Masoor Dal (Lentils) With Swiss Chard

Swiss Chard is one leafy vegetable that I have always wanted to try out after coming to US, but never did. Finally, this week I got home the much awaited leafy green, Swiss Chard. I paired the greens with masoor dal and the outcome was a comforting, soul satisfying curry, that was well paired with hot steaming rice. You can replace the swiss chard with spinach and make the same curry, in case you can't get swiss chard locally.

Ingredients:
Lentils/Whole Masoor Dal - 1 cup
Swiss Chard - 1 cup, finely diced (include the red colored stalks too)
Onion - 1 medium sized, diced
Tomato - 1 medium sized, diced
Tomato Paste - 2 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Garlic - 3 cloves, finely minced
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - As per taste

Grind To Paste
Fresh Grated Coconut - 2 tbsp
Coriander Seeds - 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1//2 tsp
Water - 2 tbsp


Method of Preparation:
1. Cook the lentils/masoor dal and half of the chopped onions with 3 cups of water either in a pressure cooker for 1-2 whistles or in a pot with water for 20 - 25 minutes or just until the lentils are cooked.
2. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel. Add mustard seeds, after they splutter, add the remaining chopped onions, fry for a minute, then add the minced garlic and fry for few seconds. Add the chopped swiss chard and stir until the greens are slightly wilted.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes and fry till they slightly soften.
4.  Add the cooked masoor dal/lentil including the water in which they were cooked. Add more water to get the desired consistency. Add the chilli powder and salt.
5. Let the curry simmer for 5-10 minutes.
6. Add the tomato paste along with the ground paste, mix well. Simmer the curry for 5-10 minutes on low heat.
7. Serve the Masoor Dal with Swiss Chard along with hot rotis or steamed rice.

Besan Saag

Besan Saag is a simple yet delicious curry that is best paired with Pooris. This is my mom's recipe.

Ingredients:
Besan/Chickpea Flour/Senagapindi - 4 tbsp
Onion - 1 medium sized, sliced length wise
Potato - 1 medium sized, peeled and diced
Carrot - 1 medium sized, peeled and sliced
Tomato - 1 medium sized, diced
Green Chillies - 3, slit length wise
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
Water - 3-4 cups
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Chopped Cilantro/Coriander - 1/2 tsp
Salt - As per taste

Method of Preparation:
1. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel and add mustard seeds. After they splutter add cumin seeds. Add turmeric powder, chopped green chillies, onions, carrots and potatoes and mix well.
2. Fry till the vegetables are half cooked. Then add the chopped tomatoes and mix well. Cook till the tomatoes soften a little bit.
3. Then add the water and salt and wait till the water starts boiling.
4. Meanwhile add the chickpea flour to a small bowl and add water to make a paste. Ensure that no lumps form.
5. After the water starts boiling, add the chickpea flour paste, stir well and reduce the temperature to medium low. Let the curry simmer for 3-4 minutes. If the curry is too thick, add a little hot water to get the desired consistency.
6. Finally add the garam masala and chopped cilantro, mix well and turn off heat.
7. Serve the besan saag hot with pooris.

Mixed Greens Curry

I wanted to use collard greens, but wanted to make something different this time. Then I recollected that my mother used to prepare a mixed greens curry by combining different green leafy veggies. I tried to recollect what all went into that curry and made a mixed greens curry using collard greens, spinach and fenugreek leaves. When my husband tasted the curry today, he just loved it.

Ingredients:
Collard greens - 1 cup, stems removed, finely chopped
Spinach - 1/3 cup, chopped
Fenugreek leaves - 1/3 cup, chopped
Onion - 1, medium sized, roughly chopped
Tomatoes - 2, large, roughly chopped
Garlic - 3 cloves, roughly chopped
Green Chillies - 5, roughly chopped
Turmeric powder - a large pinch
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1/4 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - As per taste
Tamarind - very small piece (optional)


Method of Preparation:
1. Heat oil in a pressure cooker and add the mustard seeds, after they splutter, add the chopped onions and fry for a minute. Then add the chopped garlic and fry for 30 seconds.
2. Add the chopped tomatoes, turmeric powder, green chillies and fry for 2 minutes.
3. Add the chopped greens - spinach, fenugreek leaves and collard greens and mix well. Stir occasionally until the leaves wilt slightly.
4. If the tomatoes are not very sour, then add a small piece of tamarind. Add salt and 3/4 cup of water.
5. Pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. After the pressure is released, adjust the salt.
6. Enjoy the mixed greens curry with hot steamed rice or rotis/chapatis.
Sending this to "Only greens" by Pari & Saraswathi

