Khichuri or Khichidi (Rice and Moong beans)

This is stick-to-your-bones kind of Indian comfort food that can easily be made on a busy weekday or if one can manage a healthy breakfast! It's vegan but packed with nutrients, protein and low-fat!

I feel blessed to be Indian, due to my inclination to vegetarianism. Though I like occasional chicken or seafood dish, its vegetarian that I crave for. Being vegetarian in India is probably the easiest than any other country. Your options go way, way beyond salad, meat substitutions or bread. All that without needing non-vegetarian broths or flavorings! 

Back to Kichidi or Kichuri, this is mildly spiced rice and mung beans dish that is ideal for a wintry day or evening! Finish it with a cup of Chai, you can rub your belly with joy! :)

The ingredient list for this is simple:

• 1 1/2 cup Basmati or Sona Masoori rice
• 3/4 cup Yellow mung dal (mung bean - without the green skin and halved, available in Indian grocery stores).
• 10 cashew halves
• 1 tbsp Jeera/Cumin seeds
• 1 tbsp black pepper corns
• 1/2 tsp Hing or asafoetida
• one or two sprigs Curry leaves - leaves separated
• 1 inch ginger chopped
• 1 - 2 cups mixed vegetables (optional)
• 1 tsp Garam Masala powder (optional)
• Salt to taste
• 2 tbsp cooking oil
• 2 tbsp ghee for taste and flavor

Procedure to make:

1. Wash and soak rice and mung dal for an hour. Keep aside. Though soaking is optional, the rice and dal cook well and soft if soaked.
2. Heat oil in a 5-Quart cooking pan on medium-high heat, add hing, jeera and black pepper corns. Fry for few seconds and add cashews, curry leaves and ginger. Saute for 15 seconds and add mixed vegetables and little salt. Saute for 3-4 minutes and add about 4.5 cups of water (hot water preferred). If rice and mung dal are not soaked, use 5 cups of water.
3. Cover and let the water boil. Uncover when the water is about to come to a boil. Let it cook for couple of minutes on medium heat.
4. Drain rice and dal and add to the boiling water and increase heat to medium-high. Add Garam Masala powder and mix well and let it come to boil again. Reduce heat to medium and let it cook until most of the water is absorbed. 
5. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 10 -15 minutes. Switch off the stove and wait another 5 minutes before you open the lid (the flavors need to marry and settle :))
6. Kichuri is best enjoyed hot with either some Indian mango pickle or simply yogurt!

 

Punjabi Kichdi - Rice and Mung lentil preparation, Punjabi style

Menthi Pappu - from Rathanaalaseema ~ Rayalaseema

(Pigeons peas with fenugreek seeds)

There are numerous lentils/legumes preparations all over India. One preparation stands out in the lot is this Pappu. Most of the daals in Andhra are made with incorporating some sort of greens or vegetables. But, this one is made with fenugreek seeds (menthulu/methi seeds)! I learnt this recipe from my dear friend, Veena, who is also from Rayalaseema like my extended family. This is very much unknown to me before my marriage. It almost resembles in smell and taste with plain dal mixed with Avakaya. And, this is a spicy daal. The heat from red chilies balances bitterness of fenugreek seeds. Don't even think of taming the spiciness; making this less spicy will only result an unappetizing and bitter daal.

What you need to make this pappu:

1 cup toor daal (pigeon peas)
6-7 dried red chilies
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp tamarind or 1/2 tsp tamarind paste
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
Salt to taste
1-2 tbsp cooking oil

Prep work:
Pick and wash toor daal. Soak in water. Drain and keep aside.

Method:

1. In a skillet, heat cooking oil on medium heat. Add red chilies, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds. Once a nice aroma starts coming, add toor daal. Mix well.
2. Add 2-3 cups of water. Cook until daal is almost done. Add garlic cloves, simmer for 2-3 mins.
3. Add tamarind. Cook until daal is fully done and tamarind is soft.

or, you may do this in a pressure cooker: after step 1, add water, place garlic and tamarind on top of the water so that the tamarind wouldn't touch the daal. Close the lid and cook for 3 whistles or until the daal is cooked well.

4. Remove from heat, add salt and mash well. Serve with steamed rice or roti.

Pressure-cooked Menthi Pappu

Menthi pappu served with roti and brinjal curry.My contribution for RCI - Andhra Cuisine

Baby Lima beans Curry

This is a quick to make curry, that is delicious with rice or any flat bread.

What you need to make this curry:

1 packet (around 1lb) frozen Baby Lima Beans
1 medium sized onion, chopped
2 green chilies, sliced
2-3 medium sized tomatoes
½ -1 tsp red chili powder
½ tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp chopped cilantro

For Tadka/Talimpu/seasoning:

2 tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp each, Chana dal, Urad dal (optional)
1 tsp each, mustard seeds, cumin seeds
1 sprig, curry leaves

Grind to paste:
1-inch ginger piece
2 cloves garlic

Prep Work:
Thaw frozen baby lima beans by leaving the packet in tap water for 30 minutes.
Peel ginger; make a coarse paste of ginger and garlic.

