chinta chiguru/ tender tamarind leaves chutney

Chinta chiguru/ tender tamarind leaves chutney 

With the onset of spring comes the season of tender tamarind. These leaves can be used in various dishes ,chinta chiguru chutney, chiguru badanekayi(brinjal)tavve/ pappu and chiguru chitranna/ rice,to name a few.In these recipes the ingredient used for tartness can be replaced with these leaves. Along with a little bitter and tartness they impart a very good flavour to the dish.
Tamarind trees are usually found in country side and very difficult to find these tender leaves here in Bengaluru.My maid  got it for me from her village.Also my granny and mom send them over to me from my native, and I make sure to prepare all possible delicacies when I have these.
Here goes the recipe.  It serves 2

Ingredients :

Tender tamarind leaves- a fist full
coriander seeds- 1 Tbsp
Sesame seeds- 1 tbsp
Dry red chillies - 3 to 4 ( acc to taste )p
Dry coconut - 1/4 th cup cut into pieces.
Oil- 2 tsp
roasted methi pwd- 1/4 tsp
Turmeric pwd- 1/8 th tsp
Hing- a generous pinch
Jaggery- 1 tsp
Salt- to taste

For tampering
Oil- 1 tsp
Mustard seeds- 1/2 tsp
urad dal-1/2 tsp
Curry leaves- 1 spring


Procedure:
Wash the tamarind leaves once and gently pat them dry on a hand towel. refer foot note.Discard the thick stems and retain the leaves.

Heat a wok and dry roast coriander seeds until they change colour, Set aside,dry roast the sesame seeds until nice aroma and set aside.add a tsp of oil and roast the red chillies  once done add the dry coconut and fry for few seconds and take off the flame.
Grid coriander seeds, sesame seeds, dry red chillies and dry coconut along with salt and jaggery into fine powder.

In the same wok heat a tsp oil add hing roasted methi powder and turmeric.  Add the tamarind leaves and fry . Once the leaves wilt switch off the flame.
Take these leaves along with  ground powder and grind it into smooth paste by adding little water.
Heat a wok, add a tsp oil once hot add mustard seeds once they crackle, add urad dal once it turns golden brown add curry leaves .  Switch off the flame. Add this tampering to the chutney and serve hot with rice or roti.

Note:
Do not wash the tamarind leaves more than once as they lose their tartness.

Menthe soppina pudi palya/fenugreekleaves and split pegion peas dry subzi

Menthe  soppina pudi palya / uduru palya fenugreek leaves and split pigeon peas dry subzi:

This is another recipe from ajji's kitchen and my all time favourite dish .My ajji  prepared this exclusively for me, feeling pampered😍. Bende kayi majjige palda and menthe soppina uduru palya , wow !! what a combo it was.
Though I prepare these dishes regularly, it can't beat  ajji's signature dish. hence posting the recipe directly from her kitchen.
This recipe serves 6:

Ingredients:

Fenugreek leaves- 1 big bunch ( ajji used 5 small bunches )
Tuvar dal - 1 1/4 cup
Green chillies - 4 to 5
Grated fresh coconut- 3 tbsp
Mustard- 1 tsp
Curry leaves- few springs
Turmeric - 1/8th tsp
Oil- 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Wash and cook the tuvar dal directly on stove top until 3/4 th done. Strain it in a colander and set aside.

Clean the fenugreek leaves  and finely chop them.

Heat a wok, add oil, add mustard seeds, once it splutters, add hing,turmeric,green chillies,curry leaves and chopped greens.cook the greens until done. Squeeze out the excess water from the dal and add this to the greens.
Mix well and fry the whole mixture for few more mins. Add grated fresh coconut mix and switch off the flame.  Serve hot with rice and rasam.

Bendekayi majjigepalda/ ladies finger in butter milk gravy/more kozambu/kadi

Bendekayi majjige palda/ ladies finger in  butter milk gravy(Recipe from ajjis kitchen)

Back from my native after a short vacation. Had a wonderful and flavourful time . Relished ajji's cooking after a long time. Ajji, amma and my aunt made variety of dishes . This recipe is from my ajji's  kitchen.  I could  click  pics of very few dishes . I will be posting these recipes here .This is one of them.
Majjige palda /majjige huli / more kozambu / kadi ,as the name says the main ingredient in this is butter milk.Along with other ingredients like ginger ,cumin seeds , hing etc the dish is very good for digestion. Here goes the recipe.
This recipe serves 6

Ingredients:
Tender ladies finger- 1/2 kg
Grated fresh coconut- 1/2 cup
Coriander leaves- 5 to 6 stems
Jeera/cumin seeds- 1tbsp
Mustard- 1 tsp
Ginger 1 big piece( about 2" size)
Green chillies-5 to 6 ( can add more acc to taste)
Turmeric pwd- 1/4 th tsp
Gram flour/ kadale hittu- 1/4 th cup
Sour yoghurt/ curd- 1/2 ltr.
Salt- to taste

For seasoning:
Oil- 4 tbsp
Musturd seeds- 1 tsp
Curry leaves- 2 springs
Hing- a generous pinch
Turmeric- 1/8th tsp

Procedure: 
Grind together grated coconut,coriander, cumin seeds,mustard seeds,ginger,green chillies, turmeric pwd,and gram flour into smooth paste.

