Uttaranchali Sabut Masoor Ki Dal (Whole Lentil broth)

A meal of Rice, Sabut Masoor ki Dal, Palak ki sabji, Sprout Salad and Coriander-Mint Chutney

Uttaranchali Sabut Masoor Dal (Whole Brown Lentil) 

Whole pulses and grains carry many nutrients which are lost during splitting the dal and removing the thin colorful layer each dal (Pulse) has. The top layer is rich in vitamin B, Thus each of us should include the whole grains and pulses in our diet. Masoor dal is light brown to dark brownish grey in color from outside and orange in color from inside. Easy to digest very good in taste this dal can be combined with many other split pulses to make a mix pulse savory (Mixed dal). Best combination is Sabut masoor dal with plain boiled rice and some green vegetable and of course coriander – mint chutney which is such an integral part of Kumaoni meal. In Kumaon onion, garlic is not used for seasoning of any dal because many people avoid onion and garlic. I wish to tell something, the reason of which I have not understood till date, is that Masoor dal (Whole/Split), onion, garlic was forbidden for widows in Kumaon along with many other taboos. Why??? Things have changed for good since my generation.

Preparation Time: 5 min.

Cooking Time: 20-25 minutes

Servings: 4 Large Servings

Nutritional value Daal made from of 150 gm Sabut Masoor (Whole brown lentil) : (Approx.) 

Energy : 190 cals. 

Fats : 4gm

Carbs : 30 gm

Cholesterol : 0 

Dietary fibers : 12 gm

Proteins : 13gm

Sugars : 3gm

Sodium : 10 mg

Potassium : 731 mg

Vitamins : folates, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Naicin B6, Pentanoic acid 

Micronutrients: Selinium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Iron, Copper. 

Due to high fiber content sabut masoor helps in avoiding constipation. 

It helps in lowering HDL and increases LDL. 

Helps in avoiding gestational diabetes. 

Ingredients Required For Making sabut Masoor dal (Whole Lentil):

• 150 gm. Whole Lentil (Sabut Masoor dal)

• 1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds

• 1 Pinch of Asafoetida

• 2-3 Whole Red Chilies

• 5 ml. Ghee

• 1 Teaspoon Jambu (Optional)

Jambu a Herb of higher region of Himalayas

• 4-5 Cloves

• 2 cm. Piece of Cinnamon

• Salt to taste

• 1/2Teaspoon Turmeric Powder

• 500 ml. Water

Directions For Making Sabut Masoor Dal:

• Clean and wash the masoor dal nicely.

• Soak washed dal in ml. water for 30 min.

• Add

• Turmeric

• Cinnamon

• 2 Cloves

• Salt

• Boil the dal and spices mixture till dal is soft to touch. (Dal should get mashed when pressed between fingers). 

Boiled Sabut Masoor

• Heat ghee in a pan and when the ghee is smoking hot, lower the flame.

• Add 
• 2-3 cloves

• Jeera (Cumin seeds)

• Whole red chilies

• Jambu

• Hing (Asafoetida).

• Cook for 30 sec. (The jambu and red chilies should become light brown in color. Wonderful aroma will come. Seasoning is ready.

Tadaka (Seasoning) for Sabut Masoor Ki Dal

• Add the seasoning (Tadaka) to boiled dal and cover the dal.

• Add water to the dal if the dal is too thick for your liking and give just one boil. 

Uttaranchali Sabut Masoor Ki Dal

• Serve hot with rice with Palak / methi / lai vegetable as side dish.

Rice, Sabut Masoor ki dal, Palak ki sabji, Sprout Salad and Coriander Mint Chutney

Tips:

• Do not boil the dal so much that it dissolves in water. The dal should be visible but soft.

• Do not add too much water. Watery masoor dal does not taste good.

• If the dal is soaked and cooked in pressure cooker then it takes 10 min. for the dal to be cooked. In open vessel it takes at least 45 min.

Suggested Variations:

• Jambu is not available everywhere therefore instead of jambu pinch of oregano can be taken.

• Though garlic and onion are not used in Kumaon in dal but sabut Masoor tastes great with the tempering of onion and garlic with predominantly garlic flavor.

• Cut finely

• One small onion

• 8-10 cloves of garlic

• 1 green chili

• 2 cm. Piece Ginger

• Shallow fry onion and garlic in hot ghee till light brown.

• Add ginger and green chili. Cook for one min.

• Add boiled dal and cook with stirring till it starts boiling.

• Remove from heat and serve.

