For the letter W for the A-Z theme, I used white kidney beans to make a curry. The curry has a tomato onion base, but for the masala, I used pav bhaji masala instead of the regular masalas. I love pav bhaji masala and sometimes add it to chole and rajma too. You can skip the pav bhaji masala and replace it 1 teaspoon each of chili powder, coriander powder and garam masala.
To serve, I keep some lemon slices on the side. My son loves that little tanginess lemon adds to the curry. I served it with Tehri, a rice prepared with potatoes and green peas. I will update the recipe soon for it.
Read on for the recipe.
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked white kidney beans
1 tablespoon oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ginger garlic paste
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
2 green chilies, sliced
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon pav bhaji masala
salt as needed
Coriander leaves, a handful
Lemon juice, optional
Method:
If using dry beans, soak it overnight and pressure cook with enough water until done. I used some from a batch that was already soaked and cooked.
Heat oil in a pan, add onions and let it brown. Now add ginger garlic paste and green chilies. Cook for a few seconds and add tomatoes. Add all the dry masalas and salt. Mix well and let it cook until tomatoes are done and mushy.
Add the beans and water as needed. Mix well and let it boil and cook for 7-10 minutes. Taste test and adjust seasonings if needed. Turn off the heat, add coriander leaves for garnish. This curry suits both plain rice and roti. A squirt of Lemon juice adds a nice flavor to this curry.
The thali here is not a planned thali. I was making lunch and was planning to cook quinoa for me. It was only when the meal was coming together that I realized it was a protein rich meal. Not every single item is protein rich, but most of it. Our usual lunches will have only one source of lentils or beans. We don’t make dal based sambar and then serve it with dry beans based Sundal. But I made an exception here since I had some leftover chickpeas and boiled eggs I wanted to finish off. Sometimes it’s the leftovers that craft the lunch at my place 😁.
We have started stocking up frozen vadas from Indian store. It’s a quick solution when you crave for a snack or when you don’t want to prepare a side dish for lunch. I thaw it in microwave and then cook for a few minutes in the dosa pan. That seems to work for me. The best part is I can serve a single vada instead of making an entire batch. So I decided to add the vada also to the thali, which my family loved.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a pan. Add one teaspoon of mustard seeds. Once it pops, add salt as needed, a teaspoon of chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder and 1.5 cups of cooked chickpeas. Mix carefully.
Let it cook for 3-4 minutes until flavors mingle well and chickpeas are heated through.
Now add 2-3 tablespoons of shredded coconut. Start with 2 and then add the third spoon if you want to. Taste test and adjust seasonings if needed. Remove from heat and serve with rice and sambar.
Sautéed okra
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan. Add 1 teaspoon mustard seeds. Once it pops, add 3 cups of cleaned and sliced okra. Add salt as needed and 1 teaspoon of chili powder. Carefully mix.
Heat this on low to medium heat, stirring in between carefully a couple of times, until the okra is done. I don’t stir too many times to avoid breaking of okra. The sliminess reduces as the okra is cooked. Remove from heat and serve as a side dish.
Masala eggs:
Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a pan. Add salt, pepper and a pinch of turmeric powder. Add 1/4 teaspoon sambar powder to the oil. Mix well with a spatula.
Now slice a boiled egg into two lengthwise. Carefully keep the flat side down on the masala mix. Cook for 45 seconds and carefully flip and cook the other side too. You can cook it for a longer time too if you want it more crispier. Remove from the heat and serve with rice.
Theme for today is sandwiches. It’s my son’s one of the most favorite food to eat, so I can tell you that we had a happy happy kid the day I made this.
I use instant pot to make boiled eggs and so I always make a few extra whenever I am doing it. So prepping an egg salad sandwich is an easy thing for me. I had mushrooms I needed to use up and I decided to prepare a white sauce base to keep the sandwich together as the others had cheese in them. I am making veggie Frankie for the first time, I used readymade tortillas as the wraps.
It’s always an issue at my place what to serve the sandwich with. My son wants ketchup (the masala style ketchup from Indian store). My husband likes Trader Joe’s Green Dragon sauce or any other hot sauce and I like the flavor of green chutney. So I decided to serve all our favorites so that we can each choose what we want. The chili vinegar is a favorite with both me and my husband.
I have used cheese slices here for the pesto sandwich since I didn’t have mozzarella with me. It’s kind of a take on Caprese sandwich, but I am never stocked up in fresh basil leaves. I also prepare it with soft cheeses like goat cheese or cream cheese too, it pairs well with the pesto and tomato slices.
