March 26, 2007

MINTY MASOOR DAL

Mint and Chives flavored Masoor dal with Turnips is my contribution to "Green Blog Project Spring 2007" which is hosted by Mandira of 'Ahaar' blog this Spring.Thanks for hosting Mandira!:)


Some facts about Mint:
Peppermint and spearmint came to the New World with the colonists, who also used them medicinally. They drank mint tea for headaches, heartburn, indigestion, gas, and to help them sleep.They also drank mint tea for pure pleasure, especially since it wasn't taxed.More about Mint here.

About Chives:
Chives (Allium schoenoprasum), a member of the onion family and native to Asia and Europe, have been around over 5,000 years. Yet, they were not actively cultivated until the Middle Ages. The botanical name is derived from the Greek meaning reed-like leek. The English name chive comes from the Latin cepa, meaning onion.More about Chives are here.


My little Mint and Chives Winter/Spring garden! :)


This event is all about growing what you can by April 10th and cooking with it. Sounds like fun,doesn't it? But we had such a cold winter this year,I can hardly grow anything but Mint and Chives in my little pot outdoors and it grew luxuriously with no maintenance at all! I tried growing some Radish but couldn't get them before the deadline.Anyway,I am happy with what I got and made some Mint and Chives dal instead!I love the flavor of mint and Chives in the dal,of course in moderation since Mint does overwhelm the dish if used in excess.(Masoor dal is Red lentils by the way for non-Indians.)


Garden fresh Mint and Chives ready to go in the Masoor dal:





Minty Masoor dal with Chives and Turnips:





How to make the dal:
1. Cook 1/2 cup Masoor dal,2-3 Turnips peeled and chopped,1/4 tsp turmeric and 1/2 tsp oil with enough water in the pressure cooker or Microwave until soft.
2. Heat 2 tsp butter or oil, add 1/2" Cinnamon(Dalchini),2 cloves, 1 red dry chilli,1 tsp Cumin seeds,1 crushed whole cardamom, 2 tbsp Peanuts and 1 small onion minced,1 garlic minced,fry until reddish.
3. Add in cooked dal,salt,1 tbsp Coriander powder,1 tsp cumin powder,1 tsp Chill pd,1/2 Tomato sauce or 2 chopped Tomatoes,1/2 tsp Garam masala, 1/2" grated ginger,2 tbsp each tender mint leaves snipped from the top and Chives chopped finely,small piece of Jaggery or a tsp of sugar and heat through.
4. Do not boil too much.Garnish with some more Mint and Chives.You can remove the whole spices now so you don't bite in to them later.
5. Serve with plain white rice and wafers on the side.


That's it! A beautiful pot of Minty Masoor dal is ready!





Enjoy!:))

48 comments:

Sig said...

Wow Asha, you do have a green thumb.. those plants look so green and healthy. Fresh mint smell in the backyard, must be so nice!

Coffee said...

I love that pot which is holding the dal..... the dal looks great too, but the pot holding it looks nice and chic!!!! :)

FH said...

Thank you Sig.They do grow profusely like weeds and we keep cutting them back!:D
They do smell so good,like Indian Binaca tooth paste!;D

Jackie said...

I must try this as I have mint and chives growing in pots on my sunny windowsill.

I see you have some nice recipes on your blog which are Vegan and I can try :)

USHA said...

Wow Cheese bread spread looks delicious...

Minty Masoor dhal..Hmmm...sounds great,very cute fresh leaves from gardens..

Its really some sort of happiness when we cook with the vegetables from our own garden...

Mishmash ! said...

A picture perfect dish :) hey there re lots of variety of mints right, so which one did u use ? I like that indian mint we use for cooking

musical said...

Ummmmmmm, yahan tak khushbu aa rahi hai. Aroma in the real sense.

Binaca toothpaste, thats nostalgia :).

Sia said...

wow... how nicely ur herbs are growing. mine all are dead except for curled parsley. i guess i dont have that green thumb:)
still wondering how u mange to cook so many dishes and more over how u manage to post everything before deadline?
i got one big bunch of mint leaves in my fridge, un touched. may be i should try this:) yestrday i made coconut rasam and it was really good. gonna make that again soon and will post the recipe sometime. my draft is looking like hanuma's tail now. donno when i will post them:) will cath u later ashakka:)

FH said...

