Moong dal and spinach complement each other perfectly. One comes packed with protein, the other boasts of high vitamin-mineral content; one is known for its digestive ease, the other for its roughage. And the colors – the pale yellow of moong playing off the rich green of spinach – are an added invitation to dig into this delicately flavored sautéed spinach moong dal.
From my mom’s kitchen, a wholesome upma fortified with beans, carrots, sprouted moong and amla. My only contribution has been in clicking pictures and wolfing it down for breakfast.
This is the 100th post on The Steaming Pot. How lovely that it should coincide with the first post of the New Year! Best wishes for 2012 to each one of you. If you like this blog, please pass on the link to your friends, "Like" the Steaming Pot’s Facebook page and follow @steamingpot on twitter. Thank you VERY much for reading!
We normally make cheela – a savory pancake popular as breakfast food in India – with besan (gram flour), but my taste buds prefer the more delicate flavors of moong dal cheela. Moong dal has the added edge of being less taxing to the tummy than gram flour.
On to the cheela recipe, with step-by-step pictures…
Green moong dal, when boiled, retains its shape unlike dals like masoor (red lentil) and toor (yellow lentil). One can put boiled moong dal to good use in a moong bean salad.
Khichdi isn’t exactly the height of culinary sophistication – but sometimes we don’t want culinary sophistication. Hands up those living away from family who, after a series of spice-laden oily meals outdoors and countless packets of instant noodles, crave simple home-cooked khichdi?
In the western world, Indian cuisine is mostly equated with rich, spicy gravies – kofta curry and chhole masala and shahi paneer and their ilk. In reality, Indian cuisine is far broader than that. Indian food can be simple and minimalistic, as this dish I’m going to write about today – roasted moong dal with a green vegetable combination. I picked up the recipe of ridge gourd moong dal from a friend from Andhra, it’s been a regular in my kitchen since.
Ridge gourd and moong dal are both very gentle on the stomach, as are asafoetida (hing in Hindi) and lemon, the prime flavorings in this dish. Hing is a strong spice and, I suspect, an acquired taste. If this is the first time you’re cooking with hing, I’d suggest using very little of it. If you like it, use more another time. I do recommend it warmly, especially for its wide array of health benefits.
Discover how to easily adapt traditional Indian flavors into a vibrant, customizable Indian Buddha Bowl. Plus, get 10 delicious Indian Buddha bowl combination ideas!
Tomatoes are an essential ingredient for most curries – but you CAN do well without them! A collection of Indian vegetarian curry recipes without tomatoes.
Rice-dal-ghee is all you need for a happy tummy. Turn to khichdi when comfort beckons stronger than culinary sophistication. [Yes, you can make khichdi without a pressure cooker.]
With each bite, dhani nimbu zucchini gives a delightful lemony jolt to your senses. Green, light and tangy, this veggie side dish is summer exemplified.
Stop overpaying for “health drinks”. This savory, incredibly refreshing sattu jaljeera will keep your wallet happy. Requires no cooking and comes together in just minutes!
A seasonal take on the conventional rice phirni. Serve mango phirni in silver bowls for a classic feel, or layer it parfait-style with nuts and mango cubes.