Spinach and Lentil Soup

Here is a simple yet delicious soup that highlights the classic spinach and lentil combination. Instead of using plain vegetable broth, I made my own version infusing it with a combination of indian spices that gives this dish an exciting complexity.

2 bags baby spinach (8 cups)
8 cups vegetable broth
1 cup moong aka mung dal (green gram dal), washed until there is almost no muddled water that washes out
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 dried bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
5 cloves
3 tbsp coriander seeds
3/4 tsp red chilli powder (this gives a slight undertone of heat at the back of your throat. This is optional)
zest from one lemon
juice from one lemon
1/2 tsp + 1 1/2 tsp salt

Heat 8 cups of vegetable broth over medium heat in a dutch oven. Add cumin and coriander seeds, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaf. Let the broth come to a boil and drop the heat to medium and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Drain and pour the spiced broth back into the dutch oven.

In the meanwhile, in a heavy bottomed pan add the cup of washed/soaked moong dal along with 2 cups of water, turmeric powder and 1/2 tsp salt. Bring this to a boil over high heat. Then drop the heat to low and cook covered with a lid for 25 minutes. Keep checking on it every 5-10 minutes to make sure the water doesn’t overflow and the dal is cooking in a simmering boil. If the water is boiling over through the covered lid, then leave the lid very slightly open to let some of the steam escape. Adjust heat accordingly and complete cooking the dal completely.

Using a blender, puree the spinach in batches. You may need a few tablespoons of liquid to make a smooth puree. Use the spiced broth rather than plain water, it will add a lot of flavor. Pour the pureed spinach back in along with the spiced broth. Add the remaining salt and chilli powder. Mix evenly and bring this to a boil over medium heat.

Simmer the soup for 15 minutes until the spinach is cooked and goes from a bright green to a darker color. Now add the cooked lentils into the soup, mix well and let simmer for 15 more minutes. Add 1 tbsp of lemon zest, lemon juice and chopped cilantro. Let it simmer for 10 more minutes and turn off the heat.

Check if you need more seasoning. Serve with crispy croutons. It’s easy to make your own croutons – just cut the edges of any bread you have, spray it with butter spray and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Spread on a baking sheet and toast in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes, flip over and toast 5-6 more minutes on the other side. Carefully watch the bread, it can easily burn.

Spiced Lentil and Bean Stew

Inspired by the classic Ethiopian dish, and with my inclination towards indian spices came about this hearty and ‘warm your belly’ lentil stew. If you love earthy, warm spices, this will hit the right spot. Just the perfect bowl of dinner for the winter.

You will need:

3 cups lentils (regular brown or puy)
2 cans dark red kidney beans (pre-cooked)
1 bay leaf (fresh or dried)
1 large onion, finely chopped (yellow or white)
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2″ piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp butter
2 large tomatoes, chopped ( for plum tomatoes, use 4)
1/4 cup tomato paste
4 cups vegetable stock (you can substitute with water)
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
1 sprig, fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp lemon juice

For the Spice mixture:
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds (optional)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 tsp cardamom (i use whole ones)
4 cloves
1/2 stick cinnamon
2 tbsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp salt

In a dry skillet, add all the above spice mixture  ingredients. Toast over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Keep tossing making sure the spices don’t burn. Powder these ingredients in a blender along with the chopped ginger with no liquid. It has to be a dry powder. Frying whole spices and freshly grinding them adds immense flavor to the stew. If you don’t have access to fresh whole spices, as a substitute, you could use the pre-powdered version of all the above spices and just mix them together in a bowl.

In a large pot, add 6 cups of water along with the lentils and bay leaf. Boil the lentils for about 45 minutes. Around the 30 minute mark, check to see the doneness and adjust amount of water and cooking time accordingly. The lentils after 45 minutes, should be cooked but not mushy. It should be firm and al dente since it is going to cook a bit more while putting together the stew.

Drain the lentils, also drain the can of kidney beans and set aside.

In a large pot, add the butter and vegetable oil. Once the butter is golden brown, add the onions and garlic. Sauteé for 10 minutes until the onions soften.

Add the ground spice mixture and cook for 7-8 more minutes making sure the spice powder is mixed evenly.

Add the chopped tomatoes and salt , cook 5 more minutes.

Add tomato paste, mix well and then add the vegetable stock.

Simmer over medium heat for 25-30 minutes.

Now add the cooked lentils and beans, simmer 20 more minutes.

Check for salt, top with the chopped cilantro, mint, lemon juice and turn off the heat.

I prefer this stew just on it’s own with a little extra squeeze of lemon, but you could also serve it with your favorite bread.

