Dalimbi Rassa bhaji (Val Usal Rassa)

Dalimbi  or Val, also known as butter beans or Bitter Beans and some call it field beans is a very staple pulse in Maharashtra state, Gujarat state etc. Its funny that in most of my posts I have to mention various names of 1 ingredient - such is the culture and global influence we live in today! It can be cooked as a nice dry Usal or as a nice slurpy Rassa. Some even make it with full fledge ground coconut masala called Birde. This is basically my Mother In Laws recipe, which she makes fondly for her ladla beta ..yes.. you heard me right :) Intentional or not the biaseness oozes out in one form or the other hehe.. Well thats how most moms are. Who knows I may turn out the same way, only time will tell :)

Dalimbi Rassa

Frankly at my home while growing up this dish was not cooked very often but I had tasted it at my neighbors home and I simply love anything that is slurpicious with exquisite red color along with that oil floating on top of the curry. I will never say NO to that, cross my heart. After I married, and as my husband loved it so much, I started getting a bag of split Val or whole Val at home. Usually I get split one. But right now beggars are not choosers applies to us because of lockdowns in most of the states. Just grabbing whatever is found :) in the aisle or in shopping cart online.

Veg Thali

 Coming to the recipe, I have already posted Dalimbi dry Usal on my blog. You can take a look if interested. I like Curry style with more Rassa any day. This particular beans has a nice soft bitter taste to it which has to be complimented with sweet so the usage of gud/jaggery is important and as well as sourness, so kokum water is used in this recipe to give that particular unique flavor to the curry. Use of ginger/chillies and goda masala are few other ingredients that bring out a lovely taste to it.

Lets take a look at the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup val (or butter beans)- soaked and sprouted preferably- yields approx  2 cups
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp jaggery 
• 4-5 kokum petals - washed and soaked in 1/2 cup of warm water for 10 min
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• pinch of asafoetida (hing)
• 1 tsp chopped ginger
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• big pinch turmeric powder
• 1 1/2 tsp goda masala (or onion masala or garam masala pwd)
• handful cilantro finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh coconut for garnish (optional)
• salt to taste

Boiled Butter  Beans

Kokum Petals

Chopped other ingredients

Preparation:

• Soak the val beans in the water overnight or for 8 hours. If you want to make sprouted val beans  (which is more nutritious) then drain the water and keep it to sprout for 8 hours in a muslin cloth tied up. 
• In a saucepan add enough water till val beans is immersed and on med heat cook for 15-20 minutes. Keep a close eye after 15 minutes. It must be just soft. ( It gets mushy quickly and we don't want that). Switch off the gas and drain the water out. Keep cooked val beans dal aside.
• During this time also soak kokum in half cup water and keep aside for 10 min.
• In a pan, heat oil , add cumin seeds-  once it starts to splutter add curry leaves, then add hing and then chopped ginger - saute for couple of min on med flame. 
• Add chopped onion, saute onion till light brown, then add the powders, red chili pwd, turmeric, goda masala - stir quickly on a low flame. 
• Transfer the cooked butter beans to this mixture, add kokum water and discard the kokum leaves, add jaggery, salt to taste.
• Now add 1 cup + more water as per your required consistency and let the curry simmer for few minutes where you will see a nice red color and some oil floating on top! 
• Add cilantro and grated coconut(optional) Your curry is done, serve hot with rice or rotis.

Thank you for visiting my site. njoY cookinG!

You may also like Dalimbi Usal , Matki chi Usal,  Methichi chi Bhaji,  Misal Pav,  Mooli Pachadi  etc

Health Benefits:

Val or Lima beans (butter beans), like any other beans, are rich in dietary fiber. It is a slow burning complex carbohydrate. Val Beans gives you much energy to burn while stabilizing blood sugar. Also, has a good amount of Iron which is very crucial for the body. It is a power packed protein. A good source of manganese and folate along with potassium and has low sodium content.

Irish Soda Bread

We are going through a history where the world is witnessing a pandemic episode of Covid-19.  As the world reels in the #StayAtHome concept lots of new ideas are popping up on internet to keep oneself busy and sane. One of them being Baking YES... Baking Breads, Cakes, Muffins, Brownies, Pastries is at its peak and is being enjoyed thoroughly across the globe as we silently fight against the Virus and pray that it dies down.


Irish Soda Bread

I venture into baking once in a while. This time it was so tempting for me to just  not to ignore the call of baking a bread. But sigh!! I had to be patient as I did not have yeast in my pantry. Going to grocery stores at the drop of the hat is a big NO NO now, to add to it I kept forgetting to add that ingredient on my list of next home delivered order.

So I was left with no option but to look for something that used no Yeast. Something that was quick, simple and no fermentation recipe for my bread as I craved to make one!

And voila came across Irish Soda Bread in a 5 year old magazine which I was browsing while having my tea.
As befitting many of the best breads in the world – Irish Soda Bread is a traditional Irish speciality- it was made with only the most basic of ingredients: flour, baking soda (used as a leavening agent instead of yeast), soured milk to moisten and activate the soda, and salt.
Irish Soda bread remains an international favorite.  Before baking, a cross was cut on the top with a knife, to ward off the devil and protect the household. 
Something about it, when you mark that X just before the bread goes in the oven, makes you smile and you know it will come out right :)

You are going to love it I promise.

Made this in like 50 mins [included baking time] and it was ready to be relished with your butter/jam/marmalade.....

