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Soong Dal

March 4, 2019 By appu 1 Comment

It’s that time of the year when Mahabaleshwar beckons, with its myriad sunsets, fresh fragrant strawberries and over powering array of flowers. We had ourselves farm fresh and organic vegetables just off the farm.

 

Since we do not use fertilisers or pesticides of any kind, we pluck off cherry tomatoes and radish straight from the Canadian pharmacy plants and merrily munch it on the go!

fresh off the farm.

For a day and a half, we were just mom and son! We ate, drank and had some crazy conversations.

We both wanted something a bit healthy for our brain doping lunch, and anyways friends who love this dish have been asking for the recipe. So we decided to make it and blog it.

This is a super healthy snack.  I sometimes have it as the lonesome dish for dinner too. It’s super filling, high in protein and very very healthy. It does not sit in your tummy, but leaves you feeling full and satiated. The tangy, spicy flavour makes it soooo very edible and tasty.

I optionally also add finely chopped raw mango (kairi) to it and reduce the lemon a wee bit. You can play around with it as you like. Reduce the spice, increase it (yaay!), add onions, take off the coconut, add a dash of green chutney!!! Just go for it. Not much can destroy this dish!

Add to it a dhokla mix, or to some other chaat item. Serve it mixed with broken idli and podi chutney. Let your creativity flow and do tell me also how you played with it!

Soong dal goes amazingly well with drinks. But serve it chilled. Like – absolutely and totally chilled. If you think of heating it – u might as well eat dal. So DO NOT HEAT this dish!!

Have fun! Cheers!

 

PS: Here is the video shoot we did for the Soong Dal. It’s very basic and rustic, as is the kitchen in our farm.

http://therecipelarder.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/soong-dal-converted-with-Clipchamp.mp4

Soong Dal
Print Recipe
A healthy and tasty snack. Super with drinks.
  • CourseAppetizer, Salad, Side Dish
  • CuisineIndian
Servings Prep Time
4 pax 5 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
5 minutes 4 hours
Servings Prep Time
4 pax 5 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
5 minutes 4 hours
Soong Dal
Print Recipe
A healthy and tasty snack. Super with drinks.
  • CourseAppetizer, Salad, Side Dish
  • CuisineIndian
Servings Prep Time
4 pax 5 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
5 minutes 4 hours
Servings Prep Time
4 pax 5 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
5 minutes 4 hours
Ingredients
  • 1 Cup Yellow Moong Dal
  • 1 Tspn oil
  • 1/2 Tspn Mustard Seeds
  • 1/4 Tspn Hing
  • 10-15 Curry Leaves
  • 1 Tspn salt
  • 1/4 Cup Coconut grated
  • 2 Tbspn Corriander Leaves finely chopped
  • 1 Tspn Green Chillies (or less/ more - according to taste)
  • 1 Tbspn lemon juice
  • 1 Tbspn Raw Mango (optional) finely chopped (reduce lemon juice)
Servings: pax
Instructions
  1. Wash and soak the yellow moong dal for 4 hours.
  2. Drain the water, rinse the dal and keep on a draining sieve for appx 20 minutes, so that no water is left.
  3. Once the water has drained, get the tadka ready. Keep the moong dal in a mixing bowl.
  4. In a tadka pan, add the oil.
  5. When hot, add the mustard seeds.
  6. When spluttering, add the hing and finally the curry leaves.
  7. All the curry leaves should splatter, so mix it with a spoon once, while still on the fire.
  8. Take off the fire and put it on the moong dal.
  9. Now add the salt, chopped corriander, coconut and green chillies (and optionally the raw mango)
  10. Lastly squeeze in the lemon juice.
  11. Mix well.
  12. Serve completely chilled.
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Filed Under: Healthy, Sides Tagged With: appetizer, fresh, healthy, indian, lentils, Moondal, protein, protein power, quick, salad, Serve Chilled, snacks, south indian, spicy, tangy, yellow dal, yum

Basil Pesto and Pesto Pasta

January 10, 2018 By appu Leave a Comment

It’s that time of the year again, when our farm in Mahabaleshwar is thriving and blooming. The entire farm is disrupted during the monsoons, which are heavy, non stop and torrential. In fact Mahabaleshwar gets the second highest rainfall in India, next only to Cherrapunji.