Lima Bean Biryani

This is another one of my crazy kitchen sink recipes. Kitchen sink recipes are ones I have no plan or recipe for. I just make it up as I go along, with whatever ingredients I have at that moment. Most of the times it works well and the times it doesn’t, you don’t hear about it!

I love lima beans and I think these classic flavors go very well together and jazz up the usually challenging lima beans. It’s just another way of using the yummy beans.

2 cups lima beans, thawed ( I used frozen)
2 cups basmati rice
1 large white onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large red tomato, roughly chopped
5 cloves of garlic, peeled
1″ piece ginger, peeled
3 serrano chillies, roughly chopped ( I use the whole peppers. Feel free to adjust this as you please)
6 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder ( Optional: don’t let not having this ingredient discourage you from trying this recipe!)
1tbsp + 1tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp butter

In a blender, add garlic, ginger, serrano chillies, cilantro, 1 tbsp cumin seeds, coriander seeds, 1 tsp salt, tomato and onions. Blend this mixture together, with no added water. The watery tomatoes yield just enough. Make this into a smooth paste and set aside.

Heat a largewide non-stick pan over medium heat with canola oil and  butter. Once the butter has melted add the remaining 1 tsp cumin seeds  and asafoetida powder.As I mentioned above, asafoetida is one of those things that not every one may have available. But don’t let not having  this one ingredient discourage you  from making the dish. It will taste great either way.

When the cumin seeds start spluttering, remove the pan from heat and  add the blended mixture. Doing it on heat will make a mess, there is a lot  of spluttering. Make sure you reduce the heat to low before returning the  pan to heat. Cook over low heat partially covered for 20-25 minutes,  stirring every  8 or so minutes. This will remove the raw smell from the  onion and spices and give room for all the flavors to meld together. Your kitchen must smell heavenly just about now!

Add the lima beans, the measured water and remaining tsp of salt. Increase the heat to medium high and cook uncovered for 10-12 minutes. Add the basmati rice, mix and let it come to a boil.

Just when it comes to a boil, cover and drop the heat to low. Cook for 20-25 minutes until the rice is perfectly done. Remove and gently fold or fluff using a spatula. Do not over mix or the rice will break and become mushy.

Garnish with cilantro and serve this dish hot with a cup of cool raita.

Chickpeas and Methi leaf Curry

Methi(aka Fenugreek) Leaves and Seeds are common ingredients in Indian cooking. They have a slightly bitter but intensely nutty and savory flavor. Added to any gravy or vegetable curries, it adds a great depth. Herb combination of Methi leaves and Cilantro is just a great flavor treat!

Using chickpeas or potatoes with methi leaves is most common. Here is a version of methi leaves with chickpeas in a tomato/onion masala.

1 32 oz can Chickpeas
1 cup Methi leaves (aka Fenugreek leaves) cleaned & washed
5 tbsp canola oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala
1/3 cup cilantro

To make into a paste:
1 stick Cinnamon
4 cloves
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp coriander seeds
8 Indian green chillis (use 4-5 for a milder version)
1 ” Ginger piece
3 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1 large tomato
1 medium onion
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 cup water

Add all of the above paste ingredients to a blender. Add the cup of water and blend everything together to make a smooth paste. Set aside.

Prepare the methi leaves: pluck the leaves from the stem and discard the stems. Put all the leaves in a bowl and fill it with cold water. Let it sit for 5 minutes, all the dirt and grit will sink to the bottom. Gently pick the leaves out the water, pat dry with a paper towel and rough chop the leaves and set aside.

In a pan heat 5 tbsps canola oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Remove the pan off the heat and pour the blended spice mixture into the pan stirring the mixture and the oil together. If you pour the mixture into the oil while still on heat there will be a lot of splattering. Put the pan back into medium heat, sprinkle 1 tsp of salt and cook this masala for 15-20 minutes stirring ever 5 minutes. The raw flavor and smell of the spices will mellow down as it simmers. Your kitchen will smell insanely good by now!

Add remaining salt, garam masala powder and the chopped methi leaves. Mix throughly. Let this cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the chickpeas and cilantro making sure the chick peas is really coated well in the masala. Cook for another 7-8 minutes, remove from heat and serve hot. I served it over a bed of hot basmati rice and with Chapatis. Naan would be great too!

This curry tastes even better the next day when the chickpeas has completely soaked into the masala sitting in it all day! In fact I always make this dish in the morning and serve it for dinner. The flavors intensify and marry better the longer it sits.

This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Haalo from Cook (almost) Anything At Least Once. Here are the rules if you want to participate and  here’s Who’s Hosting Weekend Herb Blogging if you’d like to join the weekly celebration of cooking with fresh herbs.

