Moong Sprouts Usal

A first sight in any Asian Stir-fried dish usually include Moong Sprouts lending nutty flavors n crisp texture to the dish! I used to wonder if I can make the same long, big n thick sprouts ever in-house! When I didn't know the technique, I found it tedious task to do!!! But when I tried it for the first time, I felt like a child who recently discovered a secret path to cookies jar :P 

I had a very popular Maharastrian dish - Usal, a long time back at my sister-in-law's place... It authentically is prepared using matki or moth beans! But I felt like making it with my moong sprouts for a change in taste. I kept them slightly under-cooked to retain its crunchiness but you can cook it for some more time according to your preference!!! 

Makes: 3-4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

2 cup Moong Sprouts

1 Chopped Onion (medium)

1 Green Chilly (finely chopped)

1 tbsp Tomato Puree

1 tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste

2 tsp Lemon Juice

1/4 tsp Turmeric Powder

1/2 tsp Coriander Powder

1/2 tsp Goda Masala

1/2 tsp Red Chilly Powder (optional)

1 tsp Sugar

Salt, to taste

For Tempering--

2 tsp Cooking Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds

1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds

A pinch of Hing 

STEPS TO FOLLOW:

- Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds into it. Once it splutters, add cumin seeds and hing as well.

- Once they start sizzling, add chopped green chillies and ginger-garlic paste into it and saute for a while.

- Mix chopped onions and cook it for a min till onions become translucent. 

- Add moong sprouts into it along with tomato puree and all the dry spices with sugar. Mix everything well.

- Cook it covered for around 3-4 mins and turn off the heat. 

- Add lemon juice over it and mix well. 

- Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve with phulka roti or rice :) 

SJ's NOTE:

- If you have a left-over Usal - Add chopped tomatoes, your favorite chutney, sev and a dash of chat masala!!! Enjoy it as a chat... :) 

- Here is a recipe link to make moong sprouts at home: 

http://myownfoodcourt.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/mung-sprouts.html

Linking this dish to Arthi's Curries n Gravies Event:

Vadapav / Bataka Vada / Aloo Bonda

An iconic street food... An Indian burger... A popular n cheapest fast food... An irresistible vegetarian sliders !!! No matter how much I say about this lip-smacking plate, it's never enough :) 

Makes: 4

INGREDIENTS:

For Vada:

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3 boiled potatoes

1 tbsp chopped coriander

1 tsp amchoor

1/2 tsp red chilly powder

1/2 tsp coriander powder

1/4 tsp garam masala

A pinch of hing

Salt to taste

For Batter:

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2 tbsp besan

1/8 tsp red chilly powder

1/8 tsp turmeric powder

A pinch of hing

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp Eno Fruit Salt

4 bread buns (ladi pav)

2 tsp garlic chutney

Oil to fry

METHOD:

- Take all the ingredients of vada in a bowl and mix well.

- Make 4 balls of equal size out of it and keep it aside.

- Mix all ingredients of batter in a small bowl and make a smooth batter using water as required.

- Heat oil in deep frying pan on medium flame.

- Dip each ball prepared out of boiled potatoes in this batter and deep-fry it.

- Roast bread buns on flat-tava using few drops of oil.

- Apply very less garlic chutney on both the sides. 

- Put fried vada (well known as Bataka Vada / Aloo Bonda) in each of them and press it a little.

- Serve hot with Mint-Coriander chutney.

Bhakharwadi

Originally from Maharastra but pretty much famous in Gujarat... Spicy and bite-sized... Deep-fried munching that can be easily found at any farsanwala??? Anyone can guess.... it's "Bhakharwadi"!!!

I always found making it in-house is a tiresome job to do in kitchen!!! And I know... everyone thinks the same. I never knew it was that easyyyyy :) Just gave it a try and you can see the result here...

