Moong/Mungo sprout salad

One of my goals for 2018 is to incorporate more vegetables in my daily meals And to achieve this I have started noting down my menu everyday. Just so that I ensure there is vegetable included and not forgotten due to force of habit. I made this sprout salad a few days ago and it's a mixture of kuchumber salad, sprouts, yoghurt and chaat masala.

Moong sprouts are extremely healthy and nutritious and this is a great way to make meals interesting. It can eaten as a snack too. All the measures for the salad vegetables are flexible and depend on your preference. I have made it in a way that suits my family's taste. You can use the measures here as a reference point and tweak it to suit your palate. You can either buy sprouted moong from the supermarket or make your own at home. If you plan to sprout the lentils, it will require planning in advance. You can refer to the instructions below if you are going to sprout the lentils at home.

Instructions for sprouting moong/mungo:

1. Wash and soak moong in water for six to eight hours. Water should be at least an inch above the level of the moong.
2. Drain the water completely, and put the moong in a clean, damp muslin cloth. Tie the the cloth in a way that the moong is in a ball shape and there is enough cloth remaining for you to hang it. If you have no provision to hang it, you can tie the muslin cloth and keep it in a strainer that is kept in a clean dry pan. 
3. You can keep this for 24 hours and your sprouted moong is ready for use.

Note: Sprouted moong can be eaten raw or can be lightly steamed for salads. I steamed it lightly for my recipe, by putting the sprouts in boiling water for two minutes and then draining the hot water and allowing it to cool.

Ingredients:

1. Sprouted moong - 1/2 cup
2. Cucumber - 1 no
3. Red onion - 1 no
4. Tomato - 1 no, de-seeded
5. Yoghurt - 1/2 cup
6. Chaat masala - 1/2 tsp
7. Salt and pepper - as needed
8. Coriander leaves - a few, chopped finely for garnish

Method:

1. In a bowl, whisk the yoghurt to a smooth texture and add all the ingredients, except coriander leaves.
2. Mix well, adjust seasoning.
3. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

Pepper Chicken Fry

This is yet another easy recipe from my kitchen, that can be whipped up in no time and the list of ingredients is easily available in almost all Indian kitchens. So if you are looking for a quick hassle free and delicately flavoured chicken dry dish, this recipe is your answer.

I made this dish on one of those days that I wanted a simple meal with daal and rice and a chicken side dish. Didn't want to spend too much time or ingredients in the cooking process. The dish has a delicate pepper and lime flavour but if you would like you can add more pepper to suit your taste buds.

Ingredients:

1. Boneless chicken - 750 gms
2. Onions - 2 medium sized, sliced thinly
3. Garlic - 8 cloves, sliced thinly
4. Ginger - 1 inch piece, grated
5. Green chilly - 4 nos
6. Freshly crushed pepper - 1/2 tbsp
7. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
8. Lime juice - 1 tbsp
9. Curry leaves - 20 leaves
10. Oil - 3 tbsp
11. Salt as required

Method:

1. Cut chicken into 2 inch cubes, wash and drain excess water. Apply turmeric and set aside.
2. In a pan, heat oil add the garlic, curry leaves and ginger, saute for a few seconds and add the sliced onions. Add some salt as this will hasten the cooking process for the onions.
3. When the onions turn translucent, add the cubed chicken pieces. Cook the chicken on high flame, turning the pieces often. 
4. The chicken releases a lot of water, so there is no need to add any water.
5. When the chicken is half cooked, add the crushed pepper and mix well. And continue cooking till the chicken is cooked. 
6. Add the lime juice, mix well and put off the flame. Serve as a starter or with a meal of daal and rice.

Eggplant in garlic

Eggplant is favourite vegetable. I try and cook it at least once a week, even though I am the only one who eats it at home. Today's recipe is a no frills recipe, it is a simple dish and I cook it very often. I do make eggplant with spices but that is an occasional treat for me. For an everyday meal I prefer this preparation.

Ingredients:

1. Eggplant - 200 gms
2. Garlic - 3 fat cloves
3. Salt and pepper - as needed
4. Oil - as needed

Method:

1. Wash and cut the eggplant into three inch pieces (lengthwise)
2. Finely chop garlic.
3. Heat oil in a pan, add the garlic and fry for a minute.
4. Add the eggplant, salt and pepper. Stir fry for a minute and then cook on slow flame for 8 - 10 minutes, or till done. 

