Tag Archives: One Pot Meals

Recipes: Mixed Vegetable Moong Dal Pulao

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A couple of months back, while doomscrolling, I came across a similar recipe and knew I had to try it. Last week, I finally had a chance to make this. Combining the goodness of whole moong dal and mixed vegetables, this pulao is wholesome, flavourful and protein-packed and is ideal for a school or office lunchbox.

Sprouted moong dal is often referred to as a superfood due to its exceptional nutritional profile. It is rich in nutrients as it contains essential vitamins like A, B, C, and E, as well as minerals like iron, potassium, magnesium, and zinc, as well as being high in protein and dietary fibre. Sprouting enhances enzyme activity, making it easier to digest compared to regular legumes. The high fibre content promotes gut health by preventing constipation. It is rich in potassium and magnesium, which help regulate blood pressure and antioxidants that reduce oxidative stress and inflammation linked to heart disease. Because of its low glycemic index, glucose is slowly released into the bloodstream, and thus it is beneficial for diabetics due to its ability to stabilise blood sugar levels. The high protein and fibre content promotes satiety and prevents overeating. Sprouted moong dal contains vitamin C and antioxidants that strengthen immune defenses while its antioxidants help combat free radicals that cause skin aging.

Mixed Vegetable Moong Dal Pulao

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Basmati rice, washed and soaked for 30 minutes
  • 1 cup whole moong dal, soaked for 6-8 hours. Bonus points if the dal starts to sprout
  • 1 cup chopped mixed vegetables (I used carrots, peas and corn)
  • 1 medium-sized onion, sliced
  • 1 tsp ginger-green chilli paste
  • 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
  • 10-12 cashew nuts
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick
  • 4-5 cloves
  • 4-5 cardamom pods
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tbsp ghee 
  • 2 cups water

Method:

  • If using whole green moong beans, soak them overnight or for 6-8 hours. Drain and leave them in a damp cloth for a day to sprout. Rinse the sprouts before use. If you are unable to sprout, just use the soaked and drained moong beans.
  • Soak the rice for 30 minutes
  • Heat ghee in a heavy-bottomed pan or pressure cooker.
  • Fry the cashew nuts until light brown and keep aside.
  • Add cumin seeds, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves, and cardamom pods in the same ghee. Sauté until aromatic.
  • Add sliced onions and sauté until golden brown.
  • Stir in the ginger-green chilli paste and cook for a minute.
  • Add chopped mixed vegetables. Cook for 2-3 minutes
  • Add in the mixed vegetables and moong dal. Sauté for another minute.
  • Drain the soaked rice and add it to the pan. Gently mix with the vegetables.
  • Season with salt as needed.
  • If using a rice cooker, add the rice, moong dal, and vegetables to the rice cooker. Add in the fried cashew nuts and mix well. Now add in the 2 cups of water and cook until done. Let the pulao sit in the rice cooker for a while, then open and lightly fluff with a fork. 
  • If cooking it on the stove, pour in water and bring it to a boil. Cover with a lid and cook on low heat until the rice is done. Alternatively, you can pressure cook for one whistle. Let the pulao rest for a few minutes after cooking.
  • Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with a raita of your choice.

Recipes: Coriander Mint Pulao

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During GG’s internship, she used to take her lunch when she had to work in the office and this meant I made one pot meals more than usual. When I got bored of making the usual pulaos, I tried this coriander and mint pulao as I had some mint leaves which was getting spoilt. The recipe is different from my usual mint pulao where I grind the mint leaves to a paste and this one had a very subtle smell and taste of mint and coriander and was very tasty. It is a definite keeper and I will be making this again soon.

