Vada’s exquisite flavor and deep aroma brought to perfection over the centuries, evoke and accentuate the subtlest nuances of taste. Its warm appeal have long been celebrated in a cuisine which demands that the eye as well as the palate find satisfaction. Its gritty, yielding texture has been prized for being addictive in nature and gentle on the tongue. Vada varieties are many in South India, and masala vada is one of the most popular and my favorite. Composed of chana dal and spices, grounded and fried, held with the fingers, vadas are eaten like a snack or part of the main meal with much gusto.

There are several versions of masala vada and the following is from my home, a basic vada recipe without onions.

Masala Vada
(for about 16 to 18 vadas)

Ingredients:
2 cups, Chana dal (sanaga bedalu)
6 dried red chilli, about 2-inches long each
1/2 teaspoon each- cumin and ajwan (vaamu)
1 teaspoon, salt
1 or 2 sprigs of fresh curry leaves
1×1 inch piece of fresh ginger, skin peeled, coarsely chopped
Peanut oil, about 3 cups to deep-fry the vadas

Method:
1. Soak chana dal in water for at least 4 hours. Strain dal to remove water. In a clean cloth or kitchen towel, spread the dal to air-dry for about 30 minutes. This helps to make the masala vadas properly and they absorb very little of oil in which they are fried.

2. Keep a fistful of chana dal on the side. Take the remaining dal in a blender or food processor or in a mortar. Add dried chilli, cumin, ajwan, salt, curry leaves and ginger pieces. Process the ingredients until they form a coarse mixture. Don’t grind too smooth. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add fistful of chana dal we kept aside to the mix and combine well. Coarse texture and intact chana dal are the two essential elements in a memorable vada experience. (The batter can be made in advance and refrigerated before frying.)

3. On your clean palm (hand), shape the mixture into one to two inch round patties of about half-inch thickness. Heat oil suitable for frying. Gently add the vadas to hot oil and and fry to golden color in batches. This is traditional method. Alternatively, fry the vadas on a lightly oiled skillet until they are lightly browned on both sides.

Serve the vadas hot as a tasty snack or part of the vindu bhojanam. They stay good for a week when refrigerated.

Masala Vada for Manchi(u) Roju

18 Comments

February Food Fun:
Include Fruits and greens regularly
Make a habit of Kosambari

Sweet pears in season are tossed with fresh lettuce from our backyard garden in this delicious kosambari. For an Indian twist, I have added some dates, chickpeas and chat masala powder. Fruits, greens and some protein, this free-spirited kosambari has all the food fun I wanted in a February. A guilt free meal and God bless simple recipes like Kosambari.

Fruit Kosambari with Pears
(serves two)

1 small bunch of fresh lettuce
2 pears
1 cup, cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup, dates
1 tablespoon chat masala powder
salt and black pepper to taste

Rinse the lettuce well. Pat them dry with a clean towel. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Peel the skin and slice pears into big pieces. Quarter the dates.

In a bowl, take the lettuce. Add pears, dates and chickpeas. Sprinkle chat masala powder, salt and black pepper powder. Toss to coat.

Serve immediately with a cup of rasam or sambar on the side for a light meal.

Fruit Kosambari with Pears and Dates ~ For Meal Today

9 Comments

What can be better in a bittercold winter than a bowl of hot, savory rasam! I like rasam and I also enjoy experimenting. The result is today’s recipe. To a traditional toor dal based rasam, I have added lemongrass. The bright, lemony herbal flavor of lemongrass could really cheer up casual rasam, I thought, and it did. Recipe is easy. Simmer the cooked dal with lemongrass and other regular rasam additions. No tomatoes, but ghee tadka is incorporated at the end to harmonize everything. Serve the rasam hot in a bowl and sip. Heaven must taste like this.

Lemongrass Rasam
(serves 4)

Ingredients:
2 fistfuls of toor dal and 2 cups of water
1 shallot, finely chopped lengthwise
1 tablespoon, finely sliced lemongrass
1 tablespoon each, tamarind pulp and jaggery
1 teaspoon each, salt and rasam powder
1/2 teaspoon, chilli powder
1/4 teaspoon, turmeric
few sprigs of fresh cilantro, finely chopped

For Ghee Tadka:
1 tablespoon, ghee
1 small sprig of fresh curry leaves
pinch each, cumin, mustard seeds and asafetida

Method:

Take toor dal and water in a pressure cooker. Cover and cook until the dal is tender. Gently mash the dal to smooth.

