“Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos: the plants, the clouds, everything.” An old proverb says. Here is a hope that this north Indian kadi inspired recipe will contribute to the cause. Garden fresh green bell peppers are cooked with moong bean sprouts in dahi sauce. The cooling dahi sauce provides an interesting and characteristically North-Indian contrast to somewhat earthy bell peppers. This nutritious and easy to prepare recipe can be served as a main course accompanied with rice or roti.
Bean Sprouts with Bell Peppers
(for 2 to 4 for 2 to 1 meal)
Recipe:
2 cups moong bean sprouts
4 bell peppers, remove the end&seeds and chop to chunks, 2 cups
1 semi ripe tomato, finely chopped, 1/2 cup
1 small onion or shallot, finely chopped, 1/2 cup
1 cup, dahi (Indian yogurt)
1 tablespoon besan (gram flour, chickpea flour)
1/2 teaspoon each – salt, red chilli powder and garam masala powder
1/4 teaspoon – turmeric
1/4 cup, finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
for Kasuri methi Tadka:
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon kasuri methi
pinch each- cumin and methi seeds
1. In a large skillet, heat peanut oil. When oil is hot, add and toast kasuri methi, cumin and methi seeds in that order to fragrance.
2. Add onion, tomato, bell pepper one after another and saute until softened, about ten minutes.
3. Add moong sprouts and salt, chilli, garam masala powder and turmeric. Pour about half cup of water. Mix well. Cover the skillet and steam-saute until the moong sprouts are soft and tender.
4. In a cup, take dahi and add besan flour. Mix them well without any lumps.
5. Reduce the heat to low. Stir a little of this dahi-besan mix into the subji, then gradually add the entire mixture. Simmer on low heat for about two minutes. Turn off the heat. Garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve warm.
Bean Sprouts with Bell Peppers ~ For Meal Today
This is my first time preparing zucchini pesarattu and I have to say this first try has turned out to be the best garden to table zucchini experiment. The recipe is easy. Pick tender zucchini. Grate and add it to pesarattu batter. Zucchini pesarattu base is power-packed moong sprouts. To stabilize the moong batter, I added little bit besan flour. Grated carrot, onion and fresh ginger made good companions to tender zucchini. Simple and sublime, these delicious pesarattus evoked a longing for a summer supper beneath a large and shady mango tree.
Grated Yellow Zucchini, Carrot and Moong Sprouts
Zucchini Pesarattu
(for 10-12 pesarattus)
Ingredients:
1 fresh and firm, medium-sized zucchini
1 medium-sized carrot
1 small red onion or shallot
4 Indian or Thai green chillies
1/2-inch piece of fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
4 cups sprouted moong beans
1/4 cup besan (gram flour)
Method:
Grate zucchini and carrot. Finely chop onion, chillies and ginger.
In a blender or food processor, take sprouted moong beans. Add green chillies, ginger and salt. Blend the ingredients to fairly fine consistency. Add about half cup of water for easy blending.
Take the pesarattu batter in a bowl. Add besan flour, onion and grated zucchini and carrot. Mix well.
Heat a tava or griddle. Pour a ladle full of batter onto the tava. Gently spread into a small circle. On medium heat, cook both sides to golden. They do not require oil or ghee. But drizzle some if you wish.
Serve warm. Good with chutney or raita on the side.
Zucchini Pesarattu with Coconut Chutney ~ for Meal Yesterday
I made my grandmother’s recipe today. My grandma is about 80 years young, full of vitality, from Nandikotkur and now lives in Hyderabad with my uncle’s family. She used to (still does sometimes) prepare either sorghum or bajra roti for breakfast everyday when we were growing up. The leftover rotis are made into a roti-upma for evening snack. Roti-upma (or Rottupma) may sound unique, but it is pretty common in Nandyal and Nandikotkur areas of Andhra. The recipe is simple. Take rotis, preferably leftover and hardened. Break them into small pieces. Sauté with upma ingredients. Easy and tasty, I love my grandma’s roti-upma.
Sajja Rotte-Upma (Bajra Roti-Upma)
Bajra rotis – 3 or 4
Onion – 1 big one
Green chillies – 3 or 4
Fresh cilantro – 4 or 5 sprigs
Turmeric -1/4 teaspoon
Salt – 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
For tadka: a tablespoon of peanut oil and a pinch each – cumin and mustard seeds, and few curry leaves
Tear rotis into small, bite-sized pieces. Finely chop onion, chillies and cilantro to small pieces.
Heat oil in an iron skillet. To the hot oil, add curry leaves, cumin and mustard seeds. Sauté, stirring constantly. When seeds start to pop, add onion and green chilli. Cook until onion pieces soften and turn brown. Add the roti pieces, turmeric and salt. Sprinkle cilantro. Stir-fry for five minutes, mixing in-between. Serve the tasty roti-upma hot.
I also added a cup of sprouted moong beans at the end to increase the nutritional value and make the meal substantial. Millet and Moong sprouts, that’s good food.
Sajja Rotte Upma ~ For Meal Today
Bajra rotis are available at Swami Narayan Mandir for interested Houstonians.
It was an odd day. We bought green papaya thinking it was red sweet papaya. When cut open, realized that it was really a “green” papaya and not a red papaya. Not going to waste such pretty fruit, I prepared all-raw papaya kosambari by adding mung bean sprouts, onion, tomato and green chilli. Green papaya has cucumber like taste and made a fine appetizer to our afternoon meal.
Green Papaya
Green Papaya Kosambari
(makes 4 servings)
Green Papaya – 1 small fruit. Half is enough for this recipe.
Red onion or shallot – 1
Green tomato – 1
Green chilli – 1
Mung sprouts – 1 cup
Salt to taste
Lime Juice to taste
Few coriander leaves
Cut green papaya and remove the seeds. Peel the skin. Cut the white flesh to bite sized cubes. About 2 cups.
Finely chop onion, tomato and green chilli.
Take them in a big cup. Add mung bean sprouts and coriander leaves. Sprinkle salt and lime juice. Combine. Serve.
© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.
Papaya Kosambari ~ for Meal Today
Kosambari: Indian equivalent to western salad. Usually prepared with raw ingredients.
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