Moong dal mangooris - fritters or vadas

My husband and I do not watch any games. I never even watched cricket back in India. But when i saw this event, I remembered how my mom would make either bhajiyas, mangooris or samosas etc for us. My dad and brother loved cricket and this would spice up things even more. This recipe just takes 15 minutes and tastes wonderful. And what is better than fried food for the game??? This is off to Mansi for the event game night party at http://funnfud.blogspot.com/2008/01/announcing-event-game-night-party.html

 

For the fritters:
1 cup moong dhuli dal - split moong dal with skin
3-4 green chilies
2 tblsp green coriander
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 inch piece ginger
salt to taste.
Oil to deep fry.

Soak the dal for about 1 1/2 to 2 hrs. Grind it in a mixer with all the above. Don't use too much water bcos the batter should be very thick. And do not grind it too fine. It should be a bit grainy. If you feel that the batter has become thin, just add 1 tblsp chick pea flour to thicken it. This is optional.

Heat oil. Put the wadas in the hot oil with a small spoon and deep fry on medium heat till golden bron. Serve hot with sauce or chutney of your choice.

Why does my Rasam taste bland???

I always made rasam with ready made rasam masala. I first had rasma when my colleague from office (who was from Kerela) got it in office. She would get a variety of rasama and i fell in love with them. After marriage, i tried many time to make rasam at home, but they always tasted bland. I didn't know then that using ready made masala was the reason for this. I knew but was lazy I guess.

Recently I saw a recipe for mysore rasam on http://greenjackfruit.blogspot.com and thought i should make my own rasam powder at home. The difference in taste was unbelievable.

 

 

This is the recipe i got from http://greenjackfruit.blogspot.com/2006/09/mysore-rasam.html I made some changes to it to suit our taste.

Mysore rasam

2 Tbsp toor/arhar dal, cooked
1 lemon-sized tamarind
1/2 tsp Turmeric
salt
1 tomato, finely chopped

For the tadka
Ghee or oil 2 tsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
curry leaves 8-10
dry red chilies 2-3
Hing a pinch


For powder:

1 tbsp tur dal
2 red chilies
5-6 peppercorns
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp chana dal
1 .5 tsp coriander seeds
a pinch of Hing
a few curry leaves.

Dry roast the spices for the powder on low heat till the seeds change color and emit a nice aroma. When cool, grind to a course powder. You can increase the quantities and make more powder to store for later.

Boil diluted tamarind water with tomatoes, turmeric and salt. Add the cooked and mashed dal to it, add 2 tsp of rasam powder and boil. Simmer on low heat for 15 mins.

Heat ghee or oil in a pan, then add mustard seeds. when they crackle add curry leaves dry red chilies and hing.

Add to rasam mix well and remove from heat. Garnish with green coriander.

Serve hot with rice and sabji.

Stuffed bitter gourd/karela and Maharashtrian Aamti with goda masala

Maharashtrian Aamti
This aamti is a staple in my in-laws home. Even though they are from Goa, my hubby’s brother and bhabhi do not eat non-vegetarian food. So there is fish curry, and then there is this aamti. My MIL tries to vary the menu but this is one of the aamtis which is regularly made. Its sour, and spicy and a bit sweet.

We love stuffed karelas. This is a simpler version of the same. there is another elaborate recipe for stuffed bitter gourd on my blog.

 

Maharashtrain aamti

½ cup toor/arhar dal
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of hing
8-10 curry leaves
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 tsp red chili powder
2 tsp goda masala
a small piece of tamarind, soaked and pulp removed
1 inch piece of jaggery or gur
2 tsp oil
salt to taste
coriander leaves for garnish
2 tsp grated coconut

Wash the toor dal and pressure cook till it is done.
Add turmeric, red chilies, gur, goda masala, salt, tamarind pulp, 1/2 cup water and cook for 10-15 mins.

