Mango and Methi Dal

One of my all time favorite dals.Well, actually Mango Dal is my favorite and one of my cousins was mentioning about this dal that she made that day and I tried it out.It was a great combination of a subtle bitter taste along with the sour taste.I love to eat this dal especially with the fried buttermilk chillies (Majjiga Merapakayalu)

1 Green Mango,peeled and cut into pieces(Throw the seed out)
1 cup Toor Dal
1 bunch of methi leaves, stalks discarded
1/8 tsp of Turmeric
1/4 tsp of Ginger Garlic paste
3 green chillies chopped
1 tsp of Urad Dal
1/2 tsp of Cumin Seeds
1/2 tsp of Mustard seeds
Pinch of Hing
2 red chillies, roughly broken
4-5 Curry leaves, washed and chopped I believe it tastes better as opposed to the whole curry leaves
1/8 cup of Tamarind juice (If the Mango is not sour enough)

• Wash and Soak Toor Dal with Turmeric for about 15 min
• Pressure cook/Boil Toor Dal (I usually use 1 Cup Toor Dal to 3 Cups Water) You could always use more or less water depending on the consistency that you want
• If you are pressure cooking, after 2 whistles, you can add the mango pieces and let it cook with out putting the lid on.With the regular method, you can add the mango pieces once you feel that the dal is beginning to become soft.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan
• Add Urad dal, Cumin Seeds, Mustard Seeds and red chillies.Once they splutter, add the curry leaves and hing.
• Add the methi leaves and cook until they wilt but not dry
  
• Add immediately to the cooked dal.Add Salt to taste.
• If the dal is not sour enough, you can always add tamarind juice or lemon juice and cook for 5 more min
• Serve hot with rice
  

Hugs,
Shri

Minestrone Soup with Pesto

This is very close to Olive Garden style Minestrone soup.I am not sure if Olive Garden's soup has pesto in it but the pesto just takes the soup to an entirely different level in terms of the flavor.If you dont like pesto or for some reason allergic to pine nuts or nuts in general , you can always avoid it.I simmer the ingredients for half hour in Veg Broth (Could always use Broth of your choice) and I serve it with Rosemary & Olive Oil Bread (That I got from Wegmans)

6 Cups of Vegetarian Broth
3 garlic cloves, sliced vertically
1 Big Yellow Onion, chopped
1 can of 14 1/2 ounce of crushed/diced tomatoes
2 celery stalks, diced
2 carrots, chopped/cubed
2 Zucchini, peeled, chopped
1 cup of Fresh Spinach, chopped
1 can of Canellini beans
1/2 can of Kidney Beans
2 red potatoes, peeled, cubed
1 cup seashell pasta
1 tablespoon of dried thyme
2 tbsps of Basil pesto
Salt and Pepper

• Heat 2 tbsps of Olive Oil.Saute the chopped onions until soft
  
• Add garlic, celery and carrots and cook till tender
• Add the spinach and cook for 5 min
  
• In the meantime, bring a pot of water with some salt to a boil.Add Pasta and cook till tender about 8 to 10 min.Drain the water in a colander.
• Stir in the Thyme and Pesto
  
• Now, add the beans, zucchini, and potatoes along with the tomatoes
• Pour in the broth and stir all the contents once before you bring it to a boil.
• Cook until potatoes are soft.
• Simmer it for about half hour or so and then add the pasta
• Season with parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
  

Ciao,
Shri

Has it been that long? Vanilla Panna Cotta

Tasty Touch has turned 1!And Can you believe it, I missed it!It just seems like yesterday when my SIL was pushing me to open a blog. At the time it felt like a good idea to have an online recipe diary and interact and share ideas with fellow bloggers. I thought I had some idea of what I was getting into but little did I realize that I will be knowing some fine chefs, incredible photographers, articulate writers and some very warm people. It has been a wonderful experience throughout and thank YOU, especially the readers of my blog.Some of you have even become my household names. I have seen a lot of you celebrate 2nd, 3rds and even some 4th anniversaries.So in that way, it is a very small thing to celebrate for..Trivial or not, I personally feel its a huge accomplishment. Given my lethargy levels, I did not imagine I will stay in 'business' for this long! So, Thank you so very much for that:)

I do have some good news that I would like to share with you all.I will be going back to work full time after 4 years which is exciting and at the same time nerve wrecking.So,I may not post dishes for a while until I settle down with work.So, please bear with me and I promise, I will come back even before you know it!

Panna Cotta (Recipe: Gale Gand with some changes)

3 tbsps water
1 tbsp Powdered Gelatin like Knox (About 1 sachet)
4 cups Heavy Cream
1/2 of Vanilla bean, seeds scraped
1 tsp Vanilla bean extract
1/2 cup Sugar

• In a small bowl, take water and sprinkle the gelatin powder.Do not stir.Let it soak for 10 min
• In a pan, heat the cream, sugar, vanilla extract and Vanilla bean seeds.
• Bring the contents to a simmer.Add the gelatin mixture and stir in until gelatin is completely dissolved.
• Pour in ramekins or glasses.It should serve about 6 people.
• Chill it for 4 to 6 hours
• Slice the berries and top the panna cotta.
  

Lots of love,
Shri