Redgram lentil splits boiled with spinach

This is a simple preparation.

To serve to two.

INGREDIENTS
Redgram lentil splits .. 200 gms.
Spinach leaves (cleaned) .. 200 gms.

To add tastes
Salt .. 1 tea spoon or slightly more or less, according to taste.
Red chilly powder .. 1 tea spoon.
Turmeric .. a little.
Peanut Oil : 2 tsp.
Red chillies : 2 Nos.
Blackgram lentil splits : .5 tea spoon.
Mustard seeds : .5 tea spoon.
Asafoetoda, preferably white : one gram.

PREPARATION
We can use a pressure cooker.
We can use the upper apartment for keeping the lentils + spinach pieces and the lower apartment for rice.
The lentils and spinach boil to a near paste.

We have to take them out. Mix the lentils and the spinach with a spoon.

Keep the utensil separate.

Adding the spices
Add salt. Add chillipowder. Add turmeric.
Take a small deep pan. Put the 2 tsp oil in it and heat it slightly. Drop the red chilli pieces and wait 30 sec. Add blackgram lentils. Wait 30 secs. Add mustard seeds. Wait 30 secs. Add asafoetoda. Wait 30 sec. We should not fry these things too long. They get blackened. If we do not give them adequate time, they will remain raw. We have to keep the burner in simmer. If we heat on high flames, smoke from oil will spread in the kitchen and blacken kitchen walls over a period of time.

Now, pour this spice-mix into the boiled lentil-spinach paste and stir with a spoon.

Some people prefer to eat boiled lentils as thick paste. Some people prefer adding adequate water , particularly when more number of people have to share a small quantity. Restaurants have a tendency to add more water.

Health Comments
Excess boiling , some people do not like, on the ground of losing nutritional values and vitamins.

Adequate boiling has its own utility in the sense that bacteria, larvae and pupae of insects etc. overlooked while washing, can be brought under control.

#008 LIME JUICE SALTED AND SLIGHTLY CHILLY-SPICED

INGREDIENTS
1. Lemon - one.
2. salt - to taste.
3. red chilly powder - (good quality) to taste.

PREPARATION TIME
Two minutes.

SHELF LIFE
One / two days without refrigeration. Do not add water to the lime juice.

PROCEDURE
1. Extract lime juice. Remove seeds.
2. Mix the salt and the red chilli powder with the lemon juice.
3. Keep in a small bowl ready to eat.

CAN BE EATEN WITH
1. Boiled rice. 2. Curd rice. 3. Boiled rice + boiled red gram lentil splits.

MEDICAL QUALITIES
1. C vitamin rich.
2. May cause cold when taken in excess.
3. Improves general health.

#007, ROASTED RED GRAM LENTIL SPLITS POWDER

INGREDIENTS
1. Red gram lentil splits (Hindi: Tuwar dal) 200 gm.
Also called pigeon peas. Bot: Cajanus Cajus / Cajanus Indicus.
To see the photos at wikipedia: Click.
2. Salt to taste.
3. Red Chillies to taste.


PROCEDURE
1. Roast the red gram lentils without oil.
2. Powder salt and red chillies in a mixer.
3. Add the roasted red gram lentils and grind into a fine powder.

CAN BE EATEN WITH
1. Boiled rice. 2. Idlis, dosas etc. 3. Anything else.
4. Sprinkling one or two tsp. of clarified butter (ghee) lifts the taste and facilities swift movement of the powder through the small intestines.

SHELF LIFE
Good. Use a dry spoon.

EFFECT ON HEALTH (Personal experience - not a medical prescription).
1. Proteinous. 2. Nutritious. 3. May cause irritation of stomach, if eaten in excess.

#006 ROASTED BENGAL GRAM POWDER

INGREDIENTS
1. Roasted Bengal Gram splits - 200 gms. (Shops usually sell the roasted splits, with skins peeled).
2. Salt to taste.
3. Red Chillies to taste.

