RASAM VADA / RASSA VADA

A South Indian appetizer made of fried lentil balls soaked in a tangy soup of tamarind and tomatoes.

This recipe can be divided into two steps.
The  first is the preparation of the RASAM/SOUP  and the second is the preparation of  the VADAS.


 STEP I                                      
                                                                RASAM


INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp toovar dal/pigeon peas
2-3 medium sized ripe tomatoes
a small lemon sized ball of tamarind

2-3 cloves of garlic crushed finely
1/2-1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp haldi/turmeric powder
1/2 tsp hing powder/ asafoetida

1tsp jeera/cumin seeds
1 tsp pepper
Grind the pepper and jeera to fine powder

Jeera and pepper powder

Salt to taste
1 -2 tbsp coriander leaves

METHOD.

• Boil the dal till it is very soft and keep aside.

  

  Boiled daal

• In about 300 ml water, add chopped tomatoes and tamarind and boil till the tomatoes become soft.
  
• Mash the tomatoes well and filter the mixture.

  

  Tomato and Tamarind Paste

  

  Filtered Mixture

• Add a litre of water to the filtered mixture.
• Add mashed daal, crushed garlic, curry leaves, haldi, chilli powder,hing and salt and boil well on medium flame.
  
• Reduce the flame and add the jeera and pepper powder

• Bring to a light boiling point and remove from the stove
• Add chopped coriander leaves .
• Temper with mustard , jeera and hing and cover the vessel with a lid

  

  Tempering for the Rasam

THE RASAM IS NOW READY : )     

                                                                                                                    
STEP II
                                                        VADA
INGREDIENTS

1 cup udad dal/ black gram daal
1/2 tsp pepper corns 
salt to taste
a few bits of fresh coconut( optional)
Oil for deep frying

 METHOD

• Soak the daal for 3-4 hrs.

  

  Soaked Udada dal

• Drain the water and grind to a fine smooth paste adding very little water. (Approx less than 3/4 cup.)
• Grind on a slow speed adding water little at a time .
• The paste will be light and fluffy.

  

  Ground Dal

• Keep aside for 15-20 mins.
• Add salt , pepper, coconut pieces and mix well.

  

  Ready To Be Fried

• Heat oil in a deep pan /kadai .
• Drop the paste into the oil in the form of small balls
  
• Fry to a golden yellow colour .

  

  Ready For The Rasam (Or Straight into The Mouth)

• Now drop them into the hot rasam and allow to soak for about 15-20 mins.

  

  Rasam Vada

• Serve hot.

  

ENJOY THE SPICY AND TANGY RASAM VADAS !!! 

 

 POINTS TO REMEMBER

While grinding the dal grind at the lowest speed and add very little water . (Just enough to run the mixer/grinder..
Add water little by little .
The vadaas can be fried immediately also, but  I find that when the paste is set aside for some time, the  vadas turn out crispy and light.
A few chopped curry leaves and finely chopped ginger can be added to the vada batter.

WARNING :)
The crucial stage is saving the vadas before they get soaked in the rasam (from hungry mouths hovering around the fried vadas.)

 

JUST PLAIN DAAL

This is a favourite in my home.
A plain bland daal to go with steamed rice.
This is the simplest form of daal that I make . Very easy to make and very tasty

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup toovar daal / pigeon peas
1 1/2 -2 tbsp ghee/clarified butter
1 tsp jeera/cumin seeds
1/4 tsp hing / asafoetida
2-3 green chillies slit or chopped
1'' piece ginger finely crushed
1/2 tsp haldi /turmeric powder
a few curry leaves
salt to taste


METHOD

IN GOES THE JEERA AND HING

FOLLOWED BY GREEN CHIILIES AND CURRY LEAVES

THEN COMES THE GINGER AND HALDI

AND FINALLY THE MASHED DAAL

• Pressure cook the dal till soft.
• Mash it well and keep aside.
• Heat ghee in a pan.
• Add jeera and hing.
• Then add the green chillies and curry leaves.
• Fry for some time till the chillies change colour .
• Add crushed ginger and haldi and mix well. 
• Add the daal, water and salt and boil well .
• Garnish with coriander leaves
• Serve hot with steamed rice with a generous amount of ghee.
•  A few drops of lemon juice and pickle will enhance the taste but it is left to your palate.

