Paalakura pappu/spinach dhal/paalakeerai paruppu

 

In my home my mom makes just plain paruppu and rasam. I never knew that we can make so many different varietes of pappu until I started having andhraite friends. Yesterday when I made this dhal we just loved it. I just made a small change to the actual recipe and that made a lot of difference.  I bought a bunch of spinach form local farmer's market. They were very fresh and beautiful,  I  just can't resist picking them up. The recipe is very simple, flavourful and full of goodnes. I am planning to include lots of spinach dhal throughout the spring season and become strong like popoye :). I forgot to mention one more thing 'I HATE FROZEN SPINACH'. Might be the nutrition is preserved in frozen spinach but not its wonderful flavour. 

Ingredients :

Toor dhal (split pigeon pea)- 1 cup

Spinach- a big bunch (fresh ones please !!!)

Onions-1 

Garlic- 5 pods (make thin slices)

Green chilli- 3 nos

Dried red chili- 4 nos

Red chilli powder- 1 1/2 tspn (adjust according to your taste)

Turmeric- a pinch

Asafoetida- a pinch

Mustard, jeera seeds, urid dhal- 1tspn (for tempering)

Oil- 4 tbspns

Salt to taste

Method :

Wash and chop spinach leaves. Cut onions, green chillies and slice garlic into thin pieces. Cook toor dhal with a pinch of turmeric, asafoetida and few drops of oil in a pressure cooker. Take care not to overcook the dhal. It should be cooked but should retain its shape. Now heat oil in a pan. When the oil gets heated add the mustard and jeera seeds. When they splutter add the garlic slices and dried red chillies. Saute until the garlic slices acquire a golden brwon colour. After that add  onions, green chillies and enough salt. Saute until the onions turn translucent. Now add the chilli powder and saute for a few seconds. Add the cooked dhal ato the pan and add enough water. The dhal should not be watery or too thick. Allow the mixture to boil. and then switch off the stove. Now to the piping hot dhal add the chopped spinach leaves and mix well. The heat of the dhal is enough to melt the spinach. Adding spinach at the end really makes a lot of difference. It helps in retaining the real flavours of spincah and seals in the nutrients. 

Taste enhancing tips for this recipe : Add spinach to the dhal only after you have removed it from fire. This really helps to seal the flavour and the nutrients present in spinach. Use only fresh spinach  leaves and not the frozen ones. This is a very tasty and healthy dish. Hope you will enjoy it too. Happy cooking !!!

Pasalai keerai chutney/ Bachalla kura pachadi

Rajender likes it. He used to say when his mom makes this pachadi he would absolutely love the smell of it. I got a fresh bunch of pasala keerai from Indian shop this week. Asked my sister-in-law for the recipe and here it is for you.

My hubby is from telangana region. Rice, chillies, onions, ground nut, coriander seeds, garlic, mangoes, tamarind are some of the locally grown crops there. So these items take an upper hand in their kitchen too. The dishes are very tasty but done with minimum ingredients. For example chicken is cooked with ginger, garlic paste and coriander powder. No extra spices like, cinnamon, cloves, aniseeds etc are added to it. But taste-wise they are excellent.

As a tamil girl I am not much aware of these pachadis before coming to Germany. But after coming here and mingling with the telugu community people I started watching with surprise how they can make pachadi with almost anything :). I am not a big fan of this Indian spinach (pasalai keerai) but after eating this chutney I have become a fan of it. You can have this pachadi with rice, idly, dosa or even with chappathi!!!

Ingredients

Pasalai keerai- 1 bunch

Dry red chillies- 6 nos ( Use 5 or 6 more if you like it really hooot!!!)

Coriander seeds- 2 tbspns

Cumin seeds-1 tspn

Garlic- 2 pods if it is very big / 5 or 6 small ones

Tamarind- one lime sized ball (deseeded)

Oil (as needed, preferably groundnut oil)

Method

Cut the pasala keerai into small pieces. Do not throw away the stem part. Use them too. The stems are rich in fibre and it gives a fulness to this pachadi too.

Take a non-stick pan. Add 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil gets heated add the pasalai keerai and saute till it becomes half of it original volume. Keep it aside.

Now add a teaspoon full of oil and fry the coriander seeds and red chillies till it gives out a nice aroma.

Take a mixer jar. Add cumin seeds, garlic, tamarind and fried red chillies and coriander seeds. Grind these items into a nice powder. Then add pasalai keerai and salt and grind till it becomes mashed. Try to avoid grinding it to a smooth paste consistency.

You can now temper the ground pasalai keerai mixture with 2 tablespoons of oil, 2 red chillies, 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds and few garlic pods. If you like the taste of raw onions cut them into small bite-sized pieces and mix them with the chutney.

This chutney keeps good for a few days without getting spoiled. But if you would like to add raw onions add before serving.

Happy cooking!!!