Raw banana(plantain) fry/ Vazhakkai poriyal

I always pick up raw plantain during our trip to the Indian store. Our favorite way to have this raw banana is in the form of banana chips or as bajji. I occasionally make this stir fry with simple spices and this makes a great accompaniment to dal and rice and also with rotis and chapatis as a dry curry.

Ingredients
Raw plantain / Vazhakkai - 1
Onion - 1/2 medium sized
Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon
All-Purpose curry powder/Sambar powder/Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Oil - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Urad dahl - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 1 sprig
Salt to taste

Directions
Peel the raw plantain and chop the plantain into small cubes.
In a wide saucepan, heat the oil and do the tempering with mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves.
Once everything starts spluttering, add the chopped onions and saute until it turns translucent.
Then add the chopped raw plantain and the spice powder (all-purpose curry powder/chilli powder/sambar powder), turmeric powder and salt.
Mix everything together and add half a cup of water. Cover and cook for about two minutes.
Remove the lid and stir everything together again. Allow the plantain to roast and turn crispy and golden brown for about five minutes.
Remove from heat and serve warm with rice and any curry or dal.

Paruppu Thuvaiyal / Lentil Chutney or Dip

This is a spicy south indian chutney made with toor dal. It is so so easy to make in a matter of minutes and pairs very well with rice and a dollop of ghee or a drizzle of sesame oil. You can make it with minimal ingredients and as spicy as you like. Just enjoy!

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Ingredients
Toor dal - 1/2 cup
Red chillies - 3
Garlic pods - 3
Grated coconut - 2 tablespoons
Oil - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Instructions

1. In a saucepan, heat the oil and add the toor dal and red chillies.
2. Roast for about 2 to 3 minutes until the dal turns fragrant and golden brown.
3. Grind together the roasted dal, red chillies, garlic, coconut and salt into a coarse paste sprinkling a teaspoon of water while grinding.
4. Serve over rice and a dollop of ghee or a drizzle of sesame oil.

This is my entry for day 5 in the 7 day blogging marathon! Check out the Blogging marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#12.

This is my entry to My Legume Love Affair #43 started by Susan and hosted this time at Chez Cayenne and Love for Lentils hosted by Sudha

Brussels Sprouts Poriyal

I love indianizing recipes. Some recipes include this broccoli poriyal, broccoli dal and indian style pasta. Similarly, I wanted to make something indian with the miniature version of cabbage - brussels sprouts. I settled with this brussel sprouts recipe and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We had it with sambar and rice.

Ingredients
Brussels sprouts - 1/2 kg or 1 lb
Moong dal - 3 tablespoons
Onion - 1/4 chopped
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Tamarind extract - 1/2 teaspoon or juice from 1/2 the size of a lemon
All purpose curry powder/Kuzhambi milagai thool - 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste

For the tempering
Oil - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Urad dal - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Instructions

1. Soak the moong dal in water for about half an hour.
2. Meanwhile cube the onions and chop the brussels sprouts into bite sized pieces.
3. In a saucepan/kadai, heat the oil and do the tempering with the mustard seeds, urad dal and curry leaves. Once it starts spluttering, add the chopped onions and saute till it turns translucent.
4. Add the chopped brussels sprouts, soaked moong dal, salt, all-purpose curry powder and the tamarind extract. 
5. Stir everything together, add about half a cup of water, cover and cook for about five minutes until the brussels sprouts turns soft and all the water evaporates.
6. Add the grated coconut and stir well and switch off the heat.

Serve warm with rice, rotis and any gravy/curry.

Keerai Poriyal / Spinach stirfry

We love spinach and I love to cook different versions of spinach. I usually make salads, smoothies, spinach rice, spinach dal, pesto, kootu, masiyal etc. with spinach. This poriyal is another easy and delicious side dish I make with spinach and it pairs very well with rice and dal or any curry.

Ingredients

Fresh spinach - 1 bunch (you can also substitute with the frozen variety)

Moong dal - 3 tablespoons

Chopped onions - 1/4 cup

Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon

Grated coconut - 1/4 cup

Salt to taste

For the tempering

Oil - 1 spoon

Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon

Urad dal - 1 teaspoon

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Curry leaves - 1 sprig

Red chillies - 2

Instructions

Wash the spinach well with water and chop the leaves roughly. If using frozen spinach just skip this step.

Cook the moong dal with little water for about 4 to 5 minutes. Alternatively, you could microwave the dal with little water for about 3 minutes.

In a kadai or saucepan, heat the oil and do the tadka with mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds, curry leaves and red chillies. 

Once everything starts spluttering, add the choppied onions and saute till they turn translucent.