PROCEDURE
1. Place the salt and the red chillies in a mixer and grind finely.
2. Mix the splits.
3. Grind the mixture.

CAN BE EATEN WITH IN PARTICULAR
1. Boiled rice. 2. Flat pan cakes (chapatis, dosas) 3. Puris.

MEDICAL QUALITIES
My personal experience (Not a medical prescription)
1. Expels intestinal gas with sound, when eaten in excess.
2. Satisfies hunger. Tasty.
3. Some people say that roasted Bengal Gram is good for sexual health. I can neither support nor reject.

#005, Roasted white gingelly powder

WHITE GINGELLY POWDER
INGREDIENTS
1. WHITE gingelly seeds (Sesame seeds) - (Botanical name: Sesamum Inducum) - with stones/sand removed, dry-roasted (without oil): 200 gm.
2. Salt to taste.
3. Red chillies to taste.

PROCEDURE
1. Powder the chillies and salt in a mixy jar.
2. Add the gingelly seeds.
3. Make into a fine powder.

PREPARATION TIME
Ten minutes.

CAN BE EATEN WITH
Boiled rice, flat cake (chapati), puri etc.

SHELF LIFE
Good. Use dry spoon.

NUTRITION
1. Calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin E, vitamin B Complex.

MEDICAL QUALITIES OF GINGELLY (Blogger's opinion, Not a medical prescription)
1. Gingelly Oil's (sesame oil) external application for ameliorating eczema, psoriasis. Moisturizer. Good for massaging.

2. My personal experience: Eating gingelly seeds and seed powder hardens teeth. Urine's temperature may go up causing inflammation while urinating. Stiff-back and backache may follow. Hence we should use the gingelly powder sparingly.

#004, ROASTED PEANUT POWDER

INGREDIENTS
1. Roasted peanuts (ground-nuts), with skin pealed. 200 gms.
2. Salt to taste.
3. Red chillies to taste.

PROCEDURE
1. Place salt and red chillies in a mixie and powder.
2. Add the roasted peanuts.
3. Make into a fine powder.

can be eaten with
1. Boiled rice. 2. Flat cake (chapatis). 3. Puris. 4. With anything. Adding a little clarified butter (ghee) while eating will increase the taste.

SHELF LIFE
Good. Use dry spoon.

MEDICAL QUALITIES
My personal experiences (not a medical prescription).
I have been using this recipe since several years.
1. Increases talkativeness.

CAUTION
Beware of peanut allergy.

#001, Black Gingelly Powder

BLACK GINGELLY POWDER
INGREDIENTS
1. Black gingelly seeds (Sesame seeds) - (Botanical name: Sesamum Inducum) - with stones/sand removed, dry-roasted (without oil): 200 gm.
2. Salt to taste.
3. Red chillies to taste.

PROCEDURE
1. Powder the chillies and salt in a mixy jar.
2. Add the gingelly seeds.
3. Make into a fine powder.

PREPARATION TIME
Ten minutes.

CAN BE EATEN WITH
Boiled rice, flat cake (chapati), puri etc.

SHELF LIFE
Good. Use dry spoon.

NUTRITION
1. Calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin E, vitamin B Complex.

MEDICAL QUALITIES OF GINGELLY (Blogger's opinion, Not a medical prescription)
1. Gingelly Oil's (sesame oil) external application for ameliorating eczema, psoriasis. Moisturizer. Good for massaging.

2. My personal experience: Eating gingelly seeds and seed powder hardens teeth. Urine's temperature may go up causing inflammation while urinating. Stiff-back and backache may follow. Hence we should use the gingelly powder sparingly.

#003 AMARANTHUS GANGETICUS

Amaranthus Gangeticus is a leafy vegetable. Tender branches are also edible. There are two varieties in Andhra Pradesh. 1. Perugu tootakuura (literally means curd amaranthus, though there is no curd) 2. Koyya tootakuura (literally means wood amaranthus, though there is no wood). The curd amaranthus leaves are bigger and are very tasty.