Coriander Mint Pulao

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups basmati rice, soaked in water for about 20-30 minutes
  • 2 tbsp ghee
  • 1 large onion, finely sliced
  • 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 2-inch sticks
  • 1 potato, peeled and cut into 2-inch sticks
  • ¼ cup green peas
  • 1 green chilli, slit
  • A one-inch piece of ginger, julienned
  • 10-12 pieces of cashew nut
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 3 cloves
  • 3 cardamom
  • 1 bay leaf
  • A one-inch piece of cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp mint leaves, chopped
  • 2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
  • Salt to taste

Method:

  • Wash the basmati rice well and drain keep aside.
  • In a pan, heat the ghee and when the ghee heats up, add in the cumin seeds and let them splutter.
  • Then add the cloves, cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaf and saute for a few seconds.
  • Next, add in the green chilli and ginger and saute for a few seconds.
  • Now add in the cashew nuts and saute till the cashew nuts turn golden brown.
  • At this point, add in the sliced onions and saute till the onions become translucent.
  • When the onions are translucent, add in the chopped vegetables and saute for a few minutes.
  • Add in the chopped coriander and mint leaves and saute for a few seconds. We don’t need to cook them, just let them wilt.
  • Lastly, add in the rice and salt and saute for a minute or two.
  • Transfer everything to a rice cooker and add water. I usually add 2 cups of water for every cup of rice, but please use your discretion and the instructions in the packet of rice.
  • Cook the rice either in the rice cooker or on the stovetop and once the rice is done, let the pan stand for about 5 minutes before opening it.
  • Fluff the rice with a fork before serving. Serve hot with a raita of your choice.

Recipes: Spinach Dal Medley

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Dals are an integral part of an Indian household and whether it is a south Indian Sambar or a plain dal from Punjab, every state, in fact every household has some type of dal preparation which is unique to themselves. I usually make dal at least twice or thrice a week and sometimes when I can’t think of something to make, I just throw something together, hoping what ends up is something edible. This dal was the result of one of those experimentations. I had some spinach which was starting to go bad and so decided to make this power packed protein and iron filled dal. The other good thing about this recipe is that it is a one pot recipe!

Spinach Dal Medley

Ingredients:
1 cup chopped spinach
2 tbsp each of the following dals – toor dal, yellow moong dal, orange masoor dal and chana dal
1 tsp tamarind paste
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
Salt to taste
1 tbsp ghee or oil

Method:
Wash the dals thoroughly and soak in hot water for 10 minutes. Wash the spinach thoroughly to remove all the dirt it may have.
In the pressure cooker, heat the ghee or oil and and when the fat warms up, add the cumin seeds and let the seeds pop.
After the cumin seeds pop, add in the ginger-garlic paste and stir for a couple of seconds. Now add the finely chopped onions and stir until the onions turn translucent.
Now add thechopped and washed spinach and let it wilt.
Then add the washed dals and stir for a bit. Add enough water and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles.
When the pressure reduces, open the cooker and put it on the gas again and stir well.
Add the tamarind paste, salt and red chilli powder as well as the garam masala powder and stir well and also check for seasoning.
Let the dal come to a nice rolling boil. If it is too thick for your liking, thin it as per your taste.
Serve hot over steamed rice with a stir fried vegetable of your choice. This also makes for a very tasty spinach lentil soup.

Recipes: Spinach Mint Rice

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During the lockdown, I was experimenting with food and one day found a small bunch of spinach and another small bunch of mint lying in the fridge. I usually make a chutney with the mint, but I didn’t have enough coriander leaves to make my usual chutney, so thought of combining the two. I used my Spinach Rice recipe as the basis of this one and it turned out super yummy! When the rice was cooking, the whole house was enveloped with this pleasant mint aroma and while eating this dish, I was eating with more than just my mouth! And the best part about this recipe is that it is a one pot meal dish. This is a great addition to a lunchbox and both GG & BB have asked me to add this to their lunch boxes.

Spinach Mint Rice

Ingredients:
• 2 cups basmati rice
• 1 bunch spinach
• 1 bunch mint with the leaves plucked
• 2-3 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 10-15 curry leaves
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped roughly
• 1 bulb garlic, peeled
• inch piece of ginger, peeled
• 5-6 green chillies
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 10-12 pieces of cashewnuts, chopped into half
• 2 tbsp oil or ghee
• Salt to taste