To the cooked dal, add shallot, lemongrass, tamarind pulp and jaggery. Also stir in salt, rasam powder, chilli powder and turmeric. Add a cup of water. Partially cover and simmer for additional 10 minutes until you see froth coming up on top of the vessel. Switch off the heat and garnish with cilantro leaves.

Meanwhile, heat the ghee in a small skillet. Add curry leaves, cumin, mustard seeds and asafetida in that order. Saute, stirring constantly. When mustard seeds start to pop out of skillet, pour this sizzling tadka over lemongrass rasam. Mix well and serve immediately. Sip the rasam or eat mixed with rice. Comforting and nourishing, the rasam experience will warm the wintered soul.

Warm Bowl of Lemongrass Rasam ~ for Meal today

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

13 Comments

“Have you ever met a vegetable that you didn’t like?”

“There is no comparison to the comfort you bring.”

“You are a charming legume.”

“Cuddle with me.”

The result of this legendary love affair between cute cauliflower and charming chickpea is a hearty stew called Gobi Chole. This classic of Bharath cooking is very easy to make and very forgiving. No need to fuss or fidget over the ingredients or lack of. All it needs is love.

Gobi Chole
(for 2 or 4 for 2 or 1 meal)

1 tablespoon, peanut oil
1 tablespoon, kasuri methi
1/4 teaspoon, cumin seeds
1 onion - finely chopped lengthwise, about 1 cup
4 ripe tomatoes - finely chopped, about 2 cups
1 small head of cauliflower, florets cut, about 3 to 4 cups
1 cup, cooked chickpeas
1 tablespoon each, garlic-ginger-cilantro paste and garam masala powder
1 teaspoon each, salt and red chilli powder or to taste
1/4 teaspoon, turmeric

Place a large, wide pot over high heat and add oil. When hot, put in the kasuri methi and cumin. Let them sizzle for few seconds. Add onion and sauté to soft brown. Add the tomatoes. Stir and cook until they collapse to soft mush.

Add the cauliflower florets and chickpeas to cooking tomatoes. Stir in ginger-garlic-cilantro paste, garam masala powder, salt, red chilli and turmeric. Add about a cup of water. Cover, and turn the heat to low and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

To thicken the gravy, I usually blend two tablespoons of coconut, cashews or poppy seeds, depending on what I have at that moment in the kitchen and add the smooth paste to simmering gobi chole along with other seasoning. Alternately, blend and add few tablespoons of cooked chickpeas for a low calorie thickener.

Serve the warm gobi chole over hot chapati/paratha/naan or rice. Simple relish made with onion and chillies, and some homemade dahi adds an authentic dabha experience.

Gobi Chole for Meal Today
© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

10 Comments

Cabbage
Carrot
Coconut
Chana dal
Curry leaf Tadka

The 5 C’s. When combined and cooked together would create an A+ dish.

This great cabbage curry is a childhood favorite. The refreshing flavor of a full-grown fall cabbage is accentuated by the addition of carrot and coconut sweetness, nutty chana dal crunchiness and curry leaf tadka’s ethereal aroma.

Served over couscous, chapati or rice, the 5 C’s makes a delicious and complete meal. It’s great all on its own too. This quick and easy recipe will be even more convenient if a mandoline or food processor is used to shred the cabbage and carrots.

Cabbage and Carrot with Indian Spices
(for two or four - for two or one meal)

Cabbage: Shred 1 small cabbage, about 6 cups
Carrot: Peel the skins and grate carrots, about 2 cups
Coconut: grate the fresh coconut, about 2 tablespoons
Chana dal: 2 tablespoons, Rehydrate by soaking in water for 30mts.
For Curry Leaf Tadka: 1 tablespoon peanut oil, 1 sprig of fresh curry leaves and from masala dabba, a pinch each - cumin and mustard seeds
Onion: 1, finely chopped
Spices: Turmeric, salt and chilli flakes - to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add curry leaves and toast to gold. Add cumin and mustard seeds and when seeds start to pop, add the onion and chana dal. Saute, stirring often until they are light brown.

