Keerai Kootu/Spinach kootu/dhal

Kootu is a dhal based gravy with veggies which goes very well with both rice and roti.Today's recipe is a simple yet healthy and delicious kootu with spinach and black eye beans.Usually I cook spinach at least weekly once for lunch and make kootu or spinach sambhar.Sometimes I make this kottu as a accompaniment for rice along with poondu kuzhambhu or karivepillai kuzhambhu.Veggies such as chayote,snake gourd,brinjal and bottle gourd/squash can be used.Now to the recipe.....

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Masoor dhal	1/2cup
Black eye beans/Vellaikaaramani	1/3cup
Spinach/Mullaikeerai(finely chopped)	4-5cups
Onion(chopped)	1no.
Tomato(finely chopped)	1no.
Sambhar powder	1tsp
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/8tsp
Oil	11/2tsp
Salt	to taste

To grind 

Ingredient	Quantity
Coconut(grated)	1/4cup
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1/2tsp

For the Seasoning 

Ingredient	Quantity
Mustard seeds/kadugu	1/2tsp
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1/2tsp
Urad dhal/ulutham paruppu	1tsp
Red chilly/varamilagai(broken)	2nos.
Asafoetida/perungayam	a pinch

Method 

                        Pressure cook the dhal and black eye beans for two whistles with enough water and a pinch of turmeric powder in a pressure pan.Grind the coconut with cumin seeds along with little water to fine paste and keep aside.Add the finely chopped spinach,onion,tomato,salt and sambahar powder to the cooked dhal.

Cook it in a medium flame till the spinach gets cooked.Once the spinach is cooked add the ground coconut paste and cook it for one boil.

Now in a separate pan do the seasoning with the given ingredients and add it to the cooked spinach.Mix it well and boil it for a minute.

Keerai kootu is ready.

Enjoy....................................................

• Instead of masoor dhal,moong dhal or toor dhal can be used.
• No need to soak the black eye beans if you are cooking it directly in the cooker.Soaked one needs to be cooked in the cooker without adding water in a small bowl,otherwise it becomes mushy.
• Do not cook the spinach for a long time and finely chopped garlic can also be added in the seasoning for extra flavor.

Linking to the HITS event happenings at my space started by Sangeetha of Spicy Treats.

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Simple Tomato Pulao/Rice

I have posted my tomato and green peas pulao with coconut milk but today's recipe is a simple yet quick version of tomato rice.
As we liked the flavor and taste of this rice,my mom used to make this pulao for our lunch box atleast weekly twice along with some simple potato fry or raw banana fry.Now my son is a great fan of this rice and likes to have it with chicken fry.Here is the recipe for simple and flavorful rice..........

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Basmathi rice	1cup
Onion	1no.(medium size)
Tomato	3nos.(medium size)
Green chilly	5nos.
Curry leaves	1sprig
Garlic(thinly sliced)	3-4 cloves
Mint leaves	10nos.
Coriander leaves	as needed
Chilly powder	1/2tsp
Coriander powder	3/4tsp
Gram masala powder	1/8tsp
Oil+ghee	11/2tbs
Salt	to taste

For the seasoning

Ingredient	Quantity
Cloves	3nos.
Cinnamon	1inch piece
Cardamom	1no.
Bay leaf	1no.
Fennel seeds	1/2tsp
Star anise	1no.

Method

                             Soak the basmathi rice in water for 15 minutes and cook it along with a  pinch of salt and a tsp of oil.Once the rice is done spread it on a plate and let it cool.
Heat a pan with oil and ghee and do the seasoning with the whole garam masala and cashews.Add the onion,green chilly,garlic,curry leaves and saute till transparent with a pinch of salt.Now add in the finely chopped tomatoes and cook it mushy.

Once the tomatoes are cooked add the powders and fry it for a minute,sprinkle 2tbs of water and cook it till the raw smell goes away.Add the coriander leaves and give it a mix.Put off the stove.

 Now add the cooked rice and mix it gently and turn on the stove and keep the mixed rice in a low flame for 5 minutes covered with a lid to incorporate the flavors.

Serve it with raitha,chips or fry.

Enjoy......................................

• A tsp of ginger&garlic paste can also be added for extra flavor.
• Fresh or frozen peas can be used and some times I puree the tomato and added.

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Masoor Dhal Paratha

Today's recipe is a healthy,protein rich and simple to make parathas which can be made with the left over cooked dhal.
I usually make this paratha for dinner and use the dhal which I cooked for lunch.To make it more flavorful I add the kasoori methi to the dhal and mix it with the flour.
This paratha is a healthy option for lunch which doesn't need any special side dish,yogurt and pickle tastes awesome with this paratha.Now to the recipe..............

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Wheat flour/kothumai maavu	2cups
Masoor dhal	1/4cup
Onion(chopped)	1no.(medium size)
Green chilly(chopped)	3-4nos.
Curry leaves(karivepillai)	1sprig(chopped)
Coriander leaves/kothamalli	2tsp(chopped)
Kasoori methi	3-4tsp
Turmeric powder/manjal podi	1/8tsp
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	1/2tsp
Asafoetida/perunayam	a pinch
Oil	to cook
Salt	to taste
Aamchur powder	1/4tsp
Salt	a pinch

Method

                                  Pressure cook the dhal with enough water and cook it till it becomes soft,keep aside.