Hi Coffee,I love that pot too,I bought it in Florida when I was on vacation last June.Unfortunately,there was only one left,I wanted more!:D

Hi Jackie,thanks.I do have more vegetarian dishes than non-veg in my both blogs!Hope you try some of them:))

FH said...

It's true Usha! Nothing like cutting some fresh herbs or veggies from your back yard and cook with it.US mints are little strong for me unlike Indian ones.So I used I used about 2 tbsp,not much.

Hi shn,I used the Spearmint because that's all I had.It has very strong aroma and flavor,so used sparingly.Indian mints are mild,we can use bunches of them but not these!

Sharmi said...

man thats one beautiful presentation. The recipe is so nicely done. You are one great contestant for all the events.

cheers
sharmi

FH said...

Hi Musical,we used Binaca in India, and that's exactly how a Spearmint tastes.Very strong but refreshing flavor!:D
Chives are more pleasant.Dal ke khushboo toh lajawab!!;D

These Mints don't need much maintenance,grows like weed!:D
I have to cook for 4 ppl everyday,so I plan the dishes around the ingredients for events and have fun eating them too.No big deal.This dal I made for Sunday dinner,for lunch I made Channa ,Bhatura,it was great!
Kai rasam is unique,I make Kai Saaru ,Mysore style which I love.Organize during weekends and post them.
I have stopped commenting on blogs on weekends from this week,so I can relax a bit, will visit during weekdays!;D

FH said...

Hi Sharmi, thanks girl.I do my best to participate in most events which are hosted by friends anyway!:))
Glad you liked it,hope you try too.

Deepa Hari said...

Hi Asha,

Minty Masoor Dal luks yummy...Fresh leaves..well maintained Garden...Great...

FH said...

Thanks Deepa.Hope you give it a try!:)

Sia said...

thats a very good thing u r doing:) just realx on weekends. even i will keep myself away from my much loved blogging on weekends:)

FH said...

You are right Sups.I thought I couldn't stay away from my Laptop for one day but I did it whole weekend and cooked lot of dishes instead.I felt great!Good to know I am not obsessed with it after all!;P
I opened my blog roll today and I see 100+ blogs waiting to be opened but I cut down that too,commented only on friends blogs who come to me regularly and deleted all others who never or almost never visit me!!I am impressed myself!HAHAHA!!

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha,
the dish is looking delicious.

Shalini

Richa said...

i like masoor dal, never tried with mint though. do you think dried mint powder will work, I've some from the harvest last year.

Thanks for the recipe

Anusha said...

could there be anything greener than those chives?? you do have a 'green' thumb, don't you? :)

Sia said...

u did what???? really really???? how many blogs do u have in ur blogroll? let me guess...mmm... 1K?;) he he he...
good thing ashakka. i too have seen some 4-5 blogs which are in active since 3-4 months. shpuld scrap them off:)

Anonymous said...

Oh, I love this 'aroma' - there are so many veg dishes ! I just read avocado paratha, beet paratha, this dal etc etc and so glad I checked 'aroma' out !!

I have some mint in my backyard too, will have to buy chives though and sure goingto try this daal :-)

FH said...

Thanks Shalini,hope you try:)

You are welcome Richa.
Dry mint,does it still has the minty flavor?If yes,then it's okay add.Better way to preserve mints when you get them is to freeze as soon as you cut them in a air tight Zip lock bag rather than drying it,little suggestion!;D

FH said...

Sia,I have about 120! Well..had!:D

Some have gotten into a bad habit of e mailing me their comments instead of leaving a comment on the blog!!It's okay if they can't get into the blog sometimes but every time.Weird!!
I wait for about three of my posts,if they continue to do the same,I will stop going to theirs all together:D
Loved your Indo-Chinese dish.Great photos too.Well..6pm now ,time for saying bye to my Laptop until tomorrow.Good night Sups:))

FH said...

