Sambar - Tangy Yellow Split Peas Cooked with Vegetables

Sambar

Sambar is a South-Indian dish of lentils & vegetables that is usually fiery & spicy and I love it. Hubby, however, can't tolerate spicy food so when I cook this at home it is much milder with the spices toned down several notches, which is why I refer to it as Bengali or simple sambar. This dish is generally made with toor dal or yellow split pigeon peas, and any vegetables you have on hand.

Stuffed Rava Idlis

Stuffed Rava Idlis

Cream of wheat is known as rava in Hindi and suji in Bengali. Idlis are steamed cakes made from rice or cream of wheat. The batter is generally soaked the night before to allow it to set up. In this instant recipe, cream of wheat is combined with yogurt and spices and set aside for 30 minutes. I have to admit that instant idlis are not as soft and plump as the overnight recipe. So if time is not a constraint, it's better to prepare the batter the night before and leave at room temperature overnight.

Idli Stand

This recipe for idlis makes 8 idlis, so I used only 2 trays of the idli stand. Each tray can be removed from the stand by unscrewing the black knob on top, and separating each tray from the spindle in the center. They can then be reassembled by reversing the process.  I used my wok to hold the idli tray to steam the idlis, but a pressure cooker can also be used.

Yellow Alu

Here's another recipe that uses Yellow Alu or diced russet potatoes prepared the South Indian way. 

Oats Utthappam - Savoury Oat Pancakes

Oats Utthappam

Using oatmeal instead of flour for pancakes and making them savoury is a great alternative for those of us who, for medical reasons, are forced to watch our carbohydrate intake. Utthappam, a South Indian breakfast delicacy, are savoury pancakes made with fermented rice and urad dal or lentils. 

This took less than 15 minutes to set up. Oatmeal is ground to a fine flour and then combined with yogurt, salt and the other ingredients to a pancake consistency. I used omelette ingredients comprising onions, tomatoes, green chilies & cilantro, all of which were diced and mixed in with the oatmeal mixture and then cooked in a cast iron omelette pan with very little oil.

Plain Greek yogurt is a staple in our refrigerator, but regular plain yogurt would work just as well, if not better, because of its water content. We had these for lunch today and could have only two each because they were so filling.

Narkol Diye Dal - Lentils Cooked in Coconut Milk

Mum used to make delicious lentils with coconut for festive occasions, but she always used pieces of coconut to flavour the dish. This recipe uses coconut milk which makes a very creamy lentil dish which is especially delicious because of the chauk/phoron/tarka at the very end of curry leaves, green chillies and black mustard seeds which makes it simply perfect for this preparation!

Ingredients:
1 cup channa dal 
1 (8 oz.) cup coconut milk
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium (Roma) tomatoes, chopped
3 green chillies, chopped
1 tsp. ginger paste
1 tsp. turmeric powder
2 cups water or vegetable stock

Garnish:
4 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 green chillies, slit at stem end
7-8 curry leaves, one stem
1 tsp. black mustard seeds
1 tsp. ghee

Directions:
1. Place all ingredients (except Garnish) in a pressure cooker, bring to a boil, cover and cook under pressure on medium heat for 20 minutes or until lentils are tender.
2. Allow steam in pressure cooker to dissipate before opening lid.
3. Heat oil over high heat in a small saucepan, fry slit green chillies until skin blisters and turns grey, remove from oil and set aside.
4. Sputter black mustard seeds, add curry leaves and fry for a minute or so.
5. Pour over lentils in pressure cooker, return to a boil and garnish with slit green chillies and ghee.

Serve over steamed Basmati or Jasmine rice or tortillas.

Cheerer Pulao

This recipe was inspired by a recipe from Mala Ray Chatterjee's Poha with Loads of Veggies in a Facebook group called Kitchen Raagas.  This recipe differs slightly from the original because I didn't have all the ingredients, so I am providing a modified version.  This is also for those readers who do not have a Facebook account.  This dish is fast and easy to make and is great for breakfast, brunch or lunch. 

