Green pea usal ( Dried green peas cooked with Indian spices)

Green pea usal ( Dried green peas cooked with Indian spices)
I had this notion that 'usal' meant our 'sundal' & was thus expecting a sundal type of dish , but was delighted to find that the end product turned out to be a dry gravy sort of dish , just the perfect accompaniment for my chappatis! what more in just 10 mins the cooking was over!!:)) I have bookmarked this one for it does not call for the usual ginger-garlic paste, but tastes yum & is loaded with fibre!;) And...... it can cooked in 10 mins! there! are you convinced now to try it out t in your kitchen too?;))) The recipe is from my 'dal roti' cookbook.

Ingredients:
Dried green peas - 1 cup, soaked overnight , pressure cooked & drained, onion - 1, chopped, tomato ( big) - 1/2, chopped, chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsps, grated fresh coconut - 2 1/2 tbsps, chilli powder - 1 tsp, coriander powder - 1/2 tsp, cumin powder - 1/2 tsp, turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp, salt to taste, cumin seeds - 1 tsp ( level), oil - 3 tbsps, sugar - a pinch ( this is just to balance out the flavours).

Method:
Heat the oil in a pan & season with the cumin seeds. Add the onions & fry till the onions turn translucent. Then add the tomato , chilli pwd, coriander pwd, turmeric pwd, cumin pwd & stir fry for a minute , sprinkling a little water if necessary. Then add the green peas, coriander leaves , salt, grated coconut,sugar & stir till the peas are well coated with the masala paste. Now pour in about 1/2 cup of water or just enough to cover the peas & cook on medium flame till the peas form a semi dry gravy . Serve hot with chapatis or puris:)
Recipe source: Mrs Vimala Patil . If you have the dhana-jeera powder, go ahead & use it, for that is what the original recipe calls for! Since i don't have it in my kitchen, i replaced it with equal amts of coriander & cumin powder.


Today's 'En veetu samayal' - Chappatis served with green pea usal:)

Falooda

Falooda
Another recipe which is synonymous with Indian dessert!! Not only does this drink taste good, but it is also considered to be good for our health due to the sabja seeds used in the drink! I also replaced the falooda sev with the bean thread noodles & found that it did not make much difference taste wise! Kate this recipe is for you:) In case you want to make the falooda sev from scratch , just let me know & i will post Mallika badrinath's recipe for you.

Ingredients:
Rose milk syrup - 1/4 cup, cold milk - 1 cup,sabja seeds - 1 1/2 tbsps, soaked for about half an hour , bean thread noodles - a handful, vanilla ice cream - a scoop.
Method:
Add the mung bean threads to boiling water & boil for a minute till they become soft & transparent. Drain & rinse under cold running water & reserve. In the serving cup first pour in the rose milk syrup, then pour in the milk gently down the sides of the cup, add in a tbsp of the cooked vermicelli & 1 1/2 tsp of sabja seeds. Do not stir! Top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream & serve immediately!
Falooda sev:

Mrs Mallika Badinath's recipe for Falooda sev :

Mix 1/2 cup cornflour very well in 1 cup of water till well blended. Bring the mixture to boil over low heat , stirring continously & continue cooking till it turns into a thick dough. Fill the mixture into idiyappam press & press to form sev into a bowl filled with ice water . The falooda sev must be preserved in the cold water until used.
Kate this one is for you, enjoy:)

Minced meat seekh roll

Minced meat seekh roll
I had run out of tomatoes & was wondering what to cook for lunch! It was then that i came across this sanjeev Kapoor's recipe. It turned out to be so delicious that for once even the poor eater ate more than the usual quota of rotis & agreed that it was not only light & delish but at the same time quite filling too!;)) As for me i over ate as usual!;))) & i have decided to skip......................... .................................... my evening cup of tea!! So you thought it was dinner that i was planning to skip???!! no way!!:)) ha!ha!ha!
Ingredients:
Cooked chappatis - 8, green chutney - 1/2 cup, chaat masala - 1 1/2 tsp, coriander leaves - half a bunch , chopped, mint leaves - half a bunch, eggs - 2, lightly beaten with a pinch of turmeric & salt to taste( opt),
onion - 1, sliced, carrot - 2, cut into match sticks, green chillies - 2, chopped( i used fresh red chillies)

For the kebabs:
Minced meat - 300 gms, onion ( large) - 1, finely chopped, green chillies - 2, finely chopped, chopped coriander leaves - 3 tbsps, turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp, chaat masala - 1 1/2 tsp, garam masala - 2 tsps, ginger - 1 inch piece, ground to a paste, salt to taste, oil for shallow frying.
Take all the ingredients in a large bowl & mix ( using fingers)till well blended, cover & allow to marinate for about two hours. Now shape into long rolls, shallow fry or grill till golden & cooked through. Drain & reserve.

For the green chutney :
Here i took the easy way out !;) Instead of preparing the chutney from scratch , this is how i did it.
Chutney podina masala ( MDH brand ) - 2 1/2 tsp, plain yogurt - 1 /2 cup.
Combine the yogurt & chutney powder to form a thick smooth paste & keep aside.
For the roll:

Place a chappati on the chopping board. Brush about 2 tbsps of beaten egg on one side of it & put it on the heated tawa, the egg brushed side facing downwards. After a few seconds, remove & place it on a plate, brush with the green chutney( on the eggy side of it) , arrange some carrots, onions, mint, coriander & green chillies on one end of the roti. Place a kebab over the veggies, sprinkle some chaat masala ( generously) over the kebab & roll up the chapati to form a tight roll. Secure one end of the roti with aluminium foil to prevent the filling from spilling out & serve immediately. Repeat the same procedure with the rest of the rotis!
Adapted from Sanjeev Kapoor's recipe!
Enjoy!!:))