Makes: 25 (medium-sized)

INGREDIENTS:

For Dough--

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1/4 cup Wheat Flour

1/2 cup Besan

1/4 cup Semolina (fine)

Salt to taste

A pinch of Hing

1 tsp Oil

For Filling--

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1/2 cup Desiccated coconut

2 tbsp Lemon juice (or tamarind paste)

1/2 tsp Red chilly powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

2 tsp Goda Masala (1/2 tsp Garam Masala with 1/2 tsp sesame seeds can be used as an alternative)

1/4 tsp Cumin powder

1/2 tsp Coriander powder

1 tbsp Fennel seeds (freshly ground)

1/2 tsp Besan

2 tsp Lemon juice

Oil to fry

METHOD:

- Mix all 3 flours, salt, oil and hing in a bowl. Knead a not-so-soft dough using water and keep aside for around 15 mins.

- Take all the ingredients of filling in a bowl and mix well. This mixture will be a little moist due to lemon juice.

- Make 3 equal sized portions of dough and roll each of them using wheat flour for dusting.

- Take each one of them on flat surface one after another and follow the below given process:

• Spread the filling mixture on it and press it gently to make it stick on the surface.
• Start rolling it from one side to other tightly and make a stiff roll.
• Make a slurry of besan and lemon juice and seal the open edge with it.
• Cut the extra part from both the sides and then cut the roll into pieces keeping the size equal.
• Take a drop of slurry and apply on both the open sides of piece.

- Heat the oil in deep frying pan and fry 5-6 pieces at time till crisp and golden brown.

- Cool down to room temp and store these "Bhakharwadis" in air-tight container.

Linking this recipe to Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey and UK-Rasoi:

Thaalipeeth

Makes: 6-7 nos. 

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup Whole wheat flour

1/2 cup Bajri flour

2 tbsp Jowar flour

2 tbsp Besan

2 tbsp Rice flour

1 tbsp Udad flour

1/2 cup Chopped spring onions (greens)

2-3 Chopped green chillies

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

Oil as required

METHOD:

- Mix all flours in a big bowl along with salt and turmeric powder.

- Put 2 tsp of oil into it and add spring onion greens. Add enough water and 1 tbsp oil and knead into a soft dough. 

- Place a plastic bag (thick one) on flat surface and apply a drop of oil over it. 

- Take a portion of dough (small ball sized) and spread with finger tips on plastic surface. Tap it with drops of water to make paratha-size.

- Make a small hole in the center of it and transfer it onto hot tawa. 

- Roast it like paratha only and put some oil in hole to cook it evenly. 

- Flip it around and follow the same procedure. 

- Serve hot with a cuppa tea... :) 

Goda Masala

Before marriage, I always had at least one Maharastrian family in neighborhood & so I got to have their special dishes every now n then (Thanks to "Vaatiki-Vyahvar" in India, which is one of the traditions I miss here)... :P Each delicacies I enjoyed, had distinct lip-smacking flavors, quite different from rest of all Indian Food :) I bugged my very closest Aunty several times for her recipes and then tried cooking them by my own several times, but didn't sound that flavorful at all... 

Finally I asked her the secret of all her dishes, specially beans & pulses!!! And she handed me over a recipe of her secret itself - "Goda Masala"!!! I definitely would love to share it here as soon I'm going to post few  'Core-Maharastrian' dishes... :)

INGREDIENTS:

5 cardamom (seeds)

1 small stick cinnamon

5 cloves

2 tsp sesame seeds

2 tsp coriander seeds

2 tsp dessicated coconut

10 black pepper corns

1 tsp oil

METHOD:

- Heat oil in pan and saute cinnamon, cloves and cardamom.

- Turn off the flame once cloves gets bigger in size

- Take coconut, sesame seeds and black pepper corns in another pan and dry-roast it on low-flame till coconut changes color to light brown.

- Transfer it to a bowl and let it cool down to room temp.

- Grind both the mixture together to make a coarse powder. 

- Store in air tight container.