Alternately, you could marinate the egg plant in all the mentioned ingredients and grill till done.

Beetroot Poriyal

Beetroot poriyal is one of my husband's favourite vegetables. There are so few he eats, so I make this quite often. Poriyal is the South Indian way of cooking vegetables with coconut. It is a great accompaniment for a meal of white rice, sambhar and rasam. Of course you can pair the poriyal with any curry or daal and I believe this is a healthy way to cook vegetables. I learnt this recipe in college when I did my hotel management, and it's one of the easier things to make in the kitchen. Unlike most Indian cooking, this dish does not have an over powering taste of spices. You will actually taste just the vegetable and the flavour of coconut. If you wish you can skip the red chilly powder altogether.

Ingredients:

1. Beetroot - 3 medium sized
2. Onion - 1 small 
3. Green chilly - 2 nos
4. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
5. Red Chilly powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
7. Salt - as required

Tempering:

1. Oil - 1 tbsp
2. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
3. Cumin - 1/2 tsp
4. Urad daal - 1/2 tsp
5. Curry leaves - 10 nos

Method:

1. Cook the beetroot in a pressure cooker for 2 to 3 whistles. When it has cooled down, peel and cut into half inch cubes and set aside.
2. In a pan, heat oil add the mustard seeds and wait for it to stop spluttering, add the remaining ingredients under tempering. 
3. Add the onions and chilly, fry till the onions turn soft, add the turmeric and chilly powder, stir well and add the beet cubes. Mix well.
4. Let it cook on low flame for 8 minutes, add the grated coconut, mix well and let it cook for another 2 to 3 minutes before switching off the flame.

Notes:

Coconut can be used as per your discretion and tastes.

Vegetable Pulao

I want to start 2018 with a delicious and healthy pulao recipe. I have been eating this pulao for over three decades now, and yet every time it is cooked, I can't get enough of it. I learnt this recipe from my mum, who made this every Sunday, while we were growing up. The whole family looked forward to the Sunday meals of pulao, meat curry and salad. Aah..small joys of life! This pulao goes well with any curry preparation or daal, you can have it with rajma, punjabi chole, chicken curry, goa sausage, beef curry, sorpotel etc.

Both my sisters and I still love to cook this on Sundays or birthdays and special occasions. My mum made this pulao without adding any vegetables, sometimes she'd add peas but that was occasional. You can cook it any way you like, if you are making a plain pulao, do not add the french beans, green peas and carrot. I add it so I can sneak in a few veggies in my son's plate and also looks colourful and appealing. Either way the pulao tastes great and you must try it next for your Sunday meal.

Recipe credit: Ms Cecilia Sequeira

Ingredients:

1. Basmati rice - 1 cup (240 ml cup)
2. Onion - 1 small
3. Tomato - 1 medium
4. Mixed vegetable - 1/4 - 1/2 cup 
5. Oil - 2 tbsp
6. Salt to taste
7. Stock cube - 1 no or 2 cups of liquid stock
8. Water - 2 cups

Spice Mix:

1. Peppercorn - 6 nos
2. Cloves - 2 nos
3. Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
4. Cardamom - 2 nos
5. Bay leaves - 2 nos
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 teaspoon

Method:

1. Wash and soak rice for half hour before cooking.
2. Slice onions and tomatoes. Dice the french beans and carrots into half inch pieces.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add the whole spice mix. Fry for 30 seconds and then add onions.Add salt sparingly, since the stock will be salty.
4. Let it fry for about two minutes while stirring it constantly. Add the tomatoes and stir well.
5. Fry for about two minutes and then add the vegetables and the turmeric powder. Fry for about two minutes.
6. Add the liquid stock and bring to a boil. If not using liquid stock, add water and the stock cube and bring to a boil.
7. Add the rice and stir. Let it come to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, cover the pan with a lid, lower the flame and let it  cook for 10 minutes. Switch off the flame.
8. Do not open the lid, till you are ready to serve. As the steam trapped in ensures the rice continues cooking.  
9. Serve after you've let it rest for 20 minutes.

Notes:

1. You can check for salt, before you cover the pan, the stock should be a little salty. If it isn't add salt at this stage. Give it a stir and then cover with a lid.