Dry Indian mung bean stew recipe (moong dal)

We recently stocked up on dried split mung beans (moong dal) and were intrigued by this recipe: https://indianambrosia.com/dry-moong-dal-recipe/ This was an easy, healthy, and satisfying meal. Our modifications: first, for the oil we used a combination of ghee (for flavor) and canola. Second, we used 1 medium red onion plus 1 regular shallot for 1.5… Continue reading Dry Indian mung bean stew recipe (moong dal)

South Indian legume and rice dry porridge (pongal)

We wanted to try a new porridge. We tried this recipe, but it turned out not to be soupy at all: https://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/pongal-south-indian-rice-lentil-porridge-vegan/ Its texture is more like the mung bean filling of Korean sweet rice cake (dduk). The flavors are nice, and it is tasty as a drier rice and mung bean dish. This recipe… Continue reading South Indian legume and rice dry porridge (pongal)

Kichidi (Indian savory rice and legume porridge), version 2 and our favorite recipe

After a few days of heavy, rich meals, we made this masala kichidi recipe to cleanse a bit: https://www.funfoodfrolic.com/masala-khichdi-recipe/ This is our favorite kichidi recipe to date. Our modifications: first, we used 1/2 cup white jasmine rice and 1/4 cup pink masoor dal (i.e., red lentil), soaked in water for 15 mins; and 1/4 cup… Continue reading Kichidi (Indian savory rice and legume porridge), version 2 and our favorite recipe

Indian dal with beet greens

We had a few bunches of fresh beet greens leftover from making a beet (root) recipe for Thanksgiving. We decided to try this recipe: https://www.spiceupthecurry.com/beet-greens-dal/ For the moong dal, we used 1/2 cup split yellow peas. We found this recipe decent, but not outstanding. The beet greens involved multiple rinses of water to flush out… Continue reading Indian dal with beet greens

Samosa-stuffed poblanos

We received three homegrown poblanos and loosely followed this creative recipe: https://www.acouplecooks.com/samosa-stuffed-poblano-peppers/ We halved the recipe amounts but still had ample filling for three petite poblanos and 1 small bell pepper. We made significant modifications for our 1/2 recipe: first, for the potato, we used 5 small-medium yukons (about 3/4 lb), peeled, quartered, and boiled… Continue reading Samosa-stuffed poblanos

Savory fig jam

Our good friends Steve and Andrea generously gave us about 4 lb of figs harvested from their fig tree. We tried this chutney-like recipe: https://pastrychefonline.com/savory-fig-jam/ In terms of proportions, we used: 3 dry cups fresh, ripe green figs (see Note); 6 palm sugar lumps (called "small cubes" even though they are shaped like half-globes), and… Continue reading Savory fig jam

Indian savory amaranth porridge (rajgira upma)

For weekend breakfasts, we routinely make amaranth porridge drizzled with maple syrup. However, one day after cooking the amaranth seeds (but prior to adding any seasonings), I craved a savory breakfast. We figured out how to make upma with the already-cooked amaranth. First, follow this NYT recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014313-amaranth-porridge?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share, which provides instructions for cooking 1/2 cup…… Continue reading Indian savory amaranth porridge (rajgira upma)

Indian sautéed cabbage and peas

We are big fans of Shubhra Ramineni, and we tried this recipe from her blog: https://spicegirlkitchen.com/recipes/f/cabbage-and-peas Perhaps because we used red cabbage (which is more tannic than green cabbage), we found that the cooked cabbage needed some sweetness for balance. We added 1/2 tsp sugar at the end of cooking. We also found it a…… Continue reading Indian sautéed cabbage and peas

Eggplant ravaiya (Gujarati stuffed baby eggplant)

We love eggplant. When we happened upon baby, teardrop-shaped eggplant this weekend, we decided to try this recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018887-eggplant-ravaiya?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share Our modifications: first, in order to fit the eggplant in a single layer in our 12.75" nonstick saute pan, we reduced the number of eggplant to six from eight. (We recommend testing the fit of these… Continue reading Eggplant ravaiya (Gujarati stuffed baby eggplant)