Green Moong Kebabs

Green moong (Mung) is a seriously wonderful legume to cook. I always feel it is a very versatile legume, which can be given any form and shape very easily. For a long time I have been wanting to try out kebabs with green moong. They turned out truly scrumptious. I followed my own recipe of Hara bhara kebab (which is picked up from various websites). Just substituted green moong for the peas. This hassle-free recipe is sure to be a definite hit with your family and friends.

My moong kebabs go straight to the Nineteenth helping of My Legume Love Affair (MLLA – 19), brainchild of Susan, and hosted by Simple Indian Food for January 2010.

Ingredients (makes 10- 12 kebabs):

· Green moong (soaked for 3 – 4 hrs) : 1/3 cup
· Potatoes (medium): 3 – 4
· Spinach: 100 grams or 1 small bunch
· Chopped green chillies: 1 tbsp
· Chopped ginger: 1/2 tbsp
· Grated garlic: 1 tbsp
· Chopped coriander: 2 tbsp
· Chaat masala: 1 tbsp
· Garam masala: ½ tsp
· Corn flour: 2 tbsp
· Salt: to taste
· Roasted cashews (to garnish)
· Oil: to shallow-fry the kebabs

Method:

· Wash and soak the green moong. Pressure cook for 3 whistles. The moong should be well-cooked but not mushy. 1/3 cup of raw moong (after soaking and cooking) would yield about ¾ cup of cooked moong. Drain out all the water.
· Run this moong mixture for a couple of whips in the mixie and keep aside. The mixture should be a thick coarse paste
· Boil the potatoes and palak in the cooker for three whistles
· Now mix the mashed potatoes, palak, moong and all the other ingredients together and make a tight mixture
· If you feel the mixture is a little loose, add a little more of corn flour. But, it may not be the case since water is drained out already
· Now heat a greased thick bottomed griddle
· Grease your palms and make lemon-sized balls out of the mixture and press in order to make flatties
· Shallow fry them over low to medium heat
· Press a roasted cashew on each kebab for garnishing it
· Serve hot with ketchup or chutney
· Done!

Butter murukku

Recently when we went shopping, K picked up a packet of murukku, and shared something that I never knew before - that he really liked murukkus. I promptly offered to make it at home. He was thrilled by the prospect and dropped the idea of buying it and said he would wait for mine. Though I was always, and still am in total awe of murukkus (minus the oil it passionately absorbs while getting deep-fried), I never got down to actually making some. Here is my first batch of murukkus - the basic butter murukku. I should tell you that it was a fairly good attempt for a first-timer. K truly enjoyed it. Guess, it was worth the wait :)

As usual, I frantically went through lots of websites and blogs that offered me an easy recipe of a butter murukku. Finally, backed with my mother's lessons, I ventured. I should tell you, I never thought making murukkus would be so easy. Just that you need to be equipped with one single virtue called patience to fry batches after batches of them.

Ingredients:

• Rice flour (store bought); 3 cups
• Fried bengal gram powder (pottukadalai powder): 1/2 cup
• Butter: 1 + 1/2 tbsp
• Jeera: 1 tsp
• White sesame seeds: 1 tsp
• Hing: 1 big pinch
• Salt: to taste

Method:

• Sieve rice flour, fried bengal gram powder and salt together
• Add the butter and mix with your finger tips so that the butter is well incorporated into the flour
• Add the remaining ingredients and knead into a dough (sprinkling water)
• The dough should be of loose chapati dough consistency
• Cover using a wet cloth and keep aside
• Heat oil in a kadai and make murukkus
• Done!
• An excellent traditional home-made snack is ready!

Spring Onion Parathas

For me, no Saturdays are complete without shopping for vegetables. It helps me manage my weekly menu easily (not that I plan lavish means and end up making them). Today I came home carrying a wide variety of greens. A treasure-house of iron and loads of other vitamins that they are, I am determined to incorporate more of them in my daily food routine. One easy way of adding them is to use them in making parathas. The sharp natural flavour of the spring onions together with few other herbs make these parathas very tasty. Served hot with a cup of curd and a bit of pickle – these parathas make a perfect quick wholesome dinner.

Ingredients (makes ten parathas)

· Spring Onions (vengaaya thaal): 5 sprigs, chopped very very fine
· Omum or Ajwain: one pinch
· Jeera: ¾ tsp
· Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp
· Garam masala: ½ tsp
· Chilli powder: ½ tsp or to taste
· Dhaniya powder: 1 tsp
· Salt: to taste
· Wheat flour: 1.5 cups
· Oil or butter to make the parathas

Method:

· Wash the spring onions. Wipe clean with a cloth and chop them very fine
· To this, add all the above mentioned items except wheat flour and oil
· Mix this mixture very well. Let it stand for ten minutes
· Now add the wheat flour
· Add a few drops of oil (if necessary) and make the paratha dough
· Let it stand for about 15 – 20 minutes
· Roll medium-sized balls of dough into parathas
· Cook on medium flame on both sides using oil or butter
· Serve super hot with curd and pickle
· Done!

Bread Ladoo

I want to start year 2010 blogging with a breezy easy sweet dish, just to begin on a sweet note. This tremendously easy bread ladoo is a must-make, especially when one is in the mood to ‘muh-meethafy’. Get ready to pop-in these little rotund treasures!

Ingredients (yields 9 medium sized ladoos)

Bread slices (crusts removed): 10
Sugar: 1/3 cup
Cashews and badam: 5 each, chopped fine
Elaichi: 8 – 10 pods
Ghee: 2-3 tbsp

Method:

After chopping the crusts of the bread slices, tear them into ¾ inch pieces. Now whip them in small quantities in a dry mixie. This makes fine fluffy bread powder. Keep aside
Now powder the sugar and elaichi together. Keep aside
Take a fairly large kadai
Heat ghee and fry the cashews and badam till golden brown
Now switch of f the flame
Add the bread powder and the sugar powder
Mix well
Make quick hard ladoos so that they don’t fall apart
Done!

Happy New Year!

A very very happy, healthy and a prosperous year 2010 for anyone who visits my blog! (and to those who dont also :0)

I have been frantically running around.. With what? I dont know. Time seems to be rolling by. Hours change into days and year 2009 just sneaked out with a hurried goodbye. Finally, I decided to pull myself out of my no-time-for-blogging syndrome. Not that I have not been cooking anything new, just that blogging has been on the backest burner.

I am happy I have started atleast with a new year message. And hopefully would come back with accounts of my exploits in my humble kitchen soon!

Happy cooking and happy eating!!