Tag: lunch box

Cabbage Moongdal curry

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BM #105: Week 3, Day 2
Theme : Easy side dishes for rice/roti

This is a new recipe for me and I learnt it from my mother in law. I clicked the step wise pictures when she was cooking to make it’s easier for me to try it later when she is not around. I have already made this multiple times after she left and this has become an alternate way to prepare cabbage. My go to recipe has always been coconut based cabbage Thoran.

I have seen recipes where moong dal is cooked first and then the veggies are added. Here, everything is added together and yet the dal cooks to perfection. It needs to be stirred in between, but it’s mostly a handsfree kind of recipe. You don’t have to babysit it continuously.

Turmeric is usually not added to cabbage. But it’s my father in law’s way of preparing and my husband loved (and still loves) the bright color. So my mother in law adds it whenever she prepares it too. You can skip it if you want.

Read on for the recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon broken urad dal
  • 2-3 green chilies, chopped
  • 1/4 cup moongdal
  • 1.5 cups water
  • 1/2 of a small cabbage, chopped (about 2-2.5 cups)
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • Salt as needed

Method:

Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds and once it’s done popping, add the urad dal. Mix a little so that it turns a little golden.

Add chopped green chilies. Sauté for a minute until it is fried a bit.

Add moongdal and water. You needn’t to wash the dal.Add cabbage in a heap in the middle and add the turmeric powder on top.

Cover and cook until the dal is done, stirring in between. You may have to sprinkle some more water if the cabbage seems to stick to the bottom of the pan before the dal is cooked. Remove from the heat and serve with rice and gravy of your choice.

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Beans porial with fennel seeds

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BM #105: Week 3, Day 1
Theme : Easy side dishes for rice/roti

Rice is the staple dish for South Indians. We serve it everyday for lunch and even for dinner some days. Rice is served along with a gravy like sambar and a vegetable on the side. The sambar and the prepared vegetable are different everyday to keep the food interesting.

Beans is usually prepared once a week. I usually stir fry the beans and once cooked add shredded coconut on top and call it a day. But I was served this version which had ground fennel seeds and I loved the flavor. So now I have a small batch of ground fennel seeds at home, just to make this particular dish. This also starts off with sautéed onions and tomatoes as the base, again a deviation from normal for me. You can replace green beans with the yardlong beans/ karamani beans too.

Read on for the recipe.

Recipe source: My friend Purnima

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 small onion, chopped finely
  • 1 small tomato, chopped
  • 2 cups of cut green beans (about 1/2″ long pieces)
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
  • Salt as needed
  • 1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
  • Method:
      • Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and once it has stopped popping, add the onions. Sauté until the onions turn pink. Now add the chopped tomatoes. Mix it in and add the spice powders and salt. Cover and cook in medium to low heat, until the tomatoes are mushy.
      Add the chopped beans. Mix it in and cover and cook, stirring in between, until the beans are done. You might have to sprinkle a little water if the curry sticks to the bottom of the pan. Taste test and adjust the seasonings, if preferred.
      Turn off the heat. Now add the crushed fennel seeds and mix it in. Cover and set aside. Serve with rice and sambar of your choice.

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    Djuvec Rice

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    BM# 103: Week 4, Day 1
    Theme : Balkan States

    While looking for recipes from the Balkan states, I came across this dish that’s similar to ratatouille. A little bit of reading online told me that Djuvec (pronounced as joovetch), can be a vegetarian or meat based stew. It can be made with a variety of vegetables and you can add beans or meat to make it a complete meal. When rice is added, it becomes djuvec rice and a main dish that can be served on its own if preferred. The recipe is common to the Balkan states so you might find it marked as Bosnian/ Croatian/ Serbian depending on the blog you read from.

    I made it for lunch recently and loved it. To an Indian, this is similar to tomato rice loaded with vegetables and free from the regular masalas.

    Read on for the recipe.


    Recipe source: Bosnian Djuvec rice

    Ingredients:

    • 1 cup uncooked rice
    • 2 cups vegetable broth/water
    • 1 medium onion, chopped finely
    • 1 small capsicum, diced small
    • 1 small eggplant, diced small
    • 1/2 zucchini, diced small
    • 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
    • 2 tomatoes, chopped
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder, or per taste
    • 2 tablespoons oil
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Method:

    1. Heat oil in a big pan and sauté onions, garlic, capsicum, zucchini and eggplants.
    2. Once the vegetables are almost cooked, add the tomatoes and green peas along with chili powder and salt. Mix well and cook until the tomatoes are mushy, about 5 minutes.
    3. Mix in the rice and broth/water. Taste test and adjust seasonings if needed. Let the water come to a boil. Cover and cook until the rice has absorbed all the water, about 10-15 minutes. Take off the heat. Done!

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    Coriander Pesto Pulao

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    BM# 103: Week 2, Day 2
    Theme : Recreate into a new dish

    I had picked up a bunch each of basil, mint and coriander when I did grocery shopping last month. I made pesto with basil leaves and then made another pesto with the coriander and mint leaves with almonds. Since there was so much pesto, I was looking at ways to use it up beyond pesto pasta and sandwiches. Pesto rice came to my mind and it sounded like a good idea.

    Since the base for my pesto was already coriander, I decided to make it similar to the coriander pulao I usually prepare. I still have some pesto leftover, I think I will be making this pulao again. This pairs well with plain yogurt and chips.

    Read on for the recipe.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 cups basmati rice
    • 3 cups water
    • 2 tablespoons rice
    • 1 onion, cut in half and sliced into thin pieces
    • 2 carrots, diced into 1/2″ pieces
    • 8-10 beans, cut into 1/2″ pieces
    • 1/2 cup diced capsicum
    • Salt

    To grind:

    • 1/3 cup mint coriander pesto
    • 1/4 cup shredded coconut
    • 2 green chilies
    • 2 cloves of garlic
    • 1″ ginger piece

    Method:

    1. Wash and soak the rice in 3 cups of water. Set aside.
    2. In a blender jar, blend everything under the “to grind” list to a smooth paste. You might have to add a tablespoon or two of water to help with grinding. Set aside.
    3. In the Instant Pot, turn the Sauté function on. Add ghee or oil and once it’s hot, add the onions and all the other vegetables. Sauté and cook under the vegetables are almost cooked.
    4. Add the ground pesto coconut paste and cook over low heat for about a minute.
    5. Drain the rice and add it to the pot. Sauté for a minute. Add three cups of water and salt as needed. Cancel the Sauté function and change it to Manual function. Cover and cook for 2 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
    6. Serve it hot with an onion Raita or plain yogurt on the side.

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