FILIPINO UCCHE PATAR DAL

 

GINISANG MUNGGO WAS NEVER IN MY TO DO LIST UNTIL ONE DAY.....

Cristine, a Filipino got me this recipe! Last January, I found her sowing bitter gourd seeds! She expressed her wish to have their style Moong Bean Soup with Bitter Gourd Leaves. You get bitter gourd everywhere in the market, not it's leaves. Okay, Cristine's ma'am can beat the bushes on her walks to get some but the former wanted to grow.I allowed her; I told I would cook it, blog about it too! Bengalis indeed cook "Tetor Dal" with bitter gourds and drumsticks, bitter gourds and bottle gourds in the spring to stay off measles! I have the recipe in the blog but wish to change the pictures, not sharing the link now! Cristine assured me her Sir & our boy can eat it because the dal / lentil curry does not get bitter with the use of the bitter gourd leaves! After cooking it, I found truth in what she said. My monkey baby was already in another country by then.

WHAT WE DID AND ATE SINCE YESTERDAY?

It was a relaxing Sunday yesterday. Cristine went for her off day, the three of us love our home sweet home. Only that I expected the son to lie his cheek down on mumma's navel as he did few years back and talk a lot about his university, the new city, his friends.That he is not doing, he is doing his regular covid related self tests, also going to a centre at Kovan for the tests! Today is his day seventh here in the island! Anyway, his presence is good enough to make us feel twenty years younger busy with a new born child.We had our lunch with "bhetki paturi,mulo diye bhaja moong er dal, begun diye kolmi shaak bhaja"!

Who on earth eats "shemai er payesh diye muri" / puffed rice with vermicelli pudding after a fish and rice lunch I do not know but I had yesterday; daddy's girl in this matter totally! Bhai does not fancy muri as a snack I think! Last Friday, I had to serve two clients, did not do workouts! Yesterday evening I went out for a walk, on the way back got two packets of chicken breasts, made a quick dinner for the men using a simple marination, served with cheese stuffed bread!I had a big bowl of shukto adding very little of rice!

 The man and I dislike sausage, it's processed! Because the son is here I got the cocktail sausage, picnic chicken ham.These all are processed! Kids of this generation only listen to themselves!

WHAT IS FILIPINO UCCHE PATAR DAL?

UCCHE PATA is bitter gourd leaf, in Philippines it is "Ampalaya Leaves". Cristine says they prepare a soup with Munggo Beans / Moong Bean / Skin On Moong dal, Bitter Gourd Leaves, minced pork or chicken! In my version, I obviously have to omit the meat. Here is my Bengali version of Filipino Munggo Bean Soup / FILIPINO UCCHE PATAR DAL! It's vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, healthy! I really enjoyed it! It is absolutely not bitter tasted, my family wouldn't mind having it with paratha or jeera rice, vegetable fried rice; good if there is a kofta or mutton or chicken curry alongside! Today too I went for a late walk, had croissant; it felt salty; then a chilled nescafe mocha.I had a lunch bowl with little rice,dal & panchmeshali as late as 4:15 pm!

Do you think I can ever get slim? I am planning to be for 35-36 years though! I wanted to be a Pricilla like to Hemnalini to Dia Mirza! At one point in life you realise it's an insult on yourself to be in anyone else's shoes; that I wasted time; that I should have concentrated on building myself. If you see Rekha Ganeshan's birth history to her first day in Bollywood until this day; it is an example of turning weaknesses into strength, of perseverance, of will power! I may not be anyone's dream thing, but I am happy in my world, where I ask my Husky baby if he wants cheesy sausage and the happier him peeps into the kitchen a couple of times to see if it's ready! Thereafter, Mumma sits with her self made bread, a chilled coffee and dreams of going back in time and be a worthy member of the society! A dinner still left and a disturbed sleep!

INGREDIENTS :

SKIN ON GREEN MOONG : 1 SMALL TEA CUP

BITTER GOURD LEAF : A HANDFUL

SLICED ONION : 2 TBSP

CRUSHED GINGER : 1 TSP

CRUSHED GARLIC : 2 TSP

SLITTED GREEN CHILLI : 3-4

LIGHT SOY SAUCE : 1 TBSP

SALT : AS REQUIRED

OIL : 2 TBSP

PROCEDURE : 

I did this last March and I am clueless why I did not click a proper stepwise pictures!

Unfortunately, the bitter gourd plant gave up before fruiting; but I promised Cristine a Filipino Dal! Hence tore off a few fresh leaves!

Even before that, I soaked the whole moong beans for two to three hours in hot water!

Thereafter, I washed the dal and took it in a pressure cooker adding some salt!

We will close the lid & pressure cook at the lowest heat up to one whistle. We will not force open ever a pressure cooker but let it be!

We will heat oil in a wok, temper it with the peeled, washed and crushed ginger & garlic cloves.

