Weather is getting

It had been long since

Life is pretty busy nowadays

Waiting for the summer vacation…Darn……finding it hard to pen down my thoughts today. So many of thoughts arising and then dwindling in my mind..at times I wonder what to share with you all and what to hold back. There had been plenty of things going around but when I sit here to write, nothing clicks ..Sigh..the Irony of life !

Never mind, lets talk about the recipe then, for , that’s what you are here for , No? For today, lets save each one of you from those yakety yak talks of mine, and lets just head over to the Recipe of the day..Patta Gobi-Chana dal.

Now that Summer is officially here in Mumbai , its going to be hard to stay in kitchen for long durations. Summers to me, mean mangoes, Aam Paana, Jaljeera, Kulfi, Watermelons, Cucumbers, Buttermilk, Dahi/curd/yogurt, Quick stir-fries, Khichdee ..basically everything simple and less-spicy. Anything that is easy to cook and easy to digest. And this patta gobi-chanadal combination is one such recipe for sure. Just serve it with roti or Khichdi, some curd/yogurt and you have one hearty meal ! BTW what does summers means to you?

Ingredients:

• 1 Medium size Leafy Head of cabbage
• 1/2 cup Chana dal( Bengal gram )
• 2-3 Green chillies  (Adjust as per taste)
• Ginger 1 ” piece, finely chopped
• 2 small tomatoes
• 5-7 Curry leaves
• 1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
• 1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1 tsp Coriander powder
• Salt as per taste
• 2 tsp oil(or less if cooking in nonstick ware)
• Coriander leaves for garnishing
• 1/4 tsp of Pavbhaji Masala (optional..just in case you need that KICK)

Method:

• Rinse the cabbage head thoroughly, drain excess water and slice or chop it .
• Pick, rinse with water several times and soak Chana dal for 20 minutes and boil it with some salt , water and turmeric powder till just cooked.Do not let it overcook or get mushy.Boiling in pressure cooker till one whistle is heard, is fine if you have soaked it well. If bit undercooked, just let it cook further with cabbage.
• In a pan or Kadhai, add 2 tsp of oil, add curry leaves and mustard seeds, and allow it to splutter. Add sliced/chopped, cabbage and stir it nicely.
• Keep stirring  on high flame till cabbage changes a bit of colour. Add chopped tomatoes, green chillies, ginger, salt , turmeric powder and coriander powder and mix properly.
• Lower the flame, add a spoonful or two of water if the mixture tends to stick to bottom of pan.Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook till tomatoes are done and the raw smell of cabbage is gone.
• Add boiled chanadal and continue to cook on low flame , covering the mixture with a lid, till all the flavors are mixed nicely.You can add pavbhaji masala along with chanadal. Sprinkle some water if needed.Cook for 3-4 minutes on lowest flame
• Garnish with coriander leaves, and serve with Roti/chapati/phulka/rice/Khichdee , along with some dahi/ buttermilk, salad etc to fight those summer blues !
  

Dal Moong is a typical Sindhi Breakfast item, and is more famous as a Morning Street Food. Well, this means that generally  Dal moong , along with Dal pakwan, Makhni Dal , sold at Thelas or as street food in morning , are preferred by Sindhis  .

A very simple to make, Dalmoong is a wonderful combination of Yellow split beans (Moong ki peeli dal) , and Green Grams (sabut Moong), cooked till mushy and topped with some spices and vegetables like boiled potato, beetroot, raw mango etc, with some tangy tamarind chutney is relished with some Koki or even Phulka

Though the moong available at such thelas have a very distinct(Read….Better) taste, but still home made food is always healthier isn’t it?

Moong and dal are cooked separately and then while serving , take moong in a bowl, and pour few spoons of dal over it ,on half  of  the side, and garnish it.

The recipe of moong varies , some make these with onion and ginger garlic, other prefer just ginger garlic base, while some use just dry masalas to flavor the otherwise bland  green  grams

Ingredients:

For Moong:

• Sabut Moong 1 1/2cups
• Green chillies 2
• Salt
• Tejpatta(Bayleaf) 1
• Turmeric powder 1/4 tsp
• Garam masala powder 1 tsp
• Red chilly powder 1/2 tsp
• Coriander powder 1 tsp
• Ginger garlic paste(optional) 1 tsp
• Amchoor powder 1 tsp
• Oil 1+1 tsp(1 tsp for moong, and one for tempering )

Method:

• Pick, rinse several times and then soak moong for few hours
• In a pressure cooker, take 1 tsp of oil and add tejpatta, after a minute add ginger garlic paste(optional) and saute till the rawness of Ginger garlic paste is gone . I skipped this step
• Add the soaked moong, salt and turmeric powder ,chopped green chilllies and add water( should cover moong properly) If you have soaked moong for few hours, add less water or if you are cooking  moong without soaking,  add water tad more than double the quantity of moong
• Close the lid of cooker and wait till 2- 6 (depending upon the quality of moong and time of soaking) whistles
• Put off the burner and let the pressure in cooker subside
• Whisk the moong with wooden whisker (Mandiyaro)
• Now take  one tsp of oil, and add  coriander powder, red chilly powder , garam masala powder and let it  sizzle for 2-3 seconds
• Add this tempering to the boiled moong , and add amchoor powder , mix properly and add some water if required
• Let it simmer for few minutes and adjust the seasoning if required
• Makhni Dal Recipe is given here

To Garnish:

• Boiled, peeled and chopped Potato 1
• Boiled, peeled and chopped Beetroot 1
  
• Finely chopped onion, raw mango, Tomato  1 each
• Coriander leaves
• Tamarind chutney and Green chutney(Coriander and mint chutney), either or both   1 tsp per serving
  

To Serve :

In a serving bowl, add few spoons of  moong, top it with some Dal , garnish it with chopped veggies and tamarind (and/or) green chutney and finally some chopped coriander leaves. Serve it with Rotis, phulkas or Koki