Here goes the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cup +2 tbsp - all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsp regular rolled oats
• 1/2 tsp baking pwd
• 3/4 tsp baking soda ( preferably fresh)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp cold u salted butter cut in small cubes
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp orange zest ( optional)
• 1/2 cup nuts or dried currents or cranberry
  

Preparation:

• Take all dry ingredients in 1 bowl and mix it with cold butter. Keep mixing the flour with butter till all cubes crumbles n become one with the flour ( you can flatten the butter with a spatula or use hands as you mix the butter with flour)
• Then in another bowl take egg, honey, buttermilk and whisk till everything comes together. Add nuts, zest and give a stir.
• Pour this mix into dry flour ingredients. Bring everything together with a spoon.
• On a parchment paper transfer the dough n knead it gently (sprinkle flour on top if needed) should be soft and little sticky.
• Give the dough any size you want like rectangle or round or square. Then with a knife make X sign on the loaf.
• Bake it on 350F/180C for 40-45 min ... Let it cool down before u slice and enjoy this beautiful loaf of bread.

just out of the oven the beauties :)

njoY!! happY bakinG!!

Missal Pav/Bread

Street food, it's the best way to experience a local culture by eating the everyday food that the common man eats and relishes. And it's usually always hot and fresh and has taste that hits the spot sending you to the ecstacy land, if you know what I mean :) Another important fact being it usually cost less avoiding making a hole in your wallet😀. Most of us try so hard to recreate that magic by cooking at home and fail miserably... I can imagine you nodding head with me:) We have our days, and it is a journey of trial and error to get the exact taste like that of a street vendor. 

My aunt is an expert (according to me) when it comes to making few chaat/street food dishes. This is her recipe and we love it at home. I did not have mix chiwda(farsan) for topping so just added plain sev on it. 

This particular Missal Pav is a famous Maharashtrian chaat food where it has a 2 part preparation. One is Matki(moth beans) usal (dry sabji) and other is thin spicy red gravy Kat (coconut based). Then you can garnish it with the toppings of your choice. It is accompanied with Pav or Bread. 

Dunk the pav in slurrpy kat with moth beans usal and toppings! You tend to soak the Kat using pav and finish eating very soon so they always provide you with extra kat in a katori on your plate.

It is very very yum dish!

Let us check out the recipe:

Ingredients:

For Matki Usal

2 cups boiled sprouted matki (moth beans)

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/4th tsp asafoetida (hing)

1/2 tsp turmeric (haldi)

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp goda masala ( or garam masala)

salt to taste

For Kat (wet gravy)

<A>

8 peppercorns

6 cloves

1 tsp jeera

1 tsp coriander seeds

4-5 dry red chillies

1/2 tsp turmeric (haldi)

1/4 inch cinnamon stick

1/2 tsp sesame seeds

1/th tsp fennel seeds

1/4th cup grated coconut

2 tsp oil

<B>

4 big garlic pods

1/2 inch ginger

1 onion chopped

2 tomatoes chopped

2 tbsp oil

<C>

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp goda masala ( or garam masala)

salt as per taste

For Toppings:

1 onion finely chopped

1 cup cilantro chopped

1 cup sev (or mix dry farsan)

2 lemon cut in wedges

Preparation:

Mataki Usal:

• In a pan heat some oil, add mustard seeds, after it splutters add all the ingredients under Mataki usal except matki (moth beans) and saute quickly. 
• Now add the cooked* sprouted matki, salt and mix everything together. Cook for about 5 minutes and switch off the gas. 
• Keep aside.

Kat (wet curry):

• In a frying pan, heat oil and ingredients under <A> except coconut. 
• Saute lightly till it starts leaving aroma for about a minute or 2. Add this to a blender. 
• Now in the same pan, roast coconut and add it to the blender as well. Make a paste and keep aside.
• In a cooking utensil, heat oil and add other ingredients under bullet <B> in the order of ginger, garlic, onions saute till brown and add tomatoes. 
• Fry everything till it becomes one mushy mixture. Switch off the gas as oil starts leaving from the sides. 
• Let this mixture cool. Add to the blender and make a paste.
• In the same pan, add some oil, add <B> paste and bring to a quick boil. Add coconut paste <A> and cook for about 10 minutes. 
• Now you can adjust the taste by adding more chilli powder and goda masala under bullet <C>. Adjust salt too. 
• Add 3-4 cups of more water and bring to a boil. 
• Simmer the Kat on low flame till you see oil floating on top! 
• Now this is how you serve, take a soup bowl, add 3-4 tbsp mataki usal, then pour the kat generously over it, add chopped onions, squeeze lemon juice, add chiwda or sev on top and dunk your pav/bread in it and savor all the goodness! 
• You can see in my plate I have kat more as I like it that way :)

njoY!! happY cookinG!!

notes*: How to cook sprouted matki (moth beans)-Soak 1 & 1/2 cups of moth beans in 5 cups of water overnight or for 6 hours. Drain all the water and keep in a warm spot for another 6 hours or so for it to generate sprouts. You can also tie it in a muslin cloth and leave overnight. Boil it in 3-4 cups of water for about 25 minutes or till done.

Health Benefits:

Moth Bean seeds are a good source of proteins and other essential minerals and vitamins.
It can make an excellent protein supplement to Vegetarian diet. Maximum benefits can be reaped when it is soaked and sprouted. The coconut base thin spicy curry has all the masala ingredients that provides adequate minerals and nutrients to our body. If we use the oil sparingly (if you are making this dish often) it will prove to be a more healthier dish.