Keerai Kootu

Kootu is a speciality of Tamil Nadu cuisine. This green kootu dish is filled with proteins, vitamins & packed with lots of goodness to it. Kootu dish has variations to it as it can be cooked with different vegetables mixing either with toor dal or moon dal. My mom version is little different & it will be on a little dry side than this dish. She adds black peppers to the spice paste as I did here & no onion or garlic in the dish. 

Cooking Details 
Prep Time-5mins 
Cook Time-45mins 
Serves - 3 to 4 People
Ingredients 
1/2Cup moong dal 
1Cup water
Salt to tate
To grind 
1/4Cup +1Tbs grated coconut
1/2Tsp jeera 
1Tsp black pepper
1/4Tsp turmeric
1Green chilli
3Cups chopped spinach 

Seasoning 

2Tbs oil

1Tbs urad dal 

1Tsp mustard seeds 

2Red chili's cut equally

Few curry leaves  

1/2Tsp hing {asafetida}

Directions

- Wash moong dal with water & pressure cook it with 1cup water for 2whistles. Switch off heat & allow pressure cooker to cool. 

- Grind the ingredients to coarse paste. 

- In a pan mix grind paste, cooked dal & salt. Now cook dal on low heat for 15mins. Stir it once in a while to avoid lumps. 

- Slowly raw smell of spinach vanishes. Adjust salt if needed.

- Heat another small pan with oil. To that add mustards, urad dal & red chili's. Once the mustard starts jumping add curry leaves & hing to pan. Cook for 10sec & switch off heat. 

- Now add seasoning to dal & mix well. Cook dal on low heat for 2mins & switch off heat.

- Serve it warm with rice, ghee & papadums.

Note

- You can pressure cook spinach along with moong dal, but it will loose it's green color changing to darkish green. 

- I used a little more of black pepper while reducing green chili's. Add one more green chili if you like it spicy. 

- Onion can be added to the grinding ingredients if desired. 

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Thupka | Gya Thuk

Thupka or Gya thuk is a well-known soup of northeastern states. Sikkim, a state of India & is also part of northern states very popular for it's cuisine in northeastern states. Sharing Sikkim's simple yet comforting soup made of spice paste, noodle & veggies. This soup can be soothing for chilling winters. 

Cooking Details 

Prep Time-10mins 

Cook Time-30mins

Serves-2people

Adapted From : SBS

Ingredients 
1Carrot sliced thin in to equal parts 
Few branches of spring onion chopped
2Cups water or vegetable broth 
Rice noodles 50g
1Tbs oil
Salt to taste 
1Tbs lemon juice
To Grind
1Small onion chopped
2Tomatoes chopped
1Garlic 
1/2Tsp ginger
1Tsp cumin
2Red chili's
Directions 
- Grind the ingredients under grind to smooth paste.
- Heat pan with oil. Add paste to pan. 
- Fry it till the raw smell goes off. 
- Add vegetable broth to pan & cook it on low heat for 10mins.
- To the broth add carrots & cook for few minutes. Switch off heat. 
- Add salt & lemon juice to soup & adjust taste if needed. 
- Heat a deep vessel with full of water with little salt. Bring water to boil & switch off heat. Add noodles to vessel. Stir occasionally if needed. After 5mins drain  water & wash noodles with cold water.
- Transfer soup in to serving bowls & top with cooked rice noodles.
- Garnish with spring onions & serve right away.

Note
- Check instruction back of the noodle box to cook them. 
- You can veggies of your choice to the broth. 
- Don't over cook veggies. 
- If the red chili's you are using are less spicier then add a green chili to the grind paste.

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Bajra ki Roti | Sojja Rottelu

Bajra ki roti is a Rajasthani dish made of pearl millet's or sajjalu (in telugu). These roti's are enjoyed along with lahsun ki Chutney & kadhi. This roti's are little different from your regular roti or chapati in texture ad taste. As all of the dishes these roti's are easy to make & delicious to eat.

