Mushroom masala with fresh green channa

I like trying different combinations of vegetables and legumes in my curries. Yesterday i got all excited and decided to combine Mushroom and green channa. I haven't heard of this fresh green channa(Garbanzo beans)when i was in India. Recently found frozen green channa in the indian grocery store. I have always used dried kabuli channa or brown channa. These green channa are so fresh and do not require soaking in water overnight. That's one thing i liked about these. I usually think of making channa masala for the next day and would forget to soak it overnight. Any form of channa or garbanzo beans is rich in protein and fiber, and low in fat and calories. They are a good source of folate, folic acid, calcium, Vitamin B and iron.
And speaking of mushrooms, i like fresh white ones. One thing about the mushrooms is it gets dark when kept for long time. Proper wrapping with ziploc or storing them in air-tight containers can help. Mushrooms combined with green channa was so delicious as a side dish. Here is some of 'em for you.

10 to 15 nos.- White button mushrooms
1 Cup - Frozen or fresh green channa or garbanzo
1 - Medium Onion Chopped
3 - Medium Tomatoes chopped
1 tsp - turmeric powder
1 tsp - red chilli powder
1 tsp - corriander powder
1 tsp - cumin powder
1 tsp - garam masala
1 tsp of Kasuri methi
1 tsp - cumin seeds for tadka
1 tbsp - oil
Salt to taste
Fresh cilantro to garnish

Remove stems from mushrooms, clean and with a neat cloth wipe the surface of the mushrooms to remove any dirt. Cut into halves or any shape. Wash channa into two to three runnings of water, drain and set aside. Heat oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. Let the cumin seed splutter. Add turmeric powder to them. Then add the onion and fry till transparent. Add mushrooms and saute for two minutes. Add Chopped tomatoes to the pan and cook till the tomatoes are mushy and mixes with the mushroom. Stir in red chilli powder, corriander powder, cumin powder and mix well to coat the mushroom with the masala. Let the spices cook for two minutes. Add green channa and enough water and let it cook covered for 10 minutes. Stir in the garam masala and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. By then the mushrooms should be soft and green channa doesn't require more time to cook. Mix the kasuri methi and cook for another minute and then garnish with cilantro.
Serve hot with naan or your favourite rotis.

Add-on...
Add quarter cup of milk or cream before adding the garam masala. This would give the dish a rich creamy colour.

Moong dal with Zucchini

Zucchini, funny name isn't it:-). Not knowing what to do with this summer vegetable, i was reluctant to buy them. But my husband said that i could use them in stir-fry. Ofcourse it was good in stir-fry. Almost everyday we have roti's for dinner and so i get really confused what to make as side dish for roti's. Yesterday i thought of making dal for roti's and then suddenly it strike why can't i use this zucchini in my dal. Guess what, turned out to be delicious. Being calorie consicious i checked the nutritional information on zucchini. Zucchini is low in calories (19 calories/cup). It is low in fat and carbohydrates. One cup of zucchini is a significant source of vitamin C and adds vitamins and minerals when added to recipes. Also found that overcooking(adding too much water and heat)zucchini might destroy the vitamin C in the vegetable. Here is how i made the dal with zucchini.


Ingredients
Moong dal - 1 cup.
Zucchini - 2 nos diced.
onion - 1 medium
Tomato - 2 nos.
Green chillies - 3
Sambar powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Asafoetida - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Corriander leaves to garnish

Method
Pressure cook moong dal till soft, mash and set aside. Chop onion, tomatoes. Slit green chillies. Heat oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds, cumin seeds, asafoetida, turmeric powder. Add the chopped onion,green chillies and fry till transparent. Then add the tomatoes and fry till it gets mushy. Stir in zucchini and fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add sambar powder, fry for a minute. Sprinkle some water over this and let it cook till the zucchini is half cooked. Do not add more water or overcook zucchini. Cook in medium heat. Add the cooked dal and mix well. Let it boil for another 4 minutes. Garnish with coriander leaves.

Serve hot with Chapathi or rice. Add a tsp of Ghee on top before serving for added touch.

Check out fellow bloggers zucchini dishes.

Zucchini Kurma from Mahanadi
Easy Potato-Zucchini Stir-Fry from Foodie's hope
Zucchini and Feenel fritata from WFLH

Pineapple Salsa - Contribution to AFAM event

Dietians say that we should eat three servings of fruit per day. My husband is a big fan of fruits and he drags me to the fruit aisle when we go for grocery shopping(i am not used to eating fruits regularly). But i volunteered to the fruit aisle this week to buy pineapple after reading the AFAM event by Maheswari Madanan of beyond the usual.I 've been trying to participate in AFAM event since she announced it. Ofcourse lack of time is the reason, finally i did manage to contribute this time.
Read about AFAM event here.

Now lets get into some details of this tropical fruit.
Pineapple is native to south america and was found by Christopher columbus(Discoverer of the Americas). But they are thought to have originated in Brazil and Paraguay. It contains large quantities of vitamin C. As far as medicinal uses are concerned, pineapple is said be rich in fibre which can cure constipation. It helps to improve digestion, increase appetite and reduce excessive gastric acids. The enzyme, bromelain present in pineapple aids digestion.
Though it has a prickly top, once removed it is a delicious juicy fruit. I made Pineapple salsa and here is how you make it.
Pineapple Salsa - a colorful treat

Pineapple slices - 3 or 4.(Remove the outer skin, edges and slice them horizontally).
Onion - 1 medium
Red bell pepper - 1 thinly sliced
Green bell pepper - 1 thinly sliced
Cayenne pepper - 1 tsp
Corriander leaves - 2 tbsp chopped
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste.

Combine pinepple slices, onion, red bell pepper, green bell pepper in a large bowl. Add the cayenne pepper, corriander leaves and lime juice to it. Add salt and mix well. Jalapeno pepper is an optional additional to this salsa. Cover tightly and refrigerate until serving time. Serve with tacos, an ultimate party snack.


Check out this Easy pineapple slicer