Avalakki Khara Pongal

Here's the recipe for Avalakki Pongal just in time for Sankranti/Pongal. Avalakki/Poha is a great substitute for rice & unlike rice, this doesn't feel heavy

Make sure you use theThick variety/Gatti Avalakki. Medium or Fine Avalakki will not work here.

This also makes a great option for breakfast/brunch. Pongal is usually served with Hunase Gojju (Tamarind & Jaggery Slurry ) spiced with Rasam Powder/Saarina Pudi

Pongal tastes good by itself but the Gojju takes it to the next level. I am going to share the recipe in my next post

Meanwhile, Here's the recipe for Avalakki Pongal

You Will Need:

1 cup Moong Dal
2 cups Avalakki / Poha - Thick Variety
1/8 spoon Turmeric
Salt as per taste
1 tablespoon Ghee

To Temper:

1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds
3/4 th or 1 teaspoon Black Pepper - coarsely crushed using a mortal & Pestle
2 Green Chilies
A Sprig of Curry Leaves
8-10 cashew nuts (Optional)
1 tablespoon Ghee

To grind into a Paste:

2 tablespoon grated coconut
A small piece of Ginger

How To:

In a pressure cooker, lightly roast Moong Dal for a minute or two until it slightly warms up. Pressure cook with 2.5 cups of water & a pinch of turmeric, until soft & mushy

Wash Poha in water a couple of times, drain in a colander & set aside. There is no need to soak poha for a long time

Grind grated coconut & Ginger into a paste without adding any water.

In a pan heat Ghee. Splutter Cumin seeds, add crushed peppercorns, Green Chilies & Curry Leaves. Add Cashews & fry for a minute on low flame

Now add cooked moong dal, Coconut -Ginger paste & mix

Add 1 cup of water & some salt & let it come to a boil. It should be like the consistency of Sambar

Add Poha, mix well & simmer for just about a minute. Turn off the heat. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes

Poha soaks up quite a bit of liquid & gets slightly thick. So its important that the consistency of Moong Dal has to be runny before adding Poha

Avalakki Khara Pongal

Yield: 4

Author: Deepthi Shankar

Ingredients

1 cup Moong Dal
2 cups Avalakki / Poha - Thick Variety
1/8 spoon Turmeric
Salt as per taste
1 tablespoon Ghee
To Temper:
1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds
3/4 th or 1 teaspoon Black Pepper - coarsely crushed using a mortal & Pestle
2 Green Chilies
A Sprig of Curry Leaves
10 cashew nuts
1 tablespoon Ghee
To grind into a Paste:
2 tablespoon grated coconut
A small piece of Ginger

Instructions

In a pressure cooker, lightly roast Moong Dal for a minute or two until it slightly warms up. Pressure cook with 2.5 cups of water & a pinch of turmeric, until soft & mushy
Grind grated coconut & Ginger into a paste without adding any water.
In a pan heat Ghee. Splutter Cumin seeds, add crushed peppercorns, Green Chilies & Curry Leaves. Add Cashews & fry for a minute on low flame
Now add cooked moong dal, Coconut -Ginger paste & mix
Add 1 cup of water & some salt & let it come to a boil. It should be like the consistency of Sambar
Add Poha, mix well & simmer for just about a minute. Turn off the heat. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes
Poha soaks up quite a bit of liquid & gets slightly thick. So its important that the consistency of Moong Dal has to be runny before adding Poha

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @https://www.instagram.com/dee_shankar/ on instagram and hashtag it #vegetableplatter

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, by Deepthi Shankar

After School Snacks

Quick One Pot Chana Pulao From Leftover Chole

I always somehow seek comfort in One Pot Meals, especially One Pot Rice dishes that get done in a Pressure Cooker & under 30 minutes.

Sometimes, I also convert leftover gravies into Pulao, like this Biryani that I made with leftover Vegetable Kurma & I immensely enjoy putting it together because it tastes amazing & a fewer vegetables to cut & fewer dishes to clean

I make One Pot Meals several times a week, & I do have a few favorites that I keep going back to.

I made this Chole Pulao made with leftover Chole/Chana Masala. This is perfect when there is leftover Chana Masala but I am not really in a mood to roll some Chapatis.

Just a bit of sliced Onions, some Tomatoes, A bit of spices, Some Rice & leftover Chole & this gets done in 20 minutes. This makes for a perfect weeknight dinner with a Raita & Salad on the side

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup Basmati Rice
1.5 cups Leftover Chole
1 large Onion - sliced lengthwise
2 tablespoon Tomato Paste or 1 large Tomato - chopped
2 Bay leaves
1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds
1/2 teaspoon Red Chili Powder
1 teaspoon Chole Masala
1 teaspoon Kasuri Methi
1/2 teaspoon Kitchen King Masala
Salt as per taste
2 tablespoon Cooking Oil

Method:

Wash Basmati in several changes of water until the water runs clear. Drain & Set aside for later use

In a Pressure Cooker, Heat oil. Add Bay Leaves & Splutter Cumin seeds

Add sliced onions & sauté with pinch of salt for 3-4 minutes

Add leftover Chole/Chana Masala, Tomato Paste/Chopped tomatoes, Red Chilli Powder, Chole Masala, Kasuri Methi & Kitchen King Masala & sauté until the spiced are well cooked for about 5 minutes

Add Basmati Rice & add 1.25 cups of water & Add salt

Mix well, Deglaze the Pot & close the lid & cook for 1 whistle

Let the pressure settle down & after it cools down a bit, fluff gently with a fork

Garnish with some chopped Mint & fresh coriander if you wish to

Serve with Raita & some sliced cucumbers on the side

NOTE:

You can also add additional vegetables if needed. I usually do not add anything extra. But I I feel that it can do with some more chickpeas, I soak a little bit of chickpeas for a 2-3 hours & then add them before pressure cooking

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Brunch

Uddina Kadubu For Naga Panchami + { Video }

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, by Deepthi Shankar

Breakfast Dishes

Potato Saagu | Bombay Saagu

If you are not very familiar with Bangalore & its local cuisine, you might not know what 'Saagu' means. For the uninitiated, 'Saagu' or 'Sagu' is gravy like side dish served as an accompaniment with Pooris, Rava Idli or Set Dosas, at every 'Darshini' you will find in Bangalore

There are 2 kinds of Saagu that are commonly made. One is the made using a medley of vegetables, Coconut & Spices known as the Vegetable Saagu. The other kind is the Potato Saagu or Bombay Saagu (I don't know how the name came about, though) made mainly with potatoes that gets paired with Rava Idlis.

Rava Idli (Ravey Idli in Kannada) & Saagu make a delightful combination and is quite filling so, this is mostly our weekend brunch followed by a strong dose of Filter Coffee.

Now coming to the Recipe, Bombay Saagu is fairly easy to make once you have the boiled potatoes ready. It uses very basic ingredients available in your kitchen.

It pairs very well with Set Dosas, Pooris, Rava Idlis & Chapatis. Makes for a great lunch box option too

SERVES 3

INGREDIENTS:

3 large Potatoes
1 large White onion
3 Green Chilies
A sprig of curry leaves
A pinch of Asafoetida/Hing
1/2 teaspoon Mustard seeds
1 teaspoon urad dal
1 teaspoon Chana Dal
1/4 teaspoon Turmeic powder
1 tablespoon Gram Flour/Chickpea Flour/Besan
Salt as per taste
2 tablespoon cooking oil

How To:

Dice the potatoes into half & pressure cook with some salt. Once, the potatoes are cool enough to handle, Peel the skin & mash the potato into chunks with your hands

Slice the onions lengthwise. In a heavy bottomed pan, heat cooking oil. Splutter mustard seeds, add hing, Chana Dal & Urad dal & sauté until golden. Add the sliced onions along with green chilies & curry leaves. Add a pinch of salt, Turmeric powder & sauté until the onions get cooked

Meanwhile, make a slurry of Gram flour & water. Add it to the pan along with 2 cups of water & some salt & bring it to a gentle boil.

Now add the mashed potatoes & give it a stir. Reduce the flame, check for salt & let it simmer on low flame doe 3-4 minutes.

Turn off the flame & garnish with fresh coriander

NOTE:

-- You may add 1 chopped tomato at while you are sautéing the onions

-- You can add Green Peas too

-- The Saagu will thicken a bit upon cooling down. So keep the consistency a little runny before turning off the heat

-- If you find the Saagu too thick, add a bit of water & reheat before serving, if the consistency is quite thin, add a bit of chickea flour dissolved in water & bring it to a boil again

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, by Deepthi Shankar