Simple Chickpea and Mung Salad

There are days when you feel like eating the most simple and nutritious things in life, and naturally, the first thing that comes to your mind is a Salad. There are loads of salad dressings available in the market these days, but if you closely look at the labels on them, you'll find they are not always less in calories. It's best to stick to simple and traditional home-dressings when you are trying to fill yourself up with something nutritious. Here's my favorite salad, which I call a bowlful of protein, as it's made of lentils, spinach and peppers, no fancy dressing, no additional pizzazz, just plain old simple Indian salad!


Ingredients
2 cups of washed fresh spinach leaves
2 cans of boiled chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
2 cups of boiled green mung beans
1 green or yellow bell pepper
1 small onion - chopped finely
1 green cucumber - diced
1/2 cup of lemon juice
1 firm tomato - chopped finely
salt and pepper - to taste
chaat masala - to sprinkle on the top
a handful of coriander leaves - chopped

Method
Mix all the ingredients except the spinach leaves in a large bowl and add the lemon juice to it. Let it refrigerate covered for at least half an hour, allowing the lentils to soak the lemon juice.

Before serving, add the spinach leaves, salt, black pepper powder and chaat masala and toss well so it is evenly combined. Add finely chopped coriander leaves and serve immediately!

This Chickpea and Mung salad is a healthy and highly nutritive salad, and can keep you full for quite some time, thanks to all the protein and fiber content that it has!

Gujarati Dal (Healthy Lentil Soup)

Gujarati Dal is famous for its spices, and the distinct taste of sugar; never before has sugar & spice tasted so great together! The traditional Gujju Dal is made from Tuver dal, and characteristically uses ingredients like Kokum, cloves, peanuts, sugar and methi, which give it a subtle flavor. This is one "no onion, no-garlic" recipe that will be cherished for ages, by Gujaratis(people from a state in western India) and non-gujaratis alike! It is a highly versatile recipe - you can modify it to suit your taste-buds. Healthy and filling at the same time, it can be consumed by itself as a Lentil Soup, or can be paired with rice or rotis for a complete meal. Anyway you eat it, you are sure to enjoy the taste of authentic Gujarati Dal!

Ingredients
2 cups Tuver Dal
10-12 raw peanuts
1 tsp each of mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1/2 tsp methi seeds(dried fenugreek)
2-3 cloves (lavang)
5-6 curry leaves
3-4 pieces of dried kokum
1 tsp ginger-green chili paste
a pinch of asafoetida (hiing)
salt - to taste
sugar or jaggery - to taste
1 tsp red chili powder
2 tsp coriander powder(dhana-jeeru powder)
lemon juice - to taste
1/2 tomato - chopped
3 tbsp coriander - chopped

Method
Take the tuver dal and pressure cook it (covered upto 5 whistles) with a little extra water to make it soft. Add the peanuts, jaggery and kokum in the cooker along with the dal.

Now take a saucepan, add some mustard and jeera seeds, black cloves, and a pinch of asafoetida. When the seeds start to splutter, add the cooked dal in the pan. Use a hand blender to make a thick soup and add water to achieve the consistency you like.

Now add salt, sugar, lemon juice(to taste), and all the dry spices. Add curry leaves, chopped tomatoes, green chili-ginger paste, half of the chopped coriander and bring the mixture to a boil. Then lower the flame, cover partially, and let it cook for another 8-10 mins.

Garnish with the remaining coriander leaves. Serve the traditional Gujarati Dal with a hot plate of Jeera Rice!

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Moong Dal Kachori (Stuffed Lentil Baskets)

My mom used to make really delicious Crispy Moong-Dal Kachoris, and I still remember what a glutton I used to be when I ate those! of course, I could never have enough of these, or the lilva kachoris, their second counterpart. But then, crisp and flaky on the outside, and warm and flavorful on the inside, you just can't stay away from Kachoris! Do I sound like a commercial? guess what, once you try the recipe below, you'll start promoting it yourself! I've used moong-dal, or yellow (split-pea) dal as a filling, but you can experiment with peas, tuver dal, or even any other lentil of your choice. It looks like hard work, but believe me, its totally worth the effort! Flavored with lentils sauteed in spices, and complete with raisins and shredded coconut to add that extra punch, these Moong Dal Kachoris are a treat to the eyes and the tongue!

