Black eyed peas in Tomato Gravy

1 cup frozen black eyed peas (also called lobia in Hindi and Karamani in Tamil)
1 cup water or enough for the black eyed peas to cook
3 tablespoon oil
2 chopped green chili or to taste 
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1 1/2 cup chopped tomato or 1 large tomato
some chopped cilantro leaves 
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

To a pan on medium heat with one cup of water add the frozen black eyed peas and cook for 10 to 15 minutes until it is cooked.  Keep it aside.  If you like you can cook the black eyed peas in a pressure cooker.

To a pan on medium heat add oil and saute the green chili and ginger for about 30 seconds add turmeric powder, cumin powder and coriander powder, and saute for an additional 10 seconds add chopped tomato cover and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the chopped cilantro leaves, curry powder, salt to taste and the cooked black eyed peas, cover and cook for another 5 minutes, after which turn the heat off.  Add fresh squeezed lemon juice and serve.

Serves 2.  Serve with any grain, or flat bread.

You can substitute frozen black eyed peas with dried black eyed peas.  It will take longer to cook.

Upma Kozhukattai or Pidi Kozhukattai

Ingredients:
1 cup idli rava or cream of rice lightly roasted
1/4 cup toor dal
1 tablespoon channa dal
1 tablespoon urad dal
2 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon urad dal
a pinch of asafoetida
2 small chopped green chilis or to taste
a few curry leaves
1/4 cup shredded coconut
2 cups water

Preparation:  Rinse and soak toor dal, channa dal and urad dal for 1 to 1 1/2 hours before grinding.  After 1 hour grind the dals with very little water to a coarse paste.

Heat 2 tablespoon of oil.  To it add mustard seeds and urad dal.  When the mustard seeds pop add the chopped green chili, curry leaves, asafoetida and saute for few seconds add water cover and let the water come to a boil.  When the water has come to a boil add the grated coconut and the ground dal and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes after which add the lightly roasted idli rava or cream of rice.  Stir and cook until the mixture pulls away from the side of the pan and forms a mass in the center.  Cover and allow the mass to cool.  After it is cool make small oval shaped dumplings as shown in the video (if needed lightly grease your palms with a little oil)  and steam the kozukattai for a total of 4 minutes in a microwaveable steamer, in between the cooking turn the kozukattai over once to cook on the other side.  Do not over cook or it will become hard.

If you like you can cook it in a regular steamer.

Serve with sambar or chutney.  Makes 12 to 16 kozukattai.  Serves 4.  Serve as a snack or for breakfast. 

Bean Sprouts and Kidney Beans

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts roughly cut into half
1 can (15 oz) organic Kidney beans rinsed and drained (1 1/2 cups cooked  kidney beans)
3 tablespoon oil
2 green chilies or to taste
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

Preparation:  To a pan on medium heat, add the green chilies and ginger and saute it for 30 seconds, add the turmeric powder and coriander powder and saute it for 10 seconds.  Add the chopped tomato, cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are cooked.  To the cooked tomatoes add curry powder saute, add the sprouted beans, mix, add the kidney beans, salt, mix cover and cook for 5 minutes add lemon juice.  Turn the heat off and serve.  Serves 2.

Kidney beans are called rajma in Hindi.  Serve this dish as a side dish with chapati or any grain. 

Rasgulla

1/2 gallon whole milk or 1.89 liters
2 cups yogurt
A few cardamom seeds
2 1/2 cups sugar or 500 grams add more if you like it sweeter

2 cups milk for rasmalai syrup
2 cups water for rasgulla syrup
Saffron or rose water flavoring for syrup
4 cups water for cooking the rasgullas
makes 16 to 20

For sugar syrup: boil 2 cups of water with 1 cup of sugar.  After the water comes to a boil let it continue boiling for a couple of minutes and turn the heat off, add the saffron flavoring and set it aside.

For rasmalai syrup: boil 2 cups of milk with 1 cup of sugar, when the milk comes to a boil reduce the heat and let it continue boiling for 2 minutes at very low temperature turn the heat off, add saffron flavoring and set it aside.

To make paneer: In a pan heat the milk to boiling point, slowly add enough yogurt to curdle the milk.  Strain the curdled milk though a cheese cloth.
Squeeze the paneer till all the water is taken out.

Put the paneer in a food processor bowl and let it run for 5 minutes.  Remove from food processor bowl and knead by hand for an additional five minutes.

Making the gollas: After kneading divide the dough into 16 to 20 rounds or gollas.  Insert a couple of cardamon seed inside each round seal and it.  Do the same with rest of the rounds.

Heat a pan with 4 cups of water.  Add 1/2 cup of sugar to it.  Let it come to a boil.  When it starts boiling add the gollas and let it cook for 15 minutes to 20 minutes.  In between turn it over once.  When the  gollas are cooked drop them into the sugar or milk syrup.

For making large quantities of change the water it is boiling in, after every 2 batches.

I like to use yogurt to curdle the milk to make rasgullas.  Lemon juice can also be used.  With yogurt you don't have a lemony after taste to the rasgullas.

Soft, sweet and spongy this is a very popular Bengali dessert.  In Bengal it is made to celebrate auspicious occasions. 

See also Gulab Jamun recipe

Author:  Mallika Viswanathan
Category:  Vegetarian Recipe


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