Paruppu Vadai| Masal Vadai

Masala Vada| Lentil Fritters is a traditional snack item generally served at teatime very much popular in South India. It is also a popular street food found in all petty tea shops, railway stations, parks..etc. I like paruppu vadai than Ulunthu Vadai|Medhu Vadai because of its crunchiness. I have tried many healthy variations in this snack by adding different veggies, herbs, greens, oats such as Methi Masala Vadai, Beetroot Masala Vadai, Oats Masala Vadai, Keerai Vadai, Mint Masala Vadai.
Perfect evening snack liked from old to new generation. Tasty crunchy filling snack with a cup of hot tea.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes+soaking time
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Cuisine: Tamil
Makes: 10-12 nos.

INGREDIENTS:
Chana dal| Split chickpeas- 1 cup
Dry red chilli-2
Onion, chopped-1 small
Green chillies, chopped- 2
Ginger, finely chopped- 1/2 teaspoons
Curry leaves- 1 strand
Fennel seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin seeds- 1/2 teaspoon
Asafetida- 1/4 teaspoon
Salt- to taste
Oil-to deep fry

PROCEDURE:

• Soak chana dal with dry red chillies in water for 2 hours.
• Meanwhile chop the onion, green chillies, ginger and curry leaves.
• Drain the water totally and transfer that on a blender jar.(If water is there the vadas wont turn crispy)

• Coarsely grind and transfer it on a bowl.
• Now fennel seeds, jeera, onion, green chillies, ginger, curry leaves, asafetida and salt.
• Mix well and check for salt. You could add a teaspoon of corn flour to make more crispy vadas.
• Shape vadas using your left hand palm and right hand fingers.

• Heat oil in a deep pan and deep fry the vadas till crispy.
• Note:You could use half a cup chana dal and half a cup of toor dal if you prefer. 
• You could replace green chillies with dry red chillies and soak them with chana dal and grind them together.
• You could add the fennel seeds and jeera together with chana dal while grinding too.

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Methi Dal

Methi dal is a flavoured and versatile curry which goes well with rotis/chapatis as well as withsteamed rice. Methi leaves and its seeds are well known body coolants. Methi leaves could be included in various methods in cooking. I have already shared Methi Masala Vada and Methi Thepla recipes.

This curry could be prepared using either toor dhal or with Moong dhal as per your fancy. But here I am preparing by adding toor dhal and moong dhal in a 2: 1 ratio. Toor dal gives the coarse texture and moong dal gives the smooth texture to the curry.Adding tomatoes to this curry is optional. Add very little if you wish to add.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Cuisine: North Indian
Serves:4

INGREDIENTS:
Methi/ fenugreek leaves- 1 bunch
Toor dhal- 1/2 cup
Moong Dhal- 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder- 1/2 teaspoon
Oil- 2 teaspoons
Jeera/ cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
Onion, chopped- 1/2
Green chilli, chopped- 1
Ginger- 1/2 inch
Garlic- 2 cloves
Tomato-1 small (optional)
Salt- to taste

PROCEDURE:

• Remove the methi leaves from the stem; wash them with enough water to remove the clay and sand sticking in it. Drain the water allow to dry.
• In a pressure cooker add the toor dal, moong dal together with turmeric powder and two and half cups of water; pressure cook for three whistles.

• Meantime, heat oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds once it starts to crackle add the chopped onion and green chilli. Cook till the onion becomes translucent.
• Now add the chopped ginger and garlic and cook till the falvour arises for about thirty seconds.

• Add the tomatoes very less numbers / quantity if you wish to add them. Cook till it starts to become mushy.
• Now add the methi leaves and cook for about thirty seconds till it wilt and reduce in size.
• Now add the red chilli powder and salt. Mix well and add the cooked dal mixture. Slightly mash the dal before adding if required.

• Add half a cup of water to dilute the thick dal. Mix well with a ladle.
• Bring it to boil. Once the curry starts to bubble check the salt and switch off the gas.

