ASPARAGUS STIR FRY/PORIYAL

I made this poriyal for my mother in law since she was very interested in this new vegetable (its funny shape too  ) she saw for the first time. I have made this poriyal a couple times before and this is the only way I can eat asparagus rather than the traditional way it is served. She seemed to like it and her comment was that this poriyal tasted just like the one with green beans. I followed her poriyal recipe this time and it was really good. We added some coconut at the end for some extra taste; this can be omitted if needed. It tastes good without coconut too.

INGREDIENTS:
1. Asparagus, 1 bundle.
2. Onion, medium size, 1.
4. Mustard seeds, ¼ teaspoon.
5. Urad dhal, ½ teaspoon.
6. Ginger-garlic paste, ½ teaspoon, (optional).
7. Salt as per taste.
8. Curry leaves and cilantro for garnishing.
9. Chili powder, ½ teaspoon.
10. Coriander powder, 1 teaspoon.
11. Cilantro for garnishing.
12. Grated coconut or coconut powder, 1 tablespoon.

PREPARATION:
Break the asparagus stalks from the woody parts (this can be done by bending the asparagus and it would break over the fleshy section, this woody portion of the stalk can be used in stocks and soups). Chop the fleshy parts of the stalks into small pieces. Dice the onion. Heat a pan with a teaspoon of oil. When the oil is hot enough, add the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Then add the urad dhal and fry for a few seconds until it turns brown. Add the diced onions and curry leaves and sauté for a few minutes until they are tender. Then add ginger-garlic paste, chili powder, coriander powder, and the cut asparagus stalks and sauté for a minute. Then 2-3 tablespoons of water along with salt and cook closed under low flame for 4-5 minutes until everything is cooked and turns dry. Add the grated coconut and mx everything well. Garnish with cilantro and serve as a side dish with rice.

LENTILS MASALA / CURRY

Dear friends, how are you all doing? I am back with a post after a long time. My babies are 4 months old now and doing fine. Currently my mother-in-law is staying with us to help us with the babies and she does all the cooking. My entire day is spent with my munchkins. Taking care of 2 infants is quite a challenge and most of the time I am tired and sleepy. At the end of the day all you want is to just go and sleep when one of the babies decides not to sleep  .Coming on to the recipe, I managed to take some photos of dishes when my mother-in-law was cooking. This is one such dish where she was trying to clean my pantry. I had some leftover lentils which I had stocked up for making soup and she made this tasty dish out of them. She had used only a few ingredients here. This was very good with rice and we had the same with chapathis for dinner. The green chilies used here can also be substituted with 1 teaspoon of chili powder.

INGREDIENTS
1. Lentils, any type (I have used dupuy or French lentils). 1 cup.
2. Onions, 1 medium size.
3. Tomatoes, 2, medium size.
4. Green chilies, 2.
5. Ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon.
6. Sambar powder, 1 teaspoon.
7. Any masala powders like garam masala, chicken masala, or biryani powder, 1 teaspoon. ( I have used MTR vangibath masala).
8. Curry leaves, 1 sprig.
9. Chopped cilantro, 2 tablespoons.
10. Salt as per taste.
11. Mustard seeds, ¼ teaspoon.
12. Cumin seeds, ¼ teaspoon.

PREPARATION:
Wash and cook the lentils until they are tender. I used a pressure cooker for cooking the lentils. Chop the onions and tomatoes and slit the green chilies into two. Heat a pan with some oil and splutter the mustard seeds once the oil is hot. Then add the cumin seeds and fry for a few seconds. Add the diced onions and fry for a few minutes until the onions turn translucent. Then add the diced tomatoes, curry leaves, green chilies, ginger-garlic paste and sauté everything for a few more minutes until everything is well blended. Now add the sambar power, masala powder, and salt and cook for a few more minutes until the spices lose its raw smell. Finally add the cooked lentils with 2/3 cup of water, mix everything well, and cook closed for a 3-5 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with chapathis or rice.