Chickpea / Black / Kala Chana Seasoning

Ingredients:

- 1 cup black chickpeas (kala channa)
- Salt to taste
- Seasoning/Tadka/Poppu:
    - 1 1/2 teaspoons oil
    - 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
    - 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
    - 1/2 teaspoon split gram dal (urad dal)
    - 1-2 chopped green chilies
    - 1 sprig of fresh curry leaves
    - pinch of asafoetida 
    - Optional: 2 tablespoons grated coconut

Instructions:

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight or for 6-8 hours in water. Drain and wash the chickpeas.
2. Pressure cook the chickpeas with some water and salt until they are cooked.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, and urad dal. Let them pop.
4. When the seasoning turns red, add the asafoetida, chopped green chilies, and curry leaves. Saute for 15-20 seconds.
5. Add the cooked chickpeas to the pan and combine with the seasoning.
6. Adjust the salt to taste and turn off the heat.
7. If using grated coconut, add 2 tablespoons and combine.

Serves: 4-5 persons

This recipe appears to be a simple and flavorful way to prepare black chickpeas, with a traditional Indian seasoning blend. The optional addition of grated coconut adds a nice texture and flavor contrast.

Universal Curry Powder (Koorala Podi)

Ingredients

1 cup Toor Dhal

1 cup Chana Dhal

1 cup Peanuts

1 cup Dry Coconut Powder

1/2 cup Coriander Seeds (Dhania)

3 tablespoons Cumin Seeds (Jeera)

5 to 6 Red Chillies Or to your taste

Salt to your taste

1/2 tsp oil

Method

On a medium flame in a pan dry roast dhania and jeera and put them aside. Add toor dhal and dry roast till golden brown and set it aside. Next, add chana dhal dry roast till golden brown and set it aside. You can put all the roasted dhals, coriander, and jeera in one bowl. Next dry roast peanuts; when they are roasted well, set them aside; if you want, you can remove the skin when it cools down and put them in a different bowl. Roughly roast the coconut powder on a low flame and keep it aside in a separate bowl. Now add little oil and roast red chilies till they are crispy and remove them from the pan. After everything is cool down grind all dhals together in a blender to a fine powder. Add jeera and red chilies and grind them. Take this fine powder and place them in a mixing bowl. Now grind the peanuts coarsely and add to the mixing bowl also coarsely grind coconut powder. Now add the salt as required to the mix and mix well. Store it in an airtight container. Enjoy the curry powder adding 2 to 3 tablespoons to the curry when it is done. Mix well and serve.

Super Healthy Millet Dosa

Ingredients:

Foxtail Millet 2 cups
Idli Rice 1 cup
Urad Dal 1 cup
Methi Seeds 1 tsp

Jeera 1 tsp

Salt

Oil 

Method:

Soak millets and rice together in one bowl. In another soak urad dal and methi seeds for 6 hours or overnight. Grind in the order you soaked it. Millets plus rice and Urad plus methi together. Mix both the batters and add salt and ferment it overnight. Add jeera and salt to the fermented batter. Heat the tawa, apply oil and pour a ladle full of batter and cook until golden brown on both sides. Serve hot with your desired chutney and sambar.

Healthy Ragi Soup

Ingredients:

Ragi Flour 3Tbs

Jeera 1 tsp

Vegetables (choice of yours)

Carrots finely chopped 1/2 cup

Beans finely chopped 1/2 cup

Onions finely chopped 1/2 cup

Ginger 1 inch grated

Garlic finely chopped 1/2 tsp (optional)

Salt (to your taste)

Ground black pepper 1 tsp (to your taste)

Spinach finely chopped 1/2 cup (optional)

Turmeric a pinch

Oil 2 tsp

Water 3 cups

Coriander leaves finely chopped

Method:

In a pot add oil and when oil is hot enough add jeera. When jeera splutters add onions and fry till golden brown. Add ginger and garlic and fry for a minute. Now add all the vegetables and cook till done. To this add salt, turmeric, and crushed black pepper powder. Add 2 cups of water and cover with a lid and bring to a boil. In a bowl add ragi flour and a cup of water and mix until ragi flour is mixed properly with no lumps. Add this ragi mixture to the boiled mixture. Keep mixing and cook on medium flame until the soup thickens to desired consistency. Enjoy the refreshing soup with garnished coriander. 