Heat oil. Add mustards seeds. When they crackle, add hing and curry leaves. Add this to the dal, cover and cook 5 mins on low heat. Garnish with coriander leaves and coconut. Serve hot with rice and any vegetable.
Goda masala is a blend of about 20 spices and coconut which are roasted and then ground. I get mine from my MIL. I think there is a recipe for it on Nupur's blog.

Stuffed Karela/ bitter gourd
Ingredients:

6 small tender bitter gourd/karelas
2 tsp yogurt
2-3 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp red chili powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp amchoor powder
½ tsp sugar
Salt to taste
1 tblsp oil + ½ tblsp oil

Peel the karelas and slit them and remove all the seeds.
Apply salt and 2 tsp yogurt liberally, both inside and outside. Keep aside for at least 1 hour. Wash the karelas nicely, squeeze out all the water and keep aside.
In the meantime, prepare the stuffing.
Mix 1/2 tblsp oil with all the ground spices. If you use mustard oil, that will taste much better in this recipe.
Stuff a little stuffing in each karela.

Heat oil in a non-stick pan. place the karelas in the pan and cook on low heat till brown on each side. You can cover and cook for initial 10-15 mins and then cook without a lid for the remaining time till brown.

If you like bitter gourd, do try out another stuffed karela recipe on my blog.

Lobia masala

I have loved lobia (black eyed peas) since childhood. My nani loved them too. So whenever we went to stay with our nanaji naniji, lobia would make a regular appearance. It doesn’t take much time to cook and is really tasty with rotis and raita.

Ingredients
1 cup lobia
2 medium onions finely chopped
1 large tomato finely chopped
12 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chili powder
2 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp garam masala
1 tblsp oil
Salt to taste
Chopped coriander for garnish


Method
Wash and soak the lobia in water for an hour.
Heat oil in a pressure cooker.
Add cumin seeds and when they change color, add onions. Fry till onions become brown. Then add ginger garlic paste and fry for a min.
Add turmeric, chili and coriander powders and fry for 30 sec.
Add tomato and fry till the masala gets cooked and oil separates from the masala.
Then add the lobia, mix well with the masala, add 1 ½ cup water and salt.
Close the cooker, and after first whistle, reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 10 mins.
Open the cooker after the pressure drops, add garam masala and cook for 4-5 mins.
Garnish with green coriander.

Punjabi Rajma

Growing up, Rajma chawal or kadhi chawal were a staple meal for us on Saturday afternoons. Sundays were reserved for Mutton/ chicken. Nowadays, with so many varieties to choose from, Rajma or kadhi make a very rare appearance. But when they do, they are very welcome.





Ingredients:

1 cup Rajma
1 very large onion
3 cloves garlic
1 inch ginger
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
1 inch piece cinnamon
4 cloves
1 back cardamom
10 black pepper
4 tablespoon tomato puree or 2 large tomatoes
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp garam masala
2 tbls spoon fresh coriander
Oil
Salt to taste

Soak the rajma overnight
Grind onion, garlic and ginger to a fine paste
If using tomatoes, grind them separately.
Heat oil in a non stick pan; add cumin seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and black pepper. Cook till they change color.
Add onion paste and fry for about 15 mins till the paste turns brownish in color and oil separates.
Add tomato puree and fry for 10 mins till the oil separates and masala looks cooked.
Then add turmeric, chili and coriander powder and fry for 1 min
Add rajma and salt and fry 2-3 mins.
Add 2 cups water, put the full thing in a pressure cooker, close the cooker and put it on high heat. After the first whistle, lower the heat and cook for 20 mins.
After the pressure subsides, open the cooker, return to the heat, and add garam masala and green dhania and cook 5 mins. It you want a thicker gravy, cook some more time. For thinner gravy add a little more water.

I use non stick pan so that the masala does not stick while frying. You can directly fry the masala in a cooker. In that case add a little water while frying if the masala starts sticking. Serve the rajma with basmati rice and sliced onions.