Cabbage beans kootu

My friend has been making kootu for quite some time.Almost once every week.I asked her for the recipe & made it myself one day.It was liked by all.I mixed tur & moong dal in equal ratio.

Ingredients : 1/4 cup moong dal ,1/4 cup tur dal, 1/2 cup chopped cabbage, 1/4 cup beans cut in 1/2 inch pieces,1-2 green chillies,1 spring of kadipatta( curry leaves ),1 tsp cumin or jeera,3-4 peppercorns,1/4 tsp haldi ,1/4 tsp hing,salt to taste

Method : Wash moong & tur dal & add the cabbage & beans to it.Add water,haldi & hing  to this mixture & pressure cook for two whistles.Then lower the flame & cook on slow gas for 5-10 minutes.Let the cooker cool.

In the mixer ,grind  coconut,green chillies,peppercorns,kadipatta & jeera till it becomes a coarse powder.One can opt to make it into fine powder.I prefer little coarse.Keep aside.

Take the dal mix with the veggies into another vessel & add the ground mixture to it.Add salt.Bring this whole mixture to a boil on the gas.The kootu is ready.It is good for rotis as also rice.

Optional : One can make seasoning of oil ,mustard seeds & red chillies to add to the kootu.I prefer kootu without seasoning as cumin,coconut & other spices are already part of the kootu.

Optional Tip : I added vagar of mustard seeds, urad dal & byadgi mirchi to the kootu though it tastes well without vagar.That is how , in the snap above, the byadgi mirchi seems to be peeping out from the kootu in the katori.

Khatta dhokla

Ingredients : 2 cups left over idli batter ( ratio :1 cup urad dal & 2 cups idli rava ),1 tbsp dahi,1 tbsp idli rava,1hari mirchi ,1/2 inch ginger ,2 tbsp oil,1/4 tsp hing,1/2 tsp eno fruit salt,1 tsp mustard seeds,1 tsp black pepper powder,few kadiaptta leaves,salt to taste.

Method :I mixed 1 tbsp dahi to the 2 cups idli batter & then realised that the consistency had become like dosa batter.So ,I added 1 tbsp idli rava.I also added 1/2 tbsp oil & salt to the batter & mixed it nicely.I left it overnight .

Next morning ,I added chilli ginger paste - either cut the hari mirch very finely & grate ginger.Another option is to pound the hari mirchi & ginger with apestle.Now mix this mirchi-adrak with the idli batter.Add 1/2 tsp eno fruit salt to the batter & mix the batter again.

In the cooker, I put water & let steam be generated .I put  a stand in the cooker.The water must be generating staem before the dhokla batter is kept in the cooker.I greased a flat bottomed vessel with oil & poured  the batter into it.I  sprinkled black pepper powder on the batter.I put on the cooker lid.I let  the dhoklas be steamed for 7-8 minutes.I then  off the gas.I took  the cooker lid off & put a knife into the steamed batter to check if the dhokla is ready .As the knife came out clean, the dhokla cake  was ready.

I prepared the seasoning or vagar by heating oil & putting mustard seeds,hing & kaddipattas into the hot oil.I poured this vagar on the steamed dhkla cake.Then, I cut the cake into dhokla pieces.

Kadhai Gobhi

I had sent in this recipe to HT cafe & it was in the weekly column "Ghar Ka Khana" on 16th April,2009.

Ingredients:250gm cauliflower cut into medium sized florets,2 carrots diced,6 beans cut into 1/2 inch pieces,1 small bowl of peas,1 large capsicum diced,1 medium sized tomato diced,1/2 inch ginger grated,1 large green chilli cut into 1/2 inch pieces,1 tbsp dhania powder,1 /2 tsp pepper powder,1 tbsp oil for cooking,1/2 tsp turmeric,1/4 tsp hing,salt to taste.
Method : Heat oil in the kadhai & add grated ginger & green chilli pieces.Then add cauliflower florets,carrots,beans & peas.Add turmeric & hing.Keep a plate filled with water on the kadhai whilst the veggies are getting cooked.Add a little water to the veggies in the kadhai to cook the veggies after 5-10 minutes of cooking.Once the veggies are tender,add capsicum.After 2-3 minutes add tomatoes followed by dhania powder,pepper& salt.After 5 minutes ,put off the gas.Garnish with coriander.

This is a sabzi wherein you can add aloos  & pyaaz also if you wish.