The word "khana" in Indian Khana Made Easy means food. So come on, let's explore and cook some easy Indian food together including gluten-free and vegan dishes.

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June 26, 2011

Here's To Sweet Success

We all have milestones in our lives that are very special to us such as the 16th, 21st, 30th or 60th birthdays or the 1st, 10th, 25th or 50th anniversaries. We celebrated one too this weekend and wanted to share it with you. We have crossed the 10,000 page views mark and are still going. We had a slow start but now the fun is just getting started. 

Thanks for making it possible. We will continue to share our cooking stories and recipes with you so you can learn and enjoy Indian cooking as much as we do. 

June 18, 2011

"Carrots" - A Girl's Best Friend

My sister and I like to cook but with her busy schedule, it's not as easy. Additionally, she says in the city she can't readily find all the ingredients.

What is a girl to do, she says.

Whenever we both have some free time, we chit chat about our lives and so on...

Today, I told her about our new snack, veggie boats. When she saw the posting, she got very excited and I knew why.

A few of the pita pockets were filled with her favorite vegetable dish, carrots and moong dal.

My dear sister, this recipes is just for you. ENJOY!!


Ingredients:
2 lbs Carrots, peeled and grated
- 1/3 cup Moong dal
- ½ cup Frozen peas             
- 1/3 cup Coconut powder (dry), optional
- 3-4 medium sized Green chilies, chopped finely
- 1" piece Ginger, grated
- 1/3 cup Fresh Coriander, chopped*
- 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 2 tsp Whole Cumin seeds
- 1 tsp Mustard seeds
- 1 tsp Salt or according to taste


Procedure: 
1) Add ½ cup of water to moong dal and microwave it for 2 minutes, allowing it to soak for 15-20 minutes.


2) Heat oil in a saucepan and add cumin and mustard seeds. When they splatter, add chilies and ginger and stir for a minute. (Hint: In this step, we are sauteing spices to make seasoning for the dish).  Then add grated carrot and soaked moong dal along with water.


3) Add salt, mix and cook under closed lid for 10-15 minutes (on low heat) stirring in between until the dal is cooked and soft but not mushy.



4) Turn off stove and remove the lid and stir in frozen peas and coconut powder. Allow it to sit for a few minutes and serve hot garnished with the chopped coriander.



My sister loves eating this simple dish with rotis or chappatis. You can eat it with soft tortillas or pitas as well.



***Quick Tip: Coriander/cilantro is most often used as a garnish to again heighten the flavor and give color to the dish. Parsley or basil can be substituted if it is not readily available.