Kale Pappu - Kale with lentils (Kale Dal)

After a looong hiatus, I am planning on reviving the blog with Kale Dal.

Nutrition rich kale combined with protein rich dal is both healthy and delicious.

Ingredients
1 cup toor dal

3 tightly packed cups of chopped kale

½ a small onion chopped thin and long

2 – 3 green chilies slit (adjust to taste)

3 tsp oil

Juice of one lime

¼ tsp Turmeric

¼ tsp red chili powder (optional)

Salt to taste

Seasoning

½ tsp mustard

½ tsp cumin

1 red chili broken

Pinch of asafetida

1 spring curry leaves

Cook dal in pressure cooker

Heat oil in a large pan, add seasoning followed by onions and green chilies and sauté.

When onions are half done add kale and sauté till it wilts.

Add turmeric, red chili powder and salt.

Add the cooked dal, add water to get it to stew consistency.

Cook until the dal and kale blended well together.

Add lemon juice after you remove dal from heat.

Cooking time of kale can be adjusted to your choice. I do not like to over cook onions and kale. It gives a nice texture to the dish.

Enjoy it with hot rice and ghee. For a carb free meal try adding little more water while cooking and eat it as a soup. 

Spinach Pacchadi

Spinach’s goodness does not need any introduction. It is used in number of delicious recipes. Spinach chutney is one where spinach is used in abundance but does not feel like you are eating a whole lot of it. Besides eating it with rice and ghee, it can also be used as spreads on bread and also in wraps.

Spinach, tomatoes, green chilies, garlic along with coriander and cumin are sautéed separately, then blended along with tamarind to form this delicious green chutney.

Ingredients:

6 cups tightly packed chopped spinach
1 medium tomato chopped
4 green chilies chopped (adjust to taste)
2 cloves garlic chopped
Walnut sized ball of tamarind (adjust based on the sourness of tomato)
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp oil


Heat a tsp of oil in a pan, add green chilies and garlic, when garlic is changing color add mustard, cumin and coriander, roast till coriander changes color and emits a good fragrance.

Set it aside and let it cool.

In another pan heat 1 tsp of oil and sauté spinach till it is well wilted and losses the raw smell. Set it aside to cool.

Heat another tsp of oil and sauté tomato till cooked. Add tamarind half way thru so that it is soft and easy to blend.

Let all the ingredients cool. Blend coriander and green chili mixture first, add spinach and tomato and blend it all to a fine paste.

Enjoy it with hot rice and ghee.

Gongura Mutton

Gongura, without which an authentic Andhra meal is considered incomplete, is rarely found here in US. In the last couple of years it is found during summer months in Indian stores. I never pass on gongura if I find it. It is one of my favorite greens. Besides being a rich source of iron and anti oxidants it has a wonderful sour taste.

Gongura mutton is a very popular Andhra recipe. Gongura when cooked with tender mutton, enhances the taste of the mutton to a new degree.


Ingredients:

2 lbs mutton
2 onions chopped
6 – 8 cups of chopped gongura leaves
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 tsp red chili powder (adjust to taste)
¼ tsp turmeric
2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste

Garam Masala:

6 cloves
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 tsp poppy seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 cardamoms
4 tsp coriander seeds

Tampering:

½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp fenugreek seeds
1 red chili broken
Curry leaves


Make a fine powder of all the ingredients under garam masala.

In a pressure cooker place mutton, ginger garlic paste, powdered garam masala, red chili powder, turmeric, salt, 1 tbsp of oil and ¼ cup of water.

Pressure cook until the mutton is cooked. Time varies depending on the quality of the mutton.

In a separate pan, heat oil, add tampering, when the mustard starts to pop, add onions and sauté till they are transparent.

Add gongura leaves and sauté for few minutes until the leaves change color and are half cooked.

Now add the pressure cooked mutton to the pan.

Simmer 12 – 15 minutes till the flavors are blended well.

Tastes wonderful with rice or roti.

Thotakura --Amaranth Leaves Curry

Thoratukura or amaranth leaves are the most popular greens in Andhra Pradesh. They are a very good source of vitamins and dietary minerals. Here in US it is found in Asian markets as red spinach and occasionally in Indian stores.

Today’s recipe is a simple thotakura curry with very few ingredients allowing thotakura flavor to be the highlight. Fresh thotakura sautéed along with onions, green chilies and is further cooked in milk to acquire a creamy delicate taste.

This recipe is great for those days when you want a very simple yet nutritious meal.

Ingredients:
1 big bunch of thotakura chopped
1 large onion chopped
3 green chilies cut vertically in half (adjust to taste)
½ tsp turmeric
¼ cup milk
Salt to taste
1 tbsp oil

For Seasoning:
1 garlic pod crushed
½ tsp mustard
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp urad dal
1 red chili
Curry leaves

Blanch thotakura leaves in 3 cups of water. It helps in removing a strong leafy taste. The drained water can be used as vegetable stock. Blanching is optional.

Heat oil in a sauce pan, add seasoning. When urad dal starts to change color add onions and green chilies. Sauté till the onions are transparent.

Add thotakura, sauté for couple of minutes. Add salt and turmeric.

Add milk and cook stirring every few minutes until the milk is well absorbed by the leaves.

This humble curry packed with loads of nutrition goes well with both rice and roti.

Palak Tofu

Palak paneer is a very popular north Indian dish that one can see at almost all Indian buffets in US. Bite size pieces of paneer (indain cheese) cooked in rich creamy spinach and tomato puree not only melts in your mouth but its high nutrition content makes it a very satisfying meal.

I replaced paneer with tofu in this recipe. Tofu is no match to paneer when it comes to taste. But it is not a bad choice when you take into account its high nutritional value and its ability to absorb flavors of spices and marinades. Tofu is low in calories and has no cholesterol.


Ingredients:
1 large bunch of fresh spinach washed and chopped
2 tomatoes chopped
1 small onion chopped or about 3 tbsp of chopped onions
2 cloves garlic chopped
3 green chilies chopped (adjust to taste)
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 cup of one inch cubed firm tofu
Salt to taste
2 tbsp half n half milk or cream (optional)

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large pan, add onions, green chilies, garlic and sauté until onions are transparent.

Add tomatoes and spinach and sauté till they are tender do not over cook.

Blend it into a coarse paste once it has cool down.

Heat the remaining oil in a pan and sauté tofu for about 4 minutes or until the sides are lightly seared.

Remove them from pan and set aside.

In the same heated pan add cumin fry for few seconds, then add the spinach puree and cook on low for about 5 minutes.

Add tofu and cook for 5 more minutes.

Add little water if needed, to attain the desired consistency.

Remove from stove and add cream (optional).

Tips: I do not add any spices as I love the delicate taste of spinach and tomato. ½ tsp of coriander powder and ½ tsp of garam masala can be added before adding tofu.

Though Naan and roti are known to be great accompaniments to this dish, it tastes equally marvelous with hot rice.