What's in my Dal?

Tired of cooking dal (thick stew prepared by pressure cooking lentils or dried pulses) the traditional way, I decided to strike off the lentils from my list of ingredients. I was looking for an alternate fresh ingredient that would satisfy the aspects of color, flavor and texture of the regular dal.

My best bet – Corn!

When I put this recipe together, I had no clue how the outcome would taste. Surprisingly it’s been a roaring hit and we’ve enjoyed this “corn dal” many a times, now. To me, this is an easy recipe and also a way to bring a touch of Indian cuisine to this cereal grain.

Ingredients

1½ cups fresh Corn kernels ( If using frozen, thaw them to room temperature before use)
½ cup Onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Fennel seeds
¼ cup fresh Peas
¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
½ teaspoon Cumin-Coriander powder
½ teaspoon Red Chili powder
½ teaspoon fresh ground Black pepper
1 Green chili, finely chopped
¼ cup Cilantro, fresh and finely chopped
1 ½ teaspoon Oil
½ to 1 cup Water
Salt

I included fennel seeds and fresh cilantro in this recipe as the aromatics. To enhance the yellow color, I threw in a few peas for the contrast while cooking. The sweetness from both the corn and peas blend very well with the heat from the spices.

Method

- Wash and drain the kernels of corn. Microwave for 1 mins, to slightly soften the kernels.

- Add oil in a skillet, add chopped onion. Sauté on medium flame till onion turns transparent.

- Add in green chili, turmeric powder, red chili powder, black pepper powder, cumin-coriander powder and fennel seeds. Mix well. Sauté on low for 1-2 mins.

- Next add in corn kernels and chopped cilantro. Sauté for 2-3 mins. Remove from heat.

- Cool the mixture to room temperature. Blend it using an electric food processor/blender to a thick paste using water (½ - 1 cup). Make sure that the corn is completely crushed and no kernels are left intact.

- Pour the mixture into the skillet, cook on medium, covered for 4-5 mins. Add fresh green peas. Cook covered for another 3-4 mins.

- Cook uncovered for 1-2 mins.

- Serve hot with Rice or Rotis.

Each time we've had guests over and I have served it, they all seem to have enjoyed it and have just one question for me ........"What's in this dal?".

:-)

This turned out to be a nice way to surprise my guests with the tini-mini cooking skills acquired in my little experimental kitchen!

Fenugreek'ed Potatoes!

The word Fenugreek or Methi (Hindi, मेथी) is not new to cooking. It is believed to be in use as a fodder crop since 2nd century BC and hence named “Greek Hay”. Frequently used both as an herb and a spice, Fenugreek is supposed to control blood sugar levels as well as cholesterol levels. Refer

Methi is available in three forms: fresh green leaves, amber colored seeds, dried greenish-brown leaves. I use the fresh leaves ( when available) to make the authentic Konkani curry called “Methiye-palle-sukke”. Essentially it is fresh methi leaves, sautéed with onions and potato in a coconut based curry.

The methi seeds always find their way into the Idli or Dosa batter (I learnt this from my Mom, to make softer idlis and fluffier dosas). And sometimes in regular drinking water or tempered buttermilk.

My favorite of them all is the Kasuri Methi or dried fenugreek leaves. Being extremely aromatic, the leaves impart a unique flavor when used with regular dals and plain white rice. I make sure the leaves are sautéed well along with other spices, seasoning or sometimes vegetables to release their characteristic fragrance and essence; I find this as an effective way to suppress the bitterness of the leaves.

I love pairing Kasuri Methi with potatoes. I consider these Fenugreek'ed Potatoes...as I term them... an offshoot of the "Methiye-palle-sukke", without the coconut and onions. Its an easy and simple side, that pairs well with roti or dal-chaawal( rice and dal). More so for weekday dinners. I typically use fingerling potatoes for this as they are small and easy to dice into bite size discs or cubes.

Ingredients

7-8 fingerling potatoes
2 tablespoons Kasuri Methi
½ teaspoon red Chili Powder
½ teaspoon Coriander-Cumin Powder

2 ½ teaspoons Oil

1/4 teaspoon Amchur or Dry Mango powder ( Optional)
Salt to taste



Method

Pressure cook , microwave or boil potatoes till done. Strain and allow to cool. Peel potatoes, cut into small discs or bite size cubes. Sprinkle salt and amchur (optional) and toss well so that the potatoes are evenly coated. Set aside.

Instead of boiling the potatoes you could skin and use raw potatoes. I prefer being conservative with oil, especially when it comes to potatoes, hence boil them and reduce the amount of oil that the recipes call for. If using raw potatoes you may want to increase the amount of oil. Same with the size of the cubes or discs - the smaller the size, the faster the cooking, the lesser the oil.

Amchur provides a tangy flavor to the potatoes. Its entirely optional to use it for this dish.

Heat oil, add the powders, add Kasuri Methi and sauté for 3-4 mins on medium flame using a pan with handle or wok with ears for grip. Add potatoes, mix well by tossing with the help of the ears of the wok or handle of the pan.

Avoid using a spatula to mix to prevent the potatoes from mashing. Caution: Take care not to spill on self while tossing.

Cook on low to medium-low flame, uncovered for 8-10mins, till the potatoes are coated with the fenugreek leaves. Toss every 3-4 mins to ensure the potatoes are evenly coated.

Serve hot with rotis or rice & dal.

Its been raining potatoes this February with Sia ‘s Ode to the Potato and DK’s Potato Fe(a)st. I decided to join in and send these Fenugreek'ed Potatoes to them.