This is a traditional Malvani dish served mostly with rice or bhakri.

To be honest, I am not a huge fan of chawali but it was my dad’s favourite so in my childhood my mom used to make this dish at least twice a week…and I somehow used to avoid eating it….but now after so many years I enjoy having it once a while, this dish is very simple to make and I like having it with rice…

Ingredients:

1 cup Chawali(Black eyed Pea)soaked in water overnight.

1 tbsp Oil.

1 small onion chopped.

1 tbsp Malvani masala.

1/2 tsp turmeric powder.

2 tbsp vatan.(Refer Glossary).

4 Kokum.

Salt to taste.

Method:

Add Malwani masala to washed and soaked chawali.

Pressure cook in cooker upto 5-6 whistles.Let it simmer on slow flame for another 5 mins.

Heat oil in a pan.Add chopped onion and saute it till it turns dark brown.This burnt taste of onion gives a distinct flavour to this dish.Add turmeric powder.

Add cooked chawali and salt.

Let it come to boil.Add vatan.(Refer glossary).

Simmer for another minute or two,Add Kokum,let simmer for another minute.

Serve hot with accompaniment of your choice.

Happy Cooking !!!

Sameera

 

With an amazing sweet and sour taste this traditional Gujrari Dal recipe is reflection of Gujarati culture and uses the typical ingredients and spices.

Goes very well with steamed rice.

Ingredients:

1 cup Arhar Dal.

2 tbsp Peanuts.

For Tempering:

1 tbsp Ghee.

1/2 tsp Rai.

1/2 tsp Jeera.

1/4 tsp Methi Dana.

1/4 tsp Asafoetida.

8 Curry Leaves.

4 Cloves.

2 Stick Cinnamon.

2 Red Chillies.

Other Ingredients:

4 piece Kokum.

1 Tomato chopped.

1 tbsp Jaggery.

Juice of 1 Lemon.

1 tbsp Ginger chopped finely.

2 Green Chillies.

1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder.

1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder.

2 tbsp Coriander Leaves chopped.

Salt to taste.

Method:

Wash and soak dal with peanuts for 4 hours.
Pressure cook up to 5 whistles.keep aside.

Once the dal is cooked,cool slightly and blend till it is smooth.

In a pan heat oil and ghee,add Rai,jeera,methi seeds,cloves,cinnamon and Asafoetida.

Once jeera turns brown add curry leaves,red chillies and green chillies.stir for a minute.

Add kokum,tomato jagger, lemon juice,ginger,chilli powder and turmeric.Cook for 2 minutes.

Add 2 cups of water,cooked dal and peanuts,salt and chopped coriander leaves.

Simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve hot with steamed rice.

Tip:This dal is very thin in consistency,and more you simmer it,more flavorful it will become.

Happy Cooking !!!

Sameera.

Mooga Gathi( Sprouted green gram in coconut curry) It is a delicious curry that is made without onion and garlic for “Shivrak” days in Goan cuisine.

“Shivrak” are those days when the traditional  Goans do not eat non veg ,onion or garlic.Hence this dish is commonly served in temples and weddings.

The Goans love their non-vegetarian food, the average Goan cannot live without his “nuste” fish.But still,on days when the Goan people are strict vegetarian,dishes like Chana Cho Ras or moonga Gathi, batat kapa or Neer Phanas Fodi are made.

For this recipe sprouted moong are soaked again in Luke warm water for 2 hours,the sprouts skin peels off and then the moong is used to make Mooga Gathi.

Here goes the recipe…

Ingredients:

1 cup Moong,sprouted and deskinned.

1/2 cup Coconut Milk.

1 tbsp Oil.

Salt to taste.

For the masala

1/2 cup grated Coconut.

2 tspn Dhana(corriander seeds)

2 tspn Red chilli powder.

1 tbsp Haldi powder.

1 tsp Black pepper powder.

1/2 tsp Tamarind Pulp.

Method:

Grind all the masala ingredients to a fine paste.keep aside.