Tasty Super Healthy Ragi Dosa (Pesarattu)

Ingredients:

Ragi Whole (Finger Millets) 1 cup

Green Moong Whole (Pesalu) 1 cup
Methi Seeds 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds (Jeera) 1 Tbs
Ginger 1/2 inch
Green Chillies 4 (to your taste)
Red Chilies 3 (to your spice level)
Salt per taste
Oil 
Fresh Coconut shredded
Water for grinding
Coriander chopped (optional)

Method:

Wash ragi and moong thoroughly and soak overnight with methi seeds. Grind the soaked dals with ginger, coconut, green chilies, and red chilies into a smooth batter like pesarattu batter. To this batter add salt, jeera, and chopped coriander. Heat dosa pan and coat with oil. Pour a ladle full of batter on the hot tawa and cook covered for 1 minute. Flip the dosa and cook on the other side till golden brown. Serve with your desired chutney. 

Super Delicious Spicy Tofu

Ingredients:

Extra-firm Tofu 1 pack
Vegetable oil 
Garlic pods chopped 4
Onion chopped finely 2
Green onion chopped 2 stalks

Sauce:

Water 1/2 cup
Chili powder/ red chili flakes 1/2 tablespoon (can vary)
Soy sauce 1 tablespoon
Salt 1 teaspoon
Sugar 1 teaspoon

Garnish:

Sesame oil 1 teaspoon
Sesame seeds toasted 1 teaspoon
Green onions chopped 1 stalk

Method:

Rinse tofu after taking it from the pack and put it in a colander so excess water is drained off. Cut the tofu into flat quarter-inch thick rectangular discs. On the stove put a flat pan and pour vegetable oil. When heated on high heat place the tofu in a single layer and pan fry both sides till golden brown for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Repeat for the remaining tofu pieces. 
Prepare the sauce by mixing all the ingredients in the sauce section.
In another pan preferably a steel pan add chopped garlic, chopped onion, and chopped green onion and stir fry until they are crispy and turns light brown in color. Add the prepared sauce to the onion mixture and cook until it thickens. Now add the pan-fried tofu and mix it well on low flame for few minutes till tofu is coated well with the sauce. Switch off the stove and now add sesame oil and roasted sesame seeds for garnishing 

Tomato Chutney (Tomato Roti Pacchadi)

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 6 to 7 chopped into cubes
Tamarind  - small lemon size
Green chilies - 4 to 5 (can vary)
Red chilies - 4 to 5
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Zeera - 1/2 tsp
Urad dhal - 2 tsp
Chana dhal - 1 tsp
Dhania - 1 tsp
Oil
Salt to taste
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp

Coriander 

Seasoning :

Oil - 2 to 3 Tablespoons
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dhal - 1 tsp
asafoetida  pinch
Red chilies - 4 broken half
Curry leaves - 1 stalk

Method:

Put a nonstick pan on the stove. On medium heat fry mustard seeds, after spluttering add jeera, urad dhal, chana dhal, dhania, green chilies, and red chilies. After they are done cooking add chopped tomatoes, turmeric, salt, and tamarind. Let it cook till tomatoes are done. Cool and grind it into a smooth paste without adding water along with coriander.

Take another pan and on medium heat add oil and when oil is hot add mustard seeds when spluttering add urad dhal and after it is cooked light brown add curry leaves, and red chilies. Then add asafoetida to the end.  Now transfer to the bowl and garnish with coriander.