Wine rice and Vegetable sauce

Wine Rice with Vegetable Sauce and sauteed vegetable by the side

Wine Rice and vegetable Sauce Served with Red wine

It has been a continuous learning process of learning for me in the kitchen. My first teacher in the kitchen was my grandmother and now I learn from my daughter and daughter in law as they have varied taste and keen desire to cook different dishes with their own variations. Once when I had gone to do some errands and came back tired my daughter in law had kept dinner ready and what a surprise it was to find such a unique and delicious fare laid on the table. I had to learn it and make under her supervision to get it perfect. It is a sheer delight from regular daily food and absolutely nourishing and healthy.

Preparation Time:30 min

Cooking time: 30 min. for rice, 20 min. for sauce

Servings: 4 large servings

Ingredients Required for making wine rice with sauce:

For Rice:

• 200 gm. Rice

• 200ml. Red Wine

200 ml. Red wine

• 1/2 Tea spoon Salt

• 1/2tea spoon Oregano

• 200 ml. Water

For Vegetable sauce:

• 4-5 Baby corn
  

  

  Baby Corn

• 10-15 Cherry Tomatoes
   

  

  Cherry Tomatoes

• 10-15 Mushrooms

• 1 Medium size Capsicum

• 3 Medium size  onions with green leaves

• 1 Medium size Carrot

• 3 Medium size Red Tomatoes

• 10-12 Cloves of Garlic

• 200 ml. Milk

• Salt to taste

• 2 Tea spoons chili flakes

• 1/4Teaspoon Basil

Directions For Making Wine Rice With Vegetable Sauce:

Making Wine Rice :

• Wash the rice and soak in excess water for 30 min.

• Drain all water and allow the soaked rice to dry in shade for 30 min.

Washed , soaked and shade dried rice

• Melt butter in a thick bottom wok.

Butter melting in hot wok

• Add rice in it and cook on low flame with continuous stirring till the rice becomes pinkish brown color. 

• It will take approximately 10 min. 
  

  

  Rice being fried in butter

  
  

  

  Rice before wine is to be added

• Add 200 ml. red wine and cook on low flame for 10 min.

Wine being added to roasted rice

Rice being cooked in wine for 30 min.

• Add 200 ml.water, oregano and salt and mix nicely.

Salt water herb being added to rice cooking in wine and vegetable sauce cooking by the side

Water and spices added to the rice cooking in wine

• Cover and cook on low flame till the rice is cooked to softness. Depending upon the variety of rice the quantity of water and the time taken for cooking the rice may change. So check in between every 2-3 min stir and if required add little more water.

Cooked Wine Rice

 Making Vegetable Sauce:

• Cut onions finely

• Wash and cut the baby corn to 2 cm. pieces.

• Wash and cut cherry tomatoes to half.

• Wash and cut 2-3 cm. cubes of capsicum.

Diced Vegetables

• Wash and cut carrots and red ripe tomatoes to1-2 cm. big pieces and grind them in a mixer to make soft thick puree.

• Heat oil in a thick bottom wok.
  

  

  Onion being fried in 2 tea spoon of butter

• When the oil is hot add the finely cut onions and cook on low flame till they are cooked to transparent state.

• Add finely cut garlic and cook for 2-3 min. with continuous stirring.

• Add all cut vegetables to the cooked onions and cook on high flame for 3-4 min. the vegetables will just start to get tender.

Diced vegetables added and being cooked

Vegetables ready for Tomato-Carrot puree to be added

• Add carrot tomato puree and cook for 5 min. on low flame. The carrot-tomato puree will get cooked and the color of vegetable will become nice red color.

Carrot-Tomato puree added to vegetables

Vegetable sauce and Wine rice cooking side by side

•  Add milk and red chili flakes, Basil and salt . 

• Mix and give just one boil on high flame.

• Switch off the gas.

• Vegetable sauce is ready to be enjoyed with wine rice. 

Vegetable Sauce for Wine Rice

 How to serve Wine Rice with Vegetable Sauce:

• Place a medium serving of wine rice on a plate and scoop 2-3 serving spoon of vegetable sauce on it.

• Place 2-3 sauteed baby corn, Capsicum strips and cherry tomatoes by the side.

Wine rice with Vegetable sauce

• Serve with piping hot wine rice with vegetable sauce with Red wine.

Tips:

• While draining the soaked rice make sure the grains do not break due to rough handling.

• Water should be added in little proportions to make sure that excess of water is not added.

• The vegetables should be crisp when puree is added.

Suggested Variations:

• Mushroom, Broccoli, Red bell pepper, Yellow bell pepper can be added to the vegetable sauce.

• Parsley can be taken instead of basil.

• Boiled shredded chicken pieces can be added by hard core chicken lovers.

