Palak Dal

Ingredients: Set1
1.5 C Toor Dal
5C water
1/2 tsp Turmeric
6 Green Chillies
1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 Onion long slices
1/2 stick curry leaves
6oz Spinach
Tamarind paste [opt]

Popu/ Tadka:
Oil, 3/4 tsp Mustard seeds, 3/4 tsp Jeera, 6 Red chilli halves

SET2 :
Salt 2 tsp and Lemon Juice 1 whole

STEPS:
1. In A cooker add all the ingredients in Set1, after 3 whistles wait for 5 minutes. Then open the lid to let it cool.
2. In another small pan, add oil, once its heated add the rest of the ingredients for the tadka, and add this mixture into the dal. then add Salt.
3. In the end after the dal is cooled down, then add 1 lemon's juice.

[Lemon Juice should be added after the food is cooled down else it will give chedu]

sailus vankaya vepudu (brinjal fry)

Brinjals cook very fast in 10 minutes approx.

Loved this recipe, here is the link to the original recipe: Link


Ingredients:

1/4 kg purple brinjals, slice them into thin small slices
big pinch turmeric pwd
1 tbsp oil
salt to taste

For seasoning/poppu/tadka:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
3/4 tsp cumin seeds
12-15 curry leaves

Make a coarse paste:
2 small onions
3-4 green chillis (adjust)
3-4 garlic cloves
1″ ginger piece
2 tbsp coriander leaves
1 tbsp mint/pudina leaves (optional)

Instructions:

1 Heat half a tbsp of oil in a cooking vessel. Add the sliced brinjals and stir fry them till they are three-fourth cooked. Constantly stir fry to ensure they don’t burn or stick to the pan. Add salt and turmeric pwd and remove.
2 In the same pan, add the remaining oil. Add the mustard seeds and let them pop. Add cumin seeds and curry leaves and toss about for 8-10 seconds.
3 Add the ground paste and saute for 8-10 mts or till the rawness of onions disappears.
4 Add the stir fried brinjal pieces and combine well and let it simmer for 10 mts. Stir in between. Adjust salt.
5 Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve with hot rice.

Steamed Aloo Curry (potato)

This is my All time favorite among all the Steamed food that i have done so far. Its soft, tasty and with the right amount of spices, tastes just like the regular dish, but steamed :)

Ingredients:

2 Potatoes (peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes)
1/4th Onion (long thin)
1 Tbs Olive Oil
3 Green chillies (long slit into halves)
1/4th stick of Curry Leaves
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Red chilli powder
1/2 tsp Ginger garlic Paste
1/2 tsp Cumin powder (jeera)
2 tbs lemon juice (or 1/2 small lemon)

Instructions:
Mix everything in the bowl, in the steamer lower area, add 3 Cups Water, in the steamer basket add the above mix, and steam it for 30 Minutes. Garnish with some lemon juice on top.

Tips:
After steaming, do a taste test, and add ingredients as needed to suit your spice levels, it should be done within the last few minutes of steaming, so it mixes well.