Fried Potatoes with Cumin-Coriander-Black Pepper Spice Rub

3 potatoes, chopped into 2 inch pieces
1 tsp cilantro, for garnish

For the Spice rub :
2 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp whole black pepper
3/4 tsp salt

Heat a pan over medium-high heat and toast the whole black pepper on the dry pan. Keep stirring every few seconds so it doesn’t burn. After 30 seconds add the cumin and coriander seeds. Toast for a minute, set aside and let cool. Once it has completely cooled down blend the spices with the salt to a coarse powder.

Chop the potatoes into 2″ pieces and pat dry the moisture with a paper towel. Fill a pot with canola oil half way through and heat over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Gently drop the potato into the oil and let fry until golden brown (around 10-15 minutes). Make sure the heat is not too high, or the outside will burn without the inside cooking all the way through.

Drain the potatoes well and toss them into the spice rub while hot and mix well.

Serve warm garnished with cilantro.

String Beans and Green Bell Pepper Rice Sauté

Using my South Indian spice mix I posted before, here is another easy one pot dish. Serve this with salted creamy plain yogurt and you have a delicious meal.

1 cup basmati rice
2-3 tbsp South Indian spice mix
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp asafoetida
2 tsp salt
1 cup green beans (I used frozen cut beans)
1/3 cup frozen peas (Thawed to room temperature)
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
10 curry leaves (1-2 stems), finely chopped
2-3 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
2 cups water
3 tbsp canola oil

Heat the oil in a large non-stick skillet and add the mustard seeds. When they start popping, add the asafoetida and curry leaves. Fry for a few seconds and add the green peppers, beans and peas. Add a tsp of salt and saute until the green peppers and beans soften, around 7-8 minutes. Sprinkle the spice mix and fry for a minute.

Add the rice and remaining tsp of salt. Mix well together and saute until the some of the rice kernels turns opaque, around 3 minutes. Add the measure water and bring to a boil over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low/medium and cover.

Cook for 20 minutes and check for doneness. Gently stir the rice to fluff it and check for seasoning. Sprinkle chopped cilantro, mix well and serve.

South Indian spice mix

I have always wanted to post indian spice rubs/mixes that can be stored and used it on pretty much anything. Here is my first post.

This is a aromatic combination of coriander seeds, dried red chillies and channa dal (bengal gram dal). It has a nutty and spicy flavor that goes great with eggplant, green beans, green peppers, cabbage and many more veggies. This mix combined with curry leaves or cilantro is heavenly!  I will try and cover as many dishes as possible with this spice mix going forward. 

This spice rub can be stored for 1-2 days. But it is so easy to make that when you try it once, you will want to make it fresh every time.

5 tbsp channa dal (bengal gram dal)
5 tbsp coriander seeds
6-7 dried red chillies (this might seem like a lot, but when used with vegetables you will need this level of spice)
1 tsp canola oil

Heat canola oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the channa dal first. Keep stirring until the dal just starts to brown. Add in the coriander seeds while stirring. You need to move fast as the dal and the seeds may burn easily. After a few seconds of frying the seeds and the dal together, throw in the red chillies, drop the heat to low and fry for a few more seconds. You know it’s done when a. the coriander seeds toasting makes the whole kitchen smell divine! b. the channa dal has become golden brown and c. the dried red chillies have gotten a darker, deeper color but should not be blackened.

Remove from heat, cool to room temperature before transferring to a blender. Grind it into a coarse powder and store.

Tomato Chutney

There are many variations to making tomato chutney, this is my south indian version.

3 Ripe Tomatos
2 indian Green chillies
2 Dried Red Chillies
1 tsp black mustard seeds              
1 tsp urad dal (also known as black gram dal)
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder
1/2 – 1 tsp salt, depending on your taste
1 tsp coriander seeds 
10 curry leaves (1-2 stems)
1 tbsp oil 
1/2″ ginger piece

In a nonstick pan, heat the oil, add the mustard seeds, urad dal, ginger, coriander seeds asafoetida and both the chillies. Fry for 2 minutes until the urad dal is slightly browned.

Add the tomatoes and salt. Cook for about 7-8 minutes until the spices release their aroma and the tomatoes begin to breakdown and cook. Add the curry leaves and let wilt for a few seconds.

 Remove from heat and let cool completely before transferring to a blender. Grind it to a fine paste and serve with any savory dish. It would also make a great dip, you could serve it with toasted pita wedges or focaccia.

Palak Paneer

 

Know anyone who dislikes spinach? Make this creamy, delicious version of spinach with paneer(indian cottage cheese) and I guarantee they’ll become a spinach lover!

