Channa dal palak

Channa dal palak is yet another Punjabi recipe from Parul’s stable. Thank you Parul for the beautiful picture and tasty recipe. Rich in iron and protein, channa dal Palak is a very good recipe for kids who otherwise don’t like to have palak as it has channa that they will love to have. Palak is spinach in English and paalakura in telugu.

Preparation time: 20-30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

Spinach leaves (palak/paalakura) 1 cup(400 gms/2 bunches)
Chick peas (Kabuli channa/senagalu) 1 cup(200 gms)
Finely chopped medium sized onion 1
Big tomato 1
Green chillies 2
Ginger 1 tsp
Refined cooking oil 4 tsp
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Coriander powder (dhania powder) 1 tsp
Pinch of turmeric
Salt to taste

Method:

Chop 400 gms SPINACH, grate a big tomato, slit the green chillies.

Wash the chana dal.

Pressure cook 1 cup of channa dal, chopped spinach, pinch of salt, chopped green chilli, and a pinch turmeric. After 4-5 whistles allow to cook on simmer for 10-15 mins.

Add oil in pan/kadai (bandli/mookudu).Add onions and ginger. Once the onions are golden brown, add tomatoes and leave to cook for 2-4 mins. Add pinch of red chilli powder, coriander powder, salt to taste and a pinch of turmeric.

Add this mixture to the boiled vegetable and dal, leave on simmer for 5 mins.

Channa dal palak is ready to serve. Channa dal palak is a perfect combo with phulkas or any of the Indian bread. It also goes well with any of the flavored rice or just plain rice. Bite a green chilly in between for the extra spice.

Microwave Cabbage Capsicum rice

Cabbage Capsicum rice, with loads of greens is a nutritious yet simple recipe. Making cabbage capsicum rice using the microwave just makes it quicker than usual. Thank you Pallavi for this awesome recipe.

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

Cooked rice 1 cup (250 g)
Cabbage 1 cup (200g)
Capsicum 2
Green peas (batani) 1 cup (50g)
Finely chopped onion 1
Green chillies 2
Ginger 1tsp
Refined cooking oil 2tsp
Cumin seeds (jeera/jeelakarra) 1tsp
Coriander powder (dhania powder) 1tsp
Cumin powder (jeera powder) 1tsp
Pinch of turmeric
Salt to taste

Freshly grated coconut/lemon juice to garnish
Fresh and chopped coriander to garnish

Method:

Finely chop or grate a medium sized cabbage. Chop the capsicum and slit the green chillies.

In a microwave safe dish, Add 2 tsp oil, 1 tsp jeera, a tsp of ginger, finely chopped onions, slit green chillies, a pinch of turmeric and microwave on medium heat for 3 minutes.

Once the tempering is done, add the chopped cabbage, capsicum, green peas, salt, coriander powder, cumin powder and mix well. Add a tsp oil if required and microwave for 6 minutes. Check if done, or microwave for 2 more minutes.(Most of the time, the capsicum and green peas are cooked, while cabbage takes a while.)

Once done, add to pre-cooked rice and mix well. Adjust the salt and garnish with grated coconut and chopped coriander. Instead of coconut, sprinkle a few drops of lemon juice and garnish with chopped coriander. (Do not use lemon and coconut at the same time.)

Either way, Cabbage capsicum rice tastes awesome. Cabbage capsicum rice can be a main course dish, as well as an evening quickie when guests are home and there is something substantial to be made. With all the veggies chopped, cabbage capsicum rice takes less than 10 minutes of preparation time and is also a healthy food at the same time. We however enjoyed cabbage capsicum rice with boondi raitha, and yes it did taste amazing.

Hommos

After almost a year and a half in this Arabic land, we decided to bring some simple Arabic cuisine on to the blog. Hommos is definitely the easiest to make and regularly available food anywhere in the Arab world. In fact, the khuboos (Arabic bread) and Hommos combo is the staple food here.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Chickpeas 1 cup (200 g)
Warm water
Olive oil 4 tsps
Tahini (sesame seed paste/nuvvulu paste) ½ cup
Lemon juice 2 tsps
Cumin powder (jeera powder) 1 tsp
Lemon salt (optional)
Salt to taste

Method:

Soak 1 cup chick peas(kabuli chana) for 18 to 20 hours i.e overnight.

Boil the chick peas in warm water for almost an hour or more, that is until they turn tender and soft.

Leave to cool. Grind into a fine paste the boiled chick pea’s along with ½ a cup of tahini and salt to taste. Tahini is sesame seeds paste that is available in the supermarkets. (To prepare tahini at home, roast a cup of sesame seeds and grind with 1/4th cup of vegetable oil into a smooth paste. Store in a glass, air tight jar. We have however not tried preparing tahini at home.)

To the ground chick pea paste add olive oil, 2 tsps lemon juice, a tsp of cumin powder(optional), salt if required to be adjusted and mix. Serve as is or garnish with chopped spring onions and serve.

Incase the hommos is to be stored for 2 days and more, add lemon salt or citric acid, mix well and keep in the refrigerator frozen.

Hommos is ideally had with khuboos, the Arabic bread. Hommos itself is also had as a salad. Hommos is anyway a part of every Arabian menu, a welcome relief for vegetarians. So, the next time you are touring an arab country, you know what to ask for!

Microwave Tomato Rice

We are in the process of shifting home between two countries and unable to update the blog on a regular basis. Its been close to a month in a serviced apartment without a stove. We have learnt to cook in the microwave and using an electronic rice cooker.

Tomato rice is a simple rice recipe that we experimented in the microwave and have been successful. Not much to chop, not much to clean afterwards, it is as simple as any of the ready-to-eat stuff and yet yummier than them.

Preparation time: 40 mins

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Raw Rice (Biyyam/Akki/ Chawal) 2 cups (100 gm)
Chopped Tomatoes 2
Finely chopped onions 1
Green Chilly 1
Refined cooking oil 2 tsps
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Sambar powder 2 tsps
Pepper powder 1 tsp
Pinch of turmeric
Salt to taste
Fresh and chopped coriander or Freshly grated coconut to garnish

Method:

Wash and soak rice for 10-15 mins.

In a microwave-safe bowl add 1.5 tsp oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, green chilly, turmeric, onions and microwave on medium-high for 2.5 mins. Add the chopped tomatoes and microwave for 1.5 mins.

Add 2 tsps sambar powder, 1 tsp pepper powder, salt (a little less than usual), and mix once. Add the soaked rice and 3 cups of water and microwave for 20 mins. Check, add required water and microwave for another 5 mins if the rice feels hard.

Adjust the salt and mix well. Garnish with coriander/coconut as preferred.

Fresh, yummy tomato rice is done. Tomato rice tastes awesome as it is, but can also be had with any of the raithas or just plain curd.