Heat a pan with 2tsp of oil and crackle the cumin seeds and asafoetida,add the chopped onion,curry leaves and green chilly.Saute it till transparent now add the cooked dhal,turmeric powder salt.Let it cook for one boil.

Finally add the kasoori methi,chopped coriander leaves and aamchur powder and put off the stove.Let the dhal cool completely.

Once the dhal cools down add it to the wheat flour with a pinch of salt and mix it to a soft,piable dough without adding water.

Divide the dough into equal balls and roll it on a floured surface to a circle to desired thickness.

Heat a griddle and cook both sides till golden spots appear on the paratha,drizzle a tsp of oil.

Serve it with yogurt and pickle.

• Any type of dhal can be used,make sure the dhal should be thick and not thin.
• While cooking the dhal in the pressure cooker do not add too much of water.
• Instead of kasoori methi,fresh methi leaves can be added along with the onion while sauteing.
• To make it more healthier grated carrot can also be added in the dhal.

Linking this to the Show me your HITS event happenings at my space started by Sangeetha of Spicy Treats.

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Murukku Vathal/Koozh Vathal(Vadam)

Murukku vathal is also called as koozh vathal and we make it every summer and stored.In my grandparents place every summer vacation my mom,her sister and aunts make this vadam in a large quantity.When we were kids my cousins,sister and myself used to help them in spreading the vadam in the terrace.This vadam needs a lot of sunlight and it takes 3 days atleast to dry.
As the temperature reaches 100 degrees Fahrenheit here I wanted to try the vadam this year for first time as per my mom's method.I scaled down the measurement as the space for me to spread the vadam is less.It came out very nice and here goes the recipe........

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Rice Flour/Arisi maavu	2cups
Sago/javvarisi	1/2cup
Green chilly	10-12nos.
Asafoetida/perungayam	1/8tsp
Cumin seeds/jeeragam	2tsp
Salt	2tsp or as needed
Water	9-10cups

Method

                            Soak the sago for 1-2 hours and grind it in a blender along with green chillies to a fine paste.In a wide bowl take the rice flour,ground paste,salt,asafoetida and mix it well with 2-3 cups of water and keep aside.
Keep a heavy bottom pan in the stove top and boil the remaining water,once the water starts boil add the prepared mixture to the boiling water.

Stir it continuously till the mixture reaches a dough like consistency as shown in the picture and make sure no lumps formed.Finally add the cumin seeds and give it a mix.Let it cool down.

Meanwhile spread a wet cotton cloth or plastic sheet in a sunny area.Fill the murukku maker with prepared koozh with a single eyed star or tape shaped disc.Squeeze it on the cloth or plastic sheet to a straight line evenly.Let it dry in the hot sun for 3 days.After it dries completely peel it from the plastic sheet or cloth and dry it completely till it becomes crisp,store it in containers.

Fry it in the oil whenever needed.

Enjoy..............................................

• The amount of water depends on the quality of rice and sago,so keep in reserve some hot water.
• If the prepared batter is too thick the add the hot water and mix it well.
• One tbs of lemon juice can be added to the koozh after cooling for tangy taste.
• Make sure the mixture becomes cool while squeezing otherwise the vadam turns out brown in clour while frying.
• Instead of rice flour the raw rice can be soaked and grind it to a paste and used.
• If you are using cotton cloth for squeezing,sprinkle water to remove the dried vadams from the cloth for easy removal and dry it completely.

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Mango Kesari/Mango Semolina Pudding

Last week was my kiddo's 7th birthday,I made this mango kesari and he was so happy to eat his favorite mango flavored sweet.Here is the recipe for tempting sweet............

Ingredients

Ingredient	Quantity
Semolina/rava	1cup
Sugar	11/4cups
Condensed milk	4tbs
Mango pulp	3/4cup
Ghee/nei	6tbs
Cashews(finely chopped)	2tbs
Almonds(finely chopped)	1tbs
Cardamom powder/ellakai podi	1/4tsp
Water	21/2cups
Salt	a pinch

Method

                     Heat a pan with 1tbs of ghee and roast the rava in a medium flame till it turns pink and a nice aroma comes.Meanwhile boil the hot water and add the hot water to the roasted rawa,cook it till it becomes thick.

Now add the sugar and condensed milk and mix it well till the sugar melts and incorporates well.Add the remaining ghee and mix it well.

Add the mango pulp and mix it well till everything gets blend.

Now add the fried cashews,almonds and finally cardamom powder and mix it well.

Delicious mango kesari is ready.

Enjoy.............................................

• If fresh mangoes are used increase the quantity of sugar to 11/2 cups.
• The rawa needs to be fried in the medium flame,otherwise kesari will be sticky.
• Adding the condensed milk gives a rich taste to the kesari.
• Saffron can be added for extra flavor.

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