Method:

• In a saucepan, heat oil; add the tadka items in the order given, one by one. Once the mustard seeds stop spluttering, add chopped onion, green chilies, and turmeric powder. Sauté for 2-3 minutes or, until the onions become translucent.
• Add tomatoes, lima beans, salt and red chili powder. Mix well and cook covered on medium heat until the tomatoes cooked well to a pulpy consistency.
• Add ginger-garlic paste, mix well. Adjust salt. Cook for another 3 minutes on low heat.
• This curry should not be very runny. If it is, cook uncovered for 5 min, stirring.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro.

Note: If using store bought ginger-garlic paste, add it along with onions rather than at the end. Same applies for pre-made, refrigerated one.

Lentils and Kale Pappu (Andhra Style Preparation of Lentils and Kale)

Victor Hugo was right when he said, "Necessity is mother of invention".
We lived in a small city in US, few years back; it was very hard to find Desi greens. So, I started incorporating the fresh greens that we get in mainstream market into my Andhra cooking. That’s when this ‘pappu’ happened. My initial trials with regular ‘kandi pappu’ (toor daal or pigeon peas) were not that exciting. The strong flavor (smell) of Kale completely overpowered delicate flavored toor daal. My search for a legume that can absorb Kale’s flavor without sacrificing its own flavor came to an end when I made lentil-kale soup. Wonderful! Lentils compliment Kale very well. I moved ahead and made this pappu. Ever since, I stayed faithful to this combo and make it often. This became one of my comfort foods. Try it and let me know.


What you need to make this Kale Pappu:

2 cups brown lentils
1/2 medium sized onion
1-2 green chili (optional)
1/2 bunch Curly leaf Kale
3 cloves garlic
2 small segments of tamarind or ½-1 tsp tamarind paste
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2-1 tsp paprika or red chili powder
Salt to taste

For popu (tadka/seasoning):

1-2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tsp each, chana dal, urad dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves
½ tsp hing or asafetida

Prep Work:

Wash lentils well and soak for one hour. Discard this water.
Dice onion, slice jalapeno.
Kale – Wash kale well, take the veins out carefully and chop finely (not too fine).
Pound garlic cloves slightly.
Tamarind – if using dried segments, soak for 30 minutes, mash well and take pulp out.

Method:

• In a saucepan, boil lentils in 4-5 cups of water, occasionally mixing.
• When the lentils are halfway done, add onion, green chilies. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until onions become soft.
• Add kale. Cover and cook on a low flame for 6-7 minutes or until kale is cooked well (meaning, kale can retain its shape, not mushy), and the lentils are well cooked.
• Add garlic cloves and tamarind. Make sure that lentils are well cooked.
  

  Or, in a pressure cooker, add lentils, water, onions, green chilies, kale, garlic cloves, and tamarind. Make sure the tamarind is not touching lentils; otherwise, lentils won’t be well done. Cook until 2-3 whistles depending on the cooker you are using.

• Add salt, turmeric, paprika or red chili powder. Mash well to form a coarse paste. Please do fancy with the ideas of using blender or mashing it into a homogeneous paste.
• Now, move to popu step. In a small sauté-pan, heat cooking oil, add all popu items one by one in the order mentioned. When the mustard seeds stop spluttering, add this popu to the mashed mixture. Mix well and return the pappu to low flame and cook for 2 mins.Serve with roti or boiled white or brown rice.

 

 

Left: Pappu without tadka, before mashing. Right: Lentils and Kale Pappu
My Contribution to JFI-Green Leafy Vegetables

Kale and Lentils Soup

This is a nutritious soup and one of my favorites.

What you need to make this Soup:

6 cups vegetable broth
1.5 cups brown lentils
1/2 bunch Curly leaf Kale
1 tbsp butter or cooking oil
1/2 medium sized onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 stalk celery, diced
2 carrots (optional), diced
a pinch paprika or red chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
Salt to taste
A very small pinch of nutmeg powder (optional)

Prep Work:

Wash lentils well and soak for one hour. Discard this water.
Kale – Wash kale well, drain, take the veins out carefully and chop finely (not too fine)

Method:

• In a saucepan, heat butter or oil. Add bay leaves, and garlic, sauté for a minute.
• Add onions, carrots, celery, little salt and sauté for 3 minutes or until the onions become translucent.
• Add broth and lentils. Let it boil.
• When lentils are cooked halfway, add kale, paprika or red chili powder, black pepper powder, and nutmeg powder. Simmer until the lentils are well done.
• Pick and discard bay leaves.

You may serve the soup as it is with Avocado or blend it and serve as a creamy soup, garnished with a teaspoon of heavy cream.