Parupusili - Protien rich dish

 Lentil crumble, Parupusili is a high protien nutritious side dish which is rich in protien. It can be made plain and also mixed with a few veggies that enhance the taste. In general the parupusili that is made in marriages and big functions are a bit soft but at home when the quantity is less you can make it fried as per your need. But as a house hold we prefer soft parupusili. 

The process my mom used to make is quite lengthy and during the early days of marriage I used to dread a lot to make it. But when I learnt the quick way it became a regular in our home. Mom used to steam the dal mixture after grinding the batter then crumble it and then make the parupusili. Some parupusili calls for just moong dal too. 

Plain Parupusili

Vazhaipoo Parupusili

Beans Parupusili

Kothavarangai (Cluster Beans) Parupusili

Cabbage Parupusili

Capsicum Parupusili

Poli or Obittu

Stuffed sweet rotis made using maida or wheat or all purpose flour.

Ingredients:       

For outer Cover:

Maida or All purpose Flour or Wheat flour - 1 cup

Turmeric Powder - 1 tsp

Gingely Oil - 2 tbsp

Salt - 1 tbsp

Water as required

For Pooranam:

Bengal Gram Dal - 1 cup

Jaggery - 2 cups

Cardamom Powder - 1 tsp

Grated Coconut - 1 cup

Method:

Make a dough using maida just like chappati dough. But this should be a bit elastic in texture. Rub the dough with gingely oil and cover it with a muslin cloth and set aside for a while. In the mean time make the Pooranam. 

Pressure cook Bengal Gram Dal. Let it cool. Grind it along with cardamom powder. Make a syrup of Jaggery using 1/2 cup of water and when it boils add grated coconut and bring it to a boil in medium flame. Add the ground bengal gram and mix well. Saute well till all the jaggery is absorbed and it becomes thick. Remove and let it cool. 

Make thin chappatis from the dough. Make a ball of big gooseberry size of the bengal gram mixture. Place it in the middle of the chappati. Pull the sides of the chappati and cover the pooranam thoroughly. Flatten it again. Heat a tawa and put the poli. Pour a tbsp of oil around it to help in cooking.  Ensure both the sides are golden brown in colour. Remove from the tawa and spread ghee on both the sides. Serve hot. 

Note: The Poli will come out well and will also taste very good if the outer cover dough is let to set for atleast 2 to 3 hours the best result can be obtained when it is let to set for about 6 hours. 

Paruppu Thogayal by Malini

Pathiya Samayal Contest entry by Malini Mk

Ingredients:
1 cup of toor dal / thuvar dal
1/4 to 1/3 cup of grated coconut (optional, usually they don’t use coconut for pathiya samayal I guess)
3-4 of dry red chillies
A pinch of perungaayam
2 tbsp of oil

Salt
Heat oil in a pan add Perungayam and add the toor dal. Fry until reddish golden brown - about 3-4 mins. add the coconut Next, add the red chillies Mix well with salt. Set aside to cool completely. Grind to a coarse paste with enough water.

Paruppu Thogayal by Rajeshwari Ganesh

Pathiya Samayal Contest entry by Rajeshwari Ganesh

Ingredients:

Thuvar dal - 2 teaspoon
Pepper - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt - To Taste
Gingelly oil - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves - few

Method:
Heat oil in pan and thurdal, pepper and salt and fry till the dal turns golden brown color.
Grind this in a mixer along with curry leaves and serve with hot rice

Dal Pancharathni

Recipe for the contest entry of Party Menu - 1 posted by Rohini Renganathan

This dish is a protein packed one. Though the list of ingredients is long, but the method is very simple.

Ingredients

 ¼ cup moong dal (whole green gram)

 ¼ cup whole masoor

 ¼ cup urad dal

 ¼ cup chana dal

 ¼ cup toovar dal

 3 cardamoms

 1” inch cinnamon

 1 tsp Jeera 

 ½ cup chopped onions, 

 ¼ cup chopped tomatoes

 1 tsp dhania powder

 2 tsp chilli powder

 ¼ tsp turmeric powder

 ½ tsp jeera powder

 1 ½ tsp fennel seeds (saunf) powder

 ½ cup low fat curd (whisked)

 2 tsp oil

Method :

1.    Wash and soak the dals in warm water for at least an hour. Drain and keep aside.

2.    Add 4 cups water and cook in a pressure cooker for 15 to 20 minutes, over medium flame, till the dals are cooked.

3.    Heat the oil in a pan, add the cardamoms, cinnamon and cumin seeds and allow the cumin seeds to crackle.

4.    Add the onions and cook till they are golden brown.

5.    Add the tomatoes, coriander powder, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, jeera powder and fennel powder and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.