Dhansak (Chicken Cooked With Lentils And Vegetables)

Dhansak is the best known and liked dish in Parsee Cuisine. Parsees adopted Gujarati as their language and absorbed local influence into their cuisine. 'In Parsee Gujarati, 'Dhaan' means rice and 'Sak' means vegetables. Dhansak is a meat, vegetable and lentil curry which is eaten with caramelized brown pulao rice. Although the dish contains many ingredients, it is quite simple to prepare. The following recipe is from the book 'Great Curries of India' by Camellia Panjabi. I did not add red pumpkin and used water instead of chicken stock. Me and my husband loved the curry. I am jotting the down exact recipe given in the book.

Ingredients:(Serves 6)

Chicken - 3 lb, cut into 6 or more pieces

Toor Dal - 11/2 cups (10 oz)

Tamarind Pulp - 4 tbsp

Ginger - 2 inch piece, peeled

Garlic - 6 cloves

Onions - 2, large, chopped

Red Pumpkin - 3/4 cup, chopped

Eggplants - 2/3 cup, chopped

Potato - 1, chopped

Fresh Dill - 1/4 cup, finely chopped

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Cilantro Leaves - 1 cup + 1 tbsp

Fresh Mint Leaves - 20

Oil - 1/4 cup

Fresh Fenugreek leaves - 1/2 bunch (or 2 tsp kasuri methi)

Parsee Sambar Masala - 3tsp

Dhansak Masala - 2 tsp

Cumin Powder - 1 tsp

Coriander Powder - 3 tsp

Cayenne Powder - 2 tsp

Tomatoes - 3 medium sized, chopped

Green Chillies - 3, chopped

Jaggery/Palm Sugar - 1 tbsp

Lime Juice of 1 whole lime

Salt - As per taste

For the Dhansak Powder:

If unavailable at the grocery store, use a mixture of 11/2 tsp garam masala, 1/4 teaspoon star anise powder and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg powder.

For the Parsee Sambar Masala:

Mix 3/4 teaspoon fenugreek powder, 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder, 1 teaspoon red cayenne powder and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper.

Method of Preparation:

1. Wash the toor dal and soak it in water for 30 minutes. Chop finely 4 garlic cloves and 11/2 inch of ginger piece.

2. In a large cooking pot, add the dal to cook in 3 cups water along with chopped onions, pumpkin, eggplants, potato and dill. Add the turmeric powder, whole remaining piece of ginger, remaining 2 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp of chopped coriander leaves and 8 mint leaves. Simmer until the dal is very soft. Allow to cool slightly. Liquidize with an egg beater to achieve a creamy consistency. Season with 1 teaspoon salt.

3. While the dal is cooking, heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry chopped ginger, garlic, 1 cup cilantro leaves, 12 mint leaves, fenugreek, Parsee sambar masala, dhansak masala, cumin and coriander powders, cayenne powder, tomatoes and green chillies and fry for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the chicken and saute for 2 minutes. Season with 1 tsp of salt and stir well.

4. Add the chicken to the dal with 3 cups of water or chicken stock. Add the jaggery, simmer until the chicken is cooked through before adding the tamarind pulp and lime juice. Adjust the salt, then simmer for a couple of minutes.

5. Serve  the Dhansak with hot steamed rice or pulav.

Salmon Curry

My husband loves fish and I hate it, but I love experimenting with the fish dishes. The dishes that are approved by Praveen, find a place in my blog. Here is one such successful experiment with Salmon.

