September 06, 2006

SEASONED DILL & GREEN BEANS WITH RASAM (SPICY BROTH)


This is one of my mother's recipes, called Bassaru in Kannada, which is one of the very few she learned as a young 16 yr old bride. She started learning to cook only after she got married from her MIL, who was a gentle soul! (my Mysore Grandmother ie my dad's mom). My mother has a few tasty recipes she experimented on her own,not many though.She didn't cook much for the first 10 yrs of her marriage, busy with Lions and Rotary clubs as long as my dad was a successful Criminal Defence Attorney (most hated job in USA!),up until he became a Judge.(very restricted social life and lot less money but LOT happier! YAY!!) I was brought up mostly by a wolf...NOOO!! I'm just kidding guys!...by our then 42yrs.old cook Nanjappa until I was nine , whom for many years I called him 'Amma' (mother) although he was a guy (!!) and my mother 'mummy'! No wonder I have a weird sense of humor and always a bit confused!! :D

This combination of dill (Suwa Bhaji, sappaseege` soppu ) and green beans cooked with dal,drained and seasoned tastes wonderful, a meal in itself !! Not very colorful to look at but very flavorful. I always make a rasam with all the veg.stock I get from cooked and drained dill & beans and serve with rice , papad and a pickle !!

YOU NEED:

1 Big bunch of Dill leaves, chopped
1/2 lb Green beans (French beans)Cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 Cup Tuar dal, Salt
TO SEASON:
2 Tsp oil and ghee
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp Urad Dal
1 chopped onion
1 Garlic, Curry leaves, Cilantro
1-2 Green chilies or Red dry chillies, Salt



HOW TO:
1. Place Dal, beans ,dill with little salt on top of each other in this order in a pressure cooker with 2 cups water.DO NOT mix. Cook until 2 whistles or gently just until dal is cooked,not mashed too much.Turn off the heat,wait until pressure's gone.
2. Open the lid, pour into a strainer with a big bowl underneath to catch the broth.
3. Leave for 1/2 an hour to get almost a dry lump of dal,dill and beans.
4. At this stage, you could remove some dal mixture to add to rasam if you donot want very thin rasam.I do that because my kids donot like watery rasams, but you don't have to , can make rasam with just the broth if you like.
5. Heat a pan with ghee/oil, season. When onion gets reddish, stir in dal mixture, adjust the salt and mix very gently taking care not to mash it.When done ,beans and dill should coated with dal and almost dry. It's now ready to eat!!

TO MAKE RASAM:



1. Season with ghee, mustard seeds, Cumin seeds,1/2 chopped onion, 1 garlic, curry leaves, turmeric and little hing.
2. When onion is softened , add saved veg.stock or broth,any dal mix if saved, 2 tomatoes, 1 -2 tsps of any Rasam pd you like, chilli pd or pepper pd, cilantro and salt. Simmer. Serve with rice, dill-beans as a side dish , papad , pickle etc,.

NOTE:My Rasam (?!) looks thick because I added 3tbsps of the dill-beans mix to make it thick which pleases my kids! But it's usually made with just the thin broth which is real Rasam :)

A Healthy Tasty Vegetarian Thali:


ENJOY!!

36 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ooooh...the thali looks so tempting. I am going to prepare your beans dish once I get hold of those leaves (I used to eat them a lot in College,Belgaum), after that never tried them. Let me search for the leaves now...

Your rasam recipe reminded me of my pachi(mom's sister), she usually prepares so many things with "remaining/saved" daals etc. But her dishes are always mouth watering.BTW..your rasam looks very thick is it bcos of daal?

FH said...

Welcome Praju, glad you are here! Hope you will try the thali :)

Shilpa, you went to college, where??!! Guess where I got my degree?Lingaraj College in 1984-85, then we moved to B'lore.Arvind went JNMC there, that's where we met! Wow!! what a co-incidence,which college did you go to? I am sure lot later than me :D

Kids donot like thin gravy and yes, I added some of the dill mix to Rasam so they can eat without fuss. Usually made with just the broth.

UJ said...

The thali is mouth watering, esp with the papad.

I have never tried beans with Dill and did not know you get Dill in india.

Will try sometime.

indianadoc said...