Stir in cabbage and carrot. Saute until cabbage has slightly wilted. Add coconut, turmeric, salt and chilli flakes. Mix well and cook for another five minutes on medium heat. Turn off the heat before the whole thing turns into a mush pile. You know what cabbage says - If you want to love cabbage, eat it raw or cook it just right - but don’t over cook it.

Serve the curry hot over couscous/chapati, or with rice and dal for tasty meal.

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

13 Comments

I grew up with guava, which is a very popular fruit in South India. It was amazing how bags of guava came out of woodstock at the end of summer - whether by the way of my grandparents’ neighbors, relatives visiting from the village, or one of my parents friends. The donors were probably as glad to give them away as we were to receive them, and I remember the happy anticipation of waiting and slicing fresh guava, sprinkling salt and pepper and enjoying the tasty slices. Up here people seem to prefer their guava crunchy-free, a creamy puree long cooked in pastries. The flavor of fresh guava is delicate, and I prefer them as they are, uncooked may be in combination with some other raw ingredients.

Today’s recipe, guava kosambari, is inspired by a why not attitude. Kosambari, the salad of south India is a traditional Raw Rocks kind of meal starter. Usually prepared with moong dal, cucumber and carrots, and peppered with salt, pepper and lime juice. The cool, raw energy of kosambari seems to be enhanced by the excitingly sweet guava in guava kosambari. It was genuinely good food.

Guava

Guava Kosambari
(for two adults for two meals)

3 Guavas: cut to bite-sized pieces.
(The guavas I added in this recipe are small, about lime sized and have very delicate paper like thin skin that didn’t need peeling.)
1/4 cup - yellow moong dal, rehydrated
(Soak moong dal in water for about 2 hours to rehydrate.)
1/2 cup each - diced carrot and cucumber
Salt, black pepper and lime juice - 1/4 teaspoon each or to taste
1 tablespoon - finely chopped fresh cilantro

Take guava, moong dal, carrot and cucumber in a bowl. Sprinkle cilantro, salt, pepper and limejuice. Combine gently. Refrigerate for half an hour for the flavors to be charmed by each other.

Serve the guava kosambari as a meal starter or an evening snack with a cup of tea or ragi ganji.

Guava Kosambari on a Guava Leaf ~ For Meal Today

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

14 Comments

Beatific Butterfly from Backyard
(Of all the transplanted, showy flowers in the backyard, the butterflies are drawn to the wild ones which are known in this part of the world as weeds. Butterflies are precious! So now weeds have become part of the landscape.)

Today is Vara Lakshmi Vratham, an auspicious day on which Goddess Lakshmi Devi is celebrated with fasting, Pooja and neivedyam. It’s customary to share the Lakshmi Devi amma blessings with family and friends, and I am glad to share this day with you Net friends.

Neivedyam for the Pooja:

Semiya-Saggubiyyam Payasam
Atrasalu
Alasanda Vada
Chintapandu Pulihora (Tamarind Rice)
Sona Masuri Annam
Gongura Pappu
Chayote Kura
Brinjal-Jaggery Pacchadi
Coriander Rasam
Dadhojanam
Biyyam and saggubiyyam vadiyaalu

My Meal Menu:

Fasting in the morning.

Has ended the day with an early meal -small helping of each item from the Pooja neivedyam.

Workout:
Cooking. Pooja and meditation

In retrospect:
Great day! Calming cooking, peaceful Pooja in the morning hours.
Met good friends and had pleasant time in the evening.

Gongura From Backyard

Gongura Pappu from Amma

The gongura seeds I had planted in March are now thriving healthy plants. The generous gongura didn’t mind when I plucked some mature leaves for the Pooja neivedyam menu today. There are several ways to prepare gongura pappu, and the following recipe is from my amma. I thought it’s a great way to pay homage to her on this auspicious day through this favorite vantakam.

Ingredients and Preparation:

Preparation happens in two steps.

