Cabbage - Tomato Dal

Cabbage - Tomato Dal is a gravy dish. Dal is nice to have with almost all the main dishes. This is an easy and simple dish and all age group of people can njoy having this cabbage - tomato dal.

I have used tomatoes, cabbage and Moong dal.
Let us see some benefits of having " Garam Masala in our diet ".
Garam Masala is mixed spice powder. Coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom, clove, fenugreek seeds, cinnamon, pepper pods, nutmeg and other spices are roasted slowly and then ground together to prepare home made garam masala powder.
Garam Masala helps to fight disease and build immunity. It helps to relieve pain and inflammation.
It slow down the aging process. It helps to lose weight. Garam Masala helps the food to digest easily and keep our body warm. It helps to lower the blood sugar level and detoxify the body. They also hep the bad breath away.
Let us see the recipe Now :
No Onion or No Garlic is used in this "Cabbage - Tomato Dal".

Ingredients :

Moong dal/Toor dal  : 1/2 Cup
Cabbage : 2 Cups
Green chilly : 2 to 3
Tomatoes : 2 to 3
Garam Masala Powder : 1/2 Teaspoon
Rasam Powder : 1 Teaspoon
Salt : As required
Oil : 1 Teaspoon
Ghee : 1 Teaspoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Jeera/Cumin Seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Dry ginger powder : 1/4 Teaspoon
Curry Leaves : 6 to 8
Ingh/Asafoetida : A little
Coriander leaves : 1 Tablespoon

Method 

1. Wash and cut cabbage into small pieces. Wash and remove the seeds and cut tomatoes.
2. Wash and cut green chilly.

3. Wash and cook moong/toor dal in a pressure cooker and keep it aside.
4. Keep a pan on the fire and heat. Add oil, mustard seeds and jeera.
5. Let mustard seeds splutter. Add curry leaves and cut green chilly.
6. Add cut cabbage and fry it for a minute. Now add cut tomatoes and mix it well.

7. Add turmeric powder and a glass of water. Let the cabbage and tomato cook nicely till soft.

8. Add cooked moong dal and mix it well. Add salt and let it boil for a minute.

9. Add garam masala and rasam powder and mix it well and water if required.

10. Let it cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

11.Shift the curry to a serving dish. Add ghee and coriander leaves.
12. Serve it with the main dish you have prepared.

Note :

Pressure cooking the dal mixes well with cabbage and tomatoes. Adding any spice of your choice is optional. Adding more/less spice and oil is optional. Adding ghee is optional. Adding onions and garlic to the curry is optional.
Time : 25 Minutes
Serves : 3 to 4.

Mixed dals +Horse gram Chutney Dosa

Its always fun preparing some dish with the other dish. I just love it, I am telling this because I have used some Huruli (Horse Gram) chutney to prepare Ade -Dals Dosa.

Horse gram .chutney is a yummy and healthy dish because horse gram has many healthy properties.
My Co -Sister (brother in law's wife) prepares lovely crispy  "Adai" (Dal dosa). She uses rice and dals, chilly and ingh. The dosas are turns as golden and crispy. I always remember her dal dosa whenever I prepare Adai.
I had some Horse gram chutney, which is prepared for lunch. The remaining chutney I have used it for this Dal dosa.
Let us see some benefits of eating Horse gram in our diet
Horse gram is filled with proteins, vitamins and iron. It is loaded with proteins and Vitamin B Complex properties. Horse gram is good for arthritis. They help to purify the blood. They are rich in antioxidants and dietary fiber. They help to control the sugar level and blood pressure. Horse gram is good for ladies who suffer from menstrual problems. They help to protect against diabetics and good for weight loss. Eating horse gram helps to remove the small kidney stones.
Lets see the recipe now :

Things Needed : 

Channa Dal : 1/2 Cup
Urid Dal : 1/2 Cup
Moong Dal : 1/2 Cup
Toor Dal : 1/2 Cup
Raw Rice : 3 Cups
Avalakki : 1/2 Cup
Horse Gram Chutney : 1/2 Cup
Salt : As required
Ingh : A pinch
Methi/Fenugrik Seeds : 1 Teaspoon

Method : 

1. Wash all the dalls, methi seeds and rice nicely and soak it for 3 to 4 hours. Soak Avalakki separately.

2. Grind all the ingredients with very little water.
3. Grind Horse gram chutney along with the ingredients.

4, Remove from the mixi jar and put in a big bowl.

