Sundal | Husli

"Sundal" or "Husli" is a vegetarian delight and a healthy side dish or a snack.  Sundal is made with different kinds of lentils, beans and sprouts like green gram, black eyed peas, horse gram, garbanzo beans, black eyed peas and many more. 

Ingredients

2 Cups Kala Channa, soaked overnight 

1 Onion, Chopped

4 Green Chillies, finely chopped

1 tsp Mustard seeds

4-6 Curry Leaves

1/4 tsp Asafoetida

1/2 Cup Grated coconut

1 small bunch of Cilantro/ Coriander leaves, finely chopped

4 tsp oil

Salt

Method

• Cook kala channa in a pressure cooker. Add enough water to cook Kala channa. Also, add little salt for taste. Drain excess water from channa. (wait!! don't discard water. Use it as stalk to prepare soups or curries)

• In a heavy bottom vessel, heat oil. Add mustard seeds, when it starts to crackle, add asafoetida, curry leaves and green chilies.  Saute until onions turn transparent.

• Add cooked channa and adjust salt to taste. Mix well. Saute for 2 minutes until all flavors are absorbed.

• Turn off heat and add grated coconut and cilantro. Mix well

"Guilt Free" Carrot Soup

"Guilt Free" carrot soup is made with sauteed garlic, onions and carrots and seasoned with herbs and spices. You will truly enjoy this delicious soup!!  And it won't derail your diet.

The ingredients and steps are simple and easy to follow.

Ingredients

5 Carrots, diced 

1 Onion, diced

4 Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped

2 Mushrooms, thinly sliced

2 1/2 Cups water

1/2 Cup Skimmed milk

1/2 tsp Herbs (oregano or thyme or Mint)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2-3 tsp Parsley, finely chopped

1 tsp Extra virgin olive oil

Method

• In a hot skillet, heat oil. Add garlic and onions. Saute until onions turns transparent

• Add carrots. Saute for 2-3 minutes

• Add pepper, salt and herbs. Mix well
• Add water and milk. Simmer for 3-5 minutes and then cool

• Using a blender, puree the carrot mixture. Then pour the contents back to the skillet. Simmer for 2-3 minutes

• Serve hot. Garnish with parsley and mushrooms.

Tip

• Adding mushrooms gives crunchiness to the soup
• The purpose of using milk is to give creamy texture. Adding milk to this recipe is optional. 

Beef Sheek Kabab

Minced beef marinated with spice mix and grilled on skewers.

Ingredients

250 gms Ground beef

4 Cloves of Garlic, minced

3 Green chilies, chopped

1/4 tsp Turmeric

2 Cardamom

1 Star anise

2 tsp Lemon juice

Bamboo Skewers

Salt

Method

• Soak bamboo skewers in water for 45 minutes
• Make spice powder using cardamom and star anise
• Mix all ingredients listed above. Knead minced beef until all ingredients blended well
• Refrigerate for 1 - 2 hours

• Divide the meat into equal portions. take each portion of meat  and roll them into sausage or cylindrical shape and press it into a skewer

• Grill the skewers using a griddle or a charcoal grill. Apply oil.  Turn skewers occasionally  Each batch of kabab takes about 10- 15 minutes when cooked in medium - high heat. 

• Serve hot with salad

Potato Garlic fry (Poondu Urulaikilangu Varuval)

Poondu Urulaikilangu Varuval is stir fried garlic and potatoes with spice mix. This recipe is quick and easy to make side dish for rice and sambhar/ rasam or chapathi. My favorite combination is with yougurt rice.

Ingredients

3 Potatoes, cubed

1 Onion, diced

6-8 cloves of Garlic, minced

4-6 Curry Leaves

1 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1/2 tsp Pepper powder

3 tsp Oil

Salt

Procedure

• Heat oil, add mustard seeds. When it starts to crackle, add garlic, curry leaves. Saute for few seconds and then add onions. Fry until it turns transparent.

• Add Turmeric and Pepper. Mix well
• Add Potatoes mix until turmeric and pepper are coated well. In medium - low heat setting fry until roasts on all sides

• Finally add salt and fry for 2 minutes
• serve hot with rice and sambhar /rasam/ yogurt or chapathi

Pudina (mint) Chutney

Pudina Chutney is one of the best accompaniment for idli, dosa, paniyaram or chapathi. My mother taught me how to make this recipe and her recipe doesn't include roasted channa dal. I have added this ingredient into my recipe, because it gives good texture.