Ingredients

For the Kachori Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour or whole grain white flour
1 tbsp semolina (fine rava)
4 tbsp warm melted ghee (clarified butter)
salt - to taste
1/2 tsp lemon juice
hot water - to knead the dough
oil for frying kachoris

For the Filling
2 cups Moong Dal - soaked for at least 2 hours
1 tspn cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tspn carom seeds (ajwain) or saunf
1/2 tspn asafoetida (hing)(optional)
1 tspn turmeric powder (haldi)
1 tspn red chilli powder
2 tbsp green chilli-ginger paste
1 tbsp grated coconut
1 tbsp coriander - finely chopped
a bunch of raisins (optional)
2 tspn sugar
2 tbsp oil
salt and lemon juice - to taste

Method
Take the Moong Dal and let it soak in water for at least 3-4 hours.

For the kachori, mix the salt, semolina, lemon juice and flour together and add the warm ghee to it. Mix well so that the entire flour is oiled and forms crumbles. Now knead it using warm water into a firm dough(not too thin or soft, just pliable enough). The warm water and rava will help make the crust more crispy. Cover with a wet cloth and leave aside for 25-30 mins.

Now take a saucepan, add 2 tbsp oil to it, then add the cumin, carrom seeds, saunf and asafoetida. When seeds splutter, add the soaked moong dal to this, after removing all water. Season with green chilli-ginger paste, salt, lemon juice, sugar and the spices. Cook for 8-10 mins, then remove from flame. Mix the grated coconut, chopped cilantro and raisins and keep aside.

Now divide the dough into small portions, and roll each one into 3" diam. disc. Put a large spoonful of the filling into the center, then fold the dough over the filling to form a pouch and shape it into a basket from the top(as shown in the pic) You can grease your palms a little and roll the ball between them to form an even ball if that's easier. Make sure to seal the filling at the top else it will all ooze out when you fry them! Repeat for all the kachoris.

Deep Fry: Now heat oil in a wok and deep fry 3-4 kachoris at a time over low-to-medium flame till they are golden brown in color. Do not fry on high heat as they will turn brown but will be uncooked from inside.

Baked: Alternately, you can preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then place the kachoris on a large oven tray. Space them at least half inch apart and apply light margarine to them with a brush. Now bake them for 10-15 mins, then rotate the tray by 180 degrees to bake on the other side for 10 mins, or till the surface becomes light brown in color.

Of course, the fried version is much tastier than the baked one, but if healthy is more important to you than tasty, you know what to choose!

Tip for Crispy Kachoris The semolina and the lemon juice help make the crust more crispy. Also, fry the kachoris on low heat, then when its time to serve, refry them or bake them on high temperature; this will also make them crispier.

Lay out your beautiful Moong Dal Kachoris on a platter. Serve hot with Green Chutney or sweet-and-sour Tamarind Chutney. I'm sending these to Dangit who's collecting Party Dishes for her daughter's first b'day!

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Crispy Vegetable Samosas
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Chana Masala (Chickpea) Sandwich - Indian Bruschetta

"Chhole" or "Chana Masala" is a popular Indian recipe for curried chickpeas, boiled and cooked in a delicious tomato-onion sauce, and flavored with mild Indian spices. I love chickpeas, and I really really love Bruschetta, so its not hard to guess how this beautiful Chhole Sandwich aka "Indian Bruschetta" was born! It was a totally on-the-spur-of-the-moment appetizer that I cooked up one night, making use of some leftover chickpeas topped on grilled bread, with some tomatoes, basil, cilantro and parmesan cheese. But it was such a successful experiment that I am sure I'll be making this more often! I was actually quite surprised at how presentable it looked too! But looks apart, this is one of the tastiest open sandwiches one could eat, even if you don't have an Indian palate. In fact, I actually liked this Indian Chickpea Bruschetta version more than a traditional Italian Bruschetta!! now isn't that something?!!

