It's the mid of May and though the Gulmohar tree we see from our window is in full bloom, the tomato plant is showing clear signs of dehydration and low humidity. So, the heat is getting intense and that could be the reason I am craving melons and gourds.
Today's Lunch is a very simple and tasty curry with so few ingredients yet so much flavour.
Most times, I like to sprout the kala channa rather than just soaking.
This is for me a great Spring Summer treat. The picture clearly shows that the Tindi has been overcooked (not the ideal way, its just bad timing - happens sometimes), but the taste was still fine.
Here's what they look like when they are cooked to perfection. The channa soft enough to be squished between the finger and thumb while the tindi soft yet still a little crunch when bitten into.
Heres what you need:
Little less than a cup of chopped tindi (sliced in thick rounders)
Half a cup of kala channa (Soaked overnight and pressure cooked till soft)
A Tbsp or more of Tamarind Juice (I use one ice-cube sized portion)
A Tbsp or little less of oil (used coconut oil)
1/2 to 3/4 tsp Cumin (Jeera)
A pinch of pure asofoetida (Hing - use more if you using compounded variety)
1 big piece of ginger cut in 1/2cm cubes
1/2 a deseeded green chilli
Ama Spice Mix and Sendha Namak
And here's what you do:
Heat oil on a high flame in a kadhi, add jeera, it should be foaming when you add the hing, chilli & ginger pieces in mentioned order. Sauté and reduce flame.
Add the Ama Spice Mix to the oil and the moment you smell the spices, add chopped Tindi (the flame is still low but hot enough for the tadka to sizzle when u add the tindi) increase flame to medium, mix to coat.
Cover it with a water filled plate and allow to cook. When the water in the plate starts showing a lot of tiny bubbles, remove the plate to check if the gourd is sweating and partially cooked (If the water completely evaporates, the tindi is cooked n starting to dehydrate - we don't want that). Now add the boiled channa (it should be soft enough to be easily squeezed between two fingers) with water, salt and later tamarind. Bring to boil. You can cover it with the water filled plate if it requires more cooking
When ready, garnish with corriander leaves and serve with rice.
Now, why I do what I do:
There are 3 main ingredients in this recipe and both the main ones Kala Channa and Tinda are easy to digest and Pitta and Kapha pacifying so a sweet tasting oil like coconut works great for the tadka in this recipe. However, they still complement each other for one is dry, astrigent and sweet while the other slightly watery & bitter, cooked togeather in a watery gravy, they are cooling and grounding (water also increases kapha dosha).
The third ingredient Tamarind is pacifying (or balancing) for Vata Dosha.
And one doesn't need to make it very spicy to get the full flavour out of this dish - thats also the reason why the chilli is deseeded while ginger is not chopped finely and instead cut in bigger pieces which can be chewed or removed off based on ones individual constitution and taste preference. Along with hing and cumin, all these ingredients help pacify Vata and excess Kapha dosha. Try to make it more pungent and it may aggravates Pitta Dosha.
I served it here with plain boiled Palakadan Matta Rice (which has a great nutty flavour) and cucumbers sprinkled with chaat masala (or salt). Should you decide to increase the pungent spices to flavor the dish, replace the salted cucumbers with something sweet. There are many ways to enjoy a tasty meal and no one way is better than another.
Today's Lunch is a very simple and tasty curry with so few ingredients yet so much flavour.
Most times, I like to sprout the kala channa rather than just soaking.
This is for me a great Spring Summer treat. The picture clearly shows that the Tindi has been overcooked (not the ideal way, its just bad timing - happens sometimes), but the taste was still fine.
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| Channa Tindi |
Heres what you need:
Little less than a cup of chopped tindi (sliced in thick rounders)
Half a cup of kala channa (Soaked overnight and pressure cooked till soft)
A Tbsp or more of Tamarind Juice (I use one ice-cube sized portion)
A Tbsp or little less of oil (used coconut oil)
1/2 to 3/4 tsp Cumin (Jeera)
A pinch of pure asofoetida (Hing - use more if you using compounded variety)
1 big piece of ginger cut in 1/2cm cubes
1/2 a deseeded green chilli
Ama Spice Mix and Sendha Namak
And here's what you do:
Heat oil on a high flame in a kadhi, add jeera, it should be foaming when you add the hing, chilli & ginger pieces in mentioned order. Sauté and reduce flame.
Add the Ama Spice Mix to the oil and the moment you smell the spices, add chopped Tindi (the flame is still low but hot enough for the tadka to sizzle when u add the tindi) increase flame to medium, mix to coat.
Cover it with a water filled plate and allow to cook. When the water in the plate starts showing a lot of tiny bubbles, remove the plate to check if the gourd is sweating and partially cooked (If the water completely evaporates, the tindi is cooked n starting to dehydrate - we don't want that). Now add the boiled channa (it should be soft enough to be easily squeezed between two fingers) with water, salt and later tamarind. Bring to boil. You can cover it with the water filled plate if it requires more cooking
When ready, garnish with corriander leaves and serve with rice.
Now, why I do what I do:
There are 3 main ingredients in this recipe and both the main ones Kala Channa and Tinda are easy to digest and Pitta and Kapha pacifying so a sweet tasting oil like coconut works great for the tadka in this recipe. However, they still complement each other for one is dry, astrigent and sweet while the other slightly watery & bitter, cooked togeather in a watery gravy, they are cooling and grounding (water also increases kapha dosha).
The third ingredient Tamarind is pacifying (or balancing) for Vata Dosha.
And one doesn't need to make it very spicy to get the full flavour out of this dish - thats also the reason why the chilli is deseeded while ginger is not chopped finely and instead cut in bigger pieces which can be chewed or removed off based on ones individual constitution and taste preference. Along with hing and cumin, all these ingredients help pacify Vata and excess Kapha dosha. Try to make it more pungent and it may aggravates Pitta Dosha.
I served it here with plain boiled Palakadan Matta Rice (which has a great nutty flavour) and cucumbers sprinkled with chaat masala (or salt). Should you decide to increase the pungent spices to flavor the dish, replace the salted cucumbers with something sweet. There are many ways to enjoy a tasty meal and no one way is better than another.
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