Kadai Pulav (Fried Rice With Vegetables)

Kadai Pulav with Salad and Coriander-Mint chutney

Rice with lots of vegetables in it makes a complete meal. Fried rice is one of the best methods to make children eat vegetables. For me till date it remains the best preparation of rice. It is absolutely easy to make and tasty with all sort of nutrients accumulated in a singal dish.Beans and Nutrela provide proteins,Carrots and cauliflower vitamin A.,Onion provides sulfur and vitamin C along with Potassium. Apart from these much needed dietary fibers and micro nutrients come from these vegetables.Rice provides the carbohydrates. Thus making this dish a complete food.

Preparation Time: 15 min.

Cooking Time: 15 – 20 min

Servings: 4 Large servings

Ingredients Required for Making Fried Rice:

• 250 gm. Rice

• 50 gm. French Beans

• 50 gm. Carrots

Carrots and beans cut thin pieces

• 4-5 florets of Cauliflower

• 1Onion (medium size)(optional)

• 2 cm. Piece of Ginger

• 10-15 Nutrela

• Salt to taste

• 1/2Tea spoon Red chili powder

• 1/2Tea spoon Garam masala

• 10 ml Ghee  / Olive oil or any cooking oil

• 2-3 Sprigs of Fresh Coriander leaves

• 1/2 Tea spoon Cumin seeds

• 1-2 Bay leaves

• 2-3 cloves

• 1 Green chili

Green chilies

Direction for Making Fried Rice:

• Wash the rice and soak it in water for 20-30 min.

• Soak nutrela in water for 1 hr.

Soaked Nutrela

• Boil the rice in a container or cooker till it gets cooked but does not become extremely soft and sticky.

• Cut ginger to small pieces.

• While the rice is cooking cut the Onions long and thin

• Cut Carrots, Beans Cauliflower florets long and thin.

Vegetables and Nutrela for fried rice

Cauliflower florets cut to long pieces

• Squeeze water from the soaked Nutrela, throw the water and keep soaked nutrela aside.

• Grate ginger.

• Slice green chili from middle length wise and remove the seeds.

• Remove the boiled rice and pass lots of water through it so as to remove all excess starch from cooked rice. This will avoid cooked rice grains from getting stuck to each other.

• Keep aside the cooked rice.

Boiled Rice

• Add cut onion a long and thin.

Long thin cut Onion

• Heat ghee / oil in a thick bottom wok and when the ghee is hot add 

• Cumin seeds

• Bay leaves and 

• Cloves and cook for 30 sec.

• Add grated ginger,onion and green chili.Cook on low flame till they become translucent.

Onions fried to translucent state

• Add soaked nutrela and cook for 2-3 min. with continuous stirring.

• Add cut vegetables and stir cook them for 3-4 min.

Nutrela and vegetables added to translucent onion

Vegetables and Nutrela cooked for 3 min. and ready for spices to be added

• The vegetables will change the color but will maintain the crunchy texture.

• Add 

• turmeric

• Garam masala,

• Red chili powder

• Salt and mix nicely.

Spices added to Vegetables

Spices mixed in vegetables and being cooked for 1 min.

• Add cooked rice (boiled rice) and mix nicely.

Rice added to vegetable and spices mixture

• Cook with continuous stirring for 1-2 min.

Rice mixed with spices and vegetabl

• Cover and cook for 2-3 min. with occasional stirring.

• Switch off the gas after 2-3 min. of cooking. Let the rice stand for 1-2 min. The spices flavor will soak nicely in the rice.

• Garnish with Coriander leaves.

Add caption

• Serve hot fried rice with salad, chutney and raita.

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/06/mango-pickle-north-indian-style.html

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/06/tangy-mango-pickle-maharashra-style.html

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/06/spicy-mixed-vegetable-pickle-less-oily.html

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2011/10/green-coriander-and-mint-chutney.html

http://jyotsna-pant.blogspot.com/2012/07/pahari-kheere-ka-raita-cucumber-and.html

Kadai Pulav with Salad and Chutney

Tips:

• If rice is being cooked in the cooker then once the pressure is built in the cooker cook for 2 min and switch off the gas.

• If rice is being cooked in open container then excess water can be taken and once rice is cooked the remainder water should be drained off.

• Saffola rice is low on starch and the rice grains do not stick to each other.

• If you wish to add cabbage in the fried rice then do not add onion, onion and cabbage do not go too well together.

• Left over rice from meals can be used for making fried rice.

Suggested Variations:

• If you do not like yellow color in fried rice then turmeric should be avoided.

• Cottage cheese, shredded chicken / mutton can be sauteed and added along with the vegetables.

• To add color and nutrition red, green, yellow bell pepper can be added along with other vegetables.

•  Fresh green peas can be added to the onions and cooked for 2-3 min. before rest of the vegetable s are added.

Green Peas