5. Add salt. Mix it well and let it ferment. (Over Night or 5 to 6 hours).
6. Keep a pan on the fire and clean it with clean cloth or kitchen tissue.
7. Mix the Dall Dosa dough and take a ladle full of it and spread it on the tava/pan.
8. Add a teaspoon of oil on the top of dosa and turn the other side and cook.

9. Dosa is ready to serve. Serve with the side dish you have prepared.

10. Repeat the same with remaining dough and prepare dosas.

11. You can also prepare dosa as soon as you grind it.
12. It spreads nicely and soft because of Avalaki/Flattened rice.

Note :

Divide the dough into small quantity if you are using a mixi to grind. It helps to grind the dough into thin paste. If you using you can add all the ingredients together and grind it together. Adding horse gram chutney is optional. You can add a handful of horse gram instead of chutney. Taste differ.
Time : 30 Minutes + Soaking time  4 Hours.
Serves : 5 to 6

Horse Gram Chutney :

Method :

Dry roast or use a teaspoon of oil and fry horse gram on low flame till it turns brown. Add red chilly, curry leaves and ingh. Let it cool. Grind it with required salt and a cup of coconut. Adding mustard seasoning is an optional.
Time : 10 Minutes.
Serves : 3 to 4 

Padavala Kai Dal (Snake Gourd Dal)

Padavala Kai/Snake Gourd is known as one of the healthy vegetable that you should make use of it very often. Indian/local seasonal vegetables are always best to use. Padavala Kai Dal is a gravy dish and it goes well with almost all the main dishes.

I have used Snake Gourd, coconut and simple spices.
Let us see some benefits of eating Snake Gourd/Padavalaki.
Snake gourd helps to strengthen the immune system. It detoxifies the body. Helps to improve the digestive process of the body. It is good for diabetes, Good treat for hair loss and helps to reduce the weight. Snake Gourd is rich in nutrients, vitamins and minerals. It contain good amount of dietary fiber, less in calories and high levels of protein. It has vitamin A, vitamin B and vitamin C, manganese, magnesium, calcium, iron, potassium and iodine.
No Onion  or  No Garlic is used in this Snake Gourd Dal.

Ingredients : 

Toor Dal : 1/2 Cup
Snake Gourd : 1 (Medium size)
Green chilly : 2
Ginger : An inch
Lemon : 1 Teaspoon (1/2 of one lemon)
Coconut : 2 Tablespoons
Ghee : 1 Tablespoon
Red chilly : 1
Mustard Seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Jeera/Cumin Seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh : A pinch
Curry Leaves : 6 to 8
Salt : As required
Coriander Leaves : 2 to 3 Tablespoons.

Method :

1. Wash and cook toor dal in pressure cooker for 6 to 8 minutes. (Add required water and cook).
2. Wash and remove the seeds of snake gourd (the pulp inside the snake gourd). Cut into small pieces.
3. Cook snake gourd pieces with required water till they turn soft.
4. Wash and Slit green chilly and cut coriander leaves and curry leaves.
5. Wash and remove the outer layer of ginger, wash it again and then grate it. Keep it aside.
6. Wash and cut lemon and remove the seeds from inside.
7. Grate coconut and grind it with little water till paste and remove from the mixi jar.

8. Keep a big pan and add cooked snake gourd pieces. Add cooked dal. Add little turmeric powder.
9. Add salt and mix it well. Add slit green chilly and grated ginger. Mix it well and let it boil for 3 to      4 minutes.

10. Add ground coconut and mix it well. Let it boil for 2 minutes. Shift the curry to a serving dish.
11. Keep a small pan and put ghee/oil. Add mustard seeds and jeera/cumin seeds.
12. Let the mustard seeds splutter. Add red chilly , ingh and fry for 5 seconds. Add curry leaves.
13. Add this seasonings to Snake Gourd Dal. . Add lemon extract.

14. Add coriander leaves and serve.

Note : 

Adding coconut is optional. Coconut adds taste to the curry. You can use plain boiled milk instead of coconut. Adding onions and garlic is optional. Do not make dal spicy. Mild spicy dal taste better. Use of oil instead of ghee is optional. Ghee adds aroma to the dal. (Ghee is good for health).
Adding moong dal instead of toor dal is optional. Taste differ. ( I have used toor dal).
Time : 20 Minutes.
Serves : 3 to 4. 

