Gravy (Curry and daals) Archives

Moringa Leaves Dal (Drumstick Leaves Dal)

1 Comment / Gravy (Curry and daals) / By Shilpa

Moringa leaves or drumstick leaves (Maskasangi Pallo) is the new health food craze. Drumstick is the humble vegetable that is a must-have, at least once a week, on the menu in most Konkani homes or for that matter, any South Indian home. The leaves were not used in cooking in my home but I use them very regularly now. This moringa leaves dal is one of our favorites.

Moringa is full of iron and anti-oxidants. It is supposed to have so many other health benefits too. Many people take it in the form of powder or even pills. But we love to add it to different dishes.

This Moringa leaves dal is full of flavor and very easy to make. We usually buy these leaves every time we see these. The dal goes so well with rice and ghee, with a simple spicy sidedish.

We also make rotti out of these leaves.

Moringa Leaves Dal (Drumstick leaves dal)

A very simple dal with drumstick/moringa leaves, that is healthy and delicious.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Servings 4

Ingredients

1 cup Moringa leaves
1 cup toor dal
A pinch turmeric
2 cloves garlic
4 green chillies
1 tspn thick tamarind extract
salt

Seasoning

1 tspn mustard seeds
1 tspn chana dal
1 tspn urad dal
1 tspn cumin seeds
6 curry leaves
2 red chillies

Instructions

Remove the little stems of the moringa leaves and separate out the leaves.
Wash the leaves and chop into small pieces.
Wash toor dal and pressure cook with moringa leaves, garlic, finely chopped green chillies, turmeric, 2 cups of water for about 3 whistles.
Open the cooker when all the pressure has gone and slightly mash the contents with the back of spoon.
Add a little more water to the dal micture, add tamarind, salt and bring to boil. Switch off heat.
For the seasoning, heat oil, add chana dal, let it fry for a min.
Then add urad dal, cumin seeds, mustard seeds, broken red chillies, curry leaves. Fry for a min.
Pour the seasoning on the dal and close the lid.
Serve hot with rice and dollop of ghee.

Beetroot Leaves Tambli

2 Comments / Gravy (Curry and daals), Konkani Recipes, Simple and Easy / By Shilpa

This year I went a little crazy with my vegetable patch. When the year started, I only wanted to grow tomatoes. I thought I would have a couple of plants, that is all. It was really hard to find time to care for the garden with a busy schedule. But then Covid-19 happened. We weren’t even getting groceries on time. I got worried and I wanted to grow everything possible in my garden. V’s cousin had brought some vegetable seed packets 3 years ago. I did not have too much hope but I put them all in the ground. It took a while but some of them sprouted and grew beautifully. One of them was beetroot. I have made all kinds of things with these fresh beautiful leaves. One of them was this refreshing, cooling beetroot leaves tambli.

Tambli is usually a raw, uncooked gravy. It sometimes has yogurt, sometimes made just with coconut. We make many varieties of tamblis. Each have their unique flavor. Here’s a list you may want to explore,

Gooseberry tambli made with Indian gooseberry/avale,
Palak tambli made with spinach/palak,
Menthe tambli made with fenugreek/methi seeds,
Kande tambli made with onion,
Ankre tambli made with watercress/ankre,
Beetroot tambli made with the beetroot

This beetroot leaves version is new but it worked out so well. It was spicy, had an intense cumin flavor. The ghee seasoning increased the taste many folds. On a hot summer day, this was a perfect dish to go with some rice and side of beetroot upkari.

Ingredients:
3 cups chopped beetroot leaves and stems
2 green chillies
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 cup thick plain yogurt/curds
1 tea spn cumin seeds
1 tea spn ghee + 1/2 tea spn oil
1 tea spn mustards seeds
4-5 curry leaves
A pinch asafoetida/hing
Salt

Method:
Heat oil and add cumin seeds.
When they are fried, add slit green chillies followed by chopped leaves and stems.
Fry for few mins till the leaves are wilted.
Grind the leaves with salt and coconut to a smooth paste.
Take the ground paste in a bowl, add the beaten yogurt/curds.
Add enough water to make it a gravy consistancy.
Heat ghee and add mustard seeds.
When they start popping, add asafoetida, curry leaves.
Add the seasoning to the tambli.
Serve with rice.