Ingredients:
Salmon Steaks - 1 lb/500 gm (You can use any fish with firm flesh)
Onion - 1 medium sized, ground to paste
Tomato - 1 large, diced
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tbsp
Dry Red Chillies - 6(Adjust according to spice levels)
Dry Coconut Powder - 2 tbsp
Tamarind - lemon sized ball, soaked in warm water
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - As per taste
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp (For tempering)
Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp (For tempering)
Fennel Seeds - 1/4 tsp (For tempering)
Fenugreek Seeds - 6 (For tempering)
Curry Leaves - few (For tempering)

Method of Preparation:
1. Dry roast mustard seeds, cumin seeds and dry red chillies on medium heat, till they emanate aroma. Cool and grind them to a fine powder.
2. Add diced tomatoes, coconut powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder to the already ground powder and grind to a smooth paste. Keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed non stick pan. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fennel seeds and fenugreek seeds and curry leaves. Add the ground onion paste after the spluttering stops and fry till it turns slightly brown in color.
4. Add the ginger garlic paste and fry for 2 minutes. Then add the ground masala or the tomato spice mixture to it and fry till oil gets separated.
5. Meanwhile, extract the tamarind pulp by squeezing the soaked tamarind. Add the tamarind extract and a cup of water. Stir well.
6. Let the gravy boil and then simmer for few more minutes.
7. Add the cleaned fish to the gravy and cook covered for 4 minutes, then turn the fish around and cook covered for 2-3 minutes. Depending on the size of the fish pieces, increase or decrease the cooking time. Turn off the heat and cover the lid. Let the curry rest for a minimum of 2 hours, before serving.
8. Enjoy the salmon curry with steamed rice.

Vankaya Pullagura (Eggplant Curry)

Pullagura, a telugu word, whose literal translation is 'Tangy Curry', is used in the local dialect in Rayalseema region, Andhra Pradesh. My native district mostly comprises of farmers, who used to work in the farms and grow groundnut/peanuts, sunflower, castor seeds, etc. Since the whole family used to work in the farms, they hardly had time to cook. So, pullagura was a savior for them. They could put all the ingredients for the curry in a pot and boil till they were cooked, then they would use a wooden masher, known as 'pappu gutthi' or 'pappu katti' to slightly mash the curry and finally would add the tempering. These days, hardly anyone is working in the farms, but pullagura is a dish enjoyed by one and all. Pullagura works as an excellent accompaniment with steamed rice or rotis or ragi sangati/sankati or sadda rotte.

Ingredients:
Eggplants/Brinjal - 6, medium sized, quartered
Onion - 1, medium sized, roughly chopped
Tomatoes - 2, medium sized, roughly chopped
Green Chillies - 10, roughly chopped
Garlic - 4 cloves
Turmeric powder - a large pinch
Tamarind - small lemon sized ball

Salt - As per taste

For the Tempering:
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal/bengal gram - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - few
Oil - 1 tsp

Method of Preparation:
1. Add the quartered eggplants, chopped tomatoes, onion, green chillies, turmeric powder, tamarind to a pressure cooker along with 2-3 cups of water and cook for 2-3 whistles or just until the vegetables get cooked.
2. Add the salt, slightly mash the boiled ingredients using a masher or the back of a spatula.
3. Heat oil in a small pan, add mustard seeds, after they splutter, add cumin seeds, bengal gram and curry leaves, fry for 45 seconds and turn off the heat.
4. Add the tempering to the pressure cooker and let the curry simmer for 5-10 minutes.
5. Enjoy the vankaya pullagura with steamed rice or rotis.

Sending this recipe to my own event 'Celebrating Regional Cuisine'

Chayote Moong Dal Curry

Chayote/Chow Chow/Bangalore Vankaya/Seema Vankaya, is available through out the year, here in US. Chayote which has very mild flavor of its own works wonders when combined with ingredients such as cumin, chillies and garlic. Today, I made a chayote curry with coarsely ground moong dal/split bean and it came out very well.

Ingredients:
Chayote - 1, peeled, deseeded and finely diced
Moong Dal/Split Bean - 1/4 cup, soak in warm water for 2 hrs
Green Chillies - 5, roughly chopped
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Garlic - 1 large clove, roughly chopped
Tomato - 1 medium sized, finely chopped
Turmeric Powder - a pinch
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - As per taste

Method of Preparation:
1. Drain the water from the moong dal. Add green chillies, cumin, garlic to a grinder and grind to a fine paste. Then add the moong dal and grind to a coarse mixture.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. Add the diced chayote after mustard seeds splutter. Cook covered for few minutes or until chayote is half cooked.
3. Add the ground moong dal paste to the pan and mix well, removing lumps, if any.
4. Cook uncovered for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. Add salt, turmeric powder, chopped tomatoes and mix well.
5. Sprinkle a little water and cook covered till the tomatoes become soft. Add more water to get the desired consistency.
6. Adjust the salt and enjoy the chayote moong dal curry with steamed rice or rotis.

