Matki sprouts (Moth or Turkish gram Beans )

Sprouted beans are every body's favorite. Here in US we don't get ready made sprouted moth beans (matki). We make sprouts at home. It takes about 2-3 days. For this you need to soak beans overnight and the 2nd day transfer this to sprout maker. (If you don't have sprout maker tie this soaked beans in a wet cloth). Check after 1-2 days and you will find the sprouts.
Matki chi usal, misal, bhel  are popular maharastrian dishes. At home we make all of these and also a little watery sabzi of matki.

Ingredients: Serves: 4

1 1/2 cup sprouted matki
1 tbsp grated fresh coconut
1/2 cup tomatoes cut into pieces
1/2 cup potato cubes
1/2 cup fresh peas
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp Garam Masala
Red chili powder, Dhaniyajeera powder, Salt as per taste
Oil, mustard seeds, asafoetida (hing), cumin seeds for seasoning
4-5 Curry leaves
Few drops of lemon juice (optional)
Coriander for garnishing (optional)

Method:

1. Heat oil in a skillet and add ingredients for seasoning.

2. Immediately add curry leaves and chopped onion. Saute for 2-3 minutes.

3. Then add tomato and potato pieces and saute till onion turns little brown. Now add peas and coconut and saute again.

4. Add all the powders and mix well till oil separates from the mixture.

5. Now add matki sprouts and saute well so that all the masala gets evenly applied to matki.Also add few lemon drops.

5. Now add water to cook matki and salt as per taste. Let matki cook for 10 - 12 minutes. Add more water if required. This curry is semi liquid in consistency.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Tips:

Tastes good even with plain rice. Also if you are a yogurt fan add it to the rice, add matki curry and enjoy the taste.

Dum Aloo...(Baby potatoes in a spicy gravy)

Dum aloo comes from a very beautiful state in India, Jammu n Kashmir but is extremely popular everywhere. There are various recipes found but shallow frying the potatoes in oil and then cooking them in a curd/tomato based gravy is common.

Ingredients:

8-10 baby Potatoes

3-4 tbsp Tomato Puree

2 tbsp Blanched Onion Puree

2-3 tsp Ginger-Garlic paste

3 diced green chillies

4 tbsp yogurt (plain is preferred)

1/2 tsp fennel powder

1/2 tsp Amchur powder (dried mango powder)

1 tsp Sugar

Red chili powder as per taste

1 tsp Garam Masala Powder

1 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tsp Cumin Seeds

1 Bay Leaf

3 Cloves

1/2" Cinnamon stick

2-3 tbsp Oil

Salt as per taste

Lemon juice

Butter to shallow fry potatoes

Method:

1. Blanch Onions, make puree of it and keep aside. Make tomato puree as well.

2. Peel all potatoes and prick them using a toothpick or fork. Sprinkle salt over them and keep aside. In a pan shallow fry the potatoes till they turn light brown in color. Remove them.

3. Now in same pan take oil. Add bay leaf, cloves, cinnamon stick in it. When the spices start crackling add cumin seeds in it.

4. Now add Onion puree and a pinch of salt and pinch of sugar. Fry puree for 3-4 minutes. Then add chopped green chilies, ginger-garlic paste an stir for another 3 minutes.

5. Then add tomato puree, saute for about 2 minutes, add garam masala powder, cumin-coriander powder (dhaniyajeera powder), turmeric powder in it and saute again.

6. Meanwhile mix amchoor powder, fennel powder, sugar in yogurt; stir it well and add it to the pan. Mixing yogurt should be fast. Saute again until the oil separates out from the gravy. Yogurt thickens the gravy giving a nice feel.

7. Add salt, sugar and stir. Add fried potatoes in the gravy and lid it till potatoes cook well. Add little milk/water as required. At the end add crushed Kasuri methi and few drops of lemon juice.

Tips:

• 
  
  If yogurt is not plain and is bit sour then reduce the quantity of tomato puree.
• 
  
  Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
• 
  
  Serve with Garam Parathas.
• 
  
  If you don't have fennel powder make one from the fennel seeds we have at home. Aamchoor powder adds to the taste but is optional.

Simple Onion and Tomato Salad

Ingredients:

1 Onion diced
1 fresh Tomato diced
1 Green Chili
2 tsp chopped Coriander
1 tbsp plain Yogurt (curd)
Salt as per taste
Little Sugar as per taste

Method:

1. Put diced onion and tomato in a mixing bowl. Add yogurt, slits of green chili on top of it and lid.

2. Just before serving, remove the excess water from the mixing bowl, if any. Then add salt and sugar. Mix well and serve.

3. Yogurt should be cool. If you don't have one after the step 1 put this bowl in the fridge.

Chole (Kabuli Chana/ Pindi Chana)

Chole are mainly liked by Punjabis from North India. You can find this in every Indian restaurant with the name just "Chole". Chole is one of the most popular dish in Indian restaurants world wide. This punjabi sabzi is generally eaten along with bhature or puri. A diet conscious mind can have this with parothas. Chole are called as Garbanzo beans or Kabuli Chana or Pindi chana as well in different languages.

 

Ingredients:

1 cup chickpeas (Garbanzo beans / kabuli chana / pindi chana)

For Puree:
2 small Onion
1 Medium size Tomato
2-3 Garlic cloves
A small Ginger piece
2 tsp shredded Dry Coconut

For Masala:
2 Cloves
1 Whole Pepper
1/2" Cinnamon Stick
2 tsp Sesame seeds (til)

Red Chili powder to taste
2 tsp Chole Masala (If not available, add Garam Masala )
Salt as per taste
Oil, Mustard seeds, Cumin Seeds, Asafoetida (hing) for seasoning
Chopped fresh Coriander for garnishing

Method:

1. Soak Chana overnight and pressure cook till done.

2. Make puree of all the ingredients listed and keep aside.

3. Grind all the ingredients under "masala" and make a fine powder, keep aside.

4. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, when they splutter add cumin seeds, asafoetida, hing and quickly add the puree. Saute for 3 minutes.

5. Now add the masala powder, salt, red chili powder, chana masala as per taste and saute till oil separates out.

6. Add boiled chickpeas and water as per requirement. Cook till all things blend. Mash some chikpeas and add to the gravy. This gives better consistency.

7. Garnish with coriander before serving.

Tips:

• Garnish with chopped onion before serving.
• You can also add potato to them.
• Mash some chickpeas and add to the gravy. This gives better consistency.

Coriander (Kothimbir / Dhaniya) Vadi

Coriander is generally used for garnishing. But there are many other recipes of coriander where it is used as a main ingredient. Everybody loves using coriander in cooking and I am sure this recipe will be liked by all.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp Gram flour (besan)
2 tsp Rice flour
1 bunch of Coriander
1 tsp Red Chili powder
1 tsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Soda
Salt to taste
2 tsp Oil

For seasoning:
1 tbsp White sesame seeds (til)
Shredded coconut
Oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida (hing), curry leaves

Method:

1. Take out the coriander leaves, wash and chop.

2. In a bowl take the chopped coriander leaves. Add both the floors, chili powder, turmeric powder, soda, oil, sugar and salt. Add little (if required) water and make a thick batter. The amount of flour depends on the quantity of coriander.

3. Grease a deep platter and spread the strips of this batter. Steam for about 15 minutes in a steamer. Remove and cool.

4. Cut into small pieces.

5. Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, asafoetida, cumins seeds, curry leaves, sesame seeds, coconut and then add these pieces. Mix well.

Tips:

Serve this as a side dish.