Wash the ladies finger , pat them dry and cut them into 1" pieces. Heat 1/4 th cup oil in a wok. Add mustard, once it splutters add curry leaves and a generous pinch of hing and add ladies finger,fry until crisp.

Whip the yogurt and in a wide  thick bottomed vessel take the ground paste along with the whipped curd,add water to adjust the consistency, add salt and fried ladies finger and bring it to a boil. Tamper it with mustard and hing.  Serve hot with rice. 

Variations:

This dish can be prepared with ash gourd or snake gourd and cucumber  also. 

In a wok heat about a tsp of oil , add mustard seeds ,once it splutters add curry leaves, hing, turmeric and any of these vegetable . Cover and cook until done. Add it to the butter milk gravy and boil.

Gujrathi dhal no onion no garlic recipe

Gujarathi dhal (no onion no garlic)

Enjoying vacation at  my native place ,my moms house ,Bellary. Made this no onion no garlic gujrati dal to go with plain parathas. Feeling happy to have cooked for a bigger crowd today. Everyone relished it and I  enjoyed cooking. The advantage of more people being together  is that the work load is shared.I prepared the dal and my sister prepared parathas. I must say yummy parathas 😋.Had a wonderful lunch combo with very ltitle strain.
Here goes the recipe.
 This recipe serves 4

Ingredients :

Tuvar dal/pegion peas- 1 1/2 cups
Tomatoes - 5 medium
Ginger- 1 " piece  grated
Green chillies- 5 chopped finely
Curry leaves- 1 spring
kokum juice or kokum- 2 tbsp( I did not add)
Turmeric pwd- 1/2 tsp
Red chilly pwd- 1 tsp
Dhaniya jeera  pwd- 1 tsp.
Juice of 1 lemon
Jaggery- 1 tsp
Coriander-2 tbsp finely chopped

For seasoning:
Mustard  seeds- 1/2 tsp
asafoetida- a generous pinch
Dry red chillies- 2 nos
Oil- 1 tsp
Ghee- 1tsp

Procedure:

Pressure cook the tuvar dal and tomatoes  in a pressure cooker until mushy.
Once the pressure goes off mash the dal and tomatoes using a whisk.Add ginger ,curry leaves,turmeric pwd, red chilly pwd, kokum if using, dhaniya jeera  pwd , chopped green chillies  and jaggery. Add water if the dal mixture is thick. Let the mixture boil on low med flame for 10 to 15 mins or until it is thick.
Heat a wok, add a tsp of oil and ghee and once hot add mustard seeds once it splutters add asafoetida and red chiilies. Add this seasoning to the dal and simmer it for 5 mins.squeeze in the lemon juice and ads chopped coriander. Switch off the stove and serve hot with parathas or steaming hot rice.

Note:

I recommend  adding kokum as it gives nice flavour to dal. I did not add as it was not available  here.soak about 5 pieces of kokum in warm water and squeeze out the juice .

I have used very less spices and the dal was bland, you can add more green chillies and red chilly powder if you prefer spicy dal.

You can add more jaggery if you like sweet dal.

sprouted whole mung bean (green gram)dosa/pesarettu

Sprouted whole mung(green gram) dosas/ pesarettu:

Pesarettu is a breakfast dish , originated from Andhra cuisine.The very famous combo in this region is Upma pesarettu.It is prepared from whole green gram or mung dal and hence it is a  very nutritious breakfast.Also mung bean is a body coolant and using this regularly in cooking is very good for health.I use sprouted whole mung instead of just the soaked beans as it enhances the nutritional value as well as the taste of the dish.
Dosas are all time favourite dish in my family. My younger one loves dosas .I make varieties of instant dosas. And  this is one of the instant dosas I make regularly .
Here goes the recipe . This recipe serves 2.

Ingredients:
Whole mung - 1 cup( soaked and sprouted)
Raw rice - 1/4th cup ( soaked)
Green Chillies- 2 nos( more acc to taste)
Ginger- 1 " piece
Salt- to taste
Coriander leaves - 2 stems
Onions -2 big finely chopped
Oil- to cook the dosas

Procedure:
Grind together the sprouted mung bean, soaked raw rice,ginger,green chillies and salt to a fine paste by adding little water, just to facilitate the blades, into a smooth paste.Once ground add more water and adjust the consistency to dosa batter consistency.
Now mix together the finely chopped onions and coriander and keep it aside.
Heat a girdle and once hot take a ladle full of batter and pour on the girdle and spread it into desired thickness.Sprinkle the onion coriander mixture on top and press it using the spatula.Do it immediately before the dosa gets cooked and when the batter is still raw.Add about a tsp of oil and cook.Once the side turns golden brown flip it and cook on the other side.Serve it hot with ginger chutney which is the best combo for pesarettu or it can be served with chutney pudi or regular coconut chutney.

Variation:
The whole mung can be replaced by split mung dal. You can add about 1/4 th cup chopped coriander with other ingredients while grinding the dal to give a nice colour.