Masoor Dal Cabbage Curry

Earlier I had posted Tomato Cabbage recipe, which was super yummy. Today I wanted to make something different with cabbage. Long back I had bought a packet of whole masoor dal, which I hadn't even opened yet. I wanted to try a combination of masoor dal with cabbage and tomato. I had fresh ginger and I used it flavor the curry. The ultimate dish was super tasty and yummy.

Ingredients:
Cabbage - 2 cups, finely chopped
Whole masoor dal /lentils - 1/4 cup
Tomato - 1, medium sized, finely chopped
Onion - 1, small, roughly chopped
Green chillies - 5, finely chopped
Garlic - 2 cloves, finely chopped
Ginger - 1/4 tsp, finely chopped
Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - a pinch
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - As per taste

Method of Preparation
1. Add masoor dal to a vessel along with 2-3 cups of water, a pinch of salt and cook covered on medium heat for 15 minutes or until the dal gets cooked. Drain the water and keep the cooked masoor dal aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, after they splutter, add cumin seeds, fry for a few seconds and add the chopped garlic. Fry for 20 seconds.
3. Add the chopped onion, chillies, turmeric powder and cabbage to it, mix well, add salt and cook covered for 5-8 minutes. Sprinkle a little water, if needed.
4. Stir in between, add the chopped tomatoes, cooked masoor dal and mix well. Cover the lid and let the tomatoes cook, will take around 5-8 minutes.
5. Adjust the salt, add the chopped ginger, mix well and cook covered for 4 more minutes.
6. Enjoy the masoor dal cabbage with steamed rice or rotis.

Banana Peppers Tomato Curry

We got a bag of fresh banana peppers for very less price, when we went grocery shopping. So, I have been thinking of new ways to use banana peppers. Usually banana peppers are used to make mirchi bajji/stir fry. Today I combined banana peppers with tomato and the result was a quick tasty curry.

Ingredients:
Banana Peppers - 5, deseeded, chopped
Onion - 1, medium sized, roughly chopped
Tomato - 1 large, roughly chopped
Rasam Powder - 1/2 tsp
Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - As per taste

Method of Preparation:
1. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, after they splutter, add cumin seeds and chopped onions. Fry till the onions become transparent.
2. Add the chopped banana peppers and fry for 2 minutes.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes, rasam powder, chilli powder, salt and mix well.
4. Cook covered till the tomato becomes soft and banana peppers are cooked, stir in between.
5. Adjust the salt and enjoy the yummy banana peppers tomato curry with steamed rice or rotis/puris.

Raw Plantain Curry

I made this curry accidentally one day and we loved it so much that we have been making this very often. I was planning to make a raw plantain fry by parboiling them and accidentally over boiled them. So, I made this curry instead of the original stir fry and was more than happy that the accident happened :).

Ingredients:

Raw Plantain - 1, peeled, diced into small pieces

Chilli Powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp

Tamarind - small lemon size, soaked in warm water

Jaggery - small piece(optional)

Water - 3 cups

Dry Roast and Grind to Powder:

Fenugreek seeds - 5 or 6

Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Coriander Seeds - 1 1/2 tsp

For Tempering:

Oil - 1 Tbsp

Dry Red Chillies - 2

Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Split Bengal gram - 1/4 tsp

Garlic pods - 3, roughly crushed

Method of Preparation:

1. Boil water in a vessel and add the diced plantain pieces, salt and turmeric powder to the boiling water. Cook covered. After the plantain pieces become soft, add the tamarind extract to it. 

2. Slightly mash the plantain pieces with a masher or using the back of a strong ladle.

3. Add the ground powder, chilli powder, jaggery and mix well. If the mixture becomes too thick, add little water to get to the desired consistency.

4. Heat oil in a small pan, add the mustard seeds, let them splutter, then add cumin seeds, split Bengal gram, broken dry red chillies and crushed garlic pods.

5. Fry till the garlic pods turn golden brown. Add this mixture to the boiling curry, adjust the salt and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.

6. Enjoy the hot raw plantain curry with hot steamed rice.

Mixed Vegetable Curry(Using Curry Powder)

This is a very easy and tasty mixed vegetable curry that goes very well with hot rotis. You can use any of the seasonal vegetables along with mushrooms for this recipe.