Heat oil in a kadhai.Add moong and masala paste,add 1/4 cup water and salt.

Cover and cook till moong are cooked.

Now add coconut milk.Mix well.Cook for another minute.

Remove in a serving bowl and serve  hot with steam rice.

Tip-Don’t boil the gravy after adding coconut milk.You can use fresh coconut milk or readymade coconut milk.This curry can be tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves to enhance the flavour.

Happy Cooking!!!

Sameera.

Salt to taste.

Pinch of Baking Soda.

In my home this dal is known as monu chi dal,monu is my nani, this is her recipe,so me,my mom,my aunt we all have named it after her.Combination  of ghee and ginger gives a varied taste to this otherwise simple dal.Goes very well with steamed rice.

Ingredients:

1 Cup tur dal (Soaked in two cups of water for 2 hours).

1 Small onion chopped.

1 Small tomato.

2-3 Green chillies.

1 tbsp Ghee.

1 tsp mustard seeds.

1 tsp jeera.

1/2 tsp asafoetida.

5-6 Curry leaves.

1 tbsp Ginger chopped

1/2 tsp turmeric powder.

2 tbsp chopped corriander leaves.

Salt to taste.

Method :

Add chopped onion,tomatoes  and chillies to washed and soaked dal.

Pressure cook in cooker upto 3-4 whistles.

Heat ghee in a pan.Add mustard seeds,jeera,asafoetida,curry leaves,chopped ginger and turmeric powder.

Add cooked dal and salt.

Let it come to boil.

Add chopped corriander leaves and let it simmer for 2 minutes.

Serve hot with steam rice.

Happy Cooking !!!

Sameera

Curry pakoda is a delicay made using dahi,as I am a non dahi eater,i have invented this recipe for satisfying my taste buds,here dahi is replaced by coconut milk with dash of tamarind to give sourness of dahi.

Ingredients:

For Pakora:

1/4 cup besan (Bengal gram flour)

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp Dhana Jeera powder

a pinch of soda bi-carbonate

2 tbsp Coriander leaves finely chopped

salt to taste

oil for deep-frying

For the kadhi :

2 cup thick Coconut milk

2 tbsp besan (Bengal gram flour)

1 tsp Rai

1 tsp Jeera

1/2 tsp Methi seeds

a pinch of asafoetida (hing)

5 curry leaves (kadi patta)

1 tsp Ginger Garlic paste.

1 tsp Dhana Jeera powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)

1/2 tsp Red Chilli powder

2 tsp diluted tamarind pulp

1 tbsp Ghee

salt to taste

Method:

For the Pakoras:

Mix the chopped coriander leaves, besan, chilli powder,dhana jeera powder, soda bi-carb and salt with enough water in a bowl to make a soft dough.

Divide into 8 equal portions and shape into even-sized rounds.

Heat the oil in a kadai and deep-fry the pakodas over a medium flame till they are golden brown.

Remove and drain on absorbent paper. Keep aside.

For the kadhi :
In a bowl mix together coconut milk and besan till smooth and free of lumps,in this add dhana jeera powder,ginger garlic paste,turmeric powder,chilli powder and salt.Mix well and keep aside.

In another pan heat ghee add  mustard seeds . When they crackle, add  jeera, asafoetida, methi seeds and  curry leaves.

Add the coconut milk and besan mixture and bring to a boil whilst stirring continuously.

Let it simmer for a minute,now add tamarind pulp and mix well.

How to proceed
Just before serving, add the pakoras to the hot kadhi and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes.

Serve hot with rice.

Happy Cooking !!!

Sameera

Ingredients:

1 Cup mix dals (Soaked in two cups of water for 2 hours).

1 Tomato chopped.

1  Onion chopped.

1 cup chopped Palak leaves.

2-3 Green chillies finely chopped.

5 cloves crushed Garlic.

1 tbsp oil.

1 tsp jeera.

1/2 tsp asafoetida.

1/2 tsp turmeric powder.

Salt to taste.

