Sunday, April 1, 2012

Simple every day food








Simple everyday food.
Long beans (barbati, I wonder what are these called in other languages) cooked with onions, garlic and potatoes, along with red lentils (masoor dal). Serve with cumin flavored rice or just plain rice, roti and a side salad.





Ingredients
(Long beans)
2 cups chopped long beans (should be tender)
1 small red onion chopped
1 fat garlic clove (minced)
1 medium potato (cubed)
a few curry leaves
mustard and cumin seeds (one teaspoon)
1 green chilli (chopped)
1 tsp. turmeric powder
1tsp coriander cumin powder
salt to taste




Method
Heat a tablespoon of oil. Add the mustard and cumin seeds. As they splutter drop the chopped onion, garlic, curry leaves, and green chilli. Cook till the onion start wilting. Add the turmeric powder, coriander-cumin powder and red chilli powder. Now add the chopped long beans and potatoes. Mix everything well. Cover and cook till the potatoes are soft and the beans are cooked through.






(For the dal)
1 cup masoor dal
 (about 3 cups water)
1/4 cup chana dal
2 cloves garlic
1 tomato
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp asafoetida 
1tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
1 teaspoons ghee 
juice of half a lemon
 chopped cilantro

Method
Wash the lentils and soak it in water for half and hour. Add salt and turmeric and boil it till well done.  I use a pressure cooker (3 whistles). Mix the cooked lentils well. Mash a little if needed and if it is too thick then add a little water. Grate or finely chop the tomato and add to the lentils.  Now prepare the tempering by heating ghee. Drop the cumin seeds and let it splutter. Now add minced garlic, asafoetida, and red chilli powder. Pour this over the lentils and cover. Just before serving add the lemon juice and garnish with finely chopped cilantro.








3 comments:

  1. Didiiiiiii!

    I haven't eaten barbati in 20,763 years!

    Sigh...

    ReplyDelete
  2. The barbatis which we get in the Indian stores here never look fresh. This recipe reminds me of my mothers cooking

    ReplyDelete