Serves : 3-4
Preparation time: 20mins

Moringa Gravy(Maskasangi Ambat)

2 Comments / Gravy (Curry and daals), Konkani Recipes / By Shilpa

It has been a while since I posted something new here. A lot of things are going on and somehow the blogging took a back seat. But I do update my instagram page regularly(which is much easier and less time consuming!). So please do checkout my page. Link at the top. This moringa gravy or maskasangi ambat was on my list to post for a very long time.

Maskasangi or Moringa has become a huge health food fascination lately. But in our part of the world, it was/is always a hit. Everyone has a moringa/drumstick tree in their backyard. My parents have one tree in their garden too, but it never really yield anything. But our neighbors always shared their bounty with us. My parents reminded us to eat maskasangi – they reminded us it was full of iron. It was added to so many dishes like kolmbo, sukke, sagle and many more. The flowers were made into phodi. The leaves are used in many dishes too like this rotti.

This ambat is a very simple dish that aayi makes very regularly. It is spiced with just teppal(tirphal) and kokum. The main vegetable in this gravy shines through. You can also make this with cauliflower.

Ingredients:
10-12 drumstick pieces
1 cup fresh frozen coconut
4-5 red chillies (add more if you can handle spice)
5-6 teppal
3-4 kokum
Salt

Method:
Cook drumstick pieces in water and salt.
Grind coconut with red chillies to a very smooth paste.
Slightly crush teppal in water to extract the aroma. Add the water to the cooked drumstick, discard the teppal pieces.
Add the ground masala, kokum to drumsticks.
Cook till the gravy starts boiling.
Serve hot with rice.

Serves : 2-3
Preparation time : 20mins

Here is the video of the recipe

Horsegram curry (Kulitha Saru) with coconut

7 Comments / Gravy (Curry and daals), Konkani Recipes / By Shilpa

There are two versions of this dish. This is the one more popular at home. Since horsegram is very good for health, we prepare this very often. Coconut gives thickness to the gravy. It has a very strong aroma of garlic which gives a great taste.

Ingredients:
1 cup kulith(Horsegram)
1/2 cup grated coconut
1 tea spn coriander seeds
2 green chillies
4-5 red chillies
1/2 cup onion
1 tea spn garlic
2 inch piece (or 1/4 tea spn extract) tamarind
Oil
Salt

Method:
Cook horsegram in pressure cooker. Heat oil. Fry coriander seeds. Grind with coconut, red chilies, tamarind. Grind cooked horsegram with masala.
Add water to make it thin. Add chopped onion & bring it to boil. Add green chllies and salt. Cook for about 15-20minutes.
Heat oil in a pan. Add garlic. Add this to saru.

Serves : 4-5
Preparation time : 30min

Rasam with coconut (Devasthana Saru/Rasam)

19 Comments / Gravy (Curry and daals), Konkani Recipes / By Shilpa

It was many years ago, we had a function at home in India. The food was a simple Konkani javan(meal). This was the time I had just started my blogging and very much into learning new recipes. The cook was making his signature Devasthana saru/rasam, which was usually served during functions at temple. It had a heady delicious aroma and was spicy, tasty. I requested him for the recipe and he was very generous to share it with me. I have prepared this so many times and every time it brings back memories of home.

Recently, we had some friends home. My friend M, who is also a Konkani, asked me if I knew this Devasthana saru/rasam. I said it is on my blog and next day I had to prepare it myself. The only reason I don’t make this often is, my family forgets how much rice they have consumed with this rasam. I have to make sure to cook some extra. My 7 year old loved it and asked to give it in his lunchbox next day (which he almost never does!). So beware! don’t make it when you are on a diet :).

Pictorial:

Rasam with coconut (Devasthana Saru/rasam)

A sweetish spicy rasam/saru usually prepared in Konkani temples.

