A spoonful of sugar and its culinary equivalent

I love vegetables like Knol khol, Beetroot where you can use the stem and leaves.  Provided  you can buy them with the stems and leaves intact.  Of late, the non-organic shops never sell Beetroot with stem and leaves and even the Organic Stores I frequent, sell the beetroot without its succulent leaves.

Knol khol is different.  I almost always find quite a few in the vegetable bin with the leaves and stems intact.  Not this abundant mane you see on this page, but a couple of small demure leaves attached by a thin stem to the main body.  This belongs to the brassica family, giving out a pungent smell when cooked, a somewhat hardy, fibrous vegetable lacking the melding softness of the starchy Potato.  It has lots of micro-nutrients and Vitamin C, especially the leaves.  Knowledge doesn't improve flavour though, does it?  Both DH and Gau turn their nose up at the Knol Khol.  My simple work around?  For every 2 knol khol I cook, stem and all, I add a well scrubbed potato. They are all around the same size, so, a ratio of 2:1. This time I around I made a simple poriyal.


Knol Khol Potato Poriyal


2 Medium sized Knol Khol, stem and leaves intact.
1 Medium sized potato, well scrubbed
2 green chillies, halved

Tadka
2 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp jeera
1 tsp urad daal1 tsp hing

1 tsp turmeric powder

Wash and Peel the knol khol.
Finely dice the knol khol, stem and leaves
Finely dice the potato and put it in a bowl of cold water
Heat Oil
Add jeera, mustard.
When they pop add the urad daal
When it turns reddish, add the hing and then the turmeric powder
Add the green chillies, knol khol and drained potatoes
Fry until the vegetables are well mixed with the tadka ingredients.
Pour half cup water, add salt.
Cover cooked until the knol khol is soft.

Masoor Daal, Black and Orange


1/2 cup black masoor
1/2 cup orange masoor
1" piece mango ginger sliced fine (or ginger 1/2")
1 piece tamarind, seeds removed
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 green chilly
1 onion
2 garlic pods
1 tomato

Tadka
2 tsp oil
1 tsp mustard
1 tsp jeera

Coriander to garnish

Daals, Ginger, Chili, Tamarind
 for placing in pressure cooker
After Pressure cools down,
cooked daals, melded tamarind











Fry the masoor in a dry pan until it acquires a few black spots.  Clean and Soak for 15 - 30 minutes.
Pressure cook the daals with the turmeric,mango ginger, tamarind and green chilly.
When the pressure is down, remove any big tamarind piece in the daal, it should really just meld into the daal.
Chop the tomato, garlic and onion.
Heat oil in a wok, add mustard and jeera
When it pops, add the onions and garlic, fry.
When the onion turns translucent add the tomato and fry until the tomato releases its juice.
Pour the cooked daal, add salt to taste and simmer for 10 minutes for flavours to meld.
Garnish with coriander and serve.

This was today's breakup. I guess I should mention the fruits in the house for a comoplete picture of health :) Breakfast was idlis with Peerkangai Thuvayal and Pottukadalai Podi.

The kids shared a pomegranate and ate a banana post lunch.

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