Step 1:

Toor dal: 3/4 cup
Fresh gongura leaves - 6 cups, tightly packed
Indian or Thai variety green chilli - 8, chopped to tiny pieces
Red onion or shallots - chopped to chunks, 1 cup
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon

Take the above ingredients in a pressure cooker. Add two cups of water.
In a mortar, add a garlic clove and 2 teaspoons of coriander seeds. Pound to coarse paste. Add this paste to the ingredients in pressure cooker. Mix. Close the lid and cook until everything has become soft, particularly the toor dal.

Step 2:

Salt - 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
Peanut oil or ghee - 1 tablespoon
From masala dabba: Following ingredients for inguva(asafetida) Tadka:
a sprig of curry leaves
4 pieces of one-inch, majjiga mirapa(dahi mirchi)
1/4 teaspoon of urad dal
a pinch each - cumin, mustard seeds and hing (asafetida)

Add salt to the cooked dal in pressure cooker. With a pappu gutti (wooden whisk), mash the cooked ingredients to fairly coarse paste like. Remove the dal to a bowl or vessel.

In a small pan, heat the peanut oil or ghee. Add the tadka ingredients in this order, from big to small: curry leaves, dahi mirchi pieces, urad dal, cumin, and mustard seeds. Continuously stirring, toast the ingredients to golden. When mustard seeds make pop sounds, sprinkle the hing. Stir for couple of seconds. Immediately add this fragrant tadka to the cooked dal. Mix well and cover with a lid so that the flavors and aroma of hing tadka are thoroughly absorbed by the pappu (dal).

Serve the gongura pappu with rice or roti. The blissful combination is the old classic: gongura pappu and freshly cooked, hot Sona Masuri rice with some ghee and vadiyaalu on the side. Heaven!

Gongura Pappu in Vadiyam Vadi on Muruku Peetam ~ For Meal Today

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

74 Comments

Tella Mandaram (White Hibiscus) from Front Yard

Morning:
Sprouted moong + sprouted chickpeas combined with generous amounts of ginger, green chilli, cumin and salt, ground into smooth batter. The batter is then made into dosa. I had one dosa for breakfast with tomato chutney.
A glass of ragi ganji without sweetener

Noon:
Sprouted moong + sprouted chickpea dosa
A cup of palak chole
A small cup of cucumber and carrot slices

Evening:
A glass of ginger buttermilk

Night:
1 sprouted moong + sprouted chickpea dosa
A small cup of palak chole
A glass of tomato soopa (rasam)
A glass of cold ginger buttermilk

Workout:
Made another batch of biyyam vadiyalu for Sun-drying in the morning
Pillow covers are done and now on to curtains sewing project - evening

In Retrospect:
Busy but beautiful day. No carbo cravings and reduced appetite.

Palak Chole:

2 cups - cooked (or canned) chickpeas (Chole)
6 cups - chopped fresh spinach (Palak)
1 onion and 1 tomato- finely chopped
1×1 inch piece - fresh ginger, skin peeled
2 tablespoons - chana masala powder
1/2 teaspoon - salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon each - turmeric and red chilli powder
1/4 cup each - fresh cilantro and lemon juice to garnish
From masala dabba: tadka ingredients

Step 1: Take quarter cup of cooked or canned chickpeas in a mixer. Add ginger and blend to fine paste. Remove the paste to a cup and keep aside. (This is added to thicken the chole gravy.)

Step 2: Heat a tablespoon of peanut oil in a deep pan. Add and toast a teaspoon each - cumin, black cumin and kasuri methi to fragrance. Add onion and tomato. Saute to soft. Next goes the spinach. Saute spinach until it has collapsed. Add chickpeas, chickpea-ginger paste, chana masala powder, salt, red chilli powder and turmeric. Add about two cups of water. Mix well. Cover and simmer on medium heat, stirring in-between for 15 to 20 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and lemon juice, and serve warm with rice or roti. Good on it’s own too.

Palak Chole for Meal Today

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

14 Comments

Workout Vratha Pusham ~ Deva Ganneru (Plumeria/Frangipani) from Backyard

Morning:
A glass of ragi ganji without sweetener
Fistful of pressure-cooked chickpeas
Few pieces of apple

Noon:
A cup of Kasuri methi chole
A big bowl of tomato rasam
Carrot-cucumber raita

Evening:
A glass of cold ginger buttermilk

Night:
A cup of homegrown chard sautéed with chickpeas. Simple to make and tasty.
Dear Vijay brought Khaman from local Swami Narayana Temple. Had two pieces of Khaman.
A cup of hot, hot tomato rasam
Dinner was at 7PM. Felt hungry around 10, had a glass of cold buttermilk

Workout:
An hour of kickboxing and an hour of weights and abs class at the gym. Excellent teachers and I actually enjoy attending these classes. - morning
Gardening - evening

In retrospect:
Good day. Thinking of putting a stop to online food diary after day 7. Writing and sharing about daily intake feels monotonous and purposeless.

