Geetha's Kitchen

Horse gram or Macrotyloma uniflorum, also known as Kollu, Muthirai, Kulith etc in various regions of India, is a well-loved legume as are lentils known as whole Masoor. Kollu is called horse gram as it is fed to racehorses to make them strong. Horse gram is considered very hearty and health giving - supposed to make one strong as a horse! Save excess cooking water from the kollu and use it for making Kollu Rasam - a delicious treat! Note:   Sprouting legumes is pretty easy; just takes a little planning and time. If you cannot wait to sprout the legumes, go ahead and make the curry without sprouting; but I do highly recommend a good soak overnight or a bit longer for kollu. Lentils on the other hand, cook pretty quickly even without a soaking. 4 Servings INGREDIENTS: 1 cup dry Lentils or Kollu 1 tsp Oil 2 dried Red chiles 5 cloves ½ inch piece cinnamon 1 star anise 1 bay leaf 1 onion, finely chopped 1 tsp ground Coriander seeds 1-2 ...

Mushroom Methi Malai is pretty easy and quick once you have the masala ready, see note below. It is quite mild but can be spiced up - a little more red chile or a tiny - and I do mean TINY - smidgen of ground Bhut Jolokia or Ghost Pepper will do the trick; start with 1/16 teaspoon or less! Be careful when handling Bhut - it is a very potent pepper albeit tasty. Earthy succulent mushrooms brighten up with a little touch of chile heat! Kasuri Methi is dried fenugreek (methi) leaves which add an amazing aroma to this curry; in fact it would only be Mushroom Malai without it! Fresh chopped methi leaves may be added instead of the dried if available.  NOTES : Biriyani Masala may be used instead of the freshly ground spices. If fresh tomatoes are not an option, canned will work very well. Use about half of a 14 1/2 oz can. Canned tomatoes are great when good fresh ones are unavailable. Any type of mushrooms may be used; I have used button type - white or cremini or baby Portobel...

A very flavorful and satisfying curry, it is even better the next day; so plan to make enough for fabulous leftovers! Another option is to use chickpea tofu or seitan/vital wheat gluten instead of regular tofu. You may use purchased Butter Chicken Masala spice mix instead of the individual dried spices and garam masala; but proceed with caution and use less at first as ready-made mixes may be heavy on hot pepper. Ingredients: 1 lb Extra Firm Tofu cut into bite-sized pieces 2 tablespoons oil 1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds 1 onion, finely chopped 1 tsp Salt & Freshly ground Pepper 1-2 garlic cloves, minced 1 Hot Green Chile, Serrano or Jalapeno, core removed and minced ½ - 1 inch fresh Ginger, grated  ½ tsp turmeric 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp coriander powder ¼ - ½ tsp cayenne 1 tsp garam masala 1 Red or Green bell pepper, diced into big pieces 3-4 ripe Tomatoes, finely chopped or 1 (15 ounce) can crushed or pureed Tomato ½ cup coconut cream 1-2 T...