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.

Aloo -gobhi in pressure cooker.

Well, there is a joke, about any such mixed veggie dish-if it is aloo gobhi ,it has more potaoes less of cauliflower & if it is gobhi aloo ,it has more cauliflower & less of aloos. !

My vegetable recipe has no such standard.I just added aloo,gobhi ,tomato & some spices & pressure cooked it.

Ingredients : 1/4 kg cauliflower -cleaned & cut into medium sized florets,2-3 aloos -peeled & diced into big chunks,1 tomato,1/4 inch ginger -grated,1 green chilli -chopped in two -three pieces,2 tsp oil,1 tsp all spice powder ( garam  masala ) or a mixture of pepper,dhania & jeera powder,1/4 tsp haldi,1/4 hing,salt to taste.

Method : Take oil in a kadhai & put it on the gas for cooking.As the oil gets warmer ,toss aloo chunks,grated ginger & green chilli.Shallow fry for 2-3 minutes.Add haldi & hing & mix all to enable haldi & hing to nicely coat the aloo pieces.Now put in the cauliflower florets & mix all veggies once again.Lastly add tomatoes,all spice powder & salt & nicely mix.Put off the gas.

Take all this veggie mix & transfer it into a vessel which can be fitted into the cooker.Sprinkle little water & mix all together.Pressure cook for two to three whistles.Check for the veggie after the cooker has cooled down.It will have cooked well.Mine had cooked after 2 whsitles.If not ,it can be cooked outside cooker or pressure cooked for 1 whistle.This method uses little oil.Water is sprinkled on the veggie so that florets don't get overcooked & aloo pieces get cooked.

Moolangi kosambri

This is a dish which my mother makes whenever she gets fresh raddish.My neighbour gave me some fresh raddishes grown in her garden.As she has never tasted raddish salad,I thought ,why not make it & get her to taste it ?

Ingredients: 2/3 fresh raddishes ( the radishes I used were 4 as they were very small ones ).1 tbsp oil,1/4 tsp urad dal,1/4 tsp jeera,1/4tsp mustard seeds, 1 Byadgi lal mirchi,a pinch of hing,1/4 tsp haldi,1/4 lemon,salt to taste & 1 tbsp fresh dessicated coconut ( optional )

Method:Cut the leaves of the raddishes.Wash the leaves to free them from mud & dirt by soaking the leaves in a bowl of water.Similarly wash the raddishes as well.Now cut the leaves finely -you can cut away the stems also or you may discard them.Now grate the raddishes.Take a bowl & put the chopped leaves & grated raddishes in that.Prepare vagar by spluttering mustard seeds & jeera ,byadgi lal mirch,urad dal,hing & haldi.Pour this vagar on the veggies.Now squeeze the lemon.Add salt & mix all the ingredients.Garnish with fresh coconut.

This is a great accompaniment to any paratha & also any rice dish like pulao,biryani or fried rice.