6.    Add the curds and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

7.    Add the cooked dals and salt and allow the dal to come to a boil.

8.    Garnish with coriander

Palakwali Dal a side dish recipe from Punjab

A special dish from Punjab for all the Palak lovers and for those who want to have changes and variety of side dish.

Ingredients:

Palakwali Dal

Palak - small bunch
Green gram - 1/2 cup
Green Chillies - 2 nos
Red Chillies - 2 nos
Garllic pods - 8 os
Onion - 2 nos
Oil - 2 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Ginger - 1 inch
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch
Asafodeita - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste

Method:
Wash and soak moong dal for about 15 mins. Pressure cook it with 1/2 spoon of salt and turmeric powder. Wash the Palak leaves and cut them into fine pieces.

Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, asafodeita, peeled and cut garlic pods and finely chopped ginger pieces. When the cumin seeds changes colour, add finely chopped onions and slit green chillies. Fry till the onions become soft and transparent. Add the palak leaves, salt and cover it with a lid. Reduce the flame and let the leaves cook thoroughly.

Mix in boiled dal and bring it to a boil. Remove from flame and add lemon juice to it. Serve hot with Phulkas and Chappatis. Can be served with hot rice and ghee too.

Dal Idly - A different kind of idly without rice

A protein rich idly which can be had even by people with diabetics.

Ingredients:
Urad Dal - 1 cup
Moong Dal - 1 cup
Rawa - 1 tbsp
Carrots - 1/4 cup (grated or diced small)
Peas - 1/4 cup
Coriander leaves - a little finely chopped
Curry leaves - a little finely chopped
Green chilly - 1 no
Red Chilly - 1 no.
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbs
Bengal gram dal - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:
Soak the dals for about 4 to 6 hours. Soak the rawa for 1 hour. Grind the dals together to a coarse paste. Add salt to it and mix the rawa to it. Let it ferment for about an hour. Add the curry leaves, coriander leaves, finely chopped green chilly, carrot and peas.

In a tadka pan add ghee and when it is hot add the mustard seeds when it splutters add the red chilly, Add it to the batter. Mix well and steam it in the idly plates.

This is a riceless idly.

Wheat Rava Pesaratru

Contest entry posted by Vijaya Venkatesh
Ingredients:
Broken Wheat (small one) 1 cup
Paasi paruppu or payatham paruppu or Green whole moong 1 cup
Green chillies 2, hing- small piece or little powder, curry leaves
red chillies 2
ginger 1 small piece Methi leaves 1 small bunch or u can add onion or grated cabbage

Soak the dal for 1 hr...if u r using whole green moong soak it for 3 hrs. Soak the broken wheat for half an hour

Method:
Grind chillies, ginger and salt first and then add moong/dal and grind it to coarse paste adding little water. Once its done, add wheat rawa and just grind it for few min.Remove the ground paste and add hing, curry leaves and add cut methi leaves/cut onions/grated cabbage. Keep aside for 1/2 an hour.

Heat a tawa and spread the paste just like dosas ..coconut chutney or mint and dhaniya chutney or milagai podi will be a good side dish.

Daal Baati

Contest recipe posted by Jyotsna Balasubramaniam.

(a) for the daal - 

toor dal, kadalai paruppu and payatham paruppu - one cup each

1 medium onion - finely chopped

1 tomato - finely chopped

Green chillies - 4 slit lengthwise

Salt - to taste

Garam masala - 1/2 teaspoon

Dhania powder - 1 tablespoon

turmeric powderRed chilli powder - to taste

tadka - jeera and hing and required oil

Pressure cook the daals adding the turmeric powder for about 4-5 whistles. 

Add oil to a kadai and give the tadka with cumin seeds and a little bit of perungaayam.Fry the onions tomatoes and green chillies..Add the cooked daals and other spices mentioned above (except turmeric powder) and simmer for 5 mins. Remove and garnish with coriander leaves.

(b) baati

atta - 2 cups

rawa - 1/2 a cup

ghee - generously

water

knead the atta and other ingredients into a dough (with little water) to make slightly harder than for rotis...

make small balls out of them and flatten them by hand..

Bake in the oven or grill for 10 mins each side..until it evenly turns brown.

