Chickpea Salad with Cumin Dressing and Yogurt Sauce

One of the celebrity chef who's recipes I like to try out are by Ellie Krieger. Especially as they are very healthy and easy to tweak to satisfy my palate. The Chickpea Salad with Cumin Dressing and Yogurt Sauce recipe below is a very simple salad and can be made in a jiffy. I have modified the recipe a little this time as I was out of fresh spinach and orange zest. I have also substituted the parsley with coriander leaves as I am not a very big fan of parsley. I have also made minor adujustments to the measurements to accomodate my requirements.

This salad is also my entry for the event "Chef Spotlight Dinners: Health Concious Chefs" hosted by Joelen's Culinary Adventures




Ingredients:
Chickpeas cooked /can - 2 cups
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup chopped
Red Onion - 1/3 cup chopped
Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
Lemon Juice - 2 tsp
Lemon Zest -1/3 tsp
Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cayenne Pepper - 1/8 tsp
Salt and Pepper
Yogurt - 1/4 cup low fat
Orange Juice - 1 tbsp
1/3 teaspoon honey
Fresh mint leaves - Few Coarsely Chopped

Combine the chickpeas, onions and coriander leave . In a small bowl mix the olive oil, lemon juice, zest, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the chickpea mixture and toss to combine. In a separate small bowl mix the yogurt, orange juice and honey. Move the chickpeas to a serving dish and top with the yogurt sauce and a sprinkle of mint.

I like a little more zing so I added a pinch of black salt. That gives it a very distinct flavor and tang. Sometimes when I make this I also add 1/2 tsp chat masala. Just cannot resist :).

Beans and Mung Dal Toran

Another healthy and very simple dish I make is the Beans and Mung Dal Toran. With very little oil this is a sure winner when trying to eat healthy.


Ingredients:
French cut Beans - 2 cups (I used freshly frozen ones)
Mung Dal - 4 tbsp
Turmeric Powder - 1 pinch
Dried red chili - 1 to 2 according to preference
Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Urad Dal - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - a few
Oil - 1 tsp
Salt to taste

Wash mung Dal and keep ready with 2 cups of water.
In a saute pan heat oil and splutter the Mustard seeds, then add the urad dal, dried red chili and curry leaves. After a few seconds add the mung dal, water and salt and boil on low heat covered for 8 minutes.
Then add the cut beans, cover and cook for another 5 to 8 minutes until the dal is soft on touch yet firm enough to hold its shape. Add a few drops of water if all the water has evaporated, normally the condensing water is enough. or if you think that there is still lot of water remove the cover and let the water evaporate on very low heat.

Serve hot with Rice. I served it with Rice, lemon Rasam, Beetroot Poriyal and chips

Muringya Ela/ Drumstick Leaves Kuzhambu

In all the years I lived in the windy city I was never able to lay my hands on the elusive muringya ela/ Drumstick leaves. I would substitute it with collard greens which surprisingly had a very similar texture when cooked. So imagine my happiness when I finally held high in my hands a bunch of leaves that caused many around me to wonder if I had just lost some vital instrument high above my shoulders. Well, I guess this simple muringya ela is more commonly available in Indian grocery stores in the California. So now you know what is soon going to be a staple at my place.



This is a very simple recipe that is very easy make and tastes heavenly.

Ingredients:

Tuvaram Parippu/ Tuar Dal - 1/2 cup
Drumstick leaves - 1 1/2 cups
Onion - 1/2 cup chopped
Tomato - 1 medium sized chopped
Garlic - 2 pods sliced into halves
Chili powder -1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 2 heaped tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Puli vellam / tamarind Juice - from lime sized puli


Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Urad dal - 1 tsp
Venthiyam/ ulluva / Fenugreek seeds - few seeds
Jeera - 1 tsp
Oil - 2 tsp
Salt to taste

Make tamarind juice out of 1 cup of lukewarm water and a lime sized ball of tamarind. If you have tamarind paste, add 1 tsp to the water.

This whole dish can be made in a regular heavy bottom pan, but for speed and convenience I cook it in a pressure cooker.

To make the whole dish in a pressure cooker, heat your pressure cooker and add 1 tsp of oil. Once the oil is hot add the onions, garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Then the dry ingredients like chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder. After 2 minutes add the washed Tuar Dal and the drumstick leaves and add water enough to cover the leaves and Dal, about 2 cups. Close the lid and cook on low heat for up to 4 whistles. Switch off the heat and let it cool until all the steam has dissipated and you can open the cooker.
Now nicely mash the Dal and the leaves. The put it back on the stove on low flame and add the tomato, salt and tamarind juice. Let it boil for 5 minutes until the tomatoes are soft. Remove from heat.
To add the tempering in a separate saute pan add 1 tsp of oil and splutter the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, urad dal and jeera and then pour it over the kuzhambu.
Serve hot with rice and ghee.


If you are making the dish in a pan instead of a pressure cooker the recipe is the same except you would need to cook the Dal either separately until soft and mashable or you can cook it in the same pan but the time will be considerably longer. I would definitely recommend pressure cook the Dal. If you are pressure cooking the Dal and the leaves separately then make sure you boil the leaves with the onions for at least 1/2 on low heat. Once that is done add the cooked Dal and follow the rest of the recipe similar to above.

Methi Paratha

One of my favorite ways of making roti is by adding methi / fenugreek leaves in the dough.In Indian kitchens you will see fenugreek as seeds, fresh or dried leaves. Used in different forms in both north Indian and south Indian cooking this bitter spice or herb is definitely here to stay.

Ingredients:
Wheat flour - 1 cup
Fresh Methi Leaves - 1 cup
Salt to taste
Oil



To start making the dough, in a shallow wide container mix the wheat flour, washed methi leaves, 1/2 tsp of oil and salt. Slowly add about 3/4 cup of lukewarm water, just enough to form a firm dough (very similar to the puri dough) and knead till smooth. Pour 1/2 tsp of oil over the dough and knead the dough one final time. Cover, let rest at 20 minutes.
Divide the dough into balls the size of golf balls. Roll them out using a rolling pin into 6" diameter discs. You can use some flour for dusting so that the dough does not stick. Try to use minimum flour for dusting as this dries the rotis.
Heat a tawa or a non stick pan on medium to high, and place the paratha carefully in it. Turn it after 3 - 4 minutes when you see the underside slightly browning. Add a drop of oil on the flipped side and flip it back again. Then add another drop of oil on the other side. Remove from heat when both the sides are golden and well cooked. This should only take up to 5-6 minutes.Remove from heat and serve with plain yogurt or with any gravy. I made an eggplant gravy to go with it.
To keep roti warm transfer to a container lined with a cloth napkin. cover the rotis with the edges of the napkin. This will keep the rotis both warm and moist for a longer time.



You can find methi leaves in most Indian groceries or in produce markets like fresh farms / Valli.