Green Moong Dhokla

Wednesday: eat green lentils and wear green clothes. Yes, I have heard my mom practice this since we were kids. Probably there is an astronomical reason behind this, and this ritual is carried on in our family since generations.  This is also a great way of adding proteins to our vegetarian diet by following a disciplined pattern of eating. You guessed it right... every Wednesday green moong beans are cooked in our home.

Here is some information I found on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budha#In_astrology
"In Hindu mythology, Budha (Sanskrit: बुध) is the name for the planet Mercury.He is also the god of merchandise and protector of merchants.
He is represented as being mild, eloquent, and having a greenish complexion. He is represented holding a scimitar, a club, and a shield, riding a winged lion in Ramghur temple.
Budha presides over 'Budhavara' or Wednesday. In modern Hindi, Oriya, Telugu, Bengali, Marathi, Urdu, Kannada and Gujarati, Wednesday is called Budhavara.
Budha or Budhi represents intelligence, intellect, communication, analysis, the senses (especially the skin), science, mathematics, business, education and research. The written word and journeys of all types fall within his domain. Budha has the following associations: the color green, the metal brass and gemstone emerald."

I am sure by now you would have known what dhokla is. I have posted so many recipes and so much explanation about Gujju's favorite Dhokla. Type dhokla in the look up box or click here for the link to search all dhokla recipes on my blog: http://shitals-kitchen.blogspot.com/search?q=dhokla&x=0&y=0

Split Moong dal/lentils... yes, I have used these to make Moong dal fritters too. 

Fiber and Protein rich, and great breakfast for vegetarians.

Take 1/2 cup split moong dal/lentils or whole moong beans. Rinse them well with regular water. Soak in 1 1/2 cup water for at least 2-3 hours.

Moong dal will expand in size.

Discard excess water floating on top of the soaked beans. Add 1 green chilli and 1 inch ginger and grind dal to form a coarse to smooth batter.

Remove into a bowl. Cover and allow it to ferment for 3-4 hours or overnight.

You can also use it immediately too. 

To use: add salt to taste and 1/2 tsp. chilli powder. Mix it well.

Prepare a steam bath:

Fill a big pot with a lid or a pressure cooker with 1 inch water. You will have to place a basket or a colander or a metal container/stand to elevate steaming plate. Place a greased steaming plate inside a colander or on a stand. Turn the heat on.

As soon as you start seeing the steam, prepare the batter.

Add 1/2 tsp. of ENO (optional) to the batter. Mix well. The batter becomes light and fluffy. Pour batter into steaming plate. Fill it half way. Batter will rise on steaming. Sprinkle some freshly ground black pepper. Cover and steam the batter for 10-15 minutes. If using a pressure cooker, remove the whistle from the lid. You do not want the pressure to develop inside the pot. You could also use idli moulds or stand to steam the batter.

When done, remove from heat. Let it rest for 2-3 minutes before cutting into pieces.

Beautiful: soft and porous structure.

Enjoy steaming hot dhoklas as is or temper with some oil and mustard seeds.

Serve with green cilantro and mint chutney.

Delicious and Healthy breakfast!
GO GREEN!!!

Coleslaw Kachumber

Kachumber is an Indian salad made of tiny bits of chopped veggies. Usually tomato, cucumber and onion, are minced together and seasoned with salt and lime juice; this is a basic Indian Kachumber made in most Indian families.

Cabbage Kachumber is my mom's signature salad and my favorite. In her food processor, grating veggies was so quick and easy, that my mom could put this together in just few minutes. She used to make this salad everyday... that's how much I love it!! How I miss those days! But now, I have started making my favorite Kachumber which just takes five minutes to make.

Here are my favorite kachumber veggies. 

There is no fixed proportion.
You could also add beetroot.

My Cuisinart food processor that I have been using since past 8 years. Love, Love, Love it!! 

The blade storage box did not come with this. I bought it separately from another favorite store,
Sur La Table :)
Click here for more information on Cuisinart food processor.

Shredding/grating blade.

Grate all veggies except tomatoes.

Cabbage, Carrots, Cucumber

Remove in a large bowl. Add finely diced tomato and freshly chopped cilantro. Add salt to taste and juice of one fresh lime. Mix well and serve. Season the salad just before serving to prevent it from sweating, and to maintain it's crisp texture.

Eat it as is 

OR

Wrap in thin roti or flat bread.

Happy Healthy Eating!

Spicy Zucchini Noodles

My post today is dedicated to my wonderful friends who have been motivating and inspiring me to make and eat low carb meals. I just love my Masti group, and can't thank them enough for their support and motivation.

Yes, if you haven't guessed it yet, this recipe is gluten free and has low to no carb...although this looks like delicious spicy schezwan noodles that we Indians enjoy, there is not a bit of noodle added to this recipe...Yahoooo :)

I have always been skeptical in making zucchini noodles. 11 months back I bought a spiral cutter and love spiral cut carrots made in it, but was never too motivated to try zucchini. Maybe today was the day. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed the flavors of schezwan noodles with these noodles made of vegetable, without even noticing that there weren't traditional noodles in it. It was indeed a guilt-free dinner tonite!

Using all veggies I would regularly use for Chinese cooking.

Zucchini to make noodles.

Click here to check out this Spiral Cutter, great for making spiral cut veggies.

Check my recipe of Carrot Noodle Salad.

You could also manually cut zucchini into thin strips or use a Mandoline slicer.

It is so easy to use. I love it!

beautiful veggie noodles ready in just 2 minutes. You could cut them to the length you would like.

Let zucchini noodles rest on a paper towel to get rid of excess moisture.

In a wok or a pan, heat 1 tsp. oil. saute 1/2 cup slices onions, 1 tbsp. chopped ginger, 1/2 cup julienne bell pepper. 1/4 cup carrots julienne and few beans cut on an angle. Saute veggies for 3-4 mins. 

Add 1/2 tsp. salt.

Add 1-2 tbsp. of homemade schezwan sauce and 1 tsp. of vinegar. 

You could also add Sriracha Sauce or chilli garlic sauce.

Mix well.

Add zucchini noodles and toss them well for 2-3 minutes on high heat for the flavors to blend. You need not cook them much. Toss in 1/2 cup shredded cabbage for crunch.

Serve and enjoy.

Guilt-free, No Carbs, Healthy Eating!!