Just before the rains are predicted to stop, (and these predictions never come true!), we start planting some seeds in a sheltered area. Once the rains stop, the seeds are now seedlings and can be re transplanted in pots or beds. It’s a lot of work! The soil has to be turned, aired and new top soil has to be spread. Since we plant over almost 2 acres of land, it’s a busy time for all of us.

Seeing the seedlings burst forth into vegetables and flowers is the best thrill and pure fodder for my soul. I love the city but off late ever so often I just want to vacate my senses and vegetate with the vegetation.

This year started with a wild, wild and massive bush of Basil. So much that I did not know what to do with it. I plucked them and got them back to Bombay, still pondering in my head and actually stressing over not wasting this lot. It was fragrant, the leaves heavy with taste. I decided to make Pesto and sell it to my customers.

Pesto made with fresh fragrant organic basil

I came home and experimented with a batch. It was perfect, green and luscious. I bottled it and announced the sale, and it was gone within hours! All the bottles were booked!

Over time, the green becomes pale and dark. So if you want really bright green pesto, make it on the spot and use it. Making it a day in advance allows all the flavours to steep. But if you want to use it as a dip, or in an open sandwich, then make it on the spot.

Basil grows very easily in home cultured pots. And mind you, it can grow wild. Now when you have too much Basil, and your heart is breaking at the wastage, you know what to do with it.

We were all having fondue, and one of our friends did not like the smell of the cheese. So I made Pesto Pasta for her and her husband. I do believe the plate was polished off!!! 😀

Basil Pesto mixed with pasta

I hope you enjoy making this recipe, because there is no better smell than that of, fresh basil, smooth virgin olive oil and fragrant new garlic.

Cheer!

 

 

Basil Pesto and Pesto Pasta
Print Recipe
Fresh fragrant basil, made into pesto. Can be used as a dipping sauce, over sandwiches and salads, and of course made into a pasta.
  • CourseMain Course, Main Dish, Sauces and Jams
  • CuisineItalian
Servings Prep Time
4 pax 10 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 pax 10 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Basil Pesto and Pesto Pasta
Print Recipe
Fresh fragrant basil, made into pesto. Can be used as a dipping sauce, over sandwiches and salads, and of course made into a pasta.
  • CourseMain Course, Main Dish, Sauces and Jams
  • CuisineItalian
Servings Prep Time
4 pax 10 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 pax 10 minutes
Cook Time
15 minutes
Ingredients
Pesto
  • 1 Cup Fresh Basil Leaves packed
  • 1/2 Cup Walnuts toasted
  • 1/4 Cup garlic Peeled
  • 1 1/2 tspn Sea Salt
  • 10 pcs Black Pepper
  • 1 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive oil
Pasta
  • 1/2 Packet Pasta Boiled
  • 1/2 Cup Exrtra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • 4/5 Cherry Tomatoes for garnishing, optional.
Servings: pax
Instructions
  1. Add all the ingredients of the pesto to a food processor and mix till its cohesive and no coarse pieces can be seen or felt.
  2. Put aside to use immediately or bottle in sterilised jar for future use.
Pasta
  1. Boil the pasta and keep aside
  2. Add the oil to the pan, and then add the pesto.
  3. Add the pasta and half of the parmesan cheese.
  4. Toss well and add 1/4th cup of the pasta water to the mix
  5. Toss again
  6. Serve hot garnished with the remaining parmesan cheese and cherry tomatoes.
  7. Add a side of toasty garlic or plain bread with this dish.
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Filed Under: Dinner, Healthy, Lunch, Sauces Tagged With: basil, black pepper, comfort food, farm to table, fragrant, fresh, garlic, healthy, italian, organic, parmesan cheese, pasta, quikc dish, virgin olive oil, walnuts

Meet the Author

For the 21 years and some months that I have been alive, there has been this crazy, eccentric, always-charged-up woman with a full-time job of being a mother to 6 (2 children, 4 dogs).

In her spare time she blasts music on her DJ console, reads like a maniac, downloads shows (because God forbid she runs out of something to watch), runs an entire household, and to top it all off, manages a very successful catering business which makes the most delicious food in the entire world. Once you have her food, everything else will taste like stale socks.

This is what you call "Maa ke haath ka khana".

- Kanak

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