KEERAI MOLAGOOTAL (Spinach Dal with Coconut)

Hi all,

Its been a long time, have been busy with kids school and other stuff. Anyway, the recipe that I am going to post is a traditional South Indian recipe predominantly made in a town in Kerala called Palakkad. Its a simple dish and easy to make. Its called....

KEERAI MOLAGOOTAL

INGREDIENTS

SPINACH ( Keerai): 1 bunch or 3-4 cup chopped spinach
TOOR DAL : 1-2 cup boiled
COCONUT : 1/2 cup grated
JEERA ( Cumin): 1 tbsp
RED CHILLI : 2-3 whole
URAD DAL: 2 tsp
COCONUT OIL: 1-2 Tsp
MUSTARD SEEDS, URAD DAL ( 1 tsp for TADKA)
SALT as required

KEERAI MOLAGUTAL ( SPINACH DAL with COCONUT

MAKING

First boil the Toor Dal in the cooker until soft and cooked. Mash them thoroughly and keep aside. In a vessel, boil Spinach with required salt and Turmeric (1/2 tsp) until the spinach is cooked.

Now in a small pan, roast the Urad Dal with very little oil ( 1/4 tsp) until light brown and set aside. In a blender Jar, add Coconut, Jeera, roasted Urad dal and Red chilli's and water, grind it into a nice paste.

Add the Coconut paste to the spinach, also add the mashed Toor Dal to it. Mix everything and allow it to boil for 3-4 minutes and then keep aside. For Tadka , in a pan , pour Coconut oil , once hot, add Mustard seeds and Urad Dal, once it splutters add it to the Molagootal.

Delicious Keerai (Spinach) Molagootal is ready to eat. Mix it with rice and have it with nice pickles on the side. Trust me, its very very tasty.

PANEER PAPDI

Hi all,

Came across this recipe when someone I know posted it on a social network. Tried it and it was so easy to make, quick and delicious to eat. So, here it goes

PANEER PAPADI


INGREDIENTS

A packet ot ready made Papdi ( I bought Garvi Gujarati brand)
Paneer : chopped into tiny cubes
Onion : 1 small (finely chopped about 1/2 cup)
Garlic: 1 big or 2 medium cloves (grated)
Green Chilli Chutney : 1 Tsp
Tamarind-Date Chutney : 1Tsp
salt as required
Oil as required

Paneer Papdi

MAKING

Place the papdi's in a flat tray and keep aside . Meanwhile in a pan, pour about 2 Tsp oil , once heated , add the finely chopped onions and grated garlic, saute it for a minute or two. Add the chopped Paneer cubes, 1 Tsp Green Chilli chutney, 1 Tsp Tamarind-Date chutney and salt as required. Saute for another 2-3 minutes, and that's it !

Take a spoonful of the paneer mixture and place it on top of the Papdi's and delicious Paneer Papdi's are ready to eat. Serve it as an appetizer.

TIPS

I bought ready made Green chilli chutney (swad brand), I had readymade store bought Tamarind -Date chutney as well as I needed that to make Bhel puri and it was left over. But if you do want to make fresh green chilli chutney, its easy, all you need is green chilli, coriander, water, salt, gind it into a nice paste and its ready. This was ready in less than half an hour and you can serve atleast 15-25 easily. Enjoy !

GOBI MASALA

Hi All,

This was a recipe that I made inspired by my mother who said she made a gravy for Roti's and it came out well. I liked the combination of different / interesting spices she used to make the Sabji. I tried doing the same here so, here it goes

GOBI MASALA / CAULIFLOWER MASALA

INGREDIENTS

CAULIFLOWER / GOBI : 2 cups chopped
ONION: 1 medium
TOMATO : 2 Medium
GARLIC and GINGER : 1 TSP each
JEERA - DHANIA POWDER : 1 TSP
KASOORI METHI : 1 Tsp crushed in your hand
SAMBHAR POWDER : 1 TSP
CASHEW NUTS: about 10 soaked in water for 10 minutes
RED CHILLI : 1 long or 2 Medium
DHANIA SEEDS : 1 Tsp
SALT as required
BUTTER and OIL as required : 1 TBSP each
TURMERIC POWDER : 1/4 TSP
CORIANDER LEAVES chopped for garnish

Gobi Masala

MAKING

Boil the chopped Cauliflower with enough water, salt and a pinch of turmeric and keep aside once boiled and cooked. In a pan, add a Tbsp of butter and in it , saute the onions, Ginger-Garlic for a couple of minutes before adding the chopped Tomatoes. Saute it for about 2-3 minutes and keep aside. In a blender, grind the above sauteed mixture with the soaked Cashew nuts, Dhania ( Coriander) seeds, Red Chilli. Grind them into a nice paste and pour in back in the pan with a 1 Tbsp of oil and saute it again (medium flame) until the raw smell of it is gone and bubbles start coming up . After about 5 minutes, add a pinch of Turmeric, Jeera-Dhania powder, Sambhar powder, Crushed Kasoori Methi and cook for another 3-4 minutes , add water if needed. Finally add the boiled Cauliflower to the gravy, add the required salt and cook for another 5 minutes in low flame until the gravy is well mixed and salt has been fully absorbed. Garnish with some chopped coriander and delicious Gobi Masala is ready to eat. Serve it hot with Roti's. Enjoy !

TIPS / VARIATIONS

You could add a Tsp of Sugar to mellow down on the spice level.

You can also add 1/2 Tsp of Garam Masala for added flavor.

Sambhar Powder gives it a little diff taste than the usual gravy. It was an interesting add on.

Baked Potato Hash Browns

Hi all,

Weather has been playing with us so much, every day brings in a new twist. I had a month long vacation in India and it was wonderful. So, back again and here I am with a new one. I saw this on the net. I tried it out adding my own spin to it , came out well. so here it is

BAKED POTATO HASH BROWNS

INGREDIENTS

Potato : 3 Medium shredded
Shredded Cheese : 1 cup Mozzarella or Parmesan or any variety you like
Garlic : 1 clove shredded
Pepper : 1/2 tsp
Red Chilli Powder : 1/2 tsp
Salt as required
Butter : 1 TBSP
Jeera-Dhania Powder: 1/2 tsp
Cupcake Baking Tray
Bread Powder if needed
cupcake liner if needed

Baked Potato Hash Browns

MAKING

Pre-heat the oven to about 392 F or 200 C. In a bowl, mix the shredded Potato, Shredded cheese, Garlic, all the spices, salt and Butter. Mix them well, place them in the baking tray (cupcake) and bake for 15-20 minutes until the hash browns turn golden. Take them out, garnish with some chopped Coriander leaves if needed. Delicious baked Potato Hash browns are ready , its simple and easy to make. Definitely a quick solution if your kids are hungry for a snack.

TIPS / VARIATIONS

Now, the Hash browns were tricky especially when you try to take them out of the cupcake baking tray. I tried using aluminium foil, that was a failure.

you could try coating them with bread powder and bake them, it came out well and smooth

you could also try placing the hash brown mix in a cup cake liner and then bake.

You could also add a little oil in a flat non-stick pan, and light fry the hash browns until the outer cover turns golden brown.

Baking them saves time and also is healthy.