2 cups cubed paneer ( I buy fresh block of paneer and cube it myself. You could buy precubed partially fried paneer as well)

2 bags of baby spinach ( yes it seems like a lot, but it greatly reduces volume when cooked)
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 large tomato, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 inch piece ginger
1 tsp coriander(dhaniya)seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 cloves
5 indian green chillies
1/2 stick of cinnamon
1 bayleaf
1 tsp garam masala powder
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
3 tbsp heavy cream
5 tbsp ghee

Wash the baby spinach leaves well, drain them and grind them in a blender to a paste and set aside. Use as little water as possible. You want a thick spinach paste, not a runny liquid.

Into the blender, add in the onion, tomato, garlic, ginger, chillies, dhaniya seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon, cilantro and garam masala powder. Blend all of it together with a few tablespoons of water to make a smooth paste. Set aside.

Heat a pan with the 3 tbsp of ghee over medium heat, add in the bayleaf and pour in the ground masala paste. It will splutter so be careful! Over medium-low heat keep stirring the masala and let it cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes until the raw onion-garlic smell dissappears.

Now add in the ground spinach paste and mix well together. Add in salt and let it cook uncovered on medium heat for another 20-25 minutes until all the flavors blend together.

In the meanwhile, in another non stick pan, heat the remaining 2 tbsp ghee over medium heat. Shallow fry the cubed paneer 4 or 5 pieces at a time so that it turns golden brown on a few sides. Fry all the pieces and set aside.

Once the spinach gravy is cooked and ready, add in the heavy cream and stir it in evenly.  Add in the cilantro, then immerse all the fried paneer pieces in and mix well.

Remove from heat after a couple of minutes and serve. I personally love to serve it with any kind of Pulao or Naan.

Spiced Sesame Powder (Yellu Podi)

Here is my mom’s classic recipe for Sesame powder which is authentic South Indian food. We usually eat it mixed with rice, drizzled with ghee on top. It’s just heavenly!

Sesame seeds are known as Yellu(or Ellu) in Tamil. Podi is the Tamil word for powder.  So this dish is called Yellu (Ellu) Podi.

1 cup black seasame seeds (You could also use the white one. I use black ones because it looks a bit more exotic and it is also more fragrant and more intense tasting than white ones. You could use white sesame seeds for a milder flavor.

1 tbsp gingely oil (aka Sesame oil) Traditional South Indian- Tamilian cooking always uses ginegly oil. Sorry, but no substitute for it, this is a key ingredient.

1/4 cup bengal gram dal ( Kadalai paruppu in tamil or Chana Dal in Hindi)
1/4 cup split black gram dal ( Ulutham paruppu in tamil or Urad Dal in Hindi)
1 tbsp coriander seeds
7 dried whole red chillis ( If you like it really spicy, make it 10)
1/2 tsp Asafoetida powder
1 tsp salt

Add half of the oil in a pan, add in the Bengal gram, split black gram dal and Asafoetida powder. Fry on medium heat until the dals turn golden brown. Keep tossing them around continuously so they don’t burn. Set aside to cool.

In the same pan add the remaining oil, when it is heated add in the mustard seeds. Just when they begin to splutter add the coriander seeds and toss them on medium heat till they are roasted and smell crazy good ! Set aside to cool.

In the same pan dry roast the red chillis on medium-high heat and toss them for 2 minutes. Set aside.

Now add the sesame seeds in and dry roast them on low heat till they roasted. Be sure to keep tossing, they tend to burn very easily. It’s hard to judge with black sesame seeds when they brown or burn. So be extra careful. Keep the heat low and you can easily judge with the smell. It may take 2-3minutes. Set aside.

Grind the dals in a blender or food processor first. It has to be coarse where you can still see a few broken pieces of dal. Transfer to a bowl. Now grind the coriander & mustard seed mixture with red chillis a bit smoother than what you did with the dals. Add to the same bowl as the ground dals.

Now grind the sesame seeds. Be sure not to grind it more than a few seconds. If ground too much, it will release it’s natural oil and form a paste ( Not appetizing!) You want it to be a coarse powder. Just a one pulse will break it down. Maybe two pulses at most.

Mix it with the earlier ground ingredients in the bowl. Add the salt and mix well. If you are going to store it, then make sure it’s in an airtight container. Try not to store it for more than a couple of weeks. The oil in the sesame might make it smell a bit stale after a few weeks.

Eating it fresh with steaming hot rice drizzled with ghee on top is the absolutely greatest thing in this world ever! It magically transports me home and to my mom’s kitchen every time. Comfort food at it’s best!