4.84 from 6 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings 3 -4

Ingredients

2 tbl spns toor dal
2 tbl spns grated coconut
1 to mato
1/2 tea spns cumin seeds Jeera
3-4 cloves Lavang
A small piece of asafoetida/hing
1/4 tea spn fenugreek methi seeds
1 tea spn jaggery
3-4 red chillies
A pinch turmeric
Oil
Salt
Coriander leaves
1 tea spn Mustard seeds
4-5 curry leaves

Instructions

Heat oil and fry cumin seeds, cloves, asafoetida, methi seeds & red chillies.
Grind with coconut.
Cook toor dal with a pinch of turmeric in pressure cooker.
Cook Tomato pieces in water(or add it to dal while cooking it).
When cooked, add ground masala, dal, jaggery, salt and cook for some time.
Add water to make it thin, of rasam consistency.
For seasoning, heat oil and add mustard seeds.
When mustard starts popping, add curry leaves and pour this over rasam.
Garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rice.

Updated the post on 7/25/2017

Black Chickpeas in Green Masasla(Kala Chana Hara Masala)

15 Comments / Gravy (Curry and daals), Side dishes, Simple and Easy / By Shilpa

Few months back when my parents were here, my friend had invited us for dinner. She is one of the few Konkani friends I have here in KS and we always have a great time when we meet. Our kids love to play with each other while we talk about everything under the sun. She made a delicious spread for us and there was one dish – this black chana hara masala, (which is what I have named it by the way) that my aayi particularly liked a lot. She even got the recipe from my friend.

Then in January, my entire family was down with flu and my friend brought me a few dishes as care package. This dish was one of the 4 dishes she brought. That was the week we all had lost our sense of taste because of fever and we did not like anything we ate. But then my husband, who does not care much for any beans/chickpeas, really enjoyed this. I asked my friend for the recipe again and I have made it few times since then.

Also try chane ghashi, chane-kele upkari, chana chaat.

Pictorial:
Cook soaked chana with a pinch of turmeric. Then make the spice paste.

Black Chickpeas in Green Masasla(Black Chana Hara Masala)

4.25 from 8 votes

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Servings 3 -4

Ingredients

1 cup black chickpeas
A pinch turmeric
1/2 cup onion
1 tea spn garam masala optional
Oil
Salt
For the paste:
1/2 cup coriander leaves Along with thick stems
3 green chillies
1 tea spn ginger pieces
3-4 cloves
1/2 tea spn cumin seeds
1 tbl spn dried or desiccated coconut
1/2 cup tomato optional

Instructions

Soak chickpeas in water for 6-8hrs.
Pressure cook them with a pinch of turmeric (about 4 whistles).
Make a paste of coriander leaves, ginger, green chillies, cloves, cumin seeds, coconut, tomato(optional).
Heat a little oil in the pressure cooked pan and fry onions.
When they are translucent, add chana, garam masala and the paste, salt.
Mix everything well and pressure cook again for 2 whistles.
Serve with rice or chapatis.

Notes

If you want to keep the color of gravy green, avoid tomatoes and use lemon juice instead.
You could mix the paste with chickpeas and pressure cook once instead of pressure cooking twice. I thought the paste would loose some of the aroma by doing that.
Pressure cooking second time is not really necessary. I feel it helps in chickpeas soaking the masala well, so I did it.

Green Moong – Paneer Masala

3 Comments / Gravy (Curry and daals), Side dishes, Simple and Easy / By Shilpa

Being from southern part of India, we were introduced to paneer quite late compared to my north Indian friends. Most of my family still do not like this Indian cheese. I have started using it more regularly (once in 15days or so) in recent years to get some protein in our diet. Few days back I had soaked some green moong and I wanted to use up a block of paneer from freezer, so I decided to combine both to make this green moong – paneer masala. I made it a bit tangy and spicy, tasted great with chapatis.

Pictorial:
Heat oil and add whole spices. Add onion, ginger-garlic.

Add all spices, followed by tomatoes.

Add moong, paneer, water and cook till done.

