Khichadi with a twist (with Toor Dal)

After a long week at work I am always looking for quick fixing meals for the weekend. Khichadi was a favorite. And then a couple years ago we visited my sister and she made khichadi with puliogere masala. It was so yummy I don't make it any other way since.

I always used mung dal in my khichadi just like my mother did. Last year my sister-in-law visited us for a few days. She told me she uses toor dal in khichadi. It tastes very different from the mung dal khichadi. Now I do it either way.

Today I made the khichadi with toor dal and served it with hot kadhi and papad.

You will need
1 cup basmati rice
3/4 cup toor dal
1 cup peas (I used frozen, not thawed)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. turmeric powder
a pinch asafetida (hing)
1 tsp. tamarind paste
3 tbsp. puliogere masala (I use MTR)
1 tbsp. Madhava agave nectar (in place of sugar)

Wash the rice and dal. Drain the water and let it rest for 15 minutes.

Heat a large thick bottomed pan. Add the olive oil and mustard seeds. When the seeds begin to crackle add the asafetida and turmeric powder followed by the peas. Let them cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes.

Now add the puliogere masala, the nectar and the tamarind paste to the peas. Mix it well and let it cook for a few minutes.

Add the rice and dal mix to the peas. Add salt to taste. Increase the heat to high and let it sizzle a little.

Lower the heat to medium high. Add 6 cups of water and let it come to a boil.

When the rice begins to boil mix it through, lower the heat to medium, cover and let it cook covered for 25 minutes. No peaking!

After 25 minutes, check for presence of liquid in the rice, cover and cook for another 15 minutes. Take off cover and let it cook uncovered till all the water has evaporated. Toor dal takes longer to cook than mung dal and also needs more water.

Matar Karanji (Pea Dumpling)

This recipe is a childhood favorite. My mother deep fried the karanji but I wanted to avoid deep frying. So I tried baking it. It turned out pretty good and the family loved it.

You will need

For the filing
1 cup peas (I used frozen, not thawed)
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. Madhava agave nectar (I use it in place of sugar)
1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
olive oil

For the dough
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup semolina
1 tbsp. besan
1 tsp. ajwain
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup milk

Take the flour, semolina and besan in a mixing bowl. Add to it 1 tbsp. of heated oil. Mix the oil into the flour. Add the rest of the ingredients for the dough including the milk. Using water knead the dough. Let it rest covered.

Heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they being to crackle add the turmeric powder and the peas. Let them cook. Sprinkle water if needed. When done turn off heat.

Transfer to a bowl and mash to crumble using a masher. Do not overdo it, you do not want a paste.

Add the remaining ingredients for the filling and mix together.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Knead the dough and divide into lemon sized balls. Keep covered under a moist paper towel or cloth.

Take one ball of dough and knead it in you hand until soft. Roll it out to the size of a CD. Place a heaped spoonful of filling in the center and fold the dough in half. Close the open edges to form a half moon shaped karanji (dumpling). Place the dumpling back under the moist towel. Repeat for the remaining dough. Lightly grease a baking sheet with oil. Place the dumplings on the sheet and bake for 15 minutes.

Turn them over and bake for another 5 minutes. Serve hot with pickle or ketchup.

Palak Paneer

My daughter loves paneer in all forms, parathas, matar paneer, even bhurji. I try to make paneer as frequently as I can. After she found out what I was making she asked me to stock paneer and make this dish every day of the week.

Over 4 years after the original post date I am updating this post with new pictures. My daughter is home for the summer from college and I am trying to make all her favorites. I figured if I was going to cook this dish again I should take new pictures.

You will need
1 bunch spinach
300gm paneer cut into 2 inch cubes
1 onion, very finely diced
1 tomato, diced
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
1 serrano pepper
salt to taste
olive oil

Remove stems, wash and clean the spinach. Boil water with a tsp. of salt. Turn off heat. Place the washed spinach in the hot water. Leave it there for 3 minutes. Get a tub of cold water ready. Place the spinach from the hot water into the cold water. It should retain its vibrant green color. Leave it there for a few minutes and then drain. In a blender puree spinach and the serrano pepper.

Heat a tbsp. of olive oil in a sauté pan and add the cumin seeds. When they change color add the onion. When the onions cooks and changes color add the tomatoes and cook. Next add the turmeric, ginger-garlic paste. Cook for about 15 minutes.

Add the spinach puree and cook for a few minutes.

