Simple Recipes by Renu Dalal

Renu Dalal, daughter of renowned chef, cookbook author, and television presenter Tarla Dalal, launched her second cookbook – Simple & Delicious Vegetarian Recipes. This cookbook follows in the wake of her maiden best-seller, Modern Vegetarian Recipes. The recipes contained in this book were gathered by Renu and chosen for their inventiveness, healthiness, and simplicity. She shares a few of the recipes from the book.

Stuffed Oats Chilla

For the health conscious, chilla made out of oat flour with vegetable stuffing. They can be had for breakfasts, as a wholesome snck or as main course. This quarantine, lets learn how to make this delicious dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of oats (powered in a mixture)

• 2tbsp gram flour (besan)

• 1 tsp oil

• ½ tsp oil

• ½ tsp chopped green chillies

• 1 cup water

• ½ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)

• ½ tsp asafetida (Hing)

• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

• Salt to taste

• 3 tsp oil for making the chilla

For the vegetable stuffing:

• ½ cup boiled green peas

• ½ cup boiled potatoes (peeled & chopped)

• ½ tbsp. oil

• 1 tbsp chopped onions

• 1 tbsp chopped tomatoes

• ½ tsp turmeric powder (haldi)

• ½ tsp garam masala

• A pinch of asafetida (hing)

• Salt and chilli powder to taste

• 1 cup of tamaring chutney for serving

Method

For the stuffing:

• Heat the oil in a vessel, add the turmeric powder, garam masala, asafetida, onions, tomato and sauté for ½ minutes.

• Add the green peas, potatoes, salt and chilli powder to taste. Cook for 2 minutes.

For the chilla mixture:

• Place the gram flour, green chillies, hing coriander, turmeric powder, powdered oats, oil, water, salt to taste in a bowl and mix well.

• Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan.

• Pour the chilla mixture into the pan and shape it into a round.

• Flip to the other side and keep it till both the sides are done.

• Place some of the stuffing in the chilla, fold it and remove from the pan.

• Serve hot with tamarind chutney.

Moong Dal Chilla

Nutritious and tasty; a must for all moong dal lovers, this preparation can be eaten either as a healthy snack, a starter or as a main course.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup split green gram (green moong dal)

• ½ tbsp gram flour (besan)

• ¼ tsp ginger paste

• ¼ tsp chopped green chillies

• ¼ cup boiled green peas

• ¼ cup boiled carrots (peeled and chopped)

• Salt to taste

Other Ingredients:

• 1½ tbsp oil for cooking

•

• For serving

• Tamarind chutney

• Coriander chutney

Method:

• Soak the green moong dal in 2 cups of water for 3 to 4 hours

• Drain well, add 3 tablespoons of water, ginger paste, green chillies and process in a mixer

• Add carrots, green peas, gram flour and salt to taste to the mixture and mix well.

• On a non-stick tawa, heat the oil and make small circular moong dal chillas.

• Cook each chilla on both sides till well done

• Serve hot with green coriander chutney or tamarind chutney

Tasty Toovar Dal

The garlic and spices add to the taste of it. Everybody's staple diet.

Ingredients:

To be cooked in a pressure cooker

• ½ cup toovar dal

• 2 cups water

Other ingredients

• 1 tbsp oil

• 4 tbsp chopped tomato

• 4 tbsp chopped onion

• 3 cloves crushed garlic

• ¼ tsp jeera (cumin seeds)

• ½ tsp turmeric powder haldi

• A pinch of asafoetida (hing)

• Salt and chilli powder to taste

Method:

• Wash and soak the toovar dal in water for half an hour.

• Add the water to the toovar dal and cook in a pressure cooker till well cooked.

How to proceed:

• In a non-stick vessel heat the oil, add the garlic, jeera, turmeric powder, asafoetida, tomato, and onions. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes

• Add the toovar dal, salt and chilli powder to taste. Blend the mixture well. Cook for 2 minutes.

How to serve:

• Serve hot along with rice, roti and/or vegetable of your choice.

Methi ka subzi with besan ka dhapka

This tasty vegetable has huge nutritional benefits

Ingredients

• 2 cups chopped methi (fenugreek ) leaves

• 1 tbsp oil

• A pinch of asafoetida ( hing)

• 1 cup water

• Salt and chilli powder to taste

For the dhapkas

• ½ cup besan ( chick pea flour)

• A pinch of asafoetida ( hing)

• 1/4tsp turmeric powder

• 1/4 tsp dhania powder

• Salt to taste

• 3 tbsp water

Method

For the dhapkas

• Mix all the ingredients together

How to proceed

• In a vessel heat the oil, add the hing, methi and stir for 30 seconds

• Add the water, salt and chilli powder to taste. Cook for 3 minutes

• Form small dhapkas and add to the vegetable

• Cook for 3 to 4 minutes

• Serve hot