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Tag: urad dal

Dal Makhani- Black Lentils with a Cream Sauce

Diwali is coming up and this is a must in our house… people typically make this lentil dish for a special occasion but it is so simple… you can make it any day you want… yum!

  • 1 cup whole urad dal (black lentils)
  • ¼ cup rajma (red kidney beans)
  • ¼ cup channa dal (gram lentils)
  • 4 cups water
  • 1 cup crushed tomatoes
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 inch piece of ginger, minced
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 teaspoons coriander powder
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon ghee or butter
  • 2 teaspoon garam masala
  • 3 tablespoons half and half

In a pressure cooker or sauce-pan, add the urad dal, rajma, channa dal, water, crushed tomatoes, onion, garlic, ginger, salt, cayenne pepper, coriander powder, turmeric and ghee. If using a pressure cooker, then close the lid and cook on high till the pressure is built, then turn the heat on low and cook for an hour. Turn the heat off, and take the lid off- check the consistency. The dal should be like a thick soup or a think stew. If there is excess liquid, then turn the heat on high and begin to evaporate the liquid. Add the garam masala and half and half. Cook till the dal reaches desired consistency. Taste for seasonings.
If using a sauce-pan, then bring the mixture to a boil and lower the heat, cook for at least 2 hours or till the lentils are soft and mushy. Add the garam masals and half and half. Cook till the dal reaches desired consistency. Taste for seasonings.

Cabbage and Carrots

My husband loves cabbage… so I try to make it a different way each time I cook it, which is not too often as I am not a huge fan. I will eat it but I never seek it out in a grocery store. I should since it is so healthy to eat…

  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 10 to 15 curry leaves, chopped
  • 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
  • ½ cup peanuts, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon channa dal
  • 1 tablespoon white urad dal
  • 3 cups green cabbage, shredded
  • 1 cup carrots, shredded
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • ½ cup cayenne pepper
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Heat a medium pan with the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Cook for a minute. Add the ginger, peanuts, channa dal and urad dal. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes on medium heat. Add the cabbage, carrots, ground coriander, cayenne pepper and salt. Mix well and sauté on medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and cover with lid and cook for 5 minutes. Take lid off and check for seasonings. Serve warm.

Healthy South Indian Style Lemon Rice

This is a great dish to eat as a snack or as a starch in a meal- the best part is that they are super healthy. I used brown rice and no one could tell!!

  • 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1½ cups brown rice
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons urad dal
  • 2 teaspoons channa dal
  • 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
  • 10-12 curry leaves
  • 2-3 dried red chilies
  • A pinch of asafetida
  • ½ cup peanuts, roasted
  • 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • Salt to taste

Heat a saucepan with the oil and butter. Add the rice and sauté on medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the coconut milk, turmeric, water and salt. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer, partially covered for 20 minutes. Once the liquid is cooked from the surface, lower the heat and place lid. Cook for another 15 minutes or till the rice is cooked through but not mushy.  Cool the rice off once cooked and keep aside.

In a large wok like pan, heat the oil.  Add the urad and channa dal and sauté for about 30 seconds on medium heat.  Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves and saute for another minute.  Next, add the red chilies and asafetida.  Add the cooked and cooled rice.  Mix well.  Add the peanuts, lemon juice and salt.  Mix well and serve.

 

 

 

Curd (Yogurt) Rice

Curd Rice

I have never made curd rice before- but have eaten it in South Indian restaurants. I realized it was not very hard to make when I put it together the other night in 15 minutes- the key is to have all the ingredients on hand. I even happen to have frozen rice, which was ready in three minutes in the freezer. It is a great side dish or a quick snack…

  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
  • 8 to 9 curry leaves, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons grated ginger
  • 1 tablespoon channa dal
  • 1 tablespoon urad dal
  • ¼ cup grated coconut
  • ½ cup cilantro, chopped
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • 1 cup yogurt

Heat a medium frying pan with coconut oil. Add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, ginger, channa and urad dal. Saute on medium heat till the seeds begin to sizzle. Add the coconut and cilantro. Saute for a minute. Add the rice and salt and mix well. Take off the heat and add the yogurt. Mix well and check for seasonings before serving at room temperature.

Tomato Rice with Peas

Tomato RiceThis is my version of a South Indian rice dish my husband has all the time at restaurants. I have never made it before and thought it would be nice to try it at home. It is essentially cooked rice sauteed with a lot of spices, lentils and curry leaves. I decided to take it to another level and make a one pot meal out of it. How much do we love one pot meals?

In order to make this dish balanced I added frozen peas and shredded paneer which is an Indian style cheese. So now I had vegetables and protein in the rice dish. I guess if you wanted to be even more healthy, you can use brown rice instead of the white.

The rice dish was super flavorful with the mustard seeds, curry leaves, and a blend of spices. The crushed tomatoes and peanuts made this dish fabulous. My daughter is not into nuts- so all I did was take them out for her. She was very skeptical trying the rice- but once she had a bite, she was sold…
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