Moong Dal (Split Green Gram) Soup

Introduction:
I know I've uploaded many many dal recipes onto Hopchefs, but this one was by far the tastiest soupy dal I've made, so it deserves a mention. In this recipe, we will first fry/season the dal and then proceed to pressure cook the hell out of it until soft. It's all done in the cooker, using it like a wok when frying, then sealing it up for softening the dal.

Ingredients:
Moong dal - 1 cup
Green chillies, slit lengthwise - 2 med
Onion, chopped - 1 med
Ginger, chopped fine - 2" piece
Garlic, chopped fine - 5-6 pods
[you can replace the above with 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste]
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Hing (asafoetida) - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Tomato, chopped - 1 large or 3 small
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Water - 4 cups

Servings: about 6
Time: 30-45 min

Method:
Wash the dal and set aside to soak. In the meantime, heat the oil on a medium flame in the cooker. Add cumin seeds. When they sputter, add the onion, green chillies, ginger and garlic. Sautée until the onions are translucent and the garlic starts to turn brown. Add the tomato pieces, hing, turmeric and salt and fry for a few minutes. Now mix in the red chili powder. Cook for a few more minutes. Now drain the dal and add it to the cooker. Mix well and add four cups of water. Cover the cooker and place the weight on top. Cook for about 30 minutes or until you can smell the fragrance of the cooked dal. This recipe requires that you overcook the dal so it is soft. Just make sure the gas is never higher than medium so it doesn't start to burn at the bottom due to the direct heat. Turn off the stove. When the pressure has reduced to normal, garnish with chopped coriander leaves and season with more salt if required. Serve hot as soup or with chapatis and/or rice.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Spinach (or Kale/Chard/Fenugreek) Paratha

Ingredients:
Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
Spinach/Kale/Chard/Fenugreek, washed, drained and chopped - 1 cup
Green chili, chopped - 2 med
Salt - 1 tsp
Oil - 2-3 tbsp

Cooking time: 20 min
Servings: 2

Method:
If you're using frozen greens, thaw them at half power. Depending on what kind of greens, how they're frozen and how powerful the microwave is, the times will differ, but keep checking every 4-5 minutes if it's thawed all the way through, and mash lightly to help with thawing. When thawed, drain the water into a separate bowl, squeeze as much of the water out of the greens as possible.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Start adding tablespoonfuls of chopped greens while mixing continuously. The water in the greens should help in kneading the dough; for extra water use the drained greens water you set aside, but add bit by bit until the dough is of the right consistency. At this point, to avoid the dough sticking to your palms, rub them with a few drops of oil and continue kneading. Add a little flour or a little water if the dough is too mushy or not soft enough. Knead into a soft ball, set aside in a covered bowl for 10 min.

Divide the dough into six equal pieces. Heat a pan and roll each piece out as thin as possible. When the pan is hot (test with a few drops of water, they should dance on the surface), place one paratha in it. With a spatula, lightly press the sides of the paratha so that bubbles form on top and the colour starts to change. Flip over and repeat the procedure. Before turning again, spread a teaspoon of oil/ghee over the top side. Repeat with the other side, repeat with the rest of the dough.

Serve hot with yogurt, chutney and/or pickles.

Note: Spinach and fenugreek are the traditional fillings for this dish, but kale and chard could probably be substituted, which may be useful for you CSA people.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan

Daali Thoy (Toor dal)

A very simple lentil dish with lots of ginger!

Ingredients:
Toor dal - 1 cup
Ginger, chopped fine - 2" piece
Green chillies, slit lengthwise - 3 med
Turmeric - a pinch
Seasoning:
Oil - 1 tbsp
Garlic, chopped fine - 3 pods
Coriander leaves, chopped - 2 tbsp
Salt - 1 tsp

Cooking time: 20 min
Servings: 3-4

Method:
Cook the toor dal with the ginger, green chillies and turmeric almost mushy. Pressure cooking is a preferable, cooking on the stove will take longer (40 min?). If pressure cooking, use 2.5 cups for every cup of dal. When cooked, add 1/2 to 1 cup of water based on desired consistency.

Heat the oil, fry the garlic until golden brown. Season the dal with this garlic, add salt and garnish with coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice or chapatis.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan
Source: Inspired by this recipe.

Delicious cauliflower soup

I was following this recipe for gobhi parathas, and serendipitously created a soup while doing so.

Ingredients:
Cauliflower, shredded (fresh or frozen) - 2 cups
Green chillies, chopped - 2 medium
Ajwain (carom) seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp or to taste
Coriander leaves, chopped - 1 tbsp

Cooking time: 10-15 min
Servings: 1-2

Method:
Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Microwave on medium power for 4-5 min. Remove and add enough water to make about 2 cups. Microwave on medium power again for 4-5 min. Let cool, then strain. Between your palms, squeeze out all the liquid from the cauliflower. The remaining solids can be used as stuffing for parathas (see recipe link above). Microwave the liquid until hot and serve immediately.

Author: Shrinkingsodacan, inspired by this Manjula's Kitchen recipe.