Cooking Details
Prep Time-20mins 
Cook Time-15mins 
Serves-5 roti
Adapted From:Indian Kitchen
Ingredients
1Cup bajra flour
4Tbs atta flour 
2Tbs butter
4Tbs dried fenugreek leaves
Salt to taste 
Warm water to knead dough
Directions
- Mix bajra, atta flour,fenugreek leaves, salt in a bowl. 
- Add little by little warm water while forming a dough. 
- Close dough with a wet cloth & allow it to sit on a counter for 15mins. 
- Now take a foil or a plastic sheet & grease it with little oil. 
- Divide dough to equal balls. 
- Take a ball of dough & place it on the sheet. Now press it with less pressure, while expanding dough on all sides. 
- Don't expand it too thin & round the edges nicely. 
- Heat pan with butter/ghee.Place a roti on it.
- cook it on one side & apply ghee to roti. Cook for few seconds & reverse it to other. 
- Now layer a little ghee & allow to cook. 
- You can see little dark circles forming on each side you cooked. 
- Transfer roti to a plate & repeat the same with rest of the dough balls.
Note
- Don't add too much water. 
- Add little more of flour if needed.

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Rajma Masala Curry | Rajma ki Sabzi

Rajma Sabzi is a dish made of kidney beans cooked in to a thick gravy using tomato onion paste & spices. This is a very well know dish in Punjab as rajma chawal, which can also be served along with roti or chapati.

Cooking Instructions 

Prep Time - 8hrs { soak time }+15mins
Cook time - Around 1hr { cooking rama + making curry}
Serves - 3 to 4 people
Ingredients
1Cup rajma / kidney beans {soaked overnight}
2Cups water
1Onion grind to paste
3Tomatoes grind to paste
1Tbs garlic ginger paste
2Green chili's to paste 
1Tbs cumin coriander powder
1Tsp garam masala powder
1/2Tsp sugar
1Tbs cream {optional}
Red chili as needed
1Tbs oil
Salt to taste
Coriander to garnish
Directions
- Wash & soak rajma in water overnight.
- Pressure cook rajma with water for 3 to 4 whistles & switch off heat. Allow it to cool. 
- Heat pan with oil & add jeera to it. Once it changes it color add grind onion paste to pan.
- Allow onion paste to change it's color to light brown by stirring it.
- To same pan add ginger garlic & green chili paste. Fry them for few seconds & add coriander cumin & garma masala powder. 
- Fry them for few seconds & to the same pan add tomato paste. 
- Add salt to gravy and mix it.  Now add sugar to balance the taste.
- Adjust taste { salt & chili powder} if needed. 
- Add boiled rajma to gravy & cook it with a lid on low heat till gravy becomes thick. 
- Once the gravy is thick add cream & switch off heat. 
- Garnish with coriander & serve warm along with rice & roti.

Note
- Instead of green chili's you can use red chili powder. Add it along with masala powders if using it. 
- Every chili varies from one another in spiciness. I needed to add red chili powder to balance the spiciness in the dish along with green chili's.
- Allow gravy to cook on low heat to allow rajma absorb all the flavors. 
- There is no time frame to bring this gravy thick. It depends on what heat level your cooking it. 

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Dalma {Orissa Dish}

Dalma is a classic Orissa dish, which is made of dal & vegetables cooked together along with mild spices. This dish is mildly spiced & tastes perfect along with rice & chapati. While doing a research on this dish I came to know that this dish is offered to "Lord Jagannatha", though it would be a onion less version. 

Prep Time-10mins | Cook Time-30mins | Serves-2people
Adapted from: Oriya Food & Recipe
Ingredients 
1/4Cup + 2Tbs toor dal {kandi pappu}
1Cup water
1Medium onion chopped
3Brinjals chopped in to cubes
1Medium potato chopped in to cubes

1Cup bottle guard chopped in to cubes

1/4Tsp turmeric 

2Tsp panch phoran mix {mustard, jeera, kala jeera, fennel, fenugreek seeds}

2Red chili's cut equally

2Bay leaves

2Tbs grated coconut

1Tbs ginger chopped

Coriander for garnish

1Tbs ghee

Salt to taste

To grind 

1Tsp jeera 

5Red chili's 

Directions

- Wash dal with lots of water. Pressure cook it along with potato & bottle guard for 2 whistles. Switch off heat & allow it to cool.

- Mean while in a pan dry roast cumin & red chili's till cumin turns slight dark. Switch off heat & allow it to cool. Grind it to a powder & keep aside. 

- Heat pan with ghee, to that add red chili's, turmeric & panch phoron mix. Later add ginger & bay leaves. 

- Stir for few seconds & add onions to pan. Add brinjal to pan. 

- Close pan with lid & cook brinjal till they are done. 

- Now transfer dal to pan. Add salt & jeera chili mix to dal & mix well.

- Cook for 2mins & garnish with coconut. Switch off heat.

- Serve along with rice & chapati / roti.

