Geetha's Kitchen

Gongura Dal or Dal with sorrel is a delicious dal (stew) to serve with chapati, naan, or other breads, any grains like rice, quinoa, couscous, etc. The gongura or sorrel leaves add a lovely lemony taste to the dal! I was fortunate to find gongura leaves at the Indian market since I had been wanting make dal, chutney, and thokku with it. Here is the dal - yummy! Gongura Dal with Quinoa Notes:   Other dals like red lentils, yellow mung dal, or split peas may be used instead of the chana and toor dals. A little lemon/lime juice may be added to the dal just before or when serving if you like. Ingredients: 1/4 cup Chana Dal 3/4 cup Toor Dal 1/2 tsp Turmeric 1 tsp Sea Salt 1/2 tsp freshly ground Cumin Seeds 1 small bunch Gongura OR Sorrel leaves (1 cup packed) 1 large Tomato, diced Thalippu: 2 tsp Oil 1/2 tsp Brown Mustard Seeds 1 pinch Fenugreek seeds 2 dry Red Chiles 1 pinch Asafetida 1 stem fresh Curry Leaves, sliced 2 large Shallots OR 1 small Red Onion, ...

Mild and delicious Farro is an ancient grain that is similar to wheat or barley. It may be served just like any other grain in addition to being used to prepare salads or soups. Try this easy recipe for a yummy salad. This salad is wonderful prepared with barley or quinoa also instead of the farro. Other greens such as kale or spinach may be substituted for the arugula. Farro Salad Ingredients: 1 cup Farro 1/2 tsp Sea Salt 1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 cup Corn Kernels, fresh or frozen 1/4 tsp Turmeric 1 clove fresh Garlic, minced (optional) 1 large Shallot, thinly sliced 1 small bunch Arugula or other greens, sliced 1 cup Tomatoes, diced 1 small Cucumber, diced 1 Lemon, zest and juice Freshly ground Black Pepper 2 Tbsp fresh Italian Parsley or Cilantro, chopped Method: Cook farro according to package directions with the 1/2 tsp salt.  Drizzle the 1 tsp oil on top and let cool slightly. While farro is coolin...

Thenkuzhal is a delicious crisp snack made from rice and urad or mung dal similar to another favorite, murukku.  In the old days people did not buy snacks from outside; the ladies of the house prepared them for the family. After the midday meal was served and cleaned up and everyone had a little rest, snacks were prepared. Although these snacks are especially made for special holidays, they are often made as teatime snacks also :D. Thenkuzhal The Indians have a special machine made just for the purpose of preparing delicious noodle-like snacks from grains and legumes just like the Italian pasta machine which is used to extrude pasta in different shapes. The machine has many plates with different sizes and shapes to make different types of snacks. The dough is pressed through the machine into the hot oil and fried until crisp. As children, we loved breaking thenkuzhal to pieces to find the letters of the alphabet, shapes, or numbers! NOTE: As always, please be careful whe...

Janmashtami or Bhagavan Krishna's birthday is not complete without Vella Aval; at least some type of sweet aval was always made on the occasion of Janmashtami in our home. The main ingredient, the aval (Tamil), or poha (Hindi), is flattened rice similar to rolled oats. The humble aval is transformed into something truly divine in this simple dish! Vella Aval is also a favorite in many temples in South India - to be given as prasad for all visitors. The story associated with aval and Krishna is very sweet; it is about true friendship. We never tired of hearing this story as children. Here is the story for those who may not be familiar with it: Krishna and Sudama were school friends. They were best of friends and parted ways promising to remember each other always. Sudama wanted to visit his friend but was not sure he should. His wife knew of Sudama's friendship with Krishna and asked her husband to visit him. Sudama was delighted with the idea of seeing his childhood...

Dal Kachoris are delicious pastries similar to the ever popular samosas and are a great tea time favorite. They are quite simple to make but do take a bit of time; it is helpful to make the filling a day or two ahead. You can use any of the given legumes but can adjust the spices to your preference. The whole spices give a very pleasant taste treat as you munch these pastries that look like UFOs (Utterly delicious Filled Objects). :-) The store bought Kachoris typically have very little filling - the most flavorful part! I like to really fill them with a good amount; you may wish to use less filling. Also, my family likes the kachoris soft too - remove them sooner for soft or cook longer for crisp. They kachoris may also be rolled out thinner and cooked on the griddle for dal poori. 24 Kachoris Ingredients: Filling: 1 cup yellow Mung, Chana, or Urad dal or Split Peas 1 Tbsp Oil 1 tsp Whole Coriander seeds 1/2 tsp Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp Fennel seeds 2 tsp ground coria...

Nendra pazha pulisseri is another delicious Kerala classic to rival the popular Mango Pulisseri . Both are family favorites and quite easy to prepare. The naturally sweet pulisseri gets its sweetness from the ripe plantain - Nendra pazham in Malayalam! It is divine when paired with the Bitter melon fry ... I could wax poetic about the incomparable deliciousness about this combo. A bowl of freshly cooked hot rice with pulisseri and bitter melon fry .... yum! This delicious pulisseri could do double duty as a pachadi (sweet side dish) in a feast menu during Onam festival or other special occasions instead of mango or other pachadi.  This pulisseri is vegan and gluten-free too! Although traditionally pulisseri is made with yogurt, I used cashews to give that rich creaminess to this dish and did not miss the yogurt at all. If you like a little tartness, a squirt of lime or lemon just before serving will do the trick. Pulisseri with its perfect complement of Bitter melon fr...