Ingredients
4 slices of wheat or white bread
8 tbsp chhole (curried chickpeas) - recipe below
4 tbsp fresh firm tomatoes - chopped finely
2-3 tbsp shredded cheese (parmesan or mozarella)
salt & pepper - to taste
fresh or dried basil - to taste (optional)
some finely chopped cilantro

Chhole (Chana Masala - Curried Chickpeas)
2 cans boiled chickpeas
1/2 onion - chopped finely
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp tamarind sauce mixed with 1/4 tsp sugar
2 tbsp yogurt (optional)
1 tsp ginger-garlic paste
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp garam masala or chhole masala
salt & lemon juice - to taste
water - if needed
3 tbsp oil

Method
Drain the chickpeas from the can and wash them well. Heat a saucepan, add the oil, and saute the onions till they become soft. Add the ginger-garlic paste and the tomato puree.

Next, mix the tamarind paste in the yogurt and blend well. Add this to the tomato puree. Add all the spices and the drained chickpeas, then cover and let it cook for 10-15 mins, until the chickpeas are thoroughly cooked and become soft. Check for taste, adjust salt, lemon juice and spices, then remove from heat and keep aside to cool a little.

You can cook the Chhole ahead of time and preserve it refrigerated for upto 24 hours.

Garnish your Chana Masala with some onion rings and choped coriander, and you can serve it hot with Breads or Rice.

Assembling the Chhole Sandwich
Take each slice of bread; remove the edges and cut into desired shapes if you want. Toast the bread slices in a regular toaster or in an oven for 5-7 mins at 300 deg F, till they are lightly browned and crispy.

Mix the chopped tomatoes with salt, pepper, cilantro/basil, and toss to coat well. Set aside for 5 mins to let the flavors blend.

Take the curried chickpeas; put 2 tbsp each of this mixture onto the toasted bread(you can spread a little butter if you want). Top with a spoonful of tomato mixture, then sprinkle some shredded cheese on the top. Microwave each slice for 2 mins to let the cheese melt, or you can reheat the entire batch in an oven on a cookie sheet.

Serve these delicious and beautiful Chhole Sandwiches as an appetizer or a party snack. They look great and taste great, and are high in proteins and fiber, and I can bet your guests would love this Indian take on Bruschetta!

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Handvo - Healthy Vegetable Cornmeal Cake

"Handvo" is a cherished gujarati recipe which can be called a savoury steamed vegetable cornmeal cake, and is filled with several nutritious ingredients. The flour used in Handwo generally consists of corn, rice and chana dal(lentils). It is then combined with yogurt, spices and healthy vegetables, then allowed to ferment before steaming in a vessel, leading to yield a soft and delicious, yet healthy snack which can be relished with chutneys or tea. It is a beautiful blend of spices, flour, fresh vegetables and yogurt to make a light snack, or in my case a fulfilling dinner!

"Handwa Flour" can be bought from any indian store, and would look like coarsely-ground idli-flour; it consists of chana dal, rawa and cornmeal, so I would recommend trying to get the actual flour first. If you simply cannot find it, then you can use yellow or white cornmeal. Please keep in mind that the latter has a typical corn flavor, which will dominate the flavor of the dish. I'm sending this traditional gujarati recipe to Pam who's hosting weekend-herb-blogging for Kalyn this week.

Ingredients
2 cups handva flour (or cornmeal, as a second option)
1/2 cup bottle gourd or zucchini
3 tsp shredded carrot
1/4 cup fenugreek leaves
1/4 cup spinach leaves (optional)
2 green chillies -finely chopped
4-5 garlic cloves - finely chopped
1/2 tsp ginger paste
3 cups buttermilk (or yogurt mixed with water)
1 tsp soda bi-carb (fruit salt)
** increase it by 1/2 tsp if you don't feel its frothy enough
1 tsp each urad and channa dal
salt - to taste
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp sugar (optional)

For Tempering
1 tsp mustard seeds
2 tsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp oil

Method
Take buttermilk in a large vessel. Add salt, soda and flour and mix well. As the mixture begins to froth, cover and set aside for 6-7 hours for fermentation.

Grate the bottle-gourd or zucchi and squeeze out all excess water. DO this after the fermentation is done, as leaving bottle-gourd in air oxidises it and makes it turn brown.