Black Moong Curry

Black Moong or Kappu Hesaru ( a variety of moong grown in South Canara) is one of the protein rich legume. Legumes like huruli/horse gram, urid dal, alasande/cow peas and moong ( green and black both), ground nuts are grown after the cutting of paddy grains. These are second crops in the same paddy field. Poor farmers have to wait for the rain for the good crops.

Have you heard of Black Moong / Kappu Hesaru ? ( In Kannada Language this moong is called kappu, means black hesaru is moong).

You are not making mistake in identifying this Moong to Urid lentil. This legume is not Urid. This lentil is used in curries, dals, kheer/payasa and usli.

This time my visit to Udupi / Salikeri, thats our native I got this black moong/Kappu hesaru in a local shop. As soon as I noticed this moong I remembered my doddamma /aunt and her preparations like usli, dry curry and payasa. I wanted to try some of those items and bought some. So one by one will surely put up the recipe which I tried and I am sure you will surely enjoy preparing, trying those traditional dishes which are loaded with healthy properties.
Here I have a " Black Moong Curry " which goes well with almost all the main dishes.
A small suggestion is that, you can try this curry with normal green moong instead of this black moong. ( You might get this moong only in rural areas ).
Moong dal or whole moong is filled with proteins, minerals and vitamins. Eating lentils/legumes help us to stay healthy, help our bones to be strong and gives energy to our body.
No Onion or No garlic is used in this " Black Moong Curry ".
Let us see the recipe now :

Ingredients :

To Cook :

Black Moong /Kappu Hesaru : 1 Cup
Cucumber : 2 ( Small ones)
Tomatoes : 2

To Season :
Oil : 1 Teaspoon
Mustard seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Jeera/Cumin seeds : 1/2 Teaspoon
Ingh /Asafoetida : A pinch
Green chilly : 2
Curry leaves : 6 to 8

To Add :
Turmeric Powder : A pinch
Coriander leaves : 1 Tablespoon
Ghee : 1 Teaspoon
Grated Ginger : 1 Teaspoon
Salt : as required
Sambar powder : 1 Tablespoon

Method :

1 Wash and soak black moong for over night or 5 to 6 hours. (Clean it before washing).

 2. Pressure cook for  6 to 8 minutes with required water and let it cool.

2. Wash and remove the outer layer of cucumber and check cucumber whether it contain bitterness. (Do not use the bitter cucumber for curry).

3. Cut cucumber into small pieces. Wash and cut green chilly, wash and remove the outer layer of ginger, wash again and grate it.

4. Wash and cut tomatoes into small pieces. ( Remove the seeds while cutting ).
5. Keep a big pan on the fire and heat. Add oil and mustard seeds. Let it splutter. Add jeera.
6. Add ingh and curry leaves. Add slit green chilly. Fry a little.
7. Add cut tomatoes and fry nicely till they turn soft.
8. Add cooked black moong and mix it well. Add a pinch of turmeric powder.

9. Add cut cucumber and required salt, little water and mix it well. Let it boil for 2 to 3 minutes.

10. Add a tablespoon of sambar powder/curry powder and mix it well.
11. Let it boil for 3 to 4 minutes. Shift the curry to a serving bowl. Add cut coriander leaves.
12. Serve " Black Moong Curry " with the main dish you have prepared.

Note :

Black Moong should be cleaned well before soaking in water. Soaking black moong is a must. Or it might not cook soft and the lentil turns hard. Use of any brand of Sambar powder is optional. I have used home prepared Sambar powder. Use of green moong instead of black moong is optional.
Time 30 Minutes.
Serves : 2 to 3 
Purely South Canara Recipe. 

Home prepard Sambar Powder :

Dry roast/ fry with a tsp of oil :  2 tbs of coriander seeds. 1/4 tsp of methi /fenugrik seeds, 1/tsp of jeera/cumin seeds, 1tsp of urid dal. 4 to 5 byadagi red chilly, little ingh/Asafoetida and curry leaves, one by one and let it cool. Dry grind it and use.
Only One time use : for a small quantity of Curry preparation. .