Muthiya / Steam vegetable Dumplings (from Rajasthan)

Muthias are steamed vegetable dumplings. I have selected to make them with cabbage, but you can make muthias using zucchini (Italian squash) or Bottle gourd. This is a ery healthy snack for the entire family. Serve them hot/cold along with green chutney or tomato chutney.

Ingredients:
Finly shredded red-cabbage 1 medium size
Gram flour/Besan - 1 cup or as required
Lemon juice 1-2 tblspn
Kastoori methi 2 tblspn (dry roasted and powdered between plams)
Green chilli chopped 2/ as per taste
Cumin seed 1 tspn
Turmeric 1/2 tspn
Salt to taste
Oil 3 tblspn
Mustard seeds 1/2 tblspn
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (til)
Whole red chilli 4
Seasame seeds 2-3 tblspn
Coriander leaves chopped 1/2 cup

Preparation:
Mix gram flour, fenugreek, cumin seed, turmeric, green chili, sugar, lemon juice, oil, and salt in a bowl.
Add the cabbage and mix well. Mixture should be like a very soft dough. (add 1-2 tblspn more gram flour if required)
Divide the mixture with greased fingers into small balls and drop them on a greased idli maker/steamer slowly.
Steam them covered for 18 to 20 minutes.
Put a fork through and check if ready. (fork should come out clean).
Keep them aside to cool and slice them into two.

Heat the oil in frying pan on medium high.
Add mustard seeds after they crackle add sesame seeds and red chili and stir-fry for few seconds.
Add muthias and stir-fry them for three to four minutes until they are light brown.
Garnish them with chopped corriander leaves.
Serve them hot or at room temperature.


Tips:
Make the mixture just before you are ready to steam them. Squeeze them between the palm after shredding.
If you have more quantity, add the salt as and well frying.
You could store these in air-tight container inside fridge for more than a week or freeze them before seasoning.
Thaw the frozen muthias and season them when you wish to serve.

Lentil soup with Spinach (Arhar/ Toor/Red Gram/ Pegion Pea)

Arhar / Toor Daal (Red Gram / Pegion Pea):
Ingredients:
Arhar daal 1 cup,
Tomato 1 big - 1/2 diced
Spinach 1 cup puree (boil and blend in mixer)
Hing a pinch, 1/4 teaspoon
Ginger 1/2 inch grated
Bay leaf 1-2
Red whole chilli 1
Green Chilli 2-3 / as per taste
Cumin seeds / Jeera 1 Teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil 1-2 Tablespoon
Turmeric Water 2 cups


Preparation:
- Wash the lentils well.- In a pressure cooker, take 2 cups water and salt to taste and cook the Lentils.
- Wait for a whistle to come. Switch off the stove and wait for the pressure to come out.
- Heat 2 tblspn oil in a non-stick pan.
- Add the hing, jeera, bay leaf and red chilli.
- Add the tomatoes, ginger paste, turmeric, spinach, and salt to taste.
- When the raw smell of tomatoes disappear, add this to the lentils.

- Bring this to boil.

- Add water if you wish thinner the consitency.
- Garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves or parsley.

Alu Dum (Baked/Grilled/Boiled Potatoes mixed with Indian spices - from West Bengal)

Ingredients:

Red Potato 750 gm.
Hing / Aasafoetida 1 Teaspoon
Bay Leaf 1-2
Red Dry chilli 1-2
Jeera / Cumin seeds 1 Teaspoon
Whole garam masala (cinnomon stick 1 inch, Cardamom 3-4, cloves 3-4)
Green Chilli 3-4 sliced / as per taste
Cumin powder/paste 2 tablespoon
Ginger paste 2 Tablespoon
Rice oil 3-4 Tablespoon Turmeric 1 Teaspoon
Tomato puree 1-2 cup (4-5 medium sized)

Peas 1 cup
Salt to taste Coriander leaves chopped 1/2 cup

Preparation:
1. Boil the potatoes in slightly salted water and drain.
2. Peel the skin if you wish to.
3. Cut all of them into halves or of equal size each.
4. Heat oil in a pan and fry these boiled poataoes till it turns golden.
5. Add the cumin seeds, bay leaf, dry red chilli, whole garam masala and let them crackle.
6. Add the hing and pour the tomato puree, ginger paste, and jeera powder, green chillies, tumeric, and salt to taste..
7. Let the curry fry till the raw smell of the spices disappear.
8. Now add the peas and potatoes and roast till the oil starts oozing out from the curry.
9. Remove the pan from heat and garnish with coriander leaves.
10. You can add water to this and bring it to boil if you want this as moist gravy.(I dont prefer it like a liquid.)

Note:
Hing / Aasafoetida is used as a digestive aid in cooking and has a very strong smell of its own. This dish intends to retain its smell and hence is usually added just after the potatoes. Ive used it earlier for people not used to this smell.
You could choose to serve it as a starter, it would be served like baked potatoes or as a part of main course.

The picture on the right is actually Baked potatoes with the same ingredients. Ive added carrot too in it.

The picture on your left is made of white small potatoes.