GETTING READY
1. Wash the tender plants/branches of amaranthus, to remove dirt, fungus etc.
2. Pluck the leaves. Cut into pieces if the leaves are big.
3. Aged persons may find it to masticate amaranthus stems. If there is a desire to eat stems also, they are to be cut into small bits.

1. CURRY WITHOUT LENTILS AND WITH TAMARIND PULP
STEPS

1. Boil 2/3 tsp. of groundnut / sesame oil in a frying pan or in a vessel.
2. Drop a few pieces of dry red chillies and a heat a little.
3. Add 1 tsp. of black-gram lentil splits and roast a little.
4. Add 0.5 tsp of mustard-seeds, fenugreek, jeera etc. and heat.

You will get a good smell.

5. Add the leaves/bits of amaranthus tender stems and roast them on a low fire. (Can also boil-cook on a high flame instead of frying on low flame). 100 grams to 150 gms.

6. Add salt to taste. Say 0.75 tsp.
7. Add red chilli powder to taste. Say 0.5 tsp.
8. Add food grade turmeric for flavor.
9. Add tamarind juice to taste. Say 2 table spoons.

When the curry is ready you will get a good smell. Switch of the flame.
Ready to serve 2+2.

HEALTH NOTES

In traditional health system of India i.e. Ayurveda, Amaranthus is called "Raja Sakam" (King of Vegetables). Said to be good for eyes.

#002: FENUGREEK LEAVES LENTILS

Fenugreek (Trigonella Foeneum Graecum)is a common leaf vegetable in South Indian vegetarian cooking. Its leaves are small. Stems have no branches. The vegetable is sold in small bundles of plants of less than 6" length.

Names in Indian Languages: Kannada: Menthe Soppu; Malayalam: Venthiam Tamil: Venthayam; Telugu: Menti Kuura; Hindi: Methi.

TASTEa little bitter; a little peculiar smell.

FENUGREEK LEAVES AND LENTILS - BOILED
INGREDIENTS

1. Fenugreek leaves, plucked from stems, and washed to remove dirt: 100 gms.

2. Lentils (Redgram splits): 200 gms.

3. Salt to taste.

4. Red chilli powder to taste.

5. To add mild spices: groundnut oil 3 tsp; Red chillies 3; Black gram splits: half tsp; mustard seeds half tsp; asafoetoda: a little.
turmeric a little.

PREPARATION METHOD

Wash red-gram splits in water to remove dirt if any. Boil them till 50% soft. Add fenugreek leaves and boil the mixture till soft. Add salt, turmeric, red chilli powder.

Adding soft spice
This is called "tirugaboota" or "poopu" or "taalimpu" in Telugu. Though optional, the soft spices add good smell and taste to the food. They also help in digestion.

Procedure, common in most preparation:Take a small frying pan or a big iron spoon or a copper-bottom spoon suitable for heating oil.
Heat the oil. Add red-chillies and roast a little. Add black-gram splits and roast a little. Add mustard seeds and roast a little. Add asafoetoda and heat. If excess heat is used, the spices become black and taste gets spoiled. Besides, medical qualities are damaged. Add the spice mixture to the boiled fenugree leaves and lentils mixture. Mix with spoon two or three rounds so that the little oil and spices are spread well.

We can eat with boiled rice or flat wheat pan cakes.

Serves a family of two adults.

TRADITIONALLY BELIEVED MEDICAL QUALITIES:-

1. Because of some bitter taste, fenugreek is good for diabetes patients.

2. Keeps hair lively and reduces falling of hair.

3. With reduced spicing, not injurious to jaundice and lever patients. (Because fenugreek controls "paitya doosha".)

4. Excess eating of fenugreek may increase "vaata doosha" (gastric difficulties).

Suggested frequency: every 10 days.