Now add all the vegetables, bottle-gourd, spices and green chillies to the flour mixture.

Heat oil in a pan, add urad & channa dals, and the mustard seeds. Allow to splutter, then pour half of it into the batter and mix thoroughly.

Steaming
Pour the mixture into a steel or aluminium container. Place in a Steam Cooker and cook like idlis, for about 25-30 mins, then check to make sure its cooked through. Remove from flame and keep it covered for another 7-10 mins. Once cooled, you can slice it into wedges.

Baking
Put in a greased oven proof deep container. Pour remaining seasoning and sesame seeds on the top. Place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Then reduce to 300 and bake for another 30 minutes until done. Check by inserting a skewer or toothpick, which should come out clean. Slice into wedges and serve hot.

Individual Pancakes
You can even drop pancake-sized portions in a greased covered cook-top sauce pan instead of the oven, and let it cook for 10 mins, or until done. Its a little time-consuming, but works great when you want to dazzle your guests!

This goes to my Healthy Cooking event, and if you haven't cooked already, please do share you healthy recipes with us for the winner gets a copy of Pam Anderson's new cookbook!

Serve the Handvo with cilantro chutney or tamarind chutney; for me, I'll gladly have it with a cup of Masala Chai!

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Sprouted Bean & Lentil Salad - Healthy & Tasty

Summer means more time at the beach, which in turn means getting into shape as soon as you can! Joining the "eat healthy" bandwagon, the Sprouted Bean & Lentil Salad has become my current favorite as weeknight dinners, at least twice a week. A healthy diet should include a mix of essential nutrients, a primary one being Proteins. And for vegetarians, beans, legumes and lentils are the best way to fill up on your protein needs. I love this salad because it's easy to prepare, tastes really great, and is extremely filling! Sprouted beans are combined with chopped veggies and flavored with fresh herbs and spices to help you get the best of "tasty & healthy". Customize it to suit your liking, or enjoy this summer salad the way I like it!

Lentils are a great source of protein, calcium, and are also rich in fiber. They have a unique flavor when you sprout them, and they can fill you up in no time, which works perfectly for diet plans and portion control. Garbanzo Beans (also called chickpeas) are a good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, and also help keep your blood-sugar under control.

For my salad, I used Horsegram Dal, but you can use any other legume of your choice. I made a mild sweet and sour tamarind sauce, which was used as a dressing for my salad. I added sprouted Green Mung, along with chickpeas and other veggies, and sprinkled some spicy chaat masala and cilantro to add a zing to the sweet and tangy chutney dressing. I had never eaten sprouted horse-gram before, and I was really skeptical about how it would taste, but this salad came out great, and now its become one of my favorite salad recipes!

Ingredients

1/2 cup horsegram dal
1/2 cup whole green mung
1/2 cup boiled garbanzo beans
1 tomato - finely chopped
1/2 onion - finely chopped
1/2 cucumber - finely diced (optional)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro - finely chopped
salt - to taste
black pepper - to taste

For Dressing
3 tbsp tamarind chutney
lemon juice - to taste
2-3 tsp chaat masala

Method
Soak the horsegram and whole green mung in 2 containers in sufficient water overnight. Cover with a lid and allow them to swell-up. Then remove the water from the containers, cover with a damp cotton cloth or kitchen towel, and allow them to sprout, probably another 6-8 hours. You can even use a sprouter for doing this. The sprouted beans can be dried and stored in an air-tight box or zip-lock bags in the refrigerator for 5-7 days.

Now mix all the ingredients for the salad in a large bowl, except cilantro. Add the salt, and black pepper to it and let it sit for 5-10 mins.

Meanwhile prepare the tamarind chutney, or you can use the store-bought one. If you are not a tamarind-person, you can easily omit it and use only lime juice for the dressing.

Add the dressing to the salad, taste and add any more spices as required. Finally sprinkle a generous helping of chaat-masala, again, according to your taste. Chaat Masala is merely a blend of spices and adds a fresh taste to your food, so don't be afraid of using it! Top it with chopped cilantro.

Enjoy this healthy Sprouted Lentil Salad on its own, or top it on a slice of bread. Combine with a glass of orange juice and you are all set for a healthy and tasty dinner indeed!

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