We will add the peeled, washed, cut onion slices, fry till brown!

We will add the washed, slitted green chillies, soy sauce, give a stir!

We will add the boiled dal to it, let simmer at low heat for 8-10 minutes!

Thereafter, we will add the washed bitter gourd leaves, adjust the salt! We will bring it to boil again & switch off!

Have it with roti, prata , fried rices or as it is like a soup if you are on diet!

 

CHALE DALE CHEESE BAKE

This was our dinner last night. I had prepared some spinach koftas a week back, refrigerated to add some curry to it mid week and have with handmade breads for a dinner. I forgot all about it. Not even last Saturday I could remember. Yesterday noon time, on my walk I remembered all about it and had to cook and wrap it up by night. Thanks to the Almighty it did not spoil, it would have if I did not take the effort yesterday evening fearing Cristine is not there to help on a regular Sunday. After a siesta post a late lunch, I cooked a dinner for us, this cheesy rice & lentil dish, a vegetarian main dish CHALE DALE CHEESE BAKE  was made as half a packet of shredded cheddar was lying unused for over a month. On the red bowl are some store bought frozen fish tempura I cooked in grill mode. With that an old blog post PALAK / SPINACH KOFTA CURRY gets updated with new pictures.

In this vegetarian rice and dal cheese bake, there is less frill. I mean instead of preparing and adding white sauce; I added some spicy cooked vegetable mix instead in the second layer, in the third layer again rice and on the top, the cheese. All these unusual proceedings, a "jirey, dhoney, aamchoor powder" in a cheese bake only because I wished to have a dinner together with the men. The shredded cheddar cheese suited me because it was not that melty self hugging the cooked rice & lentil grains tight and making my life miserable. It lay as a top crust, the freshly crushed black pepper made it fairly edible for me.

I will not chat here with stories from my kitty, we are a bit occupied today. Its good that the man is at home this week. I keep telling my mother not to complain with life, she has a son in the next room for 24/7 for the past three months, people live single without anyone to talk to in this pandemic situation, not even helps are given access. They do all the household works alone, visit the market to get produce alone and do not start complaining about life once the phone is on. We have to love life and be less critical. Anyway, I think the rest in my family back home would enjoy this vegetarian, main dish with rice, roasted yellow moong, carrot, green pea, corn, onion, green chilli, cumin+coriander+aamchoor powders, salt, shredded cheddar cheese CHALE DALE CHEESE BAKE. Yes, I did have it with the tempura fish, salad, kofta curry last night sitting with the men; but my lunch yesterday was better with "thor ghonto, kumror khoshar bhorta, dimer mamlet."

Now Cristine served me "porota & kofta curry" with my morning tea. She will not eat two koftas and we must finish all of it by lunch time today.

INGREDIENTS :

RICE : 3/4 COFFEE MUG [I USED BASMATI]
SPLIT YELLOW MOONG BEAN : 1/4 COFFEE MUG [I USED THE SONA MOONG VARIETY AVAILABLE IN WEST BENGAL, VERY SMALL GRAINED]
WATER : 2 COFFEE MUG
SHREDDED CHEESE : 150GM [I USED SHREDDED CHEDDAR]
CHOPPED CARROT : 1/2 SMALL SIZED TEA CUP
CHOPPED GREEN CHILLI : 1 TBSP
CHOPPED ONION : 1/2 MEDIUM SIZED TEA CUP
SWEET CORN : 2-3 TBSP
GREEN PEA : 3-4 TBSP
CUMIN POWDER : 1/2TSP
CORIANDER POWDER : 1/2TSP
DRY MANGO POWDER : 1TSP
CRUSHED BLACK PEPPER : 1 TSP
CUMIN SEED : 1/4 TSP
SALT : AS REQUIRED
OIL : 3 TBSP


PROCEDURE :

I had done the necessary chopping of the vegetables, taken them together in a bowl and washed. I marinated them with little salt and kept aside for 10 minutes, covered.

In a wok, I had taken the split yellow moong bean and roasted at minimal heat for 7-8 minutes.

I took the roasted dal in a deep bottomed vessel and washed. I added one cup of water and a little of salt to it.

I had put it for boil at minimal heat, covering 80% of it, else it would spill. 

Once it is 40% to 50% boiled, I drained and added the washed rice I had soaked for 15-20 minutes in water. 

In my case, the dal took less time to cook as it was small grained, bigger sized moong beans will take more time.

I added 1 more coffee mug of water, little salt, stir and cover cook at low heat until it turns semi-dry.

I checked 2-3 times in between.

Once done I switched off the burner, took the vessel down and keep covered for 10-12 minutes. When opened, the rice & dal volume will increase. I had to lock in the steam.

I heated the oil in a wok and tempered it with the cumin seeds. I gave a stir and added the marinated vegetables.

