Curry In Kadai ~ An Indian Cooking Blog: Lentils

Showing posts with label Lentils. Show all posts

Kandi Pappu Pachadi ~ Toor Dal Chutney ~ Yellow Pigeon Peas / Lentil Chutney

16 COMMENTS Posted by KALVA at 6:55:00 PM

Kandi Pachadi / Toor Dal chutney, Yellow Lentils are toasted to golden brown along with some asoefetida and then ground to a coarse paste with tamarind and red onions.. This chutney take s me back to my childhood where mom would make this chutney in a snap and then mixes it with steaming hot rice and of homemade ghee. This is so comforting, hearty and earthy! This Kandi pachadi is protein packed and actually tastes better when relished right away! Mom makes this chutney at its best, mine never tasted like mom's until i actually saw mom making it. There are a few things to keep in mind, the chutney shouldn't be ground to a smooth paste but should be like coarse paste using very minimal water, we should just use soaked tamarind actually. And add onion only at the end and just pulse it. If you have mortar and pestle please use it to make this chutney and i promise you wont regret at all!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Toor dal / Tuwar dal/ Kandi Pappu / Yellow lentils / Split Pigeon Peas
3-5 Dried Red Chillies
Gooseberry sized tamarind / 2 marble sized tamarind balls soaked in some water
a pinch of hing
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp oil

How to make Kandi pachadi:

In a kadai / pan, heat oil and then add toor dal/ kandi pappu and toast them under medium heat until it turns into golden color.
At this point add cumin seeds and red chillies, add toast everything until the lentils turn into red color and you will notice a very nice aroma. Add hing and remove from heat and let them cool.
In the mean while coarsely chop onions into chunks and keep aside
In a blender, add the toasted toor dal and red chillies mixture and then grind to a coarse powder and then add soaked tamarind and salt and grind again
Once the chutney looks like shown in the picture, add onions and run the blender in pulse setting.

You can add tadka/popu/seasoning and then add to the chutney. I couldn't wait any longer and relished the chutney right away along with hot rice and ghee.. Yummm heaven!!

Note: You can store in the refrigerator, but i wouldn't recommend as the chutney will loose its crunch.

This Nutty Spicy Kandi pachadi / Toor dal chutney is on its way to:

P.S. Everyone has unique taste palette, so please adjust the ingredients according to your taste.

Masala Vada on MahaShivaRatri ~ Spicy Crispy Lentil Fritters with Chana Dal, Toor Dal and Urad Dal

12 COMMENTS Posted by KALVA at 2:40:00 PM

Om Namo Namahshivaya..!

Brahma murari surarchitha lingam

Nirmala basitha sobitha lingam

Janmajadukka vinasana lingam

Thath pranamami sadasiva lingam

Devamuni pravarachitha lingam

Kamadahana karunakara lingam

Ravana darpa vinasana lingam

Thath pranamami sadasiva lingam

12 Jyothirlinga Strothram

Sourastre Somanatham Cha,

Sri Saile Mallikarjuna.
Ujjanyinyam Mahakalam,
Omkare Malamleshwara.
Himalaye to Kedaram,
Dakinyam Bhimashankara.
Varanasyam cha Vishweshwam,
Tryambakam Gautameethate.
Paralyam Vaidyanatham cha,
Nagesham Darukavane.
Sethu bande Ramesham,
Grishnesam cha Shivalaya

Happy Maha Shivaratri everyone. When we were kids we used to do Jagaran( wake up all night in the name of God), and early in the next day morning we would have a great feast, since we do upavas ( fasting ) on Maha Shiva Ratri. Mom and grandma make this vada to break the fasting as it is loaded with lots of proteins from the lentils along with yummy sweets, curries and rice dishes.

Today i feel so blessed to be able to watch Sri Shiva Parvati Kalyanotsvam live from Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh. Thanks so much deva! I made this vermicelli kheer as prasad today, and this Masala Vada makes a great combo with Payasam/Kheer.

