Mixed Vegetable Curry

Hmm...so I had the curry left over from the dum aaloo, so I decided to defrost it today and add a medley of vegetables to it.

Ingredients:

1. 2 carrots
2. 1 capsicum
3. 1/2 cauliflower
4. 2 small potatoes
5. a bunch of green beans
6. 1/2 cup frozen peas
7. 1/2 cup paneer
8. 1 1/2 cup of the curry (from dum aloo recipe)
9. salt, pepper for taste
10. 2-3 tbsp oil

Process:

1. Chopped all the vegetables in small pieces. Try to cut them in equal sizes so it looks good.
2. In a pan, add 2-3 tbsp oil, I added the vegetables in order of which they will cook. (I cut vegetable as the other one is cooking - time management.) The longest time for cooking is carrots, so I cut and cook it first in the frying pan. I don't cook it all the way as I am going to add the other vegetables one by one. So...add carrots, then potatoes, green beans (I added mine later as I had some frozen one), then cauliflower, peas and finally paneer. Add these within 5-7 minutes of each cooking. By the time I added the paneer, everything else is quite cooked. I did not add any water yet.
3. Added quarter cup water to make sure all is well cooked. Cooking vegetables without water gives them a nice flavor and does not mush them up.
4. Once all seems cooked/tender, add the curry and cook for 15-20 mins.
   
5. Garnish with cilantro.

Enjoy with naan or rice!!
(I would have had pictures but they all got deleted!!)

Cooked Sprouted Moong

Sprouted moong is one of the most tasty lentils. Until I had started sprouting, I would not have known. I can eat it raw, I can eat it as part of salad or cook them lightly and make a nice spicy snack.

Ingredients:

1. Sprouting: This is easy - take a cup of dry, whole moong daal and wash with water. In a glass jar, add the moong and add 2-3 cups of water. Let it soak for about 8 hrs. After 8 hrs, rinse with water and keep it upside down in a jar covered with a mesh or cheesecloth. (This upside down way helps to avoid the gross build up at the bottom of the jar). Wash the lentils after 8 hrs or so and leave it upside down. It takes about 2 days for the sprouting to occur. I keep the lentils for upto one week in the fridge. The sprouts grow much slower in the fridge. 
2. 1 medium onion - diced
3. 1 tbsp vegetable oil
4. 1/2 tsp garlic
5. 1/2 tsp ginger
6. 1 green chilli - diced (hotness of chilli - up to you!)
7. 1 small tomato - diced
8. 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
9. Salt and pepper to taste
10. 1 tsp lemon juice
11. Few sprigs of cilantro to garnish - cut into small pieces

Process:

1. In a frying pan, add the oil and add the ginger, garlic paste. Fry until brown. Add the green chilli and fry.
2. Add the diced onion and fry until brownish.
3. Once onion is cooked, add the moon sprouts. Add salt, pepper and turmeric powder. Stir well and add 2-3 tsp water, cover the pan and cook for about 10-15 mins.
4. Cook until you moong is soft. Uncover the pan, and heat on high heat to evaporate the water.
5. Add the diced tomato and cook uncovered to keep the lentils dry. 
6. Add lemon juice to give it a nice tang.
7. Top it off with chopped cilantro before eating! 

Warm moong lentil is great to eat, but cool is also not bad at all. Its really tasty just like this...you can also eat with rice. Yum!