 POINTS TO KEEP IN MIND

Do not replace the ghee with cooking oil.The flavour to the dish comes from the ingredients fried in ghee .
You may also notice that I have used more of turmeric powder here and not just a pinch.
Do not make the daal watery.  It should be like a thick gravy.

ADAI / MIXED LENTIL CREPES/ MIXED DAL DOSA

This is a recipe with high protein content as it contains four varieties of dals .
It is very wholesome and very filling.
 Adai is served with avial but you can use any chutney of your choice as a dip.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup chana dal / bengalgram dal
1 /4 cup toovar dal / pigeon peas
1/4 cup moong dal / green gram dal
1/4 cup udad dal / blackgram dal 
 1 cup rice
SOAK ALL THE DALS TOGETHER AND THE RICE SEPARATELY FOR ABOUT 4 HRS.

 1/2 tsp jeera/ cumin seeds
1 large onion
2 red chillies
a pinch of hing /asafoetida  
a pinch of turmeric powder
salt to taste
FOR  TEMPERING

2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp chana dal
a few curry leaves
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
a few curry leaves  

METHOD

• Grind the soaked dals  coarsely.
• Grind the rice to a fine paste along with red chillies and hing .
• Add salt, turmeric powder, jeera, finely chopped onions and mix both the pastes.
• Heat about 2tsps oil . Add mustard seeds, chana dal and curry leaves. Finally add chilli powder and mix it with the ground paste.
  
• Add finely chopped onions and mix well.
• Keep aside  for 15-20 mins
• You can also start making the adais immediately, but I find that it tastes better when allowed to stand for some time.
• Heat a girdle/tawa and spread the adai in a  thick circular shape.
  
• Add oil at the sides and and cook on  medium heat till golden in colour.
• Flip on the other side ,add a little oil and cook till done.
  
• Serve hot with AVIAL or chutney.

 

PALAK DAL / SPINACH IN LENTIL

INGREDIENTS

1/2 CUP TOOR DAL/ YELLOW  LENTIL
1 BUNCH PALAK LEAVES/SPINACH
1 LARGE ONION
2 MEDIUM SIZED TOMATOES
1" PIECE GINGER
1/2 tsp JEERA/ CUMIN
1/2 TSP MUSTARD
1/2 TSP RED CHILLI POWDER
1/4 TSP HALDI POWDER
1/4 TSP HING
2-3 TBSP OIL
SALT TO TASTE

METHOD.

• Boil the dal till soft and mash well.
• Heat oil in a pan.
• Add jeera and mustard.
• When the mustard splutters, add chopped onions and crushed/grated ginger.
  
• When the onion turns transparent ,add chopped tomato,salt and fry till the oil separates from the sides. 
• Add haldi and chilli powder and saute for a min.
  
• Add the chopped palak  and mix well.
  
•  Cook till the palak becomes soft.
• Do not add water. 
  
• Now add the cooked dal along with some water and boil well till you get the required thickness.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  .
• 
  

This dal can be served with Rotis or plain steamed rice.

RidgeGourd Hot Chutney/ Heerekai Bisi Chutney/TURAYI KI CHUTNEY

INGREDIENTS

1 medium sized ridge gourd
1 cup boiled toovar dal/pigeon peas
2-3 green chilies
3 tbsp grated coconut
3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
a pinch of turmeric/ haldi
salt to taste

FOR TEMPERING
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp udad dal/ black gram dal
a pinch of hing
a few curry leaves

• PREPARATION
• Scrap the skin of ridge gourd and chop into medium sized pieces
• Boil the ridge gourd along with green chilies
• Boil the dal with a pinch of turmeric with just enough water to cook it.
• Allow it to cool.
• Grind the ridge gourd,green chilies, coconut,coriander leaves and salt.
  
• Then add the cooked dal and grind.
  
• Heat a pan of oil and add mustard.
• When it splutters add the udad dal
• After a few secs add hing and curry leaves.
  
• Add the ground paste and lower the flame.
  
• When it just begins to boil , remove from flame and serve with rotis or chapatis
  

SABBASIGE TOVVE / DILL AND LENTILS

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch sabbasige/dill leaves
1/4 cup yellow lentils/toovar dal
3-4 tbsp freshly grated coconut
2-3 green chilis
a pinch of turmeric/hadi
1tsp mustard
a pinch of hing/asafoetida
salt to taste
oil for tempering

METHOD
Boil the dal/lentils and keep aside. Wash and finely chop the  dill  leaves along with chopped green chilies and turmeric. Add   the boiled dal/lentils, salt grated coconut and boil.
Temper with mustard and hing.
Can be served with rice or chapatis.

