Radish Spinach Chutney

Interestingly I had some radish and greens  at home and tried blending both with some spices and got this mouthwatering chutney. This chutney tastes best and simply delicious! Try it and you will love this one

Prep time:15 mins   Cook time 15  mins Serves: 4

Cuisine : Indian,Assam Recipes

Ingredients	Quantity
Radish (diced)	2 cups
Spinach	1 cup
Mint leaves	2 sprigs
Red chillies	5 no’s
Onion	1 medium
Ginger	1 “ piece
Tamarind	1 small ball
Water	as needed
Salt	To taste
Cilantro	Few sprigs

To temper

Oil	1tbsp
Mustard seeds	1 tsp
Urad dal	1 tsp
Channa dal	1 tsp
Hing	Pinch
Curry leaves	2 sprigs
Turmeric	¼ tsp

Method

1.Soak the tamarind in water for 10 minutes and set aside. Chop the radish in any desired shape. I have chopped in round shape.Chop onions and keep all the ingredients ready

2. Heat oil in a pan and add the red chillies, onion, ginger and fry for a minute. Now add radish and fry for 5-10  minutes till the raw smell disappears. 

3. Now add spinach and mint leaves to it and keep stirring till the color changes.Remove from  the stove and allow it to cool down.

4. Grind the radish mix, soaked tamarind and some salt to a smooth paste by adding little water. Transfer the chutney into a bowl and keep it aside. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a pan for seasoning. Add the mustard seeds, urad dal and let them splutter

5. When the seeds stop popping, add channa dal, hing, curry leaves, turmeric and stir for a few seconds pour the tempered ingredients over the chutney and combine well. Serve with idli, dosa , pongal or upma.

Dal Palak (Coconut based version)

This preparation is made in my household every week. Almost every Indian household has a version of Dal Palak. Usually, the north Indian version has different seasoning and south Indians add sambar powder for that unique flavor. Cumin and fennel are spices that give texture and flavor to most curries. The spinach we get in south India is called ‘pasalai keerai/ kodi pasalai’ in Tamil. Dal is a staple in Indian cuisine. The Toro dal used provides necessary proteins and spinach is rich in Vitamins, proteins and minerals, so the combo gives you not only a tasty dish but also makes super healthy combo. It is not spicy, but has spices that give a nice flavor and aroma.Pressure cooked with a pinch of turmeric and Hing. The dish may not look appetizing but believe me the taste is completely awesome and even anyone who hates greens will love this dal by itself.

I prefer minimally cooked spinach and well-cooked dal.This is a very healthy dish with all the vitamins, fiber and folic acid coming from dal and antioxidants and other nutrients from spinach. This curry goes well with rice or roti. Dal with Palak is a good combination.  This is a recipe which I have seen from my childhood.  My mother used to make it very often.  And I also follow her path and try to make it at least once in a week but always be careful when you clean the leafy vegetables.  To clean the palak, take a big mouthed bowl and fill it with water.  Discard the damaged leaves and the stem.  Place the spinach leaves in water and stir it with your hands.  Some of the dirt will be removed.  Keep the leaves in water for some time.  The dirt will settle at the bottom of the vessel.  Now take the leaves out, transfer it to a colander.  Clean the vessel and repeat the same steps until the palak is cleaned from dirt.  Here you can make use of garlic also.  Add garlic along with spinach and other ingredients.  You can also serve with pooris and chapatti.

Prep time: 30 mins     Cook time: 20 mins           Serves: 4

Ingredients	Quantity
Toor dal	½  cup
Yellow moong dal	½  cup
Spinach	2 bunch
Hing	Pinch
Tomato	1 no.
Turmeric powder	½ tsp.
Red chilli powder	½ tsp
Coriander powder	½ tsp.
Oil	½ tbsp.
Butter 1 cube	To garnish
Salt	To
Water	2 ½ cups
Lemon juice	1 tsp.

To grind

Coconut	½ cup
Fennel  seeds	½ tsp.
Onion	1 no.
Green chillies	2
Water	2tbsp

To temper

Oil	1 tbsp.
Mustard seeds	1 tsp.
Jeera seeds	1 tsp
Dry red chilli	1 medium
Onion	1
Garlic cloves	4

Method

1.Soak both the dals for an hour before cooking. It helps cook the dal faster. Place the dals in a pressure cooker pan with half of the turmeric powder, hing and 2 ½ cups of water. Place on flame and wait until the pressure/steam oozes out of the nozzle then place the weight/regulator and pressure cook for about 15 minutes on low flame.Also peel and chop onions and garlic into two. Slit green chillies and chop tomatoes into 4 big cubes. 

2.Heat oil in a pan, throw some fennel seeds followed by curry leaves , onion and coconut pieces. After cooled down,grind the ingredients smoothly by adding enough water. Keep it aside.

3. Remove from flame and open the cooker only after all the pressure has released. If you feel that its watery then place on flame and cook open for some time until it thickens.Heat oil and ghee together in a pan over medium flame. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, dry red chillies and onion. Stir fry till golden brown. Now add garlic cloves, turmeric powder, coriander powder and sauté until it turns light brown.

4. Add the cubed tomatoes and keep stirring till it becomes mushy.Now add puréed palak and the remaining chopped palak and check for salt. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.