This is my husband's favourite...everytime we go to Indian market he sees to it that we take at least 2 bunches of fresh dill...the aroma is just awesome and goes well with rice and chappathi!!Your Thali is so tempting....A simple veg thali like this leave you a lot comfortable...

Meena Kandlakuti said...

Hi Asha ,

your thali looks great!!..i love thali, especially from Minerva From hyderabad.Thanks for sharing great dishes and this prooved your patience.

Prema Sundar said...

Hi Asha,
thali in the steel plate looks very attractive.. A different recipe which i would love to try..

Anonymous said...

I studied in KLE college of Engineering in 1997-2001, hubby also studied in same college, two years senior to me, but unfortunately we had never met there :(. 4 years of college in Belgaum and also since my pachi stays there, Belgaum always has many sweet memories. Very happy to know you studied in Belgaum :).

Krithika said...

Your thali looks delicious !! have never used dill in my cooking. Thanks for sharing this. BTW, I have linked your besan ladoo recipe to mine. Thanks for pointing out.

FH said...

Usha, what are saying, girl? :) It's also called Suwa bhaji in india, we get plenty in B'lore, Mysore, a very common leafy veg.delicious tasting. Hope you will try when get dill.....

Hi Prema, new flavor combo ! Try it for sure!!

FH said...

You are soo right about the flavor and aroma!! I got lucky I got a big bunch, usually I don't. I had to go to a gourmet grocery store, paid pretty penny for a bunch. It is so cheap in India! But it was worth it though.Give us some recipes with dill, shynee! This is only one I know. Thanks..

Meena! I love thalis too! There is a Gujarati restaurant in B'lore with unlimited servings!! YUM!! I miss India..sigh...

Keshi said...

I love Rasam.

Keshi.

Menu Today said...

Hi Asha,
I never tried Dill leaves. After seeing your recipe,I want to try your recipe. Excellent phots. Thanks for sharing.

Latha said...

Hi Asha,
We make this at home too. We call it Bas Saaru and palya... Same combo with beans and Sabsige soppu.. :-) Its our favourite preparation with Dill!
Your thali looks yumm!
Thanks for your post. Brought back so many memories!
Latha

Anonymous said...

I have never used dill in Indian cooking, i am going to try this recipe for sure. Thank you

KA said...

I never tried dill in Indian dishes till now, may be I will now..

FH said...

KrishnaA ! welcome.. Hope you will try. Dill is very flavorful,thanks!

Archana, thanks! I am so surprised that many of you never used dill before.It's very common like palak in K'taka! Hope you will cook dill :)

Thanks MT, I have a good camera won by my daughter Trisha for scoring high in Comp. appl. in school and a reward given to her as one of the 'Tech. Girls' in NC by IBM! But she wants to be a doctor like her daddy!
Thanks and hope you will try...

Thanks Keshi! Make some!!

FH said...

At last Latha!! Somebody who knows what I am talking about!!Basida saaru indeed, I couldn't remember, I have almost forgotten kannada wordings now! I thought it's a common soppu everybody knew but I am so wrong!! We ate sabsige so often at home in india, I thought whole India does that too! WOW!!Thank God I get dill here in US.Appreciate your input, Latha!

FH said...

Thanks Krithika for linking my besan Laddus,I thought it's relevent for the occasion and try dill to find outthe new flavor, you will like it,I am sure!

Shilpa,I think you just earned another Paachi in NC :D Hi to your paachi in Belgaum, who knows she might know me! I loved Belgaum, no eveteasing like B'lore, very respectful towards women.
Arvind & I got to know each other for 5 years, got married in Dec '86, almost 20 yrs.now! Trisha, 15 and Tushar 11,wonderful kids!!
Very nice to know you!! You know what they say?
'Six degrees of seperation'..it's so true!!! :)

lost in thoughts said...

This looks yummy. Came here through your comment on my blog.

My husband is from Karnataka, so I guess I can learn many recipes from you. Thanks!

Jayashree said...

There you go with another ingredient that's new to me. I didn't know dill was used in Indian cooking.....what's the flavour like??? And does it make the dish smell different?

Nabeela said...

I love the recipe! I'm a complete dill fan...will try sometime soon and let you know!

FH said...