Ingredients:
Onion - 2, small, roughly chopped
Potato - 2, medium sized, peeled and chopped
Capsicum/Bell Pepper - 2, medium sized, deseeded and chopped
Carrot - 2, medium sized, peeled and chopped
Tomato - 1, large, finely chopped
Green Chillies - 3, slit length wise(adjust according to spice levels)
Curry Powder - 11/2 tbsp
Oil - 11/2 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Yogurt/Curd - 3 tbsp
Salt - As per taste
Corn Flour/Starch - 11/1 tbsp

Method of Preparation:
1. Heat oil in a vessel and add cumin seeds. Once the seeds start spluttering, add the slit chillies and chopped tomatoes. Mix well and cook till the tomatoes soften.
2. Add the curry powder and mix well. Add all the chopped vegetables, mix well. Add salt and cook covered for 5-10 minutes. Stir in between.
3. Once the vegetables are half cooked, add the yogurt and mix well. Add 2 cups of water and mix well. Cook covered till the vegetables are cooked through.
4. Adjust the salt. In a small bowl add the corn flour and couple of spoons of water. Mix well and add it to the boiling curry on low heat.
5. Once the curry thickens, take off heat.
6. Serve mixed vegetable curry with rotis.

Tomato Cabbage Curry

Tomato cabbage curry was one of my favorites in the Infosys food court at Hyderabad :). This is a very quick and delicious curry.

Ingredients:
Cabbage - 2 large cups, Finely chopped
Onions - 1 medium sized, roughly chopped
Tomato - 3, medium sized, roughly chopped
Green Chillies - 5, slit length wise(adjust according to spice levels)
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
Oil - 11/2 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Bengal Gram/Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - 6
Salt - As per taste

Method of Preparation:

1. In a large pan heat oil and add the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, bengal gram and curry leaves. Once the seeds start spluttering, add the chopped onions and chillies.
2. Once the onions turn transparent, add the tomatoes and cook covered till they become soft.
3. Add the chopped cabbage, mix well and cook covered for 4 minutes.
4. Stir once in a while till the cabbage is almost cooked. Add salt and garam masala.
5. Mix well, cook covered for 2 more minutes.
6. Serve the tomato cabbage curry with rice or roti

Vankaya Bendakaya Pullagura(Eggplant Okra Curry)

'Pullagura' is a telugu word, mostly used in Rayalseema dialect in Andhra Pradesh and the literal translation of the word is - 'Tangy Curry'. There are various different pullagura recipes and today's recipe uses okra/ladies fingers and eggplant/brinjal. This is one of my mother's all time favorite dishes.

Ingredients:
Eggplant - 4 medium sized, washed and roughly chopped
Ladies fingers/okra - 10 medium sized, washed and cut into medium sized pieces
Onion - 1 small sized, roughly chopped
Tomato - 1 large sized, roughly chopped
Green Chillies - 8-10, roughly chopped(adjust according to spice levels)
Garlic - 2 large cloves
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Tamarind - a small lemon size
Salt - As Per Taste
Chopped Cilantro/Coriander Leaves - 1 tbsp(optional)

For the Tempering:
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds -1/4 tsp
Urad Dal/Bengal Gram - 1/2 tsp
Curry Leaves - 6

Method of Preparation:
1. In a pressure cooker add the chopped eggplant, okra, onions, tomatoes, chillies, turmeric powder, whole garlic cloves, tamarind and salt. Add 2 cups of water
2. Pressure cook till the veggies become soft.
3. Using a masher, mash the contents in the pressure cooker. Adjust salt.
4. In a small pan heat oil and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and bengal gram, once the seeds start spluttering add the curry leaves and mix well, after 30 seconds, take off heat and add it to the pressure cooker.
4. Mix well, add the chopped cilantro and let the curry simmer on low fire for few minutes.
5. Serve the vankaya bendakaya pullagura(Eggplant Okra curry) with hot rice and a dollop of ghee(clarified butter) or with rotis.
                               Sending this recipe to Divya's 'Show Me Your Curry'

Garlicky Grilled Eggplant/Brinjal Curry

This is a very simple recipe for dishing out a yummy eggplant curry. The best part of this recipe is that, you can even grill/broil the eggplant beforehand, scoop out the flesh and store in refrigerator, so that you can cut down on the preparation time, when running short on time. As was the case with me today. We got up late and my better half was getting late for office, so I used the already scooped out flesh of the eggplant and cooked the curry in less than 15 minutes. Roti and garlicky grilled eggplant curry is today's lunch for my dear better half.