Serve either baatis soaked in dal, or broken baatis immersed in dal or hot baatis and dal separately..

Note : 1. the baked baatis can also be immersed in a bowl of ghee to soften them..2. milk/yogurt can also be added to make the baati dough

Masal Vadai using Urad Dal

Masal Vadais or Masala Vadais are speciality vadais made using the same batter that is used to make Ulunthu vadai or Aama vadai with slight variations. Here is the recipe to make masal vadai using urad dal.

Ingredients:
Urad Dal - 2 cups
Curry Leaves - 1/4 cup
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Onion - 3 to 4 nos

Method:
Soak Urad Dal for about 2 hours. Grind it to a fine paste along with curry leaves, coriander leaves and salt. The dough should not be watery.

Chop onions finely. Add it to the ground dough. Make vadas using it. This makes a great evening time snack or a rainy day snack.

How to make peas and channas ready to cook easily?

If you forgot to soak any peas or channa dal for any dishes the previous night, then put channa or the peas in a flask full of boiling water or in a hot pack full of hot water for just half an hour. The Channa or the pea is ready for cooking.

Dal Lucknowi Chappati side dish

Wanted a change from the regular Dal fry or the other dal dishes. Had a few of green gram dal, moong dal etc. Suddenly remembered seeing Dal Lucknowi dish prepared in one of the cookery show.

Ingredients:                                        
Thuvar Dal - 1/2 cup
Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
Green gram Dal - 1/2 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup
Green chillies - 2 nos
Garlic cloves - 4 nos
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Red Chillies - 4 nos
Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Curry leaves - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Asafodeita - 1 pinch
Ghee - 2 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

Method:
Wash and pressure cook the dals along with turmeric powder for about 5 whistles. Let it cool, remove and mash well. Transfer it to a hard bottom vessel add salt and mix thoroughly and bring it to a boil.

Heat seasoning laddle and add ghee to it. Add mustard seeds and when they splutter add cumin seeds, slit green chillies, red chillies,  chopped garlic and saute well. Chop the curry leaves add it to the dal and pour the seasoning on top of it and mix well. Add milk and cook for just a min or two. Remove from flame, add finely chopped coriander leaves.

Can be served with hot rice or roti

Masoor Dal Soup

Ingredients:
Masoor Dal - 1 cup
Coriander leaves - 1/2 cup
Mint Leaves - 1/2 cup
Onion - 2
Tomato - 2
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Green chillies - 2 nos
Garlic - 8 pods
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Saunf - 1/2 tsp

Method:
Cut onion and tomato into fine pieces. chop coriander leaves, mint leaves too finely. Heat ghee in a pressure pan add mustard seeds and when they splutter add cumin seeds, saunf and saute for a few mins. Slit the green chillies, crush the garlic, chop the ginger finely and add it to the pan. Add onions, tomato and saute well again. Add masoor dal and 2 cups of water to it and pressure cook it for about 3 to 4 whistles. When cool mash it thoroughly. If it is thick add another cup of water and serve hot. This is a wholesome soup for a cold evening.

Lemon Dal Recipe

Ingredients:
Thoor Dal - 1 cup
Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Urad Dal whole - 1 tbsp
Red chillies - 2 nos
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds - 1/4 tsp
Garlic - 3 cloves
Asafodeita - 1 pinch
Lemon - 1 no
Curry Leaves - 1/4 cup
Coriander Leaves - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste

Method:
Pressure cook thoor dal with turmeric powder. When cooked, let it cool, mash thoroughly.

Peel and chop the garlic pods. Heat ghee in a pan and add mustard seeds, when it splutters add urad dal, red chillies, garlic cloves and cumin seeds. Add the thoor dal, salt and 2 cups of water. Cook till the dal boils. Add finely chopped curry leaves and coriander leaves.

Remove from flame and add lemon juice.

Serve it with chappati or hot white rice.

Horse gram Dal - Kollu Pappu

Ingredients:
Horse Gram - 1 cup
Shallots - 8 nos
Green Chilly - 1 no.
Red Chilly - 1 no.
Gingely Oil - 1 tbsp
Water - 1 cup
Salt to taste
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Asafodeita - 1 pinch

Method:
Soak Kollu over night or for about 8 hours. Pressure cook it for about 5 whistles. Remove and mash thoroughly (or even can grind coarsely). Add the required salt and 1 cup of water to the dal and cook it on a medium flame.