Homegrown Chard

Chard with Chickpeas

I sowed some chard seeds at the beginning of June. Now they are young plants. The tender leaves have robust spinach like flavor. When cooked with protein-rich chickpeas and Bharath seasoning, they tasted quite good. Beans and greens, I could never get tired of this combination.

Ingredients:
Chard leaves and tender stems - finely chopped about 8 cups
Cooked chickpeas - one cup
Red onion or shallots - finely chopped, about a cup
Red chilli-garlic powder - a tablespoon
Turmeric - 1/4 teaspoon
Salt -1/4 teaspoon or to taste
Lemon/limejuice - 2 tablespoons
From masala dabba: Tadka ingredients

Preparation:
In a big skillet, heat a tablespoon of peanut oil. From masala dabba, add and toast a teaspoon each cumin and mustard seeds. Sprinkle a pinch of asafetida and sauté to fragrance. Add the onions and cook to soft.

Add the chard and chickpeas to the onions. Mix well and cover and cook until the chard has wilted. At the end, add the chilli-garlic powder, turmeric and salt. Stir well and cook for couple of minutes. Add enough lemon/lime juice to sharpen the flavor and adjust seasoning to taste.

Serve straight from the skillet with rice or roti. Good on its own too.

Chard Chickpeas with Khaman ~ for Meal Today

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

8 Comments

Morning:
A glass of ragi ganji without sweetener
One boiled egg, white only

Noon:
1 gatti vada with chana dal in a cup of veggie-rich sambar
1 boiled egg, white only
Half carrot and half apple

Evening:
A small cup of ginger tea without sweetener
Remaining half of industrial-sized Fuji apple. Apples are huge here.

Night:
A cup of pea sprouts soopa with plenty of fresh kale from backyard, which was grown on dear Kay’s recommendation. Fresh and filling, good food
A cup of veggie-rich sambar and one papad
A glass of cold and delicious buttermilk from homemade yogurt

Workout:
15 minutes cycling, mile walk, and high intensity step aerobic class for one hour - Morning. Gardening work in the evening.

In retrospect:
Mild stomach discomfort because of all the guggullu. Should include more ginger, hing and lemon.
Peaceful and pleasant day.

Pea Sprouts Soopa with Kale
(for four or two for one or two meals)

Dried peas from Bharath are available in two colors. Green and yellow. Like fraternal twins, they are from the same family but are different taste and texture wise. Today’s recipe is with yellow dried peas with one lone green one.

The yellow peas are soaked in plenty of water overnight, then kept in a muslin cloth covered for a day for sprouting. The pea sprouts are then cooked with kale and seasoned with traditional Bharath flavors.

Why take the trouble to sprout? It’s because the sprouting process makes the legumes and lentils easily digestible and also increases nutritional value. The following recipe is based on Vatana Ambat of Karnataka/Maharashtra. Creamy pea sprouts and silky greens, it’s a decent soopa particularly when you are in no mood for fancy fixings. Give it a try.

Ingredients:
Yellow Peas (yellow vatana) sprouts - 2 cups
Fresh Kale, finely chopped - about 4 cups
Red onion or shallot, finely chopped - about half cup
From masala dabba - tadka ingredients
For Traditional Bharath Flavor:
Toast half teaspoon methi seeds to fragrance. Take them in mixer. Add two tablespoons of fresh coconut gratings and one inch piece of tamarind, five red chillies and pinch of salt. Blend to smooth paste.

Preparation:
Step 1: Place sprouted peas and two cups of water in a pot. Add half teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, until peas are fork tender. Takes about 15 minutes.
Add the kale to peas and continue to cook until they collapse. Add the blended Bharath flavoring. Mix well. If the soopa looks too dry, add about half cup of water. Simmer on low heat for five minutes.

