Barbatti Aloo with Saouf tadka /Chinese Long beans and Potato cooked with fennel seeds

I love barbatti/ chinese long beans. It is a very common vegetable in kerala cooking . It is called ACHINGYA PAYAR . My cooks barbatti in  combination with potato and raw banana . She calls the stir fry ollath . This combo of barbatti and aloo with fennel seed is my aunt - in -laws recipe .She said she learned it from her friend. When i tried the barbatti ki sabzi at their place during this India visit and loved it requested her to give me the recipe. Next day i tried this recipe  at her place under her guidance and noted it down :).

i have posted a few other barbatti recipes together under one post Achinya / Barbatti / Long Beans Recipes

Barbatti / Long beans  - 5 cups

Aloo - 2 , medium sized

Onion - 1/2 cup

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Fennel -  1 tsp

Coriander powder - 2 tsp

Chili powder - 1 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil - 1/4 cup

Water - 1/2 cup

1. Wash and cut long beans / barbatti into 11/2 inch long beans .
2. Wash potato and slice into four half  and slice into 1/8 inch pieces.
3. Heat oil and add fennel seeds and after 30 secs add onion.
4. When onion turns translucent add ginger garlic paste.
5. Cook for another 30 secs  on low heat .
6. Add  coriander , chili , turmeric powder  and mix well.
7. Bring heat to medium and add barbatti , potato  salt . and add water .
8. Mix well and cook for a few minutes and add water.
9. Cover and cook the vegetable  till barbatti is tender.
10. Uncover and let the water dry out fully.
11. When ready serve with roti.

Tuvar Dal (Split Pegion Pea) - Uttarpradesh Style

India is the biggest producer of Tuval Dal  . Tuvar (Pegion Pea) is popular pulses  ,as  an important source of protein in a mostly vegetarian diet. Even fresh young tuvar pods are eaten as a vegetable in dishes . In Etiopia , not only the tuvar pods, but also the young shoots and leaves are cooked and eaten .Tuvar dal  is everyday dal in many Indian home  and almost all the region has some preparation using tuvar dal. 

Tuvar dal cooked with a little turmeric and salt tastes heavenly with just a little ghee. I love it with rice. But whenever i see a unique dal combo or something unique in the seasoning which is region specific i love it bookmark and one such dal preparation UP Style - Tuvar Dal @ Maayeka . This tuvar dal recipe came out very tasty and loved the use of fennel seeds in tadka . I made a few small changes . 

Pigeon peas/Tuvar dal  -1/4 cup

Green chillies  - 1 chopped

Ginger chopped-1/8 tsp

Jaggery  - 1/4 tsp

Lemon Juice - 1 tsp

Coriander powder 

Red Chilli powder  - 1/4 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/8 tsp

Salt to taste

Seasoning 

Ghee - 2 tsp

Hing - 1/8 tsp

Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp

Fennel seeds - 1/8 tsp

Fenugreek seeds - 1/8 tsp

Whole red chili - 2

Finish

Coriander Leaves - 1 tbsp

Lemon Juice - 1 tsp

Ghee - 2 tsp

1. Wash and soak tuvar daal for 20 minutes .
2. Cook the dal till mushy with green chillies, 1 of  cups water and 1 /4 tsp of ghee.
3. At this stage add ginger, salt, jaggery ,turmeric, chilli powder, coriander powder .
4. Add some water may be quater to half cup or as needed .
5. Mix well and let it boil for another 10 minutes on medium heat.
6. Heat ghee , add fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds and mustard. 
7. When mustart starts poping  add asafoetida and whole red chillies
8. Pour this tempering on the boiling daal and simmer  for 5 minutes.
9. Remove from fire ,add ghee , lemon juice and coriander  leaves.
10. Serve with boiled rice .

Matar Paneer Curry - For Party

Matar Paneer is one of the classic north indian preparation and every one has there own favorite recipe.

My matar paneer recipe is quick to whip up if you have frozen paneer and peas in freezer and i think everybody has that in freezer these days. Growing up my mother cooked traditional south indian fair at home so matar panner was considered a delicacy for us to be enjoyed in restaurants and north friends home. But when i started cooking matar paneer  is the first recipe north indian  i learnt my friends mother  and whenever i would make at home my father would love it :). But in those days matar paneer was a winter preparation as fresh peas where available only in winter but now we all use frozen sweet peas and can enjoy matar paneer in any season . For my matar paneer i use equal  part matar and paneer by weight but you can use one part paneer and two part matar .

Paneer - 400 gms , cubed in desired size
Matar/Sweet peas - 400 gms 
Onion - 1 cup , grinded
Tomato - 1 cup , grinded
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp
Bay Leaf -  1
Coriander powder - 2 1/4 tsp
Kashmiri Chili powder - 2 1/4 tsp
Cumin powder - 3/4 tsp (optional, i don't use it)
Garam Masala powder - 3/4 tsp
Kasuri Methi - 2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Oil or Ghee - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste

1. Boil salt and water and keep aside .
2. Heat oil and fry paneer cubes and drop in salted hot water.
3. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan .
4. Add bay leaf and onion paste and cook till raw small vanish.
5. Add ginger garlic paste and cook till everything is just golden.
6. Add the turmeric, coriander and chilli powder .
7. Cook for a minute on a very low heat.
8. Add the tomato puree and cook till oil separates on medium heat.
9. Add matar and cook for a few minutes.
10. Drain the fried paneer cubes and add to the gravy.
11. Add garam masala and kasuri methi and simmer for few minutes.
12. Remove from heat and serve with roti or rice.

Sending it to  WTML : walk-through-memory-lane-with @ nivedhanams.blogspot.in