Summarizing, the earlier post on Channa dal showed, how the seeds underwent hypogeal germination to beautiful plants with compound leaves and lilac coloured flowers

When the plants were about 40 days old, the first bud was noticed. The bud is shown with an arrow head.

The first few flowers bloomed and withered.  But new buds and new flowers continued to blossom, keeping our hopes alive.

Three days later, the tiny pod grew bigger and the second pod came up. Shown with an arrow head. 

Slowly more pods appeared on the main stem.

The first four pods were left on the plant for about 45 days to mature.  The green pods turned to light brown.  The leaves of the plant also turned brown.  There are still some green pods.

Cabbage leaves

120 gm channa dal

120 gm rice

1 Tbsp finely chopped onion

1 Tbsp finely chopped capsicum

1 Tbsp tomato puree

3 Tbsp refined oil/olive oil

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Salt, sugar and pepper to taste

For the Rice:

Wash and soak the rice for about 2 hours, then drain it.

For the Dal:   

Wash and cook the channa dal in pressure cooker with ½ cup of water and ½ tsp of salt.  After the lst whistle, reduce the heat and cook for 3 minutes. Take the dal on a plate and crush ¾ of the dal with a fork.

For tomato puree:

Wash and cut 2 or 3 tomatoes, remove seeds if any and grind finely.  Heat a heavy pan with 1 tsp refined oil and cook the pulp with ½ tsp of salt until it become little thick.

For the cabbage leaves:

Take a medium size cabbage and cut the stem from the head of the cabbage deep enough. This will help the separation of the outer leaves from the core.  Dip the cabbage in boiling water.  Remove the first loosened leaf. Dip again and continue to remove the leaves one by one.

Prepare the stuffing material: 

In a heave pan heat 2 Tbsp of refined oil.  Add the onion and sauté it for few seconds.  Add the capsicum and 1/4 tsp of pepper powder and fry a little.  Add the tomato puree and stir well.  Add rice and mix well.  Next carefully fold in the channa dal into the fried mixture.  Switch off the heat.

Grease a round baking pan and cover its base with a cabbage leaf as shown in the picture.

Prepare the dolma:

1. Cut off the thick central part of the cabbage leaf, making it into two parts.

2. Take a spoonful of the prepared mixture and place it on the thicker side of the leaf and roll it up loosely, keeping space for the rice to expand. 

3. Place the seam side of the roll downward onto the pan.  Make another roll the same way and place it next to the first with one end overlapping it as shown in the picture.

4. Repeat these two steps until the base of the pan is fully covered. Make a second layer on top of the first.

5. Take about 100 ml of water, add 1 Tbsp of lemon juice, sugar and salt to taste and mix well. 

6. Add 1 Tbsp oil to this mix and pour over the rolls. 

7. Cover the pan with a plate.

8. Steam in a pressure cooker.  After the first whistle of the pressure cooker, reduce the heat to minimum and cook for 20 minutes. Switch off the heat

9. When the cooker cools, remove the pan with the rolls and keep it outside for some time before turning the shape onto a plate. 

10. Or separate the dolmas.

11. Serve hot with brown onion sauce or as you like.

75 gm moong dal/yellow lentil

50 gm powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

5 Tbsp refined oil

1. Wash and soak the dal for about 4 hours. Drain and grind finely with as minimum water as possible.

2. Heat the oil in a heavy pan.  Pour the dal mixture into the oil.  Keep stirring till the roasting aroma of dal is released and oil starts to ooze out.   Switch off the heat.  Add sugar and vanilla essence into the fried dal and mix well.

3. While the mixture is still warm, take teaspoonfuls and make a small balls.  Cover the balls with a thin film and keep it in the fridge for about 10 – 15 minutes.

75 gm dark chocolate

75 gm milk chocolate

75 gm white chocolate

Oven proof bowls

Buttered paper

If you are using compound chocolate, chop the chocolate finely. You may use chocolate chips also.  Cover a tray with butter paper.

1. Chop dark chocolate finely and place it in an ovenproof bowl. Microwave the chocolate for 30 seconds at a time.  After each 30 second stir the chocolate. As soon as chocolate begins to melt, take out bowl from the oven and stir continuously until all the chocolate melts completely and becomes shinny

2. Dip the moong balls one at a time.  Lift the balls gently with a fork.  Tap the fork on the edge of the bowl to remove excess chocolate and place them on the butter paper. Let them stand until firm.

3. Repeat the same procedure with milk chocolate and white chocolate. First melt and then dip the balls.

4. Drizzle the top with the left over chocolate.

100 gm channa dal

½ tea cup of curry leaves/coriander leaves chopped

14-15 clove of garlic

5-6 green chillies (optional)

5-6 Tbsp of Olive/refined oil

2 Tbsp of Vinegar, Salt and sugar to taste

3. Place curry leaves, garlic and chopped chillies into the grinder. 

4. Add 2 tablespoon vinegar, 5 Tbsp of oil and grind as finely as possible. 

5. Add the dal, salt and sugar to taste  and continue grinding to a fine paste.

6. Add extra oil if needed to make the mixture smooth. Adjust the seasoning.

2 medium size cooked potatoes finely mashed,

1 tsp butter, salt and pepper to taste. 

Mix all the ingredients well and keep aside.

Fried moong mixture*,

1 Tbsp grated cheese,

Salt to taste

A pinch of kashmiri mirch/red paprika powder to deepen the colour (optional)

The recipe for moong is at the bottom of the page.