Cheera or Poha is dehydrated and flattened rice flakes that is highly nutritious and lasts in the pantry for a long time. 

Ingredients
1 cup cheera (poha), washed and squeezed dry

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 green chili, deseeded and chopped 
1 tsp. urad dal
1 tsp. chana dal
1 tsp. cashew nut pieces
1 tsp. raisins

1 medium onion, chopped
1 Roma tomato, chopped
8-10 curry leaves
1 tsp. chopped ginger or ginger paste
1 cup chopped vegetables (cauliflower, carrot, peas, green pepper, potatoes/sweet potatoes) 
Salt to taste
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/2 lime cut in 4 wedges
1 Tbsp. cilantro

1 tsp. ghee

Directions

1. In a saucepan over high heat, sputter mustard seeds, chili, dals, cashews and raisins.
2. Add onions, tomatoes, curry leaves, ginger and fry for 2 minutes until onions soften.
3. Add vegetables and salt and cook until vegetables are cooked, about 10 minutes. 
4. Add cheera (poha) along with lime juice and mix well. 
5. Adjust salt  and chilies to taste and heat through.
6. Garnish with cilantro and ghee
7. Remove from heat to a serving dish and serve with lime wedges.

Recipes I Must Try

Here is a list of recipes that I found on other blogs that I must try out in my kitchen.
Sources:

Blog Hop

• Archana's Kitchen
• The Chef and Her Kitchen
• Easy Cooking
• Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Love2 Cook Malaysia
• My Jhola
• My Mom's Recipes - by Anshu Bhatnagar
• My Singapore Kitchen
• Sanjeev Kapoor
• Tarla Dalal

Rice Dishes

1. Baby Potato Biryani
2. Cauliflower Biryani 
3. Chettinad Mushroom Biryani
4. Easy Fish Biryani
5. Malabar Coconut Rice
6. Masala Congee 

Appetizers

1. Sago Potato Rolls

Vegetable Dishes

1. Bean Sprouts with Tofu
2. Brinjal Theyal
3. Cabbage Carrot Thoran
4. Carrot Thoran
5. Cauliflower Thoran
6. Chayote Thoran - Chayote/Darjeeling Squash cooked with Thoran Mix.
7. Mixed Vegetable Thoran
8. Quick Cauliflower Sabzi
9. Spinach Thoran
10. Spinach Stir Fried with Garlic
11. Thoran Mix - a shredded unsweetened coconut mix used to cook vegetables and dal.
12. Winged Beans with Eggs
13. Winged Beans Thoran

Main Dishes

1. Chicken Fry
2. Dry Chicken Curry (Kethal Chicken)
3. Fish Curry
4. Fish Fry
5. Ground Chicken and Eggs
6. Hot and Spicy Chili Crab
7. Lentils (Toor Dal) with Mutton and Brinjal
8. Malai Kofta Curry
9. Mutton Curry
10. Mutton Fry
11. Paneer Malai Kofta
12. Pork in Coconut Milk - Slow Cooked
13. Prawn & Potato Fry
14. Puliya Mulaku Fish Curry
15. Singapore Style Pepper Chicken
16. South Indian Mutton Curry
17. Special Chili Chicken

Lentils

1. Easy Sambar
2. Lentils (Toor Dal) with Mutton and Brinjal

Sauces and Accompaniments

1. Coconut Chutney
2. Roasted Coconut Chutney 

Noodles

1. Egg Noodles
2. Rice Vermicelli - Singapore Bee Hoon
3. Vegetable Lasagna with Mushroom & Spinach

Desserts

1. Aam Doi - Baked Mango Flavoured Yogurt - Tried and truly delicious!
2. Black Glutinous Rice in Coconut Milk
3. Gulab Jamun - Pantua
4. Mango Burfi
5. Mango Fudge - Mango Burfi
6. Pati Shapta - Crepes with Coconut Filling
7. Shahi Tukda