Thotakura Pappu - Amaranth Leaves-Tur Dal
April 12th, 2007There is nothing more comforting, wholesome and nutritious than a bowl of rice and dal cooked with greens. Simple, honest food at its best is what I’d describe lentils cooked with greens. It was thotakura pappu and beetroot vepudu (stir-fry) with rice for lunch today.
Thotakura aka amaranth leaves are available in Vizag almost all year round and regular at our home. These fantastic power packed nutritious greens are usually used in dal, vepudu and pulusu preparations.
The proteinous lentil and iron rich greens combine, thotakura pappu, is an earthy, tangy, healthy-tasting dal dish, which calls for the use of tamarind, other than onion, garlic and green chillis. This dal might lack visual appeal but let me tell you, its one of the best tasting pappu akkura (lentil-greens) of Andhra cuisine.
Thotakura Pappu Recipe
Prep & Cooking: 40 mts
Serves 4-5 persons
Cuisine: Andhra
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3/4 cup tur dal (kandi pappu) pressure cook until soft and mash (shouldn’t be watery)
2 cups tightly packed thotakura leaves (not the stalks)
1 big onion finely chopped
4-5 green chillis slit length wise
1/4 tsp turmeric pwd
lemon sized tamarind (soak in a cup of warm water and extract)
For tempering/poppu/tadka:
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp split black gram dal
1/2 tsp channa dal
4-5 dried red chillis (tear into pieces)
5-6 garlic flakes crushed
10-12 curry leaves
1 Heat oil in a heavy bottomed vessel, add mustard seeds, let them pop, add the cumin seeds, split gram dal and channa dal and let them brown. Next add the garlic, red chillis, curry leaves, chopped onions and green chillis and sauté till onions turn slightly pink.
2 Add the thotakura and stir fry for 3-4 mts. Add the turmeric pwd and salt and combine. Cover with lid and cook till the greens cook (approx 7-8 mts). Using the back of the ladle, mash the contents slightly.
3 Add the cooked and mashed dal to the onion-thotakura mixture. Cook for another 4-5 mts on medium heat.
4 Add the tamarind extract and combine well. Cook for another 9-10 mts or till the rawness of tamarind disappears. It should not be a watery dal but have more of a thick consistency dal.
5 Serve with white rice or hot rotis.
Note:
Alternately, you can seperately pressure cook the onions, greens, garlic and green chillis and combine with the mashed dal and follow the rest of the procedure.
Read more about Amaranth
Pesara Pappu Payasam - Moong Dal Payasam
April 9th, 2007With some very basic ingredients usually available at home, you can whip up some comforting simple lentil based sweet dishes that are not high in calories yet delicious. One such traditional Indian dessert is Pesara pappu payasam prepared from good quality yellow moong dal, jaggery and milk. This humble earthy sweet dish was part of our festive thali on Ugadi and what I really like is its subtle sweet flavor leaving you with a pleasant mouth feel.
Cooked moong dal is simmered in milk and melted jaggery till well blended and flavored with cardamom powder and ghee toasted cashewnuts and raisins providing that crunch. Try it and you are assured of an absolutely delectable treat. Can be served either warm or chilled.
Pesara Pappu Payasam Recipe
Cooking Time: 40 mts
Cuisine: South Indian
Serves 6-7 persons
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1 1/2 lt milk
3/4 cup split yellow moong dal
1 cup jaggery (adjust)
1/2 tsp cardamom pwd
2 tbsps cashewnuts
1 tbsp raisins
1 tbsp ghee
1 1/2 cups water to pressure cook dal
1 1/4 cup water to prepare jaggery syrup
1 Heat a pan, add a tbsp of ghee and toast the cashewnuts and raisins till golden brown. Remove from pan, keep aside.
2 In the same pan, add the moong dal and roast it for approx 4 mts till a nice aroma emanates the kitchen and it turns a light brown shade. Remove from pan and pressure cook the dal till soft and mushy.
3 Take a cooking vessel, add jaggery and water and boil till the jaggery melts (remove scum). Turn off heat.
4 In a heavy bottomed vessel, boil the milk (1 1/2 lts), stirring once in a while and once the milk is boiled (it should reduce to a little over one litre), add the cooked mushy dal and combine well.
5 Next, add the jaggery syrup and go on stirring on low flame till well blended for at least 12-15 mts.
6 Add the cardamom pwd and toasted cashews and raisins. Serve warm or refrigerate until chilled. It tastes good both warm and chilled.
Tomato Kothimira Pachadi
April 3rd, 2007There is nothing more satisfying than cooking with vegetables grown in one’s own backyard. Today I used a few not so ripe orange tinge tomatoes from our vegetable garden to make a perfectly simple pachadi.
To make this deliciously tangy pachadi all you need are simple everyday ingredients like fresh firm tomatoes, coriander, green chillis, onion and the all important spice - cumin seeds. Ultimate in simplicity yet flavorful this chutney tastes best with idlis and dosas. The greenish shade of the pachadi is due to coriander which should not be overused and may play a dominant flavor but used subtly to harmonise with the tangy flavor of tomatoes.
Tomato Kothimira Pachadi Recipe
Prep & Cooking: 20 mts
Serves 3-4 persons
Cuisine: Andhra
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4-5 medium sized tomatoes
1 onion, sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander (adjust)
1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
2 green chillies (adjust)
salt to taste
1 tbsp tamarind paste (optional)
1 tbsp oil
For the tempering/poppu/tadka:
1/2 tsp oil
1/2 mustard seeds
1/2 tsp split gram dal
8-10 curry leaves
pinch of asafoetida (optional)
1 Heat half a tbsp of oil in a non-stick pan. Add the cumin and let them brown. Add the slit green chillis and saute for a few seconds, add the sliced onion and saute for 4 mts on medium heat. Lastly add the chopped coriander and saute further for a mt. Remove and keep aside.
2 In the same pan, add a tsp of oil, add the chopped tomatoes and on medium flame saute till the rawness of tomato disappears and the water evaporates (approx 4-5 mts). Remove and keep aside.
3 Grind the sauteed onions, coriander, tomato, tamarind along with salt, to a coarse paste adding a few tbsps of water.
5 Heat oil in a pan for the tempering, add the mustard seeds, let them pop and add the split gram dal and curry leaves and fry till the dal turns red. Lastly add the asafoetida and immediately add this seasoning to the ground pachadi. Serve with hot idlis or dosas.
courtesy by...
SAGAR RESTUARANT
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Sagar Restaurant offers an extensive choice We provide 100% halal meat.of traditional Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Indian cuisine together with new mouthwatering recipes, but if you have a preferred dish that isn't on the menu, please don't hesitate to ask the management who will be more than happy to have our chef specially prepare it for you. |
Jamaica, New York 11432
PHONE: 718-298-5696
718-657-2855
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Web Site: www.sagarfood.com