Step 2: At the end of the cooking, do the onion tadka: Heat a tablespoon of peanut oil in another pan. Add pinch each - hing, cumin and mustard seeds and a sprig of curry leaves. Toast to fragrance. Add the onion. Fry to crisp. Stir in turmeric and toast for couple of seconds. Add this onion tadka to simmering soopa. Enjoy hot with ghee, rice or roti. Good on it’s own as well.

Pea Sprouts Soopa with Kale ~ Meal Today

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

8 Comments

I am glad to see a new word “soopa” reintroduced into our cookery lexicon by Pratibha and Jigyasa through Sukham Ayu cookbook. Like the authors I found it interesting that ayurvedic texts refer to watery broth/soup like preparation as soopa. Research is done rarely in centuries old Indic cookery. We are more used to label our food items in occidental and arabic terms, and blindly repeat the colonial self-aggrandizing stories of our food roots. So, for a change, it is greatly refreshing and empowering to know about soopa. I think this Sanskrit word alone is worth the book price. Original research equals to precious gold, don’t you agree? Welcome back Soopa. Goodbye Soup.

Here is a soopa I made from Sukham Ayu. The base is toor dal and the flavor is from ginger and lemon. It’s a familiar, charming soopa, simple yet sublime. Perfect to usher in “I am not cold but not yet warm” spring season.

Ginger Lemon Soopa
Recipe adapted from Sukham Ayu, page-37
(makes about four cups of soopa)

Toor dal: Pressure-cook half cup of toor dal in two cups of water to soft. With a wood masher or whisk, churn the dal to soft, smooth consistency.

Ginger: Take a 1×1 inch piece of ginger. Peel the skin and grate. Add the grated ginger to mashed toor dal. Also half teaspoon each- red chilli powder and salt, and quarter teaspoon of turmeric. Add half cup of water and simmer for about 10 minutes on medium heat.

Tadka: While the soopa is simmering, do the tadka. In a small pan, heat a tablespoon of ghee. Add and toast 10 curry leaves, cumin, and mustard seeds, in that order. When seeds start to pop, sprinkle a pinch of asafetida. Sauté for couple of seconds and pour this tadka into the simmering soopa. Mix and turn off the heat.

Lemon: Flavor the soopa with about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Serve hot. Soothing and a strength saver, ginger-lemon soopa is a great warm-up food and recommended during convalescence.

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari

22 Comments

Homegrown Methi

It was such a beautiful day!

“Pick me, pick me, please,” methi moved.

“Ok darling dainty methi.”

“I want to be with carrot today,” methi murmured.

“That sounds interesting. Your wish is my dish today. :)”

“We now have green and gold. To complement, let’s invite the yellow, mellow mung,” methi recommended.

“Some protein? Good thinking. Let’s get all together.”

Plants brought into home. Leaves plucked and washed. Carrots grated. Yellow mung daal soaked in water for about an hour.

When it was time for nastha, kura was made in ten minutes for chapatis. Carrot’s sweetness, mung daal nuttiness combined with methi’s goodness. It was light, yet filling and extremely tasty. Loved my meal today.

Methi, Carrot and Mung Daal

Methi Carrot
(for one or two meals for two adults)

1 big bunch of fresh methi or about 4 cups of tightly packed methi leaves
3 carrots or 3 cups of grated carrot
1/2 cup yellow mung daal. (Soak in water for about an hour)
Oil, curry leaves, cumin, hing, turmeric, salt, red chilli flakes and coconut

******

Heat a teaspoon of oil in a wide, thick-bottomed skillet.

When oil is hot, add 10 curry leaves, half teaspoon of cumin and pinch of hing. Sauté for a minute or so, until leaves become golden brown.

Add grated carrot, soaked mung daal and methi leaves to the skillet. Mix.

Add half teaspoon each - turmeric, salt and red chilli flakes. And a tablespoon of grated coconut. Mix thoroughly. Cover the skillet with lid. Keep the heat on medium and cook, mixing in-between. The moisture from carrots and methi steams the mung daal to tender. It would take about ten minutes.

Serve this light and delicious Indian dish with chapatis or rotis.

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari

Methi Carrot with Chapati and An Orange ~ Meal Today

34 Comments