Read on for the recipes.
The platter has
Egg salad sandwich
Pesto and cheese sandwich
Mushroom sandwiches
Veggie Frankie
Chili vinegar
Tomato ketchup
Dragon sauce / Chili sauce
Green chutney
Sliced onions
Mushroom sandwich:
4 slices of bread
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
2 tablespoons coriander leaves or herb of your choice
2 teaspoons flour
1/4 cup milk
salt and pepper
Method:
Heat butter in a pan. Sauté the mushrooms until it releases all the liquid. Add the coriander leaves or spinach or any herb of your choice.
Push the mushrooms to the side of the pan. Add the milk into the center. Now add the flour with salt and pepper per your taste. Mix so that there are no lumps, mix the mushrooms too. Add more milk if it’s too thick. Take off the heat. Add the mushrooms as filling for the bread. Toast the bread in a pan with some butter until it turns brown. Serve with ketchup or chili sauce.
Pesto tomato and cheese sandwich:
Bread of your choice
1 slice of cheese of each sandwich or a soft cheese like cream cheese or goat cheese
2 round slices of tomato
1 teaspoon pesto
Toast the bread. Spread pesto on one side. Add the tomato slices on top. Spread the soft cheese on the other side or use a slice of cheese. Put the slices together and enjoy your sandwich.
For today’s thali, it’s once again a mix of rice and roti. Meals like this make my life easy since the roti part is really attractive to my son. For me and my husband, the South Indian part holds more attraction. Anyway, we can all agree that when everything is together in a plate, it definitely feels like a feast.
The plate has a lot of regular recipes that I prepare, but even for the regular dishes, recipes can vary. For example, for the spinach kootu, I used the leftover coconut paste from making a porial. I just made a smoother paste of the coarse paste I already had. The difference is the presence of garlic which changes the taste of the dish than usual. The rajma also is free of onions and garlic making it Jain style. The real reason was that I was out of both items than intentionally making it Jain style. I used canned tomatoes for it. It’s rare that I am out of onions, but it does happen once in a while.
Onions and tomatoes are really vital in cooking for me. So I am always stocked up in both. When Covid 19 was at its peak here in NJ, I started stocking up on canned tomatoes. I always have a can or two as a back up. But during Covid time, I started buying packs of 12. I find it really helpful when you want to stretch the window between the grocery shopping. A pack of 12 comes for a long time for me, but it’s comforting to know that I have a back up in case I am not able to shop that week. Read on for the recipes.
3 big tomatoes, puréed or chopped very finely or half of a 14 oz canned tomato
2 green chilies
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 teaspoon red chili powder or to taste
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon garam masala or pav bhaji masala
Salt as needed
A handful of Coriander leaves for garnish
Method
If you are using dried red kidney beans, wash and soak them overnight. Pressure cook in Instant pot for 30 minutes with enough water to cover it completely. Once done, let the pressure release naturally. If using canned kidney beans, wash and drain the beans. Set aside.
heat ghee or oil in a pan. Add the chopped green chilies, salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder. Mix with a spatula and then add the puréed or finely chopped tomatoes. Mix well. Add the garam masala. Cover and let the tomatoes cook, mixing once or twice in between till the tomatoes are soft and mushy and oil floats on top. Now add the rajma, with the water it’s cooked in if you started from dried beans. Else add the beans and a cup of water. Add more water if it’s too thick. Let it come to a slow boil, stopping when you feel that the consistency is perfect for you. Taste test and adjust seasonings if needed. Add chopped coriander leaves on top. Serve with rice or roti.
Keerai kootu
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 red chilies
2 cloves of garlic
2 bunches of spinach – about 4 cups
1/3 cup of cooked moong dal
1/3 cup water
Salt as needed
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
For tadka
1 teaspoon oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon urad dal
A pinch of hing
Method:
Make a smooth paste of coconut, red chilies, cumin and garlic, adding a little water. Set aside.
In a big pan, add the chopped spinach and a little water. Let the spinach cook completely. Now add the ground coconut paste. Add dal. Mix well and let it cook for 4-5 minutes, adding a little more water if it’s too dry. Taste test and turn off the heat when it reaches the consistency you like. Prepare the Tadka in a separate pan with mustard seeds, urad dal and hing, add it to the kootu. Serve with rice.
