Guest Post Series: LOBIA SUVA BHAJI SUBZI (Sauteed Dill with Black-eyed peas) by Shobana Rao

 

 Hope you all found Ashwini Kamath's Piyava tambali very useful last week. This week my guest is another senior blogger whom I hold in high esteem. She is respected by all and much liked in the blogging community. She is very humble, helpful and resourceful. It is my pleasure to introduce to you Shobana Rao. She blogs @ Cooking with Shobana.Her blog has a plethora of recipes that are traditional Konkani as well as several fusion recipes. She resides in Bangalore, India.

 I am honored to have her write a guest post for me. Today, she has brought us Lobia Suva Subzi which is essentially a dish in which black-eyed peas have been cooked with Dill leaves and spices in a very flavorful manner. Do check her blog "Cooking with Shobana" for more healthy and delicious recipes.


This healthy dish of legume and greens is made as a Guest Post for my friend, Suchitra Kamath who has an interesting blog full of healthy recipes called,"Su's Healthy Living." 

The main ingredients in this dish are Black Eyed Beans and Dill Leaves (called Lobia and Suva Bhaji in Hindi respectively). Dill leaves are called Shepu in Marathi/Konkani and Sabsigge Soppu in Kannada. You might be interested to know that Black Eyed Beans (also known as Black Eyed Peas) have many health benefits while Dill Leaves have a distinctive and special flavour all of their own.

You can enjoy this dish with rotis or as a side dish with the main meal.

Servings:

Ingredients:

• Lobia ( Black Eyed Beans), 1 cup
• Suva Bhaji ( Fresh Dill Leaves), chopped, 2 cups
• Rai ( Mustard Seeds), 1/2 tsp
• Jeera (Cumin Seeds), 1/2 tsp
• Curry Leaves, a sprig
• Green Chillies, slit, 3-4, or as per taste
• Garlic Pods, finely chopped, 3
• Large sized Onion, chopped, 1
• Salt, to taste
• Lemon juice, 2-3 tsp
• Oil, 1 tbsp

Method:

Wash and soak the lobia overnight or for 8-10 hours

Next morning, pour out the excess water

In a pressure cooker, cook the soaked lobia in adequate water for 1-2 whistles or till done.Take care to see that the lobia does not get overcooked.Once the cooker has cooled remove the cooked lobia and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a thick-bottomed kadhai and when it gets hot add the mustard seeds.When they splutter, add the cumin seeds and when they sizzle add the curry leaves and saute for a few seconds.

Next add the slit green chillies, chopped garlic, and onion and saute till the onion becomes translucent and the garlic gives off a nice aroma.

Add the chopped dill leaves, cooked beans, salt to taste and mix well.

Cover and cook on medium flame till the dill leaves get done.

Finally add the lemon juice and mix well.

Transfer to a serving bowl.

Serve hot with rotis or rice.

Enjoy!!

I am bringing this delicious dish of Shobhana akka's to all my friends at Throwback Thursday#39, Fiesta Friday#120  and Saucy Saturdays#44! Angie's co-hosts this week are Loretta @ Safari of the Mind and Linda @ Fabulous Fare Sisters

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

Dosa ( Crepes & Pancakes) Collection;Vegetarian; Meatless Monday.

South India is known for it's dosas! Dosas form the staple breakfast item in the southern states of India. There are hundreds of dosas based on the ingredients used in the batter. What are dosas? Dosas are basically crepes or pancakes made with fermented batter. The batter is usually made up of rice and some sort of lentil.  It could be thin like crepes or thick like pancakes! The crepes could be crispy or soft. The pancakes are all soft and fluffy! The best part is that they are ALL vegetarian! They are usually served with chutney, of which there are hundreds of varieties. While most dosas are savory, there are a few like Surnoli, Thausali that are sweet. However, for kids who are spice intolerant( read mine), they can be served with butter and/or honey/ jaggery syrup/sugar.

Today, I am sharing with you some of my favorite dosa recipes, all in one place! Click on the title of the individual dosa to get the recipe in full.

Colorful Dosas ( vegan pancakes & crepes)

Ragi Phanna Polo ( Instant seasoned finger millet crepes)

Surnali ( Buttermilk pancakes; eggless)

Ragi Masala Dosa ( Crispy millet crepe stuffed with sautéed carrots)

Paper Masala Dosa ( Gluten-free stuffed Crepe)

Quinoa Masala Dosa ( quinoa crepe with stuffing and chutney)

Moong dal dosa ( split moong-bean crepes)

Set Dosa ( Vegan pancakes, served with mixed vegetable stew and chutney)

Watermelon Dosa (pancakes made from batter with watermelon)

I hope you enjoyed this collection. If you are still not satisfied, just type in "dosa" in the search box on this page and many more dosa recipes will pop up!