Method:
• Soak the rice in water for 20-30 minutes and then wash it thoroughly, drain and keep aside.
• Take some water in a large pan and boil it. While the water is boiling, wash the spinach leaves thoroughly and keep aside.
• Wash the mint, curry and coriander leaves and keep aside.
• Blanch the spinach leaves, a few at a time for around 10-15 seconds in the boiling water and remove and keep aside.
• In a blender, blend together the spinach, mint leaves, coriander leaves, curry leaves, garlic, ginger, green chillies and onion into a smooth paste. Keep aside.
• Heat the ghee in a pan and when it warms up, add the cashewnuts and fry until they are brown and nicely toasted. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside.
• In the same pan, with the remaining ghee, add the cumin seeds and let them splutter.
• Then add the blended paste and some salt and let the paste cook for around 5 minutes. The paste should start thickening and at this point add the rice.
• Mix the rice well into the spinach mint paste and once each grain of rice is coated with the paste, remove it to a rice cooker and add the water needed to cook the rice. Cook until it is done and then let it sit for 10 minutes before opening the rice cooker. Fluff it with a fork and add the fried cashewnuts.
• If you are cooking in a pan, when the rice is coated with the paste, add the water and let it cook until the rice is done. Switch off the gas and let it sit for 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork and then garnishing with the cashewnuts.
• Serve hot with a raita and some chips. I served this with an onion pineapple raita. This raita is very simple. Beat some yoghurt in a bowl and add salt and pepper to it. Then add some finely chopped onions, finely chopped pineapples (either fresh or from a tin) and some finely chopped coriander leaves. Taste for seasoning and serve. For the chips, I fried some traditional vadam.
• Vadam is traditionally made by drying a paste made of rice and other ingredients in the sun until all the water is leeched out. Then during days when vegetables are in short supply, you fry these in hot oil and use them as an accompaniment to any rice dish.

Recipes: Dal Dhokli

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Dal Dhokli is a warm and comforting food from Gujarat. One day, during Singapore’s Circuit Breaker, I woke up with a craving for a dish I had never made. So I decided to make it and this dish pleasantly surprised me. It was warm and comforting and a wonderful addition to my repertoire. You can have this as a hearty soup like we did or over rice as some people do.

Dal Dhokli

Ingredients:

1 cup Toovar Dal, washed
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tomato
4-5 cups water plus more, as needed
1 tsp jaggery
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp raw peanuts
1 cup whole wheat flour or atta
2 tbsp chickpea flour or besan
1 tsp caraway seeds or ajwain
2 tbsp ghee
1 tbsp oil
2 green chillies, slit lengthwise
1 tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp asafoetida powder
1 sprig curry leaves
Salt to taste
Finely chopped coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

Soak about 2 tbsp of the raw peanuts in hot water for 15 minutes, drain and keep aside.
Wash the dal thoroughly and cook it in the pressure cooker along with ¼ tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 2 tbsp peanuts, the tomato which has a cross made on the stem and about 3-4 cups of water.
Pressure cook it for some 4-5 whistles until the dal is completely mushed. If using the stove top, cook until the dal has broken down completely.
Let the pressure be released and then once the cooker can be opened, carefully remove the tomato, peel the skin which should have started to come out and then put the tomato back into the dal.
Whisk the dal until the dal, tomatoes and the peanuts are completely mixed into a mixture. Keep aside.
Kneed the atta, besan, ajwain, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, oil and salt into a soft dough. Keep aside.
Add the jaggery and another cup or two of water and mix well. Put this back into the flame and cook the dal on a slow simmer.
Make small balls from the dough and roll it into a thin circle or chapati.
Cut the chapatti into largish pieces or even strips.
Add these pieces into the simmering dal and add more water if needed.
Let the pieces cook for another 10 mins on a low flame on simmer.
In a small pan heat the ghee and once the ghee is warm, add the mustard seeds and let it crackle. Then add the asafoetida and then the balance peanuts, the curry leaves and the green chilli let the leaves crackle and the chilli start to brown.
When the peanuts become crisp, pour this tempering over the Dal Dhokli and switch off the gas. Add the lemon juice and garnish with coriander leaves.
Serve hot.

Notes: This dish does not keep well as the dough pieces tend to stick together after a while. If you plan on serving this later, then make the dal and about 10 minutes before serving, add the dough pieces and simmer before serving. Add more water if needed as the dough pieces will soak up the water in the dish.