Dal Para(n)thas

(Indian Flatbread)

I made these Parathas with leftover Sambhar (South Indian Dal/Legumes & Veggies). I don't recall the specifics of what was in the Sambhar (as it was from the freezer), but it certainly contained tomatoes. In the interest of full disclosure, I'll mention that these weren't perfect . . . but I sure enjoyed them! Nice for a light meal with some whole-milk yogurt.

Chawla's Kitchen YouTube, Punjabi Dal Paratha / Dal Wali Roti

 Rava Idli 

(South Indian Steamed Dumplings), 

with Carrot & Zucchini Sambhar 

(South Indian Legume & Veggie Dish)

This includes some of the Rava Idli (South Indian Steamed Dumplings) featured in the last post, with Carrot & Zucchini Sambhar (South Indian Legume & Veggie Dish). The Sambhar was featured in a post on February 6 (with a different batch of Rava Idli). This was the same Sambhar, as leftovers from the freezer. Very convenient. I noticed, as I hadn't before, that the Sambhar had a bit of a sweet taste from all the carrots ... I liked it! 

Sambhar Sandwich

This was made with the Carrot & Zucchini Sambhar (South Indian soupy dal/legume dish) seen in a recent post (although unfortunately none of the carrots appear here). When I have a lot of leftovers, as well as bread, it becomes . . . Sandwich Time! 😉 This bread is an oval Italian loaf, with slices of different sizes, and so I made an open sandwich. Had it been regular loaf bread, I would've made an enclosed sandwich. I like to accompany sandwiches like this with whole-milk yogurt, and some potato chips and/or crunchy Indian snacks (not seen here). So, it contains all the essential food groups! 😄😎

Rava Idli (South Indian Savory Dumplngs) 

with Carrot & Zucchini Sambhar

This Idli was made at the same time as those in the photo featured 2 posts ago. (Please see it for more info on the Idli.) However, I steamed it in an ovenproof bowl, on a steaming rack, in the Instant Pot (not sponsored). I steamed it for the same amount of time as the more dumpling-like Idlis. Later, once they were cool, I cut them into wedges. I wasn't sure how that would turn out, but it ended up being a nice alternative. 

Here, the Idli is served with a Sambhar from Healthy South Indian Cooking by Alemalu Vairavan and Patricia Marquardt. This is a soupy South Indian dal/legume dish, which here contains masoor dal/red lentils, tomatoes, and lots of veggies. A very healthy and delicious combination. 

Chana Dal Kichdi 

(Indian Rice & Legume Porridge), 

mixed with leftover Spring Veggie Sambhar

Here the dishes are pictured with store-bought whole-milk yogurt. The Chana Dal Kichdi recipe is from Archana's Kitchen and made recently, while the Sambhar had been frozen during the summer. I don't know that this is at all any kind of traditional combination, but I wanted to add something with veggies to the Kichdi. (I enjoyed it also with potato chips, not pictured.) The end result was very creamy and nourishing. 

My version looks a bit different from the lovely photos on the Archana's Kitchen website, as I first ground up dry chana dal. I mixed this with some water, covered it, and let it sit in the counter during the afternoon. I've mentioned before, that I've been testing out this method, as otherwise, I have to soak and cook the dal twice as long, and then grind it up, in order to be able to eat it. I thought that for me, this might save some effort. The only thing is, 1 cup of dry dal seems like a lot more, once it's ground up! Also, I didn't half-cook the dal first (as in the recipe) before adding it to the rice, so the rice took a long time to get done. Next time, I think I'll cook the dal separately, before adding to the rice. All of these issues are not the fault of the recipe, but were caused by my experiments veering from the recipe.

Archana's Kitchen Website, Chana Dal Kichdi

Spring Veggie Sambhar

This version follows the general method in Healthy South Indian Cooking, by Alemalu Vairavan and Patricia Marquardt. Sambhar is a soupy veggie and dal/legume dish of South India. This one includes a spring veggie mix, of carrots, zucchini, and yellow squash. Too bad that several ingredients that make it look pretty, always sink to the bottom! 

I used, for the first time, the ground up "flour" of toovar/toor/arhar dal (split pigeon peas). For me to be able to eat legumes, they have to be thoroughly soaked (even if normally they wouldn't require soaking), then cooked twice as long as normal, and then ground up in a food processor or with an immersion blender. This takes a lot more time and effort than usual; even a pressure cooker would only help somewhat. So, I decided to try grinding up dry dal, mixing it with some water, and leaving it for a couple of hours to "soak." Afterwards, I would then add it to the dish, and cook it for a normal time. This dish, is the first time I've tried this method, and it seemed to work well.

As part of the sambhar here, I used carrot water, drained from the canned carrots used in the Handvo featured here recently. (I didn't want to waste the vitamins!)

Sambhar Focaccia Sandwich

Both the Sambhar and Focaccia are homemade. This photo is from a couple of weeks ago, after I took some leftover Sambhar from the freezer. (Sambhar is a South Indian soupy dal/legume dish with veggies.) It was thick enough that at first, I thought it would make a nice topping for a Focaccia Pizza. However, when I saw the Focaccia, I saw how thick it was, enough to cut in half to make a sandwich with. A successful venture, I'd say! 

Sambhar Sandwich, with Harissa

So, I had some leftover Sambhar (Indian soupy dal/legume dish with veggies) that I took from the freezer, but didn't have any rice made, and was too tired to make some. What could be better than a sandwich? I spread some Harissa (Moroccan pepper sauce) on toast, and topped it with some thickened Sambhar (warmed up separately). I'd call this, a success!

Tomato Sambhar 

(South Indian Soupy Veggies & Dal/Legumes),

with Korean Wheat Noodles

The sambhar was simple, made with leftover tomatoes and masoor dal/red lentils, along with mustard seeds, frozen mirepoix (onion, celery, and carrot), urad dal, and sambhar powder. These noodles cooked very quickly -- done in one minute! I was too tired and hungry to add another vegetable (aside from the tomatoes) and wait for it to cook, and decided simplicity was the best strategy here.

Wikipedia Website, Sambar (dish)

Angelhair Pasta with Zucchini Sambhar Sauce

This is Angelhair Pasta, cooked with leftover Zucchini Sambhar (from the photo of a few days ago). This pasta cooked very quickly, and then I drained most of the water, added in some sambhar, and cooked them together for a few minutes. Very easy. The original zucchini sambhar recipe was from Healthy South Indian Cooking: Expanded Edition by Alamelu Vairavan and Patricia Marquardt

Zucchini Sambhar

This is a soupy dish with dal (legumes) and a lot of veggies. Recipe from Healthy South Indian Cooking:Expanded Edition by Alamelu Vairavan and Patricia Marquardt. I felt that this was a very warm and comforting dish on a cold, snowy day. The colors were bright and cheerful, too. I used some leftover masoor dal (red lentils) from the other day, instead of the toor dal in the recipe.