I am bringing this amazing collection of dosas for my friends to try at Throwback Thursday#37, Fiesta Friday#118  and Saucy Saturdays#43! Angie's Fiesta Friday co-hosts this week are Kaila @ GF Life 24/7 and Laurena @ Life Diet Health

Guest post series: Quinoa-Beet Patties by Preethi Prasad

I hope all of you enjoyed Sushma Mallya's Dahi Bhendi/ Bhendi Sasam last week. This week we have a very enthusiastic, health-conscious, innovative, new kid on the block ( of blogging world) Preethi Prasad from Preethi's Cuisine. She hails from Bangalore and has been residing in Singapore since 18 years.

Like many of us, Preethi is a working mother. She has two boys ages 16 and 11 who love to eat! While Preethi has always cooked as a hobby, she started actively cooking and experimenting with food a couple of years ago. She then wanted to document and share her experiments in the kitchen with others. With this intent, Preethi's Cuisine was born. Her blog is turning one on . I wish her much success! She has many healthy and innovative recipes on her blog. Do visit her blog Preethi's Cuisine for all the yummy recipes.

Today, Preethi is sharing with us a delicious recipe of Quinoa & Beet Patties. Preethi says: "These yummy patties are loaded with the goodness of Quinoa and other multigrains and beetroot. It is easy to make and can be used in Burgers too".

Servings: makes 12 medium-sized patties

Ingredients:

3 Beetroots 
2 Potatoes 
1”Ginger
4 Garlic Cloves
1 Cup Quinoa cooked in Vegetable stock 
1.5 Tsp Garam Masala
2 Tbsp Gram Flour/ Besan
1 Tsp Chilli Powder
Salt to Taste
1 Tsp Jeera
1 Tsp Chaat Masala
1 Cup Multigrain Powder( A mix of roasted and powdered Green Gram ,Flax seeds and Chia Seeds)
1 Green Chilli
Finely Chopped Coriander

Method:

Pressure cook Beets, Potatoes, green chilli,Ginger and Garlic with 1 glass of water for up to four whistles. In case the beets are not fully mashed, blitz once in a blender to get a fine paste. 

Put all the boiled veggies in a wide bowl without the stock .

Use the Vegetable stock to cook Quinoa as per the instructions on the package.

Add all the masalas( spices),  besan, coriander, jeera,multigrain powder and salt to the boiled veggies and mix well. 

Take a small quantity of the mixture and give a round shape. Repeat this process for the balance mixture.

Heat a heavy-bottomed pan. Smear a teaspoon of oil to the bottom of the pan. Place the round patties and cook on both sides with a teaspoon of oil.

Enjoy these yummy patties with green chutney!!!!

I am bringing this lovely dish of Preethi's for all my friends to try at Throwback Thursday#36, Fiesta Friday#117 and Saucy Saturdays#42! The co-hosts this week are two excellent bloggers, Mollie @ The Frugal Hausfrau and Scarlett @ Unwed Housewife.

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

Sour Mango Chutney; no garlic recipe. Meatless Monday

At our home, we love mango chutneys. We make raw mango chutney, ripe mango chutney. You name it, we make it. This particular one came along by accident. When I went to the grocery store the other day, I saw some yellow mangoes at an inexpensive price. I decided to get  some to eat. When I sliced it and sat down to eat, I was very disappointed! They were horribly sour! Not even salt could help! I decided to salvage them by making chutney out of it. Usually raw mango chutney is made with garlic. However, this one was ripe but sour. Therefore I decided to make it a no garlic recipe. I used asofoetida ( hing) instead, which made it perfect for the Navratri fasting. Here is the quick and easy recipe for a delicious chutney that can be devoured with dosa, idli, chapati or as a side dish with rice!

Servings: makes 2 cups of chutney

Ingredients:

Sour mango: 1 medium sized
Freshly grated coconut: 1 cup
Green chillies: 2-3 medium-sized
Asofoetida: a pinch if using powder, 1/2 tsp if using solution.
Salt: to taste
Water: 1/4 cup

Method:

Peel and slice the mango. Add the sliced mango pieces with all the above ingredients to the blender/ food processor. Blend until it is a smooth, fine paste.

Refrigerate until ready to use.

Serve with dosa, idli, chapati, rice and even in sandwiches.

You can store it in the refrigerator for upto 7 days and for longer in the freezer.

Cooking made easy:

If you think you will not be using all of the chutney in the next few days, freeze half of the chutney in a freezer-safe container as soon as it is made.  To use frozen chutney, just remove it from the freezer and leave it on the counter-top for a few hours to bring it to room-temperature. Alternatively, you can take it from the freezer and keep it in the refrigerator section of your fridge, overnight.

You can alter the mango-coconut ratio to your liking. If you don't wish to use too much coconut, use half the amount of the mango slices that you have.

You can use dried red chillies or red chilli powder if you don't have green chillies.

Tip for healthy living:

Raw mangoes are rich in vitamin C and dietary fiber.

Food for thought:

A charming woman doesn't follow the crowd. She is herself. Loretta Young.