Ingredients:
Large Eggplant - 1
Garlic - 4 large cloves, roughly crushed
Onion - 1, medium sized, roughly chopped
Tomato - 1, medium sized, roughly chopped
Cumin Powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Chilli Powder/Paprika - 1 tsp
Roasted Peanut Powder - 2 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Chopped Coriander/Cilantro Leaves - 1 tbsp
Oil - 11/2 tbsp

Method of Preparation:
1. Wash the eggplant, pat dry with a towel and apply a little oil on the surface of the eggplant.
2. You can grill the eggplant on a stove top or on a grill or even in a broiler. I used broiler, however my eggplant was too big to fit under the broiler so I sliced the eggplant in half and put the two halves on a foil lined baking tray, with the surface(skin) of eggplant facing the broiler.
3. Broil/Grill the eggplant for 10-15 min or till the inside flesh becomes soft and the skin of the eggplant comes of easily.
4. Scoop out the flesh from the eggplant when it cools down and discard the skin.
5. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds. Once the seeds start spluttering, add the chopped onions.
6. Fry till the onions turns transparent and add the crushed garlic cloves, fry for a minute before adding the chopped tomatoes.
7. Mix well and cook till the tomatoes become soft. Add the scooped out eggplant flesh to the pan and mix well.
8. Add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder and mix well.
9. Let the mixture cook for 3-4 minutes
10. Add salt and roasted peanut powder mix well, fry for a minute, add the chopped coriander/cilantro leaves and take off the heat.
11. Enjoy the garlicky grilled eggplant curry with rotis or rice.

Adraki Aloo Moong

This is one of the recipes which me and my mom prefer, when we are running short on time. With very minimal preparation time, this is the perfect dish which you can pair with rotis.

Ingredients:
Potatoes - 2 medium sized, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
Tomatoes - 1 medium sized, roughly chopped
Moong Dal/Split Yellow Dal - 3 tbsp
Grated ginger - 1 tbsp
Chilli powder - 1 tbsp (adjust according to taste)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tbsp
Garam Masala - a pinch
Salt - As per taste

For the Tempering:
Oil - 11/2 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp

Method of Preparation:
1. Heat a pressure cooker and add the oil and cumin seeds. Once the seeds splutter add the moong dal and fry for 3 minutes.
2. Add the turmeric powder, grated ginger and fry for a minute. Add the diced potatoes and fry for a minute.
3. Add coriander powder, chilli powder and fry for 2 minutes.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes mix and add 2 cups of water.
5. Lastly add garam masala, salt and mix well.
5. Cover the pressure cooker lid and cook for 2-3 whistles. Ensure that the potatoes don't become paste.
6. Serve hot with rotis.

Jhatpat Moong Dal

Today when I opened the fridge, there were not many options that I could put to use. Then I noticed couple of tomatoes and green chillies, which looked at me enthusiastically. I obliged their request and decided to make a quick dal using moong/pesara pappu/split yellow dal.

Ingredients:
Moong dal/Pesara Pappu/Split Yello Dal - 1 cup
Tomatoes- 1, cut into 4 quarters
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - As per taste
Coriander Leaves - few sprigs, finely chopped

For the Tempering:
Onion - 1 medium sized, roughly chopped
Tomato - 1/2, roughly chopped
Green chillies - 4, roughly chopped
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad dal/bengal gram - 1/4 tsp
Curry leaves - 4-5
Oil - 2 tbsp

Method of Preparation:
1. Wash the moong dal and add it to a pressure cooker. Also add the turmeric powder, salt, chopped tomatoes and 3 cups of water.
2. Pressure cook the moong dal till done.
3. Open the pressure cooker and slightly mash the dal with the back of the spatula/serving spoon.
4. Heat oil in a small vessel and add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. Once the mustard seeds start spluttering, add the chopped onions and chillies. Fry for 3-4 minutes or till onions become transparent. Then add the chopped tomatoes and fry for 5 minutes.
5. Add the tempering to the dal and mix well. Finally garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
6. Serve hot with rice or rotis.