Peel and cut shallots. In a pan heat oil. Add mustard seeds and when they splutter add the cut shallots, asafodeita, green chilly, red chilly and saute for a min. Pour it on to the dal. Mix well. Serve with hot rice or Chappati.

Mixed Dal Spicy Sundal

Ingredients:
Bengal Gram Dal - 1/4 cup
Moong Dal - 1/4 cup
Cow peas (Brown) - 1/4 cup
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Green Chillies - 2 nos
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Broken Urad Dal - 2 tbsp
Asafodeita - 1 pinch
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:
Wash and pressure cook the dals. Strain the excess water if any. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they splutter add the broken urad dal, asafodeita and saute for a min. Slit green chillies and add it to the pan. Add the dals and mix well. Add the grated coconut and salt and mix thoroughly.

Makes an evening neivedhyam during Navarathri.

Mixed Dal Sweet Sundal

Ingredients:
Bengal Gram Dal - 1/4 cup
Moong Dal - 1/4 cup
Cow peas (Brown) - 1/4 cup
Cardamom - a pinch
Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
Jaggery - 150 gms
Ghee - 4 tbsp

Method:
Wash and pressure cook the dals. Strain the excess water if any. Grate or powder jaggery Heat a hard bottom shallow pan and add jaggery. Let it dissolve thoroughly. Add the grated coconut and cardomom powder and when it comes to a boil add the cooked dals.

Add ghee and mix well. This makes a great neivedhyam for Navarathri.

Parippu Curry Kerala Style

Ingredients:
Thuvar Dal - 1/2 cup
Moong Dal - 1/4 cup
Turmeric powder - 2 pinches
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Fennel seeds - 1/4 tsp
Green Chillies - 2 nos
Red Chillies - 2 nos
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Shallots - 4 nos
Curry Leaves - few
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste

Method:
Grind coconut along with 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds, 1/4 tsp turmeric powder and 1 green chilly.

Wash and pressure cook both the dals with 1 pinch of turmeric powder and 1 green chilly. When cold mash well. Transfer the cooked dal to a hard bottom pan and keep it on a low flame. Add the ground coconut paste to it and mix well. Add another 1/2 cup of water to avoid the dal from settling at the bottom.

In a seasoning pan add ghee and mustard seeds. When they splutter add cumin seeds, fennel seeds, red chillies and chopped shallots. Chop curry leaves finely and sprinkle on top of the cooked dal. Pour the seasoning on top of the curry leaves.

 Chop coriander leaves finely and add it to the cooked dal.

Mango Dal - A simple and yummy recipe

Ingredients:
Raw mango - 1 medium sized
Thuvar dal - 1 1/2 cups
Green Chilly - 2 nos
Red Chilly - 1 no
Curry leaves - a few
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
Asafodeita - 1 pinch
Turmeric Powder - 2 pinches
Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:
Pressure cook thuvar dal for 3 whitsles along with turmeric powder. Let it cool and mash well. Dice mango into very small pieces (or grate it). Cook the mango pieces with 1 slit green chilly, a pinch of turmeric powder, hing, 1/2 tsp salt on a low flame till the mango pieces become soft and tender.

Mix the mango pieces and the dal together and cook covered in low flame for about 2 mins.

In a seasoning pan add ghee and mustard seeds. When it splutters add red chilly and the remaining green chilly and curry leaves. Pour it on top of the dal. Decorate it with coriander leaves. (Add required salt after tasting the dal).

Serve with hot rice and ghee.

Parupusili - No veggies recipe

This is made either separately or with vegetables like Beans, Vazhaipoo or Kothavari kaai. Here is the recipe for plain Parupusili.

Ingredients:
Thuvar Dal - 1 cup
Bengal Gram Dal - 1 cup
Red Chillies - 6 nos
Salt to taste
Asafodeita - 1/2 inch piece
Curry leaves - 1/2 cup
Oil - 4 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Broken Urad dal - 1 tbsp

Method:
Wash and soak the dals together for about 1 hour. Drain the water thoroughly and grind it along with the other ingredients coarsely. Spreak it like idlies on idly plates or in a microwave safe bowl. Steam the mixture in cooker for about 10 mins and in microwave micro high for about 6 minutes.

Remove and let it cool. Grind the cooked idlies again. In a hard bottom pan, heat oil and add mustard seeds. When they splutter add the broken urad dal and when it turns pink add the ground mixture and saute it thoroughly. Ensure that the mixture doesnot settle at the bottom.