MAKE WAY FOR GREENS!!! DAL SAAG & ROTI!! :)

Dal Saag (Beet Greens with Chana dal) and Missi rotis are my entries to both JFI "Greens" and WBB #10 this month.The JFI event's creator Indira from 'Mahanandi', who is hosting this month's JFI, also hosting Nandita from 'Saffron Trail' blog's WBB #10 event as well.Thank you Indira!:)

Dal Saag aur Missi Roti:
When I heard about JFI and WBB theme is Greens,I immediately thought of Makki di roti and Sarson ka saag and then I thought somebody will cook those and changed my plan to cook Missi Roti and Dal saag with beet greens and Spinach instead.Now I see one of you smart girls (aka coffee!), made Missi rotis too even before I publish this post but I see nobody made dal Saag with Beet greens!!!;D
In addition to delicious Dal Saag and rotis,I am also posting my Mysore grandma's authentic Spinach Sambhar,which is called Soppina saaru in Kannada to be served with rice and papad if you like.Enjoy!!

Beet Greens:


Beet greens are used as just as you would use spinach and equally nutritious.Fresh beet greens will have dark-green colored leaves with rich red veins and fairly long, upright stalks.Avoid if the leaves that are wilted, yellowing or have dark green patches on them.



Dal Saag:
(Mashed Chana dal-Beet greens)Beet Greens are a wonderful choice for making dal Saag,which gives it a slightly reddish color and tastes great as well as you can see.It cooks down just like Spinach,may be needs to cook few mins longer than the Spinach.Do not add salt and any tomato,tamarind ,mango pd etc while cooking with Chana dal,you can add those later if you like while cooking.



You Need:
Beet greens from 3-4 beets,one cup chopped Spinach,1/2 cup Chana dal(split red gram)soaked in water for 2 hrs, 2 garlic minced, 1" piece ginger minced, 1 green chili, 2 tsp coriander seeds powder, 1/2 tsp Garam masala(optional),salt to taste,1 tsp of jaggery or sugar,2 tbsp corn flour or corn meal(Makki ka atta).
For seasoning: 2 tbsp ghee and oil, 1 tsp cumin deeds,2 green chilies, cut into rounds,1" ginger, cut into long thin strips, 1/2 tsp Kashmiri chili powder or paprika.

How to make it:
1. Wash,de-vein and chop the leaves and tender stems,cook with drained dal in 1 cup of fresh water, ginger, garlic and green chili in a pressure cooker on medium heat for few mins or in a pan covered and cook for 20 minutes.Open the lid.
2. Mash a little, add coriander pd,corn flour,sugar,garam masala,and salt,simmer on a low heat until it thickens,keep stirring to prevent sticking.It should not be thin or very thick like a big lump.
4. Heat ghee, saute cumin seeds, ginger strips, green chilies rounds until it changes color slightly, remove from the heat and add chili powder.
5. Add this seasoning to Dal saag and mix well.

Missi Rotis:
(Rotis made with wheat flour and Besan(Chickpea flour))Makes about 10
Missi rotis are made from a mix of wheat flour and Besan(chickpea flour) with little spices to give them a zing! They are tasty ,aromatic and healthful and great to scoop up thickish dal saag and relish the meal.Enjoy!:))



You need:
1 cup besan (Chickpea flour), 2 cups atta (wheat flour), 2 tbsp oil or melted ghee, enough salt, 1/2 tsp chill pd, 1/4 tsp turmeric,1 tsp ajwain(carom seeds), 1 tsp mango pd and 1 tsp minced ginger+ enough warm water to mix the above ingredients to a firm, smooth dough.

How to make them:
1. Mix both flours first. Add all other ingredients, knead to a smooth dough but not very soft dough.Leave it to rest covered for 30mins.
2. Shape into 10 balls. Roll out each ball to a slightly thicker than chapatis, 4-5" discs.Cover while the Tawa or griddle is heated.
3. Cook it on hot tawa on both sides until you see the specks of brown.Brush some melted butter or ghee on the hot roti and serve warm.

A plate of Dal-Saag and Missi Roti,the ultimate comfort food!:))



To serve: Serve with little butter,lemon slices,raw onion rings,fresh green chillies if you are brave enough and freshly made Missi rotis and a big glass of cold sweet or savory Lassi!!!Are you drooling yet?!:D


Grandma's Soppina Saaru:
(A traditional Karnataka Spinach Sambhar,Soppu means any greens in Kannada and saaru is gravy,a simple but delicious bonus recipe for you to enjoy!!
There are many variations of making this Soppina saaru of course.This is the way my Mysore grandmother makes it.It tastes great with a cup of rice or as a healthy soup if you use less chill pd in it.My ajji(dad's mom) used a lot coconut everyday in her cooking since their coconut farm is down the road with a never ending supply of those!!:D I do cut down the coconut to 1/4 cup or less without losing the same taste. Enjoy!:))


You Need:
1/2 cup Tuar dal(split red gram),3-4 cups fresh or a pound of frozen spinach,turmeric,2 Tomatoes sliced,salt,1 tbsp tamarind juice,little piece of jaggery,cilantro.
Masala paste: Dry roast 2 tbsp coriander seeds,1 tsp pepper corns,1 tsp Mustard seeds,2-3 dry red chillies,1/2 tsp Fenugreek seeds ,1 tsp Poppy seeds,1 tsp uncooked rice grains,1" cinnamon(dalchini) and grind these with 1/4 cup fresh or 3 tbsp dry coconut,1 tsp chana dalia(yellow roasted gram/chutney dal) )few pieces of onion,1 small garlic,few stems of cilantro and few curry leaves to a smooth paste with enough water in the grinder.Keep aside.
For seasoning: 2 tbsp oil and ghee,i small onion chopped,1 tsp cumin seeds,1 red dry chilly,2-3 garlic sliced,curry leaves.

How to make it:
1. Pressure cook dal ,turmeric and spinach with 2-3 cups of water until soft.Cool and take off the lid.
2. In a pan,heat oil/ghee,and add all the seasoning.When onions are reddish,add the dal spinach mix and tomatoes etc as given above with dal and heat.
3. When it boils for 5 mins and the tomatoes are soft,turn down the heat,add the ground masala paste and simmer gently for 5 mins or so.
4. If it's too thick,you can add some water,it should of pouring consistency.

Tasty soppina saaru is ready to eat with rice,papad and sandige(sun dried and fried wafers).Tastes even better the next day.You could add a little hing(asafoetida) if you like to the seasoning but my ajji never used it but I do!:))


Wheat Flour Kodubales:
NO!! This is nothing to do with the "greens" but a variation of the Karnataka snack Kodubale I posted 3 weeks ago.My teenager reader Sneha tried the Kodubale(a bangle shaped snack with horns)with Wheat flour or atta bcos she didn't have the flour at hand.That got me curious and made Kodubales with atta instead of plain flour with bigger circles with the same recipe. Not only they look good and it tasted great too.Thanks Sneha for a great idea!:)

I wanted you to see what I meant by Kodubale ie bangle shaped with horns! Look at the top Kodubale with round shape and see the horns on top,that's the way they are all supposed to be made.I just made one just to show you,too much work to do all of them!!;D



A new bird house in our backyard!
This little bird house looks amazingly similar to our house except for one level(we have two levels),thought I post this photo!!:D



Alrighty then, that's it for this week.Have a great weekend and I will see what I can bring you next week!Don't forget to smile,life is too short to be unhappy.You never know, right?!:))