Method:

Pressure cook washed and soaked dal in pressure cooker upto 3-4 whistles.Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan.Add jeera,asafoetida,crushed garlic,green chillies and turmeric powder.

Add chopped onions and tomatoes.Saute for 2 minutes.

Add chopped palak leaves,mix well,cover and cook till palak is cooked.

Add cooked dal and salt.

Let it come to boil.

Simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve hot with steam rice or Roti.

Tip:If desired palak  dal can be tempered with ghee and red chillies.

I have used mix dal for this recipe,I buy a packet of mixed dal which has all types of dal in it,if you don’t have it,you can mix together 2 tbsp of each type of dal that you have at home,moong dal,chana dal,toovar dal,urad dal,masoor dal,etc.

If not same recipe can be done with only  toovar da l(pigeon pea) also

Happy Cooking !!!

Sameera

Sambar is a spicy lentil gravy with variety of vegetables. Sambar accompanies many South Indian meals, like dosa, idli, rice. One can say South Indian meal is not complete without Sambar.Sambar gets it distinct taste from the sambar masala.Here I have used readymade masala,but most south Indian houses have their own recipes for the same.

Can also be had with steamed rice.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Toovar Dal.

1 tbsp oil.

1 tbsp Ghee

1/2  tsp cumin seeds (jeera)

1/4 tsp fenugreek seed (methi)

1/4 tsp mustard seeds (rai)

Pinch of asafoetida (hing)

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder.

1/2 tsp Kashmiri mirchi (Chilli powder)

10-12 curry leaves

4 dry whole red chilies.

1 Onion cubbed into big pieces.

1 large tomato cubed in small pieces

1-½ cup mixed vegetables cubed  (carrot,potatoes,brinjal,pumkin,drumstics,french beans, )

2 tbs tamarind pulp.

1 tbs grated Jaggery.

1 tbs Everest  sambar masala.

Salt to taste.

Method:

Wash and soak dal in about 2 cups of water for 10 minutes or longer.

In pressure cooker add soaked dal, about 2-1/2 cups of water cook on medium high heat for 6to 7 whistles..

Dal should be soft and mushy.

Mix dal well enough so there are no lumps. If  dal is thick add up to 1 cup of water.

Heat the oil in a pan.

Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, asafetida, red chilies, and curry leaves, and then stir for a few seconds.

Add turmeric powder,chilli powder and sambar masala.

Stir fry for a minute.Add onions and fry.

Add mixed vegetables,mix well .

Add 1/2 cup water,cover and cook  till vegetables become tender.

Add tomatoes,cook for a minute more.

Add cooked dal to this mixture,add salt,tamarind pulp and jaggery, mix well with light hand.

Cover and let simmer on slow flame for 5 mins.

Top up with ghee.Remove in a serving bowl.

Serve hot with dosa, idli or steamed rice.

Happy Cooking !!!

Sameera

Kulith pithi is a comfort food for most of the Malvani  people.English name for kulith is horse gram. In Kokan region kulith is more popular.

Powdered kulith is used to make pithla and whole kulith is used to make usal. Kulith powder is easily available in market especially in malvani stores.

For us Malvanis pithi bhat and fried fish is the ultimate comfort food.

Ingredients:

1 cup Pithi powder.

3 cups water.

1 small onion finely chopped.

3 green chillies chopped.

5 to 6 Curry leaves.

1/4 tsp Asafoetida.

1/2 tsp red Chilli powder.

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder.

1 tbsp grated Coconut.

1 tbsp chopped Corriander leaves.

1 tbsp Oil.

Salt to taste.

Method:

In a bowl mix kulith powder,turmeric,salt,chilli powder and water.Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan,add asafoetida,curry leaves,chilli and onions.Stir and cook till onions become pinkish in colour.

Add kulith mixture,cook on slow flame stirring in between,once the pithi starts thickening add coocnut and corriander leaves.

Serve hot with rice.

TIP:Serve immediately,as it thickens once cold.

Happy Cooking !!!

Sameera