Ingredients

1 Bunch of Pudina (Mint)

1 Cup Grated coconut

1/2 cup Roasted Channa dal (Hurikadale)

3 Cloves of Garlic

4 Green Chilies

Small piece of Tamarind

Salt

2 tsp Oil

For tampering - 

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp Urad dal

2 Red chilies

1 strand of Curry leaves

Procedure

• Heat Oil in a pan, add garlic, green chili and pudina. Saute for 2- 3 minutes. And then add tamarind. Fry for a minute

• Using a blender, make a smooth paste of coconut, roasted channa dal and fried ingredients. Adjust salt as per taste

• For tampering -  heat 2 tsp of oil, add mustard seeds, urad dal, red chilies and curry leaves. Pour the contents to pudina chutney. Mix well
• Best combination with Doda, idli and chapathi

Beef, bean and veggi Chili

This recipe is a spicy stew made with carrots, celery, beans and ground beef which is seasoned with a variety of spices. It is loaded with tonnes of flavors   

To add a little bit of kick to this scrumptious dish, I have used stout beer. When meat and beans cooked in stout beer, it gives a distinctive and sharp flavor to this recipe. Adding beer is only an optional ingredient. 

Ingredients

1/2 lb Ground beef

1 Cup Pinto beans, soaked overnight or canned, drained and rinsed

1/2 Cup, Kidney beans, soaked overnight or canned, drained and rinsed

2 Carrots, diced 

2 stalks of Celery, diced

1 Leek, chopped

1 Onion, diced

1 Toamto, diced

4 cloves of Garlic, chopped

1 cup of Stout Beer (optional)

1 small bunch of Parsley, chopped

2 cups water

1 tsp Butter

2 tsp Olive Oil

For Spice Mix

1/2 tsp Red Chili Powder

1/2 tsp Pepper

1/2 tsp Cumin Powder

1/2 tsp dried Oregano

1/2 tsp dried Parsley

1 Tsp salt

1/2 tsp Sugar

Procedure

• Using a pressure cooker, cook pinto beans and kidney beans. Add enough water up to the level of beans. Also, add 1/4 tsp of salt. 

• In a skillet, heat oil and butter. Saute aromatics - garlic, onions and leek for a minute

• Add carrots, celery and cooked beans. Saute for 3 to 4 minute

• Add ground beef and mix well. Saute for 2 minutes

• Now add the spice mix. (You can always adjust seasoning as per taste and level of spiciness)

• Add the water left over from cooked beans, tomatoes and then add another 2 cups of water and beer. Simmer for 1 hour and  stir occasionally until all the spices are absorbed by vegetables, beans and beef
• Finally, add chopped parsely

• Serve hot with chopped onions, cilantro, cheese and tortilla chips

Banana and Blueberry Bread

I love making Banana Bread, simple because its delicious, moist and loaded with lots of banana flavors. Its one of my favorite breakfast recipes. A french toast of banana bread with a cup of coffee completes it.  The crunchiness of dry fruits and banana flavors just compliment each other. 

I make this bread whenever there is over ripe bananas left over. You don't need a hand mixer for this recipe, instead you can use wooden spatchula. The steps are easy to follow.

Ingredients

2 Cups Flour

2 Ripe Bananas

1/4 Cup Bule Berry

3/4 Cup Sugar

1/4 tsp Cinnamon Powder

1 tsp Baking soda

1/2 Cup Butter

1/4 tsp Salt

2 Eggs

4 tsp Raisins (any kind of dry fruits)

Procedure

• Preheat oven to 350 F
• In a mixing bowl, mash bananas. Keep aside
• In another mixing bowl, using a hand mixer (optional) or a wooden spatchula beat eggs and then add sugar. Next, sprinkle baking soda, cinnamon powder and salt and mix well
• Now add flour and butter. Mix well 
• Finally, add mashed bananas, blue berry and raisins. Mix all these ingredients well
• Pour the mixture into a buttered 4 x 8 loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour until tooth pick (or fork / knife) inserted into loaf  comes out clean
• Cool the bread for 10 to 15 minutes. Slice to serve