• Serve with hot rice, papad and a dry subzi or with rotis/chapatis.
• Squeeze few drops of lime juice if you are not adding tomatoes in the curry.

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Palak Dal |Spinach Dal | Dal Palak

Spinach is a nutrient rich,  leafy vegetable when compared to other veggies. They are really a cheap, and easily available tasty veggie which are rich in nutrients. Spinach cooks in no time. With lentils it gives a wonderful taste.

Spinach Dal recipe is an easy nutrient rich curry made, with the lentils . The addition of lentils adds nutrients as well as taste to this curry. This is a versatile curry which you can have it with rice, idli dosa or with rotis. I have been making this yummy heathy dish for years and i am glad to be able share it now.

INGREDIENTS:

Spinach/ Palak, chopped- 1 big bunch

Moong dal- 1/2 cup

Green chillies-2

Water- 2+1 cups

Onion- 1/2 (or) Pearl onion- 10

Garlic- 2 big cloves

Salt- to taste

To temper:

Oil- 3 teaspoons

Mustard seeds- 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin/ Jeera- 1/4 teaspoon

Dry red chilli - 2 (optional)

Curry leaves- 1 strand (optional)

PROCEDURE:

• In a pressure cooker add the moong dal and slightly roast them till the colour of some grains change to light brown or till the light roasted smell arises.
• Allow to cool for two minutes; Now add 2 cups of water, turmeric and green chillies.
• Close with a lid and pressure cook for 3 whistles till mushy.

• Once the pressure releases immediately open the lid and slightly mash the dal. But do not make it into a paste. 
• Add the chopped spinach, salt and a cup of water; allow to boil for sometime.
• Meanwhile, heat a flat pan and add oil; splutter the mustard seeds; add the jeera and dried red chillies ; add curry leaves and fry them together in that oil.
• Once the curry leaves becomes crisp add the cut onion with a pinch of salt and cook till soft. Add the chopped garlic cloves and fry till the raw flavour leaves.

• Once the spinach get cooked with the dal (spinch colour sholuld not change to pale as the nutrients get lost if it turns pale) add the tempering with onion and garlic.

• Bring it to boil and check for salt add if needed and switch off the gas.

• Notes: For variation you could add some ginger instead of garlic.
• You could add one small tomato once the garlic get cooked.

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Parippu Curry/ Moong Dhal Curry/ Paruppu Curry/ Dhal Curry/ Dhal Tadka

       'Parippu curry' is the first curry served in liquid form in Ona Sadhya with ghee traditionally. In this curry I have used green chillies. If you don’t like green chillies you can replace it with a teaspoon of red chilli powder.

       This protein rich curry is tasty without adding the coconut masala. But traditional curry  does  contain coconut. If you don’t like coconut or like to reduce calories you can avoid using this coconut masala in this curry.

INGREDIENTS

Moong dhal/cheru payaru parippu-1cup

Water-3 cups

Turmeric- ½ teaspoon

Green chillies-2
Salt- to taste

TO GRIND: (optional and i have not added)

Garlic- 2-3 cloves

Jeera- ¼ teaspoon

Grated coconut – ½ cup

TO TEMPER:

Oil/ghee- 1 tablespoon

Mustard seeds- ½ teaspoon

Pearl onion (finely chopped) - 1 teaspoon
Garlic, chopped- 1 clove

Jeera- ¼ teaspoon

Curry leaves- 1 sprig

Dry red chilli-2

PROCEDURE

• Dry roast the moong dhal in medium flame till slight golden color appears. Then add water, turmeric, green chillies and cook till mushy. Mash the cooked dhal with the backside of ladle/ masher.

• Grind garlic, jeera and coconut as a coarse paste and add with dhal (optional).  Add enough salt and water and cook till it boils.

• In a pan heat ghee/oil and add mustard seeds garlic and chopped pearl onions. When mustard seeds starts to splutter add the cumin seeds, dried red chillies and curry leaves and switch off the gas.
• Add the tempering over the dhal mixture and mix well.

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