Moong Daal Pesarettu

 

This is the second version of pesarettu, I had learned from my friend, Priya. I have already blogged about the first version with Moong sprouts.

Today's recipe contains moong daal. I sometimes also add spinach leaves to sneak in more nutrients. Serve with any chutney of your choice. Sometimes, I serve this protein packed dosa as the flatbread to go with usual subzi.

Moong Daal Pesarettu
Moong Daal Dosa
Ingredients
1 cup green moong daal, soaked
1" ginger
2-3 green chilies or to taste
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 cup cilantro
salt to taste
1/2 cup fresh spinach leaves(optional)

Stir in
1/4 cup finely minced onion

Oil for frying dosas

Method
1. Soak green moong daal - with peels in sufficient water for at least 4 hours.
2. Drain and grind with all the remaining ingredients except onion & oil - to make a smooth batter.
3. Cover and set aside for 3-4 hours.
4. Heat a pan. Pour a ladleful of batter.

5. Drizzle oil as needed.
6. Cover and let it cook.
7. Flip on the other side and cook.
8. Serve hot off the griddle with chutney of your choice.

Note -
1. Use green moong daal - the one with peels - for this recipe.
2. Traditionally, this dosa is served with upma stuffed inside. However, I like to serve it with any daily subzi and chutney as a part of daily meal.
3. Use nonstick pan or well seasoned cast iron pan for making this dosa.

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Baghare Baingan - Hyderabadi Eggplant Curry

 

 

Baghare Baingan is Hyderabad style eggplant curry. In my version, instead of deep frying the eggplants, I lightly fry them in a spoonful of oil.  Serve with chapati or plain rice.

 

 

Baghare Baingan

Hyderabadi Eggplant Curry

Ingredients

10 - 12 baby eggplants, stems removed, 2 slits keeping each eggplant in tact

1/2 tbsp. oil

 

Roast one after the other

1 tbsp. sesame seeds

2 tbsp. peanuts

1 tbsp. poppy seeds

2 tbsp. coconut

1/2 tsp. cumin seeds

1/2 tbsp. coriander seeds

1/2 tsp. fennel seeds

8-10 fenugreek seeds

1/2" ginger, peeled

4 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 cup onion

4-5 byadgi chilies

1 sprig curry leaves

 

Grind the roasted ingredients with

1/2 tbsp. tamarind pulp

2 tbsp. water

You will also need
salt to taste
1 tbsp. jaggery

Tempering
1 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/4 tsp. asafetida
1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
1/4 cup minced onion
2 sprigs curry leaves

Garnish
1 tbsp. minced cilantro

Method
1. Rinse eggplants. Dry eggplants completely. Cut off the stems. Make two slits, leaving each eggplant intact.

2. Heat a pan. Add 1/2 tbsp. oil. Spread eggplants in a single layer. Fry till they are uniformly browned - not necessarily cooked. Set them aside. 

3. Roast all the spices, coconut, onion one after the other.

4. Grind them with tamarind and water.
5. Heat oil in a saucepan. Add the ingredients for tempering. Add onion and curry leaves. Sauté till onion is soft.
6. Add ground paste, 1 cup water and fried eggplants. Bring to boil. Switch gas to low. Cover and let it cook till eggplants are cooked but not mushy.

7. Add salt and jaggery to taste. Simmer till gravy is thick.

8. Garnish with cilantro.


Note -
1. Traditionally eggplants are deep fried before adding to the gravy.



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Tamarind Leaves Daal

Sometimes in life - especially during your impressionable age, you meet someone and their ideology stays with you for the rest of your life. It happened to me when I had gone with my maternal cousins to their paternal aunt's home. I know it sounds little tricky. But if you ponder, your maternal cousins' paternal family is not really your own family. They can be considered a part of extended family if you are in good touch.

