Haal Saaru

One of the curries prepared in our villages. It has a lovely earthy taste and brings back memories of childhood. :).

Ingredients:

• Beans of any kind like halsande kaalu
• Veggies like padvalkayi, potato, brinjal, either one or combo 
• Garlic - 7to 8 cloves
• Black pepper whole - 1 tsp
• Green or red chillies - 3 to 4
• Coconut - about half a medium sized
• Oil- 3 to 4 tspns
• Curry leaves- a sprig
• Salt to taste
• Mustard seeds - 1 tspn
• Milk- half a glass
• Hing - a pinch

Procedure:

• Soak the beans for 2 hours and cook in a pressure cooker for 2-3 whistles
• Cook the veggies separately with a bit of salt.
• Grind the coconut, pepper,garlic and chillies to a paste
• Heat the oil in a pan. Season with mustards seeds, hing and curry leaves.
• Add the ground paste and stir and cook well to get rid of the raw smell.
• Add the cooked veggies and beans and adjust the water. Bring to a good boil and continue cooking for 3- 4minutes. Finally, add the milk and switch off after a boil.
• Serve hot with rice.

Dose

My childhood friend is a dose expert and they follow a tradition of making dosa every single Sunday for breakfast. Love this proportion shared by her for dose which has never failed.

Ingredients:

• Parboiled rice - 2 cups
• Regular rice - 2 cups
• Urad dal/blackgram whole - 1 cup(slightly more than 1 cup)
• Methi/ fenugreek seeds - 1 tsp
• Chana dal - 2 tsp

Procedure:

Pu all the ingredients in a bowl, Give it a quick wash and soak in water for 4-5 hours.

Drain the water, and grind in a blender until smooth. Add water while grinding as per requirement and to get a dosa batter consistency.

Ferment overnight, add salt and mix well. Make Dosa on a seasoned tawa. Use oil/ ghee .

Serve hot with chutney and aalu palya .

Palak Sabzi

Result of one of the lazy evenings when I wanted home food but wasn't ready for hardwork. Was expecting some whining from the kiddos ... That didn't happen and The husband relished it. So, thought of saving the recipe for another lazy evening as this.

Ingredients:

• Palak : a bunch , leaves picked and washed.
• Onion : 1 chopped
• Garlic : about 4-5 small or 3 big- chopped 
• Red chilli powder : about 1 tspn
• Turmeric powder : 1/2 tspn
• Garam masala powder : 1/2 tspn
• Salt per taste
• Oil- 2 tblspn
• Mustard seed : 1/2 tspn
• Jeera : 1/2 tspn

Procedure:

• Blanch the palak leaves , cool and coarsely puree them.
• Heat oil in a pan and season with mustard and jeera.
• Add the chopped garlic , fry for a minute and add the onion. Cook until onions turn soft.
• Add the red chilli and Turmeric powder. Stir.
• Add the pureed palak and salt. Bring to a good boil.
• Finally add the garam masala powder, stir and take Off heat.
• Serve with chapati .