Add the paneer and salt. Cook until paneer is soft and cooked through. Turn off heat.

Serve hot with Poli (Phulka)

Enjoy!

Tomato Paratha

I needed a quick recipe for packed lunch and this was perfect. I packed it with pickle.

You will need
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 large tomato, chopped
1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. turmeric powder
olive oil
salt to taste

In a pan roast the cumin and fenugreek seeds.

Transfer to a pestle and pound to a powder.

In the pan add olive oil and the chopped tomato. Let it cook a few minutes. Add the pounded powder, chili powder, turmeric powder and salt.

Cook a few more minutes and transfer to a mixing bowl with the whole wheat flour. Knead into a dough. Divide the dough into lemon size balls.

Roll each ball of dough into a paratha.

Heat a griddle pan. Add a few drops of oil and the rolled paratha. Cook on both sides till brown.

Sweet Potato Fries

This is another standby in my kitchen. It is a good filling afternoon snack or makes a great side dish to soup.

You will need
Sweet Potato as many as needed
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 375F. Wash the sweet potato, let dry, coat with a little olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes to partially cook the potato.

Take the sweet potato out of the oven and peel.

Cut into fries. Sprinkle olive oil, salt and pepper. Turn over with hands to spread the salt and pepper evenly.

Place the fries on the baking sheet and return to the oven. Cook for another 15 minutes.

Take the baking sheet out of the oven, turn the fries over and cook again for another 15 minutes.

Server hot.

Spinach Paratha (Palak Paratha / Paalak Paratha)

This is a standby recipe in my house. It is simple, tasty and filling. It is great as packed lunch when combined with a vegetable side or pickle.

You will need
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup besan (chickpea flour)
1.5 cups spinach, chopped
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. carom seeds
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. maple syrup (optional)
Salt to taste
Olive oil

In a bowl add all the ingredients except oil.

Mix into dough using water. With a little oil on the palm of your hand knead the dough until smooth. Let it rest for a few minutes.

Divide the dough into lemon sized balls. Keep a little wheat flour handy to be used while rolling out the parathas.

Roll out the ball of dough into a circle about 7-8inches in diameter or a little less than 1/4inch thickness. Heat a griddle pan. Place the paratha on the pan and cook one side. When done flip it over and cook the other side.

Enjoy with pickle.

Sabudana (sago) Khichadi

Sabudana Kichadi is one of my favorite snacks. My mother used to make it frequently when I was growing up. Today I came across Sabudana while cleaning the pantry and decided to make it as an afternoon snack.

You will need
2 cups Sabudana
1.5 cups coarsely ground roasted peanuts
1 cup cilantro, diced
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. sugar
1 green chili, chopped into 1 inch pieces
Olive oil

Wash the sabudana and drain most of the water. Let is sit for a couple hours. Run a fork through the soaked Sabudana to separate it. Sprinkle a little water and let it rest another couple hours. The Sabudana will be soft to the touch. In a bowl mix the Sabudana, ground peanuts, salt and sugar.  

Heat a tbsp. of Olive oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and green chili pieces. When the seeds turn color add the sabudana mixture.

Cover and cook for 5 minutes on low-medium heat. Remove cover and mix it up. Cover again. Repeat two more times.

Turn off heat, add chopped cilantro and server hot.

Savory Carrot Poli (Paratha)

It was Monday morning and I had to get lunch ready for my daughter to take to school. During the long Thanksgiving weekend I had taken it easy and not gone grocery shopping. All I had was carrots. I looked through my cook books and found carrots can be used for parathas just like radish. So here goes.

You will need
1 large Carrot, shredded
1/2 cup cilantro, diced
1 tsp. Ova or Ajwain (Carom seeds)
1 tsp. Cumin seeds
1 tsp. Serrano pepper, deseeded and minced
1 tsp. turmeric
3 cups whole wheat flour
Salt to taste
Olive oil

Heat a pan and saute the shredded carrot with a little water.

When almost done add cilantro and salt and mix together. Switch off heat and let it cool.

In a kneading bowl add the carrot mixture and all the other ingredients except the oil.

Using water prepare dough. Moisten your fingers with a little oil and knead the dough until soft.

Let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Divide the dough into lemon sized balls.

 Roll out each ball of dough and cook on a hot griddle pan until both sides are browned. Add a few drops of oil while the paratha is cooking.

 

This paratha retains its taste when cold and is a good candidate for a lunchbox. Serve with pickle or a vegetable side.