Hi @,thanks friend:)) Yeah,it's in a sunny spot and right under the water hose too,so it's happy!:D

bee said...

mint? this early? i'm jealous.

Deepak Gopi said...

I am now only knowing that mint has this purpose also :)

FH said...

Hi Abha,good to see you here.Aroma is in my sidebar but ppl usually don't pay attention!:D Chives are not necessary but try to get it:)

Mint was there in that pot all winter Bee!;D It's quite warm here in NC,could grow in winter too but this winter was pretty crazy.One day it was 50's, next day it's in 30s and snowed!;P

Mint can be used in many ways Deepak! It grows so much in India, here sometimes we have to pay and it's Spearmint too,not like Indian mint.Enjoy your day D!:)

Anonymous said...

Oh, look at your garden growing!!! Dill in dal was new to me -- now I'll have to try mint too :) It looks really delcious, Asha!

FH said...

Mint and chives gives it a great aroma Linda used in moderation of course,hope you try.Another Dill dal is coming too next week!:D

Sia said...

came to check if u have uploaded another entry and to my utter surprise there is none;)

FH said...

I know darling sister!I am lagging behind,still trying to prepare for Kalyn's this week but got to go and cook for now.Hopefully,before the day ends,I will be ready to post.It's chicken anyway but with new spice!;D

sunita said...

Asha, that dish looks really great, and so does the pot holding it ...well and so does your green patch...

Pinki said...

Wow Asha, You really have a green thumb ..Wonderful pictures and excellent recipe..cant wait to try it!!

Anonymous said...

what a comforting dal... I am also growing mint in my patio...would give the dal a try..

I am getting hooked to your food these days a lot...:-) would post about them later on my blog...:-)

The pot really looks cute

FH said...

Thank you Sunita.At last, Spring is here and so are all the greens,Enjoy:))


Hi Pinki,hope you do,very flavorful and simple dal:)I am trying to grow some Radishes too, let's see how it goes now that weather is lot warmer.


Hi Sush,thanks.I love that pot that too.Really,are you cooking up a storm?!Good for you,can't wait to see them in your blog!:))

J said...

I posted a comment yday...did it vanish?? OK, then let me express my envy.... You've cooked and devoured your mint. Mine haven't raised their heads at all!!! :( Boo-hoo....

FH said...

HAHAHA!!! J, when the weather gets better,they will pop up themselves,hang in there!:D
I sowed some Radish too,they are just coming up,getting exciting!:))

Prema Sundar said...

Hmmm... When I come here after a week I find a lot of different and interesting varieties of dishes.
Minty masoor dal ... haven't added mint to the dal.. looks good and love to try it sometime when I have mint..(I always waste some mint Asha ,when I buy a bunch).

FH said...

Hi Prema,good to see you.I post at least 3 dishes a week for 3 events!:D

Yup,a bunch of store bought mint always has lot of wastage.Stems ,mature leaves don't help at all.Buy a small mint plant and plant it indoors.You can just snip the young leaves which has a great flavor anytime you want.Chives are easy to grow too.

swapna susarla said...

Hi ashaji
greens are growing wonderfully!!

FH said...

Yes they are Swapna.I can't wait for May,then I will start sowing Eggplants,Tomatoes and Cayenne peppers seeds!:D

Mandira said...

Asha - minty masoor dal sounds like a great combination. Your garden patch is thriving... :) I have to plant some mint now to make this dal. Thanks for participating. Stay tuned for the roundup.

FH said...

You are welcome Mandira!:)) Can't wait to see the round up and those little garden patches:)

Seema Bhat said...

Asha, Wow the mint plants and up and green already. My plant still look dead. Loved the dish in which you presented the dal.

FH said...

Mint is the first one which came up and now Red radishes are up too! It's so exciting to see the plants after nearly 5 months.Can't wait to seed the others.Hope you try the dal Seema,it is very flavorful:)

Suganya said...

I am surprised that I haven't visited yr blog before.. Have a loooot of catching up to do...Am adding you to my blogroll.. Happy to have come here :)

FH said...

Welcome Suganya.Actually,my main blog is Foodies Hope,this is just for events.Hope you will visit there too:)) Enjoy:)