Note

- The recipes I was checking for are asking for Pumpkin & raw banana, which weren't it available for me, so do add them for better taste.
- You wont see coriander in my dish image, as there was none left in my kitchen. Use it while your are making this dish.

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Hmarcha Rawt {Red Chili Chutney}

Red Chili Chutney is a spicy yet flavorful dish. This Mizoram dish can be made with red & green chili's. In Andhra Pradesh we make a chutney using ripe red chili's, but the taste of it is less spicier than this dish. You can make it milder if you choose a less spicier pepper. I used a mexican variety that is mild in spiciness. This chutney sounds & tastes spicy.

Prep Time-5mins | Cook Time-less than 2mins | Serves-4people
Adapted From: Enjoy Indian Food
Ingredients 
1Cup dry red chili's {mulato pepper}
2Garlic pods
1Small onion finely chopped 
Water as needed
2Tsp ginger
1Tsp sugar
Salt 
Directions
- Heat pan with dry red chili's. 
- Dry roast them to a darker shade. Switch off heat & allow them to cool.
- Grind red chili's, garlic, ginger, salt & sugar using little water at a time. 
- Grind to smooth paste. Adjust salt if needed. 
- Transfer to a bowl & mix finely chopped onions to it.

Note
- Adding sugar will balance the dish a little.
- you have to add water to grind it smooth. If not it will be chunky with chili pieces. 

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Jadoh {Khasi Pulao}

Jadoh is a rice dish which is mild in flavor & taste. It slightly resembles pulao/pilaf but with out much of spices. This Meghalaya dish, originated from Khasi region is traditionally a non-vegetarian one & I tried making it almost authentic & vegetarian. 

Prep Time-5mins | Cook Time-30mins | Serves-2people
Adapted From: Indian Recipes
Ingredients
2Cups basmati rice 
3Cups + 2/3Cups Water
2Carrots chopped
1Medium onion
1Tbs ginger paste
1/2 Tsp turmeric
2Tbs black peppers powdered
5 Bay leaves 
1Tbs oil + 1Tbs ghee
1/4Cup mint leaves
Salt to taste
4Boiled eggs {optional}
Coriander for garnish
Directions
- Heat pan with oil + ghee. Add bay leaves, onions & ginger to pan. Saute for few seconds till the raw smell of ginger goes off. 
- To the same pan add carrots, turmeric & black pepper powder. Cook for 1min & switch off heat. 
- Wash rice with lots of water & to that add the cooked masala along with water.
- Mix enough salt & mint leaves to cooker. Taste & adjust salt if needed. 
- Cook rice as per your convenience. {Pressure cooker, electric cooker & stove top}
- Once rice is done garnish it with cilantro & boiled eggs. 
- Serve it along with a gravy dish of your choice. 
Note
- You can use any choice of short grained Indian rice in place of basmati.

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Soya Thongba - A Manipuri Dish

Soya Thongba is a delicious curry made of soya chunks & veggies that are simmered in milk. This Manipuri recipe is a replica of dish "Sana Thongba", In which I replaced paneer with soya chunks & rest remained the same. This curry is creamy, spicy & yummy in taste. 

Prep Time-10mins | Cook Time-20mins | Serves-2people
Adapted From: Open Challenge to Plastic Fast Food!
Ingredients 
1Medium onion chopped 
1Big potato diced 
1Cup soya chunks {meal maker}
1/4Cup green peas
1Tbs ginger garlic paste
1/2Tsp turmeric
1&1/2Cup milk
2Green chili's sliced 
1Tsp cumin 
1Tbs oil
Salt to taste

Directions
- Heat pan with oil. To that add cumin & fry it till it turns light brown. 
- Add onion to pan along with ginger garlic paste. 
- Saute them till onions turn soft. 
- Add soya chunks, potatoes & green peas to pan. Saute them for few seconds. 
- To the same pan add turmeric & enough salt. Fry them for 1min on medium heat. 
- Add milk to pan & close it with a lid.
- Cook on low heat with a lid till gravy gets little thick. 
- Remove lid & add green chili's to gravy. Allow gravy to become thick. Adjust salt & spice if needed. Switch off heat. 
- Garnish with coriander leaves & serve warm with rice & roti.
Note
- Replace soya chunks with paneer. 
- Author used water instead of 1/2 cup milk. The gravy will be richer if it is cooked in milk rather than water. 
- To avoid milk spilling cook gravy with lid till it gets thicker. 
- I haven't pre cooked soya chunks in this dish. Cooking them directly in the gravy will help soya to absorb the flavor.
- If using paneer, saute paneer till it turns slight brown.

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