Add the grated cheese, a pinch of kashmiri mirch and salt to taste to the cooked moong and mix them well.  Make small balls as big as an egg yolk.

Take a small amount of mash potato on the palm of your hand and flatten it.  Place a moong ball and cover it completely with potato as shown in the picture.  Smooth out the surface as much as possible.

Make a thin batter with 1 Tbsp of corn flour. Dip the potato balls into it.  Coat the same with bread crumbs as shown in the pictures.

Deep fry the eggs.  Allow them to cool. Slice the eggs into halves and serve warm.

Wash and soak 50 gm of moong dal for about 4 hours. Grind it with minimum water as possible.

Heat a heavy pan with 50 ml of refined oil. Pour the moong into the oil. Keep stirring the mixture until you get the roasted smell and oil begins to come out.  Switch off the heat.  Take out the moong carefully from the pan leaving the oil behind.

100 gm Moong dal

50 gm Sugar

100 ml ghee/refined oil

Few pistachios

Patty cases

1. Wash and soak dal for about 4 hours.  Drain it well and grind it coarsely with as minimum water as possible. 

2. Remove the shells of the pistachios and chop them finely. Spread out on a plate and keep it aside.

3. Grind the cardamoms in the grinder and then add the sugar.

4. Grind sugar and the cardamom powder together and sieve the mixture through a fine sieve and keep it aside

5. Heat a heavy pan and add the ghee/refined oil.  When the oil is medium hot pour the moong batter and stir well. The mixture will have a tendency to stick to the pan.  So you must keep stirring until the oil starts oozing out from the mixture. The base of the pan will look oily and you will get the smell of roasted moong.  Switch off the heat and add the powdered sugar and mix well.

6. When it cools, make small balls to fit the patty case.  Slightly touch pistachios on the plate with one side of the ball and place the same side facing downward into the patty case.  Press it firmly and then remove carefully from the mould.

Idli, channaChutney, Sambar.

Black-eyed Flan and Sprouted Moong Salad

Moong Pudding

Toor dal is known as pigeon pea or red gram in English.  It has a distinctive nutty flavour.  It is not only tasty but also rich in Protein, carbohydrate and fibre.

How to make sambar powder and tamarind puree is given at the end of the recipe.

100 gm Toor dal

50 gm Carrot

50 gm bean

1 tsp salt

• Cook the dal: Wash and pressure cook the dal with ½ tsp of salt and enough water to immerse the dal.
• After the first whistle, lower the heat and let it simmer for 2 minutes and then switch off the cooker.  Allow it to cool and then add little water to the dal and take it out from the cooker.

Cook the vegetables: 

Wash and remove strings, if any, from the beans. Wash and peel the carrots. Cut both the vegetables to the same size.  Cook them together in the pressure cooker with ¼ tsp of salt and very little water.  Switch off the cooker at the 1^st whistle.  Remove the vegetables  from the cooker carefully and keep them aside.

3 Tbsp refined oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

2 red dried chilli

1 Medium size onion finely chopped ( 60 gm)

1 Medium size tomato finely chopped (75 gm)

1 tsp finely chopped green chillies

1 handful of curry leaves

1 tsp turmeric powder

2 Tbsp tamarind puree**

1 Tbsp of sambar powder*

Salt to taste

1. Heat the oil in a big pan.  Reduce the heat and add mustard seeds and allow it to crackle. 
2. Add the dry red chillies and fry a little. 
3. Add onion  and sauté till transparent,  add curry leaves and fry for few more seconds.

4. Add the chopped tomatoes and ½ tsp of salt and fry for about 30 seconds.

5. The salt will help the tomato to get soft quickly.  Add the chopped green chilli if you like hot sambar.

6. When the tomatoes get little pulpy add 1 tsp of turmeric and 1Tbsp of sambar powder.

7. Fry all the spices until the aroma of the sambar powder is released. 

8. Pour the cooked dal over the fried spices. 

9. Add warm water to adjust the consistency of the dal. As dal begins to boil add the cooked vegetable.  

10. Add 1 Tbsp of the tamarind puree. Adjust the salt. 

Boil the sambar well for  2-3  minutes more.  Serve hot with idli, dosa or white rice.

1 tsp chana dal

1 tsp urad dal

2 Tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

Few fenugreek seeds/methi

2-3 Black peppercorn

1 dry red chillies

Few curry leaves

1 pinch of Asafoetida/hing optional

Tamarind puree is available in the market.  You may also make your own tamarind puree at home.

Soak a few fresh/dried tamarind in little hot water for about 10 minutes.  Crush them with your finger and strain the liquid through a sieve.

In the picture tempering is done with red dried chilly and panch phoron.( 5 different spices)

Sometimes all the above five spices are mixed together and used for tempering.  The mixture of these 5 spices are known as Panch Phoron.  It gives an unique aroma.

Haldhi/ turmeric powder is another spice used for tempering.  Beside being used for colouring (yellow) it has its own medicinal properties.

Fresh garlic, ginger, onion and green chillies.  

Dried ones are tez patta/bay leaves and dried red chillies. 

Channa dal and urad dal are used in tempering in some South Indian savoury dishes.

Curiya patta/ curry leaves are also used during tempering. It hasa beautiful flavour.  It is used almost in all the South Indian savoury dishes. The plant grows as tall as an apple tree.