Dal Palak Curry (With Coconut)

This recipe is an experiment which turned out to be good, so thought of sharing :-)

Ingredients:

1. Moong dal : 1/2 cup
2. Tur dal - 1 tb
3. Spinach - A bunch
4. Coconut 1/4 cup
5. Jeera - 1/4 tsp
6.Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Garlic - 2 cloves (medium)
8. Green Chilly - 1
9. Green leaves - 1-2
10. Mustard seeds- a pinch
11. Salt
12. Oil

Preparation:

1. Cook the dal's along with a pinch of turmeric powder, in a pressure cooker for about 3-4 whistles, dal  - water ratio should be 1:2.75, ie: for 1 cup of dal add 2.75 cup of water in cooker.
2. Wash spinach in salt water for 2-3 times, and chop off the thick stem and roots.
3. Grind the ingredients from 3-9, in a mixer, till it becomes paste.
4. Heat a Kadai, add mustard seeds, let it splutter, add cooked dal (add water if required). To this add the finely chopped spinach leaves. Keep the Kadai in low flame for 5 minutes.
6. To this add the paste from step -3 and mix well.
7. Keep it in low flame for 10-15 minutes, stir it in between.
8. Make sure that dal palak curry has enough water, otherwise it will get burnt while cooking.
10.This step is optional, add 1/4 tsp of ghee, after switching off the gas. Close the Kadai with a lid and keep it for 2-3 minutes.

11. The dish tastes best with white rice.

Ulli Thandu Thoran(Spring Onions)

Every time I saw a bunch of fresh spring onions, I felt it called me :-). I was waiting to try out this recipe for a long time. Ulli thandu thoran is very healthy and easy to make.

Ingredients:

1. Ulli thandu (Spring Onion) - 1 bunch
2. Garlic - 2 cloves
3. Jeera - 1/4 tsp
4.Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
5. Coconut (grated) - 1/2 cup (of asmall tea glass)
6.Green chilies - 1small
7. Mustard seeds - a pinch
8. Red chillies - 1
9. Oil
10. Salt


Preparation :
1. Wash spring onion greens  in salt water, and then chop them in to small round pieces (This will make you cry like anything- the smell and weeping effect is similar to that of cutting an onion).
2.Grind ingredients 2 and 6 in mixer, and to this, mix the ingredients 3,4,5 with hand or with a pulse of mixer.
3.Heat a Kadai, add oil, add mustard seeds and let the seeds spultter, then add broken red chilly.
4. Add chopped onion greens,salt and mix well, add little bit of water in between till the greens get cooked. Keep it in high flame initillay for some time and then cook in low flame.
5. When you keep in low flame add the grated ingredients in step 2 and keep it till the onion greens get cooked.

Ulli thandu thoran