It’s the month of Celebration; Onam..!!! The harvest festival of Kerala! Welcoming of King Mahabali; the legendary king who reigned the state during its Golden Era! and Celebrating his mythical homecoming…!!!

It’s the festival of love, trust, togetherness, with families getting together, gifting and wearing new dresses, decorating pookalams (floral designs), singing, dancing, and having fun throughout with a lot of beautiful memories… This is the time we non-residents miss our hometown a lot.

Onam is not complete without the Sadya; the traditional vegetarian feast plated on a banana leaf, a spread of 10 to 15 different curries/dishes served over 5 courses.

Green Gram Curry is served as the first course of a Sadya, along with rice, pappad and a drizzle of ghee. The crumbling sound of the pappad as you crush it and mix it with the curry n rice… the flavour overload which hits you on your first mouthful… all these emotions signal the arrival of Onam, and your mind n body prepares itself for the delicious feast to come…!!!

Green gram is considered to be one of the healthiest foods; it is called as the lean protein, plays a great role in weight loss and is also referred to as a non-meat source of iron.  Green gram provides 14 grams of protein per 1-cup serving, and easily fits the bill as an alternative nutrient-rich source of protein to your usual chicken or steak.

Other than sprout salad which is the most commonly consumed form of green gram worldwide, Indian dishes offer a variety of recipes to make these lentils tastier in mild or spicier versions so that it can be included in our daily meal.

This recipe is popular in Kerala and is a non-spicy curry made by dry roasted split green gram blended in a coconut mix, served with the wonderful combination of steamed rice and ghee/clarified butter.

Enjoy, Happy Cooking and a Prosperous Onam…!!!

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Prep time : 30 -45 minutes
Serves : 4-5

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup green gram / cherupayar / moong dal / mung bean
• 1 cup coconut
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 green chilies (optional)
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• cumin seeds (a pinch)
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1-2 sprigs of curry leaves
• salt (as required)
• ghee / clarified butter (serving)

For tadka / tempering (optional)

• mustard seeds (a pinch)
• 1 pearl onion chopped (optional)
• 2 dry red chilies
• 1-2 sprigs of curry leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat a pan and dry roast the green gram till it turns slightly brownish and exudes a roasted aroma. Bite a sample to check its consistency; it should crackle in your mouth if properly roasted.
2. Allow it to cool down. If you are using split green gram, then you can skip Step 3 and move on to step 4.
3. Once cooled, grind it in a blender/grinder at split second intervals until the grams splits. Be careful not to powder.
4. Pressure cook the green gram with a little salt and water for 1-2 whistles till it is properly cooked. Mash it with a wooden spoon to make it slightly thick in its consistency.
5. In the meantime, grind coconut, garlic, green chilies, turmeric powder, and cumin seeds to a smooth paste.
6. Add the paste to cooked green gram, mix it properly and boil the curry. Taste and add salt as needed.
7. Garnish with coconut oil & curry leaves, turn off the heat.

For tadka / tempering (optional)

8. Prepare the tempering by heating oil in a small pan and splutter mustard seeds, followed by adding sliced pearl onions and frying till its turns light brown. Add dry red chilies, curry leaves, and saute.
9. Mix this tempering to the curry.

Serve warm with steamed rice, topped with ghee and pappad.

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Lentils are an excellent source of proteins and minerals, high in fiber content and helps in maintaining blood sugar levels. As part of a balanced diet, including lentils, beans or peas is a healthy choice and a good replacement for non-vegetarian food. In fact the United Nations declared 2016 as the “International Year of Pulses”, to spread the awareness about its benefits to the world. The term dal refers to the preparation of pulses along with other ingredients in a gravy form, and is an important staple food in Indian cuisine. Combining the super-rich spinach with lentils – it’s a perfect balance of flavour in a healthy way.

I was introduced to this recipe by my mother-in-law, she cooks this dish quite often at home and everybody loves it in our family. She learned the preparation of authentic palak dal from her North-Indian friends a long time ago, and later added her twist with South-Indian ingredients. For those who do not know, there are huge differences in dishes prepared across the various provinces of India. This recipe was new to me as we never cooked green spinach at my home. Whenever we both talk about this dish, she used to tell me the story of how she used to feed my husband when he was a kid with this dish as he was a huge fan of “Popeye the Sailor Man”, he enjoyed it hoping to become strong as Popeye… n that’s how this curry became my husband’s favorite dish…!!

In this recipe I used split pigeon peas /toor dal / tuvara parippu combined with spinach, pressure cooked, and later combined with garlic, green chilies and cumin seeds, blended in a coconut mixture. The consistency of the gravy is slightly thick.

Enjoy, and stay Healthy…!!!

Prep time: 30 mins
Serves: 4 – 5 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ cup spinach (finely chopped)
• ½ cup split pigeon peas / toor dal / tuvara parippu
• ½ tsp turmeric powder
• ½ cup grated coconut
• 2 garlic cloves
• ½ tsp cumin seeds / jeera
• 2 green chilies
• 1 tomato (chopped)
• mustard seeds (a pinch)
• 2 dried red chilies
• salt (as required)
• 2 cups of water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add dal, spinach, water and a little salt in to a pressure cooker and cook till its whistle blows once.
2. Meantime, make a paste of coconut, garlic, turmeric powder, green chilies and cumin seeds, and keep aside.
3. To the cooked dal, add the coconut paste and boil the curry on a low flame.
4. If you prefer a thin curry then add another ½ cup of water, otherwise skip.
5. In another pan prepare the tempering by adding a little oil, mustard seeds and dried red chilies.
6. Once the mustard seeds splutter, add chopped tomatoes and saute for a while till it turns mushy.
7. Add this tempering to the boiling dal and mix well. Check for the seasoning.
8. When the curry starts to thicken up, turn off the flame.

Serve hot with steamed rice or roti.

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