Black Eyed Beans Sundal- Lobia Sundal Recipe

I would really like to feel solace in warm weather, as mother nature switches herself into a milder climate over here, and  it’s also first day of Spring/ Vasanta season. Finally spring is here and with that, all those beautiful spring blossoms to lay eyes on. And also to greet us today, a rare sight of partial solar eclipse in UK.It was predicted earlier, but not in sight as of now where we live, as it’s cloudy outside, well then its normal weather up here and a working day also. Even then there are reasons, or may be no reasons to update this blog. Well, it has become a routine for me. And when it becomes a routine, you don’t need reasons to do things even if it’s first day of spring or a day with partial solar eclipse or may be a day in “Chaitra Navaratri “ or a special day like “Ugadhi” and “Gudi –padwa” .And did I mention reasons to update the blog, how predictable , sometimes  , most of the times, I can be.

Sundal is a very traditional stir/fry recipe from south India. There is chick –pea sundal, rajma sundal or moong dal sundal and many more variations on this. Well I am no authority in sundal, but a beginner, and really like simple stir/fry recipes of lentils or legume preparations. And this way of making legumes, lentils is easy for me and to you also. Black eyed beans/ lobia beans are cooked with a mustard seeds + coconut tempering, so the name lobia sundal.Without much exaggerating here , I now jump to write the simple and yet delicious preparation from down South India.

Lobia Sundal – Black eyed Beans Sundal (stir/fry)

Recipe requirements

250 Gms of cooked black eyed beans or 1 pre-packed tin of cooked black eyed peas

½ cup of scraped/grated coconut – desiccated may work as well

For tempering

½ tsp of black mustard seeds

2-3 dry red pepper

½ tsp of salt or as per taste

2-3 tbs of cooking oil

Pinch of hing (asafetida)

 Two handfuls of curry leaves

Method

Cook pre-soaked black eyed beans in a pressure cooker for two whistles. You can use pre-packaged tins of cooked black eyed beans also.

Heat up a pan, add in cooking oil, temper it with mustard seeds, red pepper, and curry leaves and pinch of hing.

Add in desiccated coconut, it would be better to use freshly scraped coconut if you can get it easily.

Now add in cooked black eyed beans, adjust salt .If you wish you can add black pepper powder.

Cover it and let cook for about 10-12 mints at med-low flame.

Your delicious black eyed beans sundal is ready. 

A great snack in these chaitra Navaratri days.

Wish you all a very happy Ugadhi and Gudi-Padwa…Happy Cooking 

Gajar Ki Barfi - a Sweet Recipe with carrots and Happy Holi

It looks like I haven’t updated the blog for a long time. But then today is a special day also, being Holi , a recipe post is compulsory, isn’t.Ok, but before I jump to write the recipe.First,Wish you all a very happy Holi, may the festival of color brightens your life with hope, happiness and prosperity.

As of now, I have some sweets for you all, gajar ki barfi. Carrrots are cooked, with ghee, dry fruits and khoya and then the end product is, you all know how sweets are.Ek baar khao to khate he raho!!

Now to the recipe for gajar ki barfi ….

Gajar ki barfi- A sweet recipe with carrots

Recipe requirements

•  4-5 medium size carrots- make 3 cups of grated carrots roughly
•  1 cup of whole milk
• ½ tsp of cardamom powder
•  Half a tin of condensed milk
•  3-4 tbs of plain flour
• ¼ cup of white poppy seeds
•  ½ cup of sugar or as per taste
• 1 cup of ghee or melted butter
•  1cup of chopped cashews+walnuts

Method

• Wash and clean carrots, grate them with a steel grater /shredder.
• Put a pan on heat, add milk and put the shredded carrots. Let the milk completely dry up. Keep on stir/fry so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Cooking is done at medium flame.
• Now add in chopped and toasted cashews and walnuts pieces. Add in cardamom powder as well.
• In a separate pan, add in butter about 1-2 tbs, and stir/fry the white poppy seeds for about 5-6 mints or till they barely change into light brown in colour.
• When the milk has dried up, add in melted butter or ghee. Allow the time to mix ghee and carrots well.
• Add in condensed milk and keep on stir/fry at medium flame for about 10-12 mints. At this stage the mixture will be runny due to the addition of condensed milk. Allow the milk to dry up.
• Now, add in stir/fried white poppy seeds to the mixture. Keep on stir/fry so that it doesn’t get stick to the base. Add in plain flour. Once you add in plain flour the mixture will start, collecting well. I have used condensed milk+ plain flour in place of khoya (plain flour acts as a good binder to the mixture).If you get or make fresh khoya, and then you can use it as well. Just wanted to add, khoya is also known as mawa in Hindi, and kheer in Bengali.
• When the mixture has started to collect well, leaving the sides of the pan easily, stop cooking it further.
• Now grease a plate with some ghee, and scoop out the mixture over it. With the help of a spoon, flatten the carrot mixture evenly. Allow it to cool. Once it gets cooled, cut it into square barfi.Gajar ki barfi is ready.
• Sprinkle some toasted white poppy seeds all over. They are soft in texture, unlike the usual commercialized other barfi that we get.
• Store in fridge and consume within 3-4 days.

And Have a Very Happy Holi