Ingredients:

1 cup chana dal / Bengal Gram
1/3 cup whole urad dal / Black Gram
1/3 cup toor dal / Split Reg gram
2 inches of peeled ginger
green chillies to taste
lots of cilantro and mint
curry leaves
salt to taste
onions( optional )

Preparation:

Soak all the lentils, chana dal, Urad dal, toor dal for at least 6-8 hours
Wash the lentils and blend them in blender along with green chillies and ginger adding very little water at a time, it should not be a smooth paste.
Place oil in kadai or thick bottomed pan for deep frying
If you don't mind eating onions on this day, you could add chopped onions, otherwise you can happily omit this.
Mix in chopped cilantro, curry leaves, mint and add salt to taste.
Make flattened discs and drop them into oil. Fry them until golden brown and then drain them onto paper towels.
Make sure the heat is set at medium heat!

My Mixed Dal Masala Vada is on its way to:

Walking through the Memory Lane
Herbs And Flowers In My Garden Cilantro started by PJ
AWED - Indian Cuisine started by DK
My Legume Love Affair started by the Well Seasoned Cook

P.S. Everyone has unique taste palette, so please adjust the ingredients according to your taste.

Happy Bhogi, Pongal and Makara Sankranthi ~ Palakura Minapa Garelu( Vadai ) ~ Spinach and Lentil Fritters

30 COMMENTS Posted by KALVA at 1:00:00 PM

Happy Pongal everyone!! Hope you guys are busy preparing yummy goodies for the festival. First thing that comes to my mind when i think about Sankranthi are the Rangolis( muggulu ). Just after finishing our Half Early exams at school we get 10 holidays and those days were a great fun start in the new year. The very last day of our exams, we pack our luggage and head to grandma's house. I remember the house would be swamped with people( pinni, babai, atha, mama etc., ) uncles, aunts and cousins. During those ten days we make rangolis( muggulu ) everyday, dress pretty and eat good homemade festive food. Grandma used to make a lot of yummy sweets and savouries, like Ariselu( Sweet rice cakes ), Bobbatlu( Sweet lentil Breads ), KajjiKayalu( Fried Sweet with jaggery and lentils ), Paalakayalu( Crispy spicy small rounds ), Pappu Billalu( Crispy rice fritters ), Vada( crispy lentil fritters ), and of course Pongal along with special curries and rice dishes.

Here's a very well known protein packed festive savoury, Dal Vada with Spinach and Cilantro( Lentil Fritters With Spinach and Cilantro) Palakura Kothimeera Minapa Garelu.

You need:

1 cup Urad Dal( Minappappu /Black Gram )
1 cup tightly packed chopped spinach
1 inch ginger root
Green chillies
Cilantro
Cumin seeds
Oil for frying

How to:

Soak Urad dal for about 4 hours in water
Once soaked grind the batter to a paste( need not be very smooth, and do not add too much water, just add enough to grind )
Heat oil for deep frying.
To the urad dal batter( lentil batter ) add cumin seeds, chopped ginger, chopped spinach, chopped onions, cilantro and salt to taste.
Drop into oil with a spoon or to make traditional vada( vadai ), use your palms this way. Take a small amount of batter in a ball shape, flatten lightly with fingers and drop it very gently into oil from the edges of the pan.
My ammamma makes them in a very perfect shape and she dips her hands into water before making each vadai, and this needs of course some experience. Don't panic if you cant get vadas perfectly, its hard for me too to get them in perfect shape and size.
Fry these vadas on both sides and drain on to paper napkins to remove any excess oil.

Serving Suggestion:

Serve these vadas hot off the stove along with Garlic Red Chilli Spice Powder( Vellulli Miram ) and ghee. My husband likes them with Chutney and Sambar but i am sure kids would like them with some ketchup.

My piping hot vadas are on its way to: