Matwadi Palya/Matodi Palya

I learn't this recipe from my MIL.  The one she prepares is the best, I try to do the same, it will always be close to what she prepares but not the same great taste.

Preparation Time - 2 hrs(including soaking time)
Cook Time - 20-30 mins
Serves - 4

Measurements & Ingredients:

• bengal gram(channa dal or kadale bele) - 1 small cup(or 2 full hand scoops)
• Fresh fenugreek leaves(methi leaves or menthya soppu)- 1 big bunch, leaves chopped
• Fresh or frozen coconut - 1 medium size cup
• cumin seeds(jeera or jeerige) - 1.5 spn
• ginger - 1"
• green chillies - 6-8(depending on the spice level)
• salt to taste
• oil - 7-8 tbspn
• mustard seeds - 1 tspn
• few curry leaves
• asafoetida - a generous pinch
• Lemon juice - 4-5 tspns

Method:

Soak the channa dal in water for ~2 hrs.  After it is soaked, grind this channa dal with coconut, jeera, ginger, green chillies and a pinch of hing into a paste.  Add a little water for grinding.

In a pan heat oil.  Now add mustard seeds, curry leaves and  a pinch of hing.  Add the chopped methi leaves and fry for a min or two on low medium heat.  Add the ground paste to this and fry well.  Add salt, mix well.

This recipe needs continuous stirring especially if you are cooking in a steel pan.  If it is a non-stick pan, you could stir occasionally.  Keep in mind the heat has to be low medium.  Do not add much water, as this dish needs to be dry.  Fry until the raw smell of the methi leaves and the channa dal goes.  You could add a little water inbetween if you feel the dish is getting too dry to fry.

Finally add the lemon juice, mix well and swtich off the stove.

The matwadi palya is ready to serve.  This tastes best with plain rice, but you could eat it with chapathi/roti too.

Variations:
You can replace menthya soppu with snake gourd(padavalakai) or cluster beans(gorikai) or tender green beans.  Also, for this dish, you need to be generous on the oil.  If you use less oil for cooking, you will not get a good taste.

Tofu Chapathi/Tofu Roti

Tofu is a soy product, which is high in proteins.  This recipe was shared with me by one of my friend.

Preparation Time - 3 hrs (including the dough to rest)
Cook Time - 10 mins
Serves - 6 chapathis

Measurements & Ingredients:

• tofu firm - 4.5 oz(130 gms)
• Whole wheat flour - 1 cup
• water - 1/2 or <1/2 cup
• salt - a pinch

Method:

Mix the wheat flour and salt. 

To this add the tofu which is crushed.  It is so soft, that it can be crumbled using fingers.  Mix it with the wheat flour well.  Slowly add water in small quantities and start kneading to make it into a soft dough. 

The dough should not be sticky.  If it gets sticky, add a little more flour and knead until you get a nice smooth dough.  Let it rest for 2-3 hrs and the dough is ready to make chapathis.

The difference between these chapathis/roti and the regular chapathi/roti is that these have proteins in them and also the chapathis will be softer than the regular chapathis.

Be sure to buy an organic tofu.

 

Mutter Paneer/Paneer Mutter Masala/Paneer Peas Curry

This is a super delicious dish.  It tastes so good with roti/chapathi or any Indian bread.  You must try this recipe!

Preparation Time - 10 mins
Cook Time - 30 mins
Serves - 2 (with a second curry)

Measurements & Ingredients:

• Onion - 2 small, cut into pieces
• Tomato - 2 small, cut into pieces
• ginger - 1" piece
• Paneer - cut into 20-25 medium sized cubes(approximately 5 oz)
• Fresh or frozen green peas - 2 small cups
• Oil - 3 tbspns
• non spicy red chili powder - 2 tspns
• Coriander seeds powder(Dhaniya powder) - 1.5 tspn
• Cumin Powder(Jeera Powder) - 1 tspn
• Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tspn
• garam masala (store bought)- 1/4 tspn
• Dried Fenugreek leaves(Kasoori Methi) - a pinch
• salt to taste

Method:

 Fry onion in a pan with 1 tspn of oil, on low medium heat.  Once the onion start to turn pink, add the chopped tomatoes and fry.  

When the moisture starts to evaporate, add less than 1/4 cup of water and cook it until the raw smell

goes and the water evaporates.  Let it cool.  Blend this with ginger in a mixer/blender into a smooth paste by adding water if required.

In a pan heat oil and add this paste and fry for a min.  Add red chili powder, coriander-cumin powder, salt and mix it well and fry for another min.  I used non spicy(byadige) red chili powder and that is how I got the red colour.  If you use  

spicy red chili powder, the

colour may not be as red as

the other one.

Add about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of water or until you get a desired gravy consistency.  Add peas and paneer cubes(the paneer cubes are not fried, they are raw) and mix.  Cook it uncovered for 10 mins on  

low medium heat with

occasional stirring. 

You can add water if you feel it is getting too thick.  Finally add the garam masala and kasoori methi(crush kasoori methi inbetween your palms to make a powder) and mix and cook for another 3 mins. 

The mouth-watering dish is ready to serve!

A 'Must'...

kasoori methi is a 'must' ingredient in this recipe.  There is a huge difference in the taste if you don't add this 'pinch' of kasoori methi to the dish.  Don't skip it!!

Dhaniya-Jeera Powder

Avoid buying the store bought coriander and cumin powder as I doubt if it would have been roasted.  The raw powder spoils the whole dish.

Coriander powder - roast coriander seeds(dhaniya) until they turn light brown and then powder them in a blender.

Same with cumin powder(jeera). 

Store it in air-tight containers and use them as needed!

Wheat Cookies-The result is what matters!

I should accept that I din't expect what I got.  I had in mind, round cookies, but that's not what it turned out to be!  I would say I still got yummy cookies :)  The melted butter in the cookies gives an awesome taste that a sweet hater too will love this recipe!

Preparation Time - 15 mins
Cook Time - 30 mins
Serves - 20 cookies

Measurements & Ingredients:

• Wheat flour - 3/4 cup (6oz)
• All purpose flour(maida) - 1/4 cup
• butter at room temperature - 3 oz - 4 oz
• brown sugar - 3/4 cup
• OR regular sugar - 1/2 - 3/4 cup
• sliced almonds - 1/2 cup
• pinch of salt(if the buttter is unsalted)

Method:

 Mix the flours, sugar, salt(if using unsalted butter) well.  Then add the sliced almonds and mix.  Now add the butter and mix well.  You will get a soft dough(which will be a little sticky). 
Make 20 parts and round them into cookie shape with your hands.  Place them on an aluminium foil which is placed on a baking tray.  Place them at least 5 inches apart.  I had placed them much closer and that is why I couldn't get round cookies, as they had merged together.

Preheat the oven at 350 degree F.  Once it is heated, place the baking tray on the middle rack and bake it for 15 - 20 mins depending upon your oven settings.

Take it out after 15-20 mins and let it cool for 10 mins.  If you have the cookies round, take them out and enjoy them, otherwise, once you take it out of the oven, cut them into desired shapes with a knife and let it cool.

Store it in an air-tight container for a few days, if you could resist finishing it :)

Idli Fry

This is a very delicious dish which is healthy, unlike most other snacks.  All you need is idlis - left over or fresh (doesn't matter :) )

Preparation Time - 5 mins
Cook Time - 10 mins
Serves - 2

Measurements & Ingredients:

• Idlis - 6
• Sambar powder - 2-3 tspns
• salt to taste
• onion - 1 small, cut into small pieces
• 2 tspns lemon juice
• few spring onions(optional)

For tempering:

• 4-5 tspns of oil
• mustard seeds
• few curry leaves
• asafoetida(hing)

Method:

Cut the idli into small square/cube pieces.
Heat oil in a pan(on medium heat).  Once it is heated add mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves.  Then add onions and saute until it turns pink. 

Now add sambar powder, salt and mix well.  Immediately add the idli

pieces and mix well so that all the pieces are coated with sambar powder.  Add the spring onions if you have any. 

Now lower the heat to low-medium or low and let it roast in this heat for 5-10 mins.  Mix occasionally.  At this low temperature, the heat roasts the idli pieces very well and the pieces will be kind of a little crispy on the outside(not too crispy) yet soft on the inside.  Finally add the lemon juice and mix. 

Serve it as a yummy snack!

Tip:
It is better to use a non-stick pan instead of a steel pan.  The reason being, when you simmer it, the idli pieces will not stick to the pan when you don't stir.  Where as in a steel pan, you need more oil for it not to stick to the pan and also you need to stir it more frequently.

Healthy Chutney Powder/Chutney Pudi

This is a super healthy chutney pudi which is ideal for kids.  It has most of the dry fruits in it.  This was shared with me by one of my friend.


Preparation Time - 5-7 mins
Cook Time - 20-25 mins

Measurements & Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup almonds(sliced or whole)
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup rasins (black or brown)
• 6-7 dry dates made into small pieces
• 1/2 cup unsalted pista
• 1/2 cup dry coconut
• 2-3 dry figs
• dry red chili - depending on the spice level needed
• tamarind - 1/4th lemon size
• salt to taste

For Tempering:

• 2-3 tspns of oil
• mustard seeds - 1 tspn
• pinch of asafoetida
• 2-3 curry leaves cut into small pieces

Method:

 Separately dry fry all the dry fruits, coconut and chili.  Let it cool down a little and then blend it in a mixer/blender into a coarse powder except figs.  Take it out leaving a little powder in the blender.  To this add figs and tamarind and blend again.  Now mix this with the

rest of the powder.  Add salt

and mix.

In a pan heat oil.  Add mustard seeds, curry leaves and hing.  Add this tempering to the  powder and mix well.

Let it cool down fully and then transfer the chutney powder into an air tight container.  Kids will enjoy this with chapathi or dose or rotti or plain rice!

Note:
You can omit dry grated coconut if you want.  Also, since you add so many sweet dry fruits you need not add jaggery.