sure to check in between to avoid sticking of rice to pan.
8) Once completely cooked, turn off flame and add lemon juice and remaining coconut and mix well.

Tasty Vegetable pulav is ready to be served with raita

Simple dal

Ingredients:

Moong dal - 1/2 cup

Onion - 1 medium

Tomato - 1 medium

Green chillies - 2

Ginger - 1/2 inch

Salt - As required

Oil - 1 tbsp

Asafoetida / Hing - 1/4 tbsp 

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tbsp 

Curry leaves - Few

Urad Dal - 1/4 tbsp 

Cumin / Jeera - 1/4 tbsp 

Chana dal / Bengal Gram Dal - 1/4 tbsp 

Method:

1) In a wide pan, cook the moong dal with a little water and turmeric powder till they become soft.

2) In a pan , add oil. Add mustard seeds and let it crackle. Now add jeera, red chillies , curry leaves, urad dal, chana dal and hing.

3) Now add, chopped onion, green chillies and ginger.

4) Fry until its golden brown. Now add tomato.

5) Add cooked moong dal and mix well.

6) Add salt and give a good mix.

Simple Moong dal is ready to be served with Chapathi or puri.

Note:

1) Lemon juice can also be added.

Growing fenugreek at home

Ingredients:

Dry Methi / Fenugreek seeds - 2 tbsp

Method:

1) Add potting soil in pot to fill 1/2 of the pot.

2) Soak fenugreek seeds in water overnight.

3) Remove the water and spread the seeds randomly in soil.

4) Add soil on top of the layer of seeds up to 1 inch to cover them.

5) Sprinkle water on them lightly every day.

6) In a week , the seeds sprouts. 

7) In 2 -3 weeks you can have your first harvest.

8)  Try to leave some leaves while harvest and get second harvest in another few weeks.

Note:

1) Seeds can also be sprouted before spreading them over soil.

2) Sow seeds again if you wish to after first harvest.

3) Start of spring is the best time to sow seeds, to get more harvest entire summer.

Radish moong dal

Ingredients:

Baby Radish - 10 

Moong dal - 1/4 cup

Salt - As required

Oil - 1 tbsp

Asafoetida / Hing - 1/4 tbsp 

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tbsp 

Curry leaves - Few

Urad Dal - 1/4 tbsp 

Cumin / Jeera - 1/4 tbsp 

Chana dal / Bengal Gram Dal - 1/4 tbsp 

Method:

1) In a wide pan, cook the moong dal with a little water and turmeric powder till they become soft.

2) In a pan , add oil. Add mustard seeds and let it crackle. Now add red chillies , curry leaves and hing.

3) Now add, Grated or finely chopped raddish  and fry until soft.

4) Once raddish is cooked well, add cooked moong dal and mix well.

5) Add salt and give a good mix.

Radish moong dal is ready to be served with Chapathi or puri.

Note:

1) Lemon juice can also be added. 

Mango gojju - version 2

Ingredients:

Raw Mango - 2

Urad Dal - 1 tbsp

Chana dal / Bengal Gram Dal - 1 tbsp 

Cumin / Jeera - 1/2 tbsp

Methi Seeds / Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tbsp                  

Red chillies - 4

Fresh coconut - 1/4 cup (Grated)

Jaggery - 1 tbsp

Salt - As required

Oil - 1 tbsp

Asafoetida / Hing - 1/4 tbsp 

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tbsp 

Curry leaves - Few

Method:

1) Dry roast fenugreek seeds, urad dal, chana dal, red chillies and jeera seperately and make fine powder in a blender.

2) In a wide pan, cook the mango pieces with a little water and turmeric powder till they become soft.

3) Once cooked, add this to blender along with jaggery, salt, fresh grated coconut and blend it into a coarse paste. Add the powder made earlier and blend until its compeltely mixed.

4) In a pan , add oil. Add mustard seeds and let it crackle. Now add red chillies , curry leaves and hing.

5) Let the curry leaves crisp up. Once it is done, add the ground mango paste and let it boil. Add 1/4 cup water to the pan. Cover it and allow to boil until it thickens.

Serve Mango Gojju with hot steamed rice and a dollop of ghee.

Note:

1) Once gojju is cooled down, store it in a jar and refrigerate.

2) Water can also be avoided.

3) Fresh coconut can also be replaced with Dry coconut for shelf life.

Menthya soppu koora / Fenugreek leaves curry

Ingredients:

Fenugreek leaves / Menthya soppu - 4 cups (Chopped)
Toor dal - 1/4 cup
Onion - 1 medium
Salt - As Required
Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp
Mustard - 1/4 tbsp
Jeera - 1/4 tbsp
Hing - 1/4 tbsp
Curry leaves - few
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Green chillies - 4 

Method:

1) Cook toor dal with turmeric in pressure cooker until mashed up consistency.
2) In a pan, add oil, mustard, jeera, hing, curry leaves and green chillies.
3) Add onion and fry until soft
4) Add chopped fenugreek leaves and fry until its completely done (Soft).
5) Now add cooked toor dal followed by salt, lemon juice. Let it cook for 5mins.

Menthya soppu koora is ready to be served with hot rice with ghee.

Note:

1) Fenugreek leaves can be replaced by any other green leafy vegetable.

Mango Sambhar

Ingredients:

Mango- 4 medium
Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Sambhar powder - 2 tbsp
Coconut - 1/4 cup (Grated) 
Salt - As required
Turmeric - 1/4 tbsp
Mustard - 1/4 tbsp
Jeera - 1/4 tbsp
Channa Dal - 1/4 tbsp
Urad dal - 1/4 tbsp
Hing - 1/4 tbsp
Curry leaves - 1/4 tbsp
Oil - 1/2 tbsp
Coriander / Cilantro - 1 tbsp (Finely chopped)
Onion - 2 Medium (Optional)

Garlic cloves - 4 (Optional)

Method:

1) Cook Toor dal with turmeric and add water until it sinks. In a pressure cooker, cook for 2 whistles.
2) Grind coconut and sambhar powder with salt.
3) In a pan, add water and boil mango pieces until soft.
4) Once the Mango is half done, Add cooked toor dal.
5) Mix the grinded mixture when the mangoes are completely cooked. Adjust consistency by adding water. 
6) Boil well for 5 mins in medium flame.
7) Meanwhile, in a pan, add oil and when it heats up. Add Mustard, jeera, channa dal, urad dal, hing, curry leaves.
8) Top this seasoning on Sambhar. Boil Mango Sambhar for another 2 mins.
9) Turn off the flame and add grated coconut and chopped coriander / cilantro.

Mango Sambhar is ready to be served.