Green Moong - Paneer Masala

A spicy and tangy sprouted green moong and paneer masala gravy that goes well with chapatis or rice.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings 3 -4

Ingredients

2 cups sprouted green moong
1 cup onion
1 tea spn ginger paste
1 tea spn garlic paste
1/2 cup tomatoes
15-20 pieces of paneer
2 cloves
2 " cinnamon
2 bay leaves
2 green cardamom
1/2 tea spn amchoor powder
1 tea spn chilli powder
A pinch turmeric
1/2 tea spn garam masala or goda masala
1/2 tea spn coriander powder
1/2 tea spn cumin powder
Oil
Salt

Instructions

In a thick bottomed pan or directly in pressure cooker, heat a little oil and add cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaf.
Then add onion, ginger-garlic paste and fry for few mins.
When the onions are translucent, add chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala(or goda masala), coriander-cumin powder.
Fry till a nice aroma comes out.
Add tomatoes and fry till they are mushy.
Add the moong, paneer, 1 cup water, salt and cook till done.
I cooked the mixture of 2 whistles. The paneer became quite soft(It was quite hard to begin with). So if you have a soft paneer, I suggest adding it at the end after the moong is cooked.
Serve hot with roti/chapati or rice.

Mushroom – Capsicum Gravy

4 Comments / Gravy (Curry and daals) / By Shilpa

Mushrooms was one of the favorite things to eat when I was growing up. I haven’t been using them much lately. Last week I saw a pack of beautiful pack of mushrooms and I impulsively bought it. I wanted to make something different. I prepared this spicy Mushroom – capsicum gravy. It was so good, V sent a message to my family whatsapp group saying “the best bhaji with chapati in the history of the universe” lol.
I thought that deserves a post on the blog!.

Pictorial:
Clean and cut mushrooms and coriander stems.

Fry the ingredients for he gravy paste.

Grind the mixture with coriander stems to a smooth paste.

Heat oil and fry mushrooms for few minutes. Fry onions and then add capsicum, mushrooms, followed by ground paste.

Add enough water and cook till done.

Mushroom - Capsicum Gravy

A spicy gravy with mushromms and capsicums that goes well with chapatis.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Servings 4 -5

Ingredients

3 cups chopped mushrooms
1 cup capsicum green bellpepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup onion cut into big pieces this will be ground in paste
1 cup chopped tomato
2 red chillies
1/2 cup chopped coriander stems I use the thick stems that usually go waste
1 tea spn goda masala or garam masala
1 tea spn coriander seeds
1 tea spn chopped ginger
1 tea spn chopped garlic
A pinch turmeric
1 tbl spn desiccated or dry coconut
Oil
Salt

Instructions

Wash and chop mushrooms into big pieces.
Chop capsicum into big pieces.
Heat oil and add coriander seeds.
Then add onions, ginger garlic.
Fry till they are translucent and then add goda masala or garam masala, turmeric.
Now add coconut, fry for few minutes.
Add the tomatoes, cook till they are mushy.
Grind the mixture along with coriander stems to a smooth paste.
Heat oil and fry mushrooms for few minutes (I think this step enhances the flavor).
Take them out and fry capsicum for few minutes.
Take them out, in the same pan, heat oil and fry onions.
Then add mushrooms, capsicum and ground paste, salt.
Add water depending on how thick/thin gravy you need.
Cover and cook till done.
Serve hot with rotis/chapatis.

Spinach-Buttermilk Gravy (Palak Kadhi)

4 Comments / Gravy (Curry and daals), Healthy Options, Simple and Easy / By Shilpa

Cooking for weekdays is becoming a juggling act for me. I try to keep things simple, but I still want my family to eat something fresh. My two year old is in his “terrible-twos” phase. So vegetables usually go untouched. I am finding new ways to include it back in their diet. Last week I tried this kadhi. It was simple, delicious and easy to make – 3 things which I look for in whatever I cook.
Also check this spinach tambli.

Pictorial:
Heat oil and add all seasoning. Then add spinach.

When it is wilted, add water, salt.

Mix gram flour in buttermilk and mix well. Then add some boiling spinach water into it.

Add the mix back into boiling water. Cook for few mins.

