Dal & Broccoli

Ingredients

• Split moong dal - 1/2 cup
• Broccoli florets - 10- 15(medium size florets)
• Garlic - 5 (crushed & finely chopped)
• Onions - 1 small (chopped)
• Curry leaves - few
• Green chillies - 5 (slitted & chopped)
• Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin - 1/2 tsp 
• Mustard - few pinches
• Pepper corns(optional)- 1/4 tsp
• Hing - a pinch
• Salt to taste
• Oil as required

Method

• Boil the dal till it becomes mashy.
• Clean the broccoli florets using salty warm water & keep it aside.
• Heat oil in the wok pan on medium heat & splutter some mustard, cumin & pepper corns.
• Then add hing, curry leaves, green chillies & garlic one by one.
• Roast the garlic well. Then add onions, salt & turmeric powder.
• Fry till the onions turn transparent. Then add the broccoli & continue to fry for another 5 minutes.
• Finally add the dal & some water if needed.
• Remove from stove, when the dal reaches the desired consistency & the vegetable is done.

It is simple yet tasty & healthy recipe. This goes well with rice & roti. 

Tomato Masala kootu

Ingredients
Group I

• Tomato - 3 medium size
• Boiled Eggs (optional) - 4
• Onion - 1 medium size
• Chilly powder - 1 tsp
• Curry leaves - few
• Mustard & urad dal - 1/2 tsp
• Coriander leaves - handful
• Oil - 2 tbsp

To Grind
Group II

• Coconut - 2 tbsp
• Cloves - 2
• Cinnamon - 1/2 inch
• Aniseed - 1 tsp
• Cardamon - 2
• Ginger - 1/2 inch
• Garlic - 3

Method

• Heat oil in kadai, on high medium flame.
• Splutter mustard, urad dal & curry leaves.
• Add onions and fry well, till it becomes brown in color.
• Now add the chilly powder & salt. Fry for 1 minute.
• Add the ground masala & fry well.
• Add some water & cover it with the lid.
• Cook it on medium flame till it becomes little thick & no raw smell in the masala.
• Add the chopped tomatoes & mix well.
• Cover & continue to cook for few minutes till there is no raw smell in the tomato.
• Do not make the tomatoes completely mashy.
• Add the boiled eggs & garnish it with coriander leaves.
• Serve it with roti.

Tips for the recipe - Use fresh ripe tomatoes for good taste.

Beans Kootu

Ingredients

• Beans - 2 (Chopped)
• Splited moong dal - 1/2 cup
• Caster oil - 1 tsp
• Cumin - 1/2 tsp
• Onion - 1 medium size (Chopped)
• Hing - 2 pinches
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Pepper - 1/2 tsp (crushed)
• Curry leaves - 1 spring
• Mutard & Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
• Coconut - 1 tbsp (shredded)
• Oil - 1-2 tbsp
• Salt for taste

To Grind Coarsely

• Coconut - 1 tbsp
• Green chillies - 6

Method

• Cook dal & beans together, by adding water & caster oil.
• Cook it till it till the dal becomes mashy.
• Or you can even pressure cooker it for 2 whistles.
• Coarsly grind the coconut with chillies & mix it with the cooked dal.
• Add salt to it.
• Heat oil in kadai on high medium flame.
• Splutter mustard, urad dal, hing, cumin, pepper & curry leaves one by one.
• Add onions, turmeric powder, salt and fry till the onion becomes brown in color.
• Add the dal to the onion mixture & mix well.
• Add coconut & allow it to cook for 2 minutes.
• Then remove from heat & serve hot with roti or rice.

Tips for the recipe - You can also add a tsp of ghee while serving it with rice.

Beetroot kootu

Ingredients

• Beetroot - 1 (Chopped)
• Channa dal - 1/4 cup
• Caster oil - 1 tsp
• Cumin - 1/4 tsp
• Onion - 1 medium size (Chopped)
• Curry leaves - 1 spring
• Mutard & Urad dal - 1/2 tsp
• Coconut - 2 tbsp
• Shambhar powder or kuzhambu powder - 1tsp
• Oil - 1-2 tbsp
• Salt for taste

Method

• Add little water & caster oil to the dal.
• Cook it on medium flame, till it is half broken .
• Do not allow the dal to become completely mashy.
• Grind the coconut & keep aside.
• Sprinkle little water to the vegetable & cook it on low medium flame (by adding Salt) for 5 minutes.
• Add dal to the vegetable.
• Cook it till the vegetable is almost done.
• Now mix in the grinded coconut & allow it cook for 5 minutes.
• Heat oil in kadai on high medium flame.
• Splutter mustard, urad dal, cumin & curry leaves one by one.
• Add onions and fry till it becomes brown in color.
• Add sambhar powder & salt
• Now add the vegetable mixture & allow it to cook for 2 minutes.
• Then remove from heat & serve hot.

Tips for the recipe - The natural taste of the betroot is sweet. So the amount of salt should be less than normal to retain the natural taste.

Coconut Milk Pumpkin Curry

Ingredients

• Red Beans(Karamani) - 1/2 cup
• Pumpkin - 3 full cups(medium sized cubes)
• Coconut Milk(thick) - 225 ml(approximately)
• Coconut Oil - 1 tbsp
• Green Chillies - 5(Slitted)
• Curry Leaves - 2 Strings
• Hing - a pinch
• Cumin Powder - a pinch
• Salt - for taste

Method

• Boil the pumpkin with little salt and keep aside.
• Wash and clean the red beans thoroughly.
• Pressure cook the red beans (approximately 5 whistles in high flame)till it is tender and half broken.
• Wash the cooked beans with running water and take care that it should not become mashy.
• Boil coconut milk and pumpkin for 10 minutes in a sauce pan.
• Add the cooked beans , salt and mix evenly.
• Add cumin powder, hing, curry leaves and green chillies.
• Allow it to boil till the gravy thickens.
• Remove it from flame by adding coconut oil at desire consistency.
• Serve it with rice or chappati.

Tips for the recipe - Both Pumpkin and Red beans should be tender for good taste. Chaokoh tin coconut milk is the one which i use for my recipes. It is really thick and tasty.