I added cumin+coriander+dry mango powders to it and stir cooked at low heat for 5 minutes. It was done.

I had taken a bake proof tray; added half of the rice to it and had spread the cooked vegetables on it.

Then, I had spread the rest of the rice and the shredded cheddar cheese on top.

I pre-heated my convection mode microwave at 200*C for 10 minutes placing the low wired stool on it.

I had covered the baking tray with an aluminium foil, placed it atop the stool and baked at 200*C for 20 minutes.

Once done, I garnished the top with the crushed black pepper.

I had served it with spinach kofta curry and fish tempura. You can get any side but serve everything hot.

BEULIR DAL ER GURO DIYE HING ER KOCHURI

This was our dinner last Friday. I try to wipe clean my Saturday cooking by Friday night and only the Aloo Potol er Dalna was left on that day. I did not wish to cook any extra dish and get tired on a Friday evening when I have a good amount of cooking on a Saturday. I do not know how people cook four dishes in forty five minutes, I or the family I come from cannot. For us cutting of the vegetables require hours; be it "mocha, echor, kochu shaak, thor, potol." "Guchiye Ranna" runs in the family and I cannot get out of it. Till date, our mother cooks two vegetables, one dal, a non-vegetarian curry for the day. The brother does not want to repeat for dinner what he ate for lunch. So I ask the mother to cook a few dishes on a day; say over the weekend given Bhai has become a pro when it comes to buying raw vegetables & meat, fish and she need not have to go to the market in the morning. The problem is she is getting irritated being jailed at home, she loves her freedom.

When the mother was here last year, she complained how she hates sitting idle all day. We know she does. I keep telling her to cook on Saturdays & Sundays and enjoy gardening rest of the days. Since childhood, I have seen she hates cooking in the evenings. Even at this home, what we eat for lunch is not served at night. Our mother does not like anyone else cutting the vegetables for her; size matters, cuts matter to her. After her late afternoon shower for the second time, she does not like soiling and cleaning again her kitchen counter; retires to her room, switches on the television and sleeps. If the daughter-in-law is at home, she does all the work for the evening, mani says. The problem is she alone has to take care of her parents too, juggling between two homes has become very tough for her; not everyone can employ a couple of helps for the aging parents. What I wish to tell both my mother & sister-in-law is that take a shift from "luchi, porota, aloor porota" and try such easy to go desi breads, a literally hand made beuli / urad dal / skinned & slit Black lentil fried puffed bread BEULIR DAL ER GURO DIYE HING ER KOCHURI; that is a vegetarian puffed bread with powdered black lentil, the dough flavoured with asafoetida, it is that simple.

I will call it Bengali because after eating it, I felt the Dakshineswar temple ground shops sell something similar but there definitely have refined flour in their dough. The entire Kolkata sells similar tasting pooris / puffed breads in the roadside stalls. I was finding it difficult to roll them with a rolling pin; the dough was tight, yet. The texture was not right according to me, felt soggy after I had fried three of them. Then I felt let me use my palms & fingers and I got them, Cristine too used her palms. The trick for their fluffier selves was me constantly splashing oil on top of each poori while frying them at low heat. Actually my bori / vadi / sun-dried lentil dumplings with the readymade urad dal powder were not satisfactory. What to do with the rest of the flour? I did these Bengali style vegetarian puffed bread BEULIR DAL ER GURO DIYE HING ER KOCHURI.

INGREDIENTS :

POWDERED BEULIR DAL / URAD DAL / BLACK LENTIL : 2 COFFEE MUG
SEMOLINA : 1/2 MEDIUM TEA CUP
ASAFOETIDA / HING POWDER : 1/4 TSP
SALT : 1/4 TSP
OIL : 3TBSP + 2TBSP + 100-150ML TO DEEP FRY

PROCEDURE :

Take the dal / lentil flour, semolina, aesafoetida  and salt in a bowl. Mix together well.

Add 2-3 tbsp oil to it and rub well for 2-3 minutes.

Add water little by little and prepare a dough which will take some 7-8 minutes. Add 2tbsp of oil and knead again for 3-4 minutes.

Keep covered for over an hour. Open cover, knead it again for 2-3 minutes and tear off smaller portions. Smoothen it between your palms.

Take each on your washed & clean left palm, flatten lightly with your washed right hand finger.

Heat about 100-150 ml or as required for deep frying each bread in a wok, not to smoking point. I add each bread at a time, I am not a pro.

Keep splashing oil from the sides on top of the bread, it automatically fluffs up in 30 seconds. Turn over and place on to tissue paper before serving.

I served it hot with a Bengali Pointed Gourd & Potato Curry; you can serve it with any curry, sauce, chutney. If invited, I would want to have it with the chutney that the kolkata roadside stalls do with stale rasgulla syrup; tamarind & red chilli flakes or a dry roasted spice powder.