Yes M'am, Spice hut! you can learn from me and teach me some of your's!! Hi to your kannada hubby and welcome back to you ....

Jayashree,I can't believe most of you don't know about dill! It tastes soft and yummy :) and it does have a different but good aroma than say palak.Buy a small bunch to try ,then see if you like it.I loove dill!

THANK YOU Nabeela! Atleast you know about dill!! I love it too!

Anonymous said...

never used dill in large quantities in a subji but no wwill. thnaks for the yummy looking thali meal.

FH said...

Thank you Anonymous! Use a big bunch of dill and get ready for a new flavorful sensation..I think you will like it..

Priya Bhaskaran said...

Asha.... the plate full of food is so tempting:) Nice pictures:)

indosungod said...

Asha, cooking with dill is new to me, learn something new all the time, I thought dill was an American vegetable??!!, though they always look fresh and inviting i never buy them, I will next time I am in the grocery store.

Keshi said...

my mum makes it for me :)

Keshi.

Nee said...

Hey Asha!

I gotta tell you, your recipes are so different! I've never used dill in anything before, first that bamboo shoots recipe, now this...keep 'em coming girl!

I don't recall seeing dill over here, next time I'll keep an eye out.

Nee

FH said...

Hi Priya, thanks and you are invited for lunch!

Keshi, you have a good mom and you know dill, hurray!! Where are your folks from, in India I mean?

FH said...

Indosungod, dill is a fancy word for Supseege soppu or Suva bhaji,easily available in K'taka.
Next time get that dill and try the recipe, you will like it for sure.I love it,sometimes find it here in the grocery store,but not always :(
Thanks!

Hello Nee,thanks!I am 'unique' as I mentioned up there! :D
I will post a soup today but watch out for a "rustic" ;) recipe next week.I will be baaaack!
Shynee from UK said she gets dill all the time there, may be she lives around a 'Indian' area!!
Hope you will try, easy recipe..

Anonymous said...

Hi Asha,
This evening your blog has rekindled a lot of memories from my days in good ole Bangalore. Sabsige with beans palya was a common side dish in our house. You have inspired me to learn more about traditional dishes from my mom and granny. I will make it a point to cook the dishes I savored as a child than the same old anna saaru.

I will prepare these recipes with lots of garlic just like my granny, LINGAYAT STYLE. Keep up the good work and share more traditional recipes with all of us.

FH said...

Thanks Shilpa!! we all ignore these traditional dishes while growing up and then when we are on own, it all comes back to you in a hurry !! Yup!! You are not a true Lingayat unless that garlic Oggarane sizzles around noon!! :D :D In B'lore, you could smell it all in the streets :))))

Unknown said...

Hi Asha,
I had a bunch of dill lying in my refrigerator. Didn't know what to do with it. Googled Sabsige Soppu palya and found your recipe. Cooking is something that I don't enjoy much. I was so half heartedly looking for a recipe, but your blog inspired me so much. The attractive photos made my mouth water. My husband was so surprised that I am cooking with so much interest. And, ofcourse both Palya and saaru came out awesome!! Thanks for the recipe. I will visit your blog often from now on! BTW, I am a kannadiga too... live in bay area, CA.
Chethana

Usha said...

Asha,

We prepare bassaru in a slightly different way. Coarsely dice 1c. of onions and 2 to 3 cloves of garlic and saute until half cooked. Grind with 1/2 C.of fresh coconut, a small bunch of cilantro, sambhar powder and some of the cooked toor dhal with tamarind paste. Add to the drained liquid and bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes and then do vagaira. This tastes very good. you can make it thick by adding more onion and coconut or thin to your liking. Usha

FH said...

Usha, that sounds so good. Thanks for the recipe.I will try it next time. My kids don't like thin Bassaru,so I make it thick.Usually, bassaru is always thin with dal water. I love it anyway thick or thin though!:))

FH said...

Hi Chetana, I missed your comment until now somehow. Glad you liked it, this dish my fave too, tastes so good. Reminds me of home every time. So good to know you are a kannadiga too, keep in touch. Did you try Batani Saagu with Poori btw? It's my mom's recipe, you can add any veggies to the masala. Go to my recipe index to see more side dishes. Enjoy.Happy holidays!:))