I met "Kaku" for the first time. She was an old lady compared to my mom. I was under 10 for sure. I followed her everywhere, especially in and around her kitchen. Her huge house on Maharashtra border was a novelty for me. One day, Kaku said that she would make Matkichi Usal. But I observed something totally different. She washed Matki in the backyard above some soil. Then I observed, she would rinse any grain/beans in the backyard. I was totally intrigued. She had a kitchen sink. Why would she go all the way to the backyard to rinse the daily grains/beans. I asked her so. She replied,"They're seeds of life. However much care I take to rinse, some of them fall down. If they are washed in kitchen sinks, they are wasted in the drain. When I wash it in the backyard, even if they fall, they go to the soil. They would grow. I am not wasting them."

I didn't meet Kaku very often later. She is no more. But that thought stayed with me. Even today, whenever possible, if I come across any seeds, I throw it in the soil. I feel it's better than throwing in the trash can. I live where it snows. So not necessarily every seed turns into huge plants/trees. But they grow. So when I get tamarind, I always throw the seeds in the soil. They give me fresh, tender tamarind leaves for making daal and chutneys.

Today's tamarind leaves daal is inspired by Andhra Pradesh's Gongura Daal. Since I had Andhra's Guntur Chilies, I used them. Please substitute any dry, red chilies you have in your pantry.

I looked up this name and found that it's called Chinta Chiguru Pappu. (Thanks to Sailu's Food)

Chinta Chiguru Pappu
Tamarind Leaves Daal
Ingredients
3/4 cup toor daal, pressure cooked, mashed
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp asafetida

1 cup tender tamarind leaves, torn from sprigs (I didn't chop them)
salt to taste

Tempering
1 tsp oil
1/ 2 tsp mustard seeds
2 Guntur chilies, whole
4-5 garlic cloves, sliced

Suggested Accompaniment
Plain Rice
Gongura Pickle

Method
1. Pressure cook toor daal adding turmeric powder, asafetida and adequate water.
2. Mash lightly and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a saucepan.
4. Add mustard seeds, chilies and garlic cloves.
5. Sauté till garlic aroma wafts through the kitchen
6. Add tender tamarind leaves.
7. Sauté quickly till they are wilted.
8. Add mashed daal and 1/2 cup water.
9. Add salt and bring to boil.
10. Simmer till the daal thickens a bit.
11. Serve with plain rice and Gongura pickle.

Note -
1. If you like, you can add more water and serve as a soup with broth.






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Mirchi Ka Salan

Zee TV was launched somewhere in 1992 - 1993 and Sanjeev Kapoor with his "Khana Khazana" took many kitchens by storm. I was still attending college then. But I watched every episode avidly.

Those were the days when I followed each and every recipe, every step in great detail. But life was different then. I surely was a pampered chef. Our bai - domestic help- would chop vegetables for me, and I would just cook without worrying about the cleaning process.

Fast forward to several years later, in the United States, where I shop, chop, cook and clean. As a result, the recipes get shortened as multiple steps are combined into one giant leap! Today's Mirchi Ka Salan has its origin in Sanjeev Kapoor's Khana Khazana but it's probably a very quick and abbreviated version.

Mirchi Ka Salan
Anaheim Chilies Curry
Ingredients
5-6 Anaheim Chiles, halved or cut into 3 parts if too big
salt to taste

Roast one after the other
1 tbsp. white sesame seeds
1/4 cup peanuts, unsalted, peeled
2 tbsp. dessicated coconut
2 garlic cloves
1 small piece of ginger
2-3 Guntur Chilies * (See note below)
4 sprigs curry leaves, torn

Grind together
Roasted ingredients from above
1 tsp coriander-cumin powder
1 tsp tamarind pulp

Tempering
1/2 tbsp. oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp asafetida
1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Method
1. Heat oil  and add tempering ingredients.
2. As they sizzle, add chilies in a single layer.

3. Cook on medium flame till they are uniformly blistered.
4. Add ground masala and 1/2 cup water.

5. Cook till chilies are soft. Add salt to taste.
6. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Note -
1. You can add a little jaggery if your prefer sweetish taste.
2. I happened to have spicy Guntur chilies in my pantry so I used them. Any chilies of your choice and per your heat preference can be used.
3. I use Anaheim chilies for this recipe since they are readily available here.


Credits
http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/recipe/Mirchi-Ka-Salan-Khazana-of-Indian-Recipes.html

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