BISI BELE BHATH

Bisi Bele Bhath which means Hot Lentils and Rice is a dish from Karnataka.. It is a complete meal in itself as it contains rice, dal and a mix of vegetables.
Here I have shared a quicker way of making this dish,
Though it sounds very complex, it's very easy to make.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup rice
1 cup toovar dal (pigeon peas)
3-4 cups of mixed vegetables (beans, carrot, potaoes, peas etc)
Chop the vegetables into large cubes to prevent them from getting overcooked.

• SPICES USED

3-4 cloves ( laung/lavang)
1 1/2'' piece of cinnamon  (dalchini)
1 small cardamom (elaichi)
1 1/2-2tsp sambar powder
1 tsp coriander powder(dhania powder)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder(haldi)
1/4 tsp asafoetida ( hing)
salt
2-3 tsp Tamarind pulp
Curry leaves

FOR TEMPERING
6-7 tsp oil
3 tbsp groundnuts
1 tsp mustard
1/4 tsp asafoetida (hing)
3-4 whole red chilies
Curry leaves
2 onions, sliced
2 tomatoes finely chopped

METHOD

• Add about 5 cups of water to a pressure cooker and add rice, dal , vegetables, 1 tsp salt, turmeric powder and cook till you get one whistle.

• Meanwhile fry the cloves, cinnamon and cardamom in a drop of oil and powder them.

• In a vessel add a cup of water, the powdered spices, turmeric powder, sambhar powder ,coriander powder,1tsp salt ,asafoetida (hing) curry leaves and boil well till the raw smell of the powder is gone. You will get a nice aroma of the spices.

• Check your pressure  cooker now. The presuure would have subsided and you may be able to remove the lid. Check to see that the dal is cooked.

•  Add a cup of water and mix lightly. The rice should not turn to a paste.

•   Mix the  spiced up tamarind water and simmer. 
• Add water to make the mixture of a medium pouring consistency. Stir occasionally, but always be careful not to mash up the rice. Check the taste now. You can then adjust the sourness and spice (chili) in your  tempering.

• Heat oil. Add the groundnuts, mustard and  hing.  When the mustard splutters, add the red chilies and curry leaves
• . Add the sliced onions and saute till they become transparent .
•  Add the chopped tomatoes and salt and fry till  the water starts evaporating from the  tomatoes and the oil  starts leaving the sides . You can add an extra tomato if you want the rice mix to be  sour. Remember you have checked the mixture before!! 
•  Add sambhar powder or chili powder as per your requirement and mix this to the rice mix.

The whole mix should be semi solid in consistency.

Serve with papads and fried chilies and sandige . (These are sun dried products easily available in the super markets)

SANDIGE MENASU, HAPPALA , ARALU  SANDIGE

PUMPKIN SAMBHAR AND PUMPKIN SKIN CHUTNEY/

PUMPKIN SAMBHAR

INGREDIENTS

2- 3 cups pumkin cut into large cubes

1 cup toovar dal ( yellow lentil )

2 tbsp grated coconut

2-3 tsp sambhar powder

1-2 tsp tamarind paste

1/4 tsp haldi (turmeric powder)

A sprig of curry leaves

1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)

Salt to taste

METHOD

Cook the pumpkin in a vessel ,by adding a little salt. Pressure cook the dal by adding turmeric powder. Blend the dal well . Grind the coconut, sambhar powder and tamarind paste to a fine paste. Mix the dal and the ground paste to the cooked pumpkin and boil well along with salt and curry leaves.

Temper with mustard seeds, red chilies, hing and curry leaves.

                                              PUMPKIN SKIN CHUTNEY

INGREDIENTS
1 cup pumpkin skin, chopped
1 1/2 tsp udad dal( black gram)
1/2 tsp coriander seeds (dhania)
1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)
3-4 tbsp grated coconut
tamarind paste
salt to taste

METHOD
In a drop of oil fry the udad dal, dhania , hing and green chilies. Add salt and saute for a few mins till the pumpkin skin becomes soft. Grind along with coconut and tamarind water.
Temper with mustard,udad dal, hing and curry leaves in a tsp  of coconut oil or any other cooking oil.