Spinach-Buttermilk Gravy (Palak Kadhi)

A spicy, healthy and easy kadhi prepared by cooking spinach in buttermilk gravy.

4 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 20

Servings 2 -3

Ingredients

2 cups thick buttermilk or curd/yogurt
2 green chillies
1/2 tea spn grated ginger
1 cup chopped spinach
3-4 curry leaves
1/2 tea spn urad dal
1/2 tea spn cumin seeds
1 tea spn besan gram flour
A pinch asafoetida
1/2 tea spn mustard seeds
Oil
Salt

Instructions

Heat a little oil and fry mustard seeds, urad dal, cumin seeds.
When they start popping, add green chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida, ginger.
Fry for few minutes and then add turmeric, spinach.
When spinach is wilted, Add a cup of water, salt. Bring to boil.
In a separate bowl, take buttermilk, besan and mix well to remove any lumps.
Now add a ladle full of spinach-water mix into yogurt and mix very well. (This step helps in bringing up temperature of buttermilk and so it does not curdle much when heated).
Beat the mixture very well and add it slowly back into the boiling spinach-water.
Cook on a medium-low heat. Mix it occasionally to avoid any curdling.
Serve with rice and some spicy side dish.

Palak Paneer with Almond paste

5 Comments / Gravy (Curry and daals), Healthy Options, Side dishes / By Shilpa

My new year resolution is to eat/cook with more vegetables. The problem I face with this is, I buy lot of vegetables in a week and then they sit in fridge and pass their prime time. This weekend, after a very long time, I prepped all the vegetables – washed them, cut them into pieces, dried them and stored in boxes/zip lock bags in freezer or refrigerator. This is helping so much in fast cooking during weekdays and I hope this will also bring down the wastage. Now I have to figure out something similar with spinach(palak). I buy big box of baby spinach from Costco. I make dal, paratha etc with it, but still have some leftover. Last week I prepared this palak paneer with almond paste. I called it palak paneer, because it had palak and paneer!. This is probably the closest to the classic palak paneer that my family will eat. I made it quite spicy, the way we like it.

Many years ago, on a cooking show I had seen the addition of kasoori methi (dried fenugreek) to Palak paneer. I followed the same to give it a bright methi taste. This is by no means traditional palak paneer (calling it a palak paneer may be a stretch!)n- I made it to suit our taste buds. Check Anita’s Palak panir or Manisha’s Palak paneer posts for authentic versions.

Pictorial:
Blanch tomatoes in boiling water. Make ginger-garlic paste.

Blanch spinach.

Blanch almonds. Fry onions with ginger-garlic paste.
Add masalas and fry.

Add ground spinach-tomato paste, kasuri methi. Then add almond paste.

Add paneer and cook.

Paneer in Creamy Spinach - Almond gravy

Creamy, delicious and spicy twist to the humble palak paneer with the addition of tomatoes and almond paste

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings 4 -5

Ingredients

3 cups baby spinach
2 big tomatoes about 2 cup chopped
1 tea spn freshly made ginger-garlic paste
1/2 cup onion
1/2 tea spns cumin seeds
1/2 cup almonds
1 tea spn garam masala
2-3 green chillies
1/2 tea spn coriander-cumin powder
8 oz 227grms paneer cubes
1 tea spn kasuri methi dried fenugreek leaves
Oil
Salt

Instructions

Boil 2 cups of water.
Add tomatoes to it, after about 3 mins, add spinach.
Switch off the heat, let it sit there for a mins.
Take the tomatoes and spinach in mixer bowl along with green chillies and grind to smooth paste.
In the same water, add almonds and boil for 4-5mins (I use them with skin).
Grind the almonds to a paste (I made a coarse paste for some texture).
Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds.
Then add onion, ginger-garlic paste. Fry for few minutes.
Add garam masala, cumin-coriander powder and fry for 2 mins.
Now add the ground spinach paste, salt and cook.
Crush the kasuri methi slightly with fingers and add it to the gravy.
Add almond paste and then paneer cubes. Cook for 5-6 mins.
Serve hot with rotis/chapatis or rice.