5. Add cooked dal into it and allow it to boil. Now pour the ground paste with little water. Always make a point to check out for consistency. Cook it for a few minutes till it becomes thick. The dal should be of medium thick consistency.  Then keep the stove in simmer and add the ground paste to this dal palak mix and allow it to boil.  Don't boil too much otherwise it will curdle

6.Turn off the flame and transfer prepared spinach dal to serving bowl and garnish with a cube of butter.

7.Serve dal palak with steamed rice or any stuffed paratha as a healthy and protein rich food for lunch or dinner.

Notes

Adding ghee gives a nice aroma and helps in reducing the acidity. Some people include channa dal along with toor dal. It’s completely optional.

The taste of all people is different.In this recipe spinach puree is used for a nice green color. To get the desired consistency, add more water or cook longer

Linking this to the event "Eat Vegetables Stay Healthy" sponsored by Just Eat.

Corn Methi Paniyaram

Healthy and simple evening snack which goes well with some chilly or garlic sauce. It hardly takes few minutes to whip up the batter if you have makki ka atta.(corn meal flour).

Recipe Course :Breakfast, Snacks

Cuisine Indian

Prep time: 15 mins     Cook time: 10 mins            Serves: 6

Ingredients	Quantity
Corn meal flour	1 ½ cup
Milk	1 cup
Baking soda	2 tsp.
Egg	3 no.
Vinegar	1 tbsp.
Yogurt	2 tbsp.
Salt & pepper	To taste
Water	As needed

To temper

Oil	For cooking
Mustard seeds	1 tsp.
Onions	1 medium
Green chilies’(finely chopped)	1 no.
Carrot grated	2 tbsp
Methi leaves(finely chopped)	2 tbsp

Video link for Corn Methi Paniyaram:

Method

1. Prepare all the items exactly to the leveled measurements because too much of water or too little water makes the paniyaram worse. Grate the carrot and chop the fenugreek leaves (methi leaves).Chop onions and cut the green chillies into two. Place it aside.Take 4 eggs with some yogurt and one cup of milk ready.

2. In abroad vessel, mix corn meal flour with little milk and baking soda. Whisk the egg properly with vinegar and yogurt. Mix everything with the prepared batter.Now add salt and pepper. Add few tablespoons of water to get a thick yet pourable batter.In a pan, after oil gets heated up, put mustard seeds, onions, green chilies’ and sauté for sometime.

3. Add some grated carrots and chopped methi leaves. Sauté for 5 mins.

4.Pour the temper items into the broad vessel. Give a quick stir to mix evenly.Heat a paniyaram pan. Add two drops of oil in each hole. Pour a teaspoon and a half of the batter in each hole and cover it with a lid. 

5. The fire must be kept at low always while making this and must be switched off in between if it browns too quickly. Cook for a minute. Flip the balls and cover it again for another minute.

6. Serve immediately with chili sauce or coconut chutney.

Notes:

• Egg is not necessary. People who are vegetarian can avoid eggs.
• You can add idli batter also.(optional).
• Red chili powder can be replaced instead of green chilies.(basically I recommend when u prepare for kids)

Snake Gourd Pepper Thogayal

Thogayal is a south indiam condiment. A tonic for heart, rich in calcium, a natural antibiotic.it helps stimulates the production of body fluids, reliving dryness. The Snake Gourd is a tropical vegetable of Indian origin and is known as  potlakaaya in Telugu, Pudalankaai in Tamil, paduvalakaayi in Kannada. It’s a highly nutritious vegetable and is widely used in South Indian cuisine. Snake gourd has anti-inflammatory properties, natural antibiotic, removes pus, expels toxic matter from the body and also relieves constipation.

Though sometimes, I feel too lazy and break my head to come up with something new but healthy too. Always I wonder whether my family is satisfied with the balanced diet getting the right nutrition. Its actually a spicy and tastes great with idli or dosa. Actually this pachadi I did not have any plan of doing it. Just for my son I did it, because it was time for him to come home. If you make for 2 servings please add more cups of snake gourd and capsicum. Adjust the spices according to your taste.I hope you will try this and let me know what you think…

Prep time    : 10 mins      Cook time     :10 mins           Serves    : 1

Cuisine :South Indian,Tamil Nadu recipes

Ingredients	Quantity
Snake gourd	1 cup
Capsicum(Green pepper)	1 cup
Onion	1
Green chillies	6
Channa dal	1 tsp.
Jeera seeds	1 tsp.
Tamarind	1 small piece
Garlic cloves	5
Salt	To taste
Cilantro	handful

To temper

Oil	1 tbsp.
Mustard seeds	1 tsp.
Urad dal	1 tsp.

 

Recipe Video:

Method

1. Wash the snake gourd pieces and capsicum. Cut the snake into two, deseed and peel the skin properly.As usual keep all the ingredients ready beside you. 

2. Heat 2 tbsp. of oil; add jeera seeds, channa dal,onion, and green chillies.Allow them to fry for a minute till the color is changed. Add snake gourd pieces and keep stirring till the veggie gets cooked properly.

3. Grind After 5 minutes,add capsicum.Stir fry for a while add then add little water.Wait for the veggie to cook.Grind everything along with tamarind, garlic and salt.Transfer this it a serving bowl. 

4. Heat oil in a pan, put mustard seeds, after they sizzle, add urad dal and curry leaves.Turn off the gas and add curry leaves. Pour the tempering into the chutney. Enjoy.

Step wise pictures:

Notes

Dry red chillies can addedat the time of tempering.

Dont take too much of tamarind piece or paste.It will become too much of sour. The whole thogayal will get spoiled.