Then add the chopped spinach, turmeric powder and salt and saute everything for about two minutes until the spinach starts wilting.

Add the cooked moong dal and the grated coconut, cover and cook for two minutes.

Serve warm with rice and dal/curry.

Seppankizhangu / Arbi / Colocassia / Taro Roast

Seppankizhangu / Arbi / Colocassia / Taro is a root tuber. This can be used in curries, roasts and fries. They taste great any way you make them and makes a great side dish. I usually make it along with sambar rice or dal.

Ingredients
Seppankizhangu / Arbi / Colocassia - 1/2 kg or 1 lb
Chilli powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
Cumin/jeera powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Oil - 2 teaspoons
Mustard seeds - 1/2 teaspoon
Urad dhal - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Pressure cook the seppankizhangu with enough water in a pressure cooker for 3 whistles. Alternatively, boil them in enough water in a heavy bottomed pan for about 20 minutes.
2. Once cool enough to handle, peel them and slice them into half inch rounds.
3. In a bowl, take the sliced seppankizhangu, add salt, turmeric powder, chilli, coriander and cumin powder. Mix everything well and allow it to sit for about 10-15 minutes.
4. In a saucepan, heat the oil and season with mustard seeds and the urad dhal.
5. Once it starts spluttering, add the marinated seppankizhangu.
6. Fry for about 10 to 15 minutes on medium heat until everything gets well roasted and turns deep brown in color. Keep stirring in between to allow it to stick to the pan.
7. Serve immediately with rice and curry of your choice.

We had it with vatha kuzhambu and rice!

Roasted Garlic Hummus

I love trying out the samples at the various grocery stores like Costco, Trader Joes. I always like to experiment with new products in my cooking and sampling helps to to try different food items. During one of such visit to our local middle eastern grocery store, I was offered offered to try samples of various versions of hummus. I happened to try the roasted garlic hummus and I was immediately hooked on to its taste. However, I found that the little tub of hummus was too expensive and I decided to try the same version of hummus at home. I grabbed cloves of garlic and ventured into making this delicious hummus. The garlic turns sweet and mellow when roasted and blends really well the taste of the hummus.

I have made different versions of hummus at home. And we have it with pita bread, lavash, falafels, baby carrots, broccoli and also in sandwiches. This hummus version has become our new favorite!

Ingredients
(Recipe Source: Closet Cooking)
Garbanzo Beans/Chickpeas - 1 cup (soaked overnight) or 1 19oz. can of chickpeas
Garlic - 1 head
Tahini - 1/4 cup
Lemon Juice - 1/2 lemon
Olive oil - 2 tablespoons
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions
Roasting the garlic:

1. Take a whole garlic head and chop of the head so that the individual cloves of garlic get exposed.
2. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the cloves and season with salt and pepper.
3. Wrap the entire garlic head in aluminum foil and roast in a preheated oven at 400F for 30 to 40 minutes.
4. Allow the garlic to cool down a bit so that you can handle it.
5. Using a fork, slowly separate the separate garlic from the skin.

To make the hummus:

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight or at least for 6 hours in water.
2. Drain the water and pressure cook in enough water until the chickpeas turn soft.
3. Add the cooked chickpeas, roasted garlic, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and pulse into a smooth mixture using a blender. 
4. Add a little water to obtain the desired consistency.
5. Garnish with olive oil and serve with you favorite bread or veggies.

Mixed Veggies Poriyal/Stir Fry

This is a simple stir fry made with mixed veggies and can be made in a jiffy. It can be prepared in 10 to 15 minutes and great for lunch-boxes or weekday meals. I used the frozen mixed veggies from Costco to make it even more quicker. The veggie mix had beans, carrots, peas, corn and edamame beans. The stir fry is slightly spiced and makes a simple accompaniment to any meal.

Ingredients
Mixed veggies - 1 cup (carrots, beans, peas, corn etc.)
Oil - 1 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Urad dal - 1 teaspoon
Channa dal - 1 teaspoon
Onion - 1 small sized
Green chillies - 2
Curry leaves - few
Grated coconut - 2 teaspoon
Salt to taste

Directions
If not using frozen veggies, chop all the veggies into equal sized pieces. Also chop the onions finely and slit the green chillies lengthwise.

In a kadai, heat the oil and do the tempering with the mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal and curry leaves. Once they start spluttering, add the chopped onions and green chillies and saute until the onions turn translucent. Add the mixed veggies, salt and sprinkle little water. Cover and cook until the veggies turn soft.

Finally, add the grated coconut and mix thoroughly. Serve warm with some rice and dal!