After yesterday's Mini Meals (Series 2) with diabetic theme, today's is another healthy and filling Homestyle Mini Thali - nothing fancy, yet vegan, GF and diabetic friendly + also satvic (no ginger / onion / garlic) .
Keerai / Soppu (or greens in general) have high fibre content and help in absorption of vital nutrients. I am indeed fortunate to have an ample supply of fresh greens through the year where I live, although the range / variety is limited, we make various dishes with the greens as part of a standard weekly meal plan.
With her varying tastebuds, one thing that my elder one LOVES anytime is the Methi Thepla (which I am surprisingly yet to post). The family as a whole is partial to greens so we lap up pretty much all the greens we can lay our hands on.
Other dishes we make with greens are:
Lets get to the Homestyle Thali today. We have (anticlockwise from top):
Amma made this Thali, and we devoured it (post of course clicking a perfunctory clicks which gave no opportunity to style these better). Of course, as a homestyle thali theme this week, it was ok to have a rustic and simple meal like this.
Lets get to the recipes - all the following ingredients make a meal for 3 adults.
(A) Keerai Sambhar :
We need:
Method:
(B) Vazhakkai Podimas - Raw Banana steamed and dry saute.
This is similar to the spicy Potato Podimas. Except for the following changes:
Pressure cook the trimmed raw banana with skin for 2 whistles - peel and chop (Alternatively peel and cube into bite sized pieces)
(C) Mullangi Kosambari - Raw radish salad tempered.
Click for recipe here (just skip the moong dal & coconut here and proceed)
Stay tuned for a third homestyle thali tomorrow :)
Sending this to BM # 70 under "Thali Series"
Keerai / Soppu (or greens in general) have high fibre content and help in absorption of vital nutrients. I am indeed fortunate to have an ample supply of fresh greens through the year where I live, although the range / variety is limited, we make various dishes with the greens as part of a standard weekly meal plan.
With her varying tastebuds, one thing that my elder one LOVES anytime is the Methi Thepla (which I am surprisingly yet to post). The family as a whole is partial to greens so we lap up pretty much all the greens we can lay our hands on.
Other dishes we make with greens are:
- Palak Thepla (spinach spiced flatbread)
- Pudina Thepla (Minty flatbread)
- Agatha Keerai Poriyal (Agashi Soppu Palya)
- Soppina Huli (greens sambhar)
- Methi Chaman (a Kashmiri dish with fresh fenugreek + Paneer - an absolute fav!!)
- Sukhi Aloo Methi (dry potato - methi leaves stir fry)
- Menthe Bataani Bhaath (Methi Leaves + peas flavoured rice)
- Methi Pakora (deep fried fenugreek leaves fritters)
- Sarson ka Saag (eternally Punjabi fav!!)
- Methi Matar Malai - a low fat version of fenugreek and peas in a low fat gravy
- Methi Masala Dal
Lets get to the Homestyle Thali today. We have (anticlockwise from top):
- Keerai Sambhar (Red Chawli leaves / (Lal Maath in Marathi) in lentil gravy)
- Vazhakkai Podimas (Raw Banana lightly spiced stir fry)
- Steamed White Rice
- Moolangi Kosambari (radish raw salad)
Amma made this Thali, and we devoured it (post of course clicking a perfunctory clicks which gave no opportunity to style these better). Of course, as a homestyle thali theme this week, it was ok to have a rustic and simple meal like this.
Lets get to the recipes - all the following ingredients make a meal for 3 adults.
(A) Keerai Sambhar :
We need:
- Greens - 2 cups (washed, cleaned/ sorted and chopped fine - Palak / spinach won't work here, but you can use a mix of greens like Mustard greens, Methi, Palak, Chawli (arakeerai))
- Toor dal / split gram - 1/4 cup
- Oil - 1 tsp
- Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
- Sambhar powder - 2 tsp
- Tamarind paste - 1 tsp
- Jaggery - 1/2 tsp
- Salt - to taste
- Fresh / frozen coconut - 2 tsp
- Tempering : Mustard seeds, Channa dal (split bengal gram), red chillies - 2 nos, Asafoetida (skip for GF dish)
Method:
- Wash the greens well several times under running water. Drain and chop finely. While doing so, soak the toor dal in hot water for 15 mins.
- In a small pressure cooker, add the chopped greens, turmeric, half of the salt, soaked dal, 1/2 cup and pressure cook for just 2 whistles. Let the pressure come down on its own
- (If not using a pressure cooker, saute greens in 1/2 tsp oil and add soaked dal, required water and let it cooker till the dal becomes mushy - it might take a while in this method)
- In the same cooker, mash the greens+dal mixture lightly, Add remaining salt, tamarind paste, sambhar powder, jaggery and let it come to a simmer.
- Check for salt and spice and adjust accordingly.
- In a small pan, prepare tempering with oil, mustard seeds, channa dal, red chillies, hing (if using) and pour onto the simmer dal
- Finish with grated coconut and let it simmer for 1 more min.
- Serve hot with steamed rice or even Ragi Mudde (finger millet dumplings) for a rustic meal.
Notes: This sambar is quite thick so add little water as indicated. A runny sambhar loses taste after simmering.
(B) Vazhakkai Podimas - Raw Banana steamed and dry saute.
This is similar to the spicy Potato Podimas. Except for the following changes:
Pressure cook the trimmed raw banana with skin for 2 whistles - peel and chop (Alternatively peel and cube into bite sized pieces)
(C) Mullangi Kosambari - Raw radish salad tempered.
Click for recipe here (just skip the moong dal & coconut here and proceed)
Stay tuned for a third homestyle thali tomorrow :)
Sending this to BM # 70 under "Thali Series"