Horse gram and lentils Patty

Horse gram and lentils Patty 

Ingredients:

Horsegram ( கொள்ளு) - 1 cup

Toor Dhal / Split Pigeon Peas ( துவரம் பருப்பு) - 1/2 cup

Channa Dhal / Split Yellow peas ( கடலை பருப்பு) -  1/2 cup

Dry Red Chili ( காய்ந்த சிவப்பு மிளகாய்) -  3

Onion ( வெங்காயம்) - 1 

Coconut pieces ( தேங்காய் துண்டுகள்) - a few pieces

Curry leaves ( கறிவேப்பிலை) - 1 twig

Mustard Seeds ( கடுகு ) - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida ( பெருங்காயம்) - a pinch

Oil ( எண்ணெய்) - for pan fry 

Soak horse gram for 3 to 4 hours. Soak the other two lentils for 1hour. Grind the three lentils and the dry chili to a coarse paste. Use a minimum of water.

Cut the onions and coconut into bite-size pieces. Mix with the batter. Add a teaspoon of oil, let the mustard seeds crack, add asafoetida and the curry leaves. Transfer this seasoning to the batter. Mix well. Roll into desired size balls.

Heat a flat or a shallow pan. Flatten the ball into a patty shape. Cook on medium flame.

Turn the patty and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Serve hot. 

My Notes:

This crispy patty was prepared as a stuffing for a burger. But was eaten as it is. The ingredients in this recipe are similar to the one used for Indian tiffin item, adai except the parboiled rice was excluded. It was a nice protein packed breakfast for the family. The crunchy coconut pieces here and there is a favourite with everyone in the family. You can exclude based on your liking.
I prepared and served the patty with  Indian yogurt salad, raitha, made with cucumber and curd. It balances the hot spicy horse gram. For a tangy taste, my elder son added a dollop of tomato chutney to go with. My younger son preferred unsalted butter on a hot patty.
The patty can be grilled too. Serve the patties on a burger, sandwich, chapathi or even dosai. Enjoy wholesome food in your own way.

Stuffed Bitterguard stir fry பொதித்த பாகற்காய் வதக்கல்

Stuffed Bitterguard Stir fry

 பொதித்த பாகற்காய் வதக்கல் 

Ingredients:

Small size Bitterguard  (சிறிய பாகற்காய் ) - 8 to 10 Nos.

Potato ( உருளைகிழங்கு)  -  2 Nos.

Chili powder ( மிளகாய் தூள்)  - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder ( மஞ்சள் தூள்) - 1/2  tsp

Ginger( இஞ்சி) - 1 inch

Green chili ( பச்சை மிளகாய்) - 2 

Roasted peanut ( வறுத்த நிலக்கடலை) - 2 tsp

Tamarind - a small piece or Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp

( புளி சிறிதளவு அல்லது எலுமிச்சைபழம்)

Garam Masala Powder ( கரம் மசாலா தூள்)  - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste (தேவையான் அளவு உப்பு )  

Oil (எண்ணெய்) - 3 tbsp 

Slit the bitter guard lengthwise and remove the pith with the seeds. Wash well and soak in salt water for 10 minutes.

Mix chili powder, turmeric powder and salt, with little water to make a paste. Apply this paste to the bitter guard uniformly inside and out. Microwave for a minute. Turn the sides of the vegetable, repeat for another minute. 

Poke a few holes on to the potato using a fork. Microwave for 2 minutes. Let it cool. Peel and mash the potato. Add a teaspoon of garam masala and a little salt,  mix well.
Fine chop the ginger and chili. In a food processor dry grind the peanuts and tamarind to a coarse powder

Mix the ingredients to a uniform consistency. 

Stuff the bitter guard with the potato masala. Coat the outer skin with coconut oil or any cooking oil 

Grease a hot plate and spread the bitter guards. let it roast.

Turn over, sprinkle oil if needed. Roast uniformly and serve hot. 

My Notes:

Bitter guard is one of the favourite vegetables of my elder son. Probably he has taken the liking after me. It is not a vegetable commonly liked by people. I have had got hooked on to bitter guard from my mother. She used to cook the normal way, sliced bitter guard with onions, tomatoes and chili powder. I remember that only we both in our family prefer to eat this vegetable. One of my aunt, Lalli athai, cooks the same way but has a unique touch of flavour. She introduced me the way of mixing the stir fry bitter guard masala with hot steamed rice and eat. (Normally it is eaten as a side dish for sambar rice or curd rice.) It is a habit that I still do sometimes.

This recipe of stuffed bitter guard is an inspiration from a North Indian Restaurant a decade ago. I had twitted to suit our taste buds. A small piece of tamarind ( very less) or a teaspoonful of lemon juice balances the bitterness. The coarse peanuts give a crunchiness as you bite into it. These two ingredients were not there in the original dish that we had tasted at the restaurant. 

I have cooked this dish many times, but for the first time, I had cooked the potato in the oven, which was a success in the outcome of the dish. I have decided to cook potato this way for any stuffing using potato. The potato was crumbly yet smooth not too dry nor soupy. Potato is usually pressure cooked ( convenient) and most of the time the potato is soft and is soupy/starchy. So the stuffing masala may not be that perfect for stir fry. 

I have used a small portion of the tamarind. Lemon juice was not used. The choice is yours.

Amount of oil on the hotplate is also of personal preference. I have used the minimum quantity. For more crispy pieces, roast in medium flame with a generous portion of oil and longer time. 

My younger son made a twist with a piece of cheese inserted/covered the slit on the vegetable. So go wild with your imagination and enjoy this vegetable which is full of goodness.

Serve this dish with rice or chapathi. 

Sprouted fenugreek Salad ( முளைகட்டிய வெந்தய சாலட்)

Sprouted fenugreek Salad 
முளைகட்டிய வெந்தய சாலட்

Ingredients:

Fenugreek ( வெந்தயம் ) -  2 tbsp

Capsicum ( குடை மிளகாய்) - 1/2 

celery ( செலரி) - 1 stick

pomegranate seeds ( மாதுளம் முத்து) - a handful

Blueberries ( புளுபெர்ரிஸ் / அவுரிநெல்லி ) - a handful 

Cabbage ( முட்டைகோஸ்) - finely shredded a handful

Roasted peanuts ( வறுத்த நிலைகடலை) - 2 tbsp

Lemon juice ( எலுமிச்சை சாறு) - 1 tbsp

Sesame sauce ( எள் சாஸ்) - 1 tbsp

Salt and pepper to taste ( தேவைக்கேற்ற  உப்பு & மிளகுத்தூள் )

Brown rice noodle ( optional ) பழுப்பு அரிசி நூடுல்ஸ் (தேவையென்றால்) - 1/4 

Wash and soak fenugreek seeds for 2 hours.

 It will swell up nearly double in size. Drain water using a sieve 

Place the soaked fenugreek in a colander box for a minimum of 36 hours.

Thin slice cabbage and red capsicum. Cut the celery into bite-size cubes.
Add in a handful of blueberries and pomegranate seeds.
A handful of roasted peanuts. A teaspoon of lemon juice.
Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and serve. 

For that satiety feel, a small portion of boiled brown rice noodles can be added to this salad.  

My Notes:
Fenugreek is bitter in taste but sweet in its goodness for our body. The benefits are many.
Sprouted fenugreek is less bitter. With crunchy vegetables coated with the tangy lemon juice, topped with roasted peanuts no other salad dressing is required to enjoy this salad. But can use the sesame sauce that is